Angiodysplasia of the Gallbladder: An Unknown Risk Factor for Cholecystolithiasis.

Angiodysplasia is a common type of lesion characterized by malformed submucosal and mucosal blood vessels. Angiodysplasia of the gallbladder is extremely rare, usually an incidental finding, with only two cases reported. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is a curative treatment for angiodysplasia of the gallbladder.

Skin hydrophobicity as an adaptation for self-cleaning in geckos.

Hydrophobicity is common in plants and animals, typically caused by high relief microtexture functioning to keep the surface clean. Although the occurrence and physical causes of hydrophobicity are well understood, ecological factors promoting its evolution are unclear. Geckos have highly hydrophobic integuments.

Marine antifouling from thin air.

The dynamic relationship between the settlement behaviour of marine biota (cells, spores, larvae) and the longevity of an entrapped air layer (plastron) on submersed superhydrophobic surfaces was systematically investigated. Plastron lifetime decreased with increasing hydrophobic polymer loadings, and was correlated with the settlement rate of a range of fouling species of varying length scale, motility and hydrophobic/hydrophilic surface preference. The results show that the level of fouling on immersed superhydrophobic surfaces was greater when plastron lifetimes were minimal, regardless of the length scale, motility and the surface preference of the organisms.

Assessing the antifouling properties of cold-spray metal embedment using loading density gradients of metal particles.

Particles of copper, bronze and zinc were embedded into a polymer using cold-spray technology to produce loading density gradients of metal particles. The gradients were used to identify the species with the highest tolerance to the release of copper and zinc ions. The gradients also established the minimum effective release rates (MERRs) of copper and zinc ions needed to prevent the recruitment of fouling under field conditions.