Influence of Short Carbon-Chain Alcohol (Ethanol and 1-Propanol)/Diesel Fuel Blends over Diesel Engine Emissions

Oxygenated fuels, in this case short carbon-chain alcohols, have been investigated as alternative fuels to power compression ignition engines. A major advantage of short-chain alcohols is that they can be produced from renewable resources, i.e., cultivated commodities or biomass-based biorefineries. However, before entering the market, the effects of short-chain alcohols on engine performance, exhaust emissions, noise and sound quality need to be understood. This work sheds light on the relationship between the physicochemical properties of the alcohol/diesel fuel blends (ethanol and 1-propanol) on engine performance, exhaust emissions and, for the first time, on noise and sound quality. It has been demonstrated that when the content of alcohol in blends increased, soot and soluble organic material emissions drastically decreased, mainly due to the increase of oxygen content in the fuel. Reduction in soot emissions combined with higher thermodynamic efficiency of alcohol fuels, with respect to diesel fuel, enable their utilization on compression ignition engines. There is also an improvement in the soot-NOx trade off, leading to large reductions on soot with a small effect on NOx emissions. The oxygen content within the fuel reduces CO and THC emissions at extra-urban driving operation conditions. However, hydrocarbons and CO emissions increased at urban driving conditions, due to the high heat of vaporization of the alcohol fuels which reduces cylinder temperature worsening fuel atomization, vaporization and mixing with air being more significant at lower cylinder temperature conditions (low engine loads and speeds). Similarly, the higher the presence of alcohol in the blend, the higher the noise emitted by the engine due to their low tendency to auto-ignition. The optimization of alcohol quantity and the calibration of engine control parameters (e.g., injection settings) which is out of the scope of this work, will be required to overcome noise emission penalty. Furthermore, under similar alcohol content in the blend (10% v/v), the use of propanol is preferred over ethanol, as it exhibits lower exhaust emissions and better sound quality than ethanol

NiO diluted in high surface area TiO2 as efficient catalysts for the oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane

[EN] Catalysts consisting of NiO diluted in high surface area TiO2 can be as efficient in the oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane as the most selective NiO-promoted catalysts reported previously in the literature. By selecting the titania matrix and the NiO loading, yields to ethylene over 40% have been obtained. In the present article, three different titanium oxides (TiO2) have been employed as supports or diluters of nickel oxide and have been tested in the oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane to ethylene. All TiO2 used present anatase as the main crystalline phase and different surface areas of 11,55 and 85 m(2) g(-1). It has been observed that by selecting an appropriate nickel loading and the titanium oxide extremely high selectivity towards ethylene can be obtained. Thus, nickel oxide supported on TiO2 with high surface areas (i.e. 55 and 85 m(2) g(-1)) have resulted to give the best catalytic performance although the optimal nickel loading is different for each case. The optimal catalyst has been obtained for NiO-loadings up to 5-10 theoretical monolayers regardless of the TiO2 employed. Free TiO2 is inactive whereas unsupported NiO is active and unselective (forming mainly carbon dioxide) and, therefore, unmodified NiO particles have to be avoided in order to obtain the optimal catalytic performance. The use of low surface area titania (11 m(2) g(-1)) have led to the lowest selectivity to olefin due to the presence of an excess of free NiO particles. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.The authors would like to acknowledge the DGICYT in Spain CTQ2012-37925-C03-2, CTQ2015-68951-C3-1-R, CTQ2015-68951-C3-3-R and SEV-2012-0267 Projects for financial support. D.D. also thanks Severo Ochoa Excellence fellowship (SVP-2014-068669). We also thank the University of Valencia (UV-INV-AE-16-484416 project) and SCSIE-UV for assistanceSanchis, R.; Delgado-Muñoz, D.; Agouram, S.; Soriano Rodríguez, MD.; Vázquez, MI.; Rodriguez-Castellon, E.; Solsona, B.... (2017). NiO diluted in high surface area TiO2 as efficient catalysts for the oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane. Applied Catalysis A General. 536:18-26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apcata.2017.02.012S182653

Monitoring of bluetongue virus in zoo animals in Spain, 2007–2019

Bluetongue (BT) is an emerging and re-emerging communicable vector-borne disease of animal health concern. A serosurvey was performed to assess exposure to BT virus (BTV) in zoo animals in Spain and to determine the dynamics of seropositivity in longitudinally sampled individuals during the study period. Serum samples were collected from 241 zoo animals belonging to 71 different species in five urban zoos (A-E) in Spain between 2007 and 2019. Twenty-four of these animals were longitudinally surveyed at three of the sampled zoos (zoos B, C and E) during the study period. Anti-BTV antibodies were found in 46 (19.1%; 95% CI: 14.1-24.1) of the 241 captive animals analysed by commercial ELISA. A virus neutralization test confirmed specific antibodies against BTV-1 and BTV-4 in 25 (10.7%; 95% CI: 6.7-14.6) and five (3.0%; 95% CI: 0.3-4.0) animals, respectively. Two of the 24 longitudinally sampled individuals (one African elephant (Loxodanta africana) and one aoudad (Ammotragus lervia)) showed anti-BTV antibodies at all samplings, whereas seroconversions were detected in one mouflon (Ovis aries musimon) in 2016, and one Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) in 2019. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first large-scale survey on BTV conducted in both artiodactyl and non-artiodactyl zoo species worldwide. The results confirm BTV exposure in urban zoo parks in Spain, which could be of animal health and conservation concern. Circulation of BTV was detected in yearling animals in years when there were no reports of BTV outbreaks in livestock. Surveillance in artiodactyl and non-artiodactyl zoo species could be a valuable tool for epidemiological monitoring of BTV.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Total oxidation of VOCs on mesoporous iron oxide catalysts: soft chemistry route versus hard template method

[EN] A comparative study on the total oxidation of volatile organic compounds, VOCs, on mesoporous iron oxide catalysts prepared by soft chemistry route versus those achieved by hard template methodThe authors would like to acknowledge the DGICYT in Spain (CTQ2012-37925-C03-1, CTQ2012-37925-C03-2, CTQ2012-37925-C03-3 and CTQ2012-37984-C02-01) and FEDER for financial support. We also thank the University of Valencia and SCSIE-UV for assistance.Solsona Espriu, BE.; Garcia, T.; Sanchis Martinez, R.; Soriano Rodríguez, MD.; Moreno, M.; Rodríguez-Castellon, E.; Agouram, S.... (2016). Total oxidation of VOCs on mesoporous iron oxide catalysts: soft chemistry route versus hard template method. The Chemical Engineering Journal and the Biochemical Engineering Journal. 290:273-281. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2015.12.109S27328129

How to Handle Concomitant Asymptomatic Prosthetic Joints During an Episode of Hematogenous Periprosthetic Joint Infection:a Multicenter Analysis

BACKGROUND: Prosthetic joints are at risk of becoming infected during an episode of bacteremia, especially during Staphylocococcus aureus bacteremia. However, it is unclear how often asymptomatic periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) occurs, and whether additional diagnostics should be considered. METHODS: In this multicenter study, we retrospectively analyzed a cohort of patients with a late acute (hematogenous) PJI between 2005-2015 who had concomitant prosthetic joints in situ. Patients without at least 1 year of follow-up were excluded. RESULTS: We included 91 patients with a hematogenous PJI and 108 concomitant prosthetic joints. The incident PJI was most frequently caused by Staphylococcus aureus (43%), followed by streptococci (26%) and Gram-negative rods (18%). Of 108 concomitant prosthetic joints, 13 were symptomatic, of which 10 were subsequently diagnosed as a second PJI. Of the 95 asymptomatic prosthetic joints, 1 PJI developed during the follow-up period and was classified as a "missed" PJI at the time of bacteremia with S. aureus (1.1%). Infected prosthetic joints were younger than the noninfected ones in 67% of cases, and prosthetic knees were affected more often than prosthetic hips (78%). CONCLUSIONS: During an episode of hematogenous PJI, concomitant asymptomatic prosthetic joints have a very low risk of being infected, and additional diagnostic work-up for these joints is not necessary

Suppressive Antibiotic Therapy in Prosthetic Joint Infections: A Multicentre Cohort Study

Objectives: The aim was to describe the effectiveness of suppressive antibiotic treatment (SAT) in routine clinical practice when used in situations in which removal of a prosthetic implant is considered essential for the eradication of an infection, and it cannot be performed. Methods: This was a descriptive retrospective and multicentre cohort study of prosthetic joint infection (PJI) cases managed with SAT. SAT was considered to have failed if a fistula appeared or persisted, if debridement was necessary, if the prosthesis was removed due to persistence of the infection or if uncontrolled symptoms were present. Results: In total, 302 patients were analysed. Two hundred and three of these patients (67.2%) received monotherapy. The most commonly used drugs were tetracyclines (39.7% of patients) (120/302) and cotrimoxazole (35.4% of patients) (107/302). SAT was considered successful in 58.6% (177/302) of the patients (median time administered, 36.5 months; IQR 20.75-59.25). Infection was controlled in 50% of patients at 5 years according to Kaplan-Meier analysis. Resistance development was documented in 15 of 65 (23.1%) of the microbiologically documented cases. SAT failure was associated with age <70 years (sub-hazard ratio (SHR) 1.61, 95% CI 1.1-2.33), aetiology other than Gram-positive cocci (SHR 1.56, 95% CI 1.09-2.27) and location of the prosthesis in the upper limb (SHR 2.4, 95% CI 1.5-3.84). SAT suspension was necessary due to adverse effects in 17 of 302 patients (5.6%). Conclusions: SAT offers acceptable results for patients with PJI when surgical treatment is not performed or when it fails to eradicate the infection

Executive summary of the Consensus Document of the Spanish Society of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology (SEIMC) and of the Spanish Association of Surgeons (AEC) in antibiotic prophylaxis in surgery

[ES] La profilaxis antibiótica en cirugía es una de las medidas más eficaces para la prevención de la infección de localización quirúrgica, aunque su uso es con frecuencia inadecuado, pudiendo incrementar el riesgo de infección, toxicidades y resistencias bacterianas. Debido al avance en las técnicas quirúrgicas y la emergencia de microorganismos multirresistentes las actuales pautas de profilaxis precisan ser revisadas. La Sociedad Española de Enfermedades Infecciosas (SEIMC), conjuntamente con la Asociación Española de Cirujanos (AEC) ha revisado y actualizado las recomendaciones de profilaxis antimicrobiana para adaptarlas a cada tipo de intervención quirúrgica y a la epidemiología actual. En este documento se recogen las recomendaciones de los antimicrobianos utilizados en profilaxis en los diferentes procedimientos, las dosis, la duración, la profilaxis en huéspedes especiales, y en situación epidemiológica de multirresistencia, de tal forma que permitan un manejo estandarizado, un uso racional, seguro y efectivo de los mismos en la cirugía electiva.[EN] Antibiotic prophylaxis in surgery is one of the most effective measures for preventing surgical site infection, although its use is frequently inadequate and may even increase the risk of infection, toxicities and antimicrobial resistance. As a result of advances in surgical techniques and the emergence of multidrug-resistant organisms, the current guidelines for prophylaxis need to be revised. The Sociedad Española de Enfermedades Infecciosas (Spanish Society of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology) (SEIMC) together with the Asociación Española de Cirujanos (Spanish Association of Surgeons) (AEC) have revised and updated the recommendations for antibiotic prophylaxis in surgery to adapt them to any type of surgical intervention and to current epidemiology. This document gathers together the recommendations on antimicrobial prophylaxis in the various procedures, with doses, duration, prophylaxis in special patient groups, and in epidemiological settings of multidrug resistance to facilitate standardized management and the safe, effective and rational use of antibiotics in elective surgery

Long-term prognostic impact of anticoagulation on patients with atrial fibrillation undergoing hemodialysis

Introducción y objetivos: La evidencia de la eficacia y seguridad de la anticoagulación oral con dicumarínicos en pacientes en hemodiálisis con fibrilación auricular (FA) es controvertida. El objetivo de nuestro estudio es evaluar las implicaciones a nivel pronóstico a largo plazo de la anticoagulación con dicumarínicos en una cohorte de pacientes con FA no valvular en programa de hemodiálisis debido a insuficiencia renal terminal. Métodos: Estudio observacional retrospectivo con inclusión consecutiva de 74 pacientes en hemodiálisis con FA. El periodo de inclusión fue de enero de 2005 a octubre de 2016. Las variables principales fueron mortalidad por todas las causas, reingresos no programados y sangrados. Resultados: La edad media fue de 75 ± 10 años; el 66,2% fueron hombres y 43 pacientes (58,1%) recibieron acenocumarol. Durante una mediana de seguimiento de 2,40 años (IQR = 0,88-4,15), el acenocumarol no demostró beneficio en supervivencia [HR = 0,76, IC 95% (0,35-1,66), p = 0,494]. Sin embargo, los pacientes anticoagulados presentaron más riesgo de hospitalizaciones cardiovasculares recurrentes [IRR = 3,94, IC 95% (1,06-14,69), p = 0,041]. Hubo una tendencia a un aumento de hospitalizaciones repetidas de causa isquémica en los pacientes anticoagulados [IRR = 5,80, IC 95% (0,86-39,0), p = 0,071]. Se observó una tendencia estadística hacia un mayor riesgo de sangrados totales recurrentes en los anticoagulados [IRR = 4,43, IC 95% (0,94-20,81), p = 0,059]. Conclusiones: En el presente estudio, la anticoagulación oral con acenocumarol en pacientes en hemodiálisis con FA no supuso un aumento de la supervivencia, y sin embargo, se asoció con un mayor riesgo de hospitalizaciones de causa cardiovascular y una tendencia a mayor riesgo de sangrados totales.Introduction and objectives: Evidence for the efficacy and safety of oral anticoagulation with dicumarines in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) on hemodialysis is controversial. The aim of our study is to evaluate the long-term prognostic implications of anticoagulation with dicumarines in a cohort of patients with non-valvular AF on a hemodialysis program due to end-stage renal disease. Methods: Retrospective, observational study with consecutive inclusion of 74 patients with AF on hemodialysis. The inclusion period was from January 2005 to October 2016. The primary variables were all-cause mortality, non-scheduled readmissions and bleeding during follow-up. Results: Mean age was 75 ± 10 years; 66.2% were men and 43 patients (58.1%) received acenocoumarol. During a median follow-up of 2.40 years (IQR = 0.88-4.15), acenocoumarol showed no survival benefit [HR = 0.76, 95% CI (0.35-1.66), p = 0.494]. However, anticoagulated patients were at increased risk of recurrent cardiovascular hospitalizations [IRR = 3.94, 95% CI (1.06-14.69), p = 0.041]. There was a trend towards an increase in repeated hospitalizations of ischemic cause in anticoagulated patients [IRR = 5.80, 95% CI (0.86-39.0), p = 0.071]. There was a statistical trend towards a higher risk of recurrent total bleeding in patients treated with acenocoumarol [IRR = 4.43, 95% CI (0.94-20.81), p = 0.059]. Conclusions: In this study, oral anticoagulation with acenocoumarol in patients with AF on hemodialysis did not increase survival. However, it was associated with an increased risk of hospitalizations of cardiovascular causes and a tendency to an increased risk of total bleeding

Guía de práctica clínica SENPE/SEGHNP/SEFH sobre nutrición parenteral pediátrica

Introduction: Parenteral nutrition (PN) in childhood is a treatment whose characteristics are highly variable depending on the age and pathology of the patient. Material and methods: The Standardization and Protocols Group of the Spanish Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (SENPE) is an interdisciplinary group formed by members of the SENPE, the Spanish Society of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Pediatric Nutrition (SEGHNP) and the Spanish Society of Hospital Pharmacy (SEFH) that intends to update this issue. For this, a detailed review of the literature has been carried out, looking for the evidences that allow us to elaborate a Clinical Practice Guide following the criteria of the Oxford Center for Evidence-Based Medicine. Results: This manuscript summarizes the recommendations regarding indications, access routes, requirements, modifications in special situations, components of the mixtures, prescription and standardization, preparation, administration, monitoring, complications and home NP. The complete document is published as a monographic number. Conclusions: This guide is intended to support the prescription of pediatric PN. It provides the basis for rational decisions in the context of the existing evidence. No guidelines can take into account all of the often compelling individual clinical circumstances.Introducción: la nutrición parenteral (NP) en la infancia es un tratamiento cuyas características son muy variables en función de la edad y la patología que presente el paciente. Material y métodos: el grupo de Estandarización y Protocolos de la Sociedad Española de Nutrición Parenteral y Enteral (SENPE) es un grupo interdisciplinar formado por miembros de la SENPE, Sociedad Española de Gastroenterología, Hepatología y Nutrición Pediátrica (SEGHNP) y Sociedad Española de Farmacia Hospitalaria (SEFH) que pretende poner al día este tema. Para ello, se ha realizado una revisión pormenorizada de la literatura buscando las evidencias que nos permiten elaborar una Guía de Práctica Clínica siguiendo los criterios del Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine. Resultados: este manuscrito expone de forma resumida las recomendaciones en cuanto a indicaciones, vías de acceso, requerimientos, modificaciones en situaciones especiales, componentes de las mezclas, prescripción y estandarización, preparación, administración, monitorización, complicaciones y NP domiciliaria. El documento completo se publica como número monográfico. Conclusiones: esta guía pretende servir de apoyo para la prescripción de la NP pediátrica. Constituye la base para tomar decisiones en el contexto de la evidencia existente. Ninguna guía puede tener en cuenta todas las circunstancias clínicas individuale

The Different Microbial Etiology of Prosthetic Joint Infections According to Route of Acquisition and Time After Prosthesis Implantation, Including the Role of Multidrug-Resistant Organisms

The aim of our study was to characterize the etiology of prosthetic joint infections (PJIs)-including multidrug-resistant organisms (MDRO)-by category of infection. A multicenter study of 2544 patients with PJIs was performed. We analyzed the causative microorganisms according to the Tsukayama's scheme (early postoperative, late chronic, and acute hematogenous infections (EPI, LCI, AHI) and "positive intraoperative cultures" (PIC)). Non-hematogenous PJIs were also evaluated according to time since surgery: 12 months. AHIs were mostly caused by Staphylococcus aureus (39.2%) and streptococci (30.2%). EPIs were characterized by a preponderance of virulent microorganisms (S. aureus, Gram-negative bacilli (GNB), enterococci), MDROs (24%) and polymicrobial infections (27.4%). Conversely, coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) and Cutibacterium species were predominant in LCIs (54.5% and 6.1%, respectively) and PICs (57.1% and 15.1%). The percentage of MDROs isolated in EPIs was more than three times the percentage isolated in LCIs (7.8%) and more than twice the proportion found in AHI (10.9%). There was a significant decreasing linear trend over the four time intervals post-surgery for virulent microorganisms, MDROs, and polymicrobial infections, and a rising trend for CoNS, streptococci and Cutibacterium spp. The observed differences have important implications for the empirical antimicrobial treatment of PJIs.Acknowledgments: This work was supported by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (grant number PI15/1026) (Co-funded by European Regional Development Fund/European Social Fund "Investing in your future"). REIPI (Spanish Network for Research in Infectious Disease) is supported by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, and by the European Development Regional Fund “A way to achieve Europe”