Separation and recovery of carbon dioxide by a membrane flash process utilizing waste thermal energy

AbstractThe membrane flash process utilizing waste thermal energy was developed to realize an energy-saving technology and to substitute it for a conventional regenerator. The operating conditions of a membrane flash at high temperature were studied. The DEA concentration and the flashing pressure had optimum values to improve the performance and reduce the energy consumption for CO2 recovery. The petroleum refinery process and iron manufacturing process were proposed for candidate processes that actually had waste energy sources. Energy consumption and costs for CO2 recovery in the membrane flash and chemical absorption were estimated by custom-made program and discussed under the same conditions. The membrane flash was suitable for the CO2 emission sources that had high CO2 concentration independently of the plant scale. The chemical absorption was suitable for large-scale sources, even if the CO2 concentration was low

Body mass index >= 23 is a risk factor for insulin resistance and diabetes in Japanese people: A brief report

Background: Screening for undiagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus is recommended for Asian Americans with a body mass index ≥23. However, the optimal body mass index cut-off score for predicting the risk of diabetes mellitus in Japanese people is not well known. The aim of this study was to determine the best body mass index cut-off score for predicting insulin resistance and diabetes mellitus in the Japanese population. Methods: This study had two parts, a clinical investigation and a retrospective observational investigation. In the clinical part of the study, 58 participants (26 with type 2 diabetes mellitus and 32 non-diabetics) underwent a hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp from which their glucose disposal rate was measured. For the retrospective part of the study, medical check-up data from 88,305 people in the Tottori Prefecture were analyzed for clinical evidence of diabetes mellitus. The optimal BMI cut-off scores for prediction of insulin resistance and diabetes mellitus were determined. Results: In the clamp study, the optimal body mass index cut-off score to predict insulin resistance in non-diabetic patients was 22.7. All participants with type 2 diabetes mellitus were insulin resistant, and the optimal body mass index cut-off score for prediction of severe insulin resistance was 26.2. When the data from the type 2 diabetic and the non-diabetic participants were combined, the optimal body mass index cut-off score for prediction of insulin resistance was 23.5. Analysis of 88,305 medical check-up records yielded an optimal body mass index cut-off score for prediction of diabetes mellitus of 23.6. Conclusions: These results suggest that having a body mass index ≥23 is a risk factor for insulin resistance and diabetes mellitus in the Japanese population

CPR-IR is an insulin resistance index that is minimally affected by hepatic insulin clearance-A preliminary research

Background: Increased hepatic insulin clearance (HIC) is important in the pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The aim of this study is to analyze an effective insulin resistance (IR) index that is minimally affected by HIC. Methods: Our study involved 20 participants with T2DM and 21 healthy participants without diabetes (Non-DM). Participants underwent a meal tolerance test from which plasma glucose, insulin and serum C-peptide immunoreactivity (CPR) were measured, and HOMA-IR and HIC were calculated. Participants then underwent a hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp from which the glucose disposal rate (GDR) was measured. Results: The index CPR-IR = 20/(fasting CPR × fasting plasma glucose) was correlated more strongly with GDR, than was HOMA-IR, and CPR-IR could be used to estimate GDR. In T2DM participants with HIC below the median, HOMA-IR and CPR-IR were equally well correlated with GDR. In T2DM with high HIC, CPR-IR correlated with GDR while HOMA-IR did not. In Non-DM, CPR-IR and HOMA-IR were equally well correlated with GDR regardless of HIC. The mean HIC value in T2DM was significantly higher than that of Non-DM. Conclusions: CPR-IR could be a simple and effective index of insulin resistance for patients with type 2 diabetes that is minimally affected by HIC

A nationwide, multi-center, retrospective study of symptomatic small bowel stricture in patients with Crohn\u27s disease.

BACKGROUND:Small bowel stricture is one of the most common complications in patients with Crohn\u27s disease (CD). Endoscopic balloon dilatation (EBD) is a minimally invasive treatment intended to avoid surgery; however, whether EBD prevents subsequent surgery remains unclear. We aimed to reveal the factors contributing to surgery in patients with small bowel stricture and the factors associated with subsequent surgery after initial EBD.METHODS:Data were retrospectively collected from surgically untreated CD patients who developed symptomatic small bowel stricture after 2008 when the use of balloon-assisted enteroscopy and maintenance therapy with anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) became available.RESULTS:A total of 305 cases from 32 tertiary referral centers were enrolled. Cumulative surgery-free survival was 74.0% at 1 year, 54.4% at 5 years, and 44.3% at 10 years. The factors associated with avoiding surgery were non-stricturing, non-penetrating disease at onset, mild severity of symptoms, successful EBD, stricture length < 2 cm, and immunomodulator or anti-TNF added after onset of obstructive symptoms. In 95 cases with successful initial EBD, longer EBD interval was associated with lower risk of surgery. Receiver operating characteristic analysis revealed that an EBD interval of ≤ 446 days predicted subsequent surgery, and the proportion of smokers was significantly high in patients who required frequent dilatation.CONCLUSIONS:In CD patients with symptomatic small bowel stricture, addition of immunomodulator or anti-TNF and smoking cessation may improve the outcome of symptomatic small bowel stricture, by avoiding frequent EBD and subsequent surgery after initial EBD

前立腺乳頭状嚢胞腺癌の1例

A 91-year-old man presented with nocturnal frequency and urge incontinence of a few days duration due to involvement of prostate cancer (PCa) accompanied by a large cyst in the left lobe of the prostate gland and urinary bladder wall. Channeling transurethral resection of prostate was performed to relieve the main symptoms and the resected material was histologically diagnosed as papillary cystadenocarcinoma arising from the epithelium of microscopic retention cysts. Following shrinkage of the large cyst, the patient is doing well on a combination regimen of a luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone analogue and bicaltamide. Papillary cystadenocarcinoma of the prostate was originally defined as papillary PCa arising from, not accompanied by, prostatic cysts. Cysts associated with PCa are subdivided into primary (or true) and secondary (or pseudo) cysts. Cancer cells in primary cysts originate from the epithelial lining. Papillary growth type cysts belong to this group and are regarded as papillary cystadenocarcinoma. The secondary (or pseudo) cysts, which have no epithelial lining and consist of hemorrhagic and/or necrotic contents are associated with invasive PCa. In the present case, the microscopic retention cysts revealed by histologic examination were of the primary type. This case of papillary cystadenocarcinoma, arising from a primary cyst, is the 13th such report from among previously reported cases in Japan.91歳, 男性。主訴は数日前から続く夜間頻尿と尿失禁。PSA 325ng/mlと高値で, 前立腺の左葉が石様硬であった。DIPとUCGでは膀胱と尿道は右側へ偏位し, 左腎は無機能であった。MRIでは前立腺から膀胱の左側へまたがる径5cmの嚢胞を伴った腫瘍を認めた。前立腺生検では高分化型前立腺癌を認めた。排尿困難改善のためchanneling TURを施行したところ, 病理診断は貯留嚢胞上皮から発生した乳頭状嚢胞腺癌(Gleason score 6, C2)であった。内分泌治療は間欠的に施行し, 治療開始後41ヵ月現在, 嚢胞壁は縮小し, 再燃・転移なく通院加療中である。嚢胞を伴う前立腺癌は比較的稀で, 嚢胞壁が癌化する原発性嚢胞と癌が中心壊死・出血を起こし形成される二次性嚢胞に分類されている。自験例では原発性嚢胞と考えられる貯留嚢胞上皮が癌化した非常に稀な前立腺乳頭状嚢胞腺癌であり, 本邦13例目であった。(著者抄録

Synthesis and selection of hindered new amine absorbents for CO2 capture

AbstractThis work focuses on synthesizing and selecting hindered new amine absorbents to reduce the regeneration energy cost for CO2 capture. To achieve this target we synthesized seven secondary and two tertiary amine based CO2 absorbents with systematic modification of their chemical structures by an appropriate placement of substituent functional groups especially the alkyl functions (e.g. methyl, isopropyl, isobutyl, secondary butyl etc.), relative to the position of the amino group. Performances evaluations of these new absorbents in aqueous solutions were carried out based on their CO2 absorption rate, absorption capacity and heat of reaction measurements. Particular attention was paid to absorbents with a potential for high absorption rate and low heats of reaction. The results for the synthesized amino alcohols were then compared with conventional absorbents AMP and MDEA which were chosen as the base case for all comparisons. We found three high performance absorbents with advantages of high absorption rate and low heats of reaction compared with AMP and MDEA. Absorbents higher CO2 absorption rate and lower heat energy consumption characteristics will reduce the regeneration energy cost of CO2 during stripping