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Colubrids represent a diverse group of snakes historically regarded as harmless. With over 300 genera, the Colubridae family is the largest, encompassing approximately two-thirds of extant snake species. We describe a case of an 18-year-old male who suffered a colubrid snakebite from Erythrolamprus bizona , commonly known as the double-stranded coral snake mimic or false coral snake, which he misidentified as Lampropeltis sp., a fangless colubrid snake. Patient experienced localized erythema and edema, which later spread to the entire left hand along with moderate pain. Laboratory tests revealed leukocytosis and elevated creatine kinase. Symptoms resolved one week later. This case highlights the public health significance of ophidian accidents due to apparently "non-venomous snakes" or low-risk snakes such as the opisthoglyphous colubrid E. bizona. It also underscores the need to correctly identify and differentiate these snakes from other harmless colubrids, particularly double-stranded coral snake mimics in areas of geographic overlap and avoid their manipulation if uncertain of their taxonomic status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the banner of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG 7), governments, industry, and civil society organisations have supported many energy access projects since 2015. Notably, funding and investments allotted to renewable energy are regarded not only to provide 'energy for all' but also support the delivery of other SDGs related to climate change, food security, health, and poverty reduction, among others. With less than 10 years left to meet the SDG 7 targets, it is timely to take stock and examine how the provision of access to energy is driving development initiatives, impacting local communities, and influencing governance processes. This paper offers a critical review and analysis of the impact of access to energy projects based on empirical work from eight country case studies across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. It interrogates how these projects contribute towards achieving SDG 7 and other sustainable development goals, highlights challenges, and then draws lessons for research, policy, and development practice. To advance SDGs, it recommends action in four areas: addressing rural-urban disparities, ensuring that energy is linked to sustainable outcomes, balancing top-down and bottom-up agendas, and appraising implications of techno-economic factors. [Display omitted] • Energy access has been constrained by multiple factors outside of policy decisions. • Governance decisions have overlooked local actors who are key to project sustainability. • Improved efficiency is more vital to energy security and access than increased generation. • Alignment between policies, governance processes, and institutional commitments is crucial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Epoxidized fatty acids are used as chemical intermediates and biolubricants. • Oleic acid was successfully epoxidized with hydrogen peroxide. • Acetic acid was used as the reaction carrier. • A new kinetic and reactor model were presented for the epoxidation. • Microwave irradiation enhanced the epoxidation process. Abstract Epoxidation of oleic acid by peracetic acid (PAA) was studied in a recycled reactor system under conventional heating and microwave irradiation. This reaction system consists of several steps. Thus, a kinetic modelling strategy to diminish the number of parameters to be estimated was developed by investigating each reaction step: PAA synthesis and decomposition, epoxidation and ring-opening. The energy balance for microwave heating was correlated with the concentration of the microwave-absorbent species and the total input power of the microwaves. The epoxidation reaction was conducted in the vigorously stirred tank reactor under isothermal conditions within a temperature range of 50–70 °C. The organic phase content was 32–45% v/v. The interfacial mass transfer was supposed to be faster than the intrinsic reaction kinetics suppressing the use of mass transfer correlations. Nonlinear regression was used to estimate the kinetic parameters. Two models were developed for microwave and conventional heating respectively. The perhydrolysis showed to be the slowest reaction, followed by the epoxidation and the ring-opening. The use of microwave irradiation resulted in considerable process intensification for the epoxidation process. By employing microwave heating, the perhydrolysis step in the aqueous phase was enhanced, and the reaction time was reduced by 50% in best cases, which implies that the reactor size can be diminished by microwave technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cytotoxic chemotherapies, molecularly targeted therapies, immunotherapies, radiotherapy, stem cell transplants, and endocrine therapies may lead to hair disorders, including alopecia, hirsutism, hypertrichosis, and pigmentary and textural hair changes. The mechanisms underlying these changes are varied and remain incompletely understood, hampering the development of preventive or therapeutic guidelines. The psychosocial impact of chemotherapy-induced alopecia has been well documented primarily in the oncology literature; however, the effect of other alterations, such as radiation-induced alopecia, hirsutism, and changes in hair color or texture on quality of life have not been described. This article reviews clinically significant therapy-related hair disorders in oncology patients, including the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms, severity grading scales, patient-reported quality of life questionnaires, management strategies, and future translational research opportunities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With increasing survival rates across all cancers, survivors represent a growing population that is frequently affected by persistent or permanent hair growth disorders as a result of systemic therapies, radiotherapy, surgical procedures, and therapeutic transplants. These hair disorders include persistent chemotherapy-induced alopecia, persistent radiotherapy-induced alopecia, endocrine therapy-induced alopecia and hirsutism, postsurgery alopecia and localized hypertrichosis, and persistent stem cell transplantation and targeted therapy-induced alopecia. The information contained in this continuing medical education series should facilitate a better understanding on hair disorders in cancer survivors so that adequate support and therapies may be provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Dermatologic conditions cause morbidity and mortality among hospitalized cancer patients. An improved understanding is critical for implementing clinical and research programs in inpatient oncodermatology.Objective: To characterize inpatient dermatology consultations at a large comprehensive cancer center.Methods: Retrospective database query of new admissions and medical record review of initial inpatient dermatology consultations comparing inpatients consulted and not consulted during January-December 2015.Results: In total, 412 of 11,533 inpatients received 471 dermatology consultations (54% male, median age 59.5 years). Patients with hematologic cancers were 6 times more likely to receive dermatologic consultations compared with nonhematologic cancers (odds ratio 6.56, 95% confidence interval 5.35-8.05, P < .0001). Patients consulted by a dermatologist had a significantly longer length of stay than inpatients not consulted by dermatology (median 11 vs 5 days, P < .0001). Among the 645 dermatologic conditions diagnosed, the most common categories were inflammatory diseases, infections, and drug reactions; the most frequent conditions were contact dermatitis, herpes zoster, and chemotherapy-induced drug eruptions.Limitations: The study's retrospective nature and single-institution setting are potential limitations.Conclusion: Hematologic malignancies are a significant risk factor for dermatology inpatient consultations. A significantly longer length of stay was associated with dermatology consultations, suggesting high comorbidities in these patients. Increased dermatologic care of these inpatients might improve quality of life, dermatologic health, and ability to receive anticancer agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Arabinose was successfully oxidized to arabinonic acid in a slurry reactor. • Dispersed gold nanoparticles were used as catalyst. • Oxygen solubility in the reaction solution was measured. • Extensive kinetic study of the oxidation process was conducted, revealing the effect of oxygen pressure and pH. • A kinetic model was developed and used to describe the experimental data. Sugar acids obtained by oxidation of sugars are very valuable molecules which are used as chelating agents, binders as well as ingredients in pharmaceuticals. Arabinonic acid was prepared by oxidation of arabinose on gold nanoparticles deposited on an aluminium oxide carrier. A systematic reaction kinetic study was conducted to reveal the influence of oxygen partial pressure and pH on reaction rate and product selectivity. Experiments were carried out in a laboratory-scale semi-batch reactor which was operated at 70 °C and oxygen partial pressures 0.125–1.0 atm. The pH of the aqueous sugar solution was 6–8. Oxygen was continuously flowing through the semibatch slurry reactor and the pH was kept constant by adding NaOH during the experiments. The oxygen solubility in the reaction mixture was determined in separate experiments. A reaction mechanism was proposed for the formation of arabinonic acid (main product) and arabinolactone (intermediate by-product). The surface reaction of competitively adsorbed arabinose and oxygen was assumed to be rate determining for the arabinose consumption. For the formation of arabinonic acid from arabinolactone, the rate determining step was presumed to be the reaction between arabinolactone and sodium hydroxide. The reactor was described with the perfect backmixing model and the component mass balances were solved numerically during the estimation of kinetic parameters by nonlinear regression analysis. The kinetic model gives new insights in the reaction mechanism and described the experimental data very well. The model has potential for application in the oxidation of other monomeric sugars, too. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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