New Upper Limit on the Axion-Photon Coupling with an Extended CAST Run with a Xe-Based Micromegas Detector.

Hypothetical axions provide a compelling explanation for dark matter and could be emitted from the hot solar interior. The CERN Axion Solar Telescope has been searching for solar axions via their back conversion to x-ray photons in a 9-T 10-m long magnet directed toward the Sun. We report on an extended run with the International Axion Observatory pathfinder detector, doubling the previous exposure time.

Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency associated with rare alleles p.(Phe76del) and p.(Asp280Val): A family study.

This report describes family members with alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency arising from two rare alleles of - p.(Phe76del) and p.(Asp280Val) along with the more common deficiency allele, Pi*Z.

Polymeric Microbubble Shell Engineering: Microporosity as a Key Factor to Enhance Ultrasound Imaging and Drug Delivery Performance.

Microbubbles (MB) are widely used as contrast agents for ultrasound (US) imaging and US-enhanced drug delivery. Polymeric MB are highly suitable for these applications because of their acoustic responsiveness, high drug loading capability, and ease of surface functionalization. While many studies have focused on using polymeric MB for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes, relatively little attention has thus far been paid to improving their inherent imaging and drug delivery features.

Simulation of FES on the forearm with muscle-specific activation resolution.

Introduction: Functional electrical stimulation (FES) is an established method of supporting neurological rehabilitation. However, particularly on the forearm, it still cannot elicit selective muscle activations that form the basis of complex hand movements. Current research approaches in the context of selective muscle activation often attempt to enable targeted stimulation by increasing the number of electrodes and combining them in electrode arrays.

In vitro and in vivo evaluation of biohybrid tissue-engineered vascular grafts with transformative H/F MRI traceable scaffolds.

Biohybrid tissue-engineered vascular grafts (TEVGs) promise long-term durability due to their ability to adapt to hosts' needs. However, the latter calls for sensitive non-invasive imaging approaches to longitudinally monitor their functionality, integrity, and positioning. Here, we present an imaging approach comprising the labeling of non-degradable and degradable TEVGs' components for their in vitro and in vivo monitoring by hybrid H/F MRI.

Riboflavin-targeted polymers improve tolerance of paclitaxel while maintaining therapeutic efficacy.

Active targeting can enhance precision and efficacy of drug delivery systems (DDS) against cancers. Riboflavin (RF) is a promising ligand for active targeting due to its biocompatibility and high riboflavin-receptor expression in cancers. In this study, RF-targeted 4-arm polyethylene glycol (PEG) stars conjugated with Paclitaxel (PTX), named PEG PTX RF, were evaluated as a targeted DDS.

Novel Henna-Related Naphthazarine Photosensitizers for an Effective Photodynamic Therapy of Onychomycosis.

Onychomycosis caused by, e.g., or is the most common human nail disease with a worldwide prevalence of more than 10%.

Zebrafish as model system for the biological characterization of CK1 inhibitors.

The CK1 family is involved in a variety of physiological processes by regulating different signaling pathways, including the Wnt/β-catenin, the Hedgehog and the p53 signaling pathways. Mutations or dysregulation of kinases in general and of CK1 in particular are known to promote the development of cancer, neurodegenerative diseases and inflammation. There is increasing evidence that CK1 isoform specific small molecule inhibitors, including CK1δ- and CK1ε-specific inhibitors of Wnt production (IWP)-based small molecules with structural similarity to benzimidazole compounds, have promising therapeutic potential.

The potential of chatbots in chronic venous disease patient management.

Objective: Health care providers and recipients have been using artificial intelligence and its subfields, such as natural language processing and machine learning technologies, in the form of search engines to obtain medical information for some time now. Although a search engine returns a ranked list of webpages in response to a query and allows the user to obtain information from those links directly, ChatGPT has elevated the interface between humans with artificial intelligence by attempting to provide relevant information in a human-like textual conversation. This technology is being adopted rapidly and has enormous potential to impact various aspects of health care, including patient education, research, scientific writing, pre-visit/post-visit queries, documentation assistance, and more.

Case report: Otitis media with subsequent mastoiditis and cerebral herniation in a patient with Arnold chiari malformation.

We present the case of a 13-year-old boy who unexpectedly needed to be resuscitated at home after an assumed uncomplicated otitis media. Imaging at our clinic showed mastoiditis and a cystoid mass in the left cerebellopontine angle compressing the brainstem, as well as an Arnold-Chiari-Malformation. Both the laboratory examination of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and surgical biopsy with pathological evaluation of the mastoid supported the inflammatory etiology of the mass.

Repeated Contrast-Enhanced Micro-CT Examinations Decrease Animal Welfare and Influence Tumor Physiology.

Objectives: Computed tomography (CT) imaging is considered relatively safe and is often used in preclinical research to study physiological processes. However, the sum of low-dose radiation, anesthesia, and animal handling might impact animal welfare and physiological parameters. This is particularly relevant for longitudinal studies with repeated CT examinations.

Xylochemical Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of the Orchidaceous Natural Products Isoarundinin I, Bleochrin F, Blestanol K, and Pleionol.

The first total syntheses of the orchid-derived natural products isoarundinin I (), (±)-bleochrin F ((±)-), (±)-blestanol K ((±)-), and (±)-pleionol ((±)-) from renewable starting materials are reported, along with the evaluation of their biological activities. The total syntheses were based on regioselective aromatic bromination reactions in combination with a key acid-promoted regioselective intramolecular cyclization. The biological results suggest that isoarundinin I (), (±)-blestanol K ((±)-), and (±)-pleionol ((±)-) have the potential to inhibit the growth of both sensitive and multidrug-resistant cancer cells.

Search for Dark Matter Axions with CAST-CAPP.

The CAST-CAPP axion haloscope, operating at CERN inside the CAST dipole magnet, has searched for axions in the 19.74 μeV to 22.47 μeV mass range.

Welfare Assessment on Healthy and Tumor-Bearing Mice after Repeated Ultrasound Imaging.

Introduction: Ultrasound (US) imaging enables tissue visualization in high spatial resolution with short examination times. Thus, it is often applied in preclinical research. Diagnostic US, including contrast-enhanced US (CEUS), is considered to be well-tolerated by laboratory animals although no systematic study has been performed to confirm this claim.

Inhibition of Toxins TcdA and TcdB by Ambroxol.

produces the exotoxins TcdA and TcdB, which are the predominant virulence factors causing associated disease (CDAD). TcdA and TcdB bind to target cells and are internalized via receptor-mediated endocytosis. Translocation of the toxins' enzyme subunits from early endosomes into the cytosol depends on acidification of endosomal vesicles, which is a prerequisite for the formation of transmembrane channels.

Monitoring Antibiotic Consumption in Pediatrics. How Close to Reality Are Days of Therapy and Recommended Daily Dose Methods?

Background: Hospitals are advised to monitor antibiotic use. Several approximation methods do exist to perform this task. Adult cohorts can easily be monitored using the defined daily dose method, or its German adaption recommended daily doses (RDD) method, that seems inapplicable in pediatric cohorts due to body weight variations.

Interpersonal Musical Synchronization and Prosocial Behavior in Children: No Effects in a Controlled Field Experiment.

Prosocial effects of music have recently attracted increased attention in research and media. An often-cited experiment, carried out by Kirschner and Tomasello in 2010 under laboratory conditions, found that children at the age of four years were more willing to help each other after they had engaged in synchronous musical activities. The aim of the current study was to replicate this research under controlled field conditions in the children's social environment, and to disentangle the musical synchronization effect by introducing a verbal interaction (singing together) and a motor interaction (tapping together) task, contrasted by an asynchronous control condition.

[Management of antipsychotic-induced metabolic side effects].

Antipsychotics are associated with significant weight gain and other metabolic side effects. There are, however, substantial differences in their propensity for causing metabolic side effects as summarised in this review. These differences are important to consider when deciding which antipsychotic to use.

Low physical activity is associated with impaired endothelial function in patients with type 2 diabetes and controls after 5 years of follow-up.

Background: The long-term association between physical activity and endothelial function has not previously been investigated in patients with type 2 diabetes. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the relationship between physical activity and endothelial function, assessed by peripheral arterial tonometry, in patients with type 2 diabetes and non-diabetic controls after 5 years of follow-up.

Methods: We included 51 patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes and 53 sex- and age matched controls.

Co-Culture of Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells and Endothelial Colony Forming Cells from Cord Blood of Preterm Born Babies.

Umbilical cord blood of neonates is a precious source for many fields of research because of distinct unique features combined with easy accessibility at the time of birth. The number of applications are vast with an emphasis in the field of stem cell therapy and regenerative medicine since cord blood contains relatively large numbers of pluripotent cells. This chapter provides a protocol for developing an autologous co-culture of endothelial-like cells and peripheral blood mononuclear cells from umbilical cord blood of premature born babies and describes an experimental setting to investigate inflammatory processes that are a cornerstone of pathophysiology in the developing organs of preterm born babies.

Cerebral oxygenation monitoring of ex-preterm infants during the infant car seat challenge test.

Unlabelled: The American Academy of Pediatrics and until recently the Canadian Paediatric Society recommend preterm infants undergo an Infant Car Seat Challenge test prior to discharge to rule out systemic oxygen desaturation when placed at a 45-degree angle in a car seat. Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) provides objective measurements of the impact of systemic oxygen (SO) desaturation, bradycardia, or both on cerebral regional oxygen saturation (rSO).

Objective: To characterize baseline cerebral rSO during a car seat trial in preterm infants ready for discharge.

[Effects of an In-House Antibiotic Stewardship Initiative on Diagnosis and Management of Community-Acquired Pneumonia in Childhood and Adolescence].

Background:  Pediatric community-acquired pneumonia (pCAP) often leads to prescription of antibiotics and hospital admission of children. Unfortunately, adherence to diagnosis and treatment guidelines is inconsistent, and misuse of antibiotics may occur. Antimicrobial stewardship interventions, which were started in many hospitals during the last decade, can optimize management of pCAP without negative patient outcomes.

[Herpes Simplex Virus Infection in Two Premature Infants - Diagnostic and Therapeutic Management].

Herpes simplex virus type 1 or 2 (HSV 1/2)-related infections in neonates are rare but associated with high morbidity and mortality, especially if specific treatment is delayed. Due to immaturity of the immunological system, premature infants are particularly at risk. In addition, symptoms of neonatal HSV infections may imitate prematurity-related problems, such as sepsis.