Usefulness of a second endoscopic arm to improve therapeutic endoscopy in the lower gastrointestinal tract. Preliminary experience - a case series.

Endoscopic submucosal dissection is a difficult procedure with frequent complications. Our aim was to test the feasibility of utilizing a second endoscopic arm to improve the dissection. An Olympus prototype blind probe, with an external diameter of 6 mm and a 2.8-mm working channel, was used as a second endoscopic arm. Its purpose was to lift the lesion during dissection. The main endoscope served both to perform the dissection and to visualize the second endoscopic arm in the monitor. Eight patients with polypoid lesions in the rectum or distal sigmoid were treated successfully. The procedure was feasible, and submucosal exposure was ameliorated allowing easier dissection. The resection was curative in all cases. No recurrences have been detected during up to 18-months of follow-up. A small perforation and two cases of delayed bleeding were managed nonsurgically. Applying counter-traction with a second endoscopic arm can facilitate submucosal dissection of distal colorectal lesions.

WO3 nanorolls self-assembled as thin films by hydrothermal synthesis.

We report a novel type of WO3 nanostructure, i.e. nanorolls obtained as a self-assembled thin film on a transparent conductive substrate. The mild conditions of preparation, avoiding the use of HCl, result in an eco-friendly hydrothermal method with reduced crystallization time. FESEM and HR-TEM show that WO3 nanocrystals are made of rolled nanoflakes with a telescope-like appearance at their tip. For their nano-porosity, electrochemical accessibility, good adhesion to substrates and the envisaged presence of nanocavities between the WO3 layers, these materials hold tremendous promise in nano-electronics, electrochromic devices, water photo-splitting cells, Li-ion batteries and nano-templated filters for UV radiation.