Exploiting intermediate wetting on superhydrophobic surfaces for efficient icing prevention.

Hypothesis: Superhydrophobic surfaces can effectively prevent the freezing of supercooled droplets in technological systems. Droplets on superhydrophobic surfaces commonly not only wet the top asperities (Cassie State), but also partially penetrate into microstructure due to surface properties, environment, and droplet impact occurring in real-world applications. Implications on ice nucleation can be expected and are little explored.

Rational Design of Microfluidic Glaucoma Stent.

Glaucoma is a common, irreparable eye disease associated with high intraocular pressure. One treatment option is implantation of a stent to lower the intraocular pressure. A systematic approach to develop a microchannel stent meshwork that drains aqueous humor from the anterior chamber of the eye into the subconjunctival space is presented.

Long-range versus short-range effects in cold molecular ion-neutral collisions.

The investigation of cold interactions between ions and neutrals has recently emerged as a new scientific frontier at the interface of physics and chemistry. Here, we report a study of charge-transfer (CT) collisions of Rb atoms with N[Formula: see text] and O[Formula: see text] ions in the mK regime using a dynamic ion-neutral hybrid trapping experiment. We observe markedly different CT kinetics and dynamics for the different systems and reaction channels studied.

Single entity resolution valving of nanoscopic species in liquids.

Investigating biological and synthetic nanoscopic species in liquids, at the ultimate resolution of single entity, is important in diverse fields. Progress has been made, but significant barriers need to be overcome such as the need for intense fields, the lack of versatility in operating conditions and the limited functionality in solutions of high ionic strength for biological applications. Here, we demonstrate switchable electrokinetic nanovalving able to confine and guide single nano-objects, including macromolecules, with sizes down to around 10 nanometres, in a lab-on-chip environment.

Side effects during subcutaneous immunotherapy in children with allergic diseases.

Background: Allergen-specific immunotherapy is the only causal form of therapy for IgE-mediated allergic diseases. Subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) is considered safe and well tolerated in adults, yet there is less evidence of safety in the pediatric population.

Methods: A non-interventional prospective observing longitudinal study was carried out to determine the incidence of local and systemic side effects by SCIT, routinely performed in pediatric patients.

The European Survey on Adverse Systemic Reactions in Allergen Immunotherapy (EASSI): A paediatric assessment.

Background: Safety data on 'real-life' allergen immunotherapy (AIT) in children and adolescents is usually extrapolated from studies in adults.

Methods: Patients aged 18 or under initiating aeroallergen AIT were evaluated in a prospective European survey. Patient profiles and systemic reactions (SRs) were recorded.

European Survey on Adverse Systemic Reactions in Allergen Immunotherapy (EASSI): a real-life clinical assessment.

Background: Outside clinical trials, data on systemic reactions (SRs) due to allergen immunotherapy (AIT) are scarce.

Methods: A prospective, longitudinal, web-based survey of 'real-life' respiratory allergen immunotherapy (AIT) clinical practice was conducted in France, Germany and Spain. SRs were recorded and coded according to the Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities (MedDRA) and risk factors associated with SRs were identified.

A Dynamic Ion-Atom Hybrid Trap for High-Resolution Cold-Collision Studies.

We present a dynamic ion-atom hybrid trap for studies of cold ion-neutral collisions and reactions with a significantly improved energy resolution compared with previous experiments. Our approach is based on pushing a cloud of laser-cooled Rb atoms through a stationary Coulomb crystal of cold ions by using precisely controlled, tunable radiation pressure forces. We demonstrate the tuning of the atom kinetic energies over an interval ranging from 30 mK up to 350 mK with energy spreads as low as 24 mK, inferred from the comparison of experimental time-of-flight measurements with Monte Carlo trajectory simulations.

Importance of Quality of Life for Adherence to Sublingual Immunotherapy.

Background. Nonperception of efficacy ranks among the most commonly cited causes for nonadherence to sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT). Quality of life (QoL) in patients is a determining factor influencing adherence.

An observational, real-life safety study of a 5-grass pollen sublingual tablet in children and adolescents.

Background: The safety and efficacy of pre- and coseasonal sublingual allergen immunotherapy (SLIT) with a 5-grass pollen sublingual tablet have been demonstrated in a randomized clinical trial (RCT) in children and adolescents. Observational, 'real-life' studies can usefully complement the results of RCTs.

Methods: A prospective, open-label, observational, multicentre post-marketing study of children and adolescents (aged 5-17, with grass pollen-induced allergic rhinitis) treated with the 5-grass pollen sublingual tablet was performed between June 2009 and January 2011 in Germany.

Physics of icing and rational design of surfaces with extraordinary icephobicity.

Icing of surfaces is commonplace in nature and technology, affecting everyday life and sometimes causing catastrophic events. Understanding (and counteracting) surface icing brings with it significant scientific challenges that requires interdisciplinary knowledge from diverse scientific fields such as nucleation thermodynamics and heat transfer, fluid dynamics, surface chemistry, and surface nanoengineering. Here we discuss key aspects and findings related to the physics of ice formation on surfaces and show how such knowledge could be employed to rationally develop surfaces with extreme resistance to icing (extraordinary icephobicity).

Rational nanostructuring of surfaces for extraordinary icephobicity.

Icing of surfaces is commonplace in nature, technology and everyday life, bringing with it sometimes catastrophic consequences. A rational methodology for designing materials with extraordinary resistance to ice formation and adhesion remains however elusive. We show that ultrafine roughnesses can be fabricated, so that the ice nucleation-promoting effect of nanopits on surfaces is effectively counteracted in the presence of an interfacial quasiliquid layer.

On the nanoengineering of superhydrophobic and impalement resistant surface textures below the freezing temperature.

The superhydrophobic behavior of nano- and microtextured surfaces leading to rebound of impacting droplets is of great relevance to nature and technology. It is not clear however, if and under what conditions this behavior is maintained when such surfaces are severely undercooled possibly leading to the formation of frost and icing. Here we elucidate key aspects of this phenomenon and show that the outcome of rebound or impalement on a textured surface is affected by air compression underneath the impacting drop and the time scale allowing this air to escape.

High-dose sublingual immunotherapy with single-dose aqueous grass pollen extract in children is effective and safe: a double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

Background: Sublingual allergen-specific immunotherapy is a viable alternative to subcutaneous immunotherapy particularly attractive for use in children.

Objective: This study investigated efficacy and safety of high-dose sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) in children allergic to grass pollen in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Methods: After a baseline seasonal observation, 207 children aged 4 to 12 years with grass pollen-allergic rhinitis/rhinoconjunctivitis with/without bronchial asthma (Global Initiative for Asthma I/II) received either high-dose grass pollen SLIT or placebo daily for 1 pre-/co-seasonal period.

Persistent low thymic activity and non-cardiac mortality in children with chromosome 22q11.2 microdeletion and partial DiGeorge syndrome.

A subgroup of patients with 22q11.2 microdeletion and partial DiGeorge syndrome (pDGS) appears to be susceptible to non-cardiac mortality (NCM) despite sufficient overall CD4(+) T cells. To detect these patients, 20 newborns with 22q11.

Preventing sarcopenic obesity among breast cancer patients who receive adjuvant chemotherapy: results of a feasibility study.

PURPOSE: Weight gain is a common side effect of adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer - a side effect that decreases quality of life and also may decrease both disease-free and overall survival. This weight gain also is unique, since patients lose lean body mass while they gain weight. These body composition changes become apparent within six months of diagnosis.

Neotendon formation induced by manipulation of the Smad8 signalling pathway in mesenchymal stem cells.

Tissue regeneration requires the recruitment of adult stem cells and their differentiation into mature committed cells. In this study we describe what we believe to be a novel approach for tendon regeneration based on a specific signalling molecule, Smad8, which mediates the differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) into tendon-like cells. A biologically active Smad8 variant was transfected into an MSC line that coexpressed the osteogenic gene bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP2).

[Air embolism as a rare occurrence of the air leakage complex in premature infants on artificial respiration].

A premature baby requiring mechanical respiratory aid because of severe IRDS developed an interstitial pulmonary emphysema and died of massive gas embolism. Air trapped in the pulmonary interstitium because of rupture of overinflated alveoli, penetrated into the pulmonary lymphatics and entered the venous system via the thoracic duct.

[Biomechanical studies on the pathogenesis of ochronotic arthropathy].

The enzymatic defect leading to alcaptonuria is well known. However, the pathogenesis of the associated arthropathy is poorly understood. From clinical and morphological observations it is assumed that the breakdown of ochronotic cartilage is due to an increased fragility.

Normal and Friend virus specific cell compartments in Friend leukemia characterized by their sensitivity to actinomycin D in vivo.

DBA/2 mice were infected with the polycythemia inducing Friend Virus (F-MuLV-P) and treated with different doses of Actinomycin D (Act D) when the whole erythroid cell system, as measured by the CFU-E technique with and without addition of erythropoietin (Ep), had been transformed into Ep-independence. During and after this therapy the different stem cell pools CFU-S, CFU-C, BFU-E and CFU-E (with and without Ep) were studied and their sensitivity to Act D in bone marrow and spleen was compared to that of normal mice, recently published by other authors. There seemed to be no difference in the Act D sensitivity between normal erythropoiesis and Ep-independent erythropoiesis caused by F-MuLV-P.

[Children of mothers with phenylketonuria (author's transl)].

Microcephaly and considerable motor and mental retardation occurred in two non-phenylketonuric children of an untreated mother with phenylketonuria. The cerebral damage of the children must be considered the consequence of the maternal metabolic disorder. Since the first phenylketonuric children who were treated on strict diet are now reaching the age of marriage and pregnancy, the problem of maternal phenylketonuria is becoming topical.