Mechanical and flammability properties of poly(lactic acid)/ poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) blends and nanocomposites: effects of compatibilizer and graphene

Poly(lactic acid) (PLA)/polybutylene adipate co-terephthalate (PBAT) blends were prepared by melt blending and compatibilized by glycidyl methacrylate (GMA). The effect of graphene nanoplatelets (GNP) on these compatibilized blends were investigated by incorporating GNP at different content. The formulated blend and nanocomposites were characterized for mechanical, morphological, thermal and flammability properties by using universal testing machine, impact tester, field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), x-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), limiting oxygen index (LOI) and UL-94 respectively. The incorporation of 8 phr GMA into PLA/PBAT (75:25) blend as a compatibilizer results in a significant increase in impact strength (more than 14 times higher) compared to the uncompatibilized blend. Young's modulus and tensile strength of compatibilized PLA/PBAT nanocomposites increased upon addition of GNP and reached maximum values at 4 phr before decreasing slightly. However, impact strength decreased with increasing GNP contents. The thermal stability and the flame retardancy of the GNP reinforced blend nanocomposites were also improved with an increase in nanofiller content and the maximum values for the nanocomposites were achieved at 6 phr. Interestingly, the nanocomposites samples showed a UL-94 rating of V0 at 4 and 6 phr of GNP. Morphological studies using FESEM showed the GNP were evenly distributed and dispersed in the PLA/PBAT nanocomposites. The current methodology to prepare PLA/PBAT blend nanocomposite is an economical way to produce high strength biodegradable polymer which also has good flame retardancy

Green hydrothermal synthesis of high aspect ratio wollastonite nanofibers: effects of reaction medium, temperature and time

Wollastonite 1D nanostructures have attracted widespread concern for their wide applications in biomedical, constructions and many more, which however have been synthesized via high temperature solid state method or wet precipitation method which required organic template. Herein, a controllable green hydrothermal route is used to produce high aspect ratio wollastonite nanofibers. The effect of hydrothermal synthesis parameters on the aspect ratio of synthetic wollastonite nanofibers (SWN) were investigated and the hydrothermal formation mechanism was proposed. The formation of nanofiber starts from the nuclei formation in supersaturated solution then followed by the crystal growth. The synthesis reactions were conducted under different conditions with reaction medium containing different ethanol composition and temperature from 160 °C to 240 °C for 8 h to 32 h. The SWN produced was characterized using XRD, FTIR, TGA and FESEM analysis techniques. It is proven that all wollastonite produced were in nanofiber form with the average aspect ratio ranging from 10 to 20, except for those synthesized at 160 °C which mainly has irregular grain shape. The reaction medium consisting of 80% water and 20% ethanol, which was heated at 200 °C for 16 h, resulted in SWN with the highest aspect ratio of 20.15. The study demonstrated that the hydrothermal synthesis parameters can be manipulated to produce SWN with various aspect ratios to meet its demand in different applications

Abstracts of AICTE Sponsored International Conference on Post-COVID Symptoms and Complications in Health

This book presents the selected abstracts of the International Conference on Post-COVID Symptoms and Complications in Health, hosted from the 28th to 29th of April 2022 in virtual mode by the LR Institute of Pharmacy, Solan (H.P.)-173223 in Collaboration with AICTE, New Delhi. This conference focuses on the implications of long-term symptoms on public health, ways to mitigate these complications, improve understanding of the disease process in COVID-19 patients, use of computational methods and artificial intelligence in predicting complications, and the role of various drug delivery systems in combating the complications. Conference Title:  International Conference on Post-COVID Symptoms and Complications in HealthConference Sponsor: AICTE, New Delhi.Conference Date: 28-29 April 2022Conference Location: OnlineConference Organizer: LR Institute of Pharmacy, Solan (H.P.)-173223

Abstracts of AICTE Sponsored International Conference on Post-COVID Symptoms and Complications in Health

This book presents the selected abstracts of the International Conference on Post-COVID Symptoms and Complications in Health, hosted from the 28th to 29th of April 2022 in virtual mode by the LR Institute of Pharmacy, Solan (H.P.)-173223 in Collaboration with AICTE, New Delhi. This conference focuses on the implications of long-term symptoms on public health, ways to mitigate these complications, improve understanding of the disease process in COVID-19 patients, use of computational methods and artificial intelligence in predicting complications, and the role of various drug delivery systems in combating the complications. Conference Title:  International Conference on Post-COVID Symptoms and Complications in HealthConference Sponsor: AICTE, New Delhi.Conference Date: 28-29 April 2022Conference Location: OnlineConference Organizer: LR Institute of Pharmacy, Solan (H.P.)-173223

The surgical safety checklist and patient outcomes after surgery: a prospective observational cohort study, systematic review and meta-analysis

© 2017 British Journal of Anaesthesia Background: The surgical safety checklist is widely used to improve the quality of perioperative care. However, clinicians continue to debate the clinical effectiveness of this tool. Methods: Prospective analysis of data from the International Surgical Outcomes Study (ISOS), an international observational study of elective in-patient surgery, accompanied by a systematic review and meta-analysis of published literature. The exposure was surgical safety checklist use. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality and the secondary outcome was postoperative complications. In the ISOS cohort, a multivariable multi-level generalized linear model was used to test associations. To further contextualise these findings, we included the results from the ISOS cohort in a meta-analysis. Results are reported as odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals. Results: We included 44 814 patients from 497 hospitals in 27 countries in the ISOS analysis. There were 40 245 (89.8%) patients exposed to the checklist, whilst 7508 (16.8%) sustained ≥1 postoperative complications and 207 (0.5%) died before hospital discharge. Checklist exposure was associated with reduced mortality [odds ratio (OR) 0.49 (0.32–0.77); P\u3c0.01], but no difference in complication rates [OR 1.02 (0.88–1.19); P=0.75]. In a systematic review, we screened 3732 records and identified 11 eligible studies of 453 292 patients including the ISOS cohort. Checklist exposure was associated with both reduced postoperative mortality [OR 0.75 (0.62–0.92); P\u3c0.01; I2=87%] and reduced complication rates [OR 0.73 (0.61–0.88); P\u3c0.01; I2=89%). Conclusions: Patients exposed to a surgical safety checklist experience better postoperative outcomes, but this could simply reflect wider quality of care in hospitals where checklist use is routine

Prospective observational cohort study on grading the severity of postoperative complications in global surgery research

Background The Clavien–Dindo classification is perhaps the most widely used approach for reporting postoperative complications in clinical trials. This system classifies complication severity by the treatment provided. However, it is unclear whether the Clavien–Dindo system can be used internationally in studies across differing healthcare systems in high- (HICs) and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Methods This was a secondary analysis of the International Surgical Outcomes Study (ISOS), a prospective observational cohort study of elective surgery in adults. Data collection occurred over a 7-day period. Severity of complications was graded using Clavien–Dindo and the simpler ISOS grading (mild, moderate or severe, based on guided investigator judgement). Severity grading was compared using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Data are presented as frequencies and ICC values (with 95 per cent c.i.). The analysis was stratified by income status of the country, comparing HICs with LMICs. Results A total of 44 814 patients were recruited from 474 hospitals in 27 countries (19 HICs and 8 LMICs). Some 7508 patients (16·8 per cent) experienced at least one postoperative complication, equivalent to 11 664 complications in total. Using the ISOS classification, 5504 of 11 664 complications (47·2 per cent) were graded as mild, 4244 (36·4 per cent) as moderate and 1916 (16·4 per cent) as severe. Using Clavien–Dindo, 6781 of 11 664 complications (58·1 per cent) were graded as I or II, 1740 (14·9 per cent) as III, 2408 (20·6 per cent) as IV and 735 (6·3 per cent) as V. Agreement between classification systems was poor overall (ICC 0·41, 95 per cent c.i. 0·20 to 0·55), and in LMICs (ICC 0·23, 0·05 to 0·38) and HICs (ICC 0·46, 0·25 to 0·59). Conclusion Caution is recommended when using a treatment approach to grade complications in global surgery studies, as this may introduce bias unintentionally

Critical care admission following elective surgery was not associated with survival benefit: prospective analysis of data from 27 countries

This was an investigator initiated study funded by Nestle Health Sciences through an unrestricted research grant, and by a National Institute for Health Research (UK) Professorship held by RP. The study was sponsored by Queen Mary University of London