Hemoptysis From a Ruptured Mycotic Aneurysm Caused by Salmonella

SummaryAlthough an uncommon cause of hemoptysis, fistulas between the aorta and the airway (especially the left bronchopulmonary tree) are frequently associated with infected aneurysms of the thoracic aorta and are fatal if not diagnosed and surgically treated. We report a case of mycotic aneurysm in a 74-year-old man who presented with hemoptysis. This patient complained of blood-tinged sputum and chest pain initially, and the chest X-ray showed an aortic aneurysm. The chest computed tomography scan revealed the aneurysm ruptured into the lung parenchyma. Urgent graft replacement was performed successfully after diagnosis. Tissue culture yielded nontyphoidal Salmonell

Vertebral osteomyelitis caused by vancomycin-tolerant methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia: Experience with teicoplanin plus fosfomycin combination therapy

An 85-year-old female presented with fever and consciousness disturbance for 3 days. The patient's blood culture subsequently revealed persistent methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteremia despite the administration of vancomycin or teicoplanin monotherapy. Gallium inflammation scan and magnetic resonance image of the spine disclosed osteomyelitis and discitis at the level of L4–5. Surgical debridement was not feasible in this debilitated patient. Because of the creeping minimal inhibitory concentration of vancomycin of the causative isolate (1.5 μg/mL) and clinical failure with glycopeptide monotherapy, we changed the antibiotic therapy to a fosfomycin and teicoplanin combination therapy. The patient showed improved clinical response in terms of her enhanced consciousness as well as subsidence of persisted bacteremia. Despite the potential side effects of fosfomycin (such as diarrhea and hypernatremia), it combined with a glycopeptide may be an alternative therapy for invasive refractory MRSA infections

Analysis of Surface Texturization of Solar Cells by Molecular Dynamics Simulations

The purpose of this paper is to develop a simple new model, based on the classic molecular dynamics simulation (MD), alternative to complex electron-photon interactions to analyze the surface texturization of solar cells. This methodology can easily propose the absorptance differences between texturing and nontexturing solar cells. To verify model feasibility, this study simulates square, pyramidal, and semicircular texturization surfaces. Simulations show that surface texturization effectively increases the absorptance of incident light for solar cells, and this paper presents optimal texturization shapes. The MD model can also be potentially used to predict the efficiency promotion in any optical reflection-absorption cases

Graphene on Au-coated SiOx substrate: Its core-level photoelectron micro-spectroscopy study

The core-level electronic structures of the exfoliated graphene sheets on a Au-coated SiOx substrate have been studied by synchrotron radiation photoelectron spectroscopy (SR-PES) on a micron-scale. The graphene was firstly demonstrated its visibility on the Au-coated SiOx substrate by micro-optical characterization, and then conducted into SR-PES study. Because of the elimination of charging effect, precise C 1s core-level characterization clearly shows graphitic and contaminated carbon states of graphene. Different levels of Au-coating-induced p-type doping on single- and double-layer graphene sheets were also examined in the C 1s core-level shift. The Au-coated SiOx substrate can be treated as a simple but high-throughput platform for in situ studying graphene under further hybridization by PES

Ganho de produtividade e complexo de proteína‑polissacarídeos em Agaricus blazei

The objective of this work was to assess the productivity and polysaccharide‑protein complex content of Agaricus blazei on rice straw medium, in comparison to conventional sawdust, using four casing soils. The A. blazei strain used was BCRC36814T, purchased from the Food Industry Research and Development Institute, Hsin‑Chu, Taiwan. The two media were evaluated as to A. blazei productivity, harvesting time, and production costs. The experimental design used was a randomized complete block, with four replicates. Three local casing soils – Typic Paleudult (CCe), Typic Udorthent (Tq) and Oxyaquic Paleudult (TSp) – were compared to imported peat soil (PS, Saprists, Histosols), used as the control. The productivity of A. blazei using Tq and TSp soil was significantly higher. The TSp casing treatment resulted in earlier harvest by at least14 to 27 days, when compared to the other treatments. The polysaccharide content in CCe (13.2%) and Tqsoils (13.2%) did not differ significantly from the PS (13.4%) and TSp (10.6%) treatments. Local casing soilsdecreased the production costs of A. blazei cultivation. Composted rice straw can substitute sawdust as the culture medium for A. blazei production with increased yield.O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a produtividade e o conteúdo do complexo proteínapolissacarídeosde Agaricus blazei em meio de palha de arroz, em comparação ao de serragem, tendo-se utilizado quatro tipos de solo como camadas de cobertura. Utilizou-se a linhagem BCRC36814T de A. blazei, procedente do Food Industry Research and Development Institute, Hsin‑Chu, Taiwan. Os dois meios foram avaliados quanto à produtividade, ao tempo de colheita e aos custos de produção de A. blazei. Utilizou-se o delineamento de blocos ao acaso, com quatro repetições. As camadas de cobertura foram compostas por três solos locais – Argissolo Vermelho‑Amarelo distrófico (CCe), Neossolo Litólico distrófico (Tq) e Oxyaquic Paleudult (TSp) –, comparados a solo turfoso importado (PS, Saprists, Organossolos Háplicos), utilizado como controle. A produtividade de A. blazei com Tq e TSp foi significativamente maior. O tratamento com TSp resultou em colheita antecipada de 14 a 27 dias, em comparação aos outros tratamentos. O conteúdo de polissacarídeos em CCe (13,2%) e Tq (13,2%) não diferiu significativamente do em PS (13,4%) e TSp (10,6%). Os custos de produção foram reduzidos com uso das camadas de cobertura locais. O composto de palha de arroz pode substituir a serragem como meio para o cultivo de A. blazei, com aumento de produtividade