Aquagenic wrinkling of the palms in a cohort of Greek children diagnosed with cystic fibrosis: Associated clinical parameters.

BACKGROUND: Aquagenic wrinkling of the palms (AWP) is an excessive and early palmar wrinkling occurring after brief immersion to water (BIW), and has been reported as a frequent finding among Cystic Fibrosis (CF) patients. OBJECTIVES: To investigate any associations of CF patients presenting AWP with other disease characteristics and explore the pathomechanism of AWP phenomenon. METHODS: We evaluated AWP in CF patients and assessed the AWP parameters of palmar wrinkling, oedema, papules, pruritus and pain at 3, 7 and 11 min after a BIW test with other disease characteristics. Statistical analyses explored the associations of AWP with genotype, lung function, pancreatic insufficiency, hyperhidrosis, personal and family history of atopy and sweat chloride levels. RESULTS: One hundred CF patients (mean age 10.4 years) were included in the analysis. The genotypic distribution was ΔF508/ΔF508: 47%, ΔF508/other: 41% and other/other: 12%. Statistically significant associations of Kaplan-Meier curves of the AWP parameters with various disease characteristics and personal/family history were detected. Wrinkling was associated with history of atopy, hyperhidrosis and levels of sweat chloride test. The time to presentation of oedema and the appearance of papules were associated with history of hyperhidrosis and age at diagnosis. Finally, time to appearance of pruritus was related to history of atopy and of hyperhidrosis. Regarding TEWL regression analysis showed significant associations with age at diagnosis (p = 0.024), sweat chloride test levels (p = 0.005), history of hyperhidrosis (p = 0.033), history of atopy (p = 0.002) and hepatic-pancreatic involvement (p = 0.027). CONCLUSIONS: The existence of a statistically significant association between AWP and the history of hyperhidrosis, atopy, sweat chloride levels and hepatic-pancreatic function in CF patients was detected. A strong association between AWP and CF was detected. AWP after BIW could be elicited easily and possibly can be used as an initial screening tool to diagnose an individual with symptoms and signs that raise the likelihood of CF.

Aquagenic wrinkling of the palms after brief immersion to water test as a screening tool for cystic fibrosis diagnosis.

BACKGROUND: Aquagenic wrinkling of the palms (AWP) is an excessive and early palmar wrinkling occurring after Brief Immersion to Water (BIW), and has been reported as a frequent finding among cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate and assess the diagnostic performance of BIW test as an initial screening tool for CF diagnosis. METHODS: We measured AWP in CF patients, CF-heterozygotes (CF-het) and normal controls. The AWP parameters of palmar wrinkling, oedema, papules, pruritus and pain were assessed at 3, 7 and 11 min after a BIW test was performed for all the participants. Statistical analyses explored the progression of AWP in time for the three groups and assessed the diagnostic performance of BIW test as a diagnostic screening tool for CF. RESULTS: A total of 250 individuals (100 CF patients, their 50 CF-het parents, 100 healthy controls) were included in the analysis. The average age in years (mean ± SD) was 10.4 ± 4.0 for CF, 35.9 ± 6.1 for CF-het and 10.5 ± 4.0 for controls. The rate of positives for AWP at 3 min among CF patients, CF-het and controls was 68%, 8% and 0%, respectively (P < 0.01). Kaplan-Meier analysis showed a clear trend towards earlier appearance of all five parameters in the direction controls < hetCF < CF (P values <0.01). The best diagnostic performance in detecting between CF patients and non-CF was achieved by the presence of papules and wrinkling at 7 min (sensitivity/specificity: 94.0%/98.3% and 100.0%/92.0%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: A strong association between AWP and CF was detected. AWP after BIW could be elicited easily and possibly can be used as an initial screening tool to assess if an individual with symptoms and signs that raise the likelihood of CF is a CF patient.

Measurement of four-photon absorption in GaP and ZnTe semiconductors.

Intensity-dependent effective four-photon absorption (4PA) coefficients in GaP and ZnTe semiconductors were measured by the z-scan method using pump pulses of 1.75 µm wavelength, 135 fs duration, and up to 500 GWcm-2 intensity. A nonlinear pulse propagation model, including linear dispersion and 4PA was used to obtain the 4PA coefficients from measurements. The intensity-dependent effective 4PA coefficients vary from 2.6 × 10-4 to 65 × 10-4 cm5GW-3 in GaP, and from 3.5 × 10-4 to 9.1 × 10-4 cm5GW-3 in ZnTe. The anisotropy in 4PA was shown in GaP. The knowledge of 4PA coefficients is important for the design of semiconductor photonics devices.

Titanium Dioxide Nanowires Grown on Titanium Disks Create a Nanostructured Surface with Improved In Vitro Osteogenic Potential.

Current biomedical research is centered on the study of nanomaterials and their effects in biological environments. In particular, there is an increasing interest on TiO2 nanostructures for biomedical applications such as drug delivery or implant materials. In this framework, we present a Chemical Vapour Deposition process to synthesize titanium dioxide nanowires (NWs) on a commercially pure titanium substrate and we test the material In Vitro as a culture substrate for murine osteoblast-like MC3T3-E1 cells. A physical-morphological, structural and optical-characterization of the inorganic samples is performed by Electron Microscopy techniques and X-ray Diffraction, showing that a mat of crystalline rutile TiO2 NWs is obtained over the commercial substrate. In Vitro biological tests are performed by seeding MC3T3-E1 cells on the material and studying cell morphology, the cellmaterial interface and the osteoblast gene expression. These experiments show good cell adhesion to the nano-structured surface and a higher degree of early osteoblastic differentiation compared to control titanium surfaces, indicating that the present nano-structured material has good osteogenic potential for biomedical applications.

Validation of the dermatology-specific proxy instrument the Infants and Toddlers Dermatology Quality of Life.

BACKGROUND: The first dermatology-specific proxy health-related quality of life (HRQoL) instrument for children 0-4 years old with skin diseases, the Infants and Toddlers Dermatology Quality of Life (InToDermQoL), was recently developed. In order to avoid the problem of cross-cultural inequivalence focus groups work and pilot tests were organized simultaneously in all national centres of the project. The InToDermQoL showed good comprehensibility, clarity and acceptance. OBJECTIVE: To validate the InToDermQoL questionnaire during international field tests. METHODS: Internal consistency, test-retest reliability, convergent and discriminant validity of the InToDermQoL questionnaire were checked during international field tests. RESULTS: Parents of 473 children with skin diseases filled in the national language versions of the InToDermQoL questionnaire. All three age-specific versions of the InToDermQoL questionnaire with 10, 12 and 15 items, respectively, showed high internal consistency (Cronbach's α 0.90-0.93), good test-retest reliability (correlation coefficients > 0.9), significant correlations with the most widely used atopic dermatitis-specific proxy instrument, the Infants Dermatitis Quality of Life Index (correlation coefficients 0.68-0.79). The InToDermQoL versions for children <3 years old well correlated with the atopic dermatis severity measure Scoring of Atopic Dermatitis (correlation coefficients 0.66 and 0.86 for 10 and 12 items versions, respectively). The InToDermQoL questionnaire discriminated well among different diagnoses and disease severity levels. CONCLUSION: Our field tests confirmed internal consistency, test-retest reliability, convergent and discriminant validity of the InToDermQoL questionnaire. Development and validation of the InToDermQoL questionnaire make it possible to assess dermatology-specific aspects of HRQoL in youngest children with skin diseases. There are many reasons to assess HRQoL in dermatologic clinical practice, and we hope that our new instrument will be used internationally in paediatric dermatology for research and practical needs.

Creation and pilot test results of the dermatology-specific proxy instrument: the Infants and Toddlers Dermatology Quality of Life.

BACKGROUND: Until now, there was no validated dermatology-specific health-related quality of life (HRQoL) instrument to be used in youngest patients. OBJECTIVE: To create dermatology-specific proxy instrument for HRQoL assessment in children from birth to 4 years. METHODS: International focus groups, item selection and pilot tests were utilized. In order to avoid the problem of cross-cultural inequivalence, focus group work and pilot tests were planned simultaneously in all national centres of the project. Comprehensibility, clarity, acceptance and internal consistency of new instrument were checked. RESULTS: The title 'Infants and Toddlers Dermatology Quality of Life' was chosen for our new instrument with the proposed acronym 'InToDermQoL'. Focus group work was completed in seven national centres (Croatia, Germany, Greece, Malta, Poland, Romania and Ukraine). A total of 170 families of children with different skin diseases were interviewed, and a pilot version of the instrument was created. Centres from France, Denmark and Spain have joined the project at this stage. Parents of 125 children with skin diseases filled in the pilot versions of the instrument. Good comprehensibility, clarity, acceptance and internal consistency of the InToDermQoL were confirmed. The pilot test results showed that the InToDermQoL questionnaire well differentiates severity-dependent differences. It was also checked and confirmed during the pilot test that no significant information was missed in the questionnaire. Three age-specific versions of the InToDermQoL questionnaire with 10, 12 and 15 items, respectively, were approved for field tests. CONCLUSION: The pilot test results showed that the InToDermQoL questionnaire has good comprehensibility, clarity, acceptance and internal consistency and well differentiates severity-dependent differences. Further validation of the InToDermQoL during international field test will be performed.

Highly efficient hydrogen production through ethanol photoreforming by a carbon nanocone/Pd@TiO2 hybrid catalyst.

Production of molecular hydrogen (H2) is becoming an increasingly prominent process, due to high expectations as a new green energy carrier and key reagent for many industrial processes. Herein we report the high efficiency of H2 production via photoreforming of ethanol using a catalyst based on hierarchical carbon nanocones hybridised with an inorganic layer of nanocrystalline TiO2 containing Pd nanoparticles.

Tungsten oxide nanowires grown on amorphous-like tungsten films.

Tungsten oxide nanowires have been synthesized by vacuum annealing in the range 500-710 °C from amorphous-like tungsten films, deposited on a Si(100) substrate by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) in the presence of a He background pressure. The oxygen required for the nanowires formation is already adsorbed in the W matrix before annealing, its amount depending on deposition parameters. Nanowire crystalline phase and stoichiometry depend on annealing temperature, ranging from W18O49-Magneli phase to monoclinic WO3. Sufficiently long annealing induces the formation of micrometer-long nanowires, up to 3.6 µm with an aspect ratio up to 90. Oxide nanowire growth appears to be triggered by the crystallization of the underlying amorphous W film, promoting their synthesis at low temperatures.

Magnetic solid-phase extraction based on diphenyl functionalization of Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles for the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in urine samples.

Superparamagnetic Fe(3)O(4) diphenyl nanoparticles were prepared according to a solvothernal procedure and characterized by X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, surface area measurements, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The magnetic phases present in the nanoparticle samples were analyzed by thermomagnetic analysis and the samples' magnetic properties were studied by vibrating sample magnetometry. The resulting nanoparticles having an average diameter of 200 nm were then used as solid-phase extraction sorbent for the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in urine samples. Method validation proved the feasibility of the developed beads for the quantitation of the investigated analytes at trace levels obtaining lower limit of quantitation values in the ng/l range. A good precision with coefficients of variations always lower than 15% was obtained. Finally, the superior extraction performance of the synthesized nanoparticles with respect to commercially available beads was proved.

Antiphase disorder in GaAs/Ge heterostructures for solar cells

Antiphase disorder in metal organic vapour phase epitaxy grown GaAs/(100)Ge heterostructures has been studied both in as-grown materials and in GaAs solar cells by chemical etching, transmission electron microscopy, and cathodoluminescence. All the samples are single domains at the surface due to the self-annihilation of antiphase domains whose size decreases as the misorientation angle increases. Completely antiphase domain-free epitaxy has been achieved for substrate miscuts greater than 3 degrees off towards [111]. A reversal in sublattice location has been found in the GaAs layers varying the misorientation angle and the growth temperature. A model to explain this result has been proposed based on the role of surface steps in the nucleation process. Strong interaction between antiphase boundaries and misfit dislocations has been found in all the heterostructures. In solar cells antiphase domains have been observed in high densities in the initial layer of GaAs deposited on Ge. The successful realisation of high efficiency solar cells is due to the overgrowth of these domains by single phase material over most of the wafer area.