NaMnTi(PO)/C Nanofiber Free-Standing Electrode for Long-Cycling-Life Sodium-Ion Batteries.

Self-standing NaMnTi(PO)/carbon nanofiber (CNF) electrodes are successfully synthesized by electrospinning. A pre-synthesized NaMnTi(PO) is dispersed in a polymeric solution, and the electrospun product is heat-treated at 750 °C in nitrogen flow to obtain active material/CNF electrodes. The active material loading is 10 wt%.

Design of NaMnZr(PO)/Carbon Nanofiber Free-Standing Cathodes for Sodium-Ion Batteries with Enhanced Electrochemical Performances through Different Electrospinning Approaches.

The NASICON-structured NaMnZr(PO) compound is a promising high-voltage cathode material for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). In this study, an easy and scalable electrospinning approach was used to synthesize self-standing cathodes based on NaMnZr(PO) loaded into carbon nanofibers (CNFs). Different strategies were applied to load the active material.

Design of Etched- and Functionalized-Halloysite/Meloxicam Hybrids: A Tool for Enhancing Drug Solubility and Dissolution Rate.

The study focuses on the synthesis and characterization of Meloxicam-halloysite nanotube (HNT) composites as a viable approach to enhance the solubility and dissolution rate of meloxicam, a poorly water-soluble drug (BCS class II). Meloxicam is loaded on commercial and modified halloysite (acidic and alkaline etching, or APTES and chitosan functionalization) via a solution method. Several techniques (XRPD, FT-IR, C solid-state NMR, SEM, EDS, TEM, DSC, TGA) are applied to characterize both HNTs and meloxicam-HNT systems.

Synthesis and Characterization of Carvedilol-Etched Halloysite Nanotubes Composites with Enhanced Drug Solubility and Dissolution Rate.

Carvedilol is a poorly water-soluble drug employed to treat chronic heart failure. In this study, we synthesize new carvedilol-etched halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) composites to enhance solubility and dissolution rate. The simple and feasible impregnation method is used for carvedilol loading (30-37% weight).

ZnS-rGO/CNF Free-Standing Anodes for SIBs: Improved Electrochemical Performance at High C-Rate.

ZnS-graphene composites (ZnSGO) were synthesized by a hydrothermal process and loaded onto carbon nanofibers (CNFs) by electrospinning (ZnS-GO/CNF), to obtain self-standing anodes for SIBs. The characterization techniques (XRPD, SEM, TEM, EDS, TGA, and Raman spectroscopy) confirm that the ZnS nanocrystals (10 nm) with sphalerite structure covered by the graphene sheets were successfully synthesized. In the ZnS-GO/CNF anodes, the active material is homogeneously dispersed in the CNFs' matrix and the ordered carbon source mainly resides in the graphene component.

FeO-Halloysite Nanotube Composites as Sustainable Adsorbents: Efficiency in Ofloxacin Removal from Polluted Waters and Ecotoxicity.

The present work aimed at decorating halloysite nanotubes (HNT) with magnetic FeO nanoparticles through different synthetic routes (co-precipitation, hydrothermal, and sol-gel) to test the efficiency of three magnetic composites (HNT/FeO) to remove the antibiotic ofloxacin (OFL) from waters. The chemical-physical features of the obtained materials were characterized through the application of diverse techniques (XRPD, FT-IR spectroscopy, SEM, EDS, and TEM microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and magnetization measurements), while ecotoxicity was assessed through a standard test on the freshwater organism . Independently of the synthesis procedure, the magnetic composites were successfully obtained.

Experimental in-vitro investigation on Epi-Off-Crosslinking on porcine corneas.

Aim: To evaluate quantitatively the effects of the Epi-Off-CXL irradiance dose on the stromal stiffening of pig corneas.

Setting: Laboratory of Biological structures (LaBS), Politecnico di Milano, Milano, Italy.

Methods: Inflation tests have been carried on 90 excised and de-epithelized pig corneas, monitoring the change of configuration of the corneal dome at specific pressures.

[From the addiction rehabilitation program to the return to work: results of an employment and social intervention among young adults with substance dependence].

Introduction: Substance dependence problems are considered to be a relevant issue for a large proportion of the working population and represent a huge health and occupational cost. However, few studies have examined the return to work after addiction problems.

Aims: This exploratory follow-up study aims to evaluate the return to work, in terms of employment outcomes, perceived work environment and physical and mental health of patients who have completed an addiction rehabilitation program and an employment and social intervention.

A previously unrecognized role of C3a in proteinuric progressive nephropathy.

Podocyte loss is the initial event in the development of glomerulosclerosis, the structural hallmark of progressive proteinuric nephropathies. Understanding mechanisms underlying glomerular injury is the key challenge for identifying novel therapeutic targets. In mice with protein-overload induced by bovine serum albumin (BSA), we evaluated whether the alternative pathway (AP) of complement mediated podocyte depletion and podocyte-dependent parietal epithelial cell (PEC) activation causing glomerulosclerosis.

Shiga toxin promotes podocyte injury in experimental hemolytic uremic syndrome via activation of the alternative pathway of complement.

Shiga toxin (Stx)-producing Escherichia coli is the offending agent of postdiarrhea-associated hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a disorder of glomerular ischemic damage and widespread microvascular thrombosis. We previously documented that Stx induces glomerular complement activation, generating C3a responsible for microvascular thrombosis in experimental HUS. Here, we show that the presence of C3 deposits on podocytes is associated with podocyte damage and loss in HUS mice generated by the coinjection of Stx2 and LPS.