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BackgroundCOVID-19 survivors around the globe are suffering from mental health issues. While mental health problems can be an early warning sign of dementia, they may also increase the chances of developing the disease. In this study, we examined the mental health of COVID-19 survivors and mapped its associations with cognitive and demographic variables.MethodCOVID-19 survivors listed in the databases of three tertiary care hospitals in Kolkata were contacted sequentially. 376 willing patients were interviewed over the telephone. 99 COVID-19 patients and 31 matched controls participated in the in-person interviews that were arranged for a more detailed investigation. The participants were administered standardized tests that are widely used for the assessment of cognitive functioning and mental health status.Result64.89% of COVID-19 survivors reported a deterioration in physical functioning. 44.95% reported a decline in mental health, whereas 41.49% reported a drop in cognitive performance. Detailed investigations revealed that they had an increased risk of having depression, anxiety, and poor sleep quality by 91%, 68%, and 140%, respectively. 6.1% of the patients had mild cognitive impairment, and 4% had dementia. COVID-19 patients who had depression and anxiety were 8.6 and 19.4 times more likely to have cognitive decline, respectively. Compared to the matched controls, COVID-19 patients had greater depression (p

Ksheerabdhi Sankar, Kuppusamy Anand, Swetha Ramani, Balasubramaniam Gayathri Department of Anesthesiology, SRM Medical College Hospital and Research Centre, Potheri, 603203, IndiaCorrespondence: Kuppusamy Anand, Department of Anesthesiology, SRM Medical College Hospital and Research Centre, Room No. 206, B Block, Second Floor, Potheri, 603203, India, Tel +91-98652 82288, Email anandk@srmist.edu.inBackground and Aim: Percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) under epidural anesthesia has been reported to have few advantages over general anesthesia, like lower postoperative pain and less need for analgesics. There are limited studies on PCNL being performed under neuraxial anesthesia in supine position. Hence the present study was conceived to compare hemodynamic parameters in patients undergoing percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) in the supine position under combined spinal-epidural with general anesthesia (GA).Material and Methods: A prospective, randomized control trial was conducted among 90 patients who were posted to undergo elective percutaneous nephrolithotomy in the the supine position, after obtaining Institutional Ethical Committee (IEC) approval and CTRI (Clinical Trial Registry - India) registration. Patients were randomly allotted to undergo surgery either under general anesthesia (group GA) or combined spinal epidural anesthesia (group CSE) by computer-generated random number method. Hemodynamic parameters, postoperative analgesic requirement and incidence of blood transfusion were recorded and analyzed.Results: There was no significant difference between the two groups with respect to gender, ASA grade, surgery duration, calculus size and pulse rate. There was a statistically significant reduction in mean arterial pressure from 5 to 50 minutes of surgery and less incidence of blood transfusion in patients in the CSE group. Patients who underwent PCNL in the supine position under CSE required lesser analgesics postoperatively compared to those under general anesthesia.Conclusion: Combined spinal epidural analgesia can be used as an alternative to general anesthesia for patients undergoing PCNL in the supine position in view of less MAP and reduced postoperative analgesic and blood transfusion requirement.Keywords: pulse rate, mean arterial pressure, percutaneous nephrolithotomy, ureteroscopy, supine position

Concrete is an example of a composite material that has become an essential component in the building and construction sector. Using pozzolanic materials like fly ash, silica fume, blast furnace slag, and metakaolin is being tested as one method of increasing the durability of concrete. The effect of cement that has serious negative impacts on the environment can be eliminated by using this additional cementitious material. In this investigation, an effort has been taken to examine the strength characteristics of concrete mixtures of M20 grade with cement partially replaced by metakaolin and silica fume and with all of the fine aggregate replaced by M-sand. To replace traditional curing, polyethylene glycol 6000 is used as a self-curing agent. Metakaolin is substituted at a rate of 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20% by weight of cement, while silica fume is substituted at a rate of 5%, 10%, and 15%, respectively. Self-curing concrete is created by adding 1.5% polyethylene glycol 6000 to regular concrete. The mortar cubes (1:3 ratio) are used in this project because it focuses on replacing the cement and fine aggregate. To study the mechanical properties of the concrete, cubes, cylinders, and prisms will be cast from the ideal percentage and tested.

The CO2 emissions from cement have had significant negative consequences on the environment, necessitating the substitution of cement in the production of concrete. This research tends to cover the mechanical characteristics and microstructural studies of concrete formed by replacing some of the cement with Alccofine (AL) by percentages of 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25% and 30% and some of fine aggregate with Glass Powder (GP) by percentages of 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% and 50% in the concrete of the M40 grade. A pozzolanic substance called alccofine and high silica content material called glass powder was extensively utilized in the building industry. When the mechanical properties of concrete were tested at various time periods, the optimal partial cement and fine aggregate substitution was determined to be 20% Alccofine and 50% of Glass Powder. When compared to conventional concrete of the same ratio, the compressive strength of the concrete has been enhanced at 20 percent replacement of AL and 50 percent replacement of GP. Moreover, concrete was subjected to a microstructural examination to observe the hydration process at various time intervals, and the results clearly demonstrated how pores and C-S-H (calcium-silicate hydrate) gel are created in both early ages and later ages. According to the study's findings, cement may be replaced in part without impairing its properties and can help lessen the impact of CO2 on the environment.

Applications of geopolymer concrete are increasing at a faster rate globally and are actively replacing cement concrete in all its facets. Regarding this, the advancement of, self-compacting geopolymer concrete is inevitable. The present study deals with the investigation of the effect of the molarity of sodium hydroxide solution that is to be used as part of an alkaline solution, over self-compacting and hardened properties of geopolymer concrete. Ground granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBS) is used as precursor material; hence, ambient curing is adopted. The alkaline activator solution is a combination of silicate solution and hydroxide based on sodium. In this work, the hydroxide solution’s molarity is varied to 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, and 18. Self-compacting properties are investigated through spread flow, T-50, V-funnel test, and L-box. The compressive strength of the hardened concrete is investigated over 7 and 28 days. Further water absorption test was also assessed in this investigation to determine the basic durability. All the specimens with different molarities exhibited fair self-compacting properties. Further optimum molarity required for the synthesis of self-compacting geopolymer concrete with fair compressive strength and excellent reduced water absorption capability is determined. The findings of this work tend to augment significant contributions to the geopolymer concrete in the facets of self-compacting nature.

Plastic consumption is increasing on a daily basis, despite efforts to minimize it. On the other hand, the management of waste plastic was a significant issue in several countries around the world. A healthy and sustainable reuse of plastics has numerous benefits. The acceptability and benefits of recycled plastics as Coarse aggregate in concrete are explored here. Plastic aggregate parameters such as density and specific gravity were determined through tests. Because complete replacement of natural Coarse aggregate with plastic Coarse aggregate is impractical, partial replacement at various percentages was investigated. In addition to that silica fume is added as a binding material at a constant of 10%. The substitution of 15 Percent Plastic aggregate resulted in high compressive, splitting tensile, and flexural strength.

Concrete is a composite material that has evolved into a much-needed material in the field of construction. One of the approaches to improving the durability of concrete is by using pozzolanic materials like fly ash, silica fume, blast furnace slag, and metakaolin. Using this supplementary cementitious material, the effects of cement that cause severe environmental impacts can be eradicated. In this investigation, an attempt has been made to study the strength characteristics of M20-grade concrete mixes with partial replacement of cement by metakaolin and silica fume and full replacement of fine aggregate by M-sand. We use Polyethylene glycol 6000 as a self-curing agent to eliminate conventional curing. The replacement percentage of metakaolin is 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%, and silica fume is replaced by 10% of the weight of cement, respectively. The addition of 1.5% of polyethylene glycol 6000 is used to make concrete as a self-curing concrete. Since this project focuses on replacing the cement and fine aggregate, from the optimum percentage, the cubes will be cast and tested to study the durability properties of the concrete.