[What it means for patients to have their illness experiences published in the Internet]. / Wie erleben Patienten die Veröffentlichung ihrer Krankheitserfahrungen im Internet?

Aim of the study was to explore meaning and consequences for patients for having their illness experiences published in the internet. Patients who participated in the establishment of a research-based internet website on illness experiences were interviewed about their experiences of taking part in the project. 14 patients with diabetes and 29 patients with chronic pain participated in the follow-up. They were interviewed with an open narrative and semi-structured approach about their motives and experiences of taking part in the project and the impact of the publication on them. Interview transcripts were coded and aggregated in a computer-assisted thematic analysis. Patients unanimously evaluated their participation positively. Many of them reported that it had been an intense and relevant experience, which equalled an intervention. They conveyed that the special effort of the researchers to establish a trustful and caring relationship had proven of value and led to a high identification of the participants with the aims of the website.

A 1D conical nanotubular TiO2/CdS heterostructure with superior photon-to-electron conversion.

Herein, a new strategy to efficiently harvest photons in solar cells is presented. A solar cell heterostructure is put forward, based on a 1D conical TiO2 nanotubular scaffold of high aspect ratio, homogenously coated with a thin few nm layer of CdS light absorber using atomic layer deposition (ALD). For the first time, a large variety of conical nanotube layers with a huge span of aspect ratios was utilized and ALD was used for the preparation of a uniform CdS coating within the entire high surface area of the TiO2 nanotubes. The resulting 1D conical CdS/TiO2 tubular heterostructure acts as a sink for photons. Due to the multiple light scattering and absorption events within this nanotubular sink, a large portion of photons (nearly 80%) is converted into electrons. It is the combination of the scaffold architecture and the light absorber present on the high surface area as a very thin layer, the optimized charge transport and multiple optical effects that make this heterostructure very promising for the next generation of highly performing solar cells.

Genetic modulation of oxytocin sensitivity: a pharmacogenetic approach.

Intranasal administration of the neuropeptide oxytocin has been shown to influence a range of complex social cognitions and social behaviors, and it holds therapeutic potential for the treatment of mental disorders characterized by social functioning deficits such as autism, social phobia and borderline personality disorder. However, considerable variability exists in individual responses to oxytocin administration. Here, we undertook a study to investigate the role of genetic variation in sensitivity to exogenous oxytocin using a socioemotional task. In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled experiment with a repeated-measures (crossover) design, we assessed the performance of 203 men on an emotion recognition task under oxytocin and placebo. We took a haplotype-based approach to investigate the association between oxytocin receptor gene variation and oxytocin sensitivity. We identified a six-marker haplotype block spanning the promoter region and intron 3 that was significantly associated with our measure of oxytocin sensitivity. Specifically, the TTCGGG haplotype comprising single-nucleotide polymorphisms rs237917-rs2268498-rs4564970-rs237897-rs2268495-rs53576 is associated with increased emotion recognition performance under oxytocin versus placebo, and the CCGAGA haplotype with the opposite pattern. These results on the genetic modulation of sensitivity to oxytocin document a significant source of individual differences with implications for personalized treatment approaches using oxytocin administration.

[Changes in Roughness of Exposed Head of POLDI Femoral Component.]. / Zmeny drsnosti exponované hlavice cementované totální endoprotézy kycelního kloubu POLDI.

The authors have examined the roughness of the heads of four exposed all-metal cemented femoral components of Poldi type using Talysurf 6 device. The results achieved were compared with the roughness of the not yet used head of Poldi femoral component. Both in the exposed and not used heads the Ra factor lower than the value reported in production documentation of the manufacturer. Even in a longterm exposition (17 years) there occurred no changes in the roughness of the metal head of the femoral component. Therefore it is possible in revision surgeries due to aseptic loosening of the acetabular component, to replace only the cup and leave the original stem in place. Key words: THR, femoral component, surface roughness.

Serum glial fibrillary acidic protein as a biomarker for intracerebral haemorrhage in patients with acute stroke.

BACKGROUND: Biomarkers of stroke are an evolving field of clinical research. A serum marker which can differentiate between haemorrhagic and ischaemic stroke in the very early phase would help to optimise acute stroke management. OBJECTIVE: To examine whether serum glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) identifies intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) in acute stroke patients. METHODS: A pilot study assessing 135 stroke patients admitted within six hours after symptom onset. Diagnosis of ICH (n = 42) or ischaemic stroke (n = 93) was based on brain imaging. GFAP was determined from venous blood samples obtained immediately after admission, using a research immunoassay. RESULTS: GFAP was detectable in the serum of 39 patients (34 of 42 (81%) with ICH, and five of 93 (5%) with ischaemic stroke). Serum GFAP was substantially raised in patients with ICH (median 11 ng/l, range 0 to 3096 ng/l) compared with patients with ischaemic stroke (median 0 ng/l, range 0 to 14 ng/l, p<0.001). Using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, a cut off point of 2.9 ng/l provided a sensitivity of 0.79 and a specificity of 0.98 for the identification of ICH in acute stroke (positive predictive value 0.94, negative predictive value 0.91; p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Serum GFAP can reliably detect ICH in the acute phase of stroke. Further evaluation of the usefulness of GFAP as an early diagnostic marker of ICH is now required, with the aim of optimising cause specific emergency management.