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An infrared‐assisted hot air dryer was designed and developed for turmeric slices. The dryer has been developed using an infrared heating source, heating coils, and blower. The total power required for the infrared drying and hot air drying was 2.25 kW and 36.35 kWh, respectively, with a blower capacity of 6.06 m3/min. An infrared drying (IRD), hot air drying (HAD), and infrared‐assisted hot air drying (IRHAD) were used to dry turmeric slices (5 mm thickness) at different drying temperatures 50°C, 60°C, and 70°C with constant air velocity 2 m/s and bed thickness 25 mm. The maximum drying efficiency of 25.22% and the minimum specific energy consumption of 1.24 kWh/kg were observed in the IRHAD method at 70°C and considered as the best drying method for drying turmeric slices. The drying rates values were double in IRHAD than IRD and HAD. Seven drying models, namely, Newton, Page, Modified page, Diffusion approximation, Two‐term exponential, Henderson–Pabis, and Logarithmic, were used to validate the experimental data obtained during drying. Based on the maximum R2 value and lowest error values, the Page model was found to be the best fit for characterizing the drying kinetics of turmeric slices. At 60°C drying temperature, the logarithmic model and two‐term exponential model were found best fit for HAD and IRHAD, respectively. Practical Applications: Recently, turmeric gaining a lot of economic importance due to its antiviral properties and health benefits. Turmeric has many applications in the food industry, including natural coloring agents, flavor enhancers, and preservatives. Washing, boiling, drying, polishing, and size reduction are the unit operations involved during the processing of turmeric. The commercial value of turmeric can be decided based on the percentage of volatile compounds present. Many studies observed that the reduction in volatile compounds due to improper drying. The farmers following the sun drying techniques, which consume more time, non‐homogenous drying, and lesser drying rate. Hence, an efficient alternate drying technique should be identified to overcome the problems faced by the farmers and turmeric processing industries. In this context, the present study was undertaken to design an infrared‐assisted dryer for efficient, quick, and uniform heating of turmeric slices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Early-stage glottic cancer has a high cure rate with definitive radiotherapy. Historical reports show excellent local control. The present study evaluated the outcomes of early glottic cancer patients treated with a hypofractionated radiotherapy schedule of 60Gy in 20 fractions.Material and Methods: This is a retrospective study of patients with stage I glottic cancer who received radical intent LINAC-based hypo-fractionated 3D conformal radiotherapy with a dose 60Gy in 20 fractions. The primary objective was to assess the locoregional control (LRC), and secondary objectives were to determine disease-free survival (DFS), overall survival (OS), and toxicity.Results: The analysis included 105 patients from the age range of 35-88 years. About 69% of patients were over 60 years of age. The median overall treatment time (OTT) was 26 days (24 – 30 days). The mean follow-up was 74 months, ranging from 9 to 135 months. Seven patients had locoregional recurrence after an initial complete clinical response. Six had local, and one had a regional nodal recurrence. DFS at five years and ten years were 83% and 69%, and OS at five years and ten years were 87% and 80%, respectively. Most patients reported grade I skin reactions and tolerated the treatment well. We did not observe any late adverse events such as persistent laryngeal edema or radiation necrosis.Conclusion: The radiotherapy schedule of 60Gy in 20 fractions over four weeks offers comparable local disease control with reasonable long-term side effects in T1 glottic cancer.

Abstract Objectives The incidence of young‐onset oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is growing, even among non‐smokers/drinkers. The effects of adverse histopathological features on long‐term oncologic outcomes between the young and old are controversial and confounded by significant heterogeneity. Few studies have evaluated the socio‐economic impact of premature mortality from OSCC. Our study seeks to quantify these differences and their economic impact on society. Materials and Methods Four hundred and seventy‐eight young (

Dry eye can initially cause mild symptoms of irritation and may rapidly progress to corneal scarring and blindness. Tear substitutes can only help for mild cases. With the advancement in microsurgical techniques, an option of transferring vascularized salivary glands has shown positive results. We present a case of a 5-year-old boy with congenital alacrimia with ocular surface damage. Vascularized autologous submandibular gland transfer was considered as a viable option for this patient. We performed the gland transfer in two separate stages for the two eyes (1 year 5 months apart). The patient was evaluated for up to 2 years for the right eye and for 7 months for the left eye. Dry eye workup showed drastic improvement (right > left). Biochemical analysis showed gradual transition to resemble that of natural tears. This procedure can result in significant symptomatic improvement and can be a promising treatment option for cases of severe dry eye.

BackgroundOral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a common head and neck cancer with high morbidity and mortality. Currently, treatment decisions are guided by TNM staging, which omits important negative prognosticators such as lymphovascular invasion, perineural invasion (PNI), and histologic differentiation. We proposed nomogram models based on adverse pathological features to identify candidates suitable for treatment escalation within each risk group according to the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines.MethodsAnonymized clinicopathologic data of OSCC patients from 5 tertiary healthcare institutions in Asia were divided into 3 risk groups according to the NCCN guidelines. Within each risk group, nomograms were built to predict overall survival based on histologic differentiation, histologic margin involvement, depth of invasion (DOI), extranodal extension, PNI, lymphovascular, and bone invasion. Nomograms were internally validated with precision–recall analysis and the Kaplan–Meier survival analysis.ResultsLow-risk patients with positive pathological nodal involvement and/or positive PNI should be considered for adjuvant radiotherapy. Intermediate-risk patients with gross bone invasion may benefit from concurrent chemotherapy. High-risk patients with positive margins, high DOI, and a high composite score of histologic differentiation, PNI, and the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) 8th edition T staging should be considered for treatment escalation to experimental therapies in clinical trials.ConclusionNomograms built based on prognostic adverse pathological features can be used within each NCCN risk group to fine-tune treatment decisions for OSCC patients.

Background: Pomegranate peel is a by-product from the pomegranate processing industries and is a rich source of dietary fibers and bioactive compounds. It has good antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. In the present study, the effects of substitution of refined wheat flour with pomegranate peel powder (PPP) at a rate of 2%, 4%, 6%, 8% and 10% on the physico-chemical and sensorial properties as well as on the oxidative and microbial stability of muffins were investigated., Results: A significant reduction in specific volume (1.99 to 1.57 cm 3  g -1 ), weight loss (11.73 to 10.14 g 100 g -1 ) and an increase in crumb hardness (633.06 to 2311.5 g) of muffins were observed on addition of PPP. Moreover, the nutritional value was improved by a significant increase in the fiber content (4.39 to 10.66%), total phenols (0.443 to 48.53 mg GAE 100 g -1 ), antioxidant activity (75.94% to 99.36%), calcium (200.33 to 294.33 mg 100 g -1 ), potassium (227.33 to 425.33 mg 100 g -1 ) and magnesium (96.33 to 288.33 mg 100 g -1 ). The pasting and rheological properties of muffin batter showed a significant decrease in the final and peak viscosity, as well as increase in storage, loss and complex modulus. The muffin samples were organoleptically acceptable up to a level of 8% PPP. Free fatty acid content, peroxide value and microbial count of the muffin with 8% PPP were significantly lower compared to the control sample and more oxidatively and microbially stable for a storage period of 21 and 28 days at ambient and refrigerated temperatures, respectively., Conclusion: The present study provides the opportunity to use PPP as functional ingredients and natural preservative in the preparation of muffins. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry., (© 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.)

Introduction: Physical activity (PA) promotion among school-aged youth is a global health priority. Recommendations for such promotion include implementing whole-of-school approaches that maximize resources across the school environment. This study examined schools' participation in an annual, government-led, and emirate-wide initiative in Dubai, called the Dubai Fitness Challenge, in which the goal is to accrue 30 minutes of PA every day for 30 days (as such, the initiative is colloquially referred to as "Dubai 30x30")., Methods: A mixed-methods design was employed for this study. Three schools were recruited using convenience sampling. Participants were 18 physical education teachers, 20 classroom teachers, 2 principals and 45 students. Data sources included surveys, focus groups, and interviews. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, multinomial logistic regression, and open and axial coding to develop themes., Results: School staff reported that most Dubai 30x30 activities were provided in physical education, at break times during school, and before and after school. Students reported that they mainly participated in Dubai 30x30 activities during physical education and occasionally participated in activities after school and on weekends. During school, students were more likely to reach higher PA intensity levels when they were in contexts other than the regular classroom setting. Among school staff, physical education teachers were most involved and classroom teachers were least involved in promoting Dubai 30x30. Parent engagement was high. Staff perceived that Dubai 30x30 brought the community together, but physical education teachers also indicated there was a lack of implementation guidance and they felt burdened. Participants believed Dubai 30x30 increased PA participation and helped to promote their schools., Discussion: This study provides an initial glimpse into schools' participation in Dubai 30x30 and suggests that a whole-of-school PA lens is useful in gleaning information that could help to increase and optimize PA opportunities for students., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 McMahon et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Neuroendocrine tumours can originate from any part of the body. The most common site in the head and neck is the larynx, accounts for less than 0.6%. The neuroendocrine carcinomas (NECs) of the larynx are rare tumours with high incidence of widespread metastases and poor prognosis. Here we report a 50-year-old male with localised primary moderately differentiated NEC of the larynx. He was treated with surgery followed by adjuvant chemotherapy and concurrent chemoradiation. He is free of his disease and is doing well., Competing Interests: Conflict of interestThe authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (© Association of Otolaryngologists of India 2020.)