Notes on the Potential for the Concentration of Rare Earth Elements and Yttrium in Coal Combustion Fly Ash

Certain Central Appalachian coals, most notably the Fire Clay coal with a REY-enriched volcanic ash fall tonstein, are known to be enriched in rare earth elements. The Fire Clay tonstein has a greater contribution to the total coal + parting REY than would be inferred from its thickness, accounting for about 20%–35% of the REY in the coal + parting sequence. Underground mining, in particular, might include roof and floor rock and the within-seam partings in the mined product. Beneficiation, necessary to meet utility specifications, will remove some of the REY from the delivered product. In at least one previously published example, even though the tonstein was not present in the Fire Clay coal, the coal was enriched in REY. In this case, as well as mines that ship run-of-mine products to the utility, the shipped REY content should be virtually the same as for the mined coal. At the power plant, however, the delivered coal will be pulverized, generally accompanied by the elimination of some of the harder rock, before it is fired into the boiler. Overall, there are a wide range of variables between the geologic sample at the mine and the power plant, any or all of which could impact the concentration of REY or other critical materials in the coal combustion products

Methylparaben concentration in commercial Brazilian local anesthetics solutions

OBJECTIVE: To detect the presence and concentration of methylparaben in cartridges of commercial Brazilian local anesthetics. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Twelve commercial brands (4 in glass and 8 in plastic cartridges) of local anesthetic solutions for use in dentistry were purchased from the Brazilian market and analyzed. Different lots of the commercial brands were obtained in different Brazilian cities (Piracicaba, Campinas and São Paulo). Separation was performed using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with UV-Vis detector. The mobile phase used was acetonitrile:water (75:25 - v/v), pH 4.5, adjusted with acetic acid at a flow rate of 1.0 ml.min(-1). RESULTS: When detected in the solutions, the methylparaben concentration ranged from 0.01% (m/v) to 0.16% (m/v). One glass and all plastic cartridges presented methylparaben. CONCLUSION: 1. Methylparaben concentration varied among solutions from different manufacturers, and it was not indicated in the drug package inserts; 2. Since the presence of methylparaben in dental anesthetics is not regulated by the Brazilian National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA) and this substance could cause allergic reactions, it is important to alert dentists about its possible presence

Evaluation of appendicitis risk prediction models in adults with suspected appendicitis

Background Appendicitis is the most common general surgical emergency worldwide, but its diagnosis remains challenging. The aim of this study was to determine whether existing risk prediction models can reliably identify patients presenting to hospital in the UK with acute right iliac fossa (RIF) pain who are at low risk of appendicitis. Methods A systematic search was completed to identify all existing appendicitis risk prediction models. Models were validated using UK data from an international prospective cohort study that captured consecutive patients aged 16–45 years presenting to hospital with acute RIF in March to June 2017. The main outcome was best achievable model specificity (proportion of patients who did not have appendicitis correctly classified as low risk) whilst maintaining a failure rate below 5 per cent (proportion of patients identified as low risk who actually had appendicitis). Results Some 5345 patients across 154 UK hospitals were identified, of which two‐thirds (3613 of 5345, 67·6 per cent) were women. Women were more than twice as likely to undergo surgery with removal of a histologically normal appendix (272 of 964, 28·2 per cent) than men (120 of 993, 12·1 per cent) (relative risk 2·33, 95 per cent c.i. 1·92 to 2·84; P < 0·001). Of 15 validated risk prediction models, the Adult Appendicitis Score performed best (cut‐off score 8 or less, specificity 63·1 per cent, failure rate 3·7 per cent). The Appendicitis Inflammatory Response Score performed best for men (cut‐off score 2 or less, specificity 24·7 per cent, failure rate 2·4 per cent). Conclusion Women in the UK had a disproportionate risk of admission without surgical intervention and had high rates of normal appendicectomy. Risk prediction models to support shared decision‐making by identifying adults in the UK at low risk of appendicitis were identified

Levantamento flori­stico das especies de ervas, subarbustos, lianas e hemiepifitas da mata da reserva da Cidade Universidade \ Armando de Salles Oliveira\ , Sao Paulo, SP, Brasil

A survey of species of all plant life forms except trees, shrubs and epiphytes was carried out on an urban forest fragment. Such area occupies near 10 ha, representing one of the few forest remnants of Sao Paulo City. The climate of the region is Cwa of Köppen, with mean temperature in the warmest month upper than 22oC and in the coldest one between 3-18oC, with annual precipitation higher than 1,000 mm. Sao Paulo City forests show floristic and structural correlations both to the Atlantic Forest and to the inland mesophytic semideciduous forests of the São Paulo State. Monthly col- lections of botanical samples were made between March 1995 and December 1997, with scattered supplementary collections made after that period. A total amount of 188 species have been identified, belonging to 138 genera in 49 families of angiosperms and 8 families of pteridophytes. The families with the greatest number of species are Asteraceae (22 species), Poaceae and Bigno- niaceae (10 species each), Leguminosae (9 species), Malvaceae and Sapindaceae (8 species each), Araceae and Apocynaceae (7 species each), Commelinaceae and Marantaceae (6 species each). Identification keys emphasizing vegetative features, as well as descriptions and comments on the phenology, dispersal and geographic distribution of the species are presente

A PK/PD approach on the effects of clarithromycin against oral and nasal microbiota of healthy volunteers

Made available in DSpace on 2019-09-12T16:57:15Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2009Merck S.A Industrias QuímicasConselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Objective: To assess the pharmacokinetics of clarithromycin (CLR) and its effects oil oral and nasal microbiota in healthy volunteers in an open, randomized, two-period crossover design. Methods: A single 500 mg oral dose of CLR (Group 1: Merck Group 2: Klaricid) was administered observing a 1-week interval between doses. Blood samples were collected from pre-dose to 24 h. plasmatic concentrations of CLR were quantified by the LC-MS-MS method. Saliva and nasal mucosa swabs were obtained previously and after 1.33, 2, 6 and 12 11 of drug administration. Pharmacokinetics and PK/PD (t>MIC, %t>MIC and AUC(0-24)/MIC ratio) parameters were estimated. The microogranism counts were obtained on different Culture media. Results: No statistically significant differences were observed between the two formulations (p>0.05) regarding the pharmacokinetic parameters. Total microorganisms, staphylococci and streptococci counts did not show statistical differences (p>0.05) between the two groups during each sampling time. Considering the microorganisms of each group, no statistically significant differences were found after drug administration, but all differed from pre-dose Counts (pMIC ranged from 14.45 h (+/- 1.69) to 1.19 h (+/- 2.17) considering MICs of 0.25 mu g/ml and 2.0 mu g/ml, respectively. There was no correlation between any t>MIC %t>MIC or AUC(0-24) and bacterial reduction (between 0- and 12-h periods), However, the profile or reduction Of Microorganisms in both saliva and nasal samples were compatible with high values of %t>MIC verified for both clarithromycin formulations. Conclusion: Both formulations of clarithromycin had similar pharmacokinetics and efficacy.[Ruenis, A. P. Del Bortolo; Simoes, R. P.; Rosalen, P. L.; Groppo, F. C.] State Univ Campinas UNICAMP, Piracicaba Dent Sch, BR-13414903 Piracicaba, SP, Brazil[Franco, G. C. Nobre] Universidade de Taubaté (Unitau)[Motta, R. H. Lopes] Sao Leopoldo Dent Sch, Dept Physiol Sci, Campinas, SP, Brazil[Franco, L. M.] Univ Metodista Piracicaba, Fac Hlth Sci, Piracicaba, Brazil[Moreno, R. A.; Abib, E., Jr.] Synchrophar Assessoria & Desenvolvimento Projetos, Campinas, SP, Brazil[Baglie, S.] Univ Estadual Ponta Grossa, Dept Pharmaceut Sci, Ponta Grossa, PR, Brazi