Reduced Exhaled Breath Condensate pH and Severity of Allergic Sensitization Predict School Age Asthma.

Background: We previously reported that deaerated breath condensate pH (dEBC pH) can identify preschool children with recurrent wheezing at high asthma risk.

Objective: To assess the ability of preschool dEBC pH to predict asthma risk at school age.

Methods: Children of the baseline cohort were recontacted for follow-up.

3D Printing of Bone Grafts for Cleft Alveolar Osteoplasty - Evaluation in a Preclinical Model.

One of the most common hereditary craniofacial anomalies in humans are cleft lip and cleft alveolar bone with or without cleft palate. Current clinical practice, the augmentation of the persisting alveolar bone defect by using autologous bone grafts, has considerable disadvantages motivating to an intensive search for alternatives. We developed a novel therapy concept based on 3D printing of biodegradable calcium phosphate-based materials and integration of osteogenic cells allowing fabrication of patient-specific, tissue-engineered bone grafts.

Evaluation of proprioception in denervated and healthy wrist joints.

We recruited 25 patients after complete wrist denervation and 60 healthy adults to investigate conscious and unconscious proprioception of the wrist. Ipsi- and contralateral joint-position sense, force sense, and wrist reflexes were measured. The latter were triggered by a trapdoor, recording electromyographic signals from the extensor carpi radialis brevis, extensor carpi ulnaris, flexor carpi radialis, and flexor carpi ulnaris muscles.

CASP1 variants influence subcellular caspase-1 localization, pyroptosome formation, pro-inflammatory cell death and macrophage deformability.

CASP1 variants result in reduced enzymatic activity of procaspase-1 and impaired IL-1β release. Despite this, affected individuals can develop systemic autoinflammatory disease. These seemingly contradictory observations have only partially been explained by increased NF-κB activation through prolonged interaction of variant procaspase-1 with RIP2.