Maternal outcome amongst all deliveries of nullipara in spontaneous labor at term ≥37 weeks at a tertiary health care center in south Gujarat, India

Background: Since last one decade there is rising concern over increasing rate of caesarean section in all over world, especially among nulliparous women. The national prevalence of CS in India has modestly increased over the past 25 years. According to data from the National Family Health Survey, the national CS rate in 1992-93 was 2.6% and rose to 17.2% in 2015-16. Study objective was to evaluate fetomaternal outcome of Nullipara >=37wks pregnancy in spontaneous labor. Methods: This prospective observational study was done at Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department of New Civil Hospital Surat for 6 months period after official approval from Ethical Committee. Results: In my study 65% subjects had normal vaginal delivery, 34% subjects had cesarean section and 1% had operative vaginal delivery. In comparison between total no. Of ANC visit and postpartum/intrapartum complication p-value is 0.003 which is p <0.05, which is significant, which suggests that women with 4 or less total ANC visits have higher risk of developing postpartum/intrapartum complication than women with more than 4 total ANC visits. Conclusions: The primary caesarean section among nulliparous singleton pregnancy with spontaneous labor is an important contributor to overall caesarean section of the health institute. The main indication for caesarean section were fetal distress, cephalo-pelvic disproportion and meconium stained liquor in early phase of labor. There is need to develop standard clinical protocol for management of these conditions and to promote vaginal delivery in nulliparous singleton pregnancy with spontaneous labor in eligible

Experiments and Simulations of short-pulse laser-pumped extreme ultraviolet lasers

Recent experimental work on the development of extreme ultraviolet lasers undertaken using as the pumping source the VULCAN laser at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory is compared to detailed simulations. It is shown that short duration (similar topicosecond) pumping can produce X-ray laser pulses of a few picosecond duration and that measurement of the emission from the plasma can give an estimate of the duration of the gain coefficient. The Ehybrid fluid and atomic physics code developed at the University of York is used to simulate X-ray laser gain and plasma emission. Two postprocessors to the Ehybrid code are utilized: 1) to raytrace the X-ray laser beam amplification and refraction and 2) to calculate the radiation emission in the kiloelectronvolt photon energy range. The raytracing and spectral simulations are compared, respectively, to measured X-ray laser output and the output of two diagnostics recording transverse X-ray emission. The pumping laser energy absorbed in the plasma is examined by comparing the simulations to experimental results. It is shown that at high pumping irradiance (>10(15) Wcm(-2)), fast electrons are produced by parametric processes in the preformed long scale-length plasmas. These fast electrons do not pump the population inversion and so pumping efficiency is reduced at high irradiance

Raman Spectroscopy Study of alpha-, beta-, gamma-NaxCoO2 and gamma-(Ca,Sr)xCoO2

Raman spectroscopy measurements have been performed on alpha-, beta-, gamma-NaxCoO2 phases differing in their stacking of CoO6 octahedra along the c-axis direction. The results demonstrate that, in general, there are five active phonons for gamma-Na0.75CoO2, two Raman active phonons for alpha-NaCoO2, and four Raman active phonons for beta-NaCoO2. We have also performed Raman scattering measurements on several gamma-(Ca,Sr)xCoO2 (0.15 <= x <= 0.35) samples which show well-defined intercalated Ca/Sr-ordering. The experimental data show that the intercalated cation ordering could result in visible alterations on Raman spectral structures. The observations of the spectral changes along with the variation of the CoO6 stacking, as well as the intercalated Sr/Ca ordering suggest that the interlayer interaction plays an important role for understanding the lattice dynamics in this layered system.Comment: 23 pages, 5 figures, Physical Review B, in pres

Radiographic periapical healing associated with root treated teeth accessed through existing crowns: a historical controlled cohort study

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the periapical healing rate and complications arising from non-surgical root canal treatment (NSRCT) conducted through the existing and retained restoration, compared to that conducted after removal of restoration (direct or indirect) with subsequent placement of a new crown. / Materials and methods: Two-hundred-and-forty-five teeth met the inclusion criteria and were followed up for 2 years. One-hundred-and-six teeth had NSRCT completed through existing cast restorations, and 57 and 82 had the existing crowns and direct restorations removed (respectively) and received a new crown after NSRCT. Periapical healing was assessed radiographically using strict (complete healing) and loose (complete and incomplete healing) criteria. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to investigate the effect of prior restoration removal on periapical healing following NSRCT, adjusting for potential confounding (p < 0.05). / Results: There was no significant (p > 0.05) difference in the periapical healing rates amongst teeth accessed through existing crowns (72%, 90%) versus those where crowns (79%, 93%) or direct restorations (77%, 90%) were removed for NSRCT. The findings were adjusted for the significant influencing factor: size of pre-operative radiolucency (p < 0.05). Of the 109 teeth that were initially accessed through existing crowns, 9 (8%) displayed porcelain fracture or crown de-cementation. / Conclusion: Performing root canal treatment through an existing full coverage restoration did not compromise periapical healing and was associated with a low incidence of associated complications. / Clinical relevance: Crown removal before NSRCT is not mandatory for periapical healing but requires a judicious pre-assessment of current and future marginal and restorative integrity

Enhanced He-alpha emission from "smoked" Ti targets irradiated with 400nm, 45 fs laser pulses

We present a study of He-like 1s(2)-1s2p line emission from solid and low-density Ti targets under similar or equal to 45 fs laser pulse irradiation with a frequency doubled Ti: Sapphire laser. By varying the beam spot, the intensity on target was varied from 10(15) W/cm(2) to 10(19) W/cm(2). At best focus, low density "smoked" Ti targets yield similar to 20 times more He-alpha than the foil targets when irradiated at an angle of 45 degrees with s-polarized pulses. The duration of He-alpha emission from smoked targets, measured with a fast streak camera, was similar to that from Ti foils

Thoracic outlet syndrome following breast implant rupture

Case ReportWe present a patient with bilateral breast implant rupture who developed severe locoregional silicone granulomatous lymphadenopathy. Poly Implant Prothese silicone implants had been used for bilateral breast augmentation 5 years prior. Extracapsular implant rupture and bilateral axillary lymphadenopathy indicated explantation, capsulectomy, and selective lymph node excision. Histology demonstrated silicone lymphadenopathy with no evidence of malignancy. Over the subsequent 12 months, she developed progressive locoregional lymphadenopathy involving bilateral cervical, axillary, and internal mammary groups, resulting in bilateral thoracic outlet syndrome. We report the unusual presentation, progression, and the ultimate surgical management of this patient.Raakhi Mistry, Yugesh Caplash, Pratyush Giri, Daniel Kearney, Marcus Wagstaf

Highly selective plasma-activated copper catalystsfor carbon dioxide reduction to ethylene

There is an urgent need to develop technologies that use renewable energy to convert waste products such as carbon dioxide into hydrocarbon fuels. Carbon dioxide can be electrochemically reduced to hydrocarbons over copper catalysts, although higher efficiency is required. We have developed oxidized copper catalysts displaying lower overpotentials for carbon dioxide electroreduction and record selectivity towards ethylene (60%) through facile and tunable plasma treatments. Herein we provide insight into the improved performance of these catalysts by combining electrochemical measurements with microscopic and spectroscopic characterization techniques. Operando X-ray absorption spectroscopy and cross-sectional scanning transmission electron microscopy show that copper oxides are surprisingly resistant to reduction and copper+ species remain on the surface during the reaction. Our results demonstrate that the roughness of oxide-derived copper catalysts plays only a partial role in determining the catalytic performance, while the presence of copper+ is key for lowering the onset potential and enhancing ethylene selectivity

Identification of ER-000444793, a Cyclophilin D-independent inhibitor of mitochondrial permeability transition, using a high-throughput screen in cryopreserved mitochondria

Growing evidence suggests persistent mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) opening is a key pathophysiological event in cell death underlying a variety of diseases. While it has long been clear the mPTP is a druggable target, current agents are limited by off-target effects and low therapeutic efficacy. Therefore identification and development of novel inhibitors is necessary. To rapidly screen large compound libraries for novel mPTP modulators, a method was exploited to cryopreserve large batches of functionally active mitochondria from cells and tissues. The cryopreserved mitochondria maintained respiratory coupling and ATP synthesis, Ca(2+) uptake and transmembrane potential. A high-throughput screen (HTS), using an assay of Ca(2+)-induced mitochondrial swelling in the cryopreserved mitochondria identified ER-000444793, a potent inhibitor of mPTP opening. Further evaluation using assays of Ca(2+)-induced membrane depolarisation and Ca(2+) retention capacity also indicated that ER-000444793 acted as an inhibitor of the mPTP. ER-000444793 neither affected cyclophilin D (CypD) enzymatic activity, nor displaced of CsA from CypD protein, suggesting a mechanism independent of CypD inhibition. Here we identified a novel, CypD-independent inhibitor of the mPTP. The screening approach and compound described provides a workflow and additional tool to aid the search for novel mPTP modulators and to help understand its molecular nature