Electrochemical detection of silver ions and the study of metal–polymer interactions on a polybenzidine film electrode

Silver ions (Ag(I)) were preconcentrated efficiently at open circuit from aqueous silver nitrate solution into polybenzidine (poly-Bz) film electrodes. The poly-Bz films were electrodeposited by means of cyclic voltammetry from benzidine (Bz) in acidic aqueous solutions. It was found that preconcentration of Ag(I) ions into the film is highly dependent on the pH, being more favored at neutral pH, that is, when the nitrogen in imine–amine groups in the polymer chain are not protonated. Under these conditions the Ag(I) ions do not compete with the H⁺ ions for the same site within the film. A simple diffusion model is assumed to explain the incorporation of Ag(I) ion into the poly-Bz electrodes. The distribution of the Ag(I) ion between the solution and film was established and a probable analytical application given.     

Human milk is a source of lactic acid bacteria for the infant gut

OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether human breast milk contains potentially probiotic lactic acid bacteria, and therefore, whether it can be considered a synbiotic food.Study design Lactic acid bacteria were isolated from milk, mammary areola, and breast skin of eight healthy mothers and oral swabs and feces of their respective breast-fed infants. Some isolates (178 from each mother and newborn pair) were randomly selected and submitted to randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) polymerase chain reaction analysis, and those that displayed identical RAPD patterns were identified by 16S rDNA sequencing. RESULTS: Within each mother and newborn pair, some rod-shaped lactic acid bacteria isolated from mammary areola, breast milk, and infant oral swabs and feces displayed identical RAPD profiles. All of them, independently from the mother and child pair, were identified as Lactobacillus gasseri. Similarly, among coccoid lactic acid bacteria from these different sources, some shared an identical RAPD pattern and were identified as Enterococcus faecium. In contrast, none of the lactic acid bacteria isolated from breast skin shared RAPD profiles with lactic acid bacteria of the other sources. CONCLUSIONS: Breast-feeding can be a significant source of lactic acid bacteria to the infant gut. Lactic acid bacteria present in milk may have an endogenous origin and may not be the result of contamination from the surrounding breast skin.     

Incidence and risk factors for ventilator-associated pneumonia in 4 multidisciplinary intensive care units in Athens,Greece

INTRODUCTION: Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is the most common nosocomial infection among intensive care unit (ICU) patients. OBJECTIVE: Prospectively identify the factors associated with development of VAP and examine the incidence of VAP. SUBJECTS: Over a 6-month period we had 175 patients who required mechanical ventilation for longer than 24 hours. RESULTS: VAP occurred in 56 patients (32%). Stepwise logistic regression analysis identified 5 factors independently associated with VAP (p < 0.05): bronchoscopy (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.95; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.1-8.3; p = 0.036); tube thoracostomy (AOR = 2.78; 95% CI, 1.1-6.6; p = 0.023); tracheostomy (AOR = 3.56; 95% CI, 1.7-8.4; p = 0.002); Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE II) score >/= 18 (AOR = 2.33; 95% CI, 1.1-5.1; p = 0.033); and enteral feeding (AOR = 2.89; 95% CI, 1.3-7.7; p = 0.026). The duration of mechanical ventilation was longer among patients who developed VAP (p < 0.001). VAP was not associated with the cause of ICU admission. CONCLUSIONS: VAP is a common infection and certain interventions might affect the incidence of VAP. ICU clinicians should be aware of the risk factors for VAP, which could prove useful in identifying patients at high risk for VAP and modifying patient care to minimize the risk of VAP, such as avoiding unnecessary bronchoscopy or modulating enteral feeding.     

Delphinin

Ohne ZusammenfassungSchluss.     

The assessment of the quality of the graft in an animal model for lung transplantation using the metabolomics (1) H high-resolution magic angle spinning NMR spectroscopy

Standards are needed to control the quality of the lungs from nonheart‐beating donors as potential grafts. This was here assessed using the metabolomics ¹H high‐resolution magic angle spinning NMR spectroscopy. Selective perfusion of the porcine bilung block was set up 30 min after cardiac arrest with cold Perfadex^®. Lung alterations were analyzed at 3, 6, and 8 h of cold ischemia as compared to baseline and to nonperfused lung. Metabolomics analysis of lung biopsies allowed identification of 35 metabolites. Levels of the majority of the metabolites increased over time at 4°C without perfusion, indicating cellular degradation, whereas levels of glutathione decreased. When lung was perfused at 4°C, levels of the majority of the metabolites remained stable, including levels of glutathione. Levels of uracil by contrast showed a reverse profile, as its signal increased over time in the absence of perfusion while being totally absent in perfused samples. Our results showed glutathione and uracil as potential biomarkers for the quality of the lung. The metabolomics ¹H high‐resolution magic angle spinning NMR spectroscopy can be efficiently applied for the assessment of the quality of the lung as an original technique characterized by a rapid assessment of intact biopsy samples without extraction and can be implemented in hospital environment. Magn Reson Med, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.