Thermal shock resistance of two micro-structured alumina obtained by natural sintering and SPS

cited By 8International audienceIn the present work, the indentation air quenching technique was used to evaluate thermal shock behavior of a micro-structured alumina obtained with different sintering techniques (Spark Plasma Sintering and natural sintering) and conditions (varying dwell time, dwell temperature and pressure). The main objective is to evaluate the effect of the sintering technique on the thermal shock properties, by comparing the mechanical and thermal shock properties between samples prepared by natural sintering and SPS. Another objective is to determine how the grains size and porosity affect the initiation and growth of cracks in samples submitted to thermal shocks of different amplitudes. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l. All rights reserved

Chronic use of inhaled corticosteroids in patients admitted for respiratory virus infections: a 6-year prospective multicenter study

International audienceInhaled corticosteroids (ICS) have been associated with increased risk of pneumonia. Their impact on respiratory virus infections is unclear. We performed a post-hoc analysis of the FLUVAC cohort, a multicenter prospective cohort study of adults hospitalized with influenza-like illness (ILI) during six consecutive influenza seasons (2012–2018). All patients were tested for respiratory virus infection by multiplex PCR on nasopharyngeal swabs and/or bronchoalveolar lavage. Risk factors were identified by logistic regression analysis. Among the 2658 patients included, 537 (20.2%) were treated with ICS before admission, of whom 282 (52.5%, 282/537) tested positive for at least one respiratory virus. Patients on ICS were more likely to test positive for non-influenza respiratory viruses (25.1% vs. 19.5%, P = 0.004), especially for adenovirus (aOR 2.36, 95% CI 1.18–4.58), and respiratory syncytial virus (aOR 2.08, 95% CI 1.39–3.09). Complications were reported in 55.9% of patients on ICS (300/537), primarily pneumonia (171/535, 32%). Among patients on chronic ICS who tested positive for respiratory virus, 14.2% (40/282) were admitted to intensive care unit, and in-hospital mortality rate was 2.8% (8/282). Chronic use of ICS is associated with an increased risk of adenovirus or RSV infections in patients admitted for ILI