A case of serious laryngeal edema unpredictably detected during laryngoscopy for orotracheal intubation following induction of anesthesia

We report a case of unpredictable and serious laryngeal edema probably caused by preoperative esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD). A 54-year-old man with type 2 diabetes mellitus was scheduled to undergo coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Two days before surgery, EGD was performed to explore the cause of occult bleeding, resulting in a slightly sore throat and an increased white blood cell count (18,300/μl). Without premedication, general anesthesia was uneventfully induced with intravenous midazolam (10 mg) and fentanyl (50 μg), followed by inhalation of sevoflurane (3%) and intravenous rocuronium (50 mg). Thereafter, manual ventilation was easily performed with a bag and mask. However, on laryngoscopy for orotracheal intubation, serious swelling with rubor and light pus in the epiglottis extending to the arytenoid cartilage was detected, leading to the cancellation of surgery. Immediately following intravenous drip of hydrocortisone (300 mg) and bolus of sugammadex (200 mg), the patient recovered smoothly from anesthesia without complications such as dyspnea, but his sore throat persisted. He was diagnosed with acute epiglottitis. Treatment consisted of intravenous cefazolin (2 g/day) and hydrocortisone (300 mg/day tapered to 100 mg/day) for 9 consecutive days. Consequently, the patient recovered gradually from the inflammation and underwent CABG as scheduled 28 days later. Anesthesiologists should be aware that EGD performed just before anesthesia could unpredictably cause acute epiglottitis, especially in immunocompromised patients, such as those with diabetes

Microcracks in CVD diamond produced by scaife polishing

We investigate sub-surface damage in a CVD diamond, polished on a (110) plane using the traditional scaife method. The damage lies in tracks that consist of microcracks lying perpendicular to the polishing direction. These cracks have an irregular spacing and are comprised mainly of {111} facets. Their geometry is consistent with a modified Hertzian fracture, caused by a stick-slip movement of relatively large (micron-sized) diamond particles on the scaife. The interior surface of the cracks shows a 1x1 CH3 surface reconstruction, consistent with a high hydrogen overpressure that results from ingress of hydrocarbons in the polishing lubricant and a relatively low temperature process. The crack edge is ragged, and voids with sizes of a few nm are found up to hundreds of nm from the crack front, particularly where the crack ends at the polished surface. We propose that these features are evidence of significant healing of the cracks once the applied stress is removed. Luminescence at the crack tips is seen, presumably due to impurities trapped in these voids, which quenches with electron irradiation at 10 keV

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Preliminary study of acoustic identification of odontocetes in the Istanbul Strait, Turkey

February 20-21, 2012, BANGKOK, THAILANDIn the Istanbul Strait, three odontocetes species are observed; the harbor porpoise which belongs to Phocoenidae and the common dolphin and the bottlenose dolphin which belong to Delphinidae. Previous visual observation conducted in the middle of this Strait showed, Phocoenidae appeared frequently in March and April, whereas Delphinidae appeared throughout the year. However, visual observation can only occur during daytime. On the other hand, acoustic observation can be used all day long, but is not suitable to identify and distinguish different species. In this study, we examined whether a two band acoustic comparison of biosonar sounds can identify family or species of odontocetes. We compared the sound intensity ratio of two frequency bands at 70 kHz and 130 kHz. Narrow-band sounds, with dominant frequency around 130 kHz, correspond to a large ratio of two band intensities, possibly originating from Phocoenidae. In contrast, broad-band sounds provide similar intensities at both frequencies, which possibly originating from Delphinidae. The results show Phocoenidae appeared frequently in March and April, whereas Delphinidae appeared during all months. These findings are consistent with previous visual observations and suggest that two band acoustic monitoring of small odontocetes could be useful for the identification of harbor porpoises from Delphinidae species in a long term study

Application of the generalized kinetic Ising model to the kinetics of protein folding

The kinetic Ising model in the mean field approximation has been applied to study the equilibrium and kinetic behaviors of protein folding-unfolding. Thermodynamics and kinetics of protein folding-unfolding are related by an elementary process of folding <----> unfolding of peptide bonds. As a demonstration, we analyze, using the presented theory, the equilibrium and kinetics properties of Leu94Val mutant of horse cyt. c (Biochemistry 35, 5538 (1996).) and several characteristic properties are deduced using our theoretical model

Importance nutritionnelle du manioc et perspectives pour l'alimentation de base au Sénégal (synthèse bibliographique)

Nutritional importance of cassava and perspectives as a staple food in Senegal. A review. Cassava is one of the main plants and starchy roots grown in the world. In 2008, the total yield of cassava in West Africa represented 29% of the world production. However, in many West African countries such as Senegal, cassava is not used as a staple food. In fact, the processing techniques used for cassava are poorly known. In addition, the chemical composition of local cassava varieties has not yet been determined, nor has their toxicity been assessed. In 2004, showing an aggressive agricultural policy and revived interest, the Senegalese government launched a major program for intensifying the production of cassava for food security purposes. Cassava is an important source of calories and can be an interesting option for imported rice and wheat. Although many food products made from cassava are well known in the region, their use in the Senegalese diet is rare. Nevertheless, these cassava products are found as delicacies in some restaurants, and are consumed by the Senegalese and many other Africans. The objective of the present study is to demonstrate the nutritional value and the dietary possibilities of using cassava as a staple food in Senegal

Novel supramolecular block copolymer of isotactic polypropylene and ethylene-co-propylene connected by complementary quadruple hydrogen bonding system

Supramolecular block copolymers comprising isotactic polypropylene (iPP) and ethylene-propylene random copolymers (EP) with complementary quadruple hydrogen bonding junctions have been prepared by melt-mixing of iPP having a 2-ureido-4[1H]-pyrimidinone (UPy) group (iPP-UPy) and elastic EP bearing a 2,7-diamido-1,8-naphthyridine (Napy) group (EP-Napy). Transmission electron microscope (TEM) analysis of the iPP-UPy/EP-Napy composite showed that the elastic EP domains were well dispersed in the iPP matrix compared with the traditional iPP/EP impact polypropylene copolymer (IPC). The iPP-UPy/EP-Napy hydrogen-bonded pseudo block copolymer effectively acts as a compatibilizer in the IPC and contributes to improved mechanical properties of the resulting iPP/EP composite. There is good correlation between impact strength of the IPC and EP domain size observed by the TEM analysis. The use of the complementary quadruple hydrogen bonding system for blending two immiscible polymers has been shown to result in smaller domain sizes of the EP-phase in the iPP and consequently improved mechanical properties of the supramolecular iPP/EP blends