Ultimate and Primary Biodegradation of a Range of Nonpolymeric and Polymeric Surfactants in Seawater.

Surfactants are chemicals commonly used in a wide range of domestic and industrial products. In the present study, ultimate biodegradation of 18 surfactants representing different classes (including several polymeric alcohol ethoxylates [AEs]) was determined in seawater at 20 °C by a Closed Bottle test method. After 28 days of incubation, 12 surfactants reached 60% biodegradation and were considered to be readily biodegradable in seawater. The results for the six additional surfactants indicated that the 60% pass level may be reached by extended incubation time, or that reduced biodegradation could be associated with toxicity of the chemicals. All these six surfactants were biodegraded >20% after 28 days, indicative of primary biodegradation in seawater. Polymeric ethoxylates with high numbers of ethylene oxide (EO) groups (40-50 EO groups) were more slowly biodegraded than polyethoxylates with 4 to 23 EO groups. Biodegradation experiments of the AE C12 EO9 (3 to 18 EO groups) in a carousel system at 20 °C with natural seawater and a surfactant concentration of 500 µg/L showed rapid primary biodegradation by targeted analyses of the AE, with >99% primary biodegradation after 2 days of incubation. The surfactant depletion coincided with temporary formation of polyethylene glycols, suggesting that central fission is an important degradation step in seawater. A primary biodegradation experiment in the carousel system with C12 EO9 was conducted in the presence of suspended particulate materials (SPMs; marine phytoplankton and clay particles), showing that the presence of SPMs did not hamper the primary biodegradation of the surfactant. Separation of fractions in 20-µm steel filters indicated some particle association of the surfactant. Environ Toxicol Chem 2023;42:1472-1484. © 2023 SETAC.

Factores psicosociales en pacientes con fibromialgia / Psychosocial factors in patients with fibromyalgia

La fibromialgia es una enfermedad frecuente en la práctica médica y la etiología de la misma permanece aún oscura, relacionándose con factores emocionales. Se realizó un estudio transversal con pacientes fibromiálgicos del Centro Médico Ambulatorio del Hospital Carlos M. de Céspedes, con el objetivo de identificar los factores psicosociales que se presentan en ellos. Se estudiaron variables demográficas; presencia de depresión, desesperanza e ideación suicida, percepción del dolor y eventos vitales. Se utilizó el análisis estadístico mediante porcentajes y como estadística inferencial el test Chi Cuadrado. Predominaron las mujeres, con edades entre 35 y 44 años, que tenían un empleo y pareja estable. El 77,3 por ciento tenían depresión y 34,8 por ciento de los deprimidos manifestaron ideación suicida. Más de la mitad de la muestra tenía desesperanza. Las personas con fibromialgia y depresión presentan con más frecuencia dolor exagerado a la presión y mayor número de eventos vitales que los no deprimidos. Se concluye que la depresión tiene una elevada prevalencia en los pacientes fibromiálgicos, al parecer relacionado con mecanismos etiopatogénicos comunes, que hacen pensar que esta entidad es una forma enmascarada de depresión o que la depresión puede ser una reacción adaptativa a la fibromialgia(AU)

Fibromyalgia is a common disease in the medical practice and its etiology remains dark, relating to the emotional factors. It was performed a cross-sectional study in patients with fibromyalgia in the Medical Ambulatory Center at Carlos M. de Céspedes Hospital, with the aim to identify thepsychosocial factors that occur in them. There were studied some demographic variables, like the presence of depression, hope lessness and suicidal ideation, pain perception and vital events. The statistical analysis was used by percentages, and as inferential statistical, it was applied the Chi Square test. There was a prevalence of women about 35 and 44 years old, which had a job and a stable partner. 77.3 percent presented depression and 34.8 percent of the depressed patients expressed suicidal ideation. More than a half of the sample presented hopelessness. People with fibromyalgia and depression more often presented exaggerated pressure pain and a greatest amount of vital events than the non depressed patients. It is concluded that depression is highly prevalent in patients with fibromyalgia, apparently related to common ethiopathogenic mechanisms, which suggested that this entity is a disguised form of depression or that depression may be an adaptive response to fibromyalgia(EU)