The morphology and structure of grafted films were characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy with attenuated reflexion, scanning electron microscope and Energy Dispersive X-ray Analysis. The results show that BP and H(2)O(2) are very efficient for the grafting on the surface PHBV. The process is very fast and easy and the results are reproducible in a wide range.
Photoinitiation grafted only on the surface in comparison with BPO, where the grafting is located in all the bulk of film. The films grafted by UV in presence of H(2)O(2) are totally biodegradable when the graft level was low (less than 10%). (C) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 116: 288-297, 2010″
“Background: Numerical rating scales (NRS), and verbal rating scales (VRS) showed to be reliable and valid tools for subjective cancer pain measurement, but no one of them consistently proved check details to be superior
to the other. Aim of the present study is to compare NRS and VRS performance in assessing breakthrough or episodic pain (BP-EP) exacerbations.
Methods: In a cross sectional multicentre study carried out on a sample of 240 advanced cancer patients with GW786034 solubility dmso pain, background pain and BP-EP intensity in the last 24 hours were measured using both a 6-point VRS and a 0-10 NRS. In order to evaluate the reproducibility of the two scales, a subsample of 60 patients was randomly selected and the questionnaire was administered for a second time three to four hours later. The proportion of “”inconsistent”" (background pain intensity higher than or equal to peak pain intensity) evaluations was calculated to compare the two scales capability in discriminating between background and peak pain intensity and GDC-0941 inhibitor Cohen’s K was calculated to compare their reproducibility.
Results: NRS revealed higher discriminatory capability than VRS in distinguishing between background and peak pain intensity with a lower
proportion of patients giving inconsistent evaluations (14% vs. 25%). NRS also showed higher reproducibility when measuring pain exacerbations (Cohen’s K of 0.86 for NRS vs. 0.53 for VRS) while the reproducibility of the two scales in evaluating background pain was similar (Cohen’s K of 0.80 vs. 0.77).
Conclusions: Our results suggest that, in the measurement of cancer pain exacerbations, patients use NRS more appropriately than VRS and as such NRS should be preferred to VRS in this patient’s population.”
“The antisickling properties of fermented mixture of dried unripe fruit pulp of Carica papaya and dried Sorghum bicolor leaves, mixed in equal proportions in distilled water, was carried out using sodium metabisulphite sickled red blood cells and the result presented. Equal weight of dried C. papaya fruit pulp and S. bicolor leaves were fermented together in distilled water at room temperature and the aqueous extract obtained and used for antisickling assays.