Uniform Diffusion of Cooper Pairing Mediated by Hole Carriers in Topological SbTe/Nb.

Spin-helical Dirac Fermions at a doped topological insulator's boundaries can support Majorana quasiparticles when coupled with -wave superconductors, but in -doped systems, the requisite induced Cooper pairing in topological states is often buried at heterointerfaces or complicated by degenerate coupling with bulk conduction carriers. Rarely probed are -doped topological structures with nondegenerate Dirac and bulk valence bands at the Fermi level, which may foster long-range superconductivity without sacrificing Majorana physics. Using ultrahigh-resolution photoemission, we report proximity pairing with a large decay length in -doped topological SbTe on superconducting Nb.

Assessing diastolic function using CMR as an alternative to echocardiography: age- and gender-related normal reference values.

Background: Impaired diastolic function is associated with a variety of diseases such as myocarditis or dilated cardiomyopathy. Currently, echocardiography is the standard method for assessing diastolic function. Recently, it has been postulated that cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) is an at least equivalent or superior alternative to echocardiography.

Risk Stratification in Nonischemic Dilated Cardiomyopathy Using CMR Imaging: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Importance: Accurate risk stratification of nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy (NIDCM) remains challenging.

Objective: To evaluate the association of cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging-derived measurements with clinical outcomes in NIDCM.

Data Sources: MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science Core Collection databases were systematically searched for articles from January 2005 to April 2023.

Assessment of CMR Feature-Tracking Age- and Sex-Dependent Right Ventricular Strain in a Healthy Caucasian Cohort.

Right ventricular (RV) strain offers crucial diagnostic insights in cardiovascular and pulmonary disorders. Nonetheless, the absence of established reference values impedes its clinical implementation. Utilizing CMR-feature tracking, age- and gender-dependent RV strains were systematically assessed in 175 heart-healthy Caucasians, 97 females, median 32.

Trait Mindfulness and Social Support Predict Lower Perceived Stress Burden in Patients Undergoing Radiation Therapy.

Purpose: Cancer diagnosis and treatment, including radiation therapy (RT), cause significant patient stress. Mindfulness and social support have been shown to help manage the psychological effects of cancer treatment. The objective of our study was to determine the sociodemographic and clinical factors associated with stress burden in patients receiving RT.

[Imaging of congenital heart defects with a focus on magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography].

Clinical Issue: Due to advances in diagnostics and therapy, the survival rate of patients with congenital heart defects is continuously increasing. The aim of this review is to compare various imaging modalities that are used in the diagnosis of congenital heart defects.

Methods: Transthoracic echocardiography is the imaging method of choice in the presence of a congenital heart defect because of its wide availability and non-invasiveness.

Resection of hypertrophic papillary muscles and mitral valve replacement in a patient with midventricular hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy - a new approach.

Midventricular hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM) is characterized by hypertrophy of the interventricular septum (IVS) and - in rare cases - of the papillary muscles (PM), which subsequently can cause dynamic left ventricular outflow tract obstruction (LVOTO) and severe heart failure symptoms. We report on a rare case of a 44-year-old patient suffering from midventricular HOCM with hypertrophic anterolateral PM and an additional chorda between the PM and the IVS.We describe a new surgical approach via right anterolateral thoracotomy in 3-dimensional (3D) video-assisted minimal-invasive technique with resection of hypertrophic PMs as well as the entire mitral valve-apparatus and valve replacement avoiding septal myectomy and potentially associated complications.

Acoustic emission of kidney stones: a medical adaptation of statistical breakdown mechanisms.

Kidney stones have a prevalence rate of > 10% in some countries. There has been a significant increase in surgery to treat kidney stones over the last 10 years, and it is crucial that such techniques are as effective as possible, while limiting complications. A selection of kidney stones with different chemical and structural properties were subjected to compression.

Multiparametric Cardiovascular MRI Assessment of Post-COVID Syndrome in Children in Comparison to Matched Healthy Individuals.

Background: Post-COVID syndrome (PCS) can adversely affect the quality of life of patients and their families. In particular, the degree of cardiac impairment in children with PCS is unknown.

Objective: The aim of this study was to identify potential cardiac inflammatory sequelae in children with PCS compared with healthy controls.

Safety and efficacy of factor XIa inhibition with milvexian for secondary stroke prevention (AXIOMATIC-SSP): a phase 2, international, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-finding trial.

Background: People with factor XI deficiency have lower rates of ischaemic stroke than the general population and infrequent spontaneous bleeding, suggesting that factor XI has a more important role in thrombosis than in haemostasis. Milvexian, an oral small-molecule inhibitor of activated factor XI, added to standard antiplatelet therapy, might reduce the risk of non-cardioembolic ischaemic stroke without increasing the risk of bleeding. We aimed to estimate the dose-response of milvexian for recurrent ischaemic cerebral events and major bleeding in patients with recent ischaemic stroke or transient ischaemic attack (TIA).

Automated Grain Boundary Detection for Bright-Field Transmission Electron Microscopy Images via U-Net.

Quantification of microstructures is crucial for understanding processing-structure and structure-property relationships in polycrystalline materials. Delineating grain boundaries in bright-field transmission electron micrographs, however, is challenging due to complex diffraction contrast in images. Conventional edge detection algorithms are inadequate; instead, manual tracing is usually required.

[Artificial intelligence in internal medicine : From the theory to practical application in practices and hospitals].

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies has the potential to improve both the efficiency and the quality of medical care. Applications of AI have already become established in various specialized fields in internal medicine, whereas in other fields the applications are still in various phases of development. An aspect that is important to elucidate is the effects of AI on the interaction between patients and healthcare personnel.

An augmented reality-based method to assess precordial electrocardiogram leads: a feasibility trial.

Aims: It has been demonstrated that several cardiac pathologies, including myocardial ischaemia, can be detected using smartwatch electrocardiograms (ECGs). Correct placement of bipolar chest leads remains a major challenge in the outpatient population.

Methods And Results: In this feasibility trial, we propose an augmented reality-based smartphone app that guides the user to place the smartwatch in predefined positions on the chest using the front camera of a smartphone.

Determine atrial fibrillation burden with a photoplethysmographic mobile sensor: the atrial fibrillation burden trial: detection and quantification of episodes of atrial fibrillation using a cloud analytics service connected to a wearable with photoplethysmographic sensor.

Aims: Recent studies suggest that atrial fibrillation (AF) burden (time AF is present) is an independent risk factor for stroke. The aim of this trial was to study the feasibility and accuracy to identify AF episodes and quantify AF burden in patients with a known history of paroxysmal AF with a photoplethysmography (PPG)-based wearable.

Methods And Results: In this prospective, single-centre trial, the PPG-based estimation of AF burden was compared with measurements of a conventional 48 h Holter electrocardiogram (ECG), which served as the gold standard.

Occurrence of sensitive topics during ward round: an ancillary analysis of the BEDSIDE-OUTSIDE trial.

Objective: Discussing sensitive topics (eg, medical uncertainty, social issues, non-adherence) during ward rounds is challenging and may negatively impact patient satisfaction with the healthcare they are receiving. In the previous multicentre randomised BEDSIDE-OUTSIDE trial focusing on communication during ward rounds, we investigated the interplay between sensitive topics and low reported satisfaction with care.

Design: Pre-planned secondary analysis of a randomised controlled trial.

Assessment of pulmonary artery stiffness by multiparametric cardiac magnetic resonance-surrogate for right heart catheterization.

Background: Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging allows for multiparametric assessment of healthy pulmonary artery (PA) hemodynamics. Gender- and aging-associated PA stiffness and pressure alterations have remained clinically unestablished, however may demonstrate epidemiological differences in disease development. The aim of this study is to evaluate the role of CMR as a surrogate for catheter examinations by providing a comprehensive CMR assessment of sex- and age-related reference values for PA stiffness, flow, and pressure.

Machine-Learning-Based Diagnostics of Cardiac Sarcoidosis Using Multi-Chamber Wall Motion Analyses.

Background: Hindered by its unspecific clinical and phenotypical presentation, cardiac sarcoidosis (CS) remains a challenging diagnosis.

Objective: Utilizing cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR), we acquired multi-chamber volumetrics and strain feature tracking for a support vector machine learning (SVM)-based diagnostic approach to CS.

Method: Forty-five CMR-negative (CMR(-), 56.

Proton Therapy for Unresectable and Medically Inoperable Locally Advanced Pancreatic Cancer: Results From a Multi-Institutional Prospective Registry.

Purpose: Compared with photon-based techniques, proton beam radiation therapy (PBT) may improve the therapeutic ratio of radiation therapy (RT) for locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC), but available data have been limited to single-institutional experiences. This study examined the toxicity, survival, and disease control rates among patients enrolled in a multi-institutional prospective registry study and treated with PBT for LAPC.

Methods And Materials: Between March 2013 and November 2019, 19 patients with inoperable disease across 7 institutions underwent PBT with definitive intent for LAPC.

A three-level model for therapeutic drug monitoring of antimicrobials at the site of infection.

The silent pandemic of bacterial antimicrobial resistance is a leading cause of death worldwide, prolonging hospital stays and raising health-care costs. Poor incentives to develop novel pharmacological compounds and the misuse of antibiotics contribute to the bacterial antimicrobial resistance crisis. Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) based on blood analysis can help alleviate the emergence of bacterial antimicrobial resistance and effectively decreases the risk of toxic drug concentrations in patients' blood.

Efficacy of ketamine mouthwash in the management of oral and pharyngeal toxicity associated with head and neck chemoradiotherapy: protocol for a phase II, Simon's two-stage trial.

Introduction: Curative intent treatment of head and neck cancer (HNC) is frequently radiation therapy over 7 weeks with concurrent chemotherapy. This regimen is effective but carries a burden of toxicity leading to severe pain and treatment breaks portending inferior outcomes. Conventional palliation methods include opioids, anticonvulsants and local anaesthetics.

FDA Oncology Center of Excellence Crowdsourcing Initiative: Outreach to the Scientific Community to Identify Research Questions for Pooled Analyses of Oncology Clinical Trial Data.

The FDA Oncology Center of Excellence recently launched a crowdsourcing pilot to request ideas from the scientific community for research questions that FDA could address with pooled analyses of clinical trial data submitted to the agency for regulatory purposes. This effort builds on FDA's track record of publishing pooled analyses to explore scientific questions that cannot be addressed in a single trial due to limited sample size. The research crowdsourcing pilot tested a new approach for obtaining external input on regulatory science activities, because FDA is generally unable to share patient-level data outside of the agency due to federal disclosure laws and regulations protecting different types of data submitted in regulatory applications.

VEGF-B hypertrophy predisposes to transition from diastolic to systolic heart failure in hypertensive rats.

Aims: Cardiac energy metabolism is centrally involved in heart failure (HF), although the direction of the metabolic alterations is complex and likely dependent on the particular stage of HF progression. Vascular endothelial growth factor B (VEGF-B) has been shown to modulate metabolic processes and to induce physiological cardiac hypertrophy; thus, it could be cardioprotective in the failing myocardium. This study investigates the role of VEGF-B in cardiac proteomic and metabolic adaptation in HF during aldosterone and high-salt hypertensive challenges.

Free-living core body temperature monitoring using a wrist-worn sensor after COVID-19 booster vaccination: a pilot study.

Core body temperature (CBT) is a key vital sign and fever is an important indicator of disease. In the past decade, there has been growing interest for vital sign monitoring technology that may be embedded in wearable devices, and the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for remote patient monitoring systems. While wrist-worn sensors allow continuous assessment of heart rate and oxygen saturation, reliable measurement of CBT at the wrist remains challenging.

Effect of Immunotherapy and Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy Sequencing on Local Control and Survival in Patients With Spine Metastases.

Purpose: Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) is commonly used to treat spinal metastases in combination with immunotherapy (IT). The optimal sequencing of these modalities is unclear. This study aimed to investigate whether sequencing of IT and SBRT was associated with differences in local control (LC), overall survival (OS), and toxicity when treating spine metastases.