Thermally Conductive Polyethylene/Expanded Graphite Composites as Heat Transfer Surface: Mechanical, Thermo-Physical and Surface Behavior.

Composites of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and expanded graphite (EG) are prepared for heat exchangers in multi-effect distillation (MED) desalination. At 50 wt.% EG loading, the thermal conductivity of HDPE was increased by 372%.

Uptake, tissue distribution and toxicological effects of environmental microplastics in early juvenile fish Dicentrarchus labrax.

As the smallest environmental microplastics (EMPs), even at nanoscale, are increasingly present in the environment, their availability and physical and chemical effects on marine organisms are poorly documented. In the present study, we primarily investigated the uptake and accumulation of a mixture of environmental microplastics (EMPs) obtained during an artificial degradation process in early-juvenile sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax). Moreover, we evaluated their hazardous effects using biochemical markers of cytotoxicity.

Psychological consequences of COVID-19 home confinement: The ECLB-COVID19 multicenter study.

Background: Public health recommendations and government measures during the COVID-19 pandemic have enforced restrictions on daily-living. While these measures are imperative to abate the spreading of COVID-19, the impact of these restrictions on mental health and emotional wellbeing is undefined. Therefore, an international online survey (ECLB-COVID19) was launched on April 6, 2020 in seven languages to elucidate the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on mental health and emotional wellbeing.

Real-Time Optical Vascular Imaging, a new method for the diagnosis and monitoring of oral diseases.

Introduction: Real-Time Optical Vascular Imaging (RTOVI) is a technology developed in the Centre for Oral Clinical & Translational Sciences, within the Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences, King's College London, that allows rapid and preparation free, in vivo imaging of the microvascular anatomy of the human oral cavity. Microvascular changes are known to be related to disease subtypes, in particular cancer. This makes in vivo microvascular examination clinically valuable.

Diversity of Light Sensing Molecules and Their Expression During the Embryogenesis of the Cuttlefish ().

Eyes morphologies may differ but those differences are not reflected at the molecular level. Indeed, the ability to perceive light is thought to come from the same conserved gene families: opsins and cryptochromes. Even though cuttlefish (Cephalopoda) are known for their visually guided behaviors, there is a lack of data about the different opsins and cryptochromes orthologs represented in the genome and their expressions.

Missed Diagnosis of Epilepsy-Associated Scald Burns: Two Cases Initially Diagnosed as Bullous Dermatosis.

Thermal burns can occur during seizure. This diagnosis can be difficult in case of atypical lesions, even more if the epilepsy is unknown and in case of seizures with loss of consciousness and/or an unwitnessed epileptic attack. We report two cases of cutaneous bullous lesions initially misdiagnosed as severe acute cutaneous adverse reactions (generalized bullous fixed drug eruption and Stevens-Johnson syndrome).

Molecular "wiring" of plasma amine oxidase: Green and enzyme friendly approaches.

The study describes two approaches to enhance oxidoreductases. Both target molecular "wiring" of enzymes using green processes. The concepts were tested on plasma amine oxidase (PAO).

Efficacy of tocilizumab in patients with hand osteoarthritis: double blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, multicentre trial.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of tocilizumab, an antibody against IL-6 receptor, in patients with hand osteoarthritis.

Methods: This was a multicentre, 12-week, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study from November 2015 to October 2018. Patients with symptomatic hand osteoarthritis (pain ≥40 on a 0-100 mm visual analogue scale (VAS) despite analgesics and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; at least three painful joints, Kellgren-Lawrence grade ≥2) were randomised to receive two infusions 4 weeks apart (weeks 0 and 4) of tocilizumab (8 mg/kg intravenous) or placebo.

Multimodal characterization of the bone-implant interface using Raman spectroscopy and nanoindentation.

Titanium implants are widely used in dental and orthopedic surgeries. Osseointegration phenomena lead to direct contact between bone tissue and the implant surface. The quality of the bone-implant interface (BII), resulting from the properties of newly formed bone, determines the implant stability.

Colistin and Isavuconazole Interact Synergistically In Vitro against and .

The in vitro interactions of isavuconazole in combination with colistin were evaluated against 55 clinical species isolates belonging to the five most important species (, , , , and ) responsible for human aspergillosis by a microdilution checkerboard technique based on the European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST) reference method for antifungal susceptibility testing. Selected isolates (, = 10; , = 15) were additionally evaluated by an agar diffusion assay using isavuconazole gradient concentration strips with or without colistin incorporated Roswell Parc Memorial Institute (RPMI) agar. Interpretation of the checkerboard results was done by the fractional inhibitory concentration index.

mTOR Inhibition Is Most Beneficial After Liver Transplantation for Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Patients With Active Tumors.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the survival benefit of sirolimus in patients undergoing liver transplantation (LT) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) (exploratory analysis of the SiLVER-trial).

Summary And Background Data: Patients receiving LT) for HCC are at a high risk for tumor recurrence. Calcineurin inhibitors have shown evidence to promote cancer growth, whereas mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitors like sirolimus have anticancer effects.

COVID-19 Home Confinement Negatively Impacts Social Participation and Life Satisfaction: A Worldwide Multicenter Study.

Unlabelled: Public health recommendations and governmental measures during the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic have enforced numerous restrictions on daily living including social distancing, isolation, and home confinement. While these measures are imperative to mitigate spreading of COVID-19, the impact of these restrictions on psychosocial health is undefined. Therefore, an international online survey was launched in April 2020 to elucidate the behavioral and lifestyle consequences of COVID-19 restrictions.

Uncontrolled Innate and Impaired Adaptive Immune Responses in Patients with COVID-19 Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome.

Uncontrolled inflammatory innate response and impaired adaptive immune response are associated with clinical severity in patients with coronavirus disease (COVID-19). To compare the immunopathology of COVID-19 acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) with that of non-COVID-19 ARDS, and to identify biomarkers associated with mortality in patients with COVID-19 ARDS. Prospective observational monocenter study.

[Health democracy: Patient partnership].

In 2019, the scientific committee of the French society of radiation oncology (SFRO) created an ethics committee. Its mission is to provide our professional community with food for thought on ethical issues, and to identify its specificities within the radiation oncology departments. For the 2020 annual conference, the commission looked into the evolution of the patient-carer relationship, and more particularly to the strong idea of patient partnership.

A collagen Vα1-derived fragment inhibits FGF-2 induced-angiogenesis by modulating endothelial cells plasticity through its heparin-binding site.

Type V collagen (ColV) is a component of the endothelial basement membrane zone. During angiogenesis, extracellular matrix remodelling results in the release of active protein fragments that display pro- or anti-angiogenic properties. The latter often exert their activity through their heparin-binding site.

In Vitro Interaction between Isavuconazole and Tacrolimus, Cyclosporin A, or Sirolimus against Species.

The interaction of isavuconazole with immunosuppressors (tacrolimus, cyclosporin A, or sirolimus) against 30 isolates belonging to the most common species responsible for invasive aspergillosis in humans (, , , , and ) was evaluated in vitro by a microdilution checkerboard technique based on the EUCAST reference method for antifungal susceptibility testing. The interpretation of the results was performed based on the fractional inhibitory concentration index. The combination of isavuconazole with tacrolimus, cyclosporin A, or sirolimus, was synergistic for 56, 20, or 10% of the isolates, respectively.

Detection of microsatellite instability in a panel of solid tumours with the Idylla MSI Test using extracted DNA.

Aim: During the last few years, determination of microstatellite instability (MSI) status has become a routine part of clinical practice, essentially to detect Lynch syndrome. Recently, MSI testing has increased with the development of immunotherapy and has expanded to a large panel of solid tumours. The aim of our work was to evaluate a fully automated system developed by Biocartis, the Idylla MSI Test, which performs an MSI analysis within 150 min.

Effects of COVID-19 Home Confinement on Eating Behaviour and Physical Activity: Results of the ECLB-COVID19 International Online Survey.

Background: Public health recommendations and governmental measures during the COVID-19 pandemic have resulted in numerous restrictions on daily living including social distancing, isolation and home confinement. While these measures are imperative to abate the spreading of COVID-19, the impact of these restrictions on health behaviours and lifestyles at home is undefined. Therefore, an international online survey was launched in April 2020, in seven languages, to elucidate the behavioural and lifestyle consequences of COVID-19 restrictions.

Antibiotic loading and development of antibacterial capsules by using porous CaCO microparticles as starting material.

Porous calcium carbonate (CaCO) particles have been shown to be highly advantageous for biological applications, mainly due to their large surface area and their stability in physiological media. Also, developing appropriate antibacterial materials presenting the benefits of non-formation of harmful compounds is of major interest. Two characteristics of CaCO particles were investigated herein: (i) antibiotic-loading capacity and (ii) the possibility of using CaCO particles as a template for the fabrication of biocapsules presenting inherent antibacterial capacity.

Trust and consent: a prospective study on parents' perspective during a neonatal trial.

Objective: This study aimed to describe how parents and physicians experienced the informed consent interview and to investigate the aspects of the relationship that influenced parents' decision during the consent process for a randomised clinical trial in a tertiary neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The secondary objective was to describe the perspectives of parents and physicians in the specific situation of prenatal informed consent.

Setting: Single centre study in NICU of the Centre Hospitalier Intercommunal de Créteil, France, using a convenience period from February to May 2016.

Dataset on the hygrothermal performance of a date palm concrete wall.

The present data article is concerned with the hygrothermal performance at the wall scale of a new bio-based building material including date palm fibres. A specific test setup allowed to measure temperature and relative humidity (RH) profiles at three different depths of the bio-based wall subjected to outdoor boundary conditions. Besides, a partial differential equations resolution software was then used to solve two mathematical models (, Kunzel and Mendes models) describing heat and moisture transfer in porous building materials.