Comparative study of physicochemical properties of CoFe2O4/MWCNT nanocomposites

CoFe2O4/MWCNT (CFO/MWCNT) nanocomposites have been synthesized using Co-precipitation and solid state method. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) and impedance spectroscopy have been used to determine structural, morphological and dielectric properties of synthesized nanocomposites. The particle size was found to be 3 nm, 3.3 nm and 4 nm for CFO, C-CFO/MWCNT and G-CFO/MWCNT, respectively, using Scherrer formula. Aggregation of nanoparticles has been acquired by SEM analysis. From impedance spectroscopy, it has been observed that the dielectric constant decreases with increase in frequency and dielectric constant and loss both are more for C-CFO/MWCNT nanocomposites than that are for G-CFO/MWCNT nanocomposites

Effect of Conventional and Microwave Tissue Processing Technique on DNA Integrity: A Comparative Molecular Analysis

BACKGROUND: Methods of diagnostic molecular biology are routinely applied on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues processed via conventional method. Recently, there has been a growing interest to use microwave technology in histopathology laboratories to overcome the deficiencies of the conventional processing method. Thefore, this study was aimed to compare and analyze the quality and quantity of DNA obtained from tissues processed by conventional and microwave tissue processing techniques and to further ascertain the applicability of the latter for PCR (polymerase chain reaction based research).METHODS: Thirty fresh tissues of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) were included, and each sample was cut into two equivalent halves. One tissue half was processed by conventional manual method whereas the other half was processed using a domestic microwave oven. DNA was obtained from all the tissues which were then subjected to Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to evaluate GAPDH (Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase) gene expression.RESULTS: The results revealed better DNA yield from microwave processed tissue while the quality of the DNA was alike from both the techniques.CONCLUSION: On the basis of the results obtained, it can be concluded that DNA produced by microwave processed tissues was similar to that obtained by conventional processing technique in terms of quantity and quality. Thus, microwave processed tissue samples can be successfully used for further molecular studies and researches

Differentially localized survivin and STAT3 as markers of gastric cancer progression: Association with Helicobacter pylori

BackgroundLocalization and differential expression of STAT3 and survivin in cancer cells are often related to distinct cellular functions. The involvement of survivin and STAT3 in gastric cancer has been reported in separate studies but without clear understanding of their kinetics in cancer progression.MethodsWe examined intracellular distribution of STAT3 and survivin in gastric adenocarcinoma and compared it with normal and precancer tissues using immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry.ResultsAnalysis of a total of 156 gastric samples comprising 61 histologically normal, 30 precancerous tissues (comprising intestinal metaplasia and dysplasia), and 65 adenocarcinomas, collected as endoscopic biopsies from treatment naïve study participants, revealed a significant (P < .001) increase in overall protein levels. Survivin expression was detectable in both cytoplasmic (90.8%) and nuclear (87.7%) compartments in gastric adenocarcinomas lesions. Precancerous dysplastic gastric lesions exhibited a moderate survivin expression (56.7%) localized in cytoplasmic compartment. Similarly, STAT3 and pSTAT3 expression was detected at high level in gastric cancer lesions. The levels of compartmentalized expression of survivin and STAT3/pSTAT3 correlated in precancerous and adenocarcinoma lesions. Although overexpression of these proteins was found associated with the tobacco use and alcohol consumption, their expression invariably and strongly correlated with concurrent Helicobacter pylori infection. Receiver operating characteristic analysis of nuclear survivin, STAT3, and pSTAT3 in different study groups showed acceptable positive and negative predictive values with area under the curve above 0.8 (P < .001).ConclusionOverall, our results suggest that overall increase in survivin and STAT3 and their subcellular localization are key determinants of gastric cancer progression, which can be collectively used as potential disease biomarkers and therapeutic targets for gastric cancer.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/144680/1/cnr21004-Supplementary_Methods_20180313.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/144680/2/cnr21004-sup-0001-F1.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/144680/3/cnr21004_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/144680/4/cnr21004.pd

Global, regional, and national under-5 mortality, adult mortality, age-specific mortality, and life expectancy, 1970–2016: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016

BACKGROUND: Detailed assessments of mortality patterns, particularly age-specific mortality, represent a crucial input that enables health systems to target interventions to specific populations. Understanding how all-cause mortality has changed with respect to development status can identify exemplars for best practice. To accomplish this, the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2016 (GBD 2016) estimated age-specific and sex-specific all-cause mortality between 1970 and 2016 for 195 countries and territories and at the subnational level for the five countries with a population greater than 200 million in 2016. METHODS: We have evaluated how well civil registration systems captured deaths using a set of demographic methods called death distribution methods for adults and from consideration of survey and census data for children younger than 5 years. We generated an overall assessment of completeness of registration of deaths by dividing registered deaths in each location-year by our estimate of all-age deaths generated from our overall estimation process. For 163 locations, including subnational units in countries with a population greater than 200 million with complete vital registration (VR) systems, our estimates were largely driven by the observed data, with corrections for small fluctuations in numbers and estimation for recent years where there were lags in data reporting (lags were variable by location, generally between 1 year and 6 years). For other locations, we took advantage of different data sources available to measure under-5 mortality rates (U5MR) using complete birth histories, summary birth histories, and incomplete VR with adjustments; we measured adult mortality rate (the probability of death in individuals aged 15-60 years) using adjusted incomplete VR, sibling histories, and household death recall. We used the U5MR and adult mortality rate, together with crude death rate due to HIV in the GBD model life table system, to estimate age-specific and sex-specific death rates for each location-year. Using various international databases, we identified fatal discontinuities, which we defined as increases in the death rate of more than one death per million, resulting from conflict and terrorism, natural disasters, major transport or technological accidents, and a subset of epidemic infectious diseases; these were added to estimates in the relevant years. In 47 countries with an identified peak adult prevalence for HIV/AIDS of more than 0·5% and where VR systems were less than 65% complete, we informed our estimates of age-sex-specific mortality using the Estimation and Projection Package (EPP)-Spectrum model fitted to national HIV/AIDS prevalence surveys and antenatal clinic serosurveillance systems. We estimated stillbirths, early neonatal, late neonatal, and childhood mortality using both survey and VR data in spatiotemporal Gaussian process regression models. We estimated abridged life tables for all location-years using age-specific death rates. We grouped locations into development quintiles based on the Socio-demographic Index (SDI) and analysed mortality trends by quintile. Using spline regression, we estimated the expected mortality rate for each age-sex group as a function of SDI. We identified countries with higher life expectancy than expected by comparing observed life expectancy to anticipated life expectancy on the basis of development status alone. FINDINGS: Completeness in the registration of deaths increased from 28% in 1970 to a peak of 45% in 2013; completeness was lower after 2013 because of lags in reporting. Total deaths in children younger than 5 years decreased from 1970 to 2016, and slower decreases occurred at ages 5-24 years. By contrast, numbers of adult deaths increased in each 5-year age bracket above the age of 25 years. The distribution of annualised rates of change in age-specific mortality rate differed over the period 2000 to 2016 compared with earlier decades: increasing annualised rates of change were less frequent, although rising annualised rates of change still occurred in some locations, particularly for adolescent and younger adult age groups. Rates of stillbirths and under-5 mortality both decreased globally from 1970. Evidence for global convergence of death rates was mixed; although the absolute difference between age-standardised death rates narrowed between countries at the lowest and highest levels of SDI, the ratio of these death rates-a measure of relative inequality-increased slightly. There was a strong shift between 1970 and 2016 toward higher life expectancy, most noticeably at higher levels of SDI. Among countries with populations greater than 1 million in 2016, life expectancy at birth was highest for women in Japan, at 86·9 years (95% UI 86·7-87·2), and for men in Singapore, at 81·3 years (78·8-83·7) in 2016. Male life expectancy was generally lower than female life expectancy between 1970 and 2016, an

Comparative assessment of the propofol-butorphanol with propofol-fentanyl combination for different insertion conditions of laryngeal mask airway in orthopedic surgery

INTRODUCTION: Shoulder arthroscopy can be performed under regional blocks or general anesthesia. General anesthesia using laryngeal mask airway (LMA) can be an alternative to regional techniques. Insertion of LMA within the hypopharynx mandates a depth of anesthesia apt enough to relax the jaw and obtund the laryngeal reflexes. Various adjuncts are combined with the induction agent propofol to facilitate improved insertion conditions of LMA and improved pain scores in shoulder surgeries. AIM: The aim of this study was to a comparison of insertion conditions of LMA and postoperative pain scores in shoulder arthroscopies using either intravenous (IV) butorphanol or IV fentanyl in combination with IV propofol. METHODS: A total of 100 patients scheduled for various elective surgical procedures were randomly selected and divided into two groups of 50 each, that is, Group F (propofol and fentanyl) and Group B (propofol and butorphanol). Coinduction was done in Group B with IV butorphanol (30 μg/kg) and in Group F with IV fentanyl (1.5 μg/kg). One minute after coinduction, the induction was achieved with IV propofol 2.5 mg/kg, jaw relaxation was assessed, and LMA was inserted. The postoperative pain scoring was done with visual analog scale (VAS). RESULTS: With the observations made and analyzed, we found that the LMA insertion conditions were significantly better with butorphanol (jaw relaxation [90% vs. 34%; P < 0.0001] and ease of insertion [96% vs. 66%; P = 0.0001]) than fentanyl. Comparison of average VAS score of patients postoperatively during the study showed low VAS score in both groups at 1 h, but Group B showed significantly lower score as compared to Group F. Group F showed a higher mean score of VAS at 2 h and 4 h and signified first analgesic need in the majority. CONCLUSION: The use of propofol-butorphanol combination produces excellent LMA insertion conditions as compared to propofol-fentanyl combination. Lower VAS scores due to analgesic effects of fentanyl and butorphanol contribute to painless shifting of patients undergoing shoulder arthroscopy

Hepatoduodenal fistula: A rare complication of liver abscess

Common complications of amebic liver abscess (ALA) include rupture into the peritoneum, thorax, and pericardium. Rupture into the duodenum is extremely rare. We report a case of ALA rupturing into the duodenum, forming a fistulous tract. To the best of our knowledge, this is the fifth endoscopically and radiologically proven case of hepatoduodenal fistula caused by liver abscess

Comparative study of physicochemical properties of CoFe2O4/MWCNT nanocomposites

93-95CoFe2O4/MWCNT (CFO/MWCNT) nanocomposites have been synthesized using Co-precipitation and solid state method. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) and impedance spectroscopy have been used to determine structural, morphological and dielectric properties of synthesized nanocomposites. The particle size was found to be 3 nm, 3.3 nm and 4 nm for CFO, C-CFO/MWCNT and G-CFO/MWCNT, respectively, using Scherrer formula. Aggregation of nanoparticles has been acquired by SEM analysis. From impedance spectroscopy, it has been observed that the dielectric constant decreases with increase in frequency and dielectric constant and loss both are more for C-CFO/MWCNT nanocomposites than that are for G-CFO/MWCNT nanocomposites

Estimating Serum Phosphate levels and correcting them may predict and/or check disease progression in acidosis: An ICU study

Phosphate is of vital importance in various critical metabolic processes as well as in formation of the structure of vital compounds. It is the primary intracellular anion which is involved in creation of high energy nucleotides involved in energy transfer. We analyzed its essential biochemical role in maintenance of acid-base balance, ventilation and oxygenation status and attempted to study the levels of phosphate and arterial blood gas measurements as well as find the correlation between the two. 100 adult patients of both sexes, admitted in the ICUs of Maharishi Markandeshwar Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (MMIMSR), were taken and their serum inorganic phosphate and arterial blood gas measurements were taken. After collection and analysis of data it was seen that mean values of all four parameters showed insignificant gender-wise or age-wise variations. However, it was observed that in cases of acidosis, serum phosphate and pH were positively and significantly correlated (p&lt; 0.05). This could be primarily attributed to the effect of acidosis on the sodium-phosphate cotransporters and NAD metabolism. Although mean levels of phosphate in alkalosis were also lower than in the normal group no correlation could be found between phosphate and pH in these cases. Thus, we postulate that any reduction of phosphate in ICU patients hints strongly at an underlying acid-base imbalance and if the patient is acidotic, the phosphate levels may be taken as indicators of the depth of acidosis almost as an adjunct to ABG. Thus, reductions observed on serial measurements of phosphate in such patients may indicate worsening acidosis and suitable interventions (including possible phosphate supplementation in addition to bicarbonate) tailored accordingly to improve the ventilation and acid base-status