Adsorption of phosphate onto lanthanum-doped coal fly ash-Blast furnace cement composite.

We develop a high-performance adsorbent for phosphate removal from water or wastewater by impregnating lanthanum (La) on a coal fly ash-blast furnace cement composite (La-FACC). The optimized impregnation percentage of La and calcination conditions of the La-FACC were 1% and 800 â„ƒ for 2 h, respectively. The adsorption kinetics of phosphate onto the La-FACC was well fit by the intra-particle diffusion model, indicating that film and intra-particle diffusion were the rate-controlling step in the adsorption process of phosphate onto the La-FACC. The pseudo second-order kinetic model could also describe the adsorption kinetics of phosphate. Hence, adsorption of phosphate onto the La-FACC occurred mainly via chemisorption. The Langmuir isotherm was appropriate for describing the phosphate adsorption behavior onto the La-FACC. The monolayer maximum adsorption capacity was 24.9 mg-P g-1. The La-FACC showed high adsorption capacity and selectivity for phosphate with a wide range of pH, and with high concentrations of coexisting ions attributed to both formation of inner sphere complexes and electrostatic interaction. Magnesium ion slightly inhibited the adsorption of phosphate. Hence, the La-FACC developed in this study is a promising adsorbent for water treatment with a wide pH range and high ion strength.

Pulmonary sequestration with high levels of tumor markers tending to be misdiagnosed as lung cancer.

A 62-year-old man with hemoptysis and an abnormal shadow on chest roentgenogram was diagnosed as having anomalous systemic arterial supply to the normal basal segment of the left lower lobe. The preoperative serum carbohydrate antigen 19-9 and carcinoembryonic antigen levels were 73.8 units/ml and 10.8 ng/ml, respectively. Histopathological examination confirmed that the lesion was an intralobar pulmonary sequestration without air connection. There was no malignant finding in the resected specimen. The serum values of tumor markers returned to their approximate normal ranges after lower lobectomy.

Technique for using the St. Jude aortic connector in anastomosis with a composite graft of saphenous vein and radial artery.

We presented a technique for using the St. Jude Aortic Connector System in anastomosis with a composite graft of saphenous vein and radial artery. This technique has not been reported in the previous literature. Our technique could improve some disadvantages of the St. Jude Aortic Connector and allow this device to be used in off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCAB).

Ultrasonic plaque density of aortic atheroma and stroke in patients undergoing on-pump coronary bypass surgery.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between the aortic atheromatous plaque echo density and the incidence of postoperative stroke or embolic events in patients undergoing on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Three hundred and fourteen patients who received on-pump CABG alone were studied. Images of the aortic plaques obtained using transesophageal echocardiography were transferred to a computer. Using an image analysis program, a histogram for plaques more than 3 mm in thickness was obtained through the gray tone frequency distribution of the pixels (0-225). The gray scale median (GSM) was used as a measure of plaque echo density. RESULTS: Fifty-eight plaques in patients not associated with postoperative stroke or embolic events had GSM ranging from 58 to 241 (151.0+/-38.2), while 9 plaques in patients associated with stroke or embolic events had GSM ranging from 67 to 130 (90.6+/-21.3, p<0.001). The incidence of stroke or embolism was 58.3% when GSM of plaque was less than 100, while it was 3.6% when plaque GSM was more than 100 (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: This study indicated that computer analysis of aortic atheromatous plaque was useful for selecting patients who had a high risk of postoperative stroke or embolism when receiving on-pump CABG, and for decreasing the incidence of them.

A case of the coronary artery aneurysm including stent device after percutaneous coronary intervention.

We presented a case of left anterior descending coronary artery aneurysm that was developed after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with stent implantation. The aneurysm was plicated after removal of the stent device, and the left descending coronary artery was bypassed with the left internal thoracic artery. Few have reported surgical treatments for the coronary aneurysm including PCI stent. In this report, a patient requiring PCI stent explantation was described and technical considerations for this patient were discussed.

Right ventricular outflow tract reconstruction for primary pulmonary artery sarcoma.

Primary pulmonary artery sarcoma is extremely rare and a lethal tumor. Complete resection of the tumor and following adequate reconstruction is the only hope for cure and prolonged survival. We report a case of successful surgical excision of primary pulmonary artery sarcoma involving pulmonary trunk, pulmonary valve and right ventricular outflow tract wall, which were replaced with prosthetic valved conduit. Postoperative histopathological diagnosis was leiomyosarcoma. The patient is well without any evidence of recurrence at 10 months after surgery.

Aortic regurgitation secondary to back-and-forth intimal flap movement of acute type A dissection.

We present an unusual case of acute type A dissection complicated with severe aortic valve insufficiency caused by prolapse of the tubular intimal flap into the left ventricular outflow tract, which was shown legibly by transesophageal echocardiography in the diastolic phase and by intraoperative macroscopic findings. The dissected ascending aorta was excised completely and replaced without any repairing of the aortic valve, resulting in a favorable outcome for the patient. Prolapse of an intimal flap from the aorta into the left ventricle represented a rare pathophysiology of aortic regurgitation in patients with aortic dissection.