Marcus Gunn Jaw Winking Phenomenon with Cortical Malformation

Indian Journal of Pediatrics -     

Extent of re-excision,sequence/timing of salvage re-irradiation,and disease-free interval impact upon clinical outcomes in recurrent/progressive ependymoma

Journal of Neuro-Oncology - To report clinical outcomes of salvage re-irradiation (re-RT) in recurrent/progressive ependymoma. Medical records of patients treated with curative-intent re-RT as...     

True thymic hyperplasia causing pure red cell aplasia: a case report

Pure red cell aplasia caused by true thymic hyperplasia is extremely rare. We report the case of a 25-year-old female diagnosed with pure red cell aplasia. Following a thymectomy confirming true thymic hyperplasia and corticosteroid therapy, complete response was achieved. Patients diagnosed with pure red cell aplasia should be investigated with a computerized tomographic scan to assess for thymic pathology and if present, this should be resected. Follow-up is essential to monitor for recurrence.     

Bacterial and fungal co-infection is a major barrier in COVID-19 patients: A specific management and therapeutic strategy is required

Microbial co-infections are another primary concern in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), yet it is an untouched area among researchers. Preliminary data and systematic reviews only show the type of pathogens responsible for that, but its pathophysiology is still unknown. Studies show that these microbial co-infections are hospital-acquired/nosocomial infections, and patients admitted to intensive care units with invasive mechanical ventilation are highly susceptible to it. Patients with COVID-19 had elevated inflammatory cytokines and a weakened cell-mediated immune response, with lower CD4⁺ T and CD8⁺ T cell counts, indicating vulnerability to various co-infections. Despite this, there are only a few studies that recommend the management of co-infections.     

Non-destructive measurement technique for water content in organic solvents based on a thermal approach

The water content of organic solvents is one of the crucial properties that affect the quality of the products and the efficiency of the manufacturing processes. The established water determination methods such as Karl Fischer titration and gas chromatography require skilled operators, specific reagents, and prolonged measurement time. Thus, they are not suitable for both on-line and in-line applications. In this study, we aim to develop a real-time and low-cost device with reliable accuracy. The proposed device based on a newly developed thermal approach could non-destructively detect the water content in multiple organic solvents at low concentrations with high accuracy and without the use of any specific reagent. Experiments were performed for the determination of water content in organic solvents such as methanol, ethanol, and isopropanol. The results show that the proposed device is feasible for the water content determination in methanol, ethanol, and isopropanol at 0–1% w/w. A Bland–Altman plot to illustrate the differences in measurements between the proposed device and coulometric Karl Fischer titration shows that most of the measurements lie within the limits of agreement where 95% of the differences between the two methods are expected to fall in the range of −0.13% and 0.09%.

The proposed device could non-destructively detect the water content in organic solvents at low concentrations with high accuracy and without any specific reagent. It could determine the water content in methanol, ethanol, and isopropanol at 0–1% w/w.     

The Impact of “COVID-19” and “Webinar Pandemic” on Plastic Surgery Practice in Teaching Institutes and Resident Training—A Multicentric Perspective

Introduction  The study was carried out to quantify the changes induced by the pandemic in plastic surgery practice and training and to study the impact of the webinars on plastic surgery education from a residents’ perspective. Methods  In this multicentric study, the number and type of surgeries, cause of injuries, and their regional variation during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) period (February–September 2020) were compared with pre–COVID-19 time. An online survey on the impact of webinars was conducted for plastic surgery trainees across the country. Results  There was a significant reduction in total number of surgeries ( p = 0.003). The procedures for hand ( p = 0.156), faciomaxillary injuries ( p = 0.25), and replantations ( p = 0.46) were comparable; there was a significant reduction in combined orthopedic-plastic-surgical procedures ( p = 0.009) during the pandemic. There was a significant reduction in road accidents ( p = 0.007) and suicidal injuries ( p = 0.002) and increase in assault ( p = 0.03) and domestic accidents ( p = 0.01) during the COVID-19 period. A usefulness score of >8 was given for the webinars by 68.7% residents. There was no significant difference in perception of utility when correlated with the academic program at their institutes ( p = 0.109); 92% opined webinars should continue in post-COVID times. Conclusion  There was a drastic reduction in number of elective and emergency procedures during the COVID-19 time, negatively affecting resident training program. Majority of residents felt that webinars could prove a useful adjunct to training in formal training program in post-COVID-19 scenario.     

Isolation of hypoglycemic phytoconstituent from Swietenia macrophylla seeds

The present study was undertaken to isolate a novel antidiabetic molecule from Swietenia macrophylla seeds. The hydroalcohol extract of Swietenia macrophylla seeds was subjected for bioassay guided isolation employing glucose utilization assay by the isolated rat hemi‐diaphragm method in vitro. One tetranortriterpenoid, swietenine, isolated from the chloroform fraction exhibited significant (p < 0.01) activity and the effect was comparable to that of human insulin (p < 0.01). Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

In vivo effects of anti-leprosy drugs on the rat peritoneal macrophages and lymphocyte subpopulations.

The present study describes the in vivo effects of anti-leprosy drugs on rat peritoneal macrophages and T-cell homeostasis. It was observed that BCG-elicited rat peritoneal macrophages produced more H2O2 and expressed more Ia antigen on their cell surfaces compared with resident peritoneal macrophages. Furthermore, elicited macrophages isolated from rats administered multidrug therapy (MDT), consisting of dapsone, clofazimine and rifampicin in high dose (10 x MDT) released more O2-. On the contrary, there was a significant decrease in the Ia antigen expression on these macrophages. Anti-leprosy drug treatment in high dose (10 x MDT) decreased the total number of blood T-helper (W3/25+) cells and increased the total number of blood T-suppressor (OX-8+) cells which resulted in a significant decrease in a W3/25: OX-8 ratio. Electron microscopy of elicited macrophages isolated from 10 x MDT treated rats showed development of many filipodia compared with control macrophages. These data show that 10 x MDT treatment in rats for 1 month alters the homeostasis of blood T-cell subpopulations which perhaps decreases the Ia expression on macrophages. However, the increase in O2- production and the appearance of filipodia on the macrophages is due to a direct effect of drugs on the macrophages. MDT treatment for 1 month in a therapeutic dose has no effect on the above-mentioned parameters.     

Trimodal therapy vs. radical cystectomy for muscle-invasive bladder cancer: A Markov microsimulation model

IntroductionRadical cystectomy (RC) is the historic gold standard treatment for muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC), but trimodal therapy (TMT) has emerged as a valid therapeutic option for select patients. Given that prospective clinical trials have been difficult to perform in this area, our aim was to compare these two primary treatment strategies using decision analytic methods.MethodA two-dimensional Markov microsimulation model was constructed using TreeAge Pro to compare RC and TMT for patients with newly diagnosed MIBC. A comprehensive literature search was used to populate model probabilities and utilities. Our primary outcome was quality-adjusted life expectancy (QALE). Secondary outcomes included crude life expectancy (LE) and bladder cancer recurrences. The simulated patient for our model was an adult with MIBC (pT2-4 N0 M0) who was a candidate for either RC or TMT.ResultsA total of 500 000 patients were simulated. TMT resulted in an estimated mean QALE of 7.48 vs. 7.41 for RC. However, the average LE for patients treated with TMT was lower compared with RC (10.20 vs. 10.74 years). A sensitivity analysis evaluating the impact of age showed that younger patients treated with RC had greater QALE and longer LE than those treated with TMT; inverse findings were observed for elderly patients. Overall, 39.4% of patients treated with TMT experienced a bladder recurrence.ConclusionsRC results in a longer LE compared to TMT (0.54 years), but with a lower QALE (−0.07 years). The preferred treatment strategy varied with patient age.