Oil supplementation with a special combination of n-3 and n-6 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids does not protect for exercise induced asthma: a double-blind placebo-controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Many patients suffering from exercise-induced asthma (EIA) have normal lung function at rest and show symptoms and a decline in FEV1 when they do sports or during exercise-challenge. It has been described that long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) could exert a protective effect on EIA. METHODS: In this study the protective effect of supplementation with a special combination of n-3 and n-6 LCPUFA (sc-LCPUFA) (total 1.19 g/ day) were investigated in an EIA cold air provocation model. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE: Decrease in FEV1 after exercise challenge and secondary outcome measure: anti-inflammatory effects monitored by exhaled NO (eNO) before and after sc-LCPUFA supplementation versus placebo. RESULTS: Ninety-nine patients with exercise-induced symptoms aged 10 to 45 were screened by a standardized exercise challenge in a cold air chamber at 4 °C. Seventy-three patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria of a FEV1 decrease > 15% and were treated double-blind placebo-controlled for 4 weeks either with sc-LCPUFA or placebo. Thirty-two patients in each group completed the study. Mean FEV1 decrease after cold air exercise challenge and eNO were unchanged after 4 weeks sc-LCPUFA supplementation. CONCLUSION: Supplementation with sc-LCPUFA at a dose of 1.19 g/d did not have any broncho-protective and anti-inflammatory effects on EIA. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinical trial registration number: NCT02410096. Registered 7 February 2015 at Clinicaltrial.gov.

Inkjet printable-photoactive all inorganic perovskite films with long effective photocarrier lifetimes.

Photoactive perovskite quantum dot films, deposited via an inkjet printer, have been characterized by x-ray diffraction and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The crystal structure and bonding environment are consistent with CsPbBr3 perovskite quantum dots. The current-voltage (I-V) and capacitance-voltage (C-V) transport measurements indicate that the photo-carrier drift lifetime can exceed 1 ms for some printed perovskite films. This far exceeds the dark drift carrier lifetime, which is below 50 ns. The printed films show a photocarrier density 109 greater than the dark carrier density, making these printed films ideal candidates for application in photodetectors. The successful printing of photoactive-perovskite quantum dot films of CsPbBr3, indicates that the rapid prototyping of various perovskite inks and multilayers is realizable.

Physicochemical characterisation of different welding aerosols.

Physicochemical properties important in exposure characterisation of four different welding aerosols were investigated. Particle number size distributions were determined by scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS), mass size distributions by separation and weighing the individual size fractions of an 11-stage cascade impactor. The size distribution of the primary particles of agglomerates, chemical composition and morphology of the particles were examined by TEM. There were significant differences in the particle number size distributions of the different welding aerosols according to the SMPS determinations. The particle mass size distributions determined gravimetrically were, however, not really different. The dominant range with respect to mass was between 0.1 and 1 µm, regardless of the welding technique. Most of the primary particles in all different welding aerosols had diameters between 5 and 40 nm. All types of primary particles had a tendency to form chainlike agglomerates. A clear size dependence of the particle chemical composition was encountered in the case of manual metal arc welding aerosol. Small particles with diameters below 50 nm were mostly metal oxides in contrast to larger particles which also contained more volatile elements (e.g. potassium, fluorine, sodium, sulphur).

Hygroscopic properties of the workroom aerosol in aluminium smelter potrooms: a case for transport of HF and SO2 into the lower airways.

The hygroscopic behaviour of individual aerosol particles from workplaces in a primary aluminium smelter was investigated by environmental scanning electron microscopy. At a high relative humidity, comparable with the human respiratory tract, most particles encountered in the Søderberg and Prebake potrooms either undergo partial deliquescence (leading to a water droplet with an insoluble core) or form thin water films at the surface. As gaseous HF and SO(2) are highly soluble in water, the aerosol particles may act as carrier for these two gases into the alveolar region of the lower respiratory tract. Based on a one-dimensional mass balance model, it is estimated that under peak exposure conditions (particle surface area concentration of 10(-4) cm(2) cm(-3)) approximately 10% of the initial gaseous HF may be transferred to the particle phase. For SO(2), this fraction is much lower (approximately 1%). These results indicate that at least HF may penetrate deeper into the lung in the presence of soluble particles or particles that form surface water films compared to HF alone.

Bifunctional electrocatalysis in pt-ru nanoparticle systems.

Pt-Ru alloys are prominent electrocatalysts in fuel cell anodes as they feature a very high activity for the oxidation of reformate and methanol. The improved CO tolerance of these alloys has been discussed in relation to the so-called ligand and bifunctional mechanisms. Although these effects have been known for many years, they are still not completely understood. A new approach that bridges the gap between single crystals and practical catalysts is presented in this paper. Nanoparticulate model systems attached to an oxidized glassy carbon electrode were prepared by combining both ligand-stabilized and spontaneously deposited Pt and Ru nanoparticles. These electrodes showed very different voltammetric responses for CO and methanol oxidation. The cyclic voltammograms were deconvoluted into contributions attributed to Pt, Ru, and Pt-Ru contact regions to quantify the contribution of the latter to the bifunctional mechanism. Scanning transmission electron microscopy confirmed the proximity of Pt and Ru nanoparticles in the different samples.