Hydrophobin Vmh2-glucose complexes self-assemble in nanometric biofilms.

Hydrophobins are small proteins secreted by fungi, which self-assemble into amphipathic membranes at air-liquid or liquid-solid interfaces. The physical and chemical properties of some hydrophobins, both in solution and as a biofilm, are affected by poly or oligosaccharides. We have studied the interaction between glucose and the hydrophobin Vmh2 from Pleurotus ostreatus by spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and water contact angle (WCA).

Ultraflat templated polymer surfaces.

The roughness of spin-cast polymer films arises from thermally activated capillary waves during preparation and typically amounts to about 0.5 nm(rms) measured on a micrometer-sized surface area. Templating from atomically flat mica substrates allows the creation of polymer films with a surface roughness approaching the molecular scale.

Solid-state 13C NMR study of na-cellulose complexes.

The interaction of microcrystalline cellulose from cotton and aqueous sodium hydroxide was investigated by 13C NMR solid-state spectroscopy as a function of temperature and sodium hydroxide concentration. When the concentration of NaOH was increased, the initial cellulose spectrum was replaced successively by that of Na-cellulose I followed by that of Na-cellulose II. In Na-cellulose I, each carbon atom occurred as a singlet, thus implying that one glucosyl moiety was the independent magnetic residue in the structure of this allomorph.

Hemophilia and child abuse as possible causes of epidural hematoma: case report.

Introduction: Head trauma is an important consequence of child abuse. Specific pathophysiological mechanisms in child abuse are responsible for the "whiplash shaken-baby syndrome", which would favour the occurrence of intracranial hemorrhages.

Case Report: We report the case of a child who developed epidural hematoma following minor-intensity head trauma.

Anatomic study of the filum terminale and its correlations with the tethered cord syndrome.

Objective: To evaluate the intradural anatomic features of the filum terminale (FT) in fresh human cadavers, analyzing morphological parameters relevant for the diagnosis of the tethered cord syndrome.

Methods: Forty-one fresh cadavers were dissected, and the following parameters were evaluated: cadaver height, weight, and age, FT length, FT diameters at the initial point and midpoint, and topographic relationships of the initial and fusion points of the FT to the adjacent vertebrae.

Results: The mean FT length was 156.