Late Outcomes of Carotid Artery Stenting for Radiation Therapy-Induced Carotid Stenosis.

Purpose: Carotid artery stenting (CAS) appears as a promising alternative treatment to carotid endarterectomy for radiation therapy (RT)-induced carotid stenosis. However, this is based on a poor level of evidence studies (small sample size, primarily single institution reports, few long-term data). The purpose of this study was to report the long-term outcomes of a multicentric series of CAS for RT-induced stenosis.

Electron energy-loss spectroscopy of single nanocrystals: mapping of tin allotropes.

Using monochromated electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS), we are able to map different allotropes in Sn-nanocrystals embedded in Si. It is demonstrated that α-Sn and β-Sn, as well as an interface related plasmon, can be distinguished in embedded Sn-nanostructures. The EELS data is interpreted by standard non-negative matrix factorization followed by a manual Lorentzian decomposition.

Calcium phosphate precipitation in experimental gaps between fluoride-containing fast-setting calcium silicate cement and dentin.

A novel fast-setting calcium silicate cement containing fluoride (novel-CSC) has been developed for applications in tooth crowns. The aim of this study was to assess the ability of the novel-CSC to close the experimental gaps at the dentin-cement interface. The novel-CSC was tested against Vitrebond and GC Fuji II LC.

Combining light-harvesting with detachability in high-efficiency thin-film silicon solar cells.

Efforts to realize thin-film solar cells on unconventional substrates face several obstacles in achieving good energy-conversion efficiency and integrating light-management into the solar cell design. In this report a technique to circumvent these obstacles is presented: transferability and an efficient light-harvesting scheme are combined for thin-film silicon solar cells by the incorporation of a NaCl layer. Amorphous silicon solar cells in p-i-n configuration are fabricated on reusable glass substrates coated with an interlayer of NaCl.

[Léopold Chauveau (1870-1940), a doctor, writer, painter and sculptor].

Léopold Chauveau born in Lyon was a renowned writer during the years 1920-1930, then nearly forgotten. He was the son of Augustin Chauveau (1827-1917) the famous veterinary who had a leading role in the scientific life in the 19th century. Léopold Chauveau was particulary appreciated for his tales for kids.

Apatite precipitation on a novel fast-setting calcium silicate cement containing fluoride.

Calcium silicate cements are widely used in endodontics. Novel fast-setting calcium silicate cement with fluoride (Protooth) has been developed for potential applications in teeth crowns including cavity lining and cementation. To evaluate the surface apatite-forming ability of Protooth compositions as a function of fluoride content and immersion time in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS).

Dynamic protein coronas revealed as a modulator of silver nanoparticle sulphidation in vitro.

Proteins adsorbing at nanoparticles have been proposed as critical toxicity mediators and are included in ongoing efforts to develop predictive tools for safety assessment. Strongly attached proteins can be isolated, identified and correlated to changes in nanoparticle state, cellular association or toxicity. Weakly attached, rapidly exchanging proteins are also present at nanoparticles, but are difficult to isolate and have hardly been examined.

Historical Hallmarks of Anticoagulation and Antiplatelet Agents.

Thrombosis is a well known phenomenon among physicians since antiquity. A variety of peculiar agents, such as leeches and bark, were used to prevent it. Hirudin was used during the 19th century.

[A quarantine of plague at the lazaret of Frioul in 1901].

In September 1901, a cruise for work and pleasure is organized in Mediterranean including VIP all firstclass (politicals, scientists, clergymen...

[The fate of the wood of the Fabrica of 1543].

Destiny of the wood blocks which have been used for engraving of illustrations of 1543 edition of the Fabrica is really outstanding. Several times lost and found again, they were transported over Europe in a surprising conservation state, for more than four centuries. Made by the famous Venitian wood-cutters, the blocks cross the Alps to join up Basel in Switzerland and Joannes Oporinus, the printer.

Electrocatalysis of water oxidation by H2O-capped iridium-oxide nanoparticles electrodeposited on spectroscopic graphite.

Electrocatalysis of water oxidation by 1.54 nm IrOx nanoparticles (NPs) immobilized on spectroscopic graphite electrodes was demonstrated to proceed with a higher efficiency than on all other, hitherto reported, electrode supports. IrOx NPs were electrodeposited on the graphite surface, and their electrocatalytic activity for water oxidation was correlated with the surface concentrations of different redox states of IrOx as a function of the deposition time and potential.

Hydrated human corneal stroma revealed by quantitative dynamic atomic force microscopy at nanoscale.

The structures and mechanical properties of human tissues are significantly influenced by water. The functionality of the human cornea can be linked to the hydrated collagen fibers. By applying quantitative dynamic atomic force microscopy to investigate morphological and mechanical property variations of corneal stroma under different hydration levels, we found that the collagen fibers in the stromal tissue show the specific periodicities and the stiffness of giga-Pa magnitude at 40% humidity.

Nanoscale topography reduces fibroblast growth, focal adhesion size and migration-related gene expression on platinum surfaces.

Controlling cellular responses on biomaterial surfaces is crucial in biomedical applications such as tissue engineering and implantable prosthetics. Since cells encounter various nanoscale topographic features in their natural environment, it has been postulated that surface nanotopography may be an alternative route to fabricate biomaterials with a desirable cellular response. In this framework, we investigated the responses of primary human fibroblasts to platinum substrates with different levels of surface roughness at the nanoscale.

[Joseph Rollet & the shadow of Ricord].

There are three distinguished names in French venereology during the first half of XIXth century: Ricord, Bassereau and Rollet. Ricord is above all a colourful practitioner of fashionable circles and he takes care of a lot of VIP: political people, actors, writers ..

Fibronectin adsorption, cell adhesion, and proliferation on nanostructured tantalum surfaces.

The interaction between dental pulp derived mesenchymal stem cells (DP-MSCs) and three different tantalum nanotopographies with and without a fibronectin coating is examined: sputter-coated tantalum surfaces with low surface roughness <0.2 nm, hut-nanostructured surfaces with a height of 2.9 +/- 0.

Critical size of crystalline ZrO(2) nanoparticles synthesized in near- and supercritical water and supercritical isopropyl alcohol.

Nanocrystalline ZrO(2) samples with narrow size distributions and mean particle sizes below 10 nm have been synthesized in a continuous flow reactor in near and supercritical water as well as supercritical isopropyl alcohol using a wide range of temperatures, pressures, concentrations and precursors. The samples were comprehensively characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), and the influence of the synthesis parameters on the particle size, particle size distribution, shape, aggregation and crystallinity was studied. On the basis of the choice of synthesis parameters either monoclinic or tetragonal zirconia phases can be obtained.

[The arrival of the "grand pox" at the hôtel-Dieu de Lyon].

Founded in 542, the Hospital hôtel-Dieu in Lyons is considered as the oldest French Hospital. At the beginning it was a place to receive and assist the poor and pilgrims and in the middle of the XVth century it received infectious patients during some epidemic periods. As King Charles VIII came back from Naples his troops suffering from syphilis arrived in Lyons in October 1495 and were treated in the Hospital hôtel-Dieu so that it became the first French Hospital to treat syphilitic patients.

Fibronectin adsorption on tantalum: the influence of nanoroughness.

The complex mechanisms of protein adsorption at the solid-liquid interface is of great importance in many research areas, including protein purification, biocompatibility of medical implants, biosensing, and biofouling. The protein adsorption process depends crucially on both the nanoscale chemistry and topography of the interface. Here, we investigate the adsorption of the cell-binding protein fibronectin on flat and nanometer scale rough tantalum oxide surfaces using ellipsometry and quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D).

Nanostructure of the neurocentral growth plate: Insight from scanning small angle X-ray scattering, atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy.

In this study, the experimental techniques scanning electron microscopy (SEM) including energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) have been exploited to characterize the organization of large molecules and nanocrystallites in and around the neurocentral growth plate (NGP) of a pig vertebrae L4. The techniques offer unique complementary information on the nano- to micrometer length scale and provide new insight in the changes in the matrix structure during endochondral bone formation. AFM and SEM imaging of the NGP reveal a fibrous network likely to consist of collagen type II and proteoglycans.

QCM-D studies of attachment and differential spreading of pre-osteoblastic cells on Ta and Cr surfaces.

The quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) technique was employed to characterize initial cell adhesion in terms of attachment and spreading of pre-osteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cells on Ta and Cr surfaces. Evaluation of initial cell adhesion established a correlation between input cell number and the shifts in frequency (f) and dissipation (D). The f-shift was found to be much larger in serum-free medium as compared to a medium including serum; hence, initial cell adhesion was subsequently evaluated in serum-free medium.

Adsorption of fibrinogen on tantalum oxide, titanium oxide and gold studied by the QCM-D technique.

The adsorption of human fibrinogen on tantalum oxide, titanium oxide and gold surfaces has been studied by quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) at 37 degrees C. Two different protein concentrations have been used, one close to physiological concentration (1 mg/ml) and one significantly lower (0.033 mg/ml).

Shallow donors with high n-type electrical conductivity in homoepitaxial deuterated boron-doped diamond layers.

Diamond is a unique semiconductor for the fabrication of electronic and opto-electronic devices because of its exceptional physical and chemical properties. However, a serious obstacle to the realization of diamond-based devices is the lack of n-type diamond with satisfactory electrical properties. Here we show that high-conductivity n-type diamond can be achieved by deuteration of particularly selected homo-epitaxially grown (100) boron-doped diamond layers.