The objective of this work is to develop an appropriate technology for environmentally sound membrane-based purification of a tannery effluent assuring, simultaneously, the recovery of chromium, ...considered as the most hazardous inorganic water pollutant extensively used in leather tanning. A comparison between the permeate fluxes obtained during treatment of a synthetic tannery effluent through nanofiltration (NF270 and NF90 membranes) and reverse osmosis (BW30 and SW30) membranes was first performed. Then, a dedicated polymeric membrane was prepared by coating chitosan (cs) on a polyethersulfone (PES) microfiltration membrane (cs-PES MFO22) support. The resulting membrane was characterized by Fourier Transforms Infrared Spectroscopy Attenuated Total Reflectance (FTIR-ATR), Emission Scanning Electronic Microscopy (SEM) to confirm the process of surface modification and cross-linking of chitosan with glutaraldehyde. This membrane was found to be highly effective for chromium removal (>99%), which was more than eight times higher in reference to monovalent cations (e.g., Na
and K
) and more than six times higher in reference to the divalent cations (Mg
and Ca
) studied. The reverse osmosis permeate conforms to local Algerian regulations regarding being discharged directly into the natural environment (in this case, Reghaia Lake) or into urban sewers linked to wastewater biological treatment stations. While the SW30 membrane proved to be the most effective for purification of the tannery effluent, the chitosan modified membrane proved to be appropriate for recovery of chromium from the reverse osmosis concentrate.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Traditionally, the main indication for cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) in heart failure (HF) was for the selection of candidates to heart transplantation: CPET was mainly performed in ...middle‐aged male patients with HF and reduced left ventricular ejection fraction. Today, CPET is used in broader patients' populations, including women, elderly, patients with co‐morbidities, those with preserved ejection fraction, or left ventricular assistance device recipients, i.e. individuals with different responses to incremental exercise and markedly different prognosis. Moreover, the diagnostic and prognostic utility of symptom‐limited CPET parameters derived from submaximal tests is more and more considered, since many patients are unable to achieve maximal aerobic power. Repeated tests are also being used for risk stratification and evaluation of intervention, so that these data are now available. Finally, patients, physicians and healthcare decision makers are increasingly considering how treatments might impact morbidity and quality of life rather than focusing more exclusively on hard endpoints (such as mortality) as was often the case in the past. Innovative prognostic flowcharts, with CPET at their core, that help optimize risk stratification and the selection of management options in HF patients, have been developed.
The monitoring of a membrane bioreactor (MBR) requires the assessment of both biological and membrane performance. Additionally, the development of membrane fouling and the requirements for frequent ...membrane cleaning are still major concerns during MBR operation, requiring tight monitoring and system characterization. Transmembrane pressure is usually monitored online and allows following the evolution of membrane performance. However, it does not allow distinguishing the fouling mechanisms occurring in the system or predicting the future behavior of the membrane. The assessment of the biological medium requires manual sampling, and the analyses involve several steps that are labor-intensive, with low temporal resolution, preventing real-time monitoring. Two-dimensional fluorescence spectroscopy is a comprehensive technique, able to assess the system status at real-time without disturbing the biological system. It provides large sets of data (system fingerprints) from which meaningful information can be extracted. Nevertheless, mathematical data analysis (such as machine learning) is essential to properly extract the information contained in fluorescence spectra and correlate it with operating and performance parameters. The potential of 2D fluorescence spectroscopy as a process monitoring tool for MBRs is, therefore, discussed in the present work in view of the actual knowledge and the authors' own experience in this field.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
•Liquid–liquid equilibrium phase diagrams for ionic liquid+thiol+n-alkane.•Impact of the ionic liquid structural features in the extraction of 1-hexanethiol.•High selectivities and low solute ...distribution ratios were obtained.•Experimental validation of the COSMO-RS predictions.•Extensive ionic liquids screening envisaging thiols extraction using COSMO-RS.
Aiming at the replacement of the present inefficient and expensive desulfurization processes, ionic liquids have been considered as potential solvents to be used in extraction procedures. In this context, this work provides an experimental evaluation on the feasibility of ionic liquids for the selective extraction of a less studied class of aliphatic sulfur compounds – thiols. A mixture composed of n-dodecane and 1-hexanethiol was used, as a feed model of kerosene in “jet-fuel”, and the tie-lines of the corresponding ternary systems were experimentally determined at 298.2K and 313.2K for imidazolium- and pyridinium-based ionic liquids. Using the experimental data, the selectivity and distribution ratios of 1-hexanethiol were also determined. Despite the small distribution ratios, these systems display a high selectivity meaning that the co-extraction of other fuel compounds can be controlled by the ionic liquids nature and/or chemical structural characteristics. The COnductor-like Screening MOdel for Real Solvents (COSMO-RS) was used to predict the liquid–liquid equilibrium of the investigated systems. A good agreement between the experimental data and the COSMO-RS results was observed. Therefore, the extraction behavior with other ionic liquids not experimentally addressed was also predicted by COSMO-RS for the identification of the best potential candidates. The ionic liquids identified are constituted by a short alkyl side chain imidazolium, pyridinium and pyrrolidium cations, combined with the anions tosylate, diethylphosphate, ethylsulfate and triflate.
This paper provides a practical clinical application of guideline recommendations relating to the inpatient monitoring of patients with acute heart failure, through the evaluation of various ...clinical, biomarker, imaging, invasive and non‐invasive approaches. Comprehensive inpatient
monitoring is crucial to the optimal management of acute heart failure patients. The European Society of Cardiology heart failure guidelines provide recommendations for the inpatient monitoring of acute heart failure, but the level of evidence underpinning most recommendations is limited. Many tools are available for the in‐hospital monitoring of patients with acute heart failure, and each plays a role at various points throughout the patient's treatment course, including the emergency department, intensive care or coronary care unit, and the general ward. Clinical judgment is the preeminent factor guiding application of inpatient monitoring tools, as the various techniques have different patient population targets. When applied appropriately, these techniques enable decision making. However, there is limited evidence demonstrating that implementation of these tools improves patient outcome. Research priorities are identified to address these gaps in evidence. Future research initiatives should aim to identify the optimal in‐hospital monitoring strategies that decrease morbidity and prolong survival in patients with acute heart failure.
Online monitoring of algal biotechnological processes still requires development to support economic sustainability. In this work, fluorescence spectroscopy coupled with chemometric modelling is ...studied to monitor simultaneously several compounds of interest, such as chlorophyll and fatty acids, but also the biomass as a whole (cell concentration). Fluorescence excitation-emission matrices (EEM) were acquired in experiments where different environmental growing parameters were tested, namely light regime, temperature and nitrogen (replete or deplete medium). The prediction models developed have a high R
for the validation data set for all five parameters monitored, specifically cell concentration (0.66), chlorophyll (0.78), and fatty acid as total (0.78), saturated (0.81) and unsaturated (0.74). Regression coefficient maps of the models show the importance of the pigment region for all outputs studied, and the protein-like fluorescence region for the cell concentration. These results demonstrate for the first time the potential of fluorescence spectroscopy for in vivo and real-time monitoring of these key performance parameters during Nannochloropsis oceanica cultivation.
Single immune checkpoint blockade in advanced neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) shows limited efficacy; dual checkpoint blockade may improve treatment activity. Dune (NCT03095274) is a non-randomized ...controlled multicohort phase II clinical trial evaluating durvalumab plus tremelimumab activity and safety in advanced NENs. This study included 123 patients presenting between 2017 and 2019 with typical/atypical lung carcinoids (Cohort 1), G1/2 gastrointestinal (Cohort 2), G1/2 pancreatic (Cohort 3) and G3 gastroenteropancreatic (GEP) (Cohort 4) NENs; who progressed to standard therapies. Patients received 1500 mg durvalumab and 75 mg tremelimumab for up to 13 and 4 cycles (every 4 weeks), respectively. The primary objective was the 9-month clinical benefit rate (CBR) for cohorts 1-3 and 9-month overall survival (OS) rate for Cohort 4. Secondary endpoints included objective response rate, duration of response, progression-free survival according to irRECIST, overall survival, and safety. Correlation of PD-L1 expression with efficacy was exploratory. The 9-month CBR was 25.9%/35.5%/25% for Cohorts 1, 2, and 3 respectively. The 9-month OS rate for Cohort 4 was 36.1%, surpassing the futility threshold. Benefit in Cohort 4 was observed regardless of differentiation and Ki67 levels. PD-L1 combined scores did not correlate with treatment activity. Safety profile was consistent with that of prior studies. In conclusion, durvalumab plus tremelimumab is safe in NENs and shows modest survival benefit in G3 GEP-NENs; with one-third of these patients experiencing a prolonged OS.
A non-invasive gene-expression profiling (GEP) test for rejection surveillance of heart transplant recipients originated in the USA. A European-based study, Cardiac Allograft Rejection Gene ...Expression Observational II Study (CARGO II), was conducted to further clinically validate the GEP test performance.
Blood samples for GEP testing (AlloMap(®), CareDx, Brisbane, CA, USA) were collected during post-transplant surveillance. The reference standard for rejection status was based on histopathology grading of tissue from endomyocardial biopsy. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC-ROC), negative (NPVs), and positive predictive values (PPVs) for the GEP scores (range 0-39) were computed. Considering the GEP score of 34 as a cut-off (>6 months post-transplantation), 95.5% (381/399) of GEP tests were true negatives, 4.5% (18/399) were false negatives, 10.2% (6/59) were true positives, and 89.8% (53/59) were false positives. Based on 938 paired biopsies, the GEP test score AUC-ROC for distinguishing ≥3A rejection was 0.70 and 0.69 for ≥2-6 and >6 months post-transplantation, respectively. Depending on the chosen threshold score, the NPV and PPV range from 98.1 to 100% and 2.0 to 4.7%, respectively.
For ≥2-6 and >6 months post-transplantation, CARGO II GEP score performance (AUC-ROC = 0.70 and 0.69) is similar to the CARGO study results (AUC-ROC = 0.71 and 0.67). The low prevalence of ACR contributes to the high NPV and limited PPV of GEP testing. The choice of threshold score for practical use of GEP testing should consider overall clinical assessment of the patient's baseline risk for rejection.
•The sol-gel procedure was used to synthetize different TiO2–based semiconductors.•The release of photocatalytic material from the modified membranes was not detected.•The photocatalytic behaviour of ...membranes was evaluated upon UV irradiation.•Combination of SiO2 and Degussa TiO2 exhibited reproducible photocatalytic behaviour.•An increase of hydrophilicity and decrease in pore size was obtained.
Novel materials comprising titanium dioxide (TiO2), silicon dioxide (SiO2) and silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductors, were deposited over silicon-carbide substrates to develop photocatalytic membranes. The synergistic effect between TiO2 obtained by sol–gel process, Degussa P25 and silicon carbide nanoparticles were tested in terms of photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue and their influence over porosity. The surface of the photocatalyst layers developed were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showing that the immobilization was carried out successfully whereas the contact angle measurements revealed improved hydrophilic properties. Different surface properties were obtained depending on the different coating compositions applied.
Several photocatalytic experiments were conducted and reproducibility was tested using the most promising membranes in terms of photodegradation potential that reached up to 72% degradation of methylene blue. Comparison of UV degradation efficiency between unmodified and modified substrates revealed a synergistic effect when TiO2 and SiC were combined. The most promising membrane in terms of photocatalytic effectiveness and reusability was modified with SiO2 obtained by sol-gel combined with Degussa TiO2 nanoparticles. This membrane was used in a dead-end filtration system combined with UV light. Results confirmed the photocatalytic activity of the membrane combined with filtration, showing that the modified membranes have a high potential to degrade organic contaminants.
ABSTRACT
Aims
To assess the prevalence, clinical characteristics, and outcomes of patients with heart failure (HF) with or without moderate to severe aortic valve disease (AVD) (aortic stenosis AS, ...aortic regurgitation AR, mixed AVD MAVD).
Methods and results
Data from the prospective ESC HFA EORP HF Long‐Term Registry including both chronic and acute HF were analysed. Of 15 216 patients with HF (62.5% with reduced ejection fraction, HFrEF; 14.0% with mildly reduced ejection fraction, HFmrEF; 23.5% with preserved ejection fraction, HFpEF), 706 patients (4.6%) had AR, 648 (4.3%) AS and 234 (1.5%) MAVD. The prevalence of AS, AR and MAVD was 6%, 8%, and 3% in HFpEF, 6%, 3%, and 2% in HFmrEF and 4%, 3%, and 1% in HFrEF. The strongest associations were observed for age and HFpEF with AS, and for left ventricular end‐diastolic diameter with AR. AS (adjusted hazard ratio HR 1.43, 95% confidence interval CI 1.23–1.67), and MAVD (adjusted HR 1.37, 95% CI 1.07–1.74) but not AR (adjusted HR 1.13, 95% CI 0.96–1.33) were independently associated with the 12‐month composite outcome of cardiovascular death and HF hospitalization. The associations between AS and the composite outcome were observed regardless of ejection fraction category.
Conclusions
In the ESC HFA EORP HF Long‐Term Registry, one in 10 patients with HF had AVD, with AS and MAVD being especially common in HFpEF and AR being similarly distributed across all ejection fraction categories. AS and MAVD, but not AR, were independently associated with increased risk of in‐hospital mortality and 12‐month composite outcome, regardless of ejection fraction category.
Aortic valve disease in patients with heart failure and reduced, mildly reduced and preserved ejection fraction: The ESC Heart Failure Long‐Term Registry. AR, aortic regurgitation; AS, aortic stenosis; AVD, aortic valve disease; BMI, body mass index; CI, confidence interval; EF, ejection fraction; HF, heart failure; HFpEF, heart failure with preserved ejection fraction; HR, hazard ratio; IHD, ischaemic heart disease; MAVD, mixed aortic valve disease; NT‐proBNP, N‐terminal pro‐B‐type natriuretic peptide; NYHA, New York Heart Association. Correction added on 26 July 2023, after first online publication: Graphical caption has been added in this version.
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