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Objective: To assess the rate of positivity of Toxoplasma gondii, Rubella, Cytomegalovirus, Herpes simplex (TORCH) pathogens in patients suffering from congenital cataract in Pakistan. Study Design: Cross sectional comparative study. Place and Duration of Study: Armed Forces Institute of Ophthalmology, Rawalpindi, from Jun 2017 to Mar 2018. Methodology: Cataract group included sixty children already diagnosed with congenital cataract and control group included 60 children not suffering from congenital cataract. Serum samples of all children were collected to test against IgG and IgM antibodies of Toxoplasma gondii, Rubella, Cytomegalo, Herpes simplex pathogens using enzyme linked immune essay (ELISA) technique. Data were analyzed observe in difference between unilateral and bilateral cataract and between cataract and control group. Results: Out of 60 children in cataract group, 29 were tested positive for Toxoplasma gondii, Rubella, Cytomegalo (CMV), Herpes simplex infections. CMV IgG antibodies were identified in 21 (35%) children followed by Rubella IgG 13 (21.7%), Toxoplasmosis IgG 8 (13.3%), CMV IgM 7 (11.7%), HSV I IgG 5 (8.3%), HSV II IgG 2 (3.3%) and HSV I IgM 1 (1.7%) antibodies. None of the children was positive for Toxoplasmosis, Rubella and HSV II IgM antibodies. There was no statistical difference in rate of positivity of Toxoplasma gondii, Rubella, Cytomegalovirus, Herpes simplex pathogens between unilateral and bilateral cataract and between cataract and control group. Conclusion: Toxoplasma gondii, Rubella, Cytomegalovirus, Herpes simplex pathogens are an important cause of congenital cataract with Cytomegalovirus and Rubella virus being most common respectively. In order to prevent paediatric complications, we need........

Objective: To compare the corneal epithelium healing time and post-operative pain after pterygium surgery with and without he use of autologous serum drops. Study Design: Comparative cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Eye Department, Combined Military Hospital Quetta, from Jan to Aug 2019. Methodology: Twenty patients were included in this study and divided into two groups. All patients underwent pterygium excision with conjunctival autograft. Fourteen of them were instilled with autologous serum drops while 14 were given lubricants postoperatively until corneal epithelium healed completely. Corneal epithelium healing time, visual analog scale for postoperative pain assessment, conjunctival inflammation and recurrences were evaluated. Patients were followed up for 6 months. Results: For corneal epithelial healing, 1 (7.14%) patient showed complete healing on day 2 while 7 (50%) showed healing on day 3 and 6 (42.86%) on day 4. While in non-autologous serum drops group 7 (50%) showed complete healing on day 4 while 4 (28.57%) showed healing on day 5 and 3 (21.43%) on day 6. The mean corneal healing time of autologous serum drops group was 3.36 ± 0.63 days and that of non-autologous serum drops group was 4.71 ± 0.83 days. Patients of autologous serum drops group also experienced significantly less pain as compared to the non-autologous serum drops group. While the recurrence rate and conjunctival inflammation in the two groups was found to be of equal degree. Conclusion: Patients who used autologous serum eye drops post operatively experienced less pain and their corneal epithelium healed earlier than the.......

Objective: To study the spectrum of optic neuropathies in patient’s presenting at AFIO Rawalpindi. Study Design: Descriptive study/retrospective study. Place and Duration of Study: Armed Forces Institute of Ophthalmology, Rawalpindi, from Jan 2017 to Dec 2017. Methodology: Retrospective analysis of hospital record of patients coming to neuro-ophthalmic clinic of Armed Forces Institute of Ophthalmology (AFIO), Rawalpindi, from Jan to Dec 2017 was done. Only patients with clear final diagnosis of neurophthalmic disease were included. Those with vague diagnosis were excluded. Data was entered in SPSS version 22 and grouped into variables before analysis. Chi-square test was used for statistical analysis. The p

Objective: To compare the efficacy of tacrolimus 0.03% ointment to olopatadine 0.2% eye drops in the treatment of vernal keratoconjunctivitis. Study Design: Prospective cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Eye Department Combined Military Hospital Quetta, from Feb to Jul 2019. Methodology: A total of 69 patients with active vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC) were included in this study. Thirty six (52.17%) patients were randomized in tacrolimus group and 33 (47.83%) in olopatadine group B. Baseline values of the subjective symptom score (SSS) and the objective sign score (OSS) were noted. Patients were reviewed on weeks 2, 4, 8 and 12 and the scores at each visit were summed. These scores were used for comparison between groups. Results: At the start of the study, the mean subjective symptoms score and objective sign score of group A was 9.0 ± 2.04 and 3.93 ± 1.93 respectively, while that of group B was 8.88 ± 2.18 and 4.36 ± 1.90 respectively. At the end of 12-weeks, the mean subjective symptoms score and objective sign score of group A reduced to 0.11 ± 0.32 and 0.08 ± 0.28 respectively, while that of group B reduced to 1.70 ± 0.77 and 0.64 ± 0.55 respectively. Total improvement of scores (as a percentage of baselines) among tacrolimus group was 98.3% and olopatadine group was 83%. Conclusion: Although both 0.03% tacrolimus and 0.2% olopatadine were effective in improving the signs and symptoms of VKC, 0.03% tacrolimus was significantly superior.

AbstractPre-trained Transformer-based models have achieved state-of-the-art performance for various Natural Language Processing (NLP) tasks. However, these models often have billions of parameters, and thus are too resource- hungry and computation-intensive to suit low- capability devices or applications with strict latency requirements. One potential remedy for this is model compression, which has attracted considerable research attention. Here, we summarize the research in compressing Transformers, focusing on the especially popular BERT model. In particular, we survey the state of the art in compression for BERT, we clarify the current best practices for compressing large-scale Transformer models, and we provide insights into the workings of various methods. Our categorization and analysis also shed light on promising future research directions for achieving lightweight, accurate, and generic NLP models.

The main purpose of this work is to solve the problem of electromagnetic scattering from a chiral cylinder of arbitrary cross-section above an infinite perfect electric conducting (PEC) plane. Using image theory, this problem is reduced to two chiral cylinders in free-space. Surface equivalence principle is used to obtain three different equivalent problems for this two-cylinder problem. Then, the method of moments is used to solve these equivalent problems numerically. It is known that the image of a chiral body through a ground plane is another chiral body with the same permittivity and permeability but opposite chirality. Using this property, the two-body problem in the moment method may be reduced to a one-body problem with a complicated moment matrix. Computed numerical results include scattered fields and equivalent surface currents on the cylinder.

Wolfram disease is a rare genetic disease which mainly presents as diabetes mellitus and optic atrophy. Presence of maculopathy in a case of wolfram disease is rarely reported in literature. We present here two cases/siblings with age of 12 and 14 years. They had diabetes mellitus, deafness and disc palor. Ocular examination also revealed atrophic maculopathy in both siblings, supported by depressed response on ERG. Assosiation of maculopathy with wolfram syndrome is rare and worth reporting.

We present a generative model that efficiently mines transliteration pairs in a consistent fashion in three different settings: unsupervised, semi-supervised, and supervised transliteration mining. The model interpolates two sub-models, one for the generation of transliteration pairs and one for the generation of non-transliteration pairs (i.e., noise). The model is trained on noisy unlabeled data using the EM algorithm. During training the transliteration sub-model learns to generate transliteration pairs and the fixed non-transliteration model generates the noise pairs. After training, the unlabeled data is disambiguated based on the posterior probabilities of the two sub-models. We evaluate our transliteration mining system on data from a transliteration mining shared task and on parallel corpora. For three out of four language pairs, our system outperforms all semi-supervised and supervised systems that participated in the NEWS 2010 shared task. On word pairs extracted from parallel corpora with fewer than 2% transliteration pairs, our system achieves up to 86.7% F-measure with 77.9% precision and 97.8% recall.

This study was carried out to explore the mechanism underlying antidiarrheal and antispasmodic activities of Vincetoxicum stocksii. The crude extract of V. stocksii provided 12-24% protection from castor oil-induced diarrhea at the dose of 300-1,000 mg/kg, similar to loperamide. In isolated rabbit jejunum preparations, V. stocksii caused inhibition of the spontaneous and high K+ (80 mM)-induced contractions, with respective EC50 values of 2.53 (1.65-3.90) and 0.95 mg/mL (0.63-1.42), similar to that caused by verapamil, suggesting the calcium channel blocking effect. Loperamide caused inhibition of spontaneous and high K+-induced contraction, with respective EC50 values of 8.59 (6.33-10.11) and 9.12 µM (7.33-12.81). The calcium channel blocking activity was further confirmed when pretreatment of the tissues with V. stocksii (1-3 mg/mL) caused a rightward displacement of the Ca++ concentrations response curves, similar to that produced by verapamil; constructed in Ca++ free medium. These data indicate that the crude extract of V. stocksii contains calcium channel blocking constituents that may possibly explain its medicinal use in hyperactive states of gut, such as, diarrhea and spasms.

Background: Research is limited on the role of antibodies against human neutrophil antigen (HNA) in hematopoietic progenitor cell (HPC) transplantation outcomes. Study Design and Methods: A retrospective review was conducted on medical records of patients at the NIH Clinical Center enrolled in six research protocols. This case–control study included 21 patients tested for HNA antibodies from January 2010 to March 2022 who underwent HPC transplantation. In addition, 42 patients following the same research protocols were randomly selected as a control group. Results: The cumulative incidence of time to neutrophil engraftment was significantly impacted by the patients' anti‐HNA status (p =.042), with the patients with anti‐HNA experiencing delayed engraftment. Secondary graft failure occurred in 4 out of 42 patients (9.52%; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.7–22.1) of the control group, while 5 out of 9 patients (55.5%; 95% CI: 26.7–81.1) with anti‐HNA experienced secondary graft failure (p =.005). Furthermore, patients with anti‐HNA had a lower proportion (p =.008 for full and p =.002 for partial chimerism) and cumulative incidence (p =.016 for full and p =.010 for partial chimerism) of achieving donor chimerism compared to the control group. Discussion: The study reveals a potential link between anti‐HNA and HPC transplantation outcomes not previously reported. Patients with anti‐HNA had a lower proportion and cumulative incidence of achieving donor chimerism. Additionally, anti‐HNA status affected the time for neutrophil engraftment, with a slower rate of neutrophil engraftment and increased risk of secondary failure in patients with anti‐HNA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess the clinical spectrum and various etiological factors of idiopathic intracranial hypertension in Pakistani patients. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Place and Duration: Neuro-Ophthalmology Clinic, Armed Forces Institute of Ophthalmology, Rawalpindi Pakistan, from Jan 2017 to Jul 2018. Methodology: A total of 64 individuals with intracranial hypertension (IH) were screened. On the basis of inclusion criteria 32 patients were selected for the study. The demographics, clinical features and etiologies were recorded for each patient. Results: High frequency was noted among females, affecting 26 (84.37%) as compared to males who were 6 (18.75%) in number. Half of the patients had body weight lying in range of overweight, 16 (50%), however, only 5 (15.6%) patients fell into the category of obesity. Among clinical features, headache was the most prominent symptom seen in 17 (53.12%) patients and severe disc swelling seen in 19 (59.3%) was the most common sign. Most prevalent systematic association was anemia, 11 (34.3%), and the most prominent etiology was idiopathic intracranial hypertension, being 26 (81.25%). Conclusion: There was high frequency of intracranial hypertension in the females with obesity, pregnancy and in the age group of 20-30 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The results suggested protection against the B.1.1.7 variant by COVID-19 infection or vaccination.64 However, resistance of B.1.1.7 and B.1.351 to CCP in neutralization assays was observed in another study.65 CCP was obtained from 20 patients more than 1 month after SARS-CoV-2 infection. FDA guidance recommended neutralization antibody testing of CCP units, but it was not required.20 If the antibody testing could not be performed in advance, testing of CCP retention vials at a later time was recommended. However, in nonintubated patients, there was a 21% reduction in 7-day mortality from 14% to 11% ( I p i = .03) in patients treated with CCP with Broad Institute neutralizing assay ID50 of >=250, as compared to nonintubated patients who were transfused CCP with lower titers. Keywords: convalescent plasma collection; FDA regulations about COVID-19 convalescent plasma; SARS-CoV-2 serology EN convalescent plasma collection FDA regulations about COVID-19 convalescent plasma SARS-CoV-2 serology 483 492 10 02/15/22 20220201 NES 220201 Abbreviations ACE2 angiotensin converting enzyme 2 BARDA biomedical advanced research and development authority CCP collected convalescent plasma EAP expanded access treatment protocol eIND emergency investigational new drug EUA emergency use authorization FD&C federal food, drugs and cosmetics act FDA US food and drug administration HHS US department of health and human services IDSA infectious diseases society of america MERS middle eastern respiratory syndrome NS3 national SARS-COV-2 strain surveillance PRNT plaque reduction neutralization test RBD receptor binding domain SARS severe acute respiratory syndrome S/C signal to cut-off WHO World Health Organization GLOBAL HEALTH CRISIS OF COVID-19 December 2019 marked a watershed for global health when a large number of patients presenting with severe respiratory symptoms were hospitalized in Wuhan, China. [Extracted from the article]

Objective: To compare the corneal epithelium healing time and post-operative pain after pterygium surgery with and without the use of autologous serum drops. Study Design: Comparative cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Eye Department, Combined Military Hospital Quetta, from Jan to Aug 2019. Methodology: Twenty patients were included in this study and divided into two groups. All patients underwent pterygium excision with conjunctival autograft. Fourteen of them were instilled with autologous serum drops while 14 were given lubricants postoperatively until corneal epithelium healed completely. Corneal epithelium healing time, visual analog scale for postoperative pain assessment, conjunctival inflammation and recurrences were evaluated. Patients were followed up for 6 months. Results: For corneal epithelial healing, 1 (7.14%) patient showed complete healing on day 2 while 7 (50%) showed healing on day 3 and 6 (42.86%) on day 4. While in non-autologous serum drops group 7 (50%) showed complete healing on day 4 while 4 (28.57%) showed healing on day 5 and 3 (21.43%) on day 6. The mean corneal healing time of autologous serum drops group was 3.36 ± 0.63 days and that of non-autologous serum drops group was 4.71 ± 0.83 days. Patients of autologous serum drops group also experienced significantly less pain as compared to the non-autologous serum drops group. While the recurrence rate and conjunctival inflammation in the two groups was found to be of equal degree. Conclusion: Patients who used autologous serum eye drops post operatively experienced less pain and their corneal epithelium healed earlier than the non-autologous serum drops group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess the rate of positivity of Toxoplasma gondii, Rubella, Cytomegalovirus, Herpes simplex (TORCH) pathogens in patients suffering from congenital cataract in Pakistan. Study Design: Cross sectional comparative study. Place and Duration of Study: Armed Forces Institute of Ophthalmology, Rawalpindi, from Jun 2017 to Mar 2018. Methodology: Cataract group included sixty children already diagnosed with congenital cataract and control group included 60 children not suffering from congenital cataract. Serum samples of all children were collected to test against IgG and IgM antibodies of Toxoplasma gondii, Rubella, Cytomegalo, Herpes simplex pathogens using enzyme linked immune essay (ELISA) technique. Data were analyzed observe in difference between unilateral and bilateral cataract and between cataract and control group. Results: Out of 60 children in cataract group, 29 were tested positive for Toxoplasma gondii, Rubella, Cytomegalo (CMV), Herpes simplex infections. CMV IgG antibodies were identified in 21 (35%) children followed by Rubella IgG 13 (21.7%), Toxoplasmosis IgG 8 (13.3%), CMV IgM 7 (11.7%), HSV I IgG 5 (8.3%), HSV II IgG 2 (3.3%) and HSV I IgM 1 (1.7%) antibodies. None of the children was positive for Toxoplasmosis, Rubella and HSV II IgM antibodies. There was no statistical difference in rate of positivity of Toxoplasma gondii, Rubella, Cytomegalovirus, Herpes simplex pathogens between unilateral and bilateral cataracts and between cataract and control group. Conclusion: Toxoplasma gondii, Rubella, Cytomegalovirus, Herpes simplex pathogens are an important cause of congenital cataract with Cytomegalovirus and Rubella virus being most common respectively. In order to prevent paediatric complications, we need to increase awareness among pregnant women and treating physicians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Donor‐specific antibodies (DSA) to HLA have been associated with graft loss in hematopoietic progenitor cell (HPC) transplantation. Limited data associate therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) with desensitization and successful engraftment. We report an attempt of desensitization and observed overshooting of DSA during transplantation. Case report and results: A 27‐year‐old female with cutaneous T cell lymphoma was scheduled for HPC transplantation from her HLA‐haploidentical half‐sister, who carried the HLA‐DRB1*13:03:01 allele. The patient had the corresponding DSA. Lacking an alternative donor option at the time, we attempted a desensitization approach by immunosuppression with tacrolimus and mycophenolate mofetil (MMF). Unexpectedly, DSA increased from a mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) of 1835 on day −63 to 9008 on day −7. The MFI increased further during 3 TPE procedures and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) until day −1. After transplantation, the DSA remained elevated despite 2 more TPE/IVIG procedures and graft‐versus‐host disease prophylaxis with high‐dose cyclophosphamide, sirolimus, and MMF. Flow cytometric crossmatch, initially negative, turned positive after transplantation. Primary graft failure occurred and was attributed to antibody‐mediated rejection. A second transplantation from a 7/8 HLA‐matched unrelated donor, not carrying DRB1*13:03 allele, resulted in successful engraftment. Conclusion: Unexpected and rapid increases of a DSA can occur despite the use of current desensitization approaches. This is problematic when conditioning has already started, as such increases are unlikely to be overcome by TPE or other interventions for desensitization. Overshoot of DSA in HPC transplantation has rarely been reported. Its cause remains unclear and can include underlying disease, immunotherapy, chemotherapy, or TPE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To compare the efficacy of tacrolimus 0.03% ointment to olopatadine 0.2% eye drops in the treatment of vernal keratoconjunctivitis. Study Design: Prospective cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Eye Department Combined Military Hospital Quetta, from Feb to Jul 2019. Methodology: A total of 69 patients with active vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC) were included in this study. Thirty six (52.17%) patients were randomized in tacrolimus group and 33 (47.83%) in olopatadine group B. Baseline values of the subjective symptom score (SSS) and the objective sign score (OSS) were noted. Patients were reviewed on weeks 2, 4, 8 and 12 and the scores at each visit were summed. These scores were used for comparison between groups. Results: At the start of the study, the mean subjective symptoms score and objective sign score of group A was 9.0 ± 2.04 and 3.93 ± 1.93 respectively, while that of group B was 8.88 ± 2.18 and 4.36 ± 1.90 respectively. At the end of 12-weeks, the mean subjective symptoms score and objective sign score of group A reduced to 0.11 ± 0.32 and 0.08 ± 0.28 respectively, while that of group B reduced to 1.70 ± 0.77 and 0.64 ± 0.55 respectively. Total improvement of scores (as a percentage of baselines) among tacrolimus group was 98.3% and olopatadine group was 83%. Conclusion: Although both 0.03% tacrolimus and 0.2% olopatadine were effective in improving the signs and symptoms of VKC, 0.03% tacrolimus was significantly superior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To study the spectrum of optic neuropathies in patient's presenting at AFIO Rawalpindi. Study Design: Descriptive study/retrospective study. Place and Duration of Study: Armed Forces Institute of Ophthalmology, Rawalpindi, from Jan 2017 to Dec 2017. Methodology: Retrospective analysis of hospital record of patients coming to neuro-ophthalmic clinic of Armed Forces Institute of Ophthalmology (AFIO), Rawalpindi, from Jan to Dec 2017 was done. Only patients with clear final diagnosis of neurophthalmic disease were included. Those with vague diagnosis were excluded. Data was entered in SPSS version 22 and grouped into variables before analysis. Chi-square test was used for statistical analysis. The p<0.05 was considered significant. Results: Forty-five patients were included in study including 33 (73.3%) males and 12 (26.6%) females. Mean age of patients was 41.64 ± 17.74 years. Patients were grouped into ischemic optic neuropathy 20%, toxic optic neuropathies 20%, compressive optic neuropathies 17.7%, inflammatory optic neuropathies 11%, neuroretinitis 6.7%, hereditary optic neuropathies 6.7%, multiple sclerosis (MS) related 4.4%, neuromylitis optics spectrum (NMO-SD) related 4.4%, traumatic optic neuropathies 4.4% and nutritional optic neuropathies 4.4%. Deficiency of vitamin B12 and vitamin D was strongly associated with nutritional optic neuropathies while raised TLC was most common association with inflammatory optic neuropathies (57.14%) and of neuroretinitis (66%). Anti-tuberculosis drugs were most common cause of toxic optic neuropathies (88.88%). Chi square test was used for statistical analysis and p<0.05 was considered significant. Conclusion: Ischemic optic neuropathy is the most common presentation in our population according to our study. However, the cohort is a small one. Future studies with larger cohort are recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the distribution of ESBL producing capacity among different Gram negative isolates along with specimen and department wise prevalence in a tertiary care hospital. METHODOLGY: This cross-sectional study was conducted at the Microbiology section of Pathology Department, Allama Iqbal Medical College, Lahore, Pakistan, from August 2016 to January 2017. Total of 437 clinical samples were collected from different wards of Jinnah Hospital, Lahore. Sample was cultured on Blood agar, MacConkey’s agar, chocolate agar, CLED agar. After the identification every Gram negative isolate was further processed for the antibiotic susceptibility testing following Modified Kirby Bauer disc diffusion method. ESBL detection was performed by the combination drugs disc method using ceftriaxone + clavulanic acid (30/10 μg) in case of Enterobacteriacae, ceftazidime + clavulanic acid (30/10μg) in case of Pseudomonas species. RESULTS: Among total 437 patients male and female were 61% and 39% respectively, overall 21.5% (94/437) were ESBl producers. Distribution of ESBL producers was as followed Acinetobacter spp 22.3% (31/139), Escherichia coli 37.5% (27/72), Klebsiella spp 31.9% (15/47), Pseudomonas aeruginosa 8.4% (13/154) and Proteus spp 32.0% (8/25). Department wise ESBL positivity was as followed Surgical units 25.6% (32/125) Medical unit 31.9% (30/94), Burn centre 10% (8/80), ICU 20% (8/40) Surgical Allied 11.7% (4/34), Medical Allied 6.2% (2/32), Neurology 36.3% (8/22), Gynaecology 28.5% (2/7) and Dermatology 33.3% (1/3). CONCLUSION: High percentage of ESBL positivity seen in Escherichia coli and Proteus spp, among departments neurology and medical unit is holding maximum positivity. High frequency of ESBL producing Gram negative isolates strongly recommend its detection and management accordingly. It can lead to treatment failures in Gram negative rods associated infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wolfram disease is a rare genetic disease which mainly presents as diabetes mellitus and optic atrophy. Presence of maculopathy in a case of wolfram disease is rarely reported in literature. We present here two cases/siblings with age of 12 and 14 years. They had diabetes mellitus, deafness and disc palor. Ocular examination also revealed atrophic maculopathy in both siblings, supported by depressed response on ERG. Assosiation of maculopathy with wolfram syndrome is rare and worth reporting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Worldwide, Tuberculosis is a common etiological factor of exudative predominantly lymphocytic effusions. Amongst extra-pulmonary manifestations of tuberculosis, pleurisy is the second frequent manifestation. Detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis by any means is the gold standard for establishing the diagnosis of tuberculosis. Objective: The purpose of the study was to determine the yield of mycobacterial smear and culture in exudetive predominantly lymphocytic effusions. Methodology: This study was conducted on 100 (Male 65 / Female 35) cases with age range 13 to 69 years for the demonstration of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in exudative predominantly lymphocytic pleural effusions. The Mycobacterium smear was performed by Zeihl Nelsen staining and culture on Lowenstein Jensen medium. Results: Study results showed 1.02% (1 female case) Mycobacterium smear positivity and 2.04% (male 1 & female 1) culture positivity. Contamination was detected in 2% (2 female cases) specimens. As concerned of fluid cytology, 85% of study cases had lymphocytosis between 85 - 95%. Remaining 15% cases had lymphocytosis between 60 - 79%. Conclusion: Although detection of Mycobacterium either by smear or culture on any specimen is a gold standard for the diagnosis of TB but the yield of Mycobacterium in pleural fluid is very low. So other advanced techniques should be used to confirm the diagnosis of tuberculous pleurisy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We demonstrated a self-aligned two-step reactive ion etching (RIE) process to pattern high density magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) arrays. We did the RIE for the top electrode (TE) and stop in the middle of the tunnel barrier. A nitride conformal film was coated on the device pillars as a dielectric spacer. The conformal spacer protects the tunnel barrier from shorting by redeposition and provides a mask for the bottom electrode (BE) RIE. We used this process and completed perpendicular MTJ devices with our process flow. We tested the devices by measuring magnetic field switching and spin transfer torque switching. We get tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) up to 100%, switching current as low as 60 \mu A at 100 ns, switching current density {J}_{c0} as low as 2.5 \times 10^{6} A/cm ^2 and endurance above 10^9 for devices as small as 50 nm in diameter. The results are compared with devices from a TE RIE only process, and we find minimum damage was made by the BE RIE. We also discuss the size dependence of MTJ parameters such as TMR and free layer coercive field and offset field, which is very related to the RIE process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Acrylates are esters of acrylic acid formed by the reaction of acrylic acid with alcohols. These acrylic esters were produced by polymerization of combination with different acrylic monomers to produce the materials with enhanced characteristics for coating applications. The acrylate-based polymers were prepared by varying the nature and ratios of the monomers. Moreover, the properties of the polymeric materials were further improved by compositing with the nano-fillers i.e. carbon nanotubes. Further, the materials were coated on different surfaces to evaluate the coating characteristics by standard analytical procedures. Composition and morphology of the materials were characterized by different spectroscopic techniques. Polyacrylate based polymers were synthesized by step growth polymerization using different types of monomers moieties (5 different types of acrylic monomer along with one functional monomer and an aromatic monomers) to enhance coating properties and to enhance dispersion of carbon nanotubes. Characterization was done by FTIR (Fourier Transform Infra-Red) and UV-Vis spectroscopy. Study of polymeric coating was done on different surfaces by different techniques like Barcol Hardness, Gloss Test, Salt Spray Test, Cross Hatch Test and Mandrel Dent Measurement as given in standard ASTM methods. The results revealed better adhesion, crack resistance, and abrasion resistance. The graphical abstract is given below as Fig-1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Coronary artery angiography plays a pivotal role in cardiovascular disease diagnosis and treatment, but concerns regarding patient safety due to ionizing radiation necessitate innovative approaches. The article explores the integration of adaptive learning algorithms to optimize low-dose imaging in coronary artery angiography. Method: Articles are selected on the basis of inclusion criteria that mentions studies in between the time span of 2018 to 2022 emphasizing the detailed algorithmic studies of Low dose optimization of coronary arteries angiography and techniques used in it, mentioned total 175 studies were included in initial studies that were reduced to ten final selected studies. Results: The extracted data shows a comprehensive data on various techniques that are used for low dose CAA, advancements in image segmentation, noise reduction, and operator dose reduction highlight the potential of machine learning techniques. Innovative methods such as Model-Based Deep Learning (MBDL) and Self-Attention Generative Adversarial Networks (SAGAN) demonstrate efficient reconstruction capabilities. Application of such algorithms include automate segmentation, lesion detection, and real-time image analysis, optimizing dose parameters based on patient-specific factors, thus prioritizing patient safety and treatment effectiveness while revolutionizing medical imaging. Then there are possible limitations of the Algorithmic approach to reduce radiation dose for patient that include concerns include data heterogeneity, lack of diversity, and challenges in data collection and privacy protection. Addressing these limitations is crucial for enhancing the reliability of AI-driven dose optimization methods. Conclusion: This comprehensive review provides valuable insights into the potential of adaptive learning algorithms for low-dose optimization in coronary artery angiography. It underscores the importance of safer imaging practices without compromising diagnostic efficacy. And the future lies in exploring adaptive learning algorithms, integrating patient-specific data, and real-time adaptability during procedures. Validation studies and collaboration with healthcare institutions are essential for successful integration into clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on a study outlining a metal gate integration scheme for attaining an accurate threshold voltage (VT) control. It mentions the challenges of maintaining electrical conductivity and its demand for high performance complementary metal oxide semiconductors (CMOS). An overview of its essential role in ultra-large-scale integration (ULSI) fabrication towards optimal performance and consumption of energy is also presented.

In patients with immune thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (iTTP), autoantibodies against the metalloprotease ADAMTS13 lead to catastrophic microvascular thrombosis. However, the potential benefits of recombinant human ADAMTS13 (rADAMTS13) in patients with iTTP remain unknown. Here, we report the clinical use of rADAMTS13, which resulted in the rapid suppression of disease activity and complete recovery in a critically ill patient whose condition had proved to be refractory to all available treatments. We also show that rADAMTS13 causes immune complex formation, which saturates the autoantibody and may promote its clearance. Our data support the role of rADAMTS13 as a novel adjunctive therapy in patients with iTTP., (Copyright © 2024 Massachusetts Medical Society.)