Basal cell carcinoma of the vulva: a case report and systematic review of the literature

The vulva is an unusual site for basal cell carcinoma (BCC). Vulvar BCC accounts for <1% of all BCCs and <5% of all vulvar malignancies. We report the case of an 83 year‐old woman who presented with a 2‐month history of a tender labial growth, with histopathology confirming nodular BCC. We conducted a systematic literature review of the characteristics of reported cases of vulvar BCCs. A comprehensive systematic review of articles indexed for MEDLINE and Embase yielded 96 reports describing 437 patients with 446 BCCs of the vulva. The mean age at presentation was 70 (range 20–100). Most women had no underlying vulvar disease. Approximately 60% of cases were of the nodular subtype. Treatment approach varied widely with over half of cases treated with wide local or local excision. Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) for vulvar BCC was first reported in 1988 with seven total MMS cases reported. Twenty‐three cases of recurrence have been reported; 21 of these cases after local excision but none following MMS. Vulvar BCC is a rarely reported cancer that affects older women predominantly. MMS represents a promising treatment for BCC in this anatomic location.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/150570/1/ijd14307.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/150570/2/ijd14307_am.pd

Selection of Conditions for Cellulase and Xylanase Extraction from Switchgrass Colonized by Acidothermus cellulolyticus

Solid-state fermentation has been widely used for enzyme production. However, secreted enzymes often bind to the solid substrate preventing their detection and recovery. A series of screening studies was performed to examine the role of extraction buffer composition including NaCl, ethylene glycol, sodium acetate buffer, and Tween 80, on xylanase and cellulase recovery from switchgrass. Our results indicated that the selection of an extraction buffer is highly dependent on the nature and source of the enzyme being extracted. While a buffer containing 50 mM sodium acetate at pH 5 was found to have a positive effect on the recovery of commercial fungal-derived cellulase and xylanase amended to switchgrass, the same buffer had a significant negative effect on enzyme extraction from solid fermentation samples colonized by the bacterium Acidothermus cellulolyticus. Xylanase activity was more affected by components in the extraction buffers compared to cellulase. This study demonstrated that extraction followed by diafiltration is important for assessing enzyme recovery from solid fermentation samples. Reduction in activity due to compounds present in the switchgrass extracts is reversible when the compounds are removed via diafiltration

Enzyme production from food wastes using a biorefinery concept

According to Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), one-third of food produced globally for human consumption (nearly 1.3 billion tonnes) is lost along the food supply chain. In many countries food waste is currently landfilled or incinerated together with other combustible municipal wastes for possible recovery of energy. However, these two options are facing more and more economic and environmental stresses. Due to its organic- and nutrient-rich nature, theoretically food waste can be converted to valuable products (e.g. bio-products such as methane, hydrogen, ethanol, enzymes, organic acids, chemicals and fuels) through various fermentation processes. Such conversion of food waste is potentially more profitable than its conversion to animal feed or transportation fuel. Food waste valorisation has therefore gained interest, with value added bio-products such as methane, hydrogen, ethanol, enzymes, organic acids, chemicals, and fuels. Therefore, the aim of this review is to provide information on the food waste situation with emphasis on Asia–Pacific countries and the state of the art food waste processing technologies to produce enzymes

Temporary intravascular shunts for peripheral vascular trauma.

Polyvinylchloride (PVC) disposable endotracheal suction catheters were successfully used as temporary intravascular shunts in 5 patients of popliteal artery trauma. These simple shunts should be used routinely in such conditions to immediately re-establish blood supply to the ischaemic limb particularly in patients of polytrauma where systemic anticoagulation is contraindicated. This avoids the inherent delay prior to vascular repair and reduces the incidence of irreversible ischemia

Effect of cardiopulmonary bypass on tissue injury markers and endothelial activation during coronary artery bypass graft surgery

Background: Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is done either using cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) or without using CPB (OPCAB). But, recently, reports have shown that CPB is associated with increased postoperative morbidity because of the involvement of many systems. Aims: The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate the influence of the technique of surgery on various tissue injury markers and the extent of endothelial activation in patients undergoing CABG and OPCAB coronary revascularization. Settings and Design: This study was conducted at a tertiary healthcare center during the period May 2008 to December 2009. Materials and Methods: This was a prospective nonrandomized blinded study. The activities of Creatine Phosphokinase (CK) and its isoenzyme CK-MB, Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), levels of cardiac Troponin I, soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (sVCAM-I) and systemic nitric oxide production were assessed. Statistical analysis: All the results were expressed as Mean±SD. P value ≤0.05 was considered significant. The statistical analysis was carried out using SPSS Version 11.5-computer software (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Results: The surgical trauma had elevated CK, CK-MB and Troponin I in both the groups and further elevation was seen in the CABG group in comparison to OPCAB (P<0.001). The Troponin I concentrations showed an increase from 0.11±0.02 preoperatively to 6.59±0.59 (ng/ml) at 24 h (P<0.001) compared to the OPCAB group. Mean serum levels of sVCAM-1 increased significantly after surgery in both the groups (P<0.02). To determine serum nitric oxide (NO) production, NO2− and NO3− (stable end products of NO oxidation) were analyzed which also increased significantly at 24 h in both the groups. But the increase was not significant at 48 h in both the groups compared to the preoperative value in our study. Conclusion: The present study indicates that, despite comparable surgical trauma, the OPCAB significantly reduces tissue injury. The overall pattern of endothelial activation after OPCAB is significantly lower than that after CABG. This may contribute to improved organ function, and improved postoperative recovery

Accurate sheet metal forming modeling for cost effective automotive part production

Recent implementations of accurate material and tribology models in finite element codes for sheet metal forming process development have the potential to reduce development time and the associated development costs significantly. Adoption of new models requires validated material parameters and assessments of the overall accuracy. The paper presents a study aimed at accuracy estimation by comparing strain measurements and finite element simulation results for a laboratory flat bottom hole expansion test and an industrial automotive component produced at Volvo Cars. The use of the tensile test based Tata Steel Vegter yield locus model results in accurate prediction of dimensions and plastic deformation distribution in sheet metal forming applications. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd.open access</p