Two cases of Klebsiella pneumoniae liver abscess necessitating liver resection for effective treatment

We report two British cases of liver abscess, due to Klebsiella pneumoniae and associated with synchronous infection elsewhere, which required liver resection for definitive treatment. They illustrate the geographic spread of aggressive K pneumoniae liver infection and demonstrate the importance of early aggressive treatment.     

Haemophilic Pseudotumour: Surgical Management of a Rare Case

Haemophilia is a common cause of genetically inherited bleeding disorders. Pseudotumours occur in 1–2 % of persons with severe forms of haemophilia. These are a result of repeated haemorrhage into soft tissues, subperiosteum or a site of bone fracture with inadequate resorption of the extravasated blood. There are a number of therapeutic alternatives for this dangerous condition: surgical removal, percutaneous management, irradiation, embolization etc. In this case report, we describe the natural history, clinical course and successful surgical management of a patient with haemophilia who presented with a massive pseudotumour. We also briefly review the relevant literature on the various therapeutic modalities that have been implemented in the management of this rare complication. Though surgeons may be averse to operate on haemophiliacs, primary surgical management as done in our case may prove to be the definitive treatment option for such patients.     

Sensitivity of the environmental costs of air pollution caused by SOx,NOx, and PM from power plants applied to the power mix configuration in South Korea

In the 6th Basic Plan for Long-Term Electricity Supply and Demand (6th BPE) for Korea, for the first time, the environmental costs of air pollution caused by oxides of sulfur (SOx), oxides of nitrogen (NOx), and particulate matters (PM) from power plants were estimated and included. However, several deficiencies in evaluating the environmental costs were found. In this study, (1) the validity of the environmental costs used in the 6th BPE was assessed, (2) a systematic approach was suggested and used to improve the environmental costs estimation, and (3) the sensitivity of the cost of generating electricity to the environmental costs by fuel type with the proposed approach was discussed. We found that the applied environmental costs used in the 6th BPE did not fully include the demographic characteristics of Korea. By applying more realistic parameter values, it was found that the newly estimated environmental cost was about 23 times higher than the cost estimated in the original 6th BPE for coal-fired power plants and about 1.5 times higher for liquefied natural gas (LNG)-fired power plants, suggesting that LNG-fired power plants are more economical if using more realistic environmental costs. Thus, it is critical to check the validity of parameter values when calculating environmental costs.