Pongycarcinia xiphidiourus n. gen. n. sp.,a new Brazilian Calabozoidae (Crustacea Isopoda)

The discovery of a second species of Calabozoidae, in a cave of an ancient karstic zone of the Bahia State (Brazil), provides new insights into the suborder Calabozoidea, described by VAN LIESHOUT in 1983 and represented until now by a single species Calabozoa pellucida Van Lieshout 1983 inhabiting the subterranean waters of Venezuela. The new finding expands the distribution range of the suborder and permits further studies to clarify its uncertain phylogeny. It also demonstrates a greater diversity of the isopod taxa in Brazilian subterranean waters than previously known. This suggests that a more detailed search would increase the chances of finding further interesting specimens of Crustacea in this region. The belonging of the newly discovered specimens to a new genus and species Pongycarcinia xiphidiourus is justified by the presence of peculiar characters, such as the shape of the second male pleopod and of some structures of the stomach. The two theories of the phylogeny of this isopod taxon, one linking it to the suborder Asellota through common ancestors, the other considering it more closely related to Oniscoidea, are discussed. KEY WORDS: stygofauna, Calabozoidea, Brazil, new genus, new species

Solvent recovery system for a CO2-MEA reactive absorption-stripping plant

The solvent recovery section from the exhaust gas represents an important auxiliary part for an industrial CO2 post-combustion capture plant by the reactive absorption-stripping process. In this work, a partial condenser and a water-wash section configuration were designed to reach 1 ppm of solvent in the exhaust gas, and compared using the Total Annual Cost (TAC) as economic index. Both the configurations ensured the required recovery performance. The results highlighted that the partial condenser alternative is more convenient in terms of capital annualized costs and water make-up, but at the same time it is strongly penalized by the high operating costs for the cooling water. Therefore, the configuration in which the absorber is equipped with the water-wash section resulted the option with the minimum TAC

Application of UV-C light for preventing the light-struck taste in white wine

The light-struck taste is a fault occurring in white wine bottled in clear bottles and exposed to light. The defect is due to the formation of methanethiol and dimethyl sulphide responsible for like-cabbage aroma arising from the reaction between riboflavin (RF), a highly light-sensitive compound, and methionine (Met). The light-struck taste is limited for RF concentration lower than 50 \ub5g/L achieved through the choice of a Saccharomyces strain low RF-producer and the RF removal with charcoal and bentonite as fining agents [1]. Moreover, the protective effect of wood tannins has been recently showed, especially galla tannins [2]. Due to the RF sensibility to light, the UV-C light treatment was assayed. A synthetic wine solution spiked with RF (200 \ub5g/L) and Met (3 mg/L) was irradiated with UV-C light up to 2000 J/L and RF decay was monitored. A linear decrease as UV-C light intensity increase was observed. RF was lower than 50 \ub5g/L and 20 \ub5g/L for 1500 J/L and 2000 J/L treatments, respectively. The addition of tannins (40 mg/L) led to a limited RF decrease (73%) maybe due to their shading properties [3]. Even though the UV-C light treatment is not admitted by the International Organization of Vine and Wine, its application could represent a tool for avoid the risk of light-struck taste development in bottled wine. The light exposure when the redox potential is high and the combined use of tannins could limit the appearance of this fault after the wine bottling preserving the wine quality during the shelf-life

Temperature effect on the sensitivity of the copepod Eucyclops serrulatus (Crustacea, Copepoda, Cyclopoida) to agricultural pollutants in the hyporheic zone

Abstract The sensitivity of freshwater invertebrates to agricultural pollutants is supposed to increase with rising temperature due to global warming. The aim of this study was to measure the effect of temperature on the lethal toxicity of ammonia-N, the herbicide Imazamox and the mixture of the two chemicals, in the adults and the juveniles of a population of the copepod Eucyclops serrulatus. This is a widely distributed species found in surface waters, in transitional habitats between surface water and groundwater, and in genuine groundwater environments. We tested the sensitivity by short-term bioassays (96 h) at 15°C and 18°C, respectively. Our results highlighted the following: (1) increasing temperature affected the sensitivity of the adults to ammonia-N and of the juveniles to the mixture, all of which were more sensitive to its detrimental effects at 18°C; (2) the juvenile stages were more sensitive than the adults to all toxicants, and (3) for all combinations of chemicals and temperatures, the effects were synergistic and approximately one order of magnitude greater than those expected according to a concentration addition model when comparing the LC50 for each chemical in the mixture with the LC50s of chemicals individually assayed. Overall, in a context of global change, ammonia-N and mixtures of agricultural pollutants may affect the survival rate of species that spend a part or the whole life-cycle in the hyporheic habitat, with detrimental effects to biodiversity and ecosystem services provided by the hyporheic biota

Adjuvant hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) in patients with colorectal cancer at high risk for the development of peritoneal metastases. A matched case-control study

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Diagnostic and Therapeutic Pathway in Diffuse Malignant Peritoneal Mesothelioma

Diffuse malignant peritoneal mesothelioma (DMPM) is a rare form of mesothelioma that carries a very poor prognosis. The 5-year overall survival is about 20% (±5.9). Survival is optimal for patients suitable for cytoreductive surgery (CRS) with Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy (HIPEC), with a median OS ranging from 34 to 92 months. However, selecting patients for surgery remains a complex task and requires a careful preoperative workup, rational analysis of prognostic profiles, and risk prediction models. Systemic chemotherapy could be offered: (1) in the adjuvant setting for high-risk patients; (2) for patients not eligible for CRS; and (3) for those with recurrent disease. It mainly includes the combination of Platin compound with Pemetrexed or immunotherapy. The biology of DMPM is still largely unknown. However, progress has been made on some fronts, such as telomere maintenance mechanisms, deregulation of apoptosis, tyrosine kinase pathways, and mutation of BRCA1-associated protein 1 (BAP1). Future perspectives should include translational research to improve our understanding of the disease biology to identify druggable targets. We should also clear the role of immune checkpoint inhibitors and investigate new locoregional technologies, such as pressurized intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy (PIPAC) or normothermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (NIPEC)

Complications and Mortality Rate of Cytoreductive Surgery with Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy: Italian Peritoneal Surface Malignancies Oncoteam Results Analysis

Background: Cytoreductive surgery with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy may significantly improve survival for selected patients with peritoneal surface malignancies, but it has always been criticized due to the high incidence of postoperative morbidity and mortality. Methods: Data were collected from nine Italian centers with peritoneal surface malignancies expertise within a collaborative group of the Italian Society of Surgical Oncology. Complications and mortality rates were recorded, and multivariate Cox analysis was used to identify risk factors. Results: The study included 2576 patients. The procedure was mostly performed for ovarian (27.4%) and colon cancer (22.4%). The median peritoneal cancer index was 13. Overall postoperative morbidity and mortality rates were 34% and 1.6%. A total of 232 (9%) patients required surgical reoperation. Multivariate regression logistic analysis identified the type of perfusion (p ≤ 0.0001), body mass index (p ≤ 0.0001), number of resections (p ≤ 0.0001) and colorectal resections (p ≤ 0.0001) as the strongest predictors of complications, whereas the number of resections (p ≤ 0.0001) and age (p = 0.01) were the strongest predictors of mortality. Conclusions: Cytoreductive surgery with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy is a valuable option of treatment for selected patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis providing low postoperative morbidity and mortality rates, if performed in high-volume specialized centers