Assembly of Soft Electrodes and Ion Exchange Membranes for Capacitive Deionization.

The responsible use of water, as well as its reuse and purification, has been a major problem for decades now. In this work, we study a method for adsorbing ions from aqueous solutions on charged interfaces using highly porous electrodes. This water purification process is based on the electric double layer concept, using the method known as capacitive deionization (CDI): If we pump salty solutions through the volume comprised between two porous electrodes while applying a potential difference to them, ions present in the solution are partially removed and trapped on the electrode surfaces.

Tobacco consumption and premenstrual syndrome: A case-control study.

Objective: To assess whether tobacco smoking is associated with Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) and its most severe form, Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD).

Design: Case-control study with incident cases using the Spanish public healthcare system.

Setting: 3 major public hospitals and one family counseling and planning center.

Effect of Pressure Support vs T-Piece Ventilation Strategies During Spontaneous Breathing Trials on Successful Extubation Among Patients Receiving Mechanical Ventilation: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Daily spontaneous breathing trials (SBTs) are the best approach to determine whether patients are ready for disconnection from mechanical ventilation, but mode and duration of SBT remain controversial.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of an SBT consisting of 30 minutes of pressure support ventilation (an approach that is less demanding for patients) vs an SBT consisting of 2 hours of T-piece ventilation (an approach that is more demanding for patients) on rates of successful extubation.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Randomized clinical trial conducted from January 2016 to April 2017 among 1153 adults deemed ready for weaning after at least 24 hours of mechanical ventilation at 18 intensive care units in Spain.

Psychological factors and premenstrual syndrome: A Spanish case-control study.

Objective: To assess whether the psychological variables perceived stress, neuroticism and coping strategies, are associated with Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) and Premenstrual Dysphoric Syndrome (PMDD).

Design: Case-control study with incident cases using the Spanish public healthcare system.

Setting: 3 major public hospitals and one family counseling and planning center.

Influence of microbiota in the susceptibility of parasitic wasps to abamectin insecticide: deep sequencing, esterase and toxicity tests.

Background: The parasitic wasps Eretmocerus mundus, Eretmocerus eremicus and Encarsia formosa are important natural enemies of whiteflies. A broad understanding of their biology, ecology and behavior has been achieved, but the composition and role of their microbiota is not fully determined. The knowledge of the bacteria present in insects might be useful to manage species of human concern such as natural enemies or pests.

Limitation of life support techniques at admission to the intensive care unit: a multicenter prospective cohort study.

Purpose: To determine the frequency of limitations on life support techniques (LLSTs) on admission to intensive care units (ICU), factors associated, and 30-day survival in patients with LLST on ICU admission.

Methods: This prospective observational study included all patients admitted to 39 ICUs in a 45-day period in 2011. We recorded hospitals' characteristics (availability of intermediate care units, usual availability of ICU beds, and financial model) and patients' characteristics (demographics, reason for admission, functional status, risk of death, and LLST on ICU admission (withholding/withdrawing; specific techniques affected)).

Premenstrual syndrome and alcohol consumption: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a very common disorder worldwide which carries an important economic burden. We conducted a systematic review and a meta-analysis to assess the role of alcohol in the occurrence of PMS.

Methods: We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, the five regional bibliographic databases of the WHO, the Proceedings database and the Open Access Thesis and Dissertations (OATD) from inception to May 2017.

Efficacy of a long-lasting bifenthrin-treated net against horticultural pests and its compatibility with the predatory mite Amblyseius swirskii and the parasitic wasp Eretmocerus mundus.

Background: Insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) have been investigated recently for their use in agriculture. Depending on the insecticide, the hole size and the way they are produced, these nets can target different pests and therefore they could be interesting options for use in integrated pest management (IPM). As the information on their compatibility with beneficial fauna is practically negligible, in this work we have tested the compatibility of an experimental bifenthrin long-lasting insecticide-treated net (LLITN) with Amblyseius swirskii and Eretmocerus mundus, important natural enemies of whiteflies and thrips, under laboratory, semi-field and commercial greenhouse conditions.

Influence of weight status on physical and mental health in Moroccan perimenopausal women.

Introduction: There is a lack of information about fitness and other health indicators in women from countries such as Morocco. This study aims to explore the association of weight status with physical and mental health in Moroccan perimenopausal women.

Methods: 151 women (45-65 years) from the North of Morocco were analyzed by standardized field-based fitness tests to assess cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular strength, flexibility, agility and balance.

Age, PaO2/FIO2, and Plateau Pressure Score: A Proposal for a Simple Outcome Score in Patients With the Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome.

Objectives: Although there is general agreement on the characteristic features of the acute respiratory distress syndrome, we lack a scoring system that predicts acute respiratory distress syndrome outcome with high probability. Our objective was to develop an outcome score that clinicians could easily calculate at the bedside to predict the risk of death of acute respiratory distress syndrome patients 24 hours after diagnosis.

Design: A prospective, multicenter, observational, descriptive, and validation study.

Are Mummies and Adults of Eretmocerus mundus (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) Compatible With Modern Insecticides?

The parasitic wasp Eretmocerus mundus (Mercet) is an important natural enemy of the widespread key pest Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius). The toxicity of 11 modern insecticides applied at their maximum field recommended rate in Spain was tested in two life stages of E. mundus: adults and mummies.

Thermoresponsive biodegradable HEMA-lactate-Dextran-co-NIPA cryogels for controlled release of simvastatin.

Abstract NIPA and HEMA-lactate-Dextran-based biodegradable and thermoresponsive cryogels were synthesized at different compositions by cryogelation. Chemical and morphological properties of the HEMA-lactate-Dextran-co-NIPA cryogel matrices were demonstrated by FTIR, SEM, and ESEM. Thermoresponsivity of the prepared cryogels was investigated by DSC, imaging NMR, and swelling studies.

Pain treatment and its cost in old people with dementia: a descriptive analysis from the Registry of Dementias of Girona (ReDeGi).

Background: Pain prevalence is high among elderly people, and equally prevalent in those with dementia. The aim of this study was to describe the use analgesics, as well as the cost of these treatments in old people with dementia.

Methods: We used a cross-sectional design using 1186 cases registered by the Registry of Dementias of Girona from 2007 to 2008.

[Bronchial carcinoid and type 1 multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome. A case report].

Carcinoid tumours of bronchial origin are rare in type 1 multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN1) syndrome. The prevalence of histologically confirmed cases is approximately 5-8%, although in more recent studies it is estimated that it could be much higher and a possible relationship with the presence of hypergastrinaemia is suggested. We report a patient with a type 1 MEN syndrome, with no respiratory symptoms, with hypergastrinaemia, and in whom a 5mm diameter nodule was detected in the wall of the left main bronchus by computed tomography.

[Endoscopic treatment of metastasis in the main bronchi from sarcoma: a report of 2 cases].

Leiomyosarcoma is a cancer that can affect the soft tissues or organs. The standard treatment is complete tumor resection. Prognosis is difficult to predict and distant metastases can occur after a long disease-free period.

[Three cases of primary pulmonary plasmacytoma].

Extramedullary plasmacytoma is a plasma cell malignancy that most commonly occurs in the upper respiratory tract. Plasmocytoma located in the lung is an unusual finding, and in such cases the disease may be confined to the lung and regional lymph nodes or may be disseminated. When only located in the lower respiratory tract (primary pulmonary plasmacytoma), diagnosis is difficult and is usually based on the excised tissue.

Physicochemical and antimicrobial properties of boron-complexed polyglycerol-chitosan dendrimers.

A polyglycerol with dendritic structure (PGLD) was synthesized by ring-opening polymerization of deprotonated glycidol using a polyglycerol as core functionality in a step-growth process. Then, PGLD reacted with O-carboxymethylated chitosan to obtain PGLD-chitosan dendrimer (PGLD-Ch). After the reaction of PGLD-Ch with boric acid, there was a marked increase in the bulk viscosity evidencing physically that boron can initiate a charge transfer complex formation, (PGLD-Ch)B.

Changes in lung volume with three systems of endotracheal suctioning with and without pre-oxygenation in patients with mild-to-moderate lung failure.

Objective: To compare changes in lung volume, oxygenation, airway pressure, and hemodynamic effects induced by suctioning with three systems in critically ill patients with mild-to-moderate lung disease, and also to evaluate the effects of hyperoxygenation applied prior to the maneuver as suggested by some guidelines.

Design: Prospective crossover study.

Setting: General intensive care department of a university-affiliated hospital.

Development of new hydroactive dressings based on chitosan membranes: characterization and in vivo behavior.

Different poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/chitosan lactate (ChL)-blended hydrogels containing nitrofurazone as a local anti-infective drug were prepared by the phase-inversion technique. The swelling degree, surface free energy, mechanical properties, and nitrofurazone release of these membranes were determined. Blood compatibility of these systems was evaluated by the open-static platelet adhesion test with whole human blood.

Evaluation of a noninvasive method for cardiac output measurement in critical care patients.

Objective: Thermodilution (TD) is the gold standard to monitor cardiac output (CO) in critical care. However, there is concern about the safety of right-ventricular catheterization. The CO(2) rebreathing technique allows noninvasive CO determination by means of the indirect Fick principle.

Self-curing acrylic formulations containing PMMA/PCL composites: properties and antibiotic release behavior.

Partially biodegradable acrylic composites containing poly(methyl methacrylate)-poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PMMA/PCL) systems were prepared by mixing the corresponding PMMA/PCL beads (89:11, 86:14, 83:17, and 77:23 weight ratio) used as solid phase with methyl methacrylate (MMA) (liquid phase) in a solid/liquid ratio of 1.5:1. The physical and chemical microheterogeneity of these beads influenced significantly the curing parameters, because several aspects involved in the polymerization reaction are closely related to both morphology and size distribution of the particles.

Recruitment maneuvers during lung protective ventilation in acute respiratory distress syndrome.

The objective was to analyze the physiologic effects of recruitment maneuvers (RM) in 17 patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) ventilated with a lung protective strategy. RM consisted of 2 min of pressure-controlled ventilation at a peak pressure of 50 cm H(2)O and a positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) above the upper inflection point of the respiratory pressure-volume curve obtained at zero PEEP. In eight patients, RM were repeated in the late phase of ARDS.