Histological markers in nasal mucosa of patients with Alzheimer's disease

Neuropathological changes such as dystrophic neurites and the presence of abnormal tau protein in the olfactory system, including primary sensory cells and nerve fibres have previously been demonstrated in nasal mucosa tissue of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). These changes were detected in autopsy-derived material from histopathologically confirmed AD cases as well as in biopsy tissue from clinical severely ill AD patients. To investigate the potential usefulness for the early diagnosis of AD, we obtained biopsy tissue from olfactory mucosa from 5 clinically mild to moderate AD patients and stained for the presence of tau or beta-amyloid by immunocytochemistry using a panel of specific antibodies. No positive staining was found in any of the cases. For comparison, post-mortem olfactory tissue from AD patients with severe neuropathological changes (widespread neurofibrillary tangles and amyloid in the brain) was investigated, in these severe cases, tau immunoreactivity was found in fine nerve fibres in the lamina propria and in a few olfactory epithelial cells. These results are consistent with other reports showing that cytoskeletal changes and tau pathology in the olfactory epithelium are not primary (or specific) features of AD and may occur predominantly in late stages of the disease

Beta-escin has potent anti-allergic efficacy and reduces allergic airway inflammation

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Type I hypersensitivity is characterized by the overreaction of the immune system against otherwise innocuous substances. It manifests as allergic rhinitis, allergic conjunctivitis, allergic asthma or atopic dermatitis if mast cells are activated in the respective organs. In case of systemic mast cell activation, life-threatening anaphylaxis may occur. Currently, type I hypersensitivities are treated either with glucocorticoids, anti-histamines, or mast cell stabilizers. Although these drugs exert a strong anti-allergic effect, their long-term use may be problematic due to their side-effects.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In the course of a routine <it>in vitro </it>screening process, we identified beta-escin as a potentially anti-allergic compound. Here we tested beta-escin in two mouse models to confirm this anti-allergic effect <it>in vivo</it>. In a model of the early phase of allergic reactions, the murine passive cutaneous anaphylaxis model, beta-escin inhibited the effects of mast cell activation and degranulation in the skin and dose-dependently prevented the extravasation of fluids into the tissue. Beta-escin also significantly inhibited the late response after antigen challenge in a lung allergy model with ovalbumin-sensitized mice. Allergic airway inflammation was suppressed, which was exemplified by the reduction of leucocytes, eosinophils, IL-5 and IL-13 in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Histopathological examinations further confirmed the reduced inflammation of the lung tissue. In both models, the inhibitory effect of beta-escin was comparable to the benchmark dexamethasone.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>We demonstrated in two independent murine models of type I hypersensitivity that beta-escin has potent anti-allergic properties. These results and the excellent safety profile of beta-escin suggest a therapeutic potential of this compound for a novel treatment of allergic diseases.</p

Implementation Strategy for Land Administration in Mozambique

Land administration inMozambique needs to become less bureaucratic, simpler, cheaper and more transparent. Design and implementation of traditional approaches is so time consuming that land laws are to be adapted to provide for simpler procedures. Delivery of results (maps, DUATs, spatial plans) requires unconventional approaches, both conceptual and technological. This paper proposes an implementation mechanism for the Land Sector Strategic Plan in Mozambique. A clear priority is identified in this proposal: DUAT production for 5 million parcels before 2025 combined with an land administration organisation where maintenance can be performed. This allows for the future development and introduction of a more comprehensive land governance in the related areas. Land administration is considered as a business that operates within legal frameworks. Topographic mapping and land use planning should be included in this business approach. It is considered that the implementation of the Land Sector Strategic Plan of Mozambique can be achieved by one unique, single organisation for land administration and topographic mapping operating at different levels of administration

Using Combinatorial Inkjet Printing for Synthesis and Deposition of Metal Halide Perovskites in Wavelength‐Selective Photodetectors

Metal halide perovskites have received great attention in recent years, predominantly due to the high performance of perovskite solar cells. The versatility of the material, which allows the tunability of the bandgap, has led to its use in light-emitting diodes, photo, and X-ray detectors, among other optoelectronic device applications. Specifically in photodetectors, the tunability of the bandgap allows fabrication of spectrally selective devices. Utilizing a combinatorial inkjet printing approach, multiple perovskite compositions absorbing at specific wavelengths in a single printing step are fabricated. The drop-on-demand capabilities of inkjet printing enable the deposition of inks in a precise ratio to produce specific perovskite compositions in the printed thin film. By controlling the halide ratio in the compositions, a mixed halide gradient ranging from pure MAPbI3 via MAPbBr3 to MAPbCl3 is produced. The tunability in the absorption onset from 410 to 790 nm is demonstrated, covering the whole visible spectrum, with a precision of 8 nm steps for MAPb(BrxCl1−x)3 compositions. From this range of mixed halide perovskites, photodetectors which show spectral selectivity corresponding to the measured absorption onset are demonstrated, paving the way for use in a printed visible light spectrometer without the need for a dispersion element.Peer Reviewe

The challenge of studying perovskite solar cells’ stability with machine learning

Perovskite solar cells are the most dynamic emerging photovoltaic technology and attracts the attention of thousands of researchers worldwide. Recently, many of them are targeting device stability issues–the key challenge for this technology–which has resulted in the accumulation of a significant amount of data. The best example is the “Perovskite Database Project,” which also includes stability-related metrics. From this database, we use data on 1,800 perovskite solar cells where device stability is reported and use Random Forest to identify and study the most important factors for cell stability. By applying the concept of learning curves, we find that the potential for improving the models’ performance by adding more data of the same quality is limited. However, a significant improvement can be made by increasing data quality by reporting more complete information on the performed experiments. Furthermore, we study an in-house database with data on more than 1,000 solar cells, where the entire aging curve for each cell is available as opposed to stability metrics based on a single number. We show that the interpretation of aging experiments can strongly depend on the chosen stability metric, unnaturally favoring some cells over others. Therefore, choosing universal stability metrics is a critical question for future databases targeting this promising technology