This study concerns the production of Hydrogen and Methane from a Food Residue Biomass (FORBI) product, generated from pre-sorted fermentable household waste in a (CSTR) and in a Periodic Anaerobic Baffled Reactor (PABR) respectively. FORBI is generated by drying and shredding the fermentable fraction of household food waste collected door-to-door in the Municipality of Halandri, Greece. Hydrogen production from FORBI through anaerobic fermentation under acidogenic mesophilic conditions was carried out using a 4L CSTR, operated at 12 hrs HRT with an organic loading of 15 g TS/L. Volatile fatty acids, TSS, VSS, COD, dCOD, total and dissolved carbohydrates, pH and hydrogen content were evaluated. The H2-CSTR was operated for 40 days. During the operation of H2-CSTR the production of biogas reached up to 0.1026Lbiogas/gFORBI and the percentage of hydrogen in the gas up to 48.2 %. The conversion of FORBI into methane was carried out through the operation of a 77L PABR operated under mesophilic methanogenic conditions at 10 days HRT and an organic loading of 10 g tCOD/L. TSS, VSS, COD, dissolved COD, pH, VFAs and methane were measured. The mean biogas production rate was 0.158Lbiogas/gFORBI and the mean methane percentage in the biogas was 70.34%.
AimsWe sought to investigate the additional value of real-time three-dimensional transoesophageal echocardiography (RT 3D TOE)-guided sizing for predicting annuloplasty ring size during mitral valve repair.Methods and resultsIn 53 patients undergoing elective mitral valve repair, an RT 3D TOE was performed pre- and post-operatively. The digitally stored loops were imported into a software for mitral valve assessment. The annuloplasty ring size was predicted by superimposing computer-aided design (CAD) models of annuloplasty rings onto Live 3D zoom loops, measurement of the intercommissural distance, or the height of the anterior mitral leaflet. The surgeon implanted the annuloplasty ring according to the usual surgical technique and was blinded to the echocardiographic measurement results. Pre-operative correlation between the selected ring size with mitral valve assessment and the actual implanted annuloplasty ring size was 0.91. The correlation for measurement of the intercommissural distance was 0.55 and for measurement of the height of the anterior mitral leaflet 0.75. The post-operative correlation with the actual implanted ring size was 0.96 for mitral valve assessment, 0.92 for intercommissural distance, and 0.79 for the anterior mitral leaflet height.ConclusionSuperimposition of annuloplasty ring CAD models on the Live 3D zoom loops of the mitral valve using mitral valve assessment is superior to two-dimensional measurements of the intercommissural distance or the height of the anterior mitral leaflet in predicting correct annuloplasty ring size.
Chronic wounds unresponsive to existing treatments constitute a serious disease burden. Factors that contribute to the pathogenesis of chronic ulcers include oxidative stress, comorbid microbial infections, and the type of immune system response. Preclinically, and in a case study, a formulation containing a Ceratothoa oestroides olive oil extract promoted wound healing. Patients with chronic venous and pressure ulcers, clinically assessed as being unresponsive to healing agents, were treated for 3 months with an ointment containing the C oestroides extract combined with antibiotic and/or antiseptic agents chosen according to the type of bacterial infection. Treatment evaluation was performed using the Bates-Jensen criteria with +WoundDesk and MOWA cell phone applications. After 3 months of treatment, C oestroides resulted in an average decrease of 36% in the Bates-Jensen score of ulcers ( P < .000), with the decrease being significant from the first month ( P < .007). The combined use of topically applied antibiotics and antiseptics efficiently controlled microbial ulcer infection and facilitated wound healing. In relation to other factors such as initial wound size, chronicity appeared to be an important prognostic factor regarding the extent of wound healing. Future clinical investigations assessing the wound healing efficacy of the C oestroides olive oil extract are warranted.
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