Electrical properties of polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyacrylamide and their blend thin films have been investigated as a function of temperature and frequency. The films were prepared using solution casting method and the measurements on films were carried out at different temperatures ranging from 305 to 345 K covering a frequency range from 10 2 to 10 5 Hz. The conductivity of film samples was found to increase upon increasing the temperature. Lowering of activation energy by increasing the polyvinylpyrrolidone percentage may be due to the predominance of ion conduction mechanism caused by polyvinylpyrrolidone in the blend. The permittivity (ε r ) and dielectric loss (ε i ) were found to decrease upon increasing frequency. Temperature and frequency dependence of impedance, relaxation time and electric modulus of thin film samples have also been studied. From electric modulus formalism, polarization and conduction relaxation behaviour in the film samples have been discussed.

Lymphadenopathy refers to the nodes which are abnormal in size, consistency and number. 1 It is one of the commonest clinical presentations of patients attending the Out Patient Department. The degree and pattern of morphological changes are dependent on the inciting stimulus and the intensity of the response. Thus, lymphadenopathy may be an incidental finding and/ or primary or secondary manifestation of underlying diseases which may be neoplastic or non-neoplastic. 2 FNAC as first line of investigation has assumed importance in diagnosing a variety of disease processes as it is rapid, simple, reliable, minimally invasive and cost effective procedure which can be used in outpatient setting. 3 FNAC has an important role in the evaluation of ABSTRACT Background: Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology (FNAC) is a simple, rapid, cost effective and reliable technique which can be used as a routine outpatient department (OPD) procedure and first line of investigation in diagnosing a variety of superficial and deep lesions. Lymphadenopathy is of great clinical significance and the underlying cause may range from a treatable infectious etiology to malignant neoplasms. In this study, we describe the diagnostic utility of FNAC in the assessment of lymph node lesions with an emphasis on the diagnosis of non-neoplastic, benign and malignant neoplastic processes. Cytomorphological patterns of tuberculous lymphadenitis were also observed. Methods: This was a retrospective study and a total of 736 patients including all age groups and both sexes presenting with palpable or deep lymph nodes in FNAC clinic of our institute over a period of 2 years were included in our study. FNAC was conducted with 22-24 Gauge disposable needles attached to 20c.c syringes. Smears were fixed in 95% ethyl alcohol and stained with Papanicolaou stain. Leishman stain was done on air dried smears. Ziehl-Neelsen (ZN) staining was done wherever required. Results: Out of 736 aspirations from lymph nodes, the most frequent cause of lymphadenopathy was found to be Tuberculosis with 419 cases (56.92%). The next frequent diagnosis was reactive lymphadenitis with 193 cases (26.22%) followed by metastatic lymphadenopathy in 47 cases (6.38%). A diagnosis of lymphoproliferative disorder was rendered in 20 cases (2.71%). In 10 cases (1.35%) FNAC was inconclusive. Conclusion: In our study, the predominant cause of lymphadenopathy was tuberculous lymphadenitis, seen in more than half of total cases, followed by reactive lymphadenopathy and malignant neoplasms. FNAC was helpful in establishing the diagnosis in 98.65% of the cases.

Ovarian sex cord-stromal tumors are relatively infrequent neoplasms that account for approximately 8% of all primary ovarian neoplasm. Sex cord-stromal tumors of the ovary include granulosa cell tumors, fibrothecomas, Sertoli-Leydigcell tumors, steroid cell tumors, and sclerosing stromal tumors (SST). Sclerosing stromal tumors account for 2% to 6% of ovarian stromal tumors. Despite the rarity of this particular neoplasm, it is not always possible to predict the presence of this tumor preoperatively on the basis of clinical and sonographic findings. Histopathological and immunohistochemical (IHC) examinations confirm the diagnosis. Herein, the clinical findings and histopathological features of SST are described in a 24-year-old female.

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