Assessment of a Novel Fixation Method of a Frameless Intrauterine Contraceptive Device Inserted during Cesarean Delivery as a Means of Preventing Displacements and Expulsions: A Prospective Observational Study

The primary objective of this study was to assess the novel fixation method of a frameless copper-releasing intrauterine device inserted following placental delivery during cesarean section and analyze its impact in reducing device displacement and expulsion during and after uterine involution. We hypothesized that the dual-anchoring technique could reduce the risk of intrauterine device displacement and expulsion during and after the uterine involution. The study was conducted at the Gazi University Medicine Faculty Hospital in Ankara, Turkey. Twenty-one pregnant women were enrolled. Insertion was performed following placental removal. To confirm the proper placement and good retention of the device, the distance between the fundal serosa (S) and device anchor knot (A) was measured (S–A) during follow-ups, by ultrasound. There were significant differences in the S–A, as observed by ultrasound at discharge and at 6 weeks post-delivery, which is consistent with the tissue contractions associated with uterine involution. Notwithstanding the uterine involution, no device displacements or expulsions occurred, which indicated a good retention of the frameless device. This innovative retention method of the frameless intrauterine device ensures a well-tolerated, long-term contraception, allowing for immediate contraception and proper pregnancy spacing for cesarean scar healing, and overcomes the issue of expulsion encountered with conventional intrauterine systems.

Microencapsulation of Cyclocarya paliurus (Batal.) Iljinskaja Extracts: A Promising Technique to Protect Phenolic Compounds and Antioxidant Capacities

This study aimed to protect phenolic compounds of Cyclocarya paliurus (Batal.) Iljinskaja (C. paliurus) using a microencapsulation technique. Ethanol and aqueous extracts were prepared from C. paliurus leaves and microencapsulated via microfluidic-jet spray drying using three types of wall material: (1) maltodextrin (MD; 10–13, DE) alone; (2) MD:gum acacia (GA) of 1:1 ratio; (3) MD:GA of 1:3 ratio. The powders’ physicochemical properties, microstructure, and phenolic profiles were investigated, emphasizing the retentions of the total and individual phenolic compounds and their antioxidant capacities (AOC) after spray drying. Results showed that all powders had good physical properties, including high solubilities (88.81 to 99.12%), low moisture contents (4.09 to 6.64%) and low water activities (0.11 to 0.19). The extract type used for encapsulation was significantly (p < 0.05) influenced the powder color, and more importantly the retention of total phenolic compounds (TPC) and AOC. Overall, the ethanol extract powders showed higher TPC and AOC values (50.93–63.94 mg gallic acid equivalents/g and 444.63–513.49 µM TE/g, respectively), while powders derived from the aqueous extract exhibited superior solubility, attractive color, and good retention of individual phenolic compounds after spray drying. The high-quality powders obtained in the current study will bring opportunities for use in functional food products with potential health benefits.

Optimization of the Hot-Pressing Regime in the Production of Eco-Friendly Fibreboards Bonded with Hydrolysis Lignin

This research was aimed at studying the potential of using residual lignin from acid hydrolysis as a binder in manufacturing eco-friendly, dry-process fibreboards. For that purpose, a modification of the adhesive system and hot-pressing regime was conducted. The adhesive system applied was composed of 2 % phenol-formaldehyde (PF) resin and 10 % hydrolysis lignin (based on the dry fibres). The PF resin does not only act as a binder but generally contributes to the even distribution and good retention of the main binder – hydrolysis lignin. A specific hot-pressing cycle was used. In the first stage, the pressure was 1.0 MPa, followed by an increased pressure of 4.0 MPa, and subsequent cooling. The purpose of the initial lower pressure was softening the lignin and reduction of the material moisture content. The effect of the second stage of hot-pressing on the properties of eco-friendly fibreboards was investigated. It was determined that the fibreboards produced with 2 % PF resin and 10 % hydrolysis lignin have similar physical and mechanical properties to those of the control panels, produced with 10 % PF resin at a standard hot-pressing cycle. The findings of this work demonstrate that residual hydrolysis lignin can be effectively utilized as a binder in the production of eco-friendly, dry-process fibreboards with acceptable physical and mechanical properties.

Multicenter Study of Secukinumab Survival and Safety in Spondyloarthritis and Psoriatic Arthritis: SEcukinumab in Cantabria and ASTURias Study

Objectives: We aimed to evaluate the drug retention rate and safety of secukinumab (SEC) in patients with axial spondyloarthritis (AxSpA) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) in a real clinical setting.Methods: This multicenter retrospective observational study included all AxSpA and PsA patients who received at least one dose of SEC. Adverse events (AE) and the drug retention rate were the main study outcomes. Drug survival was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier curves while predictive factors of discontinuation were evaluated using a Cox regression analysis. The weight of these associations was estimated by hazard ratio (HR) values.Results: We included 154 patients (59 PsA and 95 AxSpA). Mean disease duration was 6.5 years (IQR 2-8). Sixty-one percent of patients were treated with two or more biologics prior to SEC. The 1 and 2-year retention rates for SEC were 66 and 43%, respectively. The main causes of discontinuation were inefficacy (59%) and AE (36%). The factors associated with lower risk of discontinuation were male gender (HR 0.54, 95% CI 0.38-0.78 p = 0.001), obesity (HR 0.53, 95% CI 0.30-0.93 p = 0.027), hypertension (HR 0.55, 95% CI 0.30-0.93 p = 0.008), and diabetes (HR 0.42 95% CI 0.18-0.99 p = 0.047) while number of previous biologics and depression were predictors of discontinuation (HR 1.18, 95% CI 1.04-1.34 p = 0.011 and HR 2.53, 95% CI 1.61-3.96 p &lt; 0.001).Conclusions: SEC showed a good retention rate in a population previously exposed to several biological therapies. As a novelty, cardiometabolic comorbidities were associated with better drug survival.

ASYMMETRIC CELLULOSE ACETATE MEMBRANES USED IN SEPARATION APPLICATIONS

This work focused on the use of cellulose acetate polymer for the preparation of porous asymmetric membranes using a phase inversion process. These membranes were characterised by scanning electron microscopy, a bubble-point method and sorption measurements. The preparation method used induced membrane anisotropy. The capacity of the membranes in the removal of electrolyte (NaCl) from aqueous solution was investigated. A good retention of 58.6% and a high flux rate of 8.9 × 10–4 m/s using NaCl solution of 200 mg/L concentration were obtained by cellulose acetate membranes prepared with water as non-solvent. The results showed that the membrane performance was affected by the membrane structure, which was determined by the conditions of membrane preparation.

Guabijú (Myrcianthes pungens): Characterization of in natura and lyophilized Brazilian berry

The guabijú (Myrcianthes pungens) is a fruit native from Brazil, characterized by its pleasant sweet flavor, yellow pulp and purple skin in the ripe stage. Its maturation period occurs between december and april in the southern regions of Brazil. The aim of this study was to evaluate the physico-chemical characteristics of guabijú in natura and lyophilized from two different harvest times (December and January). The proximal composition, bioactive profile (anthocyanins, phenolic compounds, and antioxidant activity), mineral profile (Ca, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, K, and Zn), and color parameters (L*, a*, and b*) were evaluated. The fruits from January presented a higher content of carbohydrates, reducing sugars, antioxidant potential, and more intense characteristic color, while the fruits from December showed a higher total anthocyanin and mineral content. Moreover, the samples submitted to lyophilization showed good retention of bioactives, highlighting as a suitable method of processing to increase the stability without profound physico-chemical changes. In the colorimetric analysis, the lyophilized samples have a higher intensity of red color, especially in guabijú from January. Both guabijú forms (in natura and lyophilized) from two harvesting times were considered a source of bioactives, with great potential for application in foods.

FABRICATION AND ELECTROCHEMICAL PERFORMANCE OF LiFePO4/Ga-LLZO/Li ALL-SOLID-STATE LITHIUM BUTTON CELL

An all-solid-state Lithium button cell with Ga-doped Li7La3Zr2O12 (Ga-LLZO) as solid electrolyte, LiFePO4-based as cathode, and Li metal as anode has been successfully fabricated and characterized. The solid electrolyte was first optimized to obtain a high total conductivity. Different compositions of Li7-3xGaxLa3Zr2O12, where x =0, 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3. Li7La3Zr2O12 (LLZO) were synthesized using solid-state reaction and were characterized for its structural, morphological, electrical conductivity properties. XRD patterns of all sintered samples showed that all of the major peaks can be indexed to a cubic-phased garnet LLZO. SEM images revealed a densified sintered samples with relative densities of about 90% for all samples. Among the different studied compositions, the Ga-doped LLZO with x = 0.1 achieved the highest total conductivity of about 2.03 x 10-4 Scm-1 at 25oC, with an activation energy of 0.31 eV. From this solid electrolyte, an all-solid-state Lithium battery, 2032 button cell, was fabricated using LiFePO4-based cathode and Lithium metal as the anode. Charging and discharging characteristics were performed at 1C, 0.5C, and 0.2C rates. The results showed a good retention of coloumbic efficiency even after 50 cycles of charge and discharge. The capacity retention is about 15-20% after 50 cycles. The best performance of the coin cell battery revealed an initial specific discharging capacity of about 140 mAh/g using C/5 rate.

Near-Infrared Heterojunction Field Modulated Phototransistors with Distinct Photodetection/Photostorage Switching Feature for Artificial Visuals

With the rising demand of recording, computing and image capture, advanced optoelectronic detection, storage and logic devices are highly pursued. Nevertheless, multi-functional vision chip based on infrared detection and memory switching has never been demonstrated. Here, by utilizing the electronic extraction layer ZnO and face-on orientation of D-A, we exhibit the broadband visible to near-infrared photo-response and photo-storage characters on graphene phototransistor. Functions as photodetection and photo-storage can be switched with the variation of gate voltage. The device demonstrates high photo-responsivity up to 1.88 × 106 A/W at 895 nm corresponding detectivity of 4.8 × 1012 Jones. Importantly, the rewritable and switching infrared optoelectronic memory function can be achieved with good retention over 104 s. The both retinomorphic vision and memorial preprocessing in artificial visual are simultaneously realized by photodetection/photostorage switching property. Such nearly all-solution processes in our phototransistors may open up the path for the large-scale and easy manufacturing infrared multifunctional bio-optoelectronic device.

A confined crosslinking strategy towards intelligent organosilica-micellar hybrid drug delivery system

An ideal drug delivery system is required to have high stability to ensure effective circulation and passive aggregation, good retention performance, and dynamic delivery and treatment monitoring. Thus, developing a...