Coexisting Phases of Individual VO Nanoparticles for Multilevel Nanoscale Memory.

Vanadium dioxide (VO) has received significant interest in the context of nanophotonic metamaterials and memories owing to its reversible insulator-metal transition associated with significant changes in its optical and electronic properties. The phase transition of VO has been extensively studied for several decades, and the ways how to control its hysteresis characteristics relevant for memory applications have significantly improved. However, the hysteresis dynamics and stability of coexisting phases during the transition have not been studied on the level of individual single-crystal VO nanoparticles (NPs), although they represent the fundamental component of ordinary polycrystalline films and can also act like nanoscale memory units on their own.

Brain morphometry in hepatic Wilson disease patients.

Wilson disease (WD) primarily presents with hepatic and neurological symptoms. While hepatic symptoms typically precede the neurological manifestations, copper accumulates in the brain already in this patient group and leads to subclinical brain MRI abnormalities including T2 hyperintensities and atrophy. This study aimed to assess brain morphological changes in mild hepatic WD.

Liver fat response to two days fasting and two days isocaloric high-carbohydrate refeeding in lean and obese women.

Background And Aims: Prolonged fasting, which leads to the mobilization of fat from adipose tissue, can result in the development of hepatosteatosis. However, it is not yet known whether the accumulation of fat in the liver after fasting can be affected by concurrent obesity. Therefore, this study aimed to assess how excessive adiposity influences changes in liver fat content induced by fasting and subsequent refeeding.

Modelling the drivers of land use and land cover change of the great Amanzule wetland ecosystem to inform the development policy of the southwestern oil-rich region of Ghana.

This study focused on the current and future drivers of land-use change and its impact on the Amanzule wetland. It suggests policy implications for reviewing and strengthening existing policies for sustainable land use. This study employed remote sensing and GIS techniques, including participatory rural appraisal techniques.

The Effectiveness of Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment in Patients with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome: A Retrospective Case series.

Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) presents as persistent regional pain, both spontaneous and triggered. The demand persists for innovative treatments that patients can endure with minimal adverse effects. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) emerges as a possible intervention in this regard.

Cerebral air embolism: neurologic manifestations, prognosis, and outcome.

Background: Cerebral air embolism (CAE) is an uncommon medical emergency with a potentially fatal course. We have retrospectively analyzed a set of patients treated with CAE at our comprehensive stroke center and a hyperbaric medicine center. An overview of the pathophysiology, causes, diagnosis, and treatment of CAE is provided.

Metabolic changes assessed by 1H MR spectroscopy in the corpus callosum of post-COVID patients.

Objective: Many patients with long COVID experience neurological and psychological symptoms. Signal abnormalities on MR images in the corpus callosum have been reported. Knowledge about the metabolic profile in the splenium of the corpus callosum (CCS) may contribute to a better understanding of the pathophysiology of long COVID.

Simple, fast, cost-efficient, reliable, and highly automated DNA content analysis of cells in adherent cultures.

The most commonly used flow cytometric (FCM) analysis of cellular DNA content relies on ethanol fixation followed by RNA digestion and propidium iodide (PI) intercalation into double-stranded DNA. This is a laborious and time-consuming procedure that is subject to systematic errors due to centrifugation and washing steps associated with sample preparation. It can adversely affect the reliability of the results.

A Network of Processes for Biorefining Burdock Seeds and Roots.

In this work, a novel sustainable approach was proposed for the integral valorisation of (burdock) seeds and roots. Firstly, a preliminary recovery of bioactive compounds, including unsaturated fatty acids, was performed. Then, simple sugars (i.

Hamstring and knee injuries are associated with isometric hip and trunk muscle strength in elite Australian Rules and Rugby League players.

Objectives: This study investigated relationships between isometric trunk and hip extensor strength, lumbar muscle morphology, and the risk of hamstring and knee ligament injuries in Australian Football League and National Rugby League players.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Methods: Trunk and hip extensor strength, multifidus and quadratus lumborum cross-sectional area were measured during the 2020 pre-season.

Effect of hyperbaric oxygen on the growth and susceptibility of facultatively anaerobic bacteria and bacteria with oxidative metabolism to selected antibiotics.

Wild strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Proteus mirabilis were tested in an experimental hyperbaric chamber to determine the possible effect of hyperbaric oxygen on the susceptibility of these strains to the antibiotics ampicillin, ampicillin + sulbactam, cefazolin, cefuroxime, cefoxitin, gentamicin, sulfamethoxazole + trimethoprim, colistin, oxolinic acid, ofloxacin, tetracycline, and aztreonam during their cultivation at 23 °C and 36.5 °C. Ninety-six-well inoculated microplates with tested antibiotics in Mueller-Hinton broth were cultured under standard incubator conditions (normobaric normoxia) for 24 h or in an experimental hyperbaric chamber (HAUX, Germany) for 24 h at 2.

COVID-19 infection prevention and control management during hyperbaric oxygen therapy: a best practice implementation project.

Objective: This implementation project compared standard operating procedures, accepted preventive measures, and disinfection procedures between the initial stage of the COVID-19 pandemic (first wave: March 15 to May 31, 2020) and the later stages of the pandemic (second and third waves: September 1, 2020 to January 31, 2021).

Introduction: This project sought to improve compliance with international evidence-based guidelines and clinical standards for the prevention and control of COVID-19 infection during hyperbaric oxygen therapy taking into account the conditions of the local hospital.

Methods: Guided by the JBI evidence implementation framework, seven evidence-based audit criteria were developed for the prevention and control of COVID-19 infection during hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

Design, synthesis and evaluation of novel thieno[2,3d]pyrimidine derivatives as potent and specific RIPK2 inhibitors.

In human cells, receptor-interacting protein kinase 2 (RIPK2) is mainly known to mediate downstream enzymatic cascades from the nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-containing receptors 1 and 2 (NOD1/2), which are regulators of pro-inflammatory signaling. Thus, the targeted inhibition of RIPK2 has been proposed as a pharmacological strategy for the treatment of a variety of pathologies, in particular inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. In this work, we designed and developed novel thieno[2,3d]pyrimidine derivatives, in order to explore their activity and selectivity as RIPK2 inhibitors.

Selection of Galectin-Binding Ligands from Synthetic Glycopeptide Libraries.

Galectins, a class of carbohydrate-binding proteins, play a crucial role in various physiological and disease processes. Therefore, the identification of ligands that efficiently bind these proteins could potentially lead to the development of new therapeutic compounds. In this study, we present a method that involves screening synthetic click glycopeptide libraries to identify lectin-binding ligands with low micromolar affinity.

Updates in Robotic Head and Neck Reconstructive Surgery.

The use of robotics in head and neck surgery has drastically increased over the past two decades. Transoral robotic surgery has revolutionized the surgical approach to the upper aerodigestive tract including the oropharynx and supraglottic larynx. The expanded use and improving technology of robotics have allowed for new approaches in both the ablative and reconstructive aspects of head and neck surgery.

Analysis of EURADOS neutron intercomparison results according to new ISO standards criteria.

The European Radiation Dosimetry Group has carried out several different types of intercomparison (IC) exercises in the past that qualify as proficiency tests for different dosimetry systems and types of radiation. The first neutron dosemeter IC was held in 2012 (IC2012n) and was followed by a second in 2017/2018 (IC2017n). In sum, 31 Individual Monitoring Services (IMSs) entered 34 dosimetry systems in IC2012n, and 32 IMSs entered 33 dosimetry systems for IC2017n.

Experiences in transitioning a testing laboratoryto the new ISO/IEC 17025:2017 standard.

Since its inception, the international quality standard ISO/IEC 17025 has been revised twice. The most recent edition adopted a new structure to align with other conformity assessment and quality management standards, harmonized the terminology with the International Vocabulary of Metrology and introduced the concept of risk-based thinking. This paper disseminates the experience of the IAEA Radiation Safety Technical Services Laboratory in successful transition and re-accreditation to ISO/IEC 17025:2017.

Internal dosimetric analyser to assist routine, confirmatory and special radiobioassays.

The IAEA Radiation Safety Technical Services Laboratory has developed and validated an Internal Dosimetric Analyser (IDA) software tool to facilitate access to dosimetric data and perform calculations related to individual monitoring for intakes of radionuclides and occupational radiation protection. IDA serves to correlate measurements from routine, confirmatory and special internal monitoring with data obtained from the Occupational Intakes of Radionuclides series of recommendations published by the International Commission on Radiological Protection. The purpose of IDA is to keep the internal dosimetry data in the background and allow the dosimetrist to make the necessary calculations to be able to decide (1) whether the bioassay method and monitoring period are appropriate for routine, confirmatory or special monitoring; (2) whether the method and period will allow the recording level to be detected; (3) whether previous intakes are contributing to the current measurement; and (4) whether measurement uncertainties affect the dose assessment.

Habitat-based biodiversity responses to macroclimate and edaphic factors in European fen ecosystems.

Understanding large-scale drivers of biodiversity in palustrine wetlands is challenging due to the combined effects of macroclimate and local edaphic conditions. In boreal and temperate fen ecosystems, the influence of macroclimate on biodiversity is modulated by hydrological settings across habitats, making it difficult to assess their vulnerability to climate change. Here, we investigate the influence of macroclimate and edaphic factors on three Essential Biodiversity Variables across eight ecologically defined habitats that align with ecosystem classifications and red lists.