Role of imaging in the management of thyroglossal duct cyst carcinomas (TGC-TIRADS): a single centre retrospective study over 16 years

IntroductionThyroglossal duct cyst (TGDC) is the most frequently encountered developmental anomaly in thyroid genesis with a reported incidence of 7% in the adult population. The cyst is known to develop anywhere along the pathway of thyroid descent but is more frequently seen in the infrahyoid neck in the midline. The incidence of malignancy in a TGDC is approximately 1%; a majority of these are papillary carcinomas. This study was conducted at a single tertiary care centre which spanned over a decade which adds practice changing evidence-based knowledge to existing literature on this rare entity. A comprehensive study which conclusively establishes the imaging features predictive of malignancy in TGDC carcinomas (TGDCa), the protocol for optimal management, clinical outcome and long-term survival of these patients is not available. Although TGDC carcinoma is thought to have an excellent prognosis, there is not enough data available on the long-term survival of these patients. The aim of this study was to identify whether neck ultrasound (US) can serve as an accurate imaging tool for the preoperative diagnosis of TGDC carcinomas.MethodsWe accessed the electronic medical records of 86 patients with TGDC between January 2005 to December 2021. Of these, 22 patients were detected with TGDC papillary carcinoma on histopathologic examination. Relevant imaging, treatment and follow up information for all cases of TGDC carcinoma were retrospectively reviewed. We compared US characteristics predictive of malignancy across outcomes groups; malignant vs benign using the Chi-square test. Based on the results, a TGC-TIRADS classification was proposed with calculation of the percentage likelihood of malignancy for each category.ResultsCompared to benign TGDCs, malignant TGDCs were more likely to present with following US characteristics: irregular or lobulated margins (90.40 vs. 38.10%), solid-cystic composition (61.90 vs. 17.07%), internal vascularity (47.62 vs. 4.88 %), internal calcification (76.19 vs. 7.32 %) (each p value < 0.005). Calcifications and internal vascularity were the most specific while irregular/lobulated margins were the most sensitive feature for malignancy. AUC under the ROC curve was 0.88. Allpatients were operated and were disease free at the end of 5 years or till the recent follow up.DiscussionUS is the imaging modality of choice for pre-operative diagnosis of TGDC carcinoma. Thepre-operative diagnosis and risk stratification of thyroglossal lesions will be aided by the application of the proposed TGC-TIRADS classification, for which the percentage likelihood of malignancy correlated well with the results in our study. Sistrunk procedure is adequate for isolated TGDC carcinoma; suspicious neck nodes on imaging also necessitates selective nodal dissection. Papillary carcinomas have an excellent prognosis with low incidence of disease recurrence

Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density

Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals <1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data

Television culture and the beauty bias problem: an analysis of India’s postmillennial television serials

This study aims to critically analyze the problem of the beauty bias prevalent in contemporary India with the help of popular postmillennial Hindi television serials. It begins with a review of literature on television’s social impact and then demonstrates how representations of women on Indian television have historically been deeply interwoven with hegemonic perceptions of appearance. It then examines as case studies five popular tele serials which, while trying to be forward-looking attempts at critiquing beauty norms, in actuality reinstate normative ideals of appearance or a globally dominant beauty myth. The findings of this study indicate that most so-called progressive serials implicitly endorse casual sexism against female bodies and/or subject the purportedly unattractive female protagonist to a life of injustices owing to her lack of proverbial good looks. Accordingly, this study claims that popular television dramas instead of empowering women often uphold the beauty bias so as to attain mass appeal along with sponsorships and high target rating points. Finally, this study hopes that its findings will provide inputs for television producers and policy makers who may not only prevent body shaming and appearance discrimination, but also promote nuanced and inclusive representations of female embodiment on Indian television. © 2021 Asian Media Information and Communication Centre

The changing politics of beauty labour in Indian cinema

This essay analyses the changing politics of beauty labour and female body image in Indian cinema. It begins by discussing how beauty, a social capital for women, is a measuring rod with which their bodies are both assessed and objectified. It claims that cinema being a visual medium demands some aesthetic capital from actors, and the beauty of leading ladies portrayed on screen often adds to the spectacle. Focusing on mainstream Bollywood films produced especially over the last two decades, this essay examines narratives upholding the beauty ideal both as a cinematic necessity and also as a plot point. Tracing developments in cinematic representations of female beauty, it then examines select postmillennial films (both mainstream Bollywood as well as regional productions) to suggest that a maturing trend in representing female bodies is emerging in Indian cinema where instead of the prettified heroine one increasingly encounters protagonists who refuse to agonize under beauty labour. Finally, it argues that owing to global debates and critical feminist interventions on female body image, a radical shift is palpable in postmillennial Indian films which showcase women who either reject or redefine the politics of beauty labour

Spatial Reconfigurations:Domesticity and Womanhood in the Works of Marilynne Robinson, Joyce Carol Oates and Anne Tyler

Home is no longer just one place. It is locations. Home is that place which enables and promotes varied and ever - changing perspectives, a place where one discovers new ways of seeing reality, frontiers of difference. One confronts and accepts dispersal and fragmentation as part of the constructi ons of a new world order that reveals more fully where we are, who we can become, an order that does not demand forgetting. — bel l hook

Impact of Proton Irradiation on Medium Density Polyethylene/Carbon Nanocomposites for Space Shielding Applications

The development of novel materials with improved radiation shielding capability is a fundamental step towards the optimization of passive radiation countermeasures. Polyethylene (PE) nanocomposites filled with carbon nanotubes (CNT) or graphene nanoplatelets (GNP) can be a good compromise for maintaining the radiation shielding properties of the hydrogen-rich polymer while endowing the material with multifunctional properties. In this work, nanocomposite materials based on medium-density polyethylene (MDPE) loaded with different amounts of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT), GNPs, and hybrid MWCNT/GNP nanofillers were fabricated, and their properties were examined before and after proton exposure. The effects of irradiation were evaluated in terms of modifications in the chemical and physical structure, wettability, and surface morphology of the nanocomposites. The aim of this work was to define and compare the MDPE-based nanocomposite behavior under proton irradiation in order to establish the best system for applications as space shielding materials

Impact of Proton Irradiation on Medium Density Polyethylene/Carbon Nanocomposites for Space Shielding Applications

The development of novel materials with improved radiation shielding capability is a fundamental step towards the optimization of passive radiation countermeasures. Polyethylene (PE) nanocomposites filled with carbon nanotubes (CNT) or graphene nanoplatelets (GNP) can be a good compromise for maintaining the radiation shielding properties of the hydrogen-rich polymer while endowing the material with multifunctional properties. In this work, nanocomposite materials based on medium-density polyethylene (MDPE) loaded with different amounts of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT), GNPs, and hybrid MWCNT/GNP nanofillers were fabricated, and their properties were examined before and after proton exposure. The effects of irradiation were evaluated in terms of modifications in the chemical and physical structure, wettability, and surface morphology of the nanocomposites. The aim of this work was to define and compare the MDPE-based nanocomposite behavior under proton irradiation in order to establish the best system for applications as space shielding materials

Electrical resistance tomography for structural health monitoring of nanocomposite materials for spacesuit and crew surface mobility applications

Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT) is an unobtrusive and portable monitoring method allowing the reconstruction of the electrical conductivity in a 2D domain of interest, from the voltage measurements of electrodes positioned along the boundary of the domain. Electrical conductivity changes can be correlated to damage. EIT has been used in biomedical engineering applications (e.g. to monitor the brain function as a patient loses consciousness from anesthesia) and for structural health of advanced composite materials subject to mechanical damage. More recently, using Electrical Resistance Tomography (ERT), based on DC injection, we have characterized the health of nanocomposite sensors applied onto the surface of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer composites. The films were prepared with graphene nanoplatelets and DNA. The samples were subjected to two levels of UV-C radiation (2.6 and 4.0 mW/cm2), for 24 hours, causing varying levels of damage that were studied also with Scanning Electron Microscopy. We proved that the electrical conductivity changes of the films under UV-C irradiation can be well captured by the ERT maps, with accuracy depending on DC current levels and injection patterns. We plan to adapt these methods to the REVEALS (Radiation Effects on Volatiles and Exploration of Asteroids and Lunar Surfaces) project: in particular, for the health monitoring of nanocomposite samples designed synergistically for radiation resistance and electrical conductivity, to be incorporated in spacesuit and surface mobility applications. We envision the material to be compliant sufficiently to be applied around the body to protect the most important organs. The first materials to be tested will be modified polymers consisting of medium density polyethylene treated with graphene nanoplatelets, which could also be eventually 3D-printed. Different types of damage are envisioned for this study, from mechanical damage to UV-C damage to damage due to other radiation types. Residual mechanical properties will be measured directly with mechanical testing or indirectly with measurements of Shore D hardness