Improvement of the Thermal Stability of Polymer Bioblends by Means of Reactive Extrusion.

Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and biosourced polyamide (PA) bioblends, with a variable PA weight content of 10-50%, were manufactured by melt blending in order to improve the behavior of PLA against thermal degradation. The effect of reactive extrusion on the thermal performance of PLA within bioblends was analyzed. The reactive extrusion was made by means of the addition of a styrene-acrylic multi-functional-epoxide oligomeric reactive agent (SAmfE), with the commercial name of Joncryl.

Effective Tensile Strength Estimation of Natural Fibers through Micromechanical Models: The Case of Henequen Fiber Reinforced-PP Composites.

The performance of henequen fibers and polypropylene composites obtained by injection molding with and without coupling agent was evaluated. Henequen fibers are natural non-wood fibers mainly used in textile sector or in thermosetting matrix composites. In this work, henequen fibers have been used as a possible substitute reinforcement material for sized glass fibers.

Implications of the Circular Economy in the Context of Plastic Recycling: The Case Study of Opaque PET.

The use of recycled opaque PET (r-O-PET, with TiO) as a reinforcement for the recycled polypropylene matrix (r-PP) was evaluated through the life cycle assessment according to different scenarios corresponding to two different recycled blends and considered two virgin raw plastic material as reference materials when comparing the environmental performance of the proposed treatments. The results indicate that the environmental performance was quite different for each blend, since the additional extrusion process required in scenario 2 (blend with TiO) causes all impact categories analysed to report higher values when compared with scenario 1 (blend without TiO). The stage that contributes the most corresponds to the different extrusion processes included in both recycling blends, representing at least 80% of the total for global warming.

Kinetics of the Thermal Degradation of Poly(lactic acid) and Polyamide Bioblends.

Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and biosourced polyamide (PA) bioblends, with a variable PA weight content of 10-50%, were prepared by melt blending in order to overcome the high brittleness of PLA. During processing, the properties of the melt were stabilized and enhanced by the addition of a styrene-acrylic multi-functional-epoxide oligomeric reactive agent (SAmfE). The general analytical equation (GAE) was used to evaluate the kinetic parameters of the thermal degradation of PLA within bioblends.

Pediatric Kidney Transplantation in Perú: A Single-Center Initial Experience.

Background: Pediatric kidney transplantation (PKTx) is the preferred therapy for children with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) worldwide. Regrettably, in Perú, access to PKTx is extremely difficult due to recipient/donor socio-economic status, health care structure and especially, scarcity of organs. Our center (the only pediatric institute in the country) has recently started a PKTx program with good midterm results.

PLA/PA Bio-Blends: Induced Morphology by Extrusion.

The effect of processing conditions on the final morphology of Poly(Lactic Acid) (PLA) with bio-based Polyamide 10.10 (PA) 70/30 blends is analyzed in this paper. Two types of PLA were used: Commercial (neat PLA) and a rheologically modified PLA (PLA), with higher melt elasticity produced by reactive extrusion.

Pediatric liver transplantation in Latin America: Where do we stand?

LT started in LA in 1968, and pediatric LT records are available starting in the 1990s. Currently, eight countries perform pediatric LT in LA. Registries by national organizations fail to report robust data on pediatric LT.

Liver transplantation for autoimmune hepatitis in Peru: outcomes and recurrence.

Background: Liver transplantation is the only therapy for end-stage liver disease. Cirrhosis secondary to autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is an indication in 4-6% of adult transplants.

Aims: To describe the outcomes and recurrence of AIH in liver transplant patients.

Twenty-four-hour ocular perfusion pressure in primary open-angle glaucoma.

Aim: To compare the 24 h intraocular pressure (IOP), blood pressure (BP), and perfusion pressure (PP) of primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) patients and healthy individuals.

Methods: 24 healthy individuals and 29 POAG patients underwent IOP and BP measurements every 2 h, starting at 08:00 until 06:00 of the next morning. IOP measurements were made by a masked observer with a Goldmann tonometer at the slit-lamp from 08:00 to 22:00 and with the Perkins tonometer in supine position from 24:00 to 06:00.

Aqueous humor endothelin-1 (Et-1), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) levels in Mexican glaucomatous patients.

Purpose: To evaluate the concentration of endothelin-1, vascular endothelial growth factor, and cyclooxygenase-2 in aqueous humor from normal and glaucomatous human patients.

Material And Methods: Concentrations of these proteins were measured using ELISA kits in 83 patients (30 presenting for cataract surgery and 53 with glaucoma).

Results: Endothelin-1, vascular endothelial growth factor, and cyclooxygenase-2 were detected in all samples.

A 6-week, multicenter, randomized, double-masked, parallel-group study comparing travoprost 0.004% to latanoprost 0.005% followed by 6-week, open-label treatment with travoprost 0.004%.

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the tolerability and efficacy of once-daily travoprost 0.004% versus latanoprost 0.005% for 6 weeks followed by 6 weeks of once-daily travoprost 0.

[Cholesterol crystal embolism].

Cholesterol crystal embolism (CCE) is an infrequent entity that primarily appears in males over the age of 60 with generalized arteriosclerosis after angiographic procedures, vascular surgery or, more rarely, with oral anticoagulant treatment with heparin or with fibrinolytics. We present the case of a patient with several risk factors for CCE, who presented with the pathognomonic triad of leg and foot pain, livedo reticularis and palpable pedal pulses. The diagnosis was based on the fact that cholesterol crystals were seen in the arterioles in the skin biopsy.

Social benefits of non-criminal genetic databases: missing persons and human remains identification.

A Missing Persons Genetic Identification Program (Phoenix Program) was implemented in Spain in order to try to identify cadavers and human remains that could not be identified using traditional forensic approaches; to our knowledge, this is the first database ever implemented and in function in the world. Two separate mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) databases have been generated and comparisons can be made automatically to match identical or similar sequences contained in both databases. One database is called the Reference Database (RD), which contains mtDNA sequences from maternal relatives of missing persons that provide the samples voluntarily after informed consent.