Effect of monocular sensitivity on binocular summation of luminance-modulated flicker

Binocular summation of luminance contrast signals in the spatial domain has been investigated in many studies, but less attention has been paid to the analogous interactions in the temporal domain. The present study determined the impact of monocular sensitivity on the binocular detection of luminance-modulated flickering stimuli. Binocular summation ratios (BSRs) were determined in 13 visually-normal adults for a range of monocular flicker modulation thresholds (FMTs), generated by changing stimulus size (7'- 60') and luminance (mesopic and photopic). Monocular and binocular FMTs were measured at the point of regard and in each of the four quadrants at 5° eccentricity for each target size and luminance using the Flicker-Plus test. Monocular and binocular FMT's increased with decreasing target size for all retinal locations (p0.12). The results demonstrate that the visual system successfully summates inputs from the two eyes to enhance flicker detection, independent of their absolute monocular detection thresholds. These findings may serve as a predictive baseline for further experiments designed to determine how other stimulus properties and interocular differences in monocular thresholds may affect the binocular perception of flicker

SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617.2 Delta variant replication and immune evasion

Abstract: The B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was first identified in the state of Maharashtra in late 2020 and spread throughout India, outcompeting pre-existing lineages including B.1.617.1 (Kappa) and B.1.1.7 (Alpha)1. In vitro, B.1.617.2 is sixfold less sensitive to serum neutralizing antibodies from recovered individuals, and eightfold less sensitive to vaccine-elicited antibodies, compared with wild-type Wuhan-1 bearing D614G. Serum neutralizing titres against B.1.617.2 were lower in ChAdOx1 vaccinees than in BNT162b2 vaccinees. B.1.617.2 spike pseudotyped viruses exhibited compromised sensitivity to monoclonal antibodies to the receptor-binding domain and the amino-terminal domain. B.1.617.2 demonstrated higher replication efficiency than B.1.1.7 in both airway organoid and human airway epithelial systems, associated with B.1.617.2 spike being in a predominantly cleaved state compared with B.1.1.7 spike. The B.1.617.2 spike protein was able to mediate highly efficient syncytium formation that was less sensitive to inhibition by neutralizing antibody, compared with that of wild-type spike. We also observed that B.1.617.2 had higher replication and spike-mediated entry than B.1.617.1, potentially explaining the B.1.617.2 dominance. In an analysis of more than 130 SARS-CoV-2-infected health care workers across three centres in India during a period of mixed lineage circulation, we observed reduced ChAdOx1 vaccine effectiveness against B.1.617.2 relative to non-B.1.617.2, with the caveat of possible residual confounding. Compromised vaccine efficacy against the highly fit and immune-evasive B.1.617.2 Delta variant warrants continued infection control measures in the post-vaccination era

Medical renal disease in tumor nephrectomies: The silent killer

In tumor nephrectomy specimens, the evaluation of the normal renal parenchyma is often overlooked. A patient with both end-stage renal diseases (ESRDs) with a renal cell carcinoma is more likely to die of the ESRD rather than cancer. At the time of nephrectomy, a pathologist has a large amount of tissue available to him to comment upon the presence of disease in the nonneoplastic kidney. Hence, this study was undertaken with the idea of characterizing disease in the nonneoplastic kidney at the time of tumor nephrectomy. A two-year retrospective study was carried out on all tumor nephrectomies and partial nephrectomies. Glomerular, tubulointerstitial, and vascular compartments were evaluated for abnormalities. Twenty-four cases were included in the study. A total of 17 cases showed abnormalities in the nonneoplastic renal parenchyma. In the glomeruli, two cases showed IgA nephropathy, one case showed segmental sclerosis, and one case showed the presence of cellular crescents. A single case showed diabetic glomerulosclerosis. Interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy were noted in seven cases. Fifteen cases showed intimal sclerosis and medial hypertrophy and six cases showed nodular hyalinosis. Tumor nephrectomy specimens may very often show the presence of various nonneoplastic diseases. Hypertensive and diabetic renal disease are the major contributors, although primary glomerular diseases may also be present. At the time of the evaluation of a renal tumor on nephrectomy specimen, the status of the nonneoplastic kidney may become as an important predictor of clinical outcome as the tumor itself

Clinicopathological significance of epidermal growth factor receptor and vascular endothelial growth factor expression in biliary tract malignancies

Background: Biliary tract malignancies consists of gall bladder malignancies and intrahepatic and extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. Among these, the most common is gall bladder malignancies. The incidence of gall bladder carcinoma in India ranges from 1.01 per 100,000 for males and 10.1 per 100,000 for females. Aims and Objectives: This study was conducted to assess the incidence of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in biliary tract malignancies in Indian population, and to correlate the same with histological features as well as clinical staging and treatment outcomes. Materials and Methods: Fifty cases of proven biliary tract malignancy were immunohistochemically stained for EGFR and VEGF, and scoring was done as per the standard recommendations. Results: In our study, the expression of EGFR was significantly higher in advanced stage disease as well as in poorly differentiated adenocarcinomas. Conclusion: Our study shows that advanced biliary tract malignancies show increased expression of EGFR

Traits of tubular adenoma cytology

Tubular adenoma of breast is a rare benign pure epithelial tumor, which presents as a palpable mass. Clinical examination and imaging modalities are similar to that seen in a case of fibroadenoma. In such a situation, fine-needle aspiration can be a useful diagnostic tool. However, the cytopathologist has to be aware of the subtle cytology traits of tubular adenoma to make an informed assessment. We discuss a case diagnosed preoperatively as a case of tubular adenoma with histopathological confirmation

Invasive cutaneous mucormycosis in a preterm neonate presenting as a vesicobullous lesion

Mucormycosis is a relatively rare fungal infection seen in immunocompromised patients. Very few cases of invasive cutaneous mucormycosis occurring in neonates have been reported in literature. It is an aggressive disease with a mortality rate of around 64% in neonates, so a high index of suspicion is essential for rapid diagnosis and definitive treatment with broad-spectrum antifungals such as Amphotericin B. We present a case of a premature infant born at 25 weeks of gestation who developed vesicobullous lesions all over the body on day 5 of life. Biopsy from the vesicles confirmed the presence of angioinvasive fungal hyphae of mucormycosis which were highlighted on Periodic acid-Schiff and Grocott stain

Tumor-associated macrophages: Oblivious confederates in invasive mammary carcinoma

Background: The infiltrating margins of carcinomas are associated with presence of inflammatory cell infiltrate which are an integral part of the tumor microenvironment. Amongst the inflammatory cells, Tumor Associated Macrophages (TAMs) play a key role in the tumorigenesis. This study elucidates the density of TAMs in invasive mammary carcinomas and attempts to establish aa association with the following pathological variables: tumor size, histological grade, nodal status, hormonal expression status and Her2Neu overexpression. Materials and Methods: 90 diagnosed archival cases of invasive mammary carcinomas at a tertiary care centre were included. Density of TAMs was assessed by using CD68 which is a pan-macrophage marker by immunohistochemistry on the archival tissue blocks. The density TAMs (CD68 positive cells) was dichotomised into high (>50 CD68 positive cells/HPF) and low (<5050 CD68 positive cells/HPF) and compared with the above mentioned pathological variables using appropriate statistical tests. Results: The density of TAMs was significantly higher around the infiltrating edge of the carcinoma in comparison to the adjoining normal terminal duct lobular units. The density of TAMs was more in the infiltrating edge of the tumor than within the tumor nodule/nests. A higher TAM density showed a significant association in tumors having large tumor size, higher histological grade, nodal metastasis, absence of ER and PR expression and Her2Neu overexpression (p value <0.05). Conclusion: TAMs play an important role in tumor progression in invasive mammary carcinomas. This is as a result of the multiple roles enacted by TAMs in the various stages of tumor development starting from tumor growth, invasion, angiogenesis and metastases. Targeted therapy against TAMs has great potential in the being important components of future treatment strategies against breast carcinomas

Primary cutaneous B-cell lymphomas: Case report of two cases

Primary cutaneous lymphomas are a unique, heterogeneous group of lymphoproliferative disorders which have a primary cutaneous manifestation in the absence of systemic involvement of lymph nodes, bone marrow, or visceral organs at the time of diagnosis. Among the primary cutaneous lymphomas, B-cell lymphoma is much less common and accounts for 20%–25% of cases. Primary cutaneous diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (PCDLBCLs) are aggressive neoplasms with poor prognosis. Early and accurate diagnosis is required as these patients respond well to systemic anthracycline-based chemotherapy (R-CHOP). In this article, we report two cases of PCDLBCL, other which presented with rapidly enlarging skin nodules and were diagnosed based on clinical features, histomorphology, and characteristic immunohistochemical expression. Both the patients were treated with systemic chemotherapy and responded well. During the 6 months' follow-up period, the lesions regressed. The patients are symptom free with no evidence of disease relapse or dissemination to extracutaneous sites

Assessment of nutritive status and basic hygiene practices followed by workers of Manav Rachna university, Faridabad

Malnutrition is the most common cause of many disorders among workers at different places of work in developing countries due to their cultural, economic, demographic and social background. This cross-section study was carried out among randomly selected 51 workers (grade IV employees) in the age group of 20 to 40 years of Manav Rachna University, Faridabad to explore &amp; assess their nutritive status and also to understand their awareness towards health and healthy dietary habits. The study showed that out of 51 respondents of Manav Rachna (MR) workers selected as sample, 59% were in the age group of 25-29 years. 66% had monthly income less than Rs 10000 per month. 78 % belonged to joint family and more than 80% of workers were not aware about the importance of health and healthy dietary habits. This study provided important information about the dietary intake and their nutritive status among the grade IV employees of Manav Rachna University, Faridabad. After understanding their behavioral pattern, efforts were made to counsel and motivate them towards the fitness, healthy dietary habits and healthy environment