Curative Radiotherapy for Locally Advanced Scalp Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

A 73-year-old man presented to his primary physician with an ulcerative growth on his scalp vertex. Biopsy of the lesion confirmed the growth to be a moderately differentiated squamous cell carcinoma, but the patient declined medical intervention. The lesion increased in size over six months, measuring 12 cm in diameter and 3 cm thickness with erosion of the skull of the vertex. CT and MRI scans showed a large fungating mass with erosion of the skull of vertex without intra-cranial extension, meningeal enhancement, or distant metastatic disease. The patient declined surgical intervention. The patient received radiotherapy using volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT) to a total dose of 60 Gy over six weeks. No evidence of clinical invasive disease apart from a 15 cm * 12 cm skin defect detected three months after completion of radiotherapy. At three years of follow-up, the patient is clinically disease-free. This case report provides evidence that high-dose radiotherapy is a potential effective definitive treatment for locally advanced (T4) squamous cell carcinoma for patients who are unwilling to undergo surgery.

Spatial prediction of soil depth using environmental covariates by quantile regression forest model.

Prediction of soil depth for larger areas provides primary information on soil depth and its spatial distribution that becomes vital for land resource management, crop, nutrient, and ecosystem modeling. The present study assessed the spatial distribution of soil depth over 160,205 km2 of Andhra Pradesh, India, using 20 covariables by quantile regression forest (QRF). An aggregate of 2854 soil datasets compiled from various physiographic units were randomly partitioned into 80:20 ratio for calibration (2283 samples) and validation (571 samples). Landsat imagery, terrain datasets (8), and bioclimatic factors (11) were utilized as covariates. The QRF model outputs signified that precipitation, multi-resolution index of valley bottom flatness (MrVBF), mean diurnal range, isothermality, and elevation were the most important variables influencing soil depth variability across the landscape. Spatial prediction of soil depth by QRF model yielded a ME of - 1.81 cm, RMSE of 34 cm, PICP of 90.2, and a R2 value of 42% as compared to ordinary kriging which results in a ME of - 0.14 cm, a RMSE of 37 cm, and a R2 value of 32%. As soil depth is spatially dynamic and has significant correlation with terrain and environmental covariates, better prediction was possible by the QRF model. However, high-density bioclimatic variables could be utilized along with high-resolution terrain variables to improve the predictive accuracy.

Successful Treatment of Malignant Priapism by Radiotherapy: Report of a Case, Review of the Literature, and Treatment Recommendations.

Malignant priapism is a condition of painful induration and erection of the penis secondary to metastatic infiltration by a neoplasm. This condition is associated with a poor prognosis. We report on a case of an 87-year-old man who presented with a painful, partially erected penis subsequent to a diagnosis of metastatic Gleason 4+5 prostate cancer. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed diffuse bilateral infiltration of his corpora cavernosa. The core biopsy of the penile nodule revealed it to be a poorly differentiated carcinoma consistent with prostatic origin. The patient's symptoms were completely resolved after treatment with high-dose palliative conformal radiotherapy (40Gy in 16 fractions). We systemically reviewed clinical reports of palliative radiotherapy for malignant priapism with the aim to gain more information on the management of this rare condition.

Hydrochemical characterization and groundwater quality in Cauvery deltaic fluvial plains of Southern India.

Groundwater sources are drastically changing in their quantity and quality depending on local and regional level natural and anthropogenic factors, influencing their suitability for drinking and irrigation purposes. The objective of this study is to characterize the hydrochemistry and assess the groundwater quality in the fluvial deltaic plains of Cauvery river basin, Tamil Nadu, India. A total of 50 georeferenced groundwater samples were collected across Needamangalam block of Thiruvarur district and analyzed for major ions and hydrochemical processes. The results showed an ionic sequence of Cl- > Na+ > HCO3- > Mg2+ > Ca2+ > CO32- > SO42- > K+ based on their relative proportions. The scatter diagram indicated that groundwater chemistry was mostly influenced by weathering dominance followed by evaporation and silicate weathering. The dominant hydro-chemical facies were Na+-Cl--HCO3- type, Na+-Mg2+-Cl--HCO3- type, Na+-Cl--HCO3--CO32- type and Na+-Mg2+-Cl--HCO3--CO32- type influenced by the ion-exchange reaction. Most of the groundwater samples are suitable for drinking and irrigation except few with higher Na+ and Cl- content caused by the mixing of salt from fluvio-marine sources or agriculture return flow. The high sodium content in irrigation water may affect the soil hydraulic and nutrient properties in the long run.

NeeMDB: Convenient Database for Neem Secondary Metabolites.

Indian Neem tree is known for its pesticidal and medicinal properties for centuries. Structure elucidation of large number of secondary metabolites responsible for its diverse properties has been achieved. However, this data is spread over various books, scientific reports and publications and difficult to access. We have compiled and stored structural details of neem metabolites in NeeMDB, a database which can be easily accessed, queried and downloaded. NeeMDB would be central in dissipating structural information of neem secondary metabolites world over.

Spatial and temporal volatile organic compound response of select tomato cultivars to herbivory and mechanical injury.

Plants resist an insect or pathogen attack through a range of direct and indirect defense signals. Vegetable crop plants constitutively synthesize and store a battery of volatiles implicated in defense against herbivores. We examined the effect of herbivory (Spodoptera litura Fab.) and mechanical injury on the release of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in five tomato (Solanum lycopersicum Mill.) cultivars followed by behavioral assays on Trichogramma chilonis Ishii. T. chilonis is an egg parasitoid widely used as biocontrol agent in integrated pest management practices. Our goal was to assess the VOC variability across cultivars under different induction regimes. The findings reveal variability among cultivars in the absolute quantity of VOCs emitted as well as qualitative composition of the blend. Herbivore and mechanical wounding caused a substantial quantitative shift in the emission profile of select cultivars. The uninduced and induced volatiles of the tomato cultivars predominantly constitute monoterpenes (65%) followed by sesquiterpenes (15%) and aldehydes (10%). These ubiquitous and induced signals triggered a distinct cultivar specific olfactory response in T. chilonis. The spatial and temporal variations in induced VOCs across tomato cultivars suggest that these unique metabolite profiles are largely intrinsic and genetically determined. This study highlights the genotype based volatile profile and indicates their potential role in host, pest and natural enemy interactions.

Escitalopram Versus Citalopram and Sertraline: A Double-Blind Controlled, Multi-centric Trial in Indian Patients with Unipolar Major Depression.

The present randomized, double blind, parallel group, controlled, multi-centric trial was designed to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of escitalopram in comparison with citalopram and sertraline in the treatment of major depressive disorder. Outpatients (N=214) with an ongoing/newly diagnosed ICD-10 major depressive episode and a Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D) score of > 18 were randomly assigned to citalopram, 20-40 mg/day (74 patients), escitalopram, 10-20 mg/day (69 patients) and sertraline, 50-150 mg/day (71 patients), for a 4-week double-blind treatment period, with dosage adjustment (after 2 weeks of treatment) according to the response to treatment. Clinical response was evaluated by the 17 items HAM-D and the Clinical Global Impression (CGI) scales, which were recorded at baseline and at weekly intervals. Tolerability was evaluated by observed/spontaneously reported adverse changes in laboratory parameters (baseline and after 4 weeks). Response rate was defined as a decrease in HAM-D score by 50% from baseline and remission rate was defined as a HAM-D score of < 8. Response rate at the end of two week were 58% for escitalopram (10mg/day), 49% for citalopram (20mg/day) and 52% for sertraline (50-100mg/day). Response rate at the end of four week were 90% for escitalopram (10-20mg/day), 86% for citalopram (20-40mg/day) and 97% for sertraline (100-150mg/day). The Remission rates at the end of four weeks were 74% for escitalopram, 65% for citalopram and 77% for sertraline. Adverse experiences were reported by 45% of patients in escitalopram group, 58% patients in citalopram and 56% patients in the sertraline group. Additionally, there were lesser dropouts and lesser requirement for dose escalation in escitalopram than in citalopram and sertraline group. In conclusion Escitalopram, the Senantiomer of the citalopram is a safe and effective antidepressant in the Indian population. It has potentially superior efficacy than citalopram and a comparable efficacy to sertraline with fewer side effects than both citalopram and sertraline.