Degradation of high concentrations of azithromycin when present in a high organic content wastewater by using a continuously fed laboratory-scale UASB bioreactor.

As the presence of emergent contaminants in wastewater, such as antibiotics, has become a threat for public health, the evaluation of strategies to treat them has been gaining importance. A critical example of this situation can be found in wastewaters coming from the pharmaceutical industry, where high concentrations of antibiotics are sometimes accompanied by high organic contents. Even the agroindustry can be affected by a similar problem when cattle infections are treated with antibiotics and part of the antibiotic-contaminated milk has to be wasted. With these situations in mind, in the present study we evaluated a progressive acclimation strategy for a granular sludge in a UASB reactor treating a high organic-content synthetic wastewater contaminated with azithromycin. In parallel, we tested a previously reported low-cost method for azithromycin determination by spectrophotometry, obtaining results comparable with liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. Although azithromycin has been reported as recalcitrant and resistant to biological degradation, the antibiotic was removed with efficiencies over 50% for wastewater with 10 mg L-1 of azithromycin and a COD of more than 4000 mgO2 L-1. Furthermore, efficiencies over 40% were achieved for wastewater with higher azithromycin concentrations (80 mg L-1) and a COD of 20,000 mgO2 L-1. A careful acclimation strategy permitted the partial removal of azithromycin from wastewater when treating concentrations comparable and higher than what would be expected for domestic and hospital wastewaters, even when its chemical oxygen demand is considerably higher than the average maximum of around 1000 mgO2 L-1.

[Oxidative stress markers in atherogenesis induced by hyperfibrinogenemia]. / Marcadores de estrés oxidativo en aterogénesis inducida por hiperfibrinogenemia.

INTRODUCTION: We studied plasmatic TNF-alpha, nitric oxide (NO) and citrulline behaviors and probable morphological mitochondrial alterations in aortic smooth muscle cells, in rats with atherogenesis induced by hyperfibrinogenemia in: A) control, B) multiple injured for 30 days and C) multiple injured for 60 days. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Hyperfibrinogenemia induction: adrenaline injection (0,1 mg/rat/day). TNF-alpha (pg/dL) was determined by Elisa and NO (microM) and citrulline (mM) by spectrophotometry. Morphological mitochondrial alterations were studied by electronic microscopy. Variables were analized: ANOVA, r coefficient and chi2 test. RESULTS: We observed a significant increment of TNF-alpha in multiple injured for 30 days (B) (50.05 +/- 2.29) as well as in multiple injured for 60 days (C) (74.99 +/- 2.82) related to control (A) (33.01 +/- 1.49) (p<0.001 in both groups). Citrulline presented a significant increased in (B) (5.56 +/- 0.20) and (C) (6.84 +/- 0.13) when compared to (A) (4.41 +/- 0.23) (p<0.001 in both situations). Mean while NO biodisponibility diminished significantly in (B) (8.97 +/- 0.70) and in (C) (5.32 +/- 0.68) when compared to (A) (21.65 +/- 1.74) (p<0.001 in both situations). CONCLUSIONS: Hyperfibrinogenemia could modify the NO physiopathological pathway and produced morphological mitochondrial alterations in aortic smooth muscle cells, probably producing ischemic lesions in the vascular wall and altering the vasodilatation response.

Cirugía ambulatoria en patalogía de paredes abdominales / Ambulatory surgery in abdominal walls pathology

Durante el último año se operaron 117 casos con variada patología parieto abdominal en forma ambulatoria. No utilizamos medicación preoperatoria, salvo una dosis profiláctica de antibióticos. Se implementaron aquellas técnicas que permitieron un cierre elástico-resistente de los defectos, incorporando a los pacientes inmediatamente a sus tareas habituales, con marcada disminución de la morbilidad postoperatoria. Las principales ventajas de este proceder son para el paciente y para quien deba solventar los gastos que todo hecho quirúrgico implica

Cirugía ambulatoria en patalogía de paredes abdominales / Ambulatory surgery in abdominal walls pathology

Durante el último año se operaron 117 casos con variada patología parieto abdominal en forma ambulatoria. No utilizamos medicación preoperatoria, salvo una dosis profiláctica de antibióticos. Se implementaron aquellas técnicas que permitieron un cierre elástico-resistente de los defectos, incorporando a los pacientes inmediatamente a sus tareas habituales, con marcada disminución de la morbilidad postoperatoria. Las principales ventajas de este proceder son para el paciente y para quien deba solventar los gastos que todo hecho quirúrgico implica