Plasmonic titanium nitride nanohole arrays for refractometric sensing

Group IVB metal nitrides have attracted great interest as alternative plasmonic materials. Among them, titanium nitride (TiN) stands out due to the ease of deposition and relative abundance of Ti compared to those of Zr and Hf metals. Even though they do not have Au or Ag-like plasmonic characteristics, they offer many advantages, from high mechanical stability to refractory behavior and complementary metal oxide semiconductor-compatible fabrication to tunable electrical/optical properties. In this study, we utilized reactive RF magnetron sputtering to deposit plasmonic TiN thin films. The flow rate and ratio of Ar/N2 and oxygen scavenging methods were optimized to improve the plasmonic performance of TiN thin films. The stoichiometry and structure of the TiN thin films were thoroughly investigated to assess the viability of the optimized operation procedures. To assess the plasmonic performance of TiN thin films, periodic nanohole arrays were perforated on TiN thin films by using electron beam lithography and reactive ion etching methods. The resulting TiN periodic nanohole array with varying periods was investigated by using a custom microspectroscopy setup for both reflection and transmission characteristics in various media to underline the efficacy of TiN for refractometric sensing.101111321 ; EP/Y030273/

Impact of opioid-free analgesia on pain severity and patient satisfaction after discharge from surgery: multispecialty, prospective cohort study in 25 countries

Background: Balancing opioid stewardship and the need for adequate analgesia following discharge after surgery is challenging. This study aimed to compare the outcomes for patients discharged with opioid versus opioid-free analgesia after common surgical procedures.Methods: This international, multicentre, prospective cohort study collected data from patients undergoing common acute and elective general surgical, urological, gynaecological, and orthopaedic procedures. The primary outcomes were patient-reported time in severe pain measured on a numerical analogue scale from 0 to 100% and patient-reported satisfaction with pain relief during the first week following discharge. Data were collected by in-hospital chart review and patient telephone interview 1 week after discharge.Results: The study recruited 4273 patients from 144 centres in 25 countries; 1311 patients (30.7%) were prescribed opioid analgesia at discharge. Patients reported being in severe pain for 10 (i.q.r. 1-30)% of the first week after discharge and rated satisfaction with analgesia as 90 (i.q.r. 80-100) of 100. After adjustment for confounders, opioid analgesia on discharge was independently associated with increased pain severity (risk ratio 1.52, 95% c.i. 1.31 to 1.76; P < 0.001) and re-presentation to healthcare providers owing to side-effects of medication (OR 2.38, 95% c.i. 1.36 to 4.17; P = 0.004), but not with satisfaction with analgesia (beta coefficient 0.92, 95% c.i. -1.52 to 3.36; P = 0.468) compared with opioid-free analgesia. Although opioid prescribing varied greatly between high-income and low- and middle-income countries, patient-reported outcomes did not.Conclusion: Opioid analgesia prescription on surgical discharge is associated with a higher risk of re-presentation owing to side-effects of medication and increased patient-reported pain, but not with changes in patient-reported satisfaction. Opioid-free discharge analgesia should be adopted routinely

Investigation of Propolis as a Green Inhibitor of SAE 1010 Carbon Steel Corrosion in 3.5% NaCl Environment

The anticorrosion performance of ethanolic extract of propolis (EEP) on SAE 1010 carbon steel specimens dipped in 3.5% NaCl was evaluated by advanced electrochemical and surface morphological assessments. The adsorption of EEP on the surface of the specimens investigated was delineated by an optical profilometer (OP), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) before and after immersion in aqueous solution of 3.5% NaCl. The electrochemical feedback assisted by PDP, EIS, and DEIS of the inhibited electrodes was compared with that of the uninhibited electrodes, and EEP's role in the formation of a protective barrier was identified. All the qualitative and quantitative data thus obtained establish EEP as a potential inhibitor for the SAE 1010 carbon steel corrosion in NaCl solution.Duzce University Research FundDuzce University [2018.06.05.817, 19IN001804]For this work, the authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support provided by the Duzce University Research Fund [project no: 2018.06.05.817]. One of the authors thankfully acknowledges financial support provided by Turkiye Burslari (19IN001804) for this research.WOS:0005352515000422-s2.0-8509867024

Plasmonic Titanium Nitride Nanohole Arrays for Refractometric Sensing.

Publication status: PublishedGroup IVB metal nitrides have attracted great interest as alternative plasmonic materials. Among them, titanium nitride (TiN) stands out due to the ease of deposition and relative abundance of Ti compared to those of Zr and Hf metals. Even though they do not have Au or Ag-like plasmonic characteristics, they offer many advantages, from high mechanical stability to refractory behavior and complementary metal oxide semiconductor-compatible fabrication to tunable electrical/optical properties. In this study, we utilized reactive RF magnetron sputtering to deposit plasmonic TiN thin films. The flow rate and ratio of Ar/N2 and oxygen scavenging methods were optimized to improve the plasmonic performance of TiN thin films. The stoichiometry and structure of the TiN thin films were thoroughly investigated to assess the viability of the optimized operation procedures. To assess the plasmonic performance of TiN thin films, periodic nanohole arrays were perforated on TiN thin films by using electron beam lithography and reactive ion etching methods. The resulting TiN periodic nanohole array with varying periods was investigated by using a custom microspectroscopy setup for both reflection and transmission characteristics in various media to underline the efficacy of TiN for refractometric sensing

Kardiyovasküler İşlemlerde Görüntüleme

Doğum sırasındaki fizyolojik değişimlerle kapanması öngörülen foramen ovale erişkin populasyonun yaklaşık %75’inde tamamen kapanmış olarak izlenirken, %25’inde ise kapanmaz ve patent foramen ovale (PFO) olarak varlığını sürdürür.1 PFO, serebrovasküler olay dahil birçok patoloji (auralı migren, dalgıçlarda dekompresyon hastalığı vs.) ile ilişkilendirilmiştir. İskemik inmelerin %25’inde standart tanısal değerlendirmeye rağmen bir neden bulunamaz ve bu grup kriptojenik inme olarak adlandırılır. PFO ve kriptojenik inme arasındaki patofizyolojik ilişki paradoksal embolizm, PFO içerisinde meydana gelen trombüs, sol atriyal disfonksiyon ve atriyal aritmiler gibi nedenlere bağlı olabilir. Epidemiyolik veriler ve klinik gözlemsel çalışmalar, PFO kapatılmasıyla inme rekürrenslerinin azaldığını gösteren randomize kontrollü çalışmalar tarafından kuvvetle desteklenmektedir.2 PFO’nun tanısında ve perkütan tedavisinde çoklu görüntüleme yöntemleri önem arz etmektedir

Efficacy of first-line CDK 4-6 inhibitors in premenopausal patients with metastatic breast cancer and the effect of dose reduction due to treatment-related neutropenia on efficacy: a Turkish Oncology Group (TOG) study

The only phase 3 study on the effectiveness of CDK 4-6 inhibitors in first-line treatment in premenopausal patients with hormone receptor (HR) positive, HER2 negative metastatic breast cancer is the MONALEESA-7 study, and data on the effectiveness of palbociclib is limited. Data are also limited regarding the effectiveness of CDK 4-6 inhibitors in patients whose dose was reduced due to neutropenia, the most common side effect of CDK 4-6 inhibitors. In our study, we aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of palbociclib and ribociclib in first-line treatment in patients with premenopausal metastatic breast cancer and the effect of dose reduction due to neutropenia on progression-free survival. Our study is a multicenter, retrospective study, and factors affecting progression-free survival (PFS) were examined in patients diagnosed with metastatic premenopausal breast cancer from 29 different centers and receiving combination therapy containing palbociclib or ribociclib in the metastatic stage. 319 patients were included in the study. The mPFS for patients treated with palbociclib was 26.83 months, and for those receiving ribociclib, the mPFS was 29.86 months (p = 0.924). mPFS was 32.00 months in patients who received a reduced dose, and mPFS was 25.96 months in patients who could take the initial dose, and there was no statistical difference (p = 0.238). Liver metastasis, using a fulvestrant together with a CDK 4-6 inhibitor, ECOG PS 1 was found to be a negative prognostic factor. No new adverse events were observed. In our study, we found PFS over 27 months in patients diagnosed with premenopausal breast cancer with CDK 4-6 inhibitors used in first-line treatment, similar to post-menopausal patients. We did not detect any difference between the effectiveness of the two CDK 4-6 inhibitors, and we showed that there was no decrease in the effectiveness of the CDK 4-6 inhibitor in patients whose dose was reduced due to neutropenia