Bilateral pulmonary artery aneurysms in a patient with Behcet syndrome: evaluation with radionuclide angiography and V/Q lung scanning

The case of a 14-year-old girl with Behcet syndrome is described. Besides painful and recurrent oral ulcerations, the patient had a cough and intermittent hemoptysis. The initial chest roentgenogram revealed bilateral parahilar opacities. CT and MRI scans of the thorax showed bilateral thrombosing aneurysms of the pulmonary arteries. Pulmonary blood flow imaging was performed after technegas ventilation lung scanning and Tc-99m MAA injection using a first-pass radionuclide angiography procedure. Altered blood flow in the left pulmonary artery was shown. Bilateral and well-defined ventilation/perfusion mismatched areas suggested a high probability of pulmonary embolism. Little additional information was obtained on subsequent contrast pulmonary angiography. The high incidence of pulmonary artery hypertension and associated vascular injury risk makes pulmonary angiography an unsafe procedure in patients with pulmonary Behcet syndrome. The need for pulmonary angiography could be obviated in such cases with the use of high-precision MRI and ventilation/perfusion lung scanning, including radionuclide pulmonary angiography.     

Review of The analysis of the transference in the here and now and Essential papers on transference analysis.

Reviews the books, The analysis of the transference in the here and now by Gregory Bauer (see record 1994-97149-000) and Essential papers on transference analysis, also by Gregory Bauer (see record 1994-97131-000). These are companion volumes which present an excellent, systematic understanding of Bauer's contemporary approach to Here and Now Transference Analysis in psychodynamic and psychoanalytic practice. The here-and-now method highlights the use of the affective immediacy of the relationship between the patient and therapist to "clarify, explore and modify interpersonal conflict rather than as a springboard for discussing the genetic determinants of conflict." Bauer focuses on reactions and behavior patterns that are transference based, as opposed to focusing on the transference neurosis seen as the systematic development and interpretation of fantasies and attitudes that are highly organized and displaced onto the therapist. The former is viewed as a less intense variation of the latter; both are felt to be a part of the same transference continuum. Bauer's volumes provide the clinician with an excellent overview and primer on Here and Now transference analysis, as well as its history, conceptual underpinnings and techniques for using it in the therapeutic relationship. The analytic and psychodynamic practitioner alike will find these books an invaluable addition to their professional libraries. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Bioethanol steam reforming over monoliths washcoated with RhPt/CeO2–SiO2: The use of residual biomass to stably produce syngas

Ethanol steam reforming of synthetic bioethanol (i.e., anhydrous ethanol plus water), as well as bioethanol obtained from glucose standards and sugarcane press-mud was evaluated on monoliths washcoated with RhPt/CeO₂–SiO₂. Tests with synthetic bioethanol indicated that the lower pressure drop favors higher ethanol conversion in the monoliths with respect to the powder samples. Also, two monoliths in series with 0.08 g_cat/cm³ improved H₂ yield compared to just one monolith with 0.16 g_cat/cm³. Similarly, a decrease in the amount of carrier gas contributes to diffusion limitations in the monoliths, reducing the H₂/CO ratio. Monoliths stability was also evaluated with “real” bioethanol samples (from glucose standards and sugarcane press-mud-SPM). In all cases, a syngas with >60% of H₂ was produced. For SPM-bioethanol, 3.1 ± 0.2 mol H₂/mol EtOH were obtained without evidence of deactivation for 120 h, at a cost of 6.9 $/kgH₂, becoming a promising way to develop a technology for sustainable energy production.     

Monoliths washcoated with AuCu catalysts for CO removal in an ethanol fuel processor: Effect of CeO2–SiO2 dual support on the catalytic performance and reactor cost

CO removal from a syngas was evaluated in a single catalytic unit using structured AuCu/CeO₂–SiO₂ catalysts. Initially, AuCu/CeO₂–SiO₂ powder catalysts with several SiO₂ loadings (0–100 mol%) were assessed. SiO₂ addition into AuCu/CeO₂ increased the surface area by up to 3.4 times and reduced its cost by up to 60%, but reduced CO conversion. On the other hand, the AuCu/CeO₂–SiO₂ catalyst washcoated on monolith outperformed the powder samples at temperatures above 260 °C. In particular, outlet CO concentrations adequate to feed high temperature fuel cells were obtained with monoliths washcoated with AuCu/CeO₂ (0.2% CO) and AuCu/CeO₂–SiO₂ with 75 mol% of SiO₂ (3.6% CO). Furthermore, the Au/CeO₂–SiO₂ monolith (14 $/g_cat) is 36% cheaper than the AuCu/CeO₂ monolith, paving the road to the development of compact and economic H₂ cleanup processes.     

Reflex sympathetic dystrophy syndrome secondary to organophosphate intoxication induced neuropathy

Reflex sympathetic dystrophy or Sudeck's atrophy is a syndrome that can usually be followed by a traumatic insult. This disorder is accompanied by signs and symptoms of vasomotor instability, trophic skin changes, and rapid development of bony demineralization. This report presents a case with reflex sympathetic dystrophy syndrome secondary to organophosphate intoxication induced neuropathy. The patient was threated with calcitonin well.     

Fuel-cell grade hydrogen production by coupling steam reforming of ethanol and carbon monoxide removal

Challenges of coupling steam reforming of ethanol (SRE) and carbon monoxide (CO) removal to continuous fuel-cell grade hydrogen (H₂) production were assessed. A SRE reactor, based on a previous optimized RhPt/CeO₂SiO₂ catalyst, was coupled to a CO removal reactor, based on AuCu/CeO₂ catalysts with different Au:Cu weight ratios. Fuel-cell grade H₂ was achieved with a Au_1.0Cu_1.0/CeO₂ catalyst at 210 °C on the CO removal reactor. AuCu/CeO₂ catalysts characterization suggests that Au favors CO conversion by the formation of possible Au⁰-CO_ad species, and Cu improves CO₂ yield by promoting oxygen vacancies on CeO₂. However, operando DRIFTS by 95 h showed that Au_1.0Cu_1.0/CeO₂ catalyst is susceptible to deactivation by the diminish on the CO_ad species and oxygen vacancies, and the formation of carbonate species. These results allowed us to propose a cyclic reduction treatment to prevent catalyst deactivation of Au_1.0Cu_1.0/CeO₂ (95 h of time-on-stream) while producing fuel-cell grade H₂.