Development of a PCR-RFLP assay to identify among field-collected larvae.

The fruit fly is a model organism to study several aspects of metazoan biology. Most of the work has been conducted in adult fruit flies, including laboratory and field-derived specimens, but larvae recently became a valuable model to better understand animal physiology, development, or host-microbe interactions. While adult flies can be easily assigned to a given species based on morphological characteristics, such visual identification is more intricate at the larval stage.

Pristinamycin in the treatment of MSSA bone and joint infection.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate pristinamycin in the treatment of MSSA bone and joint infection (BJI).

Patients And Methods: A retrospective, single-centre cohort study (2001-11) investigated outcome in adults receiving pristinamycin for MSSA BJI and pristinamycin-related adverse events (AEs).

Results: One hundred and two MSSA BJIs were assessed in 98 patients [chronic infection, 33.

Biomimetic cryptic site surfaces for reversible chemo- and cyto-mechanoresponsive substrates.

Chemo-mechanotransduction, the way by which mechanical forces are transformed into chemical signals, plays a fundamental role in many biological processes. The first step of mechanotransduction often relies on exposure, under stretching, of cryptic sites buried in adhesion proteins. Likewise, here we report the first example of synthetic surfaces allowing for specific and fully reversible adhesion of proteins or cells promoted by mechanical action.

From contact angle titration to chemical force microscopy: a new route to assess the pH-dependent character of the stratum corneum.

Despite of its complex multicomponent organization and its compact architecture, the Stratum corneum (SC) is not completely impermeable to substances directly applied on the skin surface. A huge number of works have been dedicated to the understanding of the mechanisms involved in substance permeation by exploring deeper layers than the SC itself. Surprisingly, there is a poor interest in studies relating to interactions which may occur in the near-surface region (i.

Surface granularity as a discriminating feature of illicit tablets.

In this paper we propose an innovative methodology for automated profiling of illicit tablets by their surface granularity; a feature previously unexamined for this purpose. We make use of the tiny inconsistencies at the tablet surface, referred to as speckles, to generate a quantitative granularity profile of tablets. Euclidian distance is used as a measurement of (dis)similarity between granularity profiles.

Chemical force titration of plasma polymer-modified PDMS substrates by using plasma polymer-modified AFM tips.

Plasma polymerization has gained increasing attention in surface functionalization. We use here chemical force titration to characterize PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane) substrates modified by maleic anhydride-pulsed plasma polymerization. The coating is hydrolyzed to promote the formation of dicarboxylic acid groups.

Changes in silicon elastomeric surface properties under stretching induced by three surface treatments.

Poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) substrates are used in many applications where the substrates need to be elongated and various treatments are used to regulate their surface properties. In this article, we compare the effect of three of such treatments, namely, UV irradiation, water plasma, and plasma polymerization, both from a molecular and from a macroscopic point of view. We focus our attention in particular on the behavior of the treated surfaces under mechanical stretching.

[Surgical prevention of retinal detachment].

Prophylaxis of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment consists of measures both non surgical and/or surgical that are effective in preventing some risk-factors that are part of the disease. The procedure must avoid any types of danger. This paper describes a new reliable surgical procedure of circular buckling used for prophylaxis on predisposed fellow-eye of giant retinal tear.

[Prevention of retinal detachment. Whom to treat?].

Natural history of retinal detachment (RD) studies on clinical exam of 200 patients revealed that RD, is the consequence of multiple risk factors preparing to PVD. This phenomenon depends therefore from peculiar background, patient's age, and opportunistic traumatism. The best prophylaxis would be represented by a mean of inducing PVD without retinal damage.

[A universal laser for intraocular treatment].

The creation of a single apparatus incorporating the different lasers applicable to intraocular pathology derives from the idea of possessing the means, with one device, of objectively comparing the effects and parameters of various lasers in order to pursue a more precise line of treatment. This has led to our fabrication of the universal intraocular laser. The word universal means the ability of the machine to act on each kind of intraocular tissues with all of the various infrared or other-colored radiations, as well as with different modalities.

[Stabilization of the laser on the target. Scanning photocoagulator: the SLC (scanning laser coagulator)].

When lasers are used to cause burns on the retina they necessitate systems of great precision especially in the posterior pole. Different possibilities are now offered. The best one is based on the intensification of the same laser beam used for the observation in the Scanning Laser Ophthalmoscope: S.

[Modernization of ophthalmoscopic techniques].

The great principles of ophthalmoscopy have been known for many decades. This paper intends show the new possibilities allowed by modern technology, especially in two fields. First of all, it is possible, even in keeping basic principles, to improve previous machines with, for example, better magnification, new ophthalmoscopic lens, or to create new materials as telescopes for clinical practice or intra-ocular surgery, wide angle or high magnification fundus cameras for posterior pole examination.