Remoción de metales contaminantes mediante biomasa de tuna (Opuntia ficus): bioadsorción de Cu y Fe en un medio modelo

El objetivo de la investigación fue evaluar la capacidad de la biomasa de cladodio de Opuntia ficus (tuna) para la remoción de iones metálicos de cobre (Cu) y hierro (Fe) de soluciones acuosas. Se utilizó un medio modelo a base de agua, Cu y Fe, a concentraciones iniciales de 19.6 y 16.6 ppm, respectivamente. Como biomasa se utilizó cladodio deshidratado (C), y cladodio deshidratado y modificado químicamente mediante incorporación de iones de calcio (Ca). La mayor adsorción de ambos metales se obtuvo con la biomasa Ca y con el menor tiempo de contacto (2 horas), con una reducción del 82.75 y 78.36% para el Cu y Fe, respectivamente, con respecto a sus concentraciones iniciales. Nuestros resultados sugieren que la biomasa de cladodio de tuna podría considerarse como un económico y natural bioadsorbente para la remoción ecoamigable de Cu y Fe de aguas residuales contaminadas

Remoción de metales contaminantes mediante biomasa de tuna (Opuntia ficus): bioadsorción de Cu y Fe en un medio modelo

El objetivo de la investigación fue evaluar la capacidad de la biomasa de cladodio de Opuntia ficus (tuna) para la remoción de iones metálicos de cobre (Cu) y hierro (Fe) de soluciones acuosas. Se utilizó un medio modelo a base de agua, Cu y Fe, a concentraciones iniciales de 19.6 y 16.6 ppm, respectivamente. Como biomasa se utilizó cladodio deshidratado (C), y cladodio deshidratado y modificado químicamente mediante incorporación de iones de calcio (Ca). La mayor adsorción de ambos metales se obtuvo con la biomasa Ca y con el menor tiempo de contacto (2 horas), con una reducción del 82.75 y 78.36% para el Cu y Fe, respectivamente, con respecto a sus concentraciones iniciales. Nuestros resultados sugieren que la biomasa de cladodio de tuna podría considerarse como un económico y natural bioadsorbente para la remoción ecoamigable de Cu y Fe de aguas residuales contaminadas

Improved of the colorimetric parameters in cranberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) wine by chaptalization

Consuming foods rich in anthocyanins like blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum), can help prevent various diseases due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory capacity. Being a perishable fruit and no significant exportable surpluses, an alternative use and consumption would be by making wine. However, low sugar content can limit vinification, having to supplement it with exogenous sugars, known as chaptalization procedure, which also can improve the extraction of anthocyanins due to its high solubility in ethanol. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of chaptalization on the colorimetric parameters of blueberry wine. Blueberry juice (10 °Brix, must control) was supplemented with grapemust and sucrose to reach 17 °Brix (must AUS). After fermentation the alcohol content was determined, besides, the color intensity (CI) and hue were compared with a commercial red wine. Chaptalization allowed to increase the alcohol content of 6.25 to 10.10% v / v, and greatly improve the extraction of anthocyanins, with IC and hue values of 5.11 and 5.70, and 0.78 and 0.83 for control and AUS wines, respectively; AUS even approaching the commercial red wine used as a reference (CI: 5.98, hue: 0.83). Whereupon, the extraction of anthocyanins in blueberry wine is improved, thus being able to reap the benefits of these pigments in the prevention of various disease

Adsorbent material based on passion-fruit wastes to remove lead (Pb), chromium (Cr) and copper (Cu) from metal-contaminated waters

ABSTRACT The aim of the present work was to evaluate the feasibility of passion-fruit shell (PFS) biomass as adsorbent material to remove heavy metals from contaminated waters. Model mediums were used, which were composed of distilled water and the respective metal: lead (Pb), chromium (Cr) and copper (Cu), with a dose of 10g of dry PFSbiomass per liter of medium. The residual concentration of each metal was determined by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (AAS). A good adsorption capacity was exhibited by this agro industrial waste, achieving removal levels of 96,93 and 82% for Pb, Cr and Cu, respectively. In addition, the results obtained showed an adequate fit to the Freundlich model (R2 > 0.91), on the basis of which, the following values of adsorption capacity (k: 1.7057, 0.6784, 0.3302) and adsorption intensity (n: 0.6869, 2.3474, 1.0499), for Pb, Cr and Cu respectively, were obtained. Our results suggest that Pb, Cr and Cu ions can be removed by more than 80% by using this agro industrial waste, which with a minimum treatment could be used as an adsorbent material in the treatment of metal-contaminated waters

Effects of hospital facilities on patient outcomes after cancer surgery: an international, prospective, observational study

© 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 licenseBackground: Early death after cancer surgery is higher in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) compared with in high-income countries, yet the impact of facility characteristics on early postoperative outcomes is unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the association between hospital infrastructure, resource availability, and processes on early outcomes after cancer surgery worldwide. Methods: A multimethods analysis was performed as part of the GlobalSurg 3 study—a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study of patients who had surgery for breast, colorectal, or gastric cancer. The primary outcomes were 30-day mortality and 30-day major complication rates. Potentially beneficial hospital facilities were identified by variable selection to select those associated with 30-day mortality. Adjusted outcomes were determined using generalised estimating equations to account for patient characteristics and country-income group, with population stratification by hospital. Findings: Between April 1, 2018, and April 23, 2019, facility-level data were collected for 9685 patients across 238 hospitals in 66 countries (91 hospitals in 20 high-income countries; 57 hospitals in 19 upper-middle-income countries; and 90 hospitals in 27 low-income to lower-middle-income countries). The availability of five hospital facilities was inversely associated with mortality: ultrasound, CT scanner, critical care unit, opioid analgesia, and oncologist. After adjustment for case-mix and country income group, hospitals with three or fewer of these facilities (62 hospitals, 1294 patients) had higher mortality compared with those with four or five (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 3·85 [95% CI 2·58–5·75]; p<0·0001), with excess mortality predominantly explained by a limited capacity to rescue following the development of major complications (63·0% vs 82·7%; OR 0·35 [0·23–0·53]; p<0·0001). Across LMICs, improvements in hospital facilities would prevent one to three deaths for every 100 patients undergoing surgery for cancer. Interpretation: Hospitals with higher levels of infrastructure and resources have better outcomes after cancer surgery, independent of country income. Without urgent strengthening of hospital infrastructure and resources, the reductions in cancer-associated mortality associated with improved access will not be realised. Funding: National Institute for Health and Care Research

Global variation in postoperative mortality and complications after cancer surgery: a multicentre, prospective cohort study in 82 countries

© 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licenseBackground: 80% of individuals with cancer will require a surgical procedure, yet little comparative data exist on early outcomes in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We compared postoperative outcomes in breast, colorectal, and gastric cancer surgery in hospitals worldwide, focusing on the effect of disease stage and complications on postoperative mortality. Methods: This was a multicentre, international prospective cohort study of consecutive adult patients undergoing surgery for primary breast, colorectal, or gastric cancer requiring a skin incision done under general or neuraxial anaesthesia. The primary outcome was death or major complication within 30 days of surgery. Multilevel logistic regression determined relationships within three-level nested models of patients within hospitals and countries. Hospital-level infrastructure effects were explored with three-way mediation analyses. This study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03471494. Findings: Between April 1, 2018, and Jan 31, 2019, we enrolled 15 958 patients from 428 hospitals in 82 countries (high income 9106 patients, 31 countries; upper-middle income 2721 patients, 23 countries; or lower-middle income 4131 patients, 28 countries). Patients in LMICs presented with more advanced disease compared with patients in high-income countries. 30-day mortality was higher for gastric cancer in low-income or lower-middle-income countries (adjusted odds ratio 3·72, 95% CI 1·70–8·16) and for colorectal cancer in low-income or lower-middle-income countries (4·59, 2·39–8·80) and upper-middle-income countries (2·06, 1·11–3·83). No difference in 30-day mortality was seen in breast cancer. The proportion of patients who died after a major complication was greatest in low-income or lower-middle-income countries (6·15, 3·26–11·59) and upper-middle-income countries (3·89, 2·08–7·29). Postoperative death after complications was partly explained by patient factors (60%) and partly by hospital or country (40%). The absence of consistently available postoperative care facilities was associated with seven to 10 more deaths per 100 major complications in LMICs. Cancer stage alone explained little of the early variation in mortality or postoperative complications. Interpretation: Higher levels of mortality after cancer surgery in LMICs was not fully explained by later presentation of disease. The capacity to rescue patients from surgical complications is a tangible opportunity for meaningful intervention. Early death after cancer surgery might be reduced by policies focusing on strengthening perioperative care systems to detect and intervene in common complications. Funding: National Institute for Health Research Global Health Research Unit

Clinical and genetic characteristics of late-onset Huntington's disease

Background: The frequency of late-onset Huntington's disease (&gt;59 years) is assumed to be low and the clinical course milder. However, previous literature on late-onset disease is scarce and inconclusive. Objective: Our aim is to study clinical characteristics of late-onset compared to common-onset HD patients in a large cohort of HD patients from the Registry database. Methods: Participants with late- and common-onset (30–50 years)were compared for first clinical symptoms, disease progression, CAG repeat size and family history. Participants with a missing CAG repeat size, a repeat size of ≤35 or a UHDRS motor score of ≤5 were excluded. Results: Of 6007 eligible participants, 687 had late-onset (11.4%) and 3216 (53.5%) common-onset HD. Late-onset (n = 577) had significantly more gait and balance problems as first symptom compared to common-onset (n = 2408) (P &lt;.001). Overall motor and cognitive performance (P &lt;.001) were worse, however only disease motor progression was slower (coefficient, −0.58; SE 0.16; P &lt;.001) compared to the common-onset group. Repeat size was significantly lower in the late-onset (n = 40.8; SD 1.6) compared to common-onset (n = 44.4; SD 2.8) (P &lt;.001). Fewer late-onset patients (n = 451) had a positive family history compared to common-onset (n = 2940) (P &lt;.001). Conclusions: Late-onset patients present more frequently with gait and balance problems as first symptom, and disease progression is not milder compared to common-onset HD patients apart from motor progression. The family history is likely to be negative, which might make diagnosing HD more difficult in this population. However, the balance and gait problems might be helpful in diagnosing HD in elderly patients

DUNE Offline Computing Conceptual Design Report

This document describes Offline Software and Computing for the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) experiment, in particular, the conceptual design of the offline computing needed to accomplish its physics goals. Our emphasis in this document is the development of the computing infrastructure needed to acquire, catalog, reconstruct, simulate and analyze the data from the DUNE experiment and its prototypes. In this effort, we concentrate on developing the tools and systems that facilitate the development and deployment of advanced algorithms. Rather than prescribing particular algorithms, our goal is to provide resources that are flexible and accessible enough to support creative software solutions as HEP computing evolves and to provide computing that achieves the physics goals of the DUNE experiment.This document describes the conceptual design for the Offline Software and Computing for the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE). The goals of the experiment include 1) studying neutrino oscillations using a beam of neutrinos sent from Fermilab in Illinois to the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) in Lead, South Dakota, 2) studying astrophysical neutrino sources and rare processes and 3) understanding the physics of neutrino interactions in matter. We describe the development of the computing infrastructure needed to achieve the physics goals of the experiment by storing, cataloging, reconstructing, simulating, and analyzing $\sim$ 30 PB of data/year from DUNE and its prototypes. Rather than prescribing particular algorithms, our goal is to provide resources that are flexible and accessible enough to support creative software solutions and advanced algorithms as HEP computing evolves. We describe the physics objectives, organization, use cases, and proposed technical solutions