Isotropic properties of the photonic band gap in quasicrystals with low-index contrast

We report on the formation and development of the photonic band gap in two-dimensional 8-, 10- and 12-fold symmetry quasicrystalline lattices of low index contrast. Finite size structures made of dielectric cylindrical rods were studied and measured in the microwave region, and their properties compared with a conventional hexagonal crystal. Band gap characteristics were investigated by changing the direction of propagation of the incident beam inside the crystal. Various angles of incidence from 0 \degree to 30\degree were used in order to investigate the isotropic nature of the band gap. The arbitrarily high rotational symmetry of aperiodically ordered structures could be practically exploited to manufacture isotropic band gap materials, which are perfectly suitable for hosting waveguides or cavities.Comment: 16 pages, 7 figures, submitted to PR

Mystical Sleeping Mats in Siddha Medicine - An Overview

In several components of the globe, sleeping in natural mats are quite common these days although few folks feel they reduce self decorousness, however the particular reason behind is that they are guaranteed with culture. In interior of human calm sleep, there are several advantages of plants based mostly mats that stay dormant still. Siddha, far-famed drugs of Asian nation shortly explains the practices of assorted sleeping mats with its medicative values which are to be delineated

HIGHLIGHTS OF PATTRU (POULTICE) IN SIDDHA

Siddha system of medicine is one of the oldest medical system in the world. The treatment in Siddha is made by restoring the original balance of the three vital humours (Vatham, Pitham, Kapham) so that patient becomes healthy. It has a vast number of internal and external therapies. The non-oral therapy is known as External medicines -Pura marundhu.32 types of external applications are mentioned in Siddha. In many instances, only the external procedures without oral intake of drugs are much sufficient. They are quite safe and efficient too. Pattru – Poultice is one among them, used to treat cuts, abscess, furuncles, boils, puffy indurations, haemorrhoids, eczema, etc., as a emollient, fungicidal, germicide and so on... This paper is an attempt to bring out the of analysis of Pattru for various diseases as described in Siddha classical text books along with the mode of action scientifically, so that it would create awareness globally

Maternal and foetal outcome in women with neurological disorders

Background: Wide spectrums of neurological disorders are observed in pregnancy and puerparium. These disorders can alter the course of pregnancy and pregnancy can worsen them.Methods: This was a cross sectional observational study which included 154 patients in pregnancy and postpartum up to 6 weeks with neurological disorders admitted in department of obstetrics and gynecology, Government Medical College, Kottayam over a period of one year from December 2017. All patients underwent detailed general and systemic examination and were assessed by neurologist. After delivery maternal and foetal outcome and morbidity and mortality were observed.Results: Out of total 5202 deliveries, 154 patients presented in pregnancy and puerparium with neurological disorders amounting to 2.96 %. The age of patients ranged from 18-44. The commonest neurological disorder was epilepsy (60.4%). Other disorders were eclampsia (7.8%), cerebrovascular disorders (9.1%), brain tumors (4.5%), cranial nerve palsy (3.2%) and different types of other neurological disorders (14.9%). The most common presentation was generalized tonic clonic seizures (82.8%). 76.6% of patients had normal vaginal delivery and 13% underwent caesarean section. There were 5 cases of intrauterine death (3.2%), 5 cases of foetal anomalies (3.2%) and 3 cases of neonatal deaths (1.9%). One case of maternal mortality was there due to intra-cerebral hemorhhage.Conclusions: Epilepsy was the commonest disorder with good maternal and foetal outcome. Vascular disorders and eclampsia were associated with higher maternal and foetal morbidity and mortality

Metabolic Syndrome and the Management : An appraisal with Siddha System of Medicine

Visceral obesity syndrome also known as metabolic syndrome X is the bunch of medical conditions characterised by hypertension, hyperglycaemia, dyslipidemia and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease affecting, nearly 240 million people worldwide. In India nearly 10000 people were affected per year and overall it goes on escalating steadily due to amplified adulterated human behaviours. There is a need of exigency at this juncture by knowing its complex pathology to condense human anguish and financial load. Siddha system of medicine primarily describes as it may arise due to provocation of the humours of the body. When our moral code of demeanour is deprived including intemperance and deficit physical activity, there is a flawed tissue metabolism leading to metabolic syndrome (MS). Classical books of Siddha were used for literary survey and databases were also analysed with the prime terminology “Metabolic syndrome” for this systemic review. The speculative backdrop, broad set of strategy in aetiology, pathogenesis and management of MS are discussed at extent through Siddha system, in the paper which would be creditable in managing in an effectual and gainful approach

The effect of waist hip ratio on the various stress types in I year Indian medical students

Background: A medical student faces tremendous academic and non-academic stress owing to the vast curriculum and inadequate time. The impact of stress results in detrimental mental and physical health which is assessed here using stress questionnaires and anthropometric parameters. Stress need not be only academic.  Hence it becomes vital to identify and target the specific and common non-academic stressors to enable the students to have a stress-free learning environment. The objective of this study was to find the inter relationship between waist hip ratio (WHR) and various stressors the student is exposed to.Methods: 97 I year medical students participated in this cross-sectional study and were administered the medical student stress questionnaire (MSSQ), a validated tool and the anthropometric measurements (waist and hip circumference, waist hip ratio, body mass index) were taken. The data was analyzed using SPSS version 22.Results: The study showed a negative correlation of WHR with all the stress parameters of which inter personal relationship stress (IRS) and teaching learning related stress (TLRS) were significant.Conclusions: Increasing the duration of I year MBBS course and helping learners acclimatize to the new study environment may help in reducing stress. Stress relaxation techniques, psychological counselling and strengthening the mentor- mentee programs along with exercise regimen may aid in the stress reduction process and facilitate physical health.

CYTOTOXIC EFFECT OF PEPTIDE FUNCTIONALIZED SILVER NANOPARTICLES SYNTHESIZED FROM ALOIN ON BREAST CANCER CELL LINE

Objective: The aim of the present study is to synthesize the silver (Ag) nanoparticle using Aloin with a focus on its antibacterial, antioxidant, and anticancer activity. Methods: The silver nanoparticles were synthesized using Aloin and were determined by UV-Visible spectrum. It was further characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), zeta potential, and dynamic light scattering (DLS). The Fourier transform infrared analysis was also carried out for the Aloin. Results: The UV-Visible absorption spectrum of the synthesized silver nanoparticles has shown the absorption peak at 439nm which proves the formation of silver nanoparticles in the solution. The SEM analysis revealed that the Ag nanoparticles were spherical in shape. The IR spectra showed that there are 6 functional groups are present in Aloin extract. The synthesized nanoparticles are found to be highly stable with an average particle size of 130.7nm which was confirmed by zeta potential and DLS analysis. The synthesized nanoparticles had a good antibacterial and antioxidant activity. It shows a very good cytotoxic effect against breast cancer cell line. Conclusion: The present study suggests that the synthesis route is free from the requirements such as high energy, extended preparation time, and special equipments and thus can be used for large-scale synthesis in food industries for food preservation and these Ag nanoparticles can be used for its therapeutic purposes for developing a new drug against cancer

Bandgap properties of low index contrast aperiodically ordered photonic quasicrystals

We numerically analyze, using Finite Difference Time Domain simulations, the bandgap properties of photonic quasicrystals with a low index contrast. We compared 8-, 10- and 12-fold symmetry aperiodically ordered lattices with different spatial tiling. Our results show that tiling design, more than symmetry, determines the transmission properties of these structures.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures. To be published in Microwave and Optical Technologies Letter

Defective Signalling of the BRCA1 Neighbouring gene, NBR2, leads to ER-? Negative tumours in breast cancer xenograft mouse models

Majority of breast and ovarian cancer treatment modalities are based on endocrine therapies like antiestrogens which are dependent on the hormone receptor status of tumours. Although BRCA1 is a major regulator of Estrogen Receptor (ER-α), BRCA1 mutations are largely limited to hereditary cases. Here, we show the role of NBR2 (neighbour of BRCA1) in regulating ER-α. We demonstrate a positive correlation between NBR2 & ESR1 in TCGA datasets. Further, the study revealed that shRNA-mediated knockdown of NBR2 led to the downregulation of ER-α in breast cancer cells, MCF7. Finally, the downregulation of ER-α in NBR2 knockdown xenograft tumours (in female NSG mice), which showed higher invasive properties than wild type tumours was demonstrated. Thus, we concluded that in ER-α negative tumours with NBR2 deficiency, biguanides such as metformin and phenformin, which are reported to have a better efficacy under NBR2 deficient conditions, could serve as more suitable alternatives to antiestrogens

MENOS4 trial: a multicentre randomised controlled trial (RCT) of a breast care nurse delivered cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) intervention to reduce the impact of hot flushes in women with breast cancer: Study Protocol

BACKGROUND: Women who have been treated for breast cancer may identify vasomotor symptoms, such as hot flushes and night sweats (HFNS), as a serious problem. HFNS are unpleasant to experience and can have a significant impact on daily life, potentially leading to reduced adherence to life saving adjuvant hormonal therapy. It is known that Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is effective for the alleviation of hot flushes in both well women and women who have had breast cancer. Most women with breast cancer will see a breast care nurse and there is evidence that nurses can be trained to deliver psychological treatments to a satisfactory level, whilst also maintaining treatment fidelity. The research team will assess whether breast care nurses can effectively deliver a CBT intervention to alleviate hot flushes in women with breast cancer.METHODS: This study is a multi-centre phase III individually randomised controlled trial of group CBT versus usual care to reduce the impact of hot flushes in women with breast cancer. 120-160 women with primary breast cancer experiencing seven or more problematic HFNS a week will be randomised to receive either treatment as usual (TAU) or participation in the group CBT intervention plus TAU (CBT Group). A process evaluation using May's Normalisation Process Theory will be conducted, as well as practical and organisational issues relating to the implementation of the intervention. Fidelity of implementation of the intervention will be conducted by expert assessment. The cost effectiveness of the intervention will also be assessed.DISCUSSION: There is a need for studies that enable effective interventions to be implemented in practice. There is good evidence that CBT is helpful for women with breast cancer who experience HFNS, yet it is not widely available. It is not yet known whether the intervention can be effectively delivered by breast care nurses or implemented in practice. This study will provide information on both whether the intervention can effectively help women with hot flushes and whether and how it can be translated into routine clinical practice.TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN 12824632 . Registered 25-01-2017.</p