Serum procalcitonin levels are associated with rhabdomyolysis following exertional heatstroke: an over 10-year intensive care survey

BACKGROUND:Heatstroke has become a common emergency event in hospitals.Procalcitonin(PCT)is used as a biomarker of infection in the emergency department(ED),but its role in rhabdomyolysis(RM)following exertional heatstroke(EHS)remains unclear.METHODS:A retrospective cohort study enrolled patients with EHS from the intensive care unit(ICU).We collected RM biomarkers,inflammation markers,critical disease scores at admission,24 h,48 h,and discharge,and 90-day mortality.Correlation analysis,linear regression and curve fi tting were used to identify the relationship between PCT and RM.RESULTS:A total of 162 patients were recruited and divided into RM(n=56)and non-RM(n=106)groups.PCT was positively correlated with myoglobin(Mb),acute hepatic injury,disseminated intravascular coagulation(DIC),Sequential Organ Failure Assessment(SOFA)score,and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II(APACHE II)score,with correlation coefficients of 0.214,0.237,0.285,0.454,and 0.368,respectively(all P<0.05).Interestingly,the results of curve fi tting revealed a nonlinear relationship between PCT and RM,and a two-piecewise linear regression model showed that PCT was related to RM with an odds ratio of 1.3 and a cut-off of<4.6 ng/mL.Survival analysis revealed that RM was associated with higher mortality compared to non-RM cases(P=0.0093).CONCLUSION:High serum PCT concentrations are associated with RM after EHS in critically ill patients.Elevated PCT concentrations should be interpreted cautiously in patients with EHS in the ED.

An Experimental Study on Oxidized Mercury Adsorption by Bromide Blended Coal Combustion Fly Ash

The application of forced mercury oxidation technology would lead to an increase of Hg^(2+)concentration in the flue gas.Although Hg^(2+)can be easily removed in the WFGD,the mercury re-emission in the WFGD can decrease the total removal of mercury from coal-fired power plants.Hence,it is necessary to control Hg^(2+)concentration in the devices before the WFGD.Fly ash adsorbent is considered as a potential alternative for commercial activated carbon adsorbent.However,the adsorption efficiency of the original fly ash is low.Modification procedure is needed to enhance the adsorption performance.In this study,the adsorption of Hg^(2+)by brominated fly ash was studied.The fly ash was collected from the full-scale power plant utilizing bromide-blended coal combustion technology.The brominated fly ash exhibited excellent performance for Hg^(2+)removal.The flue gas component HBr and SO_(2)could improve adsorbent’s performance,while HCl would hinder its adsorption process.Also,it was demonstrated by Hg-TPD experiments that the adsorbed Hg^(2+)mainly existed on the fly ash surface in the form of HgBr_(2).In summary,the brominated fly ash has a broad application prospect for mercury control.