Analysis of Legacy and Novel Neutral Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Soils from an Industrial Manufacturing Facility.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) have been detected in an array of environmental media due to their ubiquitous use in industrial and consumer products as well as potential release from fluorochemical manufacturing facilities. During their manufacture, many fluorotelomer (FT) facilities rely on neutral intermediates in polymer production including the FT-alcohols (FTOHs). These PFAS are known to transform to the terminal acids (perfluoro carboxylic acids; PFCAs) at rates that vary with environmental conditions. In the current study on soils from a FT facility, we employed gas chromatography coupled with conventional- and high-resolution mass spectrometry (GC-MS and GC-HRMS) to investigate the profile of these precursor compounds, the intermediary secondary alcohols (sFTOHs), FT-acrylates (FTAcr), and FT-acetates (FTAce) in soils around the former FT-production facility. Of these precursors, the general trend in detection intensity was [FTOHs] > [sFTOHs] > [FTAcrs], while for the FTOHs, homologue intensities generally were [12:2 FTOH] > [14:2 FTOH] > [16:2 FTOH] > [10:2 FTOH] > [18:2 FTOH] > [20:2 FTOH] > [8:2 FTOH] ∼ [6:2 FTOH]. The corresponding terminal acids were also detected in all soil samples and positively correlated with the precursor concentrations. GC-HRMS confirmed the presence of industrial manufacturing byproducts such as FT-ethers and FT-esters and aided in the tentative identification of previously unreported dimers and other compounds. The application of GC-HRMS to the measurement and identification of precursor PFAS is in its infancy, but the methodologies described here will help refine its use in tentatively identifying these compounds in the environment.

Hepatitis C treatment eligibility among HIV-hepatitis C virus coinfected patients in Oregon: a population-based sample.

Approximately 287,000 individuals in the USA are coinfected with HIV and hepatitis C. Recently, new hepatitis C regimens have become available, increasing rates of sustained virologic response in the monoinfected, with studies evaluating their success in the coinfected under way. Previous investigators estimated eligibility for hepatitis C therapy among the coinfected patients, but all had significant methodological limitations. Our study is the first to use a multi-year, statewide, population-based sample to estimate treatment eligibility, and the first to estimate eligibility in the setting of an interferon-free regimen. In a population-based sample of 161 patients infected with HIV and hepatitis C living in Oregon during 2007-2010, 21% were eligible for hepatitis C therapy. Despite the anticipation surrounding an interferon-sparing regimen, eligibility assuming an interferon-free regimen increased only to 26%, largely due to multiple simultaneous contraindications. Obesity was described for the first time as being associated with decreased eligibility (OR: 0.11). Active alcohol abuse was the most common contraindication (24%); uncontrolled mental health (22%), recent injection drug use (21%), poor antiretroviral adherence (22%), and infection (21%) were also common excluding conditions. When active drug or alcohol abuse was excluded as contraindications to therapy, the eligibility rate was 34%, a 62% increase. Assuming an interferon-free regimen and the exclusion of active drug or alcohol abuse as contraindications to therapy, the eligibility rate increased to 42%. Despite the availability of direct-acting anti-viral regimens, eligibility rates in HIV-hepatitis C virus (HCV) coinfection are modest. Many factors precluding hepatitis C therapy are reversible, and targeted interventions could result in increased eligibility.

Clinical outcomes of a veterans affairs outpatient antimicrobial treatment program.

OBJECTIVES: The outpatient parenteral antibiotic therapy (OPAT) program of the Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center (PVAMC), which has a self-administration model, is staffed by visiting nurses from a specialist infusion company. This study evaluates the clinical outcomes of these patients. METHODS: This study was a retrospective chart review of 262 patients at PVAMC who had received OPAT between 2007 and 2009. Patients were included only if they received ongoing care at PVAMC. The data collected included conditions and organisms being treated and types and durations of antibiotics used. Clinical cure was defined as documented cure at the end of treatment and 90 days post-OPAT. RESULTS: One hundred ninety patients of 262 were analyzed. The mean age was 63.2 years. Diabetes was the main comorbid factor (17%). The most common indications for OPAT were osteomyelitis (38%), urinary tract infection (23%), and skin and soft tissue infection (12.6%). Mixed bacterial culture (26%) and Staphylococcus aureus (31%) were the most common organisms treated. Vancomycin was the most frequently used antibiotic (26%) followed by ceftriaxone (12%). The median duration of OPAT was 30 days. The rate of clinical cure at end of treatment observed for all infections treated was 78%, which then decreased to 58% at 90 days post-OPAT (P < 0.001). Patients with diabetes and osteomyelitis had an increased risk of relapse at 90 days post-OPAT on multivariate analysis (P = 0.025). CONCLUSIONS: An OPAT program using a self-administration model treating patients who were military veterans had successful outcomes. Patients with diabetes and osteomyelitis had worse clinical outcomes 90 days after the completion of OPAT therapy.