The aim of this work was to develop prediction models for shape and size of ca-alginate macrobeads produced through extrusion-dripping method. The relationship between the process variables on the shape and size of the alginate drops before and after gelation was established with the aid of image analysis. The results show that a critical Ohnersorge number (Oh)>0.24 was required to form spherical beads. The shape transition of ca-alginate beads could be typically distinguished into three phases along the collecting distance and it was affected by the combined influence of the solution properties, the collecting distance and the drop size. Mathematical equations and a master shape diagram were developed to reveal a clear operating region and the overall process limits within which spherical ca-alginate beads could be formed. In terms of bead size, the overall size correction factor (K) which accounted for the liquid loss factor (k(LF)) and the shrinkage factor (k(SF)), varied between 0.73 and 0.85 under the experimental conditions. The size prediction model correlated well with the experimental data. The approach and the outcome could be used as a model to develop prediction tools for similar bead production systems.
Published scientific evidence demonstrate the current spread of healthcare misinformation in the most popular social networks and unofficial communication channels. Up to 40% of the medical websites were identified reporting inappropriate information, moreover being shared more than 450,000 times in a 5-year-time frame. The phenomenon is particularly spread in infective diseases medicine, oncology and cardiovascular medicine. The present document is the result of a scientific and educational endeavor by a worldwide group of top experts who selected and analyzed the major issues and related evidence-based facts on vein and lymphatic management. A section of this work is entirely dedicated to the patients and therefore written in layman terms, with the aim of improving public vein-lymphatic awareness. The part dedicated to the medical professionals includes a revision of the current literature, summing up the statements that are fully evidence-based in venous and lymphatic disease management, and suggesting future lines of research to fulfill the still unmet needs. The document has been written following an intense digital interaction among dedicated working groups, leading to an institutional project presentation during the Universal Expo in Dubai, in the occasion of the v-WINter 2022 meeting.