Inhibition by phenolic antioxidants of the degradation of aromatic amines and sulfadiazine by the carbonate radical (CO3•−)

The carbonate radical CO3•− and the excited triplet states of chromophoric dissolved organic matter play an important role in the photodegradation of some easily oxidized pollutants in surface waters, such as the aromatic amines. Anilines and sulfadiazine are known to undergo back-reduction processes when their degradation is mediated by the excited triplet states of photosensitizers (triplet sensitization). Back-reduction, which inhibits photodegradation, means that phenols or the antioxidant (mostly phenolic) moieties occurring in the natural dissolved organic matter of surface waters reduce, back to the parent compounds, the radical species derived from the mono-electronic oxidation of anilines and sulfadiazine. Here we show that a similar process takes place as well in the case of substrate oxidation by CO3•−. The carbonate radical was here produced upon oxidation of HCO3−/CO32− by either HO•, generated by nitrate photolysis, or SO4•−, obtained by photolysis of persulfate. Back-reduction was observed in both cases in the presence of phenols, but at different extents as far as the details of reaction kinetics are concerned, and the occurrence of additional reductants might affect the efficacy by which phenols carry out the reduction process. In particular, when the carbonate radicals were produced by NO3– photolysis in the presence of HCO3−/CO32−, the numerical values of [PhOH]1/2 (the phenol concentration that halves the photodegradation rate of the substrate) were 2.19 ± 0.23 µM for aniline, 1.15 ± 0.25 µM for 3-chloroaniline, 1.18 ± 0.26 µM for 4-chloroaniline, and 1.18 ± 0.22 µM for 3,4-dichloroaniline. In contrast, when CO3•− was produced by photolysis of persulfate in the presence of HCO3−/CO32−, the corresponding values were 0.28 ± 0.02 µM for aniline and 0.79 ± 0.10 µM for sulfadiazine. Back-reduction has the potential to significantly inhibit photodegradation by CO3•− and excited triplet states in natural waters, and to comparatively increase the importance of HO•-mediated degradation that is not affected by the same phenomenon.ISSN:0043-1354ISSN:1879-244

CAMELS-CH: hydro-meteorological time series and landscape attributes for 331 catchments in hydrologic Switzerland

We present CAMELS-CH (Catchment Attributes and MEteorology for Large-sample Studies – Switzerland), a large-sample hydro-meteorological data set for hydrologic Switzerland in central Europe. This domain covers 331 basins within Switzerland and neighboring countries. About one-third of the catchments are located in Austria, France, Germany and Italy. As an Alpine country, Switzerland covers a vast diversity of landscapes, including mountainous environments, karstic regions, and several strongly cultivated regions, along with a wide range of hydrological regimes, i.e., catchments that are glacier-, snow- or rain dominated. Similar to existing data sets, CAMELS-CH comprises dynamic hydro-meteorological variables and static catchment attributes. CAMELS-CH (Höge et al., 2023; available at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7784632) encompasses 40 years of data between 1 January 1981 and 31 December 2020, including daily time series of stream flow and water levels, and of meteorological data such as precipitation and air temperature. It also includes daily snow water equivalent data for each catchment starting from 2 September 1998. Additionally, we provide annual time series of land cover change and glacier evolution per catchment. The static catchment attributes cover location and topography, climate, hydrology, soil, hydrogeology, geology, land use, human impact and glaciers. This Swiss data set complements comparable publicly accessible data sets, providing data from the “water tower of Europe”

Prehabilitation of elderly frail or pre-frail patients prior to elective surgery (PRAEP-GO): study protocol for a randomized, controlled, outcome assessor-blinded trial

Background: Frailty is expressed by a reduction in physical capacity, mobility, muscle strength, and endurance. (Pre-) frailty is present in up to 42% of the older surgical population, with an increased risk for peri- and postoperative complications. Consequently, these patients often suffer from a delayed or limited recovery, loss of autonomy and quality of life, and a decrease in functional and cognitive capacities. Since frailty is modifiable, prehabilitation may improve the physiological reserves of patients and reduce the care dependency 12 months after surgery. Methods: Patients >= 70 years old scheduled for elective surgery or intervention will be recruited in this multicenter, randomized controlled study, with a target of 1400 participants with an allocation ratio of 1:1. The intervention consists of (1) a shared decision-making process with the patient, relatives, and an interdisciplinary and interprofessional team and (2) a 3-week multimodal, individualized prehabilitation program including exercise therapy, nutritional intervention, mobility or balance training, and psychosocial interventions and medical assessment. The frequency of the supervised prehabilitation is 5 times/week for 3 weeks. The primary endpoint is defined as the level of care dependency 12 months after surgery or intervention. Discussion: Prehabilitation has been proven to be effective for different populations, including colorectal, transplant, and cardiac surgery patients. In contrast, evidence for prehabilitation in older, frail patients has not been clearly established. To the best of our knowledge, this is currently the largest prehabilitation study on older people with frailty undergoing general elective surgery

Reversible pure word deafness due to inferior colliculi compression by a pineal germinoma in young adult

We report a clinical case of a 19-year-old male patient who developed pure word deafness due to the local compressive effect of a pineal germinoma on the inferior colliculi of the quadrigeminal plate. After percutaneous radiation therapy the size of the tumor decreased significantly, while audiometry demonstrated a complete regression of the auditory deficit. Since pure word deafness is commonly attributed to temporal lesions, the inferior colliculi represent an exceptional site for these symptoms. The pathophysiological background and the scarce literature on pure word deafness, especially the one related to neoplasms of the tectal region, are briefly discussed

CAMELS-CH: hydro-meteorological time series and landscape attributes for 331 catchments in hydrologic Switzerland

We present CAMELS-CH (Catchment Attributes and MEteorology for Large-sample Studies – Switzerland), a large-sample hydro-meteorological data set for hydrologic Switzerland in central Europe. This domain covers 331 basins within Switzerland and neighboring countries. About one-third of the catchments are located in Austria, France, Germany and Italy. As an Alpine country, Switzerland covers a vast diversity of landscapes, including mountainous environments, karstic regions, and several strongly cultivated regions, along with a wide range of hydrological regimes, i.e., catchments that are glacier-, snow- or rain dominated. Similar to existing data sets, CAMELS-CH comprises dynamic hydro-meteorological variables and static catchment attributes. CAMELS-CH (Höge et al., 2023; available at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7784632) encompasses 40 years of data between 1 January 1981 and 31 December 2020, including daily time series of stream flow and water levels, and of meteorological data such as precipitation and air temperature. It also includes daily snow water equivalent data for each catchment starting from 2 September 1998. Additionally, we provide annual time series of land cover change and glacier evolution per catchment. The static catchment attributes cover location and topography, climate, hydrology, soil, hydrogeology, geology, land use, human impact and glaciers. This Swiss data set complements comparable publicly accessible data sets, providing data from the “water tower of Europe”.ISSN:1866-3516ISSN:1866-350

Early Tracheostomy Is Associated With Shorter Ventilation Time and Duration of ICU Stay in Patients With Myasthenic Crisis—A Multicenter Analysis

Background: Myasthenic crisis (MC) requiring mechanical ventilation (MV) is a rare and serious complication of myasthenia gravis. Here we analyzed the frequency of performed tracheostomies, risk factors correlating with a tracheostomy, as well as the impact of an early tracheostomy on ventilation time and ICU length of stay (LOS) in MC. Methods: Retrospective chart review on patients treated for MC in 12 German neurological departments between 2006 and 2015 to assess demographic/diagnostic data, rates and timing of tracheostomy and outcome. Results: In 107 out of 215 MC (49.8%), a tracheostomy was performed.Patients without tracheostomy were more likely to have an early-onset myasthenia gravis (27 [25.2%] vs 12 [11.5%], p ¼ 0.01).Patients receiving a tracheostomy, however, were more frequently suffering from multiple comorbidities (20 [18.7%] vs 9 [8.3%]

Early tracheostomy is associated with shorter ventilation time and duration of ICU stay in patients with myasthenic crisis: multicenter analysis

Background: Myasthenic crisis (MC) requiring mechanical ventilation (MV) is a rare and serious complication of myasthenia gravis. Here we analyzed the frequency of performed tracheostomies, risk factors correlating with a tracheostomy, as well as the impact of an early tracheostomy on ventilation time and ICU length of stay (LOS) in MC. Methods: Retrospective chart review on patients treated for MC in 12 German neurological departments between 2006 and 2015 to assess demographic/diagnostic data, rates and timing of tracheostomy and outcome. Results: In 107 out of 215 MC (49.8%), a tracheostomy was performed.Patients without tracheostomy were more likely to have an early-onset myasthenia gravis (27 [25.2%] vs 12 [11.5%], p ¼ 0.01).Patients receiving a tracheostomy, however, were more frequently suffering from multiple comorbidities (20 [18.7%] vs 9 [8.3%]

All consecutive patients with lower respiratory tract infection are potentially eligible for this trial

<p><b>Copyright information:</b></p><p>Taken from "Procalcitonin guided antibiotic therapy and hospitalization in patients with lower respiratory tract infections: a prospective, multicenter, randomized controlled trial"</p><p>http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6963/7/102</p><p>BMC Health Services Research 2007;7():102-102.</p><p>Published online 5 Jul 2007</p><p>PMCID:PMC1947969.</p><p></p> If all inclusion criteria are fulfilled and no exclusion criteria are present, the physician has to explain to the patient the trial, ask for participation and get informed consent. After inclusion, the patient is randomized by a web based computerized random allocation algorithm to either the guidelines group or the PCT group, respectively. denotes community-acquired pneumonia, acute exacerbation of chronic pulmonary disease, antibiotics, procalcitonin