A sodium ion conducting gel polymer electrolyte with counterbalance between 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate and tetra ethylene glycol dimethyl ether for electrochemical applications.

For sodium batteries, the development of gel polymer electrolytes (GPEs) with remarkable electrochemical properties is in its early stage and persists to be a challenge. In this report we have synthesized a series of GPEs containing a poly(vinyllidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVdF-HFP) and poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) as blend polymer, sodium perchlorate (NaClO4) as ion-conducting salt and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (EMIM-BF4) and tetra ethylene glycol dimethyl ether (TEGDME) as molecular solvents. The counter balance between EMIM-BF4 and TEGDME is maintained by the electrolyte, which is formed through the optimal weight ratio of 2 : 1. GPEs have an advantageous set of properties, including stability window of 5 V, Na+ transference number of 0.20, and a room-temperature ionic conductivity of 5.8 × 10-3 S cm-1. According to enthalpy and entropy calculations, optimized GPE yields the highest amount of disorder or amorphicity and contributes to greatest conductivity. XRD analysis supports this argument. Thermal investigations show that optimized GPE may preserve gel phase up to 125 °C. The prototype sodium cell fabricated with optimize GPE has a specific capacity of 281 mA h g-1 and open circuit voltage of 2.5 V. The optimized GPE exhibits potential for future electrochemical applications.

Fungal fibrosing mediastinitis in pregnancy - Case report with review of literature.

Fibrosing mediastinitis (FM) is characterized by extensive and invasive fibro-inflammatory proliferation, triggered by a delayed hypersensitivity reaction to variety of infective or noninfective stimuli. The infective agents often have a geographic distribution such as Histoplasma capsulatum in North America and Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Asian regions. In few reports, the mediastinitis is caused by fungi, particularly Aspergillus species. We report the first case of possible aspergillous FM in a young pregnant woman.

Molecular markers for resistance against infectious diseases of economic importance.

Huge livestock population of India is under threat by a large number of endemic infectious (bacterial, viral, and parasitic) diseases. These diseases are associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality, particularly in exotic and crossbred cattle. Beside morbidity and mortality, economic losses by these diseases occur through reduced fertility, production losses, etc. Some of the major infectious diseases which have great economic impact on Indian dairy industries are tuberculosis (TB), Johne's disease (JD), mastitis, tick and tick-borne diseases (TTBDs), foot and mouth disease, etc. The development of effective strategies for the assessment and control of infectious diseases requires a better understanding of pathogen biology, host immune response, and diseases pathogenesis as well as the identification of the associated biomarkers. Indigenous cattle (Bos indicus) are reported to be comparatively less affected than exotic and crossbred cattle. However, genetic basis of resistance in indigenous cattle is not well documented. The association studies of few of the genes associated with various diseases, namely, solute carrier family 11 member 1, Toll-like receptors 1, with TB; Caspase associated recruitment domain 15, SP110 with JD; CACNA2D1, CD14 with mastitis and interferon gamma, BoLA--DRB3.2 alleles with TTBDs, etc., are presented. Breeding for genetic resistance is one of the promising ways to control the infectious diseases. High host resistance is the most important method for controlling such diseases, but till today no breed is total immune. Therefore, work may be undertaken under the hypothesis that the different susceptibility to these diseases are exhibited by indigenous and crossbred cattle is due to breed-specific differences in the dealing of infected cells with other immune cells, which ultimately influence the immune response responded against infections. Achieving maximum resistance to these diseases is the ultimate goal, is technically possible to achieve, and is permanent. Progress could be enhanced through introgression of resistance genes to breeds with low resistance. The quest for knowledge of the genetic basis for infectious diseases in indigenous livestock is strongly warranted.

Right atrial mural thrombi: An autopsy study of an under-diagnosed complication at an unusual site.

BACKGROUND: Right atrial mural thrombi (RAMT) are often seen in association with cardiac diseases or foreign bodies. Unusual locations at the flutter isthmus and the atrial appendage prompted us to evaluate our 2-year autopsy data on such thrombi. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the 2-year retrospective autopsy, the clinical and autopsy records of patients with RAMT were reviewed, with particular reference to the presence of central venous catheter (CVC), its site of insertion, its type, material and size, its duration of placement, and the drugs infused through the catheter. RESULTS: Of the 940 autopsies performed in 2 years, RAMT was seen in 24 hearts and was related to an insertion of a CVC in 23 patients (95.8%). The risk and/or associated factors for this complication were tunneled and polyethylene catheters, Intensive Care Unit admission, infused drugs, underlying cardiac diseases, and pregnancy. A noteworthy feature was the location of the thrombi in the flutter isthmus in 16 hearts (66.7%) and atrial appendage in another six hearts. Localized endocarditis/myocarditis and pulmonary thromboembolism were observed in six and four patients, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This autopsy study, which has a high incidence of catheter-related RAMT, does not reflect the true incidence but reiterates the importance of guided insertion of central venous and prompt recognition of thrombus formation.

Effect of different lithium priming schedule on pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus in rats.

The conventional method of inducing status epilepticus by injecting pilocarpine 24 h after lithium chloride (LiCl) administration lacks kinetic correlate. Therefore, the present study was conducted to see the effect of altering the time schedule of lithium administration (from 2 to 72 h) on the convulsive behavior in response to pilocarpine challenge in rats. It was observed that reducing the pretreatment time of lithium from 24 to 2 h produced convulsions in 100% of the rats. However, incidence of convulsions decreased when lithium pretreatment time was increased to 48 h and no convulsions were recorded with 72-h lithium time schedule. The neuronal damage assessed histologically and the effectiveness of diazepam was similar irrespective of time schedule. This study provides evidence that LiCl pretreatment schedule can be adopted at any time between 2 to 24 h to suit the convenience and objectives of the experiment.