EndoAnchor placement in thoracic and thoracoabdominal stent-grafts to repair complications of nonalignment.

PURPOSE: To report our early experience in repairing incomplete sealing or nonalignment of thoracic or thoracoabdominal stent-grafts using EndoAnchors. METHODS: Six patients (5 men; mean age 67 years, range 56-76) with thoracic or thoracoabdominal aortic stent-grafts and persistent type I endoleak (n=4), stent-graft migration (n=2), partial stent-graft infolding (n=2), and/or side branch malperfusion (n=1) were treated using the Heli-FX Aortic Securement System. Stent-graft or uncovered stent extension did not improve alignment in 3 patients prior to the use of EndoAnchors. RESULTS: Intended fixation of the proximal stent-graft in the aortic arch (n=1) and the proximal (n=3) or distal (n=2) descending thoracic aorta was achieved in all 6 patients using 28 EndoAnchors (3-7 per patient). Two to 4 EndoAnchors were placed at the site of the nonalignment and an additional 2 to 4 to fix the entire circumference of the stent-graft. The majority of the EndoAnchors were delivered successfully at the first attempt, but 5 required reapplication during the same intervention (no EndoAnchors were lost). No additional balloon dilation or other adjunctive maneuver was required for improvement of thoracic stent-graft fixation after the deployment of the EndoAnchors. The intraoperative and early postoperative periods were uneventful in 5 patients; however, one TAAA patient with a fenestrated aortic arch stent-graft suffered from multiple visceral and cerebral infarctions and died 4 weeks later. During the mean 11-month follow-up (range 5-22), no stent-graft migration or EndoAnchor dislocation has been observed. There have been no periaortic hematomas or side branch complications. CONCLUSION: Although the number of patients treated so far is small, the Heli-FX Aortic Securement System seems to be a feasible and safe treatment option for primary or secondary procedures in patients with complications of proximal or distal thoracic stent-graft nonalignment. However, extensive endovascular interventions in the proximal aortic arch should be performed with caution because of an increased risk of severe embolic events.

Aggravation of different types of experimental colitis by depletion or adhesion blockade of neutrophils.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Neutrophils are generally thought to play an important proinflammatory role in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether blocking the invasion of neutrophils by anti-L-selectin monoclonal antibodies modulates chemically induced colitis and how this modulation is accomplished. METHODS: Trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid/dinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS/DNBS)-induced colitis was studied in rats on treatment with anti-L-selectin monoclonal antibodies (mAb) or antineutrophil antiserum. Different anti-L-selectin mAb, either blocking or nonblocking, as well as F(ab)(2) fragments were evaluated. Additionally, leukocyte migration was examined using intravital microscopy. Furthermore, the effect of neutrophil depletion in rat TNBS-induced colitis was studied either prior to or after colitis induction as well as murine CD4(+)CD45RB(high) transfer colitis. Finally, bacterial translocation during DNBS-induced colitis was studied in neutrophil-depleted and control rats. RESULTS: Anti-L-selectin mAb treatment resulted in increased mortality and bowel inflammation as well as hemorrhagic eye secretion. No clear difference was found between blocking and nonblocking mAb or F(ab)(2) fragments. For all investigated antibodies/fragments, either complete blockade of leukocyte invasion or marked neutrophil depletion was found. Accordingly, neutrophil depletion by antiserum resulted in aggravation of rat DNBS-induced colitis as well as murine transfer colitis. CONCLUSIONS: Adhesion blockade or neutrophil depletion aggravates rat TNBS/DNBS-induced colitis together with extraintestinal manifestations of the eyes. Therefore, neutrophils appear to have an important role in mucosal repair processes. Importantly, adhesion blockade as a therapeutic concept can be detrimental in inflammatory bowel disease.

Molecularly imprinted polymers for biomolecular recognition.

Molecular imprinting of polymers is a concept for the synthetic formation of structurally organized materials providing binding sites with molecular selectivity. Compared to biological receptors, these polymeric recognition systems have the advantage of superior chemical and mechanical stability with potential applications in areas such as biomimetic catalysis and engineering, biomedical analysis, sensor technology, or the food industry. In particular, molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) providing selectivity for biorelated molecules are gaining substantial importance. In this context, a self-assembly approach for the synthesis of imprinted polymers against the flavonol quercetin is presented, which is exemplary for the biologically relevant group of flavonoid compounds. The creation of synthetic selective recognition sites for this biomolecule is demonstrated by comparing the separation capabilities of imprinted and nonimprinted polymer particles for several structurally related molecules via high-performance liquid chromatography experiments. The developed quercetin-MIP enables selective extraction of quercetin even from complex mixtures, demonstrating the potential for designing biomimetic recognition materials with improved selectivity for biomolecules with tunable functionality at a nanoscale.

Analysis of corrosion processes at the surface of diamond-like carbon protected zinc selenide waveguides.

A detailed surface analytical study on the corrosion behavior of unprotected and diamond-like carbon (DLC)-coated mid-infrared (MIR) waveguides used in remote sensing applications at strongly oxidizing conditions is presented. High-quality DLC films, with a thickness of 100 nm serving as MIR-transparent corrosion barrier, have been produced at the surface of zinc selenide (ZnSe) attenuated total reflection waveguides via pulsed laser deposition techniques. IR microscopy and atomic force microscopy are applied to investigate the chemical inertness of DLC-based membranes against aqueous solutions of hydrogen peroxide. These stability studies show that uncoated ZnSe waveguides are subject to severe chemical surface modifications, while DLC-protected waveguides maintain their optical properties and chemical integrity. In situ studies on the corrosion behavior by a recently developed approach combining scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) with Au/Hg amalgam ultramicroelectrodes in a scanning stripping voltammetry experiment provides additional insight into the mechanisms of the corrosion process. It is demonstrated that the combination of surface analytical techniques and, in particular, the innovative application of SECM with amalgam electrodes provides superior information on corrosion processes at the surface of optical waveguides. This detailed study confirms the efficiency of protective DLC coatings deposited onto IR-transparent optical waveguides, rendering this novel concept ideal for sensing applications in harsh environments.

Direct analysis of oxidizing agents in aqueous solution with attenuated total reflectance mid-infrared spectroscopy and diamond-like carbon protected waveguides.

A novel approach for the direct detection of oxidizing agents in aqueous solution is presented using diamond-like carbon (DLC) protected waveguides in combination with attenuated total reflectance (ATR) mid-infrared spectroscopy. Pulsed laser deposition was applied to produce high-quality DLC thin films on ZnSe ATR crystals with thicknesses of a few 100 nm. Scanning electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy has been used to investigate the surface properties of the DLC films including the sp(3)/sp(2) hybridization ratio of the carbon bonds. Beside excellent adhesion of the DLC coatings to ZnSe crystals, these films show high chemical stability against strongly oxidizing agents. IR microscopy was utilized to compare differences in the chemical surface modification of bare and protected ATR waveguides when exposed to hydrogen peroxide, peracetic acid, and peroxydisulfuric acid. The feasibility of DLC protected waveguides for real-time concentration monitoring of these oxidizing agents was demonstrated by measuring calibration sets in a concentration range of 0.2-10%. Additionally, principal component regression has been applied to analyze multicomponent mixtures of hydrogen peroxide, acetic acid, and peracetic acid in aqueous solution. Due to high chemical stability and accurate monitoring capabilities, DLC protected waveguides represent a novel approach for directly detecting oxidizing agents in aqueous solution with promising potential for industrial process analysis.

Sol-gel-coated mid-infrared fiber-optic sensors.

Application of organically modified sol-gels as novel recognition membranes for mid-infrared fiber-optic sensors is demonstrated for the first time by in situ detection of nitro-based aromatic compounds in aqueous media. Sol-gels were prepared by acid- and base-catalyzed copolymerization of alkyltrimethoxysiloxanes and applied onto the surface of silver halide (AgCl(0.3)Br(0.7)) fibers by drip coating. The coating process was monitored in situ using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. Homogeneity of the layers was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy. Sol-gel-coated evanescent held sensors were investigated with respect to their capacity to suppress interfering water background absorptions, repeatability of dissolved analyte enrichment, and sensor response time. Nitrobenzene and parathion are the investigated analytes; figures of merit are derived from calibration curves determined to assess sensitivity and reproducibility of the developed sensor system. It can be concluded that sol-gel-coated infrared fiber-optic sensors enable reproducible detection of nitro-based aromatic compounds in the low ppm concentration range. Due to wide flexibility in tuning chemical properties of sol-gel films along with superior mechanical and chemical stability, organically modified sol-gels represent highly interesting coating materials for mid-infrared sensing applications.

Application of mid-infrared spectroscopy: measuring hydrogen peroxide concentrations in bleaching baths.

The presented work applies mid-infrared attenuated total reflection (ATR) spectroscopy to the measurment of hydrogen peroxide in aqueous matrices. The performance of different ATR crystals mounted in flow cells was investigated in the presence of aqueous hydrogen peroxide solutions. Quantitative determination has been achieved by evaluation of specific OH stretching and deformation vibrations with linear correlation between peak areas or peak heights and hydrogen peroxide concentration in the range of 1-10% (weight in water). Important aspects such as chemical stability of the waveguide material and influences of pH and ionic strength on the performance are discussed. Feasibility for the investigation of real world samples is demonstrated by measuring industrial bleaching solutions with known concentrations of hydrogen peroxide fitting well with calibration graphs established with neat hydrogen peroxide solutions. The presented sensor system is capable of determining hydrogen peroxide within complex matrices and clearly corroborates the potential of providing an in situ measurement concept for on-line hydrogen peroxide detection.