Marine cosmetics and the blue bioeconomy: From sourcing to success stories.

As the global population continues to grow, so does the demand for longer, healthier lives and environmentally responsible choices. Consumers are increasingly drawn to naturally sourced products with proven health and wellbeing benefits. The marine environment presents a promising yet underexplored resource for the cosmetics industry, offering bioactive compounds with the potential for safe and biocompatible ingredients.

[Recommendations on interpretive strategies for routine lung function tests].

During the annual conference of the German Respiratory Society (DGP = Deutsche Gesellschaft für Pneumologie und Beatmungsmedizin) in 2024, updated recommendations for lung function testing have been published. The original full-length version can be downloaded free of charge as pfd-paper from the journal entitled "Atemwegs- und Lungenkrankheiten, Jahrgang 50 (2024) März (111-184)". In the current recommendations new approaches have been embedded that focus on modern interpretations of lung function results, as has been proposed by the ERS (European Respiratory Society) in collaboration with the ATS (American Thoracic Society).

Molecular Modeling and In Vitro Functional Analysis of the RGS12 PDZ Domain Variant Associated with High-Penetrance Familial Bipolar Disorder.

Bipolar disorder's etiology involves genetics, environmental factors, and gene-environment interactions, underlying its heterogeneous nature and treatment complexity. In 2020, Forstner and colleagues catalogued 378 sequence variants co-segregating with familial bipolar disorder. A notable candidate was an R59Q missense mutation in the PDZ (PSD-95/Dlg1/ZO-1) domain of RGS12.

An array of paired folded-end dipoles for whole-brain imaging at 9.4 T.

Purpose: To improve transmit B field homogeneity and longitudinal coverage of a human head RF array, we developed a novel eight-element transceiver (TxRx) array using composite elements based on paired folded-end dipoles.

Methods: The developed array consisted of eight pairs of coupled folded-end dipoles. Only one dipole in each pair was driven during transmission, while the other was passively coupled with the active one.

The LTAR Cropland Common Experiment at the Gulf Atlantic Coastal Plain.

The Gulf Atlantic Coastal Plain (GACP) Long-Term Agroecosystem Research (LTAR) network site is characterized by hot and humid summers with low gradient stream channels surrounded by wetland forests and croplands. Beneath its sandy soils, a confining layer stifles recharge to the deeper aquifer system, so a substantial proportion of streamflow is driven by shallow subsurface baseflow. Agricultural practices in the area consist of forage and livestock production, forestry, and rotational cropping systems dominated by cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) and peanut (Arachis hypogaea).

The Impact of Different Anesthetics on the Distribution and Cytotoxic Function of NK Cell Subpopulations: An In Vitro Study.

Only some subpopulations of natural killer (NK) cells have cytotoxic functionality, and the effects of anesthetics on these subpopulations are unknown. This study aimed to evaluate the in vitro effects of various anesthetics, both alone and in combination, on the distribution and cytotoxic function of NK cells and their subpopulations. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from eight healthy volunteers were treated for 4 h in vitro with dexmedetomidine, remifentanil, lidocaine, propofol, sevoflurane, and combinations in clinically relevant concentrations or left untreated.

Varenicline and Nicotine Replacement Therapy for Smokers Admitted to Hospitals: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Varenicline is the most effective sole pharmacotherapy for smoking cessation. If used in combination with nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), cessation rates may be further improved, but the efficacy and safety of the combination need to be evaluated.

Objective: To examine whether hospitalized smokers treated with varenicline and NRT lozenges achieve higher prolonged smoking abstinence rates compared with those treated with varenicline alone.

Modulation of diabetic wound healing using carbon monoxide gas-entrapping materials.

Diabetic wound healing is uniquely challenging to manage due to chronic inflammation and heightened microbial growth from elevated interstitial glucose. Carbon monoxide (CO), widely acknowledged as a toxic gas, is also known to provide unique therapeutic immune modulating effects. To facilitate delivery of CO, we have designed hyaluronic acid-based CO-gas-entrapping materials (CO-GEMs) for topical and prolonged gas delivery to the wound bed.

GATA2 heterozygosity causes an epigenetic feedback mechanism resulting in myeloid and erythroid dysplasia.

The transcription factor GATA2 has a pivotal role in haematopoiesis. Heterozygous germline GATA2 mutations result in a syndrome characterized by immunodeficiency, bone marrow failure and predispositions to myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and acute myeloid leukaemia. Clinical symptoms in these patients are diverse and mechanisms driving GATA2-related phenotypes are largely unknown.

The detection of a strong episignature for Chung-Jansen syndrome, partially overlapping with Börjeson-Forssman-Lehmann and White-Kernohan syndromes.

Chung-Jansen syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by intellectual disability, behavioral problems, obesity and dysmorphic features. It is caused by pathogenic variants in the PHIP gene that encodes for the Pleckstrin homology domain-interacting protein, which is part of an epigenetic modifier protein complex. Therefore, we hypothesized that PHIP haploinsufficiency may impact genome-wide DNA methylation (DNAm).

Review article: A practical approach to persistent gastrointestinal symptoms in inflammatory bowel disease in remission.

Background: Persistent gastrointestinal symptoms are prevalent in adult patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), even when endoscopic remission is reached. These symptoms can have profound negative effects on the quality of life of affected patients and can be difficult to treat. They may be caused by IBD-related complications or comorbid disorders, but they can also be explained by irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)-like symptoms.

Mild and deep hypothermia differentially affect cerebral neuroinflammatory and cold shock response following cardiopulmonary bypass in rat.

Introduction: Targeted temperature management (TTM) is considered to be a neuroprotective strategy during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) assisted procedures, possibly through the activation of cold shock proteins. We therefore investigated the effects of mild compared with deep hypothermia on the neuroinflammatory response and cold shock protein expression after CPB in rats.

Methods: Wistar rats were subjected to 1 hr of mild (33 °C) or deep (18 °C) hypothermia during CPB or sham procedure.

Lifestyle Factors and Breast Cancer in Females with PTEN Hamartoma Tumor Syndrome (PHTS).

Females with PTEN Hamartoma Tumor Syndrome (PHTS) have breast cancer risks up to 76%. This study assessed associations between breast cancer and lifestyle in European female adult PHTS patients. Data were collected via patient questionnaires (July 2020-March 2023) and genetic diagnoses from medical files.

Intra-scan RF power amplifier drift correction.

Purpose: The drift in radiofrequency (RF) power amplifiers (RFPAs) is assessed and several contributing factors are investigated. Two approaches for prospective correction of drift are proposed and their effectiveness is evaluated.

Methods: RFPA drift assessment encompasses both intra-pulse and inter-pulse drift analyses.

Submillimeter balanced SSFP BOLD-functional MRI accelerated with 3D stack-of-spirals at 9.4 T.

Purpose: This work aims to improve the speed of balanced SSFP (bSSFP) acquisition with segmented 3D stack-of-spirals for functional brain studies at ultrahigh field.

Methods: Functional experiments were performed with an accelerated 3D stack-of-spirals sequence with water excitation for fat suppression. The resulting data were reconstructed using an iterative algorithm with corrections for system imperfections such as trajectory deviations and B inhomogeneity.

The Impact of Baseline PSMA PET/CT Versus CT on Outcomes of Ra Therapy in Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer Patients.

Imaging before Ra-dichloride (Ra) therapy is crucial for selecting metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) patients with bone-only disease. The purpose of this study was to evaluate if baseline prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) PET/CT (bPSMA) versus CT is associated with outcomes of Ra therapy. A secondary analysis of the data of a prospective observational study (NCT04995614) was performed.

Ex Vivo Optimization of Donor Lungs with Inhaled Sevoflurane during Normothermic Ex Vivo Lung Perfusion (VITALISE): A Pilot and Feasibility Study in Sheep.

Volatile anesthetics have been shown in different studies to reduce ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI). Ex vivo lung perfusion (EVLP) facilitates graft evaluation, extends preservation time and potentially enables injury repair and improvement of lung quality. We hypothesized that ventilating lungs with sevoflurane during EVLP would reduce lung injury and improve lung function.

Dynamic parallel imaging at 9.4 T using reconfigurable receive coaxial dipoles.

Parallel imaging is one of the key MRI technologies that allow reduction of image acquisition time. However, the parallel imaging reconstruction commonly leads to a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) drop evaluated using a so-called geometrical factor (g-factor). The g-factor is minimized by increasing the number of array elements and their spatial diversity.

The possible influence of third-order shim coils on gradient-magnet interactions: an inter-field and inter-site study.

Objective: To assess the possible influence of third-order shim coils on the behavior of the gradient field and in gradient-magnet interactions at 7 T and above.

Materials And Methods: Gradient impulse response function measurements were performed at 5 sites spanning field strengths from 7 to 11.7 T, all of them sharing the same exact whole-body gradient coil design.

A novel, multidomain, primary care nurse-led and mHealth-assisted intervention for dementia risk reduction in middle-aged adults (HAPPI MIND): study protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial.

Introduction: Middle-aged multidomain risk reduction interventions targeting modifiable risk factors for dementia may delay or prevent a third of dementia cases in later life. We describe the protocol of a cluster randomised controlled trial (cRCT), HAPPI MIND (Holistic Approach in Primary care for PreventIng Memory Impairment aNd Dementia). HAPPI MIND will evaluate the efficacy of a multidomain, nurse-led, mHealth supported intervention for assessing dementia risk and reducing associated risk factors in middle-aged adults in the Australian primary care setting.

FastPtx: a versatile toolbox for rapid, joint design of pTx RF and gradient pulses using Pytorch's autodifferentiation.

Objective: With modern optimization methods, free optimization of parallel transmit pulses together with their gradient waveforms can be performed on-line within a short time. A toolbox which uses PyTorch's autodifferentiation for simultaneous optimization of RF and gradient waveforms is presented and its performance is evaluated.

Methods: MR measurements were performed on a 9.

High spatial resolution (10-50 μm) analysis of Sr isotopes in rock-forming apatite by LA-MC-ICP-MS.

Sr isotopes analysis of apatite by LA-(MC)-ICP-MS is challenged by the difficulty to monitor and correct isobaric interferences from atomic and polyatomic ions. We present a new routine procedure for analysing rock-forming apatites with a Thermo Scientific Neptune XT MC-ICP-MS coupled with a Teledyne Cetac Analyte Excite+ 193 nm laser ablation system. Five apatite standards that cover a large range of REE/Sr ratios were selected, and their Sr/Sr ratios were measured in solution after dissolution and purification of Sr [Durango: 0.