Colorectal polyps and heterotrophic esophageal polyp of colon in a paediatric cohort in South India

Background: Clinical profile of polyps in paediatric cases are less in South India. Juvenile Polyps were the most common polyps in paediatric cases described in literature, presenting as LGI bleed. The aim of the study is to describe the clinical profile of colorectal polyps in paediatric population in a single tertiary care centre in South India.Methods: Paediatric cases between 0 and 16 years of age who underwent colonoscopy in our department from January 2002 to July 2018 were included from database. These cases were retrospectively analysed for presence of polyps, clinical presentation, indication for colonoscopy, histopathology of the resected polyps and other demographic details.  Incomplete procedures were excluded.Results: About 166 paediatric cases underwent colonoscopy in the study period. 21 cases (12.65%) had colorectal Polyps. 85.7% of the polyps were in recto sigmoid region. Most common histological type was Juvenile Polyp (51.6%). One infant had sessile polyp in descending colon which was reported as heterotrophic esophageal mucosa in histopathology. LGI bleed was the most common presentation in children with polyps (66.6%).Conclusions: The prevalence of polyps in our cohort was 12.65%. Solitary Juvenile Polyp was the most common polyp in children, with lower GI bleed as the most common presenting feature. Rare case of heterotrophic esophageal polyp was seen in descending colon

Unveiling mediastinal pathology: role of EUS guided fine needle aspiration in diagnosing mediastinal lesions

Background: Mediastinal lesion is the focus of investigation in diagnosis of infective, granulomatous or neoplastic pathology of respiratory system. Metastatic mediastinal node assessment is an integral part of oncological management. EUS provides access to sampling of mediastinal mass, sub-carinal and aorto-pulmonary nodes. This study aims to assess the clinical impact, diagnostic yield and safety of EUS guided FNA for mediastinal lesions.Methods: Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data of 72 cases of mediastinal lesions between January 2014 and December 2017 was done. EUS-FNA was performed with a linear echoendoscope using a 22- or 25-gauge needle. Adequacy of cellularity was assessed by on site pathologist. Patient data (demographics, intervention and follow-up) were prospectively collected and introduced in a predefined computer database for later review.Results: EUS-FNA was performed from 57 lymph nodes and 15 mediastinal masses. Adequate samples were obtained in 67 of 72 patients (93.05%). All mediastinal masses were malignant and were identified in the 3rd, 5th and 6th decade of life. Of the 57 lymph nodes, 15 were malignant, 28 had granulomatous lymphadenitis of which 16 individuals became asymptomatic after anti tubercular therapy. Sample was inadequate in 5 circumstances. No major complications were encountered with the procedure in any of the individuals.Conclusions: EUS guided tissue diagnosis is a safe technique and our data supports the use of EUS-FNA in work-up of mediastinal lesions. It is minimally invasive, accurate and has easy access to mediastinum. It has significant impact on patient diagnosis, management and should be considered over other invasive techniques

ADAPTATION OF LITTLEARS AUDITORY QUESTIONNAIRE IN TAMIL

Objectives: To adapt the LittlEARS Questionnaire in Tamil language and evaluate it in Tamil speaking cochlear implant children. Methods: LEAQ was translated to the Tamil language by a back-translation method following the guidelines of the World Health Organisation. The translated version was later administered to 100 randomly selected parents of cochlear implantees, scoring was done out of 35 for each child. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS software version 20.0 were descriptive statistics were carried out extracting the mean, standard deviation and range. Results: The results got did not significantly deviate from the normative, thus being able to quantify hierarchical auditory development skills and performance of children. Conclusion: LEAQ is a good subjective tool that can measure the outcome of cochlear implant/hearing aids, it must be translated and validated based on cultural and linguistic background.  Article visualizations

Non-functioning adrenocortical carcinoma requiring radical nephrectomy-case report with review of literature

Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is rare malignancy of the adrenal gland and is the second most aggressive endocrine malignant disease after anaplastic thyroid carcinoma. These tumours can be detected very late as majority are non-functional, i.e., does not secrete any hormones, and only present with vague symptoms. Surgical management of such tumours can be challenging as it can invade the surrounding structures making it very difficult for resection. This is a case of a 61-year male with a large non-functioning adrenal tumour which appeared to be separate from the kidney in the radiological imaging but was found stuck to the renal parenchyma posing a dilemma for the operating team

Post-harvest soil nutrient prediction in hybrid castor (Ricinus communis l.) Cropping sequence using a multivariate analysis technique

In the era of precision agriculture, the fertilizer prescription based on the soil fertility status is much required.  Analyzing the soil after each crop is necessary for fertilizer recommendation and developing an alternative technique to forecast the soil available nutrient value rather than analyzing the soil. Multiple linear regression (MLR) equation was developed using filed experiment data to predict the soil available nutrient in castor cropping sequence. The post-harvest soil available nutrient was considered as the dependent variable and the initially available soil nutrient values, fertilizer added, yield and nutrient uptake of castor as an independent variable. In general, the post-harvest soil nutrient model's prediction accuracy was notable and had a coefficient of determination of less than 0.90. By calculating the RMSE (root means square error), R2 value, the ratio performance to deviation (RPD) and, RE (relative error) the performance of the MLR model was confirmed.Using the validated model, post-harvest soil available nutrients were predicted and compared with laboratory tested soil available nutreints. It turned out that the established model is more precisely effective and equally precise. Fertilizer recommendation could be made to subsequent crop after hybrid castor using the predicted soil available nutrients

Recent Advances and Applications of Fractional-Order Neural Networks

This paper focuses on the growth, development, and future of various forms of fractional-order neural networks. Multiple advances in structure, learning algorithms, and methods have been critically investigated and summarized. This also includes the recent trends in the dynamics of various fractional-order neural networks. The multiple forms of fractional-order neural networks considered in this study are Hopfield, cellular, memristive, complex, and quaternion-valued based networks. Further, the application of fractional-order neural networks in various computational fields such as system identification, control, optimization, and stability have been critically analyzed and discussed

Development and Automation of Fixed Wing UAV for Reconnaissance Mission with FPV Capability

Today's military missions require pre-emptive knowledge of hostile activities in and around the conflict zone. Using a multi rotor UAV for Reconnaissance has many disadvantages, such as cost, range, reduced maneuverability and much more. The main objective is to make the UAV completely autonomous, with the transmitter on standby. By entering the flight plan into the Ground Control System, the UAV will complete the assigned mission autonomously and will be guided by an operational flight plan wherein active waypoints are plotted in the GCS. The GCS can be linked to the Telemetry and the Global Positioning System to have a complete knowledge of the UAV location

Lysine deacetylases and regulated glycolysis in macrophages

Regulated cellular metabolism has emerged as a fundamental process controlling macrophage functions, but there is still much to uncover about the precise signaling mechanisms involved. Lysine acetylation regulates the activity, stability, and/or localization of metabolic enzymes, as well as inflammatory responses, in macrophages. Two protein families, the classical zinc-dependent histone deacetylases (HDACs) and the NAD-dependent HDACs (sirtuins, SIRTs), mediate lysine deacetylation. We describe here mechanisms by which classical HDACs and SIRTs directly regulate specific glycolytic enzymes, as well as evidence that links these protein deacetylases to the regulation of glycolysis-related genes. In these contexts, we discuss HDACs and SIRTs as key control points for regulating immunometabolism and inflammatory outputs from macrophages