Organotypic Brain Cultures for Metastasis Research

We thank members of Brain Metastasis Group for critical discussion. Research in the Brain Metastasis Group is supported by MINECO-Retos SAF2017-89643-R (M.V.), Cancer Research Institute CLIP Award 2018 (M.V.), AECC (GCTRA16015SEOA) (M.V.), Bristol-Myers Squibb Melanoma Research Alliance Young Investigator Award 2017 (M.V.), Beug Foundation’s Prize for Metastasis Research 2017 (M.V.), Worldwide Cancer Research (19-0177) (M.V.), H2020-FETOPEN (828972) (M.V.), Fundación Ramón Areces (CIVP19S8163), and La Caixa-Severo Ochoa International PhD Program Fellowship (L.Z.). M.V. is a Ramón y Cajal Investigator (RYC-2013-13365) and an EMBO YIP investigator.N

Intra-abdominal hypertension due to heparin - induced retroperitoneal hematoma in patients with ventricle assist devices: report of four cases and review of the literature

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Elevated intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) has been identified as a cascade of pathophysiologic changes leading in end-organ failure due to decreasing compliance of the abdomen and the development of abdomen compartment syndrome (ACS). Spontaneous retroperitoneal hematoma (SRH) is a rare clinical entity seen almost exclusively in association with anticoagulation states, coagulopathies and hemodialysis; that may cause ACS among patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) and if treated inappropriately represents a high mortality rate.</p> <p>Case Presentation</p> <p>We report four patients (a 36-year-old Caucasian female, a 59-year-old White-Asian male, a 64-year-old Caucasian female and a 61-year-old Caucasian female) that developed an intra-abdominal hypertension due to heparin-induced retroperitoneal hematomas after implantation of ventricular assist devices because of heart failure. Three of the patients presented with dyspnea at rest, fatigue, pleura effusions in chest XR and increased heart rate although b-blocker therapy. A 36-year old female (the forth patient) presented with sudden, severe shortness of breath at rest, 10 days after an "acute bronchitis". At the time of the event in all cases international normalized ratio (INR) was <3.5 and partial thromboplastin time <65 sec. The patients were treated surgically, the large hematomas were evacuated and the systemic manifestations of the syndrome were reversed.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Identifying patients in the ICU at risk for developing ACS with constant surveillance can lead to prevention. ACS is the natural progression of pressure-induced end-organ changes and develops if IAP is not recognized and treated in a timely manner. Failure to recognize and appropriately treat ACS is fatal while timely intervention - if indicated - is associated with improvements in organ function and patient survival. Means for surgical decision making are based on clinical indicators of adverse physiology, rather than on a single measured parameter.</p

The Chemical Evolution of the La0.6Sr0.4CoO3−δ Surface Under SOFC Operating Conditions and Its Implications for Electrochemical Oxygen Exchange Activity

© The Author(s) 2018Owing to its extraordinary high activity for catalysing the oxygen exchange reaction, strontium doped LaCoO3 (LSC) is one of the most promising materials for solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) cathodes. However, under SOFC operating conditions this material suffers from performance degradation. This loss of electrochemical activity has been extensively studied in the past and an accumulation of strontium at the LSC surface has been shown to be responsible for most of the degradation effects. The present study sheds further light onto LSC surface changes also occurring under SOFC operating conditions. In-situ near ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements were conducted at temperatures between 400 and 790 °C. Simultaneously, electrochemical impedance measurements were performed to characterise the catalytic activity of the LSC electrode surface for O2 reduction. This combination allowed a correlation of the loss in electro-catalytic activity with the appearance of an additional La-containing Sr-oxide species at the LSC surface. This additional Sr-oxide species preferentially covers electrochemically active Co sites at the surface, and thus very effectively decreases the oxygen exchange performance of LSC. Formation of precipitates, in contrast, was found to play a less important role for the electrochemical degradation of LSC.Fonds zur Förderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung (FWF)212921411

Applicability of cardiogoniometry as a non-invasive screening tool for the detection of graft vasculopathy in heart transplant recipients

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