Melt electrowriting of poly(vinylidene difluoride) using a heated collector

Previous research on the melt electrowriting (MEW) of poly(vinylidene difluoride) (PVDF) resulted in electroactive fibers, however, printing more than five layers is challenging. Here, we investigate the influence of a heated collector to adjust the solidification rate of the PVDF jet so that it adheres sufficiently to each layer. A collector temperature of 110 degrees C is required to improve fiber processing, resulting in a total of 20 fiber layers. For higher temperatures and higher layers, an interesting phenomenon occurred, where the intersection points of the fibers coalesced into periodic spheres of diameter 206 +/- 52 mu m (26G, 150 degrees C collector temperature, 2000 mm/min, 10 layers in x- and y-direction).The heated collector is an important component of a MEW printer that allows polymers with a high melting point to be processable with increased layers.Peer reviewe

Linezolid Exerts Greater Bacterial Clearance but No Modification of Host Lung Gene Expression Profiling: A Mouse MRSA Pneumonia Model

Background: Linezolid (LZD) is beneficial to patients with MRSA pneumonia, but whether and how LZD influences global host lung immune responses at the mRNA level during MRSA-mediated pneumonia is still unknown.Methods: A lethal mouse model of MRSA pneumonia mediated by USA300 was employed to study the influence of LZD on survival, while the sublethal mouse model was used to examine the effect of LZD on bacterial clearance and lung gene expression during MRSA pneumonia. LZD (100mg/kg/day, IP) was given to C57Bl6 mice for three days. On Day 1 and Day 3 post infection, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) protein concentration and levels of cytokines including IL6, TNFα, IL1β, Interferon-γ and IL17 were measured. In the sublethal model, left lungs were used to determine bacterial clearance and right lungs for whole-genome transcriptional profiling of lung immune responses.Results: LZD therapy significantly improved survival and bacterial clearance. It also significantly decreased BALF protein concentration and levels of cytokines including IL6, IL1β, Interferon-γ and IL17. No significant gene expression changes in the mouse lungs were associated with LZD therapy.Conclusion: LZD is beneficial to MRSA pneumonia, but it does not modulate host lung immune responses at the transcriptional level.</p

Patient safety in plastic surgery: a systematic review

Introduction: patient safety has become an increasingly present topic in health research. Plastic surgery is a specialty in evidence, and it is necessary to adapt patient safety to its particularities. Methods: Systematic review to investigate actions related to patient safety in plastic surgery. MEDLINE and SCIELO were chosen to locate the studies. The descriptors: "patient safety" and "plastic surgery" were used in the MEDLINE database. In SCIELO, the descriptors: "segurança do paciente" e "cirurgia plástica" were used. In both cases, the publication period was between 2012-2018, totaling 15 articles. Results: The countries that published the most on the subject were the United States and Brazil. The most frequent concern was safety related to the training of plastic surgery residents. Tools like the checklist have also been used to improve security. Another concern that requires more study will be if the weekends have higher complications with surgeries performed during the week. However, well-formulated medical records, as well as the Informed Consent Form (ICT), appear to have a more solid basis in patient safety. Pre-anesthetic consultation also seems to favor patient safety. Furthermore, finally, the use of WhatsApp seems to be a safe tool, and that improves the care provided by the medical team. Conclusion: The need for more in-depth studies on this topic is emphasized, considering that a systematized protocol was not found

Vitamin B12 Attenuates Changes in Phospholipid Levels Related to Oxidative Stress in SH-SY5Y Cells

Oxidative stress is closely linked to Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and is detected peripherally as well as in AD-vulnerable brain regions. Oxidative stress results from an imbalance between the generation and degradation of reactive oxidative species (ROS), leading to the oxidation of proteins, nucleic acids, and lipids. Extensive lipid changes have been found in post mortem AD brain tissue; these changes include the levels of total phospholipids, sphingomyelin, and ceramide, as well as plasmalogens, which are highly susceptible to oxidation because of their vinyl ether bond at the sn-1 position of the glycerol-backbone. Several lines of evidence indicate that a deficiency in the neurotropic vitamin B12 is linked with AD. In the present study, treatment of the neuroblastoma cell line SH-SY5Y with vitamin B12 resulted in elevated levels of phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, sphingomyelin, and plasmalogens. Vitamin B12 also protected plasmalogens from hydrogen peroxide (H2O2 )-induced oxidative stress due to an elevated expression of the ROS-degrading enzymes superoxide-dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT). Furthermore, vitamin B12 elevates plasmalogen synthesis by increasing the expression of alkylglycerone phosphate synthase (AGPS) and choline phosphotransferase 1 (CHPT1) in SH-SY5Y cells exposed to H2O2 -induced oxidative stress

Aspartame and Its Metabolites Cause Oxidative Stress and Mitochondrial and Lipid Alterations in SH-SY5Y Cells

Due to a worldwide increase in obesity and metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes, synthetic sweeteners such as aspartame are frequently used to substitute sugar in the diet. Possible uncertainties regarding aspartame’s ability to induce oxidative stress, amongst others, has led to the recommendation of a daily maximum dose of 40 to 50 mg per kg. To date, little is known about the effects of this non-nutritive sweetener on cellular lipid homeostasis, which, besides elevated oxidative stress, plays an important role in the pathogenesis of various diseases, including neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease. In the present study, treatment of the human neuroblastoma cell line SH-SY5Y with aspartame (271.7 µM) or its three metabolites (aspartic acid, phenylalanine, and methanol (271.7 µM)), generated after digestion of aspartame in the human intestinal tract, resulted in significantly elevated oxidative stress associated with mitochondrial damage, which was illustrated with reduced cardiolipin levels, increased gene expression of SOD1/2, PINK1, and FIS1, and an increase in APF fluorescence. In addition, treatment of SH-SY5Y cells with aspartame or aspartame metabolites led to a significant increase in triacylglycerides and phospholipids, especially phosphatidylcholines and phosphatidylethanolamines, accompanied by an accumulation of lipid droplets inside neuronal cells. Due to these lipid-mediating properties, the use of aspartame as a sugar substitute should be reconsidered and the effects of aspartame on the brain metabolism should be addressed in vivo

Physical activity and health promotion for nursing staff in elderly care: a study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

Introduction Nursing staff is burdened by high workload and stress. Furthermore, heavy lifting, as well as transferring nursing home residents, cause lumbar tissue damage and back pain. Exercise intervention studies to reduce work-related problems are rare and the evidence for efficacy of studies among nurses is limited. Studies including targeted analysis of requirements are necessary to generate effective recommendations and tailored interventions for health promotion programmes. The purpose of this multicentred intervention study is to identify work-related problems, to implement health promotion programmes and to evaluate their effectiveness. Methods and analysis A randomised controlled trial will be conducted, including a total of 48 nursing home facilities in eight regions of Germany with an estimated sample size of 700 nurses. Standardised ergonomics and posture training (10 weeks, once a week for 20–30 min) and subsequently, back-fitness training (12 weeks, once a week for 45–60 min) will be administered. Following the implementation of standardised health promotion programmes, further demand-oriented interventions can be implemented. The perceived exposure to work-related demands, work-related pain in different parts of the body, health-related quality of life, perceived stress, work-related patterns of behaviour and experience, presentism behaviour, work environment as well as general needs and barriers to health promotion, will be assessed at baseline (pre-test), at 10 weeks (post-test, after ergonomics training), at 22 weeks (post-test, after back-fitness training) and at 34 weeks of the programme (follow-up). Ethics and dissemination The study was reviewed and approved by the local ethics committee of the University of Hamburg (AZ: 2018_168). The results of the study will be published in open-access and international journals. Furthermore, the results will be presented in the participating nursing homes and at national and international conferences

Community structure of woody plants on islands along a bioclimatic gradient

Peer reviewe

Assessing climate impact indicators:Evaluation criteria and observed strengths and weaknesses

This report documents and reviews a selected set of climate change and impact indicators. They are documented according to reference criteria that were based on a literature study and later refinement in expert discussions. Methodological description, data requirements and availability, treatment of uncertainty, fitness for purpose of indicator time series, and seven other relevant criteria are documented for a total of 81 climate change and impact related indicators. The indicators were grouped into three tiers that reflect their main purpose of use, ranging from change in climate variables to the socio-economic consequences of climate change. A key observation is the limited availability of indicators that explicitly link climate change with socio-economic phenomena. This might be explained by the complexity of the system that hinders quantitative attribution of economic and multi-level societal development to climatic factors. The strengths and weaknesses of indicators are discussed at a general level and also outlined both on an indicator-by-indicator basis and with respect to their potential uses. The report presents a consistent set of criteria and approaches for the incorporation of indicator information into climate information portals. The collected information on climate change and impact indicators can support the development of the Copernicus Climate Services and the indicators that such services will promote