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There remains a keen concern in magnesium (Mg) and its alloys, as they are the lightest available structural materials. Mg alloys are capable of allowing the design of lightweight engineered systems, including encouraging implications to curtail energy consumption. These alloys are also evolving available biodegradable materials and battery electrodes. Instead of the extreme historical Mg usage at present, several intrinsic drawbacks, including susceptibility to corrosion, poor formability, and low creep strength limit the extensive use of Mg alloys. This review provides an overview of ancient to modern advances in the study of Mg corrosion. It describes the effects of alloying elements and reinforcement in metal matrix composites (MMCs) on the corrosion resistance of Mg alloys. The frequent use of protective strategies and their limitations are discussed from the recent past to the current trend. This review is recognizing acquaintance gaps while also endeavoring to ascertain planned developments and guidelines.

Nowadays, corrosion protection is essential to employ in all metallic materials of various engineering applications, in order to enhance their working life and to lessen the damage towards investment products. Numerous corrosion protection methodologies have been reported up till now but coating techniques is taking priority for the last few decades. Layered double hydroxides (LDHs) coatings are one of few coatings that exhibit tremendous properties such as ion exchange, self-healing, hydrophobicity and superior adhesiveness. However, during their services, these coatings failed to deliver long-term protection unless otherwise, they intercalate with corrosion inhibitors. This review, of its own kind, will represent the different types of inhibitors intercalated into LDH coatings and could provide long-standing protection against corrosion. It includes the illustration of corrosion protection mechanisms and inhibitor release kinetics of LDHs. Furthermore, this work is also an attempt to enlist the various synthesis processes of LDHs in detail. It also discusses the structure of LDHs with the mechanism for intercalation of inhibitors into them, offering to develop a strong basic understanding for utilizing corrosion inhibitors designed LDH coatings in the near future.

Mg alloy was protected with Mg:Al layered double hydroxide (LDH) coating intercalated with three green corrosion inhibitors (sodium benzoate, 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane and 8-hydroxyquinoline). The in-situ hydrothermal approach was adopted to intercalate corrosion inhibitors into Mg:Al LDH coating. The intercalated Mg:Al LDH coating was successfully acquired, and the crystalline structure of Mg:Al LDH coating was verified with X-ray diffraction (XRD). The organic functional groups of corrosion inhibitors were identified with the help of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The compact and uniform morphology was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The electrochemical measurement revealed better corrosion resistance of corrosion inhibitor-intercalated Mg:Al LDH coatings as compared to that of pristine Mg alloy. The corrosion protection mechanism of corrosion inhibitors was described and unearthed the corrosion inhibitor with the best performance.

Geriatric assessment (GA) is supported by recent trials and guidelines yet rarely implemented due to a lack of resources. We performed an economic evaluation of a geriatric oncology clinic. Pre-GA proposed treatments and post-GA actual treatments were obtained from a detailed chart review of patients seen at a single academic centre. GA-based costs for investigations and referrals were calculated. Unit costs were obtained for surgical, radiation, systemic therapy, laboratory, imaging, physician, nursing, and allied health care (all in 2019 Canadian dollars). A six-month time horizon and government payer perspective were used. Consecutive patients aged 65 years or older (n = 152, mean age 82 y) and referred in the pre-treatment setting between July 2016 and June 2018 were included. Treatment plans were modified for 51% of patients. Costs associated with planned treatment were CAD 3,655,015. Costs associated with GA and related interventions were CAD 95,798. Final treatment costs were CAD 2,436,379. Net savings associated with the clinic were CAD 1,122,837, or CAD 7387 per patient seen. Findings were robust in multiple sensitivity analyses. Combined with mounting trial data demonstrating the clinical benefits of GA, our data can inform a strong business case for geriatric oncology clinics in health care environments similar to ours, but additional studies in diverse health care settings are warranted.

Introduction Older adults with cancer are at increased risk of delirium due to age, comorbidities, medications, cognitive impairment, and possibly cancer treatments. However, there is scant information on the risks of delirium with chemotherapy and approaches to prevent or treat it. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to summarize available evidence. Materials and Methods We systematically searched peer-reviewed journal articles in English, French, German, and Dutch from five databases from 1990 to May 2019 to identify studies examining delirium in adult patients receiving chemotherapy. We also attempted to identify delirium risk prediction models and prevention or treatment trials. All reviews and data extraction were performed by two independent reviewers. Summary estimates were derived from random effects models. Results A total of 23,389 titles and abstracts were screened, and 1272 full-text articles were reviewed. Nineteen articles reported on delirium using an acceptable diagnostic standard. Sample sizes varied from 7 to 324. The incidence of delirium ranged from 0 to 51% (weighted mean 9%, 95% confidence interval 5–16%). In a sensitivity analysis including 122 studies that used terminology suggestive of delirium but did not meet our inclusion criteria, the weighted incidence of delirium was 10% (95% confidence interval 8–12%). Age was not consistently associated with increased delirium risk. No intervention studies to prevent or treat delirium were identified. Conclusions Delirium may occur in 1 in 11 older adults receiving chemotherapy; however, there were substantial limitations in reported studies. This systemic review highlights key gaps in knowledge, particularly regarding risk factors, prevention, and treatments.

Photo electricity is treated as the most essential natural energy source and has been used extensively for photovoltaic (PV) power production. But the insignificant efficiency and nonlinear behaviour with numerous local peak power points under varying insolation conditions of PV systems halt the progress of solar electricity power production. We know output behaviours of PV system are affected by surrounding elements like solar irradiance, temperature and shading conditions, which have a direct impact on peak power point tracking of solar electricity. Therefore, an excellent (MPPT) technique is of the utmost need for efficiency advancement of PGS and functional under dynamic environmental conditions. The same issue is overcome by an algorithm, namely particle swarm optimization (PSO) along with Cuk converter.

Obstructive sleep apnea may occur throughout the lifespan, with peak occurrences in early childhood and during middle and older age. Onset in childhood is overwhelmingly due to adeno-tonsillar hypertrophy, while in adulthood, contributors include risk factors, such as obesity, male sex, and aging. More recently, there has been a precipitous increase in the prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea in youth. Drivers of this phenomenon include both increasing obesity and the survival of children with complex medical conditions into adulthood. Appropriate treatment and long-term management of obstructive sleep apnea is critical to ensure that these youth maintain well-being unfettered by secondary comorbidities. To this end, patient engagement and seamless transition of care from pediatric to adult health care systems is of paramount importance. To date, this is an unacknowledged and unmet need in most sleep programs. This article highlights the need for guideline-driven sleep disorder transition processes and illustrates the authors’ experience with the development of a program for sleep apnea.

Coatings with good mechanical, wear, erosion and corrosion protection properties are needed to protect the structural metals such as steels, which are enormously used in several engineering applications. For this purpose, NiCo and NiCo/rGO coatings are constructed onto the Q235 carbon steel through an electrochemical co-deposition process. The outcomes of this study deliver good mechanical properties and show better corrosion resistance against a corrosive environment. The incorporation of rGO nanoplatelets enable good mechanical and reinforcing properties as well as assist in the growth of unique sphere-like morphology with a higher microhardness of 590 HV and enhanced corrosion resistance 17.5 Rct/k Ωcm2 as compared to NiCo containing 325 HV and 4.55 Rct/k Ωcm2, respectively. In addition, the remarkable grain refinement is observed owing to the reinforcement of rGO platelets that support the formation of a large number of grain boundaries with less crystal growth and provide surface roughness as well as the cavities or pores are also filled by rGO platelets, which eventually contribute in enhancing the mechanical and corrosion properties of the steel substrate.

Introduction Although screening for cognitive impairment (CI) is an important part of a comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA), little is known about the downstream work-up of abnormal screening or its impact on cancer treatment. We characterized the downstream workup in diagnosing CI and its impact on cancer treatment decision-making. Methods Patients who underwent a pre-treatment CGA at an academic Geriatric Oncology (GO) clinic between July 2015 and June 2018 and had a positive Mini-Cog (≤ 3 out of 5) screen were included. Data were collected from medical charts and database review. Analyses were primarily descriptive. Results Of 82 patients seen in the pre-treatment setting, 46 (56.1%) had a positive Mini-Cog screen. Of those, 12 (26.1%) were diagnosed with dementia, 8 (17.4%) were diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment and 10 (21.7%) had CI not otherwise specified. Although 46 patients had a positive screen, only 30 patients (65.2%) were classified as cognitively “abnormal” in the GO team final assessment. Change to oncologic treatment due to CI was seen in 12 (40.0%) cases. Increased delirium risk was identified in 9 (75.0%) of 12 surgical cases; however, delirium prevention was only recommended in 5 cases (55.6%). Strategies to optimize patients with CI included targeting falls prevention (n = 13), home/personal safety (n = 7), medication safety (n = 7), and nutrition (n = 6). Pharmacotherapy for cognition was not recommended in any case. Conclusion Undiagnosed CI is prevalent in the GO setting and influenced treatment in 40.0% of cases. Gaps were identified in clinician and patient/caregiver education around delirium risk. Addressing these issues may improve patient care.

The hydrotalcite-like (HT) coatings can provide an enhanced interfacial barrier to protect Mg alloys from corrosion. Therefore, 8-quinolinol (8Q), a green corrosion inhibitor, was intercalated in MgAl-based HT with varying concentration and pH values. The results revealed that the corrosion resistance was significantly improved when the pH of the solution was maintained at 10 with a 0.30 M concentration of 8Q. The hydrophobicity was also introduced to MgAl HT with the intercalation of 8Q, which was retained even after the long immersion. Furthermore, the self-healing performance of 8Q-intercalated HT was confirmed by single-frequency electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), which is a suitable method for in-situ evaluation of self-healing herein reported for the first time to evaluate the HT coatings. This thorough investigation of the hydrophobic MgAl HT coating is meaningfully supportive for researchers and engineers to have a deep understanding of its possibility for real-world applications in the area of corrosion and prevention.

e23025 Background: Older adults with cancer are at increased risk of delirium given their advanced age, multiple comorbidities and medications, prevalence of cognitive impairment, and possibly cancer treatment. Awareness of such risks and interventions to prevent or treat delirium is important to clinicians and to provide high quality care. However, there is scant published information on the risks of delirium with chemotherapy or evidence-based approaches to prevent or treat it. We performed a scoping review to summarize the available evidence. Methods: We conducted a scoping review using the framework of Arksey and O’Malley. We systematically searched peer-reviewed journal articles in English, French, and German from Medline, Embase, PsychINFO, CINAHL Plus, and Cochrane Central from inception until January 2017 to identify studies that examined delirium in patients receiving chemotherapy. We also attempted to identify any studies that reported on multivariable delirium risk prediction models and any clinical trials that examined prevention or treatment of delirium. Article titles and abstracts as well as full text articles were reviewed using Covidence software by two or more reviewers independently. Similarly, data extraction was performed by two independent reviewers. Results: A total of 21,678 titles and abstracts were screened, and 1,166 full-text articles were reviewed. Nineteen articles with varying study designs (retrospective administrative databases to clinical trials) reported on delirium using an acceptable diagnostic standard. Sample sizes varied from 15 to over 21,000. No one tumour site or treatment protocol constituted the majority of studies. The incidence of delirium ranged from 0 to 51% (mean 13.5%). The time course of delirium relative to the cycle of chemotherapy was inconsistently reported. No studies reported on risk prediction models for delirium, and no intervention studies to prevent or treat delirium were identified. An additional 109 studies reported on outcomes that could be part of the delirium syndrome but did not meet even our broad inclusion criteria (e.g. cognitive disturbance). Conclusions: Delirium may occur in over 1 in 8 older adults receiving chemotherapy, although there were substantial limitations in reported studies. This scoping review highlights the dearth of knowledge in the area, particularly for risk factors, prevention, and treatment, and emphasizes the need for high-quality studies examining these important outcomes in the oncology setting.