Influence of band occupation on electron-phonon coupling in gold.

Electron-phonon coupling is a fundamental process that governs the energy relaxation dynamics of solids excited by ultrafast laser pulses. It has been found to strongly depend on the electron temperature as well as on nonequilibrium effects. Recently, the effect of occupational nonequilibrium in noble metals, which outlasts the fully kinetic stage, has come into increased focus.

Bimodal intensity-modulated radiotherapy in combination with carbon ion therapy (C12) of mucosal melanomas - data of the last decade from Heidelberg University Hospital.

Introduction: Due to the rarity of mucosal melanomas, few recent studies can be found investigating the success and side effects of therapy for this entity with large numbers of patients. In this retrospective analysis, the efficacy and toxicity of combined intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and carbon ion therapy (C12) of mucosal melanomas were analyzed to contribute to a better understanding of this rare disease.

Methods: Twenty-two patients were included from 2013 to 2022 in the Department of Radiation Oncology at Heidelberg University Hospital.

Radiotherapy Effects on Airway Management in Patients with Nasopharyngeal Cancer.

: At present, there is a paucity of data in the literature pertaining to the impact of radiotherapy (RT) on the success of tracheal intubation in patients with nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC). The aim of this study is to investigate the frequency of difficult tracheal intubation in patients with NPC following RT. : Patients with NPC who underwent RT followed by surgery between 2012 and April 2024 at the University Hospital Heidelberg were retrospectively analyzed.

Ab Initio Simulation of Raman Fingerprints of Sulfur/Carbon Copolymer Cathodes During Discharge of Li-S Batteries.

Sulfur/carbon copolymers have emerged as promising alternatives for conventional crystalline sulfur cathodes for lithium-sulfur batteries. Among these, sulfur-n-1,3-diisopropenylbenzene (S/DIB) copolymers, which present a 3D network of DIB molecules interconnected via sulfur chains, have particularly shown a good performance and, therefore, have been under intensive experimental and theoretical investigations. However, their structural complexity and flexibility have hindered a clear understanding of their structural evolution during redox reactions at an atomistic level.

Early circulating tumor DNA changes predict outcomes in head and neck cancer patients under re-radiotherapy.

Local recurrence after radiotherapy is common in locally advanced head and neck cancer (HNC) patients. Re-irradiation can improve local disease control, but disease progression remains frequent. Hence, predictive biomarkers are needed to adapt treatment intensity to the patient's individual risk.

Helium Ion Therapy for Advanced Juvenile Nasopharyngeal Angiofibroma.

Helium ion therapy (HRT) is a promising modality for the treatment of pediatric tumors and those located close to critical structures due to the favorable biophysical properties of helium ions. This in silico study aimed to explore the potential benefits of HRT in advanced juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma (JNA) compared to proton therapy (PRT). We assessed 11 consecutive patients previously treated with PRT for JNA in a definitive or postoperative setting with a relative biological effectiveness (RBE) weighted dose of 45 Gy (RBE) in 25 fractions at the Heidelberg Ion-Beam Therapy Center.

Variation of resection margins in oral cancer in dependence of tumor stage and subsite - a retrospective cohort study.

Objectives: Surgical resection is a key component of the treatment of head and neck cancer and the achievement of free surgical margins are essential for the patients' outcome in terms of survival. While there is a general recommendation for a free resection range of 5 mm, up to date, there is a lack of investigations on the quality of tumor resection in dependence of affected subsite and tumor stage. In the presented study, predictors for the achieved resection margins in surgically treated oral squamous cell carcinomas were analyzed.

Students' motivational trajectories in vocational education: Effects of a self-regulated learning environment.

Motivation is central for successful learning processes and lifelong learning. In the present study, the motivational development of vocational students in a learning environment promoting self-regulated learning (SRL) was examined in comparison to a control group with regular, teacher-centered instruction. The first aim was to examine the development of the dispositional and situational motivation of vocational students.

Plasma extracellular vesicles in meningioma patients following radiotherapy as liquid biopsy- a prospective explorative biomarker study (ARO 2023-05/AG-NRO-07).

Background: While surgical resection remains the primary treatment approach for symptomatic or growing meningiomas, radiotherapy represents an auspicious alternative in patients with meningiomas not safely amenable to surgery. Biopsies are often omitted in light of potential postoperative neurological deficits, resulting in a lack of histological grading and (molecular) risk stratification. In this prospective explorative biomarker study, extracellular vesicles in the bloodstream will be investigated in patients with macroscopic meningiomas to identify a biomarker for molecular risk stratification and disease monitoring.

Robustness of carbon-ion radiotherapy against DNA damage repair associated radiosensitivity variation based on a biophysical model.

Background: Interpatient variation of tumor radiosensitivity is rarely considered during the treatment planning process despite its known significance for the therapeutic outcome.

Purpose: To apply our mechanistic biophysical model to investigate the biological robustness of carbon ion radiotherapy (CIRT) against DNA damage repair interference (DDRi) associated patient-to-patient variability in radiosensitivity and its potential clinical advantages against conventional radiotherapy approaches.

Methods And Materials: The "UNIfied and VERSatile bio response Engine" (UNIVERSE) was extended by carbon ions and its predictions were compared to a panel of in vitro and in vivo data including various endpoints and DDRi settings within clinically relevant dose and linear energy transfer (LET) ranges.

Proton Therapy for Advanced Juvenile Nasopharyngeal Angiofibroma.

Purpose: To provide the first report on proton radiotherapy (PRT) in the management of advanced nasopharyngeal angiofibroma (JNA) and evaluate potential benefits compared to conformal photon therapy (XRT).

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 10 consecutive patients undergoing PRT for advanced JNA in a definitive or postoperative setting with a relative biological effectiveness weighted dose of 45 Gy in 25 fractions between 2012 and 2022 at the Heidelberg Ion Beam Therapy Center. Furthermore, dosimetric comparisons and risk estimations for short- and long-term radiation-induced complications between PRT plans and helical XRT plans were conducted.

Stability and change of secondary school students' motivation profiles in mathematics: Effects of a student intervention.

There is high agreement that motivation is an important factor for successful learning processes and outcomes. But how do students differ in terms of motivation and how do these differences affect the effectiveness of a motivation intervention? As an intervention interacts with students' characteristics, students' heterogeneity must be considered and homogeneous intervention effects must be critically examined. This study aimed to identify motivation profiles of a specifically vulnerable student group, namely students in the lowest ability tier in the learning of mathematics.

Surgical Treatment of Carcinomas of the Oral Minor Salivary Glands-Oncological Outcome in Dependence of Tumor Entity and Therapeutic Strategies.

The aim of this study was to analyze the clinical outcomes of three types of minor salivary gland carcinomas (adenoid-cystic carcinomas (ACC), adeno carcinomas not otherwise specified (AC-NOS), and mucoepidermoid carcinomas (MEC)) after primary surgical therapy. A retrospective cohort study was designed and patients with cancer of the minor oral salivary glands treated in our department in the years 2011 to 2022 were included. Clinicopathological data were evaluated to compare overall survival and progression-free survival between the entities.

Analysis of recurrence probability following radiotherapy in patients with CNS WHO grade 2 meningioma using integrated molecular-morphologic classification.

Background: The current World Health Organization (WHO) classification of brain tumors distinguishes 3 malignancy grades in meningiomas, with increasing risk of recurrence from CNS WHO grades 1 to 3. Radiotherapy is recommended by current EANO guidelines for patients not safely amenable to surgery or after incomplete resection in higher grades. Despite adequately predicting recurrence probability for the majority of CNS WHO grade 2 meningioma patients, a considerable subset of patients demonstrates an unexpectedly early tumor recurrence following radiotherapy.

To fly or not to fly: Stereotactic MR-guided adaptive radiotherapy effectively treats ultracentral lung tumors with favorable long-term outcomes.

Background: Stereotactic radiotherapy of ultracentral lung tumors (ULT) is challenging as it may cause overdoses to sensitive mediastinal organs with severe complications. We aimed to describe long-term outcomes after stereotactic magnetic resonance (MR)-guided online adaptive radiotherapy (SMART) as an innovative treatment of ULT.

Patients & Methods: We analyzed 36 patients that received SMART to 40 tumors between 02/2020 - 08/2021 inside prospective databases.

Tumor treating fields as novel combination partner in the multimodal treatment of head and neck cancer.

Background: We aimed to demonstrate the effects of tumor treating fields (TTFields) in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cells when combined with radiotherapy (RT) and chemotherapy.

Methods: Two human HNSCC cell lines (Cal27, FaDu) received five different treatments: TTFields, RT +/- TTFields and RT + simultaneous cisplatin +/- TTFields. Effects were quantified using clonogenic assays and flow cytometric analyses of DAPI, caspase-3 activation and γH2AX foci.

Osteoradionecrosis of the Jaw-Comparison between Bone and Soft Tissue Injury and Their Influence on Surgical Outcomes-A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Surgical therapy of osteoradionecrosis of the jaw (ORN) is challenging and requires treatment of the affected hard and soft tissue. To understand how tissue injury after irradiation influences surgical outcomes, the objective of this study was to find out whether (a) bone-related, (b) soft tissue-related, and (c) treatment-related parameters influence the surgical success of patients with ORN. A total of 175 patients (324 lesions) were included in this retrospective, single-center study.

Antipsychotic drug-induced neutropenia: results from the AMSP drug surveillance program between 1993 and 2016.

Neutropenia and agranulocytosis (N&A) are relatively rare, but potentially fatal adverse drug reactions (ADR). This study presents cases of N&A related to one or more antipsychotic drugs (APDs) in psychiatric inpatients. Data on APD utilization and reports of N&A caused by APDs were analyzed by using data from an observational pharmacovigilance program in German-speaking countries-Arzneimittelsicherheit in der Psychiatrie (AMSP)-from 1993 to 2016.