Selective digestive decontamination (SDD) and selective oropharyngeal decontamination (SOD) have been associated with reduced mortality and lower ICU-acquired bacteremia and ventilator-associated pneumonia rates in areas with low levels of antibiotic resistance. However, the effect of selective decontamination (SDD/SOD) in areas where multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria are endemic is le...

Formaldehyde and phenol biodegradation during the denitrification process was studied at lab-scale, first in anoxic batch assays and then in a continuous anoxic reactor. The biodegradation of formaldehyde (260 mgl(-1)) as single carbon source and at phenol concentrations ranging from 30 to 580 mgl(-1) was investigated in batch assays, obtaining an initial biodegradation rate around 0.5g CH(2)Og...

In this study, the performance of an aerobic moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) was assessed for the removal of phenol as the sole substrate from saline wastewater. The effect of several parameters namely inlet phenol concentration (200-1200 mg/L), hydraulic retention time (8-24 h), inlet salt content (10-70 g/L), phenol shock loading, hydraulic shock loading and salt shock loading on the perfor...

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of electrocoagulation technology using iron electrodes on phenol removal in aqueous solutions. The removal of phenol was investigated in terms of various parameters, namely, current density, phenol and NaCl concentration, pH, and alginic acid concentration. The results showed that the removal efficiency of phenol increased with increasing the cu...

After recent terrorist attacks, new attention has been focused on health care facility decontamination practices. This article reviews core issues related to the selection of appropriate personal protective equipment for health care facility decontamination personnel, with an emphasis on respiratory protection. Existing federal regulations focus primarily on scene response and not on issues spe...

We have been studying dry surface decontamination technology with low-pressure arc plasma (LPAP). The dependence of the decontamination performance on Co distribution in the test piece was investigated. The Co removal ratio became lower when Co was distributed more deeply in the metal oxide film, although all the metal oxide film was removed. However, a Co removal ratio exceeding 90% was eventu...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effects of gut decontamination on endotoxin, tumor necrosis factor (TNF) levels, and the associated lung injury in a rat model of bowel ischemia. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA Gut ischemia induces disruption of the intestinal mucosal barrier, allowing translocation of bacteria and endotoxin into the blood, which may trigger a systemic inflammatory response and lung injury....