From Dielectric to Electro-Responsive Thermoplastics: An Approach Based on Electro-Thermal Reorientation and Charged Gas Activation.

The transition from insulator to electro-responsive has been successfully achieved by earlier studies for some inorganic materials by applying external stimuli that modify their 3D and/or electronic structures. In the case of insulating polymers, this transition is frequently accomplished by mixing them with other electroactive materials, even though a few physical treatments that induce suitable chemical modifications have also been reported. In this work, a smart approach based on the application of an electro-thermal reorientation process followed by a charged gas activation treatment has been developed for transforming insulating 3D printed polymers into electro-responsive materials.

Green Synthesis of Urea from Carbon Dioxide and Ammonia Catalyzed by Ultraporous Permanently Polarized Hydroxyapatite.

The sustainable synthesis of urea from ammonia (NH) and carbon dioxide (CO) using ultraporous permanently polarized hydroxyapatite (upp-HAp) as catalyst has been explored as an advantageous CO-revalorization strategy. As the simultaneous activation of N and CO (single-step) demands an increase of the reaction conditions, we have re-visited the industrial two-step Bazarov reaction. upp-HAp has been designed as a stable multifunctional catalyst capable of promoting both CO and NH adsorption for their subsequent C-N bond formation.

Establishing Quartz Crystal Microbalance with Dissipation (QCM-D) Coupled with Spectroscopic Ellipsometry (SE) as an Advantageous Technique for the Characterization of Ultra-Thin Film Hydrogels.

Despite the considerable significance of utilizing ultra-thin film (utf) hydrogels as multipurpose platforms for biomedical applications, there is still an important lack of adequate characterization techniques suitable for such materials. In this Perspective, the use of quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) coupled with spectral ellipsometry (SE) is presented as a potential tool for the complete characterization of utf-hydrogels due to its nanometric sensitivity and high versatility. Herein, the fundaments for utf-hydrogel characterization are settled down as far as the QCM-D/SE response is explored under a wide range of different in operando wet working conditions measurements such as temperature or liquid media, among others.

Tailorable Nanoporous Hydroxyapatite Scaffolds for Electrothermal Catalysis.

Polarized hydroxyapatite (HAp) scaffolds with customized architecture at the nanoscale have been presented as a green alternative to conventional catalysts used for carbon and dinitrogen fixation. HAp printable inks with controlled nanoporosity and rheological properties have been successfully achieved by incorporating Pluronic hydrogel. Nanoporous scaffolds with good mechanical properties, as demonstrated by means of the nanoindentation technique, have been obtained by a sintering treatment and the posterior thermally induced polarization process.

Electroresponsive and pH-Sensitive Hydrogel as Carrier for Controlled Chloramphenicol Release.

Multiresponsive hydrogels, which are smart soft materials that respond to more than one external stimulus, have emerged as powerful tools for biomedical applications, such as drug delivery. Within this context and with the aim of eliminating the systematic administration of antibiotics, special attention is being paid to the development of systems for controlled delivery of antibiotic for topical treatment of bacterial infections. In this work, an electro-chemo responsive hydrogel able to release chloramphenicol (CAM), a broad spectrum antibiotic also used for anticancer therapy, is proposed.

Permanently polarized hydroxyapatite, an outstanding catalytic material for carbon and nitrogen fixation.

Hydroxyapatite (HAp) is a well-known ceramic material widely used in the biomedical field. This review summarizes the very recent developments on permanently polarized HAp (pp-HAp), a HAp variety with tuned electrical properties that confer remarkable catalytic activity. pp-HAp is obtained by applying a thermal stimulation polarization process (TSP), which consists on a DC electric voltage of 500 V at 1000 °C, to previously sintered HAp.

Permanently polarized hydroxyapatite for selective electrothermal catalytic conversion of carbon dioxide into ethanol.

Conversion of CO into valuable chemicals is not only a very challenging topic but also a socially demanding issue. In this work, permanently polarized hydroxyapatite obtained using a thermal stimulated polarization process is proposed as a highly selective catalyst for green production of ethanol starting from CO and CH.

Mapping IPF helps identify geographic regions at higher risk for disease development and potential triggers.

Background And Objective: The relationship between IPF development and environmental factors has not been completely elucidated. Analysing geographic regions of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) cases could help identify those areas with higher aggregation and investigate potential triggers. We hypothesize that cross-analysing location of IPF cases and areas of consistently high air pollution concentration could lead to recognition of environmental risk factors for IPF development.

Electrically Polarized Hydroxyapatite: Influence of the Polarization Process on the Microstructure and Properties.

Semipermanently polarized hydroxyapatite, named SP/HAp(w), is obtained by applying a constant dc electric field of 1-10 kV/cm at 300-850 °C to the samples previously sintered in water vapor, while permanently polarized hydroxyapatite, PP/HAp(a), is produced by applying a dc electric field of 3 kV/cm at 1000 °C to the samples sintered in air. SP/HAp(w) has been used for biomedical applications, while PP/HAp(a) has been proved to be a valuable catalyst for N and CO fixation. In this work, structural differences between SP/HAp(w) and PP/HAp(a) have been ascertained using Raman microscopy, wide-angle X-ray diffraction, scanning electronic microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and grazing incidence X-ray diffraction.

Transforming a Compact Disk into a Simple and Cheap Photocatalytic Nanoreactor.

A commercial compact disk has been converted into an effective photocatalytic nanoreactor by depositing a catalyst layer inside the nanochannels by means of an electrophoretic method. The resultant device has been tested for water splitting, obtaining a high yield of hydrogen at an unbeatable low cost.

Feasibility and safety of an early discharge strategy after low-risk acute myocardial infarction treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention: the EDAMI pilot trial.

Objectives: This pilot trial evaluated the feasibility and safety of an early discharge strategy (EDS: ≤72 h, followed by outpatient lifestyle interventions), in comparison with a conventional discharge strategy (CDS) for low-risk (Zwolle risk score ≤3) ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients treated with primary angioplasty.

Methods: One hundred patients were randomized to an EDS (n = 54) or a CDS (n = 46). The primary end point was the feasibility of the EDS: (1) ≥70% of EDS patients discharged ≤72 h, (2) ≥70% visited by a nurse ≤7 days after discharge, (3) ≥70% with ≥3 visits by the nurse and (4) ≥70% visited by a cardiologist ≤3 months.

Body mass index and hospital mortality in patients with acute coronary syndrome receiving care in a university hospital.

Although obesity is a well-established cardiovascular risk factor, some controversy has arisen with regard to its effect on hospital mortality in patients admitted for acute coronary syndrome. Methods. Clinical and anthropometric variables were analyzed in patients consecutively admitted for acute coronary syndrome to a university hospital between 2009 and 2010, and the correlation of those variables with hospital mortality was examined.

Discharge against medical advice at a general hospital in Catalonia.

Some studies on discharge against medical advice (AMA) in general hospitals report a prevalence between 0.7-7% with 11-42% of this population identified as psychiatric patients. To study the sociodemographic and psychopathological features of patients who leave AMA, we performed a retrospective case-control comparison study of length of hospitalization and presence of psychiatric disturbances on patients who left AMA from the University General Hospital in Catalan Spain over a two-year period.