Management of cervical heterotopic pregnancy with inevitable miscarriage

The objective is to report a case of successful treatment of heterotopic cervical pregnancy resulting from IVF–ICSI conception. Case report from Amrita Institute of Medical sciences: a tertiary care referral hospital. A 47-year-old Primigravida, diagnosed with heterotopic cervical pregnancy at 6 weeks of gestation, presented with significant first trimester vaginal bleeding. Under IV sedation, Transvaginal ligation of descending cervical branches of the uterine arteries arrested the bleeding. The cervical pregnancy was successfully aborted with minimal bleeding and the intrauterine pregnancy was successfully maintained till 32 weeks, after which she required emergency preterm LSCS in view of Severe preeclampsia superimposed on chronic hypertension a non-reassuring non-stress test (NST). The intervention applied maybe used in treatment of heterotopic cervical pregnancy in a low resource setting to control the bleeding

Total edge irregularity strength of join of path and complement of a complete graph

An edge irregular total k-labeling of a graph G is a labeling of the vertices and edges of G with labels from the set {1, 2, ..., k} in such a way that any two different edges have distinct weights. The weight of an edge uv is the sum of the label of uv and the labels of vertices u and v. The minimum k for which the graph G has an edge irregular total k-labeling is called the total edge irregularity strength of G. In this paper, we determine the exact value of the total edge irregularity strength of Pn + Km.Publisher's Versio

Green Synthesis of High Temperature Stable Anatase Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles Using Gum Kondagogu: Characterization and Solar Driven Photocatalytic Degradation of Organic Dye

The present study reports a green and sustainable method for the synthesis of titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles (NPs) from titanium oxysulfate solution using Kondagogu gum (Cochlospermum gossypium), a carbohydrate polymer, as the NPs formation agent. The synthesized TiO2 NPs were categorized by techniques such as X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy analysis, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope- Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), UV-visible spectroscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area and particle size analysis. Additionally, the photocatalytic actions of TiO2 NPs were assessed with regard to their ability to degrade an organic dye (methylene blue) from aqueous solution in the presence of solar light. Various parameters affecting the photocatalytic activity of the TiO2 NPs were examined, including catalyst loading, reaction time, pH value and calcination temperature of the aforementioned particles. This green synthesis method involving TiO2 NPs explores the advantages of inexpensive and non-toxic precursors, the TiO2 NPs themselves exhibiting excellent photocatalytic activity against dye molecules

RNAi mediated Tiam1 gene knockdown inhibits invasion of retinoblastoma

T lymphoma invasion and metastasis protein (Tiam1) is up-regulated in variety of cancers and its expression level is related to metastatic potential of the type of cancer. Earlier, Tiam1 was shown to be overexpressed in retinoblastoma (RB) and we hypothesized that it was involved in invasiveness of RB. This was tested by silencing Tiam1 in RB cell lines (Y79 and Weri-Rb1) using siRNA pool, targeting different regions of Tiam1 mRNA. The cDNA microarray of Tiam1 silenced cells showed gene regulations altered by Tiam1 were predominantly on the actin cytoskeleton interacting proteins, apoptotic initiators and tumorogenic potential targets. The silenced phenotype resulted in decreased growth and increased apoptosis with non-invasive characteristics. Transfection of full length and N-terminal truncated construct (C1199) clearly revealed membrane localization of Tiam1 and not in the case of C580 construct. F-actin staining showed the interaction of Tiam1 with actin in the membrane edges that leads to ruffling, and also imparts varying invasive potential to the cell. The results obtained from our study show for the first time that Tiam1 modulates the cell invasion, mediated by actin cytoskeleton remodeling in RB

Evaluation of pharmacological and catalytic activity of CuO and Zn doped CuO nanoparticles

124-129CuO and Zn doped CuO nanoparticles (Zn-CuO NPs) with varying concentration i.e., ZnxCu1−xO (where x = 0, 0.5, 1, and 1.5%) have been prepared via microwave assisted method. The spheroid structure of CuO NPs and the nanorod structure of Zn- CuO NPs have been determined using High Resolution Scanning Electron Microscopy (HR-SEM) analysis. Elemental analysis has been carried out using Energy Dispersive X-ray Analysis (EDAX). The particle size and surface area of CuO and Zn-CuO NPs have been confirmed by Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) method. The antibacterial studies have been revealed that Zn(1.5%)-CuO NPs exhibited maximum zone of inhibition (19-29 mm) against the tested four bacterial strains. Zn-CuO NPs have been displayed robust action of antibacterial activity with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 0.09 μM against Campylobacter coli (C. Coli). DPPH and H2O2 radical scavenging assay investigation have been revealed that the significant scavenging activity has showed by Zn(1.5%)-CuO. The in vitro cytotoxicity evaluation of synthesized material against human breast (MCF7) and human lung (A549) cancer cell lines have been demonstrated that Zn(1.5%)-CuO NPs exhibited better cytotoxic activity against MCF7 cell lines (97.5% cell death) than A549 cell lines (90% cell death)

Meteorite impact craters as hotspots for mineral resources and energy fuels: A global review

The ever-increasing recovery rate of natural resources from terrestrial impact craters over the last few decades across the globe offers new avenues for further exploration of mineral and hydrocarbon resources in such settings. As of today, 60 of the 208 terrestrial craters have been identified to host diverse resources such as hydrocarbons, metals and construction materials. The potential of craters as plausible resource contributors to the energy sector is therefore, worthy of consideration, as 42 (70%) of the 60 craters host energy resources such as oil, gas, coal, uranium, mercury, critical and major minerals as well as hydropower resources. Among others, 19 craters are of well-developed hydrocarbon reserves. Mineral deposits associated with craters are also classified similar to other mineral resources such as progenetic, syngenetic and epigenetic sources. Of these, the progenetic and syngenetic mineralization are confined to the early and late excavation stage of impact crater evolution, respectively, whereas epigenetic deposits are formed during and after the modification stage of crater formation. Thus, progenetic and syngenetic mineral deposits (like Fe, Ni, Pb, Zn and Cu) associated with craters are formed as a direct result of the impact event, whereas epigenetic deposits (e.g. hydrocarbon) are hosted by the impact structure and result from post-impact processes. In the progenetic and syngenetic deposits, the shock-wave induced fracturing and melting aid the formation of deposits, whereas in the epigenetic deposits, the highly fractured lithostratigraphic units of higher porosity and permeability, like the central elevated area (CEA) or the rim, act as traps. In this review, we provide a holistic view of the mineral and energy resources associated with impact craters, and use some of the remote sensing techniques to identify the mineral deposits as supplemented by a schematic model of the types of deposits formed during cratering process

Studies on palladium based bimetallic catalysts-Pd-M/TiO2 (M=Cu, Ag & Au): I-Selective hydrogenation of 1-heptyne

Two series of palladium based bi-metallic catalysts, Pd(1-x)Aux (x= 0.1,0.12,0.15 and 0.2 ) and PdmMn (M=Cu/Ag/Au- m, n- 0.9, 0.1) supported on TiO2-P-25, have been prepared and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy (DRS), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM),  X-ray Photo-electron Spectroscopy (XPS)  and Temperature Programmed Reduction (TPR). DRS and XPS studies indicate formation of nano scale alloys involving redistribution of charges within the metals. Selective hydrogenation of 1-heptyne in liquid phase has been studied on these catalysts at atmospheric pressure and in the temperature range 293-313 K. In the Pd(1-x)Aux series, the catalyst composition Pd0.9Au0.1 displays maximum activity, expressed as TOF. Activity pattern in Pd0.9M0.1 series follows the trend, Pd-Au >Pd-Ag = Pd-Cu >Pd. Selectivity for heptene formation is maintained at > 95% on all catalysts up to 60 min. reaction time. Interplay of ensemble as well as ligand effects, acting simultaneously, influences the adsorption and activation of 1-heptyne, leading to higher activity on Pd-Au bimetallic catalyst vis-à-vis other bimetallic and mono metallic catalysts

Selective hydrogenation of cinnamaldehyde using palladium based bimetallic catalysts Pd-M/TiO2 (M=Cu, Ag and Au)

1296-1302Pd based bimetallic catalysts, Pd-M, (M=Cu, Ag, and Au) supported on TiO2 P-25, have been prepared by chemical reduction with glucose and characterized by XRD, TEM, XPS, DRS, TPR and H2TPD. Activity for the conversion of cinnamaldehyde (CAL) and selectivity to hydro-cinnamaldehyde (HCAL), cinnamyl alcohol (COL) and hydrocinnamyl alcohol (HCOL) have been evaluated in the temperature range of 120-140 °C for 1 h and 10 bar hydrogen pressure. For comparison, monometallic Cu, Ag and Au (1% w/w in each case) catalysts supported on TiO2 P-25 have been prepared and evaluated. DRS and XPS studies reveal nanoscale alloy formation and re-distribution of charges in bimetallic catalysts. Bimetallic Pd-Cu displays higher CAL conversion compared to Pd-Ag and Pd-Au. Besides the favourable electronic and ensemble effects, availability of reactive hydrogen on Pd-Cu, as revealed by the lowest hydrogen desorption temperature, is an additional factor that contributes towards the higher activity of Pd-Cu. Bimetallic catalysts are stable up to five reaction cycles, without any loss of Pd or structural integrity

Unprecedented homotopy perturbation method for solving nonlinear equations in the enzymatic reaction of glucose in a spherical matrix.

The theory of glucose-responsive composite membranes for the planar diffusion and reaction process is extended to a microsphere membrane. The theoretical model of glucose oxidation and hydrogen peroxide production in the chitosan-aliginate microsphere has been discussed in this manuscript for the first time. We have successfully reported an analytical derived methodology utilizing homotopy perturbation to perform the numerical simulation. The influence and sensitive analysis of various parameters on the concentrations of gluconic acid and hydrogen peroxide are also discussed. The theoretical results enable to predict and optimize the performance of enzyme kinetics

Mitosis in circulating tumor cells stratifies highly aggressive breast carcinomas.

BACKGROUND: Enumeration of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) isolated from the peripheral blood of breast cancer patients holds promise as a clinically relevant, minimally invasive diagnostic test. However, CTC utility has been limited as a prognostic indicator of survival by the inability to stratify patients beyond general enumeration. In comparison, histological biopsy examinations remain the standard method for confirming malignancy and grading malignant cells, allowing for cancer identification and then assessing patient cohorts for prognostic and predictive value. Typically, CTC identification relies on immunofluorescent staining assessed as absent/present, which is somewhat subjective and limited in its ability to characterize these cells. In contrast, the physical features used in histological cytology comprise the gold standard method used to identify and preliminarily characterize the cancer cells. Here, we superimpose the methods, cytologically subtyping CTCs labeled with immunohistochemical fluorescence stains to improve their prognostic value in relation to survival. METHODS: In this single-blind prospective pilot study, we tracked 36 patients with late-stage breast cancer over 24 months to compare overall survival between simple CTC enumeration and subtyping mitotic CTCs. A power analysis (1-β = 0. 9, α = 0.05) determined that a pilot size of 30 patients was sufficient to stratify this patient cohort; 36 in total were enrolled. RESULTS: Our results confirmed that CTC number is a prognostic indicator of patient survival, with a hazard ratio 5.2, p = 0.005 (95 % CI 1.6-16.5). However, by simply subtyping the same population based on CTCs in cytological mitosis, the hazard ratio increased dramatically to 11.1, p \u3c 0.001 (95 % CI 3.1-39.7). CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that (1) mitotic CTCs are relativity common in aggressive late-stage breast cancer, (2) mitotic CTCs may significantly correlate with shortened overall survival, and (3) larger and more defined patient cohort studies are clearly called for based on this initial pilot study