The influence of the SARS-CoV-2 lockdown on patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases on their adherence to immunomodulatory medication: a cross sectional study over 3 months in Germany.

Objectives: To evaluate the influence of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on the adherence of patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases (IRD) to their immunomodulatory medication during the three-month lockdown in Germany.

Methods: From 16th March until 15th June 2020, IRD patients from private practices and rheumatology departments were asked to answer a questionnaire addressing their behaviour with respect to their immunomodulating therapy. Eight private practices and nine rheumatology departments that included rheumatology primary care centres and university hospitals participated.

[A cross sectional study on patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases in terms of their compliance to their immunsuppressive medication during COVID-19 pandemic].

The current COVID-19 pandemic inherits an unprecedented challenge for the treating rheumatologists. On the one hand, antirheumatic drugs can increase the risk of infection and potentially deteriorate the course of an infection. On the other hand, an active inflammatory rheumatic disease can also increase the risk for an infection.

[Hypernatremia].

Hypernatremia is a common electrolyte disorder in daily clinical practice. In many cases hypernatremia is caused by a lack of free water or an increased salt load. Out-of-hospital acquired hypernatremia is often caused by an increased loss of water or a decreased water intake.

CT differentiation of enlarged mediastinal lymph node due to anthracosis from metastatic lymphadenopathy: a comparative study proven by endobronchial US-guided transbronchial needle aspiration.

Purpose: Anthracosis often results in mediastinal nodal enlargement. The aim of this comparative study was to evaluate if it is possible to differentiate endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) proven anthracotic lymph nodes from malignant lymph node enlargement by means of multislice computed tomography (MSCT).

Methods: We compared the MSCT findings of 89 enlarged lymph nodes due to anthracosis with 54 malignant lymph nodes (non-small cell lung cancer 75.

Chest CT findings in EBUS-TBNA-proven anthracosis in enlarged mediastinal lymph nodes.

Purpose: We demonstrate the multislice computed tomography (MSCT) findings of endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA)-proven hilar and mediastinal lymph node enlargement with signs of anthracosis.

Materials And Methods: 53 enlarged lymph nodes in 39 patients (28 male, 11 female) with EBUS-TBNA-confirmed anthracosis were analyzed retrospectively.

Results: The mean short axis diameter of the enlarged lymph nodes with signs of anthracosis was 13.

High-Q hybrid plasmon-photon modes in a bottle resonator realized with a silver-coated glass fiber with a varying diameter.

We experimentally demonstrate that hybrid plasmon-photon modes exist in a silver-coated glass bottle resonator. The bottle resonator is realized in a glass fiber with a smoothly varying diameter, which is subsequently coated with a rhodamine 800-dye doped acryl-glass layer and a 30 nm thick silver layer. We show by means of photoluminescence experiments supported by electromagnetic simulations that the rhodamine 800 photoluminescence excites hybrid plasmon-photon modes in such a bottle resonator, which provide a plasmon-type field enhancement at the outer silver surface and exhibit quality factors as high as 1000.

Circulating microRNAs are not eliminated by hemodialysis.

Background: Circulating microRNAs are stably detectable in serum/plasma and other body fluids. In patients with acute kidney injury on dialysis therapy changes of miRNA patterns had been detected. It remains unclear if and how the dialysis procedure itself affects circulating microRNA level.

Sensitivity and specificity of ultrasonography and low-field magnetic resonance imaging for diagnosing arthritis.

Objectives: To evaluate the value of grey-scale ultrasonography (US) including power Doppler ultrasonography (PDUS) and low-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for the diagnosis of arthritis in a diagnostic phase III study.

Methods: Fifty consecutive patients with suspected arthritis were included in the study. Following a standardised protocol, US of the carpus and the metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joints of the dominant hand was performed.

Pharmacokinetics of ampicillin/sulbactam in critically ill patients with acute kidney injury undergoing extended dialysis.

Background And Objectives: The fixed antibacterial combination of ampicillin and sulbactam is frequently used for various infections. Intact kidneys eliminate approximately 71% of ampicillin and 78% of sulbactam. Patients on thrice-weekly low-flux hemodialysis exhibit an ampicillin t(1/2) of 2.

Terahertz metamaterials based on arrays of rolled-up gold/(In)GaAs tubes.

We investigate metamaterials based on arrays of rolled-up gold/(In)GaAs microrolls. By finite-integration-technique simulations we show that these arrays interact resonantly with the magnetic component of an electromagnetic field and exhibit a negative effective permeability at terahertz frequencies. We find a strong dependence of the resonance frequency on small variations in the winding number n.

Tailoring of high-Q-factor surface plasmon modes on silver microtubes.

We investigate the excitation of surface plasmon polaritons on silver tubes with finite-difference time-domain simulations. These surface plasmon polaritons exhibit azimuthal whispering gallery modes with quality factors in the hundreds. We show that the high quality factors arise from the coupling of the surface plasmon modes to photonic modes inside the tube.

From health organization-centred standardization work process to a personhood-centred care process in an Italian nursing home: effectiveness on bowel elimination model.

Aims: An Italian nursing home's standardized work process redesign towards a personhood-centred nursing care is the focus of this study. The aim was to develop and implement a multi-method, personhood-centred, bowel elimination programme, to reduce the number of patients suffering from constipation and lessen the use of the invasive practises routinely adopted in nursing home (laxatives, enemas, rectal exploration).

Background: Although the importance of the application of personhood-centred care concepts in gerontology nursing has been widely recognized, the actual tendency of the Italian National Health System, which has few nursing resources for to the care of the older persons, is standardization.

Rolled-up three-dimensional metamaterials with a tunable plasma frequency in the visible regime.

We propose and realize a novel concept of a self-organized three-dimensional metamaterial with a plasma frequency in the visible regime. We utilize the concept of self-rolling strained layers to roll up InGaAs/GaAs/Ag multilayers with multiple rotations. The walls of the resulting tubes represent a radial superlattice with a tunable layer thickness ratio and lattice constant.

Risk of underdosing of ampicillin/sulbactam in patients with acute kidney injury undergoing extended daily dialysis--a single case.

The fixed antibacterial combination of ampicillin and sulbactam is frequently used for various infections. The normal kidneys eliminate approximately 60% of ampicillin (371.39 Da) and sulbactam (255.