A case report of a giant appendiceal mucocele and literature review

A 43-year-old female presented at the accident and emergency department of Princess Marina Hospital, Gaborone, Botswana. She reported a deep dull aching pain of two years duration in the right iliac fossa that has been progressively becoming worse. Ultrasound revealed a large sausage like cystic mass extending from the pelvis up to the medial aspect of the ascending colon. CT scan showed a large sausage like cystic mass extending from the pelvis up to the hepatic flexure of the colon with the cecum displaced. No metastatic features were seen. We made an impression of appendiceal mucocele. A semi-elective laparotomy was scheduled. Intraoperative findings: a giant intact cystic distended appendix with involved base, displacing the cecum cranially. A right hemicolectomy was performed. The histopathological results revealed a low-grade appendicular mucinous neoplasm with no lymph node involvement. The surgical margins were free. The patient recovered uneventfully.

North Atlantic Subtropical Gyre: SOFAR Floats Tracked by Moored Listening Stations

In 1980, SOFAR (sound fixing and ranging) floats were tracked acoustically in the western North Atlantic entirely by means of moored autonomous listening stations. During a 5-month period 17 float trajectories were obtained in the eastern (45 degrees to 65 degrees W) Gulf Stream and subtropical gyre interior at depths of 700 and 2000 meters. These mid-depth trajectories suggest a time-varying Gulf Stream with instances of both a narrow, swift, westward recirculation south of the stream and a northeastward penetration into the Newfoundland Basin. A hundredfold increase of eddy kinetic energy was observed at 2000 meters from the gyre interior (south of 30 degrees N) to the Gulf Stream.