Sulfadiazine, sulfamethazine and sulfachloropyridazine removal using three different porous materials: Pine bark, “oak ash” and mussel shell

This work focuses on studying the efficacy of three different by-products to adsorb three antibiotics (sulfadiazine, SDZ; sulfamethazine, SMT; sulfachloropyridazine, SCP). These antibiotics can be considered pollutants of the environment when they reach water, as well as in cases where they are spread on soils through irrigation or contained in sewage sludge or livestock manure. In this study, batch-type adsorption/desorption experiments were performed for each of the three sulfonamides, adding 7 different concentrations of the antibiotics, going from 1 to 50 μmol L−1, and with contact time of 24 h. The results indicate that pine bark is the most efficient bioadsorbent among those studied, as it adsorbs up to 95% of the antibiotics added, while desorption is always less than 11%. However, for “oak ash” and mussel shell the adsorption is always lower than 45 and 15%, respectively, and desorption is high, reaching up to 49% from “oak ash” and up to 81% from mussel shell. Adsorption data showed good fitting to the Linear and Freundlich models, with R2 values between 0.98 and 1.00 in both cases. Kd and KF adsorption parameters showed similar values for the same sorbent materials but were much higher for pine bark than for the other two bioadsorbents. The Freundlich's n parameter showed values in the range 0.81–1.28. The highest KF values (and therefore the highest adsorption capacities) were obtained for the antibiotic SCP in pine bark. Pine bark showed the highest capacity to adsorb each of the antibiotics, increasing as a function of the concentration added. When the concentration of sulfonamide added was 50 μM, the amounts adsorbed were 780 μmol kg−1 for SDZ, 890 μmol kg−1 for SMT, and 870 μmol kg−1 for SCP. “Oak ash” and mussel shell have low adsorption capacity for all three sulfonamides, showing values always lower than 150 μmol kg−1 (oak ash) and 20 μmol kg−1 (mussel shell) when a concentration of 50 μmol L−1 of antibiotic is added. The results of this study could aid to make an appropriate management of the by-products studied, in order to facilitate their valorization and recycling in the treatment of environmental compartments polluted with sulfonamide antibiotics.Agencia Estatal de Investigación | Ref. RTI2018-099574-B-C21Agencia Estatal de Investigación | Ref. RTI2018-099574-B-C2

Sulfadiazine, sulfamethazine and sulfachloropyridazine removal using three different porous materials: pine bark, “oak ash” and mussel shell

This work focuses on studying the efficacy of three different by-products to adsorb three antibiotics (sulfadiazine, SDZ; sulfamethazine, SMT; sulfachloropyridazine, SCP). These antibiotics can be considered pollutants of the environment when they reach water, as well as in cases where they are spread on soils through irrigation or contained in sewage sludge or livestock manure. In this study, batch-type adsorption/desorption experiments were performed for each of the three sulfonamides, adding 7 different concentrations of the antibiotics, going from 1 to 50 μmol L−1, and with contact time of 24 h. The results indicate that pine bark is the most efficient bioadsorbent among those studied, as it adsorbs up to 95% of the antibiotics added, while desorption is always less than 11%. However, for “oak ash” and mussel shell the adsorption is always lower than 45 and 15%, respectively, and desorption is high, reaching up to 49% from “oak ash” and up to 81% from mussel shell. Adsorption data showed good fitting to the Linear and Freundlich models, with R2 values between 0.98 and 1.00 in both cases. Kd and KF adsorption parameters showed similar values for the same sorbent materials but were much higher for pine bark than for the other two bioadsorbents. The Freundlich's n parameter showed values in the range 0.81–1.28. The highest KF values (and therefore the highest adsorption capacities) were obtained for the antibiotic SCP in pine bark. Pine bark showed the highest capacity to adsorb each of the antibiotics, increasing as a function of the concentration added. When the concentration of sulfonamide added was 50 μM, the amounts adsorbed were 780 μmol kg−1 for SDZ, 890 μmol kg−1 for SMT, and 870 μmol kg−1 for SCP. “Oak ash” and mussel shell have low adsorption capacity for all three sulfonamides, showing values always lower than 150 μmol kg−1 (oak ash) and 20 μmol kg−1 (mussel shell) when a concentration of 50 μmol L−1 of antibiotic is added. The results of this study could aid to make an appropriate management of the by-products studied, in order to facilitate their valorization and recycling in the treatment of environmental compartments polluted with sulfonamide antibioticsThis work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of science, innovation and universities [grant numbers RTI2018-099574-B-C21 and RTI2018-099574-B-C22]. It also received funds from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) (FEDER in Spain), being a complement to the previous grants, without additional grant number. M. Conde-Cid holds a pre-doctoral contract (FPU15/0280, Spanish Government). The research of Dr. Gustavo F. Coelho was also supported by the Improving Coordination of Senior Staff (CAPES), Post-Doctoral Program Abroad (PDE) Process number {88881.172297/2018-01} of the Brazilian Government. The sponsors had not involvement in study design; in the collection, analyses and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report, and in the decision to submit the article for publicationS

Characteristics of attack phases in boys' 14 and under basketball competition

El objetivo de este estudio fue describir las características de la competición de baloncesto de categoría infantil masculina, para analizar si se adapta a las capacidades y necesidades formativas de los jugadores. La muestra estuvo compuesta por 2252 fases de ataque. Las variables analizadas fueron número de fases de ataque, tipo de fase de ataque, duración de la fase de ataque y número de pases por fase de ataque. El estudio se realizó mediante metodología observacional. En todas las variables se encontraron diferencias significativas entre equipos. Los datos muestran que la competición podría ser susceptible de mejorar si se modificasen algunos de los valores obtenidos en las variables analizadas.fueron número de fases de ataque, tipo de fase de ataque, duración de la fase de ataque y número de pases por fase de ataque. El estudio se realizó mediante metodología observacional. En todas las variables se encontraron diferencias significativas entre equipos. Los datos muestran que la competición podría ser susceptible de mejorar si se modificasen algunos de los valores obtenidos en las variables analizadas.Este estudio ha sido financiado por el Ministerio Español de Economía y Competitividad: DEP2011-13702-E y PFE-MICINN-OS/10

Estudios de marcado y recaptura de especies marinas

Los resultados obtenidos del marcado y posterior recaptura de los ejemplares son una herramienta muy valiosa para contribuir a mejorar el conocimiento de la biología y ecología de una especie, examinando ciertos aspectos como son: el crecimiento, los movimientos o migraciones, la mortalidad o supervivencia, la abundancia y distribución de la especie, el hábitat y diferenciación de poblaciones o stocks. Actualmente la técnica de marcado se aplica a muchas especies, tanto terrestres como marinas, pertenecientes a diversos grupos zoológicos: peces, crustáceos, reptiles, moluscos y mamíferos. Este libro repasa algunos ejemplos de marcado de especies marinas de interés comercial. No todas las especies pueden ser marcadas, porque es necesario cumplir una serie de requisitos para poder llevar a cabo con éxito un experimento de marcado. En uno de los apartados de esta guía, se describen los distintos aspectos a tener en cuenta para obtener buenos resultados. Se describen los principales proyectos de marcado actualmente en ejecución o en marcha llevados a cabo por el Instituto Español de Oceanografía (IEO). En primer lugar, se describe brevemente la especie, su distribución, crecimiento, reproducción, alimentación, etc. A continuación, se presenta la información del marcado, es decir, campañas realizadas, número de ejemplares marcados y algunos de los resultados obtenidos hasta la fecha a partir de las recapturas disponibles. En algunas especies, los programas de marcado se llevan realizando desde hace más de 20 años, como es el caso del atún rojo, por lo que la información disponible es bastante amplia. En otros casos por el contrario como la merluza, los proyectos son relativamente recientes, no obstante los resultados son bastante interesantes y prometedores.Nowadays many different marine animals are being tagged. This book summarizes recent tagging programs carried out by the Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO). Although the objectives of these various studies mainly depend on the species and each project in particular, the general aim is to better understand the biology and ecology of these animals the structure and dynamics of their populations and their capacity to respond to human activities. This book provides an overview of different aspects of this technique such as a brief history of tagging, the types of tags currently used, including both conventional and electronic tags, where and how to put them on the marine animals, some recommendations regarding how to perform a tagging survey and where to go or what to do if anyone recovers a tagged fish or marine animal. The book then summarizes the main species tagged by the IEO, making a short description of their biology followed by some of the results obtained from tagging studies undertaken until now. Other applications are to know the spatial distribution (spawning or feeding areas), estimate growth parameters, mortality and survival rates, longevity, the size of the population or identifying stocks. Nowadays the advances in electronics have also open new fields such us the possibility of tracking an animal and knowing its habitat preferences and behaviour. Besides some of these tags have the capacity of recording this information during long periods and sending the data from long distances even without the need to recover the animal. Tagging activities constitute a very useful tool to improve the knowledge of many species and contribute to their management and conservation. For that reason this methodology is included in many IEO projects in which other activities like the monitoring of the fishery (landings, fishing effort, fleet characteristics, fishing areas, biological sampling, etc.) are carried out. Some projects are related with coastal pelagic fisheries including anchovy, sardine and mackerel or oceanic pelagic fisheries like tuna and billfish species and pelagic sharks. Others are focused on benthic and demersal species such as hake, black spot seabream, anglerfish, flatfish, etc. Nevertheless not all species can be tagged, as they have to survive being caught and handled before being release. For this reason, tagging techniques may not easily be applied to some species

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

Estudios de marcado y recaptura de especies marinas

Los resultados obtenidos del marcado y posterior recaptura de los ejemplares son una herramienta muy valiosa para contribuir a mejorar el conocimiento de la biología y ecología de una especie, examinando ciertos aspectos como son: el crecimiento, los movimientos o migraciones, la mortalidad o supervivencia, la abundancia y distribución de la especie, el hábitat y diferenciación de poblaciones o stocks. Actualmente la técnica de marcado se aplica a muchas especies, tanto terrestres como marinas, pertenecientes a diversos grupos zoológicos: peces, crustáceos, reptiles, moluscos y mamíferos. Este libro repasa algunos ejemplos de marcado de especies marinas de interés comercial. No todas las especies pueden ser marcadas, porque es necesario cumplir una serie de requisitos para poder llevar a cabo con éxito un experimento de marcado. En uno de los apartados de esta guía, se describen los distintos aspectos a tener en cuenta para obtener buenos resultados. Se describen los principales proyectos de marcado actualmente en ejecución o en marcha llevados a cabo por el Instituto Español de Oceanografía (IEO). En primer lugar, se describe brevemente la especie, su distribución, crecimiento, reproducción, alimentación, etc. A continuación, se presenta la información del marcado, es decir, campañas realizadas, número de ejemplares marcados y algunos de los resultados obtenidos hasta la fecha a partir de las recapturas disponibles. En algunas especies, los programas de marcado se llevan realizando desde hace más de 20 años, como es el caso del atún rojo, por lo que la información disponible es bastante amplia. En otros casos por el contrario como la merluza, los proyectos son relativamente recientes, no obstante los resultados son bastante interesantes y prometedores.Nowadays many different marine animals are being tagged. This book summarizes recent tagging programs carried out by the Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO). Although the objectives of these various studies mainly depend on the species and each project in particular, the general aim is to better understand the biology and ecology of these animals the structure and dynamics of their populations and their capacity to respond to human activities. This book provides an overview of different aspects of this technique such as a brief history of tagging, the types of tags currently used, including both conventional and electronic tags, where and how to put them on the marine animals, some recommendations regarding how to perform a tagging survey and where to go or what to do if anyone recovers a tagged fish or marine animal. The book then summarizes the main species tagged by the IEO, making a short description of their biology followed by some of the results obtained from tagging studies undertaken until now. Other applications are to know the spatial distribution (spawning or feeding areas), estimate growth parameters, mortality and survival rates, longevity, the size of the population or identifying stocks. Nowadays the advances in electronics have also open new fields such us the possibility of tracking an animal and knowing its habitat preferences and behaviour. Besides some of these tags have the capacity of recording this information during long periods and sending the data from long distances even without the need to recover the animal. Tagging activities constitute a very useful tool to improve the knowledge of many species and contribute to their management and conservation. For that reason this methodology is included in many IEO projects in which other activities like the monitoring of the fishery (landings, fishing effort, fleet characteristics, fishing areas, biological sampling, etc.) are carried out. Some projects are related with coastal pelagic fisheries including anchovy, sardine and mackerel or oceanic pelagic fisheries like tuna and billfish species and pelagic sharks. Others are focused on benthic and demersal species such as hake, black spot seabream, anglerfish, flatfish, etc. Nevertheless not all species can be tagged, as they have to survive being caught and handled before being release. For this reason, tagging techniques may not easily be applied to some species.Versión del edito

Factores de riesgo para la adquisición de Bacteriemia por Enterococcus faecalis y Enterococcus faecium

Las infecciones nosocomiales son una causa frecuente de incremento de estancia hospitalaria, costos sanitarios y mortalidad. En la actualidad, el enterococo es uno de los microorganismos implicados con mayor frecuencia en infecciones nosocomiales. Con frecuencia estas infecciones son difíciles de tratar debido la resistencia múltiple de estos microorganismos frente a los antibióticos convencionales. La literatura disponible sobre las infecciones producidas por este microorganismo es limitada. Este problema está más acentuado cuando se trata de conocer las características de infecciones producidas en localizaciones concretas, como es el caso de las bacteriemias. Es ampliamente conocido que E. faecalis tiene una mayor susceptibilidad a la ampicilina que E. faecium. Debido a que la diferencia en la susceptibilidad a los antimicrobianos entre las diferentes especies del género Enterococcus puede tener un impacto en la práctica asistencial, se ha realizado un estudio comparativo entre las características clínicas y microbiológicas y el pronóstico de los pacientes con bacteriemias por E. faecalis frente a E. faecium ya que se desconoce si estas características son coincidentes con lo reportado en la literatura médica. Se realizó así mismo un estudio similar centrado en los pacientes con cáncer con aislamiento de enterococos sensibles a vancomicina. Éste último es el único estudio que se ha realizado hasta la fecha en esta población analizando específicamente bacteriemias por Enterococcus sensibles a vancomicina, los más predominantes en España y Europa. El conocimiento de estos factores puede ser utilizado como mecanismo de alerta para la sospecha de bacteriemia por este microorganismo y así poder iniciar un tratamiento empírico adecuado temprano. El tratamiento empírico adecuado está directamente relacionado con el aumento de supervivencia en este tipo de infecciones. Para responder a estos objetivos se realizó un estudio retrospectivo observacional de cohortes realizado en el Hospital del Mar entre el 1 de enero del 2000 y el 31 de diciembre de 2006. Se incluyeron todos los episodios de bacteriemia con aislamiento de E.faecalis o E.faecium en hemocultivo. De cada paciente se recogieron datos demográficos, clínicos y bioquímicos al ingreso y en la fecha de realización del hemocultivo, historia de ingresos previos, unidad de hospitalización (médica, quirúrgica, UCI), posibles factores desencadenantes, enfermedades de base, exposición previa a antibióticos durante el ingreso actual, características microbiológicas y mortalidad. Al ingreso se clasificó la gravedad de los pacientes mediante la puntuación del Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS II) Se estudiaron un total de 228 episodios de bacteriemia: 168 de E.faecalis y 60 de E.faecium. Todos los aislamientos de E.faecalis fueron sensibles a ampicilina y sólo el 25% lo fue en el grupo de E.faecium. Hubo un único caso anecdótico de resistencia a vancomicina que se trataba de una cepa de E.faecium. Las variables que se asociaron de manera independiente a la adquisición de bacteriemia por E.faecium cuando se compararon con aquéllas producidas por E.faecalis fueron el ingreso en una unidad quirúrgica (OR: 4,223; p=0,001), más de cinco días de tratamiento con cefalosporinas o carbapenémicos (OR: 2,564; p=0,013 y OR: 2,652; p=0,027 respectivamente), la administración previa de penicilinas (OR: 2,008; p=0,044); SAPS II >30 al ingreso (OR=3,530; p=0,001) y enfermedad hepática de base (OR: 3,754; p<0,001). En el caso de pacientes onco-hematológicos, se analizaron un total de 73 pacientes: 54 causados por E.faecalis y 19 causados por E.faecium. En el estudio univariado, el mayor SAPS, diabetes mellitus y exposición previa a penicilinas fueron factores diferenciales en el grupo de E.faecium. Los factores independientes relacionados con el aislamiento de E.faecium fueron la exposición previa a penicilinas (OR: 6,479; p=0,003) y SAPS II>34 (OR:6,896; p=0,009). Los resultados de ambos estudios son de vital importancia a la hora de elegir que antibiótico utilizar en primera línea y de manera empírica en pacientes ingresados en nuestro hospital y han dado lugar a la modificación de los protocolos actuales de tratamiento empírico de pacientes con infección nosocomial en nuestro hospital. Además, se trata de una línea de investigación que está abierta a la inclusión de futuros estudios que se complementen con los efectuados en este proyecto de tesis doctoral.Nosocomial infections are a common cause of increased hospital stay, health care costs and mortality. Currently, the Enterococcus spp. is one of the most common microorganisms involved in nosocomial infections. Often these infections are difficult to treat because of the multiple resistances of these microorganisms to conventional antibiotics. The literature on infections caused by this microorganism is limited. This problem is more pronounced when it comes to know the characteristics of infections in specific locations, as is the case of bacteraemia. It is widely known that E. faecalis have an increased susceptibility to ampicillin compared to E. faecium. Because the difference in antimicrobial susceptibility among different species of the genus Enterococcus can have an impact on clinical practice, it was performed a comparative study of clinical and microbiological characteristics and prognosis of patients with bacteraemia due to E. faecalis against E. faecium and it is unknown whether these features are consistent with those reported in the literature. A similar study focused on cancer patients with bacteraemia of vancomycin-susceptible enterococci was also carried out. To our knowledge, this is the first study evaluating this population with enterococcal bacteraemia susceptible to vancomycin, the most prevalent susceptible pattern in Spain and Europe. Previous knowledge of these factors can be employed as a warning mechanism for suspected bacteraemia in order to initiate early appropriate empiric therapy. Appropriate empirical treatment is directly related to increased survival in these infections. It was performed a retrospective observational cohort study conducted at the Hospital del Mar between 1 January 2000 and December 31, 2006. We included all episodes of bacteraemia with E.faecalis or E.faecium isolation in blood culture. It was collected demographic, clinical and biochemical data at admission date and the date of positive blood culture for Enterococcus spp., history of previous admissions, hospital ward (medical, surgical, ICU), other possible risk factors, underlying diseases, previous antibiotic treatment, microbiological characteristics, and mortality. On admission, severity of illness of each patient was classified by the Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS II) It was assessed a total of 228 episodes of bacteraemia, 168 corresponding to E.faecalis and 60 to E.faecium. All isolates of E.faecalis were susceptible to ampicillin and only 25% was in the group E.faecium. There was one anecdotal isolated of E.faecium resistant to vancomycin. The independent factors associated with the acquisition of bacteriaemia of E.faecium when compared to those produced by E.faecalis were the surgical ward admission (OR: 4.223, p = 0.001), more than five days of previous treatment with cephalosporin or with carbapenem (OR: 2.564, P = 0.013 and OR: 2.652, p = 0.027 respectively), prior administration of penicillin (OR: 2.008, p = 0.044), SAPS II> 30 at admission (OR = 3.530, p = 0.001) and liver disease at baseline(OR: 3.754, p <0.001). In the case of onco-haematological patients, we analyzed a total of 73 patients: 54 caused by E.faecalis and 19 caused by E.faecium. In the univariate analysis, higher SAPS, comorbidity of diabetes mellitus and prior exposure to penicillins were distinctive factors in the group of E.faecium. The independent factors associated with the isolation of E.faecium were previous exposure to penicillin (OR: 6.479, p = 0.003) and SAPS II> 34 (OR: 6.896, p = 0.009). The results of both studies are of upmost importance to decide empirical antibiotic treatment in patients admitted to our hospital. In addition, these conclusions led to the modification of current protocols for empirical treatment of patients with nosocomial infections in our hospital. Furthermore, this line of research is open to the inclusion of future studies that complement those performed in this PhD project

Targeted cancer therapy: interactions with other medicines.

Targeted therapy drugs, mainly those within the signal transduction inhibitors, are used more chronically than cytotoxic drugs and are metabolised by cytochrome P450 isozymes so patients are at high risk of having drug-drug interactions (DDI). Not only this, as the majority of them are given orally, new drug-drug interactions concerning gastrointestinal absorption can occur (e.g., with proton pump inhibitors). DDI can lead to changed systemic exposure, resulting in variations in drug response of the co-administered. In addition, concomitant ingestion of dietary supplements could also alter systemic exposure of drugs, thus leading to adverse drug reactions or loss of efficacy. In this review, we give an overview of the current existing data of known or suspected DDI between targeted therapy and other medicines. A review of package inserts was performed to identify drug-drug interactions for all targeted antineoplastic agents. Tertiary databases such as Lexicomp®, Drugs, Martindale, Facts and Comparisons®, and AHFS Drug Information were also referenced. This study covered 40 targeted antineoplastic agents (28 signal transduction inhibitors, 9 monoclonal antibodies and 3 other drugs, 2 monoclonal antibody conjugates and 1 fusion protein). Most of targeted therapy drugs are major CYP3A4 substrates with P-gp playing an important role in disposition too. Thus, there is a very common thread here that these agents will likely be sensitive victims to strong CYP3A4/P-gp inhibitors and inducers. It is essential that health care providers monitor patients for potential DDI to avoid a loss in efficacy or risk of greater toxicity from targeted therapy

Impact of drug safety warnings and antimicrobial stewardship programme implementation on tigecycline prescribing: a prospective quasi-experimental interrupted time series analysis

Background: Tigecycline is the first member of the glycylcyclines. Both the FDA (2010 and 2013) and the EMA (2011) issued safety warnings describing an increased mortality risk associated with tigecycline compared with other antibiotics treating severe infections. One of the best strategies to optimize antimicrobial therapies is through the establishment of antimicrobial stewardship programmes (ASPs) in hospitals. In June 2011, our ASP was implemented. Objectives: To analyse trends in tigecycline prescription, after drug safety warning announcements by regulatory agencies and after an ASP implementation. Methods: A 6 year prospective observational study of tigecycline use was performed, including all consecutive adult patients treated with at least one dose during the 6 years after approval of the drug for its use in the hospital. The primary outcome was tigecycline consumption assessed by DDD/100 bed-days. A segmented linear regression model for interrupted time series (ITS) was designed to detect any significant trend changes. Results: A total of 524 patients were included. After the FDA warning alert, tigecycline consumption decreased by 35.9%. Moreover, following the ASP implementation, a dramatic reduction in tigecycline prescription by 67.3% was observed. Conclusions: The role of the ASP was essential to establish adequate control of prescriptions, collaborating with the clinicians in a better adaptation of the tigecycline indication