Improved On-Site Characterization of Arsenic in Gypsum from Waste Plasterboards Using Smart Devices

The impurities in waste plasterboards, a product of ethical demolition, are a serious problem for their recycling. Plasterboards, the wall materials used in old buildings, are often recycled into gypsum powder for various applications, including ground stabilization. However, this powder contains various chemical impurities from the original production process of the gypsum itself, and such impurities pose a risk of polluting the surrounding soil. Here, we present a simple method for verifying the presence of arsenic, a harmful element in recycled gypsum that is suitable for use at demolition sites. First, we developed a simple pretreatment method using a cation-exchange resin to dissolve insoluble gypsum suspended in water by exploiting a chemical equilibrium shift, and we estimated the quantity suitable for releasing the arsenic from arsenic-containing gypsum. This pretreated solution could then be tested with a conventional arsenic test kit by observing the color changes in the test paper using the image sensor of a smart device. This simple method could determine a wide range of arsenic quantities in the gypsum, which would be helpful for monitoring arsenic in recycled gypsum powder, thereby supporting the development of a safe circular economy for waste plasterboards

Efficacy of Combination Therapy with Epinephrine Local Injection and Hemostatic Clips on Active Diverticular Bleeding

Epinephrine local injection is a hemostatic procedure used in active diverticular bleeding that elicits vasoconstriction and tamponade effects. We compared the additional benefit of combination therapy with HSE-C (hypertonic saline epinephrine injection with clipping) to clipping monotherapy. Retrospective data on diverticular bleeding between 2011 and 2016 was reviewed. Those with an active bleeding source confirmed by colonoscopy (excluding non-bleeding vessels and adherent clots) who received either HSE-C or clipping were evaluated. Endpoints were rates of successful primary hemostasis, recurrent bleeding, and surgical intervention during hospitalization. A total of 320 patients with diverticular bleeding were evaluated, on which either HSE-C (n = 35) or clipping monotherapy (n = 18) was performed. Rates of successful primary hemostasis (91.4% vs. 66.7%, p = 0.048) and direct placement of endoclips (60.0% vs. 16.7%, p = 0.004) were significantly higher in the HSE-C group. Although not statistically significant, the HSE-C group had a higher rate of early rebleeding (18.8% vs. 8.3%, p = 0.653), while no difference was seen in the number of patients requiring surgery (11.4% vs. 5.5%, p = 0.651). HSE-C is associated with a higher rate of successful primary hemostasis for severe active diverticular bleeding but has no significant difference in reducing early recurrent bleeding or the number of patients requiring surgery, suggesting that hemostatic effects may be temporary

Incidence of venous thromboembolism in advanced lung cancer and efficacy and safety of direct oral anticoagulants: a multicenter, prospective, observational study (Rising-VTE/NEJ037 study)

Background: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a well-known type of cancer-associated thrombosis and a common complication of malignancy. However, the incidence of VTE associated with lung cancer and the effectiveness of direct oral anticoagulants remain unclear. This study aimed to identify the incidence of VTE associated with lung cancer at the time of diagnosis or during treatment, the efficacy and safety of edoxaban, and associated risk factors. Methods: The Rising-VTE/NEJ037 study was a multicenter prospective observational study. Altogether, 1021 patients with lung cancer who were unsuitable for radical resection or radiation were enrolled and followed up for 2 years. Patients with VTE at the time of lung cancer diagnosis started treatment with edoxaban. The primary endpoint of this trial was the rate of newly diagnosed VTE after enrollment or recurrence rate 6 months after treatment initiation. Results: Data were available for 1008 patients. The median age was 70 years (range: 30–94 years), and 70.8% were men. Sixty-two patients had VTE at the time of lung cancer diagnosis, and 38 (9.9%) developed VTE at follow-up. No cases of VTE recurrence were recorded 6 months after treatment initiation with edoxaban. Major and clinically relevant non-major bleeding events occurred in 4.9% of patients and increased to 22.7% in the edoxaban treatment group. Conclusions: VTE occurrence should be monitored during lung cancer treatment. Although treatment with edoxaban was highly effective in preventing VTE recurrence, its administration should be cautiously considered because of the high bleeding rate. Trial registration: jRCTs061180025

Secondary ion mass spectrometry round-robin study for relative sensitivity factors in gallium arsenide

Round-robin studies on relative sensitivity factors (RSFs) in secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) were conducted using bulk GaAs samples uniformly doped with various impurity elements. A total of 31 laboratories participated in two round-robins. More than 30 sets of relative ion intensities were obtained for B, Si, Cr, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, In and Te in GaAs. The RSFs for both positive and negative ions were derived for several types of SIMS instruments. The effect of primary ion incident angle was examined using quadrupole-based instruments and found to be the determining factor of the instrumental dependence of RSF