Search

The geometrical error in the stereolithography process is analysed using a stochastic approach. This approach is based on a unified methodology, developed by the authors, for studying the mechanical error in different rapid prototyping processes. The tolerances and clearances have been assumed to be random variables. The coordinates of a point on the resin surface, traced by the laser beam, are expressed as a function of random variables. In a numerical example, the geometrical error has been found for a grid of points traced by the laser beam. The three-sigma error bands are plotted when tracing example curves. This is the band in which the laser beams of 99.73% of machines, produced on a mass scale, lie on the work surface for the given tolerances and clearances. Stringent values of tolerances and clearances reduce the error at the tool tip, but the cost of manufacturing and assembling the machines may become prohibitive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A stochastic model has been developed for studying the mechanical error in different rapid prototyping (RP) processes. Tolerances and clearances, which cause mechanical error, have been assumed to be random variables. The coordinates of a point on the work surface traced by the laser beam or the tip of the extruder head is expressed as a function of the random variables involved in the process. Using a unified approach for the RP processes, the mechanical error in the fused deposition process is analysed. In a numerical example, the mechanical error has been found for a grid of points traced by the nozzle tip. The three-sigma bands of the error in tracing example curves are plotted. This is the band in which the nozzle tips of 99.73% of machines, produced on a mass scale, lie for the given tolerances and clearances. Stringent values of tolerances and clearances reduce the error at the nozzle tip, but the cost of manufacturing and assembling the machines may become prohibitive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As cancer continues to be one of the biggest threats worldwide and causes maximum deaths after cardiovascular diseases, a greater emphasis must be given for newer strategies for the development of anti-cancer drugs. Cancer treatment strategies target various mechanisms such as apoptosis, metastasis, angiogenesis, etc. Angiogenesis, which is the process of generation of new capillary blood vessels, can be an excellent target for anti-cancer therapy, as a tumor cannot grow further without it. The present study aims to evaluate and compare anti-angiogenic activity of ethanolic extract of Parkia biglandulosa (EEPB) and its isolate β-sitosterol by regenerative angiogenesis assay using caudal fin of adult zebrafish. One of its active constituents that is β-sitosterol, which was expected to show anti-cancer activity, was isolated by using flash chromatography and its activity was checked along with crude ethanolic extract of Parkia biglandulosa (EEPB). Results of regenerative angiogenesis compared by one way ANOVA followed by Tukey's test showed significant inhibition of fin growth when compared with control group which signified anti-angiogenic effect of test compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Co-administration of prescribed drug with that of over the counter products may either lead to altered therapeutic effect, adverse effects or depleted efficacy of one or both drugs. One such example is geriatric patients being treated with ayurvedic cardioprotectives formulations for ischemia generally suffer from bowel movement discomfort and tend to consume herbal laxatives simultaneously without physician's consent. The proposed study was undertaken to determine whether any interaction exists when Arjuna, a cardioprotective agent is concomitantly administered orally with Haritaki churna, a laxative agent, in isoproterenol (subcutaneous administration) induced ischemic rats on pharmacodynamic level. Data was statistically evaluated by comparing the effect of combination group with that of isoproterenol control and Arjuna group on electrocardiogram (ECG) patterns, blood serum parameters, gastric motility using ONE WAY ANNOVA, p < 0.05 followed by Tukey's multiple comparison test. Results suggests that there is significant decrease in cardioprotective efficacy of Arjuna when administered together with Haritaki. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the polymer science the conducting polymers have been studied extensively during the last two decades as an important semiconductor material because of their interesting chemical and physical properties. Firstly Chemical bath deposition method is successfully used for the synthesis of polythiophene which was successfully doped TiO2 composites on glass slide surface using FeCl3 as an oxidant at room temperature. Effect of dopant TiO2 on properties of polythiophene thin film was then studied. Chemical composition of polythiophene film was investigated by FTIR spectroscopy. Surface morphology was influenced by dopant. SEM image of composites exhibit nano size grains this is a beauty of our work. XRD analysis showed modification from fully amorphous to well developed crystalline structure .TGA-DTA results indicates composites of polythiophene with TiO2 are found to be most thermally stable than undoped polythiophene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and objective: Tenofovir use in HIV positive patients is associated with 0.5–2.5% risk of acute kidney injury (AKI). Data on AKI due to tenofovir use in resource limited settings like India is sparse. Objective of this study is to determine incidence, risk factors and outcome of tenofovir‐induced acute kidney injury (serum creatinine>2 mg/dl or creatinine clearance decrease by 50% compared to baseline) in HIV infected patients attending tertiary level HIV clinic in Western India. Methods: All patients enrolled at the clinic from 2009 to 2012 who were initiated on tenofovir‐based ART and had regular follow up creatinine clearance values available were included in this retrospective observational cohort analysis. Patients already on tenofovir‐based ART during enrollment were also included. Summary of results: 512 patients were enrolled in the study with 70% being males. Average age of the cohort was 41 years, average body weight 56 kilograms and median baseline CD4 count 164 cells/mm[sup.3]. Mean baseline creatinine clearance was 90 ml/min. Median duration of follow up was 26 months. Tenofovir‐induced AKI developed in 25 patients (incidence 4.88 %). Median time to developing AKI was 6 months. On stopping tenofovir, 15 patients had complete recovery of renal function, 5 had partial recovery while 5 patients died. Hemodialysis as a treatment option was used in 3 patients. Age>50 yrs (p=0.001), baseline creatinine clearance Conclusions: Incidence of tenofovir‐induced AKI in our cohort is higher than previously reported and could be attributed to lower body weight, lower baseline creatinine clearance, higher incidence of advanced HIV disease and higher incidence of co‐morbidities in our patients., References Cooper RD, Wiebe N, Smith N, Keiser P, Naicker S, Tonelli M. Systematic review and meta‐analysis: renal safety of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate in HIV‐infected patients. Clin Infect Dis. 2010;51:496–505. [...]

Query optimization is the process of selecting the most efficient query-evaluation plan from many strategies so, In this paper we have developed a technique that performs query optimization at compile-time to reduce the burden of optimization at run-time to improve the performance of the code execution. using histograms that are computed from the data and these histograms are used to get the estimate of selectivity for query joins and predicates in a query at compile-time. With these estimates, a query plan is constructed at compile-time and executed it at run-time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we depart from the existing approaches for facial feature extraction and model different facial features like eyes, nose, etc. as independent active shapes instead of using a single active shape to represent the entire face. These shapes may be translated, rotated and scaled individually. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

B-splines have today become the industry standard for CAD data representation. Freeform shape synthesis from point cloud data is an emerging technique. This predominantly involves B-spline curve / surface fitting to the point cloud data to obtain the CAD definitions. Accurate curve and surface fit-ting from point clouds needs estimation of order, i.e. number of knots and a good parameterization model, i.e. the determination of parameter values of the digitized points in order to perform least squares (LSQ) fitting. Numerous work have been done on selection of such parameters. Nevertheless, the problem of LSQ with optimal knots has not been addressed in totality. Simultaneous optimization of number of knots and parameter values leads to multiple contradictory objectives and traditional optimization is prone to fail. The present work proposes a hybrid approach based on genetic algorithms, for optimal number of knots and optimal parameter allocation, simultaneously, for curve and surface fitting. A novel population initial-ization scheme involving analytical and neural network estimation is also proposed here, ensuring that the optimization procedure is both global in nature and computationally less expensive. Further classical opti-mization of parameters alone based on error is carried if required. The present study of parameterization is for Non Uniform B-spline fitting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thyroglossal cyst (TGC) is the most common congenital anomaly of the thyroid gland and is found in approximately 7% of general population. It represents cystic degeneration of a remnant of the thyroglossal duct that failed to involute during gestation. Malignancy occurring in TGC is rare entity, accounting only for 1% of all thyroglossal cysts. We are presenting such a rare case of papillary thyroid carcinoma arising in a thyroglossal cyst. 30-year-old female presented with a painless, gradually progressive swelling below the chin extending to left side. On examination, swelling was noted in submental region and measuring 4 × 3 × 1 cm, firm in consistency and moves with deglutition and movement of tongue. On radiological investigations, lobulated cystic lesion in midline with thin septations was seen, suggestive of thyroglossal cyst. The thyroid of the patient was normal. Patient underwent Sistrunk procedure. On histopathology, papillary thyroid carcinoma in thyroglossal cyst was seen and it was invading cyst wall and superficial skeletal muscle. The 1st case of thyroglossal duct carcinoma was reported by Brentano in 1911. Till now 300 cases have been reported in literature. Carcinomas occurring in thyroglossal cyst are extremely rare, (< 1% cases). The most frequent histological type is papillary pattern followed by mixed(papillary and follicular), squamous cell, Hürthle cell, follicular and anaplastic variety. The etiology of thyroglossal duct carcinoma is unknown and neither good clinical history nor examination can lead to a preoperative diagnosis. Diagnosis is often incidental on histopathology as in present case. Thyroglossal duct carcinoma is a rare condition that comes as a surprise to both the patient and surgeon and should be considered in patients presenting with cystic midline neck masses., Competing Interests: Conflict of interestThe authors declare that they have no competing interests., (© Association of Otolaryngologists of India 2023. Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.)

Aim: Chemotherapy-induced alopecia (CIA) is the most common side effect of systemic treatment in breast cancer patients. Scalp cooling gained worldwide acceptance in preventing or mitigating CIA in patients undergoing chemotherapy. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the Paxman scalp cooling system (PSCS) in Indian breast cancer patients., Materials and Methods: This is a multi-centre, retrospective-observational study including patients registered from 1 st March, 2019 to 30 th April, 2021 undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer by using PSCS. The primary end-point was the incidence of CIA after completing cycles of chemotherapy., Results: A total of 91 female patients were enrolled in the study, with a median age of 53 years (IQR: 44-62 years). The prevention of alopecia (grade 0 and grade I) was seen in 81%, while more than 50% hair loss (grade 2) was seen in 16.48% after completion of treatment. The univariate analysis results showed that CIA was significantly higher in patients who received anthracyclines (OR: 2.69; 95% CI: 1.04-6.958; P = 0.041) and in patients with a post-infusion cooling time of >150 minutes (OR: 8.409; 95% CI: 2.295-30.787; P = 0.001). The incidence of grade 2 (>50% hair loss) alopecia was 81.3% in patients <6 weeks and was 18.8% at >6 weeks of start of chemotherapy ( P < 0.0001). No adverse events were reported in 71.4% of patients, and the most common adverse event was headache (18.7%)., Conclusion: PSCS is an effective and well-tolerated treatment modality for preventing CIA among breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2024 Indian Journal of Dermatology.)

Ashish Joshi Background  The molecular characterization of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has unveiled genomic alterations such as EGFR gene mutations, KRAS gene mutations, ROS1 gene rearrangements, EML4-ALK rearrangements, and altered MET signaling. The objective of this molecular epidemiological study was to report the clinical, pathological, and molecular profile of NSCLC patients from western India. Materials and Methods  This real-world study of NSCLC patients was performed at a chemotherapy day-care center in western India. The clinical, pathological, and molecular data were collected from the patient's medical records after obtaining the Ethics Committee permission for the study. The study was conducted according to the ethical principles stated in the latest version of Helsinki Declaration, and the applicable guidelines for good clinical practice. Results  A total of 182 (58.7%) men and 128 (41.3%) women with a median age of 63 years (range: 22-93 years) were included in the study. Of the total 310 patients, 195 (62.9%) were nonsmokers whereas 81 (26.1%) had a past history of smoking. EGFR , EML4-ALK Fusion Gene, KRAS , ROS1 gene rearrangement, and PD-L1 were positive in 42 (22.3%), 12 (9%), 2 (28.6%), 3 (12.5%), and 3 (25%) patients, respectively. One patient had concurrent EGFR mutation along with ROS1 gene rearrangement. Conclusion  Oncogenic driver mutations are present in Indian NSCLC patients. Molecular testing should be performed for all patients of advanced NSCLC to identify those that can benefit from newer generation of targeted or immunotherapies., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest None declared., (MedIntel Services Pvt Ltd. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ ).)

Background: Globally, few studies have been undertaken to assess the association of acanthosis nigricans (AN) with metabolic syndrome (MS). Most of the available studies have either focused on a particular age group, gender, ethnicity or on a single component of MS., Objectives: To determine the association between AN and MS as a whole and with all individual components of MS in adult patients of either gender., Material and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study with a comparative group. Eighty-one subjects were recruited in each group. Fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and lipid profile were done. MS was defined by using the international diabetic federation (IDF) criteria. Association of body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, blood pressure, FPG, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and triglycerides (TG) with AN was assessed by Pearson's chi-square test followed by univariate and multivariate analysis., Results: The prevalence of MS was found to be significantly higher in the group with AN. On univariate analysis, a significant association of AN was found with BMI, waist circumference, high systolic and diastolic blood pressure, HDL, and TG. Multivariate analysis revealed a significant association between waist circumference, high systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and high TG levels with AN. The risk of MS was found to be eight times higher in cases of AN., Study Limitations: The small sample size and single-center data are the limitations of the present study., Conclusion: AN is strongly associated with MS as a whole and with its individual components including increased waist circumference, hypertension, and dyslipidemia., (Copyright © 2023 Sociedade Brasileira de Dermatologia. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To describe the implementation of screening for cryptococcal antigenaemia by point-of-care (POC) serum cryptococcal antigen (CrAg) lateral flow assay, measure the prevalence and factors associated with serum cryptococcal antigenaemia in the routine programmatic setting., Design: Cross-sectional study., Setting: Seventeen publicly funded antiretroviral therapy (ART) centres in Mumbai, India., Participants: Serum CrAg screening was offered to all adolescents (>10 years of age) and adults with advanced HIV disease (AHD) (CD4 <200 cells/mm 3 or with WHO clinical stage III/IV) regardless of symptoms of cryptococcal meningitis., Primary and Secondary Outcome Measures: The primary outcome was to describe the implementation of serum CrAg screening and secondary outcome was to measure the prevalence of serum cryptococcal antigenaemia and its risk factors., Results: A total of 2715 patients with AHD were tested for serum CrAg by POC assay. Of these, 25 (0.9%) had a CrAg positive result. Among CrAg-positive patients, only one had symptoms. Serum CrAg positivity was 3.6% (6/169) and 1.6% (6/520) among those presenting with CD4 <100 cells/mm 3 in the treatment naïve and treatment experienced group, respectively. On multivariable analysis, CD4 count <100 cells/mm 3 (OR: 2.3, 95% CI 1.01 to 5.3; p=0.05) and people living with HIV who were treatment naïve (OR: 2.5, 95% CI 1.04 to 6.0; p=0.04) were significantly associated with a positive serum CrAg result. Lumbar puncture was obtained in 20/25 patients within 4 days (range: 1-4 days) of positive serum CrAg result and one person was confirmed to have meningitis. All serum CrAg-positive patients who had a negative cerebrospinal fluid CrAg were offered pre-emptive therapy., Conclusions: Implementation of a POC CrAg assay was possible with existing ART centre staff. Initiation of pre-emptive therapy and management of cryptococcal antigenaemia are operationally feasible at ART centres. The Indian National AIDS Control Programme may consider reflexive CrAg screening of all AHD patients with CD4 <100 cells/mm 3 ., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2023. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

RESILIENT (CTRI/2018/02/011808) was a single arm, open label, phase II/III study to test if label agnostic therapy regimens guided by Encyclopedic Tumor Analysis (ETA) can offer meaningful clinical benefit for patients with relapsed refractory metastatic (r/r-m) malignancies. Patients with advanced refractory solid organ malignancies where disease had progressed following ≥2 lines of systemic treatments were enrolled in the trial. Patients received personalized treatment recommendations based on integrational comprehensive analysis of freshly biopsied tumor tissue and blood. The primary end points were Objective Response Rate (ORR), Progression Free Survival (PFS) and Quality of Life (QoL). Objective Response (Complete Response + Partial Response) was observed in 54 of 126 patients evaluable per protocol (ORR = 42.9%; 95% CI: 34.3%-51.4%, p < 0.0001). At study completion, Disease Control (Complete Response + Partial Response + Stable Disease) was observed in 114 out of 126 patients evaluable per protocol (CBR = 90.5%; 95% CI: 83.9% - 95.0%, p < 0.00001) and Disease Progression in 12 patients. Median duration of follow-up was 138 days (range 31 to 379). Median PFS at study termination was 134 days (range 31 to 379). PFS rate at 90 days and 180 days were 93.9% and 82.5% respectively. The study demonstrated that tumors have latent vulnerabilities that can be identified via integrational multi-analyte investigations such as ETA. This approach identified viable treatment options that could yield meaningful clinical benefit in this cohort of patients with advanced refractory cancers., Competing Interests: CONFLICTS OF INTEREST TC and HK have no conflict of interest to declare. RP receives consultation fees from time to time from the sponsor. DP, VD, AG, AS and DA are in the employment of the sponsor. The entire team from HCG-Manavata Cancer Centre, Nasik, viz. RN, SB, SD, VP, SR and PP report grants from DCGL during the conduct of the study; multiple research grants from Novartis, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, Celltrion Healthcare, Intas Pharmaceutical Industries, Sun Pharmaceuticals, Amgen, Zydus Cadilla, US Vitamins and Lupin Laboratories, outside the submitted work, and educational support from Intas Pharmaceuticals, Fresenius Kabi and Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories., (Copyright: © 2019 Nagarkar et al.)

Background: Herpes zoster is a viral infection of skin caused by Varicella Zoster virus. The most important symptom for which the patient seeks medical advice is pain, which is perceived before the development of rash and lasts even after its resolution. The pain during the first 30 days after onset of herpes zoster is known as acute herpetic neuralgia. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy and side-effects of different systemic treatment modalities for acute herpes zoster neuralgia., Materials and Methods: This was a randomized, single-blind, parallel control study. Forty-five patients of herpes zoster within 72 hours of onset were enrolled after considering various inclusion and exclusion criteria over a duration of 1 year. Pain severity was assessed after sequential distribution and allotment of patients in three groups using verbal rating scale (VRS). Patients in Group A (control group), were treated with Tab.valacyclovir (1 g tds × 7 days), Group B-Tab.valacyclovir (1 g tds × 7 days) + Cap. Pregabalin (75 mg bd × 1 month), and Group C -Tab.valacyclovir (1 g tds × 7 days) +Cap. Pregabalin (75 mg bd × 1 month) + Tab.methylprednisolone (0.64 mg/kg body weight in two divided doses × 7 days). Patients were followed up at 1, 4, 6 weeks. Complete resolution of acute pain and side-effects were noted., Results: At the end of 4 weeks, reduction in acute pain was statistically significant ( P < 0.05) in all the three groups individually compared to the baseline value. At the end of 6 weeks, percentage of patients with persistence of pain was more in Group A and B compared to Group C, which was statistically significant ( P = 0.0001). In group A, postherpetic neuralgia was observed in more patients compared to group B and C. No significant side-effects were observed in any group except vomiting, somnolence, and dizziness., Limitations: Sample size of this study was limited. Further studies with large sample size are required to further validate the findings of the present study., Conclusions: Combination therapy with valacyclovir, methylprednisolone, and pregabalin has better efficacy compared to valacyclovir and pregabalin and valacyclovir alone in the management of acute herpes zoster neuralgia. No significant side-effects were observed., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest.

Introduction: Bone mineral density (BMD) assessment in HIV patients is sparsely done in resource limited settings., Materials and Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of BMD amongst HIV patients following up in our clinic from 1 June to 1 December 2013 by performing dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scan (Lunar Prodigy Advanced DXA System, GE Healthcare) of lumbar spine and hip. Patients on long term (≥12 months), virologically suppressive antiretroviral therapy (ART) were included. Patients who were ART naïve were included as control population. Virologic failures were excluded. Low BMD was defined by WHO T-score criteria (normal: T score ≥-1;osteopenia: T score between -1 and -2.5 SD; osteoporosis: T score ≤-2.5 SD). Baseline risk factors associated with low BMD like age, low BMI, lipoatrophy, diabetes mellitus, current smoking, current alcohol intake, steroid exposure and menopause were recorded. ART-related factors associated with low BMD like ART duration, exposure to tenofovir and exposure to protease inhibitors (PI) were studied., Results: A total of 536 patients (66% males, 496 ART experienced and 40 ART naïve) were included in this analysis. Median age was 42 years, mean BMI 23.35 kg/m(2) and median CD4 count 146 cells/mm(3). All ART experienced patients had plasma viral load<400 copies/ml., Conclusions: Extremely high prevalence of accelerated BMD loss amongst ART naïve and ART experienced patients in our cohort is a matter of deep concern due to its association with pathological fractures. Bone mineral loss was seen irrespective of ART used. Association of low BMD with low baseline CD4 count strengthens the case for early ART.