Evaluation of the physical and chemical properties of organic solid waste for use in the preparation of paper

La producción de papel está soportada principalmente en la madera debido a su alto contenido de celulosa. Sin embargo, actualmente se buscan fuentes alternativas que desestimulen el uso de este recurso favoreciendo la protección de los bosques. La celulosa también está presente en las especies vegetales que hacen parte del consumo humano y, por lo tanto, los residuos orgánicos podrían convertirse en materia prima para la fabricación de papel. En Colombia más del 60% de los residuos que se generan son de carácter orgánico y muy pocos se están aprovechando. Esta investigación se centró en evaluar el contenido de celulosa en diferentes residuos sólidos orgánicos. También, se evaluaron otras propiedades químicas como contenido de hemicelulosa y lignina, y propiedades físicas como densidad, contenido de humedad, entre otros, ya que estas propiedades condicionan los procesos de producción de papel y son importantes para conocer la viabilidad de uso y la estrategia de la extracción de la celulosa. 21 residuos sólidos fueron analizados a través de pruebas de laboratorio basadas en las normas ASTM y TAPPI y se encontró que 9 de estos tienen un alto contenido de celulosa. Tomando en cuenta todos los demás análisis se concluyó que varios residuos tienen alto potencial para ser usados en la producción de papel. El uso de residuos sólidos, además de ser una solución que promueve la protección de los bosques, se puede convertir en una alternativa para el manejo de residuos sólidos en Colombia.Paper production is supported mainly by the wood due to its high content of cellulose. However, alternative sources that discourage the use of this resource and promoteprotection of forests are currently sough. The cellulose is also present in plants that are part of human consumption and therefore organic waste could become raw material for papermaking. In Colombia more than 60% of waste that is generated is organic and very few are reused. This research focused on evaluating the content of cellulose in several solid organic waste. Other chemical properties as hemicellulose and lignin content, and physical properties such as density, humidity, among others, were also evaluated because these properties determine the process of paper production and are important to know the feasibility to use and the strategy to extract the cellulose. 21 solid waste were analyzed by laboratory tests based on the ASTM and TAPPI standards and it was found that 9 of these solids have high cellulose content. Taking in account all the other analyses, we concluded that various solid residues have high potential to be used in the production of paper. The use of solid waste could be a solution that promotes the protection of forests and it would become in an alternative for solid waste management in Colombia

Contemporary use of cefazolin for MSSA infective endocarditis: analysis of a national prospective cohort

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the real use of cefazolin for methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) infective endocarditis (IE) in the Spanish National Endocarditis Database (GAMES) and to compare it with antistaphylococcal penicillin (ASP). Methods: Prospective cohort study with retrospective analysis of a cohort of MSSA IE treated with cloxacillin and/or cefazolin. Outcomes assessed were relapse; intra-hospital, overall, and endocarditis-related mortality; and adverse events. Risk of renal toxicity with each treatment was evaluated separately. Results: We included 631 IE episodes caused by MSSA treated with cloxacillin and/or cefazolin. Antibiotic treatment was cloxacillin, cefazolin, or both in 537 (85%), 57 (9%), and 37 (6%) episodes, respectively. Patients treated with cefazolin had significantly higher rates of comorbidities (median Charlson Index 7, P <0.01) and previous renal failure (57.9%, P <0.01). Patients treated with cloxacillin presented higher rates of septic shock (25%, P = 0.033) and new-onset or worsening renal failure (47.3%, P = 0.024) with significantly higher rates of in-hospital mortality (38.5%, P = 0.017). One-year IE-related mortality and rate of relapses were similar between treatment groups. None of the treatments were identified as risk or protective factors. Conclusion: Our results suggest that cefazolin is a valuable option for the treatment of MSSA IE, without differences in 1-year mortality or relapses compared with cloxacillin, and might be considered equally effective

Evaluation of a quality improvement intervention to reduce anastomotic leak following right colectomy (EAGLE): pragmatic, batched stepped-wedge, cluster-randomized trial in 64 countries

Background Anastomotic leak affects 8 per cent of patients after right colectomy with a 10-fold increased risk of postoperative death. The EAGLE study aimed to develop and test whether an international, standardized quality improvement intervention could reduce anastomotic leaks. Methods The internationally intended protocol, iteratively co-developed by a multistage Delphi process, comprised an online educational module introducing risk stratification, an intraoperative checklist, and harmonized surgical techniques. Clusters (hospital teams) were randomized to one of three arms with varied sequences of intervention/data collection by a derived stepped-wedge batch design (at least 18 hospital teams per batch). Patients were blinded to the study allocation. Low- and middle-income country enrolment was encouraged. The primary outcome (assessed by intention to treat) was anastomotic leak rate, and subgroup analyses by module completion (at least 80 per cent of surgeons, high engagement; less than 50 per cent, low engagement) were preplanned. Results A total 355 hospital teams registered, with 332 from 64 countries (39.2 per cent low and middle income) included in the final analysis. The online modules were completed by half of the surgeons (2143 of 4411). The primary analysis included 3039 of the 3268 patients recruited (206 patients had no anastomosis and 23 were lost to follow-up), with anastomotic leaks arising before and after the intervention in 10.1 and 9.6 per cent respectively (adjusted OR 0.87, 95 per cent c.i. 0.59 to 1.30; P = 0.498). The proportion of surgeons completing the educational modules was an influence: the leak rate decreased from 12.2 per cent (61 of 500) before intervention to 5.1 per cent (24 of 473) after intervention in high-engagement centres (adjusted OR 0.36, 0.20 to 0.64; P &lt; 0.001), but this was not observed in low-engagement hospitals (8.3 per cent (59 of 714) and 13.8 per cent (61 of 443) respectively; adjusted OR 2.09, 1.31 to 3.31). Conclusion Completion of globally available digital training by engaged teams can alter anastomotic leak rates. Registration number: NCT04270721 (http://www.clinicaltrials.gov)