Consistent acidogenic co-fermentation of waste activated sludge and food waste under thermophilic conditions.

Acidogenic co-fermentation of waste activated sludge (WAS) and food waste (FW) under thermophilic conditions enhances process consistency, while overcoming the problem of acetic acid consumption due to growing methanogens. Two long-term continuous co-fermentation experiments were carried out with a WAS:FW mixture (70:30 % in VS) at organic loading rate of 8 gVS/(L·d). Experiment 1 assessed the impact of temperature (35 °C and 55 °C) and WAS origin (WAS_A and WAS_B) in two collection periods.

Expert perspectives on ECCOR for acute hypoxemic respiratory failure: consensus of a 2022 European roundtable meeting.

Background: By controlling hypercapnia, respiratory acidosis, and associated consequences, extracorporeal CO removal (ECCOR) has the potential to facilitate ultra-protective lung ventilation (UPLV) strategies and to decrease injury from mechanical ventilation. We convened a meeting of European intensivists and nephrologists and used a modified Delphi process to provide updated insights into the role of ECCOR in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and to identify recommendations for a future randomized controlled trial.

Results: The group agreed that lung protective ventilation and UPLV should have distinct definitions, with UPLV primarily defined by a tidal volume (V) of 4-6 mL/kg predicted body weight with a driving pressure (ΔP) ≤ 14-15 cmHO.

The effect of a pre-operative and post-operative exercise programme versus standard care on physical fitness of patients with oesophageal and gastric cancer undergoing neoadjuvant treatment prior to surgery (the PERIOP-OG trial): a randomized controlled trial.

Introduction: Although the benefits of post-operative rehabilitation in cancer surgery are well established, the role of prehabilitation is less defined. Oesophagogastric cancers present a unique opportunity to study the impact of prehabilitation during the neoadjuvant window, whether with chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy (NCT) in patients who are frequently nutritionally depleted. This trial examines the impact of a community-based exercise programme on patient fitness during and after the neoadjuvant window.

The effect of a pre- and post-operative exercise program versus standard care on physical activity and sedentary behavior of patients with esophageal and gastric cancer undergoing neoadjuvant treatment prior to surgery (the PERIOP-OG Trial): a randomized controlled trial†.

Neoadjuvant cancer treatment (NCT) reduces both physical fitness and physical activity (PA) levels, which can increase the risk of adverse outcomes in cancer patients. This study aims to determine the effect of exercise prehabilitation on PA and sedentary behavior (SB) in patients undergoing NCT and surgery for esophagogastric malignancies. This study is a randomized pragmatic controlled multi-center trial conducted across three Irish hospitals.

An online case-based teaching and assessment program on clinical history-taking skills and reasoning using simulated patients in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented challenges for medical students and educators worldwide. Groups 1, 2 and 3 of year 3, semester 2 medical students at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (n = 275) had only completed 2, 5 and 7 weeks, respectively, of their scheduled 10-week clinical medicine and surgery attachments, prior to the Irish shutdown of all in-person non-essential activities, including medical student education.

Methods: We developed and delivered an online case-based program, focused on history-taking skills and clinical reasoning, using simulated patients and video technologies.