Kraft Lignin/Tannin as a Potential Accelerator of Antioxidant and Antibacterial Properties in an Active Thermoplastic Polyester-Based Multifunctional Material

This research focuses on key priorities in the field of sustainable plastic composites that will lead to a reduction in CO2 pollution and support the EU\u27s goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050. The main challenge is to develop high-performance polyphenol-reinforced thermoplastic composites, where the use of natural fillers replaces the usual chemical additives with non-toxic ones, not only to improve the final performance but also to increase the desired multifunctionalities (structural, antioxidant, and antibacterial). Therefore, poly (lactic acid) (PLA) composites based on Kraft lignin (KL) and tannin (TANN) were investigated. Two series of PLA composites, PLA-KL and PLA-TANN, which contained natural fillers (0.5%, 1.0%, and 2.5% (w/w)) were prepared by hot melt extrusion. The effects of KL and TANN on the PLA matrices were investigated, especially the surface physicochemical properties, mechanical properties, and antioxidant/antimicrobial activity. The surface physicochemical properties were evaluated by measuring the contact angle (CA), roughness, zeta potential, and nanoindentation. The results of the water contact angle showed that neither KL nor TANN caused a significant change in the wettability, but only a slight increase in the hydrophilicity of the PLA composites. The filler loading, the size of the particles with their available functional groups on the surfaces of the PLA composites, and the interaction between the filler and the PLA polymer depend on the roughness and zeta potential behavior of the PLA-KL and PLA-TANN composites and ultimately improve the surface mechanical properties. The antioxidant properties of the PLA-KL and PLA-TANN composites were determined using the DPPH (2, 2\u27-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) test. The results show an efficient antioxidant behavior of all PLA-KL and PLA-TANN composites, which increases with the filler content. Finally, the KL- and PLA-based TANN have shown resistance to the Gram-negative bacteria, E. coli, but without a correlation trend between polyphenol filler content and structure

Crossectional study of oral health and quality of life among icelandic nursing home residents

Efst á síðunni er hægt að nálgast greinina í heild sinni með því að smella á hlekkinnErlendar rannsóknir sýna að aldraðir íbúar dvalar- og hjúkrunarheimila eru líklegri til að þjást af tann- og munnsjúkdómum en aðrir sambærilegir hópar1,2. Hægt er að rekja tann- og munnsjúkdóma meðal annars til lélegrar munn- og tannhirðu, umhverfisþátta, neysluvenja og lyfjagjafar. Léleg tannheilsa getur aukið hættu á meltingartruflunum, leitt til vannæringar og sveppa- og tannholdssjúkóma í munni. Megintilgangur rannsóknarinnar er að skoða hvaða samband tannheilsa hefur við lífsgæði aldraðra sem flutt hafa á dvalarheimili. Efniviður og aðferðir: Gerð var megindleg þversniðsrannsókn á einu dvalar- og hjúkrunarheimili á höfuðborgarsvæðinu, úrtakið (N= 45) var úr hópi íbúa heimilisins sem voru 67 ára og eldri. Gagnasöfnun var tvíþætt og fólst í 1) klínískri skoðun á vettvangi á munnheilsu þátttakenda samkvæmt stöðlum Alþjóðaheilbrigðismálastofnunarinnar og 2) notaður var staðfærður viðtalsstýrður lífsgæðakvarði „Oral health impact profile“ (OHIP-49) sem mælir persónubundið huglægt mat þátttakenda á eigin munnheilsu og tengslum hennar við lífsgæði. Skýribreyta var klínísk tannheilsa þátttakenda. Útkoma var mæld með OHIP-ICE lífsgæðakvarðanum á sviðum sem lýst er sem 1) færniskerðing, 2) líkamleg óþægindi, 3) sálræn óþægindi, 4) líkamlegar hömlur, 5) sálrænar hömlur, 6) félagsleg skerðing og 7) höft eða fötlun. Tölfræðiaðferðir: Notuð var lýsandi og greinandi tölfræði á skýri- og útkomubreytur, fervikagreining (ANOVA) til að kanna samband milli tanna og tanngerva á lífsgæðum. Leiðrétt var fyrir bakgrunnsbreytum í tölfræðilíkönum. Niðurstöður: Alls luku 38 þátttakendur rannsókninni, 13 karlar og 24 konur. Meðalaldur þátttakenda var (M= 85.5, ± 5.6), meðaltannátustuðull var (M= 25.58, ± 3.52) og 71,5% þátttakenda höfðu tapað hluta af náttúrulegum tönnum sínum, 75% kvenna hafði tapað einni eða fleiri eigin tönnum samanborið við 64,8% karla. Einungis reyndist 9,8% náttúrulegra tanna vera óskemmdar hjá þátttakendum. Algengasta tanngervið var heilgómur í 51,3% tilfella. Tanngervi í neðri góm höfðu martæk áhrif á færniskerðingu F(35,2)= 4.34, p=0,021, á líkamlegar hömlur F(2,35)= 6.41, p=0,004 og á höft eða fötlun vegna munnheilsu F(2,35)= 3.57, p=0,039. Aldraðir upplifa skert lífsgæði vegna tann- og munnheilsu sinnar, fjöldi eigin tanna, staðsetning og tegund tanngerva hefur þar áhrif. Neikvæðar afleiðingar tann- og munnheilsu birtast sem skert tyggingarfærni, verri melting, hamlandi áhrif á fæðuval, breytt bragð og/eða lyktarskyn, skert tjáningargeta, minni lífsánægja og verra heilsufar. Ályktun: Samband er á milli munnheilsu og lífsgæða hjá öldruðum og batnandi tann- og munnheilsa krefst öflugar tannheilbrigðisþjónustu alla ævi. Því er mikilvægt að hafa reglulegt eftirlit með munnheilsu aldraðra og beita viðeigandi meðferðarúrræðum til að auka lífsgæði þeirra. Nauðsynlegt er að dvalar- og hjúkrunarheimili hafi skýrar verklagsreglur og úrræði sem styðjast við lög og reglugerðir stjórnvalda.Objective: In Iceland there is a lack of studies of oral health (OH) of the elderly living in nursing-homes (NH) and how OH influences their quality of life (QoL). This study is aimed at clinical OH and self-perceived OHQoL of the elderly. Material and methods: The study design was cross-sectional, data were collected from one nursing home in Reykjavík (N= 45), with clinical oral examinations using WHO oral health survey criteria. Data were collected on: status of teeth; D3MFT; types of prosthodontics; treatment needs; and demographical variables. With a structured interview using the Oral Health Impact Profile OHIP-49 questionnaire, in Icelandic, self-perspective data of negative aspects of OHQoL were collected, addressing: 1) functional limitation, 2) physical pain, 3) psychological discomfort, 4) physical disability, 5) psychological disability, 6) social disability and 7) handicap. Variables were coded for descriptive and analytic statistical data processing. The independent variable was OH, and dependent variables were scores on total OHIP and subscales. ANOVA and regression were used to investigate differences related to prosthodontic status groups: a) complete dentures; b) teeth and partial dentures; c) fixed restorations and teeth and variance in OHQoL, controlled for demographic variables. Results: A total of 38 participants completed the research: 13 male, 25 female. The mean age of participants was 85,5y ±5,6. Frequency of missing teeth was 71,5%, 75% females had one or more teeth missing compared to 64,8% males. The prevalence of full dentures was 51,3%. and the consequence of wearing prosthetic appliances in the mandibular region significantly influenced QoL related to: functional limitation F(35,2)= 4.34, p=0,021; physical disability F(2,35)= 6,41, p=0,004; and handicap F(2,35)= 3.57, p=0,039. OHQoL was affected by D3MFT and prosthodontic status. High D3MFT value correlated with less quality of life measured with OHIP-ICE. OH affected QoL among participants; number of teeth’s, location and types of removable dentures had an impact on mastication, less taste sensitivity, limited ability of eating and restricted use of certain types of food. OH also influenced life satisfaction and general health. Conclusion: This study indicates association between oral health and quality of life among the elderly and that improved oral health needs lifelong care and service. This indicates a need for continuous vigilance in oral health care in nursing homes to improve OHQoL of residents. It is essential for nursing homes to use oral health care protocols and have therapeutic treatments available according to government rules and regulations

Magnetoimpedance response and field sensitivity in stress-annealed co-based microwires for sensor applications

Amorphous soft magnetic microwires have attracted much attention in the area of sensor applications due to their excellent properties. In this work, we study the influence of annealing treatments (stress and conventional) in the giant magnetoimpedance (GMI) response and the field sensitivity of the soft magnetic Co69.2Fe3.6Ni1B12.5Si11Mo1.5C1.2 glass-coated microwires. Here we report a remarkable and simultaneous enhancement of GMI effect and field sensitivity. The highest sensitivity of 104%/Oe and the GMI response of 234% were achieved for 300 °C stress-annealed samples at 472 and 236 MPa, respectively. Additionally, we found that stress-annealed microwires exhibit a frequency dependence on maximal GMI response and field sensitivity. These findings are obtained by fine-tuning their magnetoeslastic anisotropies through stress-annealing treatments of as-prepared microwires at the proper temperature and axial applied stress upon annealing. We hope that the results presented here widen the scope of investigations for the future design of soft magnetic materials for sensor purposes.D.G.-A is founded by MAT2017-83631-C3-R. This work was also supported by Spanish MCIU under PGC2018-099530-B-C31 (MCIU/AEI/FEDER, UE) and by the Government of the Basque Country under PIBA 2018-44 project and by the University of Basque Country under the scheme of “Ayuda a Grupos Consolidados” (Ref.: GIU18/192)

Bioinformatic Analysis and in Vitro Expression of Malaria Parasite Translocon and Ribonuclease Binding-Like Rhoptry Genes

Malaria caused by the parasite Plasmodium, still remains a significant public health problem worldwide, due to lack of a vaccine and emerging drug and insecticide resistance, among malaria parasites and mosquito vectors, respectively. Rhoptry proteins of Plasmodium enable merozoite invasion of host erythrocytes. However, only a few of these proteins have been characterized. Thirty-six P. yoelii merozoite rhoptry proteins were identified as putative rhoptry proteins by proteome analysis. Some of these proteins have been characterized while others still remain an intense area of active research. Molecular characterization and understanding of these novel proteins may assist in vaccine development, design of diagnostic assays and better control of malaria disease. This study was aimed at characterizing two Plasmodium rhoptry genes Translocon and Ribonuclease binding-like (RNB-like) genes using bioinformatics analysis and in vitro cell free expression. Bioinformatics analysis was performed using the databases: PlasmoDB, ExPaSy, PSORTb, SWISSPROT-workspace, GeneDB, National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) and COBALT: Multiple Alignment Tool. Both genes were characterized for features such as conservation profiles, domain architecture and alignment of sequences, both within Plasmodium species and among members of the phylum apicomplexa. The RNB protein domains are generally conserved across Plasmodium species but protein identity across species is 30 . The amino acid identity is about 40 across species for the Translocon protein. This study revealed that these genes are expressed early upon merozoite invasion of the host erythrocytes. The expressed translocon protein that is annotated as hypothetical or putative has been shown to be part of a transport complex and the RibonucleaRibonuclea Ribonuclease binding binding -like (RNB) gene expresses a putative RNB -like protein found in all species of Plasmodium . The translocon of Plasmodium falciparum was successfully PCR amplified, cloned and a

Perinatal risk factors for neonatal encephalopathy: an unmatched case-control study

OBJECTIVE: Neonatal encephalopathy (NE) is the third leading cause of child mortality. Preclinical studies suggest infection and inflammation can sensitise or precondition the newborn brain to injury. This study examined perinatal risks factor for NE in Uganda. DESIGN: Unmatched case-control study. SETTING: Mulago National Referral Hospital, Kampala, Uganda. METHODS: 210 term infants with NE and 409 unaffected term infants as controls were recruited over 13 months. Data were collected on preconception, antepartum and intrapartum exposures. Blood culture, species-specific bacterial real-time PCR, C reactive protein and placental histology for chorioamnionitis and funisitis identified maternal and early newborn infection and inflammation. Multivariable logistic regression examined associations with NE. RESULTS: Neonatal bacteraemia (adjusted OR (aOR) 8.67 (95% CI 1.51 to 49.74), n=315) and histological funisitis (aOR 11.80 (95% CI 2.19 to 63.45), n=162) but not chorioamnionitis (aOR 3.20 (95% CI 0.66 to 15.52), n=162) were independent risk factors for NE. Among encephalopathic infants, neonatal case fatality was not significantly higher when exposed to early neonatal bacteraemia (OR 1.65 (95% CI 0.62 to 4.39), n=208). Intrapartum antibiotic use did not improve neonatal survival (p=0.826). After regression analysis, other identified perinatal risk factors (n=619) included hypertension in pregnancy (aOR 3.77), male infant (aOR 2.51), non-cephalic presentation (aOR 5.74), lack of fetal monitoring (aOR 2.75), augmentation (aOR 2.23), obstructed labour (aOR 3.8) and an acute intrapartum event (aOR 8.74). CONCLUSIONS: Perinatal infection and inflammation are independent risk factors for NE in this low-resource setting, supporting a role in the aetiological pathway of term brain injury. Intrapartum antibiotic administration did not mitigate against adverse outcomes. The importance of intrapartum risk factors in this sub-Saharan African setting is highlighted

Development of magnetic microwires for magnetic sensor applications

Thin magnetic wires can present excellent soft magnetic properties (with coercivities up to 4 A/m), Giant Magneto-impedance effect, GMI, or rectangular hysteresis loops combined with quite fast domain wall, DW, propagation. In this paper we overview the magnetic properties of thin magnetic wires and post-processing allowing optimization of their magnetic properties for magnetic sensor applications. We concluded that the GMI effect, magnetic softness or DW dynamics of microwires can be tailored by controlling the magnetoelastic anisotropy of as-prepared microwires or controlling their internal stresses and domain structure by appropriate thermal treatment.This work was funded by Spanish MCIU under PGC2018-099530-B-C31 (MCIU/AEI/FEDER, UE) by the Government of the Basque Country under PIBA 2018-44 projectand by the University of Basque Country under the scheme of “Ayuda a Grupos Consolidados” (Ref.: GIU18/192)

Development of Magnetic Microwires for Magnetic Sensor Applications

Thin magnetic wires can present excellent soft magnetic properties (with coercivities up to 4 A/m), Giant Magneto-impedance effect, GMI, or rectangular hysteresis loops combined with quite fast domain wall, DW, propagation. In this paper we overview the magnetic properties of thin magnetic wires and post-processing allowing optimization of their magnetic properties for magnetic sensor applications. We concluded that the GMI effect, magnetic softness or DW dynamics of microwires can be tailored by controlling the magnetoelastic anisotropy of as-prepared microwires or controlling their internal stresses and domain structure by appropriate thermal treatment.This work was funded by Spanish MCIU under PGC2018-099530-B-C31 (MCIU/AEI/FEDER, UE) by the Government of the Basque Country under PIBA 2018-44 projectand by the University of Basque Country under the scheme of "Ayuda a Grupos Consolidados" (Ref.: GIU18/192)

Terahertz spin-to-charge conversion by interfacial skew scattering in metallic bilayers

The efficient conversion of spin to charge transport and vice versa is of major relevance for the detection and generation of spin currents in spin‐based electronics. Interfaces of heterostructures are known to have a marked impact on this process. Here, terahertz (THz) emission spectroscopy is used to study ultrafast spin‐to‐charge‐current conversion (S2C) in about 50 prototypical F|N bilayers consisting of a ferromagnetic layer F (e.g., Ni81Fe19, Co, or Fe) and a nonmagnetic layer N with strong (Pt) or weak (Cu and Al) spin‐orbit coupling. Varying the structure of the F/N interface leads to a drastic change in the amplitude and even inversion of the polarity of the THz charge current. Remarkably, when N is a material with small spin Hall angle, a dominant interface contribution to the ultrafast charge current is found. Its magnitude amounts to as much as about 20% of that found in the F|Pt reference sample. Symmetry arguments and first‐principles calculations strongly suggest that the interfacial S2C arises from skew scattering of spin‐polarized electrons at interface imperfections. The results highlight the potential of skew scattering for interfacial S2C and propose a promising route to enhanced S2C by tailored interfaces at all frequencies from DC to terahertz