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Atrial fibrillation (AF) is an important and highly prevalent arrhythmia, which is associated with significantly increased morbidity and mortality, including a four- to five-fold increased risk for stroke,1,2 a two-fold increased risk for dementia,3,4 a three-fold risk for heart failure,2 a two-fold increased risk for myocardial infarction,5,6 and a 40–90% increased risk for overall mortality.2,7 The constantly increasing number of AF patients and recognition of increased morbidity, mortality, impaired quality of life, safety issues, and side effects of rhythm control strategies with antiarrhythmic drugs, and high healthcare costs associated with AF have spurred numerous investigations to develop more effective treatments for AF and its complications.8 Although AF treatment has been studied extensively, AF prevention has received relatively little attention, while it has paramount importance in the prevention of morbidity and mortality, and complications associated with arrhythmia and its treatment. Current evidence shows a clear association between the presence of modifiable risk factors and the risk of developing AF. By implementing AF risk reduction strategies aiming at risk factors such as obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and obstructive sleep ap-noea (OSA), which are interrelated, we impact upon the escalating incidence of AF in the population and ultimately decrease the healthcare burden of associated co-morbidities of AF. To address this issue, a Task Force was convened by the European Heart Rhythm Association and the European Association of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation, endorsed by the Heart Rhythm Society and Asia-Pacific Heart Rhythm Society, with the remit to comprehensively review the published evidence available, to publish a joint consensus document on the prevention of AF, and to provide up-to-date consensus recommendations for use in clinical practice. In this document, our aim is to summarize the current evidence on the association of each modifiable risk factor with AF and the available data on the impact of possible interventions directed at these factors in preventing or reducing the burden of AF. While the evidence on AF prevention is still emerging, the topic is not fully covered in current guidelines and some aspects are still controversial. Therefore, there is a need to provide expert recommendations for professionals participating in the care of at-risk patients and populations, with respect to addressing risk factors and lifestyle modifications. Health economic considerations Atrial fibrillation is a costly disease, both in terms of direct, and indirect costs, the former being reported by cost of illness studies as per-patient annual costs in the range of US $2000–14200 in North America and of €450–3000 in Europe.9 In individuals with AF or at risk of developing AF, any effective preventive measure, intervention on modifiable risk factors or comorbidities, as well as any effective pharmacological or non-pharmacological treatment has the aim to reduce AF occurrence, thromboembolic events and stroke, morbidity and, possibly, mortality related to this arrhythmia. Apart from the clinical endpoints, achievement of these goals has economic significance, in terms of positive impact on direct and indirect costs and favourable cost–effectiveness at mid- or long-term, in the perspective of healthcare systems.10–12 In view of the epidemiological profile of AF and progressive aging of the population,13 an impressive increase of patients at risk of AF or affected by AF,14 also in an asymptomatic stage, is expected in the next decades, inducing a growing financial burden on healthcare systems, not only in Europe and North America, but also worldwide.15,16 In consideration of this emerging epidemiological threat due to AF, it is worth considering a paradigm shift, going beyond the conventional approach of primary prevention based on treatment of AF risk factors, but, instead, considering the potential for ‘primordial’ prevention, defined as prevention of the development of risk factors predisposing to AF in the first place.17 This approach, aimed at avoiding the emergence and penetration of risk factors into the population, has been proposed in general terms for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases17 and should imply combined efforts of policymakers, regulatory and social service agencies, providers, physicians, community leaders, and consumers, in an attempt to improve social and environmental conditions, as well as individual behaviours, in the pursuit of adopting healthy lifestyle choices.16 Since a substantial proportion of incident AF events can be attributable to elevated or borderline levels of risk factors for AF,18 this approach could be an effective way to reduce the financial burden linked to AF epidemiology. In terms of individual behaviour and adoption of a ‘healthy lifestyle’, it is worth considering that availability of full healthcare coverage (through health insurance or the healthcare system) may in some cases facilitate the unwanted risk of reducing, at an individual level, the motivation to adopt all the preventive measures that are advisable, in line with the complex concept of ‘moral hazard effect’.19 Patient education and patient empowerment are the correct strategies for avoiding this undesirable effect.

Selecting an appropriate paper deacidification agent is very important for the deacidification of paper. The use of three deacidification agents (i.e., iso-butylamine, calcium propionate, and borax) is studied for the deacidification of paper using the immersion treatment by investigating the paper surface pH, alkaline residue, paper whiteness, strength, and other performance indicators. Results show the deacidification by borax solution not only results in the promotion of a proper pH range, high level of alkali reserves, and ignorable influence to paper appearance, but also to the enhancement of the mechanical intensities of paper even after artificial aging. Supercritical carbon dioxide (CO2SCF), as a solvent system, is used in the deacidification of acidic papers using the borax solution of water and alcohol. CO2SCF improved the deacidification process by significantly improving the pH value and the base residual value. The borax in supercritical fluids can be better combined with cellulose hydroxyl to improve the mechanical properties of paper substantially. The treatment of borax in CO2SCF could be an alternative for acidic papers. Aside from improving the pH and depositing a sufficient alkaline residual, CO2SCF also strengthens the mechanical properties of treated papers.

Secondary hydroxyl groups of hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) are transformed into reactive carbonyl groups selectively via TEMPO-mediated oxidation in the presence of sodium hypochlorite. By using this oxidation protocol, we introduced carbonyl functions in HPC under mild conditions, with a controlled degree of oxidation (DOx) up to 2.5 and a low degradation of the polysaccharide. The effect of the concentration of sodium hypochlorite on the resulting oxidized alcohol groups has been investigated in detail. Oxidized HPC crosslinks spontaneous at room temperature and mild pH-values with a variety of amines to form water stable hydrogels. If applied on lab-made paper sheet, thermally cross-linking this polymer with amines significantly increased the wet tensile strength. The utilization of such wet strength agents could lead to new approaches in terms of recyclability and biodegradability of wet strength agents interesting for a large number of different paper grades.

The chronic toxicity of an alcohol alkoxylate surfactant used in the pulp and paper industry was observed in methanogenic consortia under unfed conditions. Methanogenic inhibition was not observed until 250 h of famine conditions while in the presence of the surfactant. The delayed onset of inhibition is likely due to the amount of time necessary for the surfactant to partition into the cellular membrane which uncouples cellular energy conservation mechanisms and exhausts internal energy reserves necessary to maintain homeostasis.

We report on a new way to control solvent flows in paper microfluidic devices, based on the local patterning of paper with alkyl ketene dimer (AKD) to form barriers with selective permeability for different solvents. Production of the devices is a two-step process. In the first step, AKD-treated paper (hydrophobic) is exposed to oxygen plasma for re-hydrophilization. 3D-printed masks are employed to shield certain areas of this paper to preserve well-defined hydrophobic patterns. In the second step, concentrated AKD in hexane is selectively deposited onto already hydrophobic regions of the paper to locally increase the degree of hydrophobicity. Hydrophilic areas formed in the previous oxygen plasma step are protected from AKD by wetting them with water first to prevent the AKD hexane solution from entering them (hydrophilic exclusion). Characterization of the patterns after both steps shows that reproducible patterns are obtained with linear dependence on the dimensions of the 3D-printed masks. This two-step methodology leads to differential hydrophobicity on the paper: (i) hydrophilic regions, (ii) low-load AKD gates, and (iii) high-load AKD walls. The gates are impermeable to water, yet can be penetrated by most alcohol/water mixtures; the walls cannot. This concept for solvent-dependent on/off valving is demonstrated in two applications. In the first example, a device was developed for multi-step chemical reactions. Different compounds can be spotted separately (closed gates). Upon elution with an alcohol/water mixture, the gates become permeable and the contents are combined. In the second example, volume-defined sampling is introduced. Aqueous sample is allowed to wick into a device and fill a sample chamber. The contents of this sample chamber are eluted perpendicularly with an alcohol/water mixture through a selectively permeable gate. This system was tested with dye solution, and a linear dependence of magnitude of the signal on the sample chamber size was obtained.

Paper-structured fibrous composites with micrometer-sized pores were prepared using a papermaking technique, followed by in situ synthesis of Pd nanoparticles in the paper matrix using a facile impregnation method. The Pd-containing paper-structured catalysts showed high catalytic activities in solvent-free benzyl alcohol oxidation in a flow reaction system. Highly selective oxidation was achieved using the porous paper-structured catalysts set inside a gas–liquid–solid multiphase reactor. Kinetic and mechanistic studies of various reactions showed that the catalytic activity and selectivity were associated with microfluidic behavior in the fiber-network pores. A uniform distribution of the liquid-phase substrate, i.e., benzyl alcohol, provided high catalytic activity. High selectivity for the oxidation pathways can be attributed to efficient gas–liquid–solid mass transfer toward the thin liquid layer formed at the interface between the alcohol and Pd catalyst inside the porous fiber networks.

Many de-inking surfactants have been claimed in patents. Alcohol ethoxylates and alkylphenol ethoxylates are commonly used in wash de-inking whereas alcohol alkoxylates and fatty acid alkoxylates are commonly used in flotation de-inking and combined flotation/wash de-inking processes. Dispersed ink particle redeposition onto cellulose fibers is a significant problem. Recent developments have occurred in the improvement of de-inking chemicals and in the.understanding of surface chemistry.

Vodka is the most popular alcoholic beverage in Poland, Russia and other Eastern European countries, made from ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin that has been produced via fermentation of potatoes, grains or other agricultural products. Despite distillation and multiple filtering, it is not possible to produce 100 % ethanol. The solution with a minimum ethanol content of 96 %, which is used to produce vodkas, also contains trace amounts of other compounds such as, esters, aldehydes, higher alcohols, methanol, acetates, acetic acid and fusel oil. Regarding that fact, it is very important to carry on research on the analysis of the composition and verifying the authenticity of the produced vodkas. This paper summarizes the studies of vodka composition and verifying the authenticity and detection of falsified products. It also includes the methods for analysing vodkas, such as: using gas, ion and liquid chromatography coupled with different types of detectors, electronic nose, electronic tongue, conductivity measurements, isotope analysis, atomic absorption spectroscopy, near infrared spectroscopy, spectrofluorometry and mass spectrometry. In some cases, the use of chemometric methods and preparation techniques were also described.

An experimental mixture design was used to study the effect of methanol, propanol and amyl alcohol on the paper chromatographic separation of several amino acids and amino acid hydroxamates. The results from this design are compared with results from previous experimental designs on the same system. In mixture design, the sum of the component fractions equal one. This property is responsible for the differences observed.

A three factor central composite design was used to study the effect of methanol, propanol and amyl alcohol on the paper chromatographic separation of arginine, histidine, leucine, threonine and tryptophan. Statistical analysis of the Rf data yields second order equations which describe the response surface of Rf as a function of the composition of the 3 alcohols. This data is useful in understanding the relative influence of each alcohol and in predicting Rf values for different solvent combinations.

The main objective was to develop a technique by high performance liquid chromatography to study migration of contamination from packaging material of three samples of paper cups with different properties. Dibutyl phthalate (DBP) and benzophenone (BP), which are the most commonly used in paper packaging material, are regarded as stimulant of contamination, alcohol is selected as food stimulant.The obtained data indicated that migration has a relationship with the type of contamination,concentration of food stimulant.Analysed by1stOptsoftware with experimental result, the rule of migration of DBP and BP can be studied.

A 25 factorial design was used to evaluate the effect of methanol, ethanol, propanol, butanol and pentanol on the paper chromatographic separation of Arginine, Threonine, Leucine, Histidine, and Tryptophan. The most significant effects occur for the alcohols themselves with an increasing effect with an increase in carbon chain length. The major interaction terms involve the combinations of butanol and pentanol with the other alcohols or with themselves.

ObjectivesThis article presents an overview of the current literature on biological markers for alcoholism, including markers associated with the pharmacological effects of alcohol and markers related to the clinical course and treatment of alcohol-related problems. Many of these studies are well known, while other studies cited are new and still being evaluated.MethodsIn this paper we first describe known biomarkers of alcohol-related disorders, review their features and the problems involved in their use. We then consider future developments on biomarkers and their possible impact on the field.ResultsMore recent findings cited include the work on type 7 adenylcyclase (AC) polymorphism and its lower expression levels in female alcoholics. Neuroimaging studies involving biomarkers have also reported brain volume reductions of gray and white matter, including amygdala and subcortical regions in alcoholic patients, while a high association between the copy number variations (CNVs) in 6q14.1/5q13.2 and alcohol dependence has more recently been identified in genetic studies.ConclusionsIn addition to their possible importance for diagnosis, biomarkers may have utility for predicting prognosis, progression of the disorder, the development of new treatments, and monitoring treatment effects. Although such findings should be verified in independent studies, the search for new biomarkers is continuing. Several potential candidate biomarkers have been found recently in blood, imaging, and genetic studies with encouraging results.

The euphoria from drinking alcoholic beverages makes them popular worldwide. Abuse in alcohol (ethanol) consumption leads to dependence, behavioral problems, and fatal accidents1. In 2013, 10,076 people lost their lives in alcohol-related-driving accidents in the United States alone, accounting for nearly 31% of all traffic related deaths1. Driving under the influence is illegal and the maximum allowed blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is 0.05–0.08%, in most countries2. A breathalyzer measures the concentration of ethanol in the breath to estimate the BAC of an individual. The first generation of breathalyzers uses a liquid dye sensitive to ethanol exposure, potassium dichromate, and a photodetector3. Reliability of these detectors is a challenge and potassium dichromate is environmentally toxic3. A new generation of breathalyzers uses the ethanol in the breath to power a fuel cell whose output is proportional to the ethanol concentration4. These breathalyzers are connected directly to smart phones to test one’s alcohol level before attempting to drive. However, these breathalyzers are still impractical because they require constant recalibration4. To-date the most reliable BAC tests and the only one that is admissible in court is the blood test, which is difficult to administer on site or for preventative purposes. A breathalyzer as easy to use as an inexpensive and disposable glucose paper-strip sensor would greatly simplify BAC testing5. Organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) are excellent candidates for disposable biosensors because they are inexpensive, they can be made on flexible substrates, and they can be printed on paper6,7. OECTs are typically made with poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) doped with poly(styrenesulfonate) PEDOT:PSS. PEDOT:PSS is a p-type organic semiconductor with several applications in bioelectronics8,9. Coupled with enzymes in the electrolyte, PEDOT:PSS OECTs are able to detect micro molar glucose concentration in human blood and sweat10. OECTs sensors are amenable to screen-printing11 and inkjet printing12 for rapid and inexpensive manufacturing. Here, we demonstrate an early stage proof-of-concept OECT-breathalyzer on paper by integrating a PEDOT:PSS OECT with the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase. This proof-of-concept OECT-breathalyzer may aid the development of a breathalyzer that is easy-to-use, inexpensive, easily calibrated, and can be coupled with a cell-phone or a smart watch for BAC self-testing to reduce alcohol related traffic accidents.

In paper conservation ethanol is used as an antifungal agent. However, information on the antifungal efficacy of this alcohol is scarce and often inconsistent. In this study, we clarify if ethanol is effective and safe to use in paper conservation in the short as well as in the long term. None of the tested ethanol concentrations (5–100%) promoted conidia germination, but rather delayed or entirely inhibited it, depending on alcohol concentration and contact time. In a simulation of an interventive treatment of samples colonized by fungi, all the tested ethanolic solutions (30, 70, and 100%) revealed antifungal activity. The best results were obtained with 70% ethanol, showing fungicidal properties on four of the five-tested fungal species (Aspergillus niger, Cladosporium cladosporioides, Penicillium chrysogenum, and Penicillium corylophilum). No deleterious effects of 70% ethanol on the tested paper were observed either in the short or in the long term.

The study is aimed at presenting new diagnostic and therapeutic proposals for patients with alcohol use disorders. The revised ICD-11 which is currently being updated is coming closer to American standards in disease classification. The latest update of the American DSM-5 has been a notable step forward as it integrates alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence into a single disorder called alcohol use disorder. Recent developments in research into diagnostic tools have brought changes in the approach to therapy. According to most international guidelines, the form of treatment should be customised to the individual patient, with consideration given to his/her mental and physical condition, personality and natural setting. A significant change is the recommendation of a harm reduction strategy as a useful alternative to total abstinence in alcohol dependence treatment for some patients.