Particulate black carbon and gaseous emission from brick kilns in Greater Dhaka region,Bangladesh

Eighteen brick kilns of three brick-making technologies (Fixed Chimney Kiln (FCK), Zigzag, and Hoffmann) were selected to measure the concentrations of particulate matter (PM_2.5) with Aerocet 531S (USA) sampler, black carbon (BC) with Magee Scientific, OT-21 Soot scan Transmissometer (USA), and gaseous pollutants (CO₂, CO, SO₂, NO_x, and volatile organic carbon (VOC)) with Aeroqual 500 gas sampler (New Zealand) to understand the emission scenario from brick sector in Greater Dhaka region, Bangladesh. Emission factor (EF) of each pollutant was computed from their respective concentration for three brick kiln technologies. Ambient PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ were measured in brick kiln premises and 1 km far from the respective kilns to see the effect on the surrounding areas. The PM_2.5 concentration was found on an average of 141?±?86, 128?±?72, and 110?±?53 mg/m³ in FCK, Zigzag, and Hoffmann kilns, respectively. The average BC concentration was found 16.6?±?7.1 (FCK), 11.8?±?4.2 (Zigzag), and 8.9?±?4.4 (Hoffmann) mg/m³. FCK has a greater emission of CO, whereas Zigzag has a higher CO₂ emission. A comparatively higher value of CO₂ and lower value of CO indicates effective combustion of coal, and this is found to be more efficient for Zigzag and Hoffmann compared to traditional FCK. SO₂ and VOC emissions were depending not only on the kiln types but also on the fuel qualities. From EF calculation, approximately 4526 t of PM_2.5, 340 t of BC, 209,776 t of CO₂, 8700 t of CO, 19,441 t of SO₂, and 835,450 t of VOC per year found to emit from 1000 brick kilns. The conversion of traditional FCK to improved one, i.e., Zigzag and/or Hoffman is not a straight forward solution, as CO₂ emission was higher in Zigzag whereas BC and PM_2.5 emissions were higher in FCK. Therefore, considering EF of various pollutants from these three types of kilns, conversion of FCK to Zigzag or Hoffmann could be a better choice.     

Association between Medicaid adult nonemergency dental benefits and dental services use and expenditures

Background

Only some states provide coverage of nonemergency dental services for adult Medicaid enrollees. This study examined the association between coverage of Medicaid adult nonemergency dental services and dental services use and expenditures.

Inhibition of microglial activity alters spinal wide dynamic range neuron discharge and reduces microglial Toll‐like receptor 4 expression in neuropathic rats

It is believed that neuropathic pain results from aberrant neuronal discharges although some evidence suggests that the activation of glia cells contributes to pain after an injury to the nervous system. This study aimed to evaluate the role of microglial activation on the hyper‐responsiveness of wide dynamic range neurons (WDR) and Toll‐like receptor 4 (TLR4) expressions in a chronic constriction injury (CCI) model of neuropathic pain in rats. Adult male Wistar rats (230 ± 30 g) underwent surgery for induction of CCI neuropathy. Six days after surgery, administration of minocycline (10, 20, and 40 mg/kg, i.p.) was initiated and continued until day 14. After administration of the last dose of minocycline or saline, a behavioral test was conducted, then animals were sacrificed and lumbar segments of the spinal cord were collected for Western blot analysis of TLR4 expression. The electrophysiological properties of WDR neurons were investigated by single unit recordings in separate groups. The findings showed that after CCI, in parallel with thermal hyperalgesia, the expression of TLR4 in the spinal cord and the evoked response of the WDR neurons to electrical, mechanical, and thermal stimulation significantly increased. Post‐injury administration of minocycline effectively decreased thermal hyperalgesia, TLR4 expression, and hyper‐responsiveness of WDR neurons in CCI rats. The results of this study indicate that post‐injury, repeated administration of minocycline attenuated neuropathic pain by suppressing microglia activation and reducing WDR neuron hyper‐responsiveness. This study confirms that post‐injury modulation of microglial activity is a new strategy for treating neuropathic pain.     

Congenital aortocaval fistula between right aortic sinus of Valsalva and superior vena cava: A rare case report

Thoracic aortocaval fistula is a very rare cause of left to right shunt. Drainage of fistula into the superior vena cava (SVC) is very uncommon. Clinical symptoms depend on the size of the shunt. We report a rare case of an asymptomatic 27‐year‐old woman with congenital aortocaval fistula to the SVC with a small amount of left to right shunt that was considered for serial medical follow‐up.     

A contactless electrical stimulator: application to fabricate functional skeletal muscle tissue

Engineered skeletal muscle tissues are ideal candidates for applications in drug screening systems, bio-actuators, and as implantable constructs in tissue engineering. Electrical field stimulation considerably improves the differentiation of muscle cells to muscle myofibers. Currently used electrical stimulators often use direct contact of electrodes with tissue constructs or their culture medium, which may cause hydrolysis of the culture medium, joule heating of the medium, contamination of the culture medium due to products of electrodes corrosion, and surface fouling of electrodes. Here, we used an interdigitated array of electrodes combined with an isolator coverslip as a contactless platform to electrically stimulate engineered muscle tissue, which eliminates the aforementioned problems. The effective stimulation of muscle myofibers using this device was demonstrated in terms of contractile activity and higher maturation as compared to muscle tissues without applying the electrical field. Due to the wide array of potential applications of electrical stimulation to two- and three-dimensional (2D and 3D) cell and tissue constructs, this device could be of great interest for a variety of biological applications as a tool to create noninvasive, safe, and highly reproducible electric fields.     

Anterior abdominal wall ‘peritoneal recess’: cause for pseudoherniation of small bowel resulting in chronic abdominal pain

A middle-aged patient presented with intermittent chronic abdominal pain without any obvious cause. Computed tomography detected a hernia (presumed to be the cause of the patient’s symptoms) without any obvious lump on examination. A laparoscopy was performed to repair the hernia. This revealed a left-sided unilateral ‘peritoneal recess’ at the level of the arcuate line extending medial to the linea semilunaris. No extraperitoneal sac or defect was noted in the rectus sheath or in the muscle, nor were any contents present in the recess at the time of the laparoscopy. We believe the bowel was being trapped intermittently in this space, causing the abdominal symptoms.