High depth-resolution laser ablation chemical analysis of additive-assisted Cu electroplating for microchip architectures

Laser ablation/ionisation mass spectrometry with a vertical resolution at a nanometre scale was applied for the quantitative characterisation of the chemical composition of additive-assisted Cu electroplated deposits used in the microchip industry. The detailed chemical analysis complements information gathered by optical techniques and allows new insights into the metal deposition process.

IVIG blocks complement deposition mediated by anti-GM1 antibodies in multifocal motor neuropathy

The pathogenesis of multifocal motor neuropathy (MMN) has yet to be established. MMN patients often carry anti-GM1 IgM antibodies, suggesting an autoimmune process involving complement. Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) is the first line treatment, but its action mechanism is unknown.

Deposition, imaging, and clearance: what remains to be done?

Deposition and clearance studies are used during product development and in fundamental research. These studies mostly involve radionuclide imaging, but pharmacokinetic methods are also used to assess the amount of drug absorbed through the lungs, which is closely related to lung deposition. Radionuclide imaging may be two-dimensional (gamma scintigraphy or planar imaging), or three-dimensional (single photon emission computed tomography and positron emission tomography). In October 2009, a group of scientists met at the "Thousand Years of Pharmaceutical Aerosols" conference in Reykjavik, Iceland, to discuss future research in key areas of pulmonary drug delivery. This article reports the session on "Deposition, imaging and clearance." The objective was partly to review our current understanding, but more importantly to assess "what remains to be done?" A need to standardize methodology and provide a regulatory framework by which data from radionuclide imaging methods could be compared between centers and used in the drug approval process was recognized. There is also a requirement for novel radiolabeling methods that are more representative of production processes for dry powder inhalers and pressurized metered dose inhalers. A need was identified for studies to aid our understanding of the relationship between clinical effects and regional deposition patterns of inhaled drugs. A robust methodology to assess clearance from small conducting airways should be developed, as a potential biomarker for therapies in cystic fibrosis and other diseases. The mechanisms by which inhaled nanoparticles are removed from the lungs, and the factors on which their removal depends, require further investigation. Last, and by no means least, we need a better understanding of patient-related factors, including how to reduce the variability in pulmonary drug delivery, in order to improve the precision of deposition and clearance measurements.

Modelling woody material transport and deposition in alpine rivers

Recent flood events in Switzerland and Western Austria in 2005 were characterised by an increase in impacts and associated losses due to the transport of woody material. As a consequence, protection measures and bridges suffered considerable damages. Furthermore, cross-sectional obstructions due to woody material entrapment caused unexpected flood plain inundations resulting in severe damage to elements at risk. Until now, the transport of woody material is neither sufficiently taken into account nor systematically considered, leading to prediction inaccuracies during the procedure of hazard mapping. To close this gap, we propose a modelling approach that (1) allows the estimation of woody material recruitment from wood-covered banks and flood plains; (2) allows the evaluation of the disposition for woody material entrainment and transport to selected critical configurations along the stream and that (3) enables the delineation of hazard process patterns at these critical configurations. Results from a case study suggest the general applicability of the concept. This contribution to woody material transport analysis refines flood hazard assessments due to the consideration of woody material transport scenarios.

[Pilot Project: Improved Lung Deposition via a New Nasal Inhalation Procedure].

INTRODUCTION Inhaled drugs can only be effective if they reach the middle and small airways. This study introduces a system that combines a trans-nasal application of aerosols with noninvasive pressure support ventilation. METHODS In a pilot study, 7 COPD patients with GOLD stages II and III inhaled a radiolabeled marker dissolved in water via a trans-nasal route. The mean aerosol particle size was 5.5 µm. Each patient took part in two inhalation sessions that included two application methods and were at least 70 hours apart. During the first session ("passive method"), the patient inhaled the aerosol through an open tube system. The second session ("active method") included pressure support ventilation during the inhalation process. A gamma camera and planar scintigraphy was used to determine the distribution of aerosol particles in the patient's body and lung. RESULTS The pressure supported inhalation ("active method") results in an increased aerosol lung deposition compared to the passive method. Above all, we could demonstrate deposition in the lung periphery with relatively large aerosol particles (5.5 µm). DISCUSSION The results prove that the combination of trans-nasal inhalation with noninvasive pressure support ventilation leads to significantly increased particle deposition in the lung.