Structure, Formation, Properties, and Application of Calcium and Magnesium Silicate Hydrates System—A Review

In order to expand the advantages of strong durability and high compressive strength of calcium silicate hydrates(C-S-H),at the same time to make up for the poor early mechanical strength of magnesium silicate hydrates (M-S-H),we present the features and advantages of C-S-H and M-S-H and a comprehensive review of the progress on CaO-MgO-SiO_(2)-H_(2)O.Moreover,we systematically describe natural calcium and magnesium silicate minerals and thermodynamic properties of CaO-MgO-SiO_(2)-H_(2)O.The effect of magnesium on C-S-H and calcium on M-S-H is summarized deeply;the formation and structural feature of CaO-MgO-SiO_(2)-H_(2)O is also explained in detail.Finally,the development of calcium and magnesium silicate hydrates in the future is pointed out,and the further research is discussed and estimated.

Role of calcium and magnesium infusion in prevention of oxaliplatin neurotoxicity. A phase III trial

Objective： This study is a prospective randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to evaluate the effect of calcium and magnesium （Ca/Mg） infusion on amelioration of oxaliplatin neuropathy, the dose-limiting toxicity. Methods： Sixty patients with resected colorectal carcinoma （CRC） planned to receive adjuvant oxaliplatin-containing regimen were randomly assigned to two arms; Arm A： patients received Ca/Mg were given as 1 gm Ca gluconate and 1 gm MgSO4 in 250 mL of intravenous （IV） solution over 30 rain pre and post oxaliplatin infusion, and Arm B： patients received 250 mL of IV solution without Ca/Mg over 30 min pre and post oxaliplatin infusion. Primary outcome was to assess percentage of patients with oxaliplatin-induced neurotoxicity. Neurotoxicity was assessed according to the National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria forAdverse Events （NCI-CTCAE） version 3.0. Results： Sixty patients in both arms were assessed, 30 with Ca/Mg infusion and 30 without. Patients developed neurotoxicity in arm A were significantly lower than that in arm B after the end of treatment; 7 （23.3%） and 14 （46.6%） respectively （P 〈 0.05）, and significantly lower duration of neuropathy in months （8 ± 2.5 vs 18 ±3） respectively （P 〈 0.001）. Conclusion： Use of IV Ca/Mg showed a statistically significant reduction of peripheral neuropathy （PN） in patients with CRC receiving oxaliplatin in the adjuvant settings.

Demineralized Drinking Water in Local Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment Stations and the Potential Effect on Human Health

Water is important for life and its elements are very useful for human body to some extent. Reverse Osmosis (RO) is a very effective method in minimizing the concentrations of some elements in drinking water treatment. Therefore, the goal of this study is to measure the concentrations of some important parameters for human body and the role of Reverse Osmosis (RO) method in the local drinking water treatment stations in minimizing these constituents. This goal was achieved by comparing the effluent of five local drinking water treatment stations that depends on Reverse Osmosis as a primary treatment for the water produced from the Al-Diwaniyah water treatment plant. These parameters are PH, EC, TDS, Ca, Mg, and TH. Therefore, samples were collected and tested in Al-Qadisiyah Environmental Authority for these local drinking water treatment stations for seven weeks, in order to compare the effluent with the minimum concentrations required for human body according to the health studies and guide lines. The results show that all the drinking waters produced by these stations were below the WHO and Iraq standards. The concentrations of Calcium were in the range from 5.3 to 25 mg/l, while the concentrations of magnesium were in the range from 9.5 to 18.2 mg/l. Therefore, drinking water produced from RO stations should be remineralised to increase the concentrations of necessary constituents in order to minimize the risk of the potential influence of low level concentrations containing calcium carbonate or by adding calcium compounds to the water.