Physiochemical, Instrumental and thermal characterization of the post coagulation sludge from paint industrial wastewater treatment

Most sludge generated from water treatment plants is toxic. One of such sludge as focused on this work is paint wastewater treatment sludge from coagulation-flocculation process. Due to the problem of sludge disposal, post coagulation sludge was characterized via physical, instrumental and thermal characterization to suggest possible treatment methods to avert disposal of toxic wastes into the environment. Post coagulation sludge recovered after jar-test experiment has high settleability index with Sludge Volume Index ˂ 80. The best sludge volume index of 11 was obtained at sludge solid concentration of 2264.3 mg/l. Post coagulation sludge has pH of 6.83, Volatile Solid of 77% of the total solid (2210 mg/l) and Carbon: Nitrogen value of 26:1. The Biological Oxygen Demand - Chemical Oxygen Demand ratio of 0.7 shows that post coagulation sludge is moderately toxic. CHNX analysis shows that post coagulation sludge contains majorly calcium (35.54%), oxygen (30.2%), carbon (9.25%) and sodium (7.74 (aluminum (3.05%), silicon (3.14%) and titanium (3.69%)) and some trace elements. The prominent functional groups include =C–H in-plane bending of alkene aliphatic compound at 1403 cm−1, carboxylic group at 3000 cm−1, cellulose –OH stretching vibration group at 3476 cm−1,NH stretching of amine group within 3300–3500 cm−1 among others in trace forms. 10% reduction in weight was observed via thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA). The mid-point glass temperature was 45 °C, while the melting point was 175 °C. In addition, PCS turns to ashes above 300 °C. Based on the results; Post coagulation sludge can be managed via, biological treatment methods, anaerobic digestion and by thermal degradation

Burnt out benign splenic cyst mimicking intra-abdominal malignancy - case report and review of literature.pdf

The spleen performs important immunological function. Benign cysts, neoplasms and abscesses are identifiable cystic lesions of the spleen. Splenic cysts are very rare, and consist of Type 1 (parasitic) and Type 11 (non-parasitic) cysts. Very few cases of huge splenic cysts have been reported in literature. The most common symptoms are due to pressure effects on contiguous organs, causing pain, abdominal swelling and change in bowel habit. Management of these splenic cysts iscontroversial. Indications for surgical intervention, include symptomatic or large diameter cysts (>5cm). We report a 57 year old lady with an 18 year history of recurrent left abdominal pain, progressive weight loss, easy satiety, and recurrent low grade fever. She neither had change in bowel habit, nor haematuria. Therewas no history of abdominal trauma. On physical examination, there was a left hypochondriac swelling, extending to the midline of the abdomen. She has been transfusedseverally in the past on account of recurrent anaemia. Ultrasound revealed multiple well circumscribed oval and rounded cysts of the spleen. Her haemoglobin level at presentation was 6g/dl. She had neutrophilia. She subsequently underwent total splenectomy with good surgical outcome

The ASOS Surgical Risk Calculator: development and validation of a tool for identifying African surgical patients at risk of severe postoperative complications

Background: The African Surgical Outcomes Study (ASOS) showed that surgical patients in Africa have a mortality twice the global average. Existing risk assessment tools are not valid for use in this population because the pattern of risk for poor outcomes differs from high-income countries. The objective of this study was to derive and validate a simple, preoperative risk stratification tool to identify African surgical patients at risk for in-hospital postoperative mortality and severe complications. Methods: ASOS was a 7-day prospective cohort study of adult patients undergoing surgery in Africa. The ASOS Surgical Risk Calculator was constructed with a multivariable logistic regression model for the outcome of in-hospital mortality and severe postoperative complications. The following preoperative risk factors were entered into the model; age, sex, smoking status, ASA physical status, preoperative chronic comorbid conditions, indication for surgery, urgency, severity, and type of surgery. Results: The model was derived from 8799 patients from 168 African hospitals. The composite outcome of severe postoperative complications and death occurred in 423/8799 (4.8%) patients. The ASOS Surgical Risk Calculator includes the following risk factors: age, ASA physical status, indication for surgery, urgency, severity, and type of surgery. The model showed good discrimination with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.805 and good calibration with c-statistic corrected for optimism of 0.784. Conclusions: This simple preoperative risk calculator could be used to identify high-risk surgical patients in African hospitals and facilitate increased postoperative surveillance. © 2018 British Journal of Anaesthesia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Medical Research Council of South Africa gran