Chemical upcycling of polybutadiene into size controlled α,ω-dienes and diesters sequential hydrogenation and cross-metathesis.

Plastic waste conversion into valuable chemicals is a promising alternative to landfill or incineration. In particular, the chemical upcycling of polybutadiene rubber (PBR) could provide a renewable route towards highly desirable α,ω-dienes with varying chain lengths, which can find ample industrial application. While previous research has shown that the treatment of polybutadiene with a consecutive hydrogenation and ethenolysis reaction can afford long-chain α,ω-dienes, achieving precise control over the product chain length remains an important bottleneck.

Thermal ablation versus surgical resection of small-size colorectal liver metastases (COLLISION): an international, randomised, controlled, phase 3 non-inferiority trial.

Background: For patients with small-size colorectal liver metastases, growing evidence suggests thermal ablation to be associated with fewer adverse events and faster recovery than resection while also challenging resection in terms of local control and overall survival. This study assessed the potential non-inferiority of thermal ablation compared with surgical resection in patients with small-size resectable colorectal liver metastases.

Methods: Adult patients (aged ≥18 years) from 14 centres in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Italy with ten or fewer small-size (≤3 cm) colorectal liver metastases, no extrahepatic metastases, and an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0-2, were stratified per centre, and according to their disease burden, into low, intermediate, and high disease burden subgroups and randomly assigned 1:1 to receive either thermal ablation (experimental group) or surgical resection (control group) of all target colorectal liver metastases using the web-based module Castor electronic data capture with variable block sizes of 4, 6, and 8.

Iliac Crest Bone Graft and Fascia Lata Free Flap for Rescue of Mandibular Osteoradionecrosis.

Objective: Describe the use, indications, and outcomes of iliac crest bone graft (ICBG) with concomitant anterolateral thigh fascia lata (ALTFL) rescue flap for the management of mandibular osteoradionecrosis (ORN).

Study Design: Retrospective chart review.

Setting: Single institution.

Use of Occipital Vessels in Head and Neck Microvascular Reconstruction: A Comprehensive Preclinical Evaluation.

Objectives: To assess the use of occipital vessels for microvascular anastomosis in head and neck free tissue transfer reconstruction.

Methods: A literature search was undertaken to identify studies utilizing the occipital vessels for microvascular anastomosis in free tissue transfer. Following literature review, 30 anatomic cadaveric dissections on 15 fresh unfixed cadavers were performed to evaluate the occipital artery and identify a reliable vein within reasonable proximity.

Palladium-catalyzed aerobic homocoupling of aliphatic olefins to dienes: evidence for rate-limiting concerted metalation-deprotonation.

Palladium(ii)-catalyzed dehydrogenative coupling of aliphatic olefins would enable an efficient route to (conjugated) dienes, but remains scarcely investigated. Here, 2-hydroxypyridine (2-OH-pyridine) was found to be an effective ligand for Pd(ii) in the activation of vinylic C(sp)-H bonds. While reoxidation of Pd(0) is challenging in many catalytic oxidations, one can avoid in this reaction that the reoxidation becomes rate-limiting, even under ambient O pressure, by working in coordinating solvents.

Upcycling of Polystyrene to Aromatic Polyacids by Tandem Friedel-Crafts and Oxidation Reactions.

Due to the high demand and the increasing production rate of plastic materials, vast amounts of wastes are generated every year. An important fraction of these wastes contain polystyrene (PS), which is seldom recycled, neither mechanically nor chemically. While several chemical recycling strategies have been developed, they are either very energy-demanding or produce chemicals that can hardly be employed in the synthesis of plastics (e.

Breathing Pattern Disorder: Introduction and Diagnostics.

Breathing pattern disorder (BPD) refers to a heterogenous condition, which features altered normal respiratory functioning that cannot be fully attributed to organic causes at the current time. Characteristic symptoms of this condition include dyspnea, and irregular ventilation. The diagnosis of BPD is made utilizing a combination of patient-reported experiences in the form of validated questionnaires, direct observation by experienced clinicians, and objective testing in the form of cardiopulmonary exercise testing.

Catalytically transforming legacy phthalate esters from plastic waste into benzoic acid and benzoate plasticizers.

This study demonstrates the catalytic conversion of real plastic waste-extracted phthalate plasticizers into benzoic acid (BA), a one-pot hydrolysis-decarboxylation process based on inexpensive CuO and H-beta zeolite, in water as a safe and environmentally benign solvent. As a result of the excellent product selectivity in both reactions, BA was obtained in quantitative yields (>99%). Esterification of the purified carboxylic acid resulted in the production of an alternative benzoate plasticizer, with a total process yield up to 94%.

Shape-Selective Zeolites for Tandem CO Hydrogenation-Carbonylation Reactions.

The valorization of carbon dioxide as a C1 building block in C-C bond forming reactions is a critical link on the road to carbon-circular chemistry. Activation of this inert molecule through reduction with H to carbon monoxide in the reverse water-gas shift (RWGS) reaction can be followed by a wide spectrum of consecutive carbonylation reactions, but the RWGS is severely equilibrium limited at the moderate temperatures of carbonylations. Here we successfully reconcile both reactions in one pot, while avoiding incompatibilities through a zeolite-based compartmentalized approach.

Upcycling polyethylene into closed-loop recyclable polymers through titanosilicate catalyzed C-H oxidation and in-chain heteroatom insertion.

Polyolefins are the most widely produced type of plastics owing to their low production cost and favorable properties. Their polymer backbone consists solely of inert C-C bonds, making them resistant and durable materials. Although this is an extremely useful attribute during their use phase, it complicates chemical recycling.

AN OUTBREAK OF EXTENSIVELY DRUG-RESISTANT IN A BELGIAN TERTIARY BURN WOUND CENTER.

The burn intensive care unit (ICU) of the Queen Astrid Military Hospital experienced an outbreak with an extensively drug-resistant (XDR-Ab) strain, which began when all burn wound patients from all over Belgium were sent there as part of the national COVID-19 action plan. The purpose of this study is to report on the investigation and strategies that were implemented to contain the outbreak. Between October 2020 and May 2021, five of the 72 patients admitted to the ICU met the acute outbreak case definition (attack rate 7%).

Carbon footprint in trauma surgery, is there a way to reduce it?

Background: Inhaled anaesthetic agents like sevoflurane contribute for approximately 5% to healthcare's carbon footprint. Previous studies suggested that the use of these agents should be minimized. Although multiple trauma surgeries can be performed under regional anaesthesia, most are performed under general anaesthesia.

Bacteriophages as potential antibiotic potentiators in cystic fibrosis: A new model to study the combination of antibiotics with a bacteriophage cocktail targeting dual species biofilms of Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Objectives: Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa co-infections in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) are associated with disease severity. Their treatment is complicated by biofilm formation in the sticky mucus obstructing the airways. We investigated the activity of phages-antibiotics combinations using a dual species biofilm (P.

Longitudinal Analysis of the Use of Facial Reanimation Procedures for Bell's Palsy.

Treatment of Bell's palsy ranges from medical management with high-dose corticosteroids to complex facial reanimation procedures. To characterize the number of static, dynamic, and combined facial reanimation procedures for the management of Bell's palsy using a national database over time. This retrospective cohort study included patients in the 2013-2020 National Surgical Quality Improvement Project database with a postoperative diagnosis of Bell's palsy.

Masseteric Atrophy Following Masseteric Nerve Transfer: Radiographic Findings of Asymmetry in the Paralyzed Face?

Objectives: To characterize the effect of facial reanimation using masseteric nerve transfer on the masseter muscle itself, examining whether there is any demonstrable atrophy postoperatively.

Methods: Electronic medical records of adult patients who underwent facial reanimation using masseteric nerve transfer at our institution over a 15-year period were reviewed. To account for the impact of postoperative radiation, randomly selected patients who underwent radical parotidectomy without nerve transfer and received postoperative radiation served as controls in a 1:1 fashion against those who underwent masseteric nerve transfer with postoperative radiation.

Personalized bacteriophage therapy outcomes for 100 consecutive cases: a multicentre, multinational, retrospective observational study.

In contrast to the many reports of successful real-world cases of personalized bacteriophage therapy (BT), randomized controlled trials of non-personalized bacteriophage products have not produced the expected results. Here we present the outcomes of a retrospective observational analysis of the first 100 consecutive cases of personalized BT of difficult-to-treat infections facilitated by a Belgian consortium in 35 hospitals, 29 cities and 12 countries during the period from 1 January 2008 to 30 April 2022. We assessed how often personalized BT produced a positive clinical outcome (general efficacy) and performed a regression analysis to identify functional relationships.

Overcoming Pd Catalyst Deactivation in the C-H Coupling of Tryptophan Residues in Water Using Air as the Oxidant.

The Pd-catalyzed C-H activation of natural tryptophan residues has emerged as a promising approach for their direct synthetic modification. While using water as the solvent and harnessing air as the oxidant is enticing, these conditions induce catalyst deactivation by promoting the formation of inactive Pd(0) clusters. In this work, we have studied optimized Pd-based catalytic systems via nonsteady state kinetic analysis and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) to overcome catalyst deactivation, which enables the effective use of lower Pd loadings.

Tandem Electrooxidation - Reductive Amination of Biobased Isohexides Towards Bicyclic Diamines.

Isohexide-derived diamines are considered preferred precursors for the production of biobased polyurethanes and polyamides. However, current synthesis methods from isohexides suffer from serious issues concerning selectivity and the recyclability of the process auxiliaries (e. g.

The Added Value of Transcatheter CT Hepatic Angiography (CTHA) Image Guidance in Percutaneous Thermal Liver Ablation: An Experts' Opinion Pictorial Essay.

With the rapidly evolving field of image-guided tumor ablation, there is an increasing demand and need for tools to optimize treatment success. Known factors affecting the success of (non-)thermal liver ablation procedures are the ability to optimize tumor and surrounding critical structure visualization, ablation applicator targeting, and ablation zone confirmation. A recent study showed superior local tumor progression-free survival and local control outcomes when using transcatheter computed tomography hepatic angiography (CTHA) guidance in percutaneous liver ablation procedures.

Local Treatment of Colorectal Liver Metastases in the Presence of Extrahepatic Disease: Survival Outcomes from the Amsterdam Colorectal Liver Met Registry (AmCORE).

Background: The simultaneous presence of colorectal liver metastases (CRLMs) and extrahepatic metastases in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) can be considered a relative contraindication for local treatment with curative intent. This study aims to assess the survival outcomes of patients with CRLMs and extrahepatic metastases after comprehensive local treatment of all metastatic sites.

Methods: Patients with CRLMs who received local treatment of all metastatic sites were extracted from the prospective AmCORE registry database and subdivided into two groups: CRLM only vs.

MRI-guided stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy versus CT-guided percutaneous irreversible electroporation for locally advanced pancreatic cancer (CROSSFIRE): a single-centre, open-label, randomised phase 2 trial.

Background: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is an aggressive disease with a dismal prognosis. Stage III locally advanced pancreatic cancer is considered unresectable and current palliative chemotherapy regimens only modestly improve survival. Guidelines suggest chemoradiation or stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy (SABR) could be beneficial in certain circumstances.

Explaining Variability in Electronic Health Record Effort in Primary Care Ambulatory Encounters.

Background:  Electronic health record (EHR) user interface event logs are fast providing another perspective on the value and efficiency EHR technology brings to health care. Analysis of these detailed usage data has demonstrated their potential to identify EHR and clinical process design factors related to user efficiency, satisfaction, and burnout.

Objective:  This study aimed to analyze the event log data across 26 different health systems to determine the variability of use of a single vendor's EHR based on four event log metrics, at the individual, practice group, and health system levels.

IL-6 facilitates cross-talk between epithelial cells and tumor- associated macrophages in Helicobacter pylori-linked gastric carcinogenesis.

Purpose: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a significant risk factor for development of gastric cancer (GC), one of the deadliest malignancies in the world. However, the mechanism by which H.