Biobased Waterborne Polyurethane-Ureas Modified with POSS-OH for Fluorine-Free Hydrophobic Textile Coatings.

Waterborne polyurethane-urea dispersions (WPUD), which are based on fully biobased amorphous polyester polyol and isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI), have been successfully synthesized obtaining a finishing agent that provides textiles with an enhanced hydrophobicity and water column. Grafting of trans-cyclohexanediol isobutyl POSS (POSS-OH) to the biobased polymer backbone has also been investigated for the first time and its properties compared to a standard chain extender, 1,3-propanediol (PDO). The chemical structure of WPUD has been characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR).

Biobased Waterborne Polyurethane-Urea/SWCNT Nanocomposites for Hydrophobic and Electrically Conductive Textile Coatings.

Waterborne polyurethane-urea dispersions (WPUD), which are based on 100% bio-based semi-crystalline polyester polyol and isophorone diisocyanate, have been successfully synthesized and doped with single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) to obtain a finishing agent that provides textiles with multifunctional properties. The chemical structure of WPUD has been characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The thermal properties have been evaluated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA).

Genetic variations of beta-MYH7 in Venezuelan patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a cardiac disease, characterized by marked hypertrophy and genetic variability. HCM has been associated with sarcomere protein mutations, being cardiac beta-myosin (coded by the MYH7 gene) and myosin binding protein C (coded by the MYBPC3 gene) the most frequently affected proteins. As in Venezuela only the clinical analysis are performed in HCM patients, we decided to search for genetic variations in the MYH7 gene.

[Small flexible drains after cardiac surgery. Efficacy and safety of a new system].

Introduction: The use of thoracic drains after cardiac surgery is distressing to patients and can cause a local inflammatory response. The objective of this study was to demonstrate the efficacy and safety of the flexible Blake drain for mediastinal and pleural drainage following cardiac surgery.

Material And Method: We retrospectively studied 292 consecutive patients who underwent open heart surgery.

Metformin for prevention of weight gain and insulin resistance with olanzapine: a double-blind placebo-controlled trial.

Objective: To assess whether metformin prevents body weight gain (BWG) and metabolic dysfunction in patients with schizophrenia who are treated with olanzapine.

Method: Forty patients taking olanzapine (10 mg daily) were randomly allocated to a metformin (n = 20; 850 to 1700 mg daily) or placebo (n = 20) group in a 14-week double-blind study. Waist circumference (WC), BWG, body mass index (BMI) fasting glucose, insulin, and lipids were evaluated at baseline and at Weeks 7 and 14 of treatment.

The antipsychotic drug sulpiride does not affect bodyweight in male rats. Is insulin resistance involved?

Previous studies have shown that prolonged administration of antipsychotic drugs induces obesity in female but not in male rats. To explore the mechanisms involved in this sex-dependent effect, we administered the dopamine antagonist sulpiride (20 mg/kg i.p.

Endocrine and metabolic abnormalities involved in obesity associated with typical antipsychotic drug administration.

In this study, the authors assessed the endocrine system and glucose tolerance in obese and non-obese women chronically treated with typical antipsychotic drugs (AP). In particular, we tested the hypotheses that these subjects display hypogonadism and increased insulin resistance compared to healthy weight-matched controls, as these abnormalities create a tendency towards excessive body weight gain. Twenty-six AP-treated women were matched with 26 healthy women by age, body mass index and day of the menstrual cycle.

Antipsychotic drugs and obesity: is prolactin involved?

Objectives: To correlate the anthropometric indexes (Body Mass Index [BMI] and Waist-Hip ratio [WHR]) with the serum prolactin levels in a heterogeneous population of patients treated with typical antipsychotic (AP) drugs.

Methods: We evaluated BMI, WHR, and fasting serum prolactin of inpatients (n = 105) and outpatients (n = 122) treated with APs, in outpatients receiving other psychotropic drugs (OPDs) (n = 77), and in drug-free subjects (n = 33). Outpatients had free access to food, whereas the inpatient sample comprised people with a monotonous diet of approximately 2000 Kcal daily.

Body weight gain after administration of antipsychotic drugs: correlation with leptin, insulin and reproductive hormones.

Excessive body weight gain, hyperprolactinemia and low gonadal steroid serum levels are often observed during chronic administration of antipsychotic drugs (AP). Clinical and experimental findings suggest that leptin, the peptidic hormone involved in long-term body weight regulation, and reproductive hormones are interrelated. Therefore, we assessed circulating leptin levels in healthy, lean women (n = 12) and men (n = 7) before and after short-term administration of the AP sulpiride (SUL, 200 mg/day).

Naltrexone does not prevent the weight gain and hyperphagia induced by the antipsychotic drug sulpiride in rats.

Few pharmacological tools are currently available to counteract the excessive body weight gain often observed during prolonged administration of antipsychotic drugs. Most antipsychotic drugs block dopamine receptors, and both the brain dopaminergic and opioid systems appear to be involved in initiation and maintenance of feeding behavior, respectively. We evaluated whether the opioid antagonist naltrexone (NAL, 0.

Antipsychotic drug-induced obesity in rats: correlation between leptin, insulin and body weight during sulpiride treatment.

Sulpiride (SUL, 20 mg kg-1 day-1) induces weight gain, hyperphagia, hyperprolactinemia, hypogonadism, and perhaps increased insulin sensitivity in rats. Leptin seems to signal the brain about the size of body fat stores and nutrient metabolism. We evaluated the basal serum leptin levels in rats after acute (1 h) or prolonged SUL or vehicle administration (10, 20 and 30 days).

Endocrine effects of lithium carbonate in healthy premenopausal women: relationship with body weight regulation.

The mechanisms involved in Li-induced weight gain remain unclear. The higher frequency of obesity in women than in men under Li treatment, suggests a role for reproductive hormones. The serum levels of the following hormones were evaluated in healthy young women at diverse stages of a control menstrual cycle, and during Li carbonate (900 mg/day) or placebo administration: prolactin, luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, 17-1 estradiol, progesterone, thyroxine, thyrotropin, cortisol, dehidroepiandrosterone sulfate, free testosterone, leptin and an oral glucose tolerance test, in order to measure the areas under the glucose and insulin curve.

Glucose tolerance and serum insulin levels in an animal model of obesity induced by sub-acute or chronic administration of antipsychotic drugs.

1. To assess the role of insulin in the development of the obesity induced by antipsychotic drugs, a glucose tolerance test was conducted in female rats after 0 or 30 days of sulpiride administration. 2.

Glucose tolerance and serum insulin levels in an animal model of obesity induced by the antipsychotic drug, sulpiride.

To assess the role of insulin in the development of obesity induced by antipsychotic drugs, a glucose tolerance test was conducted in 40 female rats during the peak of sulpiride-induced weight gain and in 40 vehicle-treated animals. The glucose area under the curve did not differ between the groups (P = 0.24), however, the area under the insulin curve was significantly decreased by sulpiride (55.

Mechanism of the neuroleptic-induced obesity in female rats.

1. Obesity is an undesirable side effect of neuroleptics which affects 50% approximately of patients under a program of chronic administration. 2.