Comparison of the Influence of Oxygen Groups Introduced by Graphene Oxide on the Activity of Carbon Felt in Vanadium and Anthraquinone Flow Batteries.

An increasing number of studies focus on organic flow batteries (OFBs) as possible substitutes for the vanadium flow battery (VFB), featuring anthraquinone derivatives, such as anthraquinone-2,7-disulfonic acid (2,7-AQDS). VFBs have been postulated as a promising energy storage technology. However, the fluctuating cost of vanadium minerals and risky supply chains have hampered their implementation, while OFBs could be prepared from renewable raw materials.

Tailored Porous Carbon Xerogels for Fe-N-C Catalysts in Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells.

Atomically dispersed Fe-N-C catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) have been synthesized with a template-free method using carbon xerogels (CXG) as a porous matrix. The porosity of the CXGs is easily tunable through slight variations in the synthesis procedure. In this work, CXGs are prepared by formaldehyde and resorcinol polymerization, modifying the pH during the process.

Dietary habits in patients with fibromyalgia: a cross-sectional study.

Objectives: To the scarce information on dietary habits in fibromyalgia (FM), it is added that there are no comparative studies with other rheumatic diseases. The objective of this study was to characterise the dietary habits of patients with FM by comparing, for the first time, with healthy controls (HC) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: This cross-sectional, observational study was based on data obtained from the Dietfibrom project for FM and from the IMID Consortium for RA and HC.

Correlation of fatigue with other disease related and psychosocial factors in patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated with tocilizumab: ACT-AXIS study.

To assess the hypothesis if tocilizumab (TCZ) is effective on disease activity, and also its effect in fatigue and other clinical and psychological disease-related factors in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treated with TCZ.A 24-week, multicenter, prospective, observational study in patients with moderate to severe RA receiving TCZ after failure or intolerance to disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs or tumor necrosis factor-alpha was conducted.Of the 122 patients included, 85 were evaluable for effectiveness (85% female, 51.

Charcot osteoarthropathy of the knee secondary to neurosyphilis: a rare condition managed by a challenging arthrodesis.

The Charcot joint or neuropathic osteoarthropathy was first described as an arthritic sequela of neurosyphilis (tabes dorsalis). It results in significant joint destruction and instability. Nowadays, it is a very rare condition and represents a considerable challenge to the orthopaedic surgeon.

Private rheumatology in Catalonia, Spain.

Objective: To establish the percentage of Catalonian rheumatologists who attended to private patients, to understand the most common processes in private practice, to determine the dedication to patient care and the necessary activities to guarantee proper care, such as continuing education and office management, and to know what techniques were most widely used.

Material And Methods: A personalized survey of Catalonian rheumatologists whose e-mail addresses were made available to us. Fifty-two responses were analyzed.

N-Doped Carbon Xerogels as Pt Support for the Electro-Reduction of Oxygen.

Durability and limited catalytic activity are key impediments to the commercialization of polymer electrolyte fuel cells. Carbon materials employed as catalyst support can be doped with different heteroatoms, like nitrogen, to improve both catalytic activity and durability. Carbon xerogels are nanoporous carbons that can be easily synthesized in order to obtain N-doped materials.

New Perspectives in Multiple Primary Colorectal Cancer: A Surgical Approach.

Background: We identify the features of multiple primary colorectal cancer (MPCC), synchronous colorectal cancer (SCRC) and metachronous colorectal cancer (MCRC), and distinguish between the cases that require a more extensive surgery and those where the parameters of SCRC might be important to prevent the development of MCRC.

Methods: We gathered up consecutive individuals with MPCC, 50 for each category, and 100 consecutive individuals diagnosed with 'single' colorectal cancer. Clinical and familiar information was obtained.

VARIAR Study: Assessment of short-term efficacy and safety of rituximab compared to an tumor necrosis factor alpha antagonists as second-line drug therapy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis refractory to a first tumor necrosis factor alpha antagonist.

Objective: to compare the short-term efficacy and safety of rituximab (RTX) therapy versus anti-TNF in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients after discontinuation of a first anti-TNF agent.

Methods: prospective observational multicenter study in the clinical practice setting, involving patients with severe RA refractory to a first anti-TNF agent, who received either RTX or a second anti-TNF (2TNF), comparing the efficacy endpoints, EULAR response (Good/Moderate) and safety at 6 months.

Results: 103 patients enrolled, 82 completed 6-month follow-up, 73.

The Spanish version of the 2010 American College of Rheumatology Preliminary Diagnostic Criteria for fibromyalgia: reliability and validity assessment.

Objectives: To investigate the reliability and validity of the Spanish version of the 2010 American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Preliminary Diagnostic Criteria for Fibromyalgia (FM) in patients with chronic pain.

Methods: The 2010 ACR Preliminary Diagnostic Criteria for FM were adapted to a Spanish version following the guidelines of the Rheumatology Spanish Society Study Group of FM. Based on the 1990 ACR classi cation criteria for FM, patients with chronic pain were initially divided into two groups: a FM group and another group of non-FM individuals.

Investigation of Supported Pd-Based Electrocatalysts for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction: Performance, Durability and Methanol Tolerance.

Next generation cathode catalysts for direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) must have high catalytic activity for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), a lower cost than benchmark Pt catalysts, and high stability and high tolerance to permeated methanol. In this study, palladium catalysts supported on titanium suboxides (Pd/TiO) were prepared by the sulphite complex route. The aim was to improve methanol tolerance and lower the cost associated with the noble metal while enhancing the stability through the use of titanium-based support; 30% Pd/Ketjenblack (Pd/KB) and 30% Pd/Vulcan (Pd/Vul) were also synthesized for comparison, using the same methodology.

Diagnostic and therapeutic delay of rheumatoid arthritis and its relationship with health care devices in Catalonia. The AUDIT study.

Objective: Diagnosis and therapy of patients with early onset rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is influenced by accessibility to specialized care devices. We attempted to analyze the impact of their availability.

Methods: We analyzed time related to diagnosis delay measuring: 1) Time from first clinical symptoms to the first visit with the Rheumatologist; 2) Time from referral to the first visit of Rheumatology; 3) Time between first symptom until final diagnosis; 4) time between first symptom until the initiation of the first disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD).

Carbon Nanofibers as Advanced Pd Catalyst Supports for the Air Electrode of Alkaline Metal-Air Batteries.

Carbon nanofibers are investigated as a support for Pd catalysts. The electrochemical behavior of these catalysts for both the oxygen reduction and oxygen evolution reactions is investigated in a half-cell configuration in alkaline solution (6 M KOH) at room temperature. The catalysts are compared with an internal benchmark consisting of Pd supported on Vulcan.

Improving the primary care physicians' decision making for fibromyalgia in clinical practice: development and validation of the Fibromyalgia Detection (FibroDetect®) screening tool.

Background: Fibromyalgia diagnosis is a challenging and long process, especially among primary care physicians (PCPs), because of symptom heterogeneity, co-morbidities and clinical overlap with other disorders. The purpose was to develop and validate a screening tool in French (FR), German (DE) and English (UK) to help PCPs identify patients with fibromyalgia.

Methods: The FibroDetect questionnaire was simultaneously developed in FR, DE and UK based on information obtained from a literature review, focus groups conducted with clinicians, and face-to-face interviews with fibromyalgia patients (FR, DE and UK, n = 23).

Long-term tolerability and maintenance of therapeutic response to sodium oxybate in an open-label extension study in patients with fibromyalgia.

Introduction: The long-term safety and therapeutic response of sodium oxybate (SXB) in fibromyalgia syndrome (FM) patients were assessed for a combined period of up to 1 year in a prospective, multicenter, open-label, extension study in patients completing 1 of 2 phase 3 randomized, double-blind, controlled, 14-week trials that examined the efficacy and safety of SXB 4.5 g, SXB 6 g, and placebo for treatment of FM.

Methods: This extension study comprised an additional 38 weeks of treatment and was carried out at 130 clinical sites in 7 countries.

Effects of obesity on function and quality of life in chronic pain conditions.

Many people throughout the world have both chronic pain and obesity. Overweight and obese people are more prone to a proinflammatory state manifesting as metabolic syndrome but also to a higher prevalence of chronic pain comorbidities. Obesity and a high body mass index (BMI) are associated with impaired functional capacity and reduced quality of life (QoL) in patients with chronic pain conditions.

Age at onset should be a major criterion for subclassification of colorectal cancer.

An important proportion of early-onset colorectal cancer (CRC) does not show a hereditary component with limited knowledge about its molecular basis and features. We analyzed a subset of patients with early-onset CRC and compared them with patients with late-onset CRC. We analyzed the microsatellite instability and CpG island methylator phenotype (CIMP) in both populations and classified them into four molecular subtypes.