Assessment of surface and electrical properties of the TiO2@zeolite hybrid materials.

Degradation of pollutants in aqueous medium is of high interest due to the impact on environment and human health, therefore, design and study of the physico-chemical properties of photocatalysts for water remediation are of major significance. Among properties of photocatalyst, those related to the surface and electrical mechanism are crucial to the photocatalyst´s performance. Here we report the chemical and morphological characteristics of TiO2@zeolite photocatalyst by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) respectively, and a coherent electrical conduction mechanism was proposed based on data obtained from assisted laser impedance spectroscopy (ALIS), in which the zeolite was synthesized from recycled coal fly ash. The results obtained by SEM and XPS verified the presence of spherical particles of TiO2 anatase with presence of Ti3+ state. ALIS results showed that impedance of the entire system increases when the amount of TiO2 increases and the samples with lower capacitive performance allowed a larger transfer of the charges between the solid-liquid interface. All results showed that higher photocatalytic performance of TiO2 growth over hydroxysodalite with 8.7 wt% and 25 wt% of TiO2 can be explained in terms of the morphology of TiO2 and the interactions between substrate-TiO2 mainly.

Nosocomial pneumonia caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus treated with linezolid or vancomycin: A secondary economic analysis of resource use from a Spanish perspective.

OBJECTIVES: Adopting a unique Spanish perspective, this study aims to assess healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) and the costs of treating nosocomial pneumonia (NP) produced by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in hospitalized adults using linezolid or vancomycin. An evaluation is also made of the renal failure rate and related economic outcomes between study groups. DESIGN: An economic post hoc evaluation of a randomized, double-blind, multicenter phase 4 study was carried out. SCOPE: Nosocomial pneumonia due to MRSA in hospitalized adults. PARTICIPANTS: The modified intent to treat (mITT) population comprised 224 linezolid- and 224 vancomycin-treated patients. INTERVENTIONS: Costs and HCRU were evaluated between patients administered either linezolid or vancomycin, and between patients who developed renal failure and those who did not. PRIMARY ENDPOINTS: Analysis of HCRU outcomes and costs. RESULTS: Total costs were similar between the linezolid- (€17,782±€9,615) and vancomycin-treated patients (€17,423±€9,460) (P=.69). The renal failure rate was significantly lower in the linezolid-treated patients (4% vs. 15%; P<.001). The total costs tended to be higher in patients who developed renal failure (€19,626±€10,840 vs. €17,388±€9,369; P=.14). Among the patients who developed renal failure, HCRU (days on mechanical ventilation: 13.2±10.7 vs. 7.6±3.6 days; P=.21; ICU stay: 14.4±10.5 vs. 9.9±6.6 days; P=.30; hospital stay: 19.5±9.5 vs. 16.1±11.0 days; P=.26) and cost (€17,219±€8,792 vs. €20,263±€11,350; P=.51) tended to be lower in the linezolid- vs. vancomycin-treated patients. There were no statistically significant differences in costs per patient-day between cohorts after correcting for mortality (€1000 vs. €1,010; P=.98). CONCLUSIONS: From a Spanish perspective, there were no statistically significant differences in total costs between the linezolid and vancomycin pneumonia cohorts. The drug cost corresponding to linezolid was partially offset by fewer renal failure adverse events.

Prevalence and management of hypertension in type 1 diabetes mellitus in Europe: the EURODIAB IDDM Complications Study.

AIM: To examine the prevalence of hypertension and the rates of hypertension awareness by investigating treatment and control among respondents to the EURODIAB IDDM Complications Study, and to explore the variation in hypertension management by age, sex and end-organ damage. METHODS: A cross-sectional study, examining 3250 randomly selected Type 1 diabetic patients from 31 diabetes clinics in 16 European countries between 1989 and 1990. Mean age was 32.7 years (SD= 10.0) and mean duration of diabetes mellitus (DM) was 14.7 years (SD=9.3). Subjects were asked about a history of high blood pressure (BP) and current prescribed medications were recorded by the subject's physician. Hypertension was defined as having a systolic BP > or = 140 mmHg or diastolic BP > or = 90 mmHg or current use of antihypertensives. Control was defined as a BP < 130/85 mmHg. RESULTS: Twenty-four per cent of subjects had hypertension, among whom fewer than one-half (48.5%) were aware of a previous diagnosis and a similar proportion (42.2%) were on treatment. Only 11.3% of those with hypertension were both treated and controlled. The majority (81%) of those receiving drug therapy for hypertension were on a single drug, most commonly an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (47%). CONCLUSION: These data show the extent of undermanagement of hypertension in Type 1 DM across Europe prior to the publication of the St. Vincent Declaration and provide a useful baseline against which future improvements in the management of hypertension can be monitored.

[Bone gammagraphy for evaluating free vascularized bone grafts in mandibular reconstruction]. / Gammagrafía ósea para la valoración de los injertos óseos libres vascularizados en la reconstrucción mandibular.

In oncology jaw reconstruction, the probability of infection, sequestration and failure in scarring is high. For this reason, we use a vascularized free bone graft, whose direct blood flow makes it much more resistant to support the attendant properly. The use of bone scintigraphy by means of three phases acquisition technique is very effective to evaluate the viability of these vascularized grafts during the first days after surgery, in order to adjust the attendant treatments and to prevent the possible complications.