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Aim: To present a retrospective analysis of treatment outcomes following reirradiation in locoregionally recurrent head and neck cancer patients at our institute. Methods: Thirty-one patients of head and neck cancer who presented with a locoregional recurrence from April 2007 to April 2012 underwent salvage reirradiation. Median dose of first-time radiation was 70 Gy. Median duration of gap between the first and second course of radiation was 45.6 months. The median dose of reirradiation was 60 Gy. Conformal radiotherapy technique in the form of intensity modulated radiotherapy was used in 60% (17) of patients. Fourteen patients received concurrent chemotherapy or immunotherapy. Results: After a median follow-up of 20.6 months, 12 patients were alive with no evidence of disease. The 3-year disease-free survival and overall survival were 28.7 and 48.5%, respectively. Acute and late toxicities were reported in 29 and 61% of patients, respectively. Severe grade 3 and 4 late complications were observed in nine patients but none of them led to mortality. Conclusion: Reirradiation appears to be both feasible and well tolerated in patients treated with previous radiotherapy for recurrent and second primary head and neck cancer. Careful case selection for reirradiation based on patient’s performance status and tumor characteristics is essential.

Objective: To present comparison of survival outcomes between locally advanced adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma patients treated with definitive chemoradiation. Methods: It is a retrospective analysis and direct comparison between adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma cervix treated from January 2011 to December 2015. Of 73 patients analyzed 61 had squamous carcinoma histology and remaining 12 had adenocarcinoma. Inclusion criteria were patients with locally advanced stage (IIA) who have completed definitive chemoradiation and were available for response evaluation at 3 months of completion of treatment. Endpoints for the study were disease response evaluation at 3 months, progression rate, median progression free survival, median recurrence free survival, median loco-regional control, median distant metastasis free survival, median overall survival. Results: There was no significant difference between the two histology groups with respect to rate of achieving complete response (78.6 vs 75%, p = 0.718) and rate of disease progression (36% vs 50%, p = 0.517). There was no significant difference between median PFS (57.75 vs 17.74 months; p = 0.964), median RFS (NR vs 66.03 months; p = 0.876), median loco-regional control (not reached for both; p = 0.315), median DMFS (NR vs 66.03 months; p = 0.438) and median OS (NR vs 66.13 months; p = 0.884). Conclusions: Locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma treated with definitive chemoradiation have similar outcomes. Small sample size is the limitation of this study.

The present study includes macroscopical as well as microscopical description of the plant Melothria maderaspatana Linn., along with determination of various physicochemical parameters, such as different ash values, extractive values, and fluorescence drug analysis. Preliminary phytochemical screening along with quantification of total phenolic and flavonoid content were also determined in the whole plant extract. The presence of ergosterol, which was isolated and characterized by performing thin layer chromatography and spectral techniques like Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, 1HNMR, and mass spectrometry from chloroform fraction, was also reported for the first time. The other phytochemical isolated from the same fraction was found to be β–sitosterol. Thus, the present study will provide referential information to the researchers having interest in the relevant field for correct identification and authentication of the plant, which will minimize the adulteration of that particular crude drug and...

Pharmacognostical standardization of fruits of Withania coagulans Dunal. (Solanaceae) has been carried out in the present study. The study includes macroscopical and microscopical evaluation along with estimation of its physicochemical parameters such as ash and extractive values, preliminary phytochemical screening and fluorescence analysis. It also includes quantification of some of the active constituents such as withanolides (withaferin-A) by HPTLC, total phenolic, tannin, flavonoids and flavonols. The present study reveals standardization profile for drug like Withania coagulans, which would be of immense value in botanical identification and authentication of plant drug and may help us in preventing its adulteration.

Administration of an aqueous extract of fruits of Withania coagulans (1 g/kg; p.o.) to high fat diet induced hyperlipidemic rats for 7 weeks, significantly reduced elevated serum cholesterol, triglycerides and lipoprotein levels. This drug also showed hypolipidemic activity in triton induced hypercholesterolemia. The histopathological examination of liver tissues of treated hyperlipidemic rats showed comparatively lesser degenerative changes compared with hyperlipidemic controls. The hypolipidemic effect of W. coagulans fruits was found to be comparable to that of an Ayurvedic product containing Commiphora mukkul.

The adsorption and desorption of Cd(2+) to large and nanometer-scale anatase crystals have been studied to determine the relationship between heavy metal adsorption properties and anatase particle size. A solvothermal method was used to synthesize very fine anatase nanocrystals with average grain sizes ranging from 8 to 20 nm. On a surface area basis, it was found that large and nanometer-scale anatase particles had similar maximum Cd(2+) adsorption capacities, while their adsorption slopes differed by more than 1 order of magnitude. The particle-size effect on adsorption is constant over a pH range of 4-7.5. The desorption of Cd(2+) from both particle sizes is completely reversible. The adsorption data have been modeled by the Basic Stern model using three monodentate surface complexes. It is proposed that intraparticle electrostatic repulsion may reduce the adsorption free energy significantly for nanometer-sized particles.

Administration of aqueous extract of fruits of Withania coagulans Dunal significantly lowered the blood sugar, serum cholesterol, serum LPO, and hepatic LPO levels at the highest concentration of 1g/kg; p.o. in streptozotocin induced diabetic rats. In normal rats as well the blood sugar levels were significantly decreased following treatment with the above drug. Withania coagulans also exhibited free radical scavenging activity in an in vitro system using DPPH.

This paper describes for the first time a chemical method for the preparation for nanocrystalline quartz. Submicron quartz powders are initially produced in hydrothermal reactions where soluble silica precursors precipitate as pure crystalline silica. To yield nanocrystalline material these particles can be purified and size selected by dialysis, filtration, and centrifugation. Transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction illustrate that the product is pure phase α-quartz, consisting of isolated (i.e., nonaggregated) nanocrystals. Depending on the size selection method, crystallites with average sizes of 10 to 100 nanometers can be recovered.

Objective : The evaluation of antidiabetic activity of alcoholic and aqueous extracts of whole plant of Daemia extensa R Br. Materials and methods: The antidiabetic activity of both the extracts were evaluated using alloxan (120 mg/kg; i.p.) induced hyperglycemic rats. The potency of alcoholic and aqueous extracts were compared with that of reference drug chlopropamide. The blood glucose level was measured by using glucometer. Results: The alcoholic extract produced a highly significant fall in Blood Glucose Level (BGL) at 1 h after a single dose of the extract and in prolong treatment (i.e. for a week) the antidiabetic activity was maintained at par with the reference drug chlopropamide. Aqueous extract possess antidiabetic activity which was maintained upto 3 hours after a single dose and later the activity decreases but upon prolonged treatment, the peak activity was found on second day. Conclusion: Alcoholic extract of D. extensa is almost equipotent to chlorpropamide. This qualifies it to be used in ethnomedical diabetic management.

To present a retrospective analysis of treatment outcomes following reirradiation in locoregionally recurrent head and neck cancer patients at our institute.Thirty-one patients of head and neck cancer who presented with a locoregional recurrence from April 2007 to April 2012 underwent salvage reirradiation. Median dose of first-time radiation was 70 Gy. Median duration of gap between the first and second course of radiation was 45.6 months. The median dose of reirradiation was 60 Gy. Conformal radiotherapy technique in the form of intensity modulated radiotherapy was used in 60% (17) of patients. Fourteen patients received concurrent chemotherapy or immunotherapy.After a median follow-up of 20.6 months, 12 patients were alive with no evidence of disease. The 3-year disease-free survival and overall survival were 28.7 and 48.5%, respectively. Acute and late toxicities were reported in 29 and 61% of patients, respectively. Severe grade 3 and 4 late complications were observed in nine patients but none of them led to mortality.Reirradiation appears to be both feasible and well tolerated in patients treated with previous radiotherapy for recurrent and second primary head and neck cancer. Careful case selection for reirradiation based on patient's performance status and tumor characteristics is essential.

This study involves an investigation of the effects of crosslinking of gellan gum (GG) with Ca++ or Zn++ on the physical properties of GG gels. GG gels crosslinked with different concentrations of Ca++ or Zn++ were prepared and parameters such as % water holding capacity and penetration thickness were investigated as measures of the extent of interaction of Ca++ or Zn++ with GG molecules. Data generated from the above studies revealed that Zn++ interacted with the GG molecules to a greater extent than Ca++ . In order to further strengthen our finding, we have prepared Zn++ crosslinked and Ca++ crosslinked floating GG beads respectively by ionotropic gelation in the presence of a gas-generating agent (NaHCO3 ) and compared their physico-chemical properties such as density, drug entrapment efficiency and release in 0.1 M HCl (pH 1.2) using metronidazole (MTZ) as a model drug. Experimental data suggested that Zn++ crosslinked floating GG beads were denser and less buoyant than Ca++ crosslinked floating beads but capable of significantly (p < 0.05) improving MTZ entrapment efficiency and sustaining the MTZ release in 0.1 M HCl (pH 1.2) compared to Ca++ crosslinked floating beads. The difference in observed behavior may be attributed to differences in specificity, soft and hard character, enthalpies of hydration and ionization potentials of Ca++ and Zn++ ., Colegio de Farmacéuticos de la Provincia de Buenos Aires

Investigation of the dissolution rate profiles of nalidixic acid tablets of three commercial brands was carried out. Using the U.S.P. paddle method, significant inter-brand variations in dissolution rates were found and the tablets did not pass the U.S.P. dissolution test. The dissolution of the tablets was also found to be adversely affected on aging. The observed differences in dissolution rates of the tablets examined were unrelated to their disintegration times. An attempt was made to improve the dissolution rate of nalidixic acid tablets through hydrophilization of nalidixic acid powder and use of tablet excipients with high aqueous solubility were found to yield tablets of good physical qualities which were unaffected on aging.

Objective: To study antidiabetic effect of various parts of B. prionitis. Materials and methods: Antidiabetic activity of B. prionitis was evaluated using alloxan induced hyperglycemic rats. The potency of alcoholic and aqueous extracts of leaf, stem and root was compared with that of chlorpropamide at a dose of 200 and 100mg/kg respectively. The blood glucose level was measured colorimetrically. Results: Alcoholic & aqueous extracts of leaf and root caused significant fall in blood glucose level in diabetic rats. Conclusion: B. prionitis is almost equipotent to chlorpropamide in its ability to reduce the sugar levels and can be recommended for further studies.

A Schottky barrier height of 0.82 eV is reported on n‐InP. This is obtained by a new technique which may have much more general applications. In order to control the Fermi level at InP interfaces, we propose a new method using Sb interlayers at metal‐InP interfaces. The deposition of two monolayers of Sb followed by annealing near 300 °C gives nearly the flatband condition for both n‐ and p‐type InP indicating that there is no significant density of Sb‐induced states in the gap. Au and Ag are nonreactive on these Sb‐passivated surfaces, while Pd, Cu, and Al are reactive. Although Schottky barrier heights on n‐InP without Sb interlayers range from 0.3 to 0.55 eV, those with Sb interlayers fall in a range from 0.45 to 0.85 eV. The modification of the Schottky barrier heights by the Sb is striking especially in nonreactive cases (Au and Ag). In this case, the surface Fermi level shows a tendency to converge at about 0.55 eV (±0.05 eV) above the valence‐band maximum for both n‐ and p‐type InP. A defect model ...

To passivate InP(110) surfaces chemically and electrically, we have investigated a new method using one monolayer of Sb as an interlayer at metal-semiconductor interfaces. Prior work has established that one monolayer of Sb ideally terminates InP(110) by providing a surface which satisfies all chemical bonds and is lattice matched. The deposition of one monolayer of Sb followed by annealing near 300°C gives nearly the flat band condition for both n- and p-type InP, with a residual band bending of less than 0.2 eV. To make Schottky barriers on these surfaces, we have deposited five metals (Au, Pd, Ag, Cu, and Al). We have found that (1) Au and Ag are non-reactive and form big clusters, and (2) Pd, Cu, and Al are reactive on these surfaces. Although Schottky barrier heights on n-InP without an Sb interlayer range from 0.3 to 0.55 eV, those with an Sb interlayer range from 0.49 to 0.82 eV. By using this method, we have first succeeded in obtaining a technologically important large Schottky barrier height of about 0.82 eV at Au/n-InP(110) interfaces.

Ischemic and reperfusion injury leads to necrosis and apoptosis. Mitochondrial enzymes and antiapoptotic gene plays an important role in necrosis and apoptosis. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of Bcl-2 expression in alternations in mitochondrial energy regulation during hepatic ischemia and reperfusion and role in necrosis and apoptosis. Total 12 Wistar rats were divided into sham-operated control group (I) and ischemia and reperfusion group (II). Mitochondrial tri carboxylic acid cycles marker enzymes, respiratory marker enzymes, apoptotic cells, necrotic cells and Bcl-2 expression was measured. Number of necrotic and apoptotic cells were increased in ischemic and reperfusion group with reducing tri carboxylic acid cycles marker enzymes, respiratory marker enzymes and decreasing of Bcl-2 expression. On the basis of our findings it may be concluded that suppression of Bcl-2 gene, inhibition of tri carboxylic acid cycles and respiration rate, adenosine tri phosphate production in mitochondria is a pathophysiological consequences which provides a clue for necrosis and apoptosis in hepatic ischemic and reperfusion injury.

An important issue in developing applications for photopolymers in holography is the effect of film thickness on recording properties. Now it is possible to create these samples with a much wider range of thickness (d = 20-1400 mum) than was previously available. We exploit these recent advances in photopolymer processing to systematically evaluate how the dynamic range of a photopolymer depends on its thickness. The results illustrate that sample performance increases linearly with thickness as predicted by standard models of volume holography. However, above a critical thickness sample performance degrades, and the angular response of recorded plane-wave holograms shows evidence of grating curvature. These distortions are likely the result of photopolymer shrinkage, which in thicker samples occurs in a nonuniform fashion. This problem limits the performance of these photopolymers and is likely to be an issue for any photopolymer that undergoes comparable polymerization shrinkage.

Analysis of a typical semiarid mountain system recharge (MSR) setting demonstrates that geochemical tracers help resolve the location, rate, and seasonality of recharge as well as ground water flowpaths and residence times. MSR is defined as the recharge at the mountain front that dominates many semiarid basins plus the often-overlooked recharge through the mountain block that may be a significant ground water resource; thus, geochemical measurements that integrate signals from all flowpaths are advantageous. Ground water fluxes determined from carbon-14 ((14)C) age gradients imply MSR rates between 2 x 10(6) and 9 x 10(6) m(3)/year in the Upper San Pedro Basin, Arizona, USA. This estimated range is within an order of magnitude of, but lower than, prior independent estimates. Stable isotopic signatures indicate that MSR has a 65% +/- 25% contribution from winter precipitation and a 35% +/- 25% contribution from summer precipitation. Chloride and stable isotope results confirm that transpiration is the dominant component of evapotranspiration (ET) in the basin with typical loss of more than 90% of precipitation-less runoff to ET. Such geochemical constraints can be used to further refine hydrogeologic models in similar high-elevation relief basins and can provide practical first estimates of MSR rates for basins lacking extensive prior hydrogeologic measurements.

Interfaces between UHV-cleaved GaP (110) and overlayers of Sn, Sb, and Bi have been studied using soft X-ray photoemission spectroscopy. The substrate core level attentuation indicates that these three interfaces exhibit Stranski-Krastanov growth. The overlayer core level spectra (Sn 4d, Sb 4d, and Bi 5d) exhibit two components for coverages up to one monolayer, indicating that the adatoms form a zigzag chain overlayer as has been reported at the Sb/GaAs interface. The Ga 3d and P 2p surface components disappear as the first monolayer develops, and the remaining bulk components are used to determine various lineshape parameters of these core levels. The Schottky barrier formation at these interfaces has also been examined. The band bending at these interfaces occurs chiefly for coverages exceeding one monolayer, when islands are forming on the ordered layer. For all three of these interfaces the final surface Fermi level position is in the neighborhood of 1.0eV above the valence band maximum.

We consider interfacial chemistry and band bending behavior for Al, In, Ag, and Pt overlayers on vacuum‐cleaved p‐CdTe and p‐ZnTe (110) in a comparative study using ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy and x‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy. A range of metal–substrate reactivities have been considered: Al reacts strongly with Te, Ag moderately, and In minimally, with no evidence seen for In reaction on ZnTe. Pt exhibits strong alloying behavior with both Cd and Zn. These results for the binaries are compared to metal/HgCdTe interface formation. We find that Hg loss can significantly influence the extent of reaction and/or intermixing for these overlayers, with resulting disruption either inhibiting or facilitating chemical interaction. Reaction and intermixing for Al, Ag, and Pt overlayers on CdTe and ZnTe indicate these interfaces are not ideal. The possible role of defects at these four metal/CdTe and metal/ZnTe interfaces is considered, and provides a consistent explanation for the final Fermi level po...

[1] The Upper San Pedro River Basin (Southeastern Arizona, United States) contains one of the few desert riparian areas in the Southwest, a system that is dependent on both shallow groundwater to support phreatic vegetation and baseflow for aquatic plants and animals. Proper management decisions for sustaining this biodiversity hotspot require understanding the hydrology of the riparian system and its interaction with the basin aquifer. To meet this need and to assess whether the techniques used would be efficient for evaluating other semiarid riparian ecosystems, we addressed the following questions. What are the contributions of different water sources (e.g., local recharge during monsoon flood events versus inflow of basin groundwater) to riparian groundwater and river baseflow? How does the spatial variability in water sources relate to gaining and losing reaches along of the river? We first characterize the possible water sources to the riparian system using a suite of geochemical tracers. Results indicate that, of the possible sources, basin groundwater recharged along the Huachuca Mountains to the west and local recharge of monsoon floodwaters are the dominant riparian water sources. Then, using their geochemical composition, we quantify these sources using a two end-member mixing model. We find that riparian groundwater composition varies between gaining and losing reaches. Locally recharged monsoon floodwater comprises 60 to 85% of riparian groundwater in losing reaches whereas that of gaining reaches contains only 10% to 40%. Baseflow, sampled year round, also contains a significant component of monsoon floodwater ranging from 80% on the upstream end and decreasing to 55% after passing though several gaining reaches. These results highlight the significance of local recharge during monsoon flood events as a water source for desert riparian systems, a fact that should be addressed when constructing and calibrating hydrologic models used to evaluate these future water management decisions.

Nanocrystalline titanium dioxide (nano-TiO(2)) is an important material used in commerce today. When designed appropriately it can generate reactive species (RS) quite efficiently, particularly under ultraviolet (UV) illumination; this feature is exploited in applications ranging from self-cleaning glass to low-cost solar cells. In this study, we characterize the toxicity of this important class of nanomaterials under ambient (e.g., no significant light illumination) conditions in cell culture. Only at relatively high concentrations (100 microg/ml) of nanoscale titania did we observe cytotoxicity and inflammation; these cellular responses exhibited classic dose-response behavior, and the effects increased with time of exposure. The extent to which nanoscale titania affected cellular behavior was not dependent on sample surface area in this study; smaller nanoparticlulate materials had effects comparable to larger nanoparticle materials. What did correlate strongly to cytotoxicity, however, was the phase composition of the nanoscale titania. Anatase TiO(2), for example, was 100 times more toxic than an equivalent sample of rutile TiO(2). The most cytotoxic nanoparticle samples were also the most effective at generating reactive oxygen species; ex vivo RS species generation under UV illumination correlated well with the observed biological response. These data suggest that nano-TiO(2) samples optimized for RS production in photocatalysis are also more likely to generate damaging RS species in cell culture. The result highlights the important role that ex vivo measures of RS production can play in developing screens for cytotoxicity.

Phase-pure, ultrafine nanocrystalline anatase with high specific surface area (up to 250 m(2) g(-1)) was obtained upon injection of a titanium alkoxide precursor into ethanol with designed volume of water under mild solvothermal conditions (

This study examined the relationship among the recovery grip strength, functional outcomes, and work performance following occupational therapy intervention for hand trauma. This study had a sample size of 15 participants whose recovery grip strength was measured using a Jamar dynamometer, whose satisfaction with outcomes was measured by the Michigan Hand Outcomes Questionnaire (MHQ), and whose compliance with the home therapy program was measured by a visual analog scale (VAS). A Pearson r correlation demonstrated a significant relationship between recovery grip strength and two MHQ subset scores: overall hand function (r = 0.59, p = 0.019) and activities of daily living (ADL) performance (r = 0.61, p = 0.016). The participants' self-rating of compliance did not predict or influence either recovery grip strength or MHQ scores. A moderate positive correlation approaching significance (r = 0.51, p = 0.052) was found between grip strength and overall MHQ scores. The researchers concluded that a recovery grip strength measure should be used along with functional measures to appropriately assess overall hand function following hand trauma.