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Background: The present survey aims to describe the intensive cardiac care unit organization and admission policies in Europe.Methods: A total of 228 hospitals (61% academic) from 27 countries participated in this survey. In addition to the organizational aspects of the intensive cardiac care units, including classification of the intensive cardiac care unit levels, data on the admission diagnoses were gathered from consecutive patients who were admitted during a two-day period. Admission policies were evaluated by comparing illness severity with the intensive cardiac care unit level. Gross national income was used to differentiate high-income countries (n=13) from middle-income countries (n=14).Results: A total of 98% of the hospitals had an intensive cardiac care unit: 70% had a level 1 intensive cardiac care unit, 76% had a level 2 intensive cardiac care unit, 51% had a level 3 intensive cardiac care unit, and 60% of the hospitals had more than one intensive cardiac care unit level. High-income countries tended to have more level 3 intensive cardiac care units than middle-income countries (55% versus 41%, p=0.07). A total of 5159 admissions were scored on illness severity: 63% were low severity, 24% were intermediate severity, and 12% were high severity. Patients with low illness severity were predominantly admitted to level 1 intensive cardiac care units, whereas patients with high illness severity were predominantly admitted to level 2 and 3 intensive cardiac care units. A policy mismatch was observed in 12% of the patients; some patients with high illness severity were admitted to level 1 intensive cardiac care units, which occurred more often in middle-income countries, whereas some patients with low illness severity were admitted to level 3 intensive cardiac care units, which occurred more frequently in high-income countries.Conclusion: More than one-third of the admitted patients were considered intermediate or high risk. Although patients with higher illness severity were mostly admitted to high-level intensive cardiac care units, an admission policy mismatch was observed in 12% of the patients; this mismatch was partly related to insufficient logistic intensive cardiac care unit capacity.

Este estudio tuvo como objetivo identificar formas de mejorar el sistema de emergencia médica (SEM) en sus diferentes componentes, e inferir las causas de fallo de activación del equipo de emergencia médica (EEM).

ABSTRACTMortars are cement-based materials used mainly to coat and settle construction blocks. In addition to cement, their composition usually includes hydrated lime, sand, and water. The hydrated lime is important to improve the mortar workability. However, lime has a high commercial cost, and its production causes emission of CO2, a major responsible for global warming. Therefore, the purpose of this work was to investigate the possibility of total or partial replacement of hydrated lime in mortars by a kaolinitic clay with ideal plasticity parameters. Clay amounts of 0, 25, 50, 75, and 100 wt-% were used as replacement of hydrated lime in mortars. The results showed that with up to 50 wt-% of hydrated lime replacement, it is perfectly feasible to fulfil with technological parameters of standards.

•Based on the data available, both bladder training and drug treatment isolated did not seem to promote helpful effects in patients with OAB.•Bladder training combined with intravaginal electrical stimulation seems to present positive results on overactive bladder symptoms; however the quality of evidence of the studies assessed was not satisfactory.•There are few randomized clinical trials on the effect of treatment on overactive bladder symptoms, which makes the efficacy of bladder training inconclusive.

Risk factors associated with treatment failure and multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) were examined among HIV-seronegative patients who were previously treated for tuberculosis (TB).

In this work, we investigated the morphological variation of the intromittent male copulatory organ (aedeagus) of specimens from natural populations of two cactophilic Drosophilaspecies distributed in the southeast region of Brazil, Drosophila gouveaiTidon-Sklorz & Sene and Drosophila antonietaeTidon-Sklorz & Sene. It was explored how the within-species variability is arranged for both species, considering their historical and ecological features. Our results showed two distinct aedeagal morphologies for these species, and differences within species were observed only in D. gouveaias specimens could be distinguished by their population origin. In contrast, after size discrepancies correction, this feature was not detected in D. antonietae. The contrasting patterns of intraspecific variation, together with the other features exhibited by these two species, are most likely to be explained by differences in the historical host plant association and distribution and in demographic events, which determined the evolutionary history of these two South American cactophilic Drosophilaspecies.

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is a frequently reported neoplasm in the horse. However, oral forms are uncommon and represent only 7% of all SCC. A literature review reveals a total of 13 cases of oral SCC with no apparent sex or breed predisposition but predominantly adult and old horses, mean age 16.5 years. This case report describes a 3.5‐year‐old pony filly that was presented for investigation of a mandibular fistula of 3 weeks' duration. The clinical and histopathological findings of mandibular squamous cell carcinoma in this filly are described in detail.

The effect of locust bean gum, a galactomannan, with different molecular weights on the microstructure and viscoelastic properties of heat-induced whey protein gels has been studied using confocal laser scanning microscopy and small-deformation rheology. The results obtained clearly showed that differences in the molecular weight of the polysaccharide have a significant influence on the gel microstructure. Homogeneous mixtures and phase-separated systems, with dispersed droplet and bicontinuous morphologies, were observed by changing the polysaccharide/protein ratio and/or the molecular weight. At 11% whey protein, below the gelation threshold of the protein alone, the presence of the nongelling polysaccharide induces gelation to occur. At higher protein concentration, the main effect of the polysaccharide was a re-enforcement of the gel. However, at the higher molecular weight and concentration of the nongelling polymer, the protein network starts to lose elastic perfection, probably due to the formation of bicontinuous structures with lower connectivity.

Sponge gourd (Luffa cylindrica) forms a natural mat that deviates the crack path in brittle thermoset resin matrix composites, leading to a controlled fracture mode and increasing the toughness of the composite. The use of luffa as reinforcement is, however, restricted by a very weak fiber–matrix interface. In this work, luffa fibers were alkali-treated at two temperatures, with varying alkali concentrations. Although the surface analysis shows that the treatments promote a clear removal of the outer surface layer of the fibers with the exposition of the inner fibrillar structure and the consequent increase of the fiber surface area, only a secondary increase on the mechanical properties was obtained. The slight increase observed was attributed only to mechanical interlock. Long pullout lengths and neat fiber beads were the main features observed at the fracture surface of the treated and untreated fiber composites. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 87: 1927–1932, 2003

Mechanical properties measurements, like Charpy impact tests, provided evidence that the macromolecular network of the epoxy system formed by the hexafunctional triethylene tetramine hardener, TETA, with the diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A monomer, DGEBA, can be modified by changing the hardener content. The previously analyzed monomer-to-hardener ratios were here studied by ¹³C-NMR solid state techniques. The results from crosspolarization/magic angle spinning (CPMAS) ¹³C-NMR spectra, together with the evaluation of proton spin-lattice relaxation time in the rotating frame (T^H1ρ), display the behavior of these epoxy/hardener mixtures considering the mobility and interaction of molecular segments present at the macromolecular structure. The results also show that the epoxy-rich mixtures form tight, and therefore brittle, structures as previously observed by mechanical tests. The stoichiometric monomer-to-hardener ratio is a transition point where an increase in the mobility was found. For the amine-rich mixtures the obtained results suggest the presence of domains with different segmental mobilities. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 78: 2358–2362, 2000

Current TiO2photocatalysts used to degrade emergent waterborne pollutants are inefficient due to the usage of UV irradiation, which is scarce in solar light, and generally fall short in reaching its microbial properties. In this study, synthesized cobalt-doped (Co-TiO2) and cobalt and nitrogen co-doped (Co-TiO2-N) anatasenano-catalysts were active in degrading triclosan (TCS), a common antimicrobial agent and prominent aquatic pollutant, under UV and visible light, as well as exhibiting antibacterial activity under UV-A light. The developed Co-TiO2-N catalyst displayed the best photocatalytic activity under UV (365 nm) and Vis (450 nm) LED lights irradiation, achieving nearly complete (> 99%) TCS degradation (10 ppm) in 20 min. The identification of some of the intermediate products was carried out by UHPLC-MS/MS, showing that the TCS is primarily mineralized. Furthermore, the antibacterial responses of both Co-TiO2-N and Co-TiO2catalysts showed auspicious effects against a major waterborne pathogen, Legionella pneumophila, whereas cobalt doping seems to favor the antibacterial action against both Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureusand Gram-negative Escherichia colibacteria. This work highlighted the potential of cobalt and nitrogen doping of TiO2for water decontamination, as well as its usage with UV–Vis LED light sources, which is expected to promote photocatalytic research due to its lower cost and extended life span.