Piperacillin/tazobactam‐induced neurotoxicity in a hemodialysis patient: A case report

Antibiotics are potentially a cause of neurotoxicity in dialysis patients, the most common are the beta‐lactams as ceftazidime and cefepime, and few cases have been reported after piperacillin/tazobactam use. This report presents a case of a hypertensive and diabetic 67‐year‐old woman in regular hemodialysis, which previously had a stroke. She was hospitalized presenting pneumonia, which was initially treated with cefepime. Two days after treatment, she presented dysarthria, left hemiparesis, ataxia, and IX and X cranial nerves paresis. Computed tomography showed no acute lesions and cefepime neurotoxicity was hypothesized, and the antibiotic was replaced by piperacillin/tazobactam. The neurologic signs disappeared; however, 4 days after with piperacillin/tazobactam treatment, the neurological manifestations returned. A new computed tomography showed no new lesions, and the second antibiotic regimen withdrawn. After two hemodialysis sessions, the patient completely recovered from neurological manifestations. The patient presented sequentially neurotoxicity caused by two beta‐lactams antibiotics. This report meant to alert clinicians that these antibiotics have dangerous neurological effects in chronic kidney disease patients.     

Design and evaluation of a mobile smart home interactive system with elderly users in Brazil

Personal and Ubiquitous Computing - This article presents a study concerning the evaluation of a smart home control system for elderly people with a sample of 10 users in a city in the interior of...     

Inferring kinetic dissolution of NaCl in aqueous glycol solution using a low-cost apparatus and population balance model

An experimental methodology for inferring brine dissolution rate in monoethylene glycol (MEG) solutions at different temperatures using a webcam combined with a mathematical model is presented. The measurement system is designed to track the RGB (red, green, and blue) colour variations during the dissolution process. A dynamic model augmented with the population balance equation is applied to describe the dissolution process. Moreover, the dissolution rate is consistently related to the temperature and MEG concentration through the driving force based on the Gibbs energy and chemical affinity. The applied low-cost measurement apparatus proved to be a useful resource for tracking the dissolution dynamics in a wide range of undersaturation.     

Formalization of Ring Theory in PVS

This paper presents a PVS development of relevant results of the theory of rings. The PVS theory includes complete proofs of the three classical isomorphism theorems for rings, and characterizations of principal, prime and maximal ideals. Algebraic concepts and properties are specified and formalized as generally as possible allowing in this manner their application to other algebraic structures. The development provides the required elements to formalize important algebraic theorems. In particular, the paper presents the formalization of the general algebraic-theoretical version of the Chinese remainder theorem (CRT) for the theory of rings, as given in abstract algebra textbooks, proved as a consequence of the first isomorphism theorem. Also, the PVS theory includes a formalization of the number-theoretical version of CRT for the structure of integers, which is the version of CRT found in formalizations. CRT for integers is obtained as a consequence of the general version of CRT for the theory of rings.

     

Visceral Obesity and Its Shared Role in Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease: A Scoping Review of the Pathophysiology and Pharmacological Treatments

The association between obesity, cancer and cardiovascular disease (CVD) has been demonstrated in animal and epidemiological studies. However, the specific role of visceral obesity on cancer and CVD remains unclear. Visceral adipose tissue (VAT) is a complex and metabolically active tissue, that can produce different adipokines and hormones, responsible for endocrine-metabolic comorbidities. This review explores the potential mechanisms related to VAT that may also be involved in cancer and CVD. In addition, we discuss the shared pharmacological treatments which may reduce the risk of both diseases. This review highlights that chronic inflammation, molecular aspects, metabolic syndrome, secretion of hormones and adiponectin associated to VAT may have synergistic effects and should be further studied in relation to cancer and CVD. Reductions in abdominal and visceral adiposity improve insulin sensitivity, lipid profile and cytokines, which consequently reduce the risk of CVD and some cancers. Several medications have shown to reduce visceral and/or subcutaneous fat. Further research is needed to investigate the pathophysiological mechanisms by which visceral obesity may cause both cancer and CVD. The role of visceral fat in cancer and CVD is an important area to advance. Public health policies to increase public awareness about VAT’s role and ways to manage or prevent it are needed.     

Stimuli-Responsive Nanocomposite Hydrogels for Biomedical Applications

The complex tissue-specific physiology that is orchestrated from the nano- to the macroscale, in conjugation with the dynamic biophysical/biochemical stimuli underlying biological processes, has inspired the design of sophisticated hydrogels and nanoparticle systems exhibiting stimuli-responsive features. Recently, hydrogels and nanoparticles have been combined in advanced nanocomposite hybrid platforms expanding their range of biomedical applications. The ease and flexibility of attaining modular nanocomposite hydrogel constructs by selecting different classes of nanomaterials/hydrogels, or tuning nanoparticle-hydrogel physicochemical interactions widely expands the range of attainable properties to levels beyond those of traditional platforms. This review showcases the intrinsic ability of hybrid constructs to react to external or internal/physiological stimuli in the scope of developing sophisticated and intelligent systems with application-oriented features. Moreover, nanoparticle-hydrogel platforms are overviewed in the context of encoding stimuli-responsive cascades that recapitulate signaling interplays present in native biosystems. Collectively, recent breakthroughs in the design of stimuli-responsive nanocomposite hydrogels improve their potential for operating as advanced systems in different biomedical applications that benefit from tailored single or multi-responsiveness.     

The influence of sonication time on the biogenic amines formation as a critical point in uncured dry-fermented beef manufacturing

In this study, the influence of sonication time on the biogenic amines formation as a critical point in uncured dry-fermented beef manufacturing was studied. Samples of musculus semimembranosus were sonicated at different times (5 and 10 min) using ultrasound cold bath (4 °C) in acid whey (US 40 kHz and acoustic power 480 W). The effect of sonication on biogenic amine (BA) formation was investigated during 93 days of ripening period. Other parameters (pH value, water activity, microbial counts) that might provide further information on the product under study were also determined. The use of ultrasound during beef marinating in acid whey has a positive effect on retarding histamine (HIS), cadaverine (CAD), tyramine (TYR) and putrescine (PUT) formation. Moreover, the sonication treatment did not inhibit the growth of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in dry-fermented beef during the whole ripening period. The pathogen bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium sp., Listeria monocytogenes) were not detected in all samples neither after 31 nor after 93 days of ripening period.