Management of Airway Obstruction due to Diffuse Idiopathic Skeletal Hyperostosis in the Cervical Spine: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH) is a relatively common progressive noninflammatory entheses disease. Patients are often asymptomatic or are undiagnosed due to minor chronic symptoms. We herein report a rare case in which the primary symptom was sudden-onset upper airway obstruction due to exuberant osteophytosis in the cervical spine. Treatment was successful with careful airway management and surgical osteophyectomy. Most DISH cases in the literature with airway obstruction have been managed with tracheotomy. However, the safety and necessity of this approach remain questionable. We herein discuss the possibility of conservative management as a choice of airway control. Airway obstruction due to DISH may be underrecognized. This highlights the importance of including DISH in the differential diagnosis of airway obstruction. In addition, a detailed evaluation and personalized care for each individual case is essential.

A Rare Case of Pancreatic Endometrial Cyst and Review of the Literature.

Pancreatic cysts include a variety of benign, premalignant, and malignant lesions. Endometrial cysts in the pancreas are extremely rare lesions that are difficult to diagnose before surgery. We report the case of a 26-year-old patient with a recent episode of left abdominal pain who presented with a large cyst in the pancreatic body. Laboratory results showed white blood cell and C-reactive protein elevation, whereas the patient's tumor marker levels were within the normal range. Distal pancreatectomy with splenectomy was performed. The final histopathological examination confirmed the presence of endometriotic cysts within the pancreas. Only 13 cases of endometriotic cysts of the pancreas have been previously reported. The preoperative diagnosis is challenging, and most patients undergo pancreatic resection because of suspected neoplasms. This case report reviews previous studies and discusses the clinicopathological features, pathogenesis, and appropriate treatment for pancreatic endometrial cysts.

Photoelectrode characteristics of partially hydrolyzed aluminum phthalocyanine chloride/fullerene C60 composite nanoparticles working in a water phase.

Photoelectrochemical measurements were used to study the photoelectrode characteristics of composite nanoparticles composed of fullerene C60 and partially hydrolyzed aluminum phthalocyanine chloride (AlPc). In cyclic voltammetry measurements, the electrodes coated with the composite nanoparticles were found to have photoanodic [electron donor: 2-mercaptoethanol (ME)] and photocathodic (electron acceptor: O2) characteristics similar to those of the vapor-deposited p/n junction electrode. Their photoanodic features were further investigated with respect to the transient photocurrent response to light irradiation and the dependence on ME concentration (under potentiostatic conditions), from which it was noted that there was a decrease in the initial spiky photocathodic current and saturation of the steady-state photoanodic current at a higher ME concentration. Thus, the reaction kinetics was probably dominated by charge transport process. Moreover, external and internal quantum efficiency spectrum measurements indicated that the composite nanoparticles responded to the full spectrum of visible light ( < 880 nm) for both the photoanodic and photocathodic current. The present research will assist comprehension of photocatalytic behavior of the composite nanoparticles.

Enhanced catalytic activity of gold nanoparticles doped in a mesoporous organic gel based on polymeric phloroglucinol carboxylic acid-formaldehyde.

Gold nanoparticles were supported by a phloroglucinolcarboxylic acid-formaldehyde (PF) gel, a new organic gel with a 30 nm spheroid-like structure. The surface area of the PF gel with gold nanoparticles was 550 m(2)/g. Gold nanoparticles supported on a PF gel exhibited catalytic activity in the reduction of 4-nitrophenol with a reaction rate constant of 7.4 x 10(-3) s(-1), which is high in the reported heterogeneous reaction system. The adsorption behavior of 4-nitrophenol into the gel support was observed by ultraviolet-visible absorption spectroscopy. Gold nanoparticles in the PF network were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy observation. The high reduction rate would be attributed to the extraction and diffusion of the reactant through the pores of a PF gel support to encounter the highly dispersed gold nanoparticles on the surface and inside the material.