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The treatment of very concentrated oil-water emulsions by electrocoagulation (EC) was experimentally investigated as a pre-treatment step prior to a membrane process. The oil-water emulsion was prepared from a cutting mineral oil B22 currently used for drilling and machining operations. The electrocoagulation progress was followed by the measurement of COD, turbidity and pH in a batch process with recirculation of the liquid. This study is mainly focused on the effects of operating parameters such as initial pH, current density, oil concentration and recirculation rate, on the de-emulsification efficiency. Kinetic curves showed that the EC process exhibits two phases: a "reactive phase" during which the COD and the turbidity removals increase with electrolysis, and a stationary phase for which further aluminium dissolution is useless in the pollution abatement. The results showed that the treatment efficiency increases with increasing current density, but decreases with oil concentration. It appears that treatment of the considered cutting oil is completed through dissolution of around 10mgAl/g oil, with a slight positive effect of the liquid flow rate. Best results are also obtained with initial pH near 7.

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Cytokeratin 19 (CK19) is an acidic protein of 40 kDa that is part of the cytoskeleton of epithelial cells. It is highly expressed by all epithelial cells and represents a useful indicator of epithelial differentiation. The soluble fragment of CK19 (CYFRA 21-1) can be a useful circulating tumor marker and can be detected in the serum of cancer patients. The development of metastasis in patients with cancer of epithelial origin is due to the migration of tumor cells from the original tumor to distant organs. In order to detect micrometastasis in patients with breast cancer, we evaluated and compared CK19 gene expression using RT-PCR in blood samples collected from 80 healthy women and 80 patients with localized or metastatic breast cancer. The concentration of the soluble CK19 fragment CYFRA 21-1 was measured in serum of all study subjects by radioimmunoassay employing specific monoclonal antibodies. The relationship between the expression of this molecular marker and clinical stage, tumor differentiation and CK19 mRNA transcripts was investigated. We found that CK19 mRNA expression in blood (as a direct index of the presence of circulating tumor cells) was not correlated with CYFRA 21-1.

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Neonates with multiple sites of intestinal atresia (MIA) may be predisposed to short-gut syndrome. Anastomoses of the intervening segments may prevent this complication. 5 neonates with MIA, one of them with a gastroschisis, were operated on: a proximal enterostomy was constructed, a side-to-end anastomosis as described by Santulli and several end-to-end anastomoses between the intervening intestinal segments (n = 3 to 7) were performed. An additional infant, initially operated on for a necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) was managed with the same surgical procedure. Without use of this technique, the remaining length of small intestine would have been 28, 27, 40, 58, 70 and 7 cm. This technique enabled an intestinal length of 49, 54, 96, 107, 92 and 93 cm respectively to be achieved. Ileocecal valve was present in all 5 cases with MIA, but resected in the case with NEC. The enterostomy was reversed 7 weeks later. The initial outcome (delay of enteral feeding, duration of parenteral nutrition) was good: the babies were weaned from parenteral nutrition (PN) after a mean time of 90 days (48 to 163 days). The prognosis (mean follow-up: 31 months, range 14 to 57) was good with regards to growth and development and length of time required before adaptation to normal enteral feedings and stools. This surgical method allows complete decompression of the proximal jejunum so that nutriment can pass into the distal bowel allowing it to enlarge. In cases of MIA, a long tapering proximal enteroplasty is a better procedure than resecting more than 5-10 cm of the proximal distended and hypertrophied bowel. We prefer to perform an enterostomy in association with multiple anastomoses between intervening intestinal segments. The enterostomy is preserved for long enough waiting period to enable the reversion of the histochemical and morphological changes that may have taken place in the bowel.

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The authors report two cases of actinomycosis in children: one thoracic and the other retroperitoneal. They emphasize the difficulties of diagnosis before the stage of parietal extension with cutaneous fistula and characteristic yellow granular discharge. These difficulties are due to: The rarity of visceral actinomycosis, particularly in children. The lesion has a similar appearance to that of a tumor; an extensive pre-operative work-up is mandatory (ultrasound, computed tomogram scan, repeated ultrasound-guided needle biopsy), although this work-up may not necessarily lead to the correct diagnosis. A surgical biopsy will often confirm the diagnosis, provided the diagnosis has been previously considered. The necessity of using very specific tests for correct identification of the organism. Therefore, in a case of pseudo-inflammatory pseudotumor, visceral actinomycosis must be considered in order to guide microbiological and pathological studies, although this diagnosis is rare. Once the diagnosis has been made, prolonged treatment with penicillin is effective and complete recovery is generally obtained.

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The authors describe a new technique for radioprotection of pelvic viscera by placement of expanders in the subperitoneal area before irradiation of pelvic tumors. They use round shape sub-cutaneous expanders, the volume corresponding to children's weight. Seven patients were treated with excellent results, and minor complications: 2 rectitis due to unsatisfactory displacement of rectum by the balloon. There were no complications related to the device itself. The prosthesis was easy to withdraw. This method seems a safe and effective technique in protecting viscera.

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