Comparative effectiveness of drugs used to constrict the patent ductus arteriosus: a secondary analysis of the PDA-TOLERATE trial (NCT01958320).

ObjectiveTo evaluate the effectiveness of drugs used to constrict patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) in newborns < 28 weeks.MethodsWe performed a secondary analysis of the multi-center PDA-TOLERATE trial (NCT01958320). Infants with moderate-to-large PDAs were randomized 1:1 at 8.1 ± 2.1 days to either Drug treatment (n = 104) or Conservative management (n = 98). Drug treatments were assigned by center rather than within center (acetaminophen: 5 centers, 27 infants; ibuprofen: 7 centers, 38 infants; indomethacin: 7 centers, 39 infants).ResultsIndomethacin produced the greatest constriction (compared with spontaneous constriction during Conservative management): RR (95% CI) = 3.21 (2.05-5.01)), followed by ibuprofen = 2.03 (1.05-3.91), and acetaminophen = 1.33 (0.55-3.24). The initial rate of acetaminophen-induced constriction was 27%. Infants with persistent moderate-to-large PDA after acetaminophen were treated with indomethacin. The final rate of constriction after acetaminophen ± indomethacin was 60% (similar to the rate in infants receiving indomethacin-alone (62%)).ConclusionIndomethacin was more effective than acetaminophen in producing ductus constriction

Comparative effectiveness and safety of indomethacin versus ibuprofen for the treatment of patent ductus arteriosus

Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is common in extremely premature infants and associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Medical management of PDA uses either indomethacin or ibuprofen. Despite numerous studies, uncertainty exists as to which drug is safer or more effective; we sought to fill this knowledge gap

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Not AvailableExpert systems are very popular computer programs designed to simulate the problem solving behavior of human thinking in a narrow domain. The world has changed into a global village. Information has become a powerful commodity and agricultural production has evolved into a complex business requiring the accumulation and integration of knowledge and information from many diverse sources. Rice is the staple food of over half the world’s population. India is the second largest producer and consumer of rice in the world. In order to remain competitive, the modern farmer often relies on agricultural specialists and advisors to provide information for decision making. In order to alleviate this problem, expert systems were identified as a powerful tool with extensive potential in agriculture. Rapid development of web technology benefits our decision-making and various activities in agriculture. With this background, web based rice expert system has been developed for diagnosing pest and disease problems of rice crop.Not Availabl

Mesoporous and biocompatible surface active silica aerogel synthesis using choline formate ionic liquid

In this paper, we report the preparation and characterization of mesoporous and biocompatible transparent silica aerogel by the sol-gel polymerization of tetraethyl orthosilicate using ionic liquid. Choline cation based ionic liquid allows the silica framework to form in a non collapsing environment and controls the pore size of the gel. FT-IR spectra reveal the interaction of ionic liquid with surface -OH of the gel. DSC thermogram giving the evidence of confinement of ionic liquid within the silica matrix, which helps to avoid the shrinkage of the gel during the aging process. Nitrogen sorption measurements of gel prepared with ionic liquid exhibit a low surface area of 100.53 m2/g and high average pore size of 3.74 nm. MTT assay proves the biocompatibility and cell viability of the prepared gels. This new nanoporous silica material can be applied to immobilize biological molecules, which may retain their stability over a longer period

Sol-gel network silica/modified montmorillonite clay hybrid nanocomposites for hydrophobic surface coatings

Sol-gel silica/nanoclay composites were prepared through sol-gel polymerization technique using tetraethylorthosilicate precursor and montmorillonite (MMT) clay in aqueous media. In this study, both montmorillonite-K+ and organically modified MMT (OMMT) clays were used. The prepared composites were coated on glass substrate by making 1 wt% solution in ethyltrichlorosilane. The incorporation of nanoclay does not alter the intensity of characteristic Si-O-Si peak of silica network. Thermogravimetric studies show that increasing clay content increased the degradation temperature of the composites. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) results of organically modified MMT nanoclay incorporated composite show a shift in the melting behavior up to 38 ° C. From DSC thermograms, we observed that the Δ H value decreased with increasing clay loading. X-ray diffraction patterns prove the presence of nanoclay in the composite and increase in the concentration of organically modified nanoclay from 3 to 5 wt% increases the intensity of the peak at 2θ = 8° corresponds to OMMT. Morphology of the control silica gel composite was greatly influenced by the incorporation of OMMT. The presence of nanoclay changed the surface of control silica gel composite into cleaved surface with brittle in nature. Contact angle measurements were done for the coatings to study their surface behavior. These hybrid coatings on glass substrate may have applications for hydrophobic coatings on leather substrate

Facile Preparation of Biocompatible and Transparent Silica Aerogels as Ionogels Using Choline Dihydrogen Phosphate Ionic Liquid

We developed a facile and greener approach for the preparation of silica-aerogel-based ionogels using choline dihydrogen phosphate ionic liquid by the sol–gel approach. A series of silica-based aerogels as ionogels were prepared by varying the ionic liquid concentrations: 0.1, 0.5, 1, 3, 5, and 10 wt %. The as-prepared ionogels were characterized using several analytical techniques, namely, attenuated total reflectance (ATR)/FT-IR, TGA, XRD, and particle size analyses. The role of ionic liquid in the viscoelastic properties of the sol–gel transition was monitored using time-dependent rheological measurements. The addition of ionic liquid to the sol–gel system favored the formation of a more interconnected silica network structure. The formation of a silica network structure during sol–gel hydrolysis and condensation was confirmed from 29Si solid-state CP/MAS NMR spectra. The effect of the ionic liquid on the morphological properties was investigated using SEM and TEM studies. The cell viabilities of the prepared gel samples were clearly evident from the cytotoxicity assay studies using Swiss and HaCaT cells. The main advantages of using biocompatible ionic liquids for the preparation of these aerogels as ionogels are that they may be used for encapsulating biological molecules and retain their conformational stability for a longer duration

Facile Preparation of Biocompatible and Transparent Silica Aerogels as Ionogels Using Choline Dihydrogen Phosphate Ionic Liquid

We developed a facile and greener approach for the preparation of silica-aerogel-based ionogels using choline dihydrogen phosphate ionic liquid by the sol–gel approach. A series of silica-based aerogels as ionogels were prepared by varying the ionic liquid concentrations: 0.1, 0.5, 1, 3, 5, and 10 wt %. The as-prepared ionogels were characterized using several analytical techniques, namely, attenuated total reflectance (ATR)/FT-IR, TGA, XRD, and particle size analyses. The role of ionic liquid in the viscoelastic properties of the sol–gel transition was monitored using time-dependent rheological measurements. The addition of ionic liquid to the sol–gel system favored the formation of a more interconnected silica network structure. The formation of a silica network structure during sol–gel hydrolysis and condensation was confirmed from 29Si solid-state CP/MAS NMR spectra. The effect of the ionic liquid on the morphological properties was investigated using SEM and TEM studies. The cell viabilities of the prepared gel samples were clearly evident from the cytotoxicity assay studies using Swiss and HaCaT cells. The main advantages of using biocompatible ionic liquids for the preparation of these aerogels as ionogels are that they may be used for encapsulating biological molecules and retain their conformational stability for a longer duration

Facile Preparation of Biocompatible and Transparent Silica Aerogels as Ionogels Using Choline Dihydrogen Phosphate Ionic Liquid

Featured Application: Ionogels containing bio-ionic liquids help in the area of biomolecule encapsulation. Bio-ionic liquids can retain the stability of biomolecules at room temperature within the pores of ionogels. Ionogels have interesting applications in biosensors, electrochemical devices, super capacitors, batteries, gas sensors, CO2 capture, and so forth. We developed a facile and greener approach for the preparation of silica-aerogel-based ionogels using choline dihydrogen phosphate ionic liquid by the sol-gel approach. A series of silica-based aerogels as ionogels were prepared by varying the ionic liquid concentrations: 0.1, 0.5, 1, 3, 5, and 10 wt %. The as-prepared ionogels were characterized using several analytical techniques, namely, attenuated total reflectance (ATR)/FT-IR, TGA, XRD, and particle size analyses. The role of ionic liquid in the viscoelastic properties of the sol-gel transition was monitored using time-dependent rheological measurements. The addition of ionic liquid to the sol-gel system favored the formation of a more interconnected silica network structure. The formation of a silica network structure during sol-gel hydrolysis and condensation was confirmed from Si-29 solid-state CP/MAS NMR spectra. The effect of the ionic liquid on the morphological properties was investigated using SEM and TEM studies. The cell viabilities of the prepared gel samples were clearly evident from the cytotoxicity assay studies using Swiss and HaCaT cells. The main advantages of using biocompatible ionic liquids for the preparation of these aerogels as ionogels are that they may be used for encapsulating biological molecules and retain their conformational stability for a longer duration