Harnessing photocatalytic activity of mesoporous graphitic carbon nitride decorated by copper single-atom catalysts for oxidative dehydrogenation of N-heterocycles.

This work describes the application of Cu single-atom catalysts (SACs) for photocatalytic oxidative dehydrogenation of N-heterocyclic amines to the respective N-heteroaromatics through environmentally benign and sustainable pathways. The mesoporous graphitic carbon nitride (mpg-C3N4), prepared by the one-step pyrolysis method, possesses a lightweight material with a high surface area (95 m2 g-1) and an average pore diameter (3.6 nm). A simple microwave-assisted preparation method was employed to decorate Cu single-atom over mpg-C3N4 support. The Cu single-atom decorated on mpg-C3N4 support (Cu@mpg-C3N4) is characterized by various characterization techniques, including XRD, UV-visible spectrophotometry, HRTEM, HAADF-STEM with elemental mapping, AC-STEM, ICP-OES, XANES, EXAFS, and BET surface area. These characterization studies confirmed that the Cu@mpg-C3N4 catalyst exhibited high surface area, mesoporous nature, medium band gap, and low metal loading. The as-synthesized and well-characterized Cu@mpg-C3N4 single-atom photocatalyst is then evaluated for its efficacy in converting N-heterocycles into corresponding N-heteroaromatic compounds with excellent conversion and selectivity (>99 %). This transformation is achieved using water as a green solvent and a 30 W white light as a visible light source, demonstrating the catalyst's potential for sustainable and environmentally benign reactions.

Déjerine-Roussy syndrome presenting with atypical involuntary movements.

BACKGROUND: The Déjerine-Roussy syndrome is caused by a stroke in the posterior lateral nuclei of the thalamus. It has a 17 to 18% prevalence after a stroke involving the inferior lateral thalamus. METHODS: We reported a case of a 65-year-old, diabetic and hypertensive male who presented with sudden onset of superficial hemianesthesia, allodynia, severe and paroxysmal pain on the right side of the body with choreoathetoid movements in the upperN limb, along with slured speech, and unsteadiness while walking. CONCLUSIONS: It is characterized by superficial hemianesthesia, allodynia, severe paroxysmal pain, and choreoathetoid movements in the limbs on the paralyzed side. A posterior lateral thalamic lesion can present with ataxia hemiparesis contralateral to the side of the lesion.

A Case of Hypermotor Seizures in Posterior Insular Cortex Epilepsy.

Insular seizure is a rare entity. Insular spikes spread to the temporal, parietal, and frontal lobes and clinically manifest with seizure semiology specific to these areas. We report the case of a 19-year-old male patient who presented with complaints of left-sided hemimotor tonic-clonic focal seizures of the limbs occurring three times per day. Neuroimaging showed cortical-subcortical right posterior insular cortex hyperintensities on fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) sequence and T2-weighted MRI with no significant diffusion restriction on apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and no post-contrast enhancement, suggesting focal cortical dysplasia of right posterior insular cortex. Electroencephalogram (EEG) showed right frontal epileptiform activity with secondary bilateral synchrony. The patient's atypical hemimotor tonic-clonic focal seizure, the conventional video EEG showing right frontal spikes synchronizing with bilateral temporal ictal spikes, and insular cortical dysplasia on MRI led us to a diagnosis of insular epilepsy.

Metronidazole-Induced Encephalopathy (MIE).

Metronidazole is an antibiotic often used to treat bacterial infections in the vagina, skin, liver, stomach, joints, brain and spinal cord, heart, lungs, or bloodstream. It is an essential drug for treating anaerobic bacterial infections, microaerophilic bacterial infections, and protozoal infections. It is cytotoxic to many facultative anaerobic microorganisms. Metronidazole can be taken by most children and adults but might not be suitable for some people. It may produce different neurologic side effects like cerebellar dysfunction, peripheral neuropathy, vestibulotoxicity, visual impairment, encephalopathy, ataxic gait, seizures, dysarthria, and cochleotoxicity. We report a case of a gentleman in his early 60s with a liver abscess and a history of three weeks of use of metronidazole therapy presenting with altered sensorium, abnormal gait, and slurring of speech. MRI brain showed bilateral symmetrical hyperintensities involving the dentate nuclei of the cerebellum and dorsal brain stem without evidence of any diffusion restriction suggestive of metronidazole-induced encephalopathy (MIE).

Severe acute orthostatic headache: spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH).

The most common cause of spontaneous intracranial hypotension headache is a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage, but the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. Intracranial hypotension is characterised by diffuse pachymeningeal enhancement on cranial MRI features, low CSF pressure and orthostatic headaches mostly caused by the dural puncture. We report a 31-year-old woman who presented to our services with reports of continuous severe bifrontal headache, which increased on sitting up and resolved on lying down. MRI of the cervical and lumbosacral spine showed signs of CSF leak; hence, patient was diagnosed with spontaneous intracranial hypotension headache. A CT-guided epidural blood patch was done at L4-5 with fibrin glue injected at the site of leak. The patient's signs and symptoms improved after the procedure.

An Atypical Presentation of Left Lateral Medullary Syndrome - A Case Report.

Lateral medullary syndrome (LMS), known as Wallenberg's syndrome and posterior inferior cerebellar artery syndrome, is a rare cause of stroke. It often results from thrombosis or emboli of the vertebral artery or posterior inferior cerebellar artery. The triad of Horner's syndrome, ipsilateral ataxia, and ipsilateral hyperalgesia clinically identify patients with LMS. We report a case of a 62-year-old diabetic, hypertensive male who presented with symptoms involving the left lateral dorsal medulla along with partial Horner's syndrome, left lateral rectus palsy, and left lower motor neuron-type facial palsy. Atypical presentation in LMS could be explained by infraction of left facial colliculus in addition to the left lateral medulla. Association of these entities with Wallenberg's syndrome is atypical features in our case, which questioned the diagnosis of a simple LMS.

Paraneoplastic Cerebellar Degeneration Associated With Ovarian Adenocarcinoma: A Case Report and Review of Literature.

Paraneoplastic syndromes are a rare heterogeneous group of disorders that are indicators of the underlying occult malignancy. Subacute cerebellar ataxia in a patient with a known cancer is often due to metastatic invasion or other complications of the cancer, such as infection, coagulopathy, metabolic and nutritional deficits, or side effects of treatment. When tumor- and treatment-related causes have been excluded, the patient is considered to suffer from paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration (PCD). We report a case of PCD that presented before any evidence of tumor, but early diagnostic workup and clinical vigilance helped us to find the underlying high-grade ovarian adenocarcinoma which was surgically removed later.

Neurology of renal disorders.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a critical and rapidly growing global health problem. Neurological complications occur in almost all patients with severe CKD, potentially affecting all levels of the nervous system, from the central nervous system (CNS) through to the peripheral nervous system (PNS). Patients with CKD exhibit a high incidence of symptomatic and occult cerebrovascular diseases, associated tremendously high levels of inflammatory factors and homocysteine, as well as anemia, hypertension, and diabetes. As these risk factors overshadow aging and nonvascular factors, CKD patients represent a potential model of accelerated vascular cognitive impairment. In this article, the disease-related and treatment-related neurological complications of renal disorders will be reviewed.

Nocardia Farcinica Brain Abscess in an Immunocompetent Old Patient: A Case Report and Review of Literature.

By definition, a brain abscess is an intraparenchymal collection of pus. Nocardia shows to have a special tropism for the neural tissue. Solitary abscess represents the most common manifestation in the central nervous system, accounting for 1%-2% of all cerebral abscesses. In this report, we present a case of primary multiple brain abscesses due to Nocardia farcinica in an immune competent patient. Early diagnosis and surgical intervention is significant for the patient.

Effect of different antioxidant additives in semen diluent on cryopreservability (-196°C) of buffalo semen.

AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of different antioxidant additives in standard tris-fructose-egg yolk-glycerol (TFYG) extender on the cryopreservability of buffalo semen. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Semen collection using artificial vagina, twice weekly for 5 weeks from three pedigreed health breeding bulls of Mehsani breed, aged between 6 and 8 years. Immediately after initial evaluation all 30 qualifying ejaculates (10/bull) were split into three aliquots and diluted at 34°C keeping the concentration of 100 million spermatozoa/ml with standard TFYG extender as control and TFYG having two antioxidant additives - Cysteine HCl at 1 mg/ml and ascorbic acid at 0.2 mg/ml to study their comparative performance. Semen filled in French Mini straws using IS-4 system and gradually cooled to 4°C and equilibrated for 4 h in cold handing cabinet. After completion of equilibration, straws were cryopreserved in LN2 by Programmable Bio-freezer. Semen was examined at post-dilution, post-equilibration, and post-thaw stages for sperm quality parameters, and at each stage plasma was separated for enzymatic analysis of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and alkaline phosphatase (AKP). RESULTS: The mean percentage of sperms in TFYG, TFYG + cysteine HCl and TFYG + ascorbic acid diluents at post-thaw stage in terms of progressive motility (52.83±0.52, 57.83±0.52, 57.83±0.52), livability (78.70±0.21, 82.33±0.23, 81.73±0.22), and abnormality (5.43±0.21, 5.03±0.17, 5.23±0.18) varied significantly (p<0.05) between control TFYG and TFYG having antioxidant additives. The mean U/L activities of AST (78.70±0.47, 72.80±0.48, 73.30±0.54), LDH (172.70±0.41, 155.78±0.42, 156.33±0.41), and AKP (103.61±0.34, 90.20±0.34, 91.03±0.34) in semen diluted with TFYG, TFYG + cysteine HCl and TFYG + ascorbic acid diluents at post-thaw stage, respectively, which showed significantly (p<0.05) higher leakage of enzymes in control TFYG than TFYG incorporated with additives. CONCLUSION: Incorporation of antioxidant additives such as cysteine HCl and ascorbic acid in standard TFYG diluents improves sperm quality parameters, reduces enzyme leakage, and ultimately advances cryopreservability of buffalo semen.

Cognitive Impairment After Stroke.

BACKGROUND: Vascular dementia is extremely common and contributes to stroke-associated morbidity and mortality. The study of vascular dementia may help to plan preventive interventions. AIMS: To study the frequency of cognitive impairment after stroke in a series of consecutive patients with acute stroke, along with factors which influence it. METHODS: Fifty adults with acute infarct or hemorrhage (as seen on computed tomography of the brain) were included in the study. The National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) and Barthel's Index scores were done. Cognitive testing was done by PGI Battery of Brain Dysfunction (PGI-BBD) and Short Form of the Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly (SIQCODE). Statistical analysis was by Student's t-test, Chi-square test, Fisher's exact test, and Mann-Whitney U test. RESULTS: Mean age of patients was 61.82 years; males and ischemic strokes predominated. Dementia was seen in 30%, cognitive impairment no dementia (CIND) in 42%, and normal cognition in 28% patients. Factors associated with vascular cognitive impairment included old age, male sex, low education, hemorrhages, recurrent or severe stroke, silent infarcts, severe cortical atrophy, and left hemispheric or subcortical involvement. CONCLUSIONS: Up to 72% of patients have some form of cognitive impairment after a stroke. Secondary stroke prevention could reduce the incidence of vascular dementia.