Inkjet printing of polyimide insulators for the 3D printing of dielectric materials for microelectronic applications

In this article, we report the first continuous fabrication of inkjet-printed polyimide films, which were used as insulating layers for the production of capacitors. The polyimide ink was prepared from its precursor poly(amic) acid, and directly printed on to a hot substrate (at around 160 °C) to initialize a rapid thermal imidization. By carefully adjusting the substrate temperature, droplet spacing, droplet velocity, and other printing parameters, polyimide films with good surface morphologies were printed between two conducting layers to fabricate capacitors. In this work, the highest capacitance value, 2.82 ± 0.64 nF, was achieved by capacitors (10 mm × 10 mm) with polyimide insulating layers thinner than 1 μm, suggesting that the polyimide inkjet printing approach is an efficient way for producing dielectric components of microelectronic devices. © 2016 The Authors Journal of Applied Polymer Science Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016, 133, 43361

A preliminary evaluation of plasma b-type natriuretic peptide as a screening test for left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in non-cardiac intensive care

Left ventricular filling and thus diastolic function are frequently monitored and managed in critical care. However, scant data exist regarding possible screening tests for diastolic dysfunction in the intensive care unit (ICU). The present study aimed to evaluate plasma b-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) as a marker of diastolic dysfunction in a single-centre cohort of 'non-cardiac' ICU patients. The ICU is non-cardiac in that it provides mixed medical/surgical services with the exception of cardiology, cardiac surgery and solid organ transplantation

The impact of a modified carbohydrate formula, and its constituents, on glycaemic control and inflammatory markers: A nested mechanistic sub-study

Background Hyperglycaemia occurs frequently in the critically ill. Dietary intake of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs), specifically N epsilon-(carboxymethyl)lysine (CML), may exacerbate hyperglycaemia through perturbation of insulin sensitivity. The present study aimed to determine whether the use of nutritional formulae, with varying AGE loads, affects the amount of insulin administered and inflammation. Methods Exclusively tube fed patients (n = 35) were randomised to receive Nutrison Protein Plus Multifibre (R), Diason (R) or Glucerna Select (R). Insulin administration was standardised according to protocol based on blood glucose (<10 mmol L-1). Samples were obtained at randomisation and 48 h later. AGEs in nutritional formula, plasma and urine were measured using mass spectrometry. Plasma inflammatory markers were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and multiplex bead-based assays. Results AGE concentrations of CML in nutritional formulae were greatest with delivery of Nutrison Protein Plus (R) (mean [SD]; 6335 pmol mol(-1) [2436]) compared to Diason (R) (4836 pmol mol(-1) [1849]) and Glucerna Select (R) (4493 pmol mol(-1) [1829 pmol mol(-1)]) despite patients receiving similar amounts of energy (median [interquartile range]; 12 MJ [8.2-13.7 MJ], 11.5 MJ [8.3-14.5 MJ], 11.5 MJ [8.3-14.5 MJ]). More insulin was administered with Nutrison Protein Plus (R) (2.47 units h(-1) [95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.57-3.37 units h(-1)]) compared to Diason (R) (1.06 units h(-1) [95% CI = 0.24-1.89 units h(-1)]) or Glucerna Select (R) (1.11 units h(-1) [95% CI = 0.25-1.97 units h(-1)]; p = 0.04). Blood glucose concentrations were similar. There were associations between greater insulin administration and reductions in circulating interleukin-6 (r = -0.46, p < 0.01), tumour necrosis factor-alpha (r = -0.44, p < 0.05), high sensitivity C-reactive protein (r = -0.42, p < 0.05) and soluble receptor for advanced glycation end-products (r = -0.45, p < 0.01) concentrations. Conclusions The administration of greater AGE load in nutritional formula potentially increases the amount of insulin required to maintain blood glucose within a normal range during critical illness. There was an inverse relationship between exogenous insulin and plasma inflammatory markers