ADRENAL HISTOPLASMOSIS: AN EASTERN INDIAN PERSPECTIVE.

Context: The clinical presentation of histoplasmosis is varied. Due to its propensity for adrenal involvement, histoplasmosis is an important differential diagnosis in any patient presenting with adrenal mass, bilateral in particular. Objective: Data on clinical presentation, pattern of adrenal involvement, radiological appearance and long-term follow-up of adrenal histoplasmosis are relatively sparse; hence we looked at it. Design: This record based single-centre retrospective study was conducted in one of the tertiary care hospitals, situated in eastern India catering the Gangetic delta. Subjects and methods: Data on demographic characters, presenting manifestations, biochemical & hormonal parameters and radiological appearance of confirmed adrenal histoplasmosis cases (n=9), admitted between 2015-2019 have been retrieved. The treatment outcome and condition of patients after 1-4 years of follow-up has also been discussed. Results: Four out of the nine (44.4%) patients had predisposing immunocompromised conditions in the form of diabetes and/or chronic alcoholism while rest were immunocompetent. Seven out of nine patients (77.8 %) had signs and symptoms suggestive of adrenal insufficiency, while two (22.2%) presented with only pyrexia of unknown origin. All of them had bilateral adrenal mass, though the radiologically appearances were different. All patients received anti-fungal agents with/without hydrocortisone and/or fludrocortisone. One patient died (11.1%), while majority responded favourably to treatment. Adrenocortical function did not recover completely. Conclusions: The possibility of adrenal histoplasmosis should always be considered in patients presenting with bilateral adrenal mass, irrespective of adrenal morphology. Treatment is effective, but many of them require supplemental hydrocortisone for quite a long period, if not lifelong. Mineralocorticoid deficiency, however, is not permanent.

An Ensemble Rule Learning Approach for Automated Morphological Classification of Erythrocytes.

The analysis of pathophysiological change to erythrocytes is important for early diagnosis of anaemia. The manual assessment of pathology slides is time-consuming and complicated regarding various types of cell identification. This paper proposes an ensemble rule-based decision-making approach for morphological classification of erythrocytes. Firstly, the digital microscopic blood smear images are pre-processed for removal of spurious regions followed by colour normalisation and thresholding. The erythrocytes are segmented from background image using the watershed algorithm. The shape features are then extracted from the segmented image to detect shape abnormality present in microscopic blood smear images. The decision about the abnormality is taken using proposed multiple rule-based expert systems. The deciding factor is majority ensemble voting for abnormally shaped erythrocytes. Here, shape-based features are considered for nine different types of abnormal erythrocytes including normal erythrocytes. Further, the adaptive boosting algorithm is used to generate multiple decision tree models where each model tree generates an individual rule set. The supervised classification method is followed to generate rules using a C4.5 decision tree. The proposed ensemble approach is precise in detecting eight types of abnormal erythrocytes with an overall accuracy of 97.81% and weighted sensitivity of 97.33%, weighted specificity of 99.7%, and weighted precision of 98%. This approach shows the robustness of proposed strategy for erythrocytes classification into abnormal and normal class. The article also clarifies its latent quality to be incorporated in point of care technology solution targeting a rapid clinical assistance.

Web-Enabled Distributed Health-Care Framework for Automated Malaria Parasite Classification: an E-Health Approach.

Web-enabled e-healthcare system or computer assisted disease diagnosis has a potential to improve the quality and service of conventional healthcare delivery approach. The article describes the design and development of a web-based distributed healthcare management system for medical information and quantitative evaluation of microscopic images using machine learning approach for malaria. In the proposed study, all the health-care centres are connected in a distributed computer network. Each peripheral centre manages its' own health-care service independently and communicates with the central server for remote assistance. The proposed methodology for automated evaluation of parasites includes pre-processing of blood smear microscopic images followed by erythrocytes segmentation. To differentiate between different parasites; a total of 138 quantitative features characterising colour, morphology, and texture are extracted from segmented erythrocytes. An integrated pattern classification framework is designed where four feature selection methods viz. Correlation-based Feature Selection (CFS), Chi-square, Information Gain, and RELIEF are employed with three different classifiers i.e. Naive Bayes', C4.5, and Instance-Based Learning (IB1) individually. Optimal features subset with the best classifier is selected for achieving maximum diagnostic precision. It is seen that the proposed method achieved with 99.2% sensitivity and 99.6% specificity by combining CFS and C4.5 in comparison with other methods. Moreover, the web-based tool is entirely designed using open standards like Java for a web application, ImageJ for image processing, and WEKA for data mining considering its feasibility in rural places with minimal health care facilities.

Automated system for characterization and classification of malaria-infected stages using light microscopic images of thin blood smears.

In this paper, we propose a comprehensive image characterization cum classification framework for malaria-infected stage detection using microscopic images of thin blood smears. The methodology mainly includes microscopic imaging of Leishman stained blood slides, noise reduction and illumination correction, erythrocyte segmentation, feature selection followed by machine classification. Amongst three-image segmentation algorithms (namely, rule-based, Chan-Vese-based and marker-controlled watershed methods), marker-controlled watershed technique provides better boundary detection of erythrocytes specially in overlapping situations. Microscopic features at intensity, texture and morphology levels are extracted to discriminate infected and noninfected erythrocytes. In order to achieve subgroup of potential features, feature selection techniques, namely, F-statistic and information gain criteria are considered here for ranking. Finally, five different classifiers, namely, Naive Bayes, multilayer perceptron neural network, logistic regression, classification and regression tree (CART), RBF neural network have been trained and tested by 888 erythrocytes (infected and noninfected) for each features' subset. Performance evaluation of the proposed methodology shows that multilayer perceptron network provides higher accuracy for malaria-infected erythrocytes recognition and infected stage classification. Results show that top 90 features ranked by F-statistic (specificity: 98.64%, sensitivity: 100%, PPV: 99.73% and overall accuracy: 96.84%) and top 60 features ranked by information gain provides better results (specificity: 97.29%, sensitivity: 100%, PPV: 99.46% and overall accuracy: 96.73%) for malaria-infected stage classification.

Systemic lupus erythematosus presenting as acute lupus pneumonitis in a young female.

Acute lupus pneumonitis is a rare initial presentation of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We report a 19-year-old female presenting with fever and recurrent hemoptysis with radiological evidence of parenchymal lung involvement with mild pleural effusion. Subsequent development of malar and discoid rash with anti-nuclear antibodies (ANA) and anti-dsDNA positivity clinched the diagnosis. Her clinical signs and symptoms resolved with a course of intravenous pulse methyl-prednisolone along with radiological resolution.

Quantitative microscopy approach for shape-based erythrocytes characterization in anaemia.

Anaemia is one of the most common diseases in the world population. Primarily anaemia is identified based on haemoglobin level; and then microscopically examination of peripheral blood smear is required for characterizing and confirmation of anaemic stages. In conventional approach, experts visually characterize abnormality present in the erythrocytes under light microscope, and this evaluation process is subjective in nature and error prone. In this study, we have proposed a methodology using machine learning techniques for characterizing erythrocytes in anaemia associated with anaemia using microscopic images of peripheral blood smears. First, peripheral blood smear images are preprocessed based on grey world assumption technique and geometric mean filter for reducing unevenness of background illumination and noise reduction. Then erythrocyte cells are segmented using marker-controlled watershed segmentation technique. The erythrocytes in anaemia, such as, tear drop, echinocyte, acanthocyte, elliptocyte, sickle cells and normal erythrocytes cells have been characterized and classified based on their morphological changes. Optimal subset of features, ranked by information gain measure provides highest classification performance using logistic regression classifier in comparison with other standard classifiers.

An unusual presentation of latent autoimmune diabetes in adults.

Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults (LADA) is an autoimmune form of type 1 diabetes mellitus presenting in adulthood. It is often confused with other types of diabetes and therefore the management is frequently inadequate. Acute hyperglycemic crisis in the form of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) or hyperglycemic hyperosmolar state (HHS) are unusual findings. We report a clinical case of a 66-year-old female who presented for the first time with DKA and was subsequently diagnosed as a case of LADA. Presumptive diagnosis of LADA was confirmed with the presence of autoantibody to glutamic acid decarboxylase 65 (Anti-GAD65 antibody).

Exploring the art of medical photography - an otolaryngologist's perspective.

BACKGROUND: Modern day otolaryngology has expanded beyond the ear, nose and throat to include head and neck surgery and aesthetic facial procedures. Photographic documentation is important within this expanded horizon. The spectrum of clinical photography includes photomicrographs, endoscopic photographs, peri-operative photography and medical social photography. METHOD: This article aimed to review the standard guidelines essential to obtain, store and disseminate photographs and looked at setting up a small clinic with minimal gadgets to suit clinical photography requirements. Elaboration of basic photography techniques in otolaryngology was reviewed, with examples of photographs taken in a clinic by a clinician. Advances and innovation in clinical photography, in the form of smartphone photography, artificial intelligence, device editing and newer hardware and software in otorhinolaryngology was reviewed. CONCLUSION: Having a professional photographer to aid a clinician is a luxury. Simple knowledge and regular practice of basic photography guidelines by a clinician is imperative.

A correlation-based predictor for pair-association in ionic liquids.

Pair association in Ionic Liquids is an important quantity that affects many of their physical and chemical properties. However, the association constant is a complex function of the component ions as well as of the solvent environment, and no single theory can compute or predict it with quantitative accuracy. In this work we analyze infinite-dilution association data from a number of recent conductance measurements, and develop a linear model correlating the association constant with two relevant interaction energies, i.e., (1) the dielectrically screened Coulomb attraction and hydrogen bonding between ion-pairs, and (2) the ion solvation energy, which in turn takes into account solvent-specific interactions like hydrogen-bond acidity/basicity and hydrophobic/hydrophilic interactions. The results reveal the unique nature of water as a solvent in that it affects ionic association in ways qualitatively different from other common solvents.

Constitutive Model of Radiation Aging Effects in Filled Silicone Elastomers under Strain.

Filled silicone elastomers, an essential component in many technological applications, are often subjected to controlled or unintended radiation for a variety of reasons. Radiation exposure can lead to permanent mechanical and structural changes in the material, which is manifested as altered mechanical response, and in some cases, a permanent set. For unfilled elastomers, network theories developed and refined over decades can explain these effects in terms of chain-scission and cross-link formation and a hypothesis involving independent networks formed at different strain levels of the material. Here, we expose a filled silicone rubber to gamma radiation while being under finite elongational strain and show that the observed mechanical and structural changes can be quantitatively modeled within the same theoretical framework developed for unfilled elastomers as long as nuances associated with the Mullins effect are accounted for in a consistent manner. In this work, we employ Ogden's incompressible hyperelastic model within the framework of Tobolsky's two-network scheme to describe the observed permanent set and mechanical modulus changes as a function of radiation dosage. In the process, we conclude that gamma radiation induces both direct cross-linking at chain crossings (H-links) and main-chain-scission followed by cross-linking (Y-links). We provide an estimate of the ratio of chain-scission to cross-linking rates, which is in reasonable agreement with previous experimental estimate from Charlesby-Pinner analysis. We use density functional theory (DFT)-based quantum mechanical calculations to explore the stability of -Si and -SiO radicals that form upon a radiation-induced chain-scission event, which sheds light on the relative rates of Y-linking and H-linking processes.

Gene network analysis of oxidative stress-mediated drug sensitivity in resistant ovarian carcinoma cells.

Drug resistance in cancer cells involves complex molecular mechanisms and ovarian carcinoma cells become resistant to chlorambucil (Cbl) after continuous treatment. This drug- and ionizing radiation-resistant cells have lower level of endogenous ROS (reactive oxygen species) compared with sensitive cells. Elevation of the cellular ROS level by exogenous ROS generation increases the sensitivity of Cbl to resistant cells. In contrast, antioxidants prevent the sensitization of resistant cells to Cbl by H(2)O(2), COS (chronic oxidative stress) or NOO(-). The molecular mechanism of drug sensitivity with COS has been investigated by microarray gene expressions followed by gene network analysis and it reveals that a cdc42/rac1 guanine exchange factor, ARHGEF6, with p53 and DNA-Pkc (PRKDC) is central to induce apoptosis in Cbl(cos) (Cbl with COS) cells. mRNA and protein levels of major gene network pathway differ significantly in Cbl(cos) cells than in Cbl-treated cells. Moreover, DNA-PKc physically interacts with ARHGEF6 and p53 mostly in the nucleus of Cbl-treated cells, whereas in Cbl(cos)-treated cells, its interactions are mostly in the cytoplasm. These results suggest that low doses of Cbl and very low doses of COS together kill Cbl-resistant ovarian carcinoma cells and ARHGEF6 signaling may have an instrumental role in induction of apoptosis in Cbl(cos) cells.

TNF-alpha induction of CD44-mediated leukocyte adhesion by sulfation.

Regulation of cell adhesion is important for immune system function. CD44 is a tightly regulated cell adhesion molecule present on leukocytes and implicated in their attachment to endothelium during an inflammatory immune response. The proinflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor-alpha, but not interferon-gamma, was found to convert CD44 from its inactive, nonbinding form to its active form by inducing the sulfation of CD44. This posttranslational modification was required for CD44-mediated binding to the extracellular matrix component hyaluronan and to vascular endothelial cells. Sulfation is thus a potential means of regulating CD44-mediated leukocyte adhesion at inflammatory sites.

Chromium III exposure inhibits brain Na+K+ATPase activity of Clarias batrachus L. involving lipid peroxidation and deficient mitochondrial electron transport chain activity.

The present study elucidated the role of lipid peroxidation and diminished mitochondrial electron transport chain activity in partial dysfunction of brain Na+K+ATPase of Clarias batrachus exposed to chromium III ions. The fish were exposed to 10% and 20% of the derived 96 h LC50 value, 5.69 mg/L and 11.38 mg/L, respectively, and sampled on 20, 40 and 60 days. Exposure to chromium III on fish brain demonstrated an increased lipid peroxidation, production of protein carbonyl and reactive oxygen species and loss of protein thiol groups in synaptosomal fraction with decreased activity of Na+K+ATPase, partial inactivation of mitochondrial electron transport chain activity and energy depletion.

Age-aware constitutive materials model for a 3D printed polymeric foam.

Traditional open or closed-cell stochastic elastomeric foams have wide-ranging applications in numerous industries: from thermal insulation, shock absorbing/gap-filling support cushions, packaging, to light-weight structural and positional components. Recent developments in 3D printing technologies by direct ink-write have opened the possibility of replacing stochastic foam parts by more controlled printed micro-structures with superior stress-distribution and longer functional life. For successful deployment as mechanical support or structural components, it is crucial to characterize the response of such printed materials to long-term external loads in terms of stress-strain behavior evolution and in terms of irreversible structural and load-bearing capacity changes over time. To this end, here we report a thermal-age-aware constitutive model for a 3D printed close-packed foam structure under compression. The model is based on the Ogden hyperfoam strain-energy functional within the framework of Tobolsky two-network scheme. It accurately describes experimentally measured stress-strain response, compression set, and load retention for various aging times and temperatures. Through the technique of time-temperature-superposition the model enables the prediction of long-term changes along with the quantification of uncertainty stemming from sample-to-sample variation and measurement noise. All aging parameters appear to possess the same Arrhenius activation barrier, which suggests a single dominant aging mechanism at the molecular/network level.

Vapor pressure and sublimation rate of molecular crystals: role of internal degrees of freedom.

It is a common practice to approximate the desorption rate of atoms from crystal surfaces with an expression of the form nueff exp(-DeltaE/kBT), where DeltaE is an activation barrier to desorb and nueff is an effective vibrational frequency approximately 10(12) s(-1). For molecular solids, however, such an approximation can lead to a many orders of magnitude underestimation of vapor pressure and sublimation rates due to neglected contributions from molecular internal degrees of freedom. Here, we develop a simple working formula that yields good estimates for a general molecular (or atomic) solid and illustrate the approach by computing equilibrium vapor pressure of three different molecular solids and an atomic solid, as well as the desorption rate of a foreign (inhibitor) molecule from the surface of a molecular solid.

Peripheral blood lymphocyte subpopulations in patients with cervical cancer.

OBJECTIVE: Impairment of cell-mediated immunity in carcinoma of the cervix (CA CX) and cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) are reported. Contradictory reports exist on lymphocyte subpopulations associated with this disease. The present study aims to quantitatively analyze peripheral blood lymphocytes subsets in patients with CA CX and CIN. METHOD: Systemic T lymphocyte subsets, CD19+, CD16+ and CD56+ cells in 58 CA CX and 10 CIN patients were studied. The lymphocyte phenotypes were quantified by monoclonal antibodies (anti-CD4, CD8, CD16, CD19 and CD56). RESULT: Significant decrease in CD4+ cell population was observed in CA CX and CIN patients as compared to controls (P< or =0.05). CD4+/CD8+ ratio was observed to be less in CIN patients (P< or =0.001). Other lymphocyte subpopulations appeared to be comparable between the groups. CONCLUSION: Results indicate immunological abnormalities in invasive CA CX and CIN patients. Study on a larger patient population may provide a biomarker for early detection of this disease.

Removal of congo red using activated carbon and its regeneration.

Activated carbon is used for the removal of colored toxic congo red dye. The effects of different operating conditions like, initial dye concentration, contact time, pH and temperature are studied for adsorption of congo red by a known amount of activated carbon (1.0g/L) under stirred batch condition. The zero point of charge of the activated carbon is found about 6.6. About 90% dye is removed for initial concentration of 50 and 100mg/L, it is about 80% at pH 7.0. Maximum adsorption (about 100%) of dye is observed at pH 2.0 for the concentration range studied here. Freundlich isotherm is found to fit the equilibrium data more adequately. Pseudo second order kinetic model explain successfully the kinetic data. The surfactant enhanced carbon regeneration (SECR) technique using both cationic and anionic surfactants is adopted for the regeneration of spent carbon by desorbing the dye. A kinetic model for dye desorption from the commercial activated carbon (CAC) is also proposed. Anionic surfactants show better performance than the cationic ones. Efficiency of dye desorption using surfactants is also compared with the desorption using pH change.

Comparative anthelmintic efficacy of ivermectin delivered through different routes in gastrointestinal nematode infected dogs.

Ivermectin is one of the most effective and widely used antiparasitic agents ever discovered because of its broad spectrum activity against nematodes and arthropods. Therefore, the study was conducted to determine the comparative anthelmintic efficacy of ivermectin by giving through oral and subcutaneous routes in clinically infected dogs and also to check the prevalence of gastrointestinal nematode in dogs in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. Total 154 dogs with clinical signs of gastroenteritis were examined for the presence of nematodal ova in their faecal sample and 64 were found positive (41.56 %). The screened dogs were divided in to two groups (n = 10 each), first group of animals were treated with ivermectin @ 0.5 mg/kg body weight by subcutaneous route and the second group with same dose of ivermectin through oral route. Efficacy of ivermectin was evaluated based on egg per gram (EPG), haematological and biochemical parameters. It is concluded that, Prevalence of gastrointestinal nematodes are high in dogs in the climatic condition of Bhubaneswar, Odisha. Ivermectin was found effective when administered through either of the routes. Haemato-biochemical parameters were restored after administration of ivermectin and also significant reduction in EPG was found in dogs treated with ivermectin by both the routes, but no significant difference was observed in EPG between oral and subcutaneous treated dogs in various intervals of study.

3D printed cellular solid outperforms traditional stochastic foam in long-term mechanical response.

3D printing of polymeric foams by direct-ink-write is a recent technological breakthrough that enables the creation of versatile compressible solids with programmable microstructure, customizable shapes, and tunable mechanical response including negative elastic modulus. However, in many applications the success of these 3D printed materials as a viable replacement for traditional stochastic foams critically depends on their mechanical performance and micro-architectural stability while deployed under long-term mechanical strain. To predict the long-term performance of the two types of foams we employed multi-year-long accelerated aging studies under compressive strain followed by a time-temperature-superposition analysis using a minimum-arc-length-based algorithm. The resulting master curves predict superior long-term performance of the 3D printed foam in terms of two different metrics, i.e., compression set and load retention. To gain deeper understanding, we imaged the microstructure of both foams using X-ray computed tomography, and performed finite-element analysis of the mechanical response within these microstructures. This indicates a wider stress variation in the stochastic foam with points of more extreme local stress as compared to the 3D printed material, which might explain the latter's improved long-term stability and mechanical performance.

The mcm2 mutation of yeast affects replication, rather than segregation or amplification of the two micron plasmid.

We have studied the maintenance of the endogenous two micron (2 mu) plasmid in a strain of yeast carrying the nuclear mutation mcm2. This mutation, earlier shown to affect the maintenance of yeast minichromosomes in an ARS-dependent manner, also affected the copy number of the 2 mu plasmid. The effect was more pronounced at 35 degrees C leading to the elimination of the plasmid from the cells cultured at this temperature. The mutant cells could be efficiently cured of the circle by transformation with 2 mu ORI-carrying hybrid vectors, an observation consistent with the low copy number of the endogenous plasmid. A chromosomal revertant of this mutant for another ARS(ARS1) was found also to confer stability on the 2 mu ORI-carrying minichromosomes and had elevated levels of the endogenous plasmid. The mutation neither affected the segregation nor the amplification process mediated by site-specific recombination at FRT sites requiring the FLP gene-encoded protein action. ARS131C, an ARS that was unaffected in the mutant at 25 degrees C, could elevate the copy number of a 2 mu hybrid vector in the mutant cells. In view of these results, some aspects of segregation and copy number control of the endogeneous plasmid have been discussed. We propose that the mutation impairs the 2 mu ORI function, leading to its loss.