Publications by authors named "Forster L"

5-(hydroxymethyl)furfural (HMF) is a key biomass derived platform chemical used to produce fuel precursors or additives and value-added chemicals, synthesised by the cascade isomerisation of glucose and subsequent dehydration of reactively formed fructose to HMF over Lewis and Bronsted acid catalysts, respectively. Zirconia is a promising catalyst for such reactions; however, the impact of acid properties of different zirconia phases is poorly understood. In this work, we unravel the role of the zirconia crystalline phase in glucose isomerisation and fructose dehydration to HMF.

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Aim: Seasonal influenza poses a significant burden of disease, affecting not only older adults but also individuals under the age of 60. It carries a high economic burden, mainly driven by influenza-associated productivity losses in the working population. Conventional egg-based influenza vaccines may have reduced effectiveness due to antigen adaptation in eggs.

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  • The study focuses on understanding how collagen in skin tissue changes mechanically and structurally when exposed to temperatures between 40 °C and 60 °C during laser-induced skin wound healing.
  • Various techniques, including spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulations, reveal that laser energy helps collagen regain strength by forming stable bonds at higher temperatures, particularly around 60 °C, while 55 °C maintains structural integrity and supports healing.
  • The COMSOL Multiphysics simulations align with experimental results, suggesting that keeping the temperature between 55 °C and 60 °C during laser welding can enhance mechanical strength and minimize thermal damage, offering insights into effective skin wound healing.
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Background: The role of cytoreductive surgery for epithelioid pleural mesothelioma within a multimodal treatment approach remains controversial. Carefully selected patients benefit from cytoreductive surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy, but there is no established biomarker to predict tumor recurrence or progression during the course of the disease. The aim of this study was to identify potential biomarkers to predict therapeutic response in terms of progression-free survival.

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G protein-coupled receptors show preference for G protein subtypes but can recruit multiple G proteins with various downstream signaling cascades. This functional selection can guide drug design. Dopamine receptors are both stimulatory (D-like) and inhibitory (D-like) with diffuse expression across the central nervous system.

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The population < 60 years of age is also affected by a significant disease burden from seasonal influenza. It carries a high economic burden, mainly driven by influenza-associated productivity losses in the working population. Conventional egg-based influenza vaccines may experience reduced effectiveness due to antigen adaptation in eggs.

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Background: There are established risk factors for liver fibrosis (LF), but data on the impact of methotrexate on LF in patients with psoriasis are lacking.

Objectives: This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the prevalence of LF in patients with psoriasis and to evaluate the relationship between LF, cumulative methotrexate dose and other LF risk factors.

Methods: Adults with a history of moderate-to-severe chronic plaque psoriasis were recruited between June 2020 and March 2021.

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Childhood infections have been shown to stunt growth, contribute to malnutrition and reduce cognition in early adulthood. This study aimed to assess relationships between early life infections and childhood cognition at age 11 years in the Newcastle Thousand Families Study (NTFS). The analysis included 741 members from the NTFS who had complete data for infections between birth and 5 years, and the 11-plus examinations.

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  • This study introduces a new radioligand, [H]UR-MN259, designed for better performance in targeting histamine H receptors (HR) compared to previous options.
  • The new radioligand has high stability, great chemical purity, and a very strong affinity for HR (p(HR) = 9.56) with impressive selectivity over other histamine receptors (over 100,000-fold).
  • [H]UR-MN259 allows for effective competition binding tests and demonstrates rapid binding and release from the receptor, making it a valuable tool for researching HR's functions in the central nervous system (CNS).
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This article interrogates the scientific conference as a means by which the organizers of the World League for Sexual Reform's 1929 conference attempted to marshal the 'scientific spirit' in order to present progressive sexual reform as a rational and scientifically informed undertaking. The conference was carefully curated to make the sex reform movement (and the assorted characters that gathered under its banner) look serious, legitimate and, most importantly, scientific. The conference was also an attempt by organizer Norman Haire to exert control over the strategy of sexology, an enterprise that put him at odds with other prominent sexologists of the time.

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Introduction: In myasthenia gravis (MG), depression and anxiety have frequently been reported as comorbidities. However, little is known about personality characteristics in MG patients. We aimed to characterise personality traits in MG and to correlate them with disease severity and disease course.

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Clonidine has various clinical effects mediated by agonism of α- or α-adrenoceptors and the blocking of hyperpolarization-activated-nucleotide-gated pacemaker channels (HCN). It is unknown whether clonidine can also stimulate human cardiac histamine H receptors (hHRs). We used isolated electrically stimulated left and spontaneously beating right atrial preparations from mice overexpressing the hHR specifically in the heart (H-TG), and spontaneously beating right atrial preparations of guinea pigs for comparison.

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The manipulation of carbon nitride (CN) structures is one main avenue to enhance the activity of CN-based photocatalysts. Increasing the efficiency of photocatalytic heterogeneous materials is a critical step toward the realistic implementation of sustainable schemes for organic synthesis. However, limited knowledge of the structure/activity relationship in relation to subtle structural variations prevents a fully rational design of new photocatalytic materials, limiting practical applications.

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Ergometrine (6aR,9R)-N-((S)-1-hydroxypropan-2-yl)-7-methyl-4,6,6a,7,8,9-hexa-hydro-indolo-[4,3-fg]chinolin-9-carboxamide or lysergide acid β-ethanolamide or ergonovine) activates several types of serotonin and histamine receptors in the animal heart. We thus examined whether ergometrine can activate human serotonin 5-HT receptors (h5-HTR) and/or human histamine H receptors (hHR) in the heart of transgenic mice and/or in the human isolated atrium. Force of contraction or beating rates were studied in electrically stimulated left atrial or spontaneously beating right atrial preparations or spontaneously beating isolated retrogradely perfused hearts (Langendorff setup) of mice with cardiac specific overexpression of the h5-HTR (5-HT-TG) or of mice with cardiac specific overexpression of the hHR (H-TG) or in electrically stimulated human right atrial preparations obtained during cardiac surgery.

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Purpose: Hearing loss is most prevalent among older adults, yet underestimated by patients, clinicians, and research communities. This study aimed to assess the accuracy of self-reported hearing difficulties among a group of adults aged 61-63 years, against audiometric measures.

Method: The analysis used a sample ( = 346) of the Newcastle Thousand Families Study birth cohort.

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In 2011, the American Medical Association added a section on professionalism and social media (i.e., e-professionalism) to the Code of Medical Ethics.

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Herein, the alcoholysis of furfuryl alcohol in a series of SBA-15-pr-SOH catalysts with different pore sizes is reported. Elemental analysis and NMR relaxation/diffusion methods show that changes in pore size have a significant effect on catalyst activity and durability. In particular, the decrease in catalyst activity after catalyst reuse is mainly due to carbonaceous deposition, whereas leaching of sulfonic acid groups is not significant.

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Alginate-based hydrogels are a promising class of biomaterials due to their usability, biocompatibility, and high water-binding capacity which is the reason for their broad use in biofabrication. One challenge of these biomaterials is, however, the lack of cell adhesion motifs. This drawback can be overcome by oxidizing alginate to alginate dialdehyde (ADA) and by subsequent cross-linking with gelatin (GEL) to fabricate ADA-GEL hydrogels, which offer improved cell-material interactions.

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Background: Overweight and obesity represent huge concerns for children's physical and mental well-being. This study examined the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and health-related quality of life (HRQoL), somatoform complaints, and behavioral problems in children and adolescents. Additionally, the influence of sex, age, and socioeconomic status (SES) on these associations was considered.

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  • The study reviews factors affecting the ability to meet NICE guidelines for treating symptomatic renal colic in a well-resourced tertiary centre.
  • A retrospective analysis of 244 patients revealed that 37.7% received definitive treatment through primary ureteroscopy or shock wave lithotripsy, with outcomes influenced by stone size and location.
  • Although definitive treatment shows high success rates, not all patients can receive it immediately; emergency urethral stenting serves as a safe interim option based on specific risk factors.
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  • The study analyzed cost-effectiveness between ureteroscopy and ureteric stenting for patients with ureteric stones requiring emergency treatment.
  • Although ureteroscopy had higher procedural costs, it resulted in significantly lower overall costs and fewer emergency department reattendances compared to stenting.
  • The findings suggest prioritizing primary treatment like ureteroscopy can reduce additional healthcare costs and unnecessary emergency visits, especially important during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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  • PCNL (Percutaneous nephrolithotomy) is an effective treatment for large kidney stones and can be performed in the supine position, offering certain advantages over the traditional prone position.
  • Data from 592 patients showed that smaller stone size, favorable location, and lower Guys-Stone Score were linked to higher success rates, with 79% of procedures being effective.
  • Complications occurred in 21.7% of cases, with infections being the most common issue, but the approach was deemed safe and effective in a high-volume medical center.
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Purpose: Workforce shortage is a contributing cause of health inequality in rural Australia. There is inconclusive evidence demonstrating which factors cause doctors to choose rural practice. This study's objective is to determine predictive factors for medical students' intent to work rurally and for graduates' current rural employment location choice.

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3D neuronal cultures attempt to better replicate the in vivo environment to study neurological/neurodegenerative diseases compared to 2D models. A challenge to establish 3D neuron culture models is the low elastic modulus (30-500 Pa) of the native brain. Here, an ultra-soft matrix based on thiolated hyaluronic acid (HA-SH) reinforced with a microfiber frame is formulated and used.

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