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

Overview of Nanopesticide Environmental Safety Aspects and Regulatory Issues: The Case of Nanoatrazine

The use of nanotechnology to create new formulations has shown great potential to reduce the indiscriminate use of pesticides and provide environmentally safer alternatives. Pesticides formulated using controlled release nanosystems are designed to efficiently provide sufficient and targeted quantities of active ingredients to target organisms, thus improving crop yields and reducing environmental contamination with pesticides. However, the possible harmful effects of these nanomaterials on the environment are not yet well understood, highlighting the need for studies assessing the fate and behavior of nanopesticides in the environment. This chapter will discuss the major challenges and advances in the research regarding nanopesticide risk analysis. It will also discuss the difficulty in developing regulations about the commercialization of nanoproducts, due to the underlying specific features of nanomaterials that drive their reactivity and toxicity. Finally, the case of nanoatrazine will be reviewed, providing an example of how the nanoencapsulation can affect herbicide efficiency and influence its toxicity to different non-target organisms.Institute of Science and Technology of Sorocaba São Paulo State University (UNESP)Department of Animal and Plant Biology State University of LondrinaEmbrapa EnvironmentInstitute of Science and Technology of Sorocaba São Paulo State University (UNESP

Interactions of Nanoenabled Agrochemicals with Soil Microbiome

International audienceSoil is a dynamic, physically, spatially and temporally heterogeneous but well-organized, three-dimensional porous matrix mixing mineral and organic matter and living organisms. Among them, soil microbiota constitute a reservoir in which plants select a specific microbiome, contributing to their growth and their health. Microbes in soil also contribute to many ecosystemic services in agrosystems, as the recycling of major nutrients in the soil ecosystem (carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur…). Nanoagrochemicals are active substances based on nanotechnologies and nanoformulations to improve the characteristics and properties of active molecules as pesticides for agronomy purposes, e.g., biocides, herbicides but also nutrients. Nanotechnologies have burst into agronomy with a potential for innovation in order to improve the efficiency of pesticides, nutrients, their delivery and thus contribute to the reduction of inputs in agriculture. However, the impact of these nanopesticides on the soil microbiota as non-target organism remains underestimated up to now. The chapter review the approaches and trends in the evaluation of nanopesticides implications on soil microbiota, focusing on copper-and silver-based nanoparticles as pesticides or on formulation or nanocarriers of conventional pesticides. By confronting the current knowledge and comparing methodologies, the potential and the pitfalls to overcome are discussed, together with future directions