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Introduction: Introduction: intermittent fasting plans propose to limit food intake during specific periods as nutritional therapeutic strategies to treat different metabolic conditions in various clinical entities. However, the heterogeneity between each context of intermittent fasting could generate different results in metabolic parameters. Objective: to evaluate the clinical application of intermittent fasting and to discern whether it offers advantages over other traditional strategies. Methods: structured questions were formulated (PICO), and the methodology followed the guidelines established by the PRISMA 2020 statement. The search was conducted in different databases (PubMed, Cochrane Library and Google Scholar). Results: we found 3,962 articles, of which 56 were finally included; 3,906 articles that did not directly or indirectly answer the structured questions were excluded. Conclusions: compared to conventional diets, the various AI schemes do not generate advantages or disadvantages in terms of weight loss and lipid profile, although in the alternate-day variant there are greater insulin reductions than those observed in the continuous energy restriction. The heterogeneity of the interventions, the populations studied, the comparators, the results, and the type of design make it impossible to extrapolate the effects found in all clinical scenarios and generalize the recommendations.

Purpose: We aimed to evaluate the performance of the FilmArray (FA) meningitis/encephalitis (ME) panel. Secondarily, we analyzed the false positive (FP) and false negative (FN) results, as well as the predictive values of the technique, regarding the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) characteristics., Methods: FA is a multiplex real-time PCR detecting 14 of the most common ME pathogens in CSF. All FA performed at our hospital (2018-2022) were retrospectively reviewed. FA was compared to conventional techniques and its performance was assessed based on the final diagnosis of the episode., Results: FA was performed in 313 patients with suspicion of ME. Most patients had altered mental status (65.2%) and fever (61%). Regarding CSF characteristics, 49.8% and 53.7% presented high CSF proteins and pleocytosis, respectively. There were 84 (26.8%) positive FA results, mainly for HSV-1 (10.9%), VZV (5.1%), Enterovirus (2.6%), and S. pneumoniae (1.9%). In the 136 cases where both FA and routine methods were performed, there was a 25.7% lack of agreement. We identified 6.6% FN results, but 28.6% FP, mainly due to HSV-1. This resulted in a high negative predictive value (NPV) of 93.4%, but a positive predictive value (PPV) of 73%. Remarkably, PPV as low as 36.9%, and 70.2%, were found in cases without pleocytosis, or lack of high CSF protein levels, respectively., Conclusion: FA was associated with high NPV, but frequent FP results and low PPV, particularly for HSV-1, and especially in patients without high CSF protein levels or pleocytosis., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

The aim of the this study was to investigate the ozone dosage required to remove active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) from biologically treated wastewater of varying quality, originated from different raw wastewater and wastewater treatment processes. Secondary effluents from six Swedish wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) were spiked with 42 APIs (nominal concentration μg/L) and treated with different O₃ doses (0.5-12.0 mg/L ozone) in bench-scale experiments. In order to compare the sensitivity of APIs in each matrix, the specific dose of ozone required to achieve reduction by one decade of each investigated API (DDO₃) was determined for each effluent by fitting a first order equation to the remaining concentration of API at each applied ozone dose. Ozone dose requirements were found to vary significantly between effluents depending on their matrix characteristics. The specific ozone dose was then normalized to the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) of each effluent. The DDO₃/DOC ratios were comparable for each API between the effluents. 15 of the 42 investigated APIs could be classified as easily degradable (DDO₃/DOC ≤ 0.7), while 19 were moderately degradable (0.7 < DDO₃/DOC ≤ 1.4), and 8 were recalcitrant towards O₃-treatment (DDO₃/DOC >1.4). Furthermore, we predict that a reasonable estimate of the ozone dose required to remove any of the investigated APIs may be attained by multiplying the experimental average DDO₃/DOC obtained with the actual DOC of any effluent., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)