[Development of Biological Microchips on an Aluminum Support with Cells Made of Brush Polymers].

A method has been developed for manufacturing biological microchips on an aluminum substrate with hydrophilic cells from brush copolymers with the formation of a matrix of cells using photolithography. The surface of aluminum substrates was previously coated with a thin, durable, moderately hydrophobic layer of cross-linked polymer to prevent contact with the aluminum surface of the components used in the analysis of nucleic acids. Aluminum biochip substrates have high thermal conductivity and low heat capacity, which is important for the development of methods for multiplex PCR analysis on a chip.

Intensive care unit-acquired dysphagia - change in feeding route after a standardized dysphagia assessment in neurocritical care patients.

Background: Dysphagia is a frequent finding on intensive care units (ICUs) and is associated with increased reintubation rates, pneumonia, and prolonged ICU-stay. Only a limited numbers of ICUs have access to a Speech and Language Pathologist (SLP). Hence, it falls upon the critical care team to estimate dysphagia risk and define the safest feeding route.

New and Evolving Treatments for Neurologic Dysphagia.

Despite swallowing being a frequently performed daily function, it is highly complex. For a safe swallow to occur, muscles within the head, neck, and thorax need to contract in a concerted pattern, controlled by several swallowing centers at multiple levels of the central nervous system, including the midbrain, cerebral cortex, and cerebellum in addition to five cranial nerves. Dysphagia, or difficulty swallowing, is caused by a long list of pathologic processes and diseases, which can interfere with various stages along the swallowing sensorimotor pathway.

Prevalence, recovery and phenotype of dysphagia in patients with ischaemic cerebellar stroke.

Background And Purpose: Swallowing is a complex task, moderated by a sophisticated bilateral network including multiple supratentorial regions, the brainstem and the cerebellum. To date, conflicting data exist about whether focal lesions to the cerebellum are associated with dysphagia. Therefore, the aim of the study was to evaluate dysphagia prevalence, recovery and dysphagia pattern in patients with ischaemic cerebellar stroke.