Intracardiac left atrial tuberculoma in an eleven-month-old infant: case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Cardiac tuberculosis is rare and usually manifests as tuberculous pericarditis. Involvement of other part of the heart is unusual and descriptions in the pediatric literature are confined to few case reports regarding mainly myocardial tuberculosis.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We describe a case of pulmonary miliary tuberculosis associated with intracardiac left atrial tuberculoma in an immunocompetent eleven-month-old infant successfully treated with surgery and antituberculous therapy.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Although unusual, involvement of endocardium in disseminated tuberculosis should be kept in mind.</p

Tuberculous dilated cardiomyopathy: an under-recognized entity?

BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis (TB) is a common public health problem in many parts of the world. TB is generally believed to spare these four organs-heart, skeletal muscle, thyroid and pancreas. We describe a rare case of myocardial TB diagnosed on a post-mortem cardiac biopsy. CASE PRESENTATION: Patient presented with history suggestive of congestive heart failure. We describe the clinical presentation, investigations and outcome of this case, and review the literature on the involvement of myocardium by TB. CONCLUSION: Involvement of myocardium by TB is rare. However it should be suspected as a cause of congestive heart failure in any patient with features suggestive of TB. Increasing recognition of the entity and the use of endomyocardial biopsy may help us detect more cases of this "curable" form of cardiomyopathy

On the role of nanoporosity in controlling the performance of moisture permeation barrier layers

Satisfactory results in term of moisture permeation barrier performance have been achieved for the encapsulation of organic electronic devices. However, further insight into the correlation between barrier performances and moisture permeation pathways are sought. This contribution focuses on the residual nanoporosity in the inorganic layer and its role in controlling the barrier performance. Inorganic barrier layers (i.e. Al2O3 and SiO2) prepared by plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PE-ALD) and plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PE-CVD) have been extensively analyzed by means of IR spectroscopy, spectroscopic ellipsometry, Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy, elastic recoil detection and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The calcium test has been performed to determine the intrinsic water vapor transmission rate (WVTR), as well as the effective WVTR values. Ellipsometric porosimetry (EP) has been adopted to determine the open porosity and pore size range in the structure of the layer. Trivinyltrimethyl cyclotrisiloxane (dV3D3dV3D3 = 1 nm) and water (dH2OdH2O = 0.3 nm) have been chosen as probe molecules. A correlation between the residual nanoporosity and the intrinsic barrier properties has been found, regardless of the chemistry of the layer and deposition method used. Pores larger than 1 nm with a relative content above 1% have been found responsible for mediocre barrier layers characterized by a WVTR in the range of 10-2 to 10-3 g m-2 day-1. Furthermore, the pore size range of 0.3–1 nm and its relative content have been found to control the transition in WVTR between the 10-4 g m-2 day-1 and the 10-6 g m-2 day-1 regime, highlighting the role of residual nanoporosity in controlling the intrinsic barrier properties

On the role of nanoporosity in controlling the performance of moisture permeation barrier layers

Satisfactory results in term of moisture permeation barrier performance have been achieved for the encapsulation of organic electronic devices. However, further insight into the correlation between barrier performances and moisture permeation pathways are sought. This contribution focuses on the residual nanoporosity in the inorganic layer and its role in controlling the barrier performance. Inorganic barrier layers (i.e. Al2O3 and SiO2) prepared by plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PE-ALD) and plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PE-CVD) have been extensively analyzed by means of IR spectroscopy, spectroscopic ellipsometry, Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy, elastic recoil detection and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The calcium test has been performed to determine the intrinsic water vapor transmission rate (WVTR), as well as the effective WVTR values. Ellipsometric porosimetry (EP) has been adopted to determine the open porosity and pore size range in the structure of the layer. Trivinyltrimethyl cyclotrisiloxane (dV3D3dV3D3 = 1 nm) and water (dH2OdH2O = 0.3 nm) have been chosen as probe molecules. A correlation between the residual nanoporosity and the intrinsic barrier properties has been found, regardless of the chemistry of the layer and deposition method used. Pores larger than 1 nm with a relative content above 1% have been found responsible for mediocre barrier layers characterized by a WVTR in the range of 10-2 to 10-3 g m-2 day-1. Furthermore, the pore size range of 0.3–1 nm and its relative content have been found to control the transition in WVTR between the 10-4 g m-2 day-1 and the 10-6 g m-2 day-1 regime, highlighting the role of residual nanoporosity in controlling the intrinsic barrier properties

The Conundrum of &lsquo;Long-COVID-19ʹ: A Narrative Review

Mandeep Garg,1 Muniraju Maralakunte,1 Suruchi Garg,2 Sahajal Dhooria,3 Inderpaul Sehgal,3 Ashu Seith Bhalla,4 Rajesh Vijayvergiya,5 Sandeep Grover,6 Vikas Bhatia,1 Priya Jagia,7 Ashish Bhalla,8 Vikas Suri,8 Manoj Goyal,9 Ritesh Agarwal,3 Goverdhan Dutt Puri,10 Manavjit Singh Sandhu1 1Department of Radiodiagnosis &amp; Imaging, PGIMER, Chandigarh, India; 2Department of Dermatology, Aura Skin Institute, Chandigarh, India; 3Department of Pulmonary Medicine, PGIMER, Chandigarh, India; 4Department of Radiodiagnosis, AIIMS, New Delhi, India; 5Department of Cardiology, PGIMER, Chandigarh, India; 6Department of Psychiatry, PGIMER, Chandigarh, India; 7Department of Cardiovascular Imaging &amp; Endovascular Interventions, AIIMS, New Delhi, India; 8Department of Internal Medicine, PGIMER, Chandigarh, India; 9Department of Neurology, PGIMER, Chandigarh, India; 10Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, PGIMER, Chandigarh, IndiaCorrespondence: Mandeep GargDepartment of Radiodiagnosis and Imaging, PGIMER, Sector-12, Chandigarh, IndiaTel +91 9914209390Email [email protected]: COVID-19 is an ongoing pandemic with many challenges that are now extending to its intriguing long-term sequel. &lsquo;Long-COVID-19ʹ is a term given to the lingering or protracted illness that patients of COVID-19 continue to experience even in their post-recovery phase. It is also being called &lsquo;post-acute COVID-19ʹ, &lsquo;ongoing symptomatic COVID-19ʹ, &lsquo;chronic COVID-19ʹ, &lsquo;post COVID-19 syndrome&rsquo;, and &lsquo;long-haul COVID-19ʹ. Fatigue, dyspnea, cough, headache, brain fog, anosmia, and dysgeusia are common symptoms seen in Long-COVID-19, but more varied and debilitating injuries involving pulmonary, cardiovascular, cutaneous, musculoskeletal and neuropsychiatric systems are also being reported. With the data on Long-COVID-19 still emerging, the present review aims to highlight its epidemiology, protean clinical manifestations, risk predictors, and management strategies. With the re-emergence of new waves of SARS-CoV-2 infection, Long-COVID-19 is expected to produce another public health crisis on the heels of current pandemic. Thus, it becomes imperative to emphasize this condition and disseminate its awareness to medical professionals, patients, the public, and policymakers alike to prepare and augment health care facilities for continued surveillance of these patients. Further research comprising cataloging of symptoms, longer-ranging observational studies, and clinical trials are necessary to evaluate long-term consequences of COVID-19, and it warrants setting-up of dedicated, post-COVID care, multi-disciplinary clinics, and rehabilitation centers.Keywords: ongoing symptomatic COVID-19, post-COVID-19 syndrome, chronic COVID, Long-COVID-19, post-COVID, Long-COVI