Search

ABSTRACT The defense mechanism of crops associated with the use of polymeric nets and fabrics is only physical and, hence, ineffective against the bacterial contaminations. The presence of an antibacterial agent associated with the use of conventional agro-textiles can represent a great advantage in the prevention of plant diseases and for food safety. The aim of this work was the development of antibacterial silver-coated HDPE nets for an innovative application such as agriculture. Antibacterial coatings on high-density polyethylene nets were obtained by a patented nanosilver deposition technique based on the in situ photo-reduction of a silver solution. The concentration of silver deposited was defined by testing different silver solutions from a biological point of view. Moreover, in order to improve the adhesion of the silver coating to the substrate, the nets underwent low-pressure plasma treatment before the silver deposition. The materials were characterized in terms of quality of the coating through scanning electron microscopy, and in terms of antibacterial capability on Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria through qualitative and quantitative microbiological tests. The most effective process parameters were defined and the importance of performing plasma pretreatment on this specific substrate was assessed. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015, 132, 41623. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The maternal bone structure is the largest calcium reserve for the fetus during pregnancy, and this is claimed to lead to a bone mineral density (BMD) reduction in pregnant women. The primary outcome of the present work was to assess the BMD in a group of healthy pregnant women.Study Design: In this prospective case - control observational study, a non-consecutive group of pregnant women with uncomplicated pregnancy at or >37 weeks were enrolled at the unit of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Parma, from February to December 2020. The study subjects were submitted to a sonographic examination of the proximal femur with Radiofrequency Echographic Multi Spectrometry (REMS) technology to quantify the BMD of the femur. The BMD values obtained in the study group were compared with those of a control group of non-pregnant women matched for age, ethnicity and pre-pregnant body mass index (BMI).Results: Overall, 78 pregnant women at 39.1 ± 1.5 weeks were assessed. Compared with non-pregnant women, the femoral BMD values measured in pregnancy using REMS were significant lower (0.769 ± 0.094 g/cm2 vs 0.831 ± 0.101 g/cm2, p = 0.0001) with a mean BMD reduction of 8.1%. The femoral neck BMD presented a positive correlation with the pre-pregnant BMI (p = 0.0004) and a negative correlation with the maternal age (p < 0.0001). In addition, a lower femoral neck BMD in Caucasian ethnicity compared with non-Caucasian was noted (p < 0.0001).Conclusion: In this exploratory and proof of concept study, for the first time, a decreased BMD has been objectively demonstrated in pregnant compared with non-pregnant women by means of REMS technology. New studies are required to assess the longitudinal changes of maternal bone density throughout the pregnancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]