Acoustic barriers obtained from industrial wastes.

Acoustic pollution is an environmental problem that is becoming increasingly more important in our society. Likewise, the accumulation of generated waste and the need for waste management are also becoming more and more pressing. In this study we describe a new material--called PROUSO--obtained from industrial wastes. PROUSO has a variety of commercial and engineering, as well as building, applications. The main raw materials used for this environmentally friendly material come from slag from the aluminium recycling process, dust from the marble industry, foundry sands, and recycled expanded polystyrene from recycled packaging. Some natural materials, such as plastic clays, are also used. To obtain PROUSO we used a conventional ceramic process, forming new mineral phases and incorporating polluted elements into the structure. Its physical properties make PROUSO an excellent acoustic and thermal insulation material. It absorbs 95% of the sound in the frequency band of the 500 Hz. Its compressive strength makes it ideal for use in ceramic wall building.

Heavy metal-rich wastes sequester in mineral phases through a glass-ceramic process.

Certain sludges generated by industry are rich in contaminating elements and are a major environmental problem. In this study, we determine the ability of these contaminating elements to be incorporated into a glass-matrix and in various mineral phases after a crystallization process. The contaminating elements studied were obtained from sewage sludges (SS) and galvanic sludges (GS), our raw materials. The sludge samples were taken from urban wastewater treatment plant in Catalonia (NE Spain) with high levels of phosphorus oxide (P(2)O(5)). In silica glasses, P(2)O(5) acts as a network former. We determined the chemical composition of both the SS and GS, as well as their thermal behaviour by differential thermal analysis and thermal gravimetric analysis (DTA-TG) to obtain their melting curves. The vitreous transition temperature of the obtained glass was established by dilatometer technique at 725 degrees C. The DTA-TG curve of the glass obtained has an exothermal wide peak at 860 degrees C corresponding to crystallization of the two phases: a spinel phase and a phosphate phase. A second exothermal wide peak at 960 degrees C was attributed to the crystallization of aluminium pyroxene, anorthite and fluor-apatite, with two exothermal phenomena attributed to the evolution of these phases. An exothermal peak at 1100 degrees C was attributed to gehlenite crystallization. Scanning electron microscope observations and energy-dispersed X-ray spectroscopy microanalyses of glass-ceramic showed that the contaminating elements were concentrated in the spinel phases, which are the first phases to crystallize during the cooling of glass. Finally, the spinel structure permits the incorporation of all the contaminating elements into it.

[Estimation of prevalence, incidence and sex ratio of transsexualism in Catalonia according to health care demand]. / Estimación de la prevalencia, incidencia y razón de sexos del transexualismo en Cataluña según la demanda asistencial.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the epidemiology of transsexualism in the autonomous community of Catalonia according to data gathered at the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona, the single public hospital providing specialized psychiatric and endocrinological care for transsexual patients in this community. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Prevalence was calculated on the basis of the total number of patients diagnosed of transsexualism (ICD-10, F64.0) at the Hospital Clinic and living in Catalonia, and the incidence by counting all new cases of transsexuals for the last 5 years, based on the population census between 15 and 65 years of age. RESULTS: During the period from 1996 through 2004 a total of 201 subjects were referred to this hospital with complaints of gender dysphoria. Transsexualism was diagnosed in 182 patients, 161 of whom were living in Catalonia. This yields a prevalence rate in Catalonia of 1:21,031 males and 1:48,096 females. The sex ratio was 2.6. Annual incidence in the last five years was 0.73/100,000/year. DISCUSSION: The low prevalence compared with recently published data from European Union countries may be due to the relatively few years of data collection and to the low clinical demand because surgical procedures costs are not covered by the public health insurance. In contrast, the high incidence may be due to the increasing demand since 2000, when a more benevolent and tolerant social climate in Spain started.

Diagnóstico de la hipertensión arterial renovascular mediante Eco-Doppler

Objetivo: valorar la fiabilidad del eco-Doppler en la detección de estenosis renales en pacientes con sospecha de hipertensión renovascular. Material y método: estudio prospectivo durante cuatro años de 91 arterias renales en 47 pacientes hipertensos (tres monorrenos) con sospecha de hipertensión arterial renovascular. Edad media: 56 años (r = 25-77); 22 varones y 25 mujeres. Parámetros valorados por dúplex: velocidad sistólica máxima (VSM) y velocidad diastólica final (VDF) en arteria renal, cociente renal-aórtico e índice de resistencia periférica. Análisis estadístico: curvas ROC y análisis multivariante para la obtención del mejor parámetro diagnóstico de estenosis > 60 por ciento. A todos los pacientes se les realizó arteriografía de ambas arterias renales. Resultados: mediante análisis multivariante únicamente la VSM > 180 cm/sg (p = 0,01) y el cociente renal-aórtico > 3 (p = 0,04) son predictivos de estenosis > 60 por ciento. Así hemos identificado 60 de 65 estenosis inferiores al 60 por ciento, 20 de 21 estenosis superiores al 60 por ciento, y 5 de 5 oclusiones (Kappa = 0,85) (p 180 cm/sg es el mejor parámetro para detectar estenosis > 60 por ciento (AU)

Natural history of gallbladder carcinoma: clinical and pathologic factors.

PURPOSE: To identify clinical and pathologic differences between nonadvanced (resectable by cholecystectomy) gallbladder adenocarcinomas (GBA) and advanced (nonresectable) GBA. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twenty-nine cases of GBA were divided into two groups. Patients in group A (n = 15) underwent complete tumor resection by cholecystectomy, and those in group B (n = 14), incomplete or no resection of the tumor. Clinical (age, sex, pain, jaundice, weight loss, abdominal mass, fever), biological (anemia, hypoalbuminemia, cholestasis-cytolysis), diagnostic (ultrasound, intraoperative, postoperative) and pathologic (tumor size and differentiation status) aspects were compared in the two groups. RESULTS: Clinical and biological factors showed no significant differences between the two groups. Overall effectiveness of GC diagnosis before the postoperative pathologic examination was 6.7% in group A and 57.1% in group B (p < 0.001). Advanced tumors (T3-T4) were found in group B, and nonadvanced tumors in group A (T1-T2, 66.7%). In group B well-differentiated tumors (10 cases) predominated, whereas poorly-differentiated tumors predominated in group A (19 cases, p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The preoperative diagnosis of GBA is difficult, except in advanced cases. No clinical differences exist between completely resected and nonresectable tumors. Resected tumors are usually a postoperative pathologic finding, and are usually nonadvanced and well differentiated.