Search

An integrated approach using geophysical and geospatial techniques was employed to model the surface and subsurface water-bearing strata and assess aquifer vulnerability in the Sehnsa town, Kotli district, State of Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. The inadequate scientific studies in the hilly terrain with such complex geological conditions has led to the failure of the boreholes for groundwater extraction. For the evaluation of groundwater potential and subsurface lithology, 30 vertical electrical soundings (VES) stations utilizing the Schlumberger electrode configuration were completed, modeled and analyzed spatially. Numerous geoelectrical parameters like true resistivity, thickness of subsurface layers and Dar-Zarrouk parameters were evaluated. The subsurface lithology delineated comprised topsoil, clayey sand, sandstone, and boulder clays which closely resemble to the borehole lithologs available in the study area. The inversion model confirms the presence of patches of high-resistivity sandstone in the southwestern part of the study area with the maximum thickness of the aquifer up to 140 m. Most aquifers were classified as unconfined with Q-type resistivity curves. The protective overburden capacity of the aquifers is rated as poor at VES 1, 3-5, 8, 10-16, 18, 19, 22-25, 27 and 30 whereas the moderate category was found at VES 2, 9 and 20 and excellent at VES 7 and 28, respectively. Therefore, the VES stations with poor and moderate ratings of overburden protective capacity are vulnerable for surface contaminants. The aquifer recharge was associated with rainfall and partly from the Poonch River. The effective integration of geophysical and geospatial techniques in this study provides sufficient information about the regional water resources and gives a preliminary model that can facilitate efficient water resource management in the area. These approaches can be successfully applied to diverse geographical and hydrogeological sites due to their versatility and reliability., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

In this phase 2 multicenter study, we evaluated the efficacy and safety of lifileucel (LN-145), an autologous tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte cell therapy, in patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (mNSCLC) who had received prior immunotherapy and progressed on their most recent therapy. The median number of prior systemic therapies was 2 (range, 1-6). Lifileucel was successfully manufactured using tumor tissue from different anatomic sites, predominantly lung. The objective response rate was 21.4% (6/28). Responses occurred in tumors with profiles typically resistant to immunotherapy, such as PD-L1-negative, low tumor mutational burden, and STK11 mutation. Two responses were ongoing at the time of data cutoff, including one complete metabolic response in a PD-L1-negative tumor. Adverse events were generally as expected and manageable. Two patients died of treatment-emergent adverse events: cardiac failure and multiple organ failure. Lifileucel is a potential treatment option for patients with mNSCLC refractory to prior therapy. Significance: Autologous tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte therapy lifileucel was administered to 28 patients with heavily pretreated metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (mNSCLC). Responses were observed in patients with driver mutations, and various tumor mutational burdens and PD-L1 expression, potentially addressing an unmet medical need in patients with mNSCLC refractory to prior therapy. See related commentary by Lotze et al., p. 1366., (©2024 The Authors; Published by the American Association for Cancer Research.)

In the present study, methylene blue (MB) removal has been studied from its aqueous solution, using Ficcus palmata leaves (FPL)-based plant material. The effect of different parameters such as contact time (10-100) minutes, initial concentration (5-25) mg/L, pH (4-13), temperature (298-318 K), and adsorbent dosage (0.15-0.45 g/0.05 L) was investigated. The maximum removal efficiency was calculated to be 98% for sample having initial concentration 15 mg/L along with 0.45 g of adsorbent agitated for 80 min at 318 K and pH = 7. The data were fitted to adsorption isotherm models (Langmuir and Freundlich) and kinetic models (pseudo-first order, pseudo-second order, and intra-particle diffusion). The data were found to be best fitted with Freundlich adsorption isotherm (R 2  = 0.99) and pseudo-second-order (R 2  = 0.991). Thermodynamic parameters (free energy change, enthalpy change, and entropy change) were also estimated. The Gibbs free energy values were found to be -1.808, -5.139, and -5.991 kJ/mol at 298, 308, and 318 K, respectively. The decrease in free energy with increasing temperature has indicated spontaneity of adsorption process, and positive enthalpy change (35.75 kJ/mol) showed that the adsorption process was endothermic. 0.1 M HCl was found to be most effective desorbing agent with percent desorption 53.51%. PRACTITIONER POINTS: FP leaves are low cost and easily available biomass for removal of MB from aqueous solution. The adsorption capacity was obtained to be 6.89 mg/g at (15 mg/g dye concentration, pH = 7, and contact time 80 min). The maximum removal efficiency for MB was 98%. The thermodynamic studies indicated the endothermic adsorption process. The 0.1 M HCl was found as best desorbing agent for MB loaded on FP leaves., (© 2019 Water Environment Federation.)

Introduction An unsafe abortion is a persistent, preventable dilemma. It is a procedure where an unintended pregnancy is terminated either by untrained individuals, or in an environment not meeting medical standards, or both, as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO). It endangers women in developing countries, where abortion is restricted either by law and culture or legally permitted but not easily accessible. Induced abortions are usually performed by unqualified and untrained individuals or are self-induced. Such incidents take place in unhygienic conditions and involve inappropriate methods or administration of medications. Even if carried out by medical experts, a clandestine abortion carries an additional risk, medical coverage is not immediately available in an emergency and the woman may not receive appropriate post-abortion attention. Induced abortion-related complications happen and the woman may hesitate to seek medical care. Unsafe abortion-induced complications contribute a major burden, such as increased hospital stay, drug costs, and an unusual delay of other operations on gynecological services in developing countries. The purpose of this study was to seek an association between low socioeconomic status and complications related to unsafe abortion. Materials and methods A total of 296 female patients of child-bearing age presented between 2012 and 2015 in the emergency department (ED), Nishtar Hospital, Multan, after an unsafe abortion, were included. Spontaneous miscarriages and abortions cases carried out on legal or medical grounds were excluded. Patient or their attendants (who usually present the real picture of incidents leading towards unsafe abortion) were interviewed for determinants leading to unsafe abortion. A detailed clinical assessment of the patient was done and complications like hemorrhage, uterine perforation, and bowel perforation were recorded along with basic demographic information such as age, gestational age, parity, and weight. Results There were 296 female patients in the study with a mean age 28.391 ± 4.57 (Range: 13-40 years). In a majority of patients, gravida and parity were 5-6. The mean weight was 60.283 ± 9.31 kilograms and the mean gestational age was 7.733 ± 2.45 weeks. The determinant in the shape of poor economic status was 71.6%. Hemorrhage was seen in 30.1% of the patients followed by uterine perforation (49.3%) and bowel perforation (45.6%). Conclusion Our results indicate that unsafe abortion is a major cause of maternal morbidity, mostly because the service is being sought from untrained healthcare providers in unhygienic conditions secondary to poor socioeconomic status. Since maternal morbidity due to unsafe abortion is a violation of a woman's basic human right: the right to life, there is a dire need to prevent these unwanted complications by improving the quality of the family planning program and providing safe abortion services., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Objective: To investigate whether anterior choroidal artery (AChA) territory sparing or AChA infarction restricted to the medial temporal lobe (MT), implying good collateral status, predicts good outcome, defined as modified Rankin Scale 0-2, at discharge in acute internal carotid artery (ICA) occlusion., Methods: The authors studied consecutive patients with acute ICA occlusion admitted to an academic medical centre between January 2002 and August 2010, who underwent MRI followed by conventional angiography. The pattern of AChA involvement on initial diffusion-weighted imaging was dichotomised as spared or MT only versus other partial or full. The association of AChA infarct patterns and good outcome at discharge was calculated by multivariate logistic regression with adjustment., Results: For the 60 patients meeting entry criteria, mean age was 68.3 years and median admission NIH Stroke Scale score was 19. AChA territory was spared or restricted to the MT in 27 patients and other partially involved or fully involved in 33 patients. AChA territory spared or ischaemia restricted to MT only, compared with other partial infarct patterns or full infarct, was independently associated with good discharge outcome (44.4% vs 12.1%, OR 7.24, 95% CI 1.32 to 39.89, p=0.023)., Conclusion: In acute ICA occlusion, the absence of AChA infarction or restriction to the MT is an independent predictor of good discharge outcome. Analysis of AChA infarct patterns may improve early prognostication and decision-making.

Background and Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential clinical value of arterial spin-labeled (ASL) perfusion MRI in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) through comparison with dynamic susceptibility contrast (DSC) enhanced perfusion MRI., Methods: Pseudocontinuous ASL with 3-dimensional background-suppressed gradient and spin echo readout was applied with DSC perfusion MRI on 26 patients with AIS. ASL cerebral blood flow and multiparametric DSC perfusion maps were rated for image quality and lesion severity/conspicuity. Mean ASL cerebral blood flow and DSC perfusion values were obtained in main vascular territories. Kendall coefficient of concordance was calculated to evaluate the reliability of ratings. Spearman correlation coefficients were calculated to compare ratings and quantitative perfusion values between ASL and DSC perfusion maps., Results: ASL cerebral blood flow and DSC perfusion maps provided largely consistent results in delineating hypoperfused brain regions in AIS. Hyperemic lesions, which also appeared frequently in the AIS cases studied, were more conspicuous on ASL cerebral blood flow than on DSC cerebral blood flow, mean transit time and time to the maximum of the tissue residual function maps., Conclusions: As a rapid, noninvasive, and quantitative technique, ASL has clinical use in detecting blood flow abnormalities in patients with AIS.