Evaluation of Recovery Rate in COVID-19 Patients Treated with Steroidal Drugs

Introduction: Coronavirus belongs to the family coronaviridae that majorly affects the respiratory system this group of virus outbreak previously as SARS and MERS in various countries and recently as COVID-19. COVID-19 has symptoms like fever, dry cough, breathing problems, loss of smell and taste, body aches. COVID-19 has spread to 210 countries and infected 272.51 million people worldwide, reached over 5.34 million deaths. Treatment includes antivirals, antibiotics, Non Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs, corticosteroids. Methodology: It is a hospital-based retro-prospective study was conducted for 6 months in the Inpatient department. 100 patients were taken who met the inclusion criteria. Data collected and evaluated, analyzed by open label study. Results and Discussion: severe COVID-19 can develop systemic inflammatory responses that can lead to lung injury and multisystem organ dysfunction. It has been proposed that the potent anti-inflammatory effects of corticosteroids might prevent or mitigate these deleterious effects. Both beneficial and deleterious clinical outcomes have been reported with the use of corticosteroids in patients with other pulmonary infections From study, The Recovery% using steroids in the time period of 0-10 and 11-20 days was found to be 34 and 27% respectively. The Recovery percentage using steroids in the time period of 0-10 and 11-20 days was found to be 18 and 8% respectively. Dexamethasone was most commonly used in males and females, 77.08 and 84% respectively. Conclusion: Considering beneficial effects of corticosteroids in COVID -19, prescribing steroids is safe by dose tapering continued up to 10days or hospital discharge

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide immobilized tungsten trioxide nanoparticles for simultaneous sensing of norepinephrine, melatonin and nicotine

Herein, we report the anionic surfactant, ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA), mediated synthesis of WO₃ nanoparticles and its subsequent modification through gamma irradiation (GI) and electrochemical immobilization with nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD). Glassy carbon electrode (GCE) modified with GI-WO₃ NPs and the enzyme NAD exhibited strong electro-oxidation of three important biomolecules such as norepinephrine (NEP), melatonin (MEL) and nicotine (NIC) in 0.1 M phosphate buffer saline (PBS) at physiological pH of 7. Square wave voltammetry (SWV) studies exhibited three well-defined peaks at potentials of 120, 570 and 840 mV, corresponding to the oxidation of NEP, MEL and NIC respectively, indicating that simultaneous determination of these compounds is feasible at the NAD/GI EDTA-WO₃/GCE. The proposed sensor displayed a wide linear range of 0.010-1000 μM with the lowest detection limit of 1.4 nM for NEP, 2.6 nM for MEL and 1.7 nM for NIC respectively. Furthermore, the modified electrode was successfully applied to detect NEP, MEL and NIC in pharmaceutical and cigarette samples with excellent selectivity and reproducibility.

Clinical profile and outcomes of patients with Stage IV adenocarcinoma of lung: A tertiary cancer center experience

BACKGROUND

There is limited Indian data on clinical profile and treatment outcomes for patients with Stage IV adenocarcinoma of lung.

AIM

We aimed to prospectively study the clinical profile and treatment outcomes for patients with Stage IV adenocarcinoma of lung at a tertiary cancer center.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

One hundred and ninetyfour patients with Stage IV adenocarcinoma of lung were prospectively analyzed for demographic and molecular profile (epidermal growth factor receptor [EGFR] and echinodermal microtubuleassociated proteinlike 4anaplastic lymphoma kinase [EML4ALK] mutations). Patients with EGFR and EML4ALK mutations were treated with tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Patients without these mutations were treated with standard chemotherapy regimens. Maintenance chemotherapy was offered to patients as per standard guidelines. Clinical outcomes measured were response rate (RR), progressionfree survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS).

RESULTS

Median age of patients was 56 years (range, 26-82) with a male:female ratio of 2.3:1. EGFR and ALK mutation testing was feasible in 169 (87.1%) and 164 (84.5%), respectively, and detected in 37.9% and 5.5% patients, respectively. Overall RR, PFS and OS of whole cohort were 44.3%, 6.9, and 15.5 months, respectively. PFS and OS of mutated group (EGFR, EML4ALK) were longer than nonmutated group (10.5 vs. 5.4 months, P < 0.0001 and 21.5 vs. 11 months, P = 0.0001, respectively). PFS and OS of patients who received pemetrexed maintenance were longer than those who did not receive maintenance (8.5 vs. 6.5 months, P = 0.1613 and 18.5 vs. 12.5 months, P = 0.0219, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

Mutation testing at diagnosis is feasible in the vast majority of patients with Stage IV adenocarcinoma of the lung. Patients with EGFR or EML4ALK mutation and those who received pemetrexed maintenance had better clinical outcomes.

Investigations on the effect of gamma-ray irradiation on the gas sensing properties of SnO2 nanoparticles

In recent years, SnO2 nanoparticles (NPs) have been subjected to various modifications in order to improve their performance in sensing and other applications. Here, we report the synthesis of SnO2 NPs by microwave irradiation, and subsequent exposure to gamma (γ) radiation at different doses (0-150 kGy) to induce desirable physico-chemical properties. The irradiated samples were characterized by x-ray powder diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM and HR-TEM), and photoluminescence (PL) to evaluate the effect of γ-ray irradiation on their morphology and microstructure. The results revealed that the bulk crystal structure remained unchanged after irradiation, while the existence of defects and a damaged over-layer have been confirmed by PL and HR-TEM respectively. The influence of γ-irradiation on the electrical and CO sensing characteristics was also investigated in the temperature range between 150 and 400 °C. γ-irradiated SnO2 NP based resistive sensors showed better CO sensing characteristics (i.e. higher response and lower working temperature) compared to non-irradiated SnO2. Upon optimizing the γ-ray dose irradiation level and working temperature, a ten-fold enhancement in the response to CO has been achieved (R/R 0 = 12 to 50 ppm of CO in air) in 50 kGy irradiated SnO2 NP based sensors operating at 150 °C. A possible mechanism for the enhanced sensing performance of γ-irradiated SnO2 NPs has been proposed.

A novel disposable electrochemical sensor for determination of carbamazepine based on Fe doped SnO2 nanoparticles modified screen-printed carbon electrode

An effective strategy to fabricate a novel disposable screen printing carbon electrode modified by iron doped tin dioxide nanoparticles for carbamazepine (CBZ) detection has been developed. Fe-SnO2 (Fe=0 to 5 wt.%) NPs were synthesized by a simple microwave irradiation method and assessed for their structural and morphological changes due to Fe doping into SnO2 matrix by X-ray diffraction and scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The electrochemical behaviour of carbamazepine at the Fe-SnO2 modified screen printed carbon electrode (SPCE) was investigated by cyclic voltammetry and square wave voltammetry. Electron transfer coefficient α (0.63) and electron transfer rate constant ks (0.69 s(-1)) values of the 5 wt.% Fe-SnO2 modified SPCE indicate that the diffusion controlled process takes place on the electrode surface. The fabricated sensor displayed a good electrooxidation response towards the detection of CBZ at a lower oxidation potential of 0.8 V in phosphate buffer solution at pH7.0. Under the optimal conditions, the sensor showed fast and sensitive current response to CBZ over a wide linear range of 0.5-100 μM with a low detection limit of 92 nM. Furthermore, the practical application of the modified electrode has been investigated by the determination of CBZ in pharmaceutical products using standard addition method.

Highly sensitive electrochemical sensor for simultaneous determination of dihydroxybenzene isomers based on Co doped SnO2 nanoparticles

We have fabricated an electrochemical sensor for the simultaneous determination of two dihydroxybenzene isomers of phenolic compounds, hydroquinone (HQ) and catechol (CC) using Co doped SnO₂ nanoparticles (Co-SnO₂ NPs) for the first time.

A new strategy for simultaneous determination of 4-aminophenol, uric acid and nitrite based on a graphene/hydroxyapatite composite modified glassy carbon electrode

A novel electrochemical sensor has been fabricated based on a graphene/hydroxyapatite composite modified GCE for the selective and simultaneous detection of 4-aminophenol, uric acid and nitrite ions (NO²⁻) by voltammetric method for the first time.

Fabrication of folic acid sensor based on the Cu doped SnO2 nanoparticles modified glassy carbon electrode

A novel folic acid biosensor has been fabricated using Cu doped SnO2 nanoparticles (NPs) synthesized by a simple microwave irradiation method. Powder XRD and TEM studies confirmed that both the pure and Cu doped SnO2 (Cu: 0, 10, 20wt%) crystallized in tetragonal rutile-type structure with spherical morphology. The average crystallite size of pure SnO2 was estimated to be around 16 nm. Upon doping, the crystallite sizes decreased to 9 nm and 5 nm for 10 and 20wt% Cu doped SnO2 respectively. XPS studies confirmed the electronic state of Sn and Cu to be 4+ and 2+ respectively. Cu (20wt%) doped SnO2 NPs are proved to be a good sensing element for the determination of folic acid (FA). Cu-SnO2 NPs (20wt%) modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) exhibited the lowest detection limit of 0.024 nM over a wide folic acid concentration range of 1.0 × 10(-10) to 6.7 × 10(-5) M at physiological pH of 7.0. The fabricated sensor is highly selective towards the determination of FA even in the presence of a 100 fold excess of common interferent ascorbic acid. The sensor proved to be useful for the estimation of FA content in pharmaceutical sample with satisfactory recovery.

Peripheral adenomatoid odontogenic tumour - is it really peripheral?: a case report

A Peripheral Adenomatoid Odontogenic Tumour (PAOT) is quite a rare entity which has been infrequently reported in the literature. These uncommon clinical variants of an Adenomatoid Odontogenic Tumour (AOT), typically manifest as a soft tissue mass of the gingiva, which mimick a common epulis, but yet have an identical histopathologic presentation as their intraosseous counterpart. These lesions, though they are indolent in nature, have a tendency to cause well defined deep bony pockets. Only fourteen cases have been adequately documented so far. We are reporting a case of a PAOT of the anterior maxillary gingiva, with a periodontal bone defect in a 12 year old girl. The relevant literature has been briefly reviewed, with an insight into the probable origin of PAOTs with bony defects.

Oral lichen planus: An update on pathogenesis and treatment

Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects the mucus membrane of the oral cavity. It is a T-cell mediated autoimmune disease in which the cytotoxic CD8+ T cells trigger apoptosis of the basal cells of the oral epithelium. Several antigen-specific and nonspecific inflammatory mechanisms have been put forward to explain the accumulation and homing of CD8+ T cells subepithelially and the subsequent keratinocyte apoptosis. A wide spectrum of treatment modalities is available, from topical corticosteroids to laser ablation of the lesion. In this review, we discuss the various concepts in the pathogenesis and current treatment modalities of OLP.

Island of salivary gland in adipose tissue: a report of three cases

Although uncommon, many variants of lipomatous lesions in or around salivary glands have been reported in the literature. We report a series of three such cases in the minor salivary gland region. The first case (oral floor) is a well-circumscribed lipocytic lesion admixed with glandular components (mucous acini, serous demilunes and ducts). The second case (alveolar mucosa) is a diffuse lipomatous proliferation with entrapped salivary glandular elements, muscles and blood vessels. The third case (palate) is similar to the first case but the gland is located at the periphery of the lesion. The purpose of the article was to report these three lesions and discuss in relation to other pertaining lipomatous lesions (sialolipoma, lipoadenoma, lipomatosis, lipometaplasia in pleomorphic adenoma and infiltrating lipoma).