Search

Pseudomonas aeruginosa bloodstream infections (PA-BSIs) are a serious disease and a therapeutic challenge due to increasing resistance to carbapenems. Our objectives were to describe the prevalence and risk factors associated with carbapenem resistance (CR) and mortality in children with PA-BSI. A retrospective, multi-centre study was carried out, including patients aged <20 years with PA-BSI in four tertiary hospitals in Madrid (Spain) during 2010–2020. Risk factors for CR PA-BSIs and 30-day mortality were evaluated in a multi-variable logistic regression model. In total, 151 patients with PA-BSI were included, with a median age of 29 months (interquartile range: 3.5–87.1). Forty-five (29.8%) cases were CR, 9.9% multi-drug resistant and 6.6% extensively drug resistant. The prevalence of CR remained stable throughout the study period, with 26.7% (12/45) of CR mediated by VIM-type carbapenemase. Patients with BSIs produced by CR-PA were more likely to receive inappropriate empiric treatment (53.3% vs 5.7%, P <0.001) and to have been previously colonized by CR-PA (8.9% vs 0%, P =0.002) than BSIs caused by carbapenem-susceptible P. aeruginosa. CR was associated with carbapenem treatment in the previous month (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 11.15) and solid organ transplantation (aOR 7.64). The 30-day mortality was 23.2%, which was associated with mechanical ventilation (aOR 4.24), sepsis (aOR 5.72), inappropriate empiric antibiotic therapy (aOR 5.86), and source control as a protective factor (aOR 0.16). This study shows a concerning prevalence of CR in children with PA-BSIs, leading to high mortality. Inappropriate empiric treatment and sepsis were associated with mortality. The high prevalence of CR with an increased risk of inappropriate empiric treatment should be closely monitored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last few years the dental implants market has grown both in developed and developing countries, and is associated with high aesthetic expectations and well-being. Although the success rate of commercial implants is high, some problems associated with a lack of initial stability, marginal bony resorption, and periodontal health, remain, especially with immediate placement and loading. The market offers different designs of dental implants, but cylindrical and tapered devices that are fixed to the bone via an external thread are dominant. One lesser-known but potentially useful design is the expandable dental implant (EDI). This paper presents a review of expandable dental implants that encompasses a survey of the literature, published patents, and available commercial devices. We found 15 articles: prospective human trials (n = 4), human case reports (n = 3), published independent discussions of other articles (n = 2), three big animal trials (n = 3), and in silico studies (n = 3). A total of 73 published patents were found and two expandable dental implants are commercially available to date. We propose a classification system that differentiates between the expansion mechanism and the origin of the expanding action. Some expandable designs have been shown to provide good primary stability, but evidence to date is limited. We encourage future clinical and biomechanical studies to clarify and optimise the potential benefits of these implants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Objectives The enhanced safety surveillance for seasonal influenza vaccines established by the European Medicines Agency is required each season. Therefore, a registry capable of rapidly detecting and evaluating potential new safety concerns is needed. The aim of the study is to demonstrate the effectiveness of the vaccine information system of the Valencia region to make a rapid assessment of the influenza vaccine safety and describe the safety of the two vaccine types used in the 2017/2018 season. Study design It is a population-based descriptive study. Methods Adverse events following immunization reports collected from 23rd October 2017 to 15th March 2018 were analyzed. Results A total of 55 adverse events for influenza vaccine were reported in season 2017/2018 with a reporting rate (RR) of 0.77 per 10,000 administered doses. Injection site reactions had a RR of 0.30 and 0.47 per 10,000 for subunit and adjuvanted vaccines, respectively. Differences per vaccine, sex, and risk group did not reach statistical significance. Conclusions Reported events of the two influenza vaccine types used were similar than in other seasons and consistent with their safety profiles. Highlights • The aim of enhanced surveillance is to rapidly detect a change in the reactogenicity. • Vaccine information system of the Valencia region is useful for rapid safety assessment. • Reported adverse events for influenza vaccines were consistent with safety profiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Catalytic composite PVA membranes crosslinked with glutaraldehyde were prepared and used in form of disks in the acetalisation of phenylacetaldehyde and glycerol. Catalytic runs were carried out in batch reactors in order to study the effect of catalyst loading, crosslinking degree and hydrophilic/hydrophobic behavior. It was also preformed catalytic runs in pervaporation assisted catalytic membrane reactor to improve the efficiency of the process. The catalysts were characterized by thickness measurements, contact angles and swelling degree as well as by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Polymeric catalytic membranes were prepared in two different ways for the transesterification of soybean oil. In a first approach 1,5,7-Triazabicyclo [4.4.0] dec-5-ane (TBD) was anchored to a PVA membrane using epichlorohydrin as linking agent. Another attempt was to synthetize poly(N-vinylguanidine) avoiding the need of anchoring the TBD in a polymeric matrix. Catalytic runs were performed in jacket batch reactors and even though the results are still preliminary, they appeared to be promising. The catalysts were characterized by thickness measurements, swelling degree and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this study, the influence of the β-lactoglobulin, prolactin and αS1-casein variants on milk production traits of three Portuguese sheep breeds, including Serra da Estrela, White Merino and Black Merino, was analyzed. The genetic variants of each marker were identified using PCR-RFLP. β-Lactoglobulin genotype AA was associated with lower milk yield in Serra da Estrela and Merino ewes. This marker also affected milk fat content in Serra da Estrela and protein content in Merino. First results regarding the influence of the sheep prolactin gene on milk production traits are reported. In the Serra da Estrela breed, ewes carrying prolactin genotype AA were significantly associated with lower milk yield, but this influence of prolactin genotypes on milk yield was not detected in Merino. Prolactin genotypes were also significantly associated with milk fat and protein contents in the Serra da Estrela breed. A suggestive effect of the αS1-casein locus on milk yield was detected in Serra da Estrela, but no associations were found between the variants of this marker with milk fat and protein content. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In [J. Henry, A.M. Ramos, Factorization of second order elliptic boundary value problems by dynamic programming, Nonlinear Analysis. Theory, Methods & Applications 59 (2004) 629–647] we presented a method for factorizing a second-order boundary value problem into a system of uncoupled first-order initial value problems, together with a nonlinear Riccati type equation for functional operators. A weak sense was given to that system but we did not perform a direct study of those equations. This factorization utilizes either the Neumann to Dirichlet (NtD) operator or the Dirichlet to Neumann (DtN) operator, which satisfy a Riccati equation. Here we consider the framework of Hilbert–Schmidt operators, which provides tools for a direct study of this Riccati type equation. Once we have solved the system of Cauchy problems, we show that its solution solves the original second-order boundary value problem. Finally, we indicate how this techniques can be used to find suitable transparent conditions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this study, fresh and processing quality traits were collected on a total of 312 Country Hams. Phenotypic correlations between traits were estimated and numerous values were significantly different (P <0.05) from zero. Yield was significantly correlated with several fresh pork quality traits measured on the fresh hams, including subjective color (0.34) and lipid percentage (0.32). Some meat color traits were significantly correlated, including associations between the color scores taken on the fresh and cured hams. Correlations between fresh pork quality traits were also determined, with results showing significant correlations between ultimate pH and other pork quality traits. The results indicate that yield can be maximized if hams with good fresh pork quality parameters are used for curing. The correlations estimates are helpful for understanding of the biological mechanisms behind the production of dry-cured hams and can potentially be used to improve the efficiency of the dry-cured ham production chain. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A mathematical model has been developed to describe the phenomena of heat and mass transfer taking place during the high-pressure treatment of foods. It has proved that convection currents in the pressure medium play an important role in the thermal evolution of the processed samples especially when the filling ratio in the pressure vessel is low. This model shows to be an extremely useful tool to design high-pressure processes seeking a uniform temperature distribution. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We present a method to factorize a second-order boundary value problem in a cylindrical domain in a system of uncoupled first-order initial value problems, together with a nonlinear Riccati-type equation for functional operators. This uncoupling is obtained by a space invariant embedding technique along the axis of the cylinder. This method can be viewed as an infinite-dimensional generalization of the block Gauss LU factorization. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The objective of the study hereby presented consisted on the analysis of different finishing milling strategies of a complex geometry part containing concave and convex surfaces. The machining quality was assessed through the comparison of surface roughness, surface texture and dimensional control parameters. Three typical milling strategies were studied: radial, raster and 3D offset. The tool-cutting parameters were maintained constant for all strategies tested. The 3D offset machining strategy evidenced to be the suitable one for the geometry model used within the study. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Activated carbon impregnated with precursor salts of Ba, Co, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Ni, Pb and V and their binary mixtures was used for adsorption of SO2 at 20 °C. The most promising materials for SO2 removal are carbons doped with V, Cu and mainly their binary mixtures, which show a synergetic effect. Kinetic curves and isotherms of SO2 adsorption were obtained at 20 °C. These isotherms are reasonably well fitted by the Langmuir model and the respective parameters were determined. TPD experiments show that adsorption of SO2 increases the oxygenated groups on the carbon surface. The sample doped with V, after SO2 adsorption at 20 °C, presents an increase of basic oxygenated groups, which may be responsible for the observed extra adsorption of SO2. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]