Oxidative dehydrogenation of propane over V2O5 and K2O-V2O5 impregnated MgAl2O4 catalysts

V2O5 and K2O-V2O5 impregnated MgAl2O4 catalysts were prepared and tested for the oxidative dehydrogenation of propane. The as-synthesized catalysts were characterized by using the XRD, BET, NH3-TPD, TPR, and XPS methods. The catalytic tests were performed in a fixed bed tubular quartz reactor system between 450 and 550 degrees C. It was observed that the conversion of propane increased but hydrocarbon selectivity decreased with increasing temperature over the V2O5/MgAl2O4 catalysts. The BET surface area values and surface acidities decreased upon potassium addition for the K-V2O5/MgAl2O4 catalysts, which resulted in a drastic drop in the conversion values obtained. The propylene and total hydrocarbon selectivities increased with increasing temperature

The outcomes of COVID-19 measures in a hyperbaric oxygen therapy centre during the pandemic

Background: A hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) treatment session carries a high risk for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission since patients stay in a closed area for 2 hours. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of the preventive measures taken in the HBO centre.Materials and methods: This study evaluated the measures taken during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic for multiplace hyperbaric chamber operated in department (Health Sciences University-Gulhane Research and Training Hospital, Ankara, Turkey) between March 16th, 2020 and December 31st, 2020. The medical records of patients who underwent HBO treatment during this period were evaluated retrospectively. Their demographic attributes, the presence of risk factors, HBO indications, HBO session data, and COVID-19 inquiry forms were analysed.Results: A total of 122 patients underwent HBO treatment, and 150 people were subjected to pressure tolerance test (PTT). No COVID-19 case was treated with HBO in our department. The hyperbaric chamber was operated 608 times in total. Of these, 9.7% (n = 59) procedures were carried out under emergency conditions, and 10% (n = 61) were PTTs. Accordingly, 59.8% (n = 73) of the HBO-treated patients were considered at risk for a severe clinical presentation of SARS-CoV-2. SARS-CoV-2 was detected in 5.7% (n = 7) of the HBO-treated patients during the HBO treatment period. Besides, two inside attendants (14.3%) were diagnosed with COVID-19. There were only two concurrent cases in the same session among SARS-CoV-2 positive cases. The records revealed that these patients were sitting three seats away from each other. Another patient was sitting in between the two infected patients but was not diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2.Conclusions: There is no clear evidence that these two patients infected each other; on the contrary, since no other patient was infected with SARS-CoV-2 in the same session, we may suspect that the infections were coincidental. The measures taken in our department seem to suffice in preventing in-session transmission of COVID-19 and similar infectious diseases in an HBO centre

Comparison of Semiologic Characteristics of Psychogenic Nonepileptic Seizures and Frontal and Temporal Lobe Seizures

Introduction: Video electroencephalography monitoring (VEM) is the gold standard for differentiating epileptic seizures and psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES). This study aimed to compare the semiologic characteristics of PNES and frontal and temporal seizures. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted retrospectively on the records of patients aged over 18 years with PNES and frontal and temporal lobe seizures, who were followed up as inpatients in the Ufuk University Neurology Clinic VEM unit between 2016 and 2020. Seventy-two patients who met the study criteria and were hospitalized during this period were included in the study. The preictal, ictal, and postictal semiologic characteristics of the patients were examined and compared in terms of the seizure type. Results: Of the 72 patients included in the study, 29.2% had PNES, 15.3% had frontal lobe epilepsy, and 41.7% had temporal lobe epilepsy. The mean age of the patients was 32.74 +/- 9.84 years. In patients with PNES, frequent semiologic changes, frequent medical visits, ability to execute commands, remembering test words, forced eye closure, subjective sensory symptoms, ictal crying, tremor in extremities, gradual onset, fluctuating course, postictal pseudo-sleep, pelvic thrusting movement, and arrhythmic synchronous extremity movement manifestations were determined to be significantly higher compared with frontal and temporal lobe epilepsies. Conclusion: Seizure semiology is important in the differential diagnosis of epileptic seizures and PNES. VEM remains the gold standard for differentiating PNES and epileptic seizures

Sjogren's syndrome associated with bilateral peripheral facial paralysis

Sjogren's Syndrome (SS) is a chronic autoimmune disorder that may be complicated by neurological dysfunctions. The involvement of cranial nerves in SS was described as a very rare complication. Moreover, bilateral peripheral facial paralysis associated with SS has been described only in 3 patients in the literature and the first case was described by Henrik Sjogren himself in 1935. We report a 59-year-old female with bilateral peripheral facial paralysis associated with Sjogren's syndrome. She was treated with 5-day IVIG consecutively and continued oral methylprednisolone 16mg/day and almost fully recovered at 2 months of follow-up examination. Acute bilateral peripheral facial palsy in SS is a very rare condition and Lyme disease, Guillain-Barre syndrome, HIV infection, and central nervous system lymphoma should be considered in the differential diagnosis. As a result, SS should be considered as an underlying cause of bilateral facial paralysis

The effect of lithium tetraborate as a novel cardioprotective agent after renal ischemia-reperfusion injury

Epidemiological studies suggest that acute kidney injury has certain effect on myocardial function. In this study, for the first time, we tested a boron compound namely lithium tetraborate an act as an anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory agent in ischemia-reperfusion injury. For this, we employed an in vivo rat model with kidney ischemia reperfusion injury to evaluate cardiac injury to clarify the mechanisms of lithium tetraborate. The evaluation of cardiac injury through kidney artery occlusion and reperfusion rat model indicated that lithium tetraborate could (1) reduce oxidative stress-induced endothelial dysfunction; (2) attenuate the inflammatory response of cardiac cells; and (3) alleviate the apoptosis and necrosis of myocytes. In summary, lithium tetraborate demonstrates significant therapeutic properties that contribute to the amelioration of cardiac damage, and it could be a promising candidate for future applications in myocardial dysfunction