ABSTRACT
Hemichorea caused by cerebral infarction in the centrum semiovale is a rare condition that can often be misdiagnosed. In this case report, we present a rare case of a 66-year-old man who experienced involuntary movement in his left limbs due to acute cerebral infarction in the centrum semiovale. The patient did not have any obvious inducements for the hemichorea. In this case, the treatment approach followed the guidelines for treating acute cerebral infarction, combined with the use of dopamine receptor blockers. The involuntary movements gradually improved and completely remitted after 5 days of treatment, with no relapse within the following 6 months. To summarize, this case report highlights the rare occurrence of hemichorea caused by cerebral infarction in the centrum semiovale. Prompt recognition and appropriate treatment are essential to prevent misdiagnosis and ensure optimal management of the condition.
ABSTRACT
The feasibility of incorporating copper-laden sludge into low-cost ceramic products, such as construction ceramics, was investigated by sintering simulated copper-laden sludge with four aluminum-rich ceramic precursors. The results indicated that all of these precursors (γ-Al(2)O(3), corundum, kaolinite, mullite) could crystallochemically stabilize the hazardous copper in the more durable copper aluminate spinel (CuAl(2)O(4)) structure. To simulate the process of copper transformation into a spinel structure, CuO was mixed with the four aluminum-rich precursors, and fired at 650-1150 °C for 3 h. The products were examined using powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopic techniques. The efficiency of copper transformation among crystalline phases was quantitatively determined through Rietveld refinement analysis of the XRD data. The sintering experiment revealed that the optimal sintering temperature for CuAl(2)O(4) formation was around 1000 °C and that the efficiency of copper incorporation into the crystalline CuAl(2)O(4) structure after 3 h of sintering ranged from 40 to 95%, depending on the type of aluminum precursor used. Prolonged leaching tests were carried out by using acetic acid with an initial pH value of 2.9 to leach CuO and CuAl(2)O(4) samples for 22 d. The sample leachability analysis revealed that the CuAl(2)O(4) spinel structure was more superior to stabilize copper, and suggested a promising and reliable technique for incorporating copper-laden sludge or its incineration ash into usable ceramic products. Such results also demonstrated the potential of a waste-to-resource strategy by using waste materials as part of the raw materials with the attainable temperature range used in the production of ceramics.