Vishwajeet Singh

High-Performance Stable Field Emission with Ultralow Turn on Voltage from rGO Conformal Coated TiO2 Nanotubes 3D Arrays

A facile method to produce conformal coated reduced graphene oxide (rGO) on vertically aligned titanium oxide (TiO2) nanotubes three dimensional (3D) arrays (NTAs) is demonstrated for enhanced field emission display applications. These engineered nano arrays exhibit efficient electron field emission properties such as high field emission current density (80u2009mA/cm2), low turn-on field (1.0u2009V/μm) and field enhancement factor (6000) with high emission current stability. Moreover, these enhancements observed in nano arrays attribute to the contribution of low work function with non-rectifying barriers, which allow an easy injection of electrons from the conduction band of TiO2 into the Fermi level of reduced graphene oxide under external electric field. The obtained results are extremely advantageous for its potential application in field emission devices.

Randomized Controlled Trial in Advance Stage Breast Cancer Patients for the Effectiveness on Stress Marker and Pain through Sudarshan Kriya and Pranayam.

Objective: The objective of this study is to examine the effect of a cognitive, behavioral stress management module of Sudarshan Kriya (SK) and P on levels of serum cortisol and pain among the women suffering from advanced stage breast cancer. Materials and Methods: Participants (n = 147) were screened and randomized to receive standard care (n = 69) versus standard along with SK and Pranayam (P) intervention (n = 78) imparted in one 18 hrs workshop spread during 3 days. Participants were expected to practice it at home 20 min daily as adjuvant to standard pharmacological treatment for pain. Results: There was a significant difference in blood cortisol levels after 3 months of practice of SK and P. Mean blood levels in the intervention arm were 341.2 ng/ml against 549.2 ng/ml in the control arm (P ≤ 0.002). Pain perception in comparison to control arm reduced by 3 points in SK and P arm on 0-10 verbal scale of pain. Conclusion: SK and P is an effective intervention in reducing stress and pain among advance stage patients of breast cancer.

Controlled Attenuation Parameter for Assessment of Hepatic Steatosis in Indian Patients

Background/AimsnThe gold standard method for measurement of hepatic steatosis is liver histology. Controlled Attenuation Parameter (CAP) can measure hepatic steatosis non-invasively. We aimed to assess the accuracy of CAP for detection of hepatic steatosis.nnnMethodsnA total of 462 patients (May 2012-January 2017)-89 non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, 182 chronic hepatitis B, 88 chronic hepatitis C and 103 patients with other etiologies who underwent simultaneous liver biopsy and CAP estimation using Transient Elastography (TE) were included. Steatosis was graded as S0: steatosis in 0-5% of hepatocytes, S1: 6-33%, S2: 34-66% and S3: 67-100%. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves were plotted to evaluate the accuracy of CAP in detecting hepatic steatosis. Predictors of CAP were assessed by multivariate linear regression model.nnnResultsnThe mean agexa0±xa0SD was 33.8xa0±xa011.6 years; 296 (64.1%) were males. On liver histology, steatosis grades S0, S1, S2 and S3 were seen in 331 (71.6%), 74 (16.0%), 39 (8.4%) and 18 (3.9%), respectively. The median CAP (IQR) values for S0, S1, S2, and S3 steatosis were 206 (176-252) dB/m, 295 (257-331) dB/m, 320 (296-356) dB/m, and 349 (306-363) dB/m, respectively. For estimation of ≥S1, ≥S2, and ≥S3 using CAP, AUROC were 0.879, 0.893, and 0.883, respectively. In multivariate analysis, only BMI (OR 1.18; CI, 1.11-1.26, Pxa0<xa00.001) and grade of hepatic steatosis (grade 1, OR, 3.94; 95% CI, 1.58-9.84, Pxa0=xa00.003; grade 2, OR 42.04; 95% CI, 4.97-355.31, Pxa0=xa00.001 and grade 3, OR 35.83; 95% CI 4.31-297.61, Pxa0=xa00.001) independently predicted CAP.nnnConclusionsnCAP detects hepatic steatosis with good accuracy in Indian patients with various etiologies.

Experimental observation of spatially resolved photo-luminescence intensity distribution in dual mode upconverting nanorod bundles

A novel method for demonstration of photoluminescence intensity distribution in upconverting nanorod bundles using confocal microscopy is reported. Herein, a strategy for the synthesis of highly luminescent dual mode upconverting/downshift Y1.94O3:Ho3+0.02/Yb3+0.04 nanorod bundles by a facile hydrothermal route has been introduced. These luminescent nanorod bundles exhibit strong green emission at 549u2009nm upon excitations at 449u2009nm and 980u2009nm with quantum efficiencies of ~6.3% and ~1.1%, respectively. The TEM/HRTEM results confirm that these bundles are composed of several individual nanorods with diameter of ~100u2009nm and length in the range of 1–3u2009μm. Furthermore, two dimensional spatially resolved photoluminescence intensity distribution study has been carried out using confocal photoluminescence microscope throughout the nanorod bundles. This study provides a new direction for the potential use of such emerging dual mode nanorod bundles as photon sources for next generation flat panel optical display devices, bio-medical applications, luminescent security ink and enhanced energy harvesting in photovoltaic applications.

A Comparison of the Strain and Tissue Doppler-Based Indices as Echocardiographic Correlates of the Left Ventricular Filling Pressures

OBJECTIVESnDiastolic strain and strain rate, combined with E (peak transmitral velocity), have been proposed as novel noninvasive predictors of left ventricle (LV) filling pressures, avoiding angulation errors inherent to tissue Doppler indices (TDI). The primary objective was to study the correlation of strain-based indices (SBI) and TDI with pulmonary artery catheter-derived LV end-diastolic pressures (LVEDP). The secondary aim was to determine appropriate cut-off of indices to predict LVEDP ≥15 mmHg.nnnDESIGNnA prospective observational clinical study.nnnSETTINGnSingle university hospital.nnnPARTICIPANTSnOne hundred twenty adults with preserved ejection fraction (EF) undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting.nnnINTERVENTIONSnNone.nnnMEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTSnTwo-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography estimated global longitudinal diastolic strain (Ds) and strain rate (DSr) at peak mitral filling to compute E/Ds and E/10DSr. TDI was measured as the ratio of E and e (mitral annular diastolic velocity). E/e, E/Ds, and E/10DSr were significantly higher (p < 0.001) in patients with LVEDP ≥15 mm Hg (31/120). Correlation of E/Ds, E/10DSr with LVEDP was R = 0.86 and 0.88 (p < 0.001), respectively, compared with a correlation of R = 0.63 (p < 0.001) for E/e. SBI correlated well with LVEDP ≥15 mm Hg compared with TDI. E/Ds ≥11 and E/10DSr ≥12 had higher sensitivity and specificity (96.77%, 93.26%; 100%, 96.63%, respectively; area under the curve [AUC] = 0.99) than E/e≥13 (74%,75%; AUC = 0.84) for prediction of LVEDP ≥15 mmHg. SBI accurately predicted elevated LVEDP in the indeterminate zone of 8

Impact of scrambler therapy on pain management and quality of life in cancer patients: A study of twenty cases

Aim of the Study: To study the effect of scrambler therapy on patients with chronic cancer pain. Materials and Methods: This is a prospective, observational study conducted on patients with chronic pain due to malignancy which is not responding to oral analgesics. A total of twenty patients were included in the study (ten males, ten females) with a visual analog scale score of >4 on oral analgesics. Patients aged 18–70 years with a life expectancy of >3 months having bony, neuropathic, or mixed type of pain were included in the study. A total of 12 sessions of scrambler therapy were planned, ten sessions on consecutive days and one session each on two follow-up visits after 1 week each. Each session lasted for 40 min. Pain relief and quality of life according to the World Health Organization Quality of Life were recorded as primary outcome variables. Results: All patients had good pain relief and improvement in all four domains of quality of life. Pain scores decreased significantly (P < 0.01) after each session and at each follow-up. Patients showed significant improvement in physical, psychological, social, and environmental health (P < 0.01) after the therapy. Conclusion: Scrambler therapy offers a promising role in the pain physicians armamentarium as an adjunct to pharmacological therapy for the treatment of chronic drug-resistant cancer pain; it may bring down analgesic drug requirements significantly and improve quality of life in cancer patients. Larger prospective, randomized multicenter studies are needed to validate the findings of the small pilot studies published in literature so far.

Qualitative and quantitative CECT features for differentiating renal primitive neuroectodermal tumor from the renal cell carcinoma and its subtypes

OBJECTIVE:nTo identify important qualitative and quantitative clinical and imaging features that could potentially differentiate renal primitiveneuroectodermal tumor (PNET) from various subtypes of renalcell carcinoma (RCC).nnnMETHODS:nWe retrospectively reviewed 164 patients, 143 with pathologically proven RCC and 21 with pathologically proven renal PNET. Univariate analysis of each parameter was performed. In order to differentiate renal PNET from RCC subtypes and overall RCC as a group, we generated ROC curves and determined cutoff values for mean attenuation of the lesion, mass to aorta attenuation ratio and mass to renal parenchyma attenuation ratio in the nephrographic phase.nnnRESULTS:nUnivariate analysis revealed 11 significant parameters for differentiating renal PNET from clear cell RCC (age, p = <0.001; size, p =< 0.001; endophytic growth pattern, p < 0.001;margin of lesion, p =< 0.001; septa within the lesion, p =< 0.001; renal vein invasion, p =< 0.001; inferior vena cava involvement, p = 0.014; enhancement of lesion less than the renal parenchyma, p = 0.008; attenuation of the lesion, p = 0.002; mass to aorta attenuation ratio, p =< 0.001; and mass to renal parenchyma attenuation ratio, p =< 0.001). Univariate analysis also revealed seven significant parameters for differentiating renal PNET from papillary RCC. For differentiating renal PNET from overall RCCs as a group, when 77.3 Hounsfield unit was used as cutoff value in nephrographic phase, the sensitivity and specificity were 71.83 and 76.92 % respectively. For differentiating renal PNET from overall RCCs as a group, when 0.57 was used as cutoff for mass to aorta enhancement ratio in nephrographic phase, the sensitivity and specificity were 80.28 and 84.62 % respectively.nnnCONCLUSION:nSpecific qualitative and quantitative features can potentially differentiate renal PNET from various subtypes of RCC.nnnADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE:nThe study underscores the utility of combined demographic and CT findings to potentially differentiate renal PNET from the much commoner renal neoplasm, i.e. RCC. It has management implications as if RCC is suspected, surgeons proceed with resection without need for confirmatory biopsy. On the contrary, a suspected renal PNET should proceed with biopsy followed by chemoradiotherapy, thus obviating the unnecessary morbidity and mortality.