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Objective: Glycemia management in critical care is posing a challenge in frequent measuring and adequate insulin dose adjustment. In recent years, continuous glucose measurement has gained accuracy and reliability in outpatient and inpatient settings. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility and accuracy of real-time continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) in ICU patients after major abdominal surgery., Research Design and Methods: We included patients undergoing pancreatic surgery and solid organ transplantation (liver, pancreas, islets of Langerhans, kidney) requiring an ICU stay after surgery. We used a Dexcom G6 sensor, placed in the infraclavicular region, for real-time CGM. Arterial blood glucose measured by the amperometric principle (ABL 800; Radiometer, Copenhagen, Denmark) served as a reference value and for calibration. Blood glucose was also routinely monitored by a StatStrip bedside glucose meter. Sensor accuracy was assessed by mean absolute relative difference (MARD), bias, modified Bland-Altman plot, and surveillance error grid for paired samples of glucose values from CGM and acid-base analyzer (ABL)., Results: We analyzed data from 61 patients and obtained 1,546 paired glucose values from CGM and ABL. Active sensor use was 95.1%. MARD was 9.4%, relative bias was 1.4%, and 92.8% of values fell in zone A, 6.1% fell in zone B, and 1.2% fell in zone C of the surveillance error grid. Median time in range was 78%, with minimum (<1%) time spent in hypoglycemia. StatStrip glucose meter MARD compared with ABL was 5.8%., Conclusions: Our study shows clinically applicable accuracy and reliability of Dexcom G6 CGM in postoperative ICU patients and a feasible alternative sensor placement site., (© 2024 by the American Diabetes Association.)

In this study, thin ribbons of amorphous Mg 72 Zn 27 Pt 1 and Mg 72 Zn 27 Ag 1 alloys with potential use in biomedicine were analyzed in terms of the crystallization mechanism. Non-isothermal annealing in differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) with five heating rates and X-ray diffraction (XRD) during heating were performed. Characteristic temperatures were determined, and the relative crystalline volume fraction was estimated. The activation energies were calculated using the Kissinger method and the Avrami exponent using the Jeziorny-Avrami model. The addition of platinum and silver shifts the onset of crystallization towards higher temperatures, but Pt has a greater impact. In each case, Eg > Ex > Ep (activation energy of the glass transition, the onset of crystallization, and the peak, respectively), which indicates a greater energy barrier during glass transition than crystallization. The highest activation energy was observed for Mg 72 Zn 27 Pt 1 due to the difference in the size of the atoms of all alloy components. The crystallization in Mg 72 Zn 27 Ag 1 occurs faster than in Mg 72 Zn 27 Pt 1 , and the alloy with Pt has higher (temporary) thermal stability. The Avrami exponent ( n ) values oscillate in the range of 1.7-2.6, which can be interpreted as one- and two-dimensional crystal growth with a constant/decreasing nucleation rate during the process. Moreover, the lower the heating rate, the higher the nucleation rate. The values of n for Mg 72 Zn 27 Pt 1 indicate a greater number of nuclei and grains than for Mg 72 Zn 27 Ag 1 . The XRD tests indicate the presence of α-Mg and Mg 12 Zn 13 for both Mg 72 Zn 27 Pt 1 and Mg 72 Zn 27 Ag 1 , but the contribution of the Mg 12 Zn 13 phase is greater for Mg 72 Zn 27 Ag 1 .

The influence of heat treatment parameters such as the annealing time and austempering temperature on the microstructure, tribological properties and corrosion resistance of ductile iron have been investigated. It has been revealed that the scratch depth of cast iron samples increases with the extension of the isothermal annealing time (from 30 to 120 min) and the austempering temperature (from 280 °C to 430 °C), while the hardness value decreases. A low value of the scratch depth and a high hardness at low values of the austempering temperature and short isothermal annealing time is related to the presence of martensite. Moreover, the presence of a martensite phase has a beneficial influence on the corrosion resistance of austempered ductile iron.

The aim of the study was to analyze the crystallization kinetics of the Mg 72 Zn 28 metallic glass alloy. The crystallization kinetics of Mg 72 Zn 28 metallic glass were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction. The phases formed during the crystallization process were identified as α-Mg and complex Mg 12 Zn 13 phases. Activation energies for the glass transition temperature, crystallization onset, and peak were calculated based on the Kissinger model. The activation energy calculated from the Kissinger model was E g = 176.91, E x = 124.26, E p1 = 117.49, and E p2 = 114.48 kJ mol -1 , respectively.

Background: Infections remain a major cause of morbidity and mortality after kidney transplantation. The aim of our study was to determine the effect of sepsis on kidney graft function and recipient mortality., Methods: A prospective, observational, single-center study was performed. Selected clinical and biochemical parameters were recorded and compared between an experimental group (with sepsis, n = 34) and a control group (with systemic inflammatory response syndrome, n = 31) comprising kidney allograft recipients., Results: Sepsis worsened both patient (HR = 14.77, p = 0.007) and graft survival (HR = 15.07, p = 0.007). Overall one-year mortality was associated with age (HR = 1.08, p = 0.048), APACHE II score (HR = 1.13, p = 0.035), and combination immunosuppression therapy (HR = 0.1, p = 0.006), while graft survival was associated with APACHE II (HR = 1.25, p = 0.004) and immunosuppression. In sepsis patients, mortality correlated with the maximal dose of noradrenalin (HR = 100.96, p = 0.008), fungal infection (HR = 5.64, p = 0.024), SAPS II score (HR = 1.06, p = 0.033), and mechanical ventilation (HR = 5.97, p = 0.033), while graft survival was influenced by renal replacement therapy (HR = 21.16, p = 0.005), APACHE II (HR = 1.19, p = 0.035), and duration of mechanical ventilation (HR = 1.01, p = 0.015)., Conclusion: In contrast with systemic inflammatory response syndrome, septic kidney allograft injury is associated with early graft loss and may represent a significant risk of mortality., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Protus, Uchytilova, Indrova, Lelito, Viklicky, Hruba and Kieslichova.)