Bigels based on polyelectrolyte complexes as vaginal drug delivery systems.

Bigels in which the cationic polymer -chitosan- is combined with an anionic polymer -karaya gum, pectin or xanthan gum- were prepared. These polymers, thanks to the attraction of their charged surface groups, are liable to form a polyelectrolyte complex that would modify the characteristics of the bigel. The obtained bigels were subsequently freeze-dried and tested to study their behavior against different conditions occurring in the vaginal environment.

Salvage Endovascular Thrombectomy for Splenic Vein Thrombosis After Pancreas Transplantation: A Single-Center Experience and Systematic Literature Review.

Objectives: Technical graft loss, usually thrombotic in nature, accounts for most of the pancreas grafts that are removed early after transplant. Although arterial and venous thrombosis can occur, the vein is predominantly affected, with estimated overall rate of thrombosis of 6% to 33%. In late diagnosis, the graft will need to be removed because thrombectomy will not restore its functionality.

Mesenchymal stromal cell therapy for COVID-19 acute respiratory distress syndrome: a double-blind randomised controlled trial.

Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) have immunomodulatory and tissue-regenerative properties and have shown promising results in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) of multiple causes, including COVID-19. We conducted a randomised (1:1), placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial to assess the efficacy and safety of one bone marrow-derived MSC infusion in twenty patients with moderate to severe ARDS caused by COVID-19. The primary endpoint (increase in PaO2/FiO2 ratio from baseline to day 7, MSC 83.

Scaling laws of plume-induced granular cratering.

Extraterrestrial landing often requires firing a high-speed plume towards a planetary surface, and the resulting gas-granular interactions pose potential hazards to the lander. To investigate these jet-induced cratering dynamics, an experiment campaign covering a range of gas and granular properties relevant to the lunar and Martian environments was conducted in a large-scale vacuum chamber. Despite the variations in jet Mach number, mass flow rate, and composition of the granular phase investigated in this work, the observed time evolution of crater depth displays a consistent transition from an early-stage linear to a late-stage sublinear growth.

Modified Arthroscopic Latissimus Dorsi Transfer at the Infraspinatus Footprint With Anterior Extracortical Fixation.

Massive irreparable cuff tears may represent as many as 20% to 40% of total cases of operated rotator cuff tears and can be a challenging clinical problem. Many treatment options have been proposed for their treatment. Among these options, latissimus dorsi tendon transfer can be considered a good alternative, especially in young patients before they develop glenohumeral arthritic changes.

Anterior Shoulder Instability Treated Through an Anterior Arthroscopic Approach.

Anterior shoulder instability remains one of the main indications for shoulder surgery. We present a modified way of treating anterior shoulder instability in the beach-chair position from an anterior arthroscopic approach through the rotator interval. This technique opens the rotator interval, which increases the working area and allows us to work without cannulae.

A Novel Mutation Associated with Neonatal Lethal Cardiomyopathy Leads to an Alternative Transcript Expression in the X-Linked Complex I Gene.

We report a neonatal patient with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), lactic acidosis and isolated complex I deficiency. Using a customized next-generation sequencing panel, we identified a novel hemizygous variant c.338G>A in the X-linked NDUFB11 gene that encodes the NADH: ubiquinone oxidoreductase subunit B11 of the mitochondrial respiratory chain (MRC) complex I (CI).

Anterior Shoulder Ligamentoplasty as a Treatment for Multidirectional Shoulder Instability.

Multidirectional shoulder instability represents an ongoing challenge for orthopaedic surgeons, and multiple techniques have been described to treat this condition. We present a modified anterior shoulder ligamentoplasty, in which we perform an inferior glenohumeral ligament (IHGL) anteroinferior and posteroinferior plication and, subsequently, an anterior reinforcement ligamentoplasty with an allograft through the subscapularis tendon, with humeral and glenoid fixation. This arthroscopic technique allows shoulder stability in the throwing position, as the humeral head is not uncovered in abduction, and external rotation by ascending the subscapularis tendon.

Clinical, Biochemical, and Molecular Characterization of Two Families with Novel Mutations in the Gene (GSD XI).

Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) catalyzes the reversible conversion of L-lactate to pyruvate. LDH-A deficiency is an autosomal recessive disorder (glycogenosis type XI, OMIM#612933) caused by mutations in the LDHA gene. We present two young adult female patients presenting with intolerance to anaerobic exercise, episodes of rhabdomyolysis, and, in one of the patients, psoriasis-like dermatitis.

Layer-by-layer vaginal films for acyclovir controlled release to prevent genital herpes.

Genital herpes is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections worldwide. It mainly affects women, as the rate of sexual transmission from male-to-female is higher than from female-to-male. The application of vaginal antivirals drugs could reduce the prevalence of genital herpes and prevent future infections.

Facial Scanning and Additive Manufacturing Used in Production Nasal Prosthesis.

Maxillofacial prosthesis is an effective treatment for patients with facial sequelae, but it remains challenging for professionals due to its high esthetic complexity. This study describes a clinical case of successful nasal prosthetic rehabilitation using digital technology and additive manufacturing. Initially, the 76-year-old patient, with a facial defect in the nasal region, had her face scanned with 3-dimensional scanner for laboratory planning of the prototype of a nasal prosthesis.

Silicon Oxycarbide Porous Particles and Film Coating as Strategies for Tenofovir Controlled Release in Vaginal Tablets for HIV Prevention.

Sustained release of antiretroviral drugs is currently the most encouraging strategy for the prevention of the sexual transmission of HIV. Vaginal tablets based on hydrophilic gelling polymers are an interesting dosage form for this purpose, since they can be developed to modify the release of the drug depending on the tablet swelling. Tenofovir is a drug with proven activity in the prevention of HIV-1 infection, and it is possible to have it loaded in the surface of γ-aminopropyl trimethoxy silane-functionalized oxycarbide particles.

Use of Radioisotope Ratios of Lead for the Identification of Historical Sources of Soil Lead Contamination in Santa Ana, California.

Lead (Pb) is an environmental neurotoxicant that has been associated with a wide range of adverse health conditions, and which originates from both anthropogenic and natural sources. In California, the city of Santa Ana represents an urban environment where elevated soil lead levels have been recently reported across many disadvantaged communities. In this study, we pursued a community-engaged research approach through which trained "citizen scientists" from the surrounding Santa Ana community volunteered to collect soil samples for heavy metal testing, a subset of which (n = 129) were subjected to Pb isotopic analysis in order to help determine whether contamination could be traced to specific and/or anthropogenic sources.

Use of historical mapping to understand sources of soil-lead contamination: Case study of Santa Ana, CA.

This paper investigates the historical sources of soil-lead contamination in Santa Ana, California. Even though dangerous levels of soil-lead have been found in a wide variety of communities across the United States, public health institutions lack clarity on the historical origins of these crises. This study uses geo-spatial data collected through archival research to estimate the impact of two potential sources of lead contamination in the past -- lead-paint and leaded gasoline.

Optimized hydration dynamics in mucoadhesive xanthan-based trilayer vaginal films for the controlled release of tenofovir.

Karaya gum, pectin and xanthan gum have been tested as candidates for manufacturing mucoadhesive trilayer films containing ethylcellulose and chitosan for the vaginal administration of the antiviral Tenofovir (TFV). The swelling profile correlated with the amount of mobile dipoles determined by impedance spectroscopy allows the determination of the hydration dynamics of these films. The fast water penetration has been demonstrated to favor the formation of polyelectrolyte complexes (PEC) via hydrogen or ionic bonds which would favor a controlled release.

Preparation and Properties of Sustainable Brake Pads with Recycled End-of-Life Tire Rubber Particles.

Sustainable composite brake pads were processed by employing recycled end-of-life tire (ELT) rubber particles obtained by means of cryogenic grinding and ambient grinding. The effect of the grinding mechanism and concentration of ELT rubber particles was then reported. From the friction result test, better behavior in terms of coefficient of friction (COF) was obtained when 3% of ELT rubber particles were introduced into the composite.

Silane Modification of Mesoporous Materials for the Optimization of Antiviral Drug Adsorption and Release Capabilities in Vaginal Media.

Three different functionalities have been incorporated into mesoporous materials by means of a coupling reaction with the siloxanes 3-glycidoxypropyl-trimethoxysilane (GLYMO), 3-methacryloxypropyl-trimethoxysilane (MEMO), and 3-mercaptopropyl-trimethoxysilane (MPTMS). The disposition of the different functional groups, as well as the interaction mechanism, with the mesoporous substrate has been identified. The amount of the antiviral drug acyclovir (ACV) adsorbed depends not only on the available surface area but also on the chemical or physicochemical interactions between functionalities.

Influence of Contact Plateaus Characteristics Formed on the Surface of Brake Friction Materials in Braking Performance through Experimental Tests.

This work applies a procedure for analysis and characterization of the surface of brake friction materials, correlating them with the tribological and thermal properties achieved in different vehicle braking conditions. Experiments were performed in a vehicle under two real conditions of braking operation, simulated flat track descent and emergency braking. Characteristics of the plates formed on the surfaces of the friction materials were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and correlated with the performance during braking, as measured by the coefficient of friction at the interface of the friction pair and temperature.

[«Missing time»: Experiences of demand management doctors in Chilean primary health care].

Objective: Characterize the current situation of the demand manager physician (DMP) in primary health care (PHC), from the perceptions of those who fulfill this role, their medical peers and the directors of the family health centers (CESFAMs).

Design: Qualitative cross-sectional study with a grounded theory approach. SITE: Four CESFAMs from the South East Metropolitan Health Service in Santiago, Chile.

Kidney Transplants in Controlled Donation Following Circulatory Death, or Maastricht Type III Donors, With Abdominal Normothermic Regional Perfusion, Optimizing Functional Outcomes.

Background: Warm ischemia time and ischemia-reperfusion damage result in higher rates of delayed graft function and primary nonfunction in kidney transplants (KTs) from controlled donation after circulatory death (cDCD). This study aimed to assess early and late kidney function and patient and graft survival of KT from cDCD preserved with normothermic regional perfusion (NRP) and to compare with KT from brain death donors (DBDs) and cDCD preserved with rapid recovery (RR).

Methods: Patients who received a KT at our institution from 2012 to 2018 were included, with a minimum follow-up period of 1 y.

Insights into the Microstructural Evolution Occurring during Pyrolysis of Metal-Modified Ceramers Studied through Selective SiO Removal.

Silicon oxycarbide ceramers containing 5% aluminum, zirconium, and cobalt with respect to the total Si amount are prepared from a commercial polysiloxane and molecular precursors and pyrolyzed at temperatures ranging from 500 to 1000 °C. HF etching is carried out to partially digest the silica phase, thus revealing structural characteristics of the materials, which depend upon the incorporated heteroatom. From the structural and textural characterization, it was deduced that when Al enters into the ceramer structure, the crosslinking degree is increased, leading to lower carbon domain size and carbon incorporation as well.