Iron(II) modified natural zeolites for hexavalent chromium removal from contaminated water

Abstract Three different types of Fe(II)-modified natural zeolites were tested as supports in continuous-flow columns for the treatment of Cr(VI) contaminated water. The natural zeolites chosen as support were commercially available Zeosand (80% clinoptilolite), ATZ (79% phillipsite/chabazite), and ZS-55RW (90% Chabazite). All the examined modified zeolites turned out active for hexavalent chromium abatement, lowering its concentration below the European regulation level, even at relatively high flow rates (40 mL/h, linear velocity 15 cm/h). Zeosand, having a broader pH range of stability, was found to be the best one in terms of both Fe(II) uptake (0.54 wt%) and Cr removal (90 mg Cr/Kg zeolite)

Lice, rodents, and many hopes: a rare disease in a young refugee

Borrelia recurrentis infection is a louse-borne disease and Leptospirosis is a rat-borne zoonosis, both endemic in areas characterized by a low hygiene condition. This is the first case of life-threatening Borrelia recurrentis and Leptospira species co-infectio

Early-goal directed therapy for septic shock: Is it the end?

Three randomized clinical trials have recently provided data on the lack of effectiveness of "early-goal directed therapy" (EGDT) (i.e. optimization of tissue oxygenation in the first 6 hours since sepsis diagnosis using different therapeutic interventions based on the assessment of the central venous oxygen saturation to titrate such interventions) in the initial management of patients with septic shock. In a first trial including 31 US hospitals (the ProCESS study, N.=1341), three different therapeutic strategies (EGDT vs. protocol-based therapy vs. usual care) were compared and no difference in the primary endpoint (60-day mortality) was found (EGDT 21%, protocol-based therapy 18% and usual care 19%). No significant difference in death by 90 days or in other secondary outcomes, including serious adverse events, was found, as well. A second trial (ARISE, N.=1600), mostly conducted in Australia and New Zealand, randomized patients to EGDT or usual care. Ninety-day mortality was similar between groups (19% vs. 19%, respectively; P=0.90) and no other differences in secondary endpoints were recorded between the two groups. A third study (ProMISe, N.=1260) included patients in 56 hospitals across England, randomly assigned to EGDT or usual care. By 90 days, mortality was similar between groups (29% vs. 29%, respectively; P=0.90). Moreover, EGDT significantly increased costs and was associated with a longer hospital length of stay. We discussed some issues related to the differences between these studies and the pivotal paper from Rivers et al. and how EGDT should be still considered in the treatment of sepsis.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Prehospital therapeutic hypothermia in patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest

SCOPUS: le.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Lactate measurement after cardiac arrest: tissue hypoxia or adaptive response?*

Lactate levels after cardiac arres

Early neuroprotection after cardiac arrest

Purpose of Review: Many efforts have been made in the last decades to improve outcome in patients who are successfully resuscitated from sudden cardiac arrest. Despite some advances, postanoxic encephalopathy remains the most common cause of death among those patients and several investigations have focused on early neuroprotection in this setting. Recent Findings: Therapeutic hypothermia is the only strategy able to provide effective neuroprotection in clinical practice. Experimental studies showed that therapeutic hypothermia was even more effective when it was started immediately after the ischemic event. In human studies, the use of prehospital hypothermia was able to reduce the time to target temperature but did not result in higher survival rate or neurological recovery in patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, when compared with standard in-hospital therapeutic hypothermia. Thus, intra-arrest hypothermia (i.e. initiated during cardiopulmonary resuscitation) may be a valid alternative to improve the effectiveness of therapeutic hypothermia in this setting; however, more clinical data are needed to demonstrate any potential benefit of such intervention on neurological outcome. Together with cooling, early hemodynamic optimization should be considered to improve cerebral perfusion in cardiac arrest patients and minimize any secondary brain injury. Nevertheless, only scarce data are available on the impact of early hemodynamic optimization on the development of organ dysfunction and neurological recovery in such patients. Some new protective strategies, including inhaled gases (i.e. xenon, argon, nitric oxide) and intravenous drugs (i.e. erythropoietin) are emerging in experimental studies as promising tools to improve neuroprotection, especially when combined with therapeutic hypothermia. Summary: Early cooling may contribute to enhance neuroprotection after cardiac arrest. Hemodynamic optimization is mandatory to avoid cerebral hypoperfusion in this setting. The combination of such interventions with other promising neuroprotective strategies should be evaluated in future large clinical studies. © 2014 Wolters Kluwer HealthSCOPUS: re.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

How much oxygen in adult cardiac arrest?

Although experimental studies have suggested that a high arterial oxygen pressure (PaO2) might aggravate post-anoxic brain injury, clinical studies in patients resuscitated from cardiac arrest (CA) have given conflicting results. Some studies found that a PaO2 of more than 300 mm Hg (hyperoxemia) was an independent predictor of poor outcome, but others reported no association between blood oxygenation and neurological recovery in this setting. In this article, we review the potential mechanisms of oxygen toxicity after CA, animal data available in this field, and key human studies dealing with the impact of oxygen management in CA patients, highlighting some potential confounders and limitations and indicating future areas of research in this field. From the currently available literature, high oxygen concentrations during cardiopulmonary resuscitation seem preferable, whereas hyperoxemia should be avoided in the post-CA care. A specific threshold for oxygen toxicity has not yet been identified. The mechanisms of oxygen toxicity after CA, such as seizure development, reactive oxygen species production, and the development of organ dysfunction, need to be further evaluated in prospective studies.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation above 75 years: is it worthwhile?*

Exclusion of patients who are older than 75 years from CPR is not warranted on the basis of age alone. Elderly victims of cardiac arrest can have an excellent long-term outcome, but this concerns mainly a minority of patients with favorable characteristics. Early identification of elderly patients with good chances of recovery after cardiac arrest would increase the appropriateness of resuscitation

Neuroprotective strategies and neuroprognostication after cardiac arrest

Neurocognitive disturbances are common among survivors of cardiac arrest (CA). Although initial management of CA, including bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation, optimal chest compression, and early defibrillation, has been implemented continuously over the last years, few therapeutic interventions are available to minimize or attenuate the extent of brain injury occurring after the return of spontaneous circulation. In this review, we discuss several promising drugs that could provide some potential benefits for neurological recovery after CA. Most of these drugs have been investigated exclusively in experimental CA models and only limited clinical data are available. Further research, which also considers combined neuroprotective strategies that target multiple pathways involved in the pathophysiology of postanoxic brain injury, is certainly needed to demonstrate the effectiveness of these interventions in this setting. Moreover, the evaluation of neurological prognosis of comatose patients after CA remains an important challenge that requires the accurate use of several tools. As most patients with CA are currently treated with targeted temperature management (TTM), combined with sedative drug therapy, especially during the hypothermic phase, the reliability of neurological examination in evaluating these patients is delayed to 72-96 h after admission. Thus, additional tests, including electrophysiological examinations, brain imaging and biomarkers, have been largely implemented to evaluate earlier the extent of brain damage in these patients.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe