LOSS OF TLD SIGNAL DUE TO HIGH TEMPERATURE ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS.

While it is known that temperatures above 100°C have an effect on the reported dose of a TLD, it is less widely known what the susceptibility is to temperatures below 100°C, temperatures humans could reasonably expect to be exposed to. With the expanding nuclear industry in climates with more extreme temperatures, (e.g. United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia) the effect on a TLD if left on a dashboard of a car need to be evaluated. This research experimentally determined the extent of this thermal susceptibility by testing a range of high temperatures, 40°C - 90°C. The experimental results found that there is a statistically significant reduction in TLD-100H (natLiF:Mg,Cu,P) light output for TLDs there were exposed to temperatures as low as 40°C for 8 hour durations and 50°C for 2 hour durations. There is statistical difference in TLD-100H light output for elevated temperature durations of 8 hours compared to 24 hours.

Diffuse pulmonary infiltrates in an old man with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

An 82-year-old man known case of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) presented with fever and weakness. He had never received any treatment for his CLL in the past. On admission he was found to be in mild respiratory distress with bilateral crackles and had markedly elevated white blood count (WBC) (137 K/uL with 93% lymphocytes). His respiratory status deteriorated necessitating non-invasive ventilatory support. Chest computed tomography (CT) scan revealed bilateral diffuse ground glass opacities, so broad spectrum antibiotic therapy was initiated. Despite that, he remained febrile and cultures were all negative. Chest x-rays showed progressive worsening of diffuse alveolar opacities. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) was negative for infectious etiologies, however flow cytometry of the fluid was consistent with CLL. Chemotherapy with chlorambucil was started. Although most of the pulmonary infiltrates in CLL patients are due to infectious causes, leukemic cells infiltration should be considered as well in CLL patients with respiratory symptoms who do not respond appropriately to standard antimicrobial regimen.

Lung injury following thoracoscopic talc insufflation: experience of a single North American center.

BACKGROUND: Thoracoscopic talc insufflation (TTI) has been used to obliterate the pleural space and prevent recurrent pleural effusions or pneumothorax. Reports of acute pneumonitis and ARDS after the use of talc raised concern about its safety. Differences in particle size of various talc preparations may explain the variable occurrence of pneumonitis. We sought to determine the incidence of lung injury after TTI over a 13-year period at our institution. METHODS: Patients who underwent TTI between January 1994 and July 2007 were identified from a prospectively maintained logbook. The talc used was commercially available sterile talc (Sclerosol). The hospital course was reviewed in detail, and all cases of respiratory insufficiency were examined with regard to onset, suspected cause, and outcome. Talc-related lung injury was defined as the presence of new infiltrates on chest radiograph and increased oxygen requirements, with no other identifiable trigger than talc exposure. RESULTS: A total of 138 patients underwent 142 TTIs for recurrent pleural effusions or spontaneous pneumothorax. TTI was performed most frequently for malignant pleural effusions (75.5% of effusions). The median dose of talc was 6 g (range, 2-8 g). Dyspnea with increased oxygen requirements developed within 72 h postprocedure for 12 patients. Four patients (2.8%) had talc-related lung injury, and talc exposure may have contributed to the respiratory deterioration in four additional patients. CONCLUSIONS: We report the occurrence of lung injury after TTI using the only talc approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. These results reinforce previous concerns regarding the talc used for pleurodesis in North America.

The Long-term Prognosis of Patients With the Diagnosis of Nonmalignant Pleural Effusions After Pleuroscopy.

PURPOSE: Several studies have demonstrated the diagnostic yield of medical thoracoscopy (pleuroscopy) in making the diagnosis of malignant pleural effusion (MPE). No previous studies, however, have reported long-term outcomes for patients undergoing diagnostic pleuroscopy in whom no malignancy was demonstrated either with cytologic examination of pleural fluid or pathologic examination of thoracoscope-guided pleural biopsies. We report the results of long-term follow-up (at least 3 y) of patients with the diagnosis of nonmalignant pleural effusions (NMPEs) after pleuroscopy. METHODS: One hundred and nineteen patients underwent the procedure between 1994 and 2003 at Lahey Clinic. We report a retrospective review of 25 of those patients diagnosed with NMPE after diagnostic pleuroscopy. All 25 patients underwent thoracoscopic pleural biopsy and cytologic examination of the effusion. Outcomes were assessed using review of the medical records, appointment scheduler, social security death index, and/or telephone conversation with primary care providers. RESULTS: Mean age±SD was 68 years (range, 34 to 87 y). Median survival time was estimated at 114 months. Concomitant illness was also evaluated: 40% (n=10) diabetes, 64% (n=16) coronary artery disease, 40% (n=10) congestive heart failure, 20% (n=5) liver disease, 20% (n=5) renal disease, and 36% (n=9) pulmonary disease. Final diagnoses after pleuroscopy most commonly included chronic pleuritis (n=7) and pleural plaques (n=5). Survival was found at 1 year to be 88% (22/25), 3 years 80% (20/25), and 5 years 74.7% (19/25). None of the 25 patients developed subsequent MPE. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with NMPE after pleuroscopy have a favorable prognosis and are unlikely to be subsequently diagnosed with an MPE.