Holocord low grade astrocytoma – Role of radical irradiation and chemotherapy

AbstractSpinal intradural tumors, especially those extending along the entire length of the spinal cord, termed as ‘holocord’ tumors are uncommon. Most of these are gliomas, with astrocytomas (low grade) predominating in children and ependymomas in adults. Other histologies, though reported, are even rarer. Management is debatable, with both surgery and radiotherapy of such extensive tumors posing challenges. We describe a case of a 14-year-old girl with holocord astrocytoma extending from cervicomedullary junction till lumbar spine, who recovered full neurological function following radical irradiation of entire spine followed by temozolomide-based chemotherapy. No grade 3/4 bone marrow morbidity was seen. Five years following treatment, she maintained normal neurological function and apparently normal pubertal and skeletal growth despite residual disease visible on imaging. Literature review of existing reports of holocord astrocytomas highlighting management and outcome is presented

Analysis and Design of a Two Stage CMOS OP-AMP with 180nm using Miller Compensation Technique

With the continuous growing trend towards the reduced supply voltage and transistor channel length, designing of high performance analog integrated circuits such as operational amplifier in CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) technology becomes more critical. In this paper the two stage CMOS Operational amplifier (op-amp) has been designed using miller compensation technique which operates at 2.5V. Miller compensation technique has been employed with two approaches, first is using single miller compensation capacitor whereas second approach uses single miller compensation capacitor in series with nulling resistor. To achieve increased phase margin which indicate stability of a system, new design has been proposed with the help of second approach. The simulation was performed using TSMC 180nm CMOS process and design has been carried out in tanner EDA tool. DOI: 10.17762/ijritcc2321-8169.160410

Reviews Left and Right: The Link Between Reviewers’ Political Ideology and Online Review Language

Online reviews, i.e., evaluations of products and services posted on websites, are ubiquitous. Prior research observed substantial variance in the language of such online reviews and linked it to downstream consequences like perceived helpfulness. However, the understanding of why the language of reviews varies is limited. This is problematic because it might have vital implications for the design of IT systems and user interactions. To improve the understanding of online review language, the paper proposes that consumers’ personality, as reflected in their political ideology, is a predictor of such online review language. Specifically, it is hypothesized that reviewers’ political ideology as measured by degree of conservatism on a liberal–conservative spectrum is negatively related to review depth (the number of words and the number of arguments in a review), cognitively complex language in reviews, diversity of arguments, and positive valence in language. Support for these hypotheses is obtained through the analysis of a unique dataset that links a sample of online reviews to reviewers’ political ideology as inferred from their online news consumption recorded in clickstream data

Magnetoelectric Composites-Based Energy Harvesters

Electrical energy generation from renewable resources has been a quest in the last few decades to meet the energy demand of electrical appliances and gadgets. More importantly, portable gadgets and devices, wireless sensors, etc., which rely on batteries require intermittent charging, and it is difficult to find an omnipresent continuous electrical energy source connected to a power station for these batteries. Alternate to these power stations connected to electrical energy sources is harvesting the energy from omnipresent mechanical and acoustic vibrations and AC magnetic field. Energy harvesting from these waste energy resources is possible using piezoelectric and magnetoelectric materials. This chapter would discuss in detail various mechanisms and stimuli, which may be synergistically used to harvest energy from piezoelectric materials-based energy harvesters

Transarticular screw fixation for atlantoaxial instability - modified Magerl's technique in 38 patients

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Symptomatic atlantoaxial instability needs stabilization of the atlantoaxial joint. Among the various techniques described in literature for the fixation of atlantoaxial joint, Magerl's technique of transarticular screw fixation remains the gold standard. Traditionally this technique combines placement of transarticular screws and posterior wiring construct. The aim of this study is to evaluate clinical and radiological outcomes in subjects of atlantoaxial instability who were operated using transarticular screws and iliac crest bone graft, without the use of sublaminar wiring (a modification of Magerl's technique).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We evaluated retrospectively 38 subjects with atlantoaxial instability who were operated at our institute using transarticular screw fixation. The subjects were followed up for pain, fusion rates, neurological status and radiographic outcomes. Final outcome was graded both subjectively and objectively, using the scoring system given by Grob et al.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Instability in 34 subjects was secondary to trauma, in 3 due to rheumatoid arthritis and 1 had tuberculosis. Neurological deficit was present in 17 subjects. Most common presenting symptom was neck pain, present in 35 of the 38 subjects.</p> <p>Postoperatively residual neck and occipital pain was present in 8 subjects. Neurological deficit persisted in only 7 subjects. Vertebral artery injury was seen in 3 subjects. None of these subjects had any sign of neurological deficit or vertebral insufficiency. Three cases had nonunion. At the latest follow up, subjectively, 24 subjects had good result, 6 had fair and 8 had bad result. On objective grading, 24 had good result, 11 had fair and 3 had bad result. The mean follow up duration was 41 months.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Transarticular screw fixation is an excellent technique for fusion of the atlantoaxial complex. It provides highest fusion rates, and is particularly important in subjects at risk for nonunion. Omitting the posterior wiring construct that has been used along with the bone graft in the traditional Magerl' s technique achieves equally good fusion rates and is an important modification, thereby avoiding the complications of sublaminar wire passage.</p

THE COST OF SHARING: THE EFFECT OF SHARING INCLINATION ON INFORMATION OVERLOAD

Current research on social media emphasizes that sharing information comes with great benefits to the individual who shares. In this paper, we adopt a different perspective by arguing that individuals with a high inclination to share information through social media also incur substantial cognitive costs. In particular, we hypothesize that during two phases of the sharing process, information appraisal and asynchronous interactivity, the sharer is confronted with information processing requirements that con-siderably draw on his or her limited cognitive capacity and thus increase the likelihood of experiencing information overload. We furthermore argue that this effect is more pronounced for individuals with a high compared to low need for cognition because they feel particularly motivated to process infor-mation. Our hypotheses are supported by a large survey-generated dataset (n=30,392) from six coun-tries. We additionally find a positive direct effect of need for cognition on information overload. We discuss contributions to conversations on information sharing, information overload, and need for cog-nition research in the context of social media and we highlight managerial implications of our findings

Successful Percutaneous Management of LVAD Outflow Graft Stenosis: Role of Invasive Hemodynamics in Decision Making

Left ventricular assist device (LVAD) outflow graft stenosis (OGS) is a rare but lethal complication. We present a case of a 79-year-old male with pertinent past medical history of an LVAD implanted as destination therapy, stage III chronic kidney disease, and hypertension. He was admitted for low-flow alarms, and the echocardiogram showed stable right ventricle function and no pericardial effusion. Invasive hemodynamic assessments demonstrated a peak-to-peak gradient of 90 mm Hg in the outflow graft between the mid and distal ends of the graft on pullback. Contrast angiography confirmed OGS. The OGS was successfully treated with a VBX-covered stent (Gore). OGS should be considered when low flow alarms are found in patients with LVADs