Aggregation of Aqueous Kaolin Suspensions in the Presence of Cationic Polyelectrolytes, Anionic Polyelectrolytes and their Mixtures

The influence of anionic, cationic synthetic polyelectrolytes and their mixtures on the aggregation of kaolin hydrosuspension has been studied by means of spectrophotometry, electrophoresis and dynamic light scattering (DLS). An enhancement of the flocculating property of the cationic polyelectrolyte FO 4650 in accordance with its consumption increases from 0.77 mg/g to 7.7 mg/g has been found. At these conditions the relative size of floccules (R) increases from 1.0 to 13.0. The increase of the flocculating property accordingly to the increasing charge of anionic polyelectrolyte is observed in mixtures of cationic and anionic polyelectrolytes. The time dependences of R in presence of the weakly charged cationic polyelectrolyte mixtures reach a plateau region. This can be associated with the formation of electrostatic contacts between the solid surface and the polymer mixtures, as well as with stabilizing equilibrium conformation of macromolecules. It has been found that mixtures of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes lead to more efficient aggregation of particles than individual polyelectrolytes. This process is enhanced by the introduction primarily of the cationic polyelectrolyte and then the anionic one (R = 6‒10). Use of the preformulated mixtures of polymers leads to the marked increase in degree of particle aggregation (R = 12). The reason is an interaction of kaolin particles with inter-polymer complex formed by electrostatic attraction of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes

Composite Biosorbents of Metal Ions Based on Yeast Cells and Diatomite

The possibility of removing Cu2+ and Pb2+ ions from solutions by the yeast cells Rhodotorula glutinis and diatomite (natural mineral) was studied. It is shown that at the concentration of CuSO4 and Pb(NO3)2 10-3 mol/l the removal of metal ions by yeast cells was 59.1 and 72.4% for the ions of Cu2+ and Pb2+. The yeast cells surface includes amino, hydroxyl, phosphate and carboxyl groups which activates sorption ability, because these groups can bind metal ions by ion exchange, donor acceptor and electrostatic interactions. The removal degree of metal ions by diatomite under the same conditions was for Cu2+ 91.6% and for Pb2+ 94.7%. To increase the removal degree of metal ions from solutions, the yeast cells were immobilized on the surface of diatomite. In order to attach the negatively charged cells of microorganisms with negatively charged surface of the mineral, the surface of diatomite was modified by polyethylenimine (PEI). As a result, the immobilization degree of Rhodotorula glutinisto the surface of diatomite at the concentration of PEI 0.02 base-mol/l increased from 62 to 88%, which is explained by the existence of electrostatic contacts between the negatively charged functional groups of the cell surface and amino groups of PEI, that has covered the surface of diatomite by PEI. It is shown that the obtained composite biosorbent removes 97.8% of Cu2+ ions and 99.4% of Pb2+ ions

Enhanced infection prophylaxis reduces mortality in severely immunosuppressed HIV-infected adults and older children initiating antiretroviral therapy in Kenya, Malawi, Uganda and Zimbabwe: the REALITY trial

Meeting abstract FRAB0101LB from 21st International AIDS Conference 18–22 July 2016, Durban, South Africa. Introduction: Mortality from infections is high in the first 6 months of antiretroviral therapy (ART) among HIV‐infected adults and children with advanced disease in sub‐Saharan Africa. Whether an enhanced package of infection prophylaxis at ART initiation would reduce mortality is unknown. Methods: The REALITY 2×2×2 factorial open‐label trial (ISRCTN43622374) randomized ART‐naïve HIV‐infected adults and children >5 years with CD4 <100 cells/mm3. This randomization compared initiating ART with enhanced prophylaxis (continuous cotrimoxazole plus 12 weeks isoniazid/pyridoxine (anti‐tuberculosis) and fluconazole (anti‐cryptococcal/candida), 5 days azithromycin (anti‐bacterial/protozoal) and single‐dose albendazole (anti‐helminth)), versus standard‐of‐care cotrimoxazole. Isoniazid/pyridoxine/cotrimoxazole was formulated as a scored fixed‐dose combination. Two other randomizations investigated 12‐week adjunctive raltegravir or supplementary food. The primary endpoint was 24‐week mortality. Results: 1805 eligible adults (n = 1733; 96.0%) and children/adolescents (n = 72; 4.0%) (median 36 years; 53.2% male) were randomized to enhanced (n = 906) or standard prophylaxis (n = 899) and followed for 48 weeks (3.8% loss‐to‐follow‐up). Median baseline CD4 was 36 cells/mm3 (IQR: 16–62) but 47.3% were WHO Stage 1/2. 80 (8.9%) enhanced versus 108(12.2%) standard prophylaxis died before 24 weeks (adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) = 0.73 (95% CI: 0.54–0.97) p = 0.03; Figure 1) and 98(11.0%) versus 127(14.4%) respectively died before 48 weeks (aHR = 0.75 (0.58–0.98) p = 0.04), with no evidence of interaction with the two other randomizations (p > 0.8). Enhanced prophylaxis significantly reduced incidence of tuberculosis (p = 0.02), cryptococcal disease (p = 0.01), oral/oesophageal candidiasis (p = 0.02), deaths of unknown cause (p = 0.02) and (marginally) hospitalisations (p = 0.06) but not presumed severe bacterial infections (p = 0.38). Serious and grade 4 adverse events were marginally less common with enhanced prophylaxis (p = 0.06). CD4 increases and VL suppression were similar between groups (p > 0.2). Conclusions: Enhanced infection prophylaxis at ART initiation reduces early mortality by 25% among HIV‐infected adults and children with advanced disease. The pill burden did not adversely affect VL suppression. Policy makers should consider adopting and implementing this low‐cost broad infection prevention package which could save 3.3 lives for every 100 individuals treated