Hysteroscopic Resection of the Vaginal Septum in Uterus Didelphys with Obstructed Hemivagina: A Case Report

Uterus didelphys with obstructed hemivagina and ipsilateral renal agenesis is a rare congenital anomaly. Excision of the obstructed vaginal septum is the treatment of choice for symptom relief and the preservation of reproductive capability. A 14-yr-old girl complained of persistent vaginal spotting following each menstruation. Pelvic magnetic resonance imaging revealed a uterus didelphys with left hematocolpos and ipsilateral renal agenesis. Instead of conventional transvaginal excision of the vaginal septum, we used hysteroscopic excision under transabdominal ultrasonographic guidance to preserve the integrity of the hymen. The postoperative course was uneventful, and clinical symptoms were completely resolved after this intervention. Resectoscopic excision of the vaginal septum was found to be easy, safe, effective, and appropriate for young women as it preserved hymen integrity. We believe that this is the first Korean report on the use of a hysteroscopy for vaginal septum resection in a patient with uterus didelphys with obstructed hemivagina

Round-robin test on thermal conductivity measurement of ZnO nanofluids and comparison of experimental results with theoretical bounds

Ethylene glycol (EG)-based zinc oxide (ZnO) nanofluids containing no surfactant have been manufactured by one-step pulsed wire evaporation (PWE) method. Round-robin tests on thermal conductivity measurements of three samples of EG-based ZnO nanofluids have been conducted by five participating labs, four using accurate measurement apparatuses developed in house and one using a commercial device. The results have been compared with several theoretical bounds on the effective thermal conductivity of heterogeneous systems. This study convincingly demonstrates that the large enhancements in the thermal conductivities of EG-based ZnO nanofluids tested are beyond the lower and upper bounds calculated using the models of the Maxwell and Nan et al. with and without the interfacial thermal resistance

2003, ‘An experimental study on the thermal conductivity change of building insulation materials with environmental condition and long-time elapse

Abstract It has been known that the thermal performance of building insulation materials is easily influenced by the environment's condition, and moreover the thermal performance of some insulation materials are changed dramatically with time elapse. So, during the life span of actual buildings, the thermal performance of envelope should not be maintained as the design intended. To keep thermal performance of buildings as the design intended, it is essential to know the performance change of insulation materials with time elapse and environmental condition changes. The objective of this paper is to provide the basic experimental data for thermal insulation performance change with environmental condition and time elapse. We tested the thermal conductivity of insulation materials used widely in Korean domestic buildings. We measured the change of thermal conductivity according to the moisture content rate, the variation of test temperature and the time elapse, etc. The test specimens were kept in actual weather condition, which was influenced directly by the outside environment for the long-time elapse test. The result of the study shows 1)the maximum moisture content rate of mineral fibre insulations is higher than others, 2)thermal conductivity rises as test temperature goes up, 3)the thermal conductivity of the extruding insulations and hardened urethane foam changes by maximum 50% with time elapse(2 years)

Interfacial Engineering of In2O3/In2S3 Heterojunction Photoanodes for Photoelectrochemical Water Oxidation

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting is one of the critical energy conversion techniques to prepare for future energy demands. Among the various trials to construct effective water splitting semiconductor photoelectrodes, In2O3/In2S3 heterostructures can be promising candidates for their advantageous properties in solar water oxidation. Herein, we synthesized In2O3 nanorods on FTO substrate through a direct glancing angle deposition method. Subsequently, the In2S3 layer was conformally coated on In2O3 nanorods through facile chemical bath deposition. As synthesized photoanodes of In2O3/In2S3 form type II junction, leading to considerable cathodic onset potential shift with the increased photocurrent density compared to pristine samples. To further enhance PEC properties, the interficial engineering strategies of the Co ion doping and the deposition of ultra-thin Al2O3 film were carried out. Co ion could facilitate the charge transfer in photoanodes through the increased surface area, and the 2 nm Al2O3 layer coated above the photoanode effectively worked as the passivation layer to stabilize the photoanodes in alkaline electrolytes environments. This work would contribute to developing efficient photoanodes through various nanoscale engineering strategies. [GRAPHICS] .N

No Association Between the GSTP1 Exon 5 Polymorphism and Susceptibility to Advanced Stage Endometriosis in the Korean Population

Problem To investigate whether the glutathione-S-transferase P1 (GSTP1) exon 5 polymorphism is associated with susceptibility to advanced stage endometriosis in Korean women. Method of study Case-control study in a collective of 260 patients and 164 controls. Genotyping of the GSTP1 exon 5 polymorphism was performed by using real-time TaqMan PCR assay. Results The genotype distribution of the GSTP1 exon 5 polymorphism in the endometriosis group was not significantly different from that of the control group (AA/AG/GG rates were 64.2%/32.7%/3.1% and 65.2%/31.7%/3.0% for the endometriosis and control groups, respectively, P = 0.977). Further subgroup analysis according to either stage or bilaterality of ovarian endometrioma also found no significant difference in the genotype distribution between any of the endometriosis subgroups and the control group. Conclusion These findings suggest that the GSTP1 exon 5 polymorphism is not a major determinant of the development of advanced stage endometriosis in the Korean population.Altayli E, 2009, INT UROL NEPHROL, V41, P259, DOI 10.1007/s11255-008-9444-6Zhou Y, 2009, EUR J CANCER, V45, P1438, DOI 10.1016/j.ejca.2008.12.020Tempfer CB, 2009, HUM REPROD UPDATE, V15, P97, DOI 10.1093/humupd/dmn040Yoon KA, 2008, LUNG CANCER, V60, P40, DOI 10.1016/j.lungcan.2007.09.009Foster WG, 2008, J TOXICOL ENV HEAL B, V11, P177, DOI 10.1080/10937400701873456Yang M, 2007, LUNG CANCER, V57, P135, DOI 10.1016/j.lungcan.2007.03.005Tsuchiya M, 2007, MOL HUM REPROD, V13, P399, DOI 10.1093/molehr/gam018Chung YS, 2006, AM J RHINOL, V20, P648, DOI 10.2500/ajr.2006.20.2950Lee YL, 2005, CHEST, V128, P1156Ertunc D, 2005, HUM REPROD, V20, P2157, DOI 10.1093/humrep/dei053Hur SE, 2005, MOL HUM REPROD, V11, P15, DOI 10.1093/molehr/gah127Kim SU, 2004, J BIOCHEM MOL BIOL, V37, P582Aynacioglu AS, 2004, BRIT J CLIN PHARMACO, V57, P213, DOI 10.1046/j.1365-2125.2003.01975.xGuo SW, 2004, GYNECOL OBSTET INVES, V57, P157, DOI 10.1159/000076374Pae CU, 2003, PROG NEURO-PSYCHOPH, V27, P519, DOI 10.1016/S0278-5846(03)00043-5MISSMER SA, 2003, OBSTET GYN CLIN N AM, V30, P1SELI E, 2003, OBSTET GYN CLIN N AM, V30, P41Zondervan KT, 2002, HUM REPROD, V17, P1415Birnbaum LS, 2002, ENVIRON HEALTH PERSP, V110, P15Hadfield RM, 2001, MOL HUM REPROD, V7, P1073Toruner GA, 2001, ARCH TOXICOL, V75, P459Autrup H, 2000, MUTAT RES-GEN TOX EN, V464, P65Canis M, 1997, FERTIL STERIL, V67, P817HALME J, 1984, OBSTET GYNECOL, V64, P151

Round-robin test on thermal conductivity measurement of ZnO nanofluids and comparison of experimental results with theoretical bounds

Abstract Ethylene glycol (EG)-based zinc oxide (ZnO) nanofluids containing no surfactant have been manufactured by one-step pulsed wire evaporation (PWE) method. Round-robin tests on thermal conductivity measurements of three samples of EG-based ZnO nanofluids have been conducted by five participating labs, four using accurate measurement apparatuses developed in house and one using a commercial device. The results have been compared with several theoretical bounds on the effective thermal conductivity of heterogeneous systems. This study convincingly demonstrates that the large enhancements in the thermal conductivities of EG-based ZnO nanofluids tested are beyond the lower and upper bounds calculated using the models of the Maxwell and Nan et al. with and without the interfacial thermal resistance.</p

A wafer-scale antireflective protection layer of solution-processed TiO2 nanorods for high performance silicon-based water splitting photocathodes

Sustainable and efficient conversion of solar energy to transportable green energy and storable fuels, hydrogen, represents a solution to the energy crisis and reduces the consumption of fossil fuels, which are mainly responsible for the rise in global temperature. Solar water splitting using semiconductors, such as silicon, is promising to satisfy the global energy demand by producing hydrogen molecules. However, the solar to hydrogen conversion efficiency of a silicon photoelectrode is suppressed by overpotential, high reflectance and/or instability in liquid electrolytes. Herein, we report the synthesis of multifunctional solution-processed TiO2 nanorods on a 4-inch p-silicon wafer with controllable heights and diameters for highly efficient water splitting photocathodes. The solution-processed passivation layer of TiO2 nanorods reduces the overpotential of the silicon photocathode due to its catalytic properties. The TiO2 NRs also dramatically improves the light absorption of silicon due to the antireflective ability of the nanorods. The reflectance of silicon is decreased from 37.5% to 1.4% and enhances the saturated photocurrent density. The Pt-decorated (1-2.5 nm diameter) TiO2 nanorods/p-Si photocathodes show a short circuit current density of up to 40 mA cm(-2), an open circuit voltage similar to 440 mV and incident photon to current conversion efficiency of >90% using 0.5 M H2SO4 electrolyte with simulated 1 sun irradiation. The heterostructure photocathodes are stable for more than 52 h without noticeable degradation and an ideal regenerative cell efficiency of 2.5% is achieved.1118sciescopu