Treatment of highly concentrated tannery wastewater using electrocoagulation: Influence of the quality of aluminium used for the electrode.

This paper deals with the ability of electrocoagulation (EC) to remove simultaneously COD and chromium from a real chrome tanning wastewater in a batch stirred electro-coagulation cell provided with two aluminium-based electrodes (aluminium/copper/magnesium alloy and pure aluminium). Effects of operating time, current density and initial concentration of Cr(III) and COD have been investigated. The concentrations of pollutants have been successfully reduced to environmentally acceptable levels even if the concentrated effluent requires a long time of treatment of around 6h with a 400A/m(2) current density. The aluminium alloy was found to be more efficient than pure aluminium for removal of COD and chromium. Dilution of the waste has been tested for treatment: high abatement levels could be obtained with shorter time of treatment and lower current densities. Energy consumption of the electrocoagulation process was also discussed. The dilution by half of the concentrated waste leads to a higher abatement performance of both COD and chromium with the best energy efficiency.

Prosthetic valve endocarditis caused by Trichosporon cutaneum.

We report, to our knowledge, the first case of Trichosporon cutaneum endocarditis which developed in a 58-year-old woman 14 months after mitral valve replacement. The patient had not had antibiotic therapy. She was treated with an oral antifungal agent, ketoconazol, and prosthetic valve replacement. The initial outcome was favorable, but she died 5 months later of aortic valve endocarditis. Fungal infection was documented by isolation of the fungus from blood cultures, by anatomical and pathological examination and by the changes in serology.

Scanning electron microscopy of normal, malignant and post radiotherapeutic oral mucosal cells.

A scanning electron microscopic study of 40 oral mucosal smears from healthy controls or patients with cancer of the mouth has enabled a comparison of the "external" characteristics of normal, malignant and dysplastic (post-radiotherapeutic) cells. Normal cells, particularly the cells of the superficial epithelial layers, were characterized by well-defined polarized external protrusions with ridges on the upper surface and microvilli on the under surface. In cancer cells, both the shape and arrangement of these formations were profoundly altered. Dysplastic cells presented an intermediate appearance which was sufficiently characteristic to allow them to be distinguished from neoplastic cells.

[Aortic insufficiency in Takayasu's disease. Apropos of 3 surgically treated cases and review of the literature]. / Insuffisance aortique dans la maladie de Takayasu. A propos de 3 cas opérés et revue de la littérature.

The author report the cases of three women with aortic regurgitation associated with aneurysmal dilatation of the ascending thoracic aorta. Aortic valve replacement was carried out in the 3 cases, with resection of the aortic aneurysm in 2 cases. Histological examination of the aortic wall in all 3 cases showed non-specific aortitis in the adventitia and media, appearances comparable to those described in Takayasu's disease. The incidence of aortic regurgitation in Takayasu's disease is about 10%. These 3 cases are compared with 30 other cases with histological confirmation in the medical literature, only 9 of which have undergone aortic valve replacement. The mechanism of the aortic regurgitation is analysed: dilatation of the aortic ring, inflammation of the valve cusps, commissural dysjunction or dilatation of the ascending aorta involving the line of commissural insertion. Aortic regurgitation is usually associated with other arterial localisations of the disease, but may also be found alone when the disease seems limited to the ascending aorta. Coronary artery disease, especially ostial, is observed in 30% of patients with this type of aortic regurgitation. Coronary angiography is therefore mandatory before surgery. The arterial involvement may be investigated initially and followed-up by 2 non-invasive investigations = digitalised intravenous angiography (DIVA) and M mode and 2D echocardiography. The two investigations give comparable results with regards to the study of the aorta, but the branches of the aorta and pulmonary arteries can only be investigated by DIVA.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[Interatrial septal aneurysm. Echocardiographic diagnosis]. / Anévrysme de la cloison interauriculaire. Diagnostic échocardiographique.

Interatrial septal aneurysm is a rare abnormality and can now be diagnosed by echocardiography. We report the case of a 52 year old woman in whom this condition was diagnosed after an embolic cerebrovascular accident. M mode recordings showed a linear echo in the left atrial cavity in early and mid systole. The aneurysm was directly visualised by 2D echo as a hemispherical bulge in the mid portion of the interatrial septum, which was mobile and had a to-and-fro motion between the two atria in relation to the different phases of the cardiac cycle. The diagnosis was confirmed by angiography, and at surgery. A feature of this case was the close correlation between echocardiographic, angiographic and operative findings. The pathogenesis of this type of aneurysm remains conjectural as does its role in the production of cerebral embolism, the evidence for which was circumstantial in the absence of other demonstrable causes and in the light of previously reported cases.

[Intestinal involvement and exudative enteropathy in Waldenström's macroglobulinemia]. / Atteinte intestinale et entéropathie exsudative au cours de la macro-globulinémie de Waldenström.

The case of a 60 year old man in whom diarrhea, steatorrhea and protein losing enteropathy developed one year after the diagnosis of Waldenström's macroglobulinemia is reported. Histological study of multilevel peroral biopsies of the small bowel mucosa showed the following features: a) lymphangiectasia, b) intralymphatic and interstitial deposits composed of lipids and immunoglobulin M of the kappa type (as demonstrated by specific histoimmunofluorescence), c) a mild lymphoplasmocytoid infiltrate, corresponding to the location of Waldenström's macroglobulinemia. The patient died six months later, in spite of improvement of his digestive tract functional abnormalities by a low-fat diet. Sixteen cases of small intestinal involvement have been reported during the course of Waldenström's macroglobulinemia, of which only one showed features similar to those found in our case. Lymphangiectasia appear to be due to mesenteric lymph node involvement by the tumoral process, and/or to increased blood viscosity; in turn the lymphangiectasia seem to be responsible for steatorrhea and plasma protein losses, since in our case both lipids and the immunoglobulin M-kappa were shown to cross the villous epithelium by immunohistochemistry.

[Visceral histologic lesions of lethal acute colchicine poisoning. Apropos of 12 cases]. / Lésions viscérales histologiques des intoxications aiguës mortelles par la colchicine. A propos de 12 observations.

The authors reported histological characteristics (on post-mortem examination) of 12 cases of lethal acute colchicine intoxication and compare these results with the 5 previous anatomical studies of such cases in the literature. Abnormal mitosis (stathmocinesis, "caryomerie", caryorrhexis and mitonecrosis) are constant and essentially seen in the bone marrow and digestive mucosae, especially in oesophagus which squamous epithelium is more resistant to autolysis than others digestive mucosae. Biological or histological symptoms or lesions of intravascular diffuse coagulation are present 7 cases but both biological and histological manifestations in only one case. Hematological disorders are constant when more than 0.5 mg/kg (of corporeal weight) of colchicine has been ingested. Granulocytic elements are most affected both by hypoplasia (essentially in the first four days) and maturation troubles. A microvacuolar non systematized and diffuse liver fatty change is found in 10 cases, probably related to alteration of lipoproteins synthesis and secretion by hepatocytes. Interstitial myocardial oedema is a constant feature; in addition true interstitial myocarditis (with infiltration by polymorphs) is seen in two cases. These cardiac lesions may be related to the cardiogenic shock which is often observed in these patients.

[Caustic burns of the oesophagus in the adult. Histopathological study of 12 cases (author's transl)]. / Brûlures caustiques oesogastriques de l'adulte. Etude anatomo-pathologique de 12 observations.

A histopathological study of 12 cases of major caustic burns of the oesophagus serves as a basis for a description of the lesions and to demonstrate the inexorable progression to fibrosis. The lesions are most frequantly diffuse, regardless of the substance responsible. Four morphological stages may be distinguished, superimposed on the clinical picture.

[Large esophagogastric caustic burns in the adult]. / Les grandes brûlures caustiques oeso-gastriques de l'adulte

The authors treated, as an emergency, severe caustic burns in adults. They present 13 cases and discuss four deaths. Critical analysis of these observations,compared with the findings of pathology and in the literature, permit one to consider the therapeutic indications. The place of often major surgical operations is discussed in relation to further specialist investigations or the appearance of complications. The results are assessed in 8 patients who were followed up for a long period.

Activated sludge pilot plant: comparison between experimental and predicted concentration profiles using three different modelling approaches.

This paper presents an experimental and numerical study of an activated sludge channel pilot plant. Concentration profiles of oxygen, COD, NO(3) and NH(4) have been measured for several operating conditions. These profiles have been compared to the simulated ones with three different modelling approaches, namely a systemic approach, CFD and compartmental modelling. For these three approaches, the kinetics model was the ASM-1 model (Henze et al., 2001). The three approaches allowed a reasonable simulation of all the concentration profiles except for ammonium for which the simulations results were far from the experimental ones. The analysis of the results showed that the role of the kinetics model is of primary importance for the prediction of activated sludge reactors performance. The fact that existing kinetics parameters in the literature have been determined by parametric optimisation using a systemic model limits the reliability of the prediction of local concentrations and of the local design of activated sludge reactors.

[The necropsy, contribution to the knowledge of the undesirable effects of medications and toxic agents]. / La necropsie, contribution à la connaissance des effets indésirables des médicaments et des toxiques.

All the examples quoted demonstrate that in the field of toxicology, pathologic anatomy still offers the means of establishing the first links between macroscopic and microscopic lestions and physiology. The current trend in this disciplin is to look beyond the clinical symptom or morphologic disturbance and seek the causal biochemical interactions. Through the methods of systematic autopsy and electron microscopy of biopsy specimens, pathologic anatomy continues to provide the alarm signal for the pharmacologic warning system our modern environment demands.

Immunofluorescence study of the distribution of A, B and H cell surface antigens in bladder tumors.

The distribution of A, B and H cell surface antigens was studied in 30 patients with bladder tumors using indirect immunofluorescence. These antigens, normally present at the surface of the healthy urothelium, disappear in various degrees in a large number of bladder tumors. Nevertheless, no close correlation exists between this loss of antigens, and the grade and stage of the vesical tumor, although when A, B and H antigens persist the prognosis generally seems better.

[Immunofluorescence study of the distribution of ABH cell surface antigens in bladder tumours (author's transl)]. / Etude de la distribution des antigènes de surface ABH dans les tumeurs de vessie par immunofluorescence indirecte.

ABH antigens are normally present at the surface of the healthy urothelium. In many cases of bladder tumours, the urothelium loses its antigens. While this loss would not seem to be associated with the grade or stage of the tumour, the persistence of the ABH antigens would seem to provide a more favourable prognosis.

[Chronic atrophic polychondritis and renal and cardiopulmonary amylosis: a case report and literature review (author's transl)]. / Polychondrite atrophiante chronique avec amylose rénale et cardio-pulmonaire. Une observation et revue de la littérature.

Glomerular lesions with a nephrotic syndrome and impaired renal function developed secondary to a chronic atrophic polychondritis confirmed by auricular biopsy. In the absence of renal histology data, the possibility of an iatrogenic complication or a renal lesion specific to the affection itself were successively eliminated. Pos-mortem histological examination demonstrated renal and cardiopulmonary amylosis, the latter being clinically asymptomatic. The probable autoimmune origin of the chronic atrophic polychondritis has to be discussed in parallel with the dysimmunity mechanism responsible for the amyloid lesions, but no relationship between them was demonstrated.

[Ultrastructural study of the arrector muscle in the patient with scleroderma. Preliminary analysis apropos of 3 cases]. / Etude ultrastructurale du muscle arrecteur chez le sclérodermique. Analyse préliminaire à propos de trois cas

An electron microscope study of the arrector pili muscle, using biopsies obtained from clinically and histologically healthy skin in 3 cases of scleroderma, showed the primary origin of the muscle disorders. They showed a certain number of changes, both of the differentiated cytoplasm and of the common cytoplasm.

[Cytoenzymological, immunological and scanning electron microscopic studies on 49 cases (author's transl)]. / Contribution à l'étude des liquides de lavage alvéolaire. Intérêt d'une étude couplée en cytoenzymologie, immunofluorescence et microscopie électronique par balayage.

Light cytology, enzymology, immunofluorescence and scanning electron microscopy have been performed on 49 bronchoalveolar fluids recovered by bronchoscopic lavage. The patients had the following lung diseases: infectious pneumonitis (19 cases), pulmonary fibrosis (13 cases) including 5 sarcoïdosis, 3 idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and 5 silicosis, hypersensitivity pneumonitis (5 cases) and miscellaneous lung tumors (12 cases). Cytologic studies in comparison with clinical aspects show 4 groups: Group I (chronic bronchopneumopathy and inactive fibrosis) presents numerous cells but few lymphocytes (less than 5%); in Group II (evolutive fibrosis) have an increase percentage of lymphocytes (20%); in Group III (hypersensitivity pneumonitis) is observed a very high percentage of lymphocytes (45%); and in Group IV (cancerous lung diseases) values are not far from normal percentage except for lymphomas. Small macrophages (diameter: 10 microns) with a central monocytoïde nucleus and few cytoplasma, are abundant in groups II and III where lymphocytosis is higher. Scanning electron microscopy shows irregular and rough surface, and numerous spontaneous adherences with erythrocytes, lymphocytes, or bacterias. Enzymatic activity (acid hydrolase, esterase, oxydase) increases in these cells. Lymphocytes have a smooth surface ovocative of T origin which is confirmed by granular acid phosphatase positivity and rosette forming test. Immunofluorescence shows positive granules with IgG, C1Q and C3 in macrophages only for Groups II and III while free immunoglobulins were present in the recovered lavage fluid.