Knowledge, attitude, perceived effectiveness and self-practice of complementary and alternative medicine: a cross-sectional comparison between medical and non-medical students of Bangladesh.

Background: Bangladesh's population commonly utilizes Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) to treat their health issues. Despite the increasing interest in CAM, it has been excluded from conventional medical training in Bangladesh for many years. Therefore, this study assessed and compared the knowledge level, attitude, perceived effectiveness, and self-practice of CAM among undergraduate students of Bangladesh.

Rare giant inguinal hernia causing end-stage dialysis-dependent renal failure.

A 72-year-old man presented with urinary retention, weight loss, haematuria and severe acute kidney injury. He had never before been admitted to hospital and his past medical history included only an inguinal hernia. On examination, he appeared uraemic and had a right-sided painful hernia.

Mesenchymal stem cell responses to bone-mimetic electrospun matrices composed of polycaprolactone, collagen I and nanoparticulate hydroxyapatite.

The performance of biomaterials designed for bone repair depends, in part, on the ability of the material to support the adhesion and survival of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). In this study, a nanofibrous bone-mimicking scaffold was electrospun from a mixture of polycaprolactone (PCL), collagen I, and hydroxyapatite (HA) nanoparticles with a dry weight ratio of 50/30/20 respectively (PCL/col/HA). The cytocompatibility of this tri-component scaffold was compared with three other scaffold formulations: 100% PCL (PCL), 100% collagen I (col), and a bi-component scaffold containing 80% PCL/20% HA (PCL/HA).

In vitro dissolution and mechanical behavior of c-axis preferentially oriented hydroxyapatite thin films fabricated by pulsed laser deposition.

Owing to its resemblance to the major inorganic constituent of bone and tooth, hydroxyapatite is recognized as one of the most biocompatible materials and is widely used in systems for bone replacement and regeneration. In this study the pulsed laser deposition technique was chosen to produce hydroxyapatite with different crystallographic orientations in order to investigate some of the material properties, including its in vitro dissolution behavior, as well as mechanical properties. The crystallographic orientations of hydroxyapatite coatings can be carefully controlled, mainly by varying the energy density of the KrF excimer laser (248 nm) used for deposition.

Mesenchymal stem cell interaction with ultra-smooth nanostructured diamond for wear-resistant orthopaedic implants.

Ultra-smooth nanostructured diamond (USND) can be applied to greatly increase the wear resistance of orthopaedic implants over conventional designs. Herein we describe surface modification techniques and cytocompatibility studies performed on this new material. We report that hydrogen (H)-terminated USND surfaces supported robust mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) adhesion and survival, while oxygen- (O) and fluorine (F)-terminated surfaces resisted cell adhesion, indicating that USND can be modified to either promote or prevent cell/biomaterial interactions.

Hydroxyapatite nanoparticle loaded collagen fiber composites: microarchitecture and nanoindentation study.

Hydroxyapatite (HA) nanoparticle-collagen composite materials with various HA/collagen weight ratios were prepared from HA/collagen dispersions using the solution deposition and electrospinning with static or rotating collectors. The composites with nanoparticle HA to collagen weight ratio of 80:20 can be easily prepared in the solution deposition approach, whereas in the electrospun fibrous composites it was possible to reach a maximum HA/collagen weight ratio of 30:70 while maintaining a good fibrous structure. The structure, surface morphology, and nanoindentation properties of these nanoparticle HA/collagen composites with different microarchitectures were investigated.

Preliminary tribological evaluation of nanostructured diamond coatings against ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene.

Background: Some loss of joint prostheses has been attributed to osteolytic loosening associated with debris from wear of polyethylene articulating against metal alloys. Reduced polyethylene wear has been reported with ceramics serving as an alternative counterface.

Methods: Nanostructured Diamond (NSD) coatings were deposited onto Ti6Al4V by microwave plasma-assisted chemical vapor deposition, with both hydrogen-rich (H-NSD) and helium-rich (He-NSD) feedgas mixtures.

Ultra-smooth nanostructured diamond films deposited from He/H2/CH4/N2 microwave plasmas.

Addition of He to a high CH4 content (10.7 vol%) H2/CH4/N2 feedgas mixture for microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition produced hard (58-72 GPa), ultra-smooth nanostructured diamond films on Ti-6AI-4V alloy substrates. Upon increase in He content up to 71 vol%, root mean squared (RMS) surface roughness of the film decreased to 9-10 nm and average diamond grain size to 5-6 nm.

Correlation between nitrate contamination and ground water pollution potential.

AQUIPRO, a PC-based method, was used to assess aquifer vulnerability using digital water well logs. The AQUIPRO model is a parameter/factor weighting system for rating the pollution potential of an aquifer. This method uses the well depth, as well as the clay and partial clay thickness in a well, to generate pollution potential scores.