Anodizing for Design and Function

Two basic reactions occur during the anodizing of aluminum: 1) the aluminum is consumed and 2) an oxide grows. By accepting this statement as true, the anodizing process can be viewed as a corrosion process, and anodizing can be modeled using the Tafel Equation. Anodizing process parameters of electrolyte chemistry and concentration, temperature, aluminum substrate resistance and current density are presented as they relate to the Tafel Equation and how they impact the anodic aluminum oxide structure and properties. Understanding this relationship is consequent in making anodizing an engineering process, one that enables tuning the structure such that it yields distinct characteristics to fulfill design and application requirements. 

Anodizing is a complex multidisciplinary process, encompassing chemical and electrochemical effects with physical metallurgy and engineering issues/procedures. The physical metallurgy effects, in particular, are not only electrochemical in nature but involve thermodynamics, which vary with alloy chemistry and the manufacturing process of the substrate. As by its very nature, anodizing involves metallic dissolution to produce an oxide, the various effects can be brought together within the realm of corrosion science.
View Pdf and Full Text
View Journal of Material Science and Nanotechnology (JMSN)

The Effects of the Film Thickness and Roughness in the Anodization Process of Very Thin Aluminum Films

The anodization of aluminum foils having micrometer thickness is a common process and results in hexagonally self-ordered alumina membranes. However, anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membranes fabricated from nanometer-thin films present new challenges to the anodization process, since aluminum films adheres poorly on supporting substrates and the smoothness of the film is highly related to the kind of substrate. In the current work we studied the effect of the aluminum thickness and roughness, using films ranging from 100 to 800 nm in thickness and from 2 to 15 nm in root means square roughness (on a scan area of 100 μm2), on the final alumina morphology. We deposited Al thin films by sputtering method on transparent conductive glass substrates. A strong dependence between the Al film roughness and the final alumina pore organization was observed. It was also determined that by reducing the Al film thickness, smaller Al grains were generated, leading to a homogenous pore formation. It was found that, for thicknesses below 300 nm, the electrolyte used to perform anodization becomes a critical parameter due to the competitive effect of aluminum delamination with respect to the anodization reaction. Phosphoric acid showed less delamination problems than 
View Pdf and Full Text
View Journal of Material Science and Nanotechnology (JMSN)

Anodic Oxidation of Titanium in Sulphuric Acid and Phosphoric Acid Electrolytes

Anodisation of pure titanium has been carried out in sulphuric and in phosphoric acid solutions at potentials ranging from 50 to 150V. The SEM and AFM morphological analysis indicates that, within this potential range, oxidation in sulphuric acid solution produces better developed mesoporous oxide layers. XPS analysis of the Ti2p core level region and Raman spectroscopy measurements show that oxide layers grown in sulphuric acid are characterised by a better defined oxidation state of titanium and by a higher content in anatase crystalline phase. XPS measurements indicate that oxidation in phosphoric acid solution produces oxide layers with two components of stoichiometric oxide and with the presence of phosphate inclusions which can be interesting in view of biomedical applications.
View Pdf and Full Text
View Journal of Material Science and Nanotechnology (JMSN)

Fabrication of Ordered Arrays of Anodic Aluminum Oxide Pores with Interpore Distance Smaller than the Pitch of Nano-pits formed by Ion Beam Etching

We investigated a method for preparation of ordered nanopore arrays with the interpore distance of 60 nm by guided self-organization of anodic aluminum oxide with a prepatterned array of pits in the starting Al film. An ordered triangular array of 100 nm-pitch pits was formed on Al film by ion beam etching through an electron beam lithography fabricated mask, and then it was used as a guide for formation of anodic aluminum oxide pores. We found it was possible to reduce the interpore distance to 1/√3 of the pitch of the pits by the appropriate choice of the parameters of ion beam etching and anodization voltage.

Anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) has ordered honeycomb structure of pores obtained by self-organization; these pores are perpendicular to the surface and parallel to each other [1-3]. The interpore distance of AAO can be controlled from several tens of nanometers to hundreds of nanometers depending on the anodic voltage and the type of aqueous acid solution used as the electrolyte [4-9]. Moreover, the diameter and the depth of the pores are also controllable by growth conditions, such as anodic voltage and duration of anodization, respectively. The regularity of AAO pore arrangement is one of the important issues for applications such as ultra-high density patterned media using magnetic nanowire arrays [10-16], and the patterning of surfaces for sensors [17-19], optically active surfaces [20,21], and for substrates for controlled living cell cultures [22-24], and AAO nanopore arrays are considered as the suitable structure for preparation of nanowire and nanodot of various materials [25], such as magnetic and semiconductor materials. However, it is known that the ordered AAO pore arrays can be obtained by several appropriate growth conditions [26], and the inter-pore distances of ordered AAO pore arrays are limited. Moreover, preparation of fine pitch arrays is getting more difficult, especially below 100 nm.
View Pdf and Full Text
View Journal of Material Science and Nanotechnology (JMSN)

Preparation of Large Area Anodic Alumina Membranes and their Application to Thin Film Fuel Cell

The design of an electrochemical reactor for the preparation of self-supported comparatively thin (up to 10 μm) and large area (up to 50 cm2) anodic alumina membranes is described allowing growth of porous alumina at high applied potential (up to 150 V) without burning. Residual Al and barrier oxide beneath the porous film are dissolved through a vessel equipped with a gaskets system, which allows to expose to the dissolving solution an Al area lower than the anodised surface on the front leading to self-supported alumina membranes. According to scanning electron microscopy inspection and Hg-porosity measurements, the anodizing cell and conditions lead to the production of 25 and 50 cm2 Al2O3 porous layers with structural and morphological features very similar to those shown by commercial membranes (pore diameters 200 nm and pore densities 1012 pores/m2). The application of such large area membranes as support of inorganic proton conductors in thin film fuel cell proves their performance scalability.
View Pdf and Full Text
View Journal of Material Science and Nanotechnology (JMSN)

Fabrication of Vertical Cu2ZnSnS4 Nanowire Arrays by Two-Step Electroplating Method into Anodic Aluminum Oxide Template

Vertical Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) nanowire arrays have been synthesized via two-step electroplating method into anodized aluminum oxide template. For deposition of CZTS nanowires, anodized aluminum oxide (AAO) was used as the growth mask for the growth of the nanowires. AAO templates with hole sizes of 70 nm in diameter were used in the experiments. After electroplating of CuZu/CuSn, vertical CuZu/CuSn nanowires were obtained on Mo-coated Si substrates and the typical size of nanowire and AAO of the same size. And the elemental compositions of unannealed CuZu/CuSn nanowires about 2:1:1. Sulfurization was performed at 600 0Cfor 10 min in CS2+Ar atmosphere. X-ray diffraction patterns indicate that the annealed CZTS have a kesterite structure including secondary metal and metal sulfide phases. It is found that the conditions of sulfurization treatment affect the quality of CZTS absorber layer.
View Pdf and Full Text
View Journal of Material Science and Nanotechnology (JMSN)

Fabrication and Luminescence of Anodic Alumina with Incorporated Vanadyl Citrate Chelate Anions

Anodic aluminum oxide doped with vanadyl citrate chelate complex anions was formed by a two-step self-organized anodization in 2 wt. % sulfuric acid containing 0.04 M V2O5 and 0.08 M citric acid at voltage range 13-23 V, and at 0 and 15 oC. The combination of two temperatures and at least four voltages (depending on the applied temperature) was applied as the operating conditions of anodization. It was found that formed nanoporous alumina was doped with vanadium (up to 0.08 at. %). The analysis of the photoluminescence of the grown oxide exhibits separate bands for the incorporated vanadyl citrate chelate anions (emission maxima at λ = 270 nm) and F – centers (emission maxima at λ = 455 nm). Moreover, due to the complex electronic structure of the incorporated anions, relatively long fluorescence decays were achieved (up to 44.6 ns). Despite incorporation of relatively large anions, pore diameter and interpore distance were still linear functions of the voltage. Conducted research allowed to understand the fundamental aspects of the anions incorporation in the anodic alumina and allowed to form a new type of luminescent material.
View Pdf and Full Text
View Journal of Material Science and Nanotechnology (JMSN)

Synthesis of BaTiO3 Nanowires via Anodic Aluminum Oxide Template Method Assisted by Vacuum-and-Drop Loading

In this paper, we report on the synthesis of BaTiO3 nanowires via the anodic aluminum oxide template method. To fill in the precursors of BaTiO3into anodic aluminum oxide templates, the vacuum and drop loading method developed in our previous study was used. Ba(CH3COO)2 (barium acetate) and C12H28O4Ti (tetraisopropyl orthotitanate) were used as Ba and Ti sources, respectively. Anodic aluminum oxide membranes with the through-hole diameter of ~200 nm were used as the template for BaTiO3 nanowires. The sample calcined at 700 ˚C for 2 h with NaOH post treatment at 40 ˚C for 72 h to remove the anodic aluminum oxide was substantially composed of BaTiO3. Preliminary results on dielectric measurements were also discussed.
View Pdf and Full Text
View Journal of Material Science and Nanotechnology (JMSN)

Headspace GC-MS Detection of Carbon Monoxide in Decomposed Blood and Hepatic Tissues

Here in a systematic, accurate and reliable method, Head-Space Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (HS-GC/MS) was developed to determine blood carboxyhemoglobin (COHb%), in order to investigate deaths related to CO exposure especially involving blood and hepatic tissues. Using a column packed with molecular sieve, COHb levels were quantified down to 0.2% in small blood samples quickly and showed good reproducibility with RSD of the COHb < 1%. COHb% in hepatic samples stored at different temperatures (-20 °C for 1- 2 years, 0 °C, and 18 °C for two months) can be determined even when the samples are decomposed. The 3-min procedure requires only 0.25 mL of blood sample or 1.0 g of hepatic tissue each time. The technique has a clear advantage over other methods such as UV spectrophotometry.
View Pdf and Full Text
View Journal of Forensic Science and Criminology (JFSC)

The Flesh Fly Sarcophaga (Liopygia) crassipalpis Macquart 1839 as an Invader of a Corpse in Calabria (Southern Italy)

We present an indoor forensic case that occurred in spring 2013 in Cosenza (southern Italy). The entomological evidence collected at the scene consisted of Calliphoridae (Calliphora vicina, Lucilia sericata), Sarcophagidae (Sarcophaga crassipalpis), Fanniidae (Fannia scalaris) and Muscidae (Hydrotaea ignava). The minimum Post Mortem Interval (mPMI) was calculated by relating the entomological evidence to data available for Diptera species in the area and to our knowledge of the development of flies used as forensic indicators in Calabria. We report S. crassipalpisas a corpse invader for the first time in Italy.
The first aim of forensic entomology is to help investigators estimate the time of death. Its application has become widespread in many countries because the entomological evidence on corpses (especially Diptera and Coleoptera) can be used to estimate the minimum Post Mortem Interval (mPMI) at both indoor and outdoor crime scenes. The arthropod community discovered on a corpse or around it is affected by extrinsic and intrinsic factors [1]. The geographical area, the season and the habitat are very important in determining the composition of the faunal succession and the seasonal dynamics of insects [2,3] on exposed corpses. Knowledge of the distribution and ecological preferences of arthropod forensic indicators in a particular area [4-7] is very useful for PMI estimation and crime scene analysis. In particular, synanthropic flies, the most accurate indicators of the time of death, have been recognized on human corpses in many countries [8,9]. Until recent investigations in Calabria, southern Italy [4-7], investigators evaluating the insects collected at crime scenes in that region based their conclusions on data recorded mainly from central Europe. In the present case, five species belonging to the families Calliphoridae (Calliphora vicina Robineau-Desvoidy 1830, Lucilia sericata (Meigen 1826)), Sarcophagidae (Sarcophaga (Liopygia) crassipalpis Macquart 1839), Fanniidae (Fannia scalaris (Fabricius 1794)) and Muscidae (Hydrotaea ignava (Harris 1780)) were collected at the scene. In particular, we discussed the presence of S. crassipalpis: this is the first time the species has been collected on a corpse in Italy. mPMI was estimated on Calliphora vicina samples as discussed in the result section.

View Pdf and Full Text
View Journal of Forensic Science and Criminology (JFSC)

NMR Assignment of N-(1-adamantyl)-1-pentyl-1H-indazole-3-carboxamide Seized as Herbal Incense for the First Time in Italy

The synthetic cannabinoid, N-(1-adamantyl)-1-pentyl-1H-indazole-3-carboxamide, known also as AKB48 and/or APINACA, has been detected for the first time in herbal incense seized in Italy. Its structural characterization has been performed through gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and high-resolution nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis. In order to favor an easier and faster identification of AKB48 in future investigations, NMR assignments in deuterated methanol and chloroform is also reported.
Synthetic cannabinoids are chemicals that mimic the effect of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC), which is the principal psychoactive constituent (cannabinoid) of the cannabis plant. These chemicals are often added to a mixture of dried plant matter (e.g. herbs) and sold for smoking with names such as "Herbal incense" or "Spice" . Occasionally, they are also sold as powder and if so may be drunk as a tea. Such products were developed to be a legal alternative to cannabis, however many synthetic cannabinoids substances are now banned. Indeed, these products have received broad global attention due to their cannabimimetic effects and a number of countries have not been approved for human consumption in consideration of their potential health problems. On the other hand, many synthetic cannabinoids have only recently been developed and there is very limited information available regarding their short and long-term effects.

View Pdf and Full Text
View Journal of Forensic Science and Criminology (JFSC)

The Perception of a Woman's Love in a Relationship with a Prisoner is Erotic and Altruistic

Studies have reported the effects of imprisonment on the wives and girlfriends of prisoners, but have not investigated how these women perceive love and commitment. This study analyzes four different styles of love: eros (romantic love), storge (amicably love), mania (possessive love), andagape (altruistic love) in a sample of 96 women who are in relationships with prisoners. The same love styles were compared to a control sample of N=96 women. They were selected from a larger sample of 859 women such that the variables age and duration of the relationship of the two groups were matched. Results show that women in relationships with prisoners score higher on the eros and agape love styles in comparison to the women from the control group. Those women who stay in love with prisoners seem to endure the negative consequences of their partners imprisonment through feelings of deep love, commitment, and altruistic care.
Women who are in relationships with prisoners are exposed to a variety of serious problems, such as financial problems, loneliness, sexual frustration, raising children alone, and stigmatization [1-4]. Several studies examined the daily problems and needs of women whose partners are imprisoned but did not analyze the love relationships of the couples [5]. How do these women perceive their relationships? Which styles of love, like romantic passion or friendship, are predominant?

View Pdf and Full Text
View Journal of Forensic Science and Criminology (JFSC)

The Fatal Alcoholic Ketoacidosis as a Dilemma in the Differential Diagnosis in Unexpected Deaths

48-years old man was found dead at home, lying in his bed. There was a bucket with liquid vomited remnants with no addition of fresh or digested blood found near the bed and an empty bottle of alkaline mineral water often used to attenuate the gastric pain. Up to the information from the man's relative, he was a chronic alcohol consumer, being last seen alive the day before in the pub, drinking small amount of beer. His personal anamnesis was negative for the previous injuries or any pathological entity which could have potential fatal outcome. External observation of the body did not uncover any signs of mechanical violence on the body. The only pathological findings at the autopsy were: very mild generalised atherosclerosis without stenosis of blood vessels, configuration of the heart with the weight of 400 g was physiological, with no signs of chronic venostatic changes on the internal organs. The microscopical examination did not find any ischemic changes of myocardial muscle. The deceased had diffuse alcoholic steatosis of the liver. The brain was mildly swollen (weight 1300 g) without conformation of conuses and cross section revealed no pathological or traumatic lessions. Results of alcoholimetric analysis were absolutely negative for the presence of ethanol in blood or urine. Toxicological analysis did not notice any psychoactive substances or medicaments, the only finding was positive acetone in blood, level of which was 435 mg/l and highly increased betahydroxybutyric acid (BHBA) blood level of 272 mg/l, while acetonuria was 962 mg/l. Biochemical analysis showed a reduced blood pH=7.21 which is not reliable as it could be the only a postmortem artefact. Sample of vitreous humour showed glucose levels of 3.1 mmol/l.

View Pdf and Full Text
View Journal of Forensic Science and Criminology (JFSC)

Tame to Torture: Psychosexual Correlations of Sex, Violence and Torture

This paper discusses the psychosexual correlations and psychological consequences related to torture and behavioral acts that are fundamentally torturous. The influence of participation by learning and the relationship of acts to thought and thought to acts are further discussed to raise awareness to the effects of torture on the torturer. Theories from multiple disciplines are presented in an integrated context to examine the correlation between fundamental psychological principles associated with acts that are torturous in nature and, therefore, innately evil.
Torture is contagious. It has a long history. It has been sanctioned by kings and queens, philosophers, poets, judges, saints, popes and the Jesuits. Torture has been used for many purposes. The primary purpose is to elicit information, however, it also been used for other reasons, such as forcing admission of guilt, intimidating political adversaries, and establishing one’s power and the superiority of one’s group.

View Pdf and Full Text
View Journal of Forensic Science and Criminology (JFSC)

Programming Scripts for Simple and Complex Paternity Testing based on Open-Source Programming Language from the R Project

Programming scripts were written for the statistical analysis of genetic data from simple cases and complex cases of undetermined paternity. The methods presented here involve algorithms constructed with R, an open-source and increasingly popular programming language used for calculations and statistics; these methods also involve conditional probability analysis, Bayes’ Theorem, and pedigree analysis. Previous computer programs for assessing probable paternity in complex cases of undetermined paternity have been written; however, only minimal or generalized formulas are described in the papers presenting these programs. Therefore, these previously published programs are difficult to understand for most forensic researchers. Here, we present the details of the calculations used to evaluate probabilities of paternity and the details of the R scripts used execute these calculations. These scripts were constructed not only for standard trio case where DNA typing of the mother, child, and the alleged father are available, but also for more complex cases where DNA typing of the alleged father is absent. In these more complex cases, the putative genotype of the alleged father is determined from the genotypes of his parents, his siblings, his wife, children known to be his biological children, or some combination of these people. This report provides concrete and orderly descriptions of the calculations and the R scripts so that each facet of this method is easily understood. Furthermore, access to these scripts will enable individual researchers to develop calculation systems of their own.

View Pdf and Full Text
View Journal of Forensic Science and Criminology (JFSC)

Stature Estimation from the Anthropometric Measurements of Footprint in Iban Ethnics of East Malaysia by Regression Analysis

A person's stature is an identifying characteristic that is often used in forensic investigation. Footprint is the one of the valuable physical evidence encountered in the crime scenes and examination of barefoot impressions is important especially in developing countries like India, Malaysia where majority of the rural population like to walk barefooted because of socio-economic and climatic reasons. Foot impressions are still found at crime scenes, since offenders often tend to remove their footwear either to avoid noise or to gain better grip in climbing walls, etc., while entering or exiting. Most of the foot/foot print studies were conducted on mixed population. The researchers have cautioned that the people from different races and regions of a country bear different morphological features depending upon their geographical distribution and primary racial characteristics and hence a single formula cannot represent all parts of that country or world. The present study aims to estimate stature from bilateral footprints collected from 320 (160 males, 160 females) consenting adult Ibans, an indigenous group residing in Sarawak state, east Malaysia. Informed consent and Human Ethical Approval were obtained. The height of the individuals and footprints were collected following the standard procedure. The data obtained were analyzed with PASW 20 computer software and derived regression formulae to estimate stature from footprint lengths of Iban ethnics. The result of the investigation revealed that all footprint lengths exhibit statistically positive significant correlation with stature (p< 0.001). Correlation coefficient (R) values are found to be higher in the pooled sample (0.861–0.887) when compared with males (0.753–0.789) and females (0.728–0.790). The regression formulae derived for the pooled sample can be used to estimate stature when the sex of the footprint remains unknown, as in real crime scenarios.

View Pdf and Full Text
View Journal of Forensic Science and Criminology (JFSC)

Fingerprint Recovery from Human Skin by Finger Powder

An examination experiment has been carried out to investigate whether fingerprint powder and lifting technique can recover and transfer latent fingerprints from human skin surfaces of dead bodies. For recovery Swedish Black powder and for transfer White Fingerprint Gelatine were used.
Donors placed fingerprints on the human skin surfaces. Finger marks were then in all cases recovered with Swedish Black powder. The procedure was repeated after 2, 3, 4 and 5 hours. Treated finger marks were secured and preserved as latent fingerprint evidence by lifting process. We recovered 8% finger marks suitable for further examination of all deposited samples on the human skin surfaces.
Crime scene investigation is a process that aims at recording the scene as it is first encountered, and recognizing and collecting all physical evidence potentially relevant to the solution of the case. Crime scene investigators who have received comprehensive forensic training usually quickly take over the work at the scene and implement ideas from research institutes in practice. The personnel processing crime scenes should be aware of equipment necessary to process a crime scene and a mechanism to secure and transport the evidence to the laboratory. Physical evidence has the potential to play a critical role in the overall investigation and resolution of a suspected criminal act. We can therefore say that in investigating crimes, we are using traditional investigative approaches with modern methods and "state of the art" tools.

View Pdf and Full Text
View Journal of Forensic Science and Criminology (JFSC)

Study on Efficiency of Protein Extractants Employed for Human Origin Determination of Blood

Human origin determination is an important aspect of blood grouping analysis in forensic science laboratories. In the present study, protein extractants like gel buffer, ammonia and saline employed for origin determination were evaluated and compared qualitatively and quantitatively for their role in the extraction of proteins from dried blood stained materials of human origin at regular time intervals. Qualitative and quantitative methods employing counter immunoelectrophoresis (CIE) and rocket immunoelectrophoresis (RIE) respectively were used to study the protein extraction efficiency of extractants. Ammonia, compared to gel buffer and saline extracted the proteins effectively. Maximum extraction of proteins was observed in 2-3 hours of sample. CIE demonstrated sharp precipitin bands with all samples of ammonia extractant compared to the samples of counterparts. RIE also revealed greater concentration of proteins in the ammonia extract compared to extracts of gel buffer and saline. These results provide evidence that ammonia serves as a better protein extractant for rapid determination of human blood origin.

View Pdf and Full Text
View Journal of Forensic Science and Criminology (JFSC)

A Reintegration Program for Elderly Prisoners Reduces Reoffending

Harsh sentences have resulted in many prisoners being elderly at the time of their release. However, the longer individuals have been incarcerated and the older they are, the more difficult it may be for them to re-enter free society. We developed a reintegration program to promote their successful adjustment to society and to prevent their reoffending, and evaluated its effectiveness. Participants were 25 older prisoners in Japan; all were homeless and more than 65 years old. Ten participants voluntarily participated in the reintegration programs, while the other 15 participants rejected participation in the programs. The programs provided a temporary residence, money, and job support in a community where they desired to live. Participants involved with the reintegration programs had not reoffended at 252 days, while 37.5% of those not involved in the programs reoffended. The two groups did not significantly differ in age, health status, educational level, and total length of sentence. Reintegration of older prisoners into society is more effective when done in the context of a prevention program and welfare support.

View Pdf and Full Text
View Journal of Forensic Science and Criminology (JFSC)

Resolution of Complete Atrioventricular Block in a Patient with Severe Hypothyroidism

Causes for syncope are multifaceted. Hormonal etiology, specifically hypothyroidism, is associated with cardiac arrhythmias. Sinus bradycardia, low voltage, nonspecific T-wave changes and dissociative atrioventricular (AV) abnormalities are some of descriptive electrocardiographic features [2]. In the majority of well know clinical presentations complete AV block requires the insertion of a permanent pacemaker. However hypothyroidism related bradycardia and consequential symptomatic AV blocks could be reversible with timely and proper management.
We report a case of severe hypothyroidism resulting in insertion of transient pacemaker with favorable clinical course and fully reversible complete AV block after accordant pharmacological hormonal substitution.
Fifty-two year-old female patient without significant past medical history presented to the emergency room accompanied by her family with syncope. The patient at this time was unable to provide detailed history. According to her family social history and family history were unremarkable. Her husband reported that during the breakfast she suddenly fell from the chair on the floor without preceding symptoms and lost her consciousness for about 2 minutes. He initially tried to perform the Heimlich maneuver because he thought her symptoms are related to chocking from the breakfast. After regaining her consciousness she couldn't remember what happened. Apart from this occasion she reported feeling tired, generalized weakness, cold intolerance and noticed being increasingly depressive within the last 2-3 months. Similar syncope episodes were not observed.

View Pdf and Full Text
View Journal of Case Reports and Studies (JCRS)

Ascending Aortic B-Cell Lymphoma Masquerading as Intramural Hematoma: A Case Report

We report the case of a 74 year old female who presented with imaging concerning for an intramural hematoma of the ascending aorta. Despite multiple imaging modalities consistent with intramural hematoma, operative findings confirmed a peri-aortic lymphoma or what was once lymphoma.
Intramural hematomas (IMH) are a potentially ominous finding due to the concern for progression to frank aortic dissection. Thought to be a variant of aortic dissection without the typical entry/exit site or false lumen flow, IMHs are unpredictable in their behavior and thus challenging to manage. Particularly with ascending IMHs, the high morbidity and mortality associated with a delay in surgical intervention makes timely diagnosis a priority. Most patients present with a sudden onset of chest pain or a mechanism sufficient to cause the suspected injury, such as trauma. Ultrasound and computed tomography (CT) imaging in patients with IMH demonstrate a peri-aortic asymmetric density, either within a focal segment of the aortic wall or completely surrounding the aortic lumen. Intravenous contrast may be used to differentiate intraluminal thrombus and peri-aortic thoracic soft tissue tumors or lymphomas, which will often contrast-enhance. The differential diagnosis in patients with suspected IMH includes: aortic dissection, thrombus, intra-thoracic soft tissue tumors, and lymphoma. Echocardiography, CT, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are useful in better characterizing a suspicious lesion, its location, and guiding management (surgical versus medical). However, despite the advances in imaging technology, limitations remain in diagnosing a suspected aortic IMH or dissection. Complex medical and surgical histories and non-specific symptoms can present further challenges.

View Pdf and Full Text
View Journal of Case Reports and Studies (JCRS)

Olfactory Neuroblastoma (Esthesioneuroblastoma) following Retro-Orbital Irradiation for Graves' Ophthalmopathy

Background: Olfactory neuroblastoma is a rare malignancy of the nasal cavity.
Methods: We describe a case of radiation-induced olfactory neuroblastoma in a patient with a history of radiation for Graves' ophthalmopathy. We also reviewed the literature and found four other cases of radiation-induced olfactory neuroblastoma reported since 2000, suggesting prior radiotherapy as one risk factor for this disease.
Results: We treated the patient with multimodality treatment consisting of surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy (6 cycles of cisplatin/ etoposide). Despite the previously irradiation, treatment was well tolerated without excessive short or long term radiation toxicity. The patient remains in long term remission with no evidence of loco-regional recurrence or systemic metastasis after 12 years of follow-up.
Conclusions: Prior radiotherapy appears to be a risk factor in a handful of cases of this rare malignancy. Although the literature is limited for radiation-related olfactory neuroblastoma, outcomes appear generally poorer for this group but highly variable. With careful patient selection, aggressive multi-modality therapy including post-operative radiotherapy may be feasible.
View Pdf and Full Text
View Journal of Case Reports and Studies (JCRS)

Hepatic Angiosarcoma, going but not gone. Lessons from a single centre experience

Hepatic angiosarcoma is a rare tumour that is often difficult to diagnose. Historically, most cases of hepatic angiosarcoma were seen in the setting of industrial epidemics caused by exposure of workers to toxins such as vinyl chloride. Cases associated with recognised exposure to carcinogens have fortunately been extremely rare for the last three or more decades. However, the tumour has by no means disappeared in the Australian community. In this case series, we describe three cases of hepatic angiosarcoma that were seen at our institution since 2002. The first case presented with cholestatic liver function tests and was found to have angiosarcoma on liver biopsy. In the second case, the patient was admitted for decompensated liver disease on a background of presumed hepatitis B cirrhosis. The diagnosis of hepatic angiosarcoma was made only at autopsy after the patient died from multi-organ failure. The third case presented with ascites and the diagnosis of disseminated angiosarcoma was again made at autopsy following a negative ante-mortem liver biopsy.

View Pdf and Full Text
View Journal of Case Reports and Studies (JCRS)

Thrombotic Microangiopathy Associated with Intravenous Injection of Opana ER®: University Medical Center Case Series.

In response to the rapidly rising intravenous opioid abuse epidemic, the United States Food and Drug Administration is currently promoting the development of prescription opioid tablets that are specifically formulated to deter abuse. Opana ER®; (Endo Pharmaceuticals) recently underwent reformulation to include a crush-resistant coating. Only recently described, illicit intravenous injection of reformulated Opana ER®; is associated with a distinctive clinical syndrome of thrombotic microangiopathy. Ten patients with the appropriate history and presenting symptoms were identified within an 8 month interval (July 2012 through February 2013) at the University of Tennessee Medical Center (UTMC) Knoxville with ICD-9 code of 446.6 (thrombotic microangiopathy) by electronic search. Review of laboratory data, electronic medical records, blood product usage, and total hospital admission charges were compiled for these individual patients. We report the clinicopathologic findings and correlating laboratory data for a group of patients presenting with thrombotic microangiopathy and documented recent history of intravenous Opana ER®; injection. We also report the economic impact and effect on blood product utilization by this study group.

View Pdf and Full Text
View Journal of Case Reports and Studies (JCRS)