Superior Mesenteric Vein Thrombosis Mimicking Acute Appendicitis

Abdominal pain is one of the most common presenting complaints to the emergency department. Mesenteric venous thrombosis represents an important cause to consider in patients with acute abdominal pain. The diagnosis is often delayed, and cases traditionally have been identified either at laparotomy or at autopsy. In this case, we describe a 21-year-old female with acute onset of right lower quadrant pain attributable to a hyperhomocysteinemia related non-occlusive superior mesenteric vein thrombosis. This case highlights how the use of computed tomography in select cases can lead to earlier recognition of this condition and increasingly allow for non-surgical treatment

The effect of process variables on pyrolysis in a freefall reactor

The focus of this work is to test variables of fast pyrolysis conditions in a free fall reactor in order to better understand their impact on pyrolysis products, specifically optimization of bio-oil yields. In the first study, a design of experiments was performed and products were analyzed to evaluate the effects of temperature, sweep gas flow rates, and particle heating time, on bio-oil yields. This study proved particle heating time to be a very important variable effecting bio-oil yields, and that a heating time of greater than the traditionally assumed two seconds must be achieved in order to optimize yields. The second study focused on the effects of extended solids heating time on bio-oil yields. Six experiments were conducted to test two collection methods, under both heated and cooled conditions, in order to better understand phenomena occurring after the solid particles have passed through the reactor. The products were analyzed, and results concluded that particles are not completely volatilized after two second in the heating portion of the reactor. Analysis also proved that vapors are still produced over 40 seconds after the particles have left the heating portion of the reactor. Overall, these experiments have concluded that the some often neglected variables may have a larger impact on bio-oil yields than previously believed.</p

Mucormycosis as the Elusive Cause of an Aortic Thrombus and Tissue-Obliterating Abscess

Invasive mucormycosis is an increasingly common cause of morbidity and mortality in hematologic malignancy patients. Early consideration of the diagnosis is essential in at-risk patients, exhibiting suggestive signs and symptoms. A 56-year-old female with acute myeloid leukemia initially presented with neutropenic fever before subsequently developing dense hemiplegia due to septic emboli to the spine and multifocal abscesses. These findings were later determined to be a result of a disseminated mucor infection and represented a rare manifestation of the disease. Despite the disseminated nature of the infection, identification of the causative organism was initially impeded by limitations in obtaining a tissue sample in a severely thrombocytopenic patient, as is common among hematologic malignancy patients. As a result of this limitation, diagnosis was ultimately made via PCR on bronchiolar lavage fluid. Early consideration of the diagnosis with prompt initiation of treatment is of utmost importance in this invasive infection. Further research is needed to identify and validate rapid, minimally invasive strategies for early diagnosis of mucormycosis

Superior Mesenteric Vein Thrombosis Mimicking Acute Appendicitis

Abdominal pain is one of the most common presenting complaints to the emergency department. Mesenteric venous thrombosis represents an important cause to consider in patients with acute abdominal pain. The diagnosis is often delayed, and cases traditionally have been identified either at laparotomy or at autopsy. In this case, we describe a 21-year-old female with acute onset of right lower quadrant pain attributable to a hyperhomocysteinemia related non-occlusive superior mesenteric vein thrombosis. This case highlights how the use of computed tomography in select cases can lead to earlier recognition of this condition and increasingly allow for non-surgical treatment. [West J Emerg Med 2011;12(2):262-265.

A novel bulk-gas-to-atomized-liquid reactor for enhanced mass transfer efficiency and its application to syngas fermentation

Syngas fermentation for fuels and chemicals is limited by the low rate of gas-to-liquid mass transfer. In this work, a unique bulk-gas-to-atomized-liquid (BGAL) contactor was developed to enhance mass transfer. In the BGAL system, liquid is atomized into discrete droplets, which significantly increases the interface between the liquid and bulk gas. Using oxygen as a model gas, the BGAL contactor achieved an oxygen transfer rate (OTR) of 569 mg·L−1·min−1 and a mass transfer coefficient (KLa) of 2.28 sec−1, which are values as much as 100-fold greater than achieved in other kinds of reactors. The BGAL contactor was then combined with a packed bed to implement syngas fermentation, with packing material supporting a biofilm upon which gas saturated liquid is dispersed. This combination avoids dispersing these gas-saturated droplets into the bulk liquid, which would significantly dilute the dissolved gas concentration. Although this combination reduced overall KLa to 0.45–1.0 sec−1, it is still nearly 20 times higher than achieved in a stirred tank reactor. The BGAL contactor/packed bed bioreactor was also more energy efficient in transferring gas to the liquid phase, requiring 8.63–26.32 J mg−1 O2 dissolved, which is as much as four-fold reduction in energy requirement compared to a stirred tank reactor. Fermentation of syngas to ethanol was evaluated in the BGAL contactor/packed bed bioreactor using Clostridium carboxidivorans P7. Ethanol productivity reached 746 mg·L−1·h−1 with an ethanol/acetic acid molar ratio of 7.6. The ethanol productivity was two-fold high than the highest level previously reported. The exceptional capability of BGAL contactor to enhance mass transfer in these experiments suggests its utility in syngas fermentation as well as other gas-liquid contacting processes.This is a manuscript of an article published as Sathish, Ashik, Ashokkumar Sharma, Preston Gable, Ioannis Skiadas, Robert Brown, and Zhiyou Wen. "A novel bulk-gas-to-atomized-liquid reactor for enhanced mass transfer efficiency and its application to syngas fermentation." Chemical Engineering Journal 370 (2019): 60-70. DOI: 10.1016/j.cej.2019.03.183. Posted with permission.</p

A novel bulk-gas-to-atomized-liquid reactor for enhanced mass transfer efficiency and its application to syngas fermentation

Syngas fermentation for fuels and chemicals is limited by the low rate of gas-to-liquid mass transfer. In this work, a unique bulk-gas-to-atomized-liquid (BGAL) contactor was developed to enhance mass transfer. In the BGAL system, liquid is atomized into discrete droplets, which significantly increases the interface between the liquid and bulk gas. Using oxygen as a model gas, the BGAL contactor achieved an oxygen transfer rate (OTR) of 569 mg·L−1·min−1 and a mass transfer coefficient (KLa) of 2.28 sec−1, which are values as much as 100-fold greater than achieved in other kinds of reactors. The BGAL contactor was then combined with a packed bed to implement syngas fermentation, with packing material supporting a biofilm upon which gas saturated liquid is dispersed. This combination avoids dispersing these gas-saturated droplets into the bulk liquid, which would significantly dilute the dissolved gas concentration. Although this combination reduced overall KLa to 0.45–1.0 sec−1, it is still nearly 20 times higher than achieved in a stirred tank reactor. The BGAL contactor/packed bed bioreactor was also more energy efficient in transferring gas to the liquid phase, requiring 8.63–26.32 J mg−1 O2 dissolved, which is as much as four-fold reduction in energy requirement compared to a stirred tank reactor. Fermentation of syngas to ethanol was evaluated in the BGAL contactor/packed bed bioreactor using Clostridium carboxidivorans P7. Ethanol productivity reached 746 mg·L−1·h−1 with an ethanol/acetic acid molar ratio of 7.6. The ethanol productivity was two-fold high than the highest level previously reported. The exceptional capability of BGAL contactor to enhance mass transfer in these experiments suggests its utility in syngas fermentation as well as other gas-liquid contacting processes