Amorphous Silicon Thin-Film Solar Cells on Fabrics as Large-Scale Detectors for Textile Personal Protective Equipment in Active Laser Safety.

Laser safety is starting to play an increasingly important role, especially when the laser is used as a tool. Passive laser safety systems quickly reach their limits and, in some cases, provide inadequate protection. To counteract this, various active systems have been developed.

Early complementopathy after multiple injuries in humans.

After severe tissue injury, innate immunity mounts a robust systemic inflammatory response. However, little is known about the immediate impact of multiple trauma on early complement function in humans. In the present study, we hypothesized that multiple trauma results in immediate activation, consumption, and dysfunction of the complement cascade and that the resulting severe "complementopathy" may be associated with morbidity and mortality.

Molecular intercommunication between the complement and coagulation systems.

The complement system as well as the coagulation system has fundamental clinical implications in the context of life-threatening tissue injury and inflammation. Associations between both cascades have been proposed, but the precise molecular mechanisms remain unknown. The current study reports multiple links for various factors of the coagulation and fibrinolysis cascades with the central complement components C3 and C5 in vitro and ex vivo.

Inflammatory alterations in a novel combination model of blunt chest trauma and hemorrhagic shock.

Background: Chest trauma frequently occurs in severely injured patients and is often associated with hemorrhagic shock. Immune dysfunction contributes to the adverse outcome of multiple injuries. The aims of this study were to establish a combined model of lung contusion and hemorrhage and to evaluate the cardiopulmonary and immunologic response.

Is the function of alveolar macrophages altered following blunt chest trauma?

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to characterize the local pulmonary inflammatory environment and to elucidate alterations of alveolar macrophage (AMØ) functions after blunt chest trauma.

Methods: Wistar rats were subjected to blunt chest trauma. AMØ were isolated, stimulated, and cultured.

Interaction between the coagulation and complement system.

The complement system as a main column of innate immunity and the coagulation system as a main column in hemostasis undergo massive activation early after injury. Interactions between the two cascades have often been proposed but the precise molecular pathways of this interplay are still in the dark. To elucidate the mechanisms involved, the effects of various coagulation factors on complement activation and generation of anaphylatoxins were investigated and summarized in the light of the latest literature.

Erythropoietin during porcine aortic balloon occlusion-induced ischemia/reperfusion injury.

Background: Aortic occlusion causes ischemia/reperfusion injury, kidney and spinal cord being the most vulnerable organs. Erythropoietin improved ischemia/reperfusion injury in rodents, which, however, better tolerate ischemia/reperfusion than larger species. Therefore, we investigated whether erythropoietin attenuates porcine aortic occlusion ischemia/reperfusion injury.

Effects of intrarenal administration of the calcium antagonist nimodipine during porcine aortic occlusion-induced ischemia/reperfusion injury.

Ca++ antagonists have been tested to improve I/R injury in the kidney, but their clinical use is limited due to their hypotensive properties. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis on whether infusing the Ca++ blocker nimodipine directly into the renal artery would reduce kidney cell apoptosis and thus improve organ function in a porcine model of suprarenal abdominal aortic cross-clamping. In a prospective, randomized, controlled, blinded study, anesthetized, mechanically ventilated, and instrumented pigs underwent 45 min of suprarenal aortic cross-clamping animals receiving either 0.

MAPkinase gene expression, as determined by microarray analysis, distinguishes uncomplicated from complicated reconstitution after major surgical trauma.

Microarray expression analysis was performed in patients with major surgical trauma to identify signaling pathways which may be indicative for complicated versus uneventful reconstitution post trauma. In addition to a generalized upregulation of nonspecific stress response genes in all patients, a remarkable number of differences in gene expression patterns were found in individual patients. Some of the differing genes were associated with uncomplicated convalescence such as upregulation of both the ERK5 pathway (MAPK7 [mitogen-activated protein kinase-7]) and transcription factors which stimulate hematopoiesis and tissue reconstitution (MEF2, BMP-2, TNFRSF11A [RANK], and RUNX-1).

Effects of a cantaloupe melon extract/wheat gliadin biopolymer during aortic cross-clamping.

Objective: We previously reported in healthy volunteers that a cantaloupe melon extract chemically combined with wheat gliadin (melon extract/gliadin) and containing SOD, catalase and residual glutathione peroxidase (GPx), protected against DNA strand-break damage induced by hyperbaric oxygen (HBO), a well-established model of DNA damage resulting from oxidative stress. Aortic cross-clamping is a typical example of ischemia/reperfusion injury-related oxidative stress, and therefore we investigated whether this melon extract/gliadin would also reduce DNA damage after aortic cross-clamping and reperfusion.

Design: Prospective, randomized, controlled experimental study.

The parp-1 inhibitor ino-1001 facilitates hemodynamic stabilization without affecting DNA repair in porcine thoracic aortic cross-clamping-induced ischemia/reperfusion.

Inhibition of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP-1) improved hemodynamics and organ function in various shock models induced by sepsis or ischemia/reperfusion. PARP-1, however, is also referred to play a pivotal role for the maintenance of genomic integrity. Therefore, we investigated the effect of the PARP-1 blocker INO-1001 on hemodynamics, kidney function, and DNA damage and repair during porcine thoracic aortic cross-clamping.

Effects of 15-deoxy-Delta12,14-prostaglandin-J2 during hyperdynamic porcine endotoxemia.

Objective: To investigate the hemodynamic and metabolic effects of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-gamma ligand and nuclear-factor (NF)-kappa B inhibitor 15-deoxy-Delta12,14-prostaglandin-J2 (15d-PGJ2) during long-term, hyperdynamic porcine endotoxemia.

Design: Prospective, randomized, controlled experimental study with repeated measures.

Setting: Investigational animal laboratory.

The pulmonary and hepatic immune microenvironment and its contribution to the early systemic inflammation following blunt chest trauma.

Objective: Blunt chest trauma is accompanied by an early increase in plasma cytokine concentrations. However, the local sources of these mediators are poorly defined. We investigated the impact of blunt chest trauma on the inflammatory mediator milieu in different compartments (lung tissue, bronchoalveolar lavage, liver tissue, Kupffer cells, plasma) along with the time course of trauma-induced pulmonary endothelial barrier dysfunction to elucidate potential relationships.

Effects of intrarenal administration of the cox-2 inhibitor parecoxib during porcine suprarenal aortic cross-clamping.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of intrarenal administration of the cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor parecoxib during suprarenal aortic cross-clamping. In a prospective, controlled, blinded, randomized manner, 16 anesthetized and mechanically ventilated pigs were instrumented to measure systemic and right kidney hemodynamics, oxygen exchange, and metabolism. During 45 min of suprarenal aortic cross-clamping, animals received 40 mg of parecoxib (n = 8) or vehicle (n = 8) infused continuously into the right renal artery.

Ethyl pyruvate improves systemic and hepatosplanchnic hemodynamics and prevents lipid peroxidation in a porcine model of resuscitated hyperdynamic endotoxemia.

Objective: To investigate the systemic, pulmonary, and hepatosplanchnic hemodynamic and metabolic effects of delayed treatment with ethyl pyruvate in a long-term porcine model of hyperdynamic endotoxemia.

Design: Prospective, randomized, controlled experimental study with repeated measures.

Setting: Investigational animal laboratory.

Pulmonary contusion causes impairment of macrophage and lymphocyte immune functions and increases mortality associated with a subsequent septic challenge.

Objective And Design: Pulmonary contusion is frequently followed by acute respiratory distress syndrome, pneumonia, and sepsis. However, immunologic alterations of circulating and resident immune cell populations contributing to the posttraumatic immunosuppression are poorly understood. We therefore characterized the influence of pulmonary contusion on peripheral blood mononuclear cells, peritoneal macrophages, splenocytes, and splenic macrophages.

Low-dose terlipressin during long-term hyperdynamic porcine endotoxemia: effects on hepatosplanchnic perfusion, oxygen exchange, and metabolism.

Objective: To investigate whether the vasopressin analog terlipressin might induce hepatosplanchnic ischemia during long-term, hyperdynamic, volume-resuscitated porcine endotoxemia.

Design: Prospective, randomized, controlled experimental study with repeated measures.

Setting: Investigational animal laboratory.

Changes in the novel orphan, C5a receptor (C5L2), during experimental sepsis and sepsis in humans.

Sepsis is associated with extensive complement activation, compromising innate immune defenses, especially in neutrophils (PMN). Recently, a second C5a receptor (C5L2) was detected on PMN without evidence of intracellular signaling. The current study was designed to determine changes in C5L2 in blood PMN during sepsis.

Blunt chest trauma induces delayed splenic immunosuppression.

Severe blunt chest trauma is frequently associated with multiple organ failure and sepsis. Posttraumatic immunosuppression seems to play a major role in their development. However, the immunologic alterations following pulmonary contusion are insufficiently elucidated.

HMR1402, a potassium ATP channel blocker during hyperdynamic porcine endotoxemia: effects on hepato-splanchnic oxygen exchange and metabolism.

Objective: To assess the effects of the potassium ATP (KATP) channel blocker HMR1402 (HMR) on systemic and hepato-splanchnic hemodynamics, oxygen exchange and metabolism during hyperdynamic porcine endotoxemia.

Design: Prospective, randomized, controlled study with repeated measures. SETTING.

Systemic, pulmonary, and hepatosplanchnic effects of N-acetylcysteine during long-term porcine endotoxemia.

Objective: Controversial data have been reported on the effects of N-acetylcysteine in patients with septic shock. We therefore investigated the systemic, pulmonary, and hepatosplanchnic hemodynamic, gas exchange, and metabolic effects of N-acetylcysteine during long-term, volume-resuscitated, hyperdynamic porcine endotoxemia, which mimics the features of hyperdynamic human sepsis.

Design: Prospective, randomized, controlled experimental study.

Induction of apoptosis following blunt chest trauma.

The cause for the high morbidity of blunt chest trauma is not fully understood. It is still unclear if and to what extent a second insult, e.g.

Tin-mesoporphyrin for inhibition of heme oxygenase during long-term hyperdynamic porcine endotoxemia.

Heme oxygenase (HO) has both deleterious and protective effects in various shock models. Most of these data have been derived from experiments with hypodynamic shock states associated with depressed cardiac output. Therefore we studied the role of HO during long-term porcine hyperdynamic endotoxemia characterized by a sustained increase in cardiac output resulting from colloid resuscitation to maintain mean arterial pressure > 60 mmHg.

Cardiopulmonary, histological, and inflammatory alterations after lung contusion in a novel mouse model of blunt chest trauma.

Severe blunt chest trauma remains an important injury with high morbidity and mortality. However, the associated immunological alterations are poorly understood. Existing big animal models require large-scale settings, are often too expensive, and research products for immunological studies are limited.