Achiral and chiral ligands synergistically harness chiral self-assembly of inorganics.

Chiral structures and functions are essential natural components in biominerals and biological crystals. Chiral molecules direct inorganics through chiral growth of facets or screw dislocation of crystal clusters. As chirality promoters, they initiate an asymmetric hierarchical self-assembly in a quasi-thermodynamic steady state.

The laser pump X-ray probe system at LISA P08 PETRA III.

Understanding and controlling the structure and function of liquid interfaces is a constant challenge in biology, nanoscience and nanotechnology, with applications ranging from molecular electronics to controlled drug release. X-ray reflectivity and grazing incidence diffraction provide invaluable probes for studying the atomic scale structure at liquid-air interfaces. The new time-resolved laser system at the LISA liquid diffractometer situated at beamline P08 at the PETRA III synchrotron radiation source in Hamburg provides a laser pump with X-ray probe.

Immunity against measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella among homeless individuals in Germany - A nationwide multi-center cross-sectional study.

Introduction: Homeless individuals suffer a high burden of vaccine-preventable infectious diseases. Moreover, they are particularly susceptible to adverse infection outcomes with limited access to the health care system. Data on the seroprevalence of measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella within this cohort are missing.

Self-Assembly of Ionic Superdiscs in Nanopores.

Discotic ionic liquid crystals (DILCs) consist of self-assembled superdiscs of cations and anions that spontaneously stack in linear columns with high one-dimensional ionic and electronic charge mobility, making them prominent model systems for functional soft matter. Compared to classical nonionic discotic liquid crystals, many liquid crystalline structures with a combination of electronic and ionic conductivity have been reported, which are of interest for separation membranes, artificial ion/proton conducting membranes, and optoelectronics. Unfortunately, a homogeneous alignment of the DILCs on the macroscale is often not achievable, which significantly limits the applicability of DILCs.

Anisotropic Semicrystalline Homopolymer Dielectrics for High-Temperature Capacitive Energy Storage.

High-temperature dielectric polymers are in high demand for powering applications in extreme environments. Here, we have developed high-temperature homopolymer dielectrics with anisotropy by leveraging the hierarchical structure in semicrystalline polymers. The lamellae have been aligned parallel to the surface in the dielectric films.

Millisecond X-ray reflectometry and neural network analysis: unveiling fast processes in spin coating.

X-ray reflectometry (XRR) is a powerful tool for probing the structural characteristics of nanoscale films and layered structures, which is an important field of nanotechnology and is often used in semiconductor and optics manufacturing. This study introduces a novel approach for conducting quantitative high-resolution millisecond monochromatic XRR measurements. This is an order of magnitude faster than in previously published work.

Clinical Presentation and Outcome of Critically Ill Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Introduction: Admission to the intensive care unit severely affects inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients. This study aimed to determine factors associated with mortality in IBD patients admitted to the intensive care unit.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed, analyzing data of all IBD patients admitted to the Department of Intensive Care Medicine at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf between 2013 and 2022.

Halide Segregated Crystallization of Mixed-Halide Perovskites Revealed by In Situ GIWAXS.

Mixed-halide perovskites of the composition MAPb(BrI), which seem to exhibit a random and uniform distribution of halide ions in the absence of light, segregate into bromide- and iodide-rich phases under illumination. This phenomenon of halide segregation has been widely investigated in the photovoltaics context since it is detrimental for the material properties and ultimately the device performance of these otherwise very attractive materials. A full understanding of the mechanisms and driving forces has remained elusive.

Obesity and diabetes mellitus are associated with SARS-CoV-2 outcomes without influencing signature genes of extrapulmonary immune compartments at the RNA level.

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) which is responsible for eliciting Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) still challenges healthcare services worldwide. While many patients only suffer from mild symptoms, patients with some pre-existing medical conditions are at a higher risk for a detrimental course of disease. However, the underlying mechanisms determining disease course are only partially understood.

Real-Time Monitoring of Strain Accumulation and Relief during Epitaxy of Ultrathin Co Ferrite Films with Varied Co Content.

Ultrathin CoxFe3-xO4 films of high structural quality and with different Co content ( = 0.6-1.2) were prepared by reactive molecular beam epitaxy on MgO(001) substrates.

Compact sample environment for in situ X-ray scattering during spin-coating.

We demonstrate a compact sample environment for the in situ study of crystallization kinetics of thin films on synchrotron beamlines, featuring atmospheric control, automated deposition, spin-coating, and annealing stages. The setup is suitable for studying thin film growth in real time using grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction techniques. Humidity and oxygen levels are being detected by sensors.

Tr1 Cells Emerge and Suppress Effector Th17 Cells in Glomerulonephritis.

T regulatory type 1 (Tr1) cells, which are defined by their regulatory function, lack of Foxp3, and high expression of IL-10, CD49b, and LAG-3, are known to be able to suppress Th1 and Th17 in the intestine. Th1 and Th17 cells are also the main drivers of crescentic glomerulonephritis (GN), the most severe form of renal autoimmune disease. However, whether Tr1 cells emerge in renal inflammation and, moreover, whether they exhibit regulatory function during GN have not been thoroughly investigated yet.

Magnetic Stress-Driven Metal-Insulator Transition in Strongly Correlated Antiferromagnetic CrN.

Traditionally, the Coulomb repulsion or Peierls instability causes the metal-insulator phase transitions in strongly correlated quantum materials. In comparison, magnetic stress is predicted to drive the metal-insulator transition in materials exhibiting strong spin-lattice coupling. However, this mechanism lacks experimental validation and an in-depth understanding.

Intestinal IL-1β Plays a Role in Protecting against SARS-CoV-2 Infection.

The intestine is constantly balancing the maintenance of a homeostatic microbiome and the protection of the host against pathogens such as viruses. Many cytokines mediate protective inflammatory responses in the intestine, among them IL-1β. IL-1β is a proinflammatory cytokine typically activated upon specific danger signals sensed by the inflammasome.

Culling a Self-Assembled Quantum Dot as a Single-Photon Source Using X-ray Microscopy.

Epitaxially grown self-assembled semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) with atom-like optical properties have emerged as the best choice for single-photon sources required for the development of quantum technology and quantum networks. Nondestructive selection of a single QD having desired structural, compositional, and optical characteristics is essential to obtain noise-free, fully indistinguishable single or entangled photons from single-photon emitters. Here, we show that the structural orientations and local compositional inhomogeneities within a single QD and the surrounding wet layer can be probed in a screening fashion by scanning X-ray diffraction microscopy and X-ray fluorescence with a few tens of nanometers-sized synchrotron radiation beam.

[Health of homeless individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic].

The living situation and health of homeless people differs from the general population in many ways. It is reasonable to assume that the homeless population has been particularly vulnerable during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This narrative review will summarize the current literature on the health and care of homeless people during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Determinants of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among homeless individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objective: Thus far, there is very limited knowledge regarding homeless individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly related to the health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Thus, our aim was to evaluate HRQoL and to clarify the determinants of HRQoL among homeless individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany.

Methods: Data were taken from the national survey on psychiatric and somatic health of homeless individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic-NAPSHI (n = 616).

Longitudinal monitoring of Apparent Diffusion Coefficient (ADC) in patients with prostate cancer undergoing MR-guided radiotherapy on an MR-Linac at 1.5 T: a prospective feasibility study.

Background: Hybrid MRI linear accelerators (MR-Linac) might enable individualized online adaptation of radiotherapy using quantitative MRI sequences as diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI). The purpose of this study was to investigate the dynamics of lesion apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) in patients with prostate cancer undergoing MR-guided radiation therapy (MRgRT) on a 1.5T MR-Linac.

Seroprevalence of arthropod-borne bacterial infections in homeless individuals in Hamburg in 2020.

Purpose: The number of homeless people in Germany is steadily increasing. Due to their often precarious living conditions, this specific population may be increasingly exposed to ectoparasites that can transmit various pathogens. To assess the prevalence and thus the risk of such infections, we analyzed the seropositivity of rickettsiosis, Q fever, tularemia and bartonellosis in homeless individuals.

Self-assembly Mechanism and Chiral Transfer in CuO Superstructures.

Chiral inorganic superstructures have received considerable interest due to the chiral communication between inorganic compounds and chiral organic additives. However, the demanding fabrication and complex multilevel structure seriously hinder the understanding of chiral transfer and self-assembly mechanisms. Herein, we use chiral CuO superstructures as a model system to study the formation process of hierarchical chiral structures.

Elucidating Structure Formation in Highly Oriented Triple Cation Perovskite Films.

Metal halide perovskites are an emerging class of crystalline semiconductors of great interest for application in optoelectronics. Their properties are dictated not only by their composition, but also by their crystalline structure and microstructure. While significant efforts are dedicated to the development of strategies for microstructural control, significantly less is known about the processes that govern the formation of their crystalline structure in thin films, in particular in the context of crystalline orientation.

TNFα aggravates detrimental effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the liver.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This virus does not only lead to pulmonary infection but can also infect other organs such as the gut, the kidney, or the liver. Recent studies confirmed that severe cases of COVID-19 are often associated with liver damage and liver failure, as well as the systemic upregulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα).

[Sudden cardiac death after cardioversion].

An 83-year-old woman with heart failure due to atrial tachycardia with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction died after cardioversion. Holter monitoring showed a massive prolongation of the QT interval resulting in torsade de pointe tachycardia with lethal outcome. The only reason of the QT prolongation was impaired left ventricular (LV) function and atrial ectopy.

Reversible Ultrathin PtO Formation at the Buried Pt/YSZ(111) Interface Studied In Situ under Electrochemical Polarization.

Three different platinum oxides are observed by in situ X-ray diffraction during electrochemical potential cycles of platinum thin film model electrodes on yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) at a temperature of 702 K in air. Scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy performed before and after the in situ electrochemical X-ray experiments indicate that approximately 20% of the platinum electrode has locally delaminated from the substrate by forming pyramidlike blisters. The oxides and their locations are identified as (1) an ultrathin PtO at the buried Pt/YSZ interface, which forms reversibly upon anodic polarization; (2) polycrystalline β-PtO, which forms irreversibly upon anodic polarization on the inside of the blisters; and (3) an ultrathin α-PtO at the Pt/air interface, which forms by thermal oxidation and which does not depend on the electrochemical polarization.

A Critical Role of the IL-22-IL-22 Binding Protein Axis in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) ranks among the five most common cancer entities worldwide and leads to hundred-thousands of deaths every year. Despite some groundbreaking therapeutical revelations during the last years, the overall prognosis remains poor. Although the immune system fights malignant transformations with a robust anti-tumor response, certain immune mediators have also been shown to promote cancer development.