Composition at the CuInSe2 ZnO interface copper depletion induced by diethyl zinc

Abstract The interface formation between epitaxial CuInSe2 112 films and ZnO deposited by metal organic MBE is investigated by photoelectron spectroscopy. Reaction of diethyl zinc with CuInSe2 leads to the formation of an intrinsic ZnSe layer and copper depletion of the interface. This is associated with Zn doping of the chalcopyrite surface and a Fermi level shift towards the conduction band. The implications on the band alignment are discussed

A novel method for pulmonary research: Assessment of bioenergetic function at the air–liquid interface

AbstractAir–liquid interface cell culture is an organotypic model for study of differentiated functional airway epithelium in vitro. Dysregulation of cellular energy metabolism and mitochondrial function have been suggested to contribute to airway diseases. However, there is currently no established method to determine oxygen consumption and glycolysis in airway epithelium in air–liquid interface. In order to study metabolism in differentiated airway epithelial cells, we engineered an insert for the Seahorse XF24 Analyzer that enabled the measure of respiration by oxygen consumption rate (OCR) and glycolysis by extracellular acidification rate (ECAR). Oxidative metabolism and glycolysis in airway epithelial cells cultured on the inserts were successfully measured. The inserts did not affect the measures of OCR or ECAR. Cells under media with apical and basolateral feeding had less oxidative metabolism as compared to cells on the inserts at air-interface with basolateral feeding. The design of inserts that can be used in the measure of bioenergetics in small numbers of cells in an organotypic state may be useful for evaluation of new drugs and metabolic mechanisms that underlie airway diseases

Sustained safety and efficacy of ligelizumab in patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria: A one‐year extension study

Background: Ligelizumab, a next-generation, humanized anti-immunoglobulin E (IgE) monoclonal antibody is in development as a treatment for patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria, whose symptoms are inadequately controlled with standard-of-care therapy. Objective: To evaluate the long-term safety and re-treatment efficacy of ligelizumab 240 mg in patients who completed the core study and extension study. Methods: This open-label, single-arm, long-term Phase 2b extension study was designed to assess patients who were previously administered various doses of ligelizumab, omalizumab or placebo in the Phase 2b, dose-finding core study and who presented with active disease after Week 32. In the extension study, patients received ligelizumab 240 mg subcutaneously every 4 weeks, for 52 weeks and were monitored post-treatment for 48 weeks. Results: Overall, ligelizumab was well-tolerated with no newly identified safety signals. A total of 95.4% (226/237) screened patients received ligelizumab 240 mg in the extension study; 84.1% (190/226) of patients experienced at least one treatment-emergent adverse event. Most reported events were mild (41.6%) or moderate (35.8%) and mostly unrelated to the study treatment. At Week 12, 46.5% of patients had a complete response increasing to 53.1% after 52 weeks. Following 52 weeks of extension study treatment, 75.8% (95% confidence interval, 69.9, 81.3) of patients had cumulative complete responses. The median time to relapse in complete responders was 38 weeks. Conclusion: The long-term safety profile of ligelizumab 240 mg in patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria was consistent with the core study and re-treatment efficacy was shown. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02477332 and NCT02649218

Ligelizumab for Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria

Background: In the majority of patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria, most currently available therapies do not result in complete symptom control. Ligelizumab is a next-generation high-affinity humanized monoclonal anti-IgE antibody. Data are limited regarding the dose–response relationship of ligelizumab and the efficacy and safety of ligelizumab as compared with omalizumab and placebo in patients who have moderate-to-severe chronic spontaneous urticaria that is inadequately controlled with H1-antihistamines at approved or increased doses, alone or in combination with H2-antihistamines or leukotriene-receptor antagonists. Methods: In a phase 2b dose-finding trial, we randomly assigned patients to receive ligelizumab at a dose of 24 mg, 72 mg, or 240 mg, omalizumab at a dose of 300 mg, or placebo, administered subcutaneously every 4 weeks for a period of 20 weeks, or a single 120-mg dose of ligelizumab. Disease symptoms of hives, itch, and angioedema were monitored by means of weekly activity scores. The main objective was to determine a dose–response relationship for the complete control of hives (indicated by a weekly hives-severity score of 0, on a scale from 0 to 21, with higher scores indicating greater severity); the primary end point of this response was assessed at week 12. Complete symptom control was indicated by a weekly urticaria activity score of 0 (on a scale from 0 to 42, with higher scores indicating greater severity). Safety was analyzed throughout the trial. Results: A total of 382 patients underwent randomization. At week 12, a total of 30%, 51%, and 42% of the patients treated with 24 mg, 72 mg, and 240 mg, respectively, of ligelizumab had complete control of hives, as compared with 26% of the patients in the omalizumab group and no patients in the placebo group. A dose–response relationship was established. At week 12, a total of 30%, 44%, and 40% of the patients treated with 24 mg, 72 mg, and 240 mg, respectively, of ligelizumab had complete control of symptoms, as compared with 26% of the patients in the omalizumab group and no patients in the placebo group. In this small and short trial, no safety concerns regarding ligelizumab or omalizumab emerged. Conclusions: A higher percentage of patients had complete control of symptoms of chronic spontaneous urticaria with ligelizumab therapy of 72 mg or 240 mg than with omalizumab or placebo. (Funded by Novartis Pharma; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02477332. opens in new tab.

Sustained safety and efficacy of ligelizumab in patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria: A one‐year extension study

Background Ligelizumab, a next-generation, humanized anti-immunoglobulin E (IgE) monoclonal antibody is in development as a treatment for patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria, whose symptoms are inadequately controlled with standard-of-care therapy. Objective To evaluate the long-term safety and re-treatment efficacy of ligelizumab 240 mg in patients who completed the core study and extension study. Methods This open-label, single-arm, long-term Phase 2b extension study was designed to assess patients who were previously administered various doses of ligelizumab, omalizumab or placebo in the Phase 2b, dose-finding core study and who presented with active disease after Week 32. In the extension study, patients received ligelizumab 240 mg subcutaneously every 4 weeks, for 52 weeks and were monitored post-treatment for 48 weeks. Results Overall, ligelizumab was well-tolerated with no newly identified safety signals. A total of 95.4% (226/237) screened patients received ligelizumab 240 mg in the extension study; 84.1% (190/226) of patients experienced at least one treatment-emergent adverse event. Most reported events were mild (41.6%) or moderate (35.8%) and mostly unrelated to the study treatment. At Week 12, 46.5% of patients had a complete response increasing to 53.1% after 52 weeks. Following 52 weeks of extension study treatment, 75.8% (95% confidence interval, 69.9, 81.3) of patients had cumulative complete responses. The median time to relapse in complete responders was 38 weeks. Conclusion The long-term safety profile of ligelizumab 240 mg in patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria was consistent with the core study and re-treatment efficacy was shown. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02477332 and NCT02649218

Heart ventricular activation in VAT difference maps from children with chronic kidney disease

Children with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are affected by cardiovascular complications, including disturbances in the intraventricular conduction system. Body surface potential mapping (BSPM) is a non-invasive method of assessing the cardioelectrical field. Our aim was to investigate conduction disturbances in young CKD patients using ventricular activation time (VAT) maps. Our study comprised 22 CKD children (mean age: 13.1 ± 2.5 years) treated conservatively and 29 control patients. For each child 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) readings were taken, and blood pressure and serum concentrations of iPTH, Pi, t-Ca, creatinine, Fe+3, ferritin, and Hb, as well as eGFR were measured. All children underwent registration in the 87-lead BSPM system, and group-mean VAT maps and a difference map, which presents statistically significant differences between the groups, were created. The VAT map distribution in CKD patients revealed abnormalities specific to left anterior fascicle block. The difference map displays the areas of intergroup VAT changes, which are of discriminative value in detecting intraventricular conduction disturbances. Intraventricular conduction impairments in the left bundle branch may occur in children with CKD. BSPM enables conduction disturbances in CKD children to be detected earlier than using 12-lead ECG. The difference map derived from the group-mean isochrone maps precisely localizes the sites of disturbed conduction in the heart intraventricular conduction system

Possibility of natural gas dehydration using polymer membranes

Osuszanie gazu ziemnego na instalacjach glikolowych jest energochłonne i emituje do środowiska niebezpieczne związki chemiczne. Przeprowadzono badania osuszania azotu, metanu i gazu ziemnego na module membranowym. Badania wykonywano na mikrokapilarnych membranach (hollow fiber) z poliimidu. Moduł membranowy zamontowany był na stanowisku pomiarowym do badań w warunkach wysokiego ciśnienia gazu. Prowadzono pomiary przepływu strumieni gazu, ciśnienia, temperatury i wilgotności w strumieniach nadawy, retentatu i permeatu. Uzyskano wysokie stopnie obniżenia wilgotności w gazach. Stwierdzono, że efektywność osuszania gazu po kontakcie z membraną zależy od wartości przepływów i od ciśnienia. Wraz ze wzrostem ciśnienia transmembranowego efektywność odwodnienia się zwiększa. Przy ciśnieniu gazu powyżej 10 bar uzyskiwany jest poziom zawilgocenia odpowiadający wymaganiom normy osuszania gazu ziemnego w zimie, przy współczynniku podziału powyżej 0,08. Przy ciśnieniu gazu powyżej 45 bar norma osuszania spełniona jest przy współczynniku podziału poniżej 0,01. Wykazano, że technologia membranowa stanowi atrakcyjną metodę osuszania gazu ziemnego na membranach.Dehydration of natural gas at glycol installations is energy-consuming and emits hazardous chemicals to the environment. Dehydration tests of nitrogen, methane and natural gas on a membrane module were conducted. The tests were conducted on microcapillary membranes (hollow fiber) made of polyimide. The membrane module was mounted on a test station in high gas pressure conditions. The flow of the streams of gas, pressure, temperature and humidity in the streams of feed, retentate and permeate were conducted. High levels of humidity reduction in gases were obtained. It was found that the dehydration effectiveness of gas, after contact with the membrane, depends on the values of flows and pressure. With the increase of the transmembrane pressure, the effectiveness of dehydration increases. At a gas pressure above 10 bar, the level of humidity achieved is corresponding to the requirements of the standards for dehydration of natural gas in winter, with a partition coefficient (stage cut) above 0.08. At a gas pressure above 45 bar, the standard for dehydration is met at a partition coefficient of less than 0.01. It was proven that the membrane technology is an attractive method for natural gas dehydration on membranes

Określenie możliwości separacji siarkowodoru ze strumienia gazów na membranach poliimidowych

A laboratory pressure system with a membrane module was set up allowing to perform flow measurements and separation of gases and vapors. At the membrane polyimide module permeability test was conducted four mixes CH4–H2S concentrations ranging from 0.28% to 17.9% H2S, with different ratios of the permeate flow to the retentate inlet pressures in the range of 10÷96 bar. It has been found that with increasing H2S content in the inlet gas, methane losses decrease. Tests were carried out for different inlet gas flows at breakdown coefficients in the range of 0.08÷0.45.The study was conducted in a high pressure, aggressive environment for highly toxic gases. The article shows the possibility of changing the composition of product streams in the conducted membrane separation process. Three times the hydrogen sulfide content in the permeate was increased. The degree of H2S removal from the inlet gas was up to 90%. It has been found that membrane techniques can be successfully used in the preliminary stage of the natural gas sweetening process.Zestawiono laboratoryjną instalację ciśnieniową z modułem membranowym pozwalającą wykonywać pomiary przepływu i separacji gazów i par. Na module z membranami poliimidowymi przeprowadzono badania przepuszczalności czterech mieszanek CH4–H2S o stężeniach od 0,28 % do 17,9% H2S, przy różnych stosunkach przepływu permeatu do retentatu dla ciśnień wlotowych w zakresie 10÷96 bar. Stwierdzono, że ze wzrostem zawartości H2S w gazie wlotowym, maleją straty metanu. Testy prowadzone były dla różnych przepływów gazu wlotowego przy współczynnikach podziału na strumienie w zakresie 0,08÷0,45. Badania prowadzono w wysokociśnieniowym, agresywnym środowisku dla gazów wysokotoksycznych. W artykule wykazano możliwość zmiany składu strumieni produktowych w prowadzonym procesie separacji membranowej. Uzyskano trzykrotny wzrost zawartości siarkowodoru w permeacie. Stopień usunięcia H2S z gazu wlotowego dochodził do 90%. Stwierdzono, że techniki membranowe mogą z powodzeniem być zastosowane we wstępnym etapie procesu odsiarczania gazu ziemnego