Interaction of oxygen with an AISI 314 stainless steel surface studied by ellipsometry and auger electron spectroscopy in combination with ion bombardment

The influence of pretreatment (ion bombardment) on the initial oxidation of AISI 314 stainless steel has been investigated in ultra high vacuum systems with ellipsometry and Auger electron spectroscopy. The bombardment was carried out with Ar+ ions with energies up to 2.2 keV at various doses and angles of incidence. Oxidation was performed at low Pos (< 10−5 Torr) and sample temperatures (<300°C). The worked layer was removed with low-energy argon ions. High energy bombardment causes an increase in oxidation rate and higher values of the real and imaginary part of the refractive index as compared to the undisturbed sample. The rate and extent of oxidation increases with increasing energy, dose and angle of incidence of the ion beam. The outermost part of the oxide is enriched in iron while the region near the substrate contains more nickel and chromium

Immunogenicity negatively influences the outcome of adalimumab treatment in Crohn's disease

Background: Adalimumab is an effective treatment in patients with Crohn's disease; as it is a humanized anti-tumour necrosis factor monoclonal antibody, immunogenicity is thought not to be of any significance. Aim: To assess whether antibodies to adalimumab (ATAs) affect adalimumab treatment outcome in patients with Crohn's disease previously treated with infliximab. Methods: A retrospective study was p

De waarde van waarden

Agrarische ondernemers schakelen voortdurend tussen de drie O’s: Ondernemer, Onderneming en Omgeving. De laatste jaren komt er steeds meer aandacht voor de relatie tussen onderneming en omgeving. We noemen dat omgevingsgericht ondernemen. Bij het Kenniscentrum Agrofood en Ondernemen in Dronten ligt de focus vooral op de ondernemer. Persoonlijke ontwikkeling van ondernemers in opleiding staat hoog in het vaandel. Onderdeel van die persoonlijke ontwikkeling is de bewustwording van de eigen waarden

The faecal scent of inflammatory bowel disease: Detection and monitoring based on volatile organic compound analysis

Background: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is diagnosed and monitored using endoscopic assessment, which is invasive and costly. In this study, potential of faecal volatile organic compounds (VOC) analysis for IBD detection and identification of disease activity was evaluated. Methods: IBD patients visiting outpatient clinics of participating tertiary hospitals were included. Active disease was defined as FCP ≥250 mg/g, remission as FCP <100 mg/g with Harvey Bradshaw Index <4 for Crohn's disease (CD) or Simple Clinical Colitis Activity Index <3 for ulcerative colitis (UC). Healthy controls (HC) were patients without mucosal abnormalities during colonoscopy. Faecal samples were measured using gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry. Results: A total of 280 IBD patients collected 107 CDa, 84 CDr, 80 UCa and 63 UCr samples. Additionally, 227 HC provided one faecal sample. UC and CD were discriminated from HC with high accuracy (AUC (95%CI): UCa vs HC 0.96(0.94-0.99); UCr vs HC 0.95(0.93-0.98); CDa vs HC 0.96(0.94-0.99); CDr vs HC 0.95(0.93-0.98)). There were small differences between UC and CD (0.55(0.50-0.6)) and no differences between active disease and remission (UCa vs UCr 0.63(0.44-0.82); CDa vs CDr 0.52(0.39-0.65)). Conclusion: Our study outcomes imply that faecal VOC analysis holds potential for identifying biomarkers for IBD detection but not for monitoring disease activity