Cheeses Made from Raw and Pasteurized Cow's Milk Analysed by an Electronic Nose and an Electronic Tongue.

Cheese prepared from whole milk, raw and pasteurized, were analysed by an electronic nose based on piezoelectric quartz crystals and an electronic tongue based on potentiometric sensors, immediately after their preparation and along ripening (after 7 and 21 days). Whey was also analysed by the potentiometric electronic tongue. Results obtained by the electronic nose and tongue were found to be complementary, with the electronic nose being more sensitive to differences in the milk and the electronic tongue being more sensitive to milk pasteurization. Electronic tongue was able to distinguish cheeses made from raw and pasteurized milk, both analysing the whey or the curd, with correct classification rate of 96% and 84%, respectively. Besides, the electronic nose was more sensitive than the electronic tongue to the ripening process, with large differences between samples after 7 and 21 days, while the electronic tongue was only sensitive to the initial maturation stages, with large difference between freshly prepared cheese and with seven days of maturation.

Analysis of organophosphorus pesticides in whole blood by GC-MS-µECD with forensic purposes.

In the present work, two multi-residue methods for the determination of ten organophosphorus pesticides (OPs), namely chlorfenvinphos, chlorpyrifos, diazinon, dimethoate, fenthion, malathion, parathion, phosalone, pirimiphos-methyl and quinalphos, in post-mortem whole blood samples are presented. The adopted procedure uses GC-MS for screening and quantitation, and GC-µECD (electron capture detector) for compound confirmation. Three different Solid Phase Extraction (SPE) procedures for OPs with Oasis(®) hydrophilic lipophilic balanced (HLB) and Sep-Pak(®) C18 cartridges were tested, and followed by GC-µECD and GC-MS analysis. The Sep-Pak(®) C18 cartridges extraction procedure was selected since it generated analytical signals 5 times higher than those obtained with the two different Oasis(®) HLB cartridges extraction procedures. The method has shown to be selective for the isolation of selected OPs as well as to the chosen internal standard (ethion) in postmortem blood samples. Calibration curves between 50 and 5000 ng/mL were prepared using weighted linear regression models (1/x(2)). It was not possible to establish a working range for fenthion by GC-µECD due to the lower sensitivity of the detector to this compound, whereas for pirimiphos-methyl it was set between 500 and 5000 ng/mL. The limit of quantitation was established at 50 ng/mL for all analytes, except for pirimiphos-methyl by GC-µECD analysis (500 ng/mL). The average extraction efficiency ranged from 72 to 102%. The developed methods were considered robust and fit for the purpose, and had already been adopted in the laboratory routine analysis.

Synchronous cardiac myxoma and colorectal cancer: a case report.

The occurrence of synchronous but unrelated cardiac and colorectal tumors is extremely rare. We present the case of a 56-year-old man who had a left atrial cardiac myxoma that nearly obstructed the mitral valve outflow tract and an unrelated, synchronous colorectal-vesicle carcinoma that nearly obstructed the lumen of the intestine. The patient underwent emergency resection of the cardiac mass under cardiopulmonary bypass and underwent successful resection of the colorectal mass 2 weeks later Two years after these operations, the patient is well with no recurrence of either tumor Synchronous tumors, particularly when one of them involves the heart, require aggressive surgical treatment at multiple sites in order for the patient to survive.

Unstable angina during pregnancy in two patients with premature coronary atherosclerosis and aortic stenosis in association with familial hypercholesterolemia.

Obstructive atherosclerotic coronary artery disease is uncommon in women during childbearing age, and the occurrence of myocardial ischemia during pregnancy has therefore been anecdotal. Two young patients with premature coronary artery disease in association with familial hypercholestrolemia had unstable angina in the second trimester of pregnancy. Workup revealed coronary artery disease and aortic stenosis. One patient opted for abortion at the twentieth week of gestation, and the other decided to continue pregnancy and was delivered by cesarean at 28 weeks' gestation. Coronary artery bypass grafting was performed after pregnancy in both patients. In addition, one of the patients underwent aortic valve replacement, and other had replacement of the narrowed ascending aorta with uneventful recovery. Our report describes an uncommon presentation of unstable angina during pregnancy in 2 young women with premature coronary artery disease and aortic valvular and supravalvular stenosis as a result of familial hypercholesterolemia. The management of these conditions during pregnancy is influenced by the effects of available therapeutic modalities on both maternal and fetal outcome.

Isolated right ventricular outflow tract mass presenting as hemoptysis.

Infective endocarditis presenting as an isolated right ventricular outflow tract mass is rare. We report a 34-year-old man with no history of congenital heart defect or intravenous drug abuse who presented with hemoptysis and fevers. Diagnostic workup revealed isolated right ventricular outflow tract vegetation. Despite aggressive antibiotic treatment for endocarditis, he developed septic emboli and acute respiratory distress. He was taken to the operating room for successful resection of the ventricular mass.

Indwelling catheter-induced right ventricular rupture.

We describe a case of a 68-year-old man who, because of postoperative mediastinitis, underwent a multiple muscle flap closure of the mediastinum. A chronic indwelling catheter led to erosion and rupture of the anterior wall of the right ventricle. The near exsanguinating hemorrhage was corrected under circulatory arrest. A pericardial patch repair was performed with good results.

Combined carotid endarterectomy and coronary artery bypass grafting in asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis.

The role of combined carotid endarterectomy (CEA) and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in patients with severe asymptomatic carotid artery disease and concurrent symptomatic coronary artery disease is controversial. The objective of this report is to investigate the safety of combined CEA/CABG. The medical records of 30 patients who underwent combined CEA/CABG for coexistent asymptomatic carotid and symptomatic coronary artery occlusive disease were reviewed. All patients were scheduled for either elective or urgent myocardial revascularization due to their symptomatic coronary artery disease. Color-flow duplex scanning identified internal carotid artery stenosis of 80 to 99 per cent in 28 patients (93%) and 50 to 79 per cent in 2 patients (7%). Seventeen patients (57%) were male. The mean age was 64 +/- 10 years (range, 42-84 years). Contralateral internal carotid artery occlusion was present in four patients. Severe left main coronary artery disease was present in 12 patients (40%) and 7 patients (23%) had an ejection fraction of less than 50 per cent. There were no perioperative deaths or strokes. One patient suffered a myocardial infarction on postoperative day 1. This study demonstrates the safety of combined CEA/CABG for coexistent coronary and asymptomatic carotid disease. Using this surgical approach for critical coexistent disease may minimize the incidence of perioperative cerebrovascular complications in patients undergoing CABG.

Chest wall implantation of lung cancer after thin-needle aspiration biopsy.

Percutaneous aspirational biopsy of intrathoracic lesions has become a popular technique. One of the rarest complications is that of implantation of malignant cells within the needle tract and subsequent development of a chest wall mass. A case of chest wall implantation of adenocarcinoma of the lung after thin-needle biopsy is reported. The lesion was successfully treated with radical full-thickness excision of the chest wall and immediate reconstruction with a large rectus abdominis musculocutaneous flap.

Should aortography be used routinely in the elective management of abdominal aortic aneurysm?

Until recently aortography was performed routinely for elective abdominal aortic aneurysm at our institution. A death resulting from this procedure prompted us to evaluate this policy by a retrospective study of 105 elective aneurysm patients. These studies identified 21 renal artery stenoses, 2 renal artery aneurysms, 2 cases of multiple renal arteries, 8 celiac stenoses, 6 superior mesenteric artery stenoses or occlusions, and a number of peripheral occlusive processes and associated iliac aneurysms. However, the impact of these findings on surgical management was limited to six renal artery reconstructions: one for reimplantation of a renal artery arising from the aneurysm, one for serious hypertension, and four in normotensive patients with severe arterial stenosis. No celiac or mesenteric reconstructions were undertaken, and no visceral complications ensured. In only one patient, the one with renal artery reimplantation, was the angiographic information unsuspected and significant for operative management. This did not appear to justify the risk and expense involved in routine preoperative aortography.