Can ventral TAPP achieve favorable outcomes in minimally invasive ventral hernia repair? A systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: The concept of the transabdominal preperitoneal (TAPP) was transferred from the inguinal hernia repair to be adopted in minimally invasive ventral hernia repair (VHR) and since then it has been gaining popularity. However, there are minimal data supporting the ventral TAPP (vTAPP) technique which may lead to reticence in the adoption of this approach. The aim of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the outcomes of patients who received minimally invasive vTAPP for VHR. STUDY DESIGN: A systematic search was performed of PubMed, Science Direct, Google Scholar and Cochrane Library until July 2022. We selected studies that compared the vTAPP technique with any of other minimally invasive techniques. A meta-analysis was done for the outcomes of perioperative characteristics and postoperative parameters. RESULTS: A total of 9 studies (1429 patients) were identified. vTAPP was associated with considerable benefit when compared to IPOM. vTAPP was less painful (MD = - 1.01; 95% CI [- 1.39, - 0.64], p < 0.00001), of reduced average cost (MD = - 457.10; 95% CI [- 457.27, - 456.92], p < 0.00001) and decreased SSI (OR = 0.29; 95% [0.09, 0.96], p = 0.04). On the other hand, the vTAPP approach consumed less operative time (MD: - 31.01, 95% CI [- 33.50, - 28.51]), p < 0.00001) and shorter hospital stay than the e-TEP approach. CONCLUSION: vTAPP appears to be safe and effective procedure for VHR, superior or similar to other minimally invasive techniques for perioperative characteristics and short-term outcomes.

Temperature dependant structural and electrical properties of ZnO nanowire networks.

In this paper, we report a successful growth of zinc oxide nanowire networks by simple thermal evaporation process using metallic zinc powder in the presence of oxygen. The morphological investigations of the synthesized nanowire networks are conducted by using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) which reveals that the grown products are in high-density over the whole substrate surface and possessing nanowire networks like structures. The structural and compositional properties of the grown nanowire networks are analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), respectively which confirm that the synthesized products are well-crystalline, with wurtzite hexagonal phase ZnO. The as-grown ZnO nanowire networks grown on silicon substrate are utilized to fabricate n-ZnO/p-Si heterojunction diode and presented in this paper. The I-V characteristics of the fabricated heterojunction diode at different temperatures (77 K-477 K) are also investigated. High values of quality factor, which are obtained from this study, indicate a non-ideal behavior of the fabricated device. The mean barrier height of -0.84 eV is also estimated and presented in this paper.

Growth of aligned hexagonal ZnO nanorods on FTO substrate for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) application.

This article reports a facile growth of well-crystalline aligned hexagonal ZnO nanorods on fluorine-doped tin-oxide (FTO) substrate via non-catalytic thermal evaporation process. The morphological investigations done by field-emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) reveal that the grown products are aligned hexagonal ZnO nanorods which are grown in a very high density over the whole substrate surface. The detailed structural properties observed by high-resolution TEM equipped with selected area electron diffraction (SAED) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern confirmed that the synthesized nanorods are well-crystalline possessing wurtzite hexagonal phase and preferentially grown along the c-axis direction. A sharp and strong UV emission at 381 nm in room-temperature photoluminescence (PL) spectrum showed that the as-grown ZnO nanorods possess excellent optical properties. The as-grown nanorods were used as photo-anode for the fabrication of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) which exhibits an overall light-to-electricity conversion efficiency (ECE) of 0.7% with V(oc) of 0.571 V, J(sc) of 2.02 mA/cm2 and FF of 0.58.

High-yield synthesis of well-crystalline alpha-Fe2O3 nanoparticles: structural, optical and photocatalytic properties.

In this paper, the high-yield facile synthesis, detailed characterization and photocatalytic application of alpha-Fe2O3 nanoparticles are reported. The synthesis was done via simple hydrothermal process by using aqueous mixtures of iron chloride, hexamethylenediamine and NH3 x H2O at 110 degrees C. The morphologies of the synthesized products were examined by using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) which confirmed that the synthesized structures are almost spherical shaped nanoparticles with the average diameters of -35 +/- 5 nm, and are grown in high yield. The detailed structural characterizations and composition of the as-synthesized nanoparticles were investigated by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), high-resolution TEM (HRTEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) attached with FESEM and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) which substantiated that the as-synthesized nanoparticles are well crystalline and pure alpha-Fe2O3. The UV-Vis absorption spectrum of the synthesized nanoparticles demonstrated the existence of two optical band gaps which correspond to direct and indirect transitions, respectively. The as-synthesized alpha-Fe2O3 nanoparticles exhibit good photocatalytic properties on photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue.

Well-crystalline ZnO nanowire based field effect transistors (FETs).

Well-crystalline ZnO nanowires were grown on Si(100) via non-catalytic thermal evaporation process using metallic zinc powder in presence of oxygen. The detailed morphological characterizations by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) confirmed that the synthesized products are nanowires with the typical diameter and lengths of approximately 55 +/- 5 nm and several micrometers, respectively and are grown in high density over the silicon substrate. The detailed structural characterizations by high-resolution TEM and X-ray diffraction confirmed that the synthesized nanowires are well-crystalline and possessing wurtzite hexagonal phase. The presence of Raman-active optical-phonon E2(high) mode at 437 cm(-1) in the Raman-scattering spectrum confirms good crystal quality for the as-grown ZnO nanowires. The electrical transport properties of the as-grown nanowires were explored by fabricating single nanowire based field effect transistors (FETs). The fabricated single ZnO nanowire based FET exhibits carrier concentration and electron mobility of approximately 7.49 x 10(17) cm(-3) and approximately 8.42 cm2V(-1)s(-1), respectively.

Myxoid esophageal liposarcoma: A case report of a rare tumor.

INTRODUCTION: Esophageal liposarcoma represent a rare cause of esophageal tumor. According to the literature, since the first case reported in 1983, only 42 cases of esophageal liposarcoma were reported. PRESENTATION OF CASE: We present a case of liposarcoma in the lower oesophagus treated by surgical resection. DISCUSSION: Liposarcoma in the oesophagus gastrointestinal tract is an uncommon. An analysis of the literature reports 42 cases.In many cases the diagnosis was established in postoperative period.Surgery is the standard treatment including polypectomy, total or subtotal oesophagectomy. CONCLUSION: There is no conventional treatment of this pathology. The curative treatment requires surgical resection or endoscopic approach for selected tumor.

Original treatment for ischaemic stenosis of colon interposition: Report of two cases.

INTRODUCTION: The treatment of ischaemic stenosis of colon interposition for oesophageal replacement remains poorly defined. CASE REPORT: We report two cases of patients operated for ischaemic stenosis of the cervical extremity of the colon interposition for caustic stenosis of the oesophagus. Treatment consisted of resection of the stenosis with creation of a new cervical anastomosis after complete release of the colon graft via a neck and upper midline incision in one patient and a new ileocolic graft exclusively replacing the stenotic segment of the oesophagoplasty in the second patient. DISCUSSION: These two cases illustrate the complex treatment modalities required for this complication. CONCLUSION: The treatment of choice of ischaemic stenosis of colon interposition is resection with creation of a new anastomosis, but repeat graft may sometimes be the only available treatment option.

Angiomyofibroblastoma of the spermatic cord: a case report.

Angiomyofibroblastoma (AMF) is a rare benign mesenchymal tumor with tendency to arise in the lower genital tract of middleaged women, predominately in the vulva. A few cases of AMF in males have been reported involving the scrotum, perineum or spermatic cord. We report a new case of AMF arising in the right inguinal region of a 27-year-old man. The tumor was well-circumscribed, myxoid and measured 30 mm in maximum dimension. On microscopic examination, the tumor was composed of spindle cells without atypia and with less than one mitosis figure per 10 high-power fields. Multinucleated cells and mast cells were observed. The stroma was myxoid and edematous with abundant capillary-sized blood vessels. Immunohistochemical staining showed a strong immunoreactivity for desmin and smooth muscle actin. The tumor cells were negative for estrogen receptors and focally positive for progesterone receptors with a low proliferative index of Ki67 (< 5%). This unusual neoplasm should be distinguished from aggressive angiomyxoma and other myxoid malignant tumors.

[Adenocarcinoma and gastro-intestinal stromal tumor: fortuitous association or a single carcinogenic agent? A report of 2 cases]. / Adénocarcinome et tumeur stromale digestifs: association fortuite ou mécanisme oncogène commun? A propos de deux observations.

The synchronous development of epithelial and stromal tumors of the digestive tract was rarely reported in the literature. Two such cases are described in this article. One is of a 44-year-old man presenting a high grade gastric stromal tumor associated with an adenocarcinoma of the large bowel. The other is of a 68-year-old man presenting an adenocarcinoma of the head of the pancreas associated with a low grade gastric stromal tumor. The hypothesis that the association is due to a simple coincidence particularly in areas with high rates of digestive cancer is proposed. A possibility of a genetic mutation or a single carcinogenic agent interacting with two tissues in the digestive tract and inducing the development of tumors of different histotype cannot be discarded.

Ease synthesis of mesoporous WO3-TiO2 nanocomposites with enhanced photocatalytic performance for photodegradation of herbicide imazapyr under visible light and UV illumination.

Herein, we report the ease synthesis of mesoporous WO3-TiO2 nanocomposites at different WO3 contents (0-5wt%) together with their photocatalytic performance for the degradation of the imazapyr herbicide under visible light and UV illumination. XRD and Raman spectra indicated that the highly crystalline anatase TiO2 phase and monoclinic and triclinic of WO3 were formed. The mesoporous TiO2 exhibits large pore volumes of 0.267cm(3)g-1 and high surface areas of 180m(2)g(-1) but they become reduced to 0.221cm(3)g(-1) and 113m(2)g(-1), respectively upon WO3 incorporation, with tunable mesopore diameter in the range of 5-6.5nm. TEM images show WO3-TiO2 nanocomposites are quite uniform with 10-15nm of TiO2 and 5-10nm of WO3 sizes. Under UV illumination, the overall photocatalytic efficiency of the 3% WO3-TiO2 nanocomposite is 3.5 and 6.6 times higher than that of mesoporous TiO2 and commercial UV-100 photocatalyst, respectively. The 3% WO3-TiO2 nanocomposite is considered to be the optimum photocatalyst which is able to degrade completely (100% conversion) of imazapyr herbicide along 120min with high photonic efficiency ∼8%. While under visible light illumination, the 0.5% WO3-TiO2 nanocomposite is the optimum photocatalyst which achieves 46% photocatalytic efficiency.

[Colon cancer. Study of 153 cases and comparison with a series of 140 historic cases]. / Le cancer du colon. Etude de 153 cas et comparaison avec une serie historique de 140 cas.

The authors study the epidemiological, diagnostic and therapeutic features of 153 consecutive cases of colon cancers collected between 1985 and 1998. They compare the results with those of a previous study performed in the same hospital service (140 cases between 1966 and 1984). It is a series of 79 men and 74 women (sex ratio = 1.07). The mean age was 56.6 +/- 14 years old with 13.7% of the patients who were less than 40 years old. The operability and the resectability were respectively 98.7% and 83.7% with a global operative mortality of 7.9%. According to the Dukes classification, they were 2 A stages, 73 B stages, 32 C stages and 45 D stages. Starting from 1993, 53% of the C stages an 48% of the B stages had an adjuvant chemotherapy. The comparison between our present results and those of our previous series does not show any modification in what regards the mean age, the cancer frequency in young people, the complicated forms proportion and time needed for the diagnosis by comparison to the beginning of symptomatology. The colic cancer prognostic improvement is attained through an earlier diagnosis, making it possible to reduce the developed forms and the complicated forms proportion, the consequence of which is the operative mortality decrease and the log-range survival increase.

Ultra-high sensitive ammonia chemical sensor based on ZnO nanopencils.

This paper reports a very simple, reliable and facile methodology to fabricate ultra-high sensitive liquid ammonia chemical sensor using well-crystalline hexagonal-shaped ZnO nanopencils as an efficient electron mediator. A low-temperature facile hydrothermal technique was used to synthesize ZnO nanopencils. The synthesized nanopencils were characterized in detail in terms of their morphological, structural and optical properties which confirmed that the synthesized nanomaterial is well-crystalline, possessing wurtzite hexagonal phase and possess very good optical properties. A very high sensitivity of ≈ 26.58µAcm(-2)mM(-1) and detection limit of ≈ 5nM with a correlation coefficient (R) of 0.9965 and a response time of less than 10s were observed for the fabricated liquid ammonia by I-V technique. To the best of our knowledge, by comparing the literature, it is confirmed that the fabricated sensor based on ZnO nanopencils exhibits highest sensitivity and lowest detection limit for liquid ammonia. This research opens a way that simply synthesized nanomaterials could be used as efficient electron mediators for the fabrication of efficient liquid ammonia chemical sensors.

Large-scale synthesis of ZnO balls made of fluffy thin nanosheets by simple solution process: structural, optical and photocatalytic properties.

This paper reports a large-scale synthesis of ZnO balls made of fluffy thin ZnO nanosheets by simple solution process at low-temperature of 65±2°C. The synthesized ZnO structures were characterized in detail in terms of their morphological, structural, optical and photocatalytic properties. The detailed morphological characterizations, done by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), confirmed that the synthesized products are ZnO balls which are made by accumulation of hundreds of thin ZnO nanosheets. Interestingly, it is seen that the nanosheets are arranged in such a special fashion that they made ball-like morphologies. Detailed structural examinations revealed that of as-synthesized ZnO products are well-crystalline and possessing wurtzite hexagonal phase. The optical property, measured by UV-Visible spectroscopy, substantiated good optical properties for as-synthesized ZnO balls. The as-synthesized ZnO balls were utilized as an efficient photocatalysts for the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) dye. Almost complete degradation of MB was observed in presence of ZnO balls composed of nanosheets within 70 min under UV-light irradiation. By comparing the photocatalytic performance with commercially available TiO(2)-UV-100, it was observed that the synthesized ZnO balls exhibited superior photocatalytic performance as compared to TiO(2)-UV-100 photocatalyst.