COVID-19 vaccine-associated myositis - a case report.

Myositis is one of the uncommon adverse events following COVID-19 vaccination, and its mechanism is still unclear. A strong clinical suspicion and further evaluation are important not only for early diagnosis and management but also for better understanding of the unprecedented effects of this novel vaccine. We present a case of myositis following the first dose of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 Corona Virus Vaccine, evidenced by serology and MRI.

Development of an innovative external (in air) Particle Induced Gamma-ray Emission method for rapid non-destructive determination of isotopic composition of boron in "As received" boron based ceramic neutron absorbers.

Boron is an important element in nuclear reactor technology due to its high neutron absorption cross section of 10B isotope. Isotopic composition of B (IC, 10B/11B atom ratio) determination in finished neutron absorbers is a necessity under chemical quality control (CQC). We report an innovative greener method for rapid and non-destructive approach of isotopic composition determination of B in "as received" boron based ceramic neutron absorbers including boron carbides and hexa-borides by external (in air) Particle Induced Gamma-ray Emission (PIGE) using 3.5 MeV proton beam. It involves irradiation of "as received" powder samples wrapped in a thin Mylar film and measurement of prompt gamma rays at 429, 718 and 2125 keV from 10B(p,αγ)7Be, 10B(p,p'γ)10B and 11B(p,p'γ)11B, respectively, using a HPGe detector system. The method was standardized with natural and enriched B4C powders. For validation, the results of isotopic composition obtained from "as received" samples were compared with that obtained from pellet samples using both external and vacuum chamber PIGE methods. IC values obtained for natural to 10B enriched samples (19.8-67 atom % of 10B) are very encouraging with 1-2% and 0.3-0.7% uncertainties from single and replicate sample experiments. The method is truly non-destructive as the samples can be returned back as such after the experiment as they are not radioactive. Compared to existing PIGE method for isotopic composition of B, the developed method keeps promise for wide applications as it is simple, sensitive and rapid and it does not require vacuum, pellet preparation with a binder, exact mass of the sample and beam current measurement.

Room-temperature deformation of single crystals of ZrB2 and TiB2 with the hexagonal AlB2 structure investigated by micropillar compression.

The plastic deformation behavior of single crystals of two transition-metal diborides, ZrB2 and TiB2 with the AlB2 structure has been investigated at room temperature as a function of crystal orientation and specimen size by micropillar compression tests. Although plastic flow is not observed at all for their bulk single crystals at room temperature, plastic flow is successfully observed at room temperature by the operation of slip on {1[Formula: see text]00}<11[Formula: see text]3> in ZrB2 and by the operation of slip on {1[Formula: see text]00}<0001> and {1[Formula: see text]00}<11[Formula: see text]0> in TiB2. Critical resolve shear stress values at room temperature are very high, exceeding 1 GPa for all observed slip systems; 3.01 GPa for {1[Formula: see text]00}<11[Formula: see text]3> slip in ZrB2 and 1.72 GPa and 5.17 GPa, respectively for {1[Formula: see text]00}<0001> and {1[Formula: see text]00}<11[Formula: see text]0> slip in TiB2. The identified operative slip systems and their CRSS values are discussed in comparison with those identified in the corresponding bulk single crystals at high temperatures and those inferred from micro-hardness anisotropy in the early studies.

Assigning computed tomography involvement score in COVID-19 patients: prognosis prediction and impact on management.

OBJECTIVE: Chest CT can provide a simple quantitative assessment of the extent of the parenchymal opacities in COVID-19 patients. In this study, we postulate that CT findings can be used to ascertain the overall disease burden and predict the clinical outcome. METHODS: In this prospective study undertaken from March 28, 2020, until May 20, 2020, 142 patients with CT features suggestive of viral pneumonia, and positive RT-PCR for COVID-19 were enrolled. A dedicated spiral CT scanner was used for all COVID-19 suspects. CT features were reported as typical, indeterminate, or atypical for COVID-19 pneumonia. A CT involvement score (CT-IS) was given to each scan and assigned mild, moderate, or severe category depending on the score range. The patients were followed up for at least 15 days. RESULTS: Ground glass opacity was present in 100% of the patients. There was a significant association between CT-IS and the final outcome of the patients. A statistically significant increasing trend of mortality and requirement of critical medical attention was observed with the rising value of CT-IS in COVID-19. CONCLUSION: The severe CT-IS score group has a high mortality. The CT-IS score could be valuable in predicting clinical outcome and could also be useful in triage of patients needing hospital admission. In situations where healthcare resources are limited, and patient load high, a more careful approach for patients with higher CT-IS scores could be indispensable. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE: CT-IS is a simple quantitative method for assessing the disease burden of COVID-19 cases. It can be invaluable in places with limited resources and high patient load to segregate patients requiring critical medical attention.