Purification and Sorting of Halloysite Nanotubes into Homogeneous, Agglomeration-Free Fractions by Polydopamine Functionalization.

Halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) have attracted great attention in the field of nanotechnology as natural, high value-added nanomaterials. Despite their significant potential as carriers of active agents and fillers in nanocomposite structures, inhomogeneity of HNTs in terms of length and diameter along with their agglomeration tendency poses important obstacles for the utilization of them in a wider range of applications. Here, a facile, three-step separation protocol that allows the sorting of HNTs into agglomeration-free, uniform size fractions is reported.

Nicotine chewing gum for the prevention of postoperative ileus after colorectal surgery: a multicenter, double-blind, randomised, controlled pilot study.

Purpose: When postoperative ileus is not resolved after 5 days or recurs after resolution, prolonged POI (PPOI) is diagnosed. PPOI increases discomfort, morbidity and hospitalisation length, and is mainly caused by an inflammatory response following intestinal manipulation. This response can be weakened by targeting the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway, with nicotine as essential regulator.

No differences in short-term morbidity and mortality after robot-assisted laparoscopic versus laparoscopic resection for colonic cancer: a case-control study of 263 patients.

Background: Robot-assisted laparoscopy has been reported to be a safe and feasible alternative to traditional laparoscopy. The aim of this study was to compare short-term results in patients with colonic cancer who underwent robot-assisted laparoscopic colonic resection (RC) or laparoscopic colonic resection (LC).

Methods: The study was a retrospective case control study of all patients with colonic cancer who underwent RC from March 2010 to March 2012 or LC from January 2009 to December 2011 at a tertiary-care university hospital.

The emerging application of remote ischemic conditioning in the clinical arena.

Remote ischemic conditioning (RIC) is an intervention, in which intermittent episodes of ischemia and reperfusion in an organ or tissue distant from the target organ requiring protection, provide armour against lethal ischemia-reperfusion injury. Although the exact mechanisms underlying the protection mediated through RIC have not been clearly established, the release of humoral factors and the activation of neural pathways have been implicated. There is now clinical evidence suggesting that this form of protection can be induced by a simple, noninvasive, and cost-effective procedure such as inflation and deflation of a blood pressure cuff and that this intervention provides increased organ protection in a variety of clinical scenarios, for example, in myocardial infarction.