INTRODUCTIONAbdominal cocoon syndrome is characterized by small bowel encapsulation by a fibro-collagenous membrane or “cocoon”. It is a rare cause of intestinal obstruction.PRESENTATION OF CASEA 42-year old man presented with sub-acute intestinal obstruction. Intra-operatively, the entire small bowel was found to be encapsulated in a dense fibrous sac. The peritoneal sac was excised, followed by lysis of the inter-loop adhesions. Postoperative recovery was unremarkable.DISCUSSIONMost patients with abdominal cocoon syndrome present with features of recurrent acute or chronic small bowel obstruction secondary to kinking and/or compression of the intestines within the constricting cocoon. An abdominal mass may also be present due to an encapsulated cluster of dilated small bowel loops.CONCLUSIONAbdominal cocoon is a rare condition causing intestinal obstruction and diagnosis requires a high index of suspicion because of the nonspecific clinical picture. CECT of the abdomen is a useful radiological tool to aid in preoperative diagnosis. Peritoneal sac excision and adhesiolysis is the treatment and the outcome is usually satisfactory.

Our findings demonstrate the safety of US-guided pleural biopsies in patients with pleural infection and a substantial increase in microbiological diagnosis, suggesting potential niche of infection in this disease. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction primer assessment of pleural fluid and biopsy appears to have excellent sensitivity and specificity.

The radioprotective property of 50 mg/kg body weight jamun (Syzygium cumini) extract was studied in the cultured splenocytes of mice exposed to 0, 0.5, 1, 2, 3, or 4 Gy of γ-radiation. The spleens of irradiated mice were removed aseptically and the splenocytes were extracted from the individual spleens and cultured. The micronuclei were prepared 72 hours after irradiation in binucleate splenocytes by blocking cytokinesis with cytochalasin-B. Irradiation of mice resulted in a dose-dependent elevation in the micronucleated splenocytes. The exposure of mice not only elevated splenocytes bearing one micronucleus but also cells bearing 2 and multiple (>2) micronuclei indicating induction of complex DNA damage after irradiation. Oral treatment of mice with 50 mg/kg body weight of jamun leaf extract protected against the radiation-induced micronuclei formation. Jamun extract also protected against the formation of 2 and multiple micronuclei indicating repair or inhibition of complex DNA damage. The assessment of lipid peroxidation in mice brain homogenate has indicated a concentration dependent inhibition of lipid peroxidation by jamun extract. Studies in a cell free system revealed that jamun extract inhibited the formation of OH, O 2 −, DPPH, and ABTS + free radicals in a concentration dependent manner. Our study demonstrates that jamun extract protected mice against the radiation-induced DNA damage and inhibition of radiation-induced free radical formation may be one of the mechanisms of radioprotection.

Ellis Van Creveld syndrome (EVC) is a rare genetic disorder having autosomal recessive inheritance affecting the Amish population of Pennsylvania in USA with incidence of 1:244,000 for the general population. This syndrome consists of characteristic features such as bilateral postaxial polydactyly, chondroectodermal dysplasia, congenital heart defects and hypoplastic nails and teeth. There are few case reports of this syndrome reported in dental literature. We report a case of a 17 year old female presenting typical features of this syndrome and the oral findings of this patient which are the key diagnostic features.

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SUMMARYColonic volvulus is a relatively uncommon cause of large bowel obstruction, accounting for 10% of colonic obstructions. Volvulus of the transverse colon is quite rare, accounting for only 4-11% of all reported cases. We report an unusual case of documented volvulus of the transverse colon in a pregnant woman with intestinal malrotation and concomitant acute intestinal obstruction by congenital bands and adhesions. BACKGROUND

The inhibiting effect of N-furfuryl-N'-phenyl thiourea (FPTU) on the corrosion of mild steel in aqueous solutions of 0.05 and 0.1MHCl, as well as 0.025 and 0.05 M H2SO4 has been demonstrated using the potentiodynamic polarization technique. The polarization data showed that FPTU acts as an efficient anodic inhibitor for mild steel in both acid solutions. Avery high inhibition efficiency was evidenced in both acid solutions and it was found to vary with the concentration of the inhibitor and temperature. The obtained kinetic parameters of adsorption revealed spontaneous adsorption and a strong interaction of FPTU with the mild steel surface. .

Um método complexométrico simples e seletivo é proposto para a determinação de tálio na presença de outros metais, pela habilidade do etanetiol em mascarar seletivamente íons tálio (III). Em solução, o tálio presente foi inicialmente complexado com um excesso conhecido de EDTA, sendo o excesso titulado com uma solução padrão de sulfato de zinco em pH 5-6 (hexamina), usando-se xilenol como indicador. Uma solução aquosa de etanetiol 0,3 % foi então adicionada para deslocar o EDTA do complexo Tl(III)-EDTA. O EDTA livre foi titulado com solução padrão de sulfato de zinco, como anteriormente. Resultados reprodutíveis e precisos foram obtidos na faixa de 3,70 mg a 74,07 mg de Tl(III), com erro relativo menor do que ± 0,44 % e um coeficiente de variação menor do que 0,27 %. A interferência de vários íons foi estudada e o método foi usado para análise de tálio em misturas de ligas sintéticas e também em complexos.A simple and selective complexometric method for the determination of thallium in presence of other metal ions is proposed based on the selective masking ability of ethanethiol towards thallium(III). Thallium present in a given sample solution is first complexed with a known excess of EDTA and the surplus EDTA is titrated with standard zinc sulphate solution at pH 5-6(hexamine) using xylenol orange as the indicator. A 0.3% aqueous solution of ethanethiol is then added to displace EDTA from the Tl(III)-EDTA complex. The released EDTA is titrated with standard zinc sulphate solution as before. Reproducible and accurate results are obtained for 3.70 mg to 74.07 mg of Tl (III) with relative error less than ± 0.44% and coefficient of variation not more than 0.27%. The interference of various ions was studied and the method was used for the analysis of thallium in its synthetic alloy mixtures and also in complexes.