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We have developed a new strategy for the preparation of a light-responsive ionic liquid crystal (LC) that shows photo-switchable proton conduction. The ionic LC consists of a bowl-shaped calix[4]arene core ionically functionalized with azobenzene moieties. The non-covalent architectures were obtained by the formation of ionic salts between the carboxylic acid group of an azo-derivative and the terminal amine groups of a calixarene core. The presence of ionic salts results in a hierarchical self-assembly process that extends to the formation of a nanostructured lamellar LC arrangement (smectic A phase). In this LC phase, the ionic LC calixarene is able to display proton conductive properties, since the ionic nanosegregated areas (formed by the ionic pairs) generate the continuous channels that favor proton transport. The optical and photo-responsive properties were studied by UV-Vis spectroscopy, demonstrating that the azobenzene moieties of the ionic LC undergo reversible (E)-to-(Z) isomerization by irradiation with UV light. Interestingly, this (E)-to-(Z) photoisomerization results in a decrease of the proton conductivity values since the bent-shaped (Z)-isomer disrupts the lamellar LC phase. This isomerization process is totally reversible and leads to an ionic LC material with unique photo-switchable proton conductive properties.

We report a new family of liquid crystalline porphyrin-core dendrimers with coumarin units at the periphery of the dendrimer. These compounds have been prepared by copper-catalyzed azide–alkyne “click” cycloaddition (CuAAC). The mesomorphic properties have been investigated via polarized optical microscopy (POM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The peripheral coumarin units play a key role in the liquid crystal behavior, contributing to the appearance of discotic nematic mesophases with hole mobility values among the highest values reported for discotic liquid crystals (of the order of 1 cm2 V−1 s−1). It has also been demonstrated that excitation of the coumarin moieties leads to energy transfer (antenna effect) to the luminescent porphyrin core. Therefore, this strategy, which involves ‘click’ chemistry, has been proven to be a powerful and elegant synthetic tool for the preparation of optoelectronic materials based on complex dendritic architectures.

Background: Infertility is a huge reproductive health problem in developed countries. The aim was to understand the infertility experience of women who have undergone assisted reproduction technologies. Methods: Qualitative study using Grounded Theory. Through intentional sampling and theoretical sampling, 20 women who had undergone Assisted Reproduction Technologies in public hospitals and specialized private clinics in Spain were selected. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and were analysed using the principles of Grounded Theory: initial coding and focused coding, memo writing, theoretical sampling and constant comparative method. Results: “Uncovering infertility: unveiling the unknown” is the core category that explains the process which women go through. Four subcategories emerged and describe the temporal process from seeking pregnancy to reception and coping with the infertility diagnosis: “Seeking for a vital desire: being mothers/fathers”, “Suspecting infertility: the absence of the natural”, “In search of a diagnosis: knowing and understanding the problem” and “The impact of diagnosis: a vital grief”. Conclusions: Uncovering infertility is a process that has an impact on the different areas of women’s lives. This process produces different emotions and feelings such as guilt, frustration, sadness or anger. This process could be easier if women have the support of their partner, their social environment and if they share their problem with women who have the same situation., Fundamentos: La infertilidad es uno de los grandes problemas de salud reproductiva en los países desarrollados. El objetivo de este estudio fue comprender la experiencia vivida de la infertilidad por mujeres que se han sometido a técnicas de reproducción asistida. Métodos: Estudio cualitativo de Teoría Fundamentada. Mediante muestreo intencional y muestreo teórico se seleccionaron 20 mujeres que habían sido sometidas a técnicas de reproducción asistida tanto en hospitales públicos como en clínicas privadas especializadas en España. La técnica de recogida de los datos fue la entrevista semiestructurada. El análisis siguió los procedimientos de la Teoría Fundamentada: codificación inicial y focalizada, escritura de memos analíticos, muestreo teórico y método de comparación constante. Resultados: “Descubrir la infertilidad: desvelar lo desconocido” es la categoría principal que explica el proceso que viven las mujeres. Emergieron cuatro subcategorías que describen el proceso temporal desde el inicio de la búsqueda de embarazo hasta la recepción y afrontamiento del diagnóstico de infertilidad: “Buscar un deseo vital: ser madres/ padres”, “Sospechar la infertilidad: la ausencia de lo natural”, “En busca de un diagnóstico: conocer y comprender el problema” y “El impacto del diagnóstico: un duelo vital”. Conclusiones: Descubrir la infertilidad es un proceso que afecta a los distintos ámbitos de la vida de las mujeres y en el que aparecen emociones y sentimientos como culpa, frustración, tristeza o rabia. Este proceso puede estar facilitado cuando se tiene el apoyo de su pareja, el entorno y se comparte el problema con mujeres que tienen su misma situación.

The design of efficient drug-delivery vehicles remains a big challenge in materials science. Herein, we describe a novel class of amphiphilic hybrid dendrimers that consist of a poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendritic core functionalized with bisMPA dendrons bearing cholesterol and coumarin moieties. Their self-assembly behavior both in bulk and in water was investigated. All dendrimers exhibited smectic A or hexagonal columnar liquid crystal organizations, depending on the generation of the dendrimer. In water, these dendrimers self-assembled to form stable spherical micelles that could encapsulate Nile Red, a hydrophobic model compound. The cell viability in vitro of the micelles was studied in HeLa cell line, and proved to be non-toxic up to 72 h of incubation. Therefore, these spherical micelles allow the encapsulation of hydrophobic molecules, and at the same time provided fluorescent traceability due to the presence of coumarin units in their chemical structure, demonstrating the potential of these dendrimers as nanocarriers for drug-delivery applications.

Two novel series of ionic liquid crystal polymers that display proton conductive properties are presented here. These materials are based on linear (l-PEI) or branched (b-PEI) poly(ethyleneimine) functionalized with unsymmetrical oxadiazole carboxylic acids derived from 1,3,4-oxadiazole (1,3,4-OXAm) or 1,2,4-oxadiazole (1,2,4-OXAm). The subscript “m” indicates the length of the spacer between the rigid moiety and the carboxyl group, namely m = 4 and 10. The occurrence of proton transfer from the carboxylic acid to the amine groups was confirmed by FTIR and NMR measurements. The liquid crystalline properties were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), polarizing optical microscopy (POM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). All ionic complexes displayed enantiotropic smectic A mesophases and in the case of the l-PEI derivatives a nematic phase was also observed at high temperatures. All investigated derivatives presented good proton conductivity values as determined by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Therefore, these ionic LC hyperbranched polymers represent an effective approach for the preparation of proton-transporting polymeric materials with potential applications in electrochemical devices.

We have prepared nanoporous polymers from columnar hexagonal hydrogen-bonded complexes, whose order is fixed by coumarin photoinduced [2 + 2] cycloaddition (photodimerization). Two different hydrogen-bonded complexes were used and consisted of a melamine (M) or tris(triazolyl)triazine (T) derivative acting as central templates and three peripheral carboxylic acids containing coumarin units. These coumarin units were employed for the cross-linking process by photodimerization in order to fix the LC arrangement. Template removal leads to the formation of self-standing nanoporous polymers keeping the columnar hexagonal order. Two nanoporous polymers with different pore diameters were obtained depending on size of the utilized template. These polymers with carboxylic acids at the pore surface demonstrate the ability to selectively adsorb certain molecules depending on their size. Moreover, after base treatment of the nanoporous polymers, they are able to adsorb cationic dyes over anionic and larger cations, demonstrating size- and charge-selective adsorption.

The self-assembly of liquid crystals (LCs) is an important method to control the organization of single molecules into periodically nanostructured phases that have found applications in organic electronics. Herein, we report a new family of LC porphyrin-core dendrimers bearing carbazole moieties at the periphery of the dendrimer. These compounds are synthetic light-harvesting antennas, which exhibit intramolecular energy transfer from the carbazole moieties to the central porphyrin core. We also demonstrate that it is possible to deposit spherical polymeric nanoparticles on ITO electrodes via electrochemical crosslinking of peripheral carbazole units. Moreover, the porphyrin-core dendrimers exhibit discotic nematic phases with excellent film-forming properties and a strong tendency towards defect-free homeotropic alignment. Charge mobility studies reveal promising semiconductor properties with high hole mobility values. Therefore, such carbazole-containing LC dendrimers exhibit a unique combination of interesting properties, opening the way for the preparation of new optoelectronic materials.

Liquid crystal macrocycles (LCMs) combine the unique properties of liquid crystals with those associated with macrocyclic compounds—shape persistence and the capability of hosting small molecules. Herein, we investigate the grafting of coumarin-containing promesogenic moieties to pillar[5]arene as a strategy to obtain multifunctional LCMs. Pillar[5]arenes containing 10 and 30 coumarin units are glassy materials with nematic mesomorphism. Moreover, the coumarin moieties afford the pillar[5]arene derivatives with enhanced film-forming and photoresponsive properties. Photodimerization of the coumarin moieties results in cross-linked polymer networks, which can be used as alignment layers. Therefore, liquid-crystal coumarin-containing pillar[5]arenes represent a significant addition to the family of LCMs and may become useful for the development of engineered, hierarchical structures and materials.

The design of efficient drug-delivery vehicles remains a big challenge in materials science. Herein, we describe a novel class of amphiphilic hybrid dendrimers that consist of a poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendritic core functionalized with bisMPA dendrons bearing cholesterol and coumarin moieties. Their self-assembly behavior both in bulk and in water was investigated. All dendrimers exhibited smectic A or hexagonal columnar liquid crystal organizations, depending on the generation of the dendrimer. In water, these dendrimers self-assembled to form stable spherical micelles that could encapsulate Nile Red, a hydrophobic model compound. The cell viability in vitro of the micelles was studied in HeLa cell line, and proved to be non-toxic up to 72 h of incubation. Therefore, these spherical micelles allow the encapsulation of hydrophobic molecules, and at the same time provided fluorescent traceability due to the presence of coumarin units in their chemical structure, demonstrating the potential of these dendrimers as nanocarriers for drug-delivery applications.

We have prepared nanoporous polymers from columnar hexagonal hydrogen-bonded complexes, whose order is fixed by coumarin photoinduced [2 + 2] cycloaddition (photodimerization). Two different hydrogen-bonded complexes were used and consisted of a melamine (M) or tris(triazolyl)triazine (T) derivative acting as central templates and three peripheral carboxylic acids containing coumarin units. These coumarin units were employed for the cross-linking process by photodimerization in order to fix the LC arrangement. Template removal leads to the formation of self-standing nanoporous polymers keeping the columnar hexagonal order. Two nanoporous polymers with different pore diameters were obtained depending on size of the utilized template. These polymers with carboxylic acids at the pore surface demonstrate the ability to selectively adsorb certain molecules depending on their size. Moreover, after base treatment of the nanoporous polymers, they are able to adsorb cationic dyes over anionic and larger cations, demonstrating size- and charge-selective adsorption.

Los dendrímeros constituyen en la actualidad un área de extraordinario interés en la investigación de materiales funcionales. El uso de los cristales líquidos como agentes capaces de promover la ordenación de las unidades activas presentes dentro de la estructura dendrítica puede dar lugar a la creación de un nuevo tipo de materiales orgánicos con aplicaciones tanto en Ciencia de Materiales como en Biomedicina. El objetivo principal de esta tesis ha sido la obtención de nuevos materiales funcionales a partir de dendrímeros cristales líquidos para su aplicación como semiconductores orgánicos, para la obtención de materiales conductores de protones, para la preparación de membranas nanoporosas y para aplicaciones biomédicas.

In this work, we have successfully examined for the first time the use of ionic dendrimers as building blocks for the preparation of 1D and 2D proton conductive materials. For this purpose, a new family of liquid crystalline dendrimers has been synthesized by ionic self-assembly of poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimers bearing 4, 8, 16, 32 or 64 NH2 terminal groups and a coumarin-containing bifunctional dendron. The noncovalent architectures were obtained by the formation of ionic salts between the carboxylic acid group of the dendron and the terminal amine groups of the PAMAM dendrimer. The liquid crystal properties have been investigated by polarized optical microscopy (POM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). All the compounds exhibited mesogenic behavior with smectic A or hexagonal columnar mesophases depending on the generation of the dendrimer. Coumarin photodimerization was used as a crosslinking reaction to obtain liquid crystalline polymer networks. All the materials showed good proton conductive properties as the LC arrangement leads to the presence of ionic nanosegregated areas (formed by the ion pairs) that favor proton conduction.

In the early eighties, Lin Lei proposed the concept of liquid crystals formed by bowl-like molecules. Thus, if calixarene cores (bowlic-like molecules) are functionalized with promesogenic units they could self-organize into bowlic liquid crystalline mesophases. Liquid crystal (LC) calixarenes represent an attractive option for the design of functional materials that combine the inherent properties of calixarenes with the anisotropic properties provided by the LC state, thus achieving the preparation of materials with a variety of new applications. Here we described the synthesis and mesomorphic properties of a new family of liquid crystals calix[4]arenes incorporating Schiff bases in the periphery that exhibit Smectic A or Nematic mesophase. XRD studies revealed interesting structural details concerning the packing of these compounds in their mesophases. On the basis of the experimental results, some supramolecular models have been proposed (Figure 1). The three calix[4]arene derivatives were subjected to metal complexation with different alkali, alkaline earth and transition metals, a novel and effective off-on-off type dihydrophosphate derivative chemosensor has been developed based on Zn-complexes.

The synthesis and liquid crystalline behavior of new calixarene Schiff base derivatives are reported. The materials were obtained by reaction of a tetraaminocalix[4]arene derivative with three aldehydes as mesogenic promotor moieties: 4‐(4′‐decyloxybenzoyloxy)benzaldehyde (A), 4‐(4′‐decyloxybenzoyloxy)salicylaldehyde (B) and 4‐(3′,4′‐didecyloxybenzoyloxy)salicylaldehyde (C). All of the compounds exhibit liquid crystalline properties and these were studied by optical microscopy, DSC and X‐ray diffraction. The relationship between the structure and the mesomorphic behavior of the compounds is discussed. The binding recognition and selectivity towards cations have been studied by absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy.

We report a new family of multifunctional liquid-crystalline porphyrin-core dendrimers that have coumarin functional groups around the porphyrin core. Porphyrin metalation strongly affects the photophysical properties, and therefore Zn and Cu derivatives have also been prepared. All the synthesized dendrimers form a nematic discotic mesophase. Their high tendency for homeotropic alignment makes these dendrimers excellent candidates for device applications, owing to their easy processability, spontaneous alignment between electrodes, and self-healing of defects because of their dynamic nature. The charge mobility values of these materials are the highest ever reported for a nematic discotic phase. Moreover, these values are similar to the highest values reported for ordered columnar mesophases, and this shows that a supramolecular organization in columns is not necessary to achieve high charge mobility.

The increment of world population increases the need of improving feed efficiency traits of livestock. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying different feed efficiency traits and their regulation by nutrition remain poorly understood. The present study was designed to identify plasmatic metabolites and metabolic pathways of fattening merino lambs caused by milk restriction during the suckling period. Forty male lambs were assigned randomly to two groups (n=20 per group) with different suckling regime: ADL (lambs were kept continuously with their dams) and RES (lambs were allowed to suck for 15 hours). When they reached 15 kg of live body weight (LBW), all the animals were offered the same complete pelleted diet at a restricted level (40 g DM/kg LBW). All the lambs were slaughtered with 27 kg of LBW and 12 representative animals from each group were selected for the analysis. Metabolomic analysis was carried out on a mass spectrometer coupled to an UHPLC chromatographic system (UHPLC/QTOF-MS). According to the data obtained in the present study, a restricted milk intake level during the suckling period of merino lambs promoted long term effects on efficiency traits and metabolic profile which might have modified fatty acids metabolism during the fattening period.

El cuidado familiar, entendido como la atención no remunerada que se presta a personas que necesitan ayuda para la realización de las actividades de la vida diaria, ha sido tradicionalmente realizado por las mujeres de la familia, en un contexto doméstico caracterizado por la privacidad e invisibilidad, con escaso reconocimientos social y con elevados costes para su salud y su calidad de vida. En las últimas décadas hay un creciente interés por el estudio de este tipo de cuidado, motivado por los cambios demográficos, epidemiológicos y sociales. El acusado envejecimiento poblacional, el aumento de los procesos crónicos de salud y los nuevos modelos familiares y culturales, han propiciado un aumento de las personas beneficiarias de esta forma de cuidado, al tiempo que ha disminuido la proporción de mujeres con disponibilidad para cuidar a tiempo completo. Estas mujeres son cada vez son más mayores y a su vez padecen problemas crónicos de salud. Es amplia la literatura que atribuye al cuidado familiar un impacto en la salud y en la vida de las personas que asumen el rol cuidador, un coste que recae especialmente en las mujeres. Las cuidadoras familiares sufren problemas de salud a consecuencia de la actividad de cuidar, atienden menos a sus necesidades y su salud tiende a empeorar; a pesar de ello, continúan cuidando durante largos periodos de tiempo. Sin embargo, se sabe poco de las estrategias y mecanismos que utilizan las cuidadoras crónicamente enfermas para cuidar de sí mismas y hacer frente al cuidado familiar. Este estudio se propone comprender las estrategias que utilizan las mujeres cuidadoras con procesos crónicos de salud que cuidan de un familiar dependiente para la autogestión de sus problemas de salud. Es un estudio de Teoría Fundamentada Constructivista en el que participaron 39 mujeres cuidadoras familiares, que tenían diagnosticado un proceso crónico de salud y a la vez, cuidaban de un familiar dependiente desde hacía más de un año. Se realizaron 23 e

In recent years, the especial architecture of dendrimers has been exploited in the design of functional materials with applications in target drug-delivering, optoelectronics, light harvesting, sensors, among others. Liquid crystal dendrimers present an attractive tool for the preparation of functional materials as they combine the dendritic properties with the self-organization into liquid crystalline phases. In previous works, we studied new families of liquid crystal dendrimers, prepared by hydrogen bonding between a triazine core and three periferial bifunctional dendrons containg a carboxyl group at their focal point, and carbazole, coumarin and pyrene groups, with potential applications in organic optoelectronic devices. Encouraged by the improvement on the preparation of ordered materials for organic electronic devices, we report this time a new class of discotic liquid crystalline porphyrin-core dendrimers which have coumarin functional groups around the porphyrin core. It is known that metalation strongly affects the photophysical properties of porphyrins, therefore, various metaled derivatives were also prepared. The chemical structures were confirmed by IR, NMR and MS. The liquid crystalline properties were studied by DSC, POM and X-ray diffraction. The optical, photoluminescence, electrochemical and charge transport properties were also investigated. All synthesized dendrimers showed mesogenic behaviour with strong photoluminescence. The charge mobilities are among the highest values reported for discotic liquid crystals.

The field of branched and globular polymers such as dendrimers has attract considerable attention because their special architecture has found use in specialized applications, for example, target drug delivering, sensors, optoelectronics or light harvesting systems. In addition, liquid crystal dendrimers present an appealing tool for the preparation of functional materials as they combine the dendritic properties with the self-organization into liquid crystalline phases. In previous works, we studied new families of liquid crystal dendrimers, prepared by hydrogen bonding between a triazine core and three peripherial bifunctional dendrons containing a carboxyl group at their focal point, and carbazole, coumarin and pyrene groups. The photoconductivity of these materials was studied and it was concluded that this type of dendritic systems may be useful in the preparation of polymeric materials for optoelectronic applications. As a continuation of our research in this area, and encouraged by the improvement on the preparation of ordered materials with photophysical and electrochemical properties, we report this time a new class of discotic liquid crystalline porphyrin-core dendrimers which have 12 (first generation) or 24 (second generation) coumarin or carbazole functional units around the porphyrin core (see Figure). The chemical structures were confirmed by IR, NMR and MS. The liquid crystalline properties were studied by DSC, POM and X-ray diffraction. The optical, photoluminescence, electrochemical and charge transport properties were also investigated. All synthesized dendrimers showed mesogenic behavior. The charge mobilities are among the highest values reported for discotic liquid crystals. Besides, it was demonstrated that antennae effect was facile in this systems, the porphyrin unit serves as acceptor whereas multiple donors are present in the dendrimer periphery.

Novel liquid crystalline porphyrin dendrimers derived from 5,10,15,20-tetra-(4-pyridyl)porphyrins (TPyP) and their Zn complexes (ZnTPyP) have been synthesized by hydrogen bonding between the porphyrin core and four peripheral carboxylic acid dendrons derived from bis(hydroxymethyl)propionic acid (bis-MPA) to obtain 4:1 complexes. One family is derived from symmetric dendrons (G = 1 and 2) bearing promesogenic units in the terminal positions and two other families are derived from asymmetric dendrons (G = 1) that combine the promesogenic unit and an active moiety derived from coumarin or pyrene units. The formation of the complexes was confirmed by IR and NMR spectroscopy. The liquid crystalline properties were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry, polarizing optical microscopy and X-ray diffraction. Only porphyrin dendrimers (free base and Zn complexes) derived from symmetric dendrons exhibited a SmC mesophase. Porphyrin dendrimers derived from asymmetric dendrons did not show liquid crystalline behaviour. The UV-vis absorption and emission properties of the porphyrin dendrimers containing coumarin or pyrene have been investigated.

Aims and objectives. Uncover how women self-manage their own chronic illness while taking care of a dependent relative. Background. International policies place special emphasis in promoting interventions addressed to control, prevent and care for people with chronic health conditions. Self-management is a crucial part of this care. Caregivers are more prone to have chronic illness than non-caregivers. They are confronted with dilemmas about taking care of themselves while taking care of their dependent relative and the rest of their families. Caregivers articulate strategies to enable them to focus their energy on caring. Design. Qualitative study using constructivist grounded theory. Methods. Thirty-nine women caregivers with a chronic illness participated in the study. Twenty-three semi-structured interviews and two focus groups were carried out between April 2010–December 2011. Data were analysed using grounded theory procedures. Findings. Self-management helps women caregivers with a chronic illness to balance the demands of their own illness and those of the dependent relative. They self-manage their illness by self-regulating the treatment, by regulating their strength and by controlling their emotions. Conclusions. Women caregivers integrate effectively and creatively the management of their chronic illnesses within the complexities of family care. This renders their health needs invisible and reaffirms them as capable caregivers. Relevance to clinical practice. Identifying self-management strategies of women caregivers allow health professionals to acknowledge and reinforce effective self-care measures and to deter those that are ineffective and lessen their quality of life.

Objetivo: Describir la experiencia del cuidado de las mujeres cuidadoras con procesos crónicos de salud que cuidan de un familiar dependiente. Diseño: Estudio cualitativo de teoría fundamentada constructivista. Emplazamiento: Estudio realizado en dos áreas de salud urbanas de la Comunidad de Madrid. Participantes: Treinta y nueve mujeres con enfermedad crónica que cuidan a familiares dependientes se seleccionaron por medio del muestreo con propósito. Método: Los datos se recolectaron por medio de 23 entrevistas semiestructuradas y 2 grupos focales entre abril de 2010 y diciembre de 2011. En el análisis de datos se utilizaron los procedimientos de la teoría fundamentada. Resultados: Sentir la vida mermada describe la experiencia subjetiva de las cuidadoras familiares con procesos crónicos de salud que cuidan a un familiar dependiente. Al contrastar su vida pasada con su vida actual se hacen conscientes de las pérdidas que han ido sufriendo a lo largo del tiempo. Se sienten menos fuertes, más tristes y menos libres, les preocupa cómo hacer frente a las demandas del cuidado familiar. La vida que ahora llevan les hace cuestionarse el sentido de sus propias vidas. Conclusiones: Este estudio muestra las pérdidas que constatan las mujeres cuidadoras con procesos crónicos de salud en su día a día que les lleva a perder el sentido de su propia vida. Conocer la experiencia de estas cuidadoras ayudará a los equipos de atención primaria a desarrollar intervenciones específicas de acuerdo con las necesidades específicas de las cuidadoras y proporcionar recursos que compensen las pérdidas que sienten y mejoren su calidad de vida., Objective: To describe the experience of women caregivers with chronic conditions who care for a dependent relative. Design: Qualitative study based on constructivist grounded theory. Location: Study conducted on two Health Areas urban of the Community of Madrid. Participants: Thirty nine women with a chronic condition who take care of dependent relatives were selected by means of purposive sampling. Method: Data were collected through 23 semi-structured interviews and 2 focus groups between April 2010 and December 2011. Grounded theory procedures were used in the data analysis. Results: To feel their life hampered describes the subjective experience of family caregivers with chronic conditions who take care of a dependent relative. When comparing their past life with the current life they become aware of the losses they have suffered over time. They feel less strong, sadder and less free; they worry about how to meet the demands of family care. The life they are leading makes them question the meaning of their own lives. Conclusions: This study shows the losses realized day by day by women caregivers with a chronic illness, which lead them to lose the meaning of their own lives. To know the experience of these women caregivers will help develop interventions and specific services that compensate for the losses they feel and help improve their quality of living.

Two novel series of dendrimers synthesised by the ionic grafting of poly(propylene imine) PPI-(NH2)n (n = 4, 8, 16, 32, 64 primary amines on the surface) with bifunctional dendrons of two generations (G1COOH, G2COOH) derived from 2,2-bis(hydroxymethyl)propanoic acid (bis-MPA) were prepared. The dendrons contain a carboxyl group at their apex and electroactive carbazole groups and mesogenic units on their periphery. The occurrence of proton transfer from the carboxylic acid to the amine groups was confirmed by IR and NMR measurements. The liquid crystalline behavior has been investigated by means of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), polarizing optical microscopy (POM) and X-ray diffractometry (XRD). All ionic dendrimers were liquid crystalline (nematic, smectic or columnar mesophases). The type of mesophase depends on the dendrimer generation as well as on the dendron generation. The electrochemical behavior of the ionic dendrimers was investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies revealed that electrochemical deposition of the material on the conducting substrate takes place. The UV-vis absorption and emission properties of the ionic hybrid dendrimers have been investigated. All the compounds are luminescent at room temperature and the intensity is related to the number of carbazole units present in the molecule.

The design, synthesis, and investigation of two series of side-on dendrimers displaying nematic liquid crystal behavior at room temperature are described. The dendritic structures are derived from poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM-(NH2)n) or poly(propylene imine) dendrimers (PPI-(NH2)n) (with n = 4, 8, 16, 32, and 64) containing lateral attached mesogenic units in the periphery. The materials are characterized by 1H, 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-mass (MALDI-TOF MS) spectrometry, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), polarized optical microscopy (POM), and x-ray diffraction spectroscopy. All dendrimers exhibit nematic mesophase behavior at room temperature. Conoscopic studies reveal that the nematic phase is uniaxial. The relationship between the structure of the two dendrimer series and the mesomorphic behavior is discussed.

Aim. To explore the strategies used by women caregivers to deal with their own chronic health conditions. Background. Providing care has a negative impact on the physical and mental health of caregivers. When caregivers suffer chronic health problems, it increases the burden of caring, making them more vulnerable and less likely to look after their own health. Design. Qualitative study carried out between April 2010–December 2011. Method. Thirty-nine women with long-term illness who care for dependent family members took part in the study, 23 in semi-structured interviews and 16 in two focus groups. The data were analysed using the grounded theory method. Findings. Women caregivers feel that they cannot let their own chronic health problems prevent them from caring for others. Dealing with their health problems enables them to provide the time and effort their family member requires. They do this by: (1) normalizing their chronic conditions; (2) neutralizing the effects of their long-term illness; and (3) forgetting that they are chronic sufferers. Conclusions. This study analyses the strategies that family caregivers use to deal with their own chronic health problems, so that they can continue to provide family care. It shows that, to forget about their own illnesses, these women must take charge of them. Nurses need to recognize and value the strategies that caregivers use to deal with their own health problems. They also need to encourage them to use the most effective strategies, to improve their quality of life.