Recompensation of Heart and Kidney Function after Treatment with Peritoneal Dialysis in a Case of Congestive Heart Failure

We report the case of a 57-year-old woman suffering from congestive heart failure. Due to refractory congestions despite optimised medical treatment, the patient was listed for heart transplantation and peritoneal dialysis was initiated. Peritoneal dialysis led to a significant weight loss, reduction of hyperhydration and extracellular water obtained by bioimpedance measurement, and a significant improvement in clinical and echocardiographic examination. Furthermore, residual kidney function increased during the long-term followup, and subsequently peritoneal dialysis was ceased. Pulmonary artery pressure and left ventricular ejection fraction remained stable and the patient did well. This case demonstrates the possibility of treating hyperhydration due to congestive heart failure with peritoneal dialysis resulting in recompensation of both heart and kidney functions

Capturing and stabilizing folded proteins in lattices formed with branched oligonucleotide hybrids

The encapsulation of folded proteins in stabilizing matrices is one of the challenges of soft‐matter materials science. Capturing such fragile bio‐macromolecules from aqueous solution, and embedding them in a lattice that stabilizes them against denaturation and decomposition is difficult. Here, we report that tetrahedral oligonucleotide hybrids as branching elements, and connecting DNA duplexes with sticky ends can assemble into materials. The material‐forming property was used to capture DNA‐binding proteins selectively from aqueous protein mixtures. The three‐dimensional networks also encapsulate guest molecules in a size‐selective manner, accommodating proteins up to a molecular weight of approximately 159 kDa for the connecting duplex lengths tested. Exploratory experiments with green fluorescent protein showed that, when embedded in the DNA‐based matrix, the protein is more stable toward denaturation than in the free form, and retains its luminescent properties for at least 90 days in dry form. The noncrystalline biohybrid matrices presented herein may be used for capturing other proteins or for producing functional materials

Asymptotic step profiles from a nonlinear growth equation for vicinal surfaces

We study a recently proposed nonlinear evolution equation describing the collective step meander on a vicinal surface subject to the Bales-Zangwill growth instability [O. Pierre-Louis et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. (80), 4221 (1998)]. A careful numerical analysis shows that the dynamically selected step profile consists of sloped segments, given by an inverse error function and steepening as sqrt(t), which are matched to pieces of a stationary (time-independent) solution describing the maxima and minima. The effect of smoothening by step edge diffusion is included heuristically, and a one-parameter family of evolution equations is introduced which contains relaxation by step edge diffusion and by attachment-detachment as special cases. The question of the persistence of an initially imposed meander wavelength is investigated in relation to recent experiments.Comment: 4 pages, 5 included figures. Typo in Eq.(5) corrected, section headlines added and Ref.[12] update

Morphology of ledge patterns during step flow growth of metal surfaces vicinal to fcc(001)

The morphological development of step edge patterns in the presence of meandering instability during step flow growth is studied by simulations and numerical integration of a continuum model. It is demonstrated that the kink Ehrlich-Schwoebel barrier responsible for the instability leads to an invariant shape of the step profiles. The step morphologies change with increasing coverage from a somewhat triangular shape to a more flat, invariant steady state form. The average pattern shape extracted from the simulations is shown to be in good agreement with that obtained from numerical integration of the continuum theory.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, RevTeX 3, submitted to Phys. Rev.

Competing mechanisms for step meandering in unstable growth

The meander instability of a vicinal surface growing under step flow conditions is studied within a solid-on-solid model. In the absence of edge diffusion the selected meander wavelength agrees quantitatively with the continuum linear stability analysis of Bales and Zangwill [Phys. Rev. B {\bf 41}, 4400 (1990)]. In the presence of edge diffusion a local instability mechanism related to kink rounding barriers dominates, and the meander wavelength is set by one-dimensional nucleation. The long-time behavior of the meander amplitude differs in the two cases, and disagrees with the predictions of a nonlinear step evolution equation [O. Pierre-Louis et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 80}, 4221 (1998)]. The variation of the meander wavelength with the deposition flux and with the activation barriers for step adatom detachment and step crossing (the Ehrlich-Schwoebel barrier) is studied in detail. The interpretation of recent experiments on surfaces vicinal to Cu(100) [T. Maroutian et al., Phys. Rev. B {\bf 64}, 165401 (2001)] in the light of our results yields an estimate for the kink barrier at the close packed steps.Comment: 8 pages, 7 .eps figures. Final version. Some errors in chapter V correcte

A combination of LCPUFA ameliorates airway inflammation in asthmatic mice by promoting pro-resolving effects and reducing adverse effects of EPA

Cusanuswerk, who supported D.F. with a stipend. J.D. is funded by European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant no: 677542) and the Barts Charity (grant no: MGU0343) to J.D. J.D. is also supported by a Sir Henry Dale Fellowship jointly funded by the Wellcome Trust and the Royal Society (grant 107613/Z/15/Z)

Quantitative Histomorphometry of the Healthy Peritoneum

The peritoneum plays an essential role in preventing abdominal frictions and adhesions and can be utilized as a dialysis membrane. Its physiological ultrastructure, however, has not yet been studied systematically. 106 standardized peritoneal and 69 omental specimens were obtained from 107 patients (0.1–60 years) undergoing surgery for disease not affecting the peritoneum for automated quantitative histomorphometry and immunohistochemistry. The mesothelial cell layer morphology and protein expression pattern is similar across all age groups. Infants below one year have a thinner submesothelium; inflammation, profibrotic activity and mesothelial cell translocation is largely absent in all age groups. Peritoneal blood capillaries, lymphatics and nerve fibers locate in three distinct submesothelial layers. Blood vessel density and endothelial surface area follow a U-shaped curve with highest values in infants below one year and lowest values in children aged 7–12 years. Lymphatic vessel density is much lower, and again highest in infants. Omental blood capillary density correlates with parietal peritoneal findings, whereas only few lymphatic vessels are present. The healthy peritoneum exhibits major thus far unknown particularities, pertaining to functionally relevant structures, and subject to substantial changes with age. The reference ranges established here provide a framework for future histomorphometric analyses and peritoneal transport modeling approaches

Critical behavior of weakly-disordered anisotropic systems in two dimensions

The critical behavior of two-dimensional (2D) anisotropic systems with weak quenched disorder described by the so-called generalized Ashkin-Teller model (GATM) is studied. In the critical region this model is shown to be described by a multifermion field theory similar to the Gross-Neveu model with a few independent quartic coupling constants. Renormalization group calculations are used to obtain the temperature dependence near the critical point of some thermodynamic quantities and the large distance behavior of the two-spin correlation function. The equation of state at criticality is also obtained in this framework. We find that random models described by the GATM belong to the same universality class as that of the two-dimensional Ising model. The critical exponent $\nu$ of the correlation length for the 3- and 4-state random-bond Potts models is also calculated in a 3-loop approximation. We show that this exponent is given by an apparently convergent series in $\epsilon=c-\frac{1}{2}$ (with $c$ the central charge of the Potts model) and that the numerical values of $\nu$ are very close to that of the 2D Ising model. This work therefore supports the conjecture (valid only approximately for the 3- and 4-state Potts models) of a superuniversality for the 2D disordered models with discrete symmetries.Comment: REVTeX, 24 pages, to appear in Phys.Rev.

Magnetic critical behavior of two-dimensional random-bond Potts ferromagnets in confined geometries

We present a numerical study of 2D random-bond Potts ferromagnets. The model is studied both below and above the critical value $Q_c=4$ which discriminates between second and first-order transitions in the pure system. Two geometries are considered, namely cylinders and square-shaped systems, and the critical behavior is investigated through conformal invariance techniques which were recently shown to be valid, even in the randomness-induced second-order phase transition regime Q>4. In the cylinder geometry, connectivity transfer matrix calculations provide a simple test to find the range of disorder amplitudes which is characteristic of the disordered fixed point. The scaling dimensions then follow from the exponential decay of correlations along the strip. Monte Carlo simulations of spin systems on the other hand are generally performed on systems of rectangular shape on the square lattice, but the data are then perturbed by strong surface effects. The conformal mapping of a semi-infinite system inside a square enables us to take into account boundary effects explicitly and leads to an accurate determination of the scaling dimensions. The techniques are applied to different values of Q in the range 3-64.Comment: LaTeX2e file with Revtex, revised versio

Fairy tale tourism: the architectural projection mapping of magically real and irreal festival lightscapes

This paper explores how established light festivals such as the Fête des Lumières in Lyon and Lumiere in Durham were first conceived by Robert-Houdin as illusory illuminations in the Loire in the 1950s. The research investigates the concept of spectacles as inversions of reality; re-situating light works within authenticity theory by exploring their manipulation of magical reality and irreality. The research uses the authors’ experience of event design to assess different interactions of light with the tri-dimensional architectural canvas, suggesting three classifications of animated projection mapping events: architecturally passive, architecturally physically active and architecturally metaphysically active. Each category has implications for how spectators perceive these installations. Architecturally passive events may use fairy tale content, evoking atavistic and affective responses, the ‘skinning’ of buildings with magical reality is designed to evoke perceptual duality, and the wobbling unfolding of irreality may ultimately create a state of ‘illuminated flow.