Ethanol addition enhances acid treatment to eliminate Lactobacillus fermentum from the fermentation process for fuel ethanol production.

Fermentation is one of the most critical steps of the fuel ethanol production and it is directly influenced by the fermentation system, selected yeast, and bacterial contamination, especially from the genus Lactobacillus. To control the contamination, the industry applies antibiotics and biocides; however, these substances can result in an increased cost and environmental problems. The use of the acid treatment of cells (water-diluted sulphuric acid, adjusted to pH 2·0-2·5) between the fermentation cycles is not always effective to combat the bacterial contamination. In this context, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of ethanol addition to the acid treatment to control the bacterial growth in a fed-batch system with cell recycling, using the industrial yeast strain Saccharomyces cerevisiae PE-2. When only the acid treatment was used, the population of Lactobacillus fermentum had a 3-log reduction at the end of the sixth fermentation cycle; however, when 5% of ethanol was added to the acid solution, the viability of the bacterium was completely lost even after the first round of cell treatment. The acid treatment +5% ethanol was able to kill L. fermentum cells without affecting the ethanol yield and with a low residual sugar concentration in the fermented must. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: In Brazilian ethanol-producing industry, water-diluted sulphuric acid is used to treat the cell mass at low pH (2·0) between the fermentative cycles. This procedure reduces the number of Lactobacillus fermentum from 107 to 104  CFU per ml. However, the addition of 5% ethanol to the acid treatment causes the complete loss of bacterial cell viability in fed-batch fermentation with six cell recycles. The ethanol yield and yeast cell viability are not affected. These data indicate the feasibility of adding ethanol to the acid solution replacing the antibiotic use, offering a low cost and a low amount of residue in the biomass.

Melatonin reduces the need for sedation in ICU patients: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Critically ill patients suffer from physiological sleep deprivation and have reduced blood melatonin levels. This study was designed to determine whether nocturnal melatonin supplementation would reduce the need for sedation in patients with critical illness. METHODS: A single-center, double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial was carried out from July 2007 to December 2009, in a mixed medical-surgical Intensive Care Unit of a University hospital, without any form of external funding. Of 1158 patients admitted to ICU and treated with conscious enteral sedation, 82 critically-ill with mechanical ventilation >48 hours and Simplified Acute Physiology Score II>32 points were randomized 1:1 to receive, at eight p.m. and midnight, melatonin (3+3mg) or placebo, from the third ICU day until ICU discharge. Primary outcome was total amount of enteral hydroxyzine administered. RESULTS: Melatonin treated patients received lower amount of enteral hydroxyzine. Other neurological indicators (amount of some neuroactive drugs, pain, agitation, anxiety, sleep observed by nurses, need for restraints, need for extra sedation, nurse evaluation of sedation adequacy) seemed improved, with reduced cost for neuroactive drugs. Post-traumatic stress disorder prevalence did not differ between groups, nor did ICU or hospital mortality. Study limitations include the differences between groups before intervention, the small sample size, and the single-center observation. CONCLUSION: Long-term enteral melatonin supplementation may result in a decreased need for sedation, with improved neurological indicators and cost reduction. Further multicenter evaluations are required to confirm these results with different sedation protocols.

Safety and efficacy of feprazone for long-term treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis.

Long-term safety and efficacy of feprazone (4-prenyl-1,2-diphenyl-3,5-pyrazolidinedione), an antirheumatic drug that is well tolerated in the gastrointestinal tract, were assessed in a noncontrolled multicenter trial. Administered at a daily dosage of 600 mg for a mean duration of 114.1 days, feprazone was well tolerated by 43 (77%) of 56 treated subjects. Thirteen patients reported side effects, but only five discontinued treatment. The side effects were generally mild and occurred in the first weeks of therapy. Feprazone was found effective after one month on both considered indices of disease activity: Ritchie index (articular index for assessment of joint tenderness) and corticosteroid consumption.

Evaluation of a sustained-release buccal nitroglycerin preparation in stable angina pectoris.

The efficacy of a 2.5 mg sustained-release buccal nitroglycerin preparation given 8-hourly in effort-induced stable angina pectoris was investigated by means of graded exercise testing in 15 patients. An initial double-blind crossover study, compared with a placebo (duration six days) was followed by a further 15-day open treatment period on the active drug. Exercise testing was carried out 2 and 7 h after tablet administration at the conclusion of active treatment in the double-blind phase, and 2 h after tablet administration at the conclusion of the open treatment phase. Workload and exercise duration were significantly increased and mean electrocardiographic ST segment depression and ST segment recovery time significantly reduced by buccal nitroglycerin in the initial phase of the study, and these improvements were maintained over the subsequent 15-day assessment period. Systolic blood pressure at rest was significantly decreased by active treatment; other haemodynamic parameters remained unchanged. The study demonstrated the efficacy of sustained-release buccal nitroglycerin in effort-induced stable angina pectoris, and an absence of (+) tolerance to the therapeutic effects of this mode of nitrate administration.

Treatment of dyslipidaemia with a simple low fat diet and with a combination of a low fat diet and a formulation containing soybean protein.

The first approach to treatment of dyslipidaemia is with diet. Currently, modified soybean protein is often included in the diet. A study was made of 32 patients with types IIa and IIb dyslipidaemia to see what changes in blood lipids could be induced by a simple low fat diet and a diet with modified soybean protein substituted for part of the animal protein. After six weeks on the initial low fat diet, all of the patients had lower total cholesterol and triglyceride levels, but there were no significant changes in the high density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels. The same diet was continued for eight weeks by 19 of the patients, who continued to improve. The 13 patients who had shown the least response to the initial simple low protein diet were given a diet in which the animal protein was partially replaced with modified soybean protein. This diet further decreased the total cholesterol.

Efficacy of Dilazep in patients with previous myocardial infarction participating in a cardiac rehabilitation programme.

The present investigation was undertaken to evaluate the effects of Dilazep, a new antiplatelet and coronary dilating drug, on the exercise tolerance of patients who had suffered previous myocardial infarction and were participating in a cardiac rehabilitation programme. Seventy-two patients were enrolled in the study. They were randomly allocated to two groups of 36 subjects; patients in group A took Dilazep, 300 mg daily; patients in group B took acetylsalicylic acid, 100 mg daily, or dipyridamole, 300 mg daily. Before and after treatment all patients underwent two maximal or symptom limited cycloergometer stress tests, respectively 30 and 60 days after the episode of acute myocardial infarction. Total exercise time, maximum workload reached, heart rate, blood pressure, double product and oxygen pulse were measured. In both groups a significant increase in both total exercise time and maximum workload reached was recorded at the second stress test; this may reflect a greater degree of physical conditioning due to the rehabilitation programme. In group A patients total exercise time increased from 457.12 +/- 5.36 sec to 588.28 +/- 8.24 sec (p less than 0.005), in group B patients it increased from 459.18 +/- 6.11 sec to 547.43 +/- 7.47 sec (p less than 0.005). The mean values of maximum workload reached increased in group A from 4512.14 +/- 116.47 kgm to 5288.57 +/- 145.38 kgm (p less than 0.005), and in group B from 4522.22 +/- 108.42 kgm to 5098 +/- 137.51 kgm (p less than 0.005). Thus the exercise tolerance improved more in patients taking Dilazep than in those taking acetylsalicylic acid or dipyridamole.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)