Catamenial pneumothorax.

Thoracic endometriosis syndrome is an under-recognised manifestation of endometriosis and includes catamenial pneumothorax, catamenial haemothorax, catamenial haemoptysis and pulmonary nodules. Catamenial pneumothorax presents as recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax with a temporal relationship to the onset of menses, affecting mostly the right lung. A 48-year-old woman presented with an eight-year history of right-sided catamenial pneumothorax, during which time she had three episodes of pneumothorax. Serial chest imaging revealed an enlarging mass overlying the right hemi-diaphragm. She was referred to our trust where she underwent video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for right pleurectomy. Intraoperatively, defects were found in the right hemidiaphragm, through which parts of the liver had herniated. We describe the presenting features and management of catamenial pneumothorax.

Functionalized Graphene Oxide Shields Tooth Dentin from Decalcification.

This in vitro study assessed the efficacy of functionalized graphene oxide (f-GO) nanocomposites on the decalcification of dentin, because dental caries of the root surface is becoming one of the new problems in aged society. Hydroxyapatite plates (HAP) and dentin slices were coated with f-GO nanocomposites by comparing them to silver diamine fluoride as a positive control, then treated with decalcification solutions such as ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and citrate at 37°C for 24 h. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed significant protection of the surface morphology of HAP and dentin. On the other hand, a cariogenic Streptococcus mutans growth was inhibited by f-GO nanocomposites. In addition, cytotoxicity of them to epithelial cells was much less than that of povidone-iodine, which is commonly used for oral disinfectant. We synthesized 5 different f-GO nanocomposites such as GO-silver (Ag), GO-Ag-calcium fluoride (CaF2), GO-CaF2, GO-zinc, and GO-tricalcium phosphate (Ca3(PO4)2). They were standardized by evaluating under SEM, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), thermogravimetry analysis (TGA), and Raman spectra after being synthesized in an aseptic technique. The abilities of GO-Ag, GO-Ag-CaF2, and GO-CaF2 nanocomposites were most preventive for decalcification. In addition, GO-Ag and GO-Ag-CaF2 almost completely inhibited S. mutans growth. However, they did not exhibit cytotoxicity to epithelial cells except at the highest concentration (0.1 w/v%) of GO-Ag and GO-Ag-CaF2. Furthermore, these f-GO nanocomposites exhibited less or no discoloration of dentin, although commonly used silver diamine fluoride causes discoloration of dentin to black. Thus, these f-GO nanocomposites are useful to protect dental caries on the tooth root that becomes a social problem in aged society.

The role of bone scanning in the detection of metastatic calcification: a case report.

Metastatic calcification associated with renal failure is well described. Bone scanning agents accumulate to various degrees within extraskeletal sites of metastatic calcification. The authors describe a patient with polycystic kidney disease resulting in renal failure, with the subsequent development of secondary hyperparathyroidism and metastatic calcification. Bone scintigraphy revealed abnormal uptake in both lungs, the right leg, and the right hand.

Technetium-99m-sestamibi uptake in myeloma.

A number of reports describe how 99mTc-sestamibi detects benign and malignant primary and metastatic tumors. We report abnormal 99mTc-sestamibi uptake in nine sites in a 53-yr-old patient with histologically and biochemically proven IgG kappa-secreting myeloma. The 99mTc-sestamibi study was undertaken for an unrelated hyperparathyroidism.