[Echocardiography as a Diagnostic Tool in Emergencies and Hemodynamic Instability].

Echocardiography is an imaging method in anaesthesia and intensive care medicine which adds a new dimension to hemodynamic monitoring: the direct visualization of the cardiac function and its disruptions. The review article shows the advantages and limitations of recent transthoracic (TTE) and transesophageal (TEE) echocardiography in the diagnostic course of hemodynamic instability. For TTE and TEE focused examination techniques and sequences are illustrated with regards to their fast applicability to hemodynamic monitoring.

Assessing Polymer-Surface Adhesion with a Polymer Collection.

Polymer modification plays an important role in the construction of devices, but the lack of fundamental understanding on polymer-surface adhesion limits the development of miniaturized devices. In this work, a thermoplastic polymer collection was established using the combinatorial laser-induced forward transfer technique as a research platform, to assess the adhesion of polymers to substrates of different wettability. Furthermore, it also revealed the influence of adhesion on dewetting phenomena during the laser transfer and relaxation process, resulting in polymer spots of various morphologies.

[Therapy of acute respiratory distress syndrome : Survey of German ARDS centers and scientific evidence].

Background: In addition to specific treatment of the underlying cause, the therapy of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) consists of lung protective ventilation and a range of adjuvant and supportive measures.

Aim: A survey was conducted to determine the current treatment strategies for ARDS in German ARDS centers.

Material And Methods: The 39 centers listed in the German ARDS network in 2011 were asked to complete a questionnaire collecting data on the clinic, epidemiology as well as diagnostic and therapeutic measures regarding ARDS treatment.

The world of beta- and gamma-peptides comprised of homologated proteinogenic amino acids and other components.

The origins of our nearly ten-year research program of chemical and biological investigations into peptides based on homologated proteinogenic amino acids are described. The road from the biopolymer poly[ethyl (R)-3-hydroxybutanoate] to the beta-peptides was primarily a step from organic synthesis methodology (the preparation of enantiomerically pure compounds (EPCs)) to supramolecular chemistry (higher-order structures maintained through non-covalent interactions). The performing of biochemical and biological tests on the beta- and gamma-peptides, which differ from natural peptides/proteins by a single or two additional CH(2) groups per amino acid, then led into bioorganic chemistry and medicinal chemistry.

Tissue temperature-controlled radiofrequency ablation.

During radiofrequency energy delivery, the catheter tip temperature can be significantly lower than the tissue temperature. The authors performed tissue temperature-controlled radiofrequency ablation in vitro and evaluated the effects of cooling, electrode to tissue contact, and target tissue temperature on lesion size. Pieces of porcine ventricle were immersed in a bath of isotonic saline solution at 37 degrees C.