Advanced Polypropylene and Composites with Polypropylene with Applications in Modern Medicine

Synthetic polypropylene (PP) is used extensively in many fields of medicine. On the one hand, it is utilized in the manufacture of medical equipment: syringes, storage, transport, electric cables, etc. On the other hand, synthetic, nonabsorbable isotactic PP (iPP) is often used to perform meshes for hernia and pelvic organ repair operations, as well as in urinary incontinence. Products that release in time from meshes are depending on the conditions in which they are utilized, can produce undesirable reactions for the human body. For this reason, nonabsorbable synthetic PP was replaced in surgical sutures and meshes with bio polypropylene (bio PP). The chapter analyzes the specific characteristics of these polymers as well as their degradation due to the influence of different factors: humidity, perspiration, temperature, and presence of bacteria. Obtaining new composite materials with PP as matrix and metal powders as fillers is considered as a possibility of their use in vital problems such as cancer detection and treatment. These allow the emergence of new strategies in the design of biosensors that use nanocomposite materials with different fillers and polymeric films. The chapter analyzes the characteristics of new composite materials with PP matrix and metallic powders of iron (Fe)

Structural Analysis of Cavitation for Different Stainless Steels

The cavitation phenomenon is currently approaching all areas of technology and modern industry, where are fluid in motion. In this paper cavitational erosion was conducted on different samples of stainless steels. The cavitation were performed in magnetostrictive vibrating apparatus at Cavitation Laboratory (Polytechnic University of Timisoara). The present paper intends to identify specific structural features in stainless steels. Several investigations were done: macrostructural analysis (Olympus SZX57), scaning electron microscope (Philips SEM) and X-ray diffraction (D8 ADVANCE). After quantitative and qualitative investigations structural features were put in evidence on experimental stainless steels

A Current Approach to Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients

(1) Background: The relationship between non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is bidirectional: NAFLD increases the risk of T2DM, and T2DM promotes the progression of the disease into non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). (2) Material and methods: We performed a retrospective, open study that included 59 patients with NAFLD and T2DM who were distributed into two groups: 44 (74.57%) patients were diagnosed with hepatic steatosis (HS) and 15 (25.42%) patients were diagnosed with NASH. (3) Results: Among the non-specific inflammatory biomarkers, serum ferritin (SF) and the neutrophil-percentage-to-albumin ratio (NPAR) showed higher and statistically significant mean values (p = 0.003 respectively p = 0.03) in the group of patients with NASH and T2DM. Conclusions: Consequently, it is essential to identify alternative markers for the inflammatory process, particularly in individuals with diabetes, as it is a key characteristic of NASH. This need arises from the desire to avoid the risks associated with liver biopsy procedures (LBP) and to prevent the unpredictable and unfavorable progression of NAFLD in patients with T2DM