An investigation on relationship of chemical indices of kilka (Clupeonella engrauliformis) with weight loss during cold storage at -18C

We studied the relationship between physical and chemical properties of frozen kilka with weight loss for packed and unpacked products during storage at amal 8 ' C. Statistical analysis of the results including variance, Duncan test and ANOVA showed relationships existed between changes in Total Volatile Nitrogen (TVN), Peroxide Value (PV), pH, moisture, organoleptic properties of frozen packed and unpacked kilka with product weight losses during cold storage at -18°C. The statistical treatment of the results showed that weight losses for packed samples in comparison to unpacked one at the level of P<0.0I was significant. The weight losses, changes of TVN, PV, pH and moisture losses for unpacked samples were 1.5, 1.35, and 4.5, 132 and 1.32 times more in comparison to the packed one, respectively. Also, the statistical analysis of the results showed a correlation between weight losses in unpacked samples of frozen kilka and the measured factors. The results of chemical and physical properties measured for packed samples of frozen kilka during cold storage and their statistical analysis showed a significant correlation P<0.01 between weight losses and the changes in TVN from 7 to 28mg/100gr, PV from 2.28 to 6.01meq/kg, pH from 6.08 to 6.37 and 1.72% loss in the moisture of the samples. According to these results and the organoleptic tests, the shelf life for packed and unpacked frozen kilka in cold storage at 48°C, is recommended 60 and 30 days, respectively

Transition Metal Dopants Essential for Producing Ferromagnetism in Metal Oxide Nanoparticles

Recent claims that ferromagnetism can be produced in nanoparticles of metal oxides without the presence of transition metal dopants have been challenged in this work by investigating 62 high quality well-characterized nanoparticle samples of both undoped and Fe doped (0-10% Fe) ZnO. The undoped ZnO nanoparticles showed zero or negligible magnetization, without any dependence on the nanoparticle size. However, chemically synthesized Zn1-xFexO nanoparticles showed clear ferromagnetism, varying systematically with Fe concentration. Furthermore, the magnetic properties of Zn1-xFexO nanoparticles showed strong dependence on the reaction media used to prepare the samples. The zeta potentials of the Zn1-xFexO nanoparticles prepared using different reaction media were significantly different, indicating strong differences in the surface structure. Electron paramagnetic resonance studies indicate that the difference in the ferromagnetic properties of Zn1-xFexO nanoparticles with different surface structures originates from differences in the fraction of the doped Fe ions that participate in ferromagnetic resonance

Antimicrobial de-escalation in the critically ill patient and assessment of clinical cure: the DIANA study

Purpose: The DIANA study aimed to evaluate how often antimicrobial de-escalation (ADE) of empirical treatment is performed in the intensive care unit (ICU) and to estimate the effect of ADE on clinical cure on day 7 following treatment initiation. Methods: Adult ICU patients receiving empirical antimicrobial therapy for bacterial infection were studied in a prospective observational study from October 2016 until May 2018. ADE was defined as (1) discontinuation of an antimicrobial in case of empirical combination therapy or (2) replacement of an antimicrobial with the intention to narrow the antimicrobial spectrum, within the first 3&nbsp;days of therapy. Inverse probability (IP) weighting was used to account for time-varying confounding when estimating the effect of ADE on clinical cure. Results: Overall, 1495 patients from 152 ICUs in 28 countries were studied. Combination therapy was prescribed in 50%, and carbapenems were prescribed in 26% of patients. Empirical therapy underwent ADE, no change and change other than ADE within the first 3&nbsp;days in 16%, 63% and 22%, respectively. Unadjusted mortality at day 28 was 15.8% in the ADE cohort and 19.4% in patients with no change [p = 0.27; RR 0.83 (95% CI 0.60\u20131.14)]. The IP-weighted relative risk estimate for clinical cure comparing ADE with no-ADE patients (no change or change other than ADE) was 1.37 (95% CI 1.14\u20131.64). Conclusion: ADE was infrequently applied in critically ill-infected patients. The observational effect estimate on clinical cure suggested no deleterious impact of ADE compared to no-ADE. However, residual confounding is likely

Epidemiology of intra-abdominal infection and sepsis in critically ill patients: “AbSeS”, a multinational observational cohort study and ESICM Trials Group Project

Purpose: To describe the epidemiology of intra-abdominal infection in an international cohort of ICU patients according to a new system that classifies cases according to setting of infection acquisition (community-acquired, early onset hospital-acquired, and late-onset hospital-acquired), anatomical disruption (absent or present with localized or diffuse peritonitis), and severity of disease expression (infection, sepsis, and septic shock). Methods: We performed a multicenter (n = 309), observational, epidemiological study including adult ICU patients diagnosed with intra-abdominal infection. Risk factors for mortality were assessed by logistic regression analysis. Results: The cohort included 2621 patients. Setting of infection acquisition was community-acquired in 31.6%, early onset hospital-acquired in 25%, and late-onset hospital-acquired in 43.4% of patients. Overall prevalence of antimicrobial resistance was 26.3% and difficult-to-treat resistant Gram-negative bacteria 4.3%, with great variation according to geographic region. No difference in prevalence of antimicrobial resistance was observed according to setting of infection acquisition. Overall mortality was 29.1%. Independent risk factors for mortality included late-onset hospital-acquired infection, diffuse peritonitis, sepsis, septic shock, older age, malnutrition, liver failure, congestive heart failure, antimicrobial resistance (either methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, vancomycin-resistant enterococci, extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Gram-negative bacteria, or carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative bacteria) and source control failure evidenced by either the need for surgical revision or persistent inflammation. Conclusion: This multinational, heterogeneous cohort of ICU patients with intra-abdominal infection revealed that setting of infection acquisition, anatomical disruption, and severity of disease expression are disease-specific phenotypic characteristics associated with outcome, irrespective of the type of infection. Antimicrobial resistance is equally common in community-acquired as in hospital-acquired infection

A922 Sequential measurement of 1 hour creatinine clearance (1-CRCL) in critically ill patients at risk of acute kidney injury (AKI)

Meeting abstrac

Nurses' perceptions of aids and obstacles to the provision of optimal end of life care in ICU

Contains fulltext : 172380.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access

SINOPSIS – the Solomon Islands National Ocean Planning Spatial Information System: Spatial Decision Support Tools for Seaweed Aquaculture Planning in the Solomon Islands

Seaweed cultivation can provide important income in remote areas and significant exports for nations like the Solomon Islands. This industry may also provide a sustainable alternative to more extractive industries like forestry, fishing and terrestrial agriculture. This report outlines the spatial decision support tools developed to help planners and policy makers in the Solomon Islands identify sites suitable for seaweed cultivation and demonstrates how innovative technology and local expertise can be integrated to provide ongoing support for planning, investment and community engagement. In collaboration with the Solomon Island Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources the research team identified physical, biological, economic and social factors influencing the suitability of locations for seaweed farms and mapped 35 existing, previous or potential locations for seaweed farms.New Zealand Institute for Pacific Researc

Age, Growth and Reproductive Characteristics of the Blue-barred Parrotfish Scarus Ghobban From Taiwan and Solomon Islands

Age, size, growth and sex ratio of the Blue barred parrot fish Scarus ghobban were investigated from Taiwan and Solomon Islands. While both populations exhibited similar rapid early growth, the longevity, maximum size and asymptotic length of S. ghobban in Taiwan were significantly higher than in the Solomon Islands. Gender analysis showed the oldest and largest size classes from the Solomon Islands to be males, while S. ghobban from Taiwan exhibited persistence of females in the oldest age classes, indicating that not all females in this protogynous hermaphrodite changed sex to males. The drivers for sex change in t this protogynous hermaphrodite may be more a function of genetics and longevity, and less so due to fishing pressure

Customary management as precautionary and adaptive principles for protecting coral reefs in Oceania

Marine conservation programs in Oceania are increasingly turning to precautionary and adaptive management, particularly approaches which emphasize local participation and customary management. Although the application of community-based natural resource management is widespread in the region, the full integration of local knowledge and practices into the design, implementation, and monitoring of community-based conservation programs has been limited. There is also little empirical data to show whether or not community-based conservation projects are meeting their stated objectives. This paper summarizes an integrated method for selecting Marine Protected Area (MPA) sites and presents empirical evidence that illustrates how an MPA that was largely conceived using indigenous ecological knowledge and existing sea tenure governance (i.e., customary management practices), as part of a regional precautionary and adaptive community-based management plan, is showing signs of biological and social success. More generally, the paper shows how hybrid natural and social research approaches in tandem with customary management for designing MPAs can protect coral reefs in Oceania

Postpartum Hypercalcemia Secondary to a Neuroendocrine Tumor of Pancreas; a Case Report and Review of Literature

Parathyroid hormone-related protein producing pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors have been infrequently reported. Herein, we report a case of an Iranian woman who had such a tumor during pregnancy, and gave birth to a female neonate with esophago-tracheal fistula and imperforated anus. Hypercalcemia was diagnosed at postpartum because of elevated serum calcium levels in the neonate and neurologic deterioration of the mother. Extensive literature review revealed 42 cases with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors and hypercalcaemia. The clinical and laboratory findings of such patients are reviewed in this manuscript.<