Improved UV response of ZnO nanotubes by resonant coupling of anchored plasmonic silver nanoparticles.

In this study, plasmonic silver (Ag) nanoparticle-(NP) anchored ZnO nanorods (NRs) and nanotube-(NT) based UV photodetectors are demonstrated. Here, Ag NPs are synthesized and anchored by using a room-temperature photochemical method by exposing the precursor solution in UV radiation. In order to achieve a stronger surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and minimum agglomeration, the photochemical method is optimized with a precursor concentration of 5 mmol, a UV intensity of 0.4 mW · cm-2, and an exposure time of 30 min. An asymmetry around 380 nm in the absorption spectra of the NP solution indicates the presence of plasmonic resonance in that region. Upon anchoring the Ag NPs, ZnO NRs show enhanced band edge emission (380-400 nm) and the emission is further significantly increased in Ag NP-anchored ZnO NTs. The on/off ratio and photoresponse properties of the UV photodetectors are enhanced significantly after anchoring Ag NPs on the ZnO nanostructures. It is believed that the near-field coupling of SPR causes an optical enhancement of ZnO, whereas the bridging effect and hot-electron transfer to the conduction band of ZnO by plasmonic Ag NPs, anchored in close proximity, gives rise to a faster response of the photodetectors.

Tumor infiltrating lymphocytes profile and response in neoadjuvant chemotherapy-treated triple-negative breast carcinoma patients.

Background: Triple negative breast carcinoma (TNBC) has the highest mortality among all the breast carcinoma subtypes, but paradoxically, it shows the best response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT). Tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) density has been shown to have prognostic significance in TNBC. However, there are limited data on TIL subpopulation and their association with response to NACT in TNBC. Materials and Methods: The study included 80 consecutive patients with TNBC prospectively diagnosed for two and half years, who underwent tru-cut biopsy before NACT, followed by subsequent definite surgical procedures. Global TIL profile and immunohistochemistry (IHC) analysis of CD3, CD4, CD8, CD20, and CD56 were done on all baseline tru-cut biopsies and post-NACT surgical specimens. Results: Almost half the patients were postmenopausal with a mean age of 45.89 ± 4.62 years. The majority had low CD3, low CD4, low CD56, low CD20, and high CD8 positivity in both pre- and post-NACT specimens. On multivariate analysis, low CD3, CD4, CD56 and CD 20 were established as independent predictor of poor pathologic response (PR). Low CD4 (adjusted odds ratio [OR]: 228.46) was associated with the highest OR for poor PR. Low CD8 was associated with significantly decreased odds of poor PR on univariate analysis (OR: 0.26), but it was not been established as an independent predictor of PR on multivariate logistic regression. NACT did not significantly alter the profile of TILs. Conclusions: TIL profile with low CD3, CD4, CD20, and CD56 expression predicts PR to NACT in TNBC and may thus help in prognostication of these patients.

Comparison of vaginal misoprostol tablets and prostaglandin E2 gel for the induction of labor in premature rupture of membranes at term: a randomized comparative trial.

AIM: To compare immediate induction with vaginal misoprostol tablets and immediate induction with vaginal dinoprostone (naturally occurring prostaglandin E2 [PGE2]) gel in women with premature rupture of membranes (PROM) at term. METHODS: Two hundred and twelve women with PROM at term were assigned randomly to receive either an intravaginal 25 µg misoprostol tablet, 4-hourly, with a maximum of five doses, or 0.5 mg intravaginal PGE2 gel, 6-hourly, with a maximum of two doses. The primary outcome measures were the admission-to-delivery interval and the induction-to-delivery interval. Secondary outcomes included cesarean section rate, mode of delivery, and maternal and neonatal safety outcome. Results were calculated applying Fisher's exact test, χ2-test, t-test and calculating the P-value using an alpha level of 0.05 for Type I errors. RESULTS: The mean time from admission to delivery was 13.53 h in the misoprostol group and 12.30 h in the PGE2 group (P = 0.090). The induction-to-delivery interval was also comparable between the groups (10.75 h vs. 9.37 h), while the cesarean section rate did not differ significantly between them (7.61% vs. 15.30%). More women in the misoprostol group had an instrumental delivery (12.38% vs. 2.94%). The only significant difference in neonatal outcome was a greater number of babies born with Apgar score < 7 at 1 min in the misoprostol group. Maternal outcomes were not significantly different, except for a higher number of digital vaginal examinations in the misoprostol group. CONCLUSION: Vaginal misoprostol is equally efficacious in labor induction and demonstrates a similar fetal and maternal safety profile to PGE2 gel.

Linear bulk photovoltaic effect and phenomenological study in multi-phase co-existing ferroelectric system.

Ferroelectric systems with multi-phase co-existence are found to exhibit anomalous photovoltaic response. In this work, detailed photovoltaic studies are carried out under 405 nm light illumination on Ba1-x(Bi0.5Li0.5)xTiO3ferroelectric oxides having the coexistence of tetragonal and orthorhombic phases. The linear and sinusoidal photocurrent-dependence as a function of light intensity and polarization-direction, respectively elucidate the experimental evidence for linear bulk-photovoltaic effect. Importantly, the temperature-dependent photovoltaic studies display 2-fold enhancement in photovoltage near the ferroelectric transition temperature (TC). The observed features in photovoltage follow inverse temperature-dependence of the photoconductivity. The linear relationship between the calculated bulk-photovoltaic tensor component and the photocurrent established from the proposed phenomenological model is verified through their composition-dependent studies. These studies provide the desired design parameters to engineer the ferroelectric system for better photovoltaic characteristics suitable for device applications.

Physical vapor deposited organic ferroelectric diisopropylammonium bromide film and its self-powered photodetector characteristics.

Organic diisopropylammonium bromide (DIPAB) is a promising material with superior ferroelectric characteristics. However, the DIPAB continuous film, which is essential to explore its application potential, is challenging because its crystallization kinetics favors island-like microcrystalline growth. In this work, the continuous and uniform deposition of organic ferroelectric DIPAB film on a single crystalline Si(100) substrate is demonstrated by a thermal evaporation process. Structural and optical studies reveal that the film is c-axis oriented with an optical bandgap of 3.52 eV. The topographic image displays well-connected grain-like surface morphology with ∼2 nm roughness. The ferroelectric domain studies illustrate the in-plane orientation of the domains, which is in accordance with c-axis oriented film where polarization is along the in-plane b-axis. The phase and amplitude responses of the domains display hysteresis and butterfly characteristics, respectively and thereby endorse the ferroelectric nature of the film. Importantly, it is demonstrated that the DIPAB film exhibits remarkable self-powered UV-Vis photodetector characteristics with responsivity of 0.66 mA W-1 and detectivity of 2.20 × 109 Jones at 11.45 mW cm-2 light intensity. The fabricated DIPAB film reported in this work can widen its application potential in self-powered photodetector and other optoelectronic devices.

Tuning of oxygen vacancy-induced electrical conductivity in Ti-doped hematite films and its impact on photoelectrochemical water splitting.

Titanium (Ti)-doped hematite (α-Fe2O3) films were grown in oxygen-depleted condition by using the spray pyrolysis technique. The impact of post-deposition annealing in oxygen-rich condition on both the conductivity and water splitting efficiency was investigated. The X-ray diffraction pattern revealed that the films are of rhombohedral α-Fe2O3 structure and dominantly directed along (012). The as-grown films were found to be highly conductive with electrons as the majority charge carriers (n-type), a carrier concentration of 1.09×1020 cm-3, and a resistivity of 5.9×10-2 Ω-cm. The conductivity of the films were reduced upon post-deposition annealing. The origin of the conductivity was attributed firstly to Ti4+ substituting Fe3+ and secondly to the ionized oxygen vacancies (VO) in the crystal lattice of hematite. Upon annealing the samples in oxygen-rich condition, VO slowly depleted and the conductivity reduced. The photocurrent of the as-grown samples was found to be 3.4 mA/cm-2 at 1.23 V vs. RHE. The solar-to-hydrogen efficiency for the as-grown sample was calculated to be 4.18% at 1.23 V vs. RHE. The photocurrents were found to be significantly stable in aqueous environment. A linear relationship between conductivity and water-splitting efficiency was established.

Hemodynamic effects of propranolol with spironolactone in patients with variceal bleeds: a randomized controlled trial.

AIM: To study the hemodynamic effects of spironolactone with propranolol vs propranolol alone in the secondary prophylaxis of variceal bleeding. METHODS: Thirty-five cirrhotics with variceal bleeding randomly received propranolol (n = 17: Group A) or spironolactone plus propranolol (n = 18: Group B). Hemodynamic assessment was performed at baseline and on the eighth day. RESULTS: Spironolactone with propranolol caused a greater reduction in the hepatic venous pressure gradient than propranolol alone (26.94% vs 10.2%; P < 0.01). Fourteen out of eighteen patients on the combination treatment had a reduction in hepatic venous pressure gradient to <= 12 mmHg or a 20% reduction from baseline in contrast to only six out of seventeen (6/17) on propranolol alone (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Spironolactone with propranolol results in a better response with a greater reduction in hepatic venous pressure gradient in the secondary prophylaxis of variceal bleeding. A greater number of patients may be protected by this combination therapy than by propranolol alone. Hence, this combination may be recommended for secondary prophylaxis in patients with variceal bleeding.

Giant photovoltaic response in band engineered ferroelectric perovskite.

Recently the solar energy, an inevitable part of green energy source, has become a mandatory topics in frontier research areas. In this respect, non-centrosymmetric ferroelectric perovskites with open circuit voltage (VOC) higher than the bandgap, gain tremendous importance as next generation photovoltaic materials. Here a non-toxic co-doped Ba1-x(Bi0.5Li0.5) x TiO3 ferroelectric system is designed where the dopants influence the band topology in order to enhance the photovoltaic effect. In particular, at the optimal doping concentration (x opt ~ 0.125) the sample reveals a remarkably high photogenerated field EOC = 320 V/cm (VOC = 16 V), highest ever reported in any bulk polycrystalline non-centrosymmetric systems. The band structure, examined through DFT calculations, suggests that the shift current mechanism is key to explain the large enhancement in photovoltaic effect in this family.

Comparative Study of Imprint Cytology and Histopathology of Soft Tissue Tumors.

BACKGROUND: The components of soft tissue are fibroblasts, collagen, vascular structures, fatty tissue, skeletal muscles, smooth muscles, and neural tissue. The real incidence of soft tissue tumors (STTs) is difficult to estimate because most of them are benign (Benign: Malignant-100:1). AIMS: The aim of the present study was undertaken to note the patterns of presentation of patients with STTs and to evaluate the findings of imprint cytology (IC) and histopathological examination (HPE) of STTs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present study was undertaken for 1 year. A total of 41 patients with clinically and radiologically diagnosed STTs were included in the study. Following surgery, imprint smear was taken for each tumor, before delivering the tissue to 10% formalin. HPE was subsequently performed. RESULTS: The age of the patients ranged from 4 months to 80 years with a mean of 35.6 ± 17.5 years. The ratio of males to females was 1.05:1. HPE revealed that 21 (51.2%) tumors were benign and 20 (48.8%) malignant. Imprint smears revealed 16 (39%) tumors to be benign and 20 (48.8%) malignant. IC was inconclusive in 5 (12.2%) cases. The sensitivity of IC was found to be 89.5% and specificity 82.35%. The positive predictive value of IC was 85%. The accuracy of IC for diagnosis of both benign and malignant tumors was found to be 75%. CONCLUSION: IC of STTs is a rapid and simple method of intraoperative diagnosis, and it can serve as a viable alternative to frozen section biopsy, particularly in rural settings.

Low-Temperature Facile Synthesis of Sb-Doped p-Type ZnO Nanodisks and Its Application in Homojunction Light-Emitting Diode.

This study explores low-temperature solution-process-based seed-layer-free ZnO p-n homojunction light-emitting diode (LED). In order to obtain p-type ZnO nanodisks (NDs), antimony (Sb) was doped into ZnO by using a facile chemical route at 120 °C. The X-ray photoelectron spectra indicated the presence of (SbZn-2VZn) acceptor complex in the Sb-doped ZnO NDs. Using these NDs as freestanding templates, undoped n-type ZnO nanorods (NRs) were epitaxially grown at 95 °C to form ZnO p-n homojunction. The homojunction with a turn-on voltage of 2.5 V was found to be significantly stable up to 100 s under a constant voltage stress of 5 V. A strong orange-red emission was observed by the naked eye under a forward bias of 5 V. The electroluminescence spectra revealed three major peaks at 400, 612, and 742 nm which were attributed to the transitions from Zni to VBM, from Zni to Oi, and from VO to VBM, respectively. The presence of these deep-level defects was confirmed by the photoluminescence of ZnO NRs. This study paves the way for future applications of ZnO homojunction LEDs using low-temperature and low-cost solution processes with the controlled use of native defects.

A clinicopathological study of mediastinal masses operated in a tertiary care hospital in Eastern India in 3 years with special reference to thymoma.

INTRODUCTION: The mediastinum is the central portion of the thoracic cavity, limited by pleural cavities laterally, thoracic inlet superiorly, and the diaphragm inferiorly. Housing numerous organs, it is a veritable Pandora's box, within which various lesions may develop. This study was conducted to assess the epidemiologic profile, clinicoradiological features, cytological, and histopathological findings in patients presenting with mediastinal masses in a tertiary care hospital over a period of 3 years. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a retrospective study of cases presenting with mediastinal masses attending the Cardiothoracic Surgery Department of Medical College, Kolkata between May 2011 and April 2014. Detailed history, physical, and radiological findings were noted. Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) was performed when feasible. Following surgery, histopathological, and immunohistochemical (IHC) examinations of the specimens were undertaken. RESULTS: Of the 22 cases included in our study, ten were anterior, seven middle, and five posterior mediastinal masses. Fifteen cases were male and seven were female. Thymic pathology was detected in seven cases, lymphoma in five, extragonadal germ cell tumor (GCT) in three, schwannoma and pericardial cyst in two cases each and neurofibroma, ganglioneuroma, and retrosternal thyroid in one case each. The age group of the patients for each diagnostic category was found to be of significance. FNAC was done in 15 cases. IHC was required for classification of lymphoma cases (CD45, CD15, CD30, CD20, CD3, Tdt, CD34, and Ki-67). CONCLUSION: This study reflects the incidence of different mediastinal masses in West Bengal with their clinicopathologic correlation.

Adopting Novel Strategies in Achieving High-Performance Single-Layer Network Structured ZnO Nanorods Thin Film Transistors.

High-performance, solution-processed transparent and flexible zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods (NRs)-based single layer network structured thin film transistors (TFTs) were developed on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate at 100 °C. Keeping the process-temperature under 100 °C, we have improved the device performance by introducing three low temperature-based techniques; regrowing ZnO to fill the void spaces in a single layer network of ZnO NRs, passivating the back channel with polymer, and adopting ZrO2 as the high-k dielectric. Notably, high-k amorphous ZrO2 was synthesized and deposited using a novel method at an unprecedented temperature of 100 °C. Using these methods, the TFTs exhibited a high mobility of 1.77 cm(2)/V·s. An insignificant reduction of 2.18% in mobility value after 3000 cycles of dynamic bending at a radius of curvature of 20 mm indicated the robust mechanical nature of the flexible ZnO NRs SLNS TFTs.

Carcinosarcoma of ovary with its various immunohistochemical expression: Report of a rare case.

Ovarian carcinosarcoma is an extremely rare tumor with an incidence of <2%. A report of such a rare case in a 40-year-old multiparous woman is being presented here. The patient complained of abdominal pain and distension. Abdominal computed tomography revealed a variegated mass in the right adnexal region. The CA-125 level was 1635 U/ml. The patient underwent laparotomy and the tumor was removed. Microscopic examination of the tumor showed presence of both carcinomatous and sarcomatous elements. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that the carcinomatous component was positive for cytokeratin and estrogen receptor and negative for progesterone receptor. The sarcomatous component was positive for vimentin. Ki-67 was positive in 60% cells. A final diagnosis of ovarian carcinosarcoma was rendered. This case is significant owing to extreme rarity of the tumor. Records of similar cases must be maintained for future reference with regard to impact of treatment protocol followed on prognosis.

Low temperature solution process-based defect-induced orange-red light emitting diode.

We report low-temperature solution-processed p-CuO nanorods (NRs)/n-ZnO NRs heterojunction light emitting diode (LED), exploiting the native point defects of ZnO NRs. ZnO NRs were synthesized at 90 °C by using hydrothermal method while CuO NRs were synthesized at 100 °C by using microwave reaction system. The electrical properties of newly synthesized CuO NRs revealed a promising p-type nature with a hole concentration of 9.64 × 10(18) cm(-3). The current-voltage characteristic of the heterojunction showed a significantly high rectification ratio of 10(5) at 4 V with a stable current flow. A broad orange-red emission was obtained from the forward biased LED with a major peak at 610 nm which was attributed to the electron transition from interstitial zinc to interstitial oxygen point defects in ZnO. A minor shoulder peak was also observed at 710 nm, corresponding to red emission which was ascribed to the transition from conduction band of ZnO to oxygen vacancies in ZnO lattice. This study demonstrates a significant progress toward oxide materials based, defect-induced light emitting device with low-cost, low-temperature methods.

Lead-free epitaxial ferroelectric material integration on semiconducting (100) Nb-doped SrTiO3 for low-power non-volatile memory and efficient ultraviolet ray detection.

We report lead-free ferroelectric based resistive switching non-volatile memory (NVM) devices with epitaxial (1-x)BaTiO3-xBiFeO3 (x = 0.725) (BT-BFO) film integrated on semiconducting (100) Nb (0.7%) doped SrTiO3 (Nb:STO) substrates. The piezoelectric force microscopy (PFM) measurement at room temperature demonstrated ferroelectricity in the BT-BFO thin film. PFM results also reveal the repeatable polarization inversion by poling, manifesting its potential for read-write operation in NVM devices. The electroforming-free and ferroelectric polarization coupled electrical behaviour demonstrated excellent resistive switching with high retention time, cyclic endurance, and low set/reset voltages. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was utilized to determine the band alignment at the BT-BFO and Nb:STO heterojunction, and it exhibited staggered band alignment. This heterojunction is found to behave as an efficient ultraviolet photo-detector with low rise and fall time. The architecture also demonstrates half-wave rectification under low and high input signal frequencies, where the output distortion is minimal. The results provide avenue for an electrical switch that can regulate the pixels in low or high frequency images. Combined this work paves the pathway towards designing future generation low-power ferroelectric based microelectronic devices by merging both electrical and photovoltaic properties of BT-BFO materials.

Hemodynamic effect of spironolactone in liver cirrhosis and propranolol-resistant portal hypertension.

OBJECTIVE: In a proportion of patients with liver cirrhosis, portal pressure does not decrease adequately with propranolol. These patients may benefit from another drug that may reduce portal pressure. We evaluated the role of spironolactone, alone or with propranolol, in such patients. METHODS: Patients with cirrhosis, with or without ascites, with esophageal varices and with hepatic venous pressure gradient exceeding 12 mmHg, which did not show a 20% reduction after an 80-mg oral dose of propranolol, were studied. They were allocated to receive spironolactone 100 mg orally once daily either alone (group 1, n=10) or with propranolol 40 mg orally twice daily (group 2, n=10), for 7 days, after which the hemodynamic study was repeated. RESULTS: Hepatic venous pressure gradient decreased in those receiving spironolactone and propranolol (p=0.007); 5 patients in group 1 and 7 in group 2 showed a reduction in hepatic venous pressure gradient by more than 20%. However, the reduction produced by spironolactone alone (20.5 [31.3]%) was not significantly different from that produced by combination therapy (30.3 [25.9]%; p=0.46). CONCLUSION: Spironolactone in combination with propranolol achieves adequate reduction (> or = 20%) in hepatic venous pressure gradient in propranolol-resistant portal hypertension in patients with liver cirrhosis. Spironolactone alone was also effective in some patients.

Clear cell sarcoma of the kidney: a case report.

Clear cell sarcoma of the kidney is a rare malignant neoplasm of childhood, known for its aggressiveness, its tendency for recurrence, and to metastasize to bone. We report the observation of 8-month-old child presenting with a large abdominal mass. Clinically, it was diagnosed as Wilm's tumor, and left nephrectomy was done. Grossly, 10 cm×8 cm×3.5 cm globular, white, encapsulated, smooth mass uniformly involving the whole kidney was noted. Histologically, the tumor was diagnosed as clear cell sarcoma with renal vein showing presence of tumor embolus in lumen. The tumor was given stage-II (NWTS-5 protocol). Immunohistochemistry showed vimentin positive and cytokeratin negative tumor cells. The child is currently undergoing chemotherapy and has not yet shown any sign of bony metastasis.

Malignant lymphoma in Eastern India: a retrospective analysis of 455 cases according to World Health Organisation classification.

BACKGROUND: Malignant lymphoma (ML) is one of the most common cancers and is most prevalent in developed countries. The distribution of different subtypes of ML varies in the different geographical locations according to World Health Organization (WHO) classification. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: The study was aimed to analyze different patterns of ML in Eastern India and to compare it with other geographical locations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Four hundred and fifty five patients of two large hospitals in Eastern India were included over a period of four years and were categorized according to WHO classification, using morphology and immunohistochemistry (IHC). RESULTS: There were 347 (76.3%) non Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL), and 108 (23.7%) Hodgkin lymphomas (HL). Diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) was the most common of the NHL type (35.2%) followed by the follicular lymphoma (19.3%). B cell lymphoblastic lymphoma was the least common type of NHL (1.4%). Mixed cellularity (33.3%) and nodular sclerosis (26.9%) were the two most common type of HL. Childhood lymphoma comprised of 12.5% of all ML. T cell NHL and HL were the common lymphomas in this age group. CONCLUSION: Incidence of follicular lymphoma is lower compared to western studies and mixed cellularity is most common subtype of HL unlike nodular sclerosis subtype in western world. Burkitt's type NHL though is the most common subtype of childhood ML in many studies but in our study T cell NHL is the most common type of childhood ML.

Computed tomogram guided fine-needle aspiration cytology of lung mass with histological correlation: A study in Eastern India.

BACKGROUND: Fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is an important and useful investigation, and is considered next to imaging in the rapid diagnosis of pulmonary mass lesion for the last few decades. AIMS: To assess the role of Computed Tomogram (CT) guided FNAC in pulmonary mass lesions; to analyze the results; and to compare with histopathological findings. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The clinical, radiological, and cytological data of 130 patients were prospectively studied who underwent CT guided FNAC from October 2009 through September 2011. Thereafter these patients underwent bronchoscopic/trucut biopsy/lobectomy, whatever clinically indicated. Smears and tissue sections were evaluated simultaneously to reach at a definite diagnosis. RESULTS: Out of 130 cases, we found adequate FNAC smear and histopathology reports only in 124 cases. The age range varied from 35 to 73 years with the peak in the fifth to sixth decades. The benign lesions were 10 (8.07%) and malignant lesions were114 (91.93%) shown by cytology. The most common tumor was adenocarcinoma (51.72%) followed by squamous cell carcinoma (22.41%) and small cell carcinoma 6.89%. Diagnostic accuracy of CT guided FNAC was 95%. Post procedural complications such as hemorrhage and chest pain were minimal and were noted only in three cases. CONCLUSION: CT guided FNAC of pulmonary masses provides simple, easy, and reliable method for reaching rapid tissue diagnosis with minimal complication.