Cleanup of industrial effluents containing heavy metals : a new opportunity of valorising the biomass produced by brewing industry

Heavy metal pollution is a matter of concern in industrialised countries. Contrary to organic pollutants, heavy metals are not metabolically degraded. This fact has two main consequences: its bioremediation requires another strategy and heavy metals can be indefinitely recycled. Yeast cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae are produced at high amounts as a by-product of brewing industry constituting a cheap raw material. In the present work, the possibility of valorising this type of biomass in the bioremediation of real industrial effluents containing heavy metals is reviewed. Given the auto-aggregation capacity (flocculation) of brewing yeast cells, a fast and off-cost yeast separation is achieved after the treatment of metal-laden effluent, which reduces the costs associated with the process. This is a critical issue when we are looking for an effective, eco-friendly, and low-cost technology. The possibility of the bioremediation of industrial effluents linked with the selective recovery of metals, in a strategy of simultaneous minimisation of environmental hazard of industrial wastes with financial benefits from reselling or recycling the metals, is discussed

Global patient outcomes after elective surgery: prospective cohort study in 27 low-, middle- and high-income countries.

BACKGROUND: As global initiatives increase patient access to surgical treatments, there remains a need to understand the adverse effects of surgery and define appropriate levels of perioperative care. METHODS: We designed a prospective international 7-day cohort study of outcomes following elective adult inpatient surgery in 27 countries. The primary outcome was in-hospital complications. Secondary outcomes were death following a complication (failure to rescue) and death in hospital. Process measures were admission to critical care immediately after surgery or to treat a complication and duration of hospital stay. A single definition of critical care was used for all countries. RESULTS: A total of 474 hospitals in 19 high-, 7 middle- and 1 low-income country were included in the primary analysis. Data included 44 814 patients with a median hospital stay of 4 (range 2-7) days. A total of 7508 patients (16.8%) developed one or more postoperative complication and 207 died (0.5%). The overall mortality among patients who developed complications was 2.8%. Mortality following complications ranged from 2.4% for pulmonary embolism to 43.9% for cardiac arrest. A total of 4360 (9.7%) patients were admitted to a critical care unit as routine immediately after surgery, of whom 2198 (50.4%) developed a complication, with 105 (2.4%) deaths. A total of 1233 patients (16.4%) were admitted to a critical care unit to treat complications, with 119 (9.7%) deaths. Despite lower baseline risk, outcomes were similar in low- and middle-income compared with high-income countries. CONCLUSIONS: Poor patient outcomes are common after inpatient surgery. Global initiatives to increase access to surgical treatments should also address the need for safe perioperative care. STUDY REGISTRATION: ISRCTN5181700

Understanding the mental health of refugees: Trauma, stress, and the cultural context

At the end of 2016, there were a record-high 65.6 million people forcibly displaced according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (1). With 300,000 new people displaced in 2016, there were 20 people newly displaced every minute of 2016. Most refugees flee their homes with little time to prepare (2) and, in turn, frequently are ill-equipped with the financial, linguistic, and other resources needed to address the challenges of the journey that lies ahead. The nature of the pre-migration and flight experiences for refugees, which are frequently marked by fear, forced departure, and experiences of torture and trauma, distinguishes them from other voluntary migrants. Since 1975 approximately three million individuals have been resettled in the USA (approximately 2 million adults and 1 million children) (3); this represents a significant population to respond to clinically. Importantly, status as a forcibly displaced person seeking refuge is not in itself a psychiatric condition – refugee status is a sociopolitical phenomenon with common downstream psychosocial effects (4). As refugees resettle in third party countries, often after prolonged stays in refugee camps in a country or countries outside of their home, many experience mental health problems associated with past trauma, ongoing stress, or both. In order to effectively serve resettled refugee and migrant communities, mental health professionals including, researchers, clinicians, educators, and policy makers need to understand the impact of the refugee experience and cultural contexts on psychosocial functioning. This chapter will review the unique mental health challenges and culturally-responsive assessments and treatments targeting some of the world’s most vulnerable and resilient populations