Confectionery industry: a case study on treatability-based effluent characterization and treatment system performance.

Source-based wastewater characterization and stream segregation provide effective management of industrial wastewaters. The characterization of wastewater sources from a confectionery factory was presented and performance of the wastewater treatment plant was evaluated in this study. All of the wastewater sources in the factory, except the vacuum water line, can be characterized by high concentrations of soluble pollutants and low pH. High organic content of the wastewater generated from the confectionery industry promoted the application of anaerobic technology as a pre-treatment before the conventional aerobic treatment. The average chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal and biogas production for expanded granular sludge bed reactor were 88% and 1,730 Nm(3)/day, respectively. The effluent from the investigated facility can be used for irrigation provided that conductivity values are within acceptable limits.

Investigation of Helicobacter pylori colonization in adenotonsillectomy specimens by means of the CLO test.

OBJECTIVES: Investigation of Helicobacter pylori (HP) colonization in adenoid and tonsil tissues by using the CLO (Campylobacter-like organism) test. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective clinical study. Included in the study were 19 patients aged 4 to 38 who had undergone an adenoidectomy, tonsillectomy, or adenotonsillectomy procedure under local or general anesthesia. METHODS: Tissue pieces with diameters of 2 mm, which had been obtained from each adenoid and tonsil specimens in the early postoperative stage, were placed in kits specially prepared for HP (CLO test). Color changes were noted after 20 minutes and after periods of 1, 3, and 24 hours. RESULTS: Eleven (57.89%) of the 19 patients included in the study were shown to be HP positive, and 8 (42.11%) were negative, regardless of the type of specimen. CONCLUSION: It was shown that there was a high rate of HP colonization in tonsil and adenoid tissues.

Effect of chronic exposure to cellular telephone electromagnetic fields on hearing in rats.

OBJECTIVE: To study the effects of the electromagnetic field emitted by cellular telephones upon the inner ear of rats, using distortion product otoacoustic emissions. METHODS: Forty Wistar Albino rats were used. Twenty newborn and 20 adult rats were divided into two groups of 10, one to participate in the study and one as a control. The rats were exposed to the electromagnetic field for 6 hours per day, for 30 consecutive days. Before and after the 30 day exposure period, distortion product otoacoustic emissions were measured in each group and a signal-to-noise ratio calculated, which was later used in statistical analysis. RESULTS: For both the newborn and adult rat groups, there was no significant difference in distortion product otoacoustic emissions recorded before and after exposure to the cellular telephone electromagnetic field (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: Exposure to the electromagnetic field emitted by cellular telephones, for 6 hours a day for 30 consecutive days, had no effect on the hearing of newborn or adult rats, at the outer ear, middle ear or cochlear level.