Route to stable non-spherical emulsion droplets

A route to the production of stable non-spherical emulsion droplets has been developed by pushing millimeter-sized liquid droplets stabilized by an excess amount of solid Pickering particles through a narrow capillary. This excess amount allows for the full coverage of the newly created droplets' interface during deformation. Upon exiting the capillary the adhered particles wedge, or "jam", on the surface preserving the non-spherical shape. Stable millimeter-sized non-spherical liquid droplets with aspect ratios exceeding 10 and cross-sections in line with capillary dimensions are easily obtained. Post-modification can be performed in conventional reactors. The ability to fabricate non-spherical droplets creates exciting opportunities in areas such as self-healing polymer composites. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Intestinal Ultrasound Is Accurate to Determine Endoscopic Response and Remission in Patients With Moderate to Severe Ulcerative Colitis: A Longitudinal Prospective Cohort Study

Background & Aims: Intestinal ultrasound (IUS) is noninvasive, cost-effective, and accurate to determine disease activity in ulcerative colitis (UC). In this study, we prospectively evaluated IUS for treatment response in a longitudinal cohort by using endoscopy and histology as gold standards. Methods: Consecutive patients with moderate to severe UC (endoscopic Mayo score [EMS] ≥2) starting tofacitinib treatment were included. Patients were evaluated at baseline and after 8 weeks of tofacitinib induction by means of clinical, biochemical, endoscopic (EMS and UC endoscopic index for severity), histologic (Robarts Histopathologic Index) and IUS assessments. Readers of IUS, endoscopy, and histology were blinded for all other outcomes. The primary outcome was difference in bowel wall thickness (BWT) for endoscopic improvement vs no endoscopic improvement. Endoscopic remission was defined as EMS = 0, improvement as EMS ≤1, and response as a decrease of EMS ≥1. Results: Thirty patients were included, with 27 patients completing follow-up. BWT correlated with EMS (ρ = 0.68, P <.0001), UC endoscopic index for severity (ρ = 0.73, P <.0001) and Robarts Histopathologic Index (ρ = 0.49, P =.002) at both time points. BWT in the sigmoid was lower in patients with endoscopic remission (1.4 mm vs 4.0 mm, P =.016), endoscopic improvement (1.8 mm vs 4.5 mm, P <.0001) and decrease in BWT was more pronounced in patients with endoscopic response (−58.1% vs −13.4%, P =.018). The most accurate cutoff values for BWT were 2.8 mm (area under the curve [AUC] 0.87) for endoscopic remission, 3.9 mm (AUC 0.92) for improvement, and decrease of 32% (AUC 0.87) for response. The submucosa was the most responsive wall layer. Conclusion: IUS, importantly BWT as the single most important parameter, is highly accurate to detect treatment response when evaluated against endoscopic outcomes

Intestinal ultrasound is accurate to determine endoscopic response and remission in patients with moderate to severe ulcerative colitis: a longitudinal prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Intestinal ultrasound (IUS) is non-invasive, cost-effective and accurate to determine disease activity in ulcerative colitis (UC). In this study we prospectively evaluated IUS for treatment response in a longitudinal cohort by using endoscopy and histology as gold standards. METHODS Consecutive patients with moderate-to-severe UC (endoscopic Mayo score (EMS)≥2) starting tofacitinib treatment were included. Patients were evaluated at baseline and after 8 weeks of tofacitinib induction by means of clinical, biochemical, endoscopic (EMS and ulcerative colitis endoscopic index for severity (UCEIS)), histological (Robarts Histopathologic Index (RHI)) and IUS assessments. Readers of IUS, endoscopy and histology were blinded for all other outcomes. The primary outcome was difference in bowel wall thickness (BWT) for endoscopic improvement versus no endoscopic improvement. Endoscopic remission was defined as EMS=0, improvement as EMS≤1 and response as a decrease of EMS≥1. RESULTS Thirty patients were included with 27 patients completing follow-up. BWT correlated with EMS (ρ=0.68, p<0.0001), UCEIS (ρ=0.73, p<0.0001) and RHI (ρ=0.49, p=0.002) at both time-points. BWT in the sigmoid was lower in patients with endoscopic remission (1.4mm vs 4.0mm, p=0.016), endoscopic improvement (1.8mm vs 4.5mm, p<0.0001) and decrease in BWT was more pronounced in patients with endoscopic response (-58.1% vs -13.4%, p=0.018). The most accurate cut-off values for BWT were 2.8 mm (AUC:0.87) for endoscopic remission, 3.9 mm (AUC:0.92) for improvement and decrease of 32% (AUC:0.87) for response. The submucosa was the most responsive wall layer. CONCLUSION IUS, importantly BWT as the single most important parameter, is highly accurate to detect treatment response when evaluated against endoscopic outcomes

Intestinal Ultrasound Is Accurate to Determine Endoscopic Response and Remission in Patients With Moderate to Severe Ulcerative Colitis: A Longitudinal Prospective Cohort Study

Background & Aims: Intestinal ultrasound (IUS) is noninvasive, cost-effective, and accurate to determine disease activity in ulcerative colitis (UC). In this study, we prospectively evaluated IUS for treatment response in a longitudinal cohort by using endoscopy and histology as gold standards. Methods: Consecutive patients with moderate to severe UC (endoscopic Mayo score [EMS] ≥2) starting tofacitinib treatment were included. Patients were evaluated at baseline and after 8 weeks of tofacitinib induction by means of clinical, biochemical, endoscopic (EMS and UC endoscopic index for severity), histologic (Robarts Histopathologic Index) and IUS assessments. Readers of IUS, endoscopy, and histology were blinded for all other outcomes. The primary outcome was difference in bowel wall thickness (BWT) for endoscopic improvement vs no endoscopic improvement. Endoscopic remission was defined as EMS = 0, improvement as EMS ≤1, and response as a decrease of EMS ≥1. Results: Thirty patients were included, with 27 patients completing follow-up. BWT correlated with EMS (ρ = 0.68, P <.0001), UC endoscopic index for severity (ρ = 0.73, P <.0001) and Robarts Histopathologic Index (ρ = 0.49, P =.002) at both time points. BWT in the sigmoid was lower in patients with endoscopic remission (1.4 mm vs 4.0 mm, P =.016), endoscopic improvement (1.8 mm vs 4.5 mm, P <.0001) and decrease in BWT was more pronounced in patients with endoscopic response (−58.1% vs −13.4%, P =.018). The most accurate cutoff values for BWT were 2.8 mm (area under the curve [AUC] 0.87) for endoscopic remission, 3.9 mm (AUC 0.92) for improvement, and decrease of 32% (AUC 0.87) for response. The submucosa was the most responsive wall layer. Conclusion: IUS, importantly BWT as the single most important parameter, is highly accurate to detect treatment response when evaluated against endoscopic outcomes

Development of a Ravelling test for asphalt

7ICONFBMP, Proceedings of the 7th International Conference : Bituminous Mixtures and Pavements, Thessalonique, GRECE, 12-/06/2019 - 14/06/2019The test methods for four scuffing devices had been written up as technical specification PR CEN/TS 12697-50, Resistance to scuffing, which was reviewed by the DRaT project, under CEDR Call 2014: Asset Management and Maintenance. Existing knowledge on scuffing was reviewed and a round robin testing programme was undertaken with four replicate samples of three variations each of three mixture types. A statistical analysis found that results from the different devices could not be accurately correlated, either for specific asphalt mixture types or overall, nor could specific designs of scuffing equipment be identified as be-ing best for identifying the scuffing-resistance of asphalt mixtures. Nevertheless, enhancements to PR CEN/TS 2697-50:2016 were identified that can be made to make a better and more unified document without rejecting any of the designs of scuffing apparatus. A copy of the revised version of the standard was given in the final report