Paracetamol and salicylic acid removal from contaminated water by microalgae

The biomass growth, pharmaceutical removal and light conversion efficiency of Chlorella sorokiniana under the presence of paracetamol (PC) and salicylic acid (SaC) were assessed and compared at two different concentrations of these pharmaceuticals (I: 25 mg l^-1, II: 250 mg l^-1). Microalgae were resistant to these concentrations and, moreover, their growth was significantly stimulated (p ≤ 0.05) under these drugs (biomass concentration increased above 33% PCI, 35% SaCI, 13% PCII and 45% SaCII, as compared with the respective positive controls). At the steady state of the semicontinuous culture, C. sorokiniana showed removal efficiencies above 41% and 69% for PCI and PCII, respectively; and above 93% and 98% for SaCI and SaCII, respectively. Under an irradiance of 370 μE m^-2 s^-1, higher quantum yields were reached by microalgae under the presence of drugs, either at dose I or II, than by the respective positive controls. These results point to C. sorokiniana as a robust strain for the bioremediation of paracetamol and salicylic acid concentrated wastewaters.

Improvement of drug prescribing in acute kidney injury with a nephrotoxic drug alert system

Objective

Electronic alert systems have shown their capacity for improving the detection of acute kidney injury (AKI). The aim of this study was to design and implement a clinical decision support system (CDSS) for improving drug selection and reducing nephrotoxic drug use in patients with AKI.

Methods

The study was designed as an intervention study comparing a pre and post cohort of patients admitted during April 2014 and April 2015, respectively (phase I and phase II). The intervention was a CDSS which provided kidney function and nephrotoxic drug information. Furthermore, an interruptive alert was designed to detect patients suffering an AKI event while taking a nephrotoxic drug and to see if the dose was then reduced or the drug was discontinued by the physicians.

Results

One-third of the inpatients were included in the analysis because they met the inclusion criteria (1004 and 1002 patients in phases I and II, respectively). 735 and 761 of them received at least one nephrotoxic alert (73% vs 76%; p=0.763). 65 and 88 patients suffered AKI during admission (6.5% vs 8.8%; p=0.051). In phase I, patients received 384 nephrotoxic alerts (55%) with 78 (20%) of them provoking a change or discontinuation of the nephrotoxic drug. In phase II this value increased to 154 out of 526 (29%) after implementation of the CDSS (p<0.01).

Conclusions

A CDSS with interruptive alerts that inform of the development of AKI in real time in patients with nephrotoxic drug prescription has a positive impact on the judicious use of these drugs.

Nutrients and pharmaceuticals removal from wastewater by culture and harvesting of Chlorella sorokiniana

This work aimed to study both the removal of nutrients and pharmaceuticals, namely salicylic acid or paracetamol, from water by the culture of Chlorella sorokiniana. The removal of nutrients was nearly complete at the end of the batch culture; above 70% for nitrates and 89% for phosphates in the semicontinuous culture. The pharmaceuticals removal kinetics were 2.3 times greater for the salicylic acid than paracetamol, reaching volumetric efficiencies above 93% for salicylic acid in the semicontinuous culture. Finally, to separate the microalgae biomass from treated water, metal salts, synthetic polyelectrolytes and a biopolymer were tested as coagulants-flocculants. The best flocculation results were achieved with AlCl3 (95.23% with 200mgg(-1), 1min incubation time). However, given that resulting flocs had different characteristics, flocculants must be chosen on the basis of the subsequent use of the biomass.

Abstract P3-15-02: A prospective, open label, non-comparative trial to determine the incidence of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting associated with the docetaxel-cyclophosphamide regimen in early breast cancer patients. Results from the GEICAM 2009-02 study

Background: Docetaxel-Cyclophosphamide (TC) has become a common chemotherapy regimen for moderate-high risk Early Breast Cancer (EBC) patients. The incidence of chemotherapy induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) with TC together with an adequate standard anti-emetic therapy with 5-HT3 antagonist and corticosteroids are unknown. This study investigates the incidence of emesis control (complete response), defined as no vomiting (any grade of NCI CTCAE version 4.0) and no use of rescue treatment within 120 hours after the first cycle of TC. Secondary objective evaluates the efficacy of Aprepitant in non-responding patients.

Methods: EBC patients with no prior moderate-high risk CINV were included. Patients received Docetaxel 75 mg/m2 plus Cyclophosphamide 600 mg/m2 IV every three weeks. Antiemetic treatment consisted of oral Dexamethasone (D) 8 mg (at night) on day 0; oral D 8 mg x 3 (in the morning, 1 hour before chemotherapy and at night) plus 5-HT3 antagonists on day 1; and oral D 8 mg x 2 (in the morning and at night) on days 2 and 3. Non-responding patients (vomiting or need of rescue therapy in the first cycle) were offered participation in the efficacy phase (Aprepitant 125mg day 1 and 80 mg days 2 and 3 added to the standard antiemetic therapy in cycle 2). In addition to the standard NCI-CTCAE adverse event collection, a patient´s diary (from day 1 to 6) and the FLIE (Functional Living Index-Emesis questionnaire) were used. Assuming a 25% (+/- 6%) of patients resistant to standard antiemetic therapy, 212 patients were estimated.

Results: From May-11 to March-13, 212 EBC patients were included. Median age was 57 years (range 34-82), 29.3% were premenopausal. Twenty-seven patients were excluded from the main analysis because of major protocol violations (25) or consent withdrawal (2). Twenty-four patients (13%; IC95%: 8.2 – 17.8) did not respond to standard antiemetics and entered the efficacy phase with Aprepitant. From these 24 patients, 14 (56%; IC95%: 36.5 – 75.5) achieved a complete response on cycle 2. No adverse events related to Aprepitant were observed.

Conclusions: Proper use of standard antiemetic therapy for early breast cancer patients treated with TC provides a high control rate (87%). Among no responding patients, about half of them were rescued with Aprepitant. Identification of the non-responding patients could lead to a better antiemetic control with Aprepitant from the first cycle.

Citation Information: Cancer Res 2013;73(24 Suppl): Abstract nr P3-15-02.

Selection of native freshwater microalgae and cyanobacteria for CO2 biofixation

One of the technologies available for coping with problems related to the rise in atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide is CO2 biofixation with microalgae or cyanobacteria. The selection of native strains that grow well at the specific site where the technology is to be used will increase the success possibilities of such a technology. Thus, with the aim of finding a suitable local variety for use in a CO2 biofixation system, three recently isolated freshwater strains, Scenedesmus sp., Chlorogonium sp. and Synechocystis sp. were studied. Chlorella sorokiniana was used as a control strain. All the strains were grown under the same culture conditions for seven days of batch culture, and various growth and CO2 biofixation parameters were determined. Synechocystis sp. showed the highest specific growth rate at 1.75 per day (l/d). Results for CO2 biofixation ranged between 0.650 and 0.953 g of carbon dioxide per litre per day (g CO2/l/d), but differences among native strains were noted, although they were not statistically significant. However, Synechocystis sp. was selected as the most suitable strain for CO2 biofixation, owing to its good capacity to use light in dense cultures, an essential requirement for sustainable commercial systems.

Gasification of rice straw in a fluidized-bed gasifier for syngas application in close-coupled boiler-gasifier systems

The feasibility and operation performance of the gasification of rice straw in an atmospheric fluidized-bed gasifier was studied. The gasification was carried out between 700 and 850 °C. The stoichiometric air-fuel ratio (A/F) for rice straw was 4.28 and air supplied was 7-25% of that necessary for stoichiometric combustion. Mass and power balances, tar concentration, produced gas composition, gas phase ammonia, chloride and potassium concentrations, agglomeration tendencies and gas efficiencies were assessed. Agglomeration was avoided by replacing the normal alumina-silicate bed by a mixture of alumina-silicate sand and MgO. It was shown that it is possible to produce high quality syngas from the gasification of rice straw. Under the experimental conditions used, the higher heating value (HHV) of the produced gas reached 5.1 MJ Nm(-3), the hot gas efficiency 61% and the cold gas efficiency 52%. The obtained results prove that rice straw may be used as fuel for close-coupled boiler-gasifier systems.

Co-combustion of different sewage sludge and coal: a non-isothermal thermogravimetric kinetic analysis

The kinetics of the combustion of coal, two different sewage sludge and their blends (containing different dried weight percentages of sewage sludge) was studied by simultaneous thermogravimetric analysis. Once the weight percentage of sludge in the blend was 10%, the effects on the combustion of coal were hardly noticeable in terms of weight loss. The Arrhenius activation energy corresponding to the co-combustion of the blends was evaluated by non-isothermal kinetic analysis. This showed that, though differences between coal and sewage sludge, the combustion of their blends kept kinetically alike to that of the coal. This work illustrates how thermogravimetric analysis may be used as an easy rapid tool to asses, not only mass loss, but also kinetics of the co-combustion of sewage sludge and coal blends.

Adsorption of heavy metals onto sewage sludge-derived materials

Two materials were produced from sewage sludge by: (1) pyrolysis of dried sewage sludge (PS); (2) chemical activation of dried sewage sludge with ZnCl(2) followed by pyrolysis (AS). The aim was to study the application of these materials for metal purification from water and to determine the efficiency of each material. Although AS displayed higher capacity, both PS and AS were able to adsorb these metals and the preferential order was equal: Hg(II)>Pb(II)>Cu(II)>Cr(III). For each metal-adsorbent pair, metal adsorption was highly pH dependent. In all cases the equilibrium was well described both by the Langmuir and the Freundlich isotherms. At the corresponding optimum pH, AS showed the following adsorption capacities: 175.4, 64.1, 30.7 and 15.4 mg/g of Hg(II), Pb(II), Cu(II) and Cr(III), respectively. These results indicate the potential application of these sewage sludge based adsorbents for the treatment of metal polluted effluents.

Effects of sewage sludge blending on the coal combustion: a thermogravimetric assessment

Combustion of urban sewage sludge together with coal in existing infrastructures may be a sustainable management option energetically interesting for these materials, usually considered wastes. Thermogravimetric analysis was used to study the combustion of a semianthracite coal and the modifications undergone when adding a small percentage (2%, 5%, 10%) of sewage sludge. Both Differential Scanning Calorimetric analysis and Differential Thermogravimetry burning profiles showed differences between coal and sewage sludge combustion. However, the effects of adding a percentage of sewage sludge equal or smaller than 10% was hardly noticeable in terms of heat release and weight loss during the coal combustion. This was further proved by non-isothermal kinetic analysis, which was used to evaluate the Arrhenius activation energy corresponding to the co-combustion of the blends. This work shows that thermogravimetric analysis may be used as an easy rapid tool to asses the co-combustion of sewage sludge together with coal.

An evaluation of stability by thermogravimetric analysis of digestate obtained from different biowastes

Research was carried out with the aim of monitoring anaerobic digestion processes using thermal analysis with the aid of mass spectrometry so as to define the stability of the digestate obtained. Three different systems were investigated under varying conditions. The digestion of waste sludge from a pharmaceutical industry (PI) and the digestion of cattle manure (CM) were evaluated under mesophilic conditions. The co-digestion of a mixture of primary sludge (PS) and the organic fraction of municipal solid wastes (OFMSW) was studied under thermophilic conditions. Temperature-programmed combustion tests were carried out to investigate the degree of stabilization of samples throughout the digestion processes. The derivative thermogravimetry (DTG) profiles obtained for the mesophilic digestion of PI waste showed a decrease at low temperatures and an increase at high temperatures in the intensity of the peaks recorded as the stabilization process proceeded. These results are in accordance with those obtained by the present authors in their previous work on the mesophilic digestion of primary sludge and OFMSW. In contrast, the DTG profiles obtained from the stabilization process of CM and thermophilic codigestion of PS and OFMSW showed a reduction in peaks at high temperatures. When the stabilization products obtained from CM by anaerobic digestion and by composting processes were compared, it was observed that the composting process was capable of further decomposing materials readily oxidized at low temperatures and increasing the presence of structurally more complex substances. The evolution of the differential thermal analysis (DTA) signal recorded simultaneously showed considerable similarity to the mass/charge (m/z) signal 44 registered by the mass spectrometer. The use of mass spectrometry helped to clarify the inner workings of the digestion process.

Adsorption of phenol on formaldehyde-pretreated Pinus pinaster bark: equilibrium and kinetics

This work studies phenol adsorption on Pinus pinaster bark that has been previously treated with formaldehyde in acid medium. The influence of several variables such as solid/liquid ratio, pH and initial concentration of phenol in the solution on the adsorption capacity of the bark has been analysed. A kinetic model based on phenol diffusion within the pores of the adsorbent was in agreement with the results obtained for high initial concentrations of phenol, allowing the determination of diffusion coefficients. Adsorption equilibrium data were fitted by the Freundlich and BET isotherms. From their parameters phenol adsorption capacity and intensity, as well as the specific surface (BET) of the adsorbent, were determined.

Vasculitis aislada del sistema nervioso central manifestándose como lesión pseudotumoral

Vasculitis is characterized by inflammation of the vessel walls, with or without necrosis, that causes narrowing and occasionally obstruction of the vessels. Vasculitis can be a primary process or it can occur secondary to other disease. Isolated central nervous system vasculitis (ICNSV) is a rare type of primary vasculitis that predominately affects the supratentorial regions. The clinical presentation and imaging findings are unspecific and diagnosis is made by exclusion and biopsy. We present a case manifesting as a pseudotumor in the posterior fossa on computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. The diagnosis was after biopsy, and the patient evolved favorably after treatment.

Activated carbons from sewage sludge and discarded tyres: production and optimization

This is a study about making use of two residual materials such as sludges from a sewage treatment plant and discarded tyres to generate activated carbons and later optimize the production process. H2SO4 and ZnCl2 were used as chemical activating agents. Liquid-phase adsorption tests were made using the produced carbons to retain methylene blue and iodine. The best precursor was sludge activated with ZnCl2. After optimization studies, the best production methodology involved a 1:1 ratio of sludge and ZnCl2, a heating rate of 5 degrees C/min up to 650 degrees C and a residence time of 5 min. The resulting materials adsorbed up to 139.4 mg/g of methylene blue and 1358.5 mg/g of iodine. Nevertheless these carbons may leach Zn while using. To avoid this two treatments were carried out: one consisting of a coating with a polymer and another involving an intensive washing, which was seen to be more efficient.

Dye adsorption by sewage sludge-based activated carbons in batch and fixed-bed systems

The present research work deals with the production of activated carbons by chemical activation and pyrolysis of sewage sludges. The adsorbent properties of these sewage sludges based activated carbons were studied by liquid-phase adsorption tests. Dyes removal from colored wastewater being a possible application for sludge based adsorbents, methylene blue and saphranine removing from solution was studied. Pure and binary adsorption assays were performed in batch and fixed bed systems. In all cases studied, the adsorbents produced from sewage sludges were able to adsorb both the compounds considered here. Nevertheless, time required for reaching equilibrium, adsorptive capacity and fixed bed characteristic parameters were different for these two compounds. Methylene blue adsorption occurred faster than that of saphranine, and it was preferably adsorbed when treating binary solutions. It could be concluded that the sewage sludge-based activated carbons may be promising for dyes removal from aqueous streams.

Upgrading sewage sludges for adsorbent preparation by different treatments

Addressing the adequate management of sludges produced at sewage plants is becoming a fundamental need as a consequence of the high production volumes, both current and forecasted, of this byproduct. European waste-treatment policies consider reuse of sludges as one of the preferred actions; along those lines this study proposes using sewage sludges as adsorbents for pollutants contained in wastewaters. As potential adsorbents, sludges dried at 105 degrees C, dried and pyrolyzed, or dried and chemically activated were tried. As adsorbate, methylene blue was used in order to characterize the adsorption capacity of the different materials. Although surface areas corresponding to pyrolyzed and chemically activated sludges were around 80 and 390 m2/g, respectively, both these materials exhibited poor levels of methylene blue adsorption which may have been due to their high proportions of micropores. Sludges only dried, on the contrary, showed significant methylene blue adsorption capacities.

The influence of pH upon the kinetic parameters of the enzymatic hydrolysis of cellobiose with Novozym 188

We have studied experimentally within the pH range of 3.65-5.5 at 50 degrees C the hydrolysis of cellobiose with Novozym 188, a commercial product with high beta-1,4-glucosidase activity derived from Aspergillus niger. We used wide variations in the conversion to be able to apply the integral method and thus determine that there is substrate and mixed product inhibition. Whether the SES triple compound contributes to the formation of glucose does not influence the fitting of the experimental results to the theoretical model to any significant extent. We have established how pH affects the kinetic parameters and ascertained that pH 4.3 is the optimum for the conversion of cellobiose into glucose.

Magnetic resonance imaging evaluation of a case of von Hippel-Lindau disease

We present a case of von Hippel-Lindau disease with special reference to the findings in MR imaging of visceral abdominal manifestations.

Report of six cases of human infection by Serratia plymuthica

Serratia plymuthica is an uncommon cause of human infection. Only one case of chronic osteomyelitis and two cases of sepsis secondary to central venous catheter infection have been documented. We report the isolation of S. plymuthica from six patients. The organism was recovered from blood cultures in three cases in which the patients had lymphoblastic leukemia, lymphoma, or stroke. Two isolates were recovered from exudates (following knee and abdominal surgery). In the last case, the organism was isolated from the peritoneal fluid of a patient with cholecystitis. The infection was considered nosocomial in five cases and community acquired in the other.