Porous Silicon Particles for Cancer Therapy and Bioimaging

Porous silicon (pSi) engineered by electrochemical etching of silicon has been explored as a drug delivery carrier with the aim of overcoming the limitations of traditional therapies and medical treatments. pSi is biodegradable, non-cytotoxic and has optoelectronic properties that make this platform material a unique candidate for developing biomaterials for drug delivery and theranostics therapies. pSi provides new opportunities to improve existing therapies in different areas, paving the way for developing advanced theranostic nanomedicines, incorporating payloads of therapeutics with imaging capabilities. However, despite these outstanding advances, more extensive in-vivo studies are needed to assess the feasibility and reliability of this technology for real clinical practice. In this Chapter, we present an updated overview about the recent therapeutic systems based on pSi, with a critical analysis on the problems and opportunities that this technology faces as well as highlighting the growing potential of pSi technolgy

Porous Silicon Functionalities for BioMEMS

This chapter presents a literature survey of the applications of porous silicon in BioMEMS (biological/biomedical microelectromechanical systems). This material possesses properties particularly suitable for biomedical purposes: biocompatibility, biodegradability, photoluminescence, ability to precisely control the pore size and shape, and possibility to easily modify the surface chemistry. Many applications can, for instance, be found in the fields of sensing and delivery of therapeutics. It is expected that the number of BioMEMS using porous silicon will continue to increase in the future with the development of lab-on-a-chip/ microfluidic devices.SCOPUS: ch.binfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Porous silicon functionalities for BioMEMS

This chapter presents a literature survey of the applications of porous silicon in BioMEMS (biological/biomedical microelectromechanical systems). This material possesses properties particularly suitable for biomedical purposes: biocompatibility, biodegradability, photoluminescence, ability to precisely control the pore size and shape, and possibility to easily modify the surface chemistry. Many applications can, for instance, be found in the fields of sensing and delivery of therapeutics. It is expected that the number of BioMEMS using porous silicon will continue to increase in the future with the development of lab-on-a-chip/ microfluidic devices.SCOPUS: ch.binfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Measuring spatial structure in time-averaged deposits insights from Roc de Marsal, France

The use of space, both at the landscape and the site level, is considered an important aspect of hominin adaptations that changed through time. At the site level, spatial analyses are typically conducted on deposits thought to have a high degree of temporal resolution. Sites with highly time-averaged deposits are viewed as inferior for these analyses because repeated site visits obscure individual behavioral events. To the contrary, here, we take the view that behaviors that repeat themselves in a spatially structured way through time are exactly the kinds of behaviors that are potentially significant at an evolutionary timescale. In this framework, time averaging is seen not as a hindrance but rather as a necessary condition for viewing meaningful behavior. To test whether such patterning is visible in time-averaged deposits, we use spatial statistics to analyze a number of indices designed to measure lithic production, use and discard behaviors in a multi-layer, late Neandertal cave site in southwest France. We find that indeed some such patterning does exist, and thus sites with highly time-averaged deposits have the potential to contribute to our understanding of how hominin use of space varied through time. This is useful because a great many archaeological sites have highly time-average deposits. Interpreting the spatial patterning will likely require modeling to create expectations in time-averaged and likely emergent contexts such as these.US National Science FoundationNational Science Foundation (NSF) [09177739, 0551927]Leakey FoundationUniversity of Pennsylvania Research FoundationService Regional de l'Archeologie d'AquitaineRegion Nouvelle-AquitaineConseil General de la DordogneRegion Nouvelle-AquitaineMax Planck SocietyMax Planck SocietyFoundation CELLEXCenter for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology at George Washington Universityinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Control of foliar diseases in barley:towards an integrated approach

Barley is one of the world's most important crops providing food and related products for millions of people. Diseases continue to pose a serious threat to barley production, despite the use of fungicides and resistant varieties, highlighting the impact of fungicide resistance and the breakdown of host plant resistance on the efficacy of control measures. This paper reviews progress towards an integrated approach for disease management in barley in which new methods may be combined with existing measures to improve the efficacy of control in the long-term. Advances have been made in genetic mapping of resistance (R) genes and in identifying novel sources of genes in wild barley populations and land races. Marker assisted selection techniques are being used to pyramid R genes to increase the durability of resistance. Elicitors to induce host resistance used in combination with fungicides can provide effective disease control in the field and could delay the evolution of fungicide insensitivity. Traits that may contribute to disease tolerance and escape have been identified and the extent of genetic variation within barley germplasm is being determined. Tools are being developed to integrate the above methods via an assessment of the risk of economic injury occurring from disease to guide decisions on the requirement for fungicide treatment. Barriers exist to the adoption of integrated management approaches from growers and end-users further down the supply chain (e. g. acceptance of variety mixtures) and policy incentives from government may be required for it to be taken up in practice. © 2012 KNPV

Safety of hospital discharge before return of bowel function after elective colorectal surgery

Background: Ileus is common after colorectal surgery and is associated with an increased risk of postoperative complications. Identifying features of normal bowel recovery and the appropriateness for hospital discharge is challenging. This study explored the safety of hospital discharge before the return of bowel function.Methods: A prospective, multicentre cohort study was undertaken across an international collaborative network. Adult patients undergoing elective colorectal resection between January and April 2018 were included. The main outcome of interest was readmission to hospital within 30 days of surgery. The impact of discharge timing according to the return of bowel function was explored using multivariable regression analysis. Other outcomes were postoperative complications within 30 days of surgery, measured using the Clavien-Dindo classification system.Results: A total of 3288 patients were included in the analysis, of whom 301 (9.2 per cent) were discharged before the return of bowel function. The median duration of hospital stay for patients discharged before and after return of bowel function was 5 (i.q.r. 4-7) and 7 (6-8) days respectively (P < 0.001). There were no significant differences in rates of readmission between these groups (6.6 versus 8.0 per cent; P = 0.499), and this remained the case after multivariable adjustment for baseline differences (odds ratio 0.90, 95 per cent c.i. 0.55 to 1.46; P = 0.659). Rates of postoperative complications were also similar in those discharged before versus after return of bowel function (minor: 34.7 versus 39.5 per cent; major 3.3 versus 3.4 per cent; P = 0.110).Conclusion: Discharge before return of bowel function after elective colorectal surgery appears to be safe in appropriately selected patients