Male breast cancer with neurofibromatosis- a rare presentation

Neurofibromatosis (NF-1) was formerly known as Von Recklinghausen’s disease after the researcher (Friedrich Daniel Von Recklinghausen) who first documented the disorder. Patient with Neurofibromatosis type 1 have a higher risk of developing various type of cancers, especially tumors derived from embryo genic neural crest

Real time control and monitoring of grid power systems using cloud computing

The use of grid power systems based on the combinations of various electrical networks, information technology, and communication layers called as Smart Grid systems. The technique of smart grid suppressed the problems faced by conventional grid systems such as inefficient energy management, improper control actions, grid faults, human errors, etc. The recent research on smart grid provides the approach for the real-time control and monitoring of grid power systems based on bidirectional communications. However, the smart grid is yet to improve regarding efficiency, energy management, reliability, and cost-effectiveness by considering its real-time implementation. In this paper, we present the real-time design of efficient monitoring and control of grid power system using the remote cloud server. We utilized the remote cloud server to fetch, monitor and control the real-time power system data to improve the universal control and response time. The proper hardware panel designed and fabricated to establish the connection with the grid as well as remote cloud users. The authenticated cloud users are provisioned to access and control the grid power system from anywhere securely. For the user authentication, we proposed the novel approach to secure the complete smart grid system. Finally, we demonstrated the effectiveness of real-time monitoring and control of the grid power method with the use of structure of practical framework

Comparative study of functional outcome of distal one-third shaft tibia fractures treated with tip locking tibia nailing versus precontoured anatomical locking plate

Background: The distal 1/3rd shaft tibia extra-articular fractures are treated with both tip locking intra-medullary nailing (TLIMN) and precontoured anatomical locking plates (PCALP). The aim of this study was to compare the results of TLIMN and PCALP in distal tibia fractures and to determine dominant strategies. The complications and functional outcome in both groups were compared. Methods: Forty patients with distal 1/3rd shaft tibia were randomly assigned to TLIMN (group 1) and PCALP group (group 2). The functional outcomes were evaluated using American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) score. Complications like infection, delayed union, non-union, malunion, hardware prominence and secondary interventions were compared. Results: The average union time was 15.05±3.33 weeks in group 1 and 13.4±2.46 weeks in group 2 (p=0.045). The mean AOFAS score at 1 year follow up was 89.8±6.13 in group 1 and 89.1±6.15 in group 2 (p=0.262). Five patients in group 1 and one in group 2 had mal-alignment. Deep infection was present in one and superficial infection was present in two cases in group 2. Four patients in group 1 developed anterior knee pain and five patients in group 2 had hardware prominence. Conclusions: We conclude that tip locking intra-medullary nail is a reliable and satisfactory method for treatment of fractures of distal 1/3rd shaft tibia AO type 42A, 42B and 42C fractures with good functional outcomes and high union rates with comparatively low complications. Prevalence of malunion was higher in TLIMN group and hardware prominence was more prevalent in PCALP group. Implant removal are more in PCALP group mostly due to implant irritation

Cases

Methotrexate, an immunomodulatory agent used for a wide variety of indications, can cause pulmonary toxicity in the form of pneumonitis, organising pneumonia, pulmonary fibrosis, pleural effusion, pulmonary infections or lymphoproliferative disease. We report a case of methotrexate pneumonitis in a patient with gestational trophoblastic neoplasia. The diagnosis of methotrexate pneumonitis is challenging, as the signs and symptoms can be caused by intercurrent infection, concomitant medications or an underlying disease condition. A high index of suspicion is required for diagnosis. Management consists of drug discontinuation and steroids in patients with respiratory failure

Comparative analysis of expressed sequence tags (ESTs) between drought-tolerant and -susceptible genotypes of chickpea under terminal drought stress

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Chickpea (<it>Cicer arietinum </it>L.) is an important grain-legume crop that is mainly grown in rainfed areas, where terminal drought is a major constraint to its productivity. We generated expressed sequence tags (ESTs) by suppression subtraction hybridization (SSH) to identify differentially expressed genes in drought-tolerant and -susceptible genotypes in chickpea.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>EST libraries were generated by SSH from root and shoot tissues of IC4958 (drought tolerant) and ICC 1882 (drought resistant) exposed to terminal drought conditions by the dry down method. SSH libraries were also constructed by using 2 sets of bulks prepared from the RNA of root tissues from selected recombinant inbred lines (RILs) (10 each) for the extreme high and low root biomass phenotype. A total of 3062 unigenes (638 contigs and 2424 singletons), 51.4% of which were novel in chickpea, were derived by cluster assembly and sequence alignment of 5949 ESTs. Only 2185 (71%) unigenes showed significant BLASTX similarity (<1E-06) in the NCBI non-redundant (nr) database. Gene ontology functional classification terms (BLASTX results and GO term), were retrieved for 2006 (92.0%) sequences, and 656 sequences were further annotated with 812 Enzyme Commission (EC) codes and were mapped to 108 different KEGG pathways. In addition, expression status of 830 unigenes in response to terminal drought stress was evaluated using macro-array (dot blots). The expression of few selected genes was validated by northern blotting and quantitative real-time PCR assay.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our study compares not only genes that are up- and down-regulated in a drought-tolerant genotype under terminal drought stress and a drought susceptible genotype but also between the bulks of the selected RILs exhibiting extreme phenotypes. More than 50% of the genes identified have been shown to be associated with drought stress in chickpea for the first time. This study not only serves as resource for marker discovery, but can provide a better insight into the selection of candidate genes (both up- and downregulated) associated with drought tolerance. These results can be used to identify suitable targets for manipulating the drought-tolerance trait in chickpea.</p

When Color meets Gravity; Near-Threshold Exclusive J/ψJ/\psi Photoproduction on the Proton

The proton is one of the main building blocks of all visible matter in the universe. Among its intrinsic properties are its electric charge, mass, and spin. These emerge from the complex dynamics of its fundamental constituents, quarks and gluons, described by the theory of quantum chromodynamics (QCD). Using electron scattering its electric charge and spin, shared among the quark constituents, have been the topic of active investigation until today. An example is the novel precision measurement of the proton's electric charge radius. In contrast, little is known about the proton's inner mass density, dominated by the energy carried by the gluons, which are hard to access through electron scattering since gluons carry no electromagnetic charge. In the present work we chose to probe this gluonic gravitational density using a small color dipole, the $J/\psi$ particle, through its threshold photoproduction. From our data we determined, for the first time, the proton's gluonic gravitational form factors, which encode its mass density. We used a variety of methods and determined in all cases a mass radius that is notably smaller than the electric charge radius. In some cases, the determined radius is in excellent agreement with first-principle predictions from lattice QCD. This work paves the way for a deeper understanding of the salient role of gluons in providing gravitational mass to visible matter.Comment: Under peer revie

Hydrogen and Carbon Nanotubes from Pyrolysis-Catalysis of Waste Plastics: A Review

More than 27 million tonnes of waste plastics are generated in Europe each year representing a considerable potential resource. There has been extensive research into the production of liquid fuels and aromatic chemicals from pyrolysis-catalysis of waste plastics. However, there is less work on the production of hydrogen from waste plastics via pyrolysis coupled with catalytic steam reforming. In this paper, the different reactor designs used for hydrogen production from waste plastics are considered and the influence of different catalysts and process parameters on the yield of hydrogen from different types of waste plastics are reviewed. Waste plastics have also been investigated as a source of hydrocarbons for the generation of carbon nanotubes via the chemical vapour deposition route. The influences on the yield and quality of carbon nanotubes derived from waste plastics are reviewed in relation to the reactor designs used for production, catalyst type used for carbon nanotube growth and the influence of operational parameters

A genome-scale integrated approach aids in genetic dissection of complex flowering time trait in chickpea

A combinatorial approach of candidate gene-based association analysis and genome-wide association study (GWAS) integrated with QTL mapping, differential gene expression profiling and molecular haplotyping was deployed in the present study for quantitative dissection of complex flowering time trait in chickpea. Candidate gene-based association mapping in a flowering time association panel (92 diverse desi and kabuli accessions) was performed by employing the genotyping information of 5724 SNPs discovered from 82 known flowering chickpea gene orthologs of Arabidopsis and legumes as well as 832 gene-encoding transcripts that are differentially expressed during flower development in chickpea. GWAS using both genome-wide GBS- and candidate gene-based genotyping data of 30,129 SNPs in a structured population of 92 sequenced accessions (with 200–250 kb LD decay) detected eight maximum effect genomic SNP loci (genes) associated (34 % combined PVE) with flowering time. Six flowering time-associated major genomic loci harbouring five robust QTLs mapped on a high-resolution intra-specific genetic linkage map were validated (11.6–27.3 % PVE at 5.4–11.7 LOD) further by traditional QTL mapping. The flower-specific expression, including differential up- and down-regulation (>three folds) of eight flowering time-associated genes (including six genes validated by QTL mapping) especially in early flowering than late flowering contrasting chickpea accessions/mapping individuals during flower development was evident. The gene haplotype-based LD mapping discovered diverse novel natural allelic variants and haplotypes in eight genes with high trait association potential (41 % combined PVE) for flowering time differentiation in cultivated and wild chickpea. Taken together, eight potential known/candidate flowering time-regulating genes [efl1 (early flowering 1), FLD (Flowering locus D), GI (GIGANTEA), Myb (Myeloblastosis), SFH3 (SEC14-like 3), bZIP (basic-leucine zipper), bHLH (basic helix-loop-helix) and SBP (SQUAMOSA promoter binding protein)], including novel markers, QTLs, alleles and haplotypes delineated by aforesaid genome-wide integrated approach have potential for marker-assisted genetic improvement and unravelling the domestication pattern of flowering time in chickpea

Nutcracker syndrome with hypertension as an unusual initial presentation

Hypertension has been rarely reported in patients with the nutcracker phenomenon (NCP)/syndrome. We describe a case of a young adolescent female patient where a computed tomography angiography (CTA) provided evidence of left renal vein dilatation, probably due to its compression through the angle between the aorta and the superior mesenteric artery, during the evaluation of secondary hypertension. Blood levels of renin and aldosterone were within normal limits. Ultrasonography of the kidney showed minimal scarring on the left side. As there were no other signs of secondary hypertension, we proceeded with a CTA, which revealed findings compatible with the so-called NCP/syndrome