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ABSTRACT. The scope of this paper is to present the global mechanisms of soil desiccation, including drying shrinkage and cracking. The paper first reviews the basic processes that

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SUMMARYAnalysis of macroscopic desiccation shrinkage experiments indicates that most, but not all of the shrinkage during drying occurs while soil is still saturated. Shrinkage practically ceases and air starts to penetrate the soil, when the water content is still quite high, for example, above 20% for the tested soils. The remaining, unsaturated drying process occurs with a much‐reduced shrinkage rate. In this context, we examine data of the pore system evolution as represented by the mercury porosimetry experimental results. The process is then modeled as a two‐stage process of deformation and evacuation of a two‐tube vessel system driven by the external evaporation flux. In the first stage, Poiseuille flow occurs through the vessels. The amount of water evaporated in this stage equals to the reduction of volume of the vessel through the deformation of its walls. This stage ends when a negative water pressure (suction) required to further deform the vessel reaches a critical value at which air enters the pore space. Two physical interpretation of such threshold are discussed. In the subsequent stage, evaporation proceeds with a receding liquid/vapor interface starting from the open end, incrementally emptying the vessel but with a marginal water flow and vessel deformation. The leading variables of the process are identified, and a quantifiable multiphysics meso‐scale scenario of models is established. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Therapies for Tourette syndrome (TS) are insufficient, and novel therapies are needed. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has been a potential therapy for several neurological diseases. Here, we report a preliminary study to investigate the effects of FMT on patients with TS. Five patients with TS received a single administration of FMT via endoscopy. Tic symptoms were assessed by Yale Global Tic Severity Scale-Total Tic Score (YGTSS-TTS) and adverse effects were recorded at week 8 following FMT. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) levels and 14 cytokines levels were measured. The microbiota profile in feces were analyzed by shotgun metagenomics. Four patients (4/5) responded positively to FMT (YGTSS-TTS reduction rate >25%) at week 8 with high safety. The levels of LPS and cytokines varied after FMT. FMT shifted the composition of the gut microbiota in patients close to that of the donor and continuously changed the abundance of Bacteroides coprocola, Dialister succinatiphilus and Bacteroides vulgatus. The restoration of B.coprocola was correlated with the improvement in tic symptoms (Spearman R = −0.900, P = 0.037). In conclusion, FMT was indicated a potential effective and safe alternative for patients with TS. However, larger clinical trials are needed to confirm the influence of microbiota in TS.Trial Registration:chictr.org.cn Identifier: ChiCTR-IIR-17011871, URL: http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=19941.

Rationale:Blue rubber bleb nevus syndrome (BRBNS) is a rare disease characterized by multiple venous malformations. The gastrointestinal bleeding and secondary iron deficiency anemia are the most common complications. There are currently no effective treatments for BRBNS. Here, we report a case of successful treatment with a small dose of sirolimus of a BRBN patient with a de novo gene mutation.Patient concerns:A 12-year-old female was admitted to our hospital with multiple hemangiomas for 12 years. The patient often displayed melena; she recently received transfusion of 2 units of red blood cells once every 2 weeks. Multiple fist-sized hemangiomas were piled up on both sides and back of the neck, and were also noted on the arms, legs, chest, back, and on the tip of the tongue. The laboratory findings demonstrated severe anemia. Blood sample sequencing detected a heterozygous de novo mutation c.2545C > Tin the TEK gene.Diagnoses:Based on these findings, final diagnosis of Blue rubber bleb nevus syndrome (BRBNS) was made.Interventions:After the diagnosis, low-dose sirolimus was orally administered.Outcomes:The patient's hemoglobin was increased after treatment with sirolimus for 1 month. Since the initial treatment with sirolimus, she had not received any blood transfusions. The skin and mucosal hemangioma decreased significantly, and new digestive tract hemorrhage, muscle hematoma, or adverse drug reactions were not observed.Lessons:we report a case of a mutation in exon 15 of the TEK gene leading to BRBN. It was successfully treated with a small dose of sirolimus as an alternative to blood transfusion in order to save the of BRBN patient's life.

Background:Pseudomonas aeruginosa, especially the mucoid phenotype, is responsible for most of the morbidity and mortality in ventilator-associated pneumonia. Although ambroxol is widely used in neonatal lung problems as a mucolytic as well as an antioxidant agent, its anti-infective role is not well demonstrated by studies in vivo. Objective: To explore the effect of ambroxol on the biofilms of mucoid P. aeruginosa and on the associated lung infection using a rat model. Methods: We developed a rat model of acute lung infection by endotracheal intubation with a tube covered with mucoid P. aeruginosa biofilm. Then, we studied the effect of ambroxol on the biofilm using saline treatment as a control. Subsequently, we studied the microstructure of the biofilm, bacterial count in the tubes and lungs, pathological changes that occurred in the lungs, and the cytokine response. Results: Alteration of the microstructure of the biofilm with ambroxol treatment was demonstrated by scanning electron microscopy. The bacterial counts on the biofilm-covered tube in the ambroxol-treated group were significantly lower than those in the saline-treated group on both post-bacterial challenge days 4 and 7 (p < 0.05). The bacterial counts in lungs of the ambroxol-treated group and of the saline-treated group on post-bacterial challenge day 7 were not significantly different (p > 0.05). The pathological changes in lungs were milder with the effect of ambroxol. The cytokine responses, namely the level of IFN-γ and the ratio of IFN-γ and IL-10, were also reduced with the effect of ambroxol. Conclusion: We demonstrated that the ambroxol treatment could destroy the structure of the biofilm on the tube used for intubation and decrease the bacterial load. Further, the reduced cytokine response and milder pathological changes in lungs in an endotracheal intubation rat model indicate that ambroxol can attenuate the damage caused by biofilm-associated infection in the lung.