Screening for Occult Transthyretin Amyloidosis in Patients with Severe Aortic Stenosis and Amyloid Red Flags.

Aims: The optimal strategy to identify transthyretin-type cardiac amyloidosis (ATTR-CA) in patients with aortic stenosis (AS) is still unclear. This study aimed to investigate if targeted screening for ATTR-CA in patients with severe AS and amyloid red flags is associated with higher detection rates.

Methods: The study prospectively enrolled patients ≥65 years with severe AS.

Sex-Related Differences among Adults with Hypertrophic Obstructive Cardiomyopathy Undergoing Transcoronary Ablation of Septal Hypertrophy.

(1) Background: The transcoronary ablation of septal hypertrophy (TASH) is an established therapy for hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM). Previous studies on this topic are characterised by a consistent male predominance and show a worse prognosis in females. (2) Methods: This study is a retrospective analysis of all TASH procedures conducted between 2006 and 2021 at a tertiary academic centre.

Toward the fabrication of a 5-μm-resolution Wolter microscope for the National Ignition Facility (invited).

Advancements in computer-controlled polishing, metrology, and replication have led to an x-ray mirror fabrication process that is capable of producing high-resolution Wolter microscopes. We present the fabrication and test of a nickel-cobalt replicated full-shell x-ray mirror that was electroformed from a finely figured and polished mandrel. This mandrel was designed for an 8-m source-to-detector-distance microscope, with 10× magnification, and was optimized to reduce shell distortions that occur within 20 mm of the shell ends.

Probing the axion-nucleon coupling with the next generation of axion helioscopes.

A finite axion-nucleon coupling, nearly unavoidable for QCD axions, leads to the production of axions via the thermal excitation and subsequent de-excitation of Fe isotopes in the sun. We revise the solar bound on this flux adopting the up to date emission rate, and investigate the sensitivity of the proposed International Axion Observatory IAXO and its intermediate stage BabyIAXO to detect these axions. We compare different realistic experimental options and discuss the model dependence of the signal.

Sox9 overexpression exerts multiple stage-dependent effects on mouse spinal cord development.

The high-mobility-group (HMG)-domain protein Sox9 is one of few transcription factors implicated in gliogenesis in the vertebrate central nervous system. To further study the role of Sox9 in early spinal cord development, we generated a mouse that allows expression of Sox9 in a temporally and spatially controlled manner. Using this mouse, we show that premature Sox9 expression in neural precursor cells disrupted the neuroepithelium of the ventricular zone.