Viscosities and Densities of Binary and Ternary Mixtures of Aliphatic and Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons: Pyrene +1-Methylnaphthalene + Dodecane at T = (293.15 to 343.15) K. Experiment and Modeling.

This work presents new experimental viscosity and density data for aromatic and polyaromatic compounds in binary and ternary pyrene, 1-methylnaphthalene, and dodecane mixtures. The lack of experimental viscosity data for these mixtures requires the development of a new database, which is vital for understanding the behavior of mixtures in more complex systems, such as asphaltenes and fuels. The mixtures proposed in this work have been measured over a temperature range of (293.15 to 343.15) K at atmospheric pressure. Several mixture compositions have been studied at these conditions: 1.0, 2.5, 5.0, 7.5, 10.0, 12.5, and 15.0% pyrene mass fraction. The concentration of pyrene correlates with an increase in the viscosity and density values. At the lowest temperature in binary mixtures, the corresponding values reach 4.4217 mPa·s for viscosity and 1.0447 × 103 kg·m-3 for density, respectively. In ternary mixtures, the introduction of dodecane leads to the lowest maximum values of 3.5555 mPa·s for viscosity and 1.0112 × 103 kg·m-3 for density at the same temperature. The experimental data have been employed for the specific modification of viscosity models. These modifications could facilitate the prediction of the viscosity of mixtures that are more complex than those presented in this work. Various viscosity models have been employed, such as Linear, Ratcliff and Khan, modified UNIFAC-Visco, and Krieger-Dougherty. The settings in the models used reliably reproduce the experiment reliably. However, the Ratcliff model agrees excellently with the experiment, having a low standard deviation (2.0%) compared to other models. Furthermore, a model based on the equation of state of Guo is proposed to predict the viscosity values by modifying the specific parameters and adjusting them to the mixtures proposed in this work. The results from this study are compared to previous work, where pyrene, toluene, and heptane mixtures were analyzed. In this case, we find that the decrease of aggregation grade in the present systems is predicted by the model fixed in this work.

Spanish experience on the efficacy of airways clearance techniques in SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) at intensive care unit: An editorial and case report.

COVID-19 pandemic did not impact all countries in the same way, and in Spain, the percentage of intensive care unit (ICU) and the mortality rate patients has been very high. The present work aims to present the first case of the new Coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19) on March 23, 2020, in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain, of a patient on Invasive Mechanical Ventilation (IMV) affected by acute pneumonia which was treated by airway clearance techniques (ACT) thinking that she was not infected with COVID-19, since the first polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test was negative. The subject presented septic shock, hypoxemic encephalopathy, and seizures. Right lung base consolidation and pleural effusion were visible in the echography. The thorax x-ray presented subcutaneous emphysema and pleural effusion in the right base and an alveolar-interstitial opacity pattern in the left. Bilateral crackles and rhonchus were evident in the right lung during the lung auscultation. The airway clearance protocol comprises Cough Assist (CA) and chest compressions. The variables collected were the ventilatory parameters, blood gas analysis, and thorax x-ray description. ACT protocol improves gas exchange and expands consolidated lung areas in this atypical clinical case presented. At that time, this type of treatment was not performed on patients affected by COVID-19, and the next day we found that the patient had improved, coinciding with the second PCR test, which was positive.

Fast and simplified determination of PCA and aromatic carbon content of treated distilled aromatic extract (TDAE) by NMR.

Aromatic oils obtained during lubricant production (DAE) have high value as rubber extenders in tire manufacturing, but they have high carcinogenic potential due to the content of polycyclic aromatic compounds (PCAs). Legislation on PCA content requires additional treatment to reach treated oils (TDAE) with a PCA content lower than 3% according to the IP 346 method. IP 346 is a highly time-consuming and high uncertainty method, and several proposals have tried to replace it, but nowadays, there is no standard alternative. In this work, an extensive collection of samples covering a broad PCA content were obtained and characterized by physical properties, NMR, and aromatic and PCA content. Several correlations were tested to establish an optimum procedure to estimate the aromatic and the PCA content according to the requirement of high accuracy and low time and effort. The combination of several properties does not improve the accuracy of the correlation, and simpler equations were preferred. Integrated spectra appear as an acceptable characterization method as NMR percent of the total aromatic proton and polycyclic aromatic proton correlates satisfactory with the number of aromatic carbons and PCA content, respectively. The refractive index yields the best results for the correlation to PCA content. Obtained deviations compare favorably with methods previously described in the literature and with the uncertainty involved in the experimental method. They can be considered adequate methods to analyze such magnitudes routinely.

Development and use of specific ELISA methods for quantifying the biological activity of bevacizumab, cetuximab and trastuzumab in stability studies.

Bevacizumab (BVZ), cetuximab (CTX) and trastuzumab (TTZ) are monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) used worldwide for the treatment of several widespread kinds of cancer. They are marketed as medicines under their respective tradenames: Avastin(®), Erbitux(®) and Herceptin(®). The aim of this research was to develop in-house specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) to assess the long-term stability of these three mabs. These assays assess the biological functionality of the mAbs by quantifying their biological activity. For this purpose, we developed an indirect ELISA procedure whereby the specific antigens against which the mAbs are directed are used as specific "capturing" antibodies on the ELISA plates. We therefore used vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the ELISA for BVZ; human epidermal growth factor receptor (hEGFR) in the ELISA for CTX and human receptor HER2 (hHER2) in the ELISA for TTZ. After the mAbs had attached to their antigen, we used an anti-human IgG (whole molecule) peroxidase-conjugate and o-phenylenediaminedihydrochloride substrate. The reaction was stopped using sulphuric acid and absorbance was recorded at a wavelength of 450nm. The three ELISA methods were validated in terms of calibration models, range of the assay, limits of detection and quantitation, intra and interday precision and accuracy, and specificity by cross reactions. Forced degradation studies were also conducted on the medicines, providing useful information. Finally, the proposed ELISA were successfully used in a long-term stability study to quantify the remaining biological activity in medicines that had been opened and then stored under two different storage conditions, i.e. refrigerated at 4°C and frozen at -20°C. Results indicated that BVZ (Avastin(®)) is the most stable of the three in terms of its biological functionality.

Broadening of polymer chromatographic signals: Analysis, quantification and correction through effective diffusion coefficients.

Average molecular weights and polydispersity indexes are some of the most important parameters considered in the polymer characterization. Usually, gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and multi angle light scattering (MALS) are used for this determination, but GPC values are overestimated due to the dispersion introduced by the column separation. Several procedures were proposed to correct such effect usually involving more complex calibration processes. In this work, a new method of calculation has been considered including diffusion effects. An equation for the concentration profile due to diffusion effects along the GPC column was considered to be a Fickian function and polystyrene narrow standards were used to determine effective diffusion coefficients. The molecular weight distribution function of mono and poly disperse polymers was interpreted as a sum of several Fickian functions representing a sample formed by only few kind of polymer chains with specific molecular weight and diffusion coefficient. Proposed model accurately fit the concentration profile along the whole elution time range as checked by the computed standard deviation. Molecular weights obtained by this new method are similar to those obtained by MALS or traditional GPC while polydispersity index values are intermediate between those obtained by the traditional GPC combined to Universal Calibration method and the MALS method. Values for Pearson and Lin coefficients shows improvement in the correlation of polydispersity index values determined by GPC and MALS methods when diffusion coefficients and new methods are used.

Pacientes quirúrgicos e intervenciones enfermeras estandarizadas. Estudio descriptivo sobre resultados / Descriptive study of the results of nursing interventions applied to surgical patients

Objetivos: conocer la evolución de los resultados de salud de los pacientes quirúrgicos durante su estancia hospitalaria, evaluando criterios de resultado NOC al ingreso y alta. Método: estudio prospectivo observacional realizado en las plantas de hospitalización quirúrgica del Hospital General de Vic, con pacientes que precisaron una intervención quirúrgica de cualquier especialidad, a partir de 18 añ;os, con niveles de riesgo anestésico I, II o III. Las variables principales de resultado fueron indicadores asociados a cada NOC de un plan de cuidados estandarizado, basado en el concepto «paciente tipo». Resultados: participaron 460 pacientes, de ellos 69(15%) fueron intervenidos de operaciones del sistema musculoesquelético y 391(85%) de operaciones del aparato digestivo, urinario y órganos genitales masculinos y femeninos, de operaciones de la piel, tegumentos y/o sistema endocrino. Las puntuaciones NOC al alta de todos los pacientes se mantuvieron o mejoraron, nunca empeoraron y en todos los pacientes el número de caídas y de infecciones recurrentes fue una constante. Prácticamente ningún enfermo se cayó, ni se infectó. Conclusiones: la mayoría de los pacientes quirúrgicos en el momento de recibir el alta hospitalaria mejoran o mantienen sus condiciones de ingreso y los que empeoran nunca lo hacen sustancialmente(AU)

Objectives: Knowing the evolution of health outcomes of surgical patients during their hospital stay, evaluating NOC outcome criteria at admission and discharge. Material and methods: Prospective observational study conducted in the surgical hospital wards of the Hospital General de Vic, with patients who required surgical intervention of any specialty, of 18 or more years old and anesthetic risk levels I, II or III. The main outcome variables were indicators associates with each NOC of a standard of care based on the "patient type" concept. Results: Four hundred and six patients participated. Of these, 69 (15%) were operated of the musculoskeletal system and 391 (85%) were operated on the digestive or urinary systems, male/female genitalia, skin, integuments, and endocrine system. NOC scores high of all patients were maintained or improved, never worse and in all patients the number of falls and recurrent infections was constant, virtually no patient fell or became infected. Conclusions: The majority of surgical patients at the time of hospital discharge improves or maintain their conditions of admission and patients who never worse substantially(AU)

[Descriptive study of the results of nursing interventions applied to surgical patients]. / Pacientes quirúrgicos e intervenciones enfermeras estandarizadas. Estudio descriptivo sobre resultados.

OBJECTIVES: Knowing the evolution of health outcomes of surgical patients during their hospital stay, evaluating NOC outcome criteria at admission and discharge. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Prospective observational study conducted in the surgical hospital wards of the Hospital General de Vic, with patients who required surgical intervention of any specialty, of 18 or more years old and anesthetic risk levels I, II or III. The main outcome variables were indicators associates with each NOC of a standard of care based on the "patient type" concept. RESULTS: Four hundred and six patients participated. Of these, 69 (15%) were operated of the musculoskeletal system and 391 (85%) were operated on the digestive or urinary systems, male/ female genitalia, skin, integuments, and endocrine system. NOC scores high of all patients were maintained or improved, never worse and in all patients the number of falls and recurrent infections was constant, virtually no patient fell or became infected. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of surgical patients at the time of hospital discharge improves or maintain their conditions of admission and patients who never worse substantially.