The Using of Concrete Wash Water from Ready Mixed Concrete Plants in Cement Systems

Concrete plants accumulate large amounts of concrete wash water. This water, which pH is highly alkaline, has a negative impact on the environment. Its reuse in fresh concrete slightly reduces its mechanical properties. The combination of concrete wash water and zeolitic by-product led to an increase of 4.6% in the compressive strength at 7 days hydration and up to 30% at 28 days hydration. The same combination led to the denser microstructure compared to the samples made with concrete wash water. This could be explained by the pozzolanic reaction of the zeolitic by-product. The complex chemical reactions of cement, zeolitic by-product, and fines presented in the concrete wash water occurred. Therefore, it was suggested the reusing method of concrete wash water together with zeolitic by-product in the fresh concrete mixtures by substituting some amount of tap water with concrete wash water. In this way, the consumption of tap water is possible to reduce in cement systems.     

Inter‐serotype reassortment among epizootic haemorrhagic disease viruses in the United States

First described in 1955 in New Jersey, epizootic haemorrhagic disease (EHD) causes a severe clinical disease in wild and domestic ruminants worldwide. Epizootic haemorrhagic disease outbreaks occur in deer populations each year from summer to late autumn. The etiological agent is EHD virus (EHDV) which is a double‐stranded segmented icosahedral RNA virus. EHD virus utilizes point mutations and reassortment strategies to maintain viral fitness during infection. In 2018, EHDV serotype 2 was predominantly detected in deer in Illinois. Whole genome sequencing was conducted for two 2018 EHDV2 isolates (IL41747 and IL42218) and the sequence analyses indicated that IL42218 was a reassortant between different serotypes whereas IL41747 was a genetically stable strain. Our data suggest that multiple strains contribute to outbreaks each year.     

Outcome and clinical course in inpatient bulimic women: a 2- to 9-year follow-up study

BACKGROUND: One previous follow-up study suggested that inpatient bulimic women do quite poorly; after an interval of 2 to 5 years, only 13% were recovered. To examine the course and outcome of a sample of patients with bulimia nervosa that was severe enough to require inpatient hospitalization, the authors conducted the following study. METHOD: Women (N = 52) with DSM-III-R bulimia nervosa were sought 2 to 9 years after hospitalization. Prior to contact, a retrospective chart review was conducted to determine global functioning and admission diagnoses. At follow-up, patients participated in a 4 to 6 hour interview that assessed current and lifetime Axis I disorders (SCID-I), current Axis II disorders (PDE), eating behaviors (EAT, BSQ, EDI, PSR), global functioning (GAF), social adjustment (SAS-SR), and treatment and medical problems experienced since discharge. To assess the significance of differences between the recovered and the currently bulimic women, Yates-corrected chi-square tests and two-tailed t tests were used. RESULTS: Of the 52 women, 46 were interviewed, 1 had died, and 5 could not be located. Of the 46 interviewed women, 39% had fully recovered, 20% had partially recovered, and 41% were currently bulimic. The likelihood of recovery increased with length of time since discharge. While medical problems related to the bulimia were few, treatment with phenelzine was associated with three reports of serious hypertensive episodes, one of which led to death. Global functioning before hospitalization, lifetime DSM-III-R Axis I diagnoses, and current Axis II diagnoses were not associated with outcome. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that even severely ill bulimic patients have a significant chance of achieving full recovery.     

A randomized multicenter study to determine the efficacy of activity restriction for preterm labor management in patients testing negative for fetal fibronectin.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of activity restriction (AR) on the incidence of preterm birth in women treated for preterm labor testing negative for fetal fibronectin (fFN). STUDY DESIGN: Women who were diagnosed with preterm labor and tocolyzed with magnesium sulfate were concurrently screened with fFN for the purpose of subsequent management. Included were consenting patients with negative fFN, gestational age 23 0/7-33 6/7 weeks, cervical dilation < or =3 cm, and minimal vaginal bleeding. Patients were randomized to AR or no AR. Primary study outcome was incidence of preterm delivery and interval from randomization to delivery. RESULTS: A total of 73 women with negative fFN were randomized (36 with AR, 37 without AR). The overall preterm birth rate was 40%, with 44.4% of patients with AR and 35.1% of patients without AR delivering preterm, p=0.478. CONCLUSION: Maternal AR did not impact pregnancy outcome. The incidence of preterm birth in symptomatic women testing fFN negative was higher than previously reported.     

Fluoxetine Treatment of Depression Caused by Interferon-α

Interferon-α is the only approved and effective treatment for hepatitis C. Psychiatric side effects are common and have frequently required a decrease in dose or discontinuation of therapy. We here report a case of interferon-α-induced depression in a 40-yr-old man with hepatitis C successfully treated with the antidepressant fluoxetine, which allowed completion of interferon treatment.     

Evaluation of metastatic cardiac calcification in a model of chronic primary hyperparathyroidism

Recent reports have fueled an interest in the prevalence and significance of metastatic calcium deposition in patients with chronic hyperparathyroidism. Experimental data are limited by the lack of suitable in vivo animal models. We have developed a model of marked hypercalcemia and overproduction of parathyroid hormone using somatic gene transfer. Briefly, the process involves infection of cultured rodent fibroblasts (RAT-1 cells) with a retroviral expression vector that contains the gene encoding human parathyroid hormone. Fibroblasts are grown to confluence on collagen-coated dextran microcarrier beads and are injected into the peritoneal cavities of syngeneic Fisher rats. Human parathyroid hormone production in rat serum is quantified by an immunoradiometric assay for human parathyroid hormone (1-84), which does not recognize rat parathyroid hormone. These rats consistently show production of human hormone within a week. Levels increase progressively, often to 1 ng/ml within 60 days of injection. Serum calcium showed a concomitant rise to an average of 15.5 mg/dl. In this study, 13 rats that had been transplanted with parathyroid hormone-producing fibroblasts were killed 80 days after injection. Examination of the skeleton revealed demineralization and histopathologic sequelae of parathyroid hormone excess with extensive osteoclastic bone resorption. Examination of the hearts revealed calcification in five of 13 hearts. There was no involvement of major coronary arteries or conducting systems, but there was calcification of cardiac myocytes, primarily in subepicardial region. This model may permit an understanding of the mechanisms for sudden cardiac death in severe hypercalcemia.