"Killing two birds with one stone": endoscopic management of PUJ and VUJ obstructions with a renal stone in a congenital solitary kidney.

We report on the diagnosis and management of a 25-year-old female with a congenital solitary kidney associated with simultaneous pelviureteric (PUJ) and vesicoureteric (VUJ) junction obstructions complicated by a lower pole renal stone. The patient was successfully managed completely endoluminally over two procedures with the use of double-J stents and a laser fibre to incise the VUJ and perform endopyelotomy at the PUJ followed by extraction of the stone. This case demonstrates the efficacy and minimal invasive endoscopic urological surgery even in the face of numerous pathologies, which traditionally required more invasive procedures.

The role of surgery in Conn's syndrome - a case of refractory hypertension secondary to an aldosterone secreting adenoma.

Primary aldosteronism, eponymously known as Conn's syndrome, has recently gained recognition as the most common cause of endocrine hypertension. Unilateral subtypes, such as aldosterone secreting adenomas, are managed surgically and are potentially curable. The background of refractory hypertension and hypokalaemia in a forty-year-old man raised suspicions of Conn's syndrome which was localised to an aldosterone secreting adenoma in the right adrenal gland.

Baux Score as a Predictor of Mortality at the CHBAH Adult Burns Unit.

Background: The Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital (CHBAH) Adult Burns Unit (ABU) often operates in excess of its capacity. Our aim was to investigate the risk factor profile of the ABU population and to apply the Baux score as a model for predicting mortality to assist with appropriate resource allocation.

Methods: In this retrospective study, the Baux score was calibrated to the mortality rates in ABU burn population and the effects of various variables on mortality were assessed with Mann-Whitney U-test, chi-square test, and regression analysis.

Ultrafast Spectroscopy and Red Emission from β-Ga2O 3/β-Ga 2S 3 Nanowires.

Ultrafast pump-probe and transient photoluminescence spectroscopy were used to investigate carrier dynamics in β-Ga2O3 nanowires converted to β-Ga2O3/Ga2S3 under H2S between 400 to 600 °C. The β-Ga2O3 nanowires exhibited broad blue emission with a lifetime of 2.4 ns which was strongly suppressed after processing at 500-600 °C giving rise to red emission centered at 680 nm with a lifetime of 19 μs.

Optical characterization of varnish films by spectroscopic ellipsometry for application in artwork conservation.

The specific aim of this paper is to measure the optical constants of fresh varnish layers up to a thickness of 10 mum by spectroscopic ellipsometry. It is the first time that this technique has been used in artwork conservation and it may prove very promising due to its nondestructive character. Samples of fresh dammar varnish (natural resin) and Paraloid B72 (synthetic resin) applied on glass and carbon black acrylic paint were analyzed.