Optical Dispersion In Annealed Thin Films of S-doped a-Si:H Alloys

S-doped amorphous hydrogenated silicon (a-Si,S:H) thin films were prepared by conventional PECVD method on corning glass substrates. The prepared thin films were subsequently annealed in vacuum (~ 2 × 10 – 6 Torr) in the temperature range from 100 °C to 500 °C. The annealing effects at room temperature were examined by means of optical transmission spectra of the films in the wavelength range 300-1100 nm. Dispersion in optical constants such as transmittance, bandgap and refractive index were observed. Tailoring in optical constants was observed with respect to doping concentrations as well as the annealing temperatures. When you are citing the document, use the following link http://essuir.sumdu.edu.ua/handle/123456789/3097

Antispermatogenic Activity of the Benzothiazoline Ligand and Corresponding Organoantimony(V) Derivative in Male Albino Rats

Triphenylantimony(V) derivative, Ph(3)Sb(OPr(i)) [SC(6)H(4)N : C(CH(3))CH(2)C(O)CH(3)], 1b, and the corresponding benzothiazoline ligand [1, 2], [Formula: see text] , 1a, have been tested for their effects on the reproductive system of male albino rats. The oral administration of both 1a and 1b at the dose level of 10 mg/rat/day produced significant reduction in the weights of testes, epididymides, seminal vesicles, and ventral prostate. Significant decrease in sperm motility as well as in sperm density resulted in 100% sterility. Significant (P < .01) alterations were also found in biochemical parameters of reproductive organs in treated male rats as compared to the control group. Production of preleptotene, pachytene, and secondary spermatocytes was decreased by 42%, 43%, 39%, and by 44%, 49%, 55% in the ligand, 1a, and organoantimony(V) derivative, 1b, treated rats, respectively. These results indicate that both compounds 1a and 1b are antispermatogenic in nature and on oral administration in male rats, and finally caused sterility. A comparison indicates that the organoantimony(V) derivative 1b is more effective pertaining to its antispermatogenic activity than the corresponding ligand 1a

Massive retroperitoneal tubercular abscess mimicking a leaking abdominal aortic aneurysm: a case report

In spite of being a common diagnosis in the patients of Asian origin, atypical presentations of tuberculosis may pose diagnostic challenges. We report a huge prevertebral abscess in a 30-year-old female, mimicking a leaking aortic aneurysm. The patient was managed successfully by emergency decompression and stabilization. The issues related to poor patient compliance to chemotherapy and management of atypical presentations of spinal tuberculosis are discussed here

Co-Administration of IL-1+IL-6+TNF-α with Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infected Macrophages Vaccine Induces Better Protective T Cell Memory than BCG

BCG has been administered globally for more than 75 years, yet tuberculosis (TB) continues to kill more than 2 million people annually. Further, BCG protects childhood TB but is quite inefficient in adults. This indicates that BCG fails to induce long-term protection. Hence there is a need to explore alternative vaccination strategies that can stimulate enduring T cell memory response. Dendritic cell based vaccination has attained extensive popularity following their success in various malignancies. In our previous study, we have established a novel and unique vaccination strategy against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb) and Salmonella typhimurium by utilizing infected macrophages (IM). In short-term experiments (30 days), substantial degree of protection was observed. However, remarkable difference was not observed in long-term studies (240 days) due to failure of the vaccine to generate long-lasting memory T cells. Hence, in the present study we employed T cell memory augmenting cytokines IL-1+IL-6+TNF-α and IL-7+IL-15 for the induction of the enhancement of long-term protection by the vaccine. We co-administered the M. tb infected macrophages vaccine with IL-1+IL-6+TNF-α (IM-1.6.α) and IL-7+IL-15 (IM-7.15). The mice were then rested for a reasonably large period (240 days) to study the bona fide T cell memory response before exposing them to aerosolized M. tb. IM-1.6.α but not IM-7.15 significantly improved memory T cell response against M. tb, as evidenced by recall responses of memory T cells, expansion of both central as well as effector memory CD4 and CD8 T cell pools, elicitation of mainly Th1 memory response, reduction in the mycobacterial load and alleviated lung pathology. Importantly, the protection induced by IM-1.6.α was significantly better than BCG. Thus, this study demonstrates that not only antigen-pulsed DCs can be successfully employed as vaccines against cancer and infectious diseases but also macrophages infected with M. tb can be utilized with great efficacy especially in protection against TB

Renal Cell Carcinoma with Unusual Metastasis to the Small Intestine Manifesting as Extensive Polyposis: Successful Management with Intraoperative Therapeutic Endoscopy

We present here a rare clinical case of a 53-year-old gentleman with metastasis from renal cell carcinoma (RCC) to the small intestine presenting with extensive polyposis and massive gastrointestinal bleeding which was successfully managed with intraoperative endoscopic polypectomy and segmental small bowel resection. The patient presented with melena 2 weeks after right nephrectomy for RCC. Capsule endoscopy found extensive polyposis throughout the small bowel, and the histological features confirmed the diagnosis of metastatic RCC. The patient eventually underwent laparotomy with intraoperative endoscopy of the entire small bowel. Most of the polyps were removed by snare polypectomy. Three segments of the small bowel with extensive transmural involvement had to be resected with primary anastomosis. In the 2 months following his surgery, the patient had no further evidence of gastrointestinal bleeding. The decision of meticulously removing close to 100 polyps by intraoperative endoscopy prevented the patient from requiring total small bowel resection and lifelong dependence on parenteral nutrition. In conclusion, gastrointestinal bleeding in a patient with known RCC should always trigger full gastrointestinal work-up including capsule endoscopy and, if necessary, double balloon enteroscopy

The Cost of Universal Health Care in India: A Model Based Estimate

Introduction: As high out-of-pocket healthcare expenses pose heavy financial burden on the families, Government of India is considering a variety of financing and delivery options to universalize health care services. Hence, an estimate of the cost of delivering universal health care services is needed. Methods: We developed a model to estimate recurrent and annual costs for providing health services through a mix of public and private providers in Chandigarh located in northern India. Necessary health services required to deliver goo

b-Lactam antibiotics offer neuroprotection by increasing glutamate transporter expression

Glutamate is the principal excitatory neurotransmitter in the nervous system. Inactivation of synaptic glutamate is handled by the glutamate transporter GLT1 (also known as EAAT2; refs 1, 2), the physiologically dominant astroglial protein. In spite of its critical importance in normal and abnormal synaptic activity, no practical pharmaceutical can positively modulate this protein. Animal studies show that the protein is important for normal excitatory synaptic transmission, while its dysfunction is implicated in acute and chronic neurological disorders, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) 3 , stroke 4 , brain tumours 5 and epilepsy To identify compounds capable of increasing rodent GLT1 expression, a structurally diverse library of 1,040 FDA-approved drugs and nutritionals were individually added to organotypic spinal cord slice cultures prepared from postnatal day 9 rats To better understand the mechanism of action, the effect of the drugs on the GLT1 promoter was examined in cell lines fro

Spatial Organization and Molecular Correlation of Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes Using Deep Learning on Pathology Images

Beyond sample curation and basic pathologic characterization, the digitized H&E-stained images of TCGA samples remain underutilized. To highlight this resource, we present mappings of tumorinfiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) based on H&E images from 13 TCGA tumor types. These TIL maps are derived through computational staining using a convolutional neural network trained to classify patches of images. Affinity propagation revealed local spatial structure in TIL patterns and correlation with overall survival. TIL map structural patterns were grouped using standard histopathological parameters. These patterns are enriched in particular T cell subpopulations derived from molecular measures. TIL densities and spatial structure were differentially enriched among tumor types, immune subtypes, and tumor molecular subtypes, implying that spatial infiltrate state could reflect particular tumor cell aberration states. Obtaining spatial lymphocytic patterns linked to the rich genomic characterization of TCGA samples demonstrates one use for the TCGA image archives with insights into the tumor-immune microenvironment