Screening for hypertension in a primary care dental clinic

Objective: The aim of this study was to record blood pressure in patients during their visit to a dental clinic, with the aim of identifying those who have high blood pressure and are unaware of it, as well as those who are aware of their condition but do have their blood pressure under adequate control. Study design: We designed a cross-sectional study which included 154 patients who were seen for a dental checkup at the Primary Dental Care of the Gallician Health Service (SERGAS). All participants completed a standardized medical questionnaire after measuring their systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), which was conducted using the protocol established by the Spanish Society of Hypertension-Spanish League for the Fight Against Hypertension (HTA). Results: In 45 patients (29%), the figures for blood pressure were recorded as SBP?140 mmHg and/or DBP ?90 mmHg, indicating that they may have hypertension. Only 12 of them had been previously diagnosed with hypertension, but did not have their blood pressure under adequate control. The remaining 33 had no history of hypertension and were referred to a family physician, but only 19 saw their doctor; 11 of these patients were given non-pharmacological treatment, 6 were prescribed drug treatment and no type of treatment was indicated for the other two patients. Conclusions: By screening for hypertension, especially among patients who are more than 40 years old, the dentist can play an important role in the early diagnosis

Carbon dioxide adsorption in chemically activated carbon from sewage sludge

In this work, sewage sludge was used as precursor in the production of activated carbon by means of chemical activation with KOH and NaOH. The sludge-based activated carbons were investigated for their gaseous adsorption characteristics using CO2 as adsorbate. Although both chemicals were effective in the development of the adsorption capacity, the best results were obtained with solid NaOH (SBAT16). Adsorption results were modeled according to the Langmuir and Freundlich models, with resulting CO2 adsorption capacities about 56 mg/g. The SBAT16 was characterized for its surface and pore characteristics using continuous volumetric nitrogen gas adsorption and mercury porosimetry. The results informed about the mesoporous character of the SBAT16 (average pore diameter of 56.5 Å). The Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area of the SBAT16 was low (179 m2/g) in comparison with a commercial activated carbon (Airpel 10; 1020 m2/g) and was mainly composed of mesopores and macropores. On the other hand, the SBAT16 adsorption capacity was higher than that of Airpel 10, which can be explained by the formation of basic surface sites in the SBAT16 where CO2 experienced chemisorption. According to these results, it can be concluded that the use of sewage-sludge-based activated carbons is a promising option for the capture of CO2. Implications: Adsorption methods are one of the current ways to reduce CO2 emissions. Taking this into account, sewage-sludge-based activated carbons were produced to study their CO2 adsorption capacity. Specifically, chemical activation with KOH and NaOH of previously pyrolyzed sewage sludge was carried out. The results obtained show that even with a low BET surface area, the adsorption capacity of these materials was comparable to that of a commercial activated carbon. As a consequence, the use of sewage-sludge-based activated carbons is a promising option for the capture of CO2 and an interesting application for this waste

Structural, conformational and pharmacological study of some amides derived from 3-methyl-2,4-diphenyl-3-azabicyclo[3.3.1]nonan-9β-amine as potential analgesics

A series of amides derived from 3-methyl-2,4-diphenyl-3-azabicyclo[3.3.1]nonan-9β-amine were synthesized and studied by IR, Raman, 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy. The compounds studied displayed in CDCl3 a preferred flattened chair–chair conformation. IR (at room and variable temperature) and 1H and 13C NMR data showed the presence of an intramolecular NH⋯N-heterocyclic hydrogen bond in the pirazine derivative (IV). Pharmacological assays on mice were drawn to evaluate drug-induced behavioral alteration peripheral or central acute toxicity and analgesic activity.Peer reviewe

Structural, conformational, theoretical and pharmacological study of some amides derived from 3,7-dimethyl-9-[(N-substituted)-4-chlorobenzamido]3,7-diazabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane-9-carboxamide

A series of 3,7-dimethyl-9-[(N-substituted)-4-chlorobenzamido]-3,7-diazabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane-9-carboxamides1–3 have been synthesized and studied by infrared, Raman, H and C NMR spectroscopy and molecular modeling techniques. The crystal structure of 3,7-dimethyl-9-[(N-benzyl)-4-chlorobenzamido]-3,7-diazabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane-9-carboxamide (2) was determined by X-ray diffraction. In CDCl and CDOD solutions, these compounds adopt a non-distorted chair-chair conformation with the N-substituents in an equatorial position. Compound 2 prevented acetic acid induced writhing in mice. © 1995, All rights reserved