The Impact of Regiodefects on the Melt-Memory of Isotactic Polypropylene.

The memory of crystalline phase in the melt of isotactic polypropylene (iPP) in regiodefective samples of iPP characterized by different concentrations regiodefects, constituted by secondary 2,1 propene units, is studied. The self-nucleation (SN) experiments have demonstrated that the presence of 2,1 regiodefects produces a strong memory of the crystalline phase in the melt that persists up to temperatures much higher than the melting temperature. The extension of the heterogeneous melt (domain II) containing self-nuclei increases with increasing the concentration of regiodefects.

Combining Cyclic Units and Unsaturated Pendant Groups by Propene/1,5-Hexadiene Copolymerization Toward Functional Isotactic Polypropylene.

The precise use of a widely available and inexpensive metallocene catalyst enabled the synthesis of isotactic polypropylene copolymers characterized by the copresence of randomly distributed cyclic units in the backbone and unsaturated pendant units employing 1,5-hexadiene as comonomer. Optimization of the polymerization conditions avoided the cross-linking phenomena that negatively affects the material processing and final properties, resulting in good yields of samples featuring high molecular masses and a precisely controlled microstructure. Such polypropylene-based copolymers exhibit a broad spectrum of properties ranging from thermoplastic to surprising elastomeric behavior, with the additional value of being functionalizable by post-polymerization reactions.

Keto-Polyethylenes with Controlled Crystallinity and Materials Properties from Catalytic Ethylene-CO-Norbornene Terpolymerization.

Recent advances in Ni(II) catalyzed, nonalternating catalytic copolymerization of ethylene with carbon monoxide (CO) enable the synthesis of in-chain keto-functionalized polyethylenes (keto-PEs) with high-density polyethylene-like materials properties. Addition of norbornene as a bulky, noncrystallizable comonomer during catalytic polymerization allows tuning of the crystallinity in these keto-PE materials by randomly incorporated norbornene units in the polymer chain, while molecular weights are not adversely affected. Such crystallinity-reduced keto-PEs are characterized as softer materials with better ductility and may therefore be more suited for, e.

Crystallization Behavior of Isotactic Propene-Octene Random Copolymers.

The crystallization behavior of random propene-octene isotactic copolymers (iPPC8) prepared with a homogeneous metallocene catalyst has been studied. Samples of iPPC8 with low octene content up to about 7 mol% were isothermally crystallized from the melt at various crystallization temperatures. The samples crystallize in mixtures of the α and γ forms of isotactic polypropylene (iPP).

Melt-Crystallizations of α and γ Forms of Isotactic Polypropylene in Propene-Butene Copolymers.

Random isotactic propene-butene copolymers (iPPC4) of different stereoregularity have been synthesized with three different homogeneous single center metallocene catalysts having different stereoselectivity. All samples crystallize from the polymerization solution in mixtures of α and γ forms, and the relative amount of γ form increases with increasing concentrations of butene and of stereodefects. All samples crystallize from the melt in mixtures of α and γ forms and the fraction of γ form increases with decreasing cooling rate.

Structure and Morphology of Crystalline Syndiotactic Polypropylene-Polyethylene Block Copolymers.

A study of the structure and morphology of diblock copolymers composed of crystallizable blocks of polyethylene (PE) and syndiotactic polypropylene (sPP) having different lengths is reported. In both analyzed samples, the PE block crystallizes first by cooling from the melt (at 130 °C) and the sPP block crystallizes after at a lower temperature. Small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) recorded during cooling showed three correlation peaks at values of the scattering vector, = 0.

Late Worsening of COVID-19 Pneumonia: Successful Treatment with Ruxolitinib and Steroid.

Unlabelled: We describe the case of a patient hospitalized for the second time in a month due to delayed worsening of lung lesions in COVID-19 infection without bacterial superinfection. He was treated with hydroxychloroquine, IV dexamethasone and ruxolitinib with rapid improvement of respiratory failure; 1 month after the second discharge, maintaining low-dose oral prednisone, lung consolidations were significantly reduced on control CT.

Learning Points: Modulation of immune over-response in late phases of COVID-19 can influence global outcome.

Three-month mortality in permanently bedridden medical non-oncologic patients. The BECLAP study (permanently BEdridden, creatinine CLearance, albumin, previous hospital admissions study).

Objective: To predict the 3-months mortality in permanently bedridden medical non-oncologic inpatients.

Patients And Methods: 2788 consecutive patients admitted in 5 Italian Internal Medicine units from January 2016 through January 2017 were prospectively screened; 644 oncologic patients were excluded; 2144 non-oncologic patients (1021 female) were followed-up for mortality for 6 months. Main outcome was 3-months mortality in permanently bedridden inpatients with at least 2 of: creatinine clearance <35 ml/min; albumin < 2.

Biotechnological innovations for table olives.

The production of table olives is based on a relatively simple flow chart, including debittering and lactic fermentation. Producers' demand for innovation was the background to design and test some innovative and alternative approaches, i.e.

Ultrasound, anthropometry and bioimpedance: a comparison in predicting fat deposition in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Purpose: The aim of our study was the evaluation of anthropometric measurements [waist circumference and sagittal abdominal diameter (SAD)] and abdominal bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) (ViScan, TANITA) in comparison to several abdominal ultrasonographic (US) measurements to estimate visceral fat deposition and liver steatosis in a population of 105 subjects.

Methods: All 105 patients underwent a complete anthropometric evaluation, blood sample for the determination of total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose, insulin, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, BIA and US measurements (peritoneal, pre-peritoneal, peri-renal, para-renal and peri-hepatic fat thickness).

Results: All the ultrasonographic markers considered in our study are related to the presence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and so is true for SAD.

Long-term cardiovascular risk and coronary events in morbidly obese patients treated with laparoscopic gastric banding.

Background: Long-term studies reporting the effects of bariatric surgery on cardiovascular risk factors and events are scarce. The aim of this study was to analyze reduction of multiple cardiovascular risk factors and rates of coronary events in morbidly obese patients treated with bariatric surgery and with>10 years of follow-up.

Methods: This was a prospective uncontrolled study with laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding.

Surgical treatment of multiple symmetric lipomatosis with ultrasound-assisted liposuction.

Multiple symmetric lipomatosis (MSL) is a rare disease of unknown etiology, characterized by the presence of multiple, symmetrical, noncapsulated lipomas, mostly in the neck and upper trunk. To date, there is no effective medical treatment of MSL. Surgical treatment is based on 2 options, namely, lipectomy and/or liposuction.

Broken heart in elderly patients: two clinical observations.

Tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy (idiopathic or transient left ventricular apical ballooning syndrome [ABS]) is a reversible condition frequently precipitated by a stressful trigger that clinically mimics an acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction. Characteristically, hypokinesis or akinesis occurs in the mid- and apical segments of the left ventricle in the absence of epicardial coronary lesions. Preserved or hyperdynamic function of the basal myocardial segments results in apical ballooning, assuming the shape of a Japanese pot used to catch octopus (a takotsubo).

High-protein low-carbohydrate diets: what is the rationale?

Dietary recommendations released by the large majority of international scientific committees and organizations suggest that the diet for the prevention and treatment of the most compelling health problems of our societies (obesity, diabetes, atherosclerosis, cardiovascular diseases and cancer) should be a diet moderately low in caloric content, low in fat content (particularly in saturated fat), poor in total cholesterol and rich in fibre. Despite this uniformity in official recommendations, alternative diets with low carbohydrate and high protein content continue to be extremely popular within consumers and patients. Recently, new studies seem to suggest that high-protein low-carbohydrate diets may have particularly positive effects on reducing body weight and other risk factors for heart disease.

Weight loss and changes in use of antidiabetic medication in obese type 2 diabetics after laparoscopic gastric banding.

Background: Interest in bariatric surgery is growing as an effective method for long-term metabolic control in morbidly obese patients with type 2 diabetes. We analyzed the weight loss and changes in use of diabetic medication in obese patients with type 2 diabetes treated with laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB).

Methods: From 1993 to 2005, 1791 morbid obese patients underwent LAGB at our institution.

Upper airway size is related to obesity and body fat distribution in women.

The aim of this study is to analyze the relationships between obesity, fat distribution and pharyngeal transversal area in women. Cross-sectional areas of the pharynx at the oro-pharyngeal junction and at the glottis and mean pharyngeal area were measured by acoustic pharyngometry in 145 women (age 42.9 +/- 15.