Wood-water interactions of thermally modified, acetylated and melamine formaldehyde resin impregnated beech wood

The wood-water interactions of modified beech wood (Fagus sylvatica L.) were studied. Specimens were thermally modified at 180 (TM1), 200 (TM2) and 220 degrees C (TM3), acetylated (Acet), and melamine formaldehyde (MF) resin (Mel) modified. Afterwards, the water vapour characteristics, i.e. water vapour sorption isotherms, equilibrium moisture content (EMC), dimensional stability of specimens conditioned at 30, 65 and 90% RH and liquid water characteristics, i.e. water absorption, maximum moisture content (MC), leachability and swelling kinetics, were determined and the results compared with reference (Ref) specimens. From the results, it is evident that the scale of wood-water interactions was highly dependent on the thermal modification temperature and type of chemical modification. The water vapour isotherms of thermally modified wood decreased, whereas more severe treatment exhibited more distinct reduction. The EMC values of the Mel and TM1 specimens decreased only at high RH, whereas the most significant decrease, within the whole range of observation, was found in the Acet group. The maximum MC reduction was achieved by acetylation. As a consequence of swelling reduction, dimensional stability expressed as anti-swelling efficiency (ASE) was considerably improved. A relatively high initial linear-phase swelling rate was found for the Ref specimens, whereas modified wood exhibited comparatively slow and gradual swelling.OA-hybri

Next-generation immunosequencing reveals pathological T cell architecture in autoimmune hepatitis

Background and Aims: Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is a chronic liver disease that regularly relapses when immunosuppression is tapered. It is thought to be driven by T-cells, whereas the etiologic impact of an apparently deregulated B lineage system, as evidenced by hypergammaglobulinemia and autoantibodies, remains elusive. We set out to investigate T and B cell repertoires supporting chronic inflammation in AIH. Approach and Results: T and B cell receptor (TCR/BCR) and human leukocyte antigen (HLA) next-generation immunosequencing were used to record immune signatures from a cohort of 60 patients with AIH and disease controls. Blood and liver B lineage immune metrics were not indicative of a dominant directional antigen selection apart from a slight skewing of IGHV-J genes. More importantly, we found strong AIH-specific TRBV-J skewing not attributable to the HLA-DRB1 specificities of the cohort. This TCR repertoire bias was generated as a result of peripheral T cell (de)selection and persisted in disease remission. Using a clustering algorithm according to antigenic specificity, we identified liver TCR clusters that were shared between patients with AIH but were absent or deselected in patients with other liver pathologies. Conclusions: Patients with AIH show profound and persisting T-cell architectural changes that may explain high relapse rates after tapering immunosuppression. Liver T-cell clusters shared between patients may mediate liver damage and warrant further study.Publikationsfond ML

A consensus document on definition and diagnostic criteria for orthorexia nervosa

Purpose: Since the term orthorexia nervosa (ON) was coined from the Greek (ὀρθός, right and ὄρεξις, appetite) in 1997 to describe an obsession with “correct” eating, it has been used worldwide without a consistent definition. Although multiple authors have proposed diagnostic criteria, and many theoretical papers have been published, no consensus definition of ON exists, empirical primary evidence is limited, and ON is not a standardized diagnosis. These gaps prevent research to identify risk and protective factors, pathophysiology, functional consequences, and evidence-based therapeutic treatments. The aims of the current study are to categorize the common observations and presentations of ON pathology among experts in the eating disorder field, propose tentative diagnostic criteria, and consider which DSM chapter and category would be most appropriate for ON should it be included. Methods: 47 eating disorder researchers and multidisciplinary treatment specialists from 14 different countries across four continents completed a three-phase modified Delphi process, with 75% agreement determined as the threshold for a statement to be included in the final consensus document. In phase I, participants were asked via online survey to agree or disagree with 67 statements about ON in four categories: A–Definition, Clinical Aspects, Duration; B–Consequences; C–Onset; D–Exclusion Criteria, and comment on their rationale. Responses were used to modify the statements which were then provided to the same participants for phase II, a second round of feedback, again in online survey form. Responses to phase II were used to modify and improve the statements for phase III, in which statements that met the predetermined 75% of agreement threshold were provided for review and commentary by all participants. Results: 27 statements met or exceeded the consensus threshold and were compiled into proposed diagnostic criteria for ON. Conclusions: This is the first time a standardized definition of ON has been developed from a worldwide, multidisciplinary cohort of experts. It represents a summary of observations, clinical expertise, and research findings from a wide base of knowledge. It may be used as a base for diagnosis, treatment protocols, and further research to answer the open questions that remain, particularly the functional consequences of ON and how it might be prevented or identified and intervened upon in its early stages. Although the participants encompass many countries and disciplines, further research will be needed to determine if these diagnostic criteria are applicable to the experience of ON in geographic areas not represented in the current expert panel. Level of evidence_ Level V: opinions of expert committee

Beech wood impregnation with hydrolyzed wattle tannin

Tannins and their toxic effects against various decay organisms have been interrelated for centuries. As natural products have gained more interest, waste from several production fields abundant in tannins has yielded promising components for wood preservation. In this work, the main approach was to split condensed tannins into smaller fractions by chemical hydrolysis and evaluate their suitability for beech wood impregnation. Commercial extract from black wattle was treated with mineral acid of low concentration. The volatile hydrochloric acid was completely removed after reaction by evaporation in the course of freeze-drying. The modified extract was then applied as aqueous solution into beech wood. The water resistance of the modified beech wood was not increased significantly, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed no evidence of tannin successful bonding within wood cells. Nevertheless, after strong leaching cycles, part of the extract accumulated in fibers. Moreover, lyophilization was found to be a suitable technique to eliminate volatile acids from temperature-sensitive extracts, such as tannins. These findings could help in the development of water-borne tannin formulations for wood protection, while using phlobaphene formation as a potential natural pathway of tannin autocondensation.</jats:p