Integration of LiTiO Crystalline Films on Silicon Toward High-Rate Performance Lithionic Devices.

The growth of crystalline Li-based oxide thin films on silicon substrates is essential for the integration of next-generation solid-state lithionic and electronic devices including on-chip microbatteries, memristors, and sensors. However, growing crystalline oxides directly on silicon typically requires high temperatures and oxygen partial pressures, which leads to the formation of undesired chemical species at the interface compromising the crystal quality of the films. In this work, we employ a 2 nm gamma-alumina (γ-AlO) buffer layer on Si substrates in order to grow crystalline thin films of LiTiO (LTO), a well-known active material for lithium-ion batteries.

Intravenous Magnesium Sulfate Reduces the Need for Antiarrhythmics during Acute-Onset Atrial Fibrillation in Emergency and Critical Care.

Several studies have suggested the potential role of Magnesium Sulfate (MgSO) for the treatment of Atrial Fibrillation (AF) but, in clinical practice, the use of magnesium is not standardized although it is largely used for the treatment of supraventricular arrhythmias. Objectives. We evaluated the role of MgSO infusion in association with flecainide in cardioversion of patients presenting in ED with symptomatic AF started less than 48 h before.

Incidence and Outcome of Pneumomediastinum in Non-ICU Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients.

Objectives: Pneumomediastinum (PNM) is a rare complication of mechanical ventilation, but its reported occurrence in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome secondary to COVID-19 is significant. The objective is to determine the incidence, risk factors, and outcome of PNM in non-ICU hospitalized patients with severe-to-critical COVID-19 pneumonia.

Design: Retrospective observational study.

Long peripheral cannula in COVID-19 patients: 769 catheter days experience from a semi-intensive respiratory COVID unit.

Background: In the daily management of peripheral venous access, the health emergency linked to the COVID-19 pandemic led to re-examining the criteria for choosing, positioning and maintaining the different types of peripheral venous access.

Objectives: This study aimed to observe the dwell time of long peripheral cannula (LPC, also known as ) in patients affected by COVID 19 related pneumonia. The secondary objective is to study any complications due to mini-midline insertion.

Growth of Li La Sr MnO thin films by pulsed laser deposition: complex relation between thin film composition and deposition parameters.

Li La Sr MnO thin films of various compositions (,,) have been grown using pulsed laser deposition. The compositions of the films have been studied as a function of deposition temperature, target-to-substrate distance and deposition pressure with respect to different cation ratios of the targets by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. When growing multi-elemental oxide thin films containing lithium (with its large mass difference to other elements), lithium loss is most probably inevitable.

Unusual malposition of a peripherally inserted central catheter into the left pericardiophrenic vein: A case report.

We report a case of primary malposition of a PICC inserted by guidewire replacement in the emergency room. Intraprocedural tip location by intracavitary electrocardiography was not feasible because the patient had atrial fibrillation; intraprocedural tip location by ultrasound (using the so-called "bubble test") showed that the tip was not in the superior vena cava or in the right atrium. A post-procedural chest X-ray confirmed the malposition but could not precise the location of the tip.

How social intimidation interferred with the increasing number of improper accesses at the E.R.: a first-month COVID19 outbreak evaluation.

SARS Cov 2 pandemic outbreak caused countless changes in the daily habits among people in the entire World. National Health Systems were highly stressed and at severe risk of collapse. In the first months of 2020, it was expected a worsening of the typical overcrowding working flow.

Risk Management in First Aid for Acute Drug Intoxication.

Drug abuse (cannabis, cocaine, opiates, and synthetic drugs) is an increasing phenomenon, especially in the younger population, thus leading to more cases of intoxication requiring evaluation in the emergency department and subsequent hospitalization. In 2017, 34.2% of students reported having used an illegal psychoactive substance in their lifetime, while 26% reported having done so over the past year.

Reduction of bacterial colonization at the exit site of peripherally inserted central catheters: A comparison between chlorhexidine-releasing sponge dressings and cyano-acrylate.

Introduction: A serious complication associated with Central Venous Access Device (CVAD) is infection because of bacterial contamination, either by the extra-luminal or by the intra-luminal route.We evaluated the efficacy, the safety, and the cost-effectiveness of two strategies for non-inferiority in controlling bacterial colonization of the exit-site of Peripherally-Inserted Central Catheters (PICC).

Methods: After PICC placement, a skin swab of the exit site was taken and cultured.

Lung Ultrasound Findings Are Associated with Mortality and Need for Intensive Care Admission in COVID-19 Patients Evaluated in the Emergency Department.

Lung ultrasound (LUS) has recently been advocated as an accurate tool to diagnose coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia. However, reports on its use are based mainly on hypothesis studies, case reports or small retrospective case series, while the prognostic role of LUS in COVID-19 patients has not yet been established. We conducted a prospective study aimed at assessing the ability of LUS to predict mortality and intensive care unit admission of COVID-19 patients evaluated in a tertiary level emergency department.

Mini-midline in difficult intravenous access patients in emergency department: A prospective analysis.

Background: "Difficult intravenous access" patients represent a challenge within an emergency department as they often require many attempts to insert a peripheral short cannula in the emergency room or during the whole hospitalization. This can lead to many problems in terms of patient discomfort, increase of cost, and prolonged treatment time.

Objectives: This study aimed to reduce the number of attempts needed for a short-cannula insertion or preventing insertion of a central vascular access by placing an ultrasound-guided long cannula during the emergency department visit.

Magnesium sulphate in the Emergency Department: an old, new friend.

With our study, we searched the medical literature to find magnesium (Mg) correlation with Emergency situations or its use in Emergency Medicine. Our aim is to fill the gap that we find in our daily routine between Mg studies on its role in Emergency and the real conception that doctors have of it in medical practice. We searched the literature for terms as magnesium or magnesium sulphate, magnesium in emergency, eclampsia, arrhythmias, acute asthma exacerbation, magnesium, and pediatric population.

A new clinical score for cranial CT in ED non-trauma patients: Definition and first validation.

Introduction: Well recognized guidelines are available for the use of cranial computed tomography (CCT) in traumatic patients, while no definitely accepted standards exists to for CCT in patients without history of head injury. The aim of this study is to propose an easy clinical score to stratify the need of CCT in emergency department (ED) patients with suspect non-traumatic intracranial pathology.

Methods: We retrospectively evaluated patients presenting to the ED for neurological deficit, postural instability, acute headache, altered mental status, seizures, confusion, dizziness, vertigo, syncope, and pre-syncope.

Epitaxial 8YSZ/YZrO multilayers: a conductivity and strain study.

Thin films of Y2Zr2O7 were grown via pulsed laser deposition (PLD) on substrates of MgO(110), Al2O3(0001) and Al2O3(11[combining macron]02). Electrical properties were investigated via electrical impedance spectroscopy. Unexpectedly, the ionic conductivity is not affected by the microstructure; only minor differences in conductivities and activation energies were measured between epitaxial thin films (on MgO) and textured thin films (on Al2O3, both orientations).

Interface Effects on the Ionic Conductivity of Doped Ceria-Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia Heterostructures.

Multilayered heterostructures of CeSmO and YZrO of a high crystallographic quality were fabricated on (001)-oriented MgO single crystal substrates. Keeping the total thickness of the heterostructures constant, the number of ceria-zirconia bilayers was increased while reducing the thickness of each layer. At each interface Ce was found primarily in the reduced, 3+ oxidation state in a layer extending about 2 nm from the interface.

Structure and chemistry of interfaces between ceria and yttria-stabilized zirconia studied by analytical STEM.

Epitaxial undoped and GdO-doped ceria films were grown by pulsed laser deposition on (1 1 1) faced YO-stabilized zirconia (YSZ). Highly localized cerium reduction at the film-substrate interfaces is revealed by atomically resolved valence EELS mapping using C aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy. The chemical profiles reveal interdiffusion of Ce, (Gd), Y, Zr, forming an intermixing zone at the interface 7-9 (1 1 1) lattice planes wide.

Sympathetic skin response in multiple sclerosis: a meta-analysis of case-control studies.

The usefulness of sympathetic skin responses (SSR) in multiple sclerosis (MS) has been advocated by several studies in the last 20 years; however, due to a great heterogeneity of findings, a comprehensive meta-analysis of case-control studies is in order to pinpoint consistencies and investigate the causes of discrepancies. We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE and Cochrane databases for case-control studies comparing SSR absence frequency and latency between patients with MS and healthy controls. Thirteen eligible studies including 415 MS patients and 331 healthy controls were identified.

Interface Effects on the Ion Transport of Epitaxial YZrO Films.

The systematic study of the ionic transport properties of epitaxial YZrO films with defective fluorite structure reveals an enhanced oxygen vacancy conductivity at the interface between the films and the MgO(110) substrate, which is characterized by a high density of misfit dislocations. This beneficial effect is discussed in terms of space-charge and mobility effects.

Iodine nutritional status and thyroid effects of exposure to ethylenebisdithiocarbamates.

Introduction: Italy is still characterized by a mild iodine deficiency and is among the most intensive users of chemical products for agriculture in Europe. The aim of this study was i) to evaluate thyroid effects of exposure to mancozeb, a fungicide widely used in agriculture, in a sample of Italian grapevine workers, and ii) to verify whether the iodine intake may modulate the risk of thyroid disruption due to the mancozeb metabolite ethylenthiourea (ETU).

Methods: One hundred seventy-seven occupationally exposed male workers (29 from Chianti, a mild iodine deficient area, and 148 from Bolzano an iodine sufficient province) and 74 non-occupationally exposed male controls (34 from Chianti and 40 from Bolzano) were enrolled in the study.

Safety and efficacy of low doses of diclofenac on acute pain in the emergency setting.

Diclofenac is the most widely prescribed non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug worldwide. Data collected during the last 10 years reported a dose-duration dependent increasing of cardiovascular risk associated with the use of diclofenac, supporting the evidence of a close association with the degree of COX-2 inhibition achieved in vivo. Nevertheless, the amplitude of cardiovascular risk associated with the administration of diclofenac at low doses and for the short-term duration is still poorly defined.

A simplified way for the urgent treatment of somatic pain in patients admitted to the emergency room: the SUPER algorithm.

Somatic pain is one of the most frequent symptoms reported by patients presenting to the emergency department (ED), but, in spite of this, it is very often underestimated and under-treated. Moreover, pain-killers prescriptions are usually related to the medical examination, leading to a delay in its administration, thus worsening the patient's quality of life. With our study, we want to define and validate a systematic and homogeneous approach to analgesic drugs administration, testing a new therapeutic algorithm in terms of earliness, safety, and efficacy.