Diffuse ST segment depression from hypothermia

Hypothermia is known to cause specific electrocardiographic (EKG) changes such as Osborne waves and bradycardia. We report diffuse ST segment depression, an atypical EKG change, in a patient with a core temperature of 29.4°C (85°F). This patient had no previous cardiovascular pathology, and his EKG changes resolved gradually with aggressive warming. We also discuss the pathophysiology and clinical significance of ST depression in the general population and the typical EKG changes in hypothermia patients

The Changing Landscape for Stroke\ua0Prevention in AF: Findings From the GLORIA-AF Registry Phase 2

Background GLORIA-AF (Global Registry on Long-Term Oral Antithrombotic Treatment in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation) is a prospective, global registry program describing antithrombotic treatment patterns in patients with newly diagnosed nonvalvular atrial fibrillation at risk of stroke. Phase 2 began when dabigatran, the first non\u2013vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant (NOAC), became available. Objectives This study sought to describe phase 2 baseline data and compare these with the pre-NOAC era collected during phase 1. Methods During phase 2, 15,641 consenting patients were enrolled (November 2011 to December 2014); 15,092 were eligible. This pre-specified cross-sectional analysis describes eligible patients\u2019 baseline characteristics. Atrial fibrillation disease characteristics, medical outcomes, and concomitant diseases and medications were collected. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results Of the total patients, 45.5% were female; median age was 71 (interquartile range: 64, 78) years. Patients were from Europe (47.1%), North America (22.5%), Asia (20.3%), Latin America (6.0%), and the Middle East/Africa (4.0%). Most had high stroke risk (CHA2DS2-VASc [Congestive heart failure, Hypertension, Age  6575 years, Diabetes mellitus, previous Stroke, Vascular disease, Age 65 to 74 years, Sex category] score  652; 86.1%); 13.9% had moderate risk (CHA2DS2-VASc = 1). Overall, 79.9% received oral anticoagulants, of whom 47.6% received NOAC and 32.3% vitamin K antagonists (VKA); 12.1% received antiplatelet agents; 7.8% received no antithrombotic treatment. For comparison, the proportion of phase 1 patients (of N = 1,063 all eligible) prescribed VKA was 32.8%, acetylsalicylic acid 41.7%, and no therapy 20.2%. In Europe in phase 2, treatment with NOAC was more common than VKA (52.3% and 37.8%, respectively); 6.0% of patients received antiplatelet treatment; and 3.8% received no antithrombotic treatment. In North America, 52.1%, 26.2%, and 14.0% of patients received NOAC, VKA, and antiplatelet drugs, respectively; 7.5% received no antithrombotic treatment. NOAC use was less common in Asia (27.7%), where 27.5% of patients received VKA, 25.0% antiplatelet drugs, and 19.8% no antithrombotic treatment. Conclusions The baseline data from GLORIA-AF phase 2 demonstrate that in newly diagnosed nonvalvular atrial fibrillation patients, NOAC have been highly adopted into practice, becoming more frequently prescribed than VKA in Europe and North America. Worldwide, however, a large proportion of patients remain undertreated, particularly in Asia and North America. (Global Registry on Long-Term Oral Antithrombotic Treatment in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation [GLORIA-AF]; NCT01468701

Synchronisation entre l’objet de recherche et le terrain : réflexions méthodologiques et éthiques à partir de regards croisés dans nos parcours d’apprenti-chercheur

International audienc

A pilot study of biological GAC filtration in drinking-water treatment

The impact of empty-bed contact time and temperature on the efficiency of biological GAC filtration has been studied on pilot filters at the Neuilly-sur-Marne treatment plant. Fixed bacterial biomass was investigated using a method of potential respiration of labelled glucose and the filtration efficiency was characterized by the removal of biodegradable dissolved organic carbon (BDOC). With a fixed bacterial carbon biomass of c. 2 mg/l, pilots with empty-bed contact times of 10 min removed around 60% of BDOC. The net exportation of bacterial biomass was very low when compared to the removal of BDOC achieved by the filtration. BDOC removal increased with increasing empty-bed contact times in the tested range of filtration velocities (6-18 m/h). Data showed that it was necessary to double the empty-bed contact time when temperature decreased from 20 degree C to 8 degree C to keep a similar BDOC removal efficiency, although the average bacterial biomass was the same at both temperatures.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Effects of nanofiltration on water quality in the distribution system

Reduction of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in drinking water treatment lines is today a priority of drinking water producers. A nanofiltration (NF) treatment was introduced with this objective during autumn 1999 in the Méry-sur-Oise treatment plant which feeds the northern Parisian suburbs distribution system. This study compares the water quality in the distribution system, first fed by a biological treatment line and then by the line including NF. Data confirmed the capability of NF treatment to produce drinking water with a low DOC content (average 0.5 mgC l−1) from surface water. The reduction of DOC concentration in water treated by NF, in comparison with the DOC content of water produced by the biological treatment line, increased chlorine stability during distribution and thus allowed a decrease in the chlorination level (chlorine residual at the outlet of the plant: 0.2 mgCl2 l−1). This resulted in a more than 50% reduction of trihalomethanes (THMs) formation. By reducing the biodegradable fraction of DOC (BDOC), NF also increased biological stability of the water and the microbiological water quality during distribution. In addition, the NF treatment allowed an increase in the physico-chemical water quality: reduction of the alkalinity, turbidity, aluminium and atrazine concentration. A survey comparing the opinions of consumers on their tap water indicated a better global appreciation after introduction of the NF treatment.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

IMPROVING THE INTERFACE IN NATURAL FIBRES REINFORCED PLA BIOCOMPOSITES BY OPTIMIZED ORGANOSILANE TREATMENTS

International audienceIn this study, we investigated the effect of an organosilane treatment on the surface properties of flax fibres and the resulting mechanical properties of flax fibres reinforced poly(lactic acid) biocomposites. Optimizing the organosilane treatment conditions increases the hydrophobicity of the fibres, and improves significantly the stiffness, the ultimate stress and the impact strength of the biocomposites, while reducing largely the scattering of their properties. Dynamic mechanical analysis reveals a decrease in damping of treated biocomposites because of the formation of a thicker layer of immobilized macromolecular chains resulting from strong interactions at the interface. Crack propagation is observed on notched samples by in situ tensile tests in a scanning electron microscope. The treated biocomposites show a cohesive failure at much higher loads which highlights the enhanced load transfer from the PLA matrix to the flax fibres