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- Saravia, M. E., et al.
(author)
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Morphological identification of Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sobrinus in SB-20M culture medium has efficiency comparable to proteomic identification by the MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry technique
- 2020
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In: Archives of Oral Biology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0003-9969. ; 110
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objectives: The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of SB-20 M culture medium to perform differential morphological identification of S. mutans and S. sobrinus compared to biochemical identification and to proteomic identification by the MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry technique. Material and methods: Unstimulated saliva samples from 266 dental students were seeded on SB-20 M culture medium by the wooden spatula technique. After incubation, S. mutans and S. sobrinus colonies were identified by stereomicroscopy based on their differential morphological characteristics. Following these procedures, 135 colonies with characteristic morphology of S. mutans (89 colonies) and S. sobrinus (46 colonies) were randomly selected, submitted to biochemical identification (biotyping) and proteomic identification by the MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry technique. The results were compared using the Kappa test, with a 5% significance level. Results: All (100%) S. mutans colonies were correctly identified after culture in SB-20 M medium compared to biotyping and proteomic identification. For S. sobrinus, morphological identification in SB-20 M medium was correct for 43 colonies (93.5%) compared to biotyping and proteomic identification. However, there was no statistically significant difference when comparing the capacity to identify S. mutans and S. sobrinus of the three techniques (p < 0.001; K = 0.951). Conclusions: It was concluded that the SB-20 M culture medium for morphological identification of S. mutans and S. sobrinus was highly reliable, being comparable to the MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry technique. Clinical relevance: The efficiency evaluation of identification methods of S. mutans and S. sobrinus is clinically relevant in order to determine caries risk and activity of patients. © 2019 Elsevier Ltd
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| 2. |
- Cosmi, F., et al.
(author)
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Treatment with insulin is associated with worse outcome in patients with chronic heart failure and diabetes
- 2018
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In: European Journal of Heart Failure. - : Wiley. - 1388-9842. ; 20:5, s. 888-895
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Aims Up to one-third of patients with diabetes mellitus and heart failure (HF) are treated with insulin. As insulin causes sodium retention and hypoglycaemia, its use might be associated with worse outcomes. Methods and results We examined two datasets: 24 012 patients with HF from four large randomized trials and an administrative database of 4 million individuals, 103 857 of whom with HF. In the former, survival was examined using Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for baseline variables and separately for propensity scores. Fine-Gray competing risk regression models were used to assess the risk of hospitalization for HF. For the latter, a case-control nested within a population-based cohort study was conducted with propensity score. Prevalence of diabetes mellitus at study entry ranged from 25.5% to 29.5% across trials. Insulin alone or in combination with oral hypoglycaemic drugs was prescribed at randomization to 24.4% to 34.5% of the patients with diabetes. The rates of death from any cause and hospitalization for HF were higher in patients with vs. without diabetes, and highest of all in patients prescribed insulin [propensity score pooled hazard ratio for all-cause mortality 1.27 (1.16-1.38), for HF hospitalization 1.23 (1.13-1.33)]. In the administrative registry, insulin prescription was associated with a higher risk of all-cause death [odds ratio (OR) 2.02, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.87-2.19] and rehospitalization for HF (OR 1.42, 95% CI 1.32-1.53). Conclusions Whether insulin use is associated with poor outcomes in HF should be investigated further with controlled trials, as should the possibility that there may be safer alternative glucose-lowering treatments for patients with HF and type 2 diabetes mellitus.
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| 5. |
- Iaffaldano, P, et al.
(author)
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Early treatment delays long-term disability accrual in RRMS: Results from the BMSD network
- 2021
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In: Multiple sclerosis (Houndmills, Basingstoke, England). - : SAGE Publications. - 1477-0970 .- 1352-4585. ; 27:10, s. 1543-1555
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The optimal timing of treatment starts for achieving the best control on the long-term disability accumulation in multiple sclerosis (MS) is still to be defined. Objective: The aim of this study was to estimate the optimal time to start disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) to prevent the long-term disability accumulation in MS, using a pooled dataset from the Big Multiple Sclerosis Data (BMSD) network. Methods: Multivariable Cox regression models adjusted for the time to first treatment start from disease onset (in quintiles) were used. To mitigate the impact of potential biases, a set of pairwise propensity score (PS)-matched analyses were performed. The first quintile, including patients treated within 1.2 years from onset, was used as reference. Results: A cohort of 11,871 patients (median follow-up after treatment start: 13.2 years) was analyzed. A 3- and 12-month confirmed disability worsening event and irreversible Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) 4.0 and 6.0 scores were reached by 7062 (59.5%), 4138 (34.9%), 3209 (31.1%), and 1909 (16.5%) patients, respectively. The risk of reaching all the disability outcomes was significantly lower ( p < 0.0004) for the first quintile patients’ group. Conclusion: Real-world data from the BMSD demonstrate that DMTs should be commenced within 1.2 years from the disease onset to reduce the risk of disability accumulation over the long term.
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| 8. |
- Söderberg, Daniel, et al.
(author)
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Comparison between forming strategies regarding their effect on paper properties
- 2013
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In: Pap. Conf. Trade Show, PaperCon. - 9781627489669 ; , s. 773-790
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Extensive trials have been performed at the FEX machine at Innventia in Stockholm in order to determine fundamental relations between several process parameters. The goal with these has been to set up a matrix for further research aimed at the formation-retention-strength relations. The trials covered a total of five weeks at the FEX machine. Three of those were aimed at twin-wire forming and two at Fourdrinier forming. The results from these five weeks clearly show the difference between twin-wire and Fourdrinier forming. For the Fourdrinier case there is a linear relation between small-scale (0.3-3 mm) formation and large-scale (3-30 mm) formation, a higher value for the small-scale formation also gives a higher large-scale value. Furthermore, there is a direct relation between formation and retention; an increased retention gives a higher formation value. In addition, it is shown that a better formation gives a higher tensile index value. In comparison, it is shown that twin-wire forming does not have these clear relations. Hence, the twin-wire forming process seems to allow de-coupling of many of these relations.
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| 9. |
- Bozkurt, S., et al.
(author)
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Peat as a potential analogue for the long-term evolution in landfills
- 2001
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In: Earth-Science Reviews. - 0012-8252 .- 1872-6828. ; 53:02-jan, s. 95-147
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A survey of the existing studies on peat and its decomposition processes is presented with the aim to characterise the long-term behaviour of peat accumulating systems. The chemical and physical characteristics of peat together with its accumulation and decay processes have been analysed. Peat is an acidic mixture of dead and decomposed. mainly vegetable, matter formed in boggy areas; it is the youngest and least altered component of the combustible rocks and is characterised by the lowest content of fixed carbon and the highest content of volatile constituents. Peat is formed by degeneration processes under exclusion of atmospheric oxygen by the action of water; the speed of formation depends upon the climatic and environmental conditions. In most peatlands two layers can be characterised: the aerobic acrotelm and the anaerobic catotelm, their relative importance being controlled mainly by the position of the water table. In the acrotelm the aerobic processes are responsible for the loss of up to 90% of the original mass, Degeneration in the acidic and anaerobic catotelm is still imperfectly characterised even though the catotelm is the real site of peat accumulation. Most of the recent literature considers peat as composed of easily degradable compounds, e.g. polysaccharides. and recalcitrant matter (lignin and complex aromatics). The lone-term destiny of peat has not been sufficiently characterised: although in a large majority of cases it seems probable that peat decomposes completely (even though slowly) provided that it is given a sufficiently long residence rime in the catotelm, some cases can still be interpreted as examples of simple accumulation. The rates of influx of oxygen and hence the degradation of organic matter into both saturated and partially saturated peat have been estimated. The depletion rate is about 4500 g m(-1) year(-1) for partially saturated peat. The average depletion rate of the peat for this case will then be such that it will take on the order of 5 to 50 years to degrade half of the organics in a 10 cm partially saturated layer. For the water-saturated case the depletion rate varies between 8 and 12 g m(-2) year(-1), which is considerably lower than in the partially saturated region. The models used to analyse the field and laboratory data on generation, diffusion and emission of methane and carbon dioxide indicate that laboratory data and field observations agree reasonably well. It is suggested that peat-accumulating ecosystems may be valuable natural analogues for the study of the long-term destiny of industrial and municipal solid wastes. Accurate studies of active mires together with an ad hoc review of the existing literature give valuable insights in this problem. Peatlands might then be considered as organic waste deposition experiments lasting up to several thousands years.
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