Dyeing of cotton fabrics using reactive dyes by microwave irradiation technique

Dyeing of cotton fabrics with reactive dyes using exhaustion method has been done using microwave irradiation technique. Different parameters such as dye concentration, alkali concentration, salt concentration, power of microwave used and liquor ratio have been studied and the results are compared with conventional technique. It is observed that the microwave technique saves 90 min in the dyeing time 75% in the salt used and 20% in alkali used, indicating the saving in time, energy and money. The overall fastness properties to rubbing, washing, light and perspiration for the dyed samples are ranging from very good to excellent

Accreditation as a quality-improving policy tool: family planning, maternal health, and child health in Egypt

Accreditation of healthcare providers has been established in many high-income countries and some low- and middle-income countries as a tool to improve the quality of health care. However, the available evidence on the effectiveness of this approach is limited and of questionable quality, especially in low- and middle-income countries. We exploit the interventions introduced under Egypt’s health sector reform program between 2000 and 2014 to estimate the effect of health facility accreditation on family planning, maternal health, and child health outcomes. We use difference-in-differences fixed-effects and propensity score matching difference-in-differences models. To do so, we spatially link women to their nearest mapped health facili-ties using their global positioning system coordinates. We find that accreditation had multiple positive effects, especially on delivery care and child morbidity prevalence. The effects appear to weaken over time though. Our findings suggest that facility accreditation can be effective in improving family planning, antenatal care, delivery care, and child health, but stress the need to study how the effects can be sustained

Discontinuation of performance-based financing in primary health care: impact on family planning and maternal and child health

Performance-based financing (PBF) is advocated as an effective means to improve the quality of care by changing healthcare providers' behavior. However, there is limited evidence on its effectiveness in low- and middle-income countries and on its implementation in primary care settings. Evidence on the effect of discontinuing PBF is even more limited than that of introducing PBF schemes. We estimate the effects of discontinuing PBF in Egypt on family planning, maternal health, and child health outcomes. We use a difference-in-differences (DiD) model with fixed effects, exploiting a unique dataset of six waves of spatially constructed facility-level health outcomes. We find that discontinuing performance-based incentives to providers had a negative effect on the knowledge of contraceptive methods, iron supplementation during pregnancy, the prevalence of childhood acute respiratory infection, and, more importantly, under-five child mortality, all of which were indirectly targeted by the PBF scheme. No significant effects are reported for directly targeted outcomes. Our findings suggest that PBF can induce permanent changes in providers' behavior, but this may come at the expense of non-contracted outcomes

OSTEMER polymer as a rapid packaging of electronics and microfluidic system on PCB

[EN] A new heterogeneous integration method is presented that allows the integration of a microfluidic platform and a multi-channel quartz crystal microbalance array on a printed circuit board (PCB) using a dry adhesive bonding method. In this work, the microfluidic platform is a replica molded using a UV-curable OSTEMER 322 Crystal Clear polymer. The OSTEMER acts both as a final package for the cartridge and as a functional material for hosting molded microfluidic channels, the input reservoirs and the waste reservoir. The method is demonstrated by the integration of an array of 24 of a 150 MHz high fundamental frequency quartz crystal microbalance (HFF-QCM) to the OSTEMER microfluidic packaging. The resulting bond interface is shown to be completely homogeneous and void free, and the package is tested to a differential pressure of up to 4 bars. The leak test of the cartridge is performed by pressurizing a microfluidic channel with an aqueous solution using an external peristaltic pump for more than 4 h. The cartridge performance is evaluated by the electrical characterization. Q-factor values of 9507 and of 650are achieved in air and DI water, respectively. Results show that this simple integration method of the HFF-QCM is a promising way to integrate microfluidics into the more complex heterogeneous system.This work was funded by the European Commission Horizon 2020 Programme under the Grant Agreement number ICT-28-2015/687785-LIQBIOPSENS (Reliable Liquid Biopsy technology for early detection of colorectal cancer).El Fissi, L.; Fernández Díaz, R.; García Molla, P.; Calero-Alcarria, MDS.; García Narbón, JV.; Jiménez Jiménez, Y.; Arnau Vives, A.... (2019). OSTEMER polymer as a rapid packaging of electronics and microfluidic system on PCB. Sensors and Actuators A Physical. 285:511-518. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sna.2018.11.050S51151828

Printing of cotton with eco-friendly, red algal pigment from Gracilaria sp

[EN] Natural dyes represent an emerging trend in the textile industry and eco-fashion due to the increasing awareness of the sustainability concept, which must be applied to the surrounding environment. In the light of the stated problem, the search for alternative sources of dyes, revealed the new, eco-friendly, biodegradable, non-carcinogenic and sustainable colorant matter, the algal biomass. In the present work, the suitability and viability of printing cotton fabrics with pigments obtained from the red macroalgae Gracilaria sp., has been investigated. For this aim, phycoerythrin, the red pigment, was extracted from fresh algal biomass, and used in a laboratory pigment-printing process, employing a natural and synthetic printing paste, for process efficiency comparison. The color values and the rubbing and laundering fastness of the printed substrates were evaluated. Results show that a light pink color can be obtained when applying both tested printing processes, and in terms of color fastness, both printing pastes show good behavior. In conclusion, the algal pigments show a high printing capacity on cotton substrates, either when employing the synthetic conventional paste and; moreover, when applying the more sustainable and eco-friendly natural paste.This work was supported by the European research project ¨SEACOLORS¨ (Demonstration of new natural dyes from algae as substitution of synthetic dyes actually used by textile industries) within the LIFE 2013 ¨Environment Policy and Governance project application¨ program.Moldovan, S.; Ferrándiz, M.; Franco, E.; Mira, E.; Capablanca, L.; Bonet-Aracil, M. (2017). Printing of cotton with eco-friendly, red algal pigment from Gracilaria sp. IOP Conference Series Materials Science and Engineering. 254:1-6. doi:10.1088/1757-899X/254/19/192011S1625

Application of nanotechnology in antimicrobial finishing of biomedical textiles

In recent years, the antimicrobial nanofinishing of biomedical textiles has become a very active, high-growth research field, assuming great importance among all available material surface modifications in the textile industry. This review offers the opportunity to update and critically discuss the latest advances and applications in this field. The survey suggests an emerging new paradigm in the production and distribution of nanoparticles for biomedical textile applications based on non-toxic renewable biopolymers such as chitosan, alginate and starch. Moreover, a relationship among metal and metal oxide nanoparticle (NP) size, its concentration on the fabric, and the antimicrobial activity exists, allowing the optimization of antimicrobial functionality.Andrea Zille (C2011-UMINHO-2C2T-01) acknowledges funding from Programa Compromisso para a Ciencia 2008, Portugal

Epiploic appendagitis – clinical characteristics of an uncommon surgical diagnosis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Epiploic appendagitis (EA) is a rare cause of focal abdominal pain in otherwise healthy patients with mild or absent secondary signs of abdominal pathology. It can mimick diverticulitis or appendicitis on clinical exam. The diagnosis of EA is very infrequent, due in part to low or absent awareness among general surgeons. The objective of this work was to review the authors' experience and describe the clinical presentation of EA.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>All patients diagnosed with EA between January 2004 and December 2006 at an urban surgical emergency room were retrospectively reviewed by two authors in order to share the authors' experience with this rare diagnosis. The operations were performed by two surgeons. Pathological examinations of specimens were performed by a single pathologist. A review of clinical presentation is additionally undertaken.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Ten patients (3 females and 7 males, average age: 44.6 years, range: 27–76 years) were diagnosed with symptomatic EA. Abdominal pain was the leading symptom, the pain being localized in the left (8 patients, 80 %) and right (2 patients, 20%) lower quadrant. All patients were afebrile, and with the exception of one patient, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea were not present. CRP was slightly increased (mean: 1.2 mg/DL) in three patients (33%). Computed tomography findings specific for EA were present in five patients. Treatment was laparoscopic excision (n = 8), excision via conventional laparotomy (n = 1) and conservative therapy (n = 1).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In patients with localized, sharp, acute abdominal pain not associated with other symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, fever or atypical laboratory values, the diagnosis of EA should be considered. Although infrequent up to date, with the increase of primary abdominal CT scans and ultrasound EA may well be diagnosed more frequently in the future.</p

Gene deletion of P-Selectin and ICAM-1 does not inhibit neutrophil infiltration into peritoneal cavity following cecal ligation-puncture

BACKGROUND: Neutrophil infiltration is one of the critical cellular components of an inflammatory response during peritonitis. The adhesion molecules, P-selectin and intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM)-1, mediate neutrophil-endothelial cell interactions and the subsequent neutrophil transendothelial migration during the inflammatory response. Despite very strong preclinical data, recent clinical trials failed to show a protective effect of anti-adhesion therapy, suggesting that the length of injury might be a critical factor in neutrophil infiltration. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the role of P-selectin and ICAM-1 in neutrophil infiltration into the peritoneal cavity during early and late phases of peritonitis. METHODS: Peritonitis was induced in both male wild-type and P-selectin/ICAM-1 double deficient (P/I null) mice by cecal ligation-puncture (CLP). Peripheral blood and peritoneal lavage were collected at 6 and 24 hours after CLP. The total leukocyte and neutrophil contents were determined, and neutrophils were identified with the aid of in situ immunohistochemical staining. Comparisons between groups were made by applying ANOVA and student t-test analysis. RESULTS: CLP induced a severe inflammatory response associated with a significant leukopenia in both wild-type and P/I null mice. Additionally, CLP caused a significant neutrophil infiltration into the peritoneal cavity that was detected in both groups of mice. However, neutrophil infiltration in the P/I null mice at 6 hours of CLP was significantly lower than the corresponding wild-type mice, which reached a similar magnitude at 24 hours of CLP. In contrast, in peritonitis induced by intraperitoneal inoculation of 2% glycogen, no significant difference in neutrophil infiltration was observed between the P/I null and wild-type mice at 6 hours of peritonitis. CONCLUSIONS: The data suggest that alternative adhesion pathway(s) independent of P-selectin and ICAM-1 can participate in neutrophil migration during peritonitis and that the mode of stimuli and duration of the injury modulate the neutrophil infiltration