An overview of the recovery of acid from spent acidic solutions from steel and electroplating industries

Every metal and metallurgical industry is associated with the generation of waste, which may be a solid, liquid or gaseous in nature. Their impacts on the ecological bodies are noticeable due to their complex and hazardous nature affecting the living and non-living environment which is an alarming issue to the environmentalist. The increasingly stringent regulations regarding the discharge of acid and metal into the environment, and the increasing stress upon the recycling/reuse of these effluents after proper treatment have focused the interest of the research community on the development of new approaches for the recovery of acid and metals from industrial wastes. This paper is a critical review on the acidic waste streams generated from steel and electroplating industries particularly from waste pickle liquor and spent bleed streams. Various aspects on the generation of these streams and the methods used for their treatment either for the recovery of acid for reuse or disposal are being dealt with. Major stress is laid upon the hydrometallurgical methods such as solvent extraction.

COVID-2019: update on epidemiology, disease spread and management

With each passing day, more cases of Coronavirus disease (COVID-2019) are being detected and unfortunately the fear of novel corona virus 2019 (2019-nCoV) becoming a pandemic disease has come true. Constant efforts at individual, national, and international level are being made in order to understand the genomics, hosts, modes of transmission and epidemiological link of nCoV-2019. As of now, whole genome sequence of the newly discovered coronavirus has already been decoded. Genomic characterization nCoV-2019 have shown close homology with bat-derived severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-like coronaviruses, bat-SL-CoVZC45 and bat-SL-CoVZXC21. Structural analysis of the receptor binding site has confirmed that 2019-nCoV binds with the same ACE 2 receptor protein as human SARS virus. Compared to the previous coronavirus outbreaks, the overall mortality rate is relatively low for COVID-2019 (2-3%). Suspected cases must be quarantined till their test comes positive or they clear infection. At present, treatment of COVID-2019 is mostly based on the knowledge gained from the SARS and MERS outbreaks. Remdesivir, originally develop as a treatment for Ebola virus disease and Marburg virus infections, is being studied for it effectiveness against 2019-nCoV infection. Many other antiviral agents and vaccines are being tested but most of them are in phase I or II and hence unlikely to be of any benefit immediately with regards to current outbreak. Hence, the standard infection control techniques and preventive steps for healthy individuals and supportive care for the confirmed cases is the best available strategy to deal with current viral outbreak. .

Comprehensive update on current outbreak of novel coronavirus infection (2019-nCoV)

Recently, a new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has emerged as a respiratory infection with significant concern for global public health hazards. With an initial suspicion of the animal to the human transmission for earlier cases, now the paradigm has shifted towards human to human transmission via droplets, contacts and/or through fomites. with each passing day, more and more confirmed cases are being reported worldwide which has alarmed the global authorities including World Health Organization (WHO), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China to take immediate action in order to reduce the transmission and subsequent mortalities associated with COVID-19 to as minimum as possible. Unfortunately, like the previous Coronavirus outbreaks, there is no definite antiviral therapy for the treatment of confirmed cases and hence preventing ourselves from contracting 2019-nCoV is the best way to prevent it from becoming pandemic. Herein, we aim to discuss the latest updates on the origin, genomic characteristics, diagnosis, treatment options and current efforts being made by international health organizations with regards to the 2019-nCoV outbreak.

Cancer treatment during COVID-19 pandemic

Currently world is fighting with global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). At this time of uncertainty, oncologists are struggling to provide appropriate care to cancer patients. They have to weigh risk and benefit of giving cancer treatment vs chances of getting them infected with COVID-19. As cancer patients are immunocompromised and there are high chances of exposure during hospital visits and if they get infected, outcome can be fatal. So through the column of this article, we would like to provide basic guideline in management of cancer patients during COVID-19 pandemic.

A review of cardiac manifestations and predictors of outcome in patients with COVID - 19

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has so far involved 184 countries and more than 2.79 million patients worldwide. Over the past three months, it has attributed to more than 196,000 deaths, with more than 50,000 deaths in the United States alone. Pulmonary manifestations are predominant and have been well identified. Cardiac involvement is also common. Acute cardiac injury, the most common cardiac manifestation of this disease can be seen in patients even without prior cardiac comorbidities. Established cardiovascular risk factors such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and coronary artery disease predispose to cardiac injury, the severity of illness and mortality. Non-ischemic myocardial injury secondary to cytokine storm is thought to be the predominant mechanism of acute cardiac injury associated with COVID-19. Multiple mechanisms and processes contribute to cardiac injury resulting in a poor outcome. Some of these are not clearly understood. Clinical and diagnostic details of cardiovascular involvement in these patients are mostly limited to biochemical markers. Multiple therapeutic agents have been tried with questionable efficacy and without clinical evidence. Interactions of comorbidities, cardiovascular drugs, the cardiac effect of therapeutic agents on the illness continue to be under investigation. With an increasing number of patients, newer promising therapies, and ongoing clinical trials, the exact mechanisms and extent to which these risk factors contribute to outcomes will be clearer in the future.

Kinetic and isotherm studies of cadmium adsorption on manganese nodule residue

The adsorption equilibrium and kinetics studies of cadmium (Cd) ions from aqueous solutions on manganese nodule residue were carried out by considering the influence of various parameters, such as contact time, solution pH and initial metal concentration in solution, temperature and adsorbent quantity. The adsorption of Cd increased with an increase in the concentrations of this metal in solution. Presence of manganese and iron content in manganese nodule residue (MNR) played a significant role in Cd(II) ions removal. The linear forms of the Langmuir and Freundlich equations were utilized for experiments with metal concentrations of 200 mg/L for Cd(II) as functions of solution pH (2.0-6.0). First-order rate equation and pseudo second-order rate equations were applied to study adsorption kinetics. Mass transfer study was also done to know the reaction rate. Thermodynamic parameters, such as standard Gibb's free energy (deltaG(o)), standard enthalpy (deltaH(o)) and standard entropy (deltaS(o)), were also evaluated by Van't Hoff equation. Thus, adsorption of Cd on this adsorbent was found to be spontaneous and exothermic thermodynamically. The adsorption capacity for Cd was found to be 19.8 mg/g of MNR. Under the optimised conditions, cadmium level was brought down from 100 mg/L to Cd less than detection limits and from 200 to 2 mg/L. Thus, the wastewater after cadmium removal could be safely disposed off on to land or sewage. Finally, the metal loaded adsorbent was subjected to desorption using different mineral acids and leaching by using toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP), synthetic precipitation leaching procedure (SPLP) tests for its further treatment or its safe disposal.

Coagulopathy, endothelial dysfunction, thrombotic microangiopathy and complement activation: potential role of complement system inhibition in COVID-19

Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) is a rapidly evolving health crisis caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). COVID-19 is a novel disease entity and we are in a learning phase with regards to the pathogenesis, disease manifestations, and therapeutics. In addition to the primary lung injury, many patients especially the ones with moderate to severe COVID-19 display evidence of endothelial damage, complement activation, which leads to a pro-coagulable state. While there are still missing links in our understanding, the interplay of endothelium, complement system activation, and immune response to the SARS-CoV-2 virus is a surprisingly major factor in COVID-19 pathogenesis. One could envision COVID-19 becoming a novel hematological syndrome. This review is to discuss the available literature with regards to the involvement of the complement system, and coagulation cascade and their interaction with endothelium.

Preventive and treatment strategies of COVID-19: From community to clinical trials

The latest threat to global health is the form of the ongoing Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This new coronavirus (SARS-COV-2) started as a local outbreak in Wuhan, China but soon tightened its grip on human lives around the globe. So far, we do not have a particularly effective anti-SARS-COV-2 vaccine or antiviral agent against COVID-19. Across the globe, many research organizations such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH), United States are studying and testing various drugs and vaccines for their effectiveness against SARS-COV-2. Currently, the principle fighting tool being promoted by the World Health Organization (WHO) is the prevention of acquiring SARS-COV-2 infection by following basic health hygiene rules and social distancing. We hereby discuss major non-pharmacological and pharmacological interventions.

Detection of hidden structures for arbitrary scales in complex physical systems

Recent decades have experienced the discovery of numerous complex materials. At the root of the complexity underlying many of these materials lies a large number of contending atomic- and largerscale configurations. In order to obtain a more detailed understanding of such systems, we need tools that enable the detection of pertinent structures on all spatial and temporal scales. Towards this end, we suggest a new method that applies to both static and dynamic systems which invokes ideas from network analysis and information theory. Our approach efficiently identifies basic unit cells, topological defects, and candidate natural structures. The method is particularly useful where a clear definition of order is lacking, and the identified features may constitute a natural point of departure for further analysis.

Extractive removal of chromium (VI) from industrial waste solution

Extractive removal of Cr (VI) was carried out from chloride solutions using cyanex 923 mixed with kerosene. The efficiency of this extractant was studied under various experimental conditions, such as concentration of different mineral acids in the aqueous phase, concentration of cyanex 923 and Cr (VI) present in the initial aqueous feed, temperature and time of extraction, organic to aqueous (O/A) phase ratio. Percentage Cr (VI) extraction decreases with the increase in temperature at varying concentration of cyanex 923. The interference of the impurities usually associated with Cr (VI) such as Cr (III), Cu, Ni, Fe (II), Zn, Chloride and sulphate, etc., were examined under the optimized conditions and only Zn was found to interfere. Under the optimum experimental conditions 98.6-99.9% of Cr (VI) was extracted in 3-5 min at O/A of 2 with the initial feed concentration of 1g/L of Cr (VI). The extracted Cr (VI) was quantitatively stripped with 1M NaOH and the organic phase obtained after the stripping of Cr (VI) was washed with dilute HCl solution to neutralize any NaOH trapped/adhered to the solvent and then with distilled water. This regenerated solvent was reused in succeeding extraction of chromium (VI). Finally a few experiments were performed with the synthetic effluent from an electroplating industry.

Enhancing Triage Efficiency and Accuracy in Emergency Rooms for Patients with Metastatic Prostate Cancer: A Retrospective Analysis of Artificial Intelligence-Assisted Triage Using ChatGPT 4.0

BACKGROUND

Accurate and efficient triage is crucial for prioritizing care and managing resources in emergency rooms. This study investigates the effectiveness of ChatGPT, an advanced artificial intelligence system, in assisting health providers with decision-making for patients presenting with metastatic prostate cancer, focusing on the potential to improve both patient outcomes and resource allocation.

METHODS

Clinical data from patients with metastatic prostate cancer who presented to the emergency room between 1 May 2022 and 30 April 2023 were retrospectively collected. The primary outcome was the sensitivity and specificity of ChatGPT in determining whether a patient required admission or discharge. The secondary outcomes included the agreement between ChatGPT and emergency medicine physicians, the comprehensiveness of diagnoses, the accuracy of treatment plans proposed by both parties, and the length of medical decision making.

RESULTS

Of the 147 patients screened, 56 met the inclusion criteria. ChatGPT had a sensitivity of 95.7% in determining admission and a specificity of 18.2% in discharging patients. In 87.5% of cases, ChatGPT made the same primary diagnoses as physicians, with more accurate terminology use (42.9% vs. 21.4%, p = 0.02) and more comprehensive diagnostic lists (median number of diagnoses: 3 vs. 2, p < 0.001). Emergency Severity Index scores calculated by ChatGPT were not associated with admission (p = 0.12), hospital stay length (p = 0.91) or ICU admission (p = 0.54). Despite shorter mean word count (169 ± 66 vs. 272 ± 105, p < 0.001), ChatGPT was more likely to give additional treatment recommendations than physicians (94.3% vs. 73.5%, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Our hypothesis-generating data demonstrated that ChatGPT is associated with a high sensitivity in determining the admission of patients with metastatic prostate cancer in the emergency room. It also provides accurate and comprehensive diagnoses. These findings suggest that ChatGPT has the potential to assist health providers in improving patient triage in emergency settings, and may enhance both efficiency and quality of care provided by the physicians.

Systematic studies on adsorption of lead on sea nodule residues

Lead adsorption from aqueous solutions was studied with the aim of detoxifying industrial effluents before their safe disposal onto land or into river waters. Sea nodule residue (SNR), a waste material containing oxides and oxyhydroxides of manganese, iron, silicon, etc., was used as an effective adsorbent for lead in this study. The effect of various parameters such as contact time, initial lead concentration, pulp density, particle size of the adsorbent, pH, and temperature was studied to optimize the conditions for maximum adsorption. Adsorption followed first-order kinetics and 99% of lead adsorption was achieved at a solid:liquid ratio of 1:330, in the pH range 5.5-6.0 at a particle size of -150 microm in 8 h for solution containing 200 ppm lead. The adsorption capacity was found to be 99.0 mg of lead per gram of SNR and the adsorption isotherms followed the Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption models. The mechanism of adsorption of lead onto the sea nodule residue was also investigated. It was possible to reduce the lead level from 25-200 ppm to acceptable levels (0.1 ppm) by adsorption over this solid waste.

Disseminated herpes zoster following treatment with benralizumab

BACKGROUND

Disseminated herpes zoster infection occurs mostly in immunocompromised hosts. There have been recent reports of disseminated zoster with chemotherapeutic regimens and newer monoclonal antibodies.

CASE REPORT

The present case describes a 61-year-old patient presenting with disseminated herpes zoster after initiation of benralizumab, an anti-IL-5 monoclonal antibody for severe persistent asthma. His initial vesicular lesions limited to left lumbar dermatomes progressed extensively resulting in dissemination on his body. The diagnosis was confirmed with PCR and he had remarkable clinical improvement with acyclovir and supportive medical management.

CONCLUSION

Clinical trials have reported an association of mepolizumab, another anti-IL-5 monoclonal antibody with herpes zoster. This report of herpes zoster following initiation of benralizumab might suggest a possibility of a class effect of anti-IL-5 monoclonal antibody.

Current perspective on pandemic of COVID-19 in the United States

Currently, the world is facing its 3^rd coronavirus outbreak of the 21^st century, which has turned to a pandemic recently. Starting on December 2019, coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was first detected in Wuhan City, Hubei province, China. As of 31^st March, 2020, more than 900,000 COVID-19 cases have been reported across the globe involving more than 200 countries. The first case of the United States (US) was confirmed on 20^th January, 2020 in a 35-year-old male who had a travel history to Wuhan, China, before returning to the U.S. Since then, the SARS-CoV-2 virus has spread to all the 50 states of US, with more cases being reported every day. New York, New Jersey, Michigan, and California are the worst-hit states. As COVID-19 is growing, every day has been marked by novel developments and updates. We hereby talk about how the U.S. is leading the multiagency effort to fight against this pandemic and the steps that have been taken so far.

Trajectory of the COVID-19 pandemic: chasing a moving target

The spread of COVID-19 has already taken a pandemic form, affecting over 180 countries in a matter of three months. The full continuum of disease ranges from mild, self-limiting illness to severe progressive COVID-19 pneumonia, multiorgan failure, cytokine storm and death. Younger and healthy population is now getting affected than before. Possibilities of airborne and fecal oral routes of transmission has increased the concern. In the absence of any specific therapeutic agent for coronavirus infections, the most effective manner to contain this pandemic is probably the non-pharmacological interventions (NPIs). The damage due to the pandemic disease is multifaceted and crippling to economy, trade, and health of the citizens of the countries. The extent of damage in such scenarios is something that is beyond calculation by Gross Domestic Product rate or currency value of the country. Unfortunately, unlike many other diseases, we are still away from the target antiviral drug and vaccine for severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV-2) infection. The prime importance of NPIs like social distancing, staying in home, work from home, self-monitoring, public awareness, self-quarantine, etc. are constantly being emphasized by CDC, WHO, health ministries of all countries and social media houses. This is time of introspection and learning from our mistakes. Countries like China and South Korea who were initially the most hit countries could contain the disease spread by liberal testing of their population, stringent quarantine of people under investigation and isolation of the positive cases. Rest of the countries need to act urgently as well to bring an immediate halt in the community transmission.

COVID-19 related immune hemolysis and thrombocytopenia

The current pandemic due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has posed an unprecedented challenge for the medical communities, various countries worldwide, and their citizens. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 has been studied for its various pathophysiological pathways and mechanisms through which it causes COVID-19. In this study, we discussed the immunological impact of COVID-19 on the hematological system, platelets, and red blood cells.

Challenges of Maintaining Optimal Nutrition Status in COVID-19 Patients in Intensive Care Settings

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has threatened patients, healthcare systems, and all countries across the globe with unprecedented challenges and uncertainties. According to the latest literature, most patients with COVID-19 have mild symptoms that do not require hospital admissions, and only a small percentage of those hospitalized require intensive care. In the intensive care unit (ICU), a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) assists the critical care team by formulating, executing, and monitoring the nutrition strategies and interventions to meet the unique requirements of extremely sick patients. However, because of the novelty of COVID-19, the situation is fluid and guidelines continue to be developed and updated. This article discusses the interim guidelines available for the nutrition support of ICU COVID-19 patients and the challenges the critical care team and RDN may face from a nutrition standpoint.