Mediastinal histoplasmosis presenting as dysphagia: a case report with literature review

Histoplasmosis is an endemic infection of the Ohio and Mississippi River valleys. Clinical presentation of infection in immunocompetent hosts ranges from asymptomatic to minor flu-like symptoms; however, disseminated infection can occur in immunocompromised patients. Esophageal involvement in the form of dysphagia secondary to mediastinal histoplasmosis is rarely reported in the literature. We present a young female who complained of dysphagia and was found to have an esophageal stricture on barium esophagogram. Endoscopy revealed a submucosal nodule stricture situated 29 cm from the incisors. She underwent thoracotomy for lymph node removal. Histologic findings of the removed lymph node showed caseating granuloma with macrophages. The clinical findings together with the laboratory evaluation and biopsy features were suggestive of mediastinal histoplasmosis as the cause of the dysphagia

Microtron Irradiation Induced Tuning of Band Gap and Photoresponse of Al-ZnO Thin Films Synthesized by mSILAR

Al-doped polycrystalline nano ZnO (Al-ZnO) thin films with different doping concentrations were successfully prepared by the microwave-assisted successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (mSILAR) technique. The structural analysis along with the orientation of the prepared films was examined by powder x-ray diffraction (PXRD) patterns. The deposited film is polycrystalline and the (002) orientation enhanced upon doping. Additional investigations were carried out to study the effect of electron beam irradiation (e−-irradiation) on the band gap and photoconductivity of both irradiated and unirradiated samples. Both the Al doping and e−-irradiation led to the enhancement of the photoconductivity of prepared materials. This property enables us to tune the properties of materials for various applications by controlling dopant concentrations and e−-irradiation. The dependence of photocurrent on e−-irradiation of Al-ZnO thin films was not reported previously. Therefore, Al-doped polycrystalline nano-ZnO thin film is a promising material for band gap engineering and for the development of solar cells