Synchronous perforation of a duodenal and gastric ulcer: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Peritonitis due to peptic ulcer perforation is a surgical emergency with a high risk of mortality and morbidity.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We present a rare case of a 54-year-old Caucasian man who underwent an emergency laparotomy for peritonitis caused by perforation of two peptic ulcers. The first was located on the anterior wall of the duodenum and the second was posterior, pre-pyloric, close to the lesser curvature.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>To the best of our knowledge, this is only the second report in the medical literature of a simultaneous perforation of two peptic ulcers; though rare, every surgeon performing open or laparoscopic repair of a perforated peptic ulcer should be aware of the possibility of simultaneous perforation.</p

Graphene/Carbon Dot Hybrid Thin Films Prepared by a Modified Langmuir-Schaefer Method

The special electronic, optical, thermal, and mechanical properties of graphene resulting from its 2D nature, as well as the ease of functionalizing it through a simple acid treatment, make graphene an ideal building block for the development of new hybrid nanostructures with well-defined dimensions and behavior. Such hybrids have great potential as active materials in applications such as gas storage, gas/liquid separation, photocatalysis, bioimaging, optoelectronics, and nanosensing. In this study, luminescent carbon dots (C-dots) were sandwiched between oxidized graphene sheets to form novel hybrid multilayer films. Our thin-film preparation approach combines self-assembly with the Langmuir-Schaefer deposition and uses graphene oxide nanosheets as template for grafting C-dots in a bidimensional array. Repeating the cycle results in a facile and low-cost layer-by-layer procedure for the formation of highly ordered hybrid multilayers, which were characterized by photoluminescence, UV-visible, X-ray photoelectron, and Raman spectroscopies, as well as X-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy.</p

Therapeutic Management: When and What

Migraine is a widespread brain disease that is classified as the second most disabling condition and has the third highest prevalence of all medical conditions. Despite its non-emergent or life-threatening nature, migraine can progress to chronic type, a subform associated with significant morbidity and drug overuse. In the management of migraine, it is important therefore to introduce early prophylactic treatment in order to limit migraine chronification. In this chapter, we will go through all the treatment options, both acute and preventive, pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical following this flowchart: 1. Introduction; 2. General principles; 2.1 Symptomatic therapy; 2.2 Prophylactic management; 3. Pharmaceutical therapies; 3.1 Symptomatic; 3.1.1 Disease-specific; 3.1.2 No disease-specific; 3.2 Prophylactic; 3.2.1 Disease-specific; 3.2.2 No disease-specific; 3.3 Non-Pharmaceutical therapies; 3.4 Neuromodulation; 3.4.1 Invasive; 3.4.5 Non-invasive; 3.5 Nutrient (nutraceuticals); 3.6 Dietary interventions; 3.7 Acupuncture; 3.8 Physical therapy; 4. Cognitive behavioral therapies; 5. Patient centricity and patient education

Coronary artery surgery in a man with achondroplasia: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Achondroplasia is a musculoskeletal disorder associated with short stature. Despite an estimated prevalence of 1:25,000 in the general population, there is little literature concerning the diagnostic and treatment challenges faced by doctors dealing with a heart operation on a patient with this condition.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We present the case of a 41-year-old Caucasian man of Greek ethnicity with achondroplasia, who underwent bypass heart surgery.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The surgery was successful and did not present particular difficulties, showing that heart surgery can be safely performed on people with achondroplasia.</p

d-like Symmetry of the Order Parameter and Intrinsic Josephson Effects in Bi2212 Cross-Whisker Junctions

An intrinsic tunnel junction was made using two Bi-2212 single crystal whiskers. The two whiskers with a cross-angle were overlaid at their c-planes and connected by annealing. The angular dependence of the critical current density along the c-axis is of the d-wave symmetry. However, the angular dependence is much stronger than that of the conventional d-wave. Furthermore, the current vs. voltage characteristics of the cross-whiskers junctions show a multiple-branch structure at any cross-angle, indicating the formation of the intrinsic Josephson junction array.Comment: 4 pages PDF fil

A Structural View on the Stereospecificity of Plant Borneol‐Type Dehydrogenases

The development of sustainable processes for the valorization of byproducts and other waste streams remains an ongoing challenge in the field of catalysis. Racemic borneol, isoborneol and camphor are currently produced from alpha-pinene, a side product from the production of cellulose. The pure enantiomers of these monoterpenoids have numerous applications in cosmetics and act as reagents for asymmetric synthesis, making an enzymatic route for their separation into optically pure enantiomers a desirable goal. Known short-chain borneol-type dehydrogenases (BDHs) from plants and bacteria lack the required specificity, stability or activity for industrial utilization. Prompted by reports on the presence of pure (-)-borneol and (-)-camphor in essential oils from rosemary, we set out to investigate dehydrogenases from the genus Salvia and discovered a dehydrogenase with high specificity (E>120) and high specific activity (>0.02 U mg(-1)) for borneol and isoborneol. Compared to other specific dehydrogenases, the one reported here shows remarkably higher stability, which was exploited to obtain the first three-dimensional structure of an enantiospecific borneol-type short-chain dehydrogenase. This, together with docking studies, led to the identification of a hydrophobic pocket in the enzyme that plays a crucial role in the stereo discrimination of bornane-type monoterpenoids. The kinetic resolution of borneol and isoborneol can be easily integrated into the existing synthetic route from alpha-pinene to camphor thereby allowing the facile synthesis of optically pure monoterpenols from an abundant renewable source

Andreev reflection in layered structures: implications for high T_c grain boundary Josephson junctions

Andreev reflection is investigated in layered anisotropic normal metal / superconductor (N/S) systems in the case of an energy gap \Delta in S not negligible with respect to the Fermi energy E_F, as it probably occurs with high critical temperature superconductors (HTS). We find that in these limits retro-reflectivity, which is a fundamental feature of Andreev reflection, is broken modifying sensitively transport across S/N interfaces. We discuss the consequences for supercurrents in HTS Josephson junctions and for the midgap states in S-N contactsComment: 4 pages, 4 figures, to be published in Phys. Rev.

How many lobes do you see?

Accessory fissures represent a variation of the normal lung anatomy. Incomplete development or even the absence of the major or minor fissures can lead to confusion in distinguishing adjacent lobes. This report aims to present a rare intraoperative finding of an anatomic malformation of the right lung in a 19-year old male patient with recurrent pneumothorax who underwent a surgical repair. An accessory fissure which was separating the superior segment of the lower lobe from the basal segments gave to the whole lung the unique image of a four-lobed one. A profound knowledge of the accessory fissures, even if they are incidentally discovered, is of pivotal importance for the thoracic surgeon and leads to optimal operative assessment and strategic planning

Double auricles of the right atrium: a unique anatomic deformity

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Anatomic deviations, especially those detected during the course of an operation, are medically intriguing, as they raise concerns about their clinical significance and putative complications.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We present, to our knowledge, for the first time a case of an anatomic deviation in the form of a second right atrial auricle in a 70 year-old, coronary bypass-operated male Caucasian patient of Greek origin. No complications were noted intra-or postoperatively.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>A second right atrial auricle was found intraoperatively, without causing any clinical complications, or obstructing the normal course of a surgical procedure.</p