Digitized archive of the Kodaikanal images: Representative results of solar cycle variation from sunspot area determination

Photographic images are valuable data resources for studying long term changes in the solar magnetic field and its influence on the Earth's climate and weather. We digitized more than 100 years of white light images stored in photographic plates and films that are available at Kodaikanal observatory starting from 1904. The digitized images were calibrated for relative plate density and aligned in such a way that the solar north is in upward direction. A semi-automated sunspot detection technique was used to identify the sunspots on the digitized images. In addition to describing the calibration procedure and availability of the data, we here present preliminary results on the sunspot area measurements and their variation with time. The results show that the white-light images have a uniform spatial resolution throughout the 90 years of observations. However, the contrast of the images decreases from 1968 onwards. The images are circular and do not show any major geometrical distortions. The measured monthly averaged sunspot areas closely match the Greenwich sunspot area over the four solar cycles studied here. The yearly averaged sunspot area shows a high degree of correlation with the Greenwich sunspot area. Though the monthly averaged sunspot number shows a good correlation with the monthly averaged sunspot areas, there is a slight anti-correlation between the two during solar maximum The Kodaikanal data archive is hosted at http://kso.iiap.res.in. The long time sequence of the Kodaikanal white light images provides a consistent data set for sunspot areas and other proxies. Many studies can be performed using Kodaikanal data alone without requiring intercalibration between different data sources.Comment: 9 pages, A&A(accepted

Study of diagnostic importance of fine needle aspiration cytology in various body lesions in a predominantly rural mountainous region of Jammu and Kashmir, G.M.C Doda, India

Background: Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology (FNAC) is a procedure of choice as the first line of investigation in diagnosing non-neoplastic and neoplastic swellings of different areas as it has been found to be highly accurate and very useful, cost effective, offer early diagnosis after presentation and  treatment. In this present study in Department of pathology, data was collected and scrutinized. Cytology of various sites including breast, head and neck, salivary glands, thyroid, lymph nodes, etc. was done.Methods: FNAC is performed with the help of 21-22-gauge needle attached with 20 ml syringe by taking all aseptic precautions. Total of 70 cases were collected over a period of 4 months from April 2019 to July 2019.Results: Out of total 70 samples maximum number of cases were found in 21-30 years of age (16 cases); Males were 34(49%) and females were 36(51%) in number. 38 cases (54%) were non-neoplastic ,23 cases (33%) were neoplastic and in 9 cases (13%) no opinion was made. This study included 70 cytologically diagnosed cases. Out of which 38 cases (54%) were non-neoplastic, 23 cases (33%) neoplastic and in 9 cases (13%) no possible opinion could be made due to a number of factors like: Material not corresponding of representative area, small size of lesion, wrong technique, cystic areas, hemorrhage and necrosis and small foci of neoplastic lesion.Conclusions: Even though a number of limitations, FNAC has high accuracy in diagnosing benign and malignant lesions of various sites and thus reduces the period between presentation of tumours and their diagnosis which results in early management

Giant pleomorphic adenoma of submandibular salivary gland: a case report

The most common benign salivary gland tumor is the pleomorphic adenoma (PA). They can attain grotesque proportions and weigh several kilograms. They can cause facial disfigurement and, if untreated, could lead to airway compromise. Authors report a case of a large PA arising from the right submandibular salivary gland in a 48-year-old male. The lesion measured 9cmx8cmx5cm

Atraumatic spontaneous swelling of sternoclavicular joint: a case report

Atraumatic spontaneous swelling of the Sternoclavicular Joint (SCJ) is not very common in elderly women. The SCJ is an integral part of the shoulder girdle that connects the upper limb to the axial skeleton. Trauma, degeneration, infections and other disease processes that affect synovial joints are the common causes of swelling of the SCJ. Here authors report a case of nontraumatic spontaneous anterior subluxation of the sternoclavicular joint in 66-year-old women without any underlying pathology who presented with sudden onset of a nontender swelling in the suprasternal area. The patient was treated conservatively and remained asymptomatic throughout 6 months follow up

Rod photoreceptors drive circadian photoentrainment across a wide range of light intensities.

In mammals, synchronization of the circadian pacemaker in the hypothalamus is achieved through direct input from the eyes conveyed by intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs). Circadian photoentrainment can be maintained by rod and cone photoreceptors, but their functional contributions and their retinal circuits that impinge on ipRGCs are not well understood. Using mice that lack functional rods or in which rods are the only functional photoreceptors, we found that rods were solely responsible for photoentrainment at scotopic light intensities. Rods were also capable of driving circadian photoentrainment at photopic intensities at which they were incapable of supporting a visually guided behavior. Using mice in which cone photoreceptors were ablated, we found that rods signal through cones at high light intensities, but not at low light intensities. Thus, rods use two distinct retinal circuits to drive ipRGC function to support circadian photoentrainment across a wide range of light intensities

Epidemiological Characteristics of Poliomyelitis During the 21st Century (2000-2013)

Poliovirus is the pathogenic agent of paralytic poliomyelitis that belongs to the picornaviridae family. Poliomyelitis has an extended history dating over to the Egyptian eighteenth dynasty. It was recognized as distinct disease in the late nineteenth century when the world was ravaged by large number of outbreaks and epidemics in many countries. Paralytic Polio, the rarest but the most severe form of the disease, is characterized by acute flaccid paralysis of any or rarely both of the limbs. Increasing epidemics during the late 19th and 20th centuries lead to the initiation of a worldwide global effort for polio eradication in 1988, super headed by WHO and various other organizations. The launch of Global Polio Eradication Initiative together with the introduction of two polio vaccines resulted in 99% reduction of wild poliovirus cases worldwide while the total number of polio-endemic countries dropped from 24 countries in the year 2000 to only three countries in 2012; Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan. This review will focus on the general biology of poliovirus, some historic and geographic epidemiological aspects of poliomyelitis eradication during the year 2000-2012 and also on the major failing factors associated with the efficiency of the vaccines to eradicate polio in Pakistan

Role of bronchoalveolar lavage, transbronchial needle aspiration with bronchial biopsy correlation in lung tumours and immunohistochemistry wherever required

Background: Lung cancer is most frequently diagnosed major cancer in the world and the most common cause of cancer mortality worldwide. It comprises about 17% of the total new cancer cases in males and 23% of the total cancer deaths. The objectives of this study were to compare bronchial biopsy, BAL and TBNA in diagnosing lung malignancies and IHC wherever required.Methods: The study was conducted at Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences Srinagar, India in the department of Pathology. It was a prospective study over a period of 1½ years from June 2015 to December 2016. All patients clinically/ radiologically suspected of lung malignancies who presented between June 2015 to December 2016 and underwent bronchial biopsy, BAL (washings) and TBNA were included in the study. The study included only those cases where BAL, TBNA and bronchial biopsy were done simultaneously.Results: Out of a total 117 clinically suspected cases of lung cancer, tumor was found in 103 cases (103/117) by biopsy, 51 cases by BAL (51/117) and 64 cases by TBNA (64/117). The total number of false positive cases and false negative cases by BAL were 6 and 58. Sensitivity of BAL was found to be 43.69% and specificity 57.14%. The total number of false positive cases and false negative cases by TBNA were 7 and 46. Sensitivity and specificity of TBNA was found to be 55.34% and 50.0%.Conclusions: Thus, in the present study yield of diagnosis was highest with the bronchoscopic biopsies and in maximum number of cases with a sensitivity of 88.034%, and specific histologic diagnosis was made by biopsies and IHC only. Though BAL and TBNA were inferior to bronchial biopsy in diagnosing lung malignancies but these were effective for peripheral lung malignancies and when the patient was at risk of haemorrhage

Cortical synaptogenesis and excitatory synapse number are determined via a Neuroligin-1-dependent intercellular competition

Members of the neuroligin (NL) family of cell-adhesion proteins are found at excitatory and inhibitory synapses and are mutated in some familial forms of autism spectrum disorders. Although they display synaptogenic properties in heterologous systems, a function of NLs in vivo in regulating synapse formation and synapse number has been difficult to establish. Here we show that neuroligin-1 (NL1), which is located at excitatory post-synaptic densities, does regulate activity-dependent synaptogenesis as well as mature synapse number on cortical layer 2/3 pyramidal neurons in vivo. However, synapse number is not sensitive to absolute NL1 levels but rather to transcellular differences in the relative amounts of NL1. These effects are independent of the cell-autonomous regulation of NMDA-type glutamate receptors by absolute levels of NL1. Our data indicate that transcellular competitive processes govern synapse formation and number in developing cortex and that NL1 plays a central function in these processes

Host macrophage response to injectable hydrogels derived from ECM and α-helical peptides

Tissue engineering materials play a key role in how closely the complex architectural and functional characteristics of native healthy tissue can be replicated. Traditional natural and synthetic materials are superseded by bespoke materials that cross the boundary between these two categories. Here we present hydrogels that are derived from decellularised extracellular matrix and those that are synthesised from de novo α-helical peptides. We assess in vitro activation of murine macrophages to our hydrogels and whether these gels induce an M1-like or M2-like phenotype. This was followed by the in vivo immune macrophage response to hydrogels injected into rat partial-thickness abdominal wall defects. Over 28 days we observe an increase in mononuclear cell infiltration at the hydrogel-tissue interface without promoting a foreign body reaction and see no evidence of hydrogel encapsulation or formation of multinucleate giant cells. We also note an upregulation of myogenic differentiation markers and the expression of anti-inflammatory markers Arginase1, IL-10, and CD206, indicating pro-remodelling for all injected hydrogels. Furthermore, all hydrogels promote an anti-inflammatory environment after an initial spike in the pro-inflammatory phenotype. No difference between the injected site and the healthy tissue is seen after 28 days, indicating full integration. These materials offer great potential for future applications in regenerative medicine and towards unmet clinical needs

Unravelling the photoprotection properties of garden cress sprout extract

Plants, as with humans, require photoprotection against the potentially damaging effects of overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Previously, sinapoyl malate (SM) was identified as the photoprotective agent in thale cress. Here, we seek to identify the photoprotective agent in a similar plant, garden cress, which is currently used in the skincare product Detoxophane nc. To achieve this, we explore the photodynamics of both the garden cress sprout extract and Detoxophane nc with femtosecond transient electronic absorption spectroscopy. With the assistance of liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, we determine that the main UV-absorbing compound in garden cress sprout extract is SM. Importantly, our studies reveal that the photoprotection properties of the SM in the garden cress sprout extract present in Detoxophane nc are not compromised by the formulation environment. The result suggests that Detoxophane nc containing the garden cress sprout extract may offer additional photoprotection to the end user in the form of a UV filter booster