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Background: This research examined the connection between circulating FGF21 and clinicopathological findings in papillary thyroid carcinoma. Methods: This analytical cross-sectional research was conducted on patients with papillary thyroid cancer at the Seyyed Shirazi Endocrinology Clinic in Gorgan, Iran. Laboratory data, including demographics, ultrasonography and pathology reports, and FGF21 levels, were collected. The data was analyzed with SPSS 25. Normal distribution was evaluated by using Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Shapiro-Wilk tests. Group differences were evaluated with Chi-square, independent sample t-test and Mann- Whitney U tests. A p-value less than 0.05 was considered significant. Results: In this research, 83% of patients were female, and the mean±SD age was 42.51±13.28 years old. The mean±SD and FGF21 concentrations in 49 patients were 716.41±458.7, the median was 489 pg/ml, and 24 (49%) patients were in the high FGF21 group. There was no statistically significant relation between FGF21 level and age (P=0.95), sex (P=>0.99), tumor size (P=0.68), tumor stage (P=>0.99), lymphadenopathy (P=>0.99), lymph node metastasis (P=0.24), triglycerides (P=0.93), total cholesterol (P=0.47), LDL (P=0.08), and HDL (P=0.08). However, FGF21 levels were significantly associated with fasting blood glucose (P=0.03), body mass index (BMI) (P=<0.0001), capsular invasion (P=0.001), lymphovascular involvement (P=0.0001) and Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System (TIRADS) score (P=0.02). In addition, high levels of FGF21 were found to be 78.95% sensitive and 70% specific for capsular invasion. Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that FGF21 is associated with more severe papillary thyroid cancer clinicopathological features such as capsular invasion, lymphovascular involvement, TIRADS score, and BMI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main aim of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of natural zeolite for Cr(VI) removal from aqueous solutions. Following simple modification of adsorbent, the effect of operational parameters including pH (2–10), adsorbent dosage (2–20 g/L), contact time (5–150 min) and Cr(VI) concentration (10–50 mg/L) were studied according to one-factor-at-a-time procedure. The maximum Cr(VI) removal of 99.53% was obtained at initial pH of 2, contact time of 30 min, adsorbent dosage of 8 g/L and initial chromium concentration of 10 mg/L. The Freundlich isotherm was best fitted with experimental data (R2 = 0.951). Also, type 1pseudo second order kinetic model showed the most correlation (R2 = 1) with the experimental data. According to obtained results, it can be concluded that the application of clay-like adsorbents such as natural clinoptilolite zeolite can be considered as an efficient alternative for final treatment of effluents containing Cr(VI).

Thermally activated persulfate efficiency for the treatment of a recalcitrant high TDS wastewater was investigated. The specific character of studied wastewater was high TDS content of around 23820 mg/L and BOD5/COD ratio of 0.07. Effective operational parameters including initial pH values of 3–9, reaction temperature of 40–80°C and persulfate concentrations of 0.5–5 g/L for COD removal were investigated in batch mode experiments. Removal efficiency was pH and temperature dependent. The COD and TOC removal of 94.3% and 82.8% were obtained at persulfate concentration of 4 g/L, initial pH value of 5 and temperature of 70°C after 180 min for initial COD concentration of 1410 mg/L. The pseudo first-order kinetic model was best fitted with COD removal (R2 = 0.94).

This document is a list of articles published in the journal Frontiers in Emergency Medicine. The articles cover a range of topics related to emergency medicine, including the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ethiopia, the severity of mental health problems in healthcare professionals during the pandemic, and the usage of personal protective equipment among Iranian police officers. Other articles explore topics such as mortality prediction in COVID-19 patients, the efficacy of sofosbuvir in treating SARS-CoV-2, and challenges faced by emergency medical technicians during the pandemic. The document also includes articles on topics such as cardiac arrest, emergency department design strategies, and the effects of various interventions on patient outcomes. [Extracted from the article]

Fluoride (F-), the ion of the element fluorine, is one of the mineral elements present in nature that enters drinking water through underground aquifers and when present in high concentration it can lead to risks such as skeletal, dental, and nonskeletal fluorosis with morbidity such as decreased IQ and negative effects on brain development, tooth discolouration, and bone pain. The aim of the study, was to study the ability of activated carbon developed from almond shell (ACAS), to remove fluoride from an aqueous solution. We examined the effects on fluoride removal efficiency of contact time, initial F-concentration, pH, and ACAS mass. The equilibrium data were also examined with models including the Langmuir, Freundlich, and Temkin isotherms. The removal characteristics were validated through the use of different kinetic models for the estimation of the solute interaction and the nature of the biosorption. A contact time of 60 min, an adsorbent dosage of 0.6 g/L, and a pH of 3 were considered to be the optimal operational conditions. The biosorption of F-onto ACAS and the equilibrium data follow from the Langmuir adsorption isotherm with a maximum adsorption of 84.3 mg/g and a regression coefficient of R2=0.999. The kinetic studies showed that the system fitted the pseudo-second order kinetic model. Thus, this work gives new insights on the interaction of ACAS with F- in a reconstituted aqueous solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To assess the ability of trained emergency medicine (EM) residents to diagnose neurogenic stunned myocardium (NSM) in patients with acute intracranial events in the emergency department (ED) using the Focused Assessment diagnostic Echocardiography (FADE). Methods: This prospective cross-sectional study was conducted between February 2018 and January 2019. First, four postgraduate year-3 (PGY-3) EM residents were trained through participation in 10 hours of theoretical FADE education and 20 hands-on FADE on ED patients. Then, adult patients (aged over 18 years old) with acute cerebrovascular accidents (CVAs) were enrolled in the study. Patients with a history of prior cardiac disease, concurrent CVA and ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), and cardiopulmonary arrest in the ED were excluded. The results of echocardiography by the cardiologists were considered as the gold standard. Results: Eighty-five cases were enrolled in the final analysis. The mean age of participants was 62.7 years, and 47 (55.3%) were male. There was a good agreement between the EM residents and cardiologists in diagnosing left ventricular (LV) dysfunction (Cohen's Kappa=0.7, 95%CI=0.65-0.8). Troponin I was positive in 3 (3.5%) patients. Based on the diagnosis of cardiologists, all three patients had heart failure and received a definitive diagnosis of NSM. Whereas, according to the FADE exam by EM residents, 2 out of 3 cases with positive enzyme had heart failure (interrater agreement= 66.6%). Conclusion: Our study showed that trained EM residents could use the FADE exam to diagnose the NSM in CVA patients in the ED. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fluoride ion (F) is widely used in different industries, including the semi-conductor, power plant, and glass product industries, and is released into the environment through effluents. Accordingly, the effectiveness of chitosan in the adsorption of F from water was evaluated in this study. At different concentrations of F, the significance of contact duration, pH, and adsorbent dose was examined in laboratory conditions. To understand the mode of adsorption and its kinetics, the Langmuir, Freundlich, and Temkin isotherms and the pseudo-first-order, the pseudosecond order, and the intraparticle diffusion model equations for the equilibrium adsorption data were analyzed. The results for the adsorption of F onto chitosan were best described by the Langmuir isotherm and the pseudo-second order models with the correlation values for both being 0.997. A contact time of 180 min, an adsorbent dosage of 5 g/L, and a pH of 7 were considered to be the optimal operational conditions and gave a fluoride removal efficiency of 87%. We conclude that, fluoride adsorption by chitosan can effectively remove fluoride from water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three novel allyl-containing alkoxysilanes, allyl 3-(trimethoxysilyl) propyl ether (ATSE), allyl 3-(trimethoxysilyl) propyl thioether (ATST) and 4-(trimethoxysilyl) propyloxy-4-methacryloxydiphenyl sulfone (TSMS) were prepared by the condensation reaction of allyl alcohol with chloropropyltrimethoxysilane (CPTS), allyl chloride with (3-mercaptopropyl)-trimethoxysilane (MPTS) and methacrylic acid with bis (4-hydroxyphenyl) sulfone and also with CPTS, respectively. Also acrylic groups were hybrid with alkyds via free radical chemistry. The alkyd comprised soybean oil, glycerol and phthalic anhydride. To closely model acrylated-alkyds, a mixture of acrylic monomers were copolymerized with the alkyd including: methyl methacrylate (MMA), butyl acrylate (BA), methacrylic acid (MAA), and alkoxysilanes ATSE, ATST and/or MPTS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The direct application of biological treatment processes for industrial wastewaters can be limited due to presence of refractory compounds. Advanced oxidation processes are considered for partial oxidation and breaking the refractory compounds. The main purpose of this study was to determine the efficiency of pretreatment by UV/H2O2 oxidation for increasing the BOD5/COD ratio of Shiraz industrial estate wastewater. Optimal conditions of pH, contact time and H2O2 concentration in constant UV strength and organic loading were determined for an industrial wastewater with poor biodegradability characteristics. The effluent waste-water from advanced oxidation unit entered a moving bed activated sludge reactor with HRT of 6 hours. Optimum operating conditions for studied wastewater including pH value of = 7, H2O2 concentration of 5 mM and contact time of 90 mm, led to enhancement of BOD5/COD ratio from 0.2 to 0.52. Integrated advanced oxidation process with moving bed activated sludge reactor can meet effluent standards for discharge to receiving waters. Integrated advanced oxidation process (UV/H2O2) and moving bed activated sludge reactor with HRT of 6 hours is an efficient, reliable and feasible alternative for treatment of low biodegradable industrial wastewaters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]