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Objective: This study aims to highlight the clinical features, investigations and treatment outcome of retroperitoneal teratomas (RPT) in children. Materials and Methods: A total of eight patients (six males and two females, age range between 6 months−10 years) of RPT admitted in the department of Paediatric Surgery, PGIMS, Rohtak, between 1996−2008, were studied. The patients were investigated with hematology, x-ray, ultrasound, and computerised tomography (CT) of abdomen and serum alpha-fetoprotein levels in pre and postoperative period. All patients underwent complete surgical resection. In one patient, the tumour had malignant component (yolk sac) and was given postoperative chemotherapy. Postoperative follow-up included serum alpha-fetoprotein in addition to clinical examination and radiological assessment to detect recurrences. Results: The tumours were located on both sides in almost equal proportion (four on right, three on left, and one bilateral]. All tumours could be excised completely preserving the kidneys in all patients. But in one patient injury to inferior vena cava (IVC) occurred which was repaired successfully. Majority (7 out of 8) were histological benign, and in one yolk sac tumour was malignant component which needed chemotherapy. All children were on follow-up and one patient with malignancy lost to follow-up after three cycles of chemotherapy. In rest there was no tumour recurrence. Conclusion: RPT are rare paediatric neoplasms. As majority are benign, a complete excision preserving the kidneys, is usually curative. Serum alpha-fetoprotein is a reliable method of assessing recurrence. Malignancy in the tumour may warrant further chemotherapy.

We report on the design of a cryogenic setup for trapped ion quantum computing containing a segmented surface electrode trap. The heat shield of our cryostat is designed to attenuate alternating magnetic field noise, resulting in 120 dB reduction of 50 Hz noise along the magnetic field axis. We combine this efficient magnetic shielding with high optical access required for single ion addressing as well as for efficient state detection by placing two lenses each with numerical aperture 0.23 inside the inner heat shield. The cryostat design incorporates vibration isolation to avoid decoherence of optical qubits due to the motion of the cryostat. We measure vibrations of the cryostat of less than ±20 nm over 2 s. In addition to the cryogenic apparatus, we describe the setup required for an operation with 40Ca+ and 88Sr+ ions. The instability of the laser manipulating the optical qubits in 40Ca+ is characterized by yielding a minimum of its Allan deviation of 2.4 ⋅ 10-15 at 0.33 s. To evaluate the performance of the apparatus, we trapped 40Ca+ ions, obtaining a heating rate of 2.14(16) phonons/s and a Gaussian decay of the Ramsey contrast with a 1/e-time of 18.2(8) ms.

Primary carcinoma of the fallopian tube is a rare entity that accounts for 0.2-0.5% of all gynecologic malignancies, and most are discovered during or after surgery. Primary transitional cell carcinoma of the fallopian tube is an extremely rare tumor that is reported only occasionally in the worldwide literature. As primary transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) of the fallopian tube is so rare, the clinicopathologic characteristics are as yet unknown. The authors recently experienced a case of primary transitional cell carcinoma arising in the left fallopian tube and thus report the clinical features, management, and also a review of the past pertinent literature. A 52 years old woman presenting with lower abdominal pain was found to have a left adnexal mass. Exploratory laparotomy revealed a mass arising from the left fallopian tube with the histologic features of transitional cell carcinoma.

Tubular Krukenberg tumor with an occult primary can cause problems in histopathologic diagnosis, by mimicking primary ovarian tumors. We present one such occurrence in a 32year old female who underwent surgery for bilateral malignant ovarian tumor. Gross examination of both ovarian tumors revealed bosselated, smooth outer surface with a few cysts on the surface. Cut surface was grey-white to yellowish in colour with cysts filled with serous fluid at the periphery. Microscopic examination revealed mucin laden signet ring cells, predominantly showing tubular architecture within a cellular ovarian stroma. The cytoplasm of these cells varied from granular eosinophilic to pale vacuolated appearance and showed PAS and mucicarmine positive mucin. Differential diagnosis with other primary ovarian tumors is discussed.

This article discusses the importance of identifying right-sided aortic arch (RAA) during routine fetal morphology scans. The study reviewed the databases of two ultrasound centers and found a prevalence of 0.05% for RAA among 6810 routine anomaly scans. The authors emphasize that the presence of RAA should prompt further evaluation for associated cardiac and genetic abnormalities, such as DiGeorge syndrome and symptoms associated with a vascular ring. The article concludes that all cases of RAA should be referred for detailed fetal echocardiography and genetic evaluation, and parents should be counseled accordingly. [Extracted from the article]

Abstract Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a life‐threatening acute complication of diabetes characterized by the accumulation of ketone bodies in the blood. Breath acetone, a ketone, directly correlates with blood ketones. Therefore, monitoring breath acetone can significantly enhance the safety and efficacy of diabetes care. In this work, the design and fabrication of an InP/Pt/chitosan nanowire array‐based chemiresistive acetone sensor is reported. By incorporation of chitosan as a surface‐functional layer and a Pt Schottky contact for efficient charge transfer processes and photovoltaic effect, self‐powered, highly selective acetone sensing is achieved. The sensor has exhibited an ultra‐wide acetone detection range from sub‐ppb to >100 000 ppm level at room temperature, covering those in the exhaled breath from healthy individuals (300–800 ppb) to people at high risk of DKA (>75 ppm). The nanowire sensor has also been successfully integrated into a handheld breath testing prototype, the Ketowhistle, which can successfully detect different ranges of acetone concentrations in simulated breath samples. The Ketowhistle demonstrates the immediate potential for non‐invasive ketone monitoring for people living with diabetes, in particular for DKA prevention.

Byline: S. Puri, M. Ashat, A. Pandey, N. Goel, A. Singh, V. Kaushal Aim: To determine the socio-demographic characteristics of cancer patients. Materials and Methods: Review of the Cancer registry, [...]

Byline: S. Magu, S. Mathur, S. Gulati, A. Yadav, V. Kaushal Giant cell reparative granuloma is an infrequent non-tumoral lesion affecting the maxillary and mandibular bones and only rarely, the [...]

Purpose: To undertake an audit of the antimicrobial (AM) sensitivity pattern of bacterial isolates in the intensive care units (ICU) of a tertiary hospital of Bhavnagar, India. Methods: Retrospective analysis of the indoor case papers of ICUs from January 2010 to 31st March 2011 was carried out at Department of Pharmacology, Govt. Medical College and Sir Takhtsinhji General Hospital, Bhavnagar, India. Information collected include demographic data of the patient, admission unit, duration of hospital stay, diagnosis, type of infection, empirical treatment, indication of the use of the antimicrobials (AMs). Others include collected specimen, causative agent, sensitivity pattern, and treatment changes based on the sensitivity pattern in a case record form. AM sensitivity testing was performed by the modified Kirby Baur method as recommended by clinical and laboratory standard institute (CLSI). Internal and external quality control were maintained for culture and sensitivity method. Results: The most commonly isolated organisms were Klebsiella pneumoniae (28.6 %) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (16.3 %). Lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) was the most common infection. Imipenem, meropenem and levofloxacin were the most effective antimicrobials for Gramnegative isolates (GNIs) while vancomycin ciprofloxacin, and gentamicin were the most efficacious antimicrobials for Gram-positive isolates (GPIs). Widespread resistance to third generation cephalosporins and cloxacillin was noted for GNIs and GPIs, respectively. Meropenem (100 %) > levofloxacin (100 %) > sparfloxacin (94.4 %) > gentamicin (83.3 %) was the rank order of antimicrobial activity against LRTI. Conclusion: GNIs were the predominant cause of infection in ICUs. Third generation cephalosporinsresistant GNIs were the predominant resistant organisms. The study showed that fluoroquinolones and aminoglycosides could be used as first line AMs for the effective management of LRTI in a hospital setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aims to highlight the clinical features, investigations and treatment outcome of retroperitoneal teratomas (RPT) in children. Materials and Methods: A total of eight patients (six males and two females, age range between 6 months-10 years) of RPT admitted in the department of Paediatric Surgery, PGIMS, Rohtak, between 1996-2008, were studied. The patients were investigated with hematology, x-ray, ultrasound, and computerised tomography (CT) of abdomen and serum alpha-fetoprotein levels in pre and postoperative period. All patients underwent complete surgical resection. In one patient, the tumour had malignant component (yolk sac) and was given postoperative chemotherapy. Postoperative follow-up included serum alpha-fetoprotein in addition to clinical examination and radiological assessment to detect recurrences. Results: The tumours were located on both sides in almost equal proportion (four on right, three on left, and one bilateral]. All tumours could be excised completely preserving the kidneys in all patients. But in one patient injury to inferior vena cava (IVC) occurred which was repaired successfully. Majority (7 out of 8) were histological benign, and in one yolk sac tumour was malignant component which needed chemotherapy. All children were on followup and one patient with malignancy lost to follow-up after three cycles of chemotherapy. In rest there was no tumour recurrence. Conclusion: RPT are rare paediatric neoplasms. As majority are benign, a complete excision preserving the kidneys, is usually curative. Serum alpha-fetoprotein is a reliable method of assessing recurrence. Malignancy in the tumour may warrant further chemotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the role of cisplatin-induced p53 activation in regulation of caspases and cellular injury during cisplatin nephrotoxicity. The executioner caspase-6 and -7 but not caspase-3 were identified as transcriptional targets of p53 in cisplatin injury as revealed by chromatin immunoprecipitation, a reporter gene and electrophoretic mobility shift assays, and real-time PCR following overexpression and inhibition of p53. DNA binding by p53 involved the first introns of the human and mouse caspase-7 gene and the mouse caspase-6 gene. Studies in human kidney, breast, ovary, colon, and prostate tumor cell lines also validated these findings. Treatment of p53 (−/−) cells with cisplatin did not induce caspase-6 and -7 expression and subsequent activation. In caspase-3 (−/−) cells, inhibition of caspase-6 and -7 activations markedly prevented cisplatin-induced cell death. In an in vivo model of cisplatin nephrotoxicity inhibition of p53 activation by a p53 inhibitor suppressed transactivation of the caspase-6 and -7 genes and prevented renal failure. p53 (−/−) mice were resistant to cisplatin nephrotoxicity as assessed by renal function and histology. These studies provide first evidence for p53-dependent transcriptional control of the caspase-6 and -7 genes and its functional significance in cisplatin injury to renal cells and functional implication of cisplatin-induced p53 induction in vitro and in vivo in cisplatin nephrotoxicity.Cell Death and Differentiation (2008) 15, 530–544; doi:10.1038/sj.cdd.4402287; published online 7 December 2007 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]