Giant ganglioneuroma in a 5-year child

ABSTRACT We report a 5-year boy presenting with pain in the lower chest and upper abdomen. On evaluation with computed tomography scan of the chest, he was found to have a large 16 x 14 cm posterior mediastinal mass compressing the inferior vena cava and liver, and shifting the heart to the opposite side. Tumor was approached via right postero-lateral thoracotomy and dissected off from esophagus, heart, inferior vena cava and lungs. The entire tumor was resected without any complications. Postoperative course was unremarkable. Resection of the tumor was successful. The histopathology showed it to be giant ganglioneuroma with no evidence of malignancy

Myxoid liposarcoma originating in the anterior mediastinum

Myxoidliposarcomas ofthe head and neck aremostly metastaticin nature, with the primarylesion usually in lower extremities or retroperitoneum. Primary mediastinal liposarcomas are even rare Although there have been previous cases reporting their incidence, there is no evidence of any case comprising of both the neck and the mediastinal region yet. We here present a case of a 43 year old male with a primary liposarcoma of the myxoid subtype originating in the anterior mediastinumThis is the first time such a case haspres ented in literature. The patient presented with a right sided neck swelling associated with pain and shortness of breath upon lying down.CT neck revealed an enhancing mass extending from right cervical regionto axilla and enca sing the subclavian artery and involving a portion of the right lung. The patient underwent wide local excision of the mass along with chemo radiotherapy to prevent recurrenc

Mucocutaneous Manifestations of Covid-19 in an Isolation Unit of Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

OBJECTIVES This study aimed to determine the frequency of mucocutaneous manifestations in patients with COVID-19. METHODOLOGY This prospective cross-sectional study was conducted in the isolation ward of Hayatabad Medical Complex, Peshawar, for COVID-19-positive patients from 20th June to 30th July 2020. One hundred and twenty COVID-19-positive patients were included in our study. Patients fulfilling the inclusion criteria were subjected to a detailed clinical history and mucocutaneous and systemic examination. Relevant investigations were done. Data was recorded in predesigned proforma and analyzed for various statistical variables. RESULTS Among 120 patients included in our study, 87 were male and 33 female. Most patients belonged to the age group 21-40 years. A total of 17 patients showed mucocutaneous manifestations. Generalized pruritus and petechial rash were the most common, and the maculopapular rash were the least common. Mucosal involvement was seen in 2 patients. CONCLUSION Mucocutaneous manifestations are essential clues in the diagnosis of COVID-19. Early recognition may help in the effective management of patient

Aging study of the powdered magnetite nanoparticles

© 2016 Elsevier B.V. Magnetite nanoparticles were produced via co-precipitation method and then stored at room temperature for 6 years in aerobic atmosphere. Variations in the inherent solid phase and solid interfacial properties of the prepared magnetite nanoparticles were investigated. For this purpose the fresh and aged samples were characterized using transmission electron microscopy, vibrating sample magnetometer, X-ray diffractometer and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer. The solid phase transformations of magnetite nanoparticles to maghemite nanoparticles as well as formation of other iron oxides were happened. After aging of 6 years, no change was occurred in the magnetic features; however increase in particle size from 9.6 to 18.5 measured by transmission electron microscopy was confirmed. The crystallite size and vibrating sample magnetometer values were measured before and after aging and found to increase from 8.98 nm and 47.23 emu/g to 16.18 nm and 58.36 emu/g respectively. The formation of other iron oxides, recrystallization and agglomeration during aging process, caused a significant decrease in the specific surface area from 124.43 to 45.00 m2/g of the stored sample

Successful resection of lymphangioma of the neck and mediastinum presenting as stridor in a 12 year old child

Lymphangiomas are congenital malformations of lymphatic tissue. This benign condition is generally found in the neck region and is discovered by 2 years of age. Here we report the case of a 12 year old child who presented with a cervical and mediastinal cystic hygroma that had progressed to such a space occupying nature as to cause the shifting of the trachea. The entire mass was successfully resected with a lower neck incision. Our case suggests the necessity of considering cystic lymphangioma in the differential diagnosis of lateral neck masses and use of adequate imaging to substantiate the preoperative diagnosis

Management of penetrating injury to thoracic inlet and lower neck with retained foreign body using video assisted thoracoscopic surgery

Penetrating neck and chest injuries are a common form of occupational injuries. We hereby report a unique case in which a metallic rod had penetrated the left chest and neck of a plastic factory worker. The patient was vitally stable when he presented to Emergency Room. Chest X-ray was performed and the patient was rushed to the operating room. VATS (video assisted thoracoscopic surgery) and neck dissection was done for retrieval of the metallic rod. On table, endoscopy was also done to rule out injury to oesophagus. No injury to vital structures was found and the subsequent recovery was uneventful

Penetrating cardiac trauma: A retrospective case series from Karachi.

Penetrating cardiac trauma is a medical emergency that commonly affects young men throughout the world. A retrospective review of the records of all patients presenting with cardiac injury was done from January 2000 to December 2015 at our institute. There were 10 cases of such trauma, all of whom were males, 17 to 48 years of age. The most common mechanism of injury was gunshot wounds followed by stab wounds. The Mean Revised Trauma Score was 7.23±0.855. Only 2 out of the total 10 patients died (20% mortality). The Right Ventricle followed by the Left Ventricle was the most common site of injury. Median Sternotomy was the surgical procedure of choice in managing these patients. Pericardial tamponade and Haemothorax were common intra-operative findings. Patients having penetrating cardiac injury presenting with detectable signs of life on arrival to the hospital can be rescued by early surgical interventio

COSMO-RS predictions, hydrogen bond basicity values and experimental evaluation of amino acid-based ionic liquids for lignocellulosic biomass dissolution

© 2018 Elsevier B.V. In this study, the bamboo dissolution capability of six amino acid-based ionic liquids (AAILs) with two different cations, i.e. 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium (Emim) and Tetrabutylphosphonium (P4444) and three anions derived from amino acids were investigated by Conductor-like screening model for real solvents (COSMO-RS) prediction and hydrogen bond basicity (β) of Kamlet–Taft parameters. COSMO-RS was used for calculating sigma profile, activity coefficients (γi) and aqueous base dissociation constant of corresponding acids of the anions (pKa) of AAILs. The trends in sigma profile, γi and pKa for AAILs were compared with β values and the effect of structure moiety of ionic liquids was also discussed. The trend of COSMO-RS prediction for anions was noted similar to the β values of AAILs with the exception of serinate anion. Similarly, the trend predicted by COSMO-RS and β values was also found same while changing the cations of AAILs. To investigate, the correlation of the above-mentioned properties with experimental dissolution ability, tetrabutylphosphonium aminoethanic acid ([P4444]Gly) and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium aminoethanic acid ([Emim]Gly) ionic liquids were synthesized and evaluated. The trend predicted by COSMO-RS and the β values were not correlating with efficiency of AAILs for bamboo dissolution. Both AAILs were able to dissolve the bamboo. However, material of [P4444]Gly treated sample was evaluated through XRD analysis where change in crystallinity of cellulose was identified after dissolution and regeneration of bamboo. Scanning Electron microscopy also showed homogenous structure for regenerated materials

Quality of life in individuals surgically treated for congenital hydrocephalus during infancy: A single-institution experience

Background: Congenital hydrocephalus (CH) is a frequently encountered birth anomaly that can hinder long-term neurologic maturity and social well-being of affected children. This study was undertaken to assess quality of life (QOL) 10-15 years after surgical treatment for primary CH during infancy at a tertiary care hospital in a developing country.Methods: This retrospective cohort study included individuals who presented to Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan, between 1995 and 2005 at QOL.Results: Of 118 patients, 90 patients participated in the study. Mean age at first admission was 6.2 months. Mean length of follow-up was 5.4 years. Of these, 28 patients had died after surgery. Shunt infection (P = 0.012) and delayed milestones (P = 0.003) were found to be statistically significant factors affecting mortality in the patients who died. The mean overall health score was 0.67 ± 0.30. Age (P = 0.039).Conclusions: In our analysis, we assessed the QOL associated with CH. We hope that these results will provide insight for future prospective work with the ultimate goal of improving long-term QOL in children with CH

Single-step synthesis of magnesium-iron borates composite; an efficient electrocatalyst for dopamine detection

© 2020 We have synthesized composite of magnesium-iron borates Mg2(X).Fe3(Y) (here; B2O5 = X and BO6 = Y), using a facile and single-step hydrothermal approach. Where, the synthesis of the composites can help not only to effectively utilize the properties of both i.e. magnesium borates (Mg2B2O5) and iron borates (Fe3BO6) in a single material but also making it thermodynamically more stable at higher temperatures as compared to the individual metallic borates. The as prepared heterostructured-composite was analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), and thermal gravity analysis (TGA) to confirm the morphology, crystallinity, composition, and thermal stability. Further, the composite was explored as a catalyst in the construction of a biosensor where it showed an excellent electrocatalytic activity toward dopamine (DA) oxidation. This study offers a clue to design a borates-based composite to be explored as an efficient electrocatalyst in the application of biosensing field