Visualising coke-induced degradation of catalysts used for CO2-reforming of methane with X-ray nano-computed tomography

The switch from a carbon-based to a hydrogen-based economy requires environmentally friendly methods for hydrogen production. CO2-reforming of methane promises to be a greener alternative to steam-methane reforming, which accounts for the majority of hydrogen production today. For this dry process to become industrially competitive, challenges such as catalyst deactivation and degradation through coke formation must be better understood and ultimately overcome. While bulk characterisation methods provide a wealth of useful information about the carbon formed during coking, spatially resolved techniques are required to understand the type and extent of degradation of supported catalyst particles themselves under coking conditions. Here, lab-based X-ray nano-computed tomography, in conjunction with a range of complementary techniques, is utilised to understand the effects of the nickel-to-cobalt ratio on the degradation of individual supported catalyst particles. Findings suggest that a bimetallic system greatly outperforms monometallic catalysts, with the ratio between nickel and cobalt having a significant impact on the type and quantity of the carbon formed and on the extent of supported catalyst breakdown

Delayed diagnosis of oral squamous cell carcinoma: a case series

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>In malign neoplasms, oral cancer is one of the important causes of mortality and morbidity. Squamous cell carcinoma is the most common form of oral cancers in adults and is related to risk factors such as smoking and alcohol consumption.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>In this article, we present three case reports of oral squamous cell carcinomas with delayed diagnosis. The first patient was a 52-year-old Turkish man, the second patient was a 61-year-old Turkish man and the third patient was a 60-year-old Turkish woman. All were referred to the Ankara University Faculty of Dentistry with pain, swelling and various complaints in their jaws.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Early diagnosis is of vital importance for the prognosis of the patients with oral squamous cell carcinomas. For this reason, dentists play a crucial role in the early detection and prevention of oral cancers.</p

Dietary zinc and the control of Streptococcus pneumoniae infection

© 2019 Eijkelkamp et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Human zinc deficiency increases susceptibility to bacterial infection. Although zinc supplementation therapies can reduce the impact of disease, the molecular basis for protection remains unclear. Streptococcus pneumoniae is a major cause of bacterial pneumonia, which is prevalent in regions of zinc deficiency. We report that dietary zinc levels dictate the outcome of S. pneumoniae infection in a murine model. Dietary zinc restriction impacts murine tissue zinc levels with distribution post-infection altered, and S. pneumoniae virulence and infection enhanced. Although the activation and infiltration of murine phagocytic cells was not affected by zinc restriction, their efficacy of bacterial control was compromised. S. pneumoniae was shown to be highly sensitive to zinc intoxication, with this process impaired in zinc restricted mice and isolated phagocytic cells. Collectively, these data show how dietary zinc deficiency increases sensitivity to S. pneumoniae infection while revealing a role for zinc as a component of host antimicrobial defences

Effect of humidity on the interaction of CO2 with alkaline anion exchange membranes probed using the quartz crystal microbalance

The alkaline anion exchange membrane fuel cell (AAEM-FC) is able to deliver a comparable performance to the traditional proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEM-FC) without the use of precious metal electrocatalysts, making it a more cost-competitive alternative for low-temperature fuel cell applications. However, issues relating to degradation and specifically interaction with CO 2 still hinder the technology's commercialisation prospects. With hydration playing a key role in solid polymer electrolyte fuel cell operation, this study examines how membrane hydration affects the AAEM interaction with CO 2 . The change of membrane conductivity upon exposure to atmospheric CO 2 has been compared with the change in viscoelastic properties of a cast thin-film ionomer, both as a function of humidity. The effect of CO 2 on the membrane as a function of hydration suggests a link to its solvation and swelling regimes and thus the access of CO 2 to the ionic channels within the membrane. The thin-film QCM composite resonator study has suggested that during the solvation (pore opening) regime, there is a linear increase in CO 2 uptake as water can further permeate the pore system and the cationic headgroups become increasingly accessible. During the transition to the pore swelling regime, there is a step increase in CO 2 uptake as the network is thought to be fully open; as such, subsequent increases in RH do not lead to any significant increase in CO 2 uptake

The initial experience of electronic brachytherapy for the treatment of non-melanoma skin cancer

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Millions of people are diagnosed with non-melanoma skin cancers (NMSC) worldwide each year. While surgical approaches are the standard treatment, some patients are appropriate candidates for radiation therapy for NMSC. High dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy using surface applicators has shown efficacy in the treatment of NMSC and shortens the radiation treatment schedule by using a condensed hypofractionated approach. An electronic brachytherapy (EBT) system permits treatment of NMSC without the use of a radioactive isotope.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Data were collected retrospectively from patients treated from July 2009 through March 2010. Pre-treatment biopsy was performed to confirm a malignant cutaneous diagnosis. A CT scan was performed to assess lesion depth for treatment planning, and an appropriate size of surface applicator was selected to provide an acceptable margin. An HDR EBT system delivered a dose of 40.0 Gy in eight fractions twice weekly with 48 hours between fractions, prescribed to a depth of 3-7 mm. Treatment feasibility, acute safety, efficacy outcomes, and cosmetic results were assessed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Thirty-seven patients (mean age 72.5 years) with 44 cutaneous malignancies were treated. Of 44 lesions treated, 39 (89%) were T1, 1 (2%) Tis, 1 (2%) T2, and 3 (7%) lesions were recurrent. Lesion locations included the nose for 16 lesions (36.4%), ear 5 (11%), scalp 5 (11%), face 14 (32%), and an extremity for 4 (9%). Median follow-up was 4.1 months. No severe toxicities occurred. Cosmesis ratings were good to excellent for 100% of the lesions at follow-up.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The early outcomes of EBT for the treatment of NMSC appear to show acceptable acute safety and favorable cosmetic outcomes. Using a hypofractionated approach, EBT provides a convenient treatment schedule.</p

A missense mutation in TRAPPC6A leads to build-up of the protein, in patients with a neurodevelopmental syndrome and dysmorphic features.

Childhood onset clinical syndromes involving intellectual disability and dysmorphic features, such as polydactyly, suggest common developmental pathways link seemingly unrelated phenotypes. We identified a consanguineous family of Saudi origin with varying complex features including intellectual disability, speech delay, facial dysmorphism and polydactyly. Combining, microarray based comparative genomic hybridisation (CGH) to identify regions of homozygosity, with exome sequencing, led to the identification of homozygous mutations in five candidate genes (RSPH6A, ANKK1, AMOTL1, ALKBH8, TRAPPC6A), all of which appear to be pathogenic as predicted by Proven, SIFT and PolyPhen2 and segregate perfectly with the disease phenotype. We therefore looked for differences in expression levels of each protein in HEK293 cells, expressing either the wild-type or mutant full-length cDNA construct. Unexpectedly, wild-type TRAPPC6A appeared to be unstable, but addition of the proteasome inhibitor MG132 stabilised its expression. Mutations have previously been reported in several members of the TRAPP complex of proteins, including TRAPPC2, TRAPPC9 and TRAPPC11, resulting in disorders involving skeletal abnormalities, intellectual disability, speech impairment and developmental delay. TRAPPC6A joins a growing list of proteins belonging to the TRAPP complex, implicated in clinical syndromes with neurodevelopmental abnormalities

Improving Information on Maternal Medication Use by Linking Prescription Data to Congenital Anomaly Registers: A EUROmediCAT Study

Research on associations between medication use during pregnancy and congenital anomalies is significative for assessing the safe use of a medicine in pregnancy. Congenital anomaly (CA) registries do not have optimal information on medicine exposure, in contrast to prescription databases. Linkage of prescription databases to the CA registries is a potentially effective method of obtaining accurate information on medicine use in pregnancies and the risk of congenital anomalies. We linked data from primary care and prescription databases to five European Surveillance of Congenital Anomalies (EUROCAT) CA registries. The linkage was evaluated by looking at linkage rate, characteristics of linked and non-linked cases, first trimester exposure rates for six groups of medicines according to the prescription data and information on medication use registered in the CA databases, and agreement of exposure. Of the 52,619 cases registered in the CA databases, 26,552 could be linked. The linkage rate varied between registries over time and by type of birth. The first trimester exposure rates and the agreements between the databases varied for the different medicine groups. Information on anti-epileptic drugs and insulins and analogue medicine use recorded by CA registries was of good quality. For selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, anti-asthmatics, antibacterials for systemic use, and gonadotropins and other ovulation stimulants, the recorded information was less complete. Linkage of primary care or prescription databases to CA registries improved the quality of information on maternal use of medicines in pregnancy, especially for medicine groups that are less fully registered in CA registries