Photoemission studies of the near Fermi level spectral weight shifts in FeSe1-xTex superconductor

Our valence band photoelectron spectroscopic studies show a temperature dependent spectral weight transfer near the Fermi level in the Fe-based superconductor FeSe1-xTex. Using theoretical band structure calculations we have shown that the weight transfer is due to the temperature induced changes in the Fe(Se,Te)4 tetrahedra. These structural changes lead to shifts in the electron occupancy from the xz/yz and x2-y2 orbitals to the 3z2-r2 orbitals indicating a temperature induced crossover from a metallic state to an Orbital Selective Mott (OSM) Phase. Our study presents the observation of a temperature induced crossover to a low temperature OSM phase in the family of Fe chalcogenides.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figure

Concomitant CIS on TURBT does not impact oncological outcomes in patients treated with neoadjuvant or induction chemotherapy followed by radical cystectomy

© Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2018Background: Cisplatin-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) for muscle invasive bladder cancer improves all-cause and cancer specific survival. We aimed to evaluate whether the detection of carcinoma in situ (CIS) at the time of initial transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT) has an oncological impact on the response to NAC prior to radical cystectomy. Patients and methods: Patients were identified retrospectively from 19 centers who received at least three cycles of NAC or induction chemotherapy for cT2-T4aN0-3M0 urothelial carcinoma of the bladder followed by radical cystectomy between 2000 and 2013. The primary and secondary outcomes were pathological response and overall survival, respectively. Multivariable analysis was performed to determine the independent predictive value of CIS on these outcomes. Results: Of 1213 patients included in the analysis, 21.8% had concomitant CIS. Baseline clinical and pathologic characteristics of the ‘CIS’ versus ‘no-CIS’ groups were similar. The pathological response did not differ between the two arms when response was defined as pT0N0 (17.9% with CIS vs 21.9% without CIS; p = 0.16) which may indicate that patients with CIS may be less sensitive to NAC or ≤ pT1N0 (42.8% with CIS vs 37.8% without CIS; p = 0.15). On Cox regression model for overall survival for the cN0 cohort, the presence of CIS was not associated with survival (HR 0.86 (95% CI 0.63–1.18; p = 0.35). The presence of LVI (HR 1.41, 95% CI 1.01–1.96; p = 0.04), hydronephrosis (HR 1.63, 95% CI 1.23–2.16; p = 0.001) and use of chemotherapy other than ddMVAC (HR 0.57, 95% CI 0.34–0.94; p = 0.03) were associated with shorter overall survival. For the whole cohort, the presence of CIS was also not associated with survival (HR 1.05 (95% CI 0.82–1.35; p = 0.70). Conclusion: In this multicenter, real-world cohort, CIS status at TURBT did not affect pathologic response to neoadjuvant or induction chemotherapy. This study is limited by its retrospective nature as well as variability in chemotherapy regimens and surveillance regimens.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

Post-Partum Pituitary Insufficiency and Livedo Reticularis Presenting a Diagnostic Challenge in a Resource Limited Setting in Tanzania: A Case Report, Clinical Discussion and Brief Review of Existing Literature.

Pituitary disorders following pregnancy are an important yet under reported clinical entity in the developing world. Conversely, post partum panhypopituitarism has a more devastating impact on women in such settings due to high fertility rates, poor obstetric care and scarcity of diagnostic and therapeutic resources available. A 37 year old African female presented ten years post partum with features of multiple endocrine deficiencies including hypothyroidism, hypoadrenalism, lactation failure and secondary amenorrhea. In addition she had clinical features of an underlying autoimmune condition. These included a history of post-partum thyroiditis, alopecia areata, livedo reticularis and deranged coagulation indices. A remarkable clinical response followed appropriate hormone replacement therapy including steroids. This constellation has never been reported before; we therefore present an interesting clinical discussion including a brief review of existing literature. Post partum pituitary insufficiency is an under-reported condition of immense clinical importance especially in the developing world. A high clinical index of suspicion is vital to ensure an early and correct diagnosis which will have a direct bearing on management and patient outcome

Osmotic controlled drug delivery system (OSMO technology) and its impact on diabetes care

Recently, focus on the development of controlled release drug delivery system has increased, as existing drugs exhibit certain pharmacokinetic limitations. The major goal of designing sustained release formulations is to improve the drug performance by prolonged duration of drug action, decreased frequency of dosing and reduced side effects by using smallest quantity of drug administered by the most suitable route. Osmotic-controlled release oral delivery system (OSMO technology) is the most promising strategy based system for sustained delivery of drug. Drug can be delivered in a controlled manner over a long period of time by the process of osmosis. Osmotic drug delivery system appears to be a promising solution for the limitations of conventional extended release formulations by virtue of their distinguished technological features. The present review describes briefly about various controlled drug delivery systems with special focus on advantages of osmotic-controlled release oral delivery system related to diabetes therapy and improved compliance

The burden of diabetes mellitus during pregnancy in low- and middle-income countries : a systematic review

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

New trends in microbiological water treatment

Clean water is essential to human life as well as the rest of the ecosystem. Nowadays, we are experiencing difficulties in responding to the increasing demand for reliable water sources. There are many approaches available for the disinfection of water. Each method has some practical difficulties and disadvantages. Nanotechnology is an emerging advanced technology with significant potential in various fields including solving water purification problems. Using nanotechnology methods it is possible to convert metal ions into nanoparticles for medical and non-medical [1] applications. The major property that makes nanoparticles attractive is that they are extremely small in size (1-100nm), which provides them with a higher surface area per unit mass. Nanomaterials often show unique and considerably enhanced physical, chemical and biological properties compared to their macro-scaled counterpart

Childhood trauma fatality and resource allocation in injury control programs in a developing country

BACKGROUND: Only a few studies have addressed the trimodal distribution of childhood trauma fatalities in lesser developed countries. We conducted this study to evaluate pre-hospital, Emergency Department (ED) and in-hospital distribution of childhood injury-related death for each mechanism of injury in Tehran, Iran. This information will be used for the efficient allocation of the limited injury control resources in the city. METHODS: We used Tehran's Legal Medicine Organization (LMO) database. This is the largest and the most complete database that receives information about trauma fatalities from more than 100 small and large hospitals in Tehran. We reviewed all the medical records and legal documents of the deceased registered in LMO from September 1999 to September 2000. Demographic and injury related characteristics of the children 15 years old or younger were extracted from the records. RESULTS: Ten percent of the 4,233 trauma deaths registered in LMO occurred among children 15 years old or younger. Motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) (50%), burns (18%), falls (6%) and poisonings (6%) were the most common mechanisms of unintentional fatal injuries. Prehospital, emergency department and hospital deaths comprised 42%, 20% and 37% of the trauma fatalities, respectively. While, more than 80% of fatal injuries due to poisoning and drowning occurred in prehospital setting, 92% of burn-related fatalities happened after hospital admission. CONCLUSION: Injury prevention is the single most important solution for controlling trauma fatalities due to poisoning and drowning. Improvements in the quality of care in hospitals and intensive care units might substantially alleviate the magnitude of the problem due to burns. Improvements in prehospital and ED care might significantly decrease MVC and falls-related fatalities

Detection of mecA gene of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus by PCR assay from raw milk

The occurrence of Staphylococcus aureus and MRSA in foods of animal origin, pose a serious threat to the well- being of humans due to innumerable clinical implications. There is a potential risk of transmission of S. aureus and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus transmission to humans through raw milk if consumed without maintaining adequate hygienic standards. This study was conducted to assess the prevalence of S. aureus and MRSA from raw milk samples vis-à-vis their phenotypic and genotypic characterization for antimicrobial resistance pattern and presence of mecA gene in raw milk samples of cattle, buffalo and goat in the Jammu city of Jammu and Kashmir. Samples (60) were subjected to California mastitis test to check for their mastitic status. The organisms were cultured and identified on the basis of their cultural, morphological, staining and various biochemical characteristics. The amplification of the mecA gene generated a product with a band size of 533bp upon agarose gel electrophoresis. The S. aureus prevalence was 60, 52 and 60% in raw milk of cattle, buffalo and goat, respectively. Out of 34 S. aureus isolates, 44.1% were MRSA positive