Editor's Choice - Nationwide Analysis of Patients Undergoing Iliac Artery Aneurysm Repair in the Netherlands.

Objective: The new 2019 guideline of the European Society for Vascular Surgery (ESVS) recommends consideration for elective iliac artery aneurysm (eIAA) repair when the iliac diameter exceeds 3.5 cm, as opposed to 3.0 cm previously.

[Worldwide access to surgery: a necessity, not a luxury].

Many people in developing countries lack access to basic surgical care. This lack of access leads to preventable mortality and disability. Mortality due to surgically treatable conditions currently exceeds that due to HIV, TB and malaria combined.

The primary aortoenteric fistula in The Netherlands--the unpublished cases.

Objective: Primary aortoenteric fistula is a rare disorder of which only four patients have been reported in the Dutch literature so far. The objective of our study was to obtain more realistic figures on the incidence of this condition, with data on the clinical presentation, diagnostic procedures, treatment and results in a group of patients not previously reported as "case histories".

Methods: A questionnaire was sent to all surgical clinics in The Netherlands.

Primary aortoenteric fistula: report of eight new cases and review of the literature.

Primary aortoenteric fistula, a direct communication between the aorta and the intestinal tract, is a rare cause of gastrointestinal hemorrhage. Eight patients who were all treated at one hospital are described, followed by a review of all surgically treated patients reported within the past 10 years. The usual cause is erosion of an atherosclerotic aneurysm into the adherent duodenum, but a wide variety of other causes and localizations have been described.

Abdominal pain as a first symptom of iliac vein thrombosis.

Two patients are described with abdominal pain as a first symptom of primary iliac vein thrombosis. This phenomenon can be regarded to be analogous to the calf tenderness when thrombosis arises from the venous sinusoids in the calf muscles which is the usual localisation. When one is aware of this clinical entity, thrombotic occlusion will be recognized as the cause of the complaints, instead of being regarded to be a complication of another, yet unknown disease.

Venous outflow measurement in the diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis--principles and practice.

Venous outflow measurement (kenoseography) is increasingly applied in the diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis. Performance and interpretation of this examination have a considerable influence on the final result. The influence of congestion pressure, outflow determination, positioning of the patient and the site of measurement are discussed.

Instead of "plethysmography": "kenoseography" and "plesmonegraphy".

The recording of volume changes in health and disease has from old been designated as "Plethysmography". This was supposed to be a correct term for the recording (graphein) of an increase in volume (plethysmos). The present paper shows that the choice of this term was not felicitous, and suggests an alternative.

Caloric vestibular test with the use of air.

In a group of 28 test subjects the vestibular caloric test was performed with the aid of two different methods. In the first method the ears were irrigated for 30 sec with water with a temperature of 30 C and 44 C and later on with airstream with a temperature of 20 C and 50 C. The wet method proved to be a significant stronger stimulus than the dry method.

Synthesis of Isocyanic Acid from Nitric Oxide over Palladium and Iridium Catalysts.

A novel and convenient synthesis of isocyanic acid (HNCO) and its trimer isocyanuric acid has been obtained by the conversion of nitric oxide (NO). Nitric oxide, carbon monoxide, and hydrogen mixed in helium at the level of 0.3 to 5 percent reacted over iridium and palladium catalysts at 280 degrees to 450 degrees C to form HNCO in 60 to 75 percent yield.

Hydrogen Cyanide Production During Reduction of Nitric Oxide over Platinum Catalysts: Transient Effects.

The formation of hydrogen cyanide during the catalytic reduction of nitric oxide (NO) with carbon monoxide and hydrogen was studied with a bench-scale flow reactor. The previously reported inhibition by sulfur dioxide of the formation of hydrogen cyanide was found to be counteracted by transient admission of oxygen to the catalyst. These results are discussed in the context of the control of automotive emissions of NO and the prevention of hydrogen cyanide production during such control.

Synthesis of ammonium cyanate and urea by reduction of nitric oxide on platinum, rhodium, and ruthenium catalysts.

Nearly quantitative conversion of nitric oxide (NO) into N(2)H(4)CO has been obtained in the reduction of NO with carbon monoxide and hydrogen over platinum and rhodium catalysts. Depending on the temperature of collection, N(2)H(4)CO is isolated as ammonium cyanate or its isomer, urea. The process is an effective way of recovering fixed nitrogen from dilute industrial streams containing NO.

Perovskite oxides: materials science in catalysis.

In a time of growing need for catalysts, perovskites have been rediscovered as a family of catalysts of such great diversity that a broad spectrum of scientific disciplines have been brought to bear in their study and application. Because of the wide range of ions and valences which this simple structure can accommodate, the perovskites lend themselves to chemical tailoring. It is relatively simple to synthesize perovskites because of the flexibility of the structure to diverse chemistry.

Rare-Earth manganites: catalysts with low ammonia yield in the reduction of nitrogen oxides.

Rare-earth manganites such as La(1-x) Pb(x)MnO(3), with 0.3 x 0.6, and their perovskite-like homologs are active catalysts for the reduction of nitric oxide to molecular nitrogen.

Rare-earth oxides of manganese and cobalt rival platinum for the treatment of carbon monoxide in auto exhaust.

The perovskite-like compounds RE(1-X)Pb(5)MnO(3) and RECoO(3), where RE (rare earth) is lanthanum, praseodymium, or neodymium, are active catalysts for the oxidation of carbon monoxide. Crushed single crystals of these compounds compare favorably with commercial platinum catalysts in initial activity and lifetime. Therefore, these compounds are promising substitutes for platinum in devices for the catalytic treatment of auto exhaust.