No abstract

Respiration is directly related to the metabolic activity of a microbial population. Micro-organisms respire at higher rates in the presence of large amounts of bioavailable organic matter while respiration rate is slower if this type of material is scarce. In the composting process respiration activity has become an important parameter for the determination of the stability of compost. It is also used for the monitoring of the composting process and it is considered an important factor for the estimation of the maturity of the material. A wide range of respirometric protocols has been reported based either on CO2 production, O2 uptake or release of heat. The most common methods are those based on O2 uptake. Respirometric assays are affected by a number of parameters including temperature, humidity, and both incubation and pre-incubation conditions. Results from respirometries are generally expressed as ‘respiration indices’, most of them with their own units and basis. In consequence, some confusion exists when referring and comparing respiration indices. This is particularly important because current and future legislations define and measure the biological stability of waste on the basis of respiration activity of the material. This paper discusses and compares most common respiration indices currently used.

A static respirometer was built to determine the Respirometric Index (RI) of composting samples at different temperatures. Composted materials were dewatered sludge (DS) and dewatered anaerobically digested sludge (ADS) obtained from a wastewater treatment plant. Respirometric indexes were obtained at a fixed value of 37 ºC (RI 37 ) and at the in situ temperature of the reactor at the moment of sampling (RI T ). Results indicated that both indexes correlated well with temperature evolution in the composter.However, RI T were more representative of the metabolic activity in the reactor and were also more sensitive to temperature and composition variations of the composting material. Nevertheless, when process temperature felt below optimum mesophilic conditions, RI T were useful for the monitoring but not for determining the actual stability of the material. Moreover, the importance of the units used to express RI was also analysed during the composting of sludge from the paper industry, a highly compostable residue. RI expressed on dry matter basis indicated that this was a stable

BackgroundThe population is aging and multimorbidity is becoming a common problem in the elderly.ObjectiveTo explore the effect of multimorbidity patterns on mortality for all causes at 3- and 5-year follow-up periods.Materials and methodsA prospective community-based cohort (2009–2014) embedded within a randomized clinical trial was conducted in seven primary health care centers, including 328 subjects aged 85 years at baseline. Sociodemographic variables, sensory status, cardiovascular risk factors, comorbidity, and geriatric tests were analyzed. Multimorbidity patterns were defined as combinations of two or three of 16 specific chronic conditions in the same individual.ResultsOf the total sample, the median and interquartile range value of conditions was 4 (3–5). The individual morbidities significantly associated with death were chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD; hazard ratio [HR]: 2.47; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.3; 4.7), atrial fibrillation (AF; HR: 2.41; 95% CI: 1.3; 4.3), and malignancy (HR: 1.9; 95% CI: 1.0; 3.6) at 3-year follow-up; whereas dementia (HR: 2.04; 95% CI: 1.3; 3.2), malignancy (HR: 1.84; 95% CI: 1.2; 2.8), and COPD (HR: 1.77; 95% CI: 1.1; 2.8) were the most associated with mortality at 5-year follow-up, after adjusting using Barthel functional index (BI). The two multimorbidity patterns most associated with death were AF, chronic kidney disease (CKD), and visual impairment (HR: 4.19; 95% CI: 2.2; 8.2) at 3-year follow-up as well as hypertension, CKD, and malignancy (HR: 3.24; 95% CI: 1.8; 5.8) at 5 years, after adjusting using BI.ConclusionMultimorbidity as specific combinations of chronic conditions showed an effect on mortality, which would be higher than the risk attributable to individual morbidities. The most important predicting pattern for mortality was the combination of AF, CKD, and visual impairment after 3 years. These findings suggest that a new approach is required to target multimorbidity in octogenarians.

Objective: Subclinical thyroid disorders are common in older individuals. Health risks associated with subclinical hypothyroidism in older adults are unclear. The aim of the study is to evaluate whether thyroid status in elderly subjects correlates with physical and cognitive function at baseline and with 3-year mortality. Design: A population-based, prospective cohort of the OCTABAIX study (307 inhabitants aged 85 years at baseline). Methods: Chronic drug prescription, functional status (Barthel and Lawton indices) and cognitive status according to the Spanish version of the Mini-Mental State Examination were recorded. Quality of life was assessed using the visual analogue scale of the quality of life test. Concentrations of TSH and thyroxine were measured. Participants were classified in accordance with clinical categories of thyroid function. Results: Twenty (6.5%) individuals had subclinical hypothyroidism and five (1.6%) had subclinical hyperthyroidism. Compared with euthyroid subjects (nZ280; 91.8%), subclinical hypo-and hyperthyroidism subjects were not significantly associated with poor physical or cognitive function at baseline. Fifty-one (15.1%) subjects died during the 36 months of follow-up. TSH values and subclinical hypo-and hyperthyroidism were not associated with an increased overall mortality risk (hazard ratio (HR) 1.086, 95% CI 0.987-1.196 and HR 0.905, 95% CI 0.902-1.053 respectively). Conclusions: This study does not support the association of TSH or thyroid disorders with physical or cognitive function at baseline or with 3-year mortality in the oldest old subjects.

This study supported the importance of age, heart failure and nutritional status in predicting 1- year mortality in nonagenarians.

BackgroundMalnutrition is frequent among older people and is associated with morbi-mortality.The aim of the study is to assess the effectiveness of a multifactorial and multidisciplinary intervention in the nutritional status among the elderly.MethodsRandomized, single-blind, parallel-group, clinical trial conducted from January 2009 to December 2010 in seven primary health care centers in Baix Llobregat (Barcelona). Of 696 referred people, born in 1924, 328 subjects were randomized to an intervention group or a control group. The intervention model used an algorithm and was multifaceted for both the patients and their primary care providers. The main outcome was improvement in nutritional status assessed by Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA). Data analyses were done by intention-to-treat.ResultsTwo-year assessment was completed for 127 patients (77.4%) in the intervention group and 98 patients (59.7%) in the control group. In the adjusted linear mixed models for MNA, intervention showed no significant effect during all follow-up period with −0.21 (CI: − 0.96; 0.26). In subjects with nutritional risk (MNA ≤ 23.5 / 30) existed a tendency towards improvement in MNA score 1.13 (95% CI −0.48; 2.74) after 2 years.ConclusionA universal multifactorial assessment and target intervention over a two year period in subjects at nutritional risk showed a tendency to improve nutrition but not in the rest of community-dwelling studied subjects. Cognitive impairment was an independent factor strongly associated with a decline in nutritional status.Trial registrationThe clinical trial is registered as part of a US National Institutes of Health Clinical Trial: NCT01141166.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12877-015-0033-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

No abstract