Visualization and validation of twin nucleation and early-stage growth in magnesium.

The abrupt occurrence of twinning when Mg is deformed leads to a highly anisotropic response, making it too unreliable for structural use and too unpredictable for observation. Here, we describe an in-situ transmission electron microscopy experiment on Mg crystals with strategically designed geometries for visualization of a long-proposed but unverified twinning mechanism. Combining with atomistic simulations and topological analysis, we conclude that twin nucleation occurs through a pure-shuffle mechanism that requires prismatic-basal transformations.

Embracing the Chaos: Alloying Adds Stochasticity to Twin Embryo Growth.

High-throughput atomistic simulations reveal the unique effect of solute atoms on twin variant selection in Mg-Al alloys. Twin embryo growth first undergoes a stochastic incubation stage when embryos choose which twin variant to adopt, and then a deterministic growth stage when embryos expand without changing the selected twin variant. An increase in Al composition promotes the stochastic incubation behavior on the atomic level due to nucleation and pinning of interfacial disconnections.

Hypercalcemia due to methadone-induced adrenal insufficiency in a case of oral cancer.

A 31-year-old patient of post-surgical recurrent buccal carcinoma (post-chemo and radiotherapy) on multimodal analgesia with methadone, paracetamol and gabapentin presented to pain clinic with occasional bleeding from tumor area and incidental hypercalcemia. The hypercalcemia was attributed to adrenal insufficiency due to methadone, with no other obvious reasons identified for hypercalcemia or adrenal insufficiency. The patient was managed with the change of opioid, regular aseptic wound dressings and management of hypercalcemia with hydration, calcitonin and steroid therapy.