Hematogenous metastases to the calvarium can be caused by nearly all types of tumors (8). Most metastatic skull lesions being asymptomatic and less important clinically than intraparenchymal metastatic lesions, they are rarely diagnosed clinically but are frequently found in autopsies. Literature on the skull tumors consists mostly of individual case reports and a scarce number of case series. Only a few articles are available on skull metastases, especially calvarial metastases (3,4,13,15,16). Calvarial metastases signify an advanced stage of disease (16). █ INTRODUCTIONT umors of various organs and tissues that tend to metastasize to bony structures do not neglect the skull vault as a target. There are autopsy series of carcinoma breast cases reporting occasional skull metastases even from the end of 18 th century. Today and in the near future, we may expect more cases with skull metastasis as a result of advanced radiological imaging and prolonged survival of cancer patients. AIM:Tumors of various organs that metastasize to bone do not neglect calvarium as a target. The aim of this study was to characterize the calvarial tumors. MATERIAL and METhODS:We retrospectively reviewed 45 consecutive patients operated for calvarial masses from January 2002 till May 2012 at our hospital. Skull base tumors and patients ≤18 years were excluded. RESULTS:Three groups of lesions were found -calvarial metastases (15/45), primary tumors (5/45) and tumor-like lesions (25/45). Malignant lesions were equitable by gender distribution, higher age of onset (median age of primary =55; secondary = 60 years) and benign lesions by younger age (median = 35) and female bias (18/25). Calvarial metastases mostly presented with local swelling (10/15), local pain (6/15) and rarely neurologic deficit. There was associated dural sinus thrombosis (4/20 of malignant; 1/25 of benign lesions) and osteolysis (3/5 primary malignant, 13/15 secondary and 18/25 of benign lesions). Complete surgical excision was possible with minimal morbidity in all except one patient and nil mortality. CONCLUSION:Nearly half (20/45) of the calvarial lesions tend to be malignant with most of them presenting as silent painless masses. Surgical excision should be considered only after suitable investigation and appropriate neurosurgical set-up.
Background The concentration of heavy metals and their spatial distribution in surface sediments collected from the Thondi coast, Palk Bay, South India were analysed in this study. The sediment grain size, pH, EC, and major elements (Fe, and Al), heavy metal concentrations (Mn, Cr, Zn, Cd, Ni, Cu, and Pb) were determined and the values for the geoaccumulation index (Igeo), enrichment factor (EF), potential contamination index (Cp), potential ecological risk index (RI), contamination factor (CF), modified contamination degree (mCd), degree of contamination (Cd), and potential contamination factors (Cp) were calculated based on their background values to determine the pollution level of the study area. Multivariate analysis such as Pearson’s correlation coefficient, principal component analysis/factor analysis (PCA/FA), cluster analysis, and regression analysis are a versatile method for identifying heavy metal sources and determining the relationship between pollutants in marine sediment. Results The pollution indices, namely EF, CF, Cd, mCd, CP, RI, and Igeo, revealed that the heavy metal contamination was due to Cd, while a moderate level of contamination was caused by Cu, Zn, Pb, and Cr. The principal component analysis and correlation matrix analysis showed a strong positive loading for Cd due to its high level of contamination in the study area. Anthropogenic inputs such as municipal wastewater, domestic sewage discharge, fishing harbour activities, and industrial and aquaculture wastes led to the increased Cd concentration in the study area. Moreover, the pollution load index revealed that the sediments were polluted by heavy metals. Conclusion The findings of this study revealed that the increased concentration of heavy metals in the study area increases the toxicity in the marine environment, thus affecting the ecosystem.
Currently, the exploration of fungal organisms for novel metabolite production and its pharmacological applications is much appreciated in the biomedical field. In the present study, the fungal strains were isolated from soil of unexplored Yellapura regions. The potent isolate NP5 was selected based on preliminary screening and identified as Penicillium brasilianum NP5 through morphological, microscopic, and molecular characterizations. Synthesis of silver nanoparticles from P. brasilianum was confirmed by the color change of the reaction mixture and UV-visible surface plasmon resonance (SPR) spectra of 420 nm. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis revealed the functional groups involved in synthesis. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) analysis showed aggregation of the NPs, with sizes ranged from 10 to 60 nm, an average particle size of 25.32 nm, and a polydispersity index (PDI) of 0.40. The crystalline nature and silver as the major element in NP5-AgNPs was confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis. The negative value −15.3 mV in Zeta potential exhibited good stability, and thermostability was recorded by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). NP5-AgNPs showed good antimicrobial activity on selected human pathogens in a concentration-dependent manner. The MTT assay showed concentration-dependent anticancer activity with an IC50 of 41.93 µg/mL on the MDA-MB-231 cell line. Further, apoptotic study was carried out by flow cytometry to observe the rate of apoptosis. The calculated sun protection factor (SPF) value confirms good photoprotection capacity. From the results obtained, NP5-AgNPs can be used in the pharmaceutical field after successful in vitro clinical studies.
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