Postoperative abdominal herpes zoster complicated by intestinal obstruction:A case report

BACKGROUND Intestinal obstruction is a common occurrence in clinical practice.However,the occurrence of herpes zoster complicated by intestinal obstruction after abdominal surgery is exceedingly rare.In the diagnostic and treatment process,clinicians consider it crucial to identify the primary causes of its occurrence to ensure effective treatment and avoiding misdiagnosis.CASE SUMMARY Herein,we present the case of a 40-year-old female patient with intestinal obstruction who underwent laparoscopic appendectomy and developed herpes zoster after surgery.Combining the patient's clinical manifestations and relevant laboratory tests,it was suggested that the varicella zoster virus reactivated during the latent period after abdominal surgery,causing herpes zoster.Subsequently,the herpes virus invaded the visceral nerve fibers,causing gastrointestinal dysfunction and loss of intestinal peristalsis,which eventually led to intestinal obstruction.The patient was successfully treated through conservative treatment and antiviral therapy and subsequently discharged from the hospital.CONCLUSION Pseudo-intestinal obstruction secondary to herpes zoster infection is difficult to distinguish from mechanical intestinal obstruction owing to various causes.In cases of inexplicable intestinal obstructions,considering the possibility of a viral infection is essential to minimize misdiagnosis and missed diagnoses。

Interdiffusion behavior between Cr and Zr and its effect on the microcracking behavior in the Cr-coated Zr-4 alloy

High-temperature chromium(Cr)-zirconium(Zr)interdiffusion commonly occurs in Cr-coated zircaloys applied for enhanced accident-tolerant fuel(ATF)claddings.Such interdiffusion changes the interfacial microstructure and thus the fracture mechanism of the coating under external loading.In this study,the interdiffusion behavior in a magnetron sputtered Cr coating deposited on a Zr-4 alloy was studied in a vacuum environment at 1160C.In addition,the effect of interdiffusion on the microcracking behavior of the Cr coating was determined by in situ three-point bending tests.The experimental results show that the interdiffusion behavior resulted in the formation of a ZrCr2 layer,accompanied by the consumption of Cr coating and interfacial roughening.The growth of the diffusion layer followed a nearly parabolic law with respect to annealing time,and the residual stress of the annealed coating decreased with increasing annealing time.Under external loading,a large number of cracks were generated in the brittle interlayer,and some interfacial cracks were formed and grew at the ZrCr2/Zr-4 interface.Despite the remarkable microcracks in the ZrCr2 layer,the vacuum-annealed Cr coating has significantly fewer cracks than the original coating,mainly because of the recrystallization of the coating during annealing.