Polysaccharide-based (nano)materials for Cr(VI) removal.

Chromium is a potentially poisonous and carcinogenic species, which originates from human activities and various industries such as leather, steel, iron, and electroplating industries. Chromium is present in various oxidation states, among which hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) is highly toxic as a natural contaminant. Therefore, chromium, particularly Cr(VI), must be eliminated from the environment, soil, and water to overcome significant problems due to its accumulation in the environment. There are different approaches such as adsorption, ion exchange, photocatalytic reduction, etc. for removing Cr(VI) from the environment. By converting Cr(VI) to Cr(III), its toxicity is reduced. Cr(III) is essential for the human diet, even in small amounts. Today, biopolymers such as alginate, cellulose, gum, pectin, starch, chitin, and chitosan have received much attention for the removal of environmental pollutants. Biopolymers, particularly polysaccharides, are very useful compounds due to their OH and NH2 functional groups and some advantages such as biodegradability, biocompatibility, and accessibility. Therefore, they can be widely applied in catalytic applications and as efficient adsorbents for the removal of toxic compounds from the environment. This review briefly investigates the application of polysaccharide-based (nano)materials for efficient Cr(VI) removal from the environment using adsorption/reduction, photocatalytic, and chemical reduction mechanisms.

A seven-month-old with chronic intermittent biphasic stridor.

Paediatric stridor can indicate serious pathology and requires prompt evaluation and management. Causes range from laryngomalacia to aerodigestive tract foreign bodies. We report on a chronic presentation of paediatric stridor, discuss the workup, management and lessons learned. A seven-month-old boy presented with chronic intermittent biphasic stridor for the previous five months. Diagnostic microlaryngoscopy and bronchoscopy revealed significant localised tracheomalacia. Urgent chest computed tomography was performed to investigate further. Radiological findings revealed an oesophageal foreign body prompting immediate rigid oesophagoscopy and removal of an embedded pistachio shell. The patient had an uneventful recovery. Foreign bodies in the airway and oesophagus are quite common in children, causing symptoms from the aerodigestive tract. It is uncommon for oesophageal foreign bodies to present with stridor in the absence of digestive tract symptoms. The otolaryngologist should consider this as a diagnosis, particularly in young children with an atypical presentation and symptoms.

Assessment of progress and competence in tonsillectomy surgery using cumulative sum analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the feasibility of using cumulative sum analysis to show trainees' performance curves and highlight concerns in tonsillectomy surgery. METHODS: In this prospective study, the performance of eight otolaryngology trainees (in their first 6-12 months in the specialty) was compared to that of experts (over 150 tonsillectomies performed) in terms of operative time and post-operative complications. Cumulative sum analysis curves were generated to highlight trainees' performance, and were updated after each performance. RESULTS: The average operative time was 23 minutes (standard deviation = 11) for experts and 38 minutes (standard deviation = 16) for trainees (p < 0.0001). Cumulative sum analysis charts for trainees' operative time initially rose and then started to plateau after a number of cases (range, 25-30), while that of experts remained low. Cumulative sum analysis charts for complications can be used to monitor performance. In this study, complications were combined (because of low incidence) to allow use of this outcome measure. CONCLUSION: The flexibility of the cumulative sum analysis makes it adaptable to any outcome. It is a strong adjunct in surgical training to monitor progress and competence. Its sensitivity also allows early detection of poor performance, to instigate intervention.

Preparation, characterization and application of nanosized CuO/HZSM-5 as an efficient and heterogeneous catalyst for the N-formylation of amines at room temperature.

An efficient and new method for the synthesis of formamides using HZSM-5 zeolite supported copper oxide nanoparticles as an efficient and heterogeneous catalyst is reported. The catalyst was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), temperature programmed desorption of ammonia (TPD-NH3) and Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). This method has the advantages of eliminating homogeneous catalysts and provides simple methodology with easy work up. Excellent yields of the corresponding formamides were obtained through this cost-effective protocol under solvent-free conditions with shorter reaction time. The catalyst was easily isolated from the reaction mixture by filtration and reused several times without significant loss in its catalytic.

Double seal technique to obliterate the eustachian tube orifice: a novel method for the treatment of recalcitrant cerebrospinal fluid leak.

OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate a novel and effective surgical technique for the treatment of refractory cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhoea after skull base surgery. The novel surgical technique is described and the findings of a review of relevant world English-language publications are reported. CASE REPORT: A 44-year-old woman, otherwise fit and well, presented with more than a 2-year history of right-sided facial pain. A diagnosis of classical trigeminal neuralgia was made. Surgical treatment was undertaken with a retromastoid suboccipital craniotomy. Post-operatively, the patient showed signs of right-sided cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhoea which was recalcitrant. In light of a continuous leak and several hospital admissions, a novel technique was performed whereby the eustachian tube orifice was obliterated using an endonasal endoscopic approach. The technique proved to be successful, with no further leakage. CONCLUSION: Endoscopic obliteration of the eustachian tube using a double seal technique is a simple, safe and effective procedure in the treatment of a refractory cerebrospinal fluid leak.

Nasal sarcoidosis: a cause for a medical rhinoplasty?

OBJECTIVE: We report the use of triamcinolone injections to correct severe nasal deformity due to sarcoidosis, as an alternative to formal surgical rhinoplasty. CASE REPORT: A 30-year-old woman with a long-standing history of sarcoidosis presented to a tertiary referral rhinology clinic complaining of breathing difficulty and nasal deformity. Flexible nasoendoscopy revealed red nasal plaques typical of nasal sarcoidosis, together with significant widening of the nasal bridge. Triamcinolone, a long-acting corticosteroid, was injected both intralesionally and subcutaneously over the nasal dorsum, at zero, three and eight months, resulting in long-lasting improvement of the nasal shape. CONCLUSION: Sarcoidosis is a non-caseating, granulomatous, epithelioid inflammation. Otorhinolaryngological manifestations occur in approximately 10 per cent of patients; however, there is little published experience of nasal reconstruction in such patients. We describe a quick, simple and relatively cost-effective technique, with little or no co-morbidity, with which to improve the aesthetic and symptomatic outcomes of nasal sarcoidosis.

Ectopic sequestered thyroid tissue: an unusual cause of a mediastinal mass.

An 80-year-old female presented with an incidental finding of a retrosternal mass on magnetic resonance imaging. Ultrasound demonstrated a mediastinal lesion adjacent to but separate from the inferior pole of the right thyroid lobe. Fine needle aspiration cytology demonstrated colloid and follicular cells. At surgery, the right thyroid lobe was found to be normal. A discrete 5 cm nodule was found in the anterior mediastinum separate from the thyroid and just anterior and to the right of the trachea and thymus. The nodule had a vascular pedicle arising from the mediastinum. The differential diagnosis included metastatic thyroid carcinoma. Histology was consistent with a benign ectopic sequestered thyroid nodule. Extensive investigations demonstrated no sign of a thyroid malignancy.

[Cicatrix endometriosis of the abdominal wall]. / L'endométriose cicatricielle de la paroi abdominale.

Endometriosis is a rare entity, related after operation on the uterus or uterine tubes or a laparotomy procedures or other extrapelvic procedures, when seeding of endometrial fragments were shed into the peritoneal cavity. We report the case of a menopaused woman with a subcutaneous incisional scar mass that appeared 22 years after a caesarean section. The diagnosis was made by histological examination.