Micromechanical Properties of Injection-Molded Starch–Wood Particle Composites

The micromechanical properties of injection molded starch–wood particle composites were investigated as a function of particle content and humidity conditions. The composite materials were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction methods. The microhardness of the composites was shown to increase notably with the concentration of the wood particles. In addition,creep behavior under the indenter and temperature dependence were evaluated in terms of the independent contribution of the starch matrix and the wood microparticles to the hardness value. The influence of drying time on the density and weight uptake of the injection-molded composites was highlighted. The results revealed the role of the mechanism of water evaporation, showing that the dependence of water uptake and temperature was greater for the starch–wood composites than for the pure starch sample. Experiments performed during the drying process at 70°C indicated that the wood in the starch composites did not prevent water loss from the samples.Peer reviewe

Alternative treatment for postcatheterisation femoral false aneurysm Tratamento alternativo para pseudoaneurisma femoral pós-cateterismo

The incidence of femoral postcatheteriation pseudoaneurysm ranges from 0.1 to 2.0% in diagnostic procedures to 5% in therapeutic procedures. There are several treatment options for pseudoaneurysms, from conservative management to conventional surgical intervention. For medium-sized pseudoaneurysms, ultrasound-guided compression repair or percutaneous injection of thrombin/coagulation factor XIII are the treatments of choice. In this paper, we describe two cases of post-therapeutic catheterization pseudoaneurysm, in which endovascular and conventional surgery were combined. The association of these two modalities of treatment decreased blood loss in comparison with conventional surgery alone, besides reducing surgical trauma and hospital stay.<br>A incidência de pseudoaneurisma após cateterismo via femoral varia entre 0,1 a 2,0% em procedimentos diagnósticos e 5% em terapêuticos. São descritos tratamentos para pseudoaneurismas desde o método conservador até a intervenção com cirurgia convencional. Nos casos de pseudoanerismas de tamanho médio, o tratamento não invasivo, com compressão com duplex scan ou injeção de trombina/fator de coagulação XIII, é o de escolha. Neste artigo, relatamos dois casos de pseudoaneurisma pós-cateterismo terapêutico, em que foi realizado tratamento combinado utilizando-se técnicas endovascular e de cirurgia aberta. A associação dessas duas modalidades terapêuticas possibilitou a redução de perdas sanguíneas comparando-se à cirurgia convencional isolada, além de minimizar o trauma cirúrgico e reduzir o tempo de internação

The Effects of Cinacalcet in Older and Younger Patients on Hemodialysis: The Evaluation of Cinacalcet HCl Therapy to Lower Cardiovascular Events (EVOLVE) Trial.

This article contains supplemental material online at http://cjasn. asnjournals.org/lookup/suppl/doi:10.2215/CJN.07730814/-/ DCSupplemental.BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The calcimimetic cinacalcet reduced the risk of death or cardiovascular (CV) events in older, but not younger, patients with moderate to severe secondary hyperparathyroidism (HPT) who were receiving hemodialysis. To determine whether the lower risk in younger patients might be due to lower baseline CV risk and more frequent use of cointerventions that reduce parathyroid hormone (kidney transplantation, parathyroidectomy, and commercial cinacalcet use), this study examined the effects of cinacalcet in older (≥65 years, n=1005) and younger (3-fold higher in younger relative to older patients and were more frequent in patients randomized to placebo. In older patients, the adjusted relative hazard (95% confidence interval) for the primary composite (CV) end point (cinacalcet versus placebo) was 0.70 (0.60 to 0.81); in younger patients, the relative hazard was 0.97 (0.86 to 1.09). Corresponding adjusted relative hazards for mortality were 0.68 (0.51 to 0.81) and 0.99 (0.86 to 1.13). Reduction in the risk of severe unremitting HPT was similar in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: In the EVOLVE trial, cinacalcet decreased the risk of death and of major CV events in older, but not younger, patients with moderate to severe HPT who were receiving hemodialysis. Effect modification by age may be partly explained by differences in underlying CV risk and differential application of cointerventions that reduce parathyroid hormone.The Evaluation of Cinacalcet HCl Therapy to Lower Cardiovascular Events (EVOLVE) trial was funded by Amgen