83 research outputs found
Management of transgender patients in critical care
As clinicians working in critical care, it is our duty to provide all of our patients with the high-quality care they deserve, regardless of their gender identity. The transgender community continues to suffer discrimination from the media, politicians and general public. As healthcare workers we often pride ourselves on our ability to safely care for all patients. However, there remains a distinct lack of understanding surrounding the care of critically ill transgender patients. This is likely in part because the specific care of transgender patients is not included in the Faculty of Intensive Care Medicineâs, Royal College of Anaesthetistsâ, Royal College of Physicianâs, or Royal College of Emergency Medicineâs curriculum. There are several important considerations relevant for transgender patients in critical care including anatomical changes to the airway, alterations to respiratory and cardiovascular physiology and management of hormone therapy. Alongside this, there are simple but important social factors that exist, such as the use of patient pronouns and ensuring admittance to correctly gendered wards. In this review we will address the key points relevant to the care of transgender patients in critical care and provide suggestions on how education on the subject may be improved
Mesostructured Block Copolymer Nanoparticles: Versatile Templates for Hybrid Inorganic/Organic Nanostructures
We present a versatile strategy to prepare a range of nanostructured poly(styrene)-block-poly(2-vinyl pyridine) copolymer particles with tunable interior morphology and controlled size by a simple solvent exchange procedure. A key feature of this strategy is the use of functional block copolymers incorporating reactive pyridyl moieties which allow the absorption of metal salts and other inorganic precursors to be directed. Upon reduction of the metal salts, well-defined hybrid metal nanoparticle arrays could be prepared, whereas the use of oxide precursors followed by calcination permits the synthesis of silica and titania particles. In both cases, ordered morphologies templated by the original block copolymer domains were obtained
Temperatureâinduced selfâassembly and metalâion stabilization of histidine functional block copolymers
Histidine functional block copolymers are thermally selfâassembled into polymer micelles with polyâNâisopropylacrylamide in the core and the histidine functionality in the corona. The thermally induced selfâassemblies are reversible until treated with Cu2+ ions at 50â°C. Upon treatment with 0.5 equivalents of Cu2+ relative to the histidine moieties, metalâion coordination locks the selfâassemblies. The selfâassembly behavior of histidine functional block copolymers is explored at different values of pH using DLS and 1H NMR. Metalâion coordination locking of the histidine functional micelles is also explored at different pH values, with stable micelles forming at pHâ9, observed by DLS and imaged by atomic force microscopy. The thermal selfâassembly of glycine functional block copolymers at pHâ5, 7, and 9 is similar to the histidine functional materials; however, the selfâassemblies do not become stable after the addition of Cu2+, indicating that the imidazole plays a crucial role in metalâion coordination that locks the micelles. The reversibility of the histidineâcopper complex locking mechanism is demonstrated by the addition of acid to protonate the imidazole and destabilize the polymer selfâassemblies
Versatile Synthesis of Amino Acid Functional Polymers without Protection Group Chemistry
The
copolymerization of <i>N</i>-isopropylacrylamide
(NiPAm) with aldehyde functional monomers facilitates postpolymerization
functionalization with amino acids via reductive amination, negating
the need for protecting groups. In reductive amination, the imine
formed from the condensation reaction between an amine and an aldehyde
is reduced to an amine. In this work, we categorize amino acids into
four classes based on the functionality of their side chains (acidic,
polar neutral, neutral, and basic) and use their amine groups in condensation
reactions with aldehyde functional polymers. The dynamic nature of
the imine as well as the versatility of reductive amination to functionalize
a polymer with a range of amino acids is highlighted. In this manner,
amino acid functional polymers are synthesized without the use of
protecting groups with high yields, demonstrating the high functional
group tolerance of carbonyl condensation chemistry and the subsequent
reduction of the imine. Prior to the reduction of the imine bond,
transimination reactions are used to demonstrate dynamic polymers
that shuffle from a glycine- to a histidine-functional polymer
ATRP-mediated continuous assembly of polymers for the preparation of nanoscale films
The continuous assembly of polymers (CAP) via atom transfer radical polymerisation (ATRP) is reported as an efficient approach for the preparation of dense, cross-linked, nanoscale engineered films as surface coatings, hollow capsules and replica particles. These films can be reinitiated to allow the preparation of thicker films without loss of film growth efficiency while maintaining similar film density
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