Ethnomedicinal uses of plants for various diseases in the remote areas of Changa Manga Forest, Pakistan / Usos etnomedicinais de plantas para várias doenças nas áreas remotas da Floresta Changa Manga, Paquistão

This study aims at reporting the indigenous knowledge of the medicinal flora from the inhabitants of surroundings of the World's largest artificial planted forest "Changa Manga", Pakistan. Data were collected by direct interviews and group meetings from 81 inhabitants including 32 local healers having information regarding the use of indigenous medicinal plants over a period of one year. Different statistical tools were applied to analyze the data including Frequency citation (FC), Relative frequency citation (RFC), Use Value, Factor of informants consensus and fidelity level. This study reported 73 plant species belonging to 37 plant families and 46 genera. The majority of plant species belong to compositae family. The most commonly used medicinal plants were P. hysterophorus L., P. dactylifera L., S. indicum L, P. harmala L., P. emblica L., and A. indica A.Juss. The greatest number of species was used to cure gastrointestinal disorders. The highest fidelity level (68.18%) was of E. helioscopia to cure gastrointestinal disorders. Maximum fresh uses (17) were reported by C. dactylon (L.) Pars. While the highest number of species reporting fresh uses in similar number was 13. In this study, five novel plants are being reported for the first time in Pakistan for their ethnomedicinal worth. Our data reflect unique usage of the medicinal plants in the study area. The statistical tools used in the study proved useful in pointing the most important and disease category specific plants. High use value plant and the new reported medicinal plants might prove an important source of the isolation of pharmacologically active compounds.

Este estudo tem como objetivo relatar o conhecimento indígena sobre a flora medicinal dos habitantes do entorno da maior floresta artificial plantada do mundo, a Changa Manga, no Paquistão. Os dados foram coletados por meio de entrevistas diretas e reuniões em grupo de 81 habitantes, incluindo 32 curandeiros locais, com informações sobre o uso de plantas medicinais indígenas durante o período de um ano. Diferentes ferramentas estatísticas foram aplicadas para analisar os dados, incluindo citação de frequência (FC), citação de frequência relativa (RFC), valor de uso, fator de consenso dos informantes e nível de fidelidade. Este estudo relatou 73 espécies de plantas pertencentes a 37 famílias de plantas e 46 gêneros. A maioria das espécies de plantas pertence à família Compositae. As plantas medicinais mais utilizadas foram P. hysterophorus L., P. dactylifera L., S. indicum L., P. harmala L., P. emblica L. e A. indica A. Juss. O maior número de espécies foi usado para curar distúrbios gastrointestinais. O maior nível de fidelidade (68,18%) foi de E. helioscopia para cura de distúrbios gastrointestinais. Os usos máximos em fresco (17) foram relatados por C. dactylon (L.) Pars. enquanto o maior número de espécies relatando usos frescos em número semelhante foi de 13. Neste estudo, cinco novas plantas estão sendo relatadas pela primeira vez no Paquistão por seu valor etnomedicinal. Nossos dados refletem o uso exclusivo das plantas medicinais na área de estudo. As ferramentas estatísticas utilizadas no estudo mostraram-se úteis para apontar as plantas mais importantes e específicas da categoria de doença. Plantas de alto valor de uso e as novas plantas medicinais relatadas podem ser uma importante fonte de isolamento de compostos farmacologicamente ativos.

Traditional knowledge about medicinal plant in the remote areas of Wari Tehsil, Dir Upper, Pakistan / Conhecimento tradicional sobre plantas medicinais nas áreas remotas de Wari Tehsil, Dir Upper, Paquistão

Abstract Traditional medicine is cheaper and easily available to local people, to care for most frequent diseases in the Northern parts of Pakistan. Our study aimed at inventorying medicine from local plants, documenting their uses, and assessing their market value in 2015-2018 during spring, summer, and winter seasons. A total of 15 trips were made, 5 in each season. Semi-structured interviews with 165 inhabitant's age range between 20-80 years were conducted, analyzed the data is analyzed using Relative frequency of citation(RFC), Use Value(UV), Fidelity Level(FL), Informants consensus factor(ICF), and Jaccard index(JI) to find the most frequent and well-known used species in the area. A total of 86 species belonging to 39 vascular plant families, 33 genera were documented as medicinally important. Family Asteraceae was observed as the dominant family among all the families with 10 species, the leaf was the most used parts and decoction 36% was the most preferred preparation type. Herb was the predominant life form (67%). The maximum UV (0.92) was demonstrated by J. adhatoda L. species, while A. sativum L. shows maximum RFC (0.58), the highest ICF value represented by diarrhea and dermatitis 0.92, and high FL value is recorded 100%. According to our collections, wild species were 45%, invasive species were 38% and cultivated 17% recorded, dicots species were recorded more 81%. Seven 7 medicinal species is being economically important and export to the local and international market of the world, whereas P. integrima L. species were the most exported species according to the local dealers. The investigated area is rural and the local people depend on the area's plants for their health needs, and other uses like a vegetable, fuelwood, fodder, etc. The current result of RFC, UV, ICF, FL, and JI shows that medicinal flora needs to be pharmacologically and phytochemically investigated to prove their efficacy. The documentation of medicinal knowledge is important to preserve this precious old knowledge before it is lost forever, due to technological and environmental changes in the world.

Resumo A medicina tradicional é mais barata e facilmente disponível à população local para cuidar das doenças mais frequentes nas áreas do norte do Paquistão. Nosso estudo teve como objetivo inventariar medicamentos de plantas locais, documentar seus usos e avaliar seu valor de mercado em 2015-2018 durante as temporadas de primavera, verão e inverno. Foram feitas 15 viagens, 5 em cada temporada. Foram realizadas entrevistas semiestruturadas com 165 moradores na faixa etária de 20 a 80 anos, com dados analisados ​​por meio de frequência relativa de citação (RFC), valor de uso (UV), nível de fidelidade (FL), fator de consenso de informantes (CIF), e o índice de Jaccard (JI) para encontrar as espécies utilizadas mais frequentes e conhecidas na área. Um total de 86 espécies pertencentes a 39 famílias de plantas vasculares, 33 gêneros foram documentados como medicamente importantes. A família Asteraceae foi observada como a família dominante entre todas as famílias com 10 espécies, a folha foi a parte mais utilizada e a decocção 36% foi o tipo de preparação mais preferido. A erva foi a forma de vida predominante (67%). O UV máximo (0,92) foi demonstrado pelas espécies de J. adhatoda L., enquanto A. sativum L. mostra RFC máximo (0,58), o maior valor de ICF representado por diarreia e dermatite 0,92, e alto valor de FL é registrado 100%. De acordo com nossas coleções, as espécies selvagens foram 45%, as espécies invasoras 38% e as cultivadas 17% registradas, as espécies dicotiledôneas foram registradas mais 81%. Sete espécies medicinais estão sendo economicamente importantes e exportadas para o mercado local e internacional do mundo, enquanto as espécies de P. integrima L. foram as espécies mais exportadas de acordo com os comerciantes locais. A área investigada é rural e a população local depende das plantas da área para suas necessidades de saúde e outros usos como vegetal, lenha, forragem etc. O resultado atual de RFC, UV, ICF, FL e JI mostra que a flora medicinal precisa ser investigada farmacológica e fitoquimicamente para comprovar sua eficácia. A documentação do conhecimento medicinal é importante para preservar esse precioso conhecimento antigo antes que se perca para sempre, devido às mudanças tecnológicas e ambientais do mundo.

Traditional knowledge about medicinal plant in the remote areas of Wari Tehsil, Dir Upper, Pakistan

Abstract Traditional medicine is cheaper and easily available to local people, to care for most frequent diseases in the Northern parts of Pakistan. Our study aimed at inventorying medicine from local plants, documenting their uses, and assessing their market value in 2015-2018 during spring, summer, and winter seasons. A total of 15 trips were made, 5 in each season. Semi-structured interviews with 165 inhabitants age range between 20-80 years were conducted, analyzed the data is analyzed using Relative frequency of citation(RFC), Use Value(UV), Fidelity Level(FL), Informants consensus factor(ICF), and Jaccard index(JI) to find the most frequent and well-known used species in the area. A total of 86 species belonging to 39 vascular plant families, 33 genera were documented as medicinally important. Family Asteraceae was observed as the dominant family among all the families with 10 species, the leaf was the most used parts and decoction 36% was the most preferred preparation type. Herb was the predominant life form (67%). The maximum UV (0.92) was demonstrated by J. adhatoda L. species, while A. sativum L. shows maximum RFC (0.58), the highest ICF value represented by diarrhea and dermatitis 0.92, and high FL value is recorded 100%. According to our collections, wild species were 45%, invasive species were 38% and cultivated 17% recorded, dicots species were recorded more 81%. Seven 7 medicinal species is being economically important and export to the local and international market of the world, whereas P. integrima L. species were the most exported species according to the local dealers. The investigated area is rural and the local people depend on the area's plants for their health needs, and other uses like a vegetable, fuelwood, fodder, etc. The current result of RFC, UV, ICF, FL, and JI shows that medicinal flora needs to be pharmacologically and phytochemically investigated to prove their efficacy. The documentation of medicinal knowledge is important to preserve this precious old knowledge before it is lost forever, due to technological and environmental changes in the world.

Resumo A medicina tradicional é mais barata e facilmente disponível à população local para cuidar das doenças mais frequentes nas áreas do norte do Paquistão. Nosso estudo teve como objetivo inventariar medicamentos de plantas locais, documentar seus usos e avaliar seu valor de mercado em 2015-2018 durante as temporadas de primavera, verão e inverno. Foram feitas 15 viagens, 5 em cada temporada. Foram realizadas entrevistas semiestruturadas com 165 moradores na faixa etária de 20 a 80 anos, com dados analisados por meio de frequência relativa de citação (RFC), valor de uso (UV), nível de fidelidade (FL), fator de consenso de informantes (CIF), e o índice de Jaccard (JI) para encontrar as espécies utilizadas mais frequentes e conhecidas na área. Um total de 86 espécies pertencentes a 39 famílias de plantas vasculares, 33 gêneros foram documentados como medicamente importantes. A família Asteraceae foi observada como a família dominante entre todas as famílias com 10 espécies, a folha foi a parte mais utilizada e a decocção 36% foi o tipo de preparação mais preferido. A erva foi a forma de vida predominante (67%). O UV máximo (0,92) foi demonstrado pelas espécies de J. adhatoda L., enquanto A. sativum L. mostra RFC máximo (0,58), o maior valor de ICF representado por diarreia e dermatite 0,92, e alto valor de FL é registrado 100%. De acordo com nossas coleções, as espécies selvagens foram 45%, as espécies invasoras 38% e as cultivadas 17% registradas, as espécies dicotiledôneas foram registradas mais 81%. Sete espécies medicinais estão sendo economicamente importantes e exportadas para o mercado local e internacional do mundo, enquanto as espécies de P. integrima L. foram as espécies mais exportadas de acordo com os comerciantes locais. A área investigada é rural e a população local depende das plantas da área para suas necessidades de saúde e outros usos como vegetal, lenha, forragem etc. O resultado atual de RFC, UV, ICF, FL e JI mostra que a flora medicinal precisa ser investigada farmacológica e fitoquimicamente para comprovar sua eficácia. A documentação do conhecimento medicinal é importante para preservar esse precioso conhecimento antigo antes que se perca para sempre, devido às mudanças tecnológicas e ambientais do mundo.

Ethnomedicinal uses of plants for various diseases in the remote areas of Changa Manga Forest, Pakistan.

This study aims at reporting the indigenous knowledge of the medicinal flora from the inhabitants of surroundings of the World's largest artificial planted forest "Changa Manga", Pakistan. Data were collected by direct interviews and group meetings from 81 inhabitants including 32 local healers having information regarding the use of indigenous medicinal plants over a period of one year. Different statistical tools were applied to analyze the data including Frequency citation (FC), Relative frequency citation (RFC), Use Value, Factor of informants consensus and fidelity level. This study reported 73 plant species belonging to 37 plant families and 46 genera. The majority of plant species belong to compositae family. The most commonly used medicinal plants were P. hysterophorus L., P. dactylifera L., S. indicum L, P. harmala L., P. emblica L., and A. indica A.Juss. The greatest number of species was used to cure gastrointestinal disorders. The highest fidelity level (68.18%) was of E. helioscopia to cure gastrointestinal disorders. Maximum fresh uses (17) were reported by C. dactylon (L.) Pars. While the highest number of species reporting fresh uses in similar number was 13. In this study, five novel plants are being reported for the first time in Pakistan for their ethnomedicinal worth. Our data reflect unique usage of the medicinal plants in the study area. The statistical tools used in the study proved useful in pointing the most important and disease category specific plants. High use value plant and the new reported medicinal plants might prove an important source of the isolation of pharmacologically active compounds.

Traditional knowledge about medicinal plant in the remote areas of Wari Tehsil, Dir Upper, Pakistan.

Traditional medicine is cheaper and easily available to local people, to care for most frequent diseases in the Northern parts of Pakistan. Our study aimed at inventorying medicine from local plants, documenting their uses, and assessing their market value in 2015-2018 during spring, summer, and winter seasons. A total of 15 trips were made, 5 in each season. Semi-structured interviews with 165 inhabitant's age range between 20-80 years were conducted, analyzed the data is analyzed using Relative frequency of citation(RFC), Use Value(UV), Fidelity Level(FL), Informants consensus factor(ICF), and Jaccard index(JI) to find the most frequent and well-known used species in the area. A total of 86 species belonging to 39 vascular plant families, 33 genera were documented as medicinally important. Family Asteraceae was observed as the dominant family among all the families with 10 species, the leaf was the most used parts and decoction 36% was the most preferred preparation type. Herb was the predominant life form (67%). The maximum UV (0.92) was demonstrated by J. adhatoda L. species, while A. sativum L. shows maximum RFC (0.58), the highest ICF value represented by diarrhea and dermatitis 0.92, and high FL value is recorded 100%. According to our collections, wild species were 45%, invasive species were 38% and cultivated 17% recorded, dicots species were recorded more 81%. Seven 7 medicinal species is being economically important and export to the local and international market of the world, whereas P. integrima L. species were the most exported species according to the local dealers. The investigated area is rural and the local people depend on the area's plants for their health needs, and other uses like a vegetable, fuelwood, fodder, etc. The current result of RFC, UV, ICF, FL, and JI shows that medicinal flora needs to be pharmacologically and phytochemically investigated to prove their efficacy. The documentation of medicinal knowledge is important to preserve this precious old knowledge before it is lost forever, due to technological and environmental changes in the world.

A quadriplex PCR assay for rapid detection of diarrhoeacausing parasitic protozoa from spiked stool samples.

Diarrhoea is a leading killer of children, accounting for 9% of all deaths among children under age 5 worldwide and 3% in Malaysia in 2015. A large proportion of diarrhoea illnesses among children in developing countries are ascribed to an unknown etiology because microscopic examination was the only available technique which has low detection limits. The proposed study aimed to evaluate a new quadriplex PCR assay to detect parasitic pathogens namely E. histolytica, G. lamblia and C. parvum which considered responsible for the majority of human infections. Three set of specific primer pairs were designed for detection of parasitic pathogens. Quadriplex PCR assay was optimized and an internal amplification control was incorporated to check for PCR inhibitors in samples. The PCR assay was evaluated using spiked stool samples. Specific primer pairs were successfully designed and simultaneously amplified the targeted genes. The analytical sensitivity of the quadriplex PCR at the DNA level was found to be 50 ng DNA. The analytical specificity was evaluated with 11 reference protozoal and bacterial strains and was found to be 100%. We concluded that the developed quadriplex PCR assay was rapid and gave results within 5 hours which is essential for the identification of parasitic pathogen and might be useful as an additional diagnostic tool whenever time is important in the diagnosis of parasite that cause diarrhoea.

Newer Oral Anticoagulants in the Treatment of Acute Portal Vein Thrombosis in Patients with and without Cirrhosis.

BACKGROUND: Newer oral anticoagulants (NOACs) are being utilized increasingly for the treatment of venous thromboembolism (VTE). NOAC use is the standard of care for stroke prophylaxis in nonvalvular atrial fibrillation and treatment of acute VTE involving extremities and pulmonary embolism. In contrast, most guidelines in the literature support the treatment of acute portal vein thrombosis (PVT) with low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) and vitamin K antagonists (VKA). Literature evaluating NOAC use in the treatment of acute portal vein thrombosis is sparse. This review focuses on the safety and efficacy of the use of NOACs in the treatment of acute PVT in patients, with or without concomitant cirrhosis, based on the most recent data available in the current literature. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted through a series of advanced searches in the following medical databases: PubMed, BioMed Central, Cochrane, and Google Scholar. Keywords utilized were as follows: NOAC, DOAC (direct oral anticoagulants), portal vein thrombosis, rivaroxaban, apixaban, dabigatran, and edoxaban. Articles related to newer anticoagulant use in patients with portal vein thrombosis were included. RESULTS: The adverse events, including bleeding events (major and minor) and the failure of anticoagulation (propagation of thrombus or recurrence of PVT), are similar between the NOACs and traditional anticoagulants for the treatment of acute PVT, irrespective of the presence of cirrhosis. CONCLUSIONS: Newer oral anticoagulants are safe and efficacious alternatives to traditional anticoagulation with low molecular weight heparin and vitamin K antagonists in the treatment of acute portal vein thrombosis with or without cirrhosis.

Mechanism of Anti-bacterial Activity of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticle Against Carbapenem-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii.

Acinetobacter baumannii is a multi-drug resistant opportunistic pathogen, which causes respiratory and urinary tract infections. Its prevalence increases gradually in the clinical setup. Carbapenems (beta-lactam) are most effective antibiotics till now against A. baumannii, but the development of resistance against it may lead to high mortality. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to develop an alternative drug against A. baumannii. In the present study, we have synthesized ZnO nanoparticle (ZnO-NP) and characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and UV-Visible spectroscopy. Prepared ZnO-NPs have the size of 30 nm and have different characteristics of ZnO-NPs. Growth kinetics and disk diffusion assay showed that ZnO-NP demonstrated good antibacterial activity against carbapenem resistant A. baumannii. We have also investigated the mechanism of action of ZnO-NPs on the carbapenem resistant strain of A. baumannii. The proposed mechanism of action of ZnO involves the production of reactive oxygen species, which elevates membrane lipid peroxidation that causes membrane leakage of reducing sugars, DNA, proteins, and reduces cell viability. These results demonstrate that ZnO-NP could be developed as alternative therapeutics against A. baumannii.

An empirical model for magnetic field dependent resistivity and magnetoresistance in manganites: application on polycrystalline charge-ordered La0.4Gd0.1Ca0.5MnO3.

In this paper, we have investigated the electrical and magnetic response of a La0.4Gd0.1Ca0.5MnO3 polycrystalline sample. This sample seems to exhibit fascinating phenomena like charge ordering, magnetic phase separation, training effects and kinetic arrest. It also shows colossal values of negative magnetoresistance (∼91.7% at 96 K under 1 T applied magnetic field), which raises the possibility of using this sample for technological applications. We have also proposed, in this work, a new empirical model to describe the evolution of resistivity and magnetoresistance as a function of magnetic field. This model was successfully tested on the La0.4Gd0.1Ca0.5MnO3 sample in spite of its complicated magnetic behavior, which suggests the use of this model for other magnetic samples in order to check its validity.

Current-voltage characteristics and electroresistance in LaMnO3-δ/La0.7Ca0.3MnO3/LaAlO3 thin film composites.

In this communication, we report results of the electrical transport properties across the interface of composites consisting of n-type LaMnO3-δ (LMO) and p-type La0.7Ca0.3MnO3 (LCMO) manganites grown on LaAlO3 (LAO) single crystalline substrates using low cost wet chemical solution deposition (CSD) and sophisticated, well-controlled dry chemical vapor deposition (CVD) chemical techniques. The XRD ϕ-scan studies reveal the single crystalline nature of both bilayered composites, with parallel epitaxial growth of LMO and LCMO layers onto the LAO substrate. The valence states of Mn ions in both layers of both composites were identified by performing X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The I-V characteristics of the LMO/LCMO interfaces show strong backward diode-like behavior at higher applied voltages well above the crossover voltage (VNB). Below VNB, the interfaces demonstrate normal diode-like characteristics throughout the studied temperature range. The electric field-induced modulation of the LMO/LCMO junction resistance of the interfaces has been observed. Electric field-dependent electroresistance (ER) modifications at different temperatures have also been studied. The electrical transport properties have been discussed in the context of various mechanisms, such as charge injection, tunneling, depletion region modification and thermal processes across the interface. The effects of structurally and chemically developed sharp interfaces between the LMO and LCMO layers on the transport properties of the presently studied bilayered thin film composites have been discussed on the basis of correlation between the physicochemical characterization and charge transport behavior. A comparison of different aspects of the transport properties has been presented in the context of the structural strain and crystallinity of the composites grown using both wet and dry chemical techniques.

Occlusion in the Flow of New Drugs for Cardiovascular Disease.

There is a large misalignment between unmet need and both private and public investment activity in cardiovascular disease. In this paper, we quantify the magnitude of the gap, analyze a range of potential root causes in two main categories (issues of feasibility and valuation), and propose steps toward solutions to close the gap.

Correction: Charge transport mechanisms in sol-gel grown La0.7Pb0.3MnO3/LaAlO3 manganite films.

Correction for 'Charge transport mechanisms in sol-gel grown La0.7Pb0.3MnO3/LaAlO3 manganite films' by Eesh Vaghela et al., Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2017, DOI: 10.1039/c6cp07730g.

Charge transport mechanisms in sol-gel grown La0.7Pb0.3MnO3/LaAlO3 manganite films.

In this communication, structural, microstructural, transport and magnetotransport properties are reported for La0.7Pb0.3MnO3/LaAlO3 (LPMO/LAO) manganite films having different thicknesses. All the films were irradiated with 200 MeV Ag+15 swift heavy ions (SHI). Films were grown using the sol-gel method by employing the acetate precursor route. Structural measurements were carried out using the X-ray diffraction (XRD) method at room temperature, while atomic force microscopy (AFM) was performed for the surface morphology. Temperature dependent resistivity under different applied magnetic fields for all the films shows metal to insulator transition at temperature TP. In addition to the metal to insulator transition at TP, the films also exhibit low temperature resistivity upturn behavior. Resistivity, TP and upturn behavior are highly influenced by the film thickness, applied magnetic field and irradiation. To understand the nature of charge transport for the low temperature resistivity behavior and metallic and insulating (semiconducting) regions, various models and mechanisms have been verified and the most suitable mechanism has been found for each region in the resistivity curves. Magnetoresistance (MR) is affected by temperature, film thickness and irradiation. MR behavior has been understood in terms of combined and separate contributions from grains and grain boundaries in the films.

Transport properties and electroresistance of a manganite based heterostructure: role of the manganite-manganite interface.

In this paper, we report the results of the investigations on the transport properties performed across the manganite-manganite interface in the LaMnO3-δ/La0.7Ca0.3MnO3/LaAlO3 (LMO/LCMO/LAO) heterostructure. The bilayered heterostructure was synthesized by a low cost and simple chemical solution deposition (CSD) method by employing the acetate precursor route. The same LMO/LCMO/LAO heterostructure was also grown using the dry metal oxide chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method and the results of transport characterization have been compared on the basis of wet and dry chemical methods used. XRD Φ-scan measurements were carried out to verify the structural quality and crystallographic orientations of LMO and LCMO manganite layers, for both wet and dry chemical method grown heterostructures. For wet and dry chemical methods, the temperature dependent resistance of the LMO/LCMO interface suggests the metallic nature. The asymmetric I-V curves collected at different temperatures show normal diode characteristics which get transformed to backward diode characteristics at high temperatures under high applied voltages at Vtr for both the methods. The values of Vtr are strongly dependent on the chemical method used. I-V data have been fitted using the Simmons model at different temperatures and discussed in terms of the spin-flip scattering mechanism for both wet and dry chemical method grown heterostructures. The electric field dependent electroresistance (ER) behavior of the presently studied LMO/LCMO manganite-manganite interface, grown using wet and dry chemical methods, has been understood on the basis of complex mechanisms including charge injection, formation of the depletion region, the tunneling effect, thermal processes and junction breakdown and their dependence on the applied electric field, field polarity and temperature studied.

Improved Endurance and Resistive Switching Stability in Ceria Thin Films Due to Charge Transfer Ability of Al Dopant.

An improvement in resistive switching (RS) characteristics of CeO2-based devices has been reported by charge transfer through Al metal as a dopant. Moreover, density functional theory (DFT) calculations have been performed to investigate the role of Al-layer sandwiched between CeO2 layers by the Vienna ab initio simulation package (VASP). Total density of states (TDOS) and partial electron density of states (PDOS) have been calculated and analyzed with respect to resistive switching. It is established that the oxygen vacancy based conductive filaments are formed and ruptured in the upper region of CeO2 layer, because of the fact that maximum transport of charge takes place in this region by Al and Ti (top electrode), while the lower region revealed less capability to generate conductive filaments because minimum charge transfer takes place in this region by Al and/or Pt (bottom electrode). The effect of Al and Al2O3 on both the electronic charge transfer from valence to conduction bands and the formation stability of oxygen vacancies in conductive filament have been discussed in detail. Experimental results demonstrated that the Ti/CeO2:Al/Pt sandwich structure exhibits significantly better switching characteristics including lower forming voltage, improved and stable SET/RESET voltages, enhanced endurance of more than 10(4) repetitive switching cycles and large memory window (ROFF/RON > 10(2)) as compared to undoped Ti/CeOx/Pt device. This improvement in memory switching behavior has been attributed to a significant decrease in the formation energy of oxygen vacancies and to the enhanced oxygen vacancies generation within the CeO2 layers owing to charge transferring and oxygen gettering ability of Al-dopant.

Pulmonary hypertensive crisis following ethanol sclerotherapy for a complex vascular malformation.

Anhydrous ethanol is a commonly used sclerotic agent for treating vascular malformations. We describe the case of a full-term 15-day-old female with a complex venolymphatic malformation involving the face and orbit. During treatment of the lesion with ethanol sclerotherapy, she suffered acute pulmonary hypertensive crisis. We discuss the pathophysiology of pulmonary hypertension related to ethanol sclerotherapy, and propose that hemolysis plays a significant role. Recommendations for evaluation, monitoring and management of this complication are also discussed.

Gaze shifts and fixations dominate gaze behavior of walking cats.

Vision is important for locomotion in complex environments. How it is used to guide stepping is not well understood. We used an eye search coil technique combined with an active marker-based head recording system to characterize the gaze patterns of cats walking over terrains of different complexity: (1) on a flat surface in the dark when no visual information was available, (2) on the flat surface in light when visual information was available but not required for successful walking, (3) along the highly structured but regular and familiar surface of a horizontal ladder, a task for which visual guidance of stepping was required, and (4) along a pathway cluttered with many small stones, an irregularly structured surface that was new each day. Three cats walked in a 2.5-m corridor, and 958 passages were analyzed. Gaze activity during the time when the gaze was directed at the walking surface was subdivided into four behaviors based on speed of gaze movement along the surface: gaze shift (fast movement), gaze fixation (no movement), constant gaze (movement at the body's speed), and slow gaze (the remainder). We found that gaze shifts and fixations dominated the cats' gaze behavior during all locomotor tasks, jointly occupying 62-84% of the time when the gaze was directed at the surface. As visual complexity of the surface and demand on visual guidance of stepping increased, cats spent more time looking at the surface, looked closer to them, and switched between gaze behaviors more often. During both visually guided locomotor tasks, gaze behaviors predominantly followed a repeated cycle of forward gaze shift followed by fixation. We call this behavior "gaze stepping". Each gaze shift took gaze to a site approximately 75-80cm in front of the cat, which the cat reached in 0.7-1.2s and 1.1-1.6 strides. Constant gaze occupied only 5-21% of the time cats spent looking at the walking surface.

Nano-engineering by implanting Al2O3 nano particle as sandwiched scattering centers in between the Lao.5Pr0.2Sr0.3MnO3 thin film layers.

We report the use of non-magnetic Al2O3 nano particles deposited between two ferromagnetic La0.5Pr0.2Sr0.3MnO3 (LPSMO) manganite layers with an aim to improve the electronic and magnetotransport properties of the layered supper lattice grown on single crystal STO(100) substrate using Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) technique. We studied the electronic-transport and magnetotransport properties of this system wherein Al2O3 particles are expected to act as insulating scattering centers between two ferromagnetic LPSMO layers. The scattering due to additional scattering centers (insulating Al2O3 nano particles) could be controlled by application of external field, resulting in high magnetoresistance (MR) approximately 72% as compared to pristine LPSMO film (MR approximately 51%) at temperature close to their T(M) values. In addition, incorporation of nanostructured Al2O3 barrier between the two ferromagnetic LPSMO layers results in a 2-3 fold increase in the values of temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) and the field coefficient of resistance (FCR) as compared to pristine LPSMO film, suggesting the use of such nanoengineered manganite layered structure for better device application.

The costoclavicular ligament revisited: a functional and anatomical study.

INTRODUCTION: The sternoclavicular joint is of clinical importance. However, there is scant information in the literature regarding one ligament of this area, the costoclavicular ligament (CCL). MATERIAL AND METHODS: In order to further elucidate this structure, 10 adult formalin-fixed cadavers (17 sides) underwent dissection of the CCL. Once the CCL was identified, measurements were made of its dimensions and observations made of its anatomy. Next, ranges of motion were performed of the upper extremity and the CCL observed for tension or laxity. RESULTS: Of the 17 sternoclavicular regions examined 16 (94%) were found to possess a CCL. The average medial and lateral lengths, width and thickness were 1, 2, 1.2, 0.340 cm, respectively. The width of the CCL was statistically smaller in women that in men. The majority of ligaments were single structures traveling from the inferior surface of the medial clavicle just lateral and sometimes-fused (12.5%) to the lateral edge of the sternoclavicular joint. These fibers then terminated on the medial end of the first rib and first costal cartilage (75%) or exclusively onto the first costal cartilage (25%). Most ligaments were single and not composed of two parts. Arm abduction resulted in tautness of the ligament and increased as the degree of abduction increased. Internal rotation of the arm translated into medial shift of the clavicle, raising the clavicle away from the first rib creating tension on the CCL. Moderate degrees of external rotation were required before the CCL became taut and even began to pull the first rib laterally. Small amounts of protraction and retraction of the scapula both put the CCL under tension. CONCLUSIONS: The CCL is a constant structure found just lateral to the sternoclavicular joint. This ligament was a single band in the majority of our specimens and limited most ranges of motion of the proximal upper limb thus stabilizing the sternoclavicular region.

Primary hepatic carcinoid tumor presenting as Cushing's syndrome.

Hepatic carcinoid tumors are very uncommon; most are clinically non-functional and very few present with the symptoms of carcinoid syndrome. ACTH-producing carcinoid tumors most commonly originate in the lung or thymus and present insidiously with bronchospasm and/or chest mass. Occasionally, ectopic ACTH syndromes have been reported in association with pancreatic islet cell tumors, medullary thyroid cancer, pheochromocytoma, small-cell lung carcinoma, and rarely, ovarian and prostate tumors. We report here a patient with an ectopic ACTH-secreting primary hepatic carcinoid tumor who presented with cushingoid appearance, profound proximal muscle weakness, severe lower extremity edema, and markedly elevated urinary free cortisol. ACTH levels were in the low normal range. A solitary vascular hepatic lesion was found on magnetic resonance imaging, which was isodense with the surrounding liver on octreotide scan and photopenic on an 18-fluorodeoxyglucose (18FDG)-positron emission tomography (PET) scan. Following surgical resection of the hepatic tumor, histopathology confirmed an ACTH-secreting neuroendocrine tumor (NET), the patient had complete resolution of hypercortisolemic symptoms and remains in remission, now 4 yr after hepatic tumor resection. This case reports the first ACTH-secreting primary hepatic NET presenting as ectopic Cushing's syndrome. Interesting aspects of this case include the presence of a pituitary incidentaloma, the low normal ACTH, and photopenia on 18FDG-PET imaging.