Little in Norway: a prospective longitudinal community-based cohort from pregnancy to child age 18 months

The Little in Norway (LiN) project is a cross-disciplinary prospective longitudinal study starting in pregnancy. It was set up to investigate maternal and paternal mental health functioning in the transition to parenthood, detect pathways to healthy and aberrant child development and generate new knowledge about mechanisms underlying differential child mental health susceptibility.publishedVersio

Does an early onset and continuous chain of rehabilitation improve the long-term functional outcome of patients with severe traumatic brain injury?

Published version of an article published in the journal: Journal of Neurotrauma. Also available from the publisher at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/neu.2011.1811There are currently no international guidelines regarding treatment in the early rehabilitation phase for persons with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI), and only a few studies have investigated the effect of integrating rehabilitation into acute TBI care. The aim of the study was to evaluate whether a continuous chain of rehabilitation that begins with the acute phase could improve the functional outcome of severe TBI patients, compared to a broken chain of rehabilitation that starts in the sub-acute phase of TBI. A total of 61 surviving patients with severe TBI were included in a quasi-experimental study conducted at the Level I trauma center in Eastern Norway. In the study, 31 patients were in the early rehabilitation group (Group A) and 30 patients were in the delayed rehabilitation group (Group B). The functional outcomes were assessed 12 months post-injury with the Glasgow Outcome Scale Extended (GOSE) and the Disability Rating Scale (DRS). A favorable outcome (GOSE 6-8) occurred in 71 % of the patients from Group A versus 37 % in Group B (p=0.007). The DRS score was significantly better in Group A (p=0.03). The ordinal logistic regression analysis was used to quantify the relationship between the type of rehabilitation chain and the GOSE. A better GOSE outcome was found in patients from Group A (unadjusted OR 3.25 and adjusted OR 2.78, respectively). These results support the hypothesis that better functional outcome occurs in patients who receive early onset and a continuous chain of rehabilitation

Determining the PE fraction in recycled PP

The presence of a polyethylene (PE) fraction in recycled polypropylene (PP) will influence the processing as well as mechanical and thermal properties of recycled polypropylene. The objective of this work has been to compare methods used to determine the fraction of PE in recycled PP, establishing calibration curves for each method. Plastics waste will be a mix of different grades – homopolymers and copolymers. It has therefore been tested how specific material grades affect the results. Characterization methods used were differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), FT-IR spectroscopy, NMR, and gel content measurement after peroxide extrusion. We have applied the derived calibration curves for two different post-consumer, recycled PP (rPP) in addition to a known 50/50 blend of PE and PP. DSC, NMR, FT-IR and gel content give quite consistent estimates of the PE contentpublishedVersio

The low temperature crystallization of hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber (HNBR)

HNBR was analyzed following low temperature storage (between 0 °C and −50 °C) in order to measure the effects of cold crystallization during exposure close to, and below, the glass transition temperature (Tg). Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) and hardness testing were performed to measure the changes in melting enthalpy, shear stiffness and hardness as a result of low temperature exposure. An increase in crystallinity was measured even when the HNBR was held well below the Tg of the HNBR. Although the degree of crystallinity due to low temperature exposure is estimated to be quite small, a significant increase in hardness was seen after 24 h exposure. The changes in properties due to the presence of “microcrystalline” regions are especially relevant for permanently low temperature applications, since the material properties over longer timescales at low temperatures may deviate significantly from the material properties measured immediately after cooling.acceptedVersio

Determining the PE fraction in recycled PP

The presence of a polyethylene (PE) fraction in recycled polypropylene (PP) will influence the processing as well as mechanical and thermal properties of recycled polypropylene. The objective of this work has been to compare methods used to determine the fraction of PE in recycled PP, establishing calibration curves for each method. Plastics waste will be a mix of different grades – homopolymers and copolymers. It has therefore been tested how specific material grades affect the results. Characterization methods used were differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), FT-IR spectroscopy, NMR, and gel content measurement after peroxide extrusion. We have applied the derived calibration curves for two different post-consumer, recycled PP (rPP) in addition to a known 50/50 blend of PE and PP. DSC, NMR, FT-IR and gel content give quite consistent estimates of the PE conten

Gastrobronchial fistula following minimally invasive esophagectomy for esophageal cancer in a patient with myotonic dystrophy: Case report

Introduction: Myotonic dystrophies are inherited multisystemic diseases characterized by musculopathy, cardiac arrythmias and cognitive disorders. These patients are at increased risk for fatal post-surgical complications from pulmonary hypoventilation. We present a case with myotonic dystrophy and esophageal cancer who had a minimally invasive esophagectomy complicated with gastrobronchial fistulisation. Presentation of case: A 44-year-old male with myotonic dystrophy type 1 and esophageal cancer had a minimally invasive esophagectomy performed instead of open surgery in order to reduce the risk for pulmonary complications. At day 15 respiratory failure occurred from a gastrobronchial fistula between the right intermediary bronchus (defect 7–8 mm) and the esophagogastric anastomosis (defect 10 mm). In order to minimize large leakage of air into the gastric conduit the anastomosis was stented and ventilation maintained at low airway pressures. His general condition improved and allowed extubation at day 29 and stent removal at day 35. Bronchoscopy confirmed that the fistula was healed. The patient was discharged from hospital at day 37 without further complications. Discussion: The fistula was probably caused by bronchial necrosis from thermal injury during close dissection using the Ligasure instrument. Fistula treatment by non-surgical intervention was considered safer than surgery which could be followed by potentially life-threatening respiratory complications. Indications for stenting of gastrobronchial fistulas will be discussed. Conclusions: Minimally invasive esophagectomy was performed instead of open surgery in a myotonic dystrophy patient as these patients are particularly vulnerable to respiratory complications. Gastrobronchial fistula, a major complication, was safely treated by stenting and low airway pressure ventilation

Enhanced Impact Strength of Recycled PET/Glass Fiber Composites

In this paper, we report a study on the effects of different ethylene copolymers in improving the impact strength of a fiber-reinforced composite based on a recycled poly(ethylene terephthalate) (rPET) from post-consumer bottles. Different ethylene copolymers have been selected in order to evaluate the effects of the polar co-monomer chemical structure and content. The composite mixtures were prepared via melt extrusion, and the samples were manufactured by injection molding. Impact strength was evaluated using Izod tests, and a morphological study (FESEM) was performed. As a result, a composite with substantially improved impact properties was designed. This study demonstrates that a post-consumer PET from the municipal waste collection of plastic bottles can be successfully used as a matrix of high-performance, injection-molded composites, suitable for use in the automotive sector, among others, with no compromise in terms of mechanical requirements or thermal stability

Accelerated hydrolysis method for producing partially degraded polyester microplastic fiber reference materials

Microplastic fibers (MPFs) from textiles significantly contribute to the microplastic (MP) load in many environmental matrices and have been shown to negatively impact the organisms therein. Most fate and effect studies to date rely on pristine reference MP materials that have limited relevance compared with the partially degraded MP particles and fibers typically present in the natural environment. The current study aimed to develop and validate a rapid method to generate environmentally relevant polyester (PET) MPF reference material with controllable levels of degradation. Importantly, the method produced the same degradation products (terephthalic acid (TA) and ethylene glycol (EG)) as those generated during natural UV (sunlight) exposure of PET. Alkaline hydrolysis provided linearly increasing degrees of degraded PET MPFs over just a few hours, with full decomposition into molecular fragments occurring after 3 h. The extent of physical degradation was determined by scanning electron microscopy, whereas chemical degradation was quantified by measuring the production of TA and EG degradation products. The proposed accelerated hydrolysis degradation method is relevant for producing partially degraded PET MPF reference materials for use in fate and effect studies

Accelerated Hydrolysis Method for Producing Partially Degraded Polyester Microplastic Fiber Reference Materials

Microplastic fibers (MPFs) from textiles significantly contribute to the microplastic (MP) load in many environmental matrices and have been shown to negatively impact the organisms therein. Most fate and effect studies to date rely on pristine reference MP materials that have limited relevance compared with the partially degraded MP particles and fibers typically present in the natural environment. The current study aimed to develop and validate a rapid method to generate environmentally relevant polyester (PET) MPF reference material with controllable levels of degradation. Importantly, the method produced the same degradation products (terephthalic acid (TA) and ethylene glycol (EG)) as those generated during natural UV (sunlight) exposure of PET. Alkaline hydrolysis provided linearly increasing degrees of degraded PET MPFs over just a few hours, with full decomposition into molecular fragments occurring after 3 h. The extent of physical degradation was determined by scanning electron microscopy, whereas chemical degradation was quantified by measuring the production of TA and EG degradation products. The proposed accelerated hydrolysis degradation method is relevant for producing partially degraded PET MPF reference materials for use in fate and effect studies