Critical reflection on the indication for computed tomography: an interdisciplinary survey of risk and benefit management in patients with sepsis.

Objectives: To survey physicians' views on the risks and benefits of computed tomography (CT) in the management of septic patients and indications for and contraindications to contrast media use in searching for septic foci.

Methods: A web-based questionnaire was administered to physicians at a large European university medical center in January 2022. A total of 371 questionnaires met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed with physicians' work experience, workplace, and medical specialty as independent variables.

Design, development and implementation of a national faculty development program to promote CBME in graduate medical education in Switzerland.

Background: Competency Based Medical Education (CBME) is a global movement in graduate medical training but implementation on a national scale is challenging. One crucial element of fostering CBME is to establish faculty development. We report the design of a national program, the process of implementation, and the results of the first two years.

Introducing entrustable professional activities for postgraduate medical training in Switzerland.

Introduction: Graduate medical education is being reformed in many countries, with a focus on the principles of competency-based medical education (CBME). A main novel aspect in this context is the implementation of entrustable professional activities (EPAs). The introduction of EPAs aims to better align training curricula with clinical practice, provide individualized supervision, and enhance the quality of feedback.

Single-cell RNA sequencing of chronic idiopathic erythroderma defines disease-specific markers.

Background: Chronic erythroderma is a potentially life-threatening condition that can be caused by various diseases, but approximately 30% of cases remain idiopathic, often with insufficient treatment options.

Objective: We sought to establish a molecular disease map of chronic idiopathic erythroderma (CIE).

Methods: We performed single-cell RNA sequencing combined with T-cell receptor sequencing of blood and skin from 5 patients with CIE and compared results with 8 cases of erythrodermic cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (eCTCL), 15 cases of moderate to severe atopic dermatitis, 10 cases of psoriasis, and 20 healthy control individuals.

Urban Heat and Burden of Hyponatremia.

Importance: Hyponatremia (sodium level <135 mEq/L), the most prevalent electrolyte disorder in clinical practice, is associated with considerable clinical and economic burdens. Despite its recognized effect and indication of seasonal patterns, there is a research gap regarding heat-related hyponatremia. Addressing this issue is crucial, especially regarding projected increases in environmental temperature, particularly in urban areas.

Tracing the urbanisation of risk in Malawi: A multilevel analysis.

Unlabelled: Cities in Malawi have long been outside the focus of disaster risk reduction. As a result, urban risks remain poorly understood, and urban governments and disaster risk reduction (DRR) practitioners working in cities struggle to adequately support vulnerable urban populations. This is evidenced by recent disasters such as Cyclone Freddy, which devastated the city of Blantyre in 2023, and increasingly common small-scale events in urban areas.

Form-stable, crosslinked cellulose-based paper separators for charge storage applications.

In the quest for greener and more efficient energy storage solutions, the exploration and utilization of renewable raw materials is essential. In this context, cellulose-derived separators play a central role in enhancing the performance of green energy storage devices. However, these often exhibit disadvantageous porosity and limited wet strength.

Precision imaging of cardiac function and scar size in acute and chronic porcine myocardial infarction using ultrahigh-field MRI.

Background: 7 T cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies may enable higher precision in clinical metrics like cardiac function, ventricular mass, and more. Higher precision may allow early detection of functional impairment and early evaluation of treatment responses in clinical practice and pre-clinical studies.

Methods: Seven female German Landrace pigs were scanned prior to and at three time points (3-4 days, 7-10 days, and ~60 days) post myocardial infarction using a whole body 7 T system and three radiofrequency (RF) coils developed and built in-house to accompany animal growth.

Development of a Cellular Assay as a Personalized Model for Testing Chronic Wound Therapeutics.

Exudates of nonhealing wounds contain drivers of pathogenicity. We utilized >800 exudates from nonhealing and healing wounds of diverse etiologies, collected by 3 different methods, to develop a wound-specific, cell-based functional biomarker assay. Human dermal fibroblast proliferation served as readout to (i) differentiate between healing and nonhealing wounds, (ii) follow the healing process of individual patients, and (iii) assess the effects of therapeutics for chronic wounds ex vivo.

Rotary excitation of non-sinusoidal pulsed magnetic fields: Towards non-invasive direct detection of cardiac conduction.

Purpose: There is a need for high resolution non-invasive imaging methods of physiologic magnetic fields. The purpose of this work is to develop a MRI detection approach for non-sinusoidal magnetic fields based on the rotary excitation (REX) mechanism which was previously successfully applied for the detection of oscillating magnetic fields in the sub-nT range.

Methods: The new detection concept was examined by means of Bloch simulations, evaluating the interaction effect of spin-locked magnetization and low-frequency pulsed magnetic fields.

Quantification of the rotating frame relaxation time T: Comparison of balanced spin-lock and continuous-wave Malcolm-Levitt preparations.

For the quantification of rotating frame relaxation times, the T relaxation pathway plays an essential role. Nevertheless, T imaging has been studied only to a small extent compared with T, and preparation techniques for T have so far been adapted from T methods. In this work, two different preparation concepts are compared specifically for the use of T mapping.

Improved Interpretation of Pulmonary Artery Wedge Pressures through Left Atrial Volumetry-A Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study.

Background: The pulmonary artery wedge pressure (PAWP) is regarded as a reliable indicator of left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP), but this association is weaker in patients with left-sided heart disease (LHD). We compared morphological differences in cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) in patients with heart failure (HF) and a reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), with or without elevation of PAWP or LVEDP.

Methods: We retrospectively identified 121 patients with LVEF < 50% who had undergone right heart catheterization (RHC) and CMR.

Genotypic cluster analysis of reveals a spectrum of sexual mixing including among HIV-serodiscordant men who have sex with men.

Background: Men who have sex with men (MSM) are more vulnerable to acquiring sexually transmitted infections (STIs). In 2019, for instance, 74% of European (Ng) cases among males affected MSM. A recent report by the World Health Organization showed that most of the 2020' interim targets to end STIs by 2030 had not been met.

Scars are frequently found as late sequelae in individuals affected by the 2022 mpox outbreak.

Background: The 2022 mpox outbreak continues, and while progress has been made in prevention strategies and potential treatment options, data on late sequelae following mpox are scarce.

Objective: This analysis aimed to assess the incidence of scar formation in individuals affected by the 2022 mpox outbreak.

Methods: All individuals diagnosed with mpox at the Department of Dermatology at the Medical University of Vienna in 2022 were included in this analysis.

Resurgence of common respiratory viruses in patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP)-A prospective multicenter study.

Background: Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a major global cause of death and hospitalization. Bacteria or community-acquired viruses (CARVs) cause CAP. COVID-19 associated restrictions effectively reduced the circulation of CARVs.

Fusion of cellulose microspheres with pulp fibers: Creating an unconventional type of paper.

Cellulose microspheres (CMS) are a type of spherical regenerated cellulose particles with versatile properties which have been used as carrier materials in medical and technical applications. The integration of CMS into paper products opens up novel application scenarios for paper products in a wide range of fields. However, the incorporation of CMS carriers into paper products is challenging and hitherto no reports do exist in literature.

Blood calprotectin as a biomarker for infection and sepsis - the prospective CASCADE trial.

Background: Early in the host-response to infection, neutrophils release calprotectin, triggering several immune signalling cascades. In acute infection management, identifying infected patients and stratifying these by risk of deterioration into sepsis, are crucial tasks. Recruiting a heterogenous population of patients with suspected infections from the emergency department, early in the care-path, the CASCADE trial aimed to evaluate the accuracy of blood calprotectin for detecting bacterial infections, estimating disease severity, and predicting clinical deterioration.

Three-dimensional assessment of image distortion induced by active cardiac implants in 3.0T CMR.

CMR at 3.0T in the presence of active cardiac implants remains a challenge due to susceptibility artifacts. Beyond a signal void that cancels image information, magnetic field inhomogeneities may cause distorted appearances of anatomical structures.

Cardiac function in a large animal model of myocardial infarction at 7 T: deep learning based automatic segmentation increases reproducibility.

Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging allows precise non-invasive quantification of cardiac function. It requires reliable image segmentation for myocardial tissue. Clinically used software usually offers automatic approaches for this step.