A Preliminary study of removal of some heavy metals from aqueous medium by a mesoporous hydroxysodalite zeolite prepared from basalt rich in calc-plagioclaseby alkali activation

This work presents an exploration of the use of hydroxysodalite zeolite prepared from basalt rich in calc-plagioclaseby alkali activation for removal of some heavy metals from aqueous medium. The preliminary results of batch and column experiments indicated a quantitative and fast removal of the three investigated ions, Cu2+, Pb2+ and Zn2+ from aqueous solutions. The data from the batch experiments and the column experiments jointly support the notion that hydroxysodalite zeolite prepared from basalt rich in calc-plagioclase is an efficient adsorbent for the investigated heavy metals.  Almost quantitative removal of the ions was achieved within a period of 15 min of exposure of the solution to the adsorbent in batch experiments and through passing a small column filled with the adsorbent. The highest removal efficiency  by the zeolite prepared from basalt rich in calc-plagioclase of  the three tested heavy metal Cu2+, Pb2+ and Zn2+ were 99.98% ,99.76% and 99.93 % respectively. Keywords: hydroxysodalite zeolite, basalt utilization, heavy ions removal, pollution  remediation DOI: 10.7176/CMR/12-7-09 Publication date:November 30th 2020

Knowledge of Critical Care Nurses about End-of-Life Care towards Terminal Illnesses: Levels and Correlating Factors

Introduction: The preparedness of nurses in relation to providing palliative care is not always adequate, indeed, it is sometimes unsatisfactory; this may be caused by lack of knowledge and limited experience in end-of-life care (EOLC). Thus, this study purposed to assess the levels of registered nurses’ knowledge about EOLC, examine the relationships between EOLC knowledge and some demographic variables, and explore predictors of EOLC knowledge. Methods: A cross-sectional design survey was conducted with Jordanian registered nurses in critical care units (N = 175) in different heath sectors in Jordan. The End-of Life Professional Caregiver Survey (EPCS) was used. Results: Findings showed that nurses had moderate/quite a lot of knowledge (M (SD) = 2.58 (.48)) about EOLC. The cultural and ethical values was the highest subscale of knowledge about EOLC (M (SD) = 2.74 (.52)), while effective care delivery subscale was the lowest one ((M (SD) = 2.33 (.66). Knowledge about EOLC was correlated with age (r = .145, P < .05), work experience (r = .173, P < .05), and training course in palliative or EOLC (r = .217, P < .01). The main predictor of EPCS was training courses in palliative or EOLC (B = .190, P < .05). Conclusion: The nurses need to enhance their knowledge about EOLC and correlating factors should be taken into consideration when developing any intervention program. Nurses need palliative care training courses; also more attention is required in palliative care education particularly in clinical skills in effective care deliver

Impact of opioid-free analgesia on pain severity and patient satisfaction after discharge from surgery: multispecialty, prospective cohort study in 25 countries

Background: Balancing opioid stewardship and the need for adequate analgesia following discharge after surgery is challenging. This study aimed to compare the outcomes for patients discharged with opioid versus opioid-free analgesia after common surgical procedures.Methods: This international, multicentre, prospective cohort study collected data from patients undergoing common acute and elective general surgical, urological, gynaecological, and orthopaedic procedures. The primary outcomes were patient-reported time in severe pain measured on a numerical analogue scale from 0 to 100% and patient-reported satisfaction with pain relief during the first week following discharge. Data were collected by in-hospital chart review and patient telephone interview 1 week after discharge.Results: The study recruited 4273 patients from 144 centres in 25 countries; 1311 patients (30.7%) were prescribed opioid analgesia at discharge. Patients reported being in severe pain for 10 (i.q.r. 1-30)% of the first week after discharge and rated satisfaction with analgesia as 90 (i.q.r. 80-100) of 100. After adjustment for confounders, opioid analgesia on discharge was independently associated with increased pain severity (risk ratio 1.52, 95% c.i. 1.31 to 1.76; P &lt; 0.001) and re-presentation to healthcare providers owing to side-effects of medication (OR 2.38, 95% c.i. 1.36 to 4.17; P = 0.004), but not with satisfaction with analgesia (beta coefficient 0.92, 95% c.i. -1.52 to 3.36; P = 0.468) compared with opioid-free analgesia. Although opioid prescribing varied greatly between high-income and low- and middle-income countries, patient-reported outcomes did not.Conclusion: Opioid analgesia prescription on surgical discharge is associated with a higher risk of re-presentation owing to side-effects of medication and increased patient-reported pain, but not with changes in patient-reported satisfaction. Opioid-free discharge analgesia should be adopted routinely

Acute Stress Dysregulates the LPP ERP Response to Emotional Pictures and Impairs Sustained Attention: Time-Sensitive Effects

Stress can increase emotional vigilance at the cost of a decrease in attention towards non-emotional stimuli. However, the time-dependent effects of acute stress on emotion processing are uncertain. We tested the effects of acute stress on subsequent emotion processing up to 40 min following an acute stressor. Our measure of emotion processing was the late positive potential (LPP) component of the visual event-related potential (ERP), and our measure of non-emotional attention was the sustained attention to response task (SART). We also measured cortisol levels before and after the socially evaluated cold pressor test (SECPT) induction. We found that the effects of stress on the LPP ERP emotion measure were time sensitive. Specifically, the LPP ERP was only altered in the late time-point (30–40 min post-stress) when cortisol was at its highest level. Here, the LPP no longer discriminated between the emotional and non-emotional picture categories, most likely because neutral pictures were perceived as emotional. Moreover, compared to the non-stress condition, the stress-condition showed impaired performance on the SART. Our results support the idea that a limit in attention resources after an emotional stressor is associated with the brain incorrectly processing non-emotional stimuli as emotional and interferes with sustained attention