Investigation of the reactivity of AlCl3 and CoCl2 toward molten alkali-metal nitrates in order to synthesize CoAl2O4

Cobalt aluminate CoAl2O4 powder, constituted of nano-sized crystallites, is prepared, involving the reactivity of AlCl3 and CoCl2 with molten alkali-metal nitrates. The reaction at 450 °C for 2 h leads to a mixture of spinel oxide Co3O4 and amorphous γ-Al2O3. It is transformed into the spinel oxide CoAl2O4 by heating at 1000 °C. The powders are mainly characterized by XRD, FTIR, ICP, electron microscopy and diffraction, X-EDS and diffuse reflection. Their properties are compared to those of powders obtained by solid state reactions of a mechanical mixture of chlorides or oxides submitted to the same thermal treatment

Mycobacterium ulcerans disease: experience with primary oral medical therapy in an Australian cohort

Mycobacterium ulcerans (MU) is responsible for disfiguring skin infections which are challenging to treat. The recommended treatment for MU has continued to evolve from surgery to remove all involved tissue, to the use of effective combination oral antibiotics with surgery as required. Our study describes the oral medical treatment utilised for consecutive cases of MU infection over a 15 month period at our institution, in Victoria, Australia. Managing patients primarily with oral antibiotics results in high cure rates and excellent cosmetic outcomes. The success with medical treatment reported in this study will aid those treating cases of MU infection, and will add to the growing body of knowledge about the relative roles of antibiotics and surgery for treating this infection

Invagination intestinale aiguë consécutive à un lipome grèlique: à propos d’un cas et revue de la littérature

L’invagination intestinale aiguë est une pathologie du nourrisson et du petit enfant. Sa survenue chez l’adulte est très inhabituelle. Elle estd’étiologie diverse. Dans l’immense majorité des cas, elle est secondaire à une tumeur qui peut être bénigne ou maligne. L’invagination intestinalesur lipome est exceptionnelle. Nous rapportons un cas d’invagination intestinale grêlo-grêlique sur lipome.Key words: Invagination, grele, lipom

Synthesis, structural characterisation and theoretical studies of a novel pyridazine derivative: Investigations of anti-inflammatory activity and inhibition of α-glucosidase

X-ray crystallography on pyridazine 1 (ethyl 2-(3-methyl-4-(4-methylbenzyl)-6-oxopyridazin1(6H)-yl)acetate) shows the planar pyridazinyl ring to exhibit significant delocalisation of πelectron density over the constituent atoms and to be substituted with oxo, methyl, (4- methylphenyl)methyl and N-bound ethylacetate groups. While three of the ring-bound atoms are close to co-planar with the ring, the ethylacetate group is not; the latter exhibits a definitive kink in its conformation. In the molecular packing of 1, helical supramolecular chains along the b-axis are formed through O- and N-methylene-C–H…O(carbonyl) and Omethylene-C–H…π(pyridazinyl) interactions. The chains are connected into a supramolecular layer by π(pyridazinyl)…π(phenyl) interactions. The flat layers stacks along the c-axis 2 without directional interactions between them. The geometry-optimisation of 1 resulted in the straightening of terminal ethylacetate group but no other substantial changes. Computational chemistry shows the most stabilising interactions in the crystal are due to the π(pyridazinyl)…π(phenyl) (-10.7 kcal/mol) followed by O- and N-methylene-C–H…O(carbonyl) (-9.5 and -9.0 kcal/mol, respectively). The most prominent identified interlayer interaction is a weak methylene-C–H···N(pyridazinyl) contact. Throughout, comparisons are made with the phenyl analogue of 1, namely 2. Most notably, the lattice energy of 1 is approximately 4.1 kcal/mol more stable than that of 2, an observation related to the influence upon the molecular packing exerted by the methyl substituent of 1. Compound 1 exhibits moderate inhibition against α-glucosidase, compared to Acarbose, and weak heatinduced haemolysis inhibition

Distribution of Mycobacterium ulcerans in Buruli Ulcer Endemic and Non-Endemic Aquatic Sites in Ghana

Mycobacterium ulcerans, the causative agent of Buruli ulcer, is an emerging environmental bacterium in Australia and West Africa. The primary risk factor associated with Buruli ulcer is proximity to slow moving water. Environmental constraints for disease are shown by the absence of infection in arid regions of infected countries. A particularly mysterious aspect of Buruli ulcer is the fact that endemic and non-endemic villages may be only a few kilometers apart within the same watershed. Recent studies suggest that aquatic invertebrate species may serve as reservoirs for M. ulcerans, although transmission pathways remain unknown. Systematic studies of the distribution of M. ulcerans in the environment using standard ecological methods have not been reported. Here we present results from the first study based on random sampling of endemic and non-endemic sites. In this study PCR-based methods, along with biofilm collections, have been used to map the presence of M. ulcerans within 26 aquatic sites in Ghana. Results suggest that M. ulcerans is present in both endemic and non-endemic sites and that variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) profiling can be used to follow chains of transmission from the environment to humans. Our results suggesting that the distribution of M. ulcerans is far broader than the distribution of human disease is characteristic of environmental pathogens. These findings imply that focal demography, along with patterns of human water contact, may play a major role in transmission of Buruli ulcer

Rehabilitation of Oued Smar landfill into a recreation park: Treatment of the contaminated waters

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