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The production of olive oil mill wastewater is one of the leading environmental sustainability problems in the food sector industries. The constituents of OMW effluents are often complex. They require a high level of energy and treatment to reduce their pollution. This work investigated a sequential batch reactor (SBR) capacity evaluation to treat OMW diluted by domestic wastewater. Two systems have been examined. Two different dilutions of OMW with wastewater are made such as M1 (50% OMW 50% wastewater) and M2 (75% OMW 25% wastewater). M1 dilution improved biodegradability and reduced pollution of OMW. Both systems were operated continuously on a 24-h cycle. Each reactor's performance in removing COD, polyphenols, ammonium, nitrate, and phosphorus was monitored throughout the experiment. SBR M1 showed reduction rate of 68.9, 67.1, 75.3, 86 and 95.3% for COD, polyphenols, nitrates, ammonium and phosphorus, respectively. Whereas SBR M2 removed 40.2% of COD, 47% of polyphenols, 61.2% of nitrates, 61.1% of ammonium, and 94.1% of phosphorus. The suggested treatment process could be used in the olive oil manufacturing industries as a simple and inexpensive technique. The principal component analysis application shows that almost all the variance is represented by the first component for both mixtures, with a positive correlation between pH and concentrations of ammonium, polyphenols, and the first mixture M1. For the second mixture M2, a first significant correlation is observed between the polyphenols, nitrates, and COD. On the other hand, a second correlation is observed between pH and the concentrations of ammonium and phosphorus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This pilot study evaluates the degree of side effects during high-dose chemotherapy (HD-VIC) plus autologous bone marrow transplant (HDCT) and its possible prevention by the cytoprotective thiol-derivate amifostine. Additionally, the in-patient medical costs of both treatment arms were compared. 40 patients with solid tumours were randomized to receive HD-VIC chemotherapy with or without amifostine (910 mg/m[SUP2] at day 1-3) given as a short infusion prior to carboplatin and ifosfamide. Patients were stratified according to pretreatment. HDCT consisted of an 18 h infusion of carboplatin (500 mg/m[SUP2/]d over 18 h), ifosfamide (4 g/m[SUP2]/d over 4 h) and etoposide (500 mg/m[SUP2]/d) all given for 3 consecutive days. All patients received prophylactic application of G-CSF (5 μg kg[SUP1] subcutaneously) to ameliorate neutropenia after treatment. Patients were monitored for nephrotoxicity, gastrointestinal side effects, haematopoietic recovery, as well as frequency of fever and infections. The median fall of the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was 10% from baseline in the amifostine group (105 to 95 ml min[SUP-1]) and 37% in the control patient group (107 to 67 ml min[SUP-1]) (P < 0.01). Amifostine-treated patients revealed a less pronounced increase in albumine and low molecular weight protein urinary excretion. Stomatitis grade III/IV occurred in 25% without versus 0% of patients with amifostine (P = 0.01). Acute nausea/vomiting was frequently observed immediately during or after the application of amifostine despite intensive antiemetic prophylaxis consisting of 5-HT[SUB3]-receptor antagonists/dexamethasone/trifluorpromazine. However, delayed emesis occurred more often in the control patients. Engraftment of neutrophil (> 500 μl[SUP-1]) and thrombocytes (> 25 000 μl[SUP-1]) were observed at days 9 versus 10 and 10 versus 12, respectively, both slightly in favour of the amifostine arm. In addition, a lower number of days with fever and a... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The charge-related determinants of albumin permeability are the subject of controversial discussion. To study this question we have developed an isolated perfused rat kidney model in which metabolic processes are eliminated by perfusion fixation with glutaraldehyde. The fixed kidneys were perfused with albumin solutions using the following approaches: 1. Modification of the charge of both the glomerular capillary wall (GCW) and albumin using different buffer systems in a pH range spanning the isoelectric points of albumin and the glomerular basement membrane (GBM), the extracellular matrix of the GCW. 2. Modification of the charge of the GCW by perfusing the isolated kidney with cations either before or after fixation. 3. Modification of the charge of albumin by cationization.In the model, the inulin "urine" to perfusate ratio was one. This shows that the tubules have no metabolic activity, that the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is equal to "urine" flow rate and that the "urine" collected is identical to the ultrafiltrate. Therefore, sieving coefficients in this model can simply be calculated as the ratio between "urine" and perfusate protein concentrations. We could show that: 1. pH has a significant effect on the albumin sieving coefficient: it was maximally increased at pH 4.0 [(70.3±15.9)×10-3, n=10 versus (8.7±3.7)×10-3, n=11, at pH 7.4]. Only a pH as low as 4.0 should lead to a pronounced neutralization of the anionic charges of albumin and the GBM; the charge density of the GCW calculated with these data is 43 mEq/l at pH 7.4. 2. Modifying the ionic composition of the GCW with protamine before fixation with glutaraldehyde causes a bigger increase in the glomerular permeability for albumin [(51.2±22.5)×10-3, n=10, glomerular charge density 21 mEq/l] than modifying the albumin charge by cationization. 3. Modifying the albumin charge by cationization increases the glomerular permeability for albumin [(20.0±6.7)×10-3, n=8].These findings support the hypothesis that at the onset of proteinuria changes in the charge and configuration of the GCW could be more important pathogenetic factors than changes in the charge of serum-derived proteins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]