The aggregation behavior of diblock copolymers with lower critical micellization temperatures (LCMT) in an ionic liquid (IL) is presented for the first time. Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), poly-(benzyl methacrylate) (PBnMA), and polystyrene (PSt) are known to be soluble, low-temperature-soluble and high-temperature-insoluble, and insoluble, respectively, in a typical hydrophobic IL, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazoliumbis(trifluoromethane sulfonyl)imide. Well-defined thermosensitive diblock copolymers, consisting of PMMA as the first segment and PBnMA as the second, with different molecular weights and compositions were successfully prepared by atom transfer radical polymerization to yield P(BnMA 2.2b-MMA 19 ), P(BnMA 7.3 -b-MMA 19 ), and P(BnMA 28 -b-BnMA 41 ), where the numerals represent the numberaverage molecular weight of each segment (M n /kDa). For comparison purposes, a thermo-insensitive diblock copolymer, consisting of PMMA and PSt (P(St 1.7 -b-MMA 19 )), was also prepared. The LCMT thermosensitivity and self-assembled behavior of the diblock copolymers in the IL were investigated in terms of the scattering intensity and hydrodynamic radius of the particles using the dynamic light scattering technique.

We investigated a hierarchical morphology change and accompanying sol−gel transition using a doubly thermosensitive ABC-triblock copolymer in an ionic liquid (IL). The triblock copolymer contains two different lower critical solution temperature (LCST) thermosensitive polymers, poly(benzyl methacrylate) (PBnMA) and poly(2-phenylethyl methacrylate) (PPhEt-MA), as the end blocks and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) as the middle block (PBnMA-b-PMMA-b-PPhEtMA: BMP). BMP undergoes a hierarchical phase transition corresponding to the selfassembly of each of the thermosensitive blocks in the IL, and a sol−gel transition was observed in concentrated, above 10 wt %, polymer solutions. The gelation behavior was affected by polymer concentration, and at 20 wt %, the BMP/IL composite showed a phase transition, with increasing temperature, from solution through a jammed micelle suspension to a physically cross-linked gel. Each phase was formed reversibly and rapidly over the corresponding temperature range. The jammed micelle and cross-linked gel states were characterized using viscoelastic measurements and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS).

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Background This study aimed to determine the factors associated with an unfavorable clinical course (emergency surgery and/or prolonged hospitalization) in patients requiring hospitalization owing to pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). Methods A retrospective study was performed on 117 patients diagnosed with PID who were admitted to our hospital between January 2014 and December 2018. Multivariate regression analysis was conducted to determine the factors associated with emergency surgical intervention, and prolonged hospitalization in a subgroup of successful expectant management (n = 93). Results The average age (mean ± standard deviation) of the patients was 41.2 ± 12.5 years; 16 (13.7%) were postmenopausal; 81 patients (69.2%) complicated with a tubo-ovarian abscess (TOA) of which 59 (72.9%) had an ovarian endometrioma; and 19 patients (16.2%) had a history of various intrauterine manipulations. Emergency surgery was performed in 24 patients (20.5%), and patients with TOA underwent emergency surgery more often than did patients without TOA (25.9% vs. 8.3%, p = 0.03), and TOA was associated with longer length of hospital stay (17.1 days vs. 8.0 days, p = 0.01). Smoking, postmenopausal status, past medical history of PID, and high C-reactive protein (CRP) level at admission were significantly associated with emergency surgery. In patients with successful expectant management, obesity (body mass index ≥ 30) and high WBC and CRP level at admission were significantly associated with prolonged hospitalization. Conclusions Of the patients requiring hospitalization owing to PID, TOA was associated with both emergency surgery and prolonged hospital stay. Patients with increased inflammatory markers and obesity should be considered to be at a high risk for unfavorable clinical course in the management of PID.