Context Increased bone fragility and reduced energy absorption to fracture associated with type 2 diabetes (T2D) cannot be explained by bone mineral density alone. This study, for the first time reports on alterations in bone tissue's material properties obtained from individuals with diabetes and known fragility fracture status. Objective To investigate the role of T2D in altering biomechanical, microstructural and compositional properties of bone in individuals with fragility fracture. Design Femoral head bone tissue specimens were collected from patients who underwent replacement surgery for fragility hip fracture. Trabecular bone quality parameters were compared in samples of two groups: non-diabetic (n=40) and diabetic (n=30), with a mean duration of disease 7.5±2.8 years. Results No significant difference was observed in aBMD between the groups. Bone volume fraction (BV/TV) was lower in the diabetic group due to fewer and thinner trabeculae. The apparent-level toughness and post-yield energy were lower in those with diabetes. Tissue-level (nanoindentation) modulus and hardness were lower in this group. Compositional differences in diabetic group included lower mineral:matrix, wider mineral crystals, and bone collagen modifications - higher total fAGEs, higher non-enzymatic-cross-link-ratio (NE-xLR), and altered secondary structure (Amide bands). There was a strong inverse correlation between NE-xLR and post-yield-strain, fAGEs and post-yield energy, and, fAGEs and toughness. Conclusion Current study is novel in examining bone tissue in T2D following first hip fragility fracture. Our findings provide evidence of hyperglycemia’s detrimental effects on trabecular bone quality at multiple scales leading to lower energy absorption and toughness-indicative of increased propensity to bone fragility.

INTRODUCTIONMenstruation, that starts with the onset of puberty, is a physiological process in females.1 Nepali society has viewed it as a religiously impure and culturally shameful occurrence.2 " Chhaupadi" is a traditional practice in which females are forbidden to touch anything and are forced to live in isolation (shed) during menstruation. 3The situation is not different in Far West region, with reported incidents of rapes and physical assaults while in Chhaupadi.4 Such practices have caused adverse effect on females' capacity to manage their periods. 5-6These problems are further exacerbated by insufficient access to clean toilets, water and soap. 7,8 These are vital factors leading to absenteeism as high as 53% of girls in Nepal. [8][9][10][11] Also, comprehensive awareness raising at schools is vital for promoting Menstrual hygiene management (MHM).12,13 The main purpose of the study was to evaluate knowledge, attitude and practices of school adolescents regarding MHM in Doti district. METHODSDoti district in Nepal is reported to have high prevalence of "Chhaupadi" and significantly low access to and use of MHM services. Thus, a cross-sectional study was carried out from October to December 2016 at seven village development committees (VDCs) in Doti district, Nepal. The sample size of 276 was obtained with the assumption that the practice should be about 53% in our population of respondents. Students were selected randomly from grade seven and eight of 11 schools.Respondents' KAP were measured by using a set of nine knowledge related questions, 12 practice related Background: Menstrual hygiene management remains a taboo in many communities in Nepal. Cultural beliefs about menstruation such as food taboos and untouchability have negative impact on dignity, health and education of adolescent girls. The objective of the study was to assess the current knowledge, attitude and practice of school adolescents on menstrual hygiene management in Doti District in Far-Western Nepal. Methods:This cross-sectional study was carried out from October to December 2016 at seven village development committees in Doti district, Nepal. This study was done among 276 students from grade seven and eight of 11 schools. Self-administered structured questionnaire was used to obtain information from school students. Descriptive analysis was done to analyse the knowledge, attitude and practice of school adolescents on menstrual hygiene management.Results: 67.4% respondents had fair knowledge and 26.4% respondents had good knowledge on menstrual hygiene management. However, out of 141 female adolescent respondents, only 56 (40%) were engaged in good menstrual hygiene practices. Around half of the respondents had positive attitude towards menstrual hygiene management related issues. Conclusions:Although knowledge on menstrual hygiene management among school adolescents is fair, still attitude and practice need to improve. Findings indicate the need of behavior change communication campaigns along with frequent reinforcement o...

Febuxostat exhibits unprecedented solid forms with a total of 40 polymorphs and pseudopolymorphs reported. Polymorphs differ in molecular arrangement and conformation, intermolecular interactions, and various physicochemical properties, including mechanical properties. Febuxostat Form Q (FXT Q) and Form H1 (FXT H1) were investigated for crystal structure, nanomechanical parameters, and bulk deformation behavior. FXT Q showed greater compressibility, densification, and plastic deformation as compared to FXT H1 at a given compaction pressure. Lower mechanical hardness of FXT Q (0.214 GPa) as compared to FXT H1 (0.310 GPa) was found to be consistent with greater compressibility and lower mean yield pressure (38 MPa) of FXT Q. Superior compaction behavior of FXT Q was attributed to the presence of active slip systems in crystals which offered greater plastic deformation. By virtue of greater compressibility and densification, FXT Q showed higher tabletability over FXT H1. Significant correlation was found with anticipation that the preferred orientation of molecular planes into a crystal lattice translated nanomechanical parameters to a bulk compaction process. Moreover, prediction of compactibility of materials based on true density or molecular packing should be carefully evaluated, as slip-planes may cause deviation in the structure-property relationship. This study supported how molecular level crystal structure confers a bridge between particle level nanomechanical parameters and bulk level deformation behavior.

A case of peripheral ossifying fibroma (POF) in the mandibular gingiva of a 30-year-old man is described. The lesion was asymptomatic, firm, pinkish red and pedunculated histologically showing cellular, fibrous connective tissue stroma with calcified osseous and cementum-like calcifications. Lesions histologically similar to peripheral ossifying fibroma (POF) have been given various names in the existing literature. Therefore, the controversial varied nomenclature and possible etiopathogenesis of peripheral ossifying fibroma are discussed.

In order to design a painless and mechanically durable micro syringe-needle system for biomedical applications, the study of insect stingers is of interest because of their elegant structures and functionalities. In the present work, the structure, mechanical properties and the mechanical behavior during insertion of wasp and honeybee stingers have been investigated. The non-invasive imaging tool, micro-computed tomography has been employed to reveal the 3D-structures of wasp and honeybee stingers. A quasi-static nanoindentation instrument was used to measure the nanomechanical properties. Both wasp and honeybee stingers have graded mechanical properties, decreasing along their longitudinal direction starting from the base. The computed tomography images and the measured material properties from nanoindentation were fed into a computational framework to determine the mechanical behavior of the stingers during penetration. The computation results predicted the penetration angle of +10° for the wasp stinger and −6° for the honeybee stinger, which mimics the practical insertion mechanism of both stingers. Based on this understanding, a wasp and honeybee stringer inspired micro syringe-needle design has also been proposed.