Nanocellulose filled biobased polyurethane foams.

In this paper, nanocellulose (NC) dispersed in glycerin was incorporated into polyurethane (PU) biobased foams, using castor oil and glycerin, in a ratio of 3:1, as a biopolyol, produced by free-rise pouring method. Firstly, the morphologicals properties, measureds by scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) images, were investigated and, after, the apparent density and compressives properties were measureds. The results indicated efficience in the preparation method for the biofoams and the filled foams presented a decrease in the cellular anisotropy and linear cell density and an increase in cell diameter, with a more homogenous cell structure. These morphologicals properties justify the modifications caused by the fillers in the biofoams, a larger cell, with less orientation, caused a decrease in the values of the apparent density and consequently lower values in compressive mechanical properties

Risk of hospitalization for heart failure in patients with type 2 diabetes newly treated with DPP-4 inhibitors or other oral glucose-lowering medications: A retrospective registry study on 127,555 patients from the Nationwide OsMed Health-DB Database

Aims Oral glucose-lowering medications are associated with excess risk of heart failure (HF). Given the absence of comparative data among drug classes, we performed a retrospective study in 32 Health Services of 16 Italian regions accounting for a population of 18 million individuals, to assess the association between HF risk and use of sulphonylureas, DPP-4i, and glitazones. Methods and results We extracted data on patients with type 2 diabetes who initiated treatment with DPP-4i, thiazolidinediones, or sulphonylureas alone or in combination with metformin during an accrual time of 2 years. The endpoint was hospitalization for HF (HHF) occurring after the first 6 months of therapy, and the observation was extended for up to 4 years. A total of 127 555 patients were included, of whom 14.3% were on DPP-4i, 72.5% on sulphonylurea, 13.2% on thiazolidinediones, with average 70.7% being on metformin as combination therapy. Patients in the three groups differed significantly for baseline characteristics: age, sex, Charlson index, concurrent medications, and previous cardiovascular events. During an average 2.6-year follow-up, after adjusting for measured confounders, use of DPP-4i was associated with a reduced risk of HHF compared with sulphonylureas [hazard ratio (HR) 0.78; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.62-0.97; P = 0.026]. After propensity matching, the analysis was restricted to 39 465 patients, and the use of DPP-4i was still associated with a lower risk of HHF (HR 0.70; 95% CI 0.52-0.94; P = 0.018). Conclusion In a very large observational study, the use of DPP-4i was associated with a reduced risk of HHF when compared with sulphonylureas

Compósitos cimentícios reforçados com celulose microfibrilada tratada com álcool furfurílico.

O presente estudo tem como objetivo investigar o efeito da furfurilização em MFC empregadas em pastas de cimento Portland

Optical responses and photodegradation resistance of forest-based fillers incorporated into polyurethane biofoams.

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