Coir and Sisal Fibers as Fillers in the Production of Eucalyptus Medium Density Particleboards - MDP

The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential use of sisal and coir fibers in combination with Eucalyptus particles for the production of particleboard. The particleboards were produced in three layers. The first and third layers (face) were made with small Eucalyptus particles. The second layer (core) was made with big Eucalyptus particles in combination with coir or sisal fibers. The particleboards were prepared with the substitution on Eucalyptus wood for sisal and coir fibers in the particleboards core, in doses of 0, 10, and 20%, relative to the total mass of particles. The particleboards were characterized by mechanical, physical and thermal properties. The results were not satisfactory for particleboards with sisal. However, for coir particleboards the physical-mechanical properties were very similar to those particleboards produced only with Eucalyptus. This work demonstrates the potential use of the coir that is commonly disposed in landfills on the Brazilian beaches

Radial penetration of urea-formaldehyde adhesive resins into beech (Fagus Moesiaca)

Penetration of adhesives plays an important role in wood adhesion, since wood is a porous material. Objectives of this work were (i) the evaluation of the influence of the degree of condensation of urea-formaldehyde (UF) resins on their penetration into beech, showing the distribution of the adhesive in the cell layers close to the bondline using microscopic detection, and (ii) the comparison of data for beech with results for fir obtained earlier. The degree of penetration mostly depends on the permeability and porosity of the wood surface as well as on the resin type and the size of the resin molecules. The process parameters, which also can affect penetration, were kept constant throughout all tests performed. The results show a significant correlation between the penetration behavior and the degree of condensation (molecular size, viscosity) of the resins and adhesive mixes based on these resins. The higher the degree of condensation, the lower the possibility for penetration, expressed as "Average penetration depth" (AP). AP into beech is higher than into fir. The portion of filled tracheids and vessels on the whole cross section of the interphase ("Filled interphase region" FIR) increases slightly with the degree of condensation, but this increase is not statistically significant. FIR in fir is higher than in beech

Intravenous anti-TNF-alpha antibody therapy leads to elevated triglyceride and reduced HDL-cholesterol levels in patients with rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis

Background & Aims: We investigated the effect of Infliximab, an anti TNF-alpha antibody, on plasma lipids and lipoproteins in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis. Methods: Five male and 10 female patients with a mean age of 56.7 years were included in this study. Seven of the patients were diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and 8 patients with psoriatic arthritis. All patients received infusions of 3mg/kg Infliximab (at week 0, 2 and 6). Lipids, lipoproteins and standard clinical parameters were assessed at baseline (0 week), after 2 weeks, and in 4 patients after 6 weeks. Results: There was a significant increase in triglyceride levels during treatment with Infliximab (112 48 versus 133 +/- 53 mg/dl, p < 0.01). In contrast, HDL-cholesterol levels were significantly lowered (56 12 versus 50 13 mg/dl, p < 0.006) by the treatment. There was no significant difference in total cholesterol (209 25 versus 205 +/- 36 mg/dl) or in LDL-cholesterol (131 +/- 24 versus 118 +/- 43 mg/dl) before and after treatment. Similarly, lipoprotein(a) levels did not alter during treatment (median: 1.1 versus 1.4 mg/dl). Conclusion: This study shows that intravenous Infliximab therapy leads to changes in plasma lipid and lipoprotein levels in patients with rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis and may result in a more atherogenic lipid and lipoprotein profile. Although larger patient numbers need to be studied to confirm our findings, these results suggest that lipid levels should be checked and monitored in patients receiving Infliximab therapy, particularly in patients with vascular disease