Supernumerary Remnant Vas Deferens Like Wolffian-Derivatives in a Young Child With Abdominal Cocoon Syndrome-A Clinicopathological Novelty.

The abdominal cocoon syndrome is a rare cause of recurring intestinal obstruction in children. It refers to encasement of the small bowel by a fibrocollagenous membrane forming a cocoon. We report a nine year old male presenting with abdominal pain, distension, bilious vomiting and inability to pass stool and flatus for two days. In view of a persistently increasing bilious nasogastric output, an urgent exploratory laparotomy was performed. The small bowel loops were matted together forming a cocoon densely adherent to the parietal peritoneum with supra-colic fibrous bands. The bands histologically displayed multiple ductal remnants with epithelium resembling that of ductus deferens. These structures showed immunopositivity for pan-cytokeratin and basal CD10.Workup for tuberculosis and other etiological causes was unremarkable. This is the first documented case of abdominal cocoon in a pediatric subject associated with supernumerary wolffian remnants.

Design and development of volume phase holographic grating based digital holographic interferometer for label-free quantitative cell imaging.

In this paper, a volume phase holographic optical element based digital holographic interferometer is designed and used for quantitative phase imaging of biological cells [white blood cells, red blood cells, platelets, and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) bacteria cells]. The experimental results reveal that sharp images of the S. aureus bacteria cells of the order of ${\sim}{1}\;{\unicode{x00B5}{\rm m}}$∼1µm can be clearly seen. The volume phase holographic grating will remove the stray light from the system reaching toward the grating and will minimize the coherent noise (speckle noise). This will improve the sharpness in the image reconstructed from the recorded digital hologram.

To assess the Prevalence and Predictors of Cancer-related Fatigue and its Impact on Quality of Life in Advanced Cancer Patients Receiving Palliative Care in a Tertiary Care Hospital: A Cross-sectional Descriptive Study.

INTRODUCTION: Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is one of the adverse outcomes of cancer and its treatment. Despite its high prevalence; the data are scarce from the Indian population on the prevalence of CRF and its predictors in advanced cancer patients. Hence, we aim to find the prevalence of the fatigue, its impact of fatigue on quality of life (QOL), and possible predictors. METHODS: This study was conducted after approval of the ethical committee in adult patients of advanced cancer receiving palliative care. The data collected included demographic details, nutritional status, any comorbidities involving cardiorespiratory, renal, pulmonary, and neurological system, type and stage of cancer, site of metastasis, any previous or ongoing chemotherapy or radiotherapy, history of drug intake, hemoglobin, and albumin. The study parameters included assessment of fatigue, QOL, and symptom assessment as per the validated tools. The primary objective of the study was to find the prevalence of fatigue in advanced cancer patients receiving palliative care. The secondary objectives were to find predictive factors of fatigue, its impact on QOL of patients, and the relation between the fatigue and QOL receiving palliative care. The correlation between fatigue score and QOL was analyzed using Pearson's correlation coefficient. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed for identifying the predictors of CRF. RESULTS: The fatigue was observed in all 110 patients in this study. Of these, severe fatigue was seen in 97 patients (Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy [FACIT]-F < 30). The median (interquartile range [IQR]) FACIT-F score was 14 (8-23). The median (IQR) of the overall QOL was 16.66 (16.6-50). The correlation between the fatigue (FACIT-F) and QOL was + 0.64 (P < 0.001). The predictors of fatigue included pain, physical functioning, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group, tiredness, and the level of albumin. CONCLUSION: We conclude that the prevalence of fatigue in Indian patients with advanced cancer receiving palliative care was high and it has a negative impact on QOL. Pain, physical functioning, performance status, and albumin were found to be independent predictors of CRF.

Adsorption of heavy metals on conventional and nanostructured materials for wastewater treatment purposes: A review.

The problem of water pollution is of a great concern. Adsorption is one of the most efficient techniques for removing noxious heavy metals from the solvent phase. This paper presents a detailed information and review on the adsorption of noxious heavy metal ions from wastewater effluents using various adsorbents - i.e., conventional (activated carbons, zeolites, clays, biosorbents, and industrial by-products) and nanostructured (fullerenes, carbon nanotubes, graphenes). In addition to this, the efficiency of developed materials for adsorption of the heavy metals is discussed in detail along with the comparison of their maximum adsorption capacity in tabular form. A special focus is made on the perspectives of further wider applications of nanostructured adsorbents (especially, carbon nanotubes and graphenes) in wastewater treatment.

Fabrication of a Food Nano-Platform Sensor for Determination of Vanillin in Food Samples.

Herein, we describe the fabrication of NiO decorated single wall carbon nanotubes (NiO-SWCNTs) nanocomposites using the precipitation method. The synthesized NiO-SWCNTs nanocomposites were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Remarkably, NiO-SWCNTs and 1-butylpyridinium hexafluorophosphate modified carbon paste electrode (CPE/NiO-SWCNTs/BPrPF6) were employed for the electrochemical detection of vanillin. The vanillin sensor showed an ultra-high sensitivity of 0.3594 µA/µM and a low detection limit of 0.007 µM. In the final step, the NiO-SWCNTs/BPrPF6 was used as the suitable tool for food analysis.

Pre-concentration of trace amount of bisphenol A in water samples by palm leaf ash and determination with high-performance liquid chromatography.

Palm leaf ash was characterized and used as low-cost adsorbent for solid-phase extraction and preconcentration of bisphenol A (BPA) in real water samples. Analysis of BPA was carried out using HPLC involving Eurospher 100-5-C18 (25 cm × 4.5 mm, particle size 5 µm) column and water-acetonitrile (40:60, v/v) as mobile phase. The adsorption was achieved quantitatively at a pH of 6 with elution by 3 mL acetonitrile. The limits of detection and enrichment factor were 0.02 µg L(-1) and 333, respectively. Under optimum conditions the relative standard deviation (RSD) was 2% (n = 10). Comparison of qualification criteria of presented preconcentration procedure with other research indicated that palm leaf ash adsorbent was better than many of the adsorbents in terms of cost and reusability. Also, the limit of detection, precision and enrichment factor were comparable and even better than the previously reported methods. Finally, the efficiency of method was computed by determination of trace amounts of BPA in sea, river, mineral and tap waters with recoveries of 93.3-105.5% and RSDs of 0.61-3.12%.. Briefly, the developed solid-phase extraction and Preparative layer chromatography (PLC) methods may be used for bisphenol A monitoring in any environmental water sample. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Alleviation of 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide induced oxidative stress by Oroxylum indicum (L.) leaf extract in albino Wistar rats.

BACKGROUND: 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide (4-NQO) is a mutagen known to be responsible for causing cancer by generating oxidative stress in humans. Oroxylum indicum (L.) possesses various bioactive compounds with antioxidant properties. In this connection, the present study aims to analyze the alleviation of 4-NQO induced oxidative stress in albino Wistar rats using O. indicum (L.) leaf extract. METHODS: O. indicum (L.) belonging to the family Bignoniaceae, has anticancer and anti-inflammatory properties. In this study, we observed severe oxidative stress in 4-NQO induced albino Wistar rats when compared to untreated control. Alleviation of this condition was seen after the oral administration of O. indicum (L.) leaf extract at 50, 100, and 200 mg/kg body weight. RESULTS: 4-NQO (50 ppm) administration in drinking water resulted in the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) leading to cellular damage, lipid peroxidation and imbalance in antioxidant status. Administration of O. indicum (L.) leaf extract has alleviated the level of 4-NQO induced oxidative stress by increasing the antioxidant status and decreasing the elevation of liver markers in serum. CONCLUSIONS: Results clearly suggest that O. indicum (L.) leaf extract when administered orally in a dose dependent manner has the ability to overcome the oxidative stress induced by 4-NQO with hepatoprotective and lipid protective properties.

Experimental investigation on butane diffusion flames under the influence of magnetic field by using digital speckle pattern interferometry.

In this paper, the effect of magnetic fields on the temperature and temperature profile of a diffusion flame obtained from a butane torch burner are investigated experimentally by using digital speckle pattern interferometry (DSPI). Experiments were conducted on a diffusion flame generated by a butane torch burner in the absence of a magnetic field and in the presence of uniform and nonuniform magnetic fields. A single DSPI fringe pattern was used to extract phase by using a Riesz transform and monogenic signal. Temperature inside the flame was determined experimentally both in the absence and in the presence of magnetic fields. Experimental results reveal that the maximum temperature of the flame is increased under the influence of an upward-decreasing magnetic gradient and decreased under an upward-increasing magnetic gradient while a negligible effect on temperature in a uniform magnetic field was observed.

Left ventricular torsion shear angle volume analysis in patients with hypertension: a global approach for LV diastolic function.

BACKGROUND: Torsion shear angle φ is an important measure of left ventricular (LV) systolic and diastolic functions. Here we provide a novel index utilizing LV normalized torsion shear angle φ ^ volume V ^ loop to assess LV diastolic functional properties. We defined the area within φ ^ V ^ loop as torsion hysteresis area, and hypothesized that it may be an important global parameter of diastolic function. We evaluated the φ ^ changes to increased V ^ during early diastole - d φ ^ / d V ^ as a potential measure of LV suction. METHODS: Sixty resistant hypertension patients (HTN), forty control volunteers were studied using cardiovascular magnetic resonance with tissue tagging. Volumetric and torsional parameters were evaluated. RESULTS: HTN demonstrated concentric remodeling with preserved ejection fraction. HTN had significantly decreased normalized early filling rate, early diastolic mitral annulus velocity and E/A (1.33 ± 1.13 vs. 2.19 ± 1.07, P < 0.0001) vs. control. Torsion hysteresis area was greater (0.11 ± 0.07 vs. 0.079 ± 0.045, P < 0.001) and peak - d φ ^ / d V ^ at early diastole was higher (10.46 ± 8.51 vs. 6.29 ± 3.85, P = 0.002) than control. Torsion hysteresis area was significantly correlated with E/A (r = -0.23, P = 0.025). Thirteen HTN patients had both E/A ratio < 1.12 (Control mean E/A-1SD) and torsion hysteresis area > 0.12 (Control mean torsion hysteresis area + 1SD). CONCLUSIONS: Torsion hysteresis area and peak early diastolic - d φ ^ / d V ^ were significantly increased in hypertensive concentric remodeling. The φ ^ V ^ loop takes into account the active and passive recoil processes of LV diastolic and systolic phases, therefore provides a new global description of LV diastolic function.

Bioprocess development for nicotinic acid hydroxamate synthesis by acyltransferase activity of Bacillus smithii strain IITR6b2.

In this work, acyltransferase activity of a new bacterial isolate Bacillus smithii strain IITR6b2 was utilized for the synthesis of nicotinic acid hydroxamate (NAH), a heterocyclic class of hydroxamic acid. NAH is an important pyridine derivative and has found its role as bioligand, urease inhibitor, antityrosinase, antioxidant, antimetastatic, and vasodilating agents. Amidase having acyltransferase activity with nicotinamide is suitable for nicotinic acid hydroxamate production. However, amidase can also simultaneously hydrolyze nicotinamide and nicotinic acid hydroxamate to nicotinic acid. Nicotinic acid is an undesirable by-product and thus any biocatalytic process involving amidase for nicotinic acid hydroxamate production needs to have high ratios of acyltransferase to amide hydrolase and acyltransferase to nicotinic acid hydroxamate hydrolase activity. Isolate Bacillus smithii strain IITR6b2 was found to have 28- and 12.3-fold higher acyltransferase to amide and hydroxamic acid hydrolase activities, respectively. This higher ratio resulted in a limited undesirable by-product, nicotinic acid (NA) synthesis. The optimal substrate/co-substrate ratio, pH, temperature, incubation time, and resting cells concentration were 200/250 mM, 7, 30 °C, 40 min, and 0.7 mg(DCW) ml(-1), respectively, and 94.5 % molar conversion of nicotinamide to nicotinic acid hydroxamate was achieved under these reaction conditions. To avoid substrate inhibition effect, a fed-batch process based on the optimized parameters with two feedings of substrates (200/200 mM) at 40-min intervals was developed and a molar conversion yield of 89.4 % with the productivity of 52.9 g h(-1) g (DCW) (-1) was achieved at laboratory scale. Finally, 6.4 g of powder containing 58.5 % (w/w) nicotinic acid hydroxamate was recovered after lyophilization and further purification resulted in 95 % pure product.

Chemical recycling of waste clothes: a smarter approach to sustainable development.

Amount of fabric waste has increased many folds in the past few years due to increasing population and rapidly changing fashiosn trends. Its larger portion being dumped in the landfills is creating a lot of problem in its management. This is causing problems to environmental components of earth, viz., air, water, and land. Chemically, cotton-based fabrics are made up of mainly cellulose with small components of other chemicals and contribute to a big segment of overall textiles. Along with donating the cloths for various purposes, scientific solutions are also feasible for valorizing waste fabrics to value-added products. This review article focuses on important strategies for addressing fabric waste for their possible conversion to significant products of varied applications. It emphasizes on chemical routes suitable for this purpose for producing cellulose, sugar, composites, etc. This will provide an insight to the readers for understanding the chemical significance of waste fabric and exploring the best possible ways for its efficient management, ensuring a step ahead towards sustainable development.

Intravascular papillary endothelial hyperplasia: Olanzapine-induced vascular proliferation?

Intravascular papillary endothelial hyperplasia (Masson's tumor) is a reactive vascular lesion of obscure etiopathogenesis, often seen in the head and neck. Its presentation as a scalp swelling, however, is extremely uncommon. We describe the first report in an adult, being treated for bipolar illness. A young male presented with a right frontotemporal scalp swelling since 3 weeks. He was also being treated for bipolar illness with olanzapine. Examination revealed a soft, non-pulsatile swelling. After inconclusive aspiration results, a complete excision was performed. Histopathology revealed proliferating endothelial cells arranged as papillary fronds confined to vessel lumina, devoid of atypia, accompanied by thrombosed vessels facilitating a diagnosis of Masson's tumor. The patient is free of recurrence five months after surgery. Further studies on a possible effect of olanzapine on vascular proliferation in experimental in vivo and in vitro models would definitely aid in elucidating clinical relevance, if any.

Cystic Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumor: A Diagnostic Dilemma.

Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors are typically solid neoplasms but in rare instances may present as cystic lesions. Preoperative diagnosis of a cystic pancreatic lesion is challenging and requires a multidisciplinary and multimodal approach. We hereby describe an elderly female who came with complaints of abdominal lump. Radiologically, it appeared to be a pancreatic hydatid cyst located at the head of the pancreas, following which resection was done. Histopathological study of the lesion turned out to be a cystic pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor. Thus, we present this unique case due to its rarity and diagnostic challenge.

Henoch-Schönlein purpura with uveitis: an unusual case and review of literature.

Henoch-Schönlein purpura (HSP) is a small vessel vasculitis with IgA dominant immune complex deposition. It is characterized by a triad of palpable purpura (without thrombocytopenia), abdominal pain and arthritis. Uveitis is rarely associated with HSP with only 3 cases reported in literature. All these cases were in adult population and were associated with nephritis. However, this association is not reported in paediatric age group. We are reporting a case of an 11-year-old child of recurrent HSP with uveitis.

Neutral lipid storage disease with unusual presentation: report of three cases.

Neutral lipid storage disease is a nonlysosomal multisystemic triglyceride storage disease. It is characterized by leukocyte vacuolization (Jordans' anomaly), variable systemic involvement, and ichthyosis. Two of our patients presented with congenital ichthyosis. Lipid vacuoles were demonstrated in granulocytes and monocytes and in basal keratinocytes on skin biopsy. They were diagnosed as Chanarin Dorfman syndrome. In contrast to these cases, the third case presented with progressive symmetric erythrokeratoderma without ichthyosis. Lipid vacuoles were demonstrated in blood cells on peripheral smear and in basal keratinocytes. Only screening of peripheral smear led to the correct diagnosis.

Refractory cancer pain in young child at end-of-life: Can we alleviate the suffering?

Pain is a common and highly distressing symptom in children with advanced malignancies and it is often multifactorial at the end-of-life. The prognosis of cancer pain is reported to be worse in those with mixed pain type, high pain severity, daily opioid use, and poor emotional well-being. We describe a case of 13-year-old boy, known case of metastatic Ewing sarcoma right iliac bone, who presented to our palliative care ward with intractable pain and was finally discharged home for terminal care with high doses of morphine, ketamine, and midazolam infusion through elastomeric pump attached to a peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC line). The suffering of imminently dying children should be reduced, and judicious dose escalation of opioids along with adjuvants is appropriate and often necessary.

Pyoderma gangrenosum: An uncommon cause of nonsexually acquired genital ulcer disease.

Pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) is a rare neutrophilic dermatosis affecting various sites, isolated genital PG being an uncommon presentation. We report a case of a 50-year-old diabetic male who presented with 2 penile ulcers. Extensive evaluation was done for sexually and nonsexually transmitted infections, malignancy, drug-induced vasculitis, and immunobullous etiology. A diagnosis of PG was made based on the clinical findings and histopathological exclusion of other causes. The patient showed a rapid response to prednisolone, dapsone, and colchicine. This report highlights the importance of keeping PG as a differential diagnosis in cases of genital ulcers which may mimic other sexually transmitted infections.

Nanoporous carbon materials as a sustainable alternative for the remediation of toxic impurities and environmental contaminants: A review.

Due to rapidly deteriorating water resources, the world is looking forward to a sustainable alternative for the remediation of noxious pollutants such as heavy metals and organic and gaseous contaminants. To address this global issue of environmental pollution, nanoporous carbon materials (NPCMs) can be used as a one-stop solution. They are widely applied as adsorbents for many toxic impurities and environmental contaminants. The present review provides a detailed overview of the role of different synthesis factors on the porous characteristics of carbon materials, activating agents, reagent-precursor ratio and their potential application in the remediation. Findings revealed that synthetic parameters result in the formation of microporous NPCMs (SBET: >4000 m3/g; VTotal (cm3/g) ≥ 2; VMicro (cm3/g) ≥ 1), micromesoporous (SBET: >2500 m3/g; VTotal (cm3/g) ≥ 1.5; VMicro (cm3/g) ≥ 0.7) and mesoporous (SBET: >2500 m3/g; VTotal (cm3/g) ≥ 1.5; VMicro (cm3/g) ≥ 0.5) NPCMs. Moreover, it was observed that a narrow pore size distribution (0.5-2.0 nm) yields excellent results in the remediation of noxious contaminants. Further, chemical activating agents such as NaOH, KOH, ZnCl2, and H3PO4 were compared. It was observed that activating agents KОН, H3PO4, and ZnCl2 were generally used and played a significant role in the possible large-scale production and commercialization of NPCMs. Thus, it can be interpreted that with a well-planned strategy for the synthesis, NPCMs with a "tuned" porosity for a specific application, in particular, microporosity for the accumulation and adsorption of energetically important gases (CO2, CH4, H2), micro-mesoporosity and mesoporosity for high adsorption capacity for towards metal ions and a large number of dyes, respectively.

Electrochemical determination of antihypertensive drug irbesartan in pharmaceuticals.

A sensitive voltammetric method has been developed for the determination of irbesartan in a Britton-Robinson buffer medium. Irbesartan exhibited a well-defined cathodic peak over the entire pH range from 2.0 to 12.0. The mechanism of reduction was postulated on the basis of controlled potential electrolysis, coulometry, and spectral analysis. Under optimal conditions, a linear response of irbesartan was obtained in the range from 3.0 × 10(-5) to 5.7 × 10(-3)molL(-1) and with a limit of detection of 5.33 × 10(-7)molL(-1). The effect of cationic surfactant on the voltammetric reduction peak of irbesartan in Britton-Robinson buffer is also described.