Functionalised thiols presenting peptides found in the peptidoglycan of vancomycin-sensitive and -resistant bacteria were synthesised and used to form self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on gold surfaces. This model bacterial cell-wall surface mimic was used to study binding interactions with vancomycin. Force spectroscopy, using the atomic force microscope (AFM), was used to investigate the speci...

DESPITE THE INCREASED GLOBAL EXPERIENCE WITH TRANSCATHETER AORTIC VALVE REPLACEMENT (TAVR), there remain 3 major adverse events. Aortic rupture (Fig. 1), coronary artery obstruction (Fig. 2), and paravalvular leakage (PVL) (Fig. 3) may occur with valve implantation. Oversizing or excessive radial expansion force with the TAVR stent may cause aortic rupture, whereas insufficient dilation may lea...

Even the most regular stick-slip frictional sliding is always stochastic, with irregularity in both the intervals between slip events and the sizes of the associated stress drops. Applying small-amplitude oscillations to the shear force, we show, experimentally and theoretically, that the stick-slip periods synchronize. We further show that this phase locking is related to the inhibition of slo...

We introduce a molecular toolkit for studying the dynamics in friction and adhesion from the single molecule level to effects of multivalency. As experimental model system we use supramolecular bonds established by the inclusion of ditopic adamantane connector molecules into two surface-bound cyclodextrin molecules, attached to a tip of an atomic force microscope (AFM) and to a flat silicon sur...

Trauma involving the parotid gland is rare and is usually caused by penetrating injuries or fractures of the facial skeleton. A unique case is presented of rupture of the parotid gland after a minor external force in a 14 year old boy. The radiological findings are presented, which pointed to diffuse rupture of the gland parenchyma with an intact duct system. A conservative management policy us...