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A microfluidic device was applied to the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue as a model pollutant. Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2-P25) and a synthesized composite TiO2-graphene catalyst were immobilized on the inner walls of a borosilicate glass microfluidic chip. The deposition evolution of the nanoparticles was evaluated by monitoring the optical profile of the system. It was found that a higher initial reaction rate was obtained in the microreactor containing composite catalyst (TiO2-GR) on the inner walls, but both systems (TiO2 and TiO2-GR) achieved similar reaction rates when the steady-state was reached. Decolorization rate of methylene blue in our microfluidic chips was found to be approximately one order of magnitude higher than equivalent macroscopic systems reported in the literature at similar experimental conditions. Additionally, computational simulations were performed to investigate the physics involved in these processes. The model was experimentally validated for further scale-out studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of a substrate on the performance of WO3 photoanodes is assessed as a function of temperature. Two samples were studied: WO3 deposited on a FTO glass and anodized on a tungsten foil. Current–voltage curves and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements were used to characterize these samples between 25 °C and 65 °C. The photocurrent density increased with temperature for both samples and the onset potential shifted to lower potentials. However, for WO3/FTO, a negative shift of the dark current onset was also observed. The intrinsic resistivity of this substrate limits the photocurrent plateau potential range. On the other hand, this behavior was not observed for WO3/metal. Therefore, the earlier dark current onset observed for WO3/FTO was assigned to the FTO layer. The optimal operating temperatures observed were 45 °C and 55 °C for WO3/FTO and WO3/metal, respectively. For higher temperatures, the bulk electron–hole recombination phenomenon greatly affects the overall performance of WO3 photoanodes. The stability behavior was then studied at these temperatures over 72 h. For WO3/FTO, a crystalline-to-amorphous phase transformation occurred during the stability test, which may justify the current decrease observed after the aging period. The WO3/metal remained stable, maintaining its morphology and good crystallinity. Interestingly, the preferential orientation of the aged crystals was shifted to the (−222) and (222) planes, suggesting that this was responsible for its better and more stable performance. These findings provide crucial information for allowing further developments on the preparation of WO3 photoanodes, envisaging their commercial application in PEC water splitting cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Acta Paulista de Enfermagem is the property of Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo, Escola Paulista de Enfermagem and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Portuguese Journal of Mental Health Nursing / Revista Portuguesa de Enfermagem de Saúde Mental is the property of Portuguese Society of Mental Health Nursing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Portuguese Journal of Mental Health Nursing / Revista Portuguesa de Enfermagem de Saúde Mental is the property of Portuguese Society of Mental Health Nursing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Caring for technology-dependent children significantly impacts the family unit, a topic that has not been researched in Portugal. Understanding this impact can help nurses to improve their interventions. This study aimed to describe the lived experiences of parents with technology-dependent children using a qualitative descriptive design. We applied Giorgi's approach to analyze 10 individual semi-structured interviews with parents recruited through a children's hospital in Portugal. Our analysis identified two major themes: (1) Discovering a new parenthood: parent and caregiver, comprising two subthemes: Family reorganization and Learning to use a medical device; (2) Reconciling daily life with the needs of the technology-dependent children, comprising two subthemes: Importance of support systems and Experiencing difficulties. These results indicate that parents experience a wide range of concerns and challenges in managing medical devices, starting from the moment the need for a device is communicated and continuing through the process of learning and providing care. This journey involves significant changes in family dynamics and is marked by sacrifice and adaptation, supported by family, formal support systems, and healthcare professionals. Our findings provide valuable insights into the vulnerabilities faced by these parents and highlight how nursing care can enhance the quality of care for these families., Competing Interests: The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article., (© The Author(s) 2024.)

Family members' experience of integrating chronic illnesses or chronic conditions into family life is valuable information for health care professionals, such as nurses, to understand, improve, and adjust the care provided to families of chronically ill patients. Furthermore, the assessment of the experience of integrating chronic illness into family life can support family nursing interventions and reduce suffering. This study aimed to adapt and psychometrically test a new Likert-type questionnaire on the experience of integrating pediatric chronic illness into family life (EICI-FLQ) in two European samples. A sample of 164 primary caregivers of children/adolescents with chronic illnesses/conditions in Iceland and another sample of 237 primary caregivers with children/adolescents with chronic illnesses/conditions in Portugal completed the online questionnaire. Exploratory factor analysis of the Icelandic sample yielded support for a one-factor solution with acceptable internal reliability (Cronbach's α = .866). Confirmatory factor analysis of the one-factor structure in the Portuguese sample indicated good model fit and similar internal reliability (Cronbach's α = .838). This instrument has good psychometric characteristics and is a promising tool for measuring the experience of integrating pediatric chronic illness into family life in clinical and research settings., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Objectives: To determine the role of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) for predicting response to neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) in pancreatic cancer., Materials and Methods: MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases were searched for studies evaluating the performance of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) to assess response to NAT. Data extracted included ADC pre- and post-NAT, for predicting response as defined by imaging, histopathology, or clinical reference standards. ADC values were compared with standardized mean differences. Risk of bias was assessed using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Studies (QUADAS-2)., Results: Of 337 studies, 7 were included in the analysis (161 patients). ADC values reported for the pre- and post-NAT assessments overlapped between responders and non-responders. One study reported inability of ADC increase after NAT for distinguishing responders and non-responders. A correlation with histopathological response was reported for pre- and post-NAT ADC in 4 studies. DWI's diagnostic performance was reported to be high in three studies, with a 91.6-100% sensitivity and 62.5-94.7% specificity. Finally, heterogeneity and high risk of bias were identified across studies, affecting the domains of patient selection, index test, reference standard, and flow and timing., Conclusion: DWI might be useful for determining response to NAT in pancreatic cancer. However, there are still too few studies on this matter, which are also heterogeneous and at high risk for bias. Further studies with standardized procedures for data acquisition and accurate reference standards are needed., Clinical Relevance Statement: Diffusion-weighted MRI might be useful for assessing response to neoadjuvant therapy in pancreatic cancer. However, further studies with robust data are needed to provide specific recommendations for clinical practice., Key Points: •The role of DWI with ADC measurements for assessing response to neoadjuvant therapy in pancreatic cancer is still unclear. •Pre- and post-neoadjuvant therapy ADC values overlap between responders and non-responders. •DWI has a reported high diagnostic performance for determining response when using histopathological or clinical reference standards; however, studies are still few and at high risk for bias., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Purpose: This study aimed to describe the perception of parents of children/adolescents with chronic conditions of their quality of life and family functioning during the COVID-19 pandemic and explore how the COVID-19 pandemic affected family management of children/adolescents' chronic conditions., Design and Methods: A total of 237 parents of children/adolescents with chronic conditions participated in this cross-sectional study. Data were collected through an online questionnaire using the Paediatric Quality of Life Inventory™ Family Impact Module and an open-ended question about the impact of the pandemic on the family management of the paediatric chronic condition., Results: The Total Score of PedsQL™ FIM was slightly higher than the midpoint of the scale (M = 60.27; SD = 19.04), and the impact of the pandemic on the family's management of the chronic condition was perceived by 30% of parents as high or moderate. Statistically significant differences were found between parents who reported a high or moderate impact of the pandemic and those reporting little or no impact of the pandemic regarding parental quality of life and family functioning (t (233) = 8.13, p = .00, Cohen's d = 1.14). Two themes emerged from the analysis of the open-ended question: Impact on the child/adolescent and Impact on the family., Conclusions: Parents of children/adolescents with chronic conditions reported an average quality of life, and the COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted the family management of chronic conditions., Practice Implications: These results highlight the importance of developing interventions to support families in complex situations and contexts, targeting family functioning, family quality of life, and emotional management., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a common and lethal cancer. From diagnosis to disease staging, response to neoadjuvant therapy assessment and patient surveillance after resection, imaging plays a central role, guiding the multidisciplinary team in decision-planning., Review Aims and Findings: This review discusses the most up-to-date imaging recommendations, typical and atypical findings, and issues related to each step of patient management. Example cases for each relevant condition are presented, and a structured report for disease staging is suggested., Conclusion: Despite current issues in PDAC imaging at different stages of patient management, the radiologist is essential in the multidisciplinary team, as the conveyor of relevant imaging findings crucial for patient care., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Purpose: This study aims to assess the psychometric properties of the European Portuguese version of the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory™ Family Impact Module in parents of children/adolescents with chronic health conditions., Design and Methods: The European Portuguese version of the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory™ Family Impact Module was administered to 237 parents of children/adolescents with chronic disease and/or chronic disorder. Participants were recruited from the day hospital and/or outpatient services of four hospitals in Northern Portugal, the majority being mothers (87.3%) aged between 31 and 50 years (86.9%). The questionnaire was administered online through the REDCap platform. The hierarchical factor model of the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory™ Family Impact Module proposed by Varni and colleagues was tested., Results: Confirmatory Factor Analysis indicated good model fit, with the following indices (χ 2 /gL = 2.19; comparative fit index [CFI] = 0.90;  root mean square error of approximation [RMSEA] = 0.07 immune cell [IC] 90% = 0.06-0.07). Internal consistency values were high (parent quality of life subtotal, α = .96; family functioning subtotal, α = .92; total score, α = .96)., Practice Implications: The European Portuguese version of the PedsQL™ FIM is a reliable and valid measurement tool for nurses to assess the impact of the child/adolescent chronic conditions on family's quality of life and to develop interventions to improve their well-being., (© 2023 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

The support from nurses perceived by family members of children with chronic conditions has been shown to be a protective factor at different levels in a family's health. As such, nurses need to have instruments that assess this perception to increase the quality of the care provided to those families. This methodological study aimed to analyze the psychometric properties of the Portuguese translation of the Iceland-Family Perceived Support Questionnaire (ICE-FPSQ) in parents of children/adolescents with chronic conditions. The ICE-FPSQ was administered to 237 parents recruited from the day hospital and outpatient services of four hospitals in Northern Portugal. Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficients for the Total Scale, Cognitive Support, and Emotional Support subscales were excellent (α = 0.96, α = 0.93, α = 0.96, respectively). Reasonable fit indexes were found by confirmatory factor analysis (χ 2 /df = 2.799; CFI = 0.960; PCFI = 0.791, and RMSEA = 0.087), indicating a good model fit to the original structure. The ICE-FPSQ is a valid and reliable instrument to measure perceived support.

The increasing demand for solar energy has led researchers worldwide to develop new photovoltaic technologies. Among these, perovskite materials are one of the most promising candidates, with a performance evolution unparalleled in the photovoltaic field. However, this thin-film technology is not yet available at a commercial level, mainly due to upscaling issues. This work studied the best design options for upscaling single cells into modules by minimizing electrical losses in the device substrates. The software LAOSS was used to test and optimize different substrate sizes and designs and to predict several performance outcomes from experimentally fabricated single cells. The results showed that it is possible to retain most of the energy production when upscaling from a single cell to a module if the appropriate design for an efficient monolithic device is used. The width of the interconnection zone also plays an important role in device performance and must be carefully optimized during module design. It then demonstrates the importance of having precise laser tools, which are essential for narrow and smooth scribes, and how useful simulation software can be, which, combined with experimental developments, will facilitate efficient module fabrication, aiming to establish it as a feasible and marketable resource., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2022 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

Purpose: Bowel motion is a significant source of artifacts in mouse abdominal MRI. Fasting and administration of hyoscine butylbromide (BUSC) have been proposed for bowel motion reduction but with inconsistent results and limited efficacy assessments. Here, we evaluate these regimes for mouse abdominal MRI at high field., Methods: Thirty-two adult C57BL/6J mice were imaged on a 9.4T scanner with a FLASH sequence, acquired over 90 min with ~19 s temporal resolution. During MRI acquisition, 8 mice were injected with a low-dose and 8 mice with a high-dose bolus of BUSC (0.5 and 5 mg/kg, respectively). Eight mice were food deprived for 4.5-6.5 hours before MRI and another group of eight mice was injected with saline during MRI acquisition. Two expert readers reviewed the images and classified bowel motion, and quantitative voxel-wise analyses were performed for identification of moving regions. After defining the most effective protocol, high-resolution T 2 -weighted and diffusion-weighted images were acquired from 4 mice., Results: High-dose BUSC was the most effective protocol for bowel motion reduction, for up to 45 min. Fasting and saline protocols were not effective in suppressing bowel motion. High-resolution abdominal MRI clearly demonstrated improved image quality and ADC quantification with the high-dose BUSC protocol., Conclusion: Our data show that BUSC administration is advantageous for abdominal MRI in the mouse. Specifically, it endows significant bowel motion reduction, with relatively short onset timings after injection (~8.5 min) and relatively long duration of the effect (~45 min). These features improve the quality of high-resolution images of the mouse abdomen., (© 2021 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.)

Objectives: The objectives of this review are (1) to become acquainted with the long-term complications of surgery of the gastrointestinal tract, and (2) to appreciate the appropriate use of imaging in the assessment of long-term complications., Background: Gastrointestinal tract surgery comprises a group of procedures performed for a variety of both benign and malignant diseases. In the late postoperative setting, adhesions and internal hernias are the most important complications. and they can be further complicated by volvulus and ischemia. At present, computed tomography (CT) is the workhorse for evaluating late postoperative complications. Accurate imaging assessment of patients is essential for adequate treatment planning., Imaging Findings or Procedure Details: In this pictorial essay we will review the most frequent long-term complications after gastrointestinal surgery, including adhesions, afferent loop syndrome, closed-loop obstruction, strangulated obstruction, internal hernias, external hernias, anastomotic strictures and disease recurrence. Examples will be depicted using iconography from the authors' imaging department., Conclusions: Knowledge of the most frequent complications after gastrointestinal surgery in the late postoperative period is of paramount importance for every radiologist, so that potentially life-threatening situations can be promptly diagnosed and adequate therapy can be planned., Teaching Points: • Long-term postoperative complications of gastrointestinal tract surgery can be divided into procedure-related and disease-related categories. • The most common procedure-related complications are internal hernias and adhesions. • The most frequent disease-related complications are mainly associated with neoplastic or inflammatory recurrence. • Computed tomography is the most useful examination when such complications are suspected.

Objectives: To review the most common disorders depicted with conventional videodefecography, and to compare the defecographic abnormalities between symptomatic patients according to their gender and age., Methods: Conventional videodefecography studies of 300 patients (24 men, 266 women; mean age - 57.7) performed in a 32-month period were reviewed for the following parameters: anorectal angle, movement of the pelvic floor, intussusceptions, incontinence and rectocele. The results were analyzed using the chi-square test., Results: Normal findings were observed in 16.7% men and 7.5% women. In women, the most frequent pathological findings were rectocele (62%), descending perineum syndrome (42.8%), intussusceptions (33.8%), incontinence (10.5%), dyskinetic puborectalis syndrome (9.4%) and rectal prolapse (4.5%); in men the most frequent pathology was the dyskinetic puborectalis syndrome (37.5%). This syndrome is more likely in men than in women (p = 0.01; OR 5.78); descending perineum syndrome (p = 0.027; OR 2.8) is more likely to occur in women. Women with perineal descent younger than 50 years frequently present an increased descent during evacuation (81.8%), while those older than 50 years already have a low pelvic floor during rest (60.3%) (p < 0.001; OR 6.8), with little change in evacuation., Conclusion: Videodefecographic findings vary with age and gender.

Introduction: The Xenon, a noble gas, has anesthetics properties, associated with remarkable hemodynamic stability as well as cardioprotective, neuroprotective proprieties. Its physicochemical characteristics give him a quick induction and emergence of anesthesia, being free of deleterious effects in all organs and showing no teratogenicity. Such properties have led to a growing interest in improving the knowledge about this noble gas, in order to assess the mechanisms of neuro and cardioprotection induced and to assess the clinical indications for its use., Material and Methods: Qualitative review of clinical trials on anesthesia with xenon. Studies were identified from MEDLINE and by hand-searching, using the following keywords: xenon, xenon anestesia, xenon neuroprotection, xenon cradioprotection., Results: After several studies, including two randomized multicenter controlled trials, the use of xenon as an anesthetic in patients ASA I-II was approved in March 2007. However his use in clinical practice has been strongly limited by it's high price. It seems unlikely that the advantages it offers in relation to other anesthetics justify it's use in patients ASA I-II. Although, xenon may be a valuable asset in the reduction of co-morbilities and mortality in anesthesia of patients ASA III-IV, unfortunately, there are no large randomized control studies to prove it., Discussion: Unfortunately, there are still no randomized or multicentric studies showing a favourable cost-benefit profile of xenon in ASA III-IV patients vs. other anaesthetics., Conclusion: The usefulness of xenon in Anesthesiology requires more studies to be defined.

This review provides a short introduction to photocatalysis technology in terms of the present environmental remediation paradigm and, in particular, NOx photoabatement. The fundamentals of photoelectrochemical devices and the photocatalysis phenomena are reviewed, highlighting the main reaction mechanisms. The critical historical developments on heterogeneous photocatalysis are briefly discussed, giving particular emphasis to the pioneer works in this field. The third part of this work focus mainly on NOx removal technology considering topics such as: TiO2 photochemistry; effect of the operating conditions on the photocatalysis process; Langmuir-Hinshelwood modeling; TiO2 photocatalytic immobilization approaches; and their applications. The last section of the paper presents the main conclusions and perspectives on the opportunities related to this technology., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The attitudes of nurses towards families determine the care process. With this study, we aimed to obtain an instrument that would allow us to learn about this variable. Hence, our purpose was to perform the cross-cultural adaptation and evaluate the psychometric features of the Portuguese version of the instrument Families' Importance in Nursing Care - Nurses Attitudes (FINC-NA), which aims to evaluate the attitudes of nurses towards the importance of involving the patient's family in the nursing care. The method recommended by the literature was followed. The sample consisted of 136 nurses working in primary health care. The results obtained in the reliability tests showed good internal consistency (Cronbach's Alpha=0.87). The psychometric study permits us to state that the Portuguese version of the FINC-NA, which in Portuguese is referred to as A importância das famílias nos cuidados de enfermagem - atitudes dos enfermeiros (IFCE-AE), is a reliable and valid tool.