Metal Biocorrosion of a Water Well: A Case Study

Recently, in the city of La Rioja, the Microbiologically-Induced Corrosion (MIC) phenomenon has been confirmed. The last studied case corresponds to the water well of the La Rioja Regional Faculty of the National Technological University (UTN), where the water well facilities showed signs of this phenomenon.These microorganisms catalyze the iron (and magnesium) oxidation reactions, solubilizing or solubilizing and precipitating the metal. Confirming the existence of the MIC phenomenon is essential to mitigate or solve the problem.The laboratory work consisted in processing pipe and pump samples extracted after the well ceased to be used, at three initial temperatures and with different culture media, trying to cultivate, reproduce, and isolate and identify the different species.Thus, through culture methodology, the existence of a mixed flora featuring iron bacteria and sulfate-reducing bacteria was confirmed.Complementary Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy-dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS) spectroscopy scans allowed to visualize the bacteria, the damage to the analyzed material, and the morphology of the bioprecipitation.This little-known phenomenon causes significant economic losses and should therefore be taken into account in the execution as well as the maintenance of wells. Keywords: Metal Corrosion, Microbiologically Induced Corrosion, Water Well, Bacteria

Tratamiento Electrolítico de Residuos Industriales con Metales Pesados

El trabajo realizado consistió en el tratamiento electrolítico de un residuo industrial (barros) de una empresa gráfica, con contenidos importantes de diversos metales componentes de las tintas. Los barros fueron sometidos a una diferencia de potencial de diez voltios de corriente continua, con intensidad variable en una cuba electrolítica con electrodos de grafito, formando dos cámaras. Se repuso diariamente agua destilada para mantener el nivel inicial y compensar las pérdidas por evaporación, se controlaron pH y Eh, la experiencia se realizo hasta estabilizar el pH, partiendo de un pH inicial neutro. Se determinaron cuarenta elementos y se procesó la información con el software estadístico: Surfer 8. Los resultados demuestran un comportamiento diverso según, al menos, tres patrones principales: desplazamiento hacia el cátodo, desplazamiento hacia el ánodo, desplazamiento lateral o irregular. Bajo estas condiciones, el resultado demuestra que el proceso empleado no es del todo aplicable para descontaminar el producto tratado

Discusión de la teoría económica y su aplicación en modelos multidisciplinarios energéticos : Parte 1: Introducción a los métodos de decisión difusos

This paper deals with introductory aspects of fuzzy decision theory: law of supply and demand, market and its limitations (externalities) with the solutions proposed in theory and practice to solve them (tolls). Within these limitations (still under discussion), the concept of uncertainty is introduced, an aspect that hinders an optimal decision making of the participating individuals based on current economic theories that are based on the full certainty of the economic context. Therefore, decision theory and its extension to fuzzy decision theory, which is applicable in contexts of uncertainty, are introduced. The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and its link with fuzzy decision models by means of exponential weights are presented. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to define a methodology for optimal evaluation, valuation and regulation, in contexts of fundamental uncertainty, determining the optimal reward or punishment, based on non-monetizable indexes (directly translatable to an equivalent economic cost). From there, an experimental index is defined, which is used in the present line of research, the Intrinsic Cost (IC).En el presente trabajo se abordan aspectos introductorios a la teoría de decisión difusa: ley de oferta y demanda, mercado y sus limitaciones (externalidades) con las soluciones propuestas en la teoría y práctica para solucionarlas (peaje). Dentro de estas limitaciones (aún en discusión), se introduce el concepto de incertidumbre, aspecto que dificulta una toma de decisión óptima de los individuos participantes en base a las teorías económicas actuales que se basan en la plena certidumbre del contexto económico. Por lo tanto, se introduce la teoría de decisión y su extensión hacia la teoría de la decisión difusa, que es aplicable en contextos de incertidumbre. Se presenta el Análisis de Procesos Jerárquicos – Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) y su vínculo con los modelos de decisión difusos mediante los ponderadores exponenciales. Por lo tanto, el propósito del presente artículo es definir una metodología de evaluación, valoración y regulación óptima, en contextos de incertidumbre del tipo fundamental, determinando el premio o castigo óptimo, en base a índices no monetizables (traducibles a un costo económico equivalente) de forma directa. A partir de allí se define un índice experimental, el cual es utilizado en la presente línea de investigación, el Costo Intrínseco – Intrinsic Cost (IC). ARK CAICYT: http://id.caicyt.gov.ar/ark:/s18539777/r6x80gjkr

Daptomycin plus Fosfomycin versus Daptomycin Alone for Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus 2 aureus Bacteremia and Endocarditis. A Randomized Clinical Trial

Background We aimed to determine whether daptomycin plus fosfomycin provides higher treatment success than daptomycin alone for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteremia and endocarditis. Methods A randomized (1:1) phase 3 superiority, open-label, and parallel group clinical trial of adult inpatients with MRSA bacteremia was conducted at 18 Spanish hospitals. Patients were randomly assigned to receive either 10 mg/kg of daptomycin intravenously daily plus 2 g of fosfomycin intravenously every 6 hours, or 10 mg/kg of daptomycin intravenously daily. Primary endpoint was treatment success 6 weeks after the end of therapy. Results Of 167 patients randomized, 155 completed the trial and were assessed for the primary endpoint. Treatment success at 6 weeks after the end of therapy was achieved in 40 of 74 patients who received daptomycin plus fosfomycin and in 34 of 81 patients who were given daptomycin alone (54.1% vs 42.0%; relative risk, 1.29 [95% confidence interval, .93-1.8]; P = .135). At 6 weeks, daptomycin plus fosfomycin was associated with lower microbiologic failure (0 vs 9 patients; P = .003) and lower complicated bacteremia (16.2% vs 32.1%; P = .022). Adverse events leading to treatment discontinuation occurred in 13 of 74 patients (17.6%) receiving daptomycin plus fosfomycin, and in 4 of 81 patients (4.9%) receiving daptomycin alone (P = .018). Conclusions Daptomycin plus fosfomycin provided 12% higher rate of treatment success than daptomycin alone, but this difference did not reach statistical significance. This antibiotic combination prevented microbiological failure and complicated bacteremia, but it was more often associated with adverse events

Effectiveness of Fosfomycin for the Treatment of Multidrug-Resistant Escherichia coli Bacteremic Urinary Tract Infections

IMPORTANCE The consumption of broad-spectrum drugs has increased as a consequence of the spread of multidrug-resistant (MDR) Escherichia coli. Finding alternatives for these infections is critical, for which some neglected drugs may be an option. OBJECTIVE To determine whether fosfomycin is noninferior to ceftriaxone or meropenem in the targeted treatment of bacteremic urinary tract infections (bUTIs) due to MDR E coli. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This multicenter, randomized, pragmatic, open clinical trial was conducted at 22 Spanish hospitals from June 2014 to December 2018. Eligible participants were adult patients with bacteremic urinary tract infections due to MDR E coli; 161 of 1578 screened patients were randomized and followed up for 60 days. Data were analyzed in May 2021. INTERVENTIONS Patients were randomized 1 to 1 to receive intravenous fosfomycin disodium at 4 g every 6 hours (70 participants) or a comparator (ceftriaxone or meropenem if resistant; 73 participants) with the option to switch to oral fosfomycin trometamol for the fosfomycin group or an active oral drug or pa renteral ertapenem for the comparator group after 4 days. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was clinical and microbiological cure (CMC) 5 to 7 days after finalization of treatment; a noninferiority margin of 7% was considered. RESULTS Among 143 patients in the modified intention-to-treat population (median [IQR] age, 72 [62-81] years; 73 [51.0%] women), 48 of 70 patients (68.6%) treated with fosfomycin and 57 of 73 patients (78.1%) treated with comparators reached CMC (risk difference, -9.4 percentage points; 1-sided 95% CI, -21.5 to infinity percentage points; P = .10). While clinical or microbiological failure occurred among 10 patients (14.3%) treated with fosfomycin and 14 patients (19.7%) treated with comparators (risk difference, -5.4 percentage points; 1-sided 95% CI. -infinity to 4.9; percentage points; P = .19), an increased rate of adverse event-related discontinuations occurred with fosfomycin vs comparators (6 discontinuations [8.5%] vs 0 discontinuations; P = .006). In an exploratory analysis among a subset of 38 patients who underwent rectal colonization studies, patients treated with fosfomycin acquired a new ceftriaxone-resistant or meropenem-resistant gram-negative bacteria at a decreased rate compared with patients treated with comparators (0 of 21 patients vs 4 of 17 patients [23.5%]; 1-sided P = .01). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE This study found that fosfomycin did not demonstrate noninferiority to comparators as targeted treatment of bUTI from MDR E coli; this was due to an increased rate of adverse event-related discontinuations. This finding suggests that fosfomycin may be considered for selected patients with these infections

Daptomycin plus fosfomycin versus daptomycin monotherapy in treating MRSA: protocol of a multicentre, randomised, phase III trial.

INTRODUCTION: Despite the availability of new antibiotics such as daptomycin, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteraemia continues to be associated with high clinical failure rates. Combination therapy has been proposed as an alternative to improve outcomes but there is a lack of clinical studies. The study aims to demonstrate that combination of daptomycin plus fosfomycin achieves higher clinical success rates in the treatment of MRSA bacteraemia than daptomycin alone. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A multicentre open-label, randomised phase III study. Adult patients hospitalised with MRSA bacteraemia will be randomly assigned (1:1) to group 1: daptomycin 10 mg/kg/24 h intravenous; or group 2: daptomycin 10 mg/kg/24 h intravenous plus fosfomycin 2 gr/6 g intravenous. The main outcome will be treatment response at week 6 after stopping therapy (test-of-cure (TOC) visit). This is a composite variable with two values: Treatment success: resolution of clinical signs and symptoms (clinical success) and negative blood cultures (microbiological success) at the TOC visit. Treatment failure: if any of the following conditions apply: (1) lack of clinical improvement at 72 h or more after starting therapy; (2) persistent bacteraemia (positive blood cultures on day 7); (3) therapy is discontinued early due to adverse effects or for some other reason based on clinical judgement; (4) relapse of MRSA bacteraemia before the TOC visit; (5) death for any reason before the TOC visit. Assuming a 60% cure rate with daptomycin and a 20% difference in cure rates between the two groups, 103 patients will be needed for each group (α:0.05, ß: 0.2). Statistical analysis will be based on intention to treat, as well as per protocol and safety analysis. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The protocol was approved by the Spanish Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (AEMPS). The sponsor commits itself to publishing the data in first quartile peer-review journals within 12 months of the completion of the study

Clonal chromosomal mosaicism and loss of chromosome Y in elderly men increase vulnerability for SARS-CoV-2

The pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19) had an estimated overall case fatality ratio of 1.38% (pre-vaccination), being 53% higher in males and increasing exponentially with age. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, we found 133 cases (1.42%) with detectable clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations (mCA) and 226 males (5.08%) with acquired loss of chromosome Y (LOY). Individuals with clonal mosaic events (mCA and/or LOY) showed a 54% increase in the risk of COVID-19 lethality. LOY is associated with transcriptomic biomarkers of immune dysfunction, pro-coagulation activity and cardiovascular risk. Interferon-induced genes involved in the initial immune response to SARS-CoV-2 are also down-regulated in LOY. Thus, mCA and LOY underlie at least part of the sex-biased severity and mortality of COVID-19 in aging patients. Given its potential therapeutic and prognostic relevance, evaluation of clonal mosaicism should be implemented as biomarker of COVID-19 severity in elderly people. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, individuals with clonal mosaic events (clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations and/or loss of chromosome Y) showed an increased risk of COVID-19 lethality

Treatment with tocilizumab or corticosteroids for COVID-19 patients with hyperinflammatory state: a multicentre cohort study (SAM-COVID-19)

Objectives: The objective of this study was to estimate the association between tocilizumab or corticosteroids and the risk of intubation or death in patients with coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) with a hyperinflammatory state according to clinical and laboratory parameters. Methods: A cohort study was performed in 60 Spanish hospitals including 778 patients with COVID-19 and clinical and laboratory data indicative of a hyperinflammatory state. Treatment was mainly with tocilizumab, an intermediate-high dose of corticosteroids (IHDC), a pulse dose of corticosteroids (PDC), combination therapy, or no treatment. Primary outcome was intubation or death; follow-up was 21 days. Propensity score-adjusted estimations using Cox regression (logistic regression if needed) were calculated. Propensity scores were used as confounders, matching variables and for the inverse probability of treatment weights (IPTWs). Results: In all, 88, 117, 78 and 151 patients treated with tocilizumab, IHDC, PDC, and combination therapy, respectively, were compared with 344 untreated patients. The primary endpoint occurred in 10 (11.4%), 27 (23.1%), 12 (15.4%), 40 (25.6%) and 69 (21.1%), respectively. The IPTW-based hazard ratios (odds ratio for combination therapy) for the primary endpoint were 0.32 (95%CI 0.22-0.47; p < 0.001) for tocilizumab, 0.82 (0.71-1.30; p 0.82) for IHDC, 0.61 (0.43-0.86; p 0.006) for PDC, and 1.17 (0.86-1.58; p 0.30) for combination therapy. Other applications of the propensity score provided similar results, but were not significant for PDC. Tocilizumab was also associated with lower hazard of death alone in IPTW analysis (0.07; 0.02-0.17; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Tocilizumab might be useful in COVID-19 patients with a hyperinflammatory state and should be prioritized for randomized trials in this situatio

Tratamiento Electrolítico de Residuos Industriales con Metales Pesados

This work consisted on the electrolytic treatment of an industrial waste (mud) from a graphical company, having important contents of several metals. The muds were subjet to an electrolytic treatament by applying a potencial defference of ten volts (direct current). An electrolytic cell with graphite electrodes, including two compartments for the electrodes, was used. Distilled water was added daily to mantein the initial level in order to compensate evaporation losses. pH and Eh were monitored; the experimentstarted at nearly neutral pH and was run until local pH values were estabilized. Forty elementswere determined and the information was processed with statistical software Surfer 8. The results show diverse behavior according to at least three main patterns: displacement towards the cathode, displacement towards the anode, lateral displacement or irregular. Under these conditions, the results demonstrate that the used process is not absolutely applicable to decontaminate the product.El trabajo realizado consistió en el tratamiento electrolítico de un residuo industrial (barros) de una empresa gráfica, con contenidos importantes de diversos metales componentes de las tintas. Los barros fueron sometidos a una diferencia de potencial de diez voltios de corriente continua, con intensidad variable en una cuba electrolítica con electrodos de grafito, formando dos cámaras. Se repuso diariamente agua destilada para mantener el nivel inicial y compensar las pérdidas por evaporación, se controlaron pH y Eh, la experiencia se realizo hasta estabilizar el pH, partiendo de un pH inicial neutro. Se determinaron cuarenta elementos y se procesó la información con el software estadístico: Surfer 8. Los resultados demuestran un comportamiento diverso según, al menos, tres patrones principales: desplazamiento hacia el cátodo, desplazamiento hacia el ánodo, desplazamiento lateral o irregular. Bajo estas condiciones, el resultado demuestra que el proceso empleado no es del todo aplicable para descontaminar el producto tratado

Caracterización medioambiental de residuos de pigmentos cerámicos

Industrial wastes produced by the ceramic pigment industry have been characterized according to chemical and ecotoxicity overview and classified as “Dangerous or Not Dangerous” waste with regard to environmental Spanish Law. Analysis carried out on wastes comming from an industrial pecipitation-sedimentation process indicate that such wastes do not exceed any of the environmental limits checked, if only colorant ions are present; however the industrial practice often give rise to enamel wastes wich present Pb and B levels exceeding legal limits.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;En el presente trabajo se han caracterizado los residuos generados por la industria de pigmentos cerámicos, desde un punto de vista tanto químico como atendiendo a su ecotoxicidad, clasificándolos después como "Peligrosos o No peligrosos" de acuerdo a la legislación española. Así, los análisis realizados a residuos procedentes del proceso de depuración industrial de precipitación-decantación, indican que tales residuos no superan las concentraciones limite establecidas para ninguno de los contaminantes estudiados, si la componente de estos residuos es únicamente debida a residuos de colorantes. Sin embargo, la práctica habitual tiende a mezclar estos residuos con los de procedencia de esmaltes, que a menudo presentan concentraciones de Pb y B que superan los límites legales