Strategy To Improve Printability of Renewable Resource-Based Engineering Plastic Tailored for FDM Applications.

This work features the first-time use of poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT), a biobased engineering thermoplastic, for fused deposition modeling (FDM) applications. Additives such as chain extenders (CEs) and impact modifiers are traditionally used to improve the processability of polymers for injection molding; as a proof of concept for their use in FDM, the same strategies were applied to PTT to improve its printability. The filament processing conditions and printing parameters were optimized to generate complete, warpage-free samples.

Outcomes following laparoscopic internal drainage of walled off necrosis of pancreas: experience of 134 cases from a tertiary care centre.

Introduction: Internal drainage of walled of necrosis of pancreas has been considered as the standard of care. For symptomatic walled off necrosis (WON) of pancreas with the advent of laparoscopy and refinement of techniques and instrumentation, laparoscopic internal drainage is becoming the standard surgical drainage procedure for these patients. However, there is a dearth of literature regarding outcomes following laparoscopic drainage.

The existing scenario of haemophilia care in Canada and China - A review.

Hemophilia is an X-linked recessive genetic disorder which affects approximately 400,000 people globally. Differing healthcare reimbursement systems, budgetary constraints and geographical and cultural factors make it difficult for any country to fully deliver ideal care. Although developed countries have sufficient treatment products available, they are burdened by the higher expectation of outcomes, coupled with insufficient supportive care to monitor adherence and outcomes and to implement regular follow-up.

Framework for Inverse Mapping Chemistry-Agnostic Coarse-Grained Simulation Models into Chemistry-Specific Models.

Coarse-grained (CG) models have allowed molecular simulations to access large enough time and length scales to elucidate relationships between macroscale properties and microscale molecular interactions. However, an unaddressed inverse-design problem concerns the identification of an optimal chemistry-specific (CS) molecule that the generic CG model represents. This has been addressed here by introducing new tools for automatically generating and refining the mapping of CS-molecule candidates to the constraints of a CG model, based on representative optimization criteria.

Exploring the potential of minoxidil tretinoin liposomal based hydrogel for topical delivery in the treatment of androgenic alopecia.

: Androgenic alopecia (AGA) is a condition of progressive hair loss and involves follicular miniaturization triggered mainly due to varying levels of androgen besides environmental and genetic factors, which may also play some role. Minoxidil (MXD) has been considered as most effective therapeutic moiety to treat this disorder. Another drug Tretinoin (TRET) is known for its comedolytic activity and is reported to enhance percutaneous absorption of MXD.

Injection Molded Novel Biocomposites from Polypropylene and Sustainable Biocarbon.

Achieving sustainability in composite materials for high-performance applications is a key issue in modern processing technologies. In this work, the structure-property relationships of injection molded polypropylene (PP)/biocarbon composites were investigated with a focus on the thermal properties and specific emphasis on the coefficient of linear thermal expansion (CLTE). Biocomposites were produced using 30 wt.

Novel sustainable biobased flame retardant from functionalized vegetable oil for enhanced flame retardancy of engineering plastic.

The flame retardancy of an engineering plastic, poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT), with a biobased flame retardant (FR) made from phosphorylated linseed oil (PLO) and phosphorylated downstream corn oil (PCO) was studied. Different phosphorus moieties were incorporated into the vegetable oil backbone through a ring-opening reaction. The chemical structure of the phosphorylated oil was confirmed by Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) and nuclear resonance magnetic (NMR) spectroscopy.

Plasma midkine concentrations in healthy children, children with increased and decreased adiposity, and children with short stature.

Background: Midkine (MDK), one of the heparin-binding growth factors, is highly expressed in multiple organs during embryogenesis. Plasma concentrations have been reported to be elevated in patients with a variety of malignancies, in adults with obesity, and in children with short stature, diabetes, and obesity. However, the concentrations in healthy children and their relationships to age, nutrition, and linear growth have not been well studied.

Fast dissolving electrospun polymeric films of anti-diabetic drug repaglinide: formulation and evaluation.

Repaglinide is a well-known FDA approved drug from category of meglitinide; used for the treatment of diabetes. However, its use is limited because of its poor water solubility which leads to erratic drug absorption. Present work focuses on formulation and evaluation of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) nanofibers to counter this problem of poor water solubility.

Marrow adipose tissue in adolescent girls with obesity.

Background: Marrow adipose tissue (MAT) is increasingly recognized as an active and dynamic endocrine organ that responds to changes in nutrition and environmental milieu. Compared to normal weight controls, adolescent girls with anorexia nervosa have higher MAT content, which is associated with impaired skeletal integrity, but data are limited regarding MAT content in adolescents with obesity and how this interacts with bone endpoints.

Objective: To evaluate (i) MAT content in adolescents with obesity compared to normal-weight controls, (ii) the association of MAT with bone endpoints, and (iii) whether these associations of MAT are affected by body weight.

Effects of Estrogen Replacement on Bone Geometry and Microarchitecture in Adolescent and Young Adult Oligoamenorrheic Athletes: A Randomized Trial.

Oligoamenorrheic athletes (OAs) have lower bone mineral density (BMD) and greater impairment of bone microarchitecture, and therefore higher fracture rates compared to eumenorrheic athletes. Although improvements in areal BMD (aBMD; measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry) in OAs have been demonstrated with transdermal estrogen treatment, effects of such treatment on bone microarchitecture are unknown. Here we explore effects of transdermal versus oral estrogen versus no estrogen on bone microarchitecture in OA.

Refractory orthostatic hypotension after creation of a brachio-basilic arteriovenous fistula.

Arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs) are preferred vascular access in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) undergoing hemodialysis (HD). However, AVFs, can occasionally lead to clinically significant complications. Of these, cardiovascular complications have been well described in the literature.

Adipokines are associated with pediatric multiple sclerosis risk and course.

Background: Obesity during adolescence confers an increased risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) in both adults and children. However, obesity-mediated inflammatory mechanisms require elucidation. In models of MS, leptin and fatty acid binding protein-4 (FABP-4) have been identified as proinflammatory adipokines, while adiponectin has anti-inflammatory effects.

Reply to "Why Secondary Analyses in Vitamin D Clinical Trials Are important and How to Improve Vitamin D Clinical Trial Outcome Analyses-A Comment on "Extra-Skeletal Effects of Vitamin D", 2019, , 1460".

We appreciate the interest of Drs [...

Diagnosis, Genetics, and Therapy of Short Stature in Children: A Growth Hormone Research Society International Perspective.

The Growth Hormone Research Society (GRS) convened a Workshop in March 2019 to evaluate the diagnosis and therapy of short stature in children. Forty-six international experts participated at the invitation of GRS including clinicians, basic scientists, and representatives from regulatory agencies and the pharmaceutical industry. Following plenary presentations addressing the current diagnosis and therapy of short stature in children, breakout groups discussed questions produced in advance by the planning committee and reconvened to share the group reports.

Cow ghee fortified ocular topical microemulsion; , , and evaluation.

Utility of cow ghee (CG) as permeation enhancer in development of topical ocular microemulsion (ME) for delivery of fluocinolone acetonide (FA) to posterior eye. For ME preparation, oil, surfactant and cosurfactant were screened based on solubility of FA. Pseudoternary phase diagrams were constructed to determine their ratios.

Mortality due to scrub typhus - report of five cases.

Scrub typhus is largely ignored in India particularly during outbreaks of viral fever. The disease course is often complicated leading to fatalities in the absence of treatment. However, if diagnosed early and a specific treatment is initiated, the cure rate is high.

A comparison of laparoscopic gastrostomy tubes and percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy in infants: results from a single institution.

Background/purpose: Laparoscopic gastrostomy (LG) and percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) are two common methods for gastrostomy feeding tube placement in children. There have been limited studies evaluating these surgical interventions in infants under 12 months of age.

Methods: This study is a retrospective review of 186 patients who underwent either LG or PEG placement over a 5-year period at a single institution.

A Diet High in Processed Foods, Total Carbohydrates and Added Sugars, and Low in Vegetables and Protein Is Characteristic of Youth with Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder.

Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) is characterized in part by limited dietary variety, but dietary characteristics of this disorder have not yet been systematically studied. Our objective was to examine dietary intake defined by diet variety, macronutrient intake, and micronutrient intake in children and adolescents with full or subthreshold ARFID in comparison to healthy controls. We collected and analyzed four-day food record data for 52 participants with full or subthreshold ARFID, and 52 healthy controls, aged 9-22 years.

Super Toughened Poly(lactic acid)-Based Ternary Blends via Enhancing Interfacial Compatibility.

Novel super toughened bioplastics are developed through controlled reactive extrusion processing, using a very low content of modifier, truly a new discovery in the biodegradable plastics area. The super toughened polylactide (PLA) blend showing a notched impact strength of ∼1000 J/m with hinge break behavior is achieved at a designed blending ratio of PLA, poly(butylene succinate) (PBS), and poly(butylene adipate--terephthalate) (PBAT), using less than 0.5 phr peroxide modifier.

Biobased Poly(ethylene terephthalate)/Poly(lactic acid) Blends Tailored with Epoxide Compatibilizers.

To increase the biobased content of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET), up to 30 wt % poly(lactic acid) (PLA) was blended with PET using twin-screw compounding and injection molding processes. Multifunctional epoxide compatibilizers including a chain extender and an impact toughening agent were used as blend modifiers to improve the poor mechanical properties of PET/PLA blends. The mechanical and thermodynamic performances were investigated along with the morphological features through scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and interfacial tension determination.

Effect of Compatibilization on Biobased Rubber-Toughened Poly(trimethylene terephthalate): Miscibility, Morphology, and Mechanical Properties.

Fabrication of partially biobased poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT) elastomeric blends was done via melt processing. Both natural rubber (NR) and epoxidized NR (ENR) were investigated as impact modifiers at 40 wt % loading to avoid lowering the overall biobased content of the blend system below that of the PTT alone (35% renewable content), along with maleated polybutadiene rubber (MR) and dicumyl peroxide (DCP) as reactive compatibilizers. The compatibility of the blend components was investigated using contact angle, rheometry, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

Bio-poly(butylene succinate) and Its Composites with Grape Pomace: Mechanical Performance and Thermal Properties.

Biocomposites from bio-based poly(butylene succinate) (BioPBS) and grape pomace (GP) were made by melt extrusion-injection molding. Grape pomace is a low value byproduct from the wine industry that can be utilized as a filler to increase its value and to decrease the amount of polymer required in a composite blend. Experiments were performed with up to 50% grape pomace by weight.