Study on Effect of Wollastonite on the Thermal Properties of Nylon-6 and Morphological Analysis

Nylon-6/Wollastonite composites were prepared with different concentration of 15, 25 and 35 % w/w of Wollastonite (acicular ratio-15-20%) by co-rotating twin screw extruder. Heat Deflection Temperature (HDT) of injection molded specimens of Nylon-6/ Wollastonite composites was evaluated; Differential Scanning Calorimetric (DSC) and Thermo Gravimetric Analysis (TGA) were studied for these composites. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) of tensile fractured sample was revealed uniformity of filler distribution throughout the matrix of Nylon-6/Wollastonite. Wollastonite improves Heat Deflection Temperature (HDT) of the Nylon-6/Wollastonite composites with reduction of product cost. The results suggest application of Nylon-6/Wollastonite in automotive parts, electric motors, gears, power tool housings etc. Due to fibrous nature, Wollastonite replacing short milled glass fibers for both thermoplastics & thermo-sets and short-fiber Asbestos which are hazardous to human health as well as difficult to handle. DOI: 10.17762/ijritcc2321-8169.15076

Effect of untreated Cenosphere on Mechanical properties of Nylon-6

Untreated CS-PA 6 composites were prepared with different loading (10, 20 and 30 % w/w) of CS (5-100 µm) by co-rotating twin screw extruder. Injection molded specimens were prepared to evaluate mechanical properties of developed composites. Mechanical properties like Flexural strength, Flexural modulus, Tensile strength, Impact strength, and Hardness and Abrasion resistance were evaluated for these composites. Addition of Cenosphere improves flexural modulus, flexural strength, and hardness and abrasion resistance besides reducing cost of the final product. As Cenospheres are generated from fly ash in thermal power plant, they are environment friendly, eco-friendly and help to preserve natural virgin filler. The results suggest application of Cenosphere filled Nylon-6 in light weight automotive parts instead of glass filled Nylon-6. DOI: 10.17762/ijritcc2321-8169.15076

Effect of Untreated Wollastonite on Mechanical Properties of Nylon6

Nylon-6/untreated Wollastonite composites were prepared with different loading of 15, 25 and 35 % w/w of Wollastonite (acicular ratio-15-20%) by co-rotating twin screw extruder. Mechanical properties of injection molded specimens of Nylon-6/ untreated Wollastonite composites were evaluated. Mechanical properties like flexural strength, flexural modulus, tensile strength, impact strength, hardness and abrasion resistance were evaluated for these composites. Wollastonite improves flexural modulus, flexural strength, hardness and abrasion resistance of the composites. The results suggest application of Nylon-6/Wollastonite in automotive parts, electric motors, gears, power tool housings etc. Due to fibrous nature, Wollastonite replacing short milled glass fibers for both thermoplastics & thermo-sets and short-fiber Asbestos which are hazardous to human health as well as difficult to handle. DOI: 10.17762/ijritcc2321-8169.15077

Evaluation of Thermal and Morphological Properties of Nylon 6/Cenosphere Composites

PA6/CS composites were prepared with different loading (10, 20 and 30 % w/w) of CS (5-100 µm) by co-rotating twin screw extruder. Injection molded specimens were prepared to evaluate thermal properties of developed composites. Thermal properties like Heat Deflection Temperature (HDT), Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Thermo Gravimetric Analysis (TGA) were evaluated for these composites. Morphological properties were also studied for these composites. Addition of Cenosphere improves HDT of Nylon 6 besides reducing cost of the final product. SEM of fractured surface revealed the evenly distribution of Cenosphere in the matrix. As Cenospheres are generated from fly ash in thermal power plant, they are environment friendly, eco-friendly and help to preserve natural virgin filler. DOI: 10.17762/ijritcc2321-8169.15076

Thiopurine monotherapy is effective in ulcerative colitis but significantly less so in Crohn’s disease: long-term outcomes for 11 928 patients in the UK inflammatory bowel disease bioresource

Objective: Thiopurines are widely used as maintenance therapy in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) but the evidence base for their use is sparse and their role increasingly questioned. Using the largest series reported to date, we assessed the long-term effectiveness of thiopurines in ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD), including their impact on need for surgery. Design: Outcomes were assessed in 11 928 patients (4968 UC, 6960 CD) in the UK IBD BioResource initiated on thiopurine monotherapy with the intention of maintaining medically induced remission. Effectiveness was assessed retrospectively using patient-level data and a definition that required avoidance of escalation to biological therapy or surgery while on thiopurines. Analyses included overall effectiveness, time-to-event analysis for treatment escalation and comparison of surgery rates in patients tolerant or intolerant of thiopurines. Results: Using 68 132 patient-years of exposure, thiopurine monotherapy appeared effective for the duration of treatment in 2617/4968 (52.7%) patients with UC compared with 2378/6960 (34.2%) patients with CD (p<0.0001). This difference was corroborated in a multivariable analysis: after adjusting for variables including treatment era, thiopurine monotherapy was less effective in CD than UC (OR 0.47, 95% CI 0.43 to 0.51, p<0.0001). Thiopurine intolerance was associated with increased risk of surgery in UC (HR 2.44, p<0.0001); with a more modest impact on need for surgery in CD (HR=1.23, p=0.0015). Conclusion: Thiopurine monotherapy is an effective long-term treatment for UC but significantly less effective in CD

Effect of Hydrocortisone on Mortality and Organ Support in Patients With Severe COVID-19: The REMAP-CAP COVID-19 Corticosteroid Domain Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Evidence regarding corticosteroid use for severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is limited. Objective: To determine whether hydrocortisone improves outcome for patients with severe COVID-19. Design, Setting, and Participants: An ongoing adaptive platform trial testing multiple interventions within multiple therapeutic domains, for example, antiviral agents, corticosteroids, or immunoglobulin. Between March 9 and June 17, 2020, 614 adult patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 were enrolled and randomized within at least 1 domain following admission to an intensive care unit (ICU) for respiratory or cardiovascular organ support at 121 sites in 8 countries. Of these, 403 were randomized to open-label interventions within the corticosteroid domain. The domain was halted after results from another trial were released. Follow-up ended August 12, 2020. Interventions: The corticosteroid domain randomized participants to a fixed 7-day course of intravenous hydrocortisone (50 mg or 100 mg every 6 hours) (n = 143), a shock-dependent course (50 mg every 6 hours when shock was clinically evident) (n = 152), or no hydrocortisone (n = 108). Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary end point was organ support-free days (days alive and free of ICU-based respiratory or cardiovascular support) within 21 days, where patients who died were assigned -1 day. The primary analysis was a bayesian cumulative logistic model that included all patients enrolled with severe COVID-19, adjusting for age, sex, site, region, time, assignment to interventions within other domains, and domain and intervention eligibility. Superiority was defined as the posterior probability of an odds ratio greater than 1 (threshold for trial conclusion of superiority >99%). Results: After excluding 19 participants who withdrew consent, there were 384 patients (mean age, 60 years; 29% female) randomized to the fixed-dose (n = 137), shock-dependent (n = 146), and no (n = 101) hydrocortisone groups; 379 (99%) completed the study and were included in the analysis. The mean age for the 3 groups ranged between 59.5 and 60.4 years; most patients were male (range, 70.6%-71.5%); mean body mass index ranged between 29.7 and 30.9; and patients receiving mechanical ventilation ranged between 50.0% and 63.5%. For the fixed-dose, shock-dependent, and no hydrocortisone groups, respectively, the median organ support-free days were 0 (IQR, -1 to 15), 0 (IQR, -1 to 13), and 0 (-1 to 11) days (composed of 30%, 26%, and 33% mortality rates and 11.5, 9.5, and 6 median organ support-free days among survivors). The median adjusted odds ratio and bayesian probability of superiority were 1.43 (95% credible interval, 0.91-2.27) and 93% for fixed-dose hydrocortisone, respectively, and were 1.22 (95% credible interval, 0.76-1.94) and 80% for shock-dependent hydrocortisone compared with no hydrocortisone. Serious adverse events were reported in 4 (3%), 5 (3%), and 1 (1%) patients in the fixed-dose, shock-dependent, and no hydrocortisone groups, respectively. Conclusions and Relevance: Among patients with severe COVID-19, treatment with a 7-day fixed-dose course of hydrocortisone or shock-dependent dosing of hydrocortisone, compared with no hydrocortisone, resulted in 93% and 80% probabilities of superiority with regard to the odds of improvement in organ support-free days within 21 days. However, the trial was stopped early and no treatment strategy met prespecified criteria for statistical superiority, precluding definitive conclusions. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02735707

Effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and angiotensin receptor blocker initiation on organ support-free days in patients hospitalized with COVID-19

IMPORTANCE Overactivation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) may contribute to poor clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19. Objective To determine whether angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) initiation improves outcomes in patients hospitalized for COVID-19. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS In an ongoing, adaptive platform randomized clinical trial, 721 critically ill and 58 non–critically ill hospitalized adults were randomized to receive an RAS inhibitor or control between March 16, 2021, and February 25, 2022, at 69 sites in 7 countries (final follow-up on June 1, 2022). INTERVENTIONS Patients were randomized to receive open-label initiation of an ACE inhibitor (n = 257), ARB (n = 248), ARB in combination with DMX-200 (a chemokine receptor-2 inhibitor; n = 10), or no RAS inhibitor (control; n = 264) for up to 10 days. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was organ support–free days, a composite of hospital survival and days alive without cardiovascular or respiratory organ support through 21 days. The primary analysis was a bayesian cumulative logistic model. Odds ratios (ORs) greater than 1 represent improved outcomes. RESULTS On February 25, 2022, enrollment was discontinued due to safety concerns. Among 679 critically ill patients with available primary outcome data, the median age was 56 years and 239 participants (35.2%) were women. Median (IQR) organ support–free days among critically ill patients was 10 (–1 to 16) in the ACE inhibitor group (n = 231), 8 (–1 to 17) in the ARB group (n = 217), and 12 (0 to 17) in the control group (n = 231) (median adjusted odds ratios of 0.77 [95% bayesian credible interval, 0.58-1.06] for improvement for ACE inhibitor and 0.76 [95% credible interval, 0.56-1.05] for ARB compared with control). The posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitors and ARBs worsened organ support–free days compared with control were 94.9% and 95.4%, respectively. Hospital survival occurred in 166 of 231 critically ill participants (71.9%) in the ACE inhibitor group, 152 of 217 (70.0%) in the ARB group, and 182 of 231 (78.8%) in the control group (posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitor and ARB worsened hospital survival compared with control were 95.3% and 98.1%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this trial, among critically ill adults with COVID-19, initiation of an ACE inhibitor or ARB did not improve, and likely worsened, clinical outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT0273570

Comparative study of postoperative analgesic effect of intraperitoneal instillation of dexmedetomidine with bupivacaine and bupivacaine alone after laparoscopic surgery

Aims: This prospective double-blinded study was designed with the aim of comparing the analgesic effect of intraperitoneal instillation of dexmedetomidine with bupivacaine with that with bupivacaine alone in patients undergoing laparoscopic surgeries. Materials and Methods: A total of 100 patients of either sex undergoing elective laparoscopic surgery were randomly divided into two groups containing 50 patients in each group. Group B received intraperitoneal instillation with 50 mL of bupivacaine 0.25% (125 mg) and groups B + D received 50 mL of bupivacaine 0.25% (125 mg) + 1 μg/kg of dexmedetomidine. Pain was assessed using visual analogue scale (VAS) at 0.5 h, 1 h, 2 h, 4 h, 6 h, and 24 h after the surgery. The requirement of rescue analgesics were recorded. Result: Duration of analgesia was longer in group B+D (14.5 hr) compared to group B (13.06 hr). The requirement of rescue analgesic in 24 hours was less in group B+D (1.76) compared to group B (2.56) which were statistically significant (P < 0.05). The mean number of total rescue analgesia given in 24 h was less in group B+D was 1.76 whereas in group B was 2.56 that were statistically significant. Conclusion : Intraperitoneal instillation of dexmedetomidine with bupivacaine prolongs the duration of postoperative analgesia as compared to that with bupivacaine alone. And also there is less number of rescue analgesics that are required postoperatively when dexmedetomidine is supplemented as an adjuvant to bupivacaine

Effect of Mass on the Dynamic Characteristics of Single- and Double-Layered Graphene-Based Nano Resonators

Graphene has been widely and extensively used in mass sensing applications. The present study focused on exploring the use of single-layer graphene (SLG) and double-layer graphene (DLG) as sensing devices. The dynamic analysis of SLG and DLG with different boundary conditions (BDs) and length was executed using the atomistic finite element method (AFEM). SLG and DLG sheets were modelled and considered as a space&ndash;frame structure similar to a 3D beam. Spring elements (Combin14) were used to identify the interlayer interactions between two graphene layers in the DLG sheet due to the van der Waals forces. Simulations were carried out to visualize the behavior of the SLG and DLG subjected to different BDs and when used as mass sensing devices. The variation in frequency was noted by changing the length and applied mass of the SLGs and DLGs. The quantity of the frequency was found to be highest in the armchair SLG (6, 6) for a 50 nm sheet length and lowest in the chiral SLG (16, 4) for a 20 nm sheet length in the bridged condition. When the mass was 0.1 Zg, the frequency for the zigzag SLG (20, 0) was higher in both cases. The results show that the length of the sheet and the various mass values have a significant impact on the dynamic properties. The present research will contribute to the ultra-high frequency nano-resonance applications

Underlying conditions and risk of hospitalisation, ICU admission and mortality among those with COVID-19 in Ireland: a national surveillance study

Background: To date, over 2 million people worldwide have died with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. To describe the experience in Ireland, this study examined associations between underlying conditions and the following outcomes: mortality, admission to hospital or admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) among those infected with COVID-19.Methods: This study used data from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre in Ireland and included confirmed cases of COVID-19 from the first wave of the pandemic between March and July 2020. Two cohorts were included: all cases (community and hospital) and hospital admissions only. For all cases, health outcome data included mortality and hospitalisation. For hospitalised cases, outcome data included mortality and ICU admission. Logistic regression was used to examine associations between underlying conditions and outcomes across both cohorts. Results are presented as adjusted odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Findings: There were 19,789 cases included in analysis, which encompassed 1,476 (7.5%) deaths, 2,811 (14.2%) hospitalisations, and 438 (2.2%) ICU admissions of whom 90 (20.5%) died. Significantly higher risk of mortality, hospitalisation and ICU admission was associated with having chronic heart disease, a BMI ≥40kg/m2 and male sex. Additionally, diagnosis of a chronic neurological condition (OR 1.41; 95%CI:1.17, 1.69), chronic kidney disease (OR 1.74; 95%CI:1.35, 2.24) and cancer (OR 2.77; 95%CI:2.21, 3.47) were significantly associated with higher risk of mortality among all cases, with similar patterns of association observed for mortality among hospitalised cases. Interpretation: The identification of underlying conditions among COVID-19 cases may help identify those at highest risk of the worst health outcomes and inform preventive strategies to improve outcomes. Funding: This study was supported by the Health Service Executive, Health Protection Surveillance Centre. KEB and MM are funded by the Health Research Board (RL-15-1579 and EIA-2019-012 respectively).</div