Palladium-Catalyzed Chelation-Assisted Aldehyde C-H Bond Activation of Quinoline-8-carbaldehydes: Synthesis of Amides from Aldehydes with Anilines and Other Amines.

A palladium-catalyzed chelation-assisted direct aldehyde C-H bond amidation of quinoline-8-carbaldehydes with an amine was developed under mild reaction conditions. A wide range of amides were obtained in good to excellent yields from aldehyde with a variety of aniline derivatives and aliphatic amines. Our methodology was successfully applied to synthesize known DNA intercalating agents and can be easily scaled up to a gram scale.

Renal Transplantation Could Reverse Dialysis-Associated Porphyria.

Pseudoporphyria (PP) is a relatively infrequent, photodistributed bullous dermatosis that clinically, histopathologically, and immunologically resembles porphyria cutanea tarda (PCT), but is not accompanied by porphyrin abnormalities in the serum, urine, or stool. It was initially described in patients with renal failure on dialysis as 'bullous dermatosis of hemodialysis.' Pseudoporphyria has been seen in patients with end-stage renal disease on hemodialysis. No treatment has proved efficacious in the management of pseudoporphyria. However, N-acetylcysteine has been anecdotally reported to be effective in the management of hemodialysis-related pseudoporphyria and other porphyric diseases. Our patient had developed multiple skin lesions all over the body when hemodialysis started. The lesions were erythematous with fluid-filled vesicles, and bullae with cutaneous fragility that were evaluated and diagnosed as pseudoporphyria. The patient was treated with available all medication in the literature but was not relieved. However, all skin lesions completely healed within 22 days post renal transplantation. Renal transplantation proved to be the cure for dialysis-induced pseudoporphyria resistant to conventional drug therapy.

Bilateral Xanthogranuloma of the Choroid Plexus in an Infant.

Xanthogranuloma of the choroid plexus is a rare, usually incidentally detected and commonly bilateral intraventricular lesion found in the pediatric population. Its characteristic imaging features are described.

Classical Imaging in Callosal Agenesis.

Corpus callosal agenesis results in certain characteristic radiological appearances on magnetic resonance imaging. These classical named signs are revisited in this article.

Two Cases of Esophageal Injury Following Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion: One Overt and One Covert.

Esophageal perforation is a dreaded complication of anterior cervical spinal surgery. A 52-year-old diabetic man had undergone a surgery for a C6-C7 disc prolapse and developed spiking fever with chills and rigor on the 7th postoperative day. No cause could be found out but a CT scan of thorax done in the course of investigations revealed pneumomediastimum. The patient succumbed on the 10th day after surgery. Autopsy revealed the cause of death to be mediastinitis following iatrogenic esophageal perforation. A second patient, 53 years of age, following surgery for C5-C6 disc prolapse and developed intractable dysphagia. Later, fever and purulent discharge from the wound prompted an MRI showing prevertebral collection extending to the superior mediastinum. Presuming only wound infection, debridement and implant removal was done. However persistent serous discharge from the wound revealed an esophageal injury. Late diagnosis precluded primary repair. With conservative treatment, the fistula finally closed after 42 days. Postoperative dysphagia, a common complaint following surgery, may not always be present in cases of esophageal injury. A high index of suspicion is required for diagnosing and initiating treatment for esophageal perforation before complications set in.

Pin-site epidural hematoma: A catastrophic complication of cranial fixation in a child.

Cranial fixation with pins is a routine adjunct in neurosurgery and is usually considered safe. A rarely reported complication is skull fracture at the pin site and consequent epidural hematoma. Usually, these are picked up only postoperatively and rarely, intraoperatively if there is unexplained "brain bulge" in which case the operation should be terminated and urgent imaging has to be done. We describe such a complication that occurred while operating on a 12-year-old child with a posterior fossa tumor and review the available literature dealing with such events.