Disease severity in familial cases of IBD

Background: Phenotypic traits of familial IBD relative to sporadic cases are controversial, probably related to limited statistical power of published evidence. Aim: To know if there are phenotype differences between familial and sporadic IBD, evaluating the prospective Spanish registry (ENEIDA) with 11,983 cases. Methods: 5783 patients (48.3%) had ulcerative colitis (UC) and 6200 (51.7%) Crohn's disease (CD). Cases with one or more 1st, 2nd or 3rd degree relatives affected by UC/CD were defined as familial case. Results: In UC and CD, familial cases compared with sporadic cases had an earlier disease onset (UC: 33 years [IQR 25–44] vs 37 years [IQR 27–49]; p b 0.0001); (CD: 27 years [IQR 21–35] vs 29 years [IQR 22–40]; p b 0.0001), higher prevalence of extraintestinal immune-related manifestations (EIMs) (UC: 17.2% vs 14%; p = 0.04); (CD: 30.1% vs 23.6%; p b 0.0001). Familial CD had higher percentage of ileocolic location (42.7% vs 51.8%; p = 0.0001), penetrating behavior (21% vs 17.6%; p = 0.01) and perianal disease (32% vs 27.1%; p = 0.003). Differences are not influenced by degree of consanguinity. Conclusion: When a sufficiently powered cohort is evaluated, familial aggregation in IBD is associated to an earlier disease onset, more EIMs and more severe phenotype in CD. This feature should be taken into account at establishing predictors of disease course

The ReactorSTM: Atomically resolved scanning tunneling microscopy under high-pressure, high-temperature catalytic reaction conditions

Quantum Matter and Optic

Combining biomarker and bulk compositional gradient analysis to assess reservoir connectivity

Author Posting. © The Author(s), 2010. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Elsevier B.V. for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Organic Geochemistry 41 (2010): 812-821, doi:10.1016/j.orggeochem.2010.05.003.Hydraulic connectivity of petroleum reservoirs represents one of the biggest uncertainties for both oil production and petroleum system studies. Here, a geochemical analysis involving bulk and detailed measures of crude oil composition is shown to constrain connectivity more tightly than is possible with conventional methods. Three crude oils collected from different depths in a single well exhibit large gradients in viscosity, density, and asphaltene content. Crude oil samples are collected with a wireline sampling tool providing samples from well‐defined locations and relatively free of contamination by drilling fluids; the known provenance of these samples minimizes uncertainties in the subsequent analysis. The detailed chemical composition of almost the entire crude oil is determined by use of comprehensive two‐dimensional gas chromatography (GC×GC) to interrogate the nonpolar fraction and negative ion electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (ESI FT‐ICR MS) to interrogate the polar fraction. The simultaneous presence of 25‐ norhopanes and mildly altered normal and isoprenoid alkanes is detected, suggesting that the reservoir has experienced multiple charges and contains a mixture of oils biodegraded to different extents. The gradient in asphaltene concentration is explained by an equilibrium model considering only gravitational segregation of asphaltene nanoaggregates; this grading can be responsible for the observed variation in viscosity. Combining these analyses yields a consistent picture of a connected reservoir in which the observed viscosity variation originates from gravitational segregation of asphaltene nanoaggregates in a crude oil with high asphaltene concentration resulting from multiple charges, including one charge that suffered severe biodegradation. Observation of these gradients having appropriate magnitudes suggests good reservoir connectivity with greater confidence than is possible with traditional techniques alone.The mass spectrometry work was supported by the NSF Division of Materials Research through DMR‐06‐54118, and the State of Florida

The ReactorAFM: Non-contact atomic force microscope operating under high-pressure and high-temperature catalytic conditions

An Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) has been integrated in a miniature high-pressure flow reactor for in-situ observations of heterogeneous catalytic reactions under conditions similar to those of industrial processes. The AFM can image model catalysts such as those consisting of metal nanoparticles on flat oxide supports in a gas atmosphere up to 6 bar and at a temperature up to 600 K, while the catalytic activity can be measured using mass spectrometry. The high-pressure reactor is placed inside an Ultrahigh Vacuum (UHV) system to supplement it with standard UHV sample preparation and characterization techniques. To demonstrate that this instrument successfully bridges both the pressure gap and the materials gap, images have been recorded of supported palladium nanoparticles catalyzing the oxidation of carbon monoxide under high-pressure, high-temperature conditions

The ReactorAFM

Quantum Matter and Optic

The ReactorSTM: Atomically resolved scanning tunneling microscopy under high-pressure, high-temperature catalytic reaction conditions

Quantum Matter and Optic