[Single Patient Room Design in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit - Parent Perceptions of Open Ward vs. Single Patient Room Units]. / Die Einrichtung von Einzelzimmern auf neonatologischen Intensivstationen - Auswirkungen auf die Betreuung aus Sicht der Eltern.

BACKGROUND: Single patient room design is not yet implemented in German neonatal intensive care units. Surveys from other countries revealed positive and negative implications on the staff, the patients and their families. The survey examines the perceptions of parents who experienced both facilities - the traditional multipatient ward and the individual patient room - during their babies' hospital stays. METHODS: A standardized questionnaire was used to assess the perceptions of parents. The results were compared to international surveys. RESULTS: During their stay in the single patient room, parents noticed improvements in privacy and data protection and a reduction in harmful environmental stimuli affecting their babies. These results are comparable to those of international surveys. CONCLUSIONS: Single patient room design is mostly perceived as an improvement by parents. The room design can complement an implemented concept of developmental and family-centered care.

New Cerec software version 4.3 for Omnicam and Bluecam.

The introduction of the Cerec Omnicam acquisition unit in September 2012 presented Sirona with a challenge: con- figuring the existing software version 4 for both the exist- ing Bluecam, which uses still images, and the video-based Omnicam. Sirona has succeeded in making all the features introduced in version 4.2 (such as the virtual articulator or implant-supported single-tooth restorations, both monolithic and two-part designs) work with both camera types, without compromising the uniform, homogeneous look and feel of the software. The virtual articulator (Figs 1a to 1c) now has even more individual configuration options and allows the setting of almost all angles derived from the individual transfer bow based on precalculated average values. The new software version 4.3, presented in July 2014, fixes some minor bugs, such as the time-consuming "empty grinding" after necessary water changes during the grinding process, but also includes many features that noticeably ease the workflow. For example, the important scanning precision in the region of the anterior incisal edges has been improved, which makes the scanning process more reliable, faster, and far more comfortable.

The new acquisition unit Cerec AC.

Cerec AC presents itself as a modern acquisition unit with all features that are necessary for the digital optical impression. Apart from that, many user demands have been realized to improve different aspects, most importantly, of course, the much easier imaging process. But also the uninterrupted power supply--even though only an option--will soon be in every unit. A work of art.

High-glucose media enhance the responsiveness of tubular cells to growth promoters: effect on lysosomal cathepsins and protein degradation.

Nephromegaly is a prominent feature of diabetic nephropathy and predominantly reflects increased renal tubule mass, mostly due to hypertrophy. To elucidate pathogenetic factors involved, we studied the effects of high glucose (HG) alone, and in combination with hormones/growth promoters: angiotensin II (10(-7) M); parathyroid hormone (10(-7) M); insulin-like growth factor-1 (10(-7) M), or transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1, 10 ng/ml) in a renal cell line (LLC-PK1) with many characteristics of the proximal tubule. Activities of lysosomal cathepsins (B, L+B and H) and the protein turnover were investigated. Exposure to HG (25 mM) for up to 48 h increased cellular protein content, due to enhanced protein synthesis, while protein degradation rate and cathepsin activities tended to lower values. Hyperosmotic mechanisms of glucose action were excluded, since these effects were not induced by mannitol. In normoglycemic conditions only TGF-beta1 decreased cathepsin activities and protein degradation rate significantly. However, in HG media all applied hormones/growth factors significantly lowered the protein degradation rate, as well as lysosomal cathepsin activities. The enhanced responsiveness could contribute to the impaired protein turnover, with consequent hypertrophy of the tubulointerstitium in diabetic nephropathy.

New synthetic inhibitors of microtubule depolymerization.

A new class of borneol esters that might be considered as biological analogs of paclitaxel regarding their action on microtubules has been found. By structure-activity optimizations, compounds stabilizing microtubules much better than paclitaxel while showing a remarkably reduced cytotoxic activity were obtained. This dissoziation will open completely new therapeutic areas.

Advanced glycation endproducts stimulate the MAP-kinase pathway in tubulus cell line LLC-PK1.

Advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) are suggested to play an important role in diabetic nephropathy. They induce specific cellular responses such as the release of cytokines in different cell lines. The effect of AGEs on signal transduction pathways was investigated in the renal tubulus cell line LLC-PK1. Using a serine-phosphate-specific antibody AGE-induced cellular responses associated with phosphorylation/dephosphorylation events were demonstrated. In particular, the p42MAP kinase and its downstream target, the AP-1 complex, are shown to be activated by AGE-BSA but not by BSA. In contrast, only partial phosphorylation is observed for the p70S6-kinase. Thus, AGEs appear to induce specific signal transduction pathways.

Voltage-sensitive fluorescence of amphiphilic hemicyanine dyes in a black lipid membrane of glycerol monooleate.

Amphiphilic fluorescent hemicyanine dyes were adsorbed to a hemispherical bimolecular membrane of glycerol monooleate. Their excitation spectra of fluorescence were as in water, their emission spectra were as in hydrocarbon. An AC-voltage was applied across the membrane and the relative changes of the spectra of excitation and of emission were recorded. For all dyes we observed a blue-shift of excitation with positive voltage on the opposite side of staining. The effect is compared with the blue-shift expected for electrochromism. For most dyes we observed a red-shift of emission and a drop of the fluorescence intensity. These effects are compared with the red-shift and the drop of quantum yield expected for a voltage-induced solvatochromism caused by a minute displacement of the dyes in the anisotropic environment at the membrane/water interface.