In this manuscript, the amount of water vapour uptakes on zeolites (types AQSOA-Z01, Z02 and Z05) under static and dynamic conditions were measured for the temperatures ranging from 298 K to 333 K ...and pressures up to saturated conditions. These data are fitted with the theoretical isotherms and kinetics equations, which are developed from Langmurian analogy. The experimentally measured isotherms data varying from Henry's region to the saturated pressure are also expressed in pressure–temperature–uptake co-ordinate system for the calculation of the isosteric heat of adsorption. The variations of isosteric heats are ranged from 1 to 1.4 times of the heat of vaporization. The AQSOA type zeolites show type V isotherms. For better understanding of adsorption and desorption processes, the hysteresis behaviours are also investigated.
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•Water adsorption on AQSOA type zeolites is presented.•Dynamic behaviours of AQSOA-zeolites + water are presented.•The kinetics is explained employing Langmurian analogy instead of LDF model.•The isotherm coefficient K is expressed by adsorption and desorption rates or K = kads/kdes.•Isosteric heat of adsorption for AQSOA zeolites + water is presented as a function of pore widths.
Background
This is an update of a Cochrane review first published in The Cochrane Library in Issue 1, 2006 and previously updated in 2009.
Idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSHL) is a ...clinical diagnosis characterised by a sudden deafness of cochlear or retrocochlear origin in the absence of a clear precipitating cause. Steroids are commonly prescribed to treat this condition. There is no consensus on their effectiveness.
Objectives
To determine whether steroids in the treatment of ISSHL a) improve hearing (primary) and b) reduce tinnitus (secondary).
To determine the incidence of significant side effects from the medication.
Search methods
We searched the Cochrane Ear, Nose and Throat Disorders Group Trials Register; the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL); PubMed; EMBASE; CINAHL; Web of Science; Cambridge Scientific s; ICTRP and additional sources for published and unpublished trials. The date of the most recent search was 22 April 2013.
Selection criteria
We identified all randomised controlled trials (with or without blinding) in which steroids were evaluated in comparison with either no treatment or a placebo. We considered trials including the use of steroids in combination with another treatment if the comparison control group also received the same other treatment. The two authors reviewed the full‐text articles of all the retrieved trials of possible relevance and applied the inclusion criteria independently.
Data collection and analysis
We graded trials for risk of bias using the Cochrane approach. The data extraction was performed in a standardised manner by one author and rechecked by the other author. Where necessary we contacted investigators to obtain the missing information. Meta‐analysis was neither possible nor considered appropriate because of the heterogeneity of the populations studied and the differences in steroid formulations, dosages and duration of treatment. We analysed and reported the quality of the results of each study individually. A narrative overview of the results is presented.
Main results
Only three trials, involving 267 participants, satisfied the inclusion criteria and all three studies were at high risk of bias. One trial showed a lack of effect of oral steroids in improving hearing compared with the placebo control group. The second trial showed a significant improvement of hearing in 61% of the patients receiving oral steroid and in only 32% of the patients from the control group (combination of placebo‐treated group and untreated control group). The third trial also showed a lack of effect of oral steroids in improving hearing compared with the placebo control. However, this trial did not follow strict inclusion criteria for participant selection and analysis of data was limited by significant exclusion of participants from the final analysis and lack of participant compliance to the treatment protocol. No clear evidence was presented in two trials about any harmful side effects of the steroids. Only one study declared that no patients suffered from adverse effects of the steroid treatment.
Authors' conclusions
The value of steroids in the treatment of idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss remains unclear since the evidence obtained from randomised controlled trials is contradictory in outcome, in part because the studies are based upon too small a number of patients.
A decrease in intracochlear electrocochleographic (ECochG) amplitude during cochlear implantation has been associated with poorer postoperative hearing preservation in several short-term studies. ...Here, we relate the stability of ECochG during surgery to hearing preservation at 3- and 12-months.
Patients with hearing ≤80-dB HL at 500 Hz were implanted with a slim-straight electrode array. ECochG responses to short, high-intensity, 500-Hz pure tones of alternating polarity were recorded continuously from the apical-most electrode during implantation. No feedback was provided to the surgeon. ECochG amplitude was derived from the difference response, and implantations classified by the presence ("ECochG drop") or absence ("no drop") of a ≥30% reduction in ECochG amplitude during insertion. Residual hearing (relative and absolute) was reported against the ECochG class.
ECochG was recorded from 109 patients. Of these, interpretable ECochG signals were recorded from 95. Sixty-six of 95 patients had an ECochG drop during implantation. Patients with an ECochG drop had poorer preoperative hearing above 1000 Hz. Hearing preservation (in decibels, relative to preoperative levels and functionally) was significantly poorer at 250-, 500-, and 1000-Hz at 3 months in patients exhibiting an ECochG drop. Twelve-month outcomes were available from 85 patients, with significantly poorer functional hearing, and greater relative and absolute hearing loss from 250 to 1000 Hz, when an ECochG drop had been encountered.
Patients exhibiting ECochG drops during implantation had significantly poorer hearing preservation 12 months later. These observational outcomes support the future development of surgical interventions responsive to real-time intracochlear ECochG. Early intervention to an ECochG drop could potentially lead to prolonged improvements in hearing preservation.
Return to Work (RTW) programmes have become imperative in manpower scarce countries. This paper describes a RTW programme in a Singapore tertiary hospital, reports patient outcomes and discusses the ...practicality and effectiveness of the programme. Seventy-three workers participated in the programme over a two-year period. A statistically significant increase in work ability and self-perceived overall health status from first contact with worker (baseline) to discharge was observed. Continued programme participation till first RTW was associated with higher work ability and self-perceived overall health status at baseline. The RTW Coordinator-anchored multidisciplinary model which provided holistic support to the worker and addressed stakeholder interests were central to the programme’s success. Greater awareness of RTW programme benefits will improve sustained participation. Our RTW programme features, implementation experiences and participant reported effectiveness may inform the development of improved return to work models.
Extended Criteria Donors: Closer to the Truth Wei, Benjamin, M.D
Journal of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery/The Journal of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery/The journal of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery,
09/2016, Letnik:
152, Številka:
3
Journal Article
In recent years, there has been an increase in the use of motor imagery (MI) in the rehabilitation of musculoskeletal pain conditions. Across the literature, most reviews have yet to consider ...Laterality Judgement Task training as a form of MI method. This review aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of using MI as an adjunct to standard rehabilitation on the improvement of pain and range of motion parameters when managing patients with musculoskeletal pain conditions.
Searches of 8 major electronic databases were conducted. Data for pain and range of motion were extracted. Meta-analyses (where possible) with either a fixed or random-effect(s) model, standardized mean differences (SMDs), and tests of heterogeneity were performed.
Eight clinical controlled trials were identified and included in the meta-analyses. When compared with standard rehabilitation alone, the adjunctive role of MI provided superior pain relief (pooled SMD, -2.25; 95% confidence interval, -4.11 to -0.4; P=0.02), and greater improvement in range of motion (pooled SMD, 3.04; 95% confidence interval, 0.66-5.43; P=0.01) in chronic musculoskeletal pain disorders.
The results suggest that MI may be effective for pain relief and improvement in range of motion among chronic musculoskeletal pain conditions, although conclusion is based on a limited certainty of evidence as assessed using the GRADES (Grading of Recommendation, Assessment, Development and Evaluation) approach.
α-Azido carbonyl compounds bearing a 2-alkenylaryl moiety at the α-position are found to be promising precursors for synthesis of isoindole and isoquinoline derivatives via 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition ...of azides onto alkenes and 6π-electrocyclization of N-H imine intermediates, respectively.
Background:Little is known about the effect of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and the outbreak response measures on door-to-balloon time (D2B). This study examined both D2B and ...clinical outcomes of patients with STEMI undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI).Methods and Results:This was a retrospective study of 303 STEMI patients who presented directly or were transferred to a tertiary hospital in Singapore for PPCI from October 2019 to March 2020. We compared the clinical outcomes of patients admitted before (BOR) and during (DOR) the COVID-19 outbreak response. The study outcomes were in-hospital death, D2B, cardiogenic shock and 30-day readmission. For direct presentations, fewer patients in the DOR group achieved D2B time <90 min compared with the BOR group (71.4% vs. 80.9%, P=0.042). This was more apparent after exclusion of non-system delay cases (DOR 81.6% vs. BOR 95.9%, P=0.006). Prevalence of both out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (9.5% vs. 1.9%, P=0.003) and acute mitral regurgitation (31.6% vs. 17.5%, P=0.006) was higher in the DOR group. Mortality was similar between groups. Multivariable regression showed that longer D2B time was an independent predictor of death (odds ratio 1.005, 95% confidence interval 1.000–1.011, P=0.029).Conclusions:The COVID-19 pandemic and the outbreak response have had an adverse effect on PPCI service efficiency. The study reinforces the need to focus efforts on shortening D2B time, while maintaining infection control measures.
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