Atypical Presentation of a Giant Hemorrhagic Ovarian Cyst.

Hemorrhagic ovarian cysts (HOCs) are frequently seen in reproductive age women, developing in the luteal phase of ovulatory cycles. Giant HOCs are rare, as bleeding inside a closed space causes acute pain leading to early diagnosis. Anovulation or oligoovulation is a defining feature of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), and hence, functional cysts are uncommon in PCOS patients. This report describes a young girl with PCOS and amenorrhea, presenting with a giant hemorrhagic ovarian cyst. Most hemorrhagic cysts undergo spontaneous resolution with follow-up. Our patient presented as a surgical emergency following torsion and rupture with hemoperitoneum. Torsion causes an obstruction in the blood flow leading to infarction and loss of ovarian viability. Early diagnosis and detorsion may help to preserve ovarian function.

Comparison of Metformin and N Acetylcysteine on Clinical, Metabolic Parameter and Hormonal Profile in Women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: Comparison of metformin and N acetylcysteine on clinical, metabolic parameter and hormonal profile in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome. DESIGN: Prospective comparative study. SETTING: Obstetrics and Gynecology department in Kamala Nehru Memorial Hospital Allahabad. PATIENTS: On the basis of inclusion and exclusion criteria, 100 patients of PCOS were selected for study and assigned randomly in two groups to receive either metformin (1500 mg/day) (group M) or N acetylcysteine (1800 mg/day) (group N) for 24 weeks. INTERVENTIONS: Metabolic parameter and hormonal profile were determined before and after the treatment. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Metabolic parameters, fasting glucose, fasting insulin and testosterone changes. RESULTS: Forty-five patients of both groups were ultimately evaluated. There was a significant improvement of body mass index, waist circumference and waist-hip ratio in group N, but there was no significant difference found in weight reduction among two groups. The biochemical marker of insulin resistance like fasting insulin, fasting glucose/insulin ratio improved significantly in group N. Greater reduction of total testosterone was observed in group N. CONCLUSIONS: Better improvement of metabolic and hormonal profile was observed in N acetylcysteine group. Because of its less side effect comparing to metformin, NAC can be used as a substitute for insulin-sensitizing agent in treatment of PCOS.

Organic-Inorganic Composite Films Based on Gd3Ga3Al2O12:Ce Scintillator Nanoparticles for X-ray Imaging Applications.

Organic-inorganic nanocomposite self-standing films of Gd3Ga3Al2O12 (GGAG) uniformly dispersed in poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and polystyrene polymer are prepared for radiography application. GGAG:Ce nanoscintillator has been chosen because of its high light output and fast decay time. The nanopowder of GGAG is synthesized by coprecipitation method and dispersed in the polymer matrix by a simple blending technique. The nanocomposite films of thickness in the range of 150-450 µm with a very high inorganic content is achieved by this technique. These films are characterized by their uniformity, optical absorption, photoluminescence, and radioluminescence. These films are further tested for their application in radiography by recording X-ray images using a commercially available charge-coupled device camera. A resolution of 10 lp/mm is obtained using GGAG:PMMA composite film with 50% loading, confirming their application in imaging devices.

Investigations on Substrate Temperature-Induced Growth Modes of Organic Semiconductors at Dielectric/semiconductor Interface and Their Correlation with Threshold Voltage Stability in Organic Field-Effect Transistors.

Influence of substrate temperature on growth modes of copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) thin films at the dielectric/semiconductor interface in organic field effect transistors (OFETs) is investigated. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) imaging at the interface reveals a change from 'layer+island' to "island" growth mode with increasing substrate temperatures, further confirmed by probing the buried interfaces using X-ray reflectivity (XRR) and positron annihilation spectroscopic (PAS) techniques. PAS depth profiling provides insight into the details of molecular ordering while positron lifetime measurements reveal the difference in packing modes of CuPc molecules at the interface. XRR measurements show systematic increase in interface width and electron density correlating well with the change from layer + island to coalesced huge 3D islands at higher substrate temperatures. Study demonstrates the usefulness of XRR and PAS techniques to study growth modes at buried interfaces and reveals the influence of growth modes of semiconductor at the interface on hole and electron trap concentrations individually, thereby affecting hysteresis and threshold voltage stability. Minimum hole trapping is correlated to near layer by layer formation close to the interface at 100 °C and maximum to the island formation with large voids between the grains at 225 °C.

Probing molecular packing at engineered interfaces in organic field effect transistor and its correlation with charge carrier mobility.

Surface engineering of SiO2 dielectric using different self-assembled monolayer (SAM) has been carried out, and its effect on the molecular packing and growth behavior of copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) has been studied. A correlation between the growth behavior and performance of organic field effect transistors is examined. Depth profiling using positron annihilation and X-ray reflectivity techniques has been employed to characterize the interface between CuPc and the modified and/or unmodified dielectric. We observe the presence of structural defects or disorder due to disorientation of CuPc molecules on the unmodified dielectric and ordered arrangement on the modified dielectrics, consistent with the high charge carrier mobility in organic field effect transistors in the latter. The study also highlights the sensitivity of these techniques to the packing of CuPc molecules on SiO2 modified using different SAMs. Our study also signifies the sensitivity and utility of these two techniques in the characterization of buried interfaces in organic devices.

Enhanced field-emission from SnO2:WO(2.72) nanowire heterostructures.

The field-emission properties of SnO(2):WO(2.72) hierarchical nanowire heterostructure have been investigated. Nanoheterostructure consisting of SnO(2) nanowires as stem and WO(2.72) nanothorns as branches are synthesized in two steps by physical vapor deposition technique. Their field emission properties were recorded. A low turn-on field of ~0.82 V/µm (to draw an emission current density ~10 µA/cm(2)) is achieved along with stable emission for 4 h duration. The emission characteristic shows the SnO(2):WO(2.72) nanoheterostructures are extremely suitable for field-emission applications.

Tellurium nano-structure based NO gas sensor.

Tellurium nanotubes were grown on bare and silver/gold nanoparticle (nucleation centers) deposited silicon substrates by vacuum deposition technique at a substrate temperature of 100 degrees C under high vacuum conditions. Silver and gold nanoparticles prepared on (111) oriented silicon substrates were found to act as nucleation centers for growth of Tellurium nanostructures. Density of nanotubes was found to increase while their diameter reduced when grown using metallic nanoparticle template. These Te nanostructures were investigated for their gas sensitivity. Tellurium nanotubes on Ag templates showed better response to NO in comparison to H2S and NH3 gases. Selectivity in response to NO was improved in comparison to Te thin film sensors reported earlier. The gas sensing mechanism was investigated using Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy techniques. The interaction of NO is seen to yield increased adsorption of oxygen that in turn increases hole density and conductivity in the material.

Chlorine gas sensors using one-dimensional tellurium nanostructures.

Tellurium nanotubes have been grown by physical vapor deposition under inert environment at atmospheric pressure as well as under vacuum conditions. Different techniques such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and optical absorption have been utilized for characterization of grown structures. Films prepared using both types of tellurium nanotubes were characterized for sensitivity to oxidizing and reducing gases and it was found that the relative response to gases depends on the microstructure. Nanotubes prepared at atmospheric pressure (of argon) showed high sensitivity and better selectivity to chlorine gas. Impedance spectroscopy studies showed that the response to chlorine is mainly contributed by grain boundaries and is therefore enhanced for nanotubes prepared under argon atmosphere.