Posted by admin on Jun 30, 2023 in |
Introduction: Ultrasound-guided axillary brachial plexus block is commonly used for forearm and hand surgery. Perineural dexamethasone 8mg has proved to prolong the duration of analgesia, but studies with low doses of dexamethasone are scarce. Hence this study was designed to determine the duration of analgesia with 2 mg dexamethasone used perineurally with ropivacaine. Methods: Fifty-Eight patients scheduled for forearm and hand surgeries were included in our study and randomly allocated into two groups. Group R- Axillary Brachial Plexus Block given with 0.75% Ropivacaine 18 ml and 2ml NS and Group RD- Axillary Brachial Plexus Block given with 0.75% Ropivacaine 18 ml and 2 mg Dexamethasone making a total volume of 20ml. Results: Four patients were excluded because of block failure. The time of first rescue analgesia in Group RD was 515.74±11.07 minutes and in Group R was 452.78±14.76 minutes and was statistically significant. Onset of sensory block and motor block in Group RD was earlier than in Group R and duration of sensory and motor block was also longer...
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Posted by admin on May 31, 2023 in |
Antimicrobial resistance is a threat to public health. This study investigated the occurrence of ESBL and colistin resistance among Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa recovered from clinical samples (n=500) in a tertiary teaching hospital in Abakaliki, Nigeria. The samples were bacteriologically analyzed using selective culture media, biochemical tests, and PCR. All isolates were screened for ESBL and colistin resistance genes using both PCR and disk diffusion methods that included standard antibiotic disks for susceptibility studies. E. coli (n=173), K. pneumoniae (n=120) and P. aeruginosa (n=62) were recovered from the clinical samples investigated. The most prevalent ESBL genes detected is blaCTX-M found in 3 isolates of P. aeruginosa, 4 isolates of E. coli and 2 isolates of K. pneumoniae. The colistin resistance gene, mcr-3 was detected in 4 strains of E. coli for the first time in Southeast Nigeria. Both mcr-1 and mcr-3 was not detected in the K. pneumoniae strains. Only the mcr-2 colistin resistance genes were detected in K. pneumoniae strains. There was no detection of...
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Posted by admin on Nov 30, 2022 in |
Cutaneous wound healing starts with an acute inflammatory phase marked by secretion of pro-inflammatory mediators that enhance infiltration of leukocytes with a peak in the first 24 to 48 h. This resolves to enable the continuation of other phases in series, namely, the proliferative, re-epithelialization, vascularisation, and tissue remodelling phases. The study uses a mechanical device, for the first time, to create a mechanical cutaneous wound in adult Zebrafish to simulate mammalian cutaneous wound. Topical application of 0.5% ointment of a fraction from hexane leaf extract of Vernonia arborea, accelerated wound healing in the developed model. The phytocompound in the fraction modulates the inflammation kinetics, increasing initial inflammation at 24 hrs by expediting neutrophil infiltration, three folds more than the untreated model. The resolution of inflammation was rapid in the experimental group after 3 dpw compared to the untreated control resulting in speedy proliferation and migration of keratinocytes and three times faster wound closure, measuring up to 92.3% as compared to 95.3% in the positive control group. The fraction...
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Posted by admin on Aug 31, 2022 in |
Phenol was used as a sole carbon source for the perchlorate biodegradation as reported for the first time. Isolated bacterial species Pseudoxanthomonas sp. isolated from a sewage sludge consortium was found to reduce perchlorate while taking phenol as electron acceptor. The growth and perchlorate degradation were analyzed in a batch system along with the degradation profile of phenol by the microbial culture. The effect of the co-pollutants (nitrate, chlorate, nitrate, phosphate) was also considered as part of the present study, where nitrate was found to be the most significant. Perchlorate was significantly removed by the culture involving subsequent phenol degradation in a continuous packed bed system anaerobically from synthetic...
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Posted by admin on Feb 28, 2022 in |
Bell’s palsy is an idiopathic, unilateral, acute weakness of the face in a pattern consistent with peripheral facial nerve dysfunction and may be partial or complete, occurring with equal frequency on either side of the face. The incidence is about 20 in 100,000 people a year, with about 1 in 60-lifetime risks. Bell’s palsy has a peak incidence between the ages of 15 and 40 years. Viral infections are commonly associated with facial nerve pathology, which leads to peripheral facial paralysis. A potential cause of peripheral facial paralysis might be COVID-19 and neurological symptoms could be the first and only manifestation of the disease. Possible mechanisms related to nerve damage in idiopathic facial nerve paralysis include ischemia of vasa nervorum and demyelination induced by an inflammatory process. Direct viral damage or an autoimmune reaction toward the nerve-producing inflammation would be alternative or contributing mechanisms to dysfunction. Acyclovir (aciclovir) is a nucleoside analogue antiviral drug active against some of the herpes virus groups of DNA viruses and RNA viruses. The...
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