Assessment of New and Genome-Reduced Strains Regarding Their Robustness as in Biotechnological Applications.

Organic olvent-tolerant strains of the Gram-negative bacterial genus are discussed as potential biocatalysts for the biotechnological production of various chemicals. However, many current strains with the highest tolerance are belonging to the species and are classified as biosafety level 2 strains, which makes them uninteresting for the biotechnological industry. Therefore, it is necessary to identify other biosafety level 1 strains with high tolerance towards solvents and other forms of stress, which are suitable for establishing production platforms of biotechnological processes.

In Vitro and In Vivo Feasibility Study for a Portable VV-ECMO and ECCOR System.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is an established rescue therapy for patients with chronic respiratory failure waiting for lung transplantation (LTx). The therapy inherent immobilization may result in fatigue, consecutive deteriorated prognosis, and even lost eligibility for transplantation. We conducted a feasibility study on a novel system designed for the deployment of a portable ECMO device, enabling the physical exercise of awake patients prior to LTx.

Extracorporeal Hyperoxygenation Therapy (EHT) for Carbon Monoxide Poisoning: In-Vitro Proof of Principle.

Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning is the leading cause of poisoning-related deaths globally. The currently available therapy options are normobaric oxygen (NBO) and hyperbaric oxygen (HBO). While NBO lacks in efficacy, HBO is not available in all areas and countries.

An optimized method for RNA extraction from the polyurethane oligomer degrading strain Pseudomonas capeferrum TDA1 growing on aromatic substrates such as phenol and 2,4-diaminotoluene.

Bacterial degradation of xenobiotic compounds is an intense field of research already for decades. Lately, this research is complemented by downstream applications including Next Generation Sequencing (NGS), RT-PCR, qPCR, and RNA-seq. For most of these molecular applications, high-quality RNA is a fundamental necessity.

How Computational Modeling can Help to Predict Gas Transfer in Artificial Lungs Early in the Design Process.

Wearable extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) circuits may soon become a viable alternative to conventional ECMO treatment. Common device-induced complications, however, such as blood trauma and oxygenator thrombosis, must first be addressed to improve long-term reliability, since ambulatory patients cannot be monitored as closely as intensive care patients. Additionally, an efficient use of the membrane surface can reduce the size of the devices, priming volume, and weight to achieve portability.

Technical Indicators to Evaluate the Degree of Large Clot Formation Inside the Membrane Fiber Bundle of an Oxygenator in an In Vitro Setup.

The most common technical complication during ECMO is clot formation. A large clot inside a membrane oxygenator reduces effective membrane surface area and therefore gas transfer capabilities, and restricts blood flow through the device, resulting in an increased membrane oxygenator pressure drop (dpMO). The reasons for thrombotic events are manifold and highly patient specific.

Comment on "The promise of microfluidic artificial lungs" by J. A. Potkay, Lab Chip, 2014, 14, 4122-4138.

This comment on an article that appeared in this journal (Potkay, Lab Chip, 2014, 14, 4122-4138) presents an alternative view on the feasibility and clinical application of current microfluidic artificial lungs.

Implementation of quality management in early stages of research and development projects at a university.

The ultimate objective of university research and development projects is usually to create knowledge, but also to successfully transfer results to industry for subsequent marketing. We hypothesized that the university technology transfer requires efficient measures to improve this important step. Besides good scientific practice, foresighted and industry-specific adapted documentation of research processes in terms of a quality management system might improve the technology transfer.

A novel approach in extracorporeal circulation: individual, integrated, and interactive heart-lung assist (I3-Assist).

Extracorporeal life support (ECLS) is a well-established technique for the treatment of different cardiac and pulmonary diseases, e.g., congenital heart disease and acute respiratory distress syndrome.

Further Investigations of the ClO Rotational Spectrum.

Pure rotational transitions of the chlorine monoxide radical have been observed up to v=2 in the X(1) (2)Pi(3/2) and X(2) (2)Pi(1/2) states and transitions of the (35)Cl(18)O isotopomer have been observed in natural abundance. Additionally, rotational transitions for levels up to J'=115/2 have been measured in the far infrared. These data have been merged with the existing microwave, submillimeter, and high-resolution infrared transition frequencies and fit simultaneously with a set of isotopically independent parameters.