Removal of Nitrite Ions from Aqueous Solutions by Ethylenediamine Polysiloxane Immobilized Ligand System

The functionalized porous solid ethylenediamine polysiloxane immobilized ligand system P-NN (where P represents [Si-O]n polysiloxane network and NN represents ethylenediamnie  group) was prepared by hydrolytic polycondensation of 3-aminopropyl-2-aminoethyltrimethoxysilane with tetraethylorthosilcate (TEOS) in the presence of CTAB surfactant. CTAB was used to enhance the porosity of the material and therefore increases the adsorption capacity of the immobilized ligand system. The functionalized ligand system was investigated as adsorbent for nitrite ions from aqueous solutions. Both batch and column methods were carried out and the effect of various parameters was studied that include contact time, pH, nitrite concentration and temperature in order to investigate the optimum conditions for the nitrite ions removal.  The optimum nitrite adsorption was established in acidic medium, at 75oC, and at contact time equals 24 h. The nitrite removal was about 65-100% at 5-50 ppm of initial nitrite concentration. The use of this adsorbent is proved to be repeatable and recyclable. The adsorbent can be considered as a promising material for nitrite removal from different water and waste water and aqueous extracts containing nitrite ions

Synthesis and Characterization of Aluminum Doped Zinc Oxide Nanostructures via Hydrothermal Route

Stable crystalline aluminum doped zinc oxide (AZO) nanopowders were synthesized using hydrothermal treatment processing. Three different aluminum precursors have been used. The Al-precursors were found to affect the morphology of the obtained nanopowders. AZO nanoparticles based on zinc acetate and aluminum nitrate have been prepared with different Al/Zn molar ratios. XRD investigations revealed that all the obtained powders have single phase zincite structure with purity of about 99%. The effect of aluminum doping ratio in AZO nanoparticles (based on Al-nitrate precursor) on structure, phase composition, and particle size has been investigated. The incorporation of Al in ZnO was confirmed by UV-Vis spectroscopy revealing a blue shift due to Burstein-Moss effect

Frequency of Abnormalities Detected by Point-of-Care Lung Ultrasound in Symptomatic COVID-19 Patients: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in significant morbidity, mortality, and strained healthcare systems worldwide. Thus, a search for modalities that can expedite and improve the diagnosis and management of this entity is underway. Recent data suggested the utility of lung ultrasound (LUS) in the diagnosis of COVID-19 by detecting an interstitial pattern (B-pattern). Hence, we aimed to pool the proportion of various reported lung abnormalities detected by LUS in symptomatic COVID-19 patients. We conducted a systematic review (PubMed, MEDLINE, and EMBASE until April 25, 2020) and a proportion meta-analysis. We included seven studies examining the role of LUS in 122 COVID-19 patients. The pooled proportion (PP) of B-pattern detected by lung ultrasound (US) was 0.97 (95% CI: 0.94-1.00 0%, 4.6). The PP of finding pleural line abnormalities was 0.70 (95% CI: 0.13-1.00 96%, 103.9), of pleural thickening was 0.54 (95% 0.11-0.95 93%, 61.1), of subpleural or pulmonary consolidation was 0.39 (95% CI: 0.21-0.58 72%, 17.8), and of pleural effusion was 0.14 (95% CI: 0.00-0.37 93%, 27.3). Our meta-analysis revealed that almost all SARS-CoV-2-infected patients have abnormal lung US. The most common abnormality is interstitial involvement depicted as B-pattern. The finding from our review highlights the potential role of this modality in the triage, diagnosis, and follow-up of COVID-19 patients. A sizable diagnostic accuracy study comparing LUS, computed tomography scan, and COVID-19-specific tests is warranted to further test this finding and to delineate the diagnostic and prognostic yield of each of these modalities

Correction: Epidemiology and outcomes of early-onset AKI in COVID-19-related ARDS in comparison with non-COVID-19-related ARDS: insights from two prospective global cohort studies (Critical Care, (2023), 27, 1, (3), 10.1186/s13054-022-04294-5)

Following publication of the original article [1], the authors identified that the collaborating authors part of the collaborating author group CCCC Consortium was missing. The collaborating author group is available and included as Additional file 1 in this article

A multi-country analysis of COVID-19 hospitalizations by vaccination status

Background: Individuals vaccinated against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), when infected, can still develop disease that requires hospitalization. It remains unclear whether these patients differ from hospitalized unvaccinated patients with regard to presentation, coexisting comorbidities, and outcomes. Methods: Here, we use data from an international consortium to study this question and assess whether differences between these groups are context specific. Data from 83,163 hospitalized COVID-19 patients (34,843 vaccinated, 48,320 unvaccinated) from 38 countries were analyzed. Findings: While typical symptoms were more often reported in unvaccinated patients, comorbidities, including some associated with worse prognosis in previous studies, were more common in vaccinated patients. Considerable between-country variation in both in-hospital fatality risk and vaccinated-versus-unvaccinated difference in this outcome was observed. Conclusions: These findings will inform allocation of healthcare resources in future surges as well as design of longer-term international studies to characterize changes in clinical profile of hospitalized COVID-19 patients related to vaccination history. Funding: This work was made possible by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and Wellcome (215091/Z/18/Z, 222410/Z/21/Z, 225288/Z/22/Z, and 220757/Z/20/Z); the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (OPP1209135); and the philanthropic support of the donors to the University of Oxford's COVID-19 Research Response Fund (0009109). Additional funders are listed in the "acknowledgments" section