Quality Indicators for Colonoscopy Procedures: A Prospective Multicentre Method for Endoscopy Units

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Healthcare professionals are required to conduct quality control of endoscopy procedures, and yet there is no standardised method for assessing quality. The topic of the present study was to validate the applicability of the procedure in daily practice, giving physicians the ability to define areas for continuous quality improvement. METHODS: In ten endoscopy units in France, 200 patients per centre undergoing colonoscopy were enrolled in the study. An evaluation was carried out based on a prospectively developed checklist of 10 quality-control indicators including five dependent upon and five independent of the colonoscopy procedure. RESULTS: Of the 2000 procedures, 30% were done at general hospitals, 20% at university hospitals, and 50% in private practices. The colonoscopies were carried out for a valid indication for 95.9% (range 92.5-100). Colon preparation was insufficient in 3.7% (range 1-10.5). Colonoscopies were successful in 95.3% (range 81-99). Adenoma detection rate was 0.31 (range 0.17-0.45) in successful colonoscopies. CONCLUSION: This tool for evaluating the quality of colonoscopy procedures in healthcare units is based on standard endoscopy and patient criteria. It is an easy and feasible procedure giving the ability to detect suboptimal practice and differences between endoscopy-units. It will enable individual units to assess the quality of their colonoscopy techniques

Morphological characterisation of cultured and freshly separated cyanobionts (Nostocales, Cyanophyta) from Azolla species

A comparative examination of the morphological attributes of freshly separated and cultured cyanobionts of six species of Azolla, namely A. microphylla, A. filiculoides, A. rubra, A. caroliniana, A. mexicana and A. pinnata, was carried out. Distinct variation with respect to colour and nature of filaments, size and frequency of heterocysts was observed when counterparts of cultured and freshly separated cyanobionts from each species of Azolla were compared. The cyanobionts from A. pinnata showed distinctly larger cells compared with the cyanobionts from other Azolla species, whereas the cyanobiont of A. mexicana resembled Nostoc in exhibiting coiled filaments. The other cyanobionts exhibited mostly straight filaments similar to Anabaena. This investigation brings out clearly the morphological variations existing among the cyanobionts belonging to the different species of Azolla and the transitional changes under in vitro conditions, need to characterise the cyanobionts at inter- and intraspecific level using molecular tools in the future for a more reliable classification system of the cyanobionts associated with Azolla

<i>Azolla-Anabaena </i>Symbiosis-From Traditional Agriculture to Biotechnology

26-37The Azolla - Anabaena symbiosis has attracted attention as a biofertilizer worldwide, especially in South East Asia. But its utilization and genetic improvement has been limited mainly due to problems associated with the isolation and characterization of cyanobionts and the relative sensitivity of the fern to extremes of temperature and light intensity. This paper reviews the historical background of Azolla, its metabolic capabilities and present day utilization in agriculture. An outline of biotechnological interventions, carried out in India and abroad, is also discussed for a better understanding of the symbiotic interactions, which can go a long way in further exploitation of this association in agriculture and environmental management

Transport of Pu(IV) across supported liquid membrane from nitric acid medium using cyanex -923 as the mobile receptor

548-554    Based on the solvent extraction data, experiments were conducted with Flat-sheet Supported Liquid Membrane (FSSLM) to examine the transport behaviour of Pu(IV) to achieve its maximum recovery. This is necessary to optimize the conditions for further operation of Hollow Fiber Supported Liquid Membrane (HFSLM) and Compact Supported Liquid Membrane Flow Cell (CSLMFC). A laboratory scale hollow fiber module, having membrane surface area, 134 cm2, was employed in a recycling mode using 'Enka' Accurel hollow fiber polypropylene membranes as the solid support, cyanex-923 as the mobile receptor and dodecane as the membrane solvent. Dilute plutonium nitrate solutions in 1M HNO3 generally constituted the source phase. Among the strippants, several reagents were tried, the most efficient strippant found was dilute uranous solution in 1.0 M HNO3. The recovery of Pu from the Pu oxalate supernatant generated during Pu reconversion operations in the PUREX process was tried, where it was observed that ~94% of Pu(IV) could be transported in a single run of duration of 10 h, while employing 0.1 M cyanex-923/dodecane as a mobile receptor and uranous solution in 1.0 M HNO3 as the strippant. Parameters such as source phase concentration, source and strippant phase recirculation flow rate, concentration of carrier in the membrane and strippant, and interferences of other permeants on plutonium permeation pertaining to FSSLM, HFSLM and CSLMFC were optimized.     This followed the utilization of more application oriented configuration i .e. Hollow fiber membrane configuration for the above purpose.     With HFSLM, the Kobs values increased from 3.06×10-5 to 6.27 × 10-5 s-1 by increasing now rate from 0.03 × 10-6 to 0.14×10-6 m3/s at 1 h and the percentage permeation increased from 75 to 90%. In the case of CFSLMC, the Kobs increased from 5.41 × 10-5 to 5.74× 10-5 s-1  while increasing flow rate from 0.27× 10-6 to 0.42×10-6 m3/s at 1 h and the percentage permeation increased from 65 to 85%