Efficacy and tolerability of brodimoprim in pediatric infections

Brodimoprim is a long acting broad spectrum antibacterial agent. It is a new selective inhibitor of bacterial dihydrofolate reductase, structurally related to trimethoprim. The aim of the present study was to investigate the efficacy and tolerability of brodimoprim (10 mg/kg on the first day, 5 mg/kg/die onward) in the treatment of upper respiratory tract infections in children (age range: 2-14 years). This open group comparative study was performed either in 68 children affected by bacterial pharyngotonsillitis (37 treated with brodimoprim, 31 with erythromycin 560 mg/kg/8 hours) or in 50 patients affected by otitis media (25 treated with brodimoprim, 25 with amoxicillin/clavulanic acid 50 mg/kg/12 hours) or in 52 patients affected by acute sinusitis (25 treated with brodimoprim, 27 with amoxicillin/clavulanic acid 50 mg/kg/12 hours). All patients were clinically evaluated before admission, during the trial and 48 hours after the last dose of antibiotic. At the same time blood and secretion samples were collected for hematology/biochemistry and microbiological assays. A total of 170 subjects were treated and 141 patients demonstrated a clinical recovery/improvement following the treatment period, with approximately the same recovery rate (83%) among the groups. The bacteriological response was evaluated in 169 subjects. Eradication of pathogens was documented in 27 subjects treated with brodimoprim and 28 with erythromycin in the pharyngotonsillitis group, in 22 subjects treated with brodimoprim and 16 with amoxicillin/clavulanic acid in the otitis group and in 17 subjects treated with brodimoprim and 20 with amoxicillin/clavulanic acid in the sinusitis group. The overall eradication in brodimoprim treated patients was 77% in comparison with 76% of eradication obtained in the control groups.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Diamond wire sawing in ornamental basalt quarries: technical,economic and environmental considerations

The market interest in ornamental rocks commercially referred to as “stones” has grown significantly in recent years, particularly regarding basalt. This has resulted in the widespread use of diamond wire equipped with sintered diamond beads for precision sawing in basalt quarries, especially those located in the industrialized countries; it also has the advantage of preventing rock damages. Diamond wire has been widely used in up-line cutting and other sawing works in both marble and granite quarries for decades; therefore, performance data about the use of this tool on these two different types of rocks are widely documented in academic literature. However, for basalt sawing, information pertaining to the use of diamond wire is unavailable due to various reasons, but mostly because of to its relatively recent introduction in the basalt quarries and also to the historical low market demand for processed basalt in the past. This study offers a possible solution to this lack of information and provides a technical, economic and environmental assessment of diamond wire used in quarrying basalt for ornamental purposes. After an overview on the state of the art of diamond wire and on the final use of processed basalt, the study describes the experimental plan and the results. These show a tool yield much higher than those measured when diamond wire is used on other silicate dimension stones (e.g. granites). Moreover, the composition of basalt sawdust (sludge) has been analysed in the laboratory and has indicated the absence of polluting materials related to tool wear; therefore, basalt sludge, which is made of water and micronized basalt, can be used as a secondary raw material for the environmental restoration of the area or for any other purpose. Further research on other lithotypes is also proposed.

     

Marble Processing for Future Uses of CaCO3-Microfine Dust: A Study on Wearing out of Tools and Consumable Materials in Stoneworking Factories

The demand for Limestone/Calcium Carbonate (LCC) has substantially grown up for the last three decades due to the widespread use of CaCO₃ in many industrial applications, not only in construction but also in other important sectors (e.g., environmental, food, pharmaceutical, paper, etc.). LCC is currently produced within the quarry and in laboratory (during crushing, milling, washing, etc.). In dimension stone industry, almost 30% of the block (squared or shapeless) is lost during sawing/cutting/processing. In the case of the Orosei Marble (East Sardinia, Italy), the sludge deriving from processing is mainly composed of Calcium carbonate and it has a great potential as secondary raw material or by-product as long as the chemical properties of the sludge meet the parameters required by current environmental laws. The research presented in this paper aims to explain how tools wear out and how consumables end up in the sludge.     

Technical–economic assessment of stone slabs surface finishing using water jet technology

This paper examines, from an economic standpoint, some of the surface finishing results achieved for stone slabs using high pressure water jets. The results of both the management accounting method and a technical and economic cost analysis method are here applied. The latter method is specifically aimed at verifying and fine-tuning the management analysis model based on the technical coefficient matrix. The second method proposed allows one to examine each process in detail and easily determine technical–economic models for planning, processing and management. The type of production cost analysis proposed here is original, rigorous and precise. The fact that it captures all the most significant technical aspects of the process and clarifies their economic implications makes it far more preferable to the traditional final accounts analyses. Moreover, this technical and economic cost analysis method allows one to accurately calculate the unit cost of each product.