In vitro and in vivo evaluation of a new active heat moisture exchanger.

INTRODUCTION: In order to improve the efficiency of heat moisture exchangers (HMEs), new hybrid humidifiers (active HMEs) that add water and heat to HMEs have been developed. In this study we evaluated the efficiency, both in vitro and in vivo, of a new active HME (the Performer; StarMed, Mirandola, Italy) as compared with that of existing HMEs (Hygroster and Hygrobac; Mallinckrodt, Mirandola, Italy). METHODS: We tested the efficiency by measuring the temperature and absolute humidity (AH) in vitro using a test lung ventilated at three levels of minute ventilation (5, 10 and 15 l/min) and at two tidal volumes (0.5 and 1 l), and in vivo in 42 patients with acute lung injury (arterial oxygen tension/fractional inspired oxygen ratio 283 +/- 72 mmHg). We also evaluated the efficiency in vivo after 12 hours. RESULTS: In vitro, passive Performer and Hygrobac had higher airway temperature and AH (29.2 +/- 0.7 degrees C and 29.2 +/- 0.5 degrees C, [P < 0.05]; AH: 28.9 +/- 1.6 mgH2O/l and 28.1 +/- 0.8 mgH2O/l, [P < 0.05]) than did Hygroster (airway temperature: 28.1 +/- 0.3 degrees C [P < 0.05]; AH: 27 +/- 1.2 mgH2O/l [P < 0.05]). Both devices suffered a loss of efficiency at the highest minute ventilation and tidal volume, and at the lowest minute ventilation. Active Performer had higher airway temperature and AH (31.9 +/- 0.3 degrees C and 34.3 +/- 0.6 mgH2O/l; [P < 0.05]) than did Hygrobac and Hygroster, and was not influenced by minute ventilation or tidal volume. In vivo, the efficiency of passive Performer was similar to that of Hygrobac but better than Hygroster, whereas Active Performer was better than both. The active Performer exhibited good efficiency when used for up to 12 hours in vivo. CONCLUSION: This study showed that active Performer may provide adequate conditioning of inspired gases, both as a passive and as an active device

Blood dynamics of mercury and selenium in northern elephant seals during the lactation period

The effects of reproduction and maternal investment (i.e., milk transfer) on trace element levels remain poorly understood in marine mammals. We examined the blood dynamics of mercury (Hg) and selenium (Se) during lactation in the northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris), a top predator from the North Pacific Ocean. Total Hg and Se levels were measured in whole blood and milk of 10 mother-pup pairs on days 5 and 22 of lactation. Both Hg and Se were transferred to offspring through the milk. Results suggested that the maternal transfer of Se was prominent during lactation, whereas the Hg transfer was larger during gestation. The lactation period affected Hg and Se levels in the blood of elephant seal mothers and pups. Physiological processes and their relationship to body condition should be considered carefully when interpreting trace element levels in the framework of biomonitoring.Peer reviewe

Mineral analysis of complete dog and cat foods in the UK and compliance with European guidelines

Mineral content of complete pet food is regulated to ensure health of the companion animal population. Analysis of adherence to these regulatory guidelines has not been conducted. Here, mineral composition of complete wet (n = 97) and dry (n = 80) canine and feline pet food sold in the UK was measured to assess compliance with EU guidelines. A majority of foods complied with ≥8 of 11 guidelines (99% and 83% for dry and wet food, respectively), but many failed to provide nutritional minimum (e.g. Cu, 20% of wet food) or exceeded nutritional maximum (e.g. Se, 76% of wet food). Only 6% (6/97) of wet and 38% (30/80) of dry food were fully compliant. Some foods (20–30% of all analysed) had mineral imbalance, such as not having the recommended ratio of Ca:P (between 1:1 to 2:1). Foods with high fish content had high levels of undesirable metal elements such as arsenic. This study highlights broad non-compliance of a range of popular pet foods sold in the UK with EU guidelines (94% and 61% of wet and dry foods, respectively). If fed exclusively and over an extended period, a number of these pet foods could impact the general health of companion animals

Descriptors of Posidonia oceanica meadows: Use and application

The conservation of the coastal marine environment requires the possession of information that enables the global quality of the environment to be evaluated reliably and relatively quickly. The use of biological indicators is often an appropriate method. Seagrasses in general, and Posidonia oceanica meadows in particular, are considered to be appropriate for biomonitoring because of their wide distribution, reasonable size, sedentary habit, easy collection and abundance and sensitivity to modifications of littoral zone. Reasoned management, on the scale of the whole Mediterranean basin, requires standardized methods of study, to be applied by both researchers and administrators, enabling comparable results to be obtained. This paper synthesises the existing methods applied to monitor P. oceanica meadows, identifies the most suitable techniques and suggests future research directions. From the results of a questionnaire, distributed to all the identified laboratories working on this topic, a list of the most commonly used descriptors was drawn up, together with the related research techniques (e.g. standardization, interest and limits, valuation of the results). It seems that the techniques used to study meadows are rather similar, but rarely identical, even though the various teams often refer to previously published works. This paper shows the interest of a practical guide that describes, in a standardized way, the most useful techniques enabling P. oceanica meadows to be used as an environmental descriptor. Indeed, it constitutes the first stage in the process. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

Environmental impact of the diet of young Portuguese and its relationship with adherence to the Mediterranean Diet

Objective: To estimate, in a cohort of young Portuguese adults, the environmental impact (greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, land use, energy used, acidification and potential eutrophication) of diet according to adherence to the Mediterranean Diet (MD). Methods: Data from 1554 participants of the Epidemiologic Health Investigation of Teenagers in Porto (EPITeen) were analysed. Food intake and MD adherence were determined using validated questionnaires. The environmental impact was evaluated with the EAT-Lancet Commission tables, and the link between MD adherence and environmental impact was calculated using adjusted multivariate linear regression models. Results: Higher adherence (high vs. low) to the MD was associated with lower environmental impact in terms of land use (7.8 vs. 8.5 m2, p = 0.002), potential acidification (57.8 vs. 62.4 g SO2-eq, p = 0.001) and eutrophication (21.7 vs. 23.5 g PO4-eq, p < 0.001). Energy use decreased only in the calorie-adjusted model (9689.5 vs. 10,265.9 kJ, p < 0.001), and GHG emissions were reduced only in a complementary model where fish consumption was eliminated (3035.3 vs. 3281.2 g CO2-eq, p < 0.001). Meat products had the greatest environmental impact for all five environmental factors analysed: 35.7% in GHG emissions, 60.9% in energy use, 72.8% in land use, 70% in acidification and 61.8% in eutrophication. Conclusions: Higher adherence to the MD is associated with lower environmental impact, particularly in terms of acidification, eutrophication, and land use. Reducing meat consumption can contribute to greater environmental sustainability. © The Author(s) 2024.Open access funding provided by FCT|FCCN (b-on). The EPITeen cohort study was supported by national funding from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology. This study was supported through FEDER from the Operational Programme Factors of Competitiveness—COMPETE and through national funding from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology—FCT (Portuguese Ministry of Education and Science) within the project PTDC/DTP-EPI/6506/2014, and by the Epidemiology Research Unit—Institute of Public Health, University of Porto (UID/DTP/047507/2013)

Implant supported cantilevered fixed dental rehabilitations in partially edentulous patients : systematic review of the literature. Part I

Objectives: To investigate in which clinical situations a cantilever fixed implant supported restorations can be a treatment alternative and which complications are reported. Materials and Methods: Two operators screened the literature (MEDLINE, EMBASE) and performed a hand search on the main journals dealing with implantology and prosthetics until 31 December 2017. Only articles that considered cantilever implant fixed restorations with at least 10 patients and with a mean follow-up of at least 5\ua0year were selected. The outcome variables were survival of implants and prosthesis, mechanical, technical and biological complications, marginal bone loss. The review was performed according to the PRISMA statements. Risk of bias assessment was evaluated. Failure and complication rates were analysed using random effect Poisson regression models to obtain summary estimate of 5- and 10-year survival and complication rates. Results: A total of nine papers were selected for partially edentulous patients and reported high survival rate of the prosthesis. The estimated survival rate for 5\u201310\ua0years was calculated to be 98.4% for the implants and 99.2% for the rehabilitations. Mechanical, technical and biological complications were reported with a cumulative 5\u201310\ua0years complication rate of 28.66% and 26.57% for the patients and for the prosthesis, respectively. Two papers for single implant supporting 2-unit cantilever were not sufficient to draw conclusions. Conclusions: There is evidence that cantilever can be successful treatment in partially edentulous patients. In two adjacent edentulous sites, data are not yet sufficient

Association between polyphenol intake and breast cancer risk by menopausal and hormone receptor status

The study was partially funded by the “Accion Transversal del Cancer", approved by the Spanish Ministry Council on the 11th October 2007, by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III-FEDER (PI08/1770, PI08/0533, PI08/1359, PS09/00773-Cantabria, PS09/01286-León, PS09/01903-Valencia, PS09/02078-Huelva, PS09/01662-Granada, PI11/01403, PI11/01889-FEDER, PI11/00226, PI11/01810, PI11/02213, PI12/00488, PI12/00265, PI12/01270, PI12/00715, PI12/00150, PI14/01219, PI14/0613, PI15/00069, PI15/00914, PI15/01032, PI17CIII/00034), by the Fundación Marqués de Valdecilla (API 10/09), by the ICGC International Cancer Genome Consortium CLL (The ICGC CLL-Genome Project is funded by Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO) through the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) and Red Temática de Investigación del Cáncer (RTICC) del ISCIII (RD12/0036/0036)), by the Junta de Castilla y León (LE22A10-2), by the Consejería de Salud of the Junta de Andalucía (PI-0571-2009, PI-0306-2011, salud201200057018tra), by the Conselleria de Sanitat of the Generalitat Valenciana (AP_061/10), by the Recercaixa (2010ACUP 00310), by the Regional Government of the Basque Country, by the Consejería de Sanidad de la Región de Murcia, by the European Commission grants FOOD-CT-2006-036224-HIWATE, by the Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC) Scientific Foundation, by the Catalan Government- Agency for Management of University and Research Grants (AGAUR) grants 2017SGR723 and 2014SGR850, by the Fundación Caja de Ahorros de Asturias and by the University of Oviedo. and IDIBELL is aare members of the CERCA Programme, Generalitat de Catalunya. RZ-R was supported by the “Miguel Servet” program (CP15/00100) from the Institute of Health Carlos III (Co-funded by the European Social Fund (ESF)—ESF investing in your future).Vitelli-Storelli, F., Zamora-Ros, R., Molina, A.J., Fernández-Villa, T., Castelló, A., Barrio, J.P., Amiano, P., Ardanaz, E., Obón-Santacana, M., Gómez-Acebo, I., Fernández-Tardón, G., Molina-Barceló, A., Alguacil, J., Marcos-Gragera, R., Ruiz-Moreno, E., Pedraza, M., Gil, L., Guevara, M., Castaño-Vinyals, G., Dierssen-Sotos, T., Kogevinas, M., Aragonés, N., Martín, V

Association between polyphenol intake and gastric cancer risk by anatomic and histologic subtypes: MCC-Spain

The study was partially funded by the “Accion Transversal del Cancer”, approved by the Spanish Ministry Council on the 11th October 2007, by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III-FEDER (PI08/1770, PI08/0533, PI08/1359, PS09/00773-Cantabria, PS09/01286-León, PS09/01903-Valencia, PS09/02078-Huelva, PS09/01662-Granada, PI11/01403, PI11/01889-FEDER, PI11/00226, PI11/01810, PI11/02213, PI12/00488, PI12/00265, PI12/01270, PI12/00715, PI12/00150, PI14/01219, PI14/0613, PI15/00069, PI15/00914, PI15/01032, PI17CIII/00034) (...) Project is funded by Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO) through the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) and Red Temática de Investigación del Cáncer (RTICC) del ISCIII (RD12/0036/0036); by the European Commission grants FOOD-CT-2006-036224-HIWATE, by the Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC) Scientific Foundation, by the Fundación Caja de Ahorros de Asturias and by the University of Oviedo (...)Rubín-García, M., Vitelli-Storelli, F., José Molina, A., Zamora-Ros, R., Aragonés, N., Adarnaz, E., Castaño-Vinyals, G., Obón-Santacana, M., Gómez-Acebo, I., Molina-Barceló, A., Fernández-Tardón, G., Jiménez-Moleón, J.J., Alguacil, J., Dolores Chirlaque, M., Toledo, E., Pérez-Gómez, B., Pollán, M., Kogevinas, M., Martín, V