Orbital Cystic Schwannoma Originating from the Frontal Nerve

Schwannomas of the orbit are very rare benign neoplasms. Intraorbital cystic schwannomas originating from the frontal nerve are even rarer, with only 1 case reported to date. This is most likely due to the fact that, in most cases, the origin of the orbital schwannoma cannot be identified intraoperatively. The nerve origin is usually speculated from histological examination of the specimen and the postoperative neurological deficits of the patient. Here, we present the case of a 65-year-old woman with a one-month history of exophthalmos, whose orbital cystic lesion was completely removed by microsurgical transcranial operation. Intraoperatively, the continuity between the tumor and frontal nerve was seen macroscopically, leading us to confirm the frontal nerve as an origin of the tumor, which was consistent with the postoperative neurological findings. The diagnosis of the tumor was established as schwannoma from the histological examination. As a differential diagnosis of the orbital cystic lesions, the possibility of schwannomas should be kept in mind

Timber industries and licensing system in Malaysia

This paper discusses the licensing system of Malaysia's sawmilling and plywood industries which has grown in tandem with the massive land development program begun in the 1960s. Since then, the industry has contributed a significant amount of government revenue, employment opportunities and foreign exchange. Progressive development of the sector has been underpinned by various governmental policies and regulations to nurture legal timber supplies for down-stream processing as well as developing secondary and tertiary processing industries. Policies provide various incentives to modernize the industries in order to upgrade processing efficiency, diversification into value-added and quality products and reduction of processing residues. This includes wider use of the under-utilized timber species as part of an effort to attain a rational balance between national processing capacity and resource availability. Various strategies have been targeted to enhance efficient utilization of all forms of forest products from legal sources. In addition, timber production and licensing are now closely monitored and regulated throughout the supply chain management

Intraparenchymal pneumocephalus caused by ethmoid sinus osteoma

金沢大学医薬保健研究域医学系We report a 57-year-old man with intraparenchymal pneumocephalus caused by ethmoid sinus osteoma. He had a history of severe allergic rhinitis, which caused him to frequently blow his nose, and he was referred to our hospital with headache and mild left hemiparesis. CT scans revealed a large volume of intraparenchymal air entrapped in the right frontal lobe related to an osteoma in the ethmoid sinus. The osteoma eroded the upper wall of the sinus and extended into the anterior cranial fossa. At operation, we observed that the osteoma had protruded intracranially through the skull base, disrupted the dura and extended into the frontal lobe. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a patient with intraparenchymal pneumocephalus caused by an ethmoid sinus osteoma. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

The Distinctive Effects of Glucose-Derived Carbon on the Performance of Ni-Based Catalysts in Methane Dry Reforming

International audienceThis study aimed to investigate the effect of carbon derived from glucose (C) on the physicochemical characteristics and catalytic activity of Ni, supported over SiO2, ZSM-5, and TiO2 in methane dry reforming. Among the Ni catalysts without C, Ni/SiO2 exhibited the highest CH4-CO2 conversion and stability at all experimented temperatures. On the other hand, the C-incorporated catalysts prepared by glucose impregnation, followed by pyrolysis, showed dissimilar performances. C improved the stability of Ni/SiO2 in the reforming at 650 °C and 750 °C and increased the CH4 and CO2 conversion to the level close to the thermodynamic equilibrium at 850 °C. However, this element did not substantially affect the activity of Ni/ZSM-5 and exerted a retarding effect on Ni/TiO2. Characterizations with H2-TPD, XRD, EXAFS, and STEM-EDS revealed that the different influences of C by the supports were attributed to the extent of metal dispersion and metal-support interaction