Hydrogel foams from liquid foam templates: Properties and optimisation.

Hydrogel foams are an important sub-class of macroporous hydrogels. They are commonly obtained by integrating closely-packed gas bubbles of 10-1000 µm into a continuous hydrogel network, leading to gas volume fractions of more than 70% in the wet state and close to 100% in the dried state. The resulting wet or dried three-dimensional architectures provide hydrogel foams with a wide range of useful properties, including very low densities, excellent absorption properties, a large surface-to-volume ratio or tuneable mechanical properties. At the same time, the hydrogel may provide biodegradability, bioabsorption, antifungal or antibacterial activity, or controlled drug delivery. The combination of these properties are increasingly exploited for a wide range of applications, including the biomedical, cosmetic or food sector. The successful formulation of a hydrogel foam from an initially liquid foam template raises many challenging scientific and technical questions at the interface of hydrogel and foam research. Goal of this review is to provide an overview of the key notions which need to be mastered and of the state of the art of this rapidly evolving field at the interface between chemistry and physics.

Lingual thyroid. A case report.

We describe an unusual clinical case in which a non functional cervical thyroid coexisted with a functional ectopic lingual thyroid. A twenty-year-old woman was referred for hypothyroidism treated with L-thyroxin related to a basilingual tumor diagnosed 8 years previously. Oropharyngeal examination showed a spherical basilingual tumor 2.5 cm in diameter. Laboratory findings during treatment with 50 microgram of L-thyroxin daily showed: TSH 6,280 microIU/ml (N: 4,4 to 3.6), FT3 4,2 pmol/l (N: 3.3 to 5.1), and FT4 15.4 pmol/l (N: 10,5 to 25,5). Antithyroid antibodies were absent. Cervical ultrasonography showed a small hypoechogenic, heterogeneous orthotopic thyroid gland confirmed by cervical computed tomography thyroid. An I(123) scan revealed uptake above the chin on the profile, and no significant uptake is the area of the normal thyroid. The lack of iodine uptake by the cervical thyroid remains unexplained. In conclusion, this report of an ectopic thyroid location in unusual because of the coexistence of non functional cervical thyroid and of a partially functional lingual thyroid tissue. The pathogenesis of this association remains unclear.

Risk of biliary complications in bariatric surgery.

Gallstones are commonly observed after rapid weight loss, particularly after bariatric surgery. Preventive measures of gallstone formation and potential related complications are still debated. This study aimed to propose a standardized strategy according to the results of the literature. Thus, preventive measures should be determined according to patient status (evaluated clinically and by routine ultrasound) and the type of bariatric surgery. Cholecystectomy should be performed in patients with symptomatic gallstones irrespective of the planned operation, or for asymptomatic gallstones during a gastric by-pass. In other settings, ursodesoxycholic acid should be given postoperatively for 6 months.

The effect of opioids and their antagonists on the nocifensive response of Caenorhabditis elegans to noxious thermal stimuli.

Opiates modulate nociception in vertebrates. This has also been demonstrated in a number of invertebrate models. Herein, the effect of the opiate morphine and opioid neuropeptides Endomorphin 1 and 2 on the thermal avoidance (Tav) behavior of Caenorhabditis elegans is explored. Adult wild-type C. elegans N2 were collected from NGM plates using M9 buffer and exposed to morphine and endomorphine 1 and 2 in concentrations between 10(-8) and 10(-4) M (2.5 pmol/mg to 25 nmol/mg) for 30 min and tested for Tav. The opioid receptor antagonists Naloxone and CTOP were tested in combination with the drugs. Forty-seven percentage of the morphine exposed worms exhibited a class I response versus 76% of the control group (P < 0.001). Endomorphin 1 and 2 also caused a statistically significant reduction in class I responses, 36 and 39%, respectively. These effects were reversed with Naloxone and CTOP. Thermonocifensive behavior in C. elegans is modulated by opioids.