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Tumor depth is a reliable parameter to predict nodal metastasis in oral cancers; therefore, the authors embarked upon a prospective observational study to define the relationship between the tumor depth and the risk of cervical lymph node involvement as well to determine the optimal tumor depth cutoff point for nodal metastasis.The aim was to study the predictive value of depth of invasion (DOI) and tumor size on risk of cervical node metastasis in squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity.Biopsy-proven Stage I-Stage III oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma patients were included in this prospective, observational study. Various histopathological characteristics (DOI, tumor size, lympho-vascular invasion [LVI], perineural spread, and grade of differentiation) were analyzed to predict the cervical node metastasis.The impact of the clinical and histopathological parameters of primary tumor on cervical lymph node metastasis was analyzed by univariate as well as multivariate logistic regression analyses using NCSS 12 version 12.0.5 statistical software.The independent predictors of cervical lymph node metastasis were DOI (P = 0.0014) and LVI (P = 0.0414). The incidence of cervical metastasis increased markedly when the DOI was over 5 mm, and it was a statistically significant (P0001) association.DOI is a significant predictor of cervical nodal metastasis and tumor depth 5 mm can be considered as a cutoff value in staging and management of early oral squamous cell carcinoma.

The integrated transcriptome data analyses suggested the plausible roles of lncRNAs during seed development in chickpea. The candidate lncRNAs associated with QTLs and those involved in miRNA-mediated seed size/weight determination in chickpea have been identified. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are important regulators of various biological processes. Here, we identified lncRNAs at seven successive stages of seed development in small-seeded and large-seeded chickpea cultivars. In total, 4751 lncRNAs implicated in diverse biological processes were identified. Most of lncRNAs were conserved between the two cultivars, whereas only a few of them were conserved in other plants, suggesting their species-specificity. A large number of lncRNAs differentially expressed between the two chickpea cultivars associated with seed development-related processes were identified. The lncRNAs acting as precursors of miRNAs and those mimicking target protein-coding genes of miRNAs involved in seed size/weight determination, including HAIKU1, BIG SEEDS1, and SHB1, were also revealed. Further, lncRNAs located within seed size/weight associated quantitative trait loci were also detected. Overall, we present a comprehensive resource and identified candidate lncRNAs that may play important roles during seed development and seed size/weight determination in chickpea.

The incidence of cases presenting with foreign bodies in the rectum is increasing. Most of the time, foreign bodies found in the rectum are a conventional object which is self-inserted for sexual activities or to hide it for some illegal trade. But it becomes challenging for the treating surgeons when they come across rare cases who present with an unusual foreign body in the rectum. The management of such unusual and large foreign bodies in the rectum is challenging due to the different nature of objects inserted, the time of insertion, pelvic anatomy, the amount of local contamination, and associated injuries. Apart from few anecdotal case reports, there is little evidence available in the current literature which deals with such unusual and large foreign bodies in the rectum. This study aims to acknowledge the surgeons about challenging situations posed by these unusually large foreign bodies in the rectum and helps them in dealing with it. Here, we are sharing the series of rare cases with unconventional and large foreign bodies in the rectum which have been managed successfully at our tertiary care institute. We find that even the larger rectal foreign body with blunt surfaces may be retrieved transanally without the need of laparotomy while a sharp and pointed foreign body will need surgical retrieval. Reluctance to seek medical help and multiple attempts of self-removal by the patients leads to the delay in the management. With proper evaluation and a diligent approach, laparotomy is rarely required.

BACKGROUND COVID 19 has been labelled as a global pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO). The sudden rise in death toll and devastation associated with it has put the entire infrastructure, economy and health sector to test. The only way for the prevention and control of this infectious disease is rapid and accurate screening of masses. Public Health Authorities mainly use antibody testing in hot spots using a mix of RT-PCR and antibody testing nasopharyngeal and orpharyngeal swabs. Considering the potential risk factors, constraints of time, cost and manpower, mass screening for COVID is not possible through nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs alone. Hence, to search an alternate method to diagnose for the initial screening of patients is the need of the hour globally. Saliva can also be used as one of the diagnostic modalities for coronavirus, helping in the rapid testing of individuals at home or at hospital. The article intends to explain the evidence regarding the reliability of saliva as a diagnostic specimen in COVID-19 patients and demonstrates the association and potential of detecting novel coronavirus in saliva of patients and how its implication in future can aid in diagnosis as a non - invasive diagnostic modality. KEY WORDS COVID 19, Throat Swab, Nasopharyngeal Swab, Saliva, Diagnostic Fluid

Carcinoma tongue is one of the commonest cancer of head and neck in India. Various pedicled and free flaps have been used to reconstruct the tongue defect following glossectomies. In this era of free flaps various loco- regional pedicled flaps have been overlooked and infrahyoid flap is one of them. This flap meets the functional and cosmetic acceptance of the tongue defect reconstruction with minimal morbidity to the donor site. This paper presents author’s experience of using infrahyoid flap in 10 patients of carcinoma tongue. In all the patient’s tongue defect was closed with the infrahyoid flap, in 1 case flap necrosed fully and in 1 partially. Functional outcome and quality of life in all the patients were acceptable.

Shared Solitude was born out of a literal and forced isolation as a result of a family emergency, coinciding with the very unplanned and brutal lockdown, enforced by a political system hell-bent on being seen as decisive. It made us question the status quo we had grown accustomed to and the dichotomy of our daily lives. One of our early sitters, Ishita echoed our views, ‘Living in lockdown has been a revelation. I have realized that [certain] relationships, having time to read, being with dogs, and having enough meaningful work in the day is enough for me—this is all I would like to keep in my life’. This burgeoning clarity and purpose about one’s life, we realized, was shared by many people. This project thus set out to excavate memory, the joyous and painful, and confronts the universal dilemma of ownership, possession and letting go.

A 64-year-old man who had undergone treatment for left parotid adenocarcinoma presented with progressive exertional shortness of breath. Evaluation revealed metastatic invasion of the myocardium as a rare presentation of recurrent parotid adenocarcinoma. This case highlights the importance of using multimodal imaging methods in diagnostic evaluation and a collaborative multidisciplinary approach in managing patient care.

In October 2020, the Australian Parliament legislated what appear to be significant changes in HECS–HELP prices, the tuition charges levied on domestic undergraduate students Through this policy change, the Government aims to influence student choices in order to help deliver the skill changes presumed to be required for the economy's post-COVID make-up This paper examines, in conceptual and empirical terms, a key aspect of the motivation for the reform, the true meaning of prices in the HECS–HELP world of an income-contingent loan (ICL) We explain the conceptual basis of ICL charges and, with 2016 Census data, illustrate the meaning of the price changes between disciplines, by gender, and for a suite of expected future graduate lifetime income distributions Our analysis points strongly to the conclusion that the true price changes are far less than they appear to be, highlighting the potential of there being quite muted consequences for student discipline choices © 2021 Institute of Public Administration Australia

Conventional superjunction (SJ) structures are composed of p- and n-type doped pillars extending longitudinally as linear stripes (LSs). The reduced surface field (RESURF) effect in these structures is essentially due to a 2-D depletion. A 3-D RESURF is expected to be better than a 2-D RESURF and may further improve the $\text {BV}-\text {R}_{\text {DS}{(} \text {on} {)},\text {sp}}$ tradeoff for SJ devices. A natural 3-D RESURF structure is a core-shell (CS) SJ structure with a cylindrical unit cell. To identify and leverage the advantages that a 3-D RESURF can offer, the CS SJ is theoretically and numerically analyzed in this article. We develop an analytical model that results in closed-form expressions for the electric field profiles in both CS and LS structures. A very close agreement is observed between the analytical results and numerical simulations. The efficacy of 2-D and 3-D RESURF is compared using the model, and it is found that neither of these designs is universally better. The superior design is determined by the fabrication technology limitations. For trench refill type technologies, the CS design can offer substantial improvement, but, for lithography limited technologies, the CS design shows a significant deterioration in $\text {BV}-\text {R}_{\text {DS}{(} \text {on} {)},\text {sp}} $ tradeoff compared with the LS design.