11 research outputs found
Infected pancreatic necrosis: outcomes and clinical predictors of mortality. A post hoc analysis of the MANCTRA-1 international study
: The identification of high-risk patients in the early stages of infected pancreatic necrosis (IPN) is critical, because it could help the clinicians to adopt more effective management strategies. We conducted a post hoc analysis of the MANCTRA-1 international study to assess the association between clinical risk factors and mortality among adult patients with IPN. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression models were used to identify prognostic factors of mortality. We identified 247 consecutive patients with IPN hospitalised between January 2019 and December 2020. History of uncontrolled arterial hypertension (p = 0.032; 95% CI 1.135-15.882; aOR 4.245), qSOFA (p = 0.005; 95% CI 1.359-5.879; aOR 2.828), renal failure (p = 0.022; 95% CI 1.138-5.442; aOR 2.489), and haemodynamic failure (p = 0.018; 95% CI 1.184-5.978; aOR 2.661), were identified as independent predictors of mortality in IPN patients. Cholangitis (p = 0.003; 95% CI 1.598-9.930; aOR 3.983), abdominal compartment syndrome (p = 0.032; 95% CI 1.090-6.967; aOR 2.735), and gastrointestinal/intra-abdominal bleeding (p = 0.009; 95% CI 1.286-5.712; aOR 2.710) were independently associated with the risk of mortality. Upfront open surgical necrosectomy was strongly associated with the risk of mortality (p < 0.001; 95% CI 1.912-7.442; aOR 3.772), whereas endoscopic drainage of pancreatic necrosis (p = 0.018; 95% CI 0.138-0.834; aOR 0.339) and enteral nutrition (p = 0.003; 95% CI 0.143-0.716; aOR 0.320) were found as protective factors. Organ failure, acute cholangitis, and upfront open surgical necrosectomy were the most significant predictors of mortality. Our study confirmed that, even in a subgroup of particularly ill patients such as those with IPN, upfront open surgery should be avoided as much as possible. Study protocol registered in ClinicalTrials.Gov (I.D. Number NCT04747990)
Scanning Spin Probe Based on Magnonic Vortex Quantum Cavities
Performing nanoscale
scanning electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR)
requires three essential ingredients: First, a static magnetic field
together with field gradients to Zeeman split the electronic energy
levels with spatial resolution; second, a radio frequency (rf) magnetic
field capable of inducing spin transitions; finally, a sensitive detection
method to quantify the energy absorbed by spins. This is usually achieved
by combining externally applied magnetic fields with inductive coils
or cavities, fluorescent defects, or scanning probes. Here, we theoretically
propose the realization of an EPR scanning sensor merging all three
characteristics into a single device: the vortex core stabilized in
ferromagnetic thin-film discs. On one hand, the vortex ground state
generates a significant static magnetic field and field gradients.
On the other hand, the precessional motion of the vortex core around
its equilibrium position produces a circularly polarized oscillating
magnetic field, which is enough to produce spin transitions. Finally,
the spin–magnon coupling broadens the vortex gyrotropic frequency,
suggesting a direct measure of the presence of unpaired electrons.
Moreover, the vortex core can be displaced by simply using external
magnetic fields of a few mT, enabling EPR scanning microscopy with
large spatial resolution. Our numerical simulations show that, by
using low damping magnets, it is theoretically possible to detect
single spins located on the disc’s surface. Vortex nanocavities
could also attain strong coupling to individual spin molecular qubits
with potential applications to mediate qubit–qubit interactions
or to implement qubit readout protocols
Identification of Refractory Weakly Basic Nitrogen Compounds in a Deeply Hydrotreated Vacuum Gas Oil and Assessment of the Effect of Some Representative Species over the Performance of a Ni–MoS<sub>2</sub>/Y-Zeolite–Alumina Catalyst in Phenanthrene Hydrocracking
Heavy crude oil processing
leads the way in current refining. These
crudes yield larger amounts of distillable heavy fractions such as
vacuum gas oil (VGO). VGO must be treated in at least two refining
units: a hydrotreating unit where sulfur, nitrogen, and other heteroatoms
are removed, and a hydrocracking unit where suitable fuels are obtained.
Removal of heteroatoms during hydrotreating, particularly, nitrogen,
dictates the efficiency of hydrocracking. In the first part of this
work, the nature of refractory nitrogen-containing compounds on the
performance of a hydrotreating catalyst was evaluated. To achieve
this goal, both a VGO and its hydrotreated counterpart were studied
using electrospray ionization with Fourier transform ion cyclotron
resonance mass spectrometry (ESI-FT-ICR-MS). Weakly basic N-containing
compounds, namely, heavy pyrrolic-like compounds and their partially
hydrogenated derivatives, were found to be the most refractory to
hydrotreating. These compounds are weakly basic compared to most nitrogen
compounds present in VGO. Considering this finding, the second part
of the work was devoted to assessing the effect of pyrroles on the
reactivity of phenanthrene over a Ni–MoS<sub>2</sub>/Y-zeolite–alumina
two-stage hydrocracking catalyst. Tests were carried out in a fixed-bed
reactor using mixtures of carbazole and tetrahydrocarbazole. Results
showed that these compounds can affect the catalytic performance of
Ni–MoS<sub>2</sub>/Y-zeolite–alumina by reducing its
activity and inhibiting its selectivity to hydrocracking products.
These findings draw attention to the possible role of weakly basic
nitrogen compounds in the catalytic performance of materials employed
for two-stage hydrocracking units
Polymer Composites Containing Gated Mesoporous Materials for On-Command Controlled Release
Polyamidic nanofibrous membranes
containing gated silica mesoporous particles, acting as carriers,
are described as novel hybrid composite materials for encapsulation
and on-command delivery of garlic extracts. The carrier system consists
of MCM-41 solids functionalized in the outer surface, with linear
polyamines (solid <b>P1</b>) and with hydrolyzed starch (solid <b>P2</b>), both acting as molecular gates. Those particles were
adsorbed on electospun nylon-6 nanofibrous membranes yielding to composite
materials <b>M1</b> and <b>M2</b>. FE-SEM analysis confirmed
the presence of particles incorporated on the nylon nanofibers. The
release of the entrapped molecules (garlic extract) from the <b>P1</b>, <b>P2</b>, <b>M1</b>, and <b>M2</b> materials
was evaluated using cyclic voltammetry measurements. Electrochemical
studies showed that at acidic pH <b>P1</b> and <b>M1</b> were unable to release their entrapped cargo (closed gate), whereas
at neutral pH both materials release their loading (open gate). Dealing
with <b>P2</b> and <b>M2</b> materials, in the absence
of pancreatin a negligible release is observed (closed gate), whereas
in the presence of enzyme the load is freely to diffuse to the solution.
These newly developed composite nanomaterials, provide a homogeneous
easy-to-handle system with controlled delivery and bioactive-protective
features, having potential applications on pharmacology, medical and
engineering field
Synthesis and Structure–Activity Analysis of New Phosphonium Salts with Potent Activity against African Trypanosomes
A series of 73 bisphosphonium salts and 10 monophosphonium
salt
derivatives were synthesized and tested in vitro against several wild
type and resistant lines of <i>Trypanosoma brucei</i> (<i>T. b. rhodesiense</i> STIB900, <i>T. b. brucei</i> strain 427, <i>Tb</i>AT1-KO, and <i>Tb</i>B48).
More than half of the compounds tested showed a submicromolar EC<sub>50</sub> against these parasites. The compounds did not display any
cross-resistance to existing diamidine therapies, such as pentamidine.
In most cases, the compounds displayed a good selectivity index versus
human cell lines. None of the known <i>T. b. brucei</i> drug
transporters were required for trypanocidal activity, although some
of the bisphosphonium compounds inhibited the low affinity pentamidine
transporter. It was found that phosphonium drugs act slowly to clear
a trypanosome population but that only a short exposure time is needed
for irreversible damage to the cells. A comparative molecular field
analysis model (CoMFA) was generated to gain insights into the SAR
of this class of compounds, identifying key features for trypanocidal
activity
Safety of hospital discharge before return of bowel function after elective colorectal surgery
Background Ileus is common after colorectal surgery and is associated with an increased risk of postoperative complications. Identifying features of normal bowel recovery and the appropriateness for hospital discharge is challenging. This study explored the safety of hospital discharge before the return of bowel function. Methods A prospective, multicentre cohort study was undertaken across an international collaborative network. Adult patients undergoing elective colorectal resection between January and April 2018 were included. The main outcome of interest was readmission to hospital within 30 days of surgery. The impact of discharge timing according to the return of bowel function was explored using multivariable regression analysis. Other outcomes were postoperative complications within 30 days of surgery, measured using the Clavien-Dindo classification system. Results A total of 3288 patients were included in the analysis, of whom 301 (9 center dot 2 per cent) were discharged before the return of bowel function. The median duration of hospital stay for patients discharged before and after return of bowel function was 5 (i.q.r. 4-7) and 7 (6-8) days respectively (P < 0 center dot 001). There were no significant differences in rates of readmission between these groups (6 center dot 6 versus 8 center dot 0 per cent; P = 0 center dot 499), and this remained the case after multivariable adjustment for baseline differences (odds ratio 0 center dot 90, 95 per cent c.i. 0 center dot 55 to 1 center dot 46; P = 0 center dot 659). Rates of postoperative complications were also similar in those discharged before versus after return of bowel function (minor: 34 center dot 7 versus 39 center dot 5 per cent; major 3 center dot 3 versus 3 center dot 4 per cent; P = 0 center dot 110). Conclusion Discharge before return of bowel function after elective colorectal surgery appears to be safe in appropriately selected patients
Acute kidney disease beyond day 7 after major surgery: a secondary analysis of the EPIS-AKI trial
Purpose: Acute kidney disease (AKD) is a significant health care burden worldwide. However, little is known about this complication after major surgery. Methods: We conducted an international prospective, observational, multi-center study among patients undergoing major surgery. The primary study endpoint was the incidence of AKD (defined as new onset of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eCFR) < 60 ml/min/1.73 m2 present on day 7 or later) among survivors. Secondary endpoints included the relationship between early postoperative acute kidney injury (AKI) (within 72 h after major surgery) and subsequent AKD, the identification of risk factors for AKD, and the rate of chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression in patients with pre-existing CKD. Results: We studied 9510 patients without pre-existing CKD. Of these, 940 (9.9%) developed AKD after 7 days of whom 34.1% experiencing an episode of early postoperative-AKI. Rates of AKD after 7 days significantly increased with the severity (19.1% Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes [KDIGO] 1, 24.5% KDIGO2, 34.3% KDIGO3; P < 0.001) and duration (15.5% transient vs 38.3% persistent AKI; P < 0.001) of early postoperative-AKI. Independent risk factors for AKD included early postoperative-AKI, exposure to perioperative nephrotoxic agents, and postoperative pneumonia. Early postoperative-AKI carried an independent odds ratio for AKD of 2.64 (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.21-3.15). Of 663 patients with pre-existing CKD, 42 (6.3%) had worsening CKD at day 90. In patients with CKD and an episode of early AKI, CKD progression occurred in 11.6%. Conclusion: One in ten major surgery patients developed AKD beyond 7 days after surgery, in most cases without an episode of early postoperative-AKI. However, early postoperative-AKI severity and duration were associated with an increased rate of AKD and early postoperative-AKI was strongly associated with AKD independent of all other potential risk factors
Surgeons’ practice and preferences for the anal fissure treatment: results from an international survey
The best nonoperative or operative anal fissure (AF) treatment is not yet established, and several options have been proposed. Aim is to report the surgeons' practice for the AF treatment. Thirty-four multiple-choice questions were developed. Seven questions were about to participants' demographics and, 27 questions about their clinical practice. Based on the specialty (general surgeon and colorectal surgeon), obtained data were divided and compared between two groups. Five-hundred surgeons were included (321 general and 179 colorectal surgeons). For both groups, duration of symptoms for at least 6 weeks is the most important factor for AF diagnosis (30.6%). Type of AF (acute vs chronic) is the most important factor which guide the therapeutic plan (44.4%). The first treatment of choice for acute AF is ointment application for both groups (59.6%). For the treatment of chronic AF, this data is confirmed by colorectal surgeons (57%), but not by the general surgeons who prefer the lateral internal sphincterotomy (LIS) (31.8%) (p = 0.0001). Botulin toxin injection is most performed by colorectal surgeons (58.7%) in comparison to general surgeons (20.9%) (p = 0.0001). Anal flap is mostly performed by colorectal surgeons (37.4%) in comparison to general surgeons (28.3%) (p = 0.0001). Fissurectomy alone is statistically significantly most performed by general surgeons in comparison to colorectal surgeons (57.9% and 43.6%, respectively) (p = 0.0020). This analysis provides useful information about the clinical practice for the management of a debated topic such as AF treatment. Shared guidelines and consensus especially focused on operative management are required to standardize the treatment and to improve postoperative results
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Two-particle Bose-Einstein correlations and their Lévy parameters in PbPb collisions at = 5.02 TeV
Two-particle Bose-Einstein momentum correlation functions are studied for charged-hadron pairs in lead-lead collisions at a center-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of = 5.02 TeV. The data sample, containing 4.27 minimum bias events corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 0.607 nb, was collected by the CMS experiment in 2018. The experimental results are discussed in terms of a L\'evy-type source distribution. The parameters of this distribution are extracted as functions of particle pair average transverse mass and collision centrality. These parameters include the L\'evy index or shape parameter (), the L\'evy scale parameter (), and the correlation strength parameter (). The source shape, characterized by , is found to be neither Cauchy nor Gaussian, implying the need for a full L\'evy analysis. Similarly to what was previously found for systems characterized by Gaussian source radii, a hydrodynamical scaling is observed for the L\'evy parameter. The parameter is studied in terms of the core-halo model.Comment: Submitted to Physical Review C. All figures and tables can be found at http://cms-results.web.cern.ch/cms-results/public-results/publications/HIN-21-011 (CMS Public Pages