Computed tomographic enterography adds information to clinical management in small bowel Crohn's disease

Background: CT enterography yields striking findings in the bowel wall in Crohn's disease. These images may help to evaluate whether small bowel narrowing results from active disease requiring anti-inflammatory therapy. However, the clinical relevance of these images is unknown. It is also not known if these radiologic findings correlate with objective biomarkers of inflammation. Methods: In a blinded and independent evaluation, IBD subspecialty gastroenterologists reviewed clinical data, and CT radiologists reviewed CT enterography scans of 67 consecutive patients with Crohn's disease and suspicion of either small bowel inflammation or stricture. Comparisons were made between (1) clinical and radiologic assessments of inflammation and stricture, (2) clinical assessments before and after computed tomographic enterography (CTE) reports were revealed, and (3) radiologic findings and objective biomarkers of inflammation. Results: (1) Individual CTE findings correlated poorly (Spearman's rho < 0.30) with clinical assessment; (2) clinicians did not suspect 16% of radiologic strictures, and more than half the cases of clinically suspected strictures did not have them on CTE; (3) CTE data changed clinicians' perceptions of the likelihood of steroid benefit in 41 of 67 cases; (4) specific CTE findings correlated with CRP, and a distinct set of CTE findings correlated with ESR in the subset of patients who had these biomarkers measured. Conclusions: CTE seems to add unique information to clinical assessment, both in detecting additional strictures and in changing clinicians' perceptions of the likelihood of steroids benefiting patients. The biomarker correlations suggest that CTE is measuring real biologic phenomena that correlate with inflammation, providing information distinct from that in a standard clinical assessment. (Inflamm Bowel Dis 2006)Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/55965/1/20013_ftp.pd

Lung Transplantation for Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia and Kartagener Syndrome: A Multicenter Study.

Primary ciliary dyskinesia, with or without situs abnormalities, is a rare lung disease that can lead to an irreversible lung damage that may progress to respiratory failure. Lung transplant can be considered in end-stage disease. This study describes the outcomes of the largest lung transplant population for PCD and for PCD with situs abnormalities, also identified as Kartagener's syndrome. Retrospectively collected data of 36 patients who underwent lung transplantation for PCD from 1995 to 2020 with or without SA as part of the European Society of Thoracic Surgeons Lung Transplantation Working Group on rare diseases. Primary outcomes of interest included survival and freedom from chronic lung allograft dysfunction. Secondary outcomes included primary graft dysfunction within 72 h and the rate of rejection ≥A2 within the first year. Among PCD recipients with and without SA, the mean overall and CLAD-free survival were 5.9 and 5.2 years with no significant differences between groups in terms of time to CLAD (HR: 0.92, 95% CI: 0.27-3.14, p = 0.894) or mortality (HR: 0.45, 95% CI: 0.14-1.43, p = 0.178). Postoperative rates of PGD were comparable between groups; rejection grades ≥A2 on first biopsy or within the first year was more common in patients with SA. This study provides a valuable insight on international practices of lung transplantation in patients with PCD. Lung transplantation is an acceptable treatment option in this population

Nuclear anomalies in the buccal cells of calcite factory workers

The micronucleus (MN) assay on exfoliated buccal cells is a useful and minimally invasive method for monitoring genetic damage in humans. To determine the genotoxic effects of calcite dust that forms during processing, MN assay was carried out in exfoliated buccal cells of 50 (25 smokers and 25 non-smokers) calcite factory workers and 50 (25 smokers and 25 non-smokers) age- and sex-matched control subjects. Frequencies of nuclear abnormalities (NA) other than micronuclei, such as binucleates, karyorrhexis, karyolysis and ‘broken eggs', were also evaluated. Micronuclei and the other aforementioned anomalies were analysed by two way analysis of covariance. The linear correlations between the types of micronucleus and nuclear abnormalities were determined by Spearman's Rho. There was a positive correlation between micronuclei and other types of nuclear abnormalities in accordance with the Spearman's Rho test. Results showed statistically significant difference between calcite fabric workers and control groups. MN and NA frequencies in calcite fabric workers were significantly higher than those in control groups (p < 0.05). The results of this study indicate that calcite fabric workers are under risk of significant cytogenetic damage

Floatability of barite particles with different shape and roughness

616-625In this article, different mill (ball, rod and autogenous) products of barite mineral were characterized in terms of their shape, roughness and wettability. 2D shape parameters were measured by the particle projections using SEM and expressed by elongation and roundness. Surface roughness values were determined and stated as the parameters of Ra value on the surface of the compressed discs. The wettability characteristics (ϒc) of barite were determined by microflotation and contact angle measurement techniques. Finally, some correlations were established between the shape parameters, surface roughness values and the wettability characteristics. In conclusion, the degree of hydrophobicity was favoured with elongation, while it was not favoured with roundness and roughness regardless of the type of the mill used

Relationship between the breakage and wetting characteristics of lignite

383-389This paper reports the findings of an investigation of the breakage values of lignite to relate the wettability properties. The breakage values, obtained from grinding, are the specific rates of breakage (Si) and the γ of value the primary breakage function (Bi,J), and the wettability parameter, which is also easily obtained from contact angle measurements and flotation tests, is the critical surface tension of wetting value of solid (γc). The grindings were carried out as dry, wet and wet with kerosene aided tests in a laboratory size porcelain ball mill. The products (-212 μm) of the feed sizes of -600+425, -425+300 and -300+212 μm of lignite ground in the mill have been tested to obtain the γc values by contact angle goniometer and our new designed micro-flotation column cell. It is proposed that a relationship exists between the Si and γc value of the lignite sample studied, i.e .. higher the Si value from the breakage process, lower the γc value in wetting processes, indicating less wettability in the physical-chemistry based separation methods. There is also another relatio nship found between the γ value of Bi,j (the fineness factor) and the γc value, where γ value increases with increasing γc value, except in the kerosene aided grindings. This means, coarser particles produced by grinding will behave more hydrophilic (i.e., water wets the solid completely) in the wetting operations.</span

Kinetics of wet versus dry grinding of lignite by a porcelain mill

181-186<span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:" times="" new="" roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"times="" roman";="" color:black;mso-ansi-language:en-in;mso-fareast-language:en-in;mso-bidi-language:="" hi"="" lang="EN-IN">The kinetics of dry versus wet grinding of several feed size fractions of lignite in a laboratory size porcelain mill are reported here using feed fractions prepared to -600+425, -425+300 and -300+212μm mono-sizes. The kinetics process is first-order up to 8 min for dry grinding while it is first-order up to 16 min for wet grinding. However, the specific rates of breakages decrease as feed sizes decrease for both dry and wet grinding. Rates of breakage (Si) of wet grinding are found to be consistently higher than those of the dry values. The dry <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic">Bi,j rates are also γ=1.58, =0.58 and β=7.11, as the wet values obtained to be γ=1.45, =0.63 and β=6.45. The breakage parameters, therefore, indicate that wet grinding in a porcelain ball mill is more efficient to get finer product sizes. The simulated product size distributions of both dry and wet grinding are in good agreement with the experimental product size distributions using a standard ball mill simulation program.</span

Role of shape properties of calcite and barite particles on apparent hydrophobicity

Shape properties of calcite and barite particles ground by ball, rod and autogenous mills were examined by using scanning electron microscope (SEM). Shape properties have been stated in terms of shape descriptors such as elongation ratio, flatness, roundness and relative width by measuring about 200 particles. The results were correlated with the critical surface tension (gamma(c)) of wetting determined by contact angle and micro-flotation methods. The correlations set between the shape properties and the wettability for the minerals studied are in the form of "gamma(c) = a (shape property) + b" type of equations (where a and b are constants). The results revealed that particles with higher flatness and elongation ratio had higher apparent hydrophobicity without being affected by the mill type