Editorial Letter

Editorial Lette

Post-menopausal acquired diaphragmatic herniation in the context of endometriosis

Introduction: Acquired diaphragmatic hernias are most commonly associated with traumatic thoracic injury and rarely heal spontaneously. Conditions that promote peritoneal seeding, such as endometriosis, are associated with spontaneous acquired diaphragmatic hernia formation. Non-traumatic acquired diaphragmatic herniation has previously been described in the context of catamenial pneumothorax, however post-menopausal endometriotic diaphragmatic herniation has not been previously reported. Presentation of case: A 57 year old post-menopausal female presented with a strangulated ischaemic loop of small bowel herniating through an acquired right sided endometriotic diaphragmatic hernia not previously visualised on imaging. Clamshell thoracolaparotomy was conducted and the necrotic section of small bowel was resected. The diaphragm was repaired and the patient recovered post-operatively without complications. Discussion: This patient had a complete intestinal malrotation presenting acutely with a small bowel obstruction and herniation through an acquired diaphragmatic rupture. This was possibly related to a diaphragmatic defect caused by endometriosis. Conclusion: We presented a case of a post-menopausal acquired diaphragmatic herniation secondary to endometriosis; resulting in acute intestinal obstruction and bowel infarction. To our knowledge, such a case has not been previously reported in existing literature

Influence of polymer ratio and surfactants on controlled drug release from cellulosic microsponges

Microsponge refers to a highly cross-linked particle system with a capacity to adsorb (like a dry sponge) pharmaceutical materials. There are various methods available to prepare microsponge formulations, in this study we used quasi emulsion-solvent diffusion method with a combination of hydrophobic (ethyl cellulose) and hydrophilic polymers (hydroxypropyl methylcellulose) mediated via Tween 80 and polyvinyl alcohol. Various ratios and amounts of the polymers and surfactants were used to prepare microsponge formulations using ketoprofen as a model drug and extensively characterised. Our results, for the first time, indicate successful and optimised formulation with desired pharmaceutical characteristics using a combination of hydrophobic and hydrophilic polymers

Galaxy Clusters Associated with Short GRBs. II. Predictions for the Rate of Short GRBs in Field and Cluster Early-Type Galaxies

We determine the relative rates of short GRBs in cluster and field early-type galaxies as a function of the age probability distribution of their progenitors, P(\tau) \propto \tau^n. This analysis takes advantage of the difference in the growth of stellar mass in clusters and in the field, which arises from the combined effects of the galaxy stellar mass function, the early-type fraction, and the dependence of star formation history on mass and environment. This approach complements the use of the early- to late-type host galaxy ratio, with the added benefit that the star formation histories of early-type galaxies are simpler than those of late-type galaxies, and any systematic differences between progenitors in early- and late-type galaxies are removed. We find that the ratio varies from R(cluster)/R(field) ~ 0.5 for n = -2 to ~ 3 for n = 2. Current observations indicate a ratio of about 2, corresponding to n ~ 0 - 1. This is similar to the value inferred from the ratio of short GRBs in early- and late-type hosts, but it differs from the value of n ~ -1 for NS binaries in the Milky Way. We stress that this general approach can be easily modified with improved knowledge of the effects of environment and mass on the build-up of stellar mass, as well as the effect of globular clusters on the short GRB rate. It can also be used to assess the age distribution of Type Ia supernova progenitors.Comment: ApJ accepted versio