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Abstract Background Neurofibromatosis type 1 is an inherited cancer predisposition syndrome that is caused by a mutation in the NF1 gene that encodes neurofibromin. Patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 have a higher risk of gastrointestinal stromal tumor. This study reports the case of a patient with gastrointestinal stromal tumor who was later diagnosed to have neurofibromatosis type 1 and, unlike usual features, had some uncommon features such as occurrence at an early age and unusual site of origin. Case We report the case of a 29-year-old Indian female diagnosed to have gastrointestinal stromal tumor originating from the greater curvature of the stomach. Gastrointestinal stromal tumor was wild type, negative for c-kit and platelet-derived growth factor receptor, and had an aggressive clinical course not responding to oral tyrosine kinase inhibitors. On later evaluation, we found that the patient had germline mutation in NF1. This case has some unusual features compared with gastrointestinal stromal tumor cases reported in neurofibromatosis type 1. Firstly, the age of onset for gastrointestinal stromal tumor in neurofibromatosis type 1 is earlier in our case compared with previous cases reported in literature. Secondly, the site of occurrence is in the stomach, without involving other parts of the intestine. Gastrointestinal stromal tumor in neurofibromatosis type 1 is usually multifocal, and small intestine is the common site of occurrence. When occurring in the stomach, it is usually associated with other lesions in the small intestine. Lastly, the clinical course is aggressive compared with previous case reports and series. Conclusion Our patient had germline NF1 mutation and cutaneous stigmata of neurofibromatosis. Our patient had unicentric gastrointestinal stromal tumor occurring at younger age and involving greater curvature of the stomach, with spindle cell type histology and high-risk features. If gastrointestinal stromal tumor occurs at young age, we should look into neurocutaneous markers.

Aim: The aim of this study was to compare the biomechanical strength properties of the mandibular first molar with truss and conventional endodontic access cavities using the finite element method. Methods: Two finite element analysis (FEA) models of a mandibular first molar were designed and constructed with truss endodontic cavity (TREC) and Conventional endodontic cavity (CEC). Each model was subjected to three different force loads directed at the occlusal surface. The stress distribution patterns and the maximum von Mises (VM) stresses were calculated and compared. FEM software ANSYS was used for evaluation. Results: The peak VM stress on both models was at the site of the force load. The occlusal stresses were spread in an approximate actinomorphic pattern from where the force was loaded, and the stress was much higher when the force load was close to the access cavity margin. The peak root VM stresses on the root-filled teeth occurred at the apex and were significantly higher than that on the intact tooth, which appeared on the pericervical dentin. The area of pericervical dentin experiencing high VM stress increased as the cavity size increased and became concentrated in the area between the filling materials and the dentin. Conclusion: Under all loading conditions, the TREC model showed low-stress concentration compared to the CEC model. With enlargement of the access cavity, the stress on the pericervical dentin increased significantly.

Aims: The aim is to evaluate the retreatability of BioRoot RCS (BCS)/Gutta-percha (GP) as compared to AH Plus/GP with and without a solvent using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Materials and Methods: Mesio-buccal canals in 48 first mandibular molars were instrumented using iRace rotary files up to size 25.4% and obturated with GP using one of the following sealers, BCS and AH Plus. Post obturation, the teeth were scanned using a CBCT. All samples were divided into four groups (n = 12). Group 1: GP/BCS was removed using D-Race retreatment files and xylene as a solvent; Group 2: GP/BCS was removed using D-Race retreatment files without xylene; Group 3: GP/AH Plus was removed using D-Race retreatment files with xylene; Group 4: GP/AH Plus was removed using D-Race retreatment files without xylene. Time taken to reach the working length (WL) was recorded. Samples were again scanned using CBCT and the remaining filling material was calculated in the coronal, middle, and apical thirds. Data were tabulated and analyzed via Kruskal–Wallis and Mann–Whitney Post hoc test (P < 0.05). Results: Group 3 exhibited significantly less time to reach WL as compared to Group 1. There was no significant difference between Group 2 and Group 4. In all groups, the apical third had the most remaining filling material (Group 1 – 13.75 ± 4.83, Group 2 – 18.33 ± 3.26, Group 3 – 10.42 ± 3.34, Group 4 – 15.42 ± 3.34). WL and patency were re-established in all the samples. Conclusions: Irrespective of the retreatment technique employed complete removal of both the sealers could not be achieved. However, retreatability of AH Plus with xylene was superior to that of BioRoot RCS.

Objective: The objective was to study the sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy of various computed tomography (CT) chest findings in diagnosing recurrence among pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) suspects. Materials and Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital in New Delhi. A total of 130 suspects with a past history of treatment for PTB, who presented with any of the symptoms suggestive of recurrence were included. Sputum-positive, HIV-positive patients, pregnant females, and patients aged 90%). Hemoptysis was the predominant symptom among patients with chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (66.6%). Necrotic mediastinal lymph nodes had good diagnostic accuracy of 88.71% with area under the curve of 0.806, P < 0.001 in diagnosing recurrent TB. BAL GeneXpert and mycobacteria growth indicator tube had good sensitivity (83.33% and 84.62%, respectively), specificity (100% for both), and excellent diagnostic accuracy (95.16% and 96.36%, respectively) for diagnosing recurrence in sputum negative and sputum scarce patient, (P < 0.001) when compared with composite reference standard. For culture-positive cases, BAL GeneXpert MTB/RIF had 100% sensitivity and 97.73% specificity in diagnosing recurrent PTB patients. Conclusion: The presence of mediastinal necrotic lymph node is the most accurate CT finding that can differentiate recurrent TB from post-TB sequelae. No other single chest CT scan finding had reliable diagnostic accuracy in comparison to microbiological tools in diagnosing recurrence among sputum negative or scarce previously treated PTB suspects.

In the food quality and safety arena, there is a need to develop novel and sustainable methodologies that can help in the prevention of foodborne diseases. Herein, we report the development of a rapid conducting polymer strip-based sensor using Polyaniline-pectin (PANI-PEC) for the detection of Escherichia coli in milk and milk products. Polyaniline-pectin nanoparticles stabilized with biopolymer pectin were synthesized and its characterization studies such as FTIR, UV-Vis spectroscopy, electrical conductivity and particle size analysis were done. The assay parameters were optimized for the selective detection of E. coli in milk and milk products. The concentration of PANI-PEC solution immobilized/strip was optimized to be 3 mg/mL as it exhibited good sensitivity and colour intensity. Based on acid production and selectivity for E.coli, concentrations of media components like lactose, tryptophan, yeast extract, chondroitin sulphate, sodium lauryl sulphate, potassium chloride, tergitol-7, gentamycin sulphate and ampicillin trihydrate were optimized as 0.9, 0.1, 0.45, 0.015, 0.1, 2, 0.0125, 0.00016 and 0.015 respectively and sample volume was optimized to 500 μL. The developed PANI-PEC colorimetric strip-based sensor detects 0.52 ± 0.17 log CFU/mL E. coli within 10: 21 h (h). Further shelf-life study revealed that the developed PANI-PEC colorimetric sensor strips are stable at room temperature up to six months exhibiting the same sensitivity. The results obtained here indicate that this novel and simple paper based colorimetric sensor holds potential for application in food industries as a reliable and rapid method for detection of E. coli in milk and milk products at various stages of production and processing.

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Among the wide variety of dyes present in the environment, cationic dyes are more toxic and have complex structure. The adsorption process of rhodamine B dye was successfully carried out by sulphuric acid-treated inexpensive modified fly ash (MFA) adsorbent via batch experiments. The nature of the adsorbent was characterized by techniques, namely, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The maximum removal efficiency of RhB dye was found to be 99.78% by using 0.5 g of adsorbent dosage in 50 mg/L of dye concentration. The SEM images displayed the porous nature of the adsorbent where the EDS analysis displays the elemental compositions present in the adsorbent. XRD pattern shows the crystallinity nature of the adsorbent. Among the batch study parameters, effect of pH plays an important role in the adsorption process. The pH of 4 was found to be an ideal setting for the efficient removal of the dye RhB. The preferable elimination ability was found by keeping the dosage at 5 g/L, contact time 120 min, and dye concentration at 50 mg/L. Adsorption capacity was found to be 36.36 mg/g. This shows the ability of the MFA for the removal of wastewater contaminants. This adsorption process is well suited for the Freundlich isotherm, which displaces the process as a multilayer adsorption. Studies in kinetics and thermodynamics demonstrate that the process was well suited for its exothermic nature and pseudo-second-order. Thermal regeneration studies were carried out, and the adsorbent was effectively recycled and utilized up to four more times with minimal loses in its effectiveness. Therefore, from these obtained results, it is clear that the MFA is an effective adsorbent for the effective removal of dyes from wastewater.

Almost every metal and alloy corrodes when used in high-temperature applications. To combat this problem, ceramic coatings on the metals can be deposited for better thermal and corrosion behavior. The present study applies an alumina-titania (Al2O3-TiO2) ceramic coating to the stainless steel (SS) surface using a detonation spray process. The surface of the coated SS is probed by optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The clear differences between coated and uncoated SS have been observed based on the SEM images. The XRD pattern indicates that the Al2O3-TiO2 coating on SS has been successfully deposited. The hardness of coated and uncoated SS surfaces is determined by using the Micro Vickers hardness tester, which claims that the hardness of the SS surface has decreased after coating. Salt spray tests were used to examine the corrosion behavior of coated and uncoated SS after 12 and 24 hours. After 12 hours, no corrosion was observed on the SS. After 24 hours, however, significant corrosion of uncoated SS is observed, and the coated SS shows negligible corrosion. Based on the study, it is claimed that an Al2O3-TiO2 coating on SS has improved its corrosion behavior significantly.

The present work evaluates the synthesis of a novel, inexpensive, and environmentally friendly chemically-treated avocado seed powder (CTASP) as an adsorbent in removing alizarin red S (ARS) from synthetic solution. By using a set of analytical techniques, including FTIR, XRD, EDX, RS, and SEM, the adsorbent was characterized for its physical and chemical properties. Batch study experiments were conducted to determine the effectiveness of the CTASP as an adsorbent. The maximum adsorption capacity of 67.08 mgg-1 was attained at optimum conditions of 3 gL-1 adsorbent dosage, pH 3, contact time of 30 min, and at temperature 303 K. After 30 minutes, the equilibrium was reached, and the experimental data was explained for isotherm, kinetic, and thermodynamic processes. The results indicated that pseudo-second-order kinetics and the Freundlich isotherm were the best fits for the data. The findings of the analysis of the thermodynamic parameters for the process showed that the system was an exothermic and spontaneous. According to the desorption studies, 0.1 M NaOH can be utilized as a separating reagent to desorb 90.53% of ARS that was adsorbed. Regeneration experiments were conducted to make the process more practical and affordable, and it was discovered that the CTASP adsorbent could be successfully regenerated up to four times. In comparison with other adsorbents, the current low-cost adsorbent had the exceptional regenerative capability and delivered multilayer adsorption capacity. Additionally, it has been demonstrated that the CTASP is an effective material for the detoxification of ARS dye from wastewater.

Background: The Ace polymorphism had shown association with ACE activity, premature atherosclerosis, myocardial infarction, LV dysfunction, LV remodelling, severity and extent of CAD and mortality after MI. Though ACE I/D polymorphism has been reported to be associated with various cardiovascular diseases it remained a controversial risk factor and studies have presented conflicting results. This study was designed to determine the association between ACE) gene insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism, ACE activity and acute STEMI in Indian population and to determine its influence on outcome after acute MI. Materials and methods: We investigated 934 patients diagnosed with acute STEMI who underwent thrombolysis. ACE I/D polymorphism was detected by polymerase chain reaction and ACE activity was measured in 615 patients. Results: The prevalence of DD, ID, and II genotypes in our study group were 41.97%, 34.36%, and 23.66% respectively. The ACE polymorphism was not significantly associated with the type of myocardial infarction, the LV ejection fraction, the number of vessels diseased and patency of the vessel after thrombolysis. The polymorphism had no influence on in hospital mortality (P = 0.453). The ACE activity also showed no influence on in hospital mortality (P = 0.482). The age > 60 years, Male gender, occluded artery and severe LV dysfunction (LVEF