NXP-2 Positive Dermatomyositis: A Unique Clinical Presentation

Dermatomyositis (DM), a myopathy associated with inflammation and muscle weakness, has historically been difficult to diagnose. Recently, nuclear matrix protein (NXP-2) antibodies have been described as a myositis-specific antibody that may aid in the diagnostic evaluation. We present the case of a 21-year-old, previously healthy, African American male with DM. He presented to our outpatient clinic with periorbital swelling and a rash, for which he was started on prednisone by an ophthalmologist. Towards the end of the prednisone taper, he began to experience muscle weakness, a worsening rash, and dysphagia to solids with a resultant loss of 60 pounds within a month. He was transferred to a tertiary care hospital where he was further evaluated and ultimately diagnosed with dermatomyositis, supported by skin and muscle biopsies, and was found to be positive for NXP-2. He was given intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) and high-dose steroids with improvement

Titania supported bio-derived activated carbon as an electrode material for high-performance supercapacitors

Supercapacitors are promising energy storage devices compared to batteries due to their long cycle life and high-power density. In this work, we report a supercapacitor based on Titania supported bio-derived activated Carbon with high power density. The composite electrode material shows an initial specific capacitance of 214 F g−1 at 1 A g−1 and exhibits 92% of capacitance retention for 5000 cycles in 1 M Na2SO4 solution. The enhanced electrochemical performance is due to the synergistic effect of the electric double-layer capacitance behavior of carbon and the pseudo-capacitive nature of Titania. An energy density of 29.72 and 20 Wh kg−1 can be achieved at a power density of 499 and 4000 W kg−1, respectively. The supercapacitor based on TiO2 based intercalation compounds provides significantly high energy at the expense of power, which may be appropriate for several applications. © 202

A revisit to prevailing care and challenges of managing diabetes in India: Focus on regional disparities

An unprecedented rise in diabetes prevalence in India is the outcome of lifestyle changes in the background of genetic predisposition. Moreover, there is a substantial regional variation in diabetes prevalence and management. The highest prevalence of DM was observed in southern region (Ernakulum, Kerala) and lowest prevalence was observed in North Eastern region (Manipur). Similarly large variations have been evident in overall awareness and diabetes care across the geographies within India. The regional challenges are largely affected by poor disease awareness, socioeconomic disparity and underutilization of the public health-care services. Though government has taken initiatives to address this issue, overall situation demands a collaborative effort from patients, health care professionals and the state. This article reviews the regional disparity of diabetes epidemiology, current management practices and government policies for T2DM in India, identifies policy and research gaps, and suggests corrective measures to address the lacunae in diabetes care

Restricting Anion Migrations by Atomic Layer-Deposited Alumina on Perovskite Nanocrystals while Preserving Structural and Optical Properties

Lead halide perovskite (LHP) nanocrystals (NCs) offer an easy tunability of band gap via anion exchanges, enabling their usage in tandem optoelectronic devices with graded band gaps. However, instantaneous anion migrations at the interfaces of different LHP layers impede the formation of well-defined interfaces. We deposited an ultrathin alumina (Al2O3–x) layer at the interface of CsPbBr3–CsPbI3 NC films by using atomic layer deposition (ALD) and demonstrated that low-temperature ALD alumina has negligible impact on the structural or optical properties of CsPbBr3 NCs except agglomeration. ALD alumina can restrict anion migration for months but cannot be prevented permanently. The rate of anion migration significantly decreases with an increase in the Al2O3–x layer thickness on CsPbBr3 NC films, which follows first-order kinetics. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations showed that the iodide ion can migrate through oxygen vacancies in the Al2O3–x layer with an activation energy of 1.54 eV. This strategy provides new insight into fabricating halide perovskite-based tandem optoelectronics devices

Hybrid Email and Outpatient Clinics to Optimize Maintenance Therapy in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia treatment includes an outpatient (OP)-based 2-year maintenance therapy (MT). Over an 8-year period, patients were transited from only OP to a hybrid e-clinic/OP-clinic model. Electronic and patient-held medical records of acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients 1 to 18 years old during MT were used to analyze demographics, drug doses, treatment response and cost. A survey evaluated family satisfaction with the hybrid service. Four hundred and seventy-eight children, all with at least 1 year of MT from March 13, 2014 to March 24, 2022 were grouped into 4 treatment eras, representing the transition from all OP (era 1) to the current hybrid MT practice (era 4). Cohort demographics were similar across all eras. With transition to era 4, OP visits decreased to a third (16 to 18/48 visits). Practice optimization in era 2 resulted in higher MT dose intensity in subsequent eras (era 1: median 82% [interquartile range, 63 to 97]; era 2: 93% [73 to 108]; era 3: 88% [68 to 106]; era 4: 90% [74 to 114], P &lt;0·0001), with no differences in absolute neutrophil count or neutropenia-related toxicity ( P =0.8). The hybrid service reduced MT expenses by ~50% and families (133/156, 85%) reported being very satisfied. Our experience indicates that a hybrid model is feasible, effective and less burdensome for patients and families.</p

Reduced graphene oxide nanosheets decorated with Au-Pd bimetallic alloy nanoparticles towards efficient photocatalytic degradation of phenolic compounds in water

Reduced graphene oxide nanosheets decorated with Au-Pd bimetallic alloy nanoparticles are successfully prepared via a chemical approach consisting of reducing the metal precursors using ascorbic acid as reductant at an elevated temperature. The prepared nanocomposite is employed as a photocatalyst for the degradation of organic contaminants such as phenol, 2-chlorophenol (2-CP), and 2-nitrophenol (2-NP). The complete degradation of phenol is achieved after 300 min under natural sunlight irradiation whereas the degradation of 2-CP and 2-NP is completed after 180 min. The activity of the photocatalyst is evaluated considering several parameters such as the initial phenol concentration, the photocatalyst loading, and the pH of the solution. The degradation kinetics of all the compounds is carefully studied and found to follow a linear Langmuir-Hinshelwood model. Furthermore, the reusability of the photocatalyst is successfully achieved up to five cycles and the catalyst exhibits an excellent stability

Experimental and Molecular Dynamics Simulation Study of Specific Ion Effect on the Graphene Oxide Surface and Investigation of the Influence on Reactive Extraction of Model Dye Molecule at Water–Organic Interface

The influence of different inorganic anions (Cl^–, Br^–, SCN^–, NO₃^–, SO₄^2–, and CH₃COO^–) and cations (Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Na⁺, and NH₄⁺) on the surface potential of graphene oxide (GO) suspension has been investigated both experimentally and computationally. The hydrophilic GO surface has negative surface potential (zeta potential) which can be varied by changing the pH of the suspension as well as by adding external inorganic ions. The surface of GO is hydrophilic in a basic medium and becomes hydrophobic in an acidic medium because of the protonation and deprotonation of the surface functional groups. The presence of inorganic ions affects the electrophoretic mobility of the dispersed phase within the GO suspension and influences its zeta potential. This is due to the formation of a double layer of charge at the interface of the GO and ionic salt solution. Molecular dynamics simulations were used to understand the interactions of ions within the slipping plane of GO, which influences its zeta potential in salt solutions. The results suggested that the influence of the various inorganic ions on the electrokinetic potential of GO is ion-specific and depends on the polarizability of the ions. Having high specific surface area and being amphiphilic and biocompatible, GO was successfully utilized in the reactive extraction technique of methyl blue (MB) dye molecule at the water–toluene interface. The present study demonstrates that the presence of highly polarizable ions increases the zeta potential as well as hydrophobicity of GO, which facilitates the extraction of MB from the aqueous to the organic phase