Percolation approach to quark gluon plasma in high energy pp collisions

We apply continuum percolation to proton-proton collisions and look for the possible threshold to phase transition from confined nuclear matter to quark gluon plasma. Making the assumption that J/Psi suppression is a good signal to the transition, we discuss this phenomenon for pp collisions, in the framework of a dual model with strings.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figure

STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS RESISTENTE À METICILINA E ABCESSO HEPÁTICO Análise Retrospectiva de 117 Casos

Introdução: Os abcessos hepáticos constituem uma entidade clínica que coloca desafios no diagnóstico e tratamento, sendo em muito casos necessário um elevado índice de suspeição. A maioria dos abcessos hepáticos piogénicos são polimicrobianos. Os agentes entéricos facultativos e anaeróbios são os mais comuns. Na literatura revista, os abcessos hepáticos a Staphylococcus aureus constituem cerca de 7% dos abcessos hepáticos piogénicos. Esta infecção habitualmente resulta de disseminação hematogénea de microrganismos isolados em infecções à distância. Não existem séries publicadas sobre esta matéria, sendo que a informação disponível se restringe a case-reports. Objectivo e Métodos: Com o objectivo de aprofundar a fisiopatologia, diagnóstico e história natural dos abcessos hepáticos, nomeadamente por Staphylococcus Aureus resistente à meticilina (MRSA), realizou-se um estudo retrospectivo, fazendo a revisão do processo clínico dos doentes com o diagnóstico de abcesso hepático/piemia portal entre Janeiro de 2004 e Dezembro de 2009, num total de 117 doentes. Resultados: Clinicamente, a maior parte dos doentes tinha febre e dor abdominal. A esmagadora maioria dos doentes não dispensou TC abdominal no diagnóstico. Apenas 81,2% dos doentes realizaram algum tipo de colheita para microbiologia. O agente mais frequentemente isolado foi a Escherichia coli. O MRSA estava presente em 7,6% dos abcessos cujo pús foi processado. A terapêutica mais frequentemente seleccionada foi a drenagem percutânea associada a antibioterapia. Todos os MRSA isolados eram sensíveis ao trimetoprim-sulfametoxazol e vancomicina. O grupo de patologia subjacente mais frequentemente encontrada foi o das doenças das vias biliares, seguido dos pós-operatórios recentes. Na esmagadora maioria das infecções a MRSA, o grupo de patologia subjacente mais frequentemente encontrada foi o pós-operatório abdominal. A taxa de mortalidade global foi de 17,9%. No que respeita a abcessos a MRSA, faleceu 1 doente devido a complicações da doença de base. Conclusões: Estes dados confirmam que o MRSA é um patogénio importante em infecções hospitalares, incluindo as intra-abdominais. É de salientar a importância do pós-operatório abdominal como factor de risco para infecção por este agente, um dado pouco descrito na literatura revista. Estes achados acarretam implicações assinaláveis a nível terapêutico, investigacional e prognóstico

Clinical Usefulness of Streptococcus pneumoniae Urinary Antigen in Patients Hospitalized with Non-Nosocomial Pneumonia

Introduction : Community acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a major cause of hospital admissions and mortality in developed countries. Nevertheless, in about half of the cases a microbial etiology can`t be determined. The need to improve the diagnostic tools of this disease has led to the development of new techniques, such as Streptococcus pneumoniae urinary antigen. Objectives : To analyse the usefulness of the urinary antigen in determining the etiologic diagnosis of pneumonias and its influence in the antibiotherapy modification. Methods : Retrospective analysis of hospitalized patients in 2010 with CAP (n=226) and healthcare associated pneumonia (HCAP) [n=64] diagnosis whose urinary pneumococcal antigen has been analyzed. Results: Median age was significantly greater in HCAP. HCAP patients had more co-morbidities and higher severity scores. Twenty-one patients in the CAP group and 4 patients in the HCAP group had positive pneumococcal antigen. The sensibility of urinary antigen in determining pneumococcal pneumonias was 36% and the specificity 89%. Almost one quarter of the 25 patients with positive urinary antigen had appropriate reductions in antimicrobial spectra, which was not statistically significant when compared with the group with negative urinary antigen. There was a significant relation between a positive urinary antigen and pneumonia severity. Conclusions: Considering its high specificity, the urinary antigen is useful to confirm the presence of pneumococcal pneumonia. Potentially urinary antigen can help to avoid unnecessary treatments in hospitalized patients with CAP

The Safe-Port project: an approach to port surveillance and protection

SAFE-PORT is a recently started project addressing the complex issue of determining the best configurations of resources for harbour and port surveillance and protection. More specifically, the main goal is to find, for any given scenario, an adequate set of configuration solutions — i.e., number and type of sensors and equipments, their locations and operating modes, the corresponding personnel and other support resources — that maximize protection over a specific area. The project includes research and development of sensors models, novel algorithms for optimization and decision support, and a computer-based decision support system (DSS) to assist decision makers in that task. It includes also the development of a simulation environment for modelling relevant aspects of the scenario (including sensors used for surveillance, platforms, threats and the environment), capable to incorporate data from field-trials, used to test and validate solutions proposed by the DSS. Test cases will consider the use of intelligent agents to model the behaviour of threats and of NATO forces in a realistic way, following experts’ definitions and parameters

Caracterização e tratamento do efluente de uma estação de serviço

O presente estudo incidiu na caracterização e tratamento das lamas retidas nos separadores de hidrocarbonetos instalados numa estação de serviço. Recorreu-se à técnica de respirometria para obter informação prévia sobre a toxicidade e a tratabilidade das lamas por um Sequencial Batch Biofilm Reactor (SBBR). Utilizou-se um inóculo de lamas activadas e uma cultura de Pseudomonas putida. Os testes respirométricos permitiram avaliar a capacidade destas culturas crescerem num meio contendo hidrocarbonetos como única fonte de carbono e verificar o efeito de diferentes concentrações de substrato na actividade microbiana.Instituto de Biotecnologia e Química Fina (IBQF); programa PRAXIS

Stability of blood gases when refrigerated

Background: Blood gas analysis is a widely used procedure. In clinical practice, the physicians may not always have a blood gas analyzer in their proximity. Not infrequently, blood gas samples are stored in a fridge or on ice and read retrospectively. Continued anaerobic and aerobic metabolism in the blood may alter blood gases in the interval between drawing arterial blood and its analysis, which may cause a fall in the PaO2 and pH and a rise in the PaCO2. Methods: Two sets of arterial blood samples were obtained from hospitalized patients. After the initial analysis, one sample from each patient was put in raw ice within a specimen bag (0 to +1 oC) and the other in the fridge (+4 to +8 oC). These samples were submitted to serial analysis at 30 minutes, 1 hour and 2 hours after the initial analysis. Results: Two hundred arterial blood gas results from 25 patients were analysed. The mean values of PaO2, PaCO2, HCO3-, Na+, K+, Ca2+ and lactate at 0 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour and 2 hours were not signifi cantly different between the two alternatives of storage. However, within each group, signifi cant changes were found over time for PaO2, K+, Na+, Ca2+ and lactate. Conclusions: When using plastic syringes, arterial blood gas analysis should be processed shortly after collecting the sample. Despite the fact that low temperatures can slow down the metabolism, neither the ice nor the fridge preserved all the sample parameters