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SiO2-TiO2-PO2,5 (STP) and SiO2-TiO2-AlO1,5 (STA) glasses were prepared by sol-gel processing. Their infrared absorption spectra (IR), differential thermal analysis curves (DTA) and X-ray diffraction patterns (XRD) have been recorded. In the SiO2-TiO2 system, the chemical homogeneity of the sol-gel glass could be evaluated by the relative concentration of Si-O-Ti heterocondensation comparing to Si-O-Si homocondensation. For the STA system, a gradual decrease of the Si-O-Ti/Si-O-Si band ratio (based on IR spectra) with the addition of Al2O3 is observed, with the simultaneous formation of Si-O-Al and Ti-O-Al bounds, i.e Al3 + ions are dissolved in the SiO2-TiO2 glass matrix and do not promote glass-in-glass phase-separation in the composition range of 0–15 mol% AlO1.5. In the STP system, on the other hand, P=O bond IR stretch in the ternary glasses indicates that P=O free PO2O2/2 − tetrahedra are formed, rather than the double bonded POO3/2 tetrahedra that usually occur in binary SiO2-P2O5 glasses. It can be concluded that SiO2-TiO2-P2O5 glass separates into a SiO2-rich phase and a TiO2(P2O5)-rich phase. During heat-treatment in STA system only anatase precipitates, even at T ~ 1,000 °C, while in for STP, anatase (TiO2) or (TiO)2P2O7 (TOP) crystals precipitate at ~600 °C, depending on the P2O5 concentration. The major crystal phase, cristobalite, precipitated at ~1,000 °C and at ~1,200 °C, the P-containing phase melts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spin-coating is one of the possible methodsfor the fabrication of optical planar waveguides. These have several applications in integrated optical devices, provided that their optical losses are below ≈1 dB/cm. The attenuation is caused in part by surface and bulk scattering. The latter depends on the microstructure of the films and, more particularly, the porosity, which is studied here. A series of SiO2−TiO2 films were prepared from solutions containing different concentrations of ethanol. The influence of the ethanol/(Si+Ti)alkoxides volume ratio on the porosity was investigated by Ellipsometry, Infrared Spectroscopy, and Scanning Electron Microscopy. The porosity volume fraction was found to reach a minimum when the ethanol volume ratio is near 4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Mice inoculated with Plasmodium berghei developed a drastic and significant pulmonary edema. Treatment of animals with phenoxybenzamine rendered mice hyporeactive to this physiopathological alteration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Inspiratory muscles training in COPD is controversial not only in relation to the load level required to produce muscular conditioning effects but also in relation to the group of patients benefiting from the training. Consequently, inspiratory muscular response assessment during Threshold® therapy may help optimizing training strategy. The objective of this study was to evaluate the participation of the diaphragm and the sternocleidomastoid (SMM) muscle to overcome with a 30% Threshold® load using surface electromyography (sEMG) and to analyze the correlation between SMM activation, maximum strength level of inspiratory muscles (MIP) and obstruction degree in COPD patients (FEV1). We studied seven healthy elderly subjects, mean age of 68±4 years and seven COPD patients, FEV1 45±17% of the predicted value, with mean age 66±8 years. sEMG analysis of SMM muscles and diaphragm were obtained through RMS (root-mean-square) during three stages: pre-loading, loading and post-loading. Results: In the COPD group, the RMS of the SMM increased 28% during load (p <0.05) while the RMS of the diaphragm remained constant. In the elderly there was a trend of a 11% increase in diaphragm activity and of 7% in SMM activity but, without reaching significance levels. SMM activity demonstrated good correlation with the obstruction level (r =−0.537). Conclusion: To overcome the load required by Threshold® therapy, COPD patients demonstrated an increase of accessory muscles activity, represented by SMM. For the same relative load this increase seems to be proportional to the degree of pulmonary obstruction. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Stricture formation is common in Crohn's disease, and endoscopic intervention plays an increasingly important role in managing these strictures. A 61-year-old man with biological aortic prosthesis and a 30-year history of ileocolonic stricturing Crohn's disease, managed with azathioprine and infliximab, presented with marked occlusive symptoms. Colonoscopy revealed a descending colon stricture, prompting endoscopic balloon dilation. At the time of the procedure, no prophylactic antibiotic was given. Subsequently, he developed Streptococcus gallolyticus endocarditis, necessitating aortic valve replacement. The authors present a case of late Streptococcus gallolyticus endocarditis associated with endoscopic balloon dilation of a Crohn-related colonic stricture., (© 2024 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of The American College of Gastroenterology.)

Climate change can have direct and indirect effects on human health. Direct effects can include an increase in extreme weather events, such as heatwaves and floods, as well as an increase in the spread of vector-borne and infectious diseases, which may lead to a set of health problems and diseases. Indirect effects can include changes in air quality, water availability, and food production and distribution. These changes can lead to an increase in respiratory problems, malnutrition, and increased food insecurity. There is a perceived need to investigate the extent to which Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are engaged in efforts to foster a greater understanding of the connections between climate change and health. In this context, this preliminary investigation offers an overview of the relationships between climate change and health. By means of a survey among teaching staff and researchers at HEIs from 42 countries across all continents working on the connection between climate change and health. The study has investigated the extent to which current provisions for education and training on the connection between climate change and health are being considered and how current needs in terms of policy development, research, and training are being met. A series of case studies illustrate how universities worldwide are actively developing strategies and implementing measures to address climate change and health. The study concludes by providing specific recommendations aimed at facilitating the handling of issues related to climate change and health in a higher education context., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Leal Filho et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Pancreatobiliary fistulas associated withntraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasm (IPMN) are rare and present therapeutic challenges. The authors describe the clinical course of an 81-year-old woman presenting with acute cholangitis, ultimately diagnosed with IPMN involving secondary ducts with focal high-grade dysplasia. Initial manifestations included elevated inflammatory markers, cholestasis, and imaging findings of a pancreatic lesion. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography revealed dilation of both intrahepatic and extrahepatic bile ducts, along a cystic cluster originating from the pancreas, fistulizing into the common bile duct. Despite initial endoscopic interventions, recurrent cholestasis persisted. Subsequent multidisciplinary evaluation led to a cephalic duodenopancreatectomy. This case underscores the rarity of pancreatobiliary fistulas associated with IPMNs and the subsequent therapeutic challenges. The absence of standardized treatment algorithms for such intricate cases emphasizes the importance of individualized approaches. The fluoroscopy image displaying a cystic cluster originating from the pancreas and showing fistulization into the common bile duct is a rare image presented in our report, unique to this case.

Background: Considering the soaring health-related costs directed toward a growing, aging, and comorbid population, the health sector needs effective data-driven interventions while managing rising care costs. While health interventions using data mining have become more robust and adopted, they often demand high-quality big data. However, growing privacy concerns have hindered large-scale data sharing. In parallel, recently introduced legal instruments require complex implementations, especially when it comes to biomedical data. New privacy-preserving technologies, such as decentralized learning, make it possible to create health models without mobilizing data sets by using distributed computation principles. Several multinational partnerships, including a recent agreement between the United States and the European Union, are adopting these techniques for next-generation data science. While these approaches are promising, there is no clear and robust evidence synthesis of health care applications., Objective: The main aim is to compare the performance among health data models (eg, automated diagnosis and mortality prediction) developed using decentralized learning approaches (eg, federated and blockchain) to those using centralized or local methods. Secondary aims are comparing the privacy compromise and resource use among model architectures., Methods: We will conduct a systematic review using the first-ever registered research protocol for this topic following a robust search methodology, including several biomedical and computational databases. This work will compare health data models differing in development architecture, grouping them according to their clinical applications. For reporting purposes, a PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) 2020 flow diagram will be presented. CHARMS (Critical Appraisal and Data Extraction for Systematic Reviews of Prediction Modelling Studies)-based forms will be used for data extraction and to assess the risk of bias, alongside PROBAST (Prediction Model Risk of Bias Assessment Tool). All effect measures in the original studies will be reported., Results: The queries and data extractions are expected to start on February 28, 2023, and end by July 31, 2023. The research protocol was registered with PROSPERO, under the number 393126, on February 3, 2023. With this protocol, we detail how we will conduct the systematic review. With that study, we aim to summarize the progress and findings from state-of-the-art decentralized learning models in health care in comparison to their local and centralized counterparts. Results are expected to clarify the consensuses and heterogeneities reported and help guide the research and development of new robust and sustainable applications to address the health data privacy problem, with applicability in real-world settings., Conclusions: We expect to clearly present the status quo of these privacy-preserving technologies in health care. With this robust synthesis of the currently available scientific evidence, the review will inform health technology assessment and evidence-based decisions, from health professionals, data scientists, and policy makers alike. Importantly, it should also guide the development and application of new tools in service of patients' privacy and future research., Trial Registration: PROSPERO 393126; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=393126., International Registered Report Identifier (irrid): PRR1-10.2196/45823., (©José Miguel Diniz, Henrique Vasconcelos, Júlio Souza, Rita Rb-Silva, Carolina Ameijeiras-Rodriguez, Alberto Freitas. Originally published in JMIR Research Protocols (https://www.researchprotocols.org), 19.06.2023.)

An 84-year-old female, with history of endometrial and gallbladder adenocarcinomas, both submitted to curative surgeries, was admitted to the emergency room with obstructive jaundice. Computed tomography and subsequent magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography revealed a common hepatic duct stenosis with intrahepatic biliary dilatation. She underwent percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography with successful biliary drainage. During the same admission, the patient experienced episodes of hematochezia. Rectosigmoidoscopy showed a 20 mm ulcer in the distal rectum and congestion of the rectal mucosa. Computed tomography revealed rectal wall circumferential thickening. Ulcer biopsies were compatible with a neoplasia of biliary origin.

Gastric heterotopia (GHT) is a medical condition where the gastric mucosa is found at a non-phyysiological part of the body. GHT can present itself anywhere in the gastrointestinal tract from the mouth to the anorectal area, as well as in the hepatobiliary system. However, it is relatively rare to find GHT in the rectum, with only around 50 documented cases reported in medical literature. We present the case of a 51-year-old man who underwent average-risk screening colonoscopy. He had no clinically significant comorbidities and was otherwise asymptomatic, with no family history. Notable findings included a pseudopolypoid lesion in the distal rectum, adjacent to the dentate line, measuring approximately 15 mm with regular-appearing mucosa under narrow-band-imaging. Biopsy specimens showed histological characteristics of oxyntic-type gastric mucosa without inflammation or dysplasia. GHT has the potential to progress to malignancy, although the rate of malignancy is currently unknown. Awareness of this entity is important given its frequency and potential for misdiagnosis.