Surgical treatment of the adenocarcinoma of the cardia

Adenocarcinomas of the esophagogastric junction?should be classified into adenocarcinoma of the distal esophagus (Type I), true carcinoma of the cardia (Type II), and subcardial carcinoma (Type III) in a pathogenic and therapeutic point of view. During a 15-year period (1995 - 2009), 117 surgical laparotomies for adenocarcinoma of the cardia were performed in elective surgery in the First Clinic of General Surgery UHC "Mother Theresa" in Tirana. The classification was performed by summarizing the information obtained from oral contrast radiography, endoscopy, and intra-operative findings. There were 54 (46%) patients of Type I, 40 (34%) of Type II and 23 (20%) of Type III . Surgical procedures included "subtotal esophagectomy and proximal gastrectomy", "distal esophagectomy and proximal gastrectomy", "total gastrectomy and distal esophagectomy".?All anastomoses performed in the above mentioned procedures were hand sewn. Thirty-seven patients (32%) resulted inoperable at the time of laparotomy and 80 (68%) patients were treated with curative intent, those resulting in an operability index of 68%. The overall morbidity and mortality rates of 29% and 4,3% respectively.     

Age estimation of teenagers from Monterrey (Mexico) by the evaluation of dental mineralization after multi-slice helical computed tomography

Current social conditions require more accurate methods to determine the age of people, either living or deceased. The aim of this study was to determine chronological age by measuring the mineralization of third molars. Volunteers (n = 137), aged between 14 and 22 years and of either gender, were recruited from north-eastern Mexico. Sampling was probabilistic and at random. The mineralization stage of third molars was evaluated with the use of multi-slice helical computed tomography and the Mincer-modified Demirjian amended scale. The correlation coefficient, mean difference and linear estimation were determined. There was a linear correlation between age and the mineralization of third molars. Third molars of adults had a degree of mineralization above Demirjian stage F, whereas the third molars of minors had stages between A and F. Hence, a method was obtained to determine the chronological age from the evaluation of dental mineralization of third molars by multi-slice helical tomography. These results are useful as a diagnostic support in forensic dentistry.     

Bacterial adhesion capacity on food service contact surfaces

The aim of this study was to analyse the adhesion of E. coli, P. aeruginosa and S. aureus on food contact materials, such as polyethylene terephthalate, silicone, aluminium, Teflon and glass. Surface roughness, streaming potential and contact angle were measured. Bacterial properties by contact angle and specific charge density were characterised. The bacterial adhesion analysis using staining method and scanning electron microscopy showed the lowest adhesion on smooth aluminium and hydrophobic Teflon for most of the bacteria. However, our study indicates that hydrophobic bacteria with high specific charge density attach to those surfaces more intensively. In food services, safety could be increased by selecting material with low adhesion to prevent cross contamination.     

Crystallization, spectral, crystallographical, and thermoanalytical studies of succinobucol polymorphism

Four different polymorphs, A, C, D, and E, of succinobucol were isolated and characterized by means of solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, single crystal and powder X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetry, and attenuated total reflection-infrared spectroscopy. From a number of experiments, the same polymorphs (C, D, and E) and an equilibrium phase mixture B consisting of polymorphs C and D were repeatedly gained using different solvents or their mixtures. Although polymorph A was obtained directly from recrystallization only on few occasions, polymorphs C, D, and E proved to be metastable kinetic polymorphs, which slowly transform to a thermodynamically more stable form A during long-term storage. The single-crystal structures of polymorph C and D were determined by X-ray single-crystal diffraction.