A case of cephalomelia discovered in a baby born in Niger.

INTRODUCTION: Subcutaneous tumors with extra limbs are very rare, and they are considered either as fetus in fetu or fetiform teratoma. CASE REPORT: We report here the case of a 6-day-old presenting a mass extending at the level of the occipital bone. This mass is developed in the extracranial region and contains two forelimbs including hands with digits. CT shows that the squamous part of the occipital bone is involved with several defects through which a part of the cerebellum herniates. The boy was operated on and the tumor was removed. The herniated region of the cerebellum has also been removed. After surgery, the boy develops normally. CONCLUSION: This type of tumor is extremely rare and is only the second case that has been reported at this exact location. This could be the so-called céphalomélie described by Isidore Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire in a duck in his famous Treatise of Teratology (1836). The cause of this malformation is still a matter for debate.

Biofiltration of toluene-contaminated air using an agro by-product-based filter bed.

An innovative, coir-pith-based, filter bed for degrading vapor phase toluene in a gas biofilter over 160 days without any external nutrient supply is reported in this study. Indigenous microflora present in the coir pith as well as in the aerobic sludge added at the start-up stage metabolized the toluene, and correspondingly, CO(2) was produced in the biofilter. Inlet toluene concentration in the range of 0.75 to 2.63 g/m(3) was supplied to the biofilter in short acclimation periods. The maximum elimination capacity achieved was 96.75 g/m(3) x h at 120.72 g/m(3) x h loading where around 60% was recovered as CO(2). The filter bed maintained a stable low-pressure drop (0-4 mm H(2)O), neutral pH range (6.5-7.5), and moisture content of 60-80% (w/w) throughout the period. In addition to toluene-degrading microbial community, a grazing fauna including rotifer, bacteriovoric nematode, tardigrade, and fly larvae were also present in the filter bed. The overall performance of the biofilter bed in pollutant removal and sustainability was analyzed in this study.