Neurosyphilis manifesting with unilateral visual loss and hyponatremia: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Syphilis is called the chameleon of the diseases due to its variety of its clinical presentations, potentially affecting every organ of the body. Incidence of this ancient disease is once again on the increase worldwide.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We here report an unusual case of neurosyphilis manifesting with unilateral visual loss and hyponatremia. The patient also had primary syphilitic lesions and was concomitantly diagnosed with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) and Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infection. Treatment with ceftriaxone and prednisolone, completely resolved the hyponatremia and visual acuity was partially restored.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Awareness of syphilis as a differential diagnosis is important as previously unreported presentations of neurosyphilis can arise, especially in HIV infected patients.</p

Roadmap on exsolution for energy applications

Over the last decade, exsolution has emerged as a powerful new method for decorating oxide supports with uniformly dispersed nanoparticles for energy and catalytic applications. Due to their exceptional anchorage, resilience to various degradation mechanisms, as well as numerous ways in which they can be produced, transformed and applied, exsolved nanoparticles have set new standards for nanoparticles in terms of activity, durability and functionality. In conjunction with multifunctional supports such as perovskite oxides, exsolution becomes a powerful platform for the design of advanced energy materials. In the following sections, we review the current status of the exsolution approach, seeking to facilitate transfer of ideas between different fields of application. We also explore future directions of research, particularly noting the multi-scale development required to take the concept forward, from fundamentals through operando studies to pilot scale demonstrations

Effect of oral lactulose on clinical and immunohistochemical parameters in patients with inflammatory bowel disease: a pilot study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The prebiotic potential of lactulose is well established and preclinical studies demonstrated a protective effect of lactulose in murine models of colitis. The aim of the present study was to investigate the clinical and histological efficacy of lactulose in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), for which probiotic therapy yielded promising results.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Patients were treated with standard medication alone or combined with 10 g lactulose daily as adjuvant therapy for 4 months. Clinical efficacy of treatment was assessed using clinical activity indices, a quality of life index (IBDQ), endoscopic scores, defecation frequency and monitoring corticosteroid medication. Orsomucoid, alpha1-antitrypsin and other laboratory parameters were determined. In addition, in some participants colonic biopsies were analyzed with haematoxylin-eosin staining or with antibodies against HLA-DR, CD68, IgA and CD3, and evaluated systematically. All measurements were performed both at enrolment and at the end of the trial.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>14 patients presenting ulcerative colitis (UC) and 17 patients presenting Crohn's disease (CD), most of them in a clinically active state, were enrolled in this pilot study. After 4 month no significant improvement of clinical activity index, endoscopic score or immunohistochemical parameters was observed in CD or UC patients receiving lactulose in comparison to the control group. However, significant improvement of quality of life was observed in UC patients receiving lactulose compared to the control group (p = 0.04).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The findings of the present pilot study indicate that oral lactulose has no beneficial effects in IBD patients in particular with regard to clinical activity, endoscopic score or immunohistochemical parameters. The importance of the beneficial effect of lactulose in UC patients regarding the quality of life needs further evaluation in larger controlled clinical trials.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN92101486</p

Intermediate temperature ionic conductivity of Sm1.92Ca0.08Ti2O7–δ pyrochlore

The results of concentration cell electromotiveforce methods (EMF) and electrochemical impedancespectroscopy measurements on the pyrochlore systemSm1.92Ca0.08Ti2O7–δ are presented. The data have beenused to estimate total and partial conductivities anddetermine transport numbers for protons and oxide ionsunder various conditions. The EMF techniques employedinclude corrections for electrode polarisation resistance.The measurements were performed using wet and dryatmospheres in a wide pO2 range using mixtures of H2, N2,O2, and H2O in the temperature region where protonconductivity was expected (500–300 \ub0C). The impedancemeasurements revealed the conductivity to be mainly ionicunder all conditions, with the highest total conductivitymeasured being 0.045 S/m under wet oxygen at 500 \ub0C.Both bulk and grain boundary conductivity was predominantlyionic, but electronic conductivity appeared to playa slightly larger part in the grain boundaries. EMF dataconfirmed the conductivity to be mainly ionic, with oxideions being the major conducting species at 500 \ub0C and protons becoming increasingly important below thistemperature