Black holes and the absorption rate of cosmological scalar fields

We study the absorption of a massless scalar field by a static black hole. Using the continuity equation that arises from the Klein-Gordon equation, it is possible to define a normalized absorption rate $\Gamma(t)$ for the scalar field as it falls into the black hole. It is found that the absorption mainly depends upon the characteristics wavelengths involved in the physical system: the mean wavenumber and the width of the wave packet, but that it is insensitive to the scalar field's strength. By taking a limiting procedure, we determine the minimum absorption fraction of the scalar field's mass by the black hole, which is around 50%.Comment: 5 pages, 5 color figures, uses REVTe

Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat

Correction to: Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake

Vat photopolymerization three-dimensional printing of PEGDA/LiClO4 solid polymer electrolytes with optimised accuracy and electrochemical-mechanical performance

Research on 3D printing of battery materials has grown significantly, but developing an optimised printable electrolyte remains a major challenge for fully conformal Li-ion batteries, due to the need for the electrolyte to be ionically conductive, thin, mechanically strong, and printable in intricate shapes. This study leverages additive manufacturing to create a solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) using a custom UV-curable resin as feedstock for Digital Light Processing (DLP) 3D printing. The resin comprises poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) with varying molecular weights as the polymer matrix and LiClO4 as the lithium salt. To identify the optimal PEGDA molecular weight, electrochemical and mechanical properties are assessed using infrared analysis, tensile strength tests, linear sweep voltammetry, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Results reveal a tradeoff between printability and electrochemical performance based on molecular weight. The DLP process enables 3D printing of both discs and complex SPE geometries, showcasing its potential for shape-conformable applications. In addition to offering high conformability and robust performance, these SPEs are expected to enhance the safety of Li-ion batteries by replacing traditional liquid electrolytes containing flammable solvents

Secondary Hyperparathyroidism Induced by Plateletpheresis in Donors As a Result of Divalent Cationic Chelation by Citrate.

Abstract Abstract 2284 Background: Apheresis is an efficient method to collect specific blood components such as platelets, leukocytes, plasma and stem cells. Its advantages include: the collection of standardized and high-quality blood products and a higher collection frequency. However, apheresis is usually accompanied by acute metabolic changes (specially in serum calcium and magnesium concentrations) due to citrate infusion during the whole procedure. Aim: To compare pre and post-plateletpheresis serum level concentrations of calcium, magnesium, zinc, copper and parathyroid hormone among donors and correlate these levels with symptoms that donors may experience during the procedure performance. Materials and Methods: This is a prospective study including 105 healthy plateletpheresis donors who attended the National Cancer Institute. Basal and post-procedure serum levels of parathyroid hormone (PTH), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu) were measured by ion selective potentiometry (Ca), final dot (Mg), atomic absorption (Cu, Zn) and solid phase two site chemoluminiscence (PTH) methods. In case of adverse reactions, a blood sample was drawn immediately in order to analyze concentrations of such hormone and minerals. We intended to correlate both, diet and adverse reactions with serum levels of aforementioned elements. Statistical analysis was performed by chi-square and ANOVA. Protocol was approved by the institutional ethical and research committee. Results: One hundred and five consecutive donors were included in the study conducted from June 28th through July 27th, 2012. There were 68 males and 37 females. Median age was 31 years (range 18–56). Pre and post-apheresis PTH, Ca, Mg, Zn and Cu serum levels are shown in table 1. Furthermore we found significant differences in women older than 30 years but did not find any relationship between donors' symptoms and diet. Conclusions: Plateletpheresis induced a secondary hyperparathyroidism state resulting from chelation of calcium and magnesium. We demonstrated that Cu was also chelated by citrate. These results urges us to assess the kinetics of these metabolic changes as well as to follow a cohort of donors with bone densitometry in order to assure that frequent and chronic infusion of citrate during plateletpheresis donations does not become a long-term risk for osteopenia and osteoporosis as already suggested by some authors1,2. If such a risk is demonstrated other preventive measures must be implemented like: 1.- To restrict the number of apheresis donations per person and 2.- To develop new and safer anticoagulants to be used during the apheresis procedures. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare. </jats:sec

Allium vegetables intake and the risk of gastric cancer in the Stomach cancer Pooling (StoP) Project

41siBackground: The role of allium vegetables on gastric cancer (GC) risk remains unclear. Methods: We evaluated whether higher intakes of allium vegetables reduce GC risk using individual participant data from 17 studies participating in the "Stomach cancer Pooling (StoP) Project", including 6097 GC cases and 13,017 controls. Study-specific odds ratios (ORs) were pooled using a two-stage modelling approach. Results: Total allium vegetables intake was inversely associated with GC risk. The pooled OR for the highest versus the lowest study-specific tertile of consumption was 0.71 (95% confidence interval, CI, 0.56-0.90), with substantial heterogeneity across studies (I2 &gt; 50%). Pooled ORs for high versus low consumption were 0.69 (95% CI, 0.55-0.86) for onions and 0.83 (95% CI, 0.75-0.93) for garlic. The inverse association with allium vegetables was evident in Asian (OR 0.50, 95% CI, 0.29-0.86) but not European (OR 0.96, 95% CI, 0.81-1.13) and American (OR 0.66, 95% CI, 0.39-1.11) studies. Results were consistent across all other strata. Conclusions: In a worldwide consortium of epidemiological studies, we found an inverse association between allium vegetables and GC, with a stronger association seen in Asian studies. The heterogeneity of results across geographic regions and possible residual confounding suggest caution in results interpretation.restrictednoneDalmartello, Michela; Turati, Federica; Zhang, Zuo-Feng; Lunet, Nuno; Rota, Matteo; Bonzi, Rossella; Galeone, Carlotta; Martimianaki, Georgia; Palli, Domenico; Ferraroni, Monica; Yu, Guo-Pei; Morais, Samantha; Malekzadeh, Reza; López-Carrillo, Lizbeth; Zaridze, David; Maximovitch, Dmitry; Aragonés, Nuria; Fernández-Tardón, Guillermo; Martin, Vicente; Vioque, Jesus; Garcia de la Hera, Manoli; Curado, Maria Paula; Coimbra, Felipe Jose Fernandez; Assumpcao, Paulo; Pakseresht, Mohammadreza; Hu, Jinfu; Hernández-Ramírez, Raúl Ulises; Ward, Mary H; Pourfarzi, Farhad; Mu, Lina; Tsugane, Shoichiro; Hidaka, Akihisa; Lagiou, Pagona; Lagiou, Areti; Trichopoulou, Antonia; Karakatsani, Anna; Boffetta, Paolo; Camargo, M Costanza; Negri, Eva; La Vecchia, Carlo; Pelucchi, ClaudioDalmartello, Michela; Turati, Federica; Zhang, Zuo-Feng; Lunet, Nuno; Rota, Matteo; Bonzi, Rossella; Galeone, Carlotta; Martimianaki, Georgia; Palli, Domenico; Ferraroni, Monica; Yu, Guo-Pei; Morais, Samantha; Malekzadeh, Reza; López-Carrillo, Lizbeth; Zaridze, David; Maximovitch, Dmitry; Aragonés, Nuria; Fernández-Tardón, Guillermo; Martin, Vicente; Vioque, Jesus; Garcia de la Hera, Manoli; Curado, Maria Paula; Coimbra, Felipe Jose Fernandez; Assumpcao, Paulo; Pakseresht, Mohammadreza; Hu, Jinfu; Hernández-Ramírez, Raúl Ulises; Ward, Mary H; Pourfarzi, Farhad; Mu, Lina; Tsugane, Shoichiro; Hidaka, Akihisa; Lagiou, Pagona; Lagiou, Areti; Trichopoulou, Antonia; Karakatsani, Anna; Boffetta, Paolo; Camargo, M Costanza; Negri, Eva; La Vecchia, Carlo; Pelucchi, Claudi

Mendelian Susceptibility to Mycobacterial Disease: Retrospective Clinical and Genetic Study in Mexico

Abstract BACKGROUND. Mendelian susceptibility to mycobacterial disease (MSMD) is a rare genetic disorder with impaired immunity against intracellular pathogens, such as mycobacteria, attenuated Mycobacterium bovis-Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine strains, and environmental mycobacteria, in otherwise healthy individuals. In Mexico, the estimated incidence of tuberculosis in 2019 was 23 cases/100,000 people. BCG vaccination is mandatory in Mexico. PURPOSE. To review the clinical, immunological, and genetic characteristics of MSMD patients followed in ten hospitals across Mexico. METHODS. This retrospective study describes the clinical, immunological, and genetic characteristics of patients in Mexico diagnosed with MSMD from 2006 to 2021. RESULTS. Twenty-two patients from 17 kindreds were diagnosed with MSMD. Fourteen were male (64%) and eight were female. After BCG vaccination, 12 patients (70%) developed BCG infections. Six (22%) developed infections caused by Salmonella, and 11 (50%) developed infections caused by fungi, particularly Histoplasma. Thirteen different pathogenic variants were identified in IL12RB1 (n = 13), IFNGR1 (n = 3), and IFNGR2 (n = 1). Seven of the 22 patients died; the main cause was disseminated BCG infection. CONCLUSION. Interleukin-12Rβ1 deficiency was the main cause of MSMD in the Mexican cohort. The main etiologic agent responsible for morbidity and mortality was BCG.</jats:p