•We describe a previously healthy young patient with gastrointestinal basidiobolomycosis misdiagnosed as colonic malignancy.•This is the first reported case in an adult patient from Oman suggesting ...that the disease is possibly under-recognized.•Acquaintance with this exceptionally rare infection is critical for successful clinical outcome.•Azoles are effective anti-fungal therapy for gastrointestinal basidiobolomycosis.
Basidiobolomycosis is rare infection caused by the saprophytic fungus Basidiobolus ranarum. Gastrointestinal basidiobolomycosis is an infrequent, albeit, increasingly reported, emerging form of the disease and typically affects immunocompetent individuals with potentially grave sequelae if unrecognized. Acquaintance with this exceptionally rare fungus and its potential for presenting as gastrointestinal mass masquerading as colonic malignancy is critical for timely diagnosis, appropriate treatment and successful clinical outcome.
We report a case of gastrointestinal basidiobolomycosis masquerading as colonic malignancy in a 29-year-old Omani patient successfully treated with combination of surgery and prolonged azole antifungal therapy.
Allochthonous carbonatite and ultramafic lamprophyre occur in a diatreme at the beach of the Asseelah village, northeastern Oman. The diatreme consists of heterogeneous deposits dominated by ...‘diatreme facies’ pyroclastic rocks. These include aillikite and carbonatite, which intrude late Jurassic to early Cretaceous cherts and shales of the Wahra Formation within the Batain nappes. Both rock types are dominated by carbonate, altered olivine, Ti–Al–phlogopite and Cr–Al–spinel and contain varying amounts of apatite and rutile. The carbonatite occur as fine-grained heterolithic breccias with abundant rounded carbonatite xenoliths, glimmerite and crustal xenoliths. The aillikite consists of pelletal lapilli tuff with abundant fine-grained carbonatite autoliths and crustal xenoliths, which resemble those in the carbonatite breccia. The aillikite and carbonatite are characterized by low SiO
2
(11–24 wt%), MgO (9.5–12.4 wt%) and K
2
O (<0.3 wt%), but high CaO (18–22 wt%), Al
2
O
3
(4.75–7.04 wt%), Fe
2
O
3tot
(8.7–13.8 wt%) and loss-on-ignition (24–30 wt%). Higher CaO, Fe
2
O
3total
, Al
2
O
3
, MnO, TiO
2
, P
2
O
5
and lower SiO
2
and MgO content distinguish carbonatite from the aillikite. The associated carbonatite xenoliths and autoliths have intermediate composition between the aillikite and carbonatite. Mg number is variable and ranges between 58 and 66 in the carbonatite, 66 and 72 in the aillikite and between 48 to 64 in the carbonatite autoliths and xenoliths. The Asseelah aillikite, carbonatite, carbonatite xenoliths and autoliths overlap in most of their mineral parageneses, mineral composition and major and trace element chemistry and have variable but overlapping Sr, Nd and Pb isotopic composition, implying that these rocks are related to a common type of parental magma with variable isotopic characteristics. The Asseelah aillikite, carbonatite and carbonatites xenoliths are LREE-enriched and significantly depleted in HREE. They exhibit similar smooth, subparallel REE pattern and steep slopes with (La/Sm)
n
of 6–10 and relative depletion in heavy rare earth elements (Lu = 3–10 chondrite). Initial
87
Sr/
86
Sr ratios vary from 0.70409 to 0.70787, whereas initial
143
Nd/
144
Nd ratios vary between 0.512603 and 0.512716 (εNd
i
between 2.8 and 3.6).
206
Pb/
204
Pb
i
ratios vary between 18.4 and 18.76,
207
Pb/
204
Pb
i
ratios vary between 15.34 and 15.63, whereas
208
Pb/
204
Pb
i
varies between 38.42 and 39.05. Zircons grains extracted from the carbonatite have a mean age of 137 ± 1 Ma (95% confidence, MSWD = 0.49). This age correlates with large-scale tectonic events recorded in the early Indian Ocean at 140–160 Ma. Geochemical and isotopic signatures displayed by the Asseelah rocks can be accounted for by vein-plus-wall-rock model of Foley (
1992
) wherein veins are represented by phlogopite, carbonate and apatite and depleted peridotite constitutes the wall-rock. The carbonatite and aillikite magmatism is probably a distal effect of the breaking up of Gondwana, during and/or after the rift-to-drift transition that led to the opening of the Indian Ocean.
This research was undertaken to study the effect of copper slag (CS) and cement by-pass dust (CBPD) addition on concrete properties. In addition to the control mixture, two different trial mixtures ...were prepared using different proportions of CS and CBPD. CBPD was primarily used as an activator. One mixture consisted of 5% copper slag substitution for portland cement. The other mixture consisted of 13.5% CS, 1.5% CBPD and 85% portland cement. Three water-to-binder (w/b) ratios were studied: 0.5, 0.6 and 0.7. Concrete cubes, cylinders and prisms were prepared and tested for strength after 7 and 28 days of curing. The modulus of elasticity of these mixtures was also evaluated. Results showed that 5% copper slag substitution for portland cement gave a similar strength performance as the control mixture, especially at low w/b ratios (0.5 and 0.6). Higher copper slag (13.5%) replacement yielded lower strength values. Results also demonstrated that the use of CS and CBPD as partial replacements of portland cement has no significant effect on the modulus of elasticity of concrete, especially at small quantities substitution.
In this manuscript, ternary hybrid composites (PMG) have been synthesized via combination of polypyrrole (PPy), Mn-Zn ferrite (MZF) and graphite oxide (GO) components. The MZF was synthesized via ...acid leaching process of spent Zn-C batteries and green auto-combustion processes using different fuels. The in-situ polymerization process was then used to prepare the entire composites. XRD of ternary hybrids showed only broad peak characteristic of PPy without any indication for the MZF or GO suggesting the inclusion of MZF and GO into PPy matrix. In addition, the TEM images and EDS analysis exhibited that both MZF particles and GO layers are embedded and completely coated with PPy layers. FT-IR spectra of PMG composites indicated only identical bands to that of pure PPy. The very weak magnetic characters obtained using VSM further confirming the core-shell structure. TG curve of PMG ternary composite showed weight loss agrees well with the loss of all PPy and GO contents and confirms the weight ratio of MZF. It also showed that, the thermal stability of PPy was reduced by including in this entire composite attributed to the formed core-shell structure. An appropriate mechanism for the ternary hybrid composites formation was suggested and discussed. The electrical measurements exhibited constant behavior of conductivity by increasing temperature up to 420 K at which the dehydration and skeletal chain decomposition of both GO and PPy initiate. The GO does not greatly affected the conductivity due to the complete coating phenomena besides the pronouncing of PPy conductivity. Generally, the conductivities for all PMG composites are slightly dependent on the MZF preparation method and improved than that of pure PPy attributed to the presence of GO.
Graphical Abstract
Schematic diagram for the formation process of PPy/Mn
0.8
Zn
0.2
Fe
2
O
4
/GO (PMG) composites via in-situ polymerization process.
Research highlights
Mn0.8Zn0.2Fe2O4 was prepared using spent Zn-C batteries using variety of auto-combustion methods.
PPy/Mn0.8Zn0.2Fe2O4/GO (PMG) composites were prepared via in-situ polymerization.
An appropriate mechanism for the composites formation was suggested and discussed.
XRD indicated the complete coating of GO and MZF with the PPy matrix.
Effect of MZF preparation method on different properties could be neglected due to the coreshell structure formed.
Electrical measurements indicated that, GO does not greatly affected conductivity due tocomplete coating phenomena.
Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is a common occupational hazard and a major cause of deafness among airport workers. However, few studies have been conducted to investigate the various risk factors ...related to hearing loss. Purpose: the purpose of this study was to measure the prevalence and risk factors of NIHL among Muscat International Airport airside workers. Method: Their daily noise exposure level at the airport was measured, and the time-weighted average (TWA) was calculated for each airside department. A cross-sectional study design involving 312 workers from the eight departments of the airport was chosen and the prevalence of NIHL among workers was assessed. The study participants then completed a self-administered questionnaire that covered their socio-demographic characteristics, occupational exposure history and the health-related risk factors of NIHL. Results: The TWA recorded for the workers was above the accepted limit in some departments, namely, cabin appearance, ramp, line maintenance and hangar. The prevalence of NIHL among participants was 21.79% (n = 68). Of these 68 participants with NIHL, 22.30% were exposed to job-related high noise levels. NIHL was common among participants aged 40 or above (57.35%, n = 39) and high school degree holders (29.60%, n = 29), as well as those who were exposed to higher noise levels (84.89%, n = 191) or who did not wear their hearing protection devices (HPDs) regularly (53.65%, n = 125). Conclusion: around a quarter of our study participants who were exposed to high noise levels suffer from NIHL.
In the present work, the prepared Mn
0.8
Zn
0.2
Fe
2
O
4
ferrites (MZF) via recycling process of Zn–C batteries and auto-combustion route (using different fuels) were used to synthesize ...MZF/polypyrroly (PPy) nanocomposites via the in-situ polymerization technique. The core–shell structure formed was confirmed using X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared techniques. The thermogravimetric measurements suggests that the presence of MZF was found to catalyze PPy thermal decomposition and decreasing its thermal stability through increasing its exposed surface. The core–shell structure was found also to vanish the MZF magnetic properties through the insulation effect of the non-magnetic PPy coat. A possible schematic diagram for the core–shell formation mechanism was suggested and discussed. AC-conductivity vs. temperature clearly reveals a metallic behavior of all the samples with a dramatic increase in the MZF conductivities by addition of PPy. The main conduction mechanism was found to be through polarons. The higher dielectric values obtained suggests their use as a microwave absorbing materials besides being a promising candidates in the electromagnetic shielding applications. Generally, we can conclude that, the complete coating of MZF particles with PPy not only greatly influence the magnetic property but also greatly affected and improved the electrical properties. The ferrites’ preparation method was found not to affect the structural, magnetic or electrical properties owing to the core–shell structure formed.
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