Preparation of Cellulose-Based Activated Carbon Fibers with Improved Yield and Their Methylene Chloride Adsorption Evaluation.

The recent rapid growth of the battery industry has led to a rapid increase in methylene chloride emissions. Methylene chloride causes health and social problems in humans. In this study, cellulose-based activated carbon fibers (CACFs) with improved yield were prepared for the removal of methylene chloride. The concentration of ammonium phosphate in the pretreatment controlled the crosslink density of cellulose fibers and improved the yield. From the results, the specific surface area and total pore volume of cellulose-based activated carbon fibers pretreated with ammonium phosphate (AP-CACFs) were determined to be 1920-2060 m2/g and 0.83-1.02 cm3/g, respectively, and the total yield improved by 6.78-11.59% compared to that of CACFs (4.97%). In particular, a correlation between the textural properties of CACFs and methylene chloride adsorption/desorption behavior was obtained. This correlation can be used to develop efficient adsorbents for methylene chloride removal.

Fast recovery process of carbon fibers from waste carbon fibers-reinforced thermoset plastics.

In this work, we report a fast recycling process for carbon fiber-reinforced thermosetting resin matrix composites, to obtain recycled carbon fibers. Steam (H2O) was selected as an oxidant to decompose the resin of the composites. The recycling reaction temperature and time were set in the range of 600-800 °C and 60 min, respectively. The recovery yield, surface morphologies, and mechanical properties including tensile strength and modulus of the recovered fibers were measured to evaluate the recycling efficiency. Microstructural properties of the recycled fiber were observed by X-ray studies, and the correlation of mechanical properties of the fibers with crystallite size and distribution was also evaluated. In conclusion, the carbon fibers were successfully recycled, while retaining 65% and 100% of the fibers' original tensile strength and modulus, respectively. 100% recovery yield was achieved in 60 min of decomposition time and 140 min of total process time.

Spontaneous regression of a solitary necrotic nodule of the liver.

Solitary necrotic nodules of the liver occur rarely. Although these nodules are usually benign, they are surgically removed in most cases because they cannot be differentiated from malignant lesions. To date, the natural history of solitary fibrous nodules remains unclear. We present the case of an incidentally detected hepatic mass (diameter 2 cm) in a 35-year-old man. The hepatic mass was diagnosed as a solitary necrotic nodule by liver biopsy. Follow-up radiologic examination revealed that the solitary necrotic nodule had spontaneously regressed. This is the first report on the natural course history of a solitary necrotic nodule.

Impact of transurethral resection of bladder tumor: analysis of cystectomy specimens to evaluate for residual tumor.

OBJECTIVES: To analyze the impact of transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT) on the outcome of patients with bladder cancer who undergo subsequent cystectomy. METHODS: We reviewed the records of 90 patients with pathologic Stage T2 or less transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder at our institute. Before radical cystectomy, TURBT was performed for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes in all patients. We used the term "complete TURBT" in the following situations: no residual tumor endoscopically after TURBT, the presence of a muscle layer in the TURBT specimen, and no gross residual tumor in the cystectomy specimen as evaluated by a pathologist. RESULTS: No statistically significant differences in the completeness of TURBT were observed by age, sex, tumor multiplicity, shape, history of previous TURBT, tumor grade, or stage. Of 21 patients with superficial bladder tumors who had undergone incomplete resection, 14 (66.7%) had a higher stage on the cystectomy specimen; 3 (17.7%) of 17 patients had a higher stage in the complete TURBT group. Of 34 patients with an invasive tumor who underwent complete TURBT, 10 (29.4%) had an identical pathologic stage after cystectomy; the remaining patients had a lower stage. However, only 3 (16.7%) of 18 patients had a lower stage in the incomplete resection group. Of patients with Stage T2, those with pT0 stage had a better chance of survival than those with residual tumor (P = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that the completeness of TURBT is an important aspect of patient outcome in cases of superficial or invasive bladder cancer.