Structure, photoluminescence properties, and energy transfer phenomenon in Sm3+/Eu3+ co-doped CaTiO3 phosphors

The energy transfer from Sm3+ and Eu3+ due to dipole–dipole interaction, variation in emission intensity of Sm3+ and Eu3+ peaks with varying concentration of Eu3+ and thermal stability of 2Sm3+, 2.5Eu3+ and 2Sm3+/2.5Eu3+ co-doped CaTiO3 phosphors.

Assessment of prescribing pattern of drugs and completeness of prescriptions as per the World Health Organization prescribing indicators in various Indian tertiary care centers: A multicentric study by Rational Use of Medicines Centers-Indian Council of Medical Research network under National Virtual Centre Clinical Pharmacology activity

OBJECTIVE

The rational use of medicines as per the World Health Organization (WHO) should be practiced globally. However, data regarding the completeness of the prescriptions and their rational use is lacking from developing countries like India. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess the prescribing patterns of drugs and completeness of prescriptions as per WHO core drug use and complementary indicators to provide real-life examples for the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) online prescribing skill course for medical graduates.

METHODS

Prescriptions of the patients, fulfilling inclusion criteria, attending Outpatient Departments of various specialties of tertiary care hospitals, were collected by thirteen ICMR Rational use of medicines centers located in tertiary care hospitals, throughout India. Prescriptions were evaluated for rational use of medicines according to the WHO guidelines and for appropriateness as per standard treatment guidelines using a common protocol approved by local Ethics committees.

RESULTS

Among 4838 prescriptions, an average of about three drugs (3.34) was prescribed to the patients per prescription. Polypharmacy was noted in 83.05% of prescriptions. Generic drugs were prescribed in 47.58% of the prescriptions. Further, antimicrobials were prescribed in 17.63% of the prescriptions and only 4.98% of prescriptions were with injectables. During the prescription evaluation, 38.65% of the prescriptions were incomplete due to multiple omissions such as dose, duration, and formulation.

CONCLUSION

Most of the parameters in the present study were out of the range of WHO-recommended prescribing indicators. Therefore, effective intervention program, like training, for the promotion of rational drug use practice was recommended to improve the prescribing pattern of drugs and the quality of prescriptions all over the country.

How particle-particle and liquid-particle interactions govern the fate of evaporating liquid marbles

Liquid marbles refer to droplets that are covered with a layer of non-wetting particles. They are observed in nature and have practical significance. These squishy objects bounce, coalesce, break, inflate, and deflate while the liquid does not touch the substrate underneath. Despite the considerable cross-disciplinary interest and value of the research on liquid marbles, a unified framework for describing the mechanics of deflating liquid marbles-as the liquid evaporates-is unavailable. For instance, analytical approaches for modeling the evaporation of liquid marbles exploit empirical parameters that are not based on liquid-particle and particle-particle interactions. Here, we have combined complementary experiments and theory to fill this gap. To unentangle the contributions of particle size, roughness, friction, and chemical make-up, we investigated the evaporation of liquid marbles formed with particles of sizes varying over 7 nm-300 μm and chemical compositions ranging from hydrophilic to superhydrophobic. We demonstrate that the potential final states of evaporating liquid marbles are characterized by one of the following: (I) constant surface area, (II) particle ejection, or (III) multilayering. Based on these insights, we developed an evaporation model for liquid marbles that takes into account their time-dependent shape evolution. The model fits are in excellent agreement with our experimental results. Furthermore, this model and the general framework can provide mechanistic insights into extant literature on the evaporation of liquid marbles. Altogether, these findings advance our fundamental understanding of liquid marbles and should contribute to the rational development of technologies.

Myths, facts and scope of spinal cord tolerance dose revision in Intensity modulated SIB treatment of locally advanced head and neck cancer: A dosimetrical and radiobiological demonstration

PURPOSE

To explore the possibility of revising the spinal cord tolerance dose in Simultaneously Integrated Boost (SIB) intensity modulated treatment plan of locally advanced head and neck (H&N) cancer and assessment of achieved planning gain due to the revision. In SIB regimen, the Organ at Risk (OARs) tolerance dose is equally distributed throughout the treatment. Clinicians have usually considered the spinal cord tolerance to be the same as in conventional technique. However, in SIB fractionation regimen with intensity modulation treatment, the spinal cord may receive a physical dose of 45Gy, with much lesser dose per fraction than 2Gy per fraction. So when the dose of spinal cord is distributed throughout the treatment, the tolerance dose limit of physical dose can be considered higher than the usual conventional dose limits. In this study, an attempt has been made to explore the possibilities of dose escalation and treatment planning benefits while exploiting this "Window of Opportunity (WoO)" of increase in spinal cord and Planning Risk Volume (PRV) spinal cord tolerance dose.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A total of 12 patients CT data set along with approved structure set of H&N cancer used for treatment planning in. Three independent SIB VMAT plans named as SPC, SPR and SPDE were generated for the 12 patients. First plan (SPC) was generated by considering standard spinal cord tissue constraint of maximum dose of 45Gy and PRV spinal cord maximum dose 50Gy as per QUANTEC summary and second plan (SPR) was generated considering spinal cord tissue constraint of maximum dose 52.50Gy and PRV spinal cord maximum dose 56.35Gy while optimization and dose calculation. The objectives for rest of the Organ at Risk (OAR) were kept same in both the plans during optimization and dose calculation. The SPC plan was copied for creation of third plan (SPDE) in which dose was escalated by increasing dose per fraction for target volumes such that dose to spinal cord reached a maximum dose of 52.50Gy and PRV spinal cord maximum dose of 56.35Gy. In this plan there have been changes to only dose per fraction, however dose optimization and dose calculation have not been performed. Radiobiological parameters TCP and NTCP were also calculated by using indigenously developed software.

RESULTS

Considering the increase of spinal cord tolerance dose as "window of opportunity", a sufficient escalation in physical dose, Biological Effective Dose (BED) and Tumor Control Probability (TCP) was observed for all target volumes with acceptable level of NTCP values.

CONCLUSION

Sufficient dose escalation and increased in TCP for target volumes or effective planning benefits can be achieved by revising the spinal cord tolerance dose in intensity modulated SIB treatment of locally advanced H&N cancers.

Superhydrophobicity and size reduction enabled Halobates (Insecta: Heteroptera, Gerridae) to colonize the open ocean

Despite the remarkable evolutionary success of insects at colonizing every conceivable terrestrial and aquatic habitat, only five Halobates (Heteroptera: Gerridae) species (~0.0001% of all known insect species) have succeeded at colonizing the open ocean - the largest biome on Earth. This remarkable evolutionary achievement likely required unique adaptations for them to survive and thrive in the challenging oceanic environment. For the first time, we explore the morphology and behavior of an open-ocean Halobates germanus and a related coastal species H. hayanus to understand mechanisms of these adaptations. We provide direct experimental evidence based on high-speed videos which reveal that Halobates exploit their specialized and self-groomed body hair to achieve extreme water repellence, which facilitates rapid skating and plastron respiration under water. Moreover, the grooming behavior and presence of cuticular wax aids in the maintenance of superhydrophobicity. Further, reductions of their body mass and size enable them to achieve impressive accelerations (~400 ms-2) and reaction times (~12 ms) to escape approaching predators or environmental threats and are crucial to their survival under harsh marine conditions. These findings might also inspire rational strategies for developing liquid-repellent surfaces for drag reduction, water desalination, and preventing bio-fouling.

Prevalence of Sickle Cell Disease Among School-age Children in Chhattisgarh, India: Predictions, Implications and Interventions

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a haemoglobin disorder prevalent in Sub-Saharan Africa, Middle East and India. SCD is a major cause of morbidity and low quality of life in Chhattisgarh and other central Indian states. Currently, there is no estimate available for the number of SCD patients and carriers in Chhattisgarh. The Government of Chhattisgarh conducted a screening project for measuring prevalence of SCD among school-age children in the state in October 2007–December 2017 in six districts of the state. Using these screening data, an estimate of prevalence of SCD was made for school-age children in different geographical regions and social categories in Chhattisgarh. The numbers of SCD patients and carriers among school-age children in Chhattisgarh were estimated as 27,101 and 714,483, respectively. Furthermore, 79.64 per cent patients among school-age children, that is, 21,583 patients were estimated to reside in rural areas. The estimates may be of use in designing policies and developing strategies with better coordination and outreach for care of SCD patients. It is call of the time to develop dedicated infrastructure having medical, training, counselling and research facilities in a hierarchical manner comprising dedicated tertiary to primary care facilities in remote rural areas.

Interaction Between Domperidone and Ketoconazole: Toward Prediction of Consequent QTc Prolongation Using Purely In Vitro Information

We aimed to investigate the application of combined mechanistic pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamic (PD) modeling and simulation in predicting the domperidone (DOM) triggered pseudo-electrocardiogram modification in the presence of a CYP3A inhibitor, ketoconazole (KETO), using in vitro-in vivo extrapolation. In vitro metabolic and inhibitory data were incorporated into physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models within Simcyp to simulate time course of plasma DOM and KETO concentrations when administered alone or in combination with KETO (DOM+KETO). Simulated DOM concentrations in plasma were used to predict changes in gender-specific QTcF (Fridericia correction) intervals within the Cardiac Safety Simulator platform taking into consideration DOM, KETO, and DOM+KETO triggered inhibition of multiple ionic currents in population. Combination of in vitro-in vivo extrapolation, PBPK, and systems pharmacology of electric currents in the heart was able to predict the direction and magnitude of PK and PD changes under coadministration of the two drugs although some disparities were detected.

Isolated tuberculosis of the spleen: A case report and review of literature

Isolated involvement of spleen in tuberculosis is a rare entity, particularly among immunocompetent hosts. Herein, we present a 28-year-old man with left abdominal discomfort for 2 years who was found to have a cystic lesion in spleen on evaluation. Eventually, he was diagnosed to have isolated splenic tuberculosis with an involvement of a single lymph node at the splenic hilum. In this rare form of tuberculosis, it seems that splenectomy in addition to standard antitubercular therapy is curative.

Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy of brain in obstructive sleep apnoea in north Indian Asian subjects

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES

Repeated apnoeic/hypoapnoeic episodes during sleep may produce cerebral damage in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). The aim of this study was to determine the absolute concentration of cerebral metabolites in apnoeic and non-apnoeic subjects from different regions of the brain to monitor the regional variation of cerebral metabolites.

METHODS

Absolute concentration of cerebral metabolites was determined by using early morning proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1)H MRS) in 18 apnoeic patients with OSA (apnoeics) having apnoea/hypopnoea index (AHI) >5/h, while 32 were non-apnoeic subjects with AHI< 5/h.

RESULTS

The absolute concentration of tNAA [(N-acetylaspartate (NAA)+N-acetylaspartylglutamate (NAAG)] was observed to be statistically significantly lower (P<0.05) in apnoeics in the left temporal and left frontal gray regions compared to non-apnoeics. The Glx (glutamine, Gln + glutamate, Glu) resonance showed higher concentration (but not statistically significant) in the left temporal and left frontal regions of the brain in apnoeics compared to non-apnoeics. The absolute concentration of myo-inositol (mI) was significantly high (P<0.03) in apnoeics in the occipital region compared to non-apnoeics.

INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSIONS

Reduction in the absolute concentration of tNAA in apnoeics is suggestive of neuronal damage, probably caused by repeated apnoeic episodes in these patients. NAA showed negative correlation with AHI in the left frontal region, while Cho and mI were positively correlated in the occipital region and Glx showed positive correlation in the left temporal region of the brain. Overall, our results demonstrate that the variation in metabolites concentrations is not uniform across various regions of the brain studied in patients with OSA. Further studies with a large cohort of patients to substantiate these observations are required.

Role of diffusion in excitation energy transfer and migration

Effect of diffusion on excitation energy transfer and migration in a dye pair sodium fluorescein (donor) and Rhodamine-6G (acceptor) has been studied for different viscosities by both steady state and time domain fluorescence spectroscopic measurements. The donor-donor interaction appears to be weaker as compared to donor-acceptor interaction and thus favors direct Forster-type energy transfer. Interestingly, at low viscosity (water in this case) transfer appears to be controlled by material diffusion/energy migration. Further, acceptor dynamics reveals the fact that direct Forster transfer dominates in viscous media.

An experimental and theoretical investigation of the photophysics of 1-hydroxy-2-naphthoic acid

Photophysical and photochemical properties of 1-hydroxy-2-naphthoic acid (1,2-HNA) have been investigated experimentally by steady state and time domain fluorescence measurements and theoretically by Hartree-Fock (HF), configuration interaction at the single excitation (CIS) level, density functional theoretic (DFT), and semiempirical (AM1) methods. 1,2-HNA exhibits normal fluorescence that depends on its concentration, nature of the solvent, pH, temperature, and wavelength of excitation. It seems to form different emitting species in different media, akin to 3-hydroxy-2-naphthoic acid (3,2-HNA). The large Stokes shifted emission observed at pH 13 is attributed to species undergoing excited-state intramolecular proton transfer. Nonradiative transition seems to increase on protonation and decrease on deprotonation. AM1(PECI=8) calculations predict the absorption maximum (lambda(max) = 335.9 nm) in reasonable agreement with experiment (lambda(max) = 352 nm) for the neutral 1,2-HNA. They also predict a red shift in absorption on protonation and a blue shift on deprotonation as observed experimentally. CIS calculations tend to overestimate the energy gap and hence underestimate the absorption maxima between the ground and the excited electronic states of 1,2-HNA and its protonated and deprotonated forms. However, they do predict correctly that the excited state intramolecular proton transfer is likely to occur in the deprotonated form of 1,2-HNA and not in the neutral and the protonated forms. A single minimum is found in the potential energy profile for the ground state as well as the first excited state of 1,2-HNA and its protonated species. In contrast, a double minimum with a nominal barrier in between is predicted for the ground state and also the first three excited states of the deprotonated species. The keto form of the deprotonated species is found to be slightly less stable than the enol form in all the states investigated.

Sexual dysfunction in single males: a perspective from India

Various personal, familial, and socio-cultural factors play a crucial role in the development of sexuality and sexual practices. They often influence the occurrence and maintenance of sexual dysfunctions. Therapies with individuals with sexual dysfunctions often emphasize the involvement of both the partners. Issues related to single males, especially in the Indian context, have not been explored. The present study is a retrospective analysis of clinical case records of single males who reported sexual dysfunctions between the years 1990 to 2000. Thirty-eight clinical case records were analyzed for the demographic details, nature of the problems, and interventions provided with the aim of exploring the reported symptomatology, precipitating and maintaining factors, prevalent beliefs about the causation of sexual dysfunction, and the outcome of interventions. The role of cultural and psychosocial issues is discussed and the need for research in this area is emphasized.

Behavior therapy for transsexualism

Transsexualism is a rare disorder, and there is little literature available on its treatment. A case is presented of transsexualism with homosexual orientation in a 24 year old male. Since the disorder appeared to have behavioral antecedents, it was treated with a behavior therapy package comprising relaxation, aversion therapy with aversion relief, modelling, hypnosis, orgasmic reconditioning, behavioral counselling and sex education. Therapy resulted in normalization of gender identity, but the homosexual orientation persisted.

Autogenic therapy in tension headache

Ten subjects diagnosed as Psychalgia were taken for study. A multiple baseline design was adapted and clients were subjected to 30 sessions of autogenic training. They were assessed using physiological (EMG and thermal change) and behavioural measures (Visual analogue scale and behavioural symptom checklist). Findings revealed autogenic therapy to be effective in reducing tension headache.