Primary Pulmonary Plasmacytoma with Diffuse Alveolar Consolidation: A Case Report

Solitary extramedullary plasmacytomas are plasma cell tumors that tend to develop in mucosa-associated lymphoid tissues including the sinonasal or nasopharyngeal regions. Primary plasmacytoma of the lung is exceedingly rare and often presents as a solitary mass or nodule in mid-lung or hilar areas and diagnosed after resection. Herein, we report a case of primary pulmonary plasmacytoma that presented with diffuse alveolar consolidation and diagnosed by transbronchial lung biopsy

Improving the Quantity and Quality of Biogas Production in Tehran Anaerobic Digestion Power Plant by Application of Materials Recirculation Technique

Tehran anaerobic digestion power plant has been built on the eastern margin of the urban district by the purpose of processing the organic fraction of municipal solid waste. One of the most suitable methods for the treatment of organic matter is the use of anaerobic digestion (AD) process, which in addition to significant reduction of organic solid wastes, will produce valuable energy. Contributing to maintain the environment, improve urban health, saving on fossil fuels and producing rich fertilizer for agricultural use are important advantages of anaerobic digestion. The plant has been set up in 2014 with a nominal acceptance capacity of 300 tons of organic solid wastes per day and the nominal power generation of 2000 kWe. This system has been faced with considerable challenges in terms of quantity and quality of biogas during operation. The high concentration of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) in produced biogas and the lack of appropriate technologies in the plant for biogas refining are critical for the biogas generator engine deployed in the complex. The purpose of this article is to investigate the factors affecting the quality and quantity of Tehran's AD plant biogas using various H2S reduction approaches and selection of appropriate implementing technologies. The results showed that the recirculation of the digester slurry increased the methane content by more than 30% and reduced H2S by more than 98%

Immunohistochemical findings of the granulomatous reaction associated with tuberculosis

Objective/background: The histological diagnosis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) has long been a diagnostic challenge in the anatomical pathology field despite availability of different laboratory methods. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) could not only confirm granulomatous tissue involvement but also demonstrate MTB antigen immunolocalization. This study tries to clarify the details of IHC staining for MTB with pAbBCG. Methods: A total of 50 patients undergoing simultaneous biopsy and tissue culture with positive tissue culture for MTB during 2005–2009 were selected from the MRC Department at Masih Daneshvari Hospital, Tehran, Iran. Using the archives of the Pathology Department of this hospital, which is a referral center for pathological lung lesions, hematoxylin and eosin slides of the selected patients were evaluated. Twenty-three confirmed TB granulomatous tissue samples with adequate tissue and number of granulomas were chosen and studied by Ziehl–Neelsen and IHC staining with pAbBCG. Results: A total of 23 cases were evaluated, of which 17 (73.9%) were males. The types of tissue obtained from study cases were as follows: pleura (9 cases, 39.1%), lymph node (cervical, axillary, and thoracic [9 cases, 39.1%]), and lung tissues (5 cases, 21.7%). IHC staining was positive in all samples, whereas Ziehl–Neelsen staining was positive in nine cases of 23 (39.1%). IHC showed positive coarse granular cytoplasmic and round, fragmented bacillary staining. In this study, epithelioid cells clearly showed more positive staining at the periphery rather than at the center of granuloma. There is also positive staining in endothelial cells, fibroblasts, plasma cells, macrophages, and lymphocytes outside the granuloma. Conclusion: Detection of TB in tissue slides is still based on the histological pattern of the granuloma, which has several differential diagnoses with different treatments. Presence of mycobacterial antigens and tissue morphology can be evaluated using the IHC technique. Considering the criteria of positive IHC staining of TB granulomatous reactions, this stain not only highlights the presence of mycobacterial antigens for tissue diagnosis, but also could morphologically localize their distribution in different cells. Pathologists must be familiar with adequate staining pattern, elimination of background staining, and type of selected antibody. This method is especially important for application in countries with high prevalence of TB as a technique with early diagnostic value in tissue specimens. Early diagnosis using this technique can reduce related morbidity and mortality and decrease the rate of complications due to misdiagnosis and mistreatment of TB

Study to Evaluate Two Dosage Regimens of Vitamin D Through an Academic Year in Middle School Girls: A Randomized Trial

Vitamin D is an essential hormone for growth and development of bones in children. There is a lot of evidence for deficiency of this vitamin in Middle East females. This study conduct to find a way to combat deficiency in girls during rapid growth phase of puberty in academic year. One hundred and two Middle School girls who had not consumed any vitamins supplement have been participated in this randomized clinical trial. They allocated randomly in two case groups who received 50,000 or 100,000 IU vitamin D3 in October and three months later in January or in control group who received vitamin E. At the end of winter blood samples for 25-hydroxyvitamin D were checked. The mean of 25-hydroxyvitamin D were 5.5±1.5 ng/ml, 15.2±6 ng/ml, 23.0±6.8 ng/ml in control, 50,000 and 100,000 IU vitamin D groups respectively (P<0.05). Neither dosage of vitamin D could raise 25-hydroxyvitamin D above 20 ng/ml in all cases. However, none of the students in 100,000 IU of vitamin D3 had severe deficiency in winter. Headache, dizziness, and weakness were the most common complain after vitamin D consumption, but no difference between groups detected (P>0.05). Urine calcium/creatinin ratio was equal in case and control groups (P>0.05). 100,000 IU of vitamin D3 every three months (equal to 800IU/day) can raise 25-hydroxyvitamin D above 12 ng/ml in all cases but for area with high prevalence of sever deficiency, dosage more than 100,000 IU every three months or shorter interval recommended to achieve optimal level

Short communication: investigating the effect of saffron (<i>Crocus sativus L</i>.) nano-sizing on its colour extraction efficiency: a preliminary study

<p>This study investigated the effect of saffron nano-sizing on its the colour extraction yield. The whole stigma was ball-milled at three different times (10, 20 and 100 h), immediately or with a 24 h delay was submitted to absorption test, and then the colour extraction efficiency was determined. When stigma was milled for 100 h, its particle size was reduced to less than 20 nm, as shown by SEM and TEM images, and its extraction efficiency was considerably increased by 19.8% as compared with the stigma blended for 10 min. However with a 24 h delay between the end of milling and absorption test, the yield of colour extraction significantly decreased. The recommended milling conditions resulting in extraction efficiency of 16.2% (in comparison with stigma blended for 10 min) were determined to be the milling for 10 h with initial tendering prior to milling operation.</p