Proctitis in patients with monkeypox infection: a single‑center analysis of 42 consecutive cases from a multidisciplinary observational study on monkeypox proctitis

Background: The current monkeypox (MP) virus outbreak was declared an international emergency in July 2022. The aim of this report is to describe our initial experience with patients with MP, focusing on proctitis. Methods: We conducted an observational study between 20 May and 31 July 2022, on patients with MP at a reference tertiary center in Madrid, Spain. A descriptive analysis on MP was performed, focusing on its characteristics, symptoms, diagnosis, and outcomes. Results: A total of 143 positive MP cases were diagnosed in our center; 42 of them [all male, median age 39 years (range: 22–57 years)] had proctitis (29.37%), and 3 patients (2.09%/MP total cases and 7.14%/MP proctitis) required surgical drainage of a perianal abscess. Conclusions: General and digestive surgeons must be aware of the presence of proctological impairment and complications due to MP viru

Humidity sensors based on magnetic ionic liquids blended in poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene)

Poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP) films incorporating 40 %wt. of different types of imidazolium ionic liquids (ILs) comprising different magnetic anions (tetrachloroferrate [FeCl4] - , tetrathiocyanatocobaltate [(SCN)4Co]2 - and tetrachlorocobaltate [CoCl4] - ) and imidazolium cation chain lengths 1-butyl-3-methyl imidazolium and 1-ethyl-3-methyl imidazolium, have been developed for humidity sensing applications. The influence of the different ILs into the morphology of the IL/PVDF-HFP composites has been evaluated, being observed a porous structure independently of the IL anion type and cation chain length. The inclusion of the ILs into PVDF-HFP induces the polymer crystallization into the electroactive β phase, being the increase more noticeable for PVDF-HFP/[Bmim][FeCl4], which reaches a β phase content of 85%. The degree of crystallinity slightly decreases with the incorporation of the filler, the incorporation of [Bmim]2[CoCl4], [Bmim]2[Co(SCN)4], and [Emim]2[Co(SCN)4] leading to a degree of crystallinity between 11 and 13%. A decrease in the thermal stability and the yield strength is observed in the hybrid samples with respect to neat PVDF-HFP, being this decrease more noticeable for the PVDF-HFP/[Bmim]2[Co(SCN)4] samples. Further, the highest magnetization has been obtained for the PVDF-HFP/[Bmim]2[Co(SCN)4] and PVDF-HFP/[Bmim][FeCl4] composites with similar filler concentrations. The suitability of the developed materials for humidity sensing has been evaluated by analysing the impedance variation with varying relative humidity from 30% to 85%. [Bmim]2[CoCl4]/PVDF-HFP displays the highest relative humidity (RH) sensing response of -2245 ±240 Ω/RH. Finally, the applicability of the developed hybrid IL/polymer composites has been demonstrated by the development of a real time breathing monitoring device.This work was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under strategic funding UIDB/04650/2020, UID/FIS/04650/2020, UID/QUI/0686/2020, UIDB/50006/2020, UIDP/50006/2020 and LA/P/0008/2020UIDB/50006/2020 and UIDP/50006/2020, project PTDC/FIS-MAC/28157/2017, and grants 2021.08158.BD (J. S.), SFRH/BD/145345/2019 (L.C.F.), SFRH/BD/131729/2017 (N.P), and Investigator FCT Contract 2020.02915.CEECIND (D.M.C) and 2020.04028.CEECIND (C.M.C.). The authors acknowledge funding by the Spanish State Research Agency (AEI) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERFD) through the project PID2019-106099RBC43/AEI/10.13039/501100011033. The authors also acknowledge funding from the Basque Government Industry Department under the ELKARTEK program. Technical and human support provided by SGIker (UPV/EHU, MICINN, GV/EJ, EGEF and ESF) is gratefully acknowledged

Metal organic framework modified poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) separator membranes to improve lithium-ion battery capacity fading

The use of metal-organic frameworks in the separator membrane of lithium-ion batteries is an interesting subject of study for the next generation of energy storage devices. In this work, different poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP) / metalorganic framework (MOF) based separators were prepared using three distinct MOFs, and the properties of these membranes were studied. The selected MOFs MOF-808, UiO66-NH2 and MIL-125 are characterized by sharing a common building block (cluster or linker) and possessing relatively similar surface areas and topologies. It is observed that there are significant variations in the porous structure of the separator membrane upon the introduction of the different MOFs. The use of MOFs reduces the resistivity of the assembled battery half-cells, leading to excellent battery performance, with high discharge capacity (145 mAh.g-1 at C/8) and prolonged lifecycle, outperforming e conventional neat polymer separators due to the structure’s stabilization effect of the MOF. Among the selected MOFs, the best results are achieved with UiO-66-NH2 based on its improved charge/discharge values due to the low resistivity value of the half-cell. The post-morten analysis shows that the MOF structure collapses during battery cycling, but that this fact does not significantly affect battery performance, as the produced nanofillers keep their role of minimizing battery capacity fading. Thus, it is demonstrated that adding MOFs to a polymeric separator structure is beneficial and suitable for highperformance battery applications.The authors thank FCT (Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia) for financial support under the framework of Strategic Funding grants UIDB/04650/2020, UID/CTM/50025/2021, UID/FIS/04650/2021, UID/EEA/04436/2021 and UID/QUI/0686/2021; and support from FEDER funds through the COMPETE 2020 Program (projects PTDC/FIS-MAC/28157/2017, POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007688) and MIT-EXPL/TDI/0033/2021. Grants SFRH/BD/140842/2018 (J.C.B.) and con-tracts under the Stimulus of Scientific Employment, Individual Support CEECIND/00833/2017 (R.G.) , 2020.02802.CEECIND (P.M.M) and 2020.04028 CEECIND (C.M.C.) are acknowledged. Financial support from the Basque Government under the ELKARTEK program is also acknowledged