Acinetobacterspp in Intensive Care Unit: Risk Factors Associated with Infection and Mortality

Purpose: Acinetobacter was known as a saprophytic colonizer, yet it is considered an important etiologic agent which is isolated from hospital-acquired infections. In this study, we aimed to investigate fatality rates, factors for fatality of Acinetobacter infections and relationship between combination therapies and survival.Patients and Methods: We evaluated patients with Acinetobacter infection in ICU for demographic and clinical characteristics, combination therapies and adverse effects of these therapeutic options, retrospectively.Results: Ninety-one patients with proved Acinetobacter infection were included in this study. We found that the fatality rate of Acinetobacter infection in ICU was 56%. Advanced age, carbapenem resistance and Acinetobacter isolation from respiratory secretions were significantly related with fatality.  We found that carbapenem resistance increased steadily during a 5 year period, fatality rates significantly decreased with combination therapies including aminoglycosides. There wasn’t significant relation between colistin therapy and survival in patients with Acinetobacter infections.Conclusion: The patients should be well-assessed in terms of fatality risk factors in case of Acinetobacter infections that occur in the intensive care units. The empirical antibiotic treatment started earlier based on such risk factors may decrease fatality. The antimicrobial combinations including aminoglycoside may be considered more in order to the local resistance data

Effect of ozone, persulfate and peroxymonsulfate oxidation processes on treatment of textile dye stuffs

Bu çalışmada iplik boyama yapan bir tekstil endüstrisi boyama prosesinden alınan iki numuneye laboratuar koşullarında ozon oksidasyonu, persülfat (PS) oksidasyonu ve peroksimonosülfat (PMS) oksidasyonu yöntemleri uygulanarak TOK giderim verimi, renk giderim verimi ve BOİ5/TOK oranı incelenmiştir. Ozonlama işleminde 2 g/saat dozunda ozon verilerek 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120. dakikalarda örnekleme yapılmıştır. PS ve PMS oksidasyonunda sıcaklık 70o C’de sabit tutulup 30 mmolar oksidan ilavesi yapılarak 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120. dakikalarda örnekleme yapılmıştır. Ozonla oksidasyon sonucunda iki atıksu için TOK giderim verimi sırasıyla %14.7 ve %12.5; renk giderim verimi sırasıyla %85.2 ve %94.1; BOİ5/TOK oranı da sırasıyla 0.38 ve 0.047 olmuştur. PS oksidasyonu sonucunda, TOK giderim verimi sırasıyla %19 ve %9.9; renk giderim verimi sırasıyla %99.99 ve %95.1; BOİ5/TOK oranı da sırasıyla 0.48 ve 0.041 olmuştur. PMS oksidasyonu sonucunda, TOK giderim verimi sırasıyla %16.2 ve %6.7; renk giderim verimi sırasıyla %98.8 ve %88.2; BOİ5/TOK oranı da sırasıyla 0.41 ve 0.039 olmuştur.In this study, TOC, color removal efficiencies and BOD5/TOC rates were investigated in dyeing processess wastewaters by using ozone, persulfate (PS) and peroxymonosulfate (PMS) oxidation in laboratory. In ozone oxidation, ozone was given 2 g/hour dose and samples were taken in 15, 30, 45, 60, 90 and 120 minutes. In PS and PMS oxidation, the temperature was kept constant at 70 0 C and samples was taken in 15, 30, 45, 60, 90 and 120 minutes by adding 30 mmolar oxidant. In ozonation process TOC removal efficiencies of two wastewaters were found as 14.7 % and 12.5 %, color removal efficiencies were found as 85.2%, 94.1%, BOD5/TOC rates were found as 0.38 and 0.047 respectively. In PS oxidation TOC removal efficiencies of two wastewaters were found as 19 % and 9.9 %, color removal efficiencies were found as 99.99 % and 95.1%, BOD5/TOC rates were found as 0.48 and 0.041 respectively. In PMS oxidation TOC removal efficiencies of two wastewaters were found as 16.2 % and 6.7 %, color removal efficiencies were found as 98.8 % and 88.2%, BOD5/TOC rates were found as 0.41 and 0.039 respectively

Current Progress in Biopolymer-Based Bionanocomposites and Hybrid Materials

International audienceCurrent Progress in Biopolymer-Based Bionanocomposites and Hybrid Materials is a newly opened Special Issue of Polymers, which aims to publish original and review papers on the new scientific and applied research and make boundless contributions to the findings and understanding of the reinforcing effects of various synthetic and natural fibres on the performance of biopolymer composites [...

The Need for Ongoing Professional Development: Perspectives of Turkish University-Level EFL Instructors

AbstractDespite the emphasis given to English as a foreign language (EFL) instruction, a significant percentage of Turkish students fail to achieve a satisfactory level of English mastery. With respect to this issue, insufficient professional knowledge of EFL instructors has been noted as a major obstacle to learner success. Thus, conjecturing that ineffectual teacher development programs may contribute to lack of competence in EFL instruction, the researchers aimed to investigate the attitudes of 42 Turkish university EFL instructors toward professional development by means of a cross-sectional survey. It was found that, although teachers considered professional development to be important, the participants generally did not view the available career growth opportunities to be applicable to their teaching practice

Bio and Synthetic Based Polymer Composite Materials

Bio and Synthetic Based Polymer Composite Materials is a newly opened Special Issue of Polymers, which aims to publish original and review papers on new scientific and applied research and make contributions to the findings and understanding of the reinforcing effects of various bio and synthetic-based polymers on the performance of polymer composites [...

Treatment of textile dye bath wastewater with ozone, persulfate and peroxymonosulphate oxidation

In this study, the treatment of wastewater of two different reactive dye bath wastewater (WW1, WW2) belonging to a yarn dyeing textile industry was evaluated by ozone, heat-activated persulfate (PS) and heat-activated peroxymonosulfate (PMS) oxidation methods. WW1 and WW2 contains azo group dyes and BOD5 values are 245 and 105 mg/L, Total Organic Carbon (TOC) values are 793 and 3016 mg/L respectively. TOC and color removal and BOD5/TOC ratio were investigated in samples taken at specific time intervals (15, 30, 45, 60, 90 and 120 min). For WW1, the TOC and color removal rates for heat-activated PS oxidation were 19% and 100%, respectively, and these removal rates were higher than the oxidation results for ozonation (15% and 76%) and heat-activated PMS (16% and 99%). Although the ozone dose applied to WW1 was about 3 times that of the ozone dose applied to WW2, the color removal rate in WW2 (94%) was higher than WW1 (76%) and the TOC removal rates were almost the same. In the result of oxidation studies, no significant increase in BOD value was observed for both wastewater. However, an increase in BOD5/TOC was achieved by decreasing the TOC value in heat-activated PS oxidation for WW1

Additive Manufacturing of Polymer–Fiber Composites

Additive Manufacturing of Polymer–Fiber Composites is a newly open Special Issue of Materials, which aims to publish original and review papers on new scientific and applied research, and make great contributions to the finding and understanding of the fabrication of fiber-reinforced polymer composites using current advanced additive manufacturing techniques [...

Fibre-Reinforced Polymer Composites: Mechanical Properties and Applications

"Fibre-Reinforced Polymer Composites: Mechanical Properties and Applications" is a newly open Special Issue of Polymers, which aims to publish original and review papers on new scientific and applied research and make boundless contributions to the finding and understanding of the reinforcing effects of various synthetic and natural fibres on the performance of biopolymer composites [...