L´Art du Networking. Réseaux européens pour l´education

Bienzle H, Gelabert E, Jütte W, Kolyva K, Meyer N, Tilkin G. L´Art du Networking. Réseaux européens pour l´education. Wien: die Berater - Unternehmensberatungs GmbH; 2007

Kunst des Netzwerkens. Europäische Netzwerke im Bildungsbereich

Bienzle H, Gelabert E, Jütte W, Kolyva K, Meyer N, Tilkin G. Kunst des Netzwerkens. Europäische Netzwerke im Bildungsbereich. Wien: die Berater - Unternehmensberatungs GmbH; 2007

The Art of Networking. European Networks in Education

Bienzle H, Gelabert E, Jütte W, Kolyva K, Meyer N, Tilkin G. The Art of Networking. European Networks in Education. Wien: die Berater - Unternehmensberatungs GmbH; 2007

Post-intervention Status in Patients With Refractory Myasthenia Gravis Treated With Eculizumab During REGAIN and Its Open-Label Extension

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether eculizumab helps patients with anti-acetylcholine receptor-positive (AChR+) refractory generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) achieve the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America (MGFA) post-intervention status of minimal manifestations (MM), we assessed patients' status throughout REGAIN (Safety and Efficacy of Eculizumab in AChR+ Refractory Generalized Myasthenia Gravis) and its open-label extension. METHODS: Patients who completed the REGAIN randomized controlled trial and continued into the open-label extension were included in this tertiary endpoint analysis. Patients were assessed for the MGFA post-intervention status of improved, unchanged, worse, MM, and pharmacologic remission at defined time points during REGAIN and through week 130 of the open-label study. RESULTS: A total of 117 patients completed REGAIN and continued into the open-label study (eculizumab/eculizumab: 56; placebo/eculizumab: 61). At week 26 of REGAIN, more eculizumab-treated patients than placebo-treated patients achieved a status of improved (60.7% vs 41.7%) or MM (25.0% vs 13.3%; common OR: 2.3; 95% CI: 1.1-4.5). After 130 weeks of eculizumab treatment, 88.0% of patients achieved improved status and 57.3% of patients achieved MM status. The safety profile of eculizumab was consistent with its known profile and no new safety signals were detected. CONCLUSION: Eculizumab led to rapid and sustained achievement of MM in patients with AChR+ refractory gMG. These findings support the use of eculizumab in this previously difficult-to-treat patient population. CLINICALTRIALSGOV IDENTIFIER: REGAIN, NCT01997229; REGAIN open-label extension, NCT02301624. CLASSIFICATION OF EVIDENCE: This study provides Class II evidence that, after 26 weeks of eculizumab treatment, 25.0% of adults with AChR+ refractory gMG achieved MM, compared with 13.3% who received placebo

Protein encapsulation in functionalized sol–gel silica: influence of organosilanes and main silica precursors

Over the last few years, bone repair has increasingly gained in importance. In recent years, considerable attention has been given to the administration of therapeutic biomolecules to promote tissue regeneration. The aim of this work is the study of the influence of functional groups present at the surface of silica pores on the release kinetics of a model protein (i.e. Soybean Trypsin Inhibitor, STI). The carried protein was examined via: (i) the impregnation of silica gels in the protein solution after the silica gel drying and/or calcination (i.e. impregnation method), and ii) the direct incorporation of the protein during the silica gel synthesis (i.e. in situ method). Surface chemistry and textural properties were tuned using different organosilanes (i.e. functionalized silanes containing amine, ethylene diamine, or phenyl groups) and different main silica precursors (i.e. containing methoxy or ethoxy groups). These physicochemical modifications were shown to deeply affect the immobilization and release kinetic of STI. In particular, for both encapsulation methods, phenyl-modified samples presented a high amount of encapsulated STI accompanied by a very low release of STI over the 85-day period. The other functional groups gave rise to a lower encapsulation yield. Regarding the protein release profiles, a fast release of STI was observed for the samples prepared via the impregnation method, which showed a burst effect followed by a sustained release until day 30. On the opposite, the in situ method allowed a better control of the release rate of this protein over the first 24 h followed by a sustained released up to 85 day

Ambient temperature ZrO2-doped TiO2 crystalline photocatalysts: Highly efficient powders and films for water depollution

In this paper, several TiO2 materials doped with zirconia precursor (0.7, 1.4, 1.6 and 2.0 mol%) were synthesized by an easy aqueous sol-gel synthesis at ambient temperature. This method consists in the peptization of the TiO2 colloid in presence of HNO3. The corresponding pure TiO2 material was also synthesized for comparison. The performances and the physico-chemical properties of these materials were compared to the well-known Evonik P25 photocatalyst. The physico-chemical characterizations showed that nano-crystalline anatase-brookite particles were produced with the sol-gel process, with higher specific surface area than P25 (∼200 m2 g-1 vs. 47 m2 g-1). All samples presented a higher visible absorption than P25. The XPS spectra showed that all the samples were doped with nitrogen and that mixed TiO2–ZrO2 oxide materials were obtained when doping with zirconia precursor. Photoactivity was evaluated through the degradation of p-nitrophenol in water. On the one hand, under UV/visible light, the ZrO2 doping increased the degradation efficiency of the pure TiO2 catalyst due to a better charge separation in the mixed TiO2–ZrO2 oxides. The activity of the sample with the highest dopant content was even higher than the one of P25. On the other hand, under visible light, all samples were much more efficient than P25. This activity shift towards visible range was due to the N-doping of the catalysts, with a slight improvement for the doped ones. Finally, the feasibility of producing films starting from an aqueous suspension of the photocatalyst was assessed on P25, pure TiO2 and the best doped material. The photoactivity of these films, evaluated on the degradation of methylene blue under UV-A light, showed that the sample with the highest dopant concentration had an efficiency 4 times higher than pure TiO2 and 20 times higher than P25

Prognostic value of clinical and electrodiagnostic parameters at time of diagnosis in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

OBJECTIVE: To assess the added prognostic value of the aggregated clinical and electrodiagnostic data, which define a given diagnostic category according to the Awaji or revised El Escorial criteria at time of diagnosis in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). METHODS: Clinical signs and electrodiagnostic test results were collected at time of diagnosis in 396 patients with ALS between January 2009 and January 2016. Significant predictors of prognosis were identified using a univariate model, and later combined in a multivariate Cox regression model. RESULTS: Known factors associated with reduced survival included older age at onset, shorter diagnostic delay, higher ALSFRS-R slope and presence of C9orf72 mutation (all p < 0.05). Diagnostic category according to Awaji (p < 0.0001) or to revised El Escorial (p = 0.0177) criteria, definite ALS according to Awaji (p < 0.0001) or to revised El Escorial (p = 0.0343) and number of regions with LMN involvement (p < 0.0001) were all associated with shorter survival. DISCUSSION: Clinical and electrodiagnostic data at time of diagnosis provide additional prognostic information compared to other known prognostic factors. Diagnostic category according to Awaji and the extensiveness of LMN involvement contain the most additional value.status: publishe