Air pollution by allergenic spores of the genus Alternaria in the air of central and eastern Europe

Spores of the genus Alternaria belong to one of the most prevailing constituents of the air in all regions of the world. They form infectious inoculum of numerous plant species as well as severe inhaled allergies. The aim of this study was to compare the biological pollution with Alternaria spores of the air of 12 cities located in central and eastern Europe. The experiment was done in 2010 and it covered the territory of Latvia (LV), Lithuania (LT), Poland (PL) and Ukraine (UA). The spores were counted using an identical method and standard equipment (7-day Lanzoni volumetric sampler) followed by extensive statistical calculations. The timing of the day of maximum concentration changed mainly along the N-S direction and had a positive correlation with latitude. The most important factor determining the increase in Alternaria spore concentration was the temperature, whereas other weather parameters were not related or of low significance. Regardless of geographical location, the first phase of the season (0–0.9 % of Alternaria spores in the air) was the longest (up to 60 days) and the last (97.5 to 99 %) was the shortest (22 days or less). The means of daily concentrations of Alternaria spores ranged from 11 spores m(−3) in Klaipeda (LT, Baltic Sea coast) to 187 in Poznan (west PL, agricultural plain). The threshold value of 80 spores m(−3) that triggers the first allergy symptoms was exceeded in 8 to 86 days (Vinnitsa, UA, temperate continental, forest-steppes region). There were considerable differences between the highest number of spores per cubic metre of air, varying from 139 in the north (Klaipeda, LT) to 2,295 in central west (Poznan, PL). The biological pollution by Alternaria spores in several places of central and eastern Europe was high; the number of days exceeding the threshold value of 300 spores m(−3) connected with serious health problems of atopic people ranged from 0 to 1 on the north (LV, LT) to 29 in central west (Poznan, PL)

Effects of pre-operative isolation on postoperative pulmonary complications after elective surgery: an international prospective cohort study

We aimed to determine the impact of pre-operative isolation on postoperative pulmonary complications after elective surgery during the global SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. We performed an international prospective cohort study including patients undergoing elective surgery in October 2020. Isolation was defined as the period before surgery during which patients did not leave their house or receive visitors from outside their household. The primary outcome was postoperative pulmonary complications, adjusted in multivariable models for measured confounders. Pre-defined sub-group analyses were performed for the primary outcome. A total of 96,454 patients from 114 countries were included and overall, 26,948 (27.9%) patients isolated before surgery. Postoperative pulmonary complications were recorded in 1947 (2.0%) patients of which 227 (11.7%) were associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Patients who isolated pre-operatively were older, had more respiratory comorbidities and were more commonly from areas of high SARS-CoV-2 incidence and high-income countries. Although the overall rates of postoperative pulmonary complications were similar in those that isolated and those that did not (2.1% vs 2.0%, respectively), isolation was associated with higher rates of postoperative pulmonary complications after adjustment (adjusted OR 1.20, 95%CI 1.05-1.36, p = 0.005). Sensitivity analyses revealed no further differences when patients were categorised by: pre-operative testing; use of COVID-19-free pathways; or community SARS-CoV-2 prevalence. The rate of postoperative pulmonary complications increased with periods of isolation longer than 3 days, with an OR (95%CI) at 4-7 days or ≥ 8 days of 1.25 (1.04-1.48), p = 0.015 and 1.31 (1.11-1.55), p = 0.001, respectively. Isolation before elective surgery might be associated with a small but clinically important increased risk of postoperative pulmonary complications. Longer periods of isolation showed no reduction in the risk of postoperative pulmonary complications. These findings have significant implications for global provision of elective surgical care

ASSESSMENT OF INCIDENCE OF PULMONARY EMBOLISM IN COVID-19 PATIENTS: A SINGLE-CENTER STUDY

Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a life-threatening disease with a high death toll. Recent research has shown that patients with COVID-19 are more likely to experience PE because of the inflammatory reaction and hypercoagulability. This article's goal is to assess the prevalence of PE among hospitalized COVID-19 patients. We examined the medical files of 210 individuals hospitalized in the COVID-19 unit at Bahria Town International Hospital Lahore between September 1, 2020, and September 30, 2021. Real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to identify COVID-19 in the patients and computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) was performed to ascertain PE. Of the 210 patients, 9 experienced PE, constituting a 4.3% incidence rate in our study. Our research demonstrates that PE frequently occurs in COVID-19 hospitalized patients. Based on the results, it can be concluded that preventive measures should be considered for people with COVID-19 disease, especially those with a smoking history and low oxygen levels. The fatality rates linked to this illness can be decreased by early diagnosis and timely treatment.</jats:p

CO-EXISTENCE OF HELICOBACTER PYLORI IN GASTRIC AND GALLBLADDER MUCOSA IN CHOLECYSTITIS PATIENTS: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

This study was designed to assess the frequency of co-existence of H. Pylori in gastric and gallbladder mucosa of patients with acute cholecystitis or who had symptoms of cholelithiasis. This cross-sectional analysis was conducted at Bahria Town International Hospital Lahore from September 2020 to September 2021. The study consisted of 51 participants, all diagnosed with either acute cholecystitis or symptomatic cholelithiasis. Information regarding the patients' ages, genders, and the H. pylori existence in the mucosa of their gastric and gallbladders was collected and analyzed with SPSS version 22. H. pylori was discovered in the gallbladder mucosa of 22 individuals, which accounts for 43.1% of all cases, and in the gastric mucosa of 16 patients, which accounts for 31.1% of all cases. The co-existence of H. pylori in both the mucosa of the gallbladder and gastric wall was found in six (11.8%) patients. The co-existence of H pylori was significantly greater in patients with acute cholecystitis compared to those with cholelithiasis (p = 0.021). This study showed no significant relationship between age and smoking history with the co-existence of H. pylori in gastric and gallbladder mucosa. The findings of this study indicate that the presence of H. pylori infection is extensive in the gallbladder and stomach mucosa of the patients diagnosed with acute cholecystitis and cholelithiasis. When evaluating patients with gallbladder issues, it should be considered the presence of H. pylori in both the gallbladder and gastric mucosa.</jats:p

Assessment of Bacterial and Fungal Aerosol in Different Residential Settings

The concentration and size distribution of bacterial and fungal aerosol was studied in 15 houses. The houses were categorized into three types, based on occupant density and number of rooms: single room in shared accommodation (type I), single bedroom flat in three storey buildings (type II) and two or three bedroomed houses (type III). Sampling was undertaken with an Anderson six-stage impactor during the summer of 2007 in the living rooms of all the residential settings. The maximum mean geometric concentration of bacterial (5,036 CFU/m3, ± 2.5, n∈=∈5) and fungal (2,124 CFU/m 3, ± 1.38, n∈=∈5) aerosol were in housing type III. The minimum levels of indoor culturable bacteria (1,557 CFU/m3, ±1.5, n∈=∈5) and fungal (925 CFU/m3, ±2.9, n∈=∈5) spores were observed in housing type I. The differences in terms of total bacterial and fungal concentration were less obvious between housing types I and II as compared to type III. With reference to size distribution, the dominant stages for culturable bacteria in housing types I, II and III were stage 3 (3.3-4.7 μm), stage 1 (7 μm and above) and stage 5 (1.1-2.1 μm), respectively. Whereas the maximum numbers of culturable fungal spores were recovered from stage 2 (4.7-7 μm), in housing type I, and from stage 4 (2.1-3.3 μm) in both type II and III houses. The average geometric mean diameter of bacterial aerosol was largest in type I (4.7 μm), followed by type II (3.89 μm) and III (1.96 μm). Similarly, for fungal spores, type I houses had the highest average mean geometric diameter (4.5 μm), while in types II and III the mean geometric diameter was 3.57 and 3.92 μm, respectively. The results indicate a wide variation in total concentration and size of bioaerosols among different residential settings. The observed differences in the size distributions and concentrations reflect their variable airborne behaviour and, as a result, different risks of respiratory exposure of the occupants to bioaerosols in various residential settings. © 2010 Springer Science+Business Media B.V

A Review on Recent Development of Cooling Technologies for Photovoltaic Modules

When converting solar energy to electricity, a big proportion of energy is not converted for electricity but for heating PV cells, resulting in increased cell temperature and reduced electrical efficiency. Many cooling technologies have been developed and used for PV modules to lower cell temperature and boost electric energy yield. However, little crucial review work was proposed to comment cooling technologies for PV modules. Therefore, this paper has provided a thorough review of the up-to-date development of existing cooling technologies for PV modules, and given appropriate comments, comparisons and discussions. According to the ways or principles of cooling, existing cooling technologies have been classified as fluid medium cooling (air cooling, water cooling and nanofluids cooling), optimizing structural configuration cooling and phase change materials cooling. Potential influential factors and sub-methods were collected from the review work, and their contributions and impact have been discussed to guide future studies. Although most cooling technologies reviewed in this paper are matured, there are still problems need to be solved, such as the choice of cooling fluid and its usability for specific regions, the fouling accumulation and cleaning of enhanced heat exchangers with complex structures, the balance between cooling cost and net efficiency of PV modules, the cooling of circulating water in tropical areas and the freezing of circulating water in cold areas. To be advocated, due to efficient heat transfer and spectral filter characters, nanofluids can promote the effective matching of solar energy at both spectral and spatial scales to achieve orderly energy utilization