Topographical anisotropy and wetting of ground stainless steel surfaces

Microscopic and physico-chemical methods were used for a comprehensive surface characterization of different mechanically modified stainless steel surfaces. The surfaces were analyzed using high-resolution confocal microscopy, resulting in detailed information about the topographic properties. In addition, static water contact angle measurements were carried out to characterize the surface heterogeneity of the samples. The effect of morphological anisotropy on water contact angle anisotropy was investigated. The correlation between topography and wetting was studied by means of a model of wetting proposed in the present work, that allows quantifying the air volume of the interface water drop-stainless steel surface

Cleaning of soft-solid soil layers on vertical and horizontal surfaces by stationary coherent impinging liquid jets

The cleaning action of stationary coherent liquid jets impinging (a) vertically downwards on horizontal plates, and (b) horizontally on vertical plates, was investigated using three soft-solid model soil layers: (i) PVA glue on glass and polymethylmethacrylate (Perspex) substrates; (ii) Xanthan gum on stainless steel; and (iii) petroleum jelly on glass. The liquid stream nozzle sizes, mass and volumetric flow rates and mean jet velocities investigated were: PVA, 2 mm, 17-50 g s^-1 (0.06-0.139 m^3 h^-1), 5.3-15.9 m s^-1; Xanthan gum, 0.39-3.3 mm, 2.1-148 g s^-1 (0.008-0.53 m^3 h^-1); 4.5-31.7 m s^-1; petroleum jelly, 2 mm, 7.8-50 g s^-1 (0.06-0.139 m^3 h^-1); 2.5-15.9 m s^-1. For all three soils, rapid initial removal of soil from the jet footprint was followed by the growth of a nearly circular, clean region centred at the point of jet impingement. The rate of removal of soil decreased sharply when the cleaning front reached the hydraulic or film jump. The data for the radial growth removal stage were compared with a mathematical model describing removal of the adhesive soil layer, where the force on the cleaning front was evaluated using the result reported by Wilson et al. (2011): their theory gave the momentum of the liquid film; this momentum was balanced against the soil strength, giving a simple relation between the cleaned radius and time. All three soils showed reasonable agreement with the model, across the range of flow rates and temperatures studied. The kinetic constant in the model was sensitive to soil layer thickness and the nature of the soil. Cleaning tests on the petroleum jelly soils at different temperatures, and separate rheological measurements, showed that the kinetic time constant for coating removal was proportional to the (critical shear stress)^-1.8. There was good agreement between results obtained with vertical and horizontal plates for the PVA and Xanthan gum soil layers. The petroleum jelly results differed, which is partly attributed to differences in preparing the layers of this rheologically complex material.This is the author's accepted manuscript and is under embargo until 3/2/16. The final published version can be found in Chemical Engineering Science here: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S000925091400044X

Polyneuropathy improvement following autologous stem cell transplantation for POEMS syndrome

OBJECTIVE: To study the evolution of the neuropathy and long-term disability in a large cohort of patients with POEMS (polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, M protein, and skin changes) syndrome following autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT). METHODS: Retrospective chart review documenting the clinical, electrophysiologic, and laboratory characteristics of patients with POEMS syndrome undergoing ASCT at Mayo Clinic, Rochester. RESULTS: Sixty patients with a median follow-up time of 61 months were studied. All patients had peripheral polyneuropathy and demonstrated neurologic improvement after ASCT (apart from one patient who died early). Before ASCT, 27 patients (45%) required a wheelchair and 17 (29%) required a walker or foot brace. At the end of the follow-up period, no patient was using a wheelchair and 23 patients (38%) were using a foot brace. The median Neuropathy Impairment Score improved from 66 to 48 points at 12 months and to 30 points at most recent follow-up (p < 0.0001). Median Rankin Scale score improved from 3 to 1.5 (p < 0.0001). Vascular endothelial growth factor levels decreased from a median of 452 to 63.5 pg/mL (p < 0.0001). The ulnar compound motor action potential amplitude (median) improved from 4.3 to 7.6 mV (p < 0.0001) and ulnar compound motor action potential conduction velocity (median) improved from 34 to 51 m/s (p < 0.0001). Predicted forced vital capacity improved from 81% to 88% (p < 0.0001). Periengraftment syndrome occurred in 24 patients. Fourteen patients required additional chemotherapy and/or radiation following ASCT, but there was no clinical deterioration in the neuropathy in any of these patients. Six patients died: 1 due to POEMS, 1 due to failed engraftment, and 4 due to other malignancies (2 myelodysplastic syndrome, 1 lymphoma, 1 metastatic lung cancer). CONCLUSION: Patients with POEMS syndrome who undergo ASCT have a significant and meaningful improvement of their neuropathy by multiple measurements during both short and long-term follow-up, which corresponds to reduction in morbidity and disability (none are in wheelchair long-term). Periengraftment syndrome was common but manageable. Fatal complications, although rare, did occur, usually in association with other malignancies. CLASSIFICATION OF EVIDENCE: This study provides Class IV evidence that for patients with POEMS syndrome, ASCT improves neuropathy-related function

Technical Report Scintigraphic Evaluation of Bone Formation in Göttingen Minipigs

In experiments and processes requiring the application of nuclear tracers in large animals, statutory provisions  and safety standards as well as a variety of techniques have to be regarded and employed. In order to sufficiently analyze questions pertaining to osseointegration as well as the possibility of ectopic  bone formation in Göttingen minipigs, we decided to use scintigraphic examinations using 99mTc-HDP  (Technetium - hydroxymethane diphosphonate). In this study, metallic implants coated in different forms  with rhBMP-2 (recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2) were surgically introduced into the  pigs’ femora. A total of 26 adult female minipigs (Ellegard, Dalmose, Denmark) averaging 40 months in  age were post-surgically evaluated through the application of a radionuclide and its subsequent distribution  using a scintillation camera. Each animal received approximately 10 MBq/kg BW (mega Becquerel per  kilogram bodyweight). This paper describes the procedures of anaesthesia, the quite challenging transvaginal- urethral catheterization,  the application of a catheter in the jugular vein, the radionuclide injection and the disposal of the  sacrificed animals under statutory provisions and safety standards. The technical report reveals that the scintigraphic evaluation in large animal experiments is a practicable  – yet sophisticated – method of examination and also strives to encourage further research groups to implement  this elegant procedure.

T-bet negatively regulates autoimmune myocarditis by suppressing local production of interleukin 17

Experimental autoimmune myocarditis (EAM) appears after infectious heart disease, the most common cause of dilated cardiomyopathy in humans. Here we report that mice lacking T-bet, a T-box transcription factor required for T helper (Th)1 cell differentiation and interferon (IFN)-γ production, develop severe autoimmune heart disease compared to T-bet−/− control mice. Experiments in T-bet−/− IL-4−/− and T-bet−/− IL-4Rα−/− mice, as well as transfer of heart-specific Th1 and Th2 cell lines, showed that autoimmune heart disease develops independently of Th1 or Th2 polarization. Analysis of T-bet−/− IL-12Rβ1−/− and T-bet−/− IL-12p35−/− mice then identified interleukin (IL)-23 as critical for EAM pathogenesis. In addition, T-bet−/− mice showed a marked increase in production of the IL-23–dependent cytokine IL-17 by heart-infiltrating lymphocytes, and in vivo IL-17 depletion markedly reduced EAM severity in T-bet−/− mice. Heart-infiltrating T-bet−/− CD8+ but not CD8− T cells secrete IFN-γ, which inhibits IL-17 production and protects against severe EAM. In contrast, T-bet−/− CD8+ lymphocytes completely lost their capacity to release IFN-γ within the heart. Collectively, these data show that severe IL-17–mediated EAM can develop in the absence of T-bet, and that T-bet can regulate autoimmunity via the control of nonspecific CD8+ T cell bystander functions in the inflamed target organ

Recombinant activated factor VII (Novo7®) in patients with ventricular assist devices: Case report and review of the current literature

Postoperative bleeding might become a serious problem in the management of cardiac surgical patients, with marked medical and economic impact. In these life-threatening situations, massive haemorrhage represents frequently a combination of surgical and coagulopathic bleeding. Surgical bleeding results from a definite source at the operation site and can be corrected using surgical standard techniques. Acute coagulopathies, in contrast, result from impaired thrombin formation, and require optimized therapeutical strategies. Effective pharmacological treatment will be complicated by the presence of ventricular assist devices (VAD), which necessarily imply effective anticoagulation

Analysis of autonomic outcomes in APOLLO, a phase III trial of the RNAi therapeutic patisiran in patients with hereditary transthyretin-mediated amyloidosis

Hereditary transthyretin-mediated (hATTR) amyloidosis is a progressive, debilitating disease often resulting in early-onset, life-impacting autonomic dysfunction. The effect of the RNAi therapeutic, patisiran, on autonomic neuropathy manifestations in patients with hATTR amyloidosis with polyneuropathy in the phase III APOLLO study is reported. Patients received patisiran 0.3 mg/kg intravenously (n = 148) or placebo (n = 77) once every 3 weeks for 18 months. Patisiran halted or reversed polyneuropathy and improved quality of life from baseline in the majority of patients. At baseline, patients in APOLLO had notable autonomic impairment, as demonstrated by the Composite Autonomic Symptom Score-31 (COMPASS-31) questionnaire and Norfolk Quality of Life-Diabetic Neuropathy (Norfolk QOL-DN) questionnaire autonomic neuropathy domain. At 18 months, patisiran improved autonomic neuropathy symptoms compared with placebo [COMPASS-31, least squares (LS) mean difference, - 7.5; 95% CI: - 11.9, - 3.2; Norfolk QOL-DN autonomic neuropathy domain, LS mean difference, - 1.1; - 1.8, - 0.5], nutritional status (modified body mass index, LS mean difference, 115.7; - 82.4, 149.0), and vasomotor function (postural blood pressure, LS mean difference, - 0.3; - 0.5, - 0.1). Patisiran treatment also led to improvement from baseline at 18 months for COMPASS-31 (LS mean change from baseline, - 5.3; 95% CI: - 7.9, - 2.7) and individual domains, orthostatic intolerance (- 4.6; - 6.3, - 2.9) and gastrointestinal symptoms (- 0.8; - 1.5, - 0.2). Rapid worsening of all study measures was observed with placebo, while patisiran treatment resulted in stable or improved scores compared with baseline. Patisiran demonstrates benefit across a range of burdensome autonomic neuropathy manifestations that deteriorate rapidly without early and continued treatment.The study was funded by Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Medical writing services provided by Kristen Brown (PhD) of Adelphi Communications Ltd, Macclesfeld, UK were funded by Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in accordance with Good Publication Practice (GPP3) guidelines. We would like to thank Anastasia McManus (Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc.) for her assistance during preparation of this manuscript.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio