No abstract

Anisakidae larvae can cause anisakiasis when ingested by humans. Although several groups have reported a gastrointestinal Anisakis allergy among people in Spain and Japan, our report is the first to summarize the clinical features of 10 Anisakis allergy cases in Korea. We enrolled 10 Korean patients (6 men and 4 women) who complained of aggravated allergic symptoms after ingesting raw fish or seafood. Sensitization to Anisakis was confirmed by detecting serum specific IgE to Anisakis simplex. The most common manifestation of anisakiasis was urticaria (100%), followed by abdominal pain (30%) and anaphylaxis (30%). All patients presenting with these symptoms also exhibited high serum specific IgE (0.45 to 100 kU/L) to A. simplex. Nine patients (90%) exhibited atopy and increased total serum IgE levels. The fish species suspected of carrying the Anisakis parasite were flatfish (40%), congers (40%), squid (30%), whelk (10%), and tuna (10%). Anisakis simplex should be considered as a possible causative food allergen in adult patients presenting with urticaria, angioedema, and anaphylaxis following the consumption of raw fish or seafood.

In this work, a novel process to simultaneously extract precious metals such as gold, palladium, and platinum from spent printed circuit boards (PCBs) and honeycomb-type auto catalysts by smelting without the addition of any collector metals has been developed. The process uses metal components such as copper, tin, and iron contained in spent PCBs as the collector metal and spent auto catalysts as a slag formative. In each experiment, spent PCBs and auto catalysts were crushed, incinerated, and melted after adding fl uxes and carbon. Up to 90% of the gold, palladium, and platinum in the raw materials were extracted in a Cu-Sn alloy phase.

BackgroundThe increasing number of outpatients with multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens has led to a new category of pneumonia, termed healthcare-associated pneumonia (HCAP). We determined the differences in etiology and outcomes between patients with HCAP and those with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) to clarify the risk factors for HCAP mortality.MethodsA retrospective study comparing patients with HCAP and CAP at Jeju National University Hospital. The primary outcome was 30-day mortality.ResultsA total of 483 patients (208 patients HCAP, 275 patients with CAP) were evaluated. Patients with HCAP were older than those with CAP (median, 74 years; interquartile range [IQR], 65-81 vs. median, 69 years; IQR, 52-78; p<0.0001). Streptococcus pneumoniae was the major pathogen in both groups, and MDR pathogens were isolated more frequently from patients with HCAP than with CAP (18.8% vs. 4.9%, p<0.0001). Initial pneumonia severity was greater in patients with HCAP than with CAP. The total 30-day mortality rate was 9.9% and was higher in patients with HCAP based on univariate analysis (16.3% vs. 5.1%; odds ratio (OR), 3.64; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.90-6.99; p<0.0001). After adjusting for age, sex, comorbidities, and initial severity, the association between HCAP and 30-day mortality became non-significant (OR, 1.98; 95% CI, 0.94-4.18; p=0.167).ConclusionHCAP was a common cause of hospital admissions and was associated with a high mortality rate. This increased mortality was related primarily to age and initial clinical vital signs, rather than combination antibiotic therapy or type of pneumonia.

No abstract