Advancing sustainable bioplastics: chemical and physical modification of starch films for enhanced thermal and barrier properties.

This study addresses the urgent need for sustainable alternatives to conventional plastics by focusing on modification of thermoplastic starch (TPS) derived from renewable biomass sources. Despite TPS's biodegradability and cost advantages, its limitations in mechanical strength and water resistance prompted the investigation of physical and chemical modifications. Ultrasonication, autoclaving, and cross-linking with substances like citric acid and STMP (sodium trimetaphosphate)/STPP (sodium tripolyphosphate) were employed, with citric acid crosslinking standing out for its significant enhancement of transparency, especially beneficial for packaging applications.

Subclinical leaflet thrombosis and anticoagulation strategy following trans-catheter aortic valve replacement: A systematic review.

Objective: Subclinical leaflet thrombosis (SLT) develops in 15% of patients undergoing trans-catheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). TAVR is a procedure in which a faulty aortic valve is replaced with a mechanical one. An aortic valve replacement can be done with open-heart surgery; this is called surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR).

Idiopathic Chylous Pericardial Effusion Due to Lymphatic Malformation of Mediastinum.

Chylopericardium can be due to a variety of secondary causes like trauma, radiation, tumors, following cardiac surgery, etc., or may be idiopathic due to abnormal lymphatic system and mediastinal lymphangiectasia, which is a rare entity. Here, we present a case of a 34-year-old previously healthy male presenting with idiopathic chylopericardium.

Frontotemporal dementia: Addressing the scattered harbingers of genetics and its relationship with glucose metabolism, bipolar disorder, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Frontotemporal Dementia, also known by the name Pick's disease, is a rare form of dementia that can run for several generations. The two key characteristics are argyrophilic, spherical intraneuronal inclusions, which most frequently impact the frontal and temporal poles, and localized cortical atrophy (Pick bodies). Although personality decline and memory loss are frequently more severe than the visuospatial and apraxia disorders that are common in Alzheimer's disease, clinical overlap with other non-Alzheimer degenerative disorders is being increasingly recognized.