M S Ramaiah Memorial Hospital

To study the use of post-systolic shortening (PSS) and global longitudinal strain (GLS) in predicting immediate postoperative adverse events after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). A prospective observational study. Conducted in a single tertiary care hospital. A total of 71 patients undergoing elective CABG were included in our study. Our patients were aged between 45 and 75 years and included both off-pump and on-pump cases. We excluded patients with left ventricular function less than 30%, severe diastolic dysfunction, severe right ventricular dysfunction, concomitant more than moderate valve dysfunction, arrhythmias, left or right bundle branch blocks, and unwillingness to participate in the study. Preoperative echocardiogram included left ventricular post-systolic index (LV PSI) and GLS. Postoperatively, composite adverse events were documented by measuring the vasoactive-inotrope score (VIS) of ≥ 10 at 24 h, total duration of inotropes >40 h, intensive care unit (ICU) stay >7 days, and adverse events like low cardiac output, acute kidney injury, ventilation requirement of >24 h, and any mortality. Left ventricular global longitudinal strain (LV GLS) and LV PSI values were analyzed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, and the area under the curve (AUC) was used to compare the prediction and to derive a cutoff. AUC for LV GLS and LV PSI was 0.92 each and showed good prediction. We got a cutoff of -14.6 for LV GLS and a cutoff of 10.5 for LV PSI. We conclude that GLS and PSI can effectively predict immediate postoperative adverse events effectively in patients undergoing CABG.

Abstract Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) remains significantly underdiagnosed even among high-risk populations particularly in primary care and underserved settings due to the dependency on Doppler-based Ankle-Brachial Index (ABI) measurements, which is time-consuming, need a trained personnel and specialized equipment. NerveVue is a novel, portable diagnostic system that integrates photoplethysmography (PPG) and piezoelectric sensors to capture arterial pressure wave form signals from all four limbs simultaneously. Designed for use by low-skill operators, NerveVue enables rapid, infrastructure-light PAD screening suitable for decentralized and outreach environments. Methods A prospective, cross-sectional, multicenter clinical study was conducted involving 299 adults across standard middleage to older-age ranges. Ankle-Brachial Index (ABI) values derived from the NerveVue device (ABI_NV) were compared against the reference Handheld Doppler method (ABI_Ref). Diagnostic performance metrics including sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values were computed. Subgroup analyses were performed for participants with diabetes, hypertension, and smoking history. Agreement between ABI_NV and ABI_Ref was assessed using Pearson correlation coefficients and PAD classification concordance. Results NerveVue demonstrated an overall accuracy of 91.6%, with a sensitivity of 84.6% and specificity of 94.7% compared to Handheld Doppler-based ABI measurements. The correlation between ABI_NV and ABI_Ref was strong, with Pearson’s r = 0.991 (right limb) and r = 0.992 (left limb), both statistically significant (p < 0.00001). Subgroup analysis showed consistent performance, with enhanced sensitivity among diabetic participants (90%) and perfect sensitivity among smokers (100%). The system enabled rapid PAD assessment within five minutes using low-skill operators, making it suitable for decentralized screening environments. Conclusion NerveVue provides a reliable and accurate alternative to Dopplerbased ABI for the detection of Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD), demonstrating high diagnostic agreement and robust performance across diverse risk groups. Its simultaneous multi-site measurement and ease of use by low-skill operators, position it well for large-scale deployment in community screenings, primary care, diabetic clinics, and preventive health programs. NerveVue has the potential to bridge current diagnostic gaps and enable earlier intervention in vascular disease management.

The green chemistry approach in synthesizing nanoparticles, particularly using plant extract, has gained booming demand for eco-friendly nanotechnology, evaluating their multifunctional properties, and exploring potential applications. Hence, addressing the need for sustainable nanomaterials in biomedical and environmental fields. This work describes the synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using Manilkara zapota (M. zapota) leaf extract as a reducing agent through a simple bio-combustion method. The synthesized AgNPs were characterized by various analytical techniques such as UV-visible spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and so on. The optical studies of the AgNPs reveal a bandgap energy of about 3.31 eV. The nanoparticles synthesized in this work were found to crystallize in a cubic phase, corresponding to JCPDS #96-9013046, in the Fm-3 m space group. The crystallite size was 22.38 nm and was independently confirmed through the W-H plot (24.75 nm). Infrared spectroscopy results revealed the characteristics of O-H stretching at 3335 cm⁻¹ and a metal peroxide peak at 849 cm⁻¹, respectively. It was seen that the SEM and TEM images depict a clustered agglomeration of the nanoparticles, while EDAX confirmed the elemental composition. The as-synthesized AgNPs showed high catalytic efficiency towards degradation of MB dye (83.33%) following 0th order kinetics with an R² value of 0.98 and rate constant k₀ of 0.007, under acidic conditions at pH-2 being optimal for their performance. The antibacterial assays showed that AgNPs were effective against both Staphylococcus aureus (gram-positive) and Escherichia coli (gram-negative) bacterial strains. Activity was observed at a low concentration of 400 µg/mL. Hence, the obtained AgNPs prepared via bio-combustion route resulted in a potential multifunctional nanomaterial with strong catalytic properties coupled with antibacterial activity.

This paper analyzes Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Half of a Yellow Sun through the lens of trauma and embodiment. The focus is on how physical sensations and bodily metaphors convey experiences of war, displacement, and grief. Drawing on the trauma theory of Caruth, Herman, van der Kolk, and embodiment theory, this analysis highlights the use of visceral imagery and the human body to represent psychological trauma. Close reading and qualitative textual analysis were performed to extract key takeaway passages from the novel. For example, Ugwu’s wounds and thirst, Olanna’s panic symptoms, and the sensory richness of crisis everyday life present somatic experiences of psychological trauma. For instance, the bodies of Ugwu and Olanna became living repositories of coerced violence, and they also created trauma in their post-war life. Olanna took too much time to recover from her panic attacks caused by the horror of the war. Ugwu also experienced physical abuse and was wounded at the end of the war. Olanna helped and pampered him to recover from the traumatic experiences. Adichie’s use of these embodied depictions deepens empathy and underscores the political stakes of the Nigerian Civil War. Through the lens of the somatic approach to Half of a Yellow Sun, this article demonstrates how the trauma of war is etched on the body, which has ramifications for comprehending cultural memory and postcolonial healing of the body, the bodies that survived, who perished, and who contributed to the agony of the conflict. They contend that the somatic portrayal of trauma serves as a kind of testimony that is far more effective than the traditional modes of historical narration. The body asserts that the paper is both witness and archive; it makes collective suffering in the context of the recent Nigerian Civil War part of the private sphere, not the public.