[Thoracocentesis: wright indication and wright placement?].

The incidence of a tension pneumothorax is very low. The initial treatment of a tension pneumothorax is needle thoracocentesis. This procedure is not a routine treatment and this invasive treatment is not without risks.

Directing HIV-1 for degradation by non-target cells, using bi-specific single-chain llama antibodies.

While vaccination against HIV-1 has been so far unsuccessful, recently broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) against HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein were shown to induce long-term suppression in the absence of antiretroviral therapy in patients with antibody-sensitive viral reservoirs. The requirement of neutralizing antibodies indicates that the antibody mediated removal (clearance) of HIV-1 in itself is not efficient enough in these immune compromised patients. Here we present a novel, alternative approach that is independent of a functional immune system to clear HIV-1, by capturing the virus and redirecting it to non-target cells where it is internalized and degraded.

Non-invasive electrical cardiometry cardiac output monitoring during prehospital helicopter emergency medical care: a feasibility study.

Purpose: Introducing advanced hemodynamic monitoring might be beneficial during Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) care. However, it should not increase the on-scene-time, it should be easy to use and should be non-invasive. The goal of this study was to investigate the feasibility of non-invasive cardiac output measurements by electrical cardiometry (EC) and the quality of the EC signal during pre-hospital care provided by our HEMS.

Nanobodies that Neutralize HIV.

Nanobodies or VHH (variable domains of heavy-chain only antibodies) are derived from camelid species such as llamas and camels. Nanobodies isolated and selected through phage display can neutralize a broad range of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) strains. Nanobodies fit into canyons on the HIV envelope that may not be accessible to IgG (immunoglobulin G) containing both heavy and light chains, and they tend to have long CDR3 (complementarity-determining region 3) loops that further enhance recognition of otherwise cryptic epitopes.

Towards an ultra-rapid smartphone- connected test for infectious diseases.

The development is reported of an ultra-rapid, point-of-care diagnostic device which harnesses surface acoustic wave (SAW) biochips, to detect HIV in a finger prick of blood within 10 seconds (sample-in-result-out). The disposable quartz biochip, based on microelectronic components found in every consumer smartphone, is extremely fast because no complex labelling, amplification or wash steps are needed. A pocket-sized control box reads out the SAW signal and displays results electronically.