The aspiration of barium contrast is a rare complication that may occur during studies of the digestive tract. Barium is an inert material that can cause anywhere from an asymptomatic mechanical obstruction to serious symptoms of respiratory distress that can result in patient death. We present the case of a 79-year-old male patient in whom we observed the presence of contrast medium residue in...

Barium dierbium(III) tetra-sulfide, BaEr2S4, crystallizes with four formula units in the ortho-rhom-bic space group Pnma in the CaFe2O4 structure type. The asymmetric unit contains two Er, one Ba, and four S atoms, each with .m. site symmetry. The structure consists of channels formed by corner- and edge-sharing ErS6 octa-hedra in which Ba atoms reside. The resultant coordination of Ba is that ...

Adenosine modulation of calcium channel currents and synaptic gamma-aminobutyrate (GABA) release was investigated with whole cell voltage-clamp recordings in rat suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) and arcuate nucleus cultures (n = 94). In SCN cultures, approximately 70% of the neurons showed a reversible inhibition of whole cell barium currents on the application of adenosine or its analogues. Adeno...

A patient with cholecystoduodenocolic fistula and gallstone ileus is described. Barium enema and barium meal and follow through demonstrated the passage of the gallstone from the gallbladder region to the small bowel. The clinical features and operative management are discussed in the light of four previously recorded cases.

A case of deliberate overdose of barium sulphide in a psychiatric setting is presented, with resulting flaccid paralysis, malignant arrhythmia, respiratory arrest and severe hypokalaemia, but ultimately with complete recovery. The degree of paralysis appears to be related directly to serum barium levels. The value of early haemodialysis, particularly with respiratory paralysis and hypokalaemia,...

Four men who mined barytes in Scotland and who developed pneumoconiosis are described. Three developed progressive massive fibrosis, from which two died; and one developed a nodular simple pneumoconiosis after leaving the industry. The radiological and pathological features of the men's lungs were those of silicosis and high proportions of quartz were found in two of them post mortem. The quart...

Figure Barium enema showing typical appearance of ileo-caecal intussusception. diagnosis of acute appendicitis was made. In view of the anticoagulation, she was treated conservatively with intravenous antibiotics. Warfarin was discontinued. An urgent ultrasound scan of the abdomen revealed a mass in the right iliac fossa suggestive of an intussusception, subsequently confirmed by CT scan and ba...

We describe the experimental measurement of phase-conjugate reflectivity versus various ratios of input-beam intensities in photorefractive barium titanate and strontium barium niobate crystals. The experimental results are compared with the theoretical prediction from the coupled-wave theory. Three different methods to measure the nonlinear coupling constant of the crystal are also presented a...

Barium poisoning is an important cause of areflexic quadriplegia associated with hypokalemia. Presenting features may mimic Guillain-Barre syndrome. A high index of suspicion of barium poisoning in two patients who presented with features resembling Guillain-Barre syndrome, led to timely management and early recovery in both the cases.

Alqurashi MM, et al. BMJ Case Rep 2017. doi:10.1136/bcr-2017-220486 Description A healthy 43-year-old gravida 14, para 12+1 woman, developed Sheehan syndrome followed by disseminated intravascular coagulopathy and sepsis post-Caesarean section. Her postoperative course was further complicated by a hospital-acquired pneumonia for which she required endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilat...