A Phase-2 Exploratory Randomized Controlled Trial of INOpulse in Patients with Fibrotic Interstitial Lung Disease Requiring Oxygen.

Rationale: Patients with fibrotic interstitial lung disease often progress to the point of requiring supplemental oxygen. This is invariably accompanied by an impaired quality of life and limitations on activities of daily living. Objectives: This study aimed to assess the improvement in physical activity in patients with interstitial lung disease requiring supplemental oxygen treated with pulsed inhaled nitric oxide via INOpulse (Bellerophon Therapeutics). In addition, it sought to explore the safety and clinical benefits of INOpulse on multiple patient-reported outcomes. Methods: Ambulatory patients with fibrotic lung disease on supplemental oxygen were randomized in a 2:1 ratio to inhaled nitric oxide at 45 µg/kg ideal body weight/h (iNO45) or placebo for 4 months (3 months after baseline) of blinded treatment. The study assessed multiple exploratory efficacy endpoints, including moderate to vigorous physical activity as measured by actigraphy and patient-reported outcomes using the University of California San Diego shortness of breath questionnaire and the St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ). Results: A total of 44 patients (30 iNO45 and 14 placebo) were enrolled. A placebo-corrected clinical benefit of 12.3 min/d increase in MVPA was observed in the iNO45 group. Clinically meaningful beneficial trends were observed for the University of California San Diego shortness of breath questionnaire (6.05 points) and the SGRQ total (3.75) scores, as well as the SGRQ activity (5.84), and SGRQ impact (6.30) domains. Conclusions: INOpulse was well tolerated and associated with maintenance of physical activity and improved symptomatology in patients with interstitial lung disease who require supplemental oxygen. Further validation of this beneficial effect warrants further study in a phase-3 trial that is currently underway.

Cross-sectional study on socio-demographic and clinical correlates of depression among human immunodeficiency virus-positive patients in Surat City, Western India.

INTRODUCTION: Surat has the highest incidence of human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) in Gujarat, the main reason being its large migrant population. Mental health in HIV/AIDS has most often been a topic of neglect all over the world. This study attempts to assess the magnitude of depression and the socio-demographic and clinical variables associated with it in HIV-positive patients. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 270 HIV-positive patients using Beck Depression Inventory (BDI; translated and validated in Gujarati and Hindi) along with a questionnaire for eliciting information on socio-demographic and clinical variables. RESULTS: The prevalence of depression among HIV-positive patients was 30% with 12.22% having mild depression; 14.07% with moderate depression and 3.7% with severe depression. Bivariate analysis showed that physical pain, physical illness, Cluster of Differentiation 4 (CD4)<300 cells/mm3, HIV positive spouse, discrimination at hospital, discrimination in society, government setup as the first place of HIV test and broken relationship with spouse after HIV disclosure were significantly associated with depression among the patients. On multiple logistic regression, discrimination at hospital, physical pain and CD4<300 cells/mm3 were found to be the significant predictors of depression among the patients. DISCUSSION: HIV-positive patients can be screened by counselors using easy-to-administer scales like BDI, which can be translated and validated into any regional language. A trained psychiatrist should be appointed at the Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) center to take care of the mental health issues of the patients.

Breath figure templated self-assembly of porous diblock copolymer films.

Porous polyethylene oxide-b-polyfluorooctylmethacrylate (PEO-b-PFOMA) diblock copolymer films were drop cast onto substrates from Freon (1,1,2-trichlorotrifluoroethane) in a humid atmosphere. The pores in the films exhibit long range hexagonal order in some cases, depending on the PFOMA-to-PEO molecular weight ratio. Films with the best ordered pores were formed with PFOMA-to-PEO ratios of 70 kDa:2 kDa. The pores in the polymer films derive from water droplets that condense as Freon evaporates. The polymer stabilizes the water droplets, or "breath figures," which act as an immiscible template that molds the porous film. Increased polymer hydrophobicity reduces the water wettability of the air/Freon interface, which in turn decreases water droplet nucleation, thus influencing the final pore size and spatial order in the polymer films. We describe how water droplet nucleation influences the final pore size and packing order in the polymer films.

Steric stabilization of core-shell nanoparticles in liquid carbon dioxide at the vapor pressure.

Nondilute nanoparticle dispersions were stabilized in liquid CO2 at 25 degrees C at pressures as low as the vapor pressure for greater than 30 min. By modifying hydrophilic silica with a trifunctional silylating agent, (heptadecafluoro-1,1,2,2-tetrahydrodecyl)triethoxy silane, a cross-linked polymer shell was formed around the silica core. The presence of the shell led to weaker Hamaker interactions between approaching fluoro-silica composite particles and enabled dispersibility at weaker solvent conditions (low pressures) than for metals with larger Hamaker constants. Steric stabilization of the nanoparticles was provided by low-molecular-weight perfluorodecane side chains at the surface of the fluoro-silica composite shell. Compared to polymeric chains, the perfluorodecane side chains are more easily solvated and thus stabilize nanoparticle dispersions in CO2 at much lower pressures, even down to the vapor pressure.

Inverse Opal Nanocrystal Superlattice Films.

We describe the single-step self-organization of nanocrystal superlattice films infused with spatially ordered arrays of micrometer-size pores. In a humid atmosphere, water droplets condense on the surface of evaporating thin-film solutions of nanocrystals. Nanocrystals coated with the appropriate ligands stabilize the water droplets, allowing them to grow to uniform size and ultimately pack into very ordered arrays. The droplets provide a temporary template that casts an ordered macroporous nanocrystal film. This process could serve as a reliable bottom-up self-assembly approach for fabricating two-dimensional waveguides with tunable optical properties for single-chip integration of photonic and electronic technologies.