A Pilot Plant Study to Determine the Treatability of Combined Domestic and Milk Wastes in an Aerated Lagoon

The milk processing industry commonly produces large quantities of high-strength waste. Frequently, a milk processing plant is located in a small agricultural community in which it is the only sizable industry. Because of this, the wastewater from the milk plant may cause overloading of the wastewater treatment facilities of the community. This situation exists in Volga, a small town in eastern South Dakota. The city of Volga, with an estimated 1967 population of 840, has been treating the domestic wastewater plus the industrial waste from the relatively large milk processing plant by utilizing a stabilization pond system. This type of treatment has been widely used in this area because it is an economical and reliable method of treating wastewater from small cities. However, for satisfactory operation, biological treatment in the stabilization pond must proceed aerobically. A high-strength industrial waste can overload a stabilization pond system and cause the pond to turn anaerobic. Noisome odors and high turbidity generally accompany anaerobic conditions. Many residents of Volga were dissatisfied with their present wastewater treatment system because of the offensive odors corning from the lagoons. The lagoon location near an arterial highway gave travelers an unfavorable impression of the city. In addition to this problem, a pump failure had caused wastewater to back up into the basements of several of these homes. In response to these complaints, the city engaged the consulting firm of J. T. Banner and Associates to evaluate the existing system and to advise the city on needed improvements. From their investigation the consultants: concluded that the stabilization ponds were overloaded. Because \u27of this, the quality of the effluent being discharged into the Big Sioux River did not comply with the water quality standards established by the State of South Dakota. The consultants recommended among other things that the city install an aerated lagoon which would precede the existing stabilization pond system. However, because of their concern for treatment efficiency during the winter, the State Department of Health officials were hesitant to approve the installation of an aerated lagoon at Volga. The wintertime operation of an aerated lagoon had been investigated by John Lowthian (1), a graduate student in sanitary engineering at South Dakota State University. Because Lowthian reported favorably concerning operation and BOD removal, the consultant continued to seek approval for an aerated lagoon. After further discussions with the Federal Water Pollution Control Administration (FWPCA) and the State Department of Health, approval was obtained for the aerated lagoon on condition that the efficiency of the aerated lagoons be evaluated for all seasonal conditions. Preliminary investigations indicated that a large portion of the organic loading at the Volga waste treatment plant was contributed by the milk processing plant and that the domestic waste was mainly diluting the milk processing wastes. The purpose of this study was to determine the treatability of this combined milk waste in an aerated lagoon

Thrombin A-Chain: Activation Remnant or Allosteric Effector?

Although prothrombin is one of the most widely studied enzymes in biology, the role of the thrombin A-chain has been neglected in comparison to the other domains. This paper summarizes the current data on the prothrombin catalytic domain A-chain region and the subsequent thrombin A-chain. Attention is given to biochemical characterization of naturally occurring prothrombin A-chain mutations and alanine scanning mutants in this region. While originally considered to be simply an activation remnant with little physiologic function, the thrombin A-chain is now thought to play a role as an allosteric effector in enzymatic reactions and may also be a structural scaffold to stabilize the protease domain

Invasive Electrical Impedance Tomography for Blood Vessel Detection

We present a novel method for localization of large blood vessels using a bioimpedance based needle positioning system on an array of ten monopolar needle electrodes. The purpose of the study is to develop a portable, low cost tool for rapid vascular access for cooling and controlled reperfusion of cardiac arrest patients. Preliminary results show that localization of blood vessels is feasible with this method, but larger studies are necessary to improve the technology

The CHAMPIONS NETWork: Training Chicago High School Students as Health Advocates to Improve Health Equity

In Chicago, major disparities exist across ethnic groups, income levels, and education levels for common chronic conditions and access to care. Concurrently, many of Chicago's youth are unemployed, and the number of minorities pursuing health professions is low. In an effort to eliminate this health equity gap, the University of Illinois at Chicago convened a community–university–hospital partnership to implement the CHAMPIONS NETWork (Community Health And eMPowerment through Integration Of Neighborhood-specific Strategies using a Novel Education & Technology-leveraged Workforce). This innovative workforce training program is a "High School to Career Training Academy" to empower underserved youth to improve population health in their communities, expose them to careers in the health sciences, and provide resources for them to become community and school advocates for healthy lifestyles. This program differs from other traditional pipeline programs because it gives its students a paid experience, extends beyond the summer, and broadens the focus to population health with patient contact. The CHAMPIONS NETWork creates a new type of health workforce that is both sustainable and replicable throughout the United States.https://doi-org.proxy-um.researchport.umd.edu/10.1177/152483991875775

Regulation of expression of the rat orthologue of mouse double minute 2 (MDM2) by H2O2-induced oxidative stress in neonatal rat cardiac myocytes.

The Mdm2 ubiquitin ligase is an important regulator of p53 abundance and p53-dependent apoptosis. Mdm2 expression is frequently regulated by a p53 Mdm2 autoregulatory loop whereby p53 stimulates Mdm2 expression and hence its own degradation. Although extensively studied in cell lines, relatively little is known about Mdm2 expression in heart where oxidative stress (exacerbated during ischemia-reperfusion) is an important pro-apoptotic stimulus. We demonstrate that Mdm2 transcript and protein expression are induced by oxidative stress (0.2 mm H(2)O(2)) in neonatal rat cardiac myocytes. In other cells, constitutive Mdm2 expression is regulated by the P1 promoter (5' to exon 1), with inducible expression regulated by the P2 promoter (in intron 1). In myocytes, H(2)O(2) increased Mdm2 expression from the P2 promoter, which contains two p53-response elements (REs), one AP-1 RE, and two Ets REs. H(2)O(2) did not detectably increase expression of p53 mRNA or protein but did increase expression of several AP-1 transcription factors. H(2)O(2) increased binding of AP-1 proteins (c-Jun, JunB, JunD, c-Fos, FosB, and Fra-1) to an Mdm2 AP-1 oligodeoxynucleotide probe, and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays showed it increased binding of c-Jun or JunB to the P2 AP-1 RE. Finally, antisense oligonucleotide-mediated reduction of H(2)O(2)-induced Mdm2 expression increased caspase 3 activation. Thus, increased Mdm2 expression is associated with transactivation at the P2 AP-1 RE (rather than the p53 or Ets REs), and Mdm2 induction potentially represents a cardioprotective response to oxidative stress

Patient-Reported Toxicity and Quality-of-Life Profiles in Patients With Head and Neck Cancer Treated With Definitive Radiation Therapy or Chemoradiation

Purpose: Radiation therapy is an effective but burdensome treatment for head and neck cancer (HNC). We aimed to characterize the severity and time pattern of patient-reported symptoms and quality of life in a large cohort of patients with HNC treated with definitive radiation therapy, with or without systemic treatment. Methods and Materials: A total of 859 patients with HNC treated between 2007 and 2017 prospectively completed the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Questionnaire-Head and Neck Cancer module (QLQ-HN35) and Core Quality of Life Questionnaire (QLQ-C30) at regular intervals during and after treatment for up to 5 years. Patients were classified into 3 subgroups: early larynx cancer, infrahyoideal cancer, and suprahyoideal cancer. Outcome scales of both questionnaires were quantified per subgroup and time point by means of average scores and the frequency distribution of categorized severity (none, mild, moderate, and severe). Time patterns and symptom severity were characterized. Toxicity profiles were compared using linear mixed model analysis. Additional toxicity profiles based on age, human papillomavirus status, treatment modality, smoking status, tumor site, and treatment period were characterized as well. Results: The study population consisted of 157 patients with early larynx cancer, 304 with infrahyoideal cancer, and 398 with suprahyoideal cancer. The overall questionnaire response rate was 83%. Generally, the EORTC QLQ-HN35 symptoms reported showed a clear time pattern, with increasing scores during treatment followed by a gradual recovery in the first 2 years. Distinct toxicity profiles were seen across subgroups (P < .001), with generally less severe symptom scores in the early larynx subgroup. The EORTC QLQ-C30 functioning, quality-of-life, and general symptoms reported showed a less evi- dent time pattern and less pronounced differences in mean scores between subgroups, although differences were still signifi- cant (P < .001). Differences in mean scores were most pronounced for role functioning, appetite loss, fatigue, and pain. Conclusions: We established patient-reported toxicity and quality-of-life profiles that showed different patterns for 3 sub-groups of patients with HNC. These profiles provide detailed information on the severity and persistence of various symptoms as experienced by patients during and after definitive radiation therapy. These profiles can be used to inform treatment of future patients and may serve as a benchmark for future studies. (C) 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc

The incidence, characteristics, managements and outcomes of anaphylaxis in pregnancy:a population-based descriptive study

Objective The aim of this study was to estimate the incidence of anaphylaxis in pregnancy and describe the management and outcomes in the UK. Design A population-based descriptive study using the UK Obstetric Surveillance System (UKOSS). Setting All consultant-led maternity units in the UK. Population All pregnant women who had anaphylaxis between 1 October 2012 and 30 September 2015. Anaphylaxis was defined as a severe, life-threatening generalised or systemic hypersensitivity reaction. Methods Prospective case notification using UKOSS. Main outcome measures Maternal mortality, severe maternal morbidity, neonatal mortality and severe neonatal morbidity. Results There were 37 confirmed cases of anaphylaxis in pregnancy, giving an estimated incidence of 1.6 (95% CI: 1.1–2.2) per 100 000 maternities. Four cases of anaphylaxis were in women with known penicillin allergies: two received co-amoxiclav and two cephalosporins. Twelve women had anaphylaxis following prophylactic use of antibiotics at the time of a caesarean delivery. Prophylactic use of antibiotics for Group B streptococcal infection accounted for anaphylaxis in one woman. Two women died (5%), 14 (38%) women were admitted to intensive care and seven women (19%) had one or more additional severe maternal morbidities, which included three haemorrhagic events, two cardiac arrests, one thrombotic event and one pneumonia. No infants died; however, in those infants whose mother had anaphylaxis before delivery (n = 18) there were seven (41%) neonatal intensive care unit admissions, three preterm births and one baby was cooled for neonatal encephalopathy. Conclusions Anaphylaxis is a rare severe complication of pregnancy and frequently the result of a reaction to antibiotic administration. This study highlights the seriousness of the outcomes of this condition for the mother. The low incidence is reassuring given the large proportion of the pregnant population that receive prophylactic antibiotics during delivery

Pre-cooling for endurance exercise performance in the heat: a systematic review.

PMCID: PMC3568721The electronic version of this article is the complete one and can be found online at: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7015/10/166. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.Endurance exercise capacity diminishes under hot environmental conditions. Time to exhaustion can be increased by lowering body temperature prior to exercise (pre-cooling). This systematic literature review synthesizes the current findings of the effects of pre-cooling on endurance exercise performance, providing guidance for clinical practice and further research

Nitrite Therapy After Cardiac Arrest Reduces Reactive Oxygen Species Generation, Improves Cardiac and Neurological Function, and Enhances Survival via Reversible Inhibition of Mitochondrial Complex I

Three-fourths of cardiac arrest survivors die prior to hospital discharge or suffer significant neurological injury. Excepting therapeutic hypothermia and revascularization, no novel therapies have been developed that improve survival or cardiac and neurological function after resuscitation. Nitrite (NO2−) increases cellular resilience to focal ischemia-reperfusion injury in multiple organs. We hypothesized that nitrite therapy may improve outcomes after the unique global ischemia-reperfusion insult of cardiopulmonary arrest

Chick Embryo Partial Ischemia Model: A New Approach to Study Ischemia Ex Vivo

Background: Ischemia is a pathophysiological condition due to blockade in blood supply to a specific tissue thus damaging the physiological activity of the tissue. Different in vivo models are presently available to study ischemia in heart and other tissues. However, no ex vivo ischemia model has been available to date for routine ischemia research and for faster screening of anti-ischemia drugs. In the present study, we took the opportunity to develop an ex vivo model of partial ischemia using the vascular bed of 4th day incubated chick embryo. Methodology/Principal Findings: Ischemia was created in chick embryo by ligating the right vitelline artery using sterile surgical suture. Hypoxia inducible factor- 1 alpha (HIF-1a), creatine phospho kinase-MB and reactive oxygen species in animal tissues and cells were measured to confirm ischemia in chick embryo. Additionally, ranolazine, N-acetyl cysteine and trimetazidine were administered as an anti-ischemic drug to validate the present model. Results from the present study depicted that blocking blood flow elevates HIF-1a, lipid peroxidation, peroxynitrite level in ischemic vessels while ranolazine administration partially attenuates ischemia driven HIF-1a expression. Endothelial cell incubated on ischemic blood vessels elucidated a higher level of HIF-1a expression with time while ranolazine treatment reduced HIF-1a in ischemic cells. Incubation of caprine heart strip on chick embryo ischemia model depicted an elevated creatine phospho kinase-MB activity under ischemic condition while histology of the treated heart sections evoked edema and disruption of myofibril structures. Conclusions/Significance: The present study concluded that chick embryo partial ischemia model can be used as a novel ex vivo model of ischemia. Therefore, the present model can be used parallel with the known in vivo ischemia models in understanding the mechanistic insight of ischemia development and in evaluating the activity of anti-ischemic drug.status: publishe