PDMS-based films containing surface-active amphiphilic block copolymers to combat fouling from barnacles B. amphitrite and B. improvisus

Surface-active amphiphilic diblock copolymers, Si-EFS14 and Si-EFS71, consisting of a poly(dimethyl siloxane) block (degree of polymerisation 11) and a poly(4-(triethyleneglycol monomethyl ether)-2,3,5,6-tetrafluorostyrene) block (average degree of polymerisation 14 and 71) were synthesised by ATRP. Films were prepared by incorporating each copolymer (4 wt%) into a PDMS matrix, which was then condensation cured. Bioassays were performed on the films using two barnacle species, Balanus amphitrite and Balanus improvisus, at different stages of their life cycles. The cyprids of B. improvisus settled on all test surfaces in higher numbers than those of B. amphitrite. However, the juveniles of B. improvisus were more easily removed from the films containing the copolymer Si-EFS14 than from those containing the copolymer Si-EFS71. An XPS analysis revealed that the near-surface region of copolymer Si-EFS71 was enriched in oxyethylenic chains and became even more populated by these hydrophilic chains after the films were immersed in water

Water table fluctuation method to estimate the recharge of the free aquifer in the Guariroba river basin, Campo Grande – MS

The Guariroba river basin was decreed as an Environmental Protection Area (EPA), and with a surface of 360 km² it is of great importance to the municipality of Campo Grande because it supports almost half of the water supply system of the latter. The surface of the basin is predominantly covered by Cretaceous sediments of the Caiuá Group, which constitutes the free aquifer known as the Bauru Aquifer System (BAS). Recent studies have confirmed the contribution of the BAS in the maintenance of the base flow of surface drainage. Therefore, the quantification of groundwater recharge (GWR) becomes fundamental. This work used the water table fluctuation (WTF) method, based on variations in the piezometric surface-water measurement, to estimate the GWR of the basin. From Mar 2015–Feb 2017, monthly variations of the static level were registered in 13 tubular wells located in the Guariroba EPA. Considering a 1480 mm annual precipitation, the estimated average GWR was 356 mm⋅year–1, varying between 210–694 mm⋅year–1. Despite considering a lower value of the effective porosity parameter (Sy = 0.1) than the one suggested for the BAS, the estimated average GWR-to-precipitation ratio (24%) was more than double that the one adopted by the state environmental agency (10%)

Are Follow-Up Blood Cultures useful in the antimicrobial management of gram negative bacteremia? A reappraisal of their role based on current knowledge

Bloodstream infections still constitute an outstanding cause of in-hospital morbidity and mortality, especially among critically ill patients. Follow up blood cultures (FUBCs) are widely recommended for proper management of Staphylococcus aureus and Candida spp. infections. On the other hand, their role is still a matter of controversy as far as Gram negative bacteremias are concerned. We revised, analyzed, and commented on the literature addressing this issue, to define the clinical settings in which the application of FUBCs could better reveal its value. The results of this review show that critically ill patients, endovascular and/or non-eradicable source of infection, isolation of a multi-drug resistant pathogen, end-stage renal disease, and immunodeficiencies are some factors that may predispose patients to persistent Gram negative bacteremia. An analysis of the different burdens that each of these factors have in this clinical setting allowed us to suggest which patients’ FUBCs have the potential to modify treatment choices, prompt an early source control, and finally, improve clinical outcome

Severe bloodstream infection due to KPC-producer e coli in a renal transplant recipient treated with the double-carbapenem regimen and analysis of in vitro synergy testing a case report

Transplant recipients are at high risk of infections caused by multidrug resistant microorganisms. Due to the limited thera- peutic options, innovative antimicrobial combinations against carbape- nem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae causing severe infections are necessary. A 61-year-old woman with a history of congenital solitary kidney underwent renal transplantation. The postoperative course was compli- cated by nosocomial pneumonia due to Stenotrophomonas maltophilia and pan-sensitive Escherichia coli, successfully treated with antimicrobial therapy. On postoperative day 22, diagnosis of surgical site infection and nosocomial pneumonia with concomitant bacteremia due to a Kle- bisella pneumoniae carbapenemase-producer E coli was made. The patient was treated with the double-carbapenem regimen (high dose of merope- nem plus ertapenem) and a potent synergistic and bactericidal activity of this un-conventional therapeutic strategy was observed in vitro. Despite a microbiological response with prompt negativity of blood cultures, the patient faced a worse outcome because of severe hemorrhagic shock. The double-carbapenem regimen might be considered as a rescue therapy in those subjects, including transplant recipients, in whom previous antimicrobial combinations failed or when colistin use might be discouraged. Performing in vitro synergy testing should be strongly encouraged in cases of infections caused by pan-drug resistant strains, especially in high-risk patients

Motivación y desempeño laboral en la empresa Burger King, distrito de Miraflores, Lima, 2022

La presente tesis tuvo como objetivo general determinar la relación que existe entre la motivación y el desempeño laboral en la empresa Burger King, distrito de Miraflores, Lima, año 2022. Se consideró como hipótesis que la motivación de los trabajadores influye de manera directa con el desempeño laboral de la empresa Burger King en el distrito de Miraflores, Lima, año 2022. La tesis es de tipo aplicada, de diseño metodológico no experimental transeccional de tipo correlacional; La muestra para esta tesis fue de 40 personas el cual fueron trabajadores de distintas áreas de la empresa Burger King. Se aplicó como instrumento la encuesta el cual se consideró apto para este tipo de diseño, ya que su enfoque tiene un alcance exploratorio y/o descriptivo para la recopilación de información. La encuesta fue conformado por 22 preguntas, para la medición se utilizó la escala de Likert; los resultados de la prueba de correlación Rho de Spearman, el cual refleja que tiene un nivel de significancia igual a 0.363, por lo que existe una correlación positiva alta, de tal manera se acepta la hipótesis de trabajo y se rechaza la hipótesis nula, lo que nos conlleva a comprobar que la motivación se relaciona con el desempeño laboral en la empresa Burger King, distrito de Miraflores, Lima, año 2022

The role of teicoplanin in the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection: a retrospective study in critically ill COVID-19 patients (Tei-COVID Study)

Teicoplanin has a potential antiviral activity expressed against SARS-CoV-2 and was suggested as a complementary option to treat COVID-19 patients. In this multicentric, retrospective, observational research the aim was to evaluate the impact of teicoplanin on the course of COVID-19 in critically ill patients

Love in the Time of COVID-19: Negligence in the Nicaraguan Response

The response of the Nicaraguan government to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been perhaps the most erratic of any country in the world to date. Directly contradicting mitigation strategies recommended by WHO, President Daniel Ortega has refused to encourage any physical distancing measures. Vice President Rosario Murillo (Daniel Ortega\u27s wife) instead called on thousands of sympathisers to congregate in street marches under the slogan \u27love in the time of COVID-19\u27. By downplaying the danger of the pandemic and increasing the risk of community transmission in the second-poorest country in the western hemisphere, the Nicaraguan government is violating the human rights of its citizens

ANCA-associated vasculitis in childhood: Recent advances

Abstract Anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitides are rare systemic diseases that usually occur in adulthood. They comprise granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA, Wegener’s), microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) and eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA, Churg-Strauss syndrome). Their clinical presentation is often heterogeneous, with frequent involvement of the respiratory tract, the kidney, the skin and the joints. ANCA-associated vasculitis is rare in childhood but North-American and European cohort studies performed during the last decade have clarified their phenotype, patterns of renal involvement and their prognostic implications, and outcome. Herein, we review the main clinical and therapeutic aspects of childhood-onset ANCA-associated vasculitis, and provide preliminary data on demographic characteristics and organ manifestations of an Italian multicentre cohort