PLA/PCL composites manufactured from commingled yarns for biomedical applications.

Composites manufactured with textiles weaved with commingled yarns using PLA (polylactic acid) and PCL (polycaprolactone) fibres are promising candidates for connective tissue engineering. In this work, textiles were fabricated using PLA/PCL commingled yarns in a ratio of 3 to 1, which were subsequently consolidated by compression moulding to produce solid composite plates. Specimens were extracted from the composite plates and submitted to degradation testing by immersion in PBS fluid (phosphate-buffered saline) at different periods.

Thiocoumarin-based Au(I) Complexes and Au(0) Systems over TiO as Hybrid Photocatalysts for Hydrogen Generation under UV-Vis Light.

This work focuses on the photocatalytic production of hydrogen from the photodehydrogenation of ethanol using several gold(I) complexes and gold(0) systems over titanium dioxide (P90 TiO) as hybrid photocatalysts. The photocatalytic systems are composed of at least one coumarin-based ligand, which can enhance the photocatalytic activity by its photon-absorbing capacity due to its chromophore properties. The photocatalytic behavior for hydrogen generation of the studied samples is compared under UV-vis light setting the total gold-based co-catalyst loading at 1 wt% onto the TiO photocatalysts and when the gold content is maintained at 0.

QRISK3 and SCORE2 are equally reliable predictors of carotid plaques in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Objectives: Cardiovascular (CV) disease is the leading cause of death among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). This study aimed to compare the performance of QRESEARCH-risk estimator version 3 (QRISK3) and the Systematic Coronary Risk Evaluation-2 (SCORE2) scores to identify SLE patients at high risk of CV events, as indicated by the presence of carotid plaques.

Methods: Subclinical atherosclerosis was evaluated using carotid ultrasound in 365 SLE patients.

Unraveling the Formation of Ternary AgCuSe Crystalline Nanophases and Their Potential as Antibacterial Agents.

AgCuSe nanoparticles could contribute to the growth of strongly light-absorbing thin films and solids with fast ion mobility, among other potential properties. Nevertheless, few methods have been developed so far for the synthesis of AgCuSe nanoparticles, and those reported deliver nanostructures with relatively large sizes and broad size and shape distributions. In this work, a colloidal cation exchange method is established for the easy synthesis of AgCuSe NPs with ca.

Arthroscopy has a higher discriminative capacity than MRI in detecting mild cartilage lesions.

Objectives: To determine whether current magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) could detect superficial cartilage lesions that are observed during diagnostic arthroscopy in patients with knee pain who have not been diagnosed with joint disease.

Methods: Adult patients with knee pain of unclear origin lasting more than three months, scheduled for a therapeutic/diagnostic arthroscopy were recruited. Demographic and clinical data, pain assessment, MRI imaging, and observations of cartilage damage in the medial femoral condyle during arthroscopic procedure were documented.

Burden of postmenopausal breast cancer attributable to excess body weight: comparative study of body mass index and CUN-BAE in MCC-Spain study.

Background: 10% of postmenopausal breast cancer cases are attributed to a high body mass index (BMI). BMI underestimates body fat, particularly in older women, and therefore the cancer burden attributable to obesity may be even higher. However, this is not clear.

Cu-doped LaNiO perovskite catalyst for DRM: revisiting it as a molecular-level nanocomposite.

Dry reforming of methane (DRM) was extensively studied on Cu-doped LaNiO catalysts. The main findings of this work are as follows: (i) thermal switching of the catalyst phase between the parent perovskite and molecular-level nanocomposite of individual components formed during DRM, (ii) reusability of the catalyst with enhanced activity, and (iii) regeneration of the catalyst phase at a lower temperature than that required for the formation of the parent perovskite. The present investigation provides an extensive analysis and understanding of the DRM reaction using Cu-doped LaNiO compared to the result reported by Moradi , (, 2012, , 797-801) and hence provides new insights into its catalytic activity.

Oxophilic Sn to Promote Glucose Oxidation to Formic Acid in Ni Nanoparticles.

The electrochemical glucose oxidation reaction (GOR) presents an opportunity to produce hydrogen and high-value chemical products. Herein, we investigate the effect of Sn in Ni nanoparticles for the GOR to formic acid (FA). Electrochemical results show that the maximum activity is related to the amount of Ni, as Ni sites are responsible for catalyzing the GOR via the NiOOH/Ni(OH) pair.

Collagen-based 3D printed poly (glycerol sebacate) composite scaffold with biomimicking mechanical properties for enhanced cartilage defect repair.

Cartilage defect repair with optimal efficiency remains a significant challenge due to the limited self-repair capability of native tissues. The development of bioactive scaffolds with biomimicking mechanical properties and degradation rates matched with cartilage regeneration while simultaneously driving chondrogenesis, plays a crucial role in enhancing cartilage defect repair. To this end, a novel composite scaffold with hierarchical porosity was manufactured by incorporating a pro-chondrogenic collagen type I/II-hyaluronic acid (CI/II-HyA) matrix to a 3D-printed poly(glycerol sebacate) (PGS) framework.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on childhood vaccination rates and the role of sociodemographic factors: A cohort study.

Objective: This study examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on both routine and non-routine vaccinations in infants during their initial 18 months of life, concurrently exploring the complex influence of sociodemographic factors.

Methods: A cohort study was conducted, involving 2007 children in two distinct periods: pre-pandemic (January-June 2018) and pandemic (March 2020-May 2021). Participants were classified into two cohorts: 962 children in the 2018 group and 1045 children in the 2020-21 group.

Applicability of the d-Band Model to Predict the Influence of Elastic Strains on the Adsorption Energy of Different Adsorbates onto Pt and PtO Surfaces.

The influence of elastic strains on the adsorption processes of seven adsorbates (H, C, N, O, CO, NO, and H) onto the surface of Pt(111) and PtO (110) has been investigated using density functional theory (DFT) simulations. The total adsorption energy was decomposed into mechanical and electronic contributions. Our results indicate that elastic strain in metals affects the adsorption energy by modifying the electronic structure of the surface rather than changing the physical space where the atoms reside after adsorption.

Cytocompatibility, cell-material interaction, and osteogenic differentiation of MC3T3-E1 pre-osteoblasts in contact with engineered Mg/PLA composites.

Bioabsorbable Mg wire-reinforced poly-lactic acid (PLA) matrix composites are potential candidate for load-bearing orthopedic implants offering tailorable mechanical and degradation properties by stacking sequence, volume fraction and surface modification of Mg wires. In this study, we investigated the cytocompatibility, cell-material interaction, and bone differentiation behavior of MC3T3-E1 pre-osteoblast cells for medical-grade PLA, Mg/PLA, and PEO-Mg/PLA (having PEO surface modification on Mg wires) composites. MTT and live/dead assay showed excellent biocompatibility of both composites while cell-material interaction analysis revealed that cells were able to adhere and proliferate on the surface of composites.

Ni-Ru supported on CeO obtained by mechanochemical milling for catalytic hydrogen production from ammonia.

Developing active and stable catalysts for carbon-free hydrogen production is crucial to mitigate the effects of climate change. Ammonia is a promising carbon-free hydrogen source, as it has a high hydrogen content and is liquid at low pressure, which allows its easy storage and transportation. We have recently developed a nickel-based catalyst with a small content of ruthenium supported on cerium oxide, which exhibits high activity and stability in ammonia decomposition.

Use of risk chart algorithms for the identification of psoriatic arthritis patients at high risk for cardiovascular disease: findings derived from the project CARMA cohort after a 7.5-year follow-up period.

Objective: To assess the predictive value of four cardiovascular (CV) risk algorithms for identifying high-risk psoriatic arthritis (PsA) patients.

Methods: Evaluation of patients with PsA enrolled in the Spanish prospective project CARdiovascular in RheuMAtology. Baseline data of 669 PsA patients with no history of CV events at the baseline visit, who were followed in rheumatology outpatient clinics at tertiary centres for 7.

Combined use of QRISK3 and SCORE2 increases identification of ankylosing spondylitis patients at high cardiovascular risk: Results from the CARMA Project cohort after 7.5 years of follow-up.

Objective: To establish the predictive value of the QRESEARCH risk estimator version 3 (QRISK3) algorithm in identifying Spanish patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) at high risk of cardiovascular (CV) events and CV mortality. We also sought to determine whether to combine QRISK3 with another CV risk algorithm: the traditional SCORE, the modified SCORE (mSCORE) EULAR 2015/2016 or the SCORE2 may increase the identification of AS patients with high-risk CV disease.

Methods: Information of 684 patients with AS from the Spanish prospective CARdiovascular in ReuMAtology (CARMA) project who at the time of the initial visit had no history of CV events and were followed in rheumatology outpatient clinics of tertiary centers for 7.

Additively-manufactured Mg wire-reinforced PLDL-matrix composites for biomedical applications.

Coupons of a medical grade PLDL polymer matrix uniaxially reinforced with a 15% volume fraction of Mg wires have been manufactured by fused filament fabrication for the first time. Two different types of Mg wires, without and with a surface treatment by plasma electrolytic oxidation were used. Both composite materials were subjected to degradation in phosphate buffer solution over a 3-week period, and their degradation and deformation micromechanisms were analysed in detail.

High activity in the dry reforming of methane using a thermally switchable double perovskite and generated molecular level nanocomposite.

This work emphasizes the dry reforming of methane (DRM) reaction on citrate sol-gel-synthesized double perovskite oxides. Phase pure LaNiMnO shows very impressive DRM activity with H/CO = 0.9, hence revealing a high prospect of next-generation catalysts.

Association Between Assisted Reproductive Technology and Cerebral Palsy: A Meta-Analysis.

Background: Since 1978 many children are born thanks to assisted reproductive technology (ART). However, the long-term effects of these therapies are still not fully known. Our objective is to evaluate the risk of cerebral palsy (CP) after ART compared with that in those spontaneously conceived (SC) and to examine this risk in single, multiple, and preterm births and the evolution of the risk over the years.

Mechanical properties, in vitro degradation and cytocompatibility of woven textiles manufactured from PLA/PCL commingled yarns.

The mechanical, thermal, and biological performance of fabrics manufactured with hybrid PLA/PCL commingled yarns were studied. Commingled hybrid yarns take advantage of the higher elastic modulus of PLA and the higher ductility and toughness of PCL to produce yarns and fabrics with high strength and ductility that is transferred to the woven textiles. Furthermore, PLA and PCL exhibit different degradation rates and also allow to tailor this property.

Medical grade 3D printable bioabsorbable PLDL/Mg and PLDL/Zn composites for biomedical applications.

Medical grade PLDL, PLDL/Mg and PLDL/Zn filaments were manufactured by a dual extrusion method and used to prepare coupons and scaffolds with controlled porosity by fused filament fabrication. The mechanical properties, degradation mechanisms and biological performance were carefully analyzed. It was found that the presence of 4 vol.

Dynamic behaviour of platinum and copper dopants in gold nanoclusters supported on ceria catalysts.

Understanding the behaviour of active catalyst sites at the atomic level is crucial for optimizing catalytic performance. Here, the evolution of Pt and Cu dopants in Au clusters on CeO supports is investigated in the water-gas shift (WGS) reaction, using operando XAFS and DRIFTS. Different behaviour is observed for the Cu and Pt dopants during the pretreatment and reaction.

18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography-Computed Tomography Findings of Polymyalgia Rheumatica in Patients with Giant Cell Arteritis.

Objective: Giant cell arteritis (GCA) and polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) are often overlapping conditions. We studied whether 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) is useful in identifying PMR in the setting of large vessel (LV) GCA.

Methods: LV-GCA patients diagnosed by PET-CT at a tertiary care center for a population of 450,000 people over a two-year period were reviewed.

Influence of the drying mode of support on the properties of Pd/AlO-ZrO materials used for methane combustion.

This work constitutes a new trial to enhance the properties of palladium supported on alumina modified with zirconium used as catalysts for methane combustion. The effect of the support drying mode is studied. For this aim, AlO-ZrO binary oxides with zirconium loading of 2 and 5% in weight were prepared using sol-gel process then dried under ordinary or supercritical conditions.

Circulating miRNAs signature on breast cancer: the MCC-Spain project.

Purpose: To build models combining circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) able to identify women with breast cancer as well as different types of breast cancer, when comparing with controls without breast cancer.

Method: miRNAs analysis was performed in two phases: screening phase, with a total n = 40 (10 controls and 30 BC cases) analyzed by Next Generation Sequencing, and validation phase, which included 131 controls and 269 cases. For this second phase, the miRNAs were selected combining the screening phase results and a revision of the literature.