Tunable luminescence of a synthesized furophenanthraquinone derivative: interactions with different solvents.

The synthesis is described of a luminescent furophenanthraquinone derivative, 9-methoxyphenanthro[4,3-b]furan-4,5-dione (MPFD). The biological importance of tetracyclic furophenanthraquinones was considered and the tunable luminescence of MPFD in different solvents was studied to explore the nature of the specific interactions between MPFD and solvents. Observation of dual emission bands and identical nature of the fluorescence excitation spectra of MPFD monitored at the emission wavelength in polar solvents indicated the formation of two different types of species in the excited state, probably due to proton transfer from the solvent to MPFD. Luminescence intensity due to anionic species was found to be increased and the corresponding peak was red shifted with increase in the proton-donating ability of the solvents, acting as an acid with respect to MPFD. Availability of more acidic protons in the solvent facilitated this phenomenon occurring in the excited state. MPFD also interacted with halogen-containing solvents by forming electron donor-acceptor charge transfer (CT) complexes. This CT complex formation was dependent on the number of chlorine atoms; the position of the corresponding luminescence band varied with the polarity of the solvent. Extent of the CT increased with increase in the number of chlorine atoms in the dichloro, trichloro and tetrachloro solvents, whereas the luminescence peak due to the CT complex was found to be blue shifted with decrease in solvent polarity. Interaction of the synthesized bioactive MPFD with different solvents deserves biological importance as proton transfer and CT play pivotal roles in biology.

Clinico-Pathological Profile of Deep Neck Space Infection: A Prospective Study.

Deep neck space infections (DNI) has been a common and serious disease, involving several spaces created by planes of greater and lesser resistance between the fascial layers of the neck. Infection of deep neck space has been dangerous due to its potential ease of spread from one space to other space, associated sepsis and upper airway obstruction. This prospective study was done in 45 patients of DNI over a period of 1 year. Patients with age of 1 month to 80 years of both the sexes were included. Patient's particular, clinical presentation and associated co-morbid conditions, physical examination, routine laboratory investigations and radiological investigations were analyzed. Patients were treated, response to the treatment was assessed and follow-up was done. In present study, DNI was more commonly seen in rural population (67%) with a male predominance (69%). Mean age of presentation was 34.4 years. Odontogenic infection (64.11%) was the commonest etiological factor and diabetes mellitus (26.66%) was the commonest co-morbid condition. Most common presenting symptom was neck pain and neck swelling (91.1%) and submandibular space (66.6%) was the most commonly involved space followed by sublingual space (44.6%). Both medical and surgical treatment was needed in most of the cases (77.77%). 77.7% cases showed complete regression, 15.5% showed partial regression and they lost to follow-up, 4.4% expired and 2.2% showed progressive deterioration. DNI is a common and life-threatening disease. Early diagnosis and management is necessary for complete cure and to prevent complications associated with DNIs.

Ceruminous adenoma: A rare tumor diagnosed on cytology with histological correlation.

Ceruminous adenoma (CA) is a rare, benign tumor of the ceruminous gland found in the cartilaginous part of the external auditory canal (EAC). The tumor is diagnosed on histopathology and shows a characteristic dual population of luminal epithelial cells and basal myoepithelial cells. However, CA can be diagnosed on fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) prior to surgery and the cytopathologist should be well aware of its cytological findings to avoid any misdiagnosis. The tumor shows an excellent prognosis with possible recurrence and malignant transformation. The present case emphasizes the cytological features of CA, which have been scantily described in the literature and highlights the role of cytopathologists in preoperative diagnosis.

Two Unusual Cases of Acinic Cell Carcinoma: Role of Cytology with Histological Corelation.

Acinic Cell Carcinoma (AcCC) is a slow growing, malignant tumour of salivary glands, predominantly found in parotid gland and rarely in submandibular gland or minor salivary glands. Rarely, the tumour can arise in Heterotopic Salivary Gland Tissue (HSGT) and can present bilaterally. Synchronous contralateral tumour or tumour arising in HSGT is easily missed clinically. Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology (FNAC) is an important preoperative diagnostic investigation in cases of AcCC. Sometimes its diagnosis on cytology is very difficult and it is easily misdiagnosed as benign, affecting the long term prognosis. Here, we present two unusual cases of AcCC. One developed in HSGT and the other was synchronous bilateral. Though the histological features of AcCC appear to be characteristic but clinical suspicion and cytological features have been described as equally important for preoperative diagnosis. Present cases highlight the importance of a cytopathologist who plays an important role in its preliminary diagnosis.