Development of a skin-friendly microemulsion for dermal allergen-specific immunotherapy.

Due to their role in immune responses, the skin dendritic cells (i.e. epidermal Langerhans cells and dermal dendritic cells) have become of great interest to researchers in the past decades.

A positive-psychological intervention reduces acute psychosis-proneness.

Background: While individuals at ultra-risk for schizophrenia are characterized by high negative/disorganised but low positive schizotypy, schizophrenia patients are usually high in all three schizotypy facets. Thus, avoiding increases in positive schizotypy in ultra-high risk individuals may constitute of form of schizophrenia-prevention. A possible method of reducing positive schizotypy could be Positive-Psychological intervention (PI).

Models of Schizotypy: The Importance of Conceptual Clarity.

The observation of psychosis-like traits that resemble symptoms of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, both among healthy relatives of psychotic patients and among the general population, can be traced to the early 20th century.1,2 These traits have since been described within various models of illness and health (ie, normal/abnormal personality, abnormal psychotic continua), each giving rise to concepts such as "schizotypy," "psychoticism," and "psychosis-proneness" that are not necessarily interchangeable, although their subtle distinctions are often overlooked. Historically, there have been 3 major models of schizophrenia-/psychosis-proneness, one of which is referred to as "taxonic" or "quasi-dimensional,"3,4 and 2 models that can be regarded as "fully dimensional,"5,6 as distinguished by the relationship that is proposed to exist between psychosis-proneness and the risk of clinical schizophrenia or other psychotic disorder.

Abstract ID: 230 Experimental and Monte Carlo investigation of the depth-dependent fluence perturbation of parallel-plate chambers in clinical electron beams.

The electron fluence inside a parallel-plate ionization chamber positioned in a water phantom and exposed to a clinical electron beam deviates from the unperturbed fluence in water in absence of the chamber. One reason for the fluence perturbation is the "in-scattering effect" as described in ICRU 35. Aim of this work is a detailed experimental and with Monte Carlo simulations investigation of this effect.

Caffeine administration modulates TGF-β signaling but does not attenuate blunted alveolarization in a hyperoxia-based mouse model of bronchopulmonary dysplasia.

Background: Caffeine is widely used to manage apnea of prematurity, and reduces the incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). Deregulated transforming growth factor (TGF)-β signaling underlies arrested postnatal lung maturation in BPD. It is unclear whether caffeine impacts TGF-β signaling or postnatal lung development in affected lungs.

Hydrophilic Ionic Liquids as Ingredients of Gel-Based Dermal Formulations.

Ionic liquids (ILs) have several properties that offer many advantages in dermal drug delivery systems. Depending on the chemical structure, ILs can be used for protection against microorganisms, to enhance skin penetration, and as a solvent. In the present work, SEPINEO™ P 600 formulations and hydroxyethylcellulose gels containing the hydrophilic ILs hexylpyridinium chloride, choline dihydrogen phosphate, and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium ethyl sulfate were prepared, and the influence of the ILs on the formulation properties was evaluated.

Image-Processing Scheme to Detect Superficial Fungal Infections of the Skin.

The incidence of superficial fungal infections is assumed to be 20 to 25% of the global human population. Fluorescence microscopy of extracted skin samples is frequently used for a swift assessment of infections. To support the dermatologist, an image-analysis scheme has been developed that evaluates digital microscopic images to detect fungal hyphae.

Development of an insect metalloproteinase inhibitor drug carrier system for application in chronic wound infections.

Objectives: The insect metalloproteinase inhibitor (IMPI) represents the first peptide capable of inhibiting virulence-mediating microbial M4-metalloproteinases and is promising as a therapeutic. The purpose of this study was to develop a suitable drug carrier system for the IMPI drug to enable treatment of chronic wound infections. Specifically, we studied on poloxamer 407 hydrogels, examining the influence of several additives and preservatives on the rheological parameters of the hydrogels, the bioactivity and release of IMPI.

Telemonitoring and medical care supporting of patients with chronic respiratory diseases.

Experts refer to innovative telemonitoring technologies to deal with chronic respiratory diseases, especially the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease - COPD. In chronic respiratory diseases, sudden acute exacerbations may occur that can be life-threatening in some cases. Telemonitoring solutions help to detect the beginning of an impaired medical condition and can induce an adequate countermeasure in time.

Estimation of respiratory flow by means of normal lung sound.

The respiratory flow is a good indicator of sleep-related breathing disorders. Common praxis is to use a pneumotachograph as the golden standard for flow measurement. However, it does not have to be necessarily the best possible test device for long-term condition, because the device is very uncomfortable and rarely suitable for measurement during sleep.

Evaluation and quantification of spectral information in tissue by confocal microscopy.

A confocal imaging and image processing scheme is introduced to visualize and evaluate the spatial distribution of spectral information in tissue. The image data are recorded using a confocal laser-scanning microscope equipped with a detection unit that provides high spectral resolution. The processing scheme is based on spectral data, is less error-prone than intensity-based visualization and evaluation methods, and provides quantitative information on the composition of the sample.

RecoPhos: full-scale fertilizer production from sewage sludge ash.

The substitution potential of sewage sludge for German primary phosphate imports has been estimated as 40%. Yet, a marketable option for the full scale recovery has been lacking. This study focuses on a full-scale process for the manufacture of a P-fertilizer from sewage sludge ash (SSA) adapted from the production of Triple Superphosphate.

Protective effect of drug delivery systems against the enzymatic degradation of dermally applied DNAzyme.

DNAzymes are a group of RNA-cleaving DNA oligonucleotides that contain a catalytic domain and represent a novel class of antisense molecules. Although single-stranded DNAzymes may represent the most effective nucleic acid drug to date, the sensitivity to nuclease degradation is challenging. Therefore, it is important to develop a drug delivery system, which protects the molecule against degradation during dermal application.