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Abstract: Industrial wastes from the semiconductor industry comprise solvent mixtures of organic oxygenated compounds. Steam reforming of three alcohols and three oxygenated molecules (aldehydes and ketones), normally used in the electronics industry, was carried out at 1073K by using a Ni/Al2O3 catalyst. Hydroxyl and carbonyl groups show highly different reactivities and coke formation from molecules containing a hydroxyl group is higher than for those with a carbonyl group. Thermodynamic considerations on the basis of the outlet compositions have allowed calculation of the mass action ratio (MAR) for the main equilibria involved: (i) methane steam reforming (MSR); (ii) water–gas shift reaction (WGSR); (iii) methane pyrolysis (PYR); and (iv) Boudouard reaction (BOUD). We suggest that MARMSR is lower than equilibrium value and excess of methane is always present in the reaction atmosphere. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The influence of the metal precursor on the catalytic behaviour of Rh/MgO catalysts in steam reforming of ethanol was investigated. Rhodium nitrate and acetylacetonate, having different chemical properties, have been used as hydrophilic and hydrophobic precursors, respectively. More highly dispersed catalysts were obtained using Rh-nitrate, while catalysts prepared with Rh-acetylacetonate show higher stability being generally less affected by coke formation. Catalytic tests performed at molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC) operative conditions clearly show a structure-sensitive reaction since the turnover frequency (TOF) significantly increases with the mean Rh particle size. Thermodynamic considerations on the basis of the outlet composition allowed to calculate the experimental equilibrium constant for (i) methane steam reforming (MSR), (ii) water–gas shift (WGS), (iii) methane pyrolysis and (iv) Boudouard reactions. By comparing with the equilibrium provided mass action ratios , we suggest that only WGS is fully equilibrated and that coke is formed mainly through methane pyrolysis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Introduction: Cardioneural ablation (CNA) and fluoroless ablation (FA) are emerging procedures and movements in contemporary in electrophysiology. Ablation of ganglionated plexus (GP) inputs in the atrium has been successfully targeted as a treatment for symptomatic bradyarrhythmias due to increased parasympathetic tone. As most of these patients are young, avoidance of ionizing radiation is of critical importance to limit potential long term deleterious effects. With widespread use of 3D electroanatomic mapping systems and advanced intracardiac echo (ICE) imaging, fluoroless ablation has become more widely adopted. However, fluoroless CNA has not been widely performed. The objective of this study is to demonstrate that CNA can be done safely and effectively without fluoroscopy., Methods: At a single-center, consecutive patients undergoing CNA with a fluoroless approach are described. GP mapping and ablation were performed in both atria. From the right atrium (RA), the right atrium-superior vena cava (RA-SVC GP), the posteromedial ganglionated plexus (PMLGP), which can be accessed from the right atrium-coronary sinus ostium, and the Vein of Marshall GP (VOM-GP) were evaluated. From the left atrium (LA), the superior left atrial ganglionated plexus (LSGP), the left inferior ganglionated plexus (LIGP), the right anterior ganglionated plexus (RAGP), and the right inferior ganglionated plexus (RIGP) were targeted., Results: Over the study period, beginning on January 31, 2021, 30 consecutive subjects (15 females/15 males) aged 42.9 ± 13.6 years underwent GP ablation. The average subject had 9.5 (± 9.2) episodes of syncope prior to ablation. The average CHADS 2 -VA 2 SC score was zero. The average LVEF was 64.8% (± 4.9). Two of the subjects had concomitant ablations, six failed prior medical therapy, and one had a prior pacemaker placed. All of the procedures were done without fluoroscopy. The average follow-up was 604 (± 366) days. There were 8 patients that did not improve symptomatically postfirst ablation. Four of the eight underwent repeat ablation and have subsequently improved. 26/30 patients symptomatically improved after the 1 st or 2 nd ablation. There were no complications noted., Conclusion: In comparison to the traditional CNA with fluoroscopy, this proof of concept study reveals fluoroless GP ablation can be performed safely. In addition, the durability and success rate are comparable to other studies of CNA. Given the young age of the cohort and the longitudinal risks of ionizing radiation, fluoroless CNA is a feasible procedure for this patient population., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Competing Interests: Funding Support and Author Disclosures The authors have reported that they have no relationships relevant to the contents of this paper to disclose.

Catheter-based ultrasonography is a widely used tool in cardiac electrophysiology practice, and intracardiac echocardiography is supplanting other forms of imaging to become the dominant imaging modality. Given advances in pericardial access, intrapericardial echocardiography can be performed using ultrasound catheters as well. Intrapericardial echocardiography and echocardiography from the coronary sinus, also an epicardial structure, allows interventionalists to obtain unique views from virtually any vantage point, compared with other forms of echocardiography. Both intrapericardial echocardiography and coronary sinus echocardiography are safe and important alternatives that can be used during complex procedures in the electrophysiology laboratory., Competing Interests: Disclosure None., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Context: Primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) has been associated with increased left ventricular mass (LVM) in many studies. Most studies have been inadequately powered to assess the effect of parathyroidectomy (PTX) on LVM., Objective: The objective was to evaluate whether PTX has a benefit on LVM in patients with PHPT., Data Sources: Sources included PubMed, Medline, Cochrane Library, clinicaltrials.gov, review articles, and abstracts from meetings., Study Selection: Eligible studies included prospective studies of PTX vs observation or PTX alone in patients with PHPT who had LVM measured by echocardiography., Data Extraction: Two investigators independently identified eligible studies and extracted data. Random-effects models were used to obtain final pooled estimates., Data Synthesis: Fifteen studies (four randomized controlled trials and 11 observational) of 457 participants undergoing PTX were included. PTX was associated with a reduction in LVM (crude Hedges gu -0.290 ± 0.070, 95% confidence interval [CI] -0.423 to -0.157) of 11.6 g/m(2) (12.5%) on average. Effect size estimates differed by study duration (P < .001), with improvements seen in shorter (≤ 6 mo) but not longer studies. There was a trend toward greater improvement in observational studies vs randomized controlled trials (P = .07), and both serum calcium and PTH were higher in the former. Using random-effects models, the estimated effect size remained significant (Hedges gu -0.250, 95% CI -0.450 to -0.050). Higher preoperative PTH but not calcium was associated with a greater decline in LVM (β = -.039, 95% CI -0.075 to -0.004)., Conclusion: PTX reduced LVM in PHPT, and higher preoperative PTH levels were associated with greater improvements. Because the benefit was limited to short-term studies and PHPT disease severity was not independent of study design, further work is needed to clarify the factors that influence the change in LVM and whether the benefit persists beyond 6 months after PTX. Although the clinical significance of the LVM improvement is unclear, these data indicate that PTH may underlie increased LVM in PHPT.

Objective: Primary vulvar sarcomas are rare lesions of the lower genital tract. We report the case of a patient with a spindle cell sarcoma of the vulva., Materials and Methods: A 44-year-old woman presented with a painless vulvar mass. Vulvar biopsy demonstrated a spindle cell sarcoma with myofibroblastic differentiation., Results: Pretreatment evaluation revealed no evidence of metastatic disease, and magnetic resonance imaging found no local masses. The patient underwent right radical vulvectomy with negative margins and tolerated the procedure well., Conclusions: Women undergoing gynecologic care should have routine evaluation of the vulva to detect these rare neoplasms.

In the solid state, a non-luminescent platinum(ii) dithiooxamide species adsorbs gaseous HCl, yielding a tight ion pair species which exhibits photoluminescence; the process is quantitatively reversed on heating or by exposing the sample to ammonia vapors.

Background: In selected patients with postinfarction angina and impending reinfarction, thrombolysis with recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator (rt-PA) or streptokinase is highly effective in avoiding a new myocardial infarction., Methods: To avoid major cardiac events, we treated 14 consecutive patients with thrombolytic therapy because of impending reinfarction with ECG ST-segment elevation. Thirteen patients received rt-PA (100 mg over 3 hours), and one patient received streptokinase (1.5 million IU over 1 hour). All patients had failed to respond to maximal medical therapy with intravenous nitrates, beta-blockers, Ca-antagonists, heparin, and opiates., Results: In all patients, clinical and ECG signs of acute ischemia resolved completely within 1 hour after beginning thrombolysis, and no patient developed biochemical markers of myocardial infarction. Ten patients underwent coronary angiography: five had three-vessel disease, two had two-vessel disease, and three had one-vessel disease. The culprit lesion was located in the left anterior descending artery in eight cases and the right coronary artery in two. No patient showed intracoronary thrombus. Four patients underwent successful, semiurgent percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty; three received an elective and two an urgent coronary artery bypass graft., Conclusions: Thrombolysis (or repeated thrombolysis) is effective in selected patients with clinical ECG signs of impending reinfarction. It can temporarily stabilize the condition of many patients, thus allowing safer mechanical revascularization to be performed.