Mucinous adenocarcinoma of the appendix invading the urinary bladder.

Appendiceal carcinoma is a rare disorder. Although imaging exams can suggest carcinoma of the appendix simulating as a primary bladder cancer a transurethral biopsy is essential for diagnosis. We reported a case of a 27-year-old man, presented with hypogastric pain associated with recurrent gross hematuria and dysuria but without any intestinal symptoms such as pain, obstruction or melena. MRI revealed an enlarged appendix contiguous with the bladder. An en-bloc resection was performed and revealed appendiceal mucinous adenocarcinoma. Carcinoma of the appendix is an important differential diagnosis to other lesions and allow a good chance of cure by en bloc resection.

Dental diamond burs made with a new technology.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: Conventional diamond burs show several limitations such as the heterogeneity of grain shapes, the difficulty of automation during fabrication, the decrease of cutting effectiveness due to repeated sterilization, and short lifetime. An additional shortcoming may be represented by the potential release of Ni+2 ions from the metallic binder into the body fluids. PURPOSE: This study investigated a new diamond rotative instrument made of a continuous diamond film obtained by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). This bur, characterized by a pure diamond cutting surface without metallic binder between crystals, was compared with a conventional diamond bur. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Cutting tests were followed by SEM examination and electron microprobe analysis (EMA) to trace metallic residues both at the surface of the bur and the substrate. RESULTS: EMA demonstrated that the metals Ni, Cr, Si, and Fe were present in the metallic binder matrix of the conventional bur and could be smeared on the surface of the substrate during cutting. SEM showed that significant loss of diamond particles occurred during cutting. On the other hand, no discrete particles sheared off the CVD bur. The smearing of the metallic binder cannot occur using the new bur. CONCLUSION: The new CVD bur not only proves to be more efficient in its cutting ability and longevity, but also excludes the risk of metal contamination. This last aspect concerns both the pollution of the oral environment and the contamination of the ceramic during the laboratory manufacturing of dental restorations.

High optical transparency and good adhesion of diamond films deposited on fused silica windows with a surface-wave sustained plasma.

We utilized a microwave plasma reactor based on a surface-wave-sustained discharge for uniform coating of fused silica windows with polycrystalline diamond films. Grain size and average roughness as small as 30 and 2.2 nm, respectively, were obtained, resulting in a uniform loss of transparency of only 10% over the 190-800-nm band for as-deposited 1.5-mum-thick coatings. A pretreatment procedure provides a film coating with a surface resistance to scratching that is approximately a factor of 2 higher than that of bare fused silica.