Unmasking of systemic lupus erythematosus in a patient with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis- macrophage activation syndrome (HLA-MAS) and diffuse alveolar hemorrhage.

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a hyperinflammatory syndrome caused by macrophages and cytotoxic T cells with aberrant activation. The primary (genetic) form, which is caused by mutations that affect lymphocyte cytotoxicity and immune regulation, is most prevalent in children, whereas the secondary (acquired) form is prevalent in adults. Secondary HLH is commonly caused by infections or cancers, but it can also be caused by autoimmune disorders, in which case it is known as macrophage activation syndrome (MAS; or MAS-HLH). A 25-year-old female presented with a high-grade fever that lasted for two weeks. His laboratory results revealed pancytopenia, neutropenia, hypertriglyceridemia, hypofibrinogenemia, and hyperferritinemia. Based on the clinical presentation and laboratory findings, a provisional diagnosis of HLH has been made. A HLH protocol was utilized to treat the patient. During the course of hospitalization, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) was identified as the underlying cause. She improved dramatically after receiving an immunosuppressive regimen of etoposide, cyclosporine, and dexamethasone according to HLH protocol-2004 with individualized modifications. The clinician should be aware that HLH may be the initial manifestation of underlying SLE. Early diagnosis and aggressive, individualized treatment are the key to improving outcomes.

Particle composition and morphology over urban environment (New Delhi): Plausible effects on wheat leaves.

Particulate matter (PM) deposition on leaves adversely affects physical, chemical and biological nature of agricultural crops resulting in their loss of productivity and yield. Wheat being a staple food in major parts of Northern India and around the World, has been selected for research purpose by designing a study to explore the probable effects of PM deposition on wheat leaves and wheat crops to ensure the food security. PM5 (Particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter <5 µm) and Dry Deposited Particulate Matter (DDPM) on wheat leaves (Leaf_DDPM) were collected from the wheat crop field in Indian Agriculture Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi for growing and harvesting season of wheat crops (i.e. December 2014 to April 2015). The EDS (Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy) analysis was used for this study and the individual particle analysis revealed the presence of both acidic and alkaline components like C, Al, Si, Fe, Ca, K, S and Mg. The offline characterization tool i.e. SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope) was utilized for obtaining the micrographs which clearly showed the presence of some angular, sharp-edged and spherical particles consisting of both smooth and rough texture. Apart from that, prevalence of slightly non-spherical particles with aspect ratio of range (>1.20-1.40) and CIR (>0.70-0.80) for both PM5 and leaf_DDPM were observed. The size distribution of individual particles for both PM5(#194 particles) and Leaf_DDPM(#657 particles) revealed that Surface Equivalent Radius (SER) and Volume Equivalent Radius (VER) of particles observed to be 0.40-0.80 µm while surface area to be 0-1 µm2. These particles may easily block stomatal openings (with typical diameter range: 42-51 µm) of wheat leaves and damage internal leaf tissues while particle VER determines the interaction of incoming solar radiation with leaf surfaces. Average PM5 concentrations ± Standard deviations (µg/m3) were reported to be 231.05 ± 113.03. The XRF (X-Ray Fluorescence) spectrometer analysis of bulk PM5 revealed the concentrations of non-carbonaceous elements (µg/m3) as N (67.34 ± 16.09), Si (27.44 ± 11.01), Al (7.79 ± 3.37), S (3.88 ± 2.24), Na (2.29 ± 0.94), Mg (1.65 ± 0.62), K (0.51 ± 0.26), Ca (0.60 ± 0.26), Fe (0.54 ± 0.26), Cr (1.10 ± 0.70), Zn (0.05 ± 0.03), P (0.10 ± 0.03), Cu (0.07 ± 0.06). The dominant elemental oxides were calculated as SiO2, Al2O3, SO42-, Na2O, MgO, K2O, CaO, Fe2O3, Cr2O3, ZnO, P2O5, Cu2O with variable concentrations. In high humid conditions, with relative humidity (~85%) during the vegetative and flowering growth stages of wheat crops, presence of C and S rich acidic and hygroscopic particles may cause the corrosion of wheat leaves that ultimately affect the wheat crops.

Luminescence and advanced mass spectroscopic characterization of sodium zinc orthophosphate phosphor for low-cost light-emitting diodes.

A new rare-earth-free NaZnPO4:Mn(2+) (NZP:Mn) phosphor powder has been developed by our group and investigated meticulously for the first time using secondary ion mass spectroscopy and chemical imaging techniques. The studies confirmed the effective incorporation of Mn(2+) into the host lattice, resulting in an enhancement of photoluminescence intensity. Phase purity has been verified and structure parameters have been determined successfully by Rietveld refinement studies. The NZP:Mn phosphor powder exhibits strong absorption bands in the ultraviolet and visible (300-470 nm) regions with a significant broad yellow-green (~543 nm) emission due to the characteristic spin forbidden d-d transition ((4)T1→(6)A1) of Mn(2+) ions, indicating weak crystal field strength at the zinc-replaced manganese site. The decay constants are a few milliseconds, which is a pre-requisite for applications in many display devices. The results obtained suggest that this new phosphor powder will find many interesting applications in semiconductor physics, as cost-effective light-emitting diodes (LEDs), as solar cells and in photo-physics.

Faster response of NO2 sensing in graphene-WO3 nanocomposites.

Graphene-based nanocomposites have proven to be very promising materials for gas sensing applications. In this paper, we present a general approach for the preparation of graphene-WO(3) nanocomposites. Graphene-WO(3) nanocomposite thin-layer sensors were prepared by drop coating the dispersed solution onto the alumina substrate. These nanocomposites were used for the detection of NO(2) for the first time. TEM micrographs revealed that WO(3) nanoparticles were well distributed on graphene nanosheets. Three different compositions (0.2, 0.5 and 0.1 wt%) of graphene with WO(3) were used for the gas sensing measurements. It was observed that the sensor response to NO(2) increased nearly three times in the case of graphene-WO(3) nanocomposite layer as compared to a pure WO(3) layer at room temperature. The best response of the graphene-WO(3) nanocomposite was obtained at 250 °C.

Intramolecular charge transfer and Z-scan studies of a semiorganic nonlinear optical material sodium acid phthalate hemihydrate: a vibrational spectroscopic study.

FT-IR and Raman spectra of the nonlinear optical material sodium acid phthalate hemihydrate crystal have been recorded and analyzed. The equilibrium geometry, bonding features, and harmonic vibrational wavenumbers have been investigated with the help of the B3LYP density functional theory method. A detailed interpretation of the vibrational spectra was carried out with the aid of normal coordinate analysis following the scaled quantum mechanical force field methodology. The natural bond orbital analysis confirms the occurrence of strong intermolecular hydrogen bonding in the molecule. Nonlinear optical absorption of the sample has been studied at 532 nm using single 5 ns laser pulses, employing the open-aperture Z-scan technique. It is found that the NaAPH molecule is a potential candidate for optical limiting applications.

Seasonal characteristics of aerosols (PM2.5 and PM10) and their source apportionment using PMF: A four year study over Delhi, India.

The present study attempts to explore and compare the seasonal variability in chemical composition and contributions of different sources of fine and coarse fractions of aerosols (PM2.5 and PM10) in Delhi, India from January 2013 to December 2016. The annual average concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 were 131 ± 79 µg m-3 (range: 17-417 µg m-3) and 238 ± 106 µg m-3 (range: 34-537 µg m-3), respectively. PM2.5 and PM10 samples were chemically characterized to assess their chemical components [i.e. organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC), water soluble inorganic ionic components (WSICs) and heavy and trace elements] and then used for estimation of enrichment factors (EFs) and applied positive matrix factorization (PMF5) model to evaluate their prominent sources on seasonal basis in Delhi. PMF identified eight major sources i.e. Secondary nitrate (SN), secondary sulphate (SS), vehicular emissions (VE), biomass burning (BB), soil dust (SD), fossil fuel combustion (FFC), sodium and magnesium salts (SMS) and industrial emissions (IE). Total carbon contributes ∼28% to the total PM2.5 concentration and 24% to the total PM10 concentration and followed the similar seasonality pattern. SN and SS followed opposite seasonal pattern, where SN was higher during colder seasons while SS was greater during warm seasons. The seasonal differences in VE contributions were not very striking as it prevails evidently most of year. Emissions from BB is one of the major sources in Delhi with larger contribution during winter and post monsoon seasons due to stable meteorological conditions and aggrandized biomass burning (agriculture residue burning in and around the regions; mainly Punjab and Haryana) and domestic heating during the season. Conditional Bivariate Probability Function (CBPF) plots revealed that the maximum concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 were carried by north westerly winds (north-western Indo Gangetic Plains of India).

Novel 1,3,4-oxadiazoles as antitubercular agents with limited activity against drug-resistant tuberculosis.

AIM: In recent times, heterocyclic chemotypes are being explored for the development of new antimycobacterials that target the drug-resistant tuberculosis. Here, we are disclosing the 5-substitued 2-mercapto-1,3,4-oxadiazoles as potent antitubercular agents. METHODOLOGY: A small library of 2-mercapto-1,3,4-oxadiazoles was synthesized using various acids. The compounds were evaluated for antituberculosis activity against M. tuberculosis H37Rv. RESULTS: Compound 8j was identified as antitubercular lead with MIC of 0.6 µg/ml against M. tuberculosis H37Rv. This compound was nontoxic to CHO-K1 cells and showed selectivity index of 39. Of note, 8j showed antitubercular activity against pre-extensively drug-resistant clinical isolate of Mycobacterium with MIC of 2 µg/ml. CONCLUSION: This study provides potent antitubercular agent which can be further optimized to discover novel antibiotics.

Synthesis, growth and characterization of a new nonlinear optical material: 4-phenylpyridinium hydrogen squarate (4PHS).

A novel organic non-linear optical organic single crystal of 4-phenylpyridinium hydrogen squarate (4PHS) has been synthesized and successfully grown from aqueous solutions by slow evaporation solution growth method. In the present investigation the title compound has been synthesized by taking equimolar quantity of 4-phenylpyridine and squaric acid and mixed thoroughly using double distilled water as the solvent. The prepared concentrated solution was placed in an undisturbed condition, and then the solution was periodically inspected. The good quality single crystals have been harvested in a time span of 3 weeks. Then the grown crystal was characterized as single crystal XRD, differential thermal analysis, thermogravimetric analysis, FTIR, UV-vis-NIR, SHG, (1)H NMR and (13)C NMR analyses, respectively. The observed results from the characterization analyses show its suitability for NLO applications when compared with some of the existing organic crystals. The relative second harmonic generation of this grown crystal was found to be five times higher than that of KDP crystal. The UV cut-off wavelength and decomposition temperature of this grown crystal were also comparatively better. (1)H NMR and (13)C NMR spectroscopic studies were employed to elucidate the structure of the grown specimen.

Growth and characterization studies on glycine barium dichloride single crystals for NLO applications.

The novel nonlinear optical single crystal of glycine barium chloride has been successfully synthesized by taking the appropriate amount of glycine and barium dichloride and single crystals have been grown by slow evaporation solution growth technique at room temperature. The grown single crystals have been analyzed with XRD, FT-IR, TG/DTA measurements. Its mechanical behavior has been assessed by Vickers Microhardness measurements. Its nonlinear optical property has been tested by Kurtz powder technique. Its optical behavior was examined by UV-vis, and found that the crystal is transparent in the region between 250 and 1200 nm.

Synthesis growth and characterization of L-Valinium Picrate a new nonlinear optical crystal.

New nonlinear optical (NLO) single crystal of L-Valinium Picrate (LVP) was grown by slow evaporation solution growth technique at room temperature. The cell parameters of the grown crystal were estimated by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The presence of functional groups was identified from Fourier transform infrared spectrum. The transmission and absorption spectra of this crystal show that the lower cut-off wavelength lies at 380 nm. Thermal analysis was performed to study the thermal stability of the grown crystal. The powder second harmonic generation efficiency of the grown crystal measured by Kurtz technique is 2 times efficient of Potassium dihydrogen orthophosphate (KDP).

Synthesis, growth, structural, spectroscopic and optical studies of a new semiorganic nonlinear optical crystal: L-valine hydrochloride.

Single crystals of a new semiorganic nonlinear optical (NLO) material, L-valine hydrochloride (LVHCl), having dimensions up to 20 mm x 6 mm x 4 mm have been grown by slow evaporation solution growth technique. Single crystal X-ray diffraction studies confirm that the grown crystal belongs to the monoclinic system. The functional groups presented in the crystal were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) technique. Optical transmission spectrum shows very low absorption in the entire visible region. Differential thermal and thermogravimetric analyses confirmed that the crystal is stable up to 211 degrees C. The powder second harmonic generation (SHG) efficiency of LVHCl is 1.7 times efficient as potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KDP).

A comparative study on the growth and characterization of nonlinear optical amino acid crystals: L-alanine (LA) and L-alanine alaninium nitrate (LAAN).

A comparative study on the properties of L-alanine and LAAN crystals has been made and discussed. It may be concluded that the protonation of the amino group in the L-alanine molecule is the key factor in increasing the relative SHG efficiency of LAAN. The protonation is justified by the crystal structure analysis, FTIR and photoluminescence studies. The factor group vibrations are compared and found that there is an increase in vibrational modes of LA when reacted with nitric acid forming LAAN.

Growth and characterization of organic nonlinear optical crystal of 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (CDNB).

Organic nonlinear optical crystal of 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene has been successfully grown by low temperature solution growth technique. Good optical quality single crystals of size 28 mm x 11 mm x 5mm are obtained. Grown crystals were subjected to X-ray powder diffraction analysis, FT-IR, FT-Raman, proton nuclear magnetic resonance (PNMR) and etching studies. Thermal properties of the grown crystals were studied by thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential thermal analysis (DTA). UV-vis studies show the cutoff wavelength is less than 400 nm. Nonlinear optical property of the crystal was studied by Kurtz powder technique using Nd:YAG laser and the crystal exhibits second harmonic generation property.

Recovery from encephalomyelitis caused by Herpesvirus simiae. Report of a case.

A 29-year-old monkey handler developed an acute encephalomyelitis with neuromuscular dysfunction that progressed to respiratory arrest on the 18th day of illness. Thereafter, with supportive care, the patient's condition improved steadily. The titer of neutralizing antibodies to H simiae rose from 1:4 (eighth day of illness) to 1:512 (47th day of illness). Apparently the fifth known survivor of H simiae (herpesvirus B) encephalomyelitis, this patient is also remarkable because of virtually complete recovery, apparently the second documented instance of a good outcome.

Assessment on third order non linearity and other optical analyses of L-Asparagine Monohydrate single crystal: An efficient candidate for harmonic conversions.

Single crystal of l-Asparagine Monohydrate, an organic material has been successfully grown by slow evaporation solution growth technique at ambient condition. The lattice parameters and its strain of the grown crystal have been evaluated from powder X-ray diffraction and found that it belongs to orthorhombic crystal system. The polarizability has been measured by using the Clausius-Mossotti relation. The crystalline perfection of grown single crystal has been examined by high resolution X-ray diffraction and its imperfection in the diffraction plane was clearly visible by recording topographical image of the plane. From the high resolution XRD, it confirms that the crystal contained high crystalline perfection. The optical behavior was analyzed by photoluminescence and birefringence methods. In the photoluminescence, a broad peak has been observed at 475 nm which suggest that it emits blue light. The decay tendency of the material has also been observed by calculating decay constant. The optical homogeneity has been determined by the dispersion pattern of the material. The two photon absorption coefficient was further calculated by Z-scan, which gives the information about the third order non linear optical behavior of the material. The value of two-photon absorption coefficient is 4.25 × 10(-12)m/W. The thermal parameters like thermal effusivity, thermal diffusivity, specific heat and thermal conductivity was obtained by using photopyroelectric technique. The ferroelectric behavior of the grown specimen was analyzed from PE (polarization VS electric field) loop. The loop suggests that the material was a nearly equivalent to ideal capacitor.

Structural, optical, mechanical and dielectric studies of pure and doped L-Prolinium trichloroacetate single crystals.

In the present work, pure and metal substituted L-Prolinium trichloroacetate (LPTCA) single crystals were grown by slow evaporation method. The grown crystals were subjected to single crystal X-ray diffraction (XRD), powder X-ray diffraction, FTIR, UV-Visible-NIR, hardness, photoluminescence and dielectric studies. The dopant concentration in the crystals was measured by inductively coupled plasma (ICP) analysis. Single crystal X-ray diffraction studies of the pure and metal substituted LPTCA revealed that the grown crystals belong to the trigonal system. Ni(2+) and Co(2+) doping slightly altered the lattice parameters of LPTCA without affecting the basic structure of the crystal. FTIR spectral analysis confirms the presence of various functional groups in the grown crystals. The mechanical behavior of pure and doped crystals was analyzed by Vickers's microhardness test. The optical transmittance, dielectric and photoluminescence properties of the pure and doped crystals were analyzed.

Posttraumatic dysautonomic cephalalgia. Clinical observations and treatment.

Five patients developed posttraumatic vascular headaches associated with autonomic dysfunction. The precipitating injury affected the anterior triangle of the neck, presumably involving the region of the carotid artery sheath. Disturbance of sympathetic function, characterized by excessive sweating and pupillary dilation associated with headache, was noted. Appropriate pharmacologic studies revealed evidence of partial sympathetic devervation. While headache was resistant to ergotamine preparations, prompt relief was obtained with propranolol hydrochloride, and adrenergic beta-receptor blocking agent.

Clonazepam treatment of insomnia due to sleep myoclonus.

Nocturnal myoclonus has been identified as a cause of disturbed sleep and excessive daytime fatigue. To our knowledge, no therapy has heretofore been available to adequately control this problem. We identified this problem clinically in two patients; in one, the phenomenon was observed with a polygraphic sleep recording. Small doses of clonazepam, 1 mg, before retiring were found to specifically control the myoclonus and allow sleep patterns to return to normal.

Periodic lateralized epileptiform complexes (PLEDs) in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

The electroencephalogram (EEG) of three patients with typical Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) was characterized by periodic lateralized epileptiform complexes (PLEDs), which persisted and became bilateral. This unusual pattern preceded the characteristic EEG change of CJD. Persistence of PLEDs should suggest the diagnosis of CJD.

Saccadic visual suppression and down-beat nystagmus: a case of Arnold-Chiari malformation.

A case is reported in which visual disturbances associated with the sole physical finding of downbeat nystagmus led to investigation of a patient for a foramen magnum lesion. The Arnold-Chiari malformation was suggested by air study and confirmed at surgery. It is suggested that the phenomenon of saccadic suppression was responsible for the patient's visual disability. This was unaccompanied by any of the other neurological manifestations of the Arnold-Chiari malformation. Cases presenting in this manner, with only visual disturbances, may run the risk of being unrecognized for some time as a result.