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In this study, the effects of various types of commercial graphene nanoplatelets (XG Sciences xGnP M5, C300, C500, and C750) on the thermal, electromagnetic shielding (EMI SE), electrical and mechanical behavior of an acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene (ABS) copolymer matrix were investigated. The selected nanofillers were characterized and compared in term of surface area, different oxygen content, dimension and density (X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and helium pycnometry). Graphene nanoplatelets were dispersed in ABS by direct melt compounding at 2, 4, and 8 wt%. Melt flow index (MFI) values almost linearly decreased with all the type of xGnPs, especially with the highest surface area nanofiller (C750). Moreover, EMI SE of neat ABS was improved from −0.7 dB to −2.5 dB (increase more than 3 times) for xGnP (C300, C500, and C750) and to −6.2 dB (increase about 9 times) for xGnP‐M5, in agreement with proportional reduction of electrical resistivity. xGnP‐M5 also resulted in being most effective in enhancing the tensile modulus which improved up to 64%, while a maximum increment of about 20% was obtained with the others xGnP nanoparticles. However, yield stress slightly decreased for xGnP‐M5 (about −9%) and remained fairly constant for others nanofillers. Halpin–Tsai model used to predict the tensile modulus of the nanocomposites suggested that graphene nanoplatelets were randomly oriented in the ABS matrix in a three‐dimensional (3D) manner. POLYM. COMPOS., 40:E285–E300, 2019. © 2017 Society of Plastics Engineers [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Piezoresistive pressure sensors have been prepared by the electrospinning of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) containing graphene nanoplatelets (GNP) functionalized using 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium trifluoromethanesulfonate (BMIM(OTf)) ionic liquid (IL). Optical microscopy demonstrated that the functionalized GNP powder presented particles with a smaller lateral size. The obtained mats were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, electrical resistivity using two and four probes, and electromechanical testing with up to 32 load-unload cycles. Functionalization with BMIM(OTf) resulted in a higher PVDF electroactive phase. Electrospun mats obtained without the IL displayed a signal comparable to noise, while mats obtained with the BMIM(OTf) functionalized GNP displayed a clear signal, indicating that the IL helped with the dispersion of GNP on the PVDF matrix. Electrospun mats containing 1.0%m functionalized GNP presented the best performance among the evaluated samples, presenting low hysteresis and a lower distribution of the read values especially in the working range of 0 to 250 kPa. The piezoresistive behavior of the sample was tested under 32 load-unload cycles, remaining stable. Higher ranges of axial load resulted in the rupture of the fibers and swift degradation of the piezoresistive signal under a high number of cycles. A simple load cell was assembled to demonstrate the capacity of the membranes to act as piezoresistive compressive sensors capable of detecting the pressing of a human finger and differentiating between applied weights., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2024 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

Background/Objectives: Empathy and emotional regulation (susceptibility and resistance) play an important role in a nurse's well-being and the provision of high-quality care. This phenomenon has not yet been studied in the context of nurses working in neuroscience. This study aimed to explore the perceptions related to empathy among nurses working in neuroscience contexts. Methods: Employing a mixed-methods approach, we conducted an online quantitative survey with 211 nurses working in various neuroscience settings using the Balanced Emotional Empathy Scale (BEES) and 15 online semistructured qualitative interviews to delve deeper into empathetic experiences. The mean and measures of dispersion, such as standard deviation, were used to analyze the quantitative data. Thematic analysis investigated qualitative data, and data triangulation was performed. Results: The quantitative findings revealed no significant differences in empathy or emotional regulation across the different neuroscience settings but highlighted an increase in susceptibility related to young age (under 29) and years of service (first 5 years). The interviews brought to light the challenges nurses face in highly emotional situations and the strategies they employ to manage empathy and maintain professional detachment, such as self-care strategies, awareness development, and team support. One hindering factor is managers. Conclusions: The findings of this study underscore the essential role of empathetic capability in nursing care in neuroscience. The experience of younger nurses and the first 5 years of employment are elements to be considered by managers for burnout risk. Nurses demonstrate susceptibility and resistance and maintain a balance in dealing with high-emotional-stress situations. The implications of these findings are significant and should guide future research and practice in the field of neuroscience nursing.

Functionally active aligned fibers are a promising approach to enhance neuro adhesion and guide the extension of neurons for peripheral nerve regeneration. Therefore, the present study developed poly(lactic- co -glycolic acid) (PLGA)-aligned electrospun mats and investigated the synergic effect with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and Choline Bitartrate ionic liquid (Bio-IL) on PLGA fibers. Morphology, thermal, and mechanical performances were determined as well as the hydrolytic degradation and the cytotoxicity. Results revealed that electrospun mats are composed of highly aligned fibers, and CNTs were aligned and homogeneously distributed into the fibers. Bio-IL changed thermal transition behavior, reduced glass transition temperature ( T g ), and favored crystal phase formation. The mechanical properties increased in the presence of CNTs and slightly decreased in the presence of the Bio-IL. The results demonstrated a decrease in the degradation rate in the presence of CNTs, whereas the use of Bio-IL led to an increase in the degradation rate. Cytotoxicity results showed that all the electrospun mats display metabolic activity above 70%, which demonstrates that they are biocompatible. Moreover, superior biocompatibility was observed for the electrospun containing Bio-IL combined with higher amounts of CNTs, showing a high potential to be used in nerve tissue engineering.

To protect crops as well as human and animal health, the development of novel repellents based on biopolymers is critical for a growing world population. Here, novel aphid-repellent electrospun mats containing epoxidized ionic liquids (ILs) covalently bonded to the carboxyl or hydroxyl groups of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) were designed to produce nonwoven mats. First, di-, tri-, and tetra-epoxidized imidazolium ILs were synthesized and incorporated in different weight fractions (3, 5, and 10 wt %) into the PLA solution. Then, the effect of ILs' microstructure, thermal properties, mechanical performance, and hydrophobic behavior were investigated. It was found that the incorporation of ILs resulted in a reduction of the fiber diameters while the mechanical properties of the mats, i.e., the three-dimensional fibrous porous structure, were maintained. Finally, the effect of these three ILs against the pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum (Harris) was evaluated for the first time, showing an attractive effect for the diepoxidized IL and a repellent effect for the tri- and tetra-epoxidized ILs. By exploiting the chemical nature of ILs, an environmentally friendly strategy can be developed to limit the need for chemical pesticides and petroleum-based polymers., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2024 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

Background and Aim of the Work: The Covid-19 pandemic led to an increased demand for healthcare professionals, particularly nurses. The Piacenza Local Health Service, Northern Italy, issued several calls for tenders in order to recruit nurses and the University anticipated graduation sessions, so several new graduates nurses found themselves facing their first work experience in the middle of the pandemic emergency. It is well known that being a first-time employee causes stress, but there are few studies yet investigating the perception of newly employed nurses during the pandemic. The aim of this research is therefore to describe the experience of these nurses., Methods: A descriptive qualitative study was conducted through interviews. The research was approved by the 'Area Vasta Emilia Nord Ethics Committee., Results: 14 nurses were interviewed and nine themes were found. Emotions, awareness, job opportunities, professional liability, organisational aspects and relationship with the other., Conclusions: Our study shows how stress, anxiety and feelings of inadequacy characterise new nurses' entry into the workplace. Emotional support strategies, such as counselling and emergency preparedness training, could help early career professionals to cope with complex and emotionally charged clinical care situations with greater resilience., Study Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05110859.

In this study, we set out to modify poly(lactic acid) (PLA) by incorporating epoxidized ionic liquids (ILs) that were specifically designed with imidazolium-NTf 2 moieties. First, we synthesized di-, tri- and tetra-epoxidized ILs, which were incorporated into a PLA matrix at 3, 5, and 10 wt% through a melt extrusion process. We investigated the relationship between the structure and properties of the resulting materials in terms of thermal, mechanical, rheological, and surface properties. The results showed the potential of ILs to impact these properties. Notably, the tri- and tetra-epoxidized ILs enhanced the thermal stability of the PLA matrix as well as the crystallinity while reducing the glass transition temperature and melting point, which is promising for reactive extrusion processing. Overall, this research opens new routes for using reactive ILs to improve the processing and properties of PLA polymers.

Purpose: Placenta previa is a major cause of maternal morbidity and mortality, associated to a high risk of peripartum hemorrhage and hysterectomy. We aimed to verify if prophylactic intraoperative uterine artery embolization in patients with placenta previa and at least one additional risk of bleeding (major placenta previa), can reduce hemorrhage, need for blood transfusions, peripartum hysterectomy and maternal morbidity., Materials and Methods: We enrolled 76 patients with major placenta previa; a specific multidisciplinary protocol was designed for management, including ultrasound evaluation, hospitalization at 34 weeks, antenatal corticosteroids and scheduled cesarean section at 35-36 weeks. 44 patients (control group or CTR) were treated with elective cesarean section, 32 patients (embolized group or EMB) underwent selective catheterization of bilateral uterine arteries before cesarean section and subsequent uterine embolization. In both cases cesarean section was performed by a senior surgeon., Results: Significant differences were found in term of intraoperative blood loss (CTR: 1431 ml; EMB: 693 ml); despite an high percentage of CTR patients had a bleeding greater than 1000 ml (56%), the need for blood transfusion was not significantly different between the two groups. Time of surgery was higher in the EMB group, considering that embolization procedure required approximatively 30 min. Three patients from the CTR group needed hysterectomy and ICU admission, compared to none in the EMB group. Duration of hospitalization and neonatal outcome were similar. Uterine embolization was not related to any short or long-term complications; return to normal menses and preservation of fertility were confirmed at follow up., Conclusions: Our results are promising, although we believe that a major contribution is referable to the multidisciplinary approach rather than the procedure itself. Nevertheless, we demonstrated the feasibility and safety of preventive uterine embolization in patients with placenta previa; in order to establish its prophylactic role in the prevention of peripartum hemorrhage, randomized trial should be carried out, on a larger population.

Peripheral nerve injuries affect the quality of life of people worldwide. Despite advances in materials and processing in recent decades, nerve repair remains a challenge. The autograft is considered the most effective nerve repair in cases of serious injuries in which direct suture is not applied. However, the autograft causes the loss of functionality of the donor site, and additionally, there is a limited availability of donor nerves. Nerve conduits emerge as an alternative to the autograft and nowadays some conduits are available for clinical use. Nevertheless, they still need to be optimized for better functional nerve response. This review proposes to analyze the use of aligned electrospun nerve conduits with electrical activity as a strategy to enhance a satisfactory nerve regeneration and functional recovery., (© 2021 International Center for Artificial Organs and Transplantation and Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background and Aim: Little is known about the students' engagement in the training experience and how it is lived by the health professional students. We aim at building a theoretical model of the engagement process starting from their lived experiences with Grounded Theory approach., Methods: In-depth qualitative interviews are conducted with 12 students from the Master Degree Courses in Nursing, Physiotherapy and Prevention Techniques in the environment and in the workplace, who had carried out and/or were doing internships in the same territory (2nd and 3rd year). Results The health professions' student engagement in the training program is developed in three main phases: initial phase, central phase and final phase, where emotions, behaviours, awareness contribute to the development of the entire engagement process with different relevance. The intertwining of these different components that develop along the stages of the experience gives life to the core category: growing through relationship, which expressed the crucial role of the relational network built during the internship experience in shaping students' engagement., Conclusions: The results of this study underline the crucial role of students' engagement in the internship experience in favouring both better learning outcomes and perspective professional success and wellbeing. (www.actabiomedica.it).

A thermally stable carbocationic covalent organic network (CON), named RIO-70 was prepared from pararosaniline hydrochloride, an inexpensive dye, and triformylphloroglucinol in solvothermal conditions. This nanoporous organic material has shown a specific surface area of 990 m 2  g -1 and pore size of 10.3 Å. The material has CO 2 uptake of 2.14 mmol g -1 (0.5 bar), 2.7 mmol g -1 (1 bar), and 6.8 mmol g -1 (20 bar), the latter corresponding to 3 CO 2 molecules adsorbed per pore per sheet. It is shown to be a semiconductor, with electrical conductivity (σ) of 3.17×10 -7  S cm -1 , which increases to 5.26×10 -4  S cm -1 upon exposure to I 2 vapor. DFT calculations using periodic conditions support the findings., (© 2020 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Membranes for guided bone regeneration represent valuable resources, preventing fibroblast infiltration and aiding anatomical bone reconstruction. Nonetheless, available membranes lack bone regenerative capacity, suitable mechanical behavior, or adequate degradation profile. Therefore, to overcome these limitations, this study developed bilayer membranes with a dense layer (dry phase inversion) of PLGA (poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)):HAp (hydroxyapatite) - 95:05 (wt%) - and an electrospun layer of PLGA and HAp:β-TCP (β-tricalcium phosphate) with ratios of 60:40, 70:30 and 85:15 (wt%), evaluating its mechanical, morphological and in vitro properties. The bilayer membranes displayed adequate interlayer adhesion, dense layer pore size of 4.20 μm and electrospun layer with porosity degree of 38.2%, thus capable of preventing fibroblast infiltration while allowing osteoblast migration and nutrient permeation. They also showed T g of 82 °C and higher storage modulus, which was constant up to 54.6 °C, characteristics important for membrane implantation and use with no mechanical compromise. In vitro degradation mass loss was only 10% after 60 days, a profile suitable for the application requirement. Membranes with calcium phosphates had better osteoblast attachment, proliferation and migration. Taken together, results indicate the great potential of PLGA/HAp/β-TCP bilayer membranes on bone reconstruction with proper degradation profile, morphology, mechanical behavior and bone regenerative capacity., 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 © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Commercially, there are several plates and screws for bone fracture fixation made with PLA, however, its long degradation time and lack of integration with bone structure, provides interest in research using polymers with faster degradation, such as PLGA, and together with bioceramics, in order to improve bioactivity in bone regeneration. Based on this, in this study, bone fracture fixation plates composed of PLGA polymer matrix and combinations of 5 and 10%wt. of bioceramics were processed by microinjection. The bioceramics used comprehend nanostructured hydroxyapatite (n-HA), β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) and calcium phosphate with ion substitution of magnesium (Mg-Ca/P) and strontium (Sr-Ca/P). The introduction of bioceramics modified thermal and mechanical properties of the polymer. The TGA analysis showed that there was a variation on the ceramic's mass inserted in relation to the expected values (5% and 10%wt.) in all groups of biocomposites. In general, Tg values obtained by DMA were slightly increased in almost all the biocomposites. The storage modulus (E') of biocomposites was higher for almost all groups of inserted ceramics, with exception of 5%n-HA. In the flexural tests, the biocomposites obtained a great dispersion in average values of fracture loading, presented lower values in relation to pure PLGA. There were difficulties in the processing of biocomposites with Mg-Ca/P and Sr-Ca/P, a factor that can be attributed to lack of homogeneity in the material mixing process. The results suggest modifications in thermal and mechanical properties of the PLGA plates with the bioceramics insertion and provide improvement understanding about of manufactured composites with PLGA and bioceramics., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The direct effect of clarithromycin and azithromycin on human polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) functions and their intracellular activity against Staphylococcus aureus, phagocytosed by human monocytes, were studied. The presence of both antibiotics, in the range of concentrations from 0.25 to 20 micrograms/ml, did not affect chemotaxis, opsonized-zymosan phagocytosis, respiratory burst measured by nitroblue tetrazolium reduction and phorbol myristate acetate-induced superoxide production, or the microbicidal activity of human PMNs against Candida albicans. Both macrolides were bactericidal against staphylococci in the monocyte system, while bacteriostatic activity was found in cell free system. At concentrations equal to the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) (0.75 and 0.1 respectively for azithromycin and clarithromycin) more than 99% of intraphagocytic S. aureus were killed after 24 h incubation. Increasing the concentrations of each drug above the MICs (5 and 10 MICs) did not alter the killing rate of intracellular bacteria. Moreover, no differences between the intracellular bioactivity of these antibiotics were demonstrated, despite their different uptake kinetics.

Some measures of systemic host defences, i.e. white cell counts, lymphocyte subsets, delayed-type hypersensitivity and polymorphonuclear leucocyte functions, were evaluated in 42 patients suffering from cutaneous superficial mycoses and in 35 healthy volunteers. Patients were divided according to the extent of their lesions into two groups: group A (30 patients) with skin involvement > or = 30% and group B (12 patients) with skin involvement < or = 1%. No significant abnormalities in systemic defence mechanisms were observed in group B patients, whereas multiple alterations of polymorphonuclear phagocyte activities, i.e. chemotaxis, phagocytosis, mitogen-induced superoxide anion production, were observed in patients with extensive lesions. The values of these phagocytic functions remained significantly reduced (P < 0.01) in these patients after recovery and during a 6-month follow-up period.