Treatment of a giant inguinal hernia using transabdominal pre-peritoneal repair.

We present the case of a male Japanese patient with a giant inguinal hernia that extended to his knees while standing. A transabdominal pre-peritoneal (TAPP) repair was performed under general anesthesia. Complete reduction of the contents of the hernia was achieved within 2 h 50 min.

High-resolution MALDI-TOF MS study on analysis of low-molecular-weight products from photo-oxidation of poly(3-hexylthiophene).

High-resolution matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOF MS) was used for the analysis of the low-molecular-weight products from the photo-oxidation of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) in solution and thin film. Eight new peak series were observed in the low-mass range of the mass spectra of the products degraded in solution, and the formulas of the eight components were determined from the accurate mass. From SEC/MALDI-TOF MS, two components were identified as the degraded products, and the other six components were derived from the fragmentation of the degraded products during the MALDI process.

Determination of the geographic origin of onions between three main production areas in Japan and other countries by mineral composition.

Onions (Allium cepa L.) are produced in many countries and are one of the most popular vegetables in the world, thus leading to an enormous amount of international trade. It is currently important that a scientific technique be developed for determining geographic origin as a means to detect fraudulent labeling.