Pin Head Research Articles

Which one is more effective for analgesia in infratentorial craniotomy? The scalp block or local anesthetic infiltration

ObjectivesThe most painful stages of craniotomy are the placement of the pin head holder and the skin incision. The primary aim of the present study is to compare the effects of the scalp block and the local anesthetic infiltration with bupivacaine 0.5% on the hemodynamic response during the pin head holder application and the skin incision in infratentorial craniotomies. The secondary aims are the effects on pain scores and morphine consumption during the postoperative 24h. MethodsThis prospective, randomized and placebo controlled study included forty seven patients (ASA I, II and III). The scalp block was performed in the Group S, the local anesthetic infiltration was performed in the Group I and the control group (Group C) only received remifentanil as an analgesic during the intraoperative period. The hemodynamic response to the pin head holder application and the skin incision, as well as postoperative pain intensity, cumulative morphine consumption and opioid related side effects were compared. ResultsThe scalp block reduced the hemodynamic response to the pin head holder application and the skin incision in infratentorial craniotomies. The local anesthetic infiltration reduced the hemodynamic response to the skin incision. As well as both scalp block and local anesthetic infiltration reduced the cumulative morphine consumption in postoperative 24h. Moreover, the pain intensity was lower after scalp block in the early postoperative period. ConclusionThe scalp block may provide better analgesia in infratentorial craniotomies than local anesthetic infiltration.

Dexmedetomidine as an Anesthetic Adjuvant in Intracranial Surgery.

Background:The basic principle of neuroanesthesia is to provide hemodynamic stability, provision of optimal operative conditions, maintenance of cerebral perfusion pressure, and cerebral oxygenation.Aim:This study was undertaken to see the effect of dexmedetomidine infusion on hemodynamics and its ability to act as an anesthetic adjuvant in patients undergoing supratentorial tumor surgery.Setting and Design:Prospective randomized control double blind study.Subjects and Methods:In this study, we compared two groups with 25 patients in each group. Group C patients received saline infusion during surgery and 4 μg/kg of fentanyl intravenously (i.v.) at the induction and at pin head application. Group D patients received dexmedetomidine infusion during surgery at the rate of 0.4 μg/kg/h and 2 μg/kg of fentanyl i.v. at the induction and at pin head applicationStatistical Analyses Used:Parametric data were analyzed using Student's t-test. The categorical data were studied using Chi-squared test or Fisher's test as appropriate.Results:The vitals remained within 20% of baseline in both groups during the study period except at the time of extubation where the rise in heart rate was more than 20% in control group. The requirement of thiopentone for induction was significantly less in dexmedetomidine group. In dexmedetomidine group, less number of patients required intraoperative fentanyl (P < 0.05), and the time to rescue analgesic was also more in Group D (P < 0.05).Conclusion:Dexmedetomidine infusion started before surgery maintains hemodynamic stability intraoperatively and is effective in attenuating the cardiovascular responses to intubation, skull pin application, and extubation. It decreases the requirement of other anesthetic agents as well.

Attenuation of Hemodynamic Response to Skull Pin Head Holder Insertion: Intravenous Clonidine versus Intravenous Lignocaine Infusion.

Background:Insertion of skull pin induces a significant increase in heart rate (HR), blood pressure (BP) and intracranial pressure. Alpha 2 agonist clonidine and intravenous (i.v.) lignocaine are effective in attenuating stress response. Local infiltration of pin site and scalp block with lignocaine are commonly used techniques for prevention of hemodynamic response to skull pin insertion. We compared the effectiveness of i.v. clonidine infusion and i.v. lignocaine infusion in suppressing the hemodynamic response to skull pin head holder insertion.Designs:Randomized double blind study conducted with sample size - sixty patients, divided into two groups: Group C (n = 30) - clonidine i.v. dose 2 μg/kg; Group L (n = 30) - lignocaine i.v. dose 1.5 mg/kg.Materials and Methods:All patients posted for elective craniotomy belonging to American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) 1 and 2, age group 18–70 were included in the study. ASA 3, 4; difficult airway; hypertensives; allergy to study drugs; ischemic heart disease; and arteriovenous malformations were excluded. Study drugs were administered 10 min prior to induction in 10 ml syringes with infusion pump over 10 min. Standard anesthesia protocol followed. HR, noninvasive BP, mean arterial pressure (MAP), and IBP were recorded at baseline (BL), after study drug (AD), 1 min after intubation (AI), 1 min prior to pin insertion -pre pin (PP), and 5 min after pin insertion (AP).Analysis:Descriptive and inferential statistical analysis – Student's t- and Chi-square/Fisher exact test were used (SAS 9.2, SPSS 15.0) P value described as *moderately significant (P value: 0.01 < P ≤ 0.05) **strongly significant (P value: P ≤ 0.01).Results:Groups were matched with respect to age (P = 0.7), gender distribution (P = 0.6), and weight (P = 0.67) There was no difference in BL HR in two groups. Significant difference in HR was noted after intubation P < 0.031 and pin insertion P < 0.001 stages with lower HR in Group C (76.03 ± 9.88) versus Group L (98 ± 60.89) MAP recordings showed no statistically significant difference in two groups at BL and after drug administration stages. A significant difference was seen in intubation (P < 0.014), very significant difference (P < 0.001) was noted in pre- and post-pin insertion stages with MAP was lower in Group C (76.03 ± 9.88) versus Group L (87.17 ± 8.90).Conclusion:i.v. clonidine at dose of 2 μg/kg is a better drug in attenuating hemodynamic response to skull pin head holder insertion than i.v. lignocaine.

Low Dose Dexmedetomidine Attenuates Hemodynamic Response to Skull Pin Holder Application.

Background:The application of skull pin holder elicits an adverse hemodynamic response that can be deleterious; there are many drugs that have been used to attenuate this response. We have conducted this study to evaluate the efficacy of intravenous (i.v.) dexmedetomidine on attenuation of hemodynamic responses to skull pin head holder application and to compare the effectiveness of two doses of i.v. dexmedetomidine (1 μg/kg and 0.5 μg/kg bolus).Materials and Methods:Ninety American Society of Anesthesiologists physical Status I–III patients undergoing craniotomy were randomized into three groups of thirty each. After intubation, patients in Group A received 1 μg/kg of i.v. dexmedetomidine, Group B received 0.5 μg/kg of i.v. dexmedetomidine, whereas Group C received an equivalent quantity of normal saline. Hemodynamic parameters were monitored regularly after skull pin insertion.Results:There was no significant difference in the monitored hemodynamic parameters among the three groups from baseline until intubation. Heart rate (HR) and mean arterial pressure (MAP) increased significantly at skull pin insertion and subsequent points in Group C, whereas the values decreased in Groups A and B (P < 0.05). Patients in Group A showed a higher and sustained attenuation of MAP. Patients in Group C had a higher incidence of tachycardia and hypertension requiring additional measures to attenuate the response.Conclusions:Dexmedetomidine in either dosage (1 μg/kg or 0.5 μg/kg) was effective in attenuating hemodynamic response to skull pin insertion. Dexmedetomidine in doses of 0.5 μg/kg was as effective in attenuating the HR and MAP response to skull pin insertion as compared to a dose of 1 μg/kg.

KAJIAN MACAM LIMBAH DAN PENAMBAHAN TEPUNG TONGKOL JAGUNG TERHADAP PERTUMBUHAN DAN HASIL JAMUR TIRAM (Pleurotus ostreatus)

&lt;span class="fontstyle0"&gt;One limiting for factor the production of oyster mushrooms was difficult to obtain the raw material of sengon wood sawdust, meanwhile, the production of oyster mushroom necessary need the nutrients in the form of bran or cornmeal. The purpose of this study was to study planting medium, the concentration of corn cob flour, and to find the effective interaction of these two factors on growth and yield of oyster mushroom. This study used a completely randomized design (CRD) with two factors, concentration of media and corn cob flour. The media used in this study are sengon sawdust, glugu sawdust, acacia wood sawdust, rice straw and bagasse, while the concentration of corn cob flour was 0% per baglog, 1% per baglog, 2% per baglog, 3% per baglog and 4% per baglog. Data analysis was using F test level 5% and continued with Duncan test. The results of this study showed that sawdvst sengon media generally give better effect to the growth and yield of oyster mushroom, while corn cob flour treatment concentration was not known exactly in enhancing the growth and yield of oyster mushroom. Treatment of media accelerate the deployment of mycelium old, when appearing pin head, increasing the number of fruiting bodies in a single clump and increasing the mushroom fruit body weight. Extra flour treatment corncob accelerate as emerging pin head, increasing the number of fruiting bodies in a clump and increase total body weight of mushrooms.&lt;/span&gt;

Cultivation of Oyster Mushroom: A Sustainable Approach of Rural Development in Nepal

This study attempts to investigate the easily acceptable and low cost technology of Oyster mushroom cultivation. Locally and easily available substrates such as corn cob, vegetable residue and waste paper were examined with the supplementation of rice bran and chicken manure separately. During the study mycelial growth, spawn run, pin head formation, yield and biological efficiency were observed. Best mycelial extension, early pin head formation and better yield were observed in corn cob substrate followed by paper waste and vegetable residue. Among the substrates used, corn cob showed the highest yield with range from 99.08 to 109.50 % biological efficiency, whereas 69.81 to 88.36 % and 52.26 to 65.22 % biological efficiency was observed in paper waste and vegetable residue respectively. Rice bran was the best supplement for the promotion of growth and development of Oyster mushroom. Journal of Institute of Science and TechnologyVol. 21, No. 1, 2016, page:56-60

Effect of different substrates on the growth and protein content of oyster mushroom (&lt;i&gt;Pleurotus florida&lt;/i&gt;)

The objectives of this study are to select the best substrate that supports the growth of mushroom and the best substrate that produces mushroom with highest protein and biological efficiency. Pure culture of Pleurotus florida were collected and cultured using white sorghum grains to produce the grain spawns which were then inoculated on pasteurized substrates in axenic condition where mushroom emerged. Four substrates were composted in the investigation of the effect of substrates variability on the growth and protein content of oyster mushroom. Data relating to the time taken for spawn ramification, pinhead formation, days to maturity of the fruiting bodies as well as the protein content of the mushroom were collected. All the substrates were colonised at the same rate but pin head formation was first noticed on sugarcane bagasse substrate followed by maize straw substrate but with the fastest maturity of the fruiting bodies. Mushroom from sugarcane bagasse substrate had the highest yield while the lowest yield was observed on banana leaves followed oil palm spadix substrates. Mushroom from maize straw had the highest protein content (48.79%) while the lowest was from oil palm spadix substrate (23.41%). © 2016 International Formulae Group. All rights reserved. Keywords: Substrate variability, growth, protein content, oyster mushroom

Study of the TVS trigger geometry and the triggered vacuum conditions

This presentation focuses on the optimization of the trigger unit of a six-rod TVS. The different configurations of the trigger pin and of the trigger electrode have been considered to study the electric field distribution at the triple points of the unit embedded in the cathode. To optimize the field enhancement, electric field simulations with a planar and a circular heads of the trigger pin in combinations with a convex and a concave shaped trigger electrodes have been done. The simulations were done with an applied trigger pulse voltage of Utrigger = 5 kV and with a discharge voltage the main switch of Uswitch = 20 kV. The experimental values had been Utrigger = 40 kV and Uswitch = 5 kV. The simulation results show that the combination of a circular trigger pin head and a concave trigger electrode yields the highest electric field of 9.6 .106 V/m at the triple point. In-parallel experiments have been performed with those four trigger configurations. The results of the experiments however cannot yet clearly confirm the trend in the results of the field simulations.

English

Mushrooms are increasingly being recognized as important food products for their significant role in human health, nutrition and disease. This study was carried out with the aim of comparing the effect of substrate on growth, determining nutritional and bioactive components of two oyster mushroom, Pleurotus ostreatus and Pleurotus florida. A completely randomized block design with two treatments replicated three times was done and a laboratory analysis was carried out on the nutritional and bioactive components. The results obtained indicated that the growth and yield of P. ostreatus and P. florida varied widely depending on the kind of substrate used. It was observed that sawdust had the greatest influence on both growth and total yield because it had mean height, weight and pileus length significantly higher than those cultivated on corn cobs. It took least days for pin head formation and maturity period but had the highest number of fruiting bodies produced.&nbsp; P. ostreatus had the highest weight, height and biological yield while P. florida had the least pin head formation, maturity period and number of fruiting bodies. The biological efficiency and moisture content was the highest for sawdust substrate as a whole. The substrate had an effect on the nutritional value as maximum protein (29.45%) was observed on sawdust while minimum (25.12%) on corn cobs. Maximum lipid (4.62%) was observed on corn cobs while minimum (1.97%) was still on corn cobs. Regarding substrate, maximum ash (8.67%) was observed on sawdust while minimum (8.215%) on corn cobs; also maximum crude fibre (16.69%) was observed on corn cobs while minimum (5.08%) was on sawdust. The bioactive components analysis revealed the presence of major bioactive compounds such as flavonoids, polyphenols, saponins, triterpenoids and steroids. Oyster mushroom cultivated on sawdust possesses better growth and nutritional properties than those cultivated on corn cobs. &nbsp; Key words: Bioactive components, cultivation, nutritional analysis, oyster mushroom.

Ichthyobodo spp. Infection in Meagre (Argyrosomus regius) from Turkey: Parasitological and Pathological Findings.

The aim of this study is to describe the first report of Ichthyobodo spp. infection in meagre (Argyrosomus regius) fry in a marine aquaculture facility in Turkey. The material of the study was composed of 30 meagre A. regius in 2-3 g weight taken from the fry adaptation unit of a fish farm in the Aegean Sea. In this study, parasitological and pathological examinations were performed on the meagre. Ichthyobodo spp. was determined on the body surfaces and gills. Pathological examination revealed grayish mucous and erosions between the pin head and lentin over the skin of the examined specimens. Microscopic examinations revealed significant spongiosis, vacuolar degeneration, and hyperplasia in epidermal malpighian cells and hyperplasia in goblet cells. In the present study, Ichthyobodo spp. infection was for the first time determined in an alternative cultured meagre in Turkey.

Transpedicular Screw Placement for Subaxial Cervical Trauma with Neuronavigation. Experience in a Third World Country. Hospital Santo Tomas. Panama

Introduction Hospital Santo Tomas is a tretary trauma center in Panama. Subaxial cervical trauma represents a major issue in the care of patients admitted to the neurosurgery department. Lateral mass screw placement is commonly used for posterior fixation. The aim of this abstract is to present our experience not only with transpedicular screws but also doing this with a neuronavigation system and to evaluate the associated risks. Materials and Methods 19 patients in need of posterior fixation with subaxial cervical trauma were stabilized by transpedicular screws from 2010 to 2012 were included. The patients were all male between 20 and 34 years of age. After hemodynamics parameter were assessed and other major trauma was ruled out the neurologic assessment was made. We used the Frankel grading scale and 10 patients were graded A, 4 graded C, 3 graded D an 2 graded E. By this moment a whole body CT was already done. 12 patients have C4-C5 subluxation and the remain had subluxation elsewhere in the subaxial cervical spine. 13 patients needed closed reduction which was assessed by plain films. All patiens had thin cut CT and navigation was planned. All patients were induced by a nueroanesthesiolgy. A three pin head holder was applied and the patients were put in a down face position. Calibration of the navigation system was performed and a standard posterior cervical spine with laminectomy was done. Our hospital does not count until that moment with the aid of intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring. The average surgical time was 3 hours and the blood loss was 750 cc in average. In total 52 screws were placed. All the patients went to a immediately postoperative CT scan. And the screws placement was assessed. No screw mal placement was and no complications during the placement were recorded. The patients were managed in the neurosurgical ward and were discharge 48 hours after the operation with a cervical collar. They were assessed one week after the intervention to review the surgical wound and to preformed a neurological exam. All patients were follow in the outpatient clinic and all were given physical therapy that initiated in the immediately postoperative period. Results Of the Frankel a group three of went on to have grade C, two were graded B and the remain did not improve. One patient in the Frankel C and one in the Frankel D group did better during follow up. No surgical wound infections were recorded. Only one of the patients died from and unrelated cause of pneumonia. All patients were assessed with dynamic films and show no movement. The follow up was up to a year. No patients were lost during that time in the follow up. Conclusion Tanspedicular screw placement is a safe option for posterior fixation. Neuronavigation is and excellent tool for avoiding complications.

Aquagenic urticaria due to sea water contact

Urticaria is a common dermatological problem. Aquagenic urticaria is an important rare type of dermatological disorder. Aquagenic urticaria can be a kind of contact dermatitis to sea water. This problem is rare and is less mentioned in literatures. Within the past few years, this condition becomes the focused interest in medicine. In this short article, the authors review and discuss on this important problem. According to publication by Kreft et al., aquagenic urticaria is “a rare form of contact urticaria with small wheals generally affecting the upper part of the body”[1]. This condition has been firstly mentioned and published in Journal of the American Medical Association in 1964[2]. Until present, there are less than 100 publications on this problem. Kreft et al. noted that “it has to be distinguished from aquagenic pruritus”[1]. Focusing on the skin lesion, “well-defined pin head to small pea-sized wheals surrounded by variable sized erythema provoked by contact with water” on contact skin are, “regardless of its temperature or source” is the hallmark of this dermatological problem. The exact incidence of this problem is still unknown but it is rarely reported[3]. Also, the exact cause of this condition has still been unclarified. There are some reports mentioning the possibility of interrelationship with malignancy[4], but it is still not proven. For management, the antihistamine or anticholinergic medication seems to be useless[5,6]. Nevertheless, McGee et al. recently noted that “topical application of a petrolatum-containing cream as a protective coating” could be useful for management of the patient[5]. The aquagenic urticaria after contact with sea water is extremely rare. However, as noted by Luong and Nguyen, the patient with sea water induced aquagenic urticaria can have the problem when contact in either sea or fresh water[6]. Gallo et al. proposed that sea water induced aquagenic urticaria is a specific subtype of aquagenic urticaria[7]. This problem can be seen within a few minutes after contact with sea water. Gallo et al. said that it is a “salt-dependent subtype of aquagenic urticaria”[7]. Recurrence can be expected. The recent relationship of this condition with epilation is also reported by Gallo et al.[8]. As previously mentioned, aquagenic pruritus has to be included in differential diagnosis of aquagenic urticaria. The sea water induced aquagenic pruritus should also be mentioned in this article. In general, aquagenic pruritus “occurs frequently with polycythemia vera”[9]. Focusing on sea water induced aquagenic pruritis, there has still been no report on this condition. Hence, the diagnosis of sea water induced aquagenic urticaria can be simply made without need to differentiate the condition on sea water induced aquagenic pruritus.

Biochemical estimation and cultivation of Agaricus bisporus (Lange) Imbach on different casing materials and bio-inoculant Pseudomonas putida

This study was carried out during 2012-2014 to determine the effect of locally available casing materials with association of bio-inoculant Pseudomonas putida. Six different combinations of casing mixtures were amended for evaluating its effect on yield, biological efficiency, protein and carbohydrate contents of Agaricus bisporus. A mixture of FYM + GLS + Vermi-compost + P. putida gave higher mushroom yield, biological efficiency, protein and carbohydrate content. It gave better yield (1306 g), biological efficiency (28.7%), protein (34.07%) and carbohydrate content (5.07%) respectively when compared with other treatments. In addition, waste tea leaves took minimum period (33.00 days) for initiation of pin head when compared with others. Locally available casing materials along with P. putida incorporated in the casing soil can be an important factor to obtain maximum and assured yield in mushroom cultivation.

Utilization of Biogas Digester Liquid for Higher Mushroom Yeilds

Biomass based biogas plants play important role in the sustainable development of rural India. These biogas plants apart from providing biogas (CH4+CO2) that can be used for cooking and other purposes also provide two other byproducts such as Biogas Digester Liquid (BDL) and Biogas Digester Residue (BDR). These byproducts contain proportion of locked nitrogen in the form of ammonia, and other nutrients such as phosphorus that can be further utilized to produce valve added products like mushroom . In this study biogas digester liquid was used as a nutrient supplement in place of water for cultivation of mushroom specie like P.florida .it was observed that the mushroom bags supplemented with biogas digester liquid gave higher yield (P.florida gave 2.4kg/kg substrate) compared to bags sprayed with water (standard bags,1.5kg/kg substrate). The time required for pin head formation, fruiting body was also reduced by spraying biogas digester liquid. Also the mushroom samples, leachate and solid substrate were analyzed for TKN, TP and TOC. Higher degradation of the substrate was seen in P. florida by spraying BDL than compared to control bags that were sprayed with water.

Study on the stress characteristic and fatigue life of the shredder pin

The hammer shredder is the key equipment for cyclic utilization of retired car bodies. The axes' pin is the main component of the shredder, but it is damaged easily. To improve the shredding efficiency and lengthen the changing life of the shredder pin, it is significant to study its stress characteristic and the fatigue life. In this article, the complex force conditions of the shredder pin at the normal working condition were studied briefly by mechanics analysis method. The stress characteristics and fatigue life of the pin were analyzed by the finite element transient analysis method. The maximum stress distribution law of the shredder pin was found and the fracture mechanism of the retired car bodies was revealed. Furthermore, the reliability of the simulation results was verified by the experiment. It was found that when the pin rotates around the main shaft counterclockwise, the maximum stress of the pin at 0° of the main shaft is higher than other positions. Additionally, along the axial direction, the maximum stress occurs at the cross section at a distance of 2/9 of the pin length from the pin head and at 0° of this section, which orientation is made when the pin is at 270° of the main shaft. Comparing four working modes, it was found that the working life of the shredder pin could be doubled by changing the sides of the pin and rotate it along its axes by 180°.

HANABA TARANU (HAN) Bridges Meristem and Organ Primordia Boundaries through PINHEAD, JAGGED, BLADE-ON-PETIOLE2 and CYTOKININ OXIDASE 3 during Flower Development in Arabidopsis.

Shoot organ primordia are initiated from the shoot apical meristem and develop into leaves during the vegetative stage, and into flowers during the reproductive phase. Between the meristem and the newly formed organ primordia, a boundary with specialized cells is formed that separates meristematic activity from determinate organ growth. Despite interactions that have been found between boundary regulators with genes controlling meristem maintenance or primordial development, most boundary studies were performed during embryogenesis or vegetative growth, hence little is known about whether and how boundaries communicate with meristem and organ primordia during the reproductive stage. We combined genetic, molecular and biochemical tools to explore interactions between the boundary gene HANABA TARANU (HAN) and two meristem regulators BREVIPEDICELLUS (BP) and PINHEAD (PNH), and three primordia-specific genes PETAL LOSS (PTL), JAGGED (JAG) and BLADE-ON-PETIOLE (BOP) during flower development. We demonstrated the key role of HAN in determining petal number, as part of a set of complex genetic interactions. HAN and PNH transcriptionally promote each other, and biochemically interact to regulate meristem organization. HAN physically interacts with JAG, and directly stimulates the expression of JAG and BOP2 to regulate floral organ development. Further, HAN directly binds to the promoter and intron of CYTOKININ OXIDASE 3 (CKX3) to modulate cytokinin homeostasis in the boundary. Our data suggest that boundary-expressing HAN communicates with the meristem through the PNH, regulates floral organ development via JAG and BOP2, and maintains boundary morphology through CKX3 during flower development in Arabidopsis.

Morphologically distinct phenotypes of spermatozoa in infertile men reveal down regulation of multiple signaling pathways

Seven morphologically distinct spermatozoal phenotypes can be detected in human semen under electron microscopy: sperm with dysplasia of the fibrous sheath, non-specific flagellar defects, immotile cilia syndrome, acrosomal hypoplasia, defective chromatin condensation and compaction, pin head and sperm without heads. These conditions cannot be identified by routine semen analysis because they are but secondary manifestations of underlying pathology. We hypothesize that proteomics would enable us to better understand the mechanism(s) underlying these pathologies.

Impact of various sterilization methods on growth and yield of oyster mushroom (Pleurotus florida)

Oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus sp.) are one of the most appreciated mushrooms due to their high nutritional value, flavour, very good taste and medicinal value. It is grown in various lingo-cellulosic agro wastes thereby reduce the environmental pollution caused by its decomposition. In the process of mushroom cultivation, one of the most important aspects is the disinfection of the substrates. In the present study different substrate sterilization methods viz., hot water treatment for 30 min., autoclaving at 15lbs pressure for 20 min, treatment with formaldehyde solution (50ml/ ltr.water), treatment with bavistin (2g/ltr. water) and treatment with ordinary water (control) were investigated. Paddy straw was used as the substrate for mushroom cultivation. In the investigation, it was found that substrates sterilized by autoclaving was the best as it took less time for spawn run (15.0 days), pin head formation (20.3 days), fruiting body formation (23.3 day) and produced the highest mushroom yield per bed (892.35g) with biological efficiency of 89.24 per cent. Substrates sterilized with bavistin (890.25g/bed) and hot water (886.23g/bed) also produced good yield of mushroom which was comparable with those produced in autoclave sterilized substrate. Formaldehyde treatment behaved poorly as it took highest time for spawn run. As autoclaving of huge quantity of substrates in big farms is not convenient, chemical sterilization with bavistin can be practiced.

Comparison between intravenous dexmedetomidine and local lignocaine infiltration to attenuate the haemodynamic response to skull pin head holder application during craniotomy.

Background and Aims:Skull pin application is intensely painful and can be accompanied by detrimental haemodynamic changes. We compared intravenous (IV) dexmedetomidine with local infiltration of lignocaine at pin application sites to attenuate haemodynamic changes associated with pin application.Methods:Fifty-two patients undergoing craniotomy were randomised to either group dexmedetomidine (received 1 μg/kg dexmedetomidine over 10 min starting at induction of anaesthesia) or group lignocaine (received 3 ml of 2% lignocaine infiltration at pin application sites before pin application). Anaesthetic protocol was standardised. Heart rate (HR) and mean arterial pressure (MAP) were recorded at the following time intervals, pre-induction baseline, pre-infiltration, post-infiltration, pre-pin application and post-pin application at 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10 and 15 min. Statistical analysis was done using independent samples t-test, Fisher exact test and Chi-square test.Results:HR and MAP were comparable between the groups at all the study intervals. The incidence of adverse haemodynamic effects attributable to pin application (tachycardia and/or hypertension) was comparable between the groups (2 patients in group dexmedetomidine and 5 in group lignocaine). However, the incidence of hypotension and/or bradycardia was significantly greater in the dexmedetomidine group (19 patients in group dexmedetomidine and 5 patients in group lignocaine; P = 0.0007).Conclusion:IV dexmedetomidine 1 mcg/kg over 10 min is comparable to local infiltration of 2% lignocaine at pin application sites to attenuate the haemodynamic response associated with skull pin application. However, use of dexmedetomidine is associated with significantly higher incidence of hypotension and bradycardia.

Growth Performance and Cultivation of Four Oyster Mushroom Species on Sawdust and Rice Bran Substrates

Pleurotus species are progressively becoming important edible mushrooms worldwide and it is of importance in choosing suitable substrates in a given place to grow them. The study provides basic and valuable information on mycelial growth rates and yield efficacy of four different Pleurotus spp. The highest average mycelium growth of 1.29 mm/day followed by 1.17 mm/day was observed in the bags of P. salmoneostramineus and P. ostreatus grey, respectively. Similarly, the highest cumulative growth of 12.90 cm/day and 11.74 cm/day was recorded in the 30 day old bags of P. salmoneostramineus and P. ostreatus grey, respectively. There was a significant increase (P &lt; 0.05) of about three fold in the pin head formation of P. ostreatus grey (9 days) compared to other mushroom species (2-3 days). P. salmoneostramineus showed a vigorous growth in the fruiting body and the harvesting time required was just 5.67 days. It is clear from the result that there is no correlation between the rate of mycelia growth and pin appearance. The yield varied significantly due to the effect of mycelial growth on the substrate. The highest first flush and number of fruiting bodies was achieved in the yellow oyster followed by P. ostreatus grey and P. salmoneostramineus. In conclusion, sawdust and rice bran could be a promising substrate for linear mycelial growth of P. ostreatus species.