Analysis of the left atrial appendage morphology by intracardiac echocardiography in patients with atrial fibrillation

Background  

Detailed information regarding the structure and dimensions of the left atrial appendage (LAA) is required to guide implantation of LAA occlusion devices in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Currently, this procedure is guided by transesophageal echocardiography (TEE).     

Potential of two nucleic acid amplification assays for quantifying mycobacterial load in respiratory and non-respiratory specimens: a prospective study

Quantification of bacillary load plays a critical prognostic role in tuberculosis patients. This study evaluated the potential of the Cepheid GeneXpert (GX) MTB/RIF and the BD ProbeTec system as quantitative assays. The time to positivity (TTP) measured by the Mycobacterial Growth Index Tube system was compared to the cycle threshold (C_t) of GX MTB/RIF and the Metric Other than Acceleration (MOTA) scores generated by the ProbeTec system. Out of 714 samples examined, 44 culture confirmed cases were identified. The C_t values in 21 respiratory samples showed a high linear fit with the TTP in liquid culture (Spearman's correlation coefficient r = 0.9, P value < 0.0001), which was not the case in 23 non-respiratory samples. In both types of specimens, the MOTA scores did not correlate with the TTP in liquid culture. This indicates the suitability of GX as a quantitative measurement of mycobacterial load in respiratory but not non-respiratory specimens.     

Membrane technology for sustainable water resources management: Challenges and future projections

Although water is essential for human survival and has always been critical to the social and economic growth of the world, it is unfortunately distributed irregularly worldwide and is threatened by countless source of pollution. Addressing the issue of water resources sustainability is extremely crucial for societies in order to maintain safety as well as social, ecological and economic progress. The issue of water scarcity has pushed the world to develop adequate technologies and approaches for sustainable water resources management. In addition, to seawater and brackish water, industrial and municipal wastewater are also considered to be important available resources that need to be taken into consideration to increase sustainability and at the same time to meet SDGs. Indeed, as the population grows, agricultural, domestic and industrial activities produce large amounts of wastewaters that can be treated and reused in variety of purposes considering circular economy philosophy. Nowadays, wastewaters are treated in order to be reused for industrial, agricultural and other domestic purposes. In this context, membrane technology is a preferred choice for treatment of water from different wastewater streams for reuse in a more sustainable way, taking into account the philosophy of circular economy and the targets set from UN. This review discusses the links between the concept of sustainability and the treatment of water resources, including wastewaters with membrane technology. It provides a tangible framework for presenting the relevant challenges and future prospects but also the benefits that will come. The practical results of the research serve as reference point for stakeholders, policy makers dealing with sustainable water development strategies considering SDGs and circular economy.