Improved Tensile Ductility by Severe Plastic Deformation for Nano-Structured Metallic Glass

The effect of severe plastic deformation by high-pressure torsion (HPT) on the structure and plastic tensile properties of two Zr-based bulk metallic glasses, Zr55.7Ni10Al7Cu19Co8.3 and Zr64Ni10Al7Cu19, was investigated. The compositions were chosen because, in TEM investigation, Zr55.7Ni10Al7Cu19Co8.3 exhibited nanoscale inhomogeneity, while Zr64Ni10Al7Cu19 appeared homogeneous on that length scale. The nanoscale inhomogeneity was expected to result in an increased plastic strain limit, as compared to the homogeneous material, which may be further increased by severe mechanical work. The as-cast materials exhibited 0.1% tensile plasticity for Zr64Ni10Al7Cu19 and Zr55.7Ni10Al7Cu19Co8.3. Following two rotations of HPT treatment, the tensile plastic strain was increased to 0.5% and 0.9%, respectively. Further testing was performed by X-ray diffraction and by differential scanning calorimetry. Following two rotations of HPT treatment, the initially fully amorphous Zr55.7Ni10Al7Cu19Co8.3 exhibited significantly increased free volume and a small volume fraction of nanocrystallites. A further increase in HPT rotation number did not result in an increase in plastic ductility of both alloys. Possible reasons for the different mechanical behavior of nanoscale heterogeneous Zr55.7Ni10Al7Cu19Co8.3 and homogeneous Zr64Ni10Al7Cu19 are presented

Structural and Sequence Analysis of Imelysin-Like Proteins Implicated in Bacterial Iron Uptake

Imelysin-like proteins define a superfamily of bacterial proteins that are likely involved in iron uptake. Members of this superfamily were previously thought to be peptidases and were included in the MEROPS family M75. We determined the first crystal structures of two remotely related, imelysin-like proteins. The Psychrobacter arcticus structure was determined at 2.15 Å resolution and contains the canonical imelysin fold, while higher resolution structures from the gut bacteria Bacteroides ovatus, in two crystal forms (at 1.25 Å and 1.44 Å resolution), have a circularly permuted topology. Both structures are highly similar to each other despite low sequence similarity and circular permutation. The all-helical structure can be divided into two similar four-helix bundle domains. The overall structure and the GxHxxE motif region differ from known HxxE metallopeptidases, suggesting that imelysin-like proteins are not peptidases. A putative functional site is located at the domain interface. We have now organized the known homologous proteins into a superfamily, which can be separated into four families. These families share a similar functional site, but each has family-specific structural and sequence features. These results indicate that imelysin-like proteins have evolved from a common ancestor, and likely have a conserved function

Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat

Correction to: Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake

Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat

Family Support and Social Support Associated with National Essential Public Health Services Utilization among Older Migrants in China: A Gender Perspective

China provides National Essential Public Health Services (NEPHS) free of charge to all citizens to ensure access to essential health services. The present study aimed to explore the associations between different sources of support and NEPHS service utilization among older migrants in China with a gender perspective. We used a national cross-sectional dataset derived from the 2015 China Migrants Dynamic Survey. Participants were included if they were aged ≥60 years and without household registration at the residence. Among 1989 participants, 35.2% enrolled in a free physical examination in the past year: 34.6% for males and 35.9% for females. Among male participants, having more local friends (OR = 1.47, 95% CI: 1.09, 1.99) and having insurance at the residence (OR = 1.75, 95% CI: 1.03, 2.96) were associated with enrolment in a free physical examination after controlling for age, education, and self-reported health status. Two additional factors, marital status and family structure, were found for female participants to be associated with enrolment in a free physical examination. NEPHS service utilization was far from satisfactory among older migrants in China, and both family support and social support played a role in it. There are common and unique factors associated with NEPHS service utilization in terms of gender