Anti-biofouling efficacy of three home and personal care product preservatives: Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm inhibition and prevention.

Due to increasing water scarcity, it is essential to determine cost-effective and efficient methods of producing potable water, especially ones that utilize non-traditional sources. Although reverse osmosis (RO) shows promise as a key-player in mitigating water scarcity, it is limited by biofouling. It is therefore integral to identify effective antifoulants that also do not damage the membrane, cause resistance, or negatively impact human health and the environment. Potential antifoulants include preservatives used in home and personal care products. It is hypothesized that safer preservatives can be applied to RO systems to remove or prevent biofouling. Three preservatives including methylisothiazolinone (MIT), phenoxyethanol (PE), and sodium benzoate (SB) were tested via antimicrobial susceptibility tests against P. aeruginosa biofilms grown in 96-well plates to investigate both biofilm prevention and biofilm removal. Data were collected in the form of minimum biofilm inhibitory concentration (MBIC) and minimum biofilm eradication concentration (MBEC), respectively. MIT was the most effective of the three preservatives but also poses the highest hazard to human health and the environment. Due to efficacy and safety concerns, MIT, PE, and SB are not the final solution; however, a process was demonstrated for determining the efficacy of novel, safer antifoulants. Ultimately, further investigations into safer antifoulants, paired with a greater understanding of biofilm removal and prevention doses will help make RO a better solution for water scarcity.

Childhood intussusception in a regional hospital.

This study reviews all childhood intussusceptions treated over a 6 year period in a regional centre with six visiting general surgeons and two paediatricians. Clinical presentation, management, complications and outcomes were noted and an attempt was made to follow up all cases. There were 20 patients, with a median age of 6 months (range 10 weeks to 17 months). Only one patient had all four classical features of intussusception (pain, vomiting, 'red currant jelly' stools and abdominal mass). Seven patients were managed successfully by barium enema reduction, but 14 required operation, four following failed radiological reduction. There was one intestinal perforation due to attempted barium enema reduction and one patient required a reoperation for ileal gangrene following operative reduction. There were no deaths and there have been no subsequent recurrent intussusceptions although three cases were lost to follow up. There was a delay in diagnosis in some cases (average duration from onset to diagnosis was 34 h). Although delay was incurred by parents in some cases and in peripheral hospitals in others, there is a need for greater awareness by surgeons of the significance of subtle features such as pallor and lethargy in a child with persistent vomiting. Delay in diagnosis is likely to lead to an increased need for primary surgical intervention. Adverse features (age > 3 months or < 2 years; symptoms > 24 h; small bowel obstruction; dehydration > 5%) were predictive of an increased likelihood of surgical resection, and may help avoid inappropriate attempts at radiological reduction.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)