Repurposing weather modification for cloud research showcased by ice crystal growth.

The representation of cloud processes in models is one of the largest sources of uncertainty in weather forecast and climate projections. While laboratory settings offer controlled conditions for studying cloud processes, they cannot reproduce the full range of conditions and interactions present in natural cloud systems. To bridge this gap, here we leverage weather modification, specifically glaciogenic cloud seeding, to investigate ice growth rates within natural clouds.

Adaptation of the HistoEnder, an open-source 3D printer for automated transmission electron microscopy grid staining.

The HistoEnder, an inexpensive open-source 3D printer published as an automated histological slide stainer, has been adapted for conventional biological transmission electron microscopy (TEM) batch grid staining. Details are presented of the 3D printed apparatus, assembly, G-code programming, and operation on the 3D printer to post-section stains up to 20 grids through aqueous uranyl acetate, distilled water rinses, and lead stains. TEM Results are identical to manual staining with the advantages of automation using the low cost HistoEnder, apparatus, and equipment.

Standard operating procedure (SOP) for cervical ultrasound cine loop video sequences in the follow-up of differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC).

Rationale And Objectives: Cervical ultrasound (US) is crucial in the follow-up of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC). However, there are no guidelines for its acquisition and documentation, particularly concerning the role of additional video sequences, known as US cine loops (UCL). The aim of this study is to examine the clinical relevance (CR) of a new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for cervical UCL in DTC follow-up.

Clinical Results of Holmium-166 Radioembolization with Personalized Dosimetry for the Treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Transarterial radioembolization (TARE) with Ho-loaded microspheres is an established locoregional treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), introduced in 2010. This study evaluates the clinical outcome of patients with HCC who underwent Ho-TARE with personalized dosimetry. Twenty-seven patients with 36 TARE procedures were analyzed.

Interobserver Agreement of visual and semi-quantitative methods in 99mTc-Methoxy-Isobuty-Isonitrile (MIBI) imaging for risk stratification of hypofunctional thyroid nodules.

Aim: 99mTc-Methoxy-Isobuty-Isonitrile (MIBI) imaging is used for risk stratifications of hypofunctioning thyroid nodules (TNs). MIBI uptake in the nodular tissue is compared to the uptake in the paranodular thyroid tissue. MIBI imaging may be interpreted visually and/or semi-quantitatively.

Cloud micro- and macrophysical properties from ground-based remote sensing during the MOSAiC drift experiment.

In the framework of the Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate Polarstern expedition, the Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research, Leipzig, Germany, operated the shipborne OCEANET-Atmosphere facility for cloud and aerosol observations throughout the whole year. OCEANET-Atmosphere comprises, amongst others, a multiwavelength Raman lidar, a microwave radiometer, and an optical disdrometer. A cloud radar was operated aboard Polarstern by the US Atmospheric Radiation Measurement program.

Dependence of Renal Uptake on Kidney Function in [Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT Imaging.

(1) Background: PSMA ligand PET/CT is increasingly important for diagnostics of prostate cancer and other tumor diseases. In particular, the radiopharmaceutical [Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 is widely used. Besides its tumor-specific binding, the uptake within the kidneys is dominant and seems to visualize the renal cortex specifically.

The role of coronary artery disease in lung transplantation: a propensity-matched analysis.

Background And Aims: Candidate selection for lung transplantation (LuTx) is pivotal to ensure individual patient benefit as well as optimal donor organ allocation. The impact of coronary artery disease (CAD) on post-transplant outcomes remains controversial. We provide comprehensive data on the relevance of CAD for short- and long-term outcomes following LuTx and identify risk factors for mortality.

A contemporary training concept in critical care cardiology.

Critical care cardiology (CCC) in the modern era is shaped by a multitude of innovative treatment options and an increasingly complex, ageing patient population. Generating high-quality evidence for novel interventions and devices in an intensive care setting is exceptionally challenging. As a result, formulating the best possible therapeutic approach continues to rely predominantly on expert opinion and local standard operating procedures.

Single and combined exposures to bisphenol A and benzophenone-3 during early mouse pregnancy have differential effects on fetal and placental development.

Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) possess the capability to interfere with the endocrine system by binding to hormone receptors, for example on immune cells. Specific effects have already been described for individual substances, but the impact of exposure to chemical mixtures during pregnancy on maternal immune regulation, placentation and fetal development is not known. In this study, we aimed to investigate the combined effects of two widespread EDCs, bisphenol A (BPA) and benzophenone-3 (BP-3), at allowed concentrations on crucial pregnancy processes such as implantation, placentation, uterine immune cell populations and fetal growth.

Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data Systems: Applicability of the "Taller than Wide" Criterium in Primary/Secondary Care Units and the Role of Thyroid Scintigraphy.

Background: To examine the applicability of the "taller than wide" (ttw) criterium for risk assessment of thyroid nodules (TNs) in primary/secondary care units and the role of thyroid scintigraphy therein.

Methods: German bicenter study performed in a setting of primary/secondary care. Patient recruitment and analysis in center A was conducted in a prospective manner.

Transarterial Radioembolization (TARE) in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Comparison of Palliative with Bridging-to-Transplant Concepts.

We investigated transarterial radioembolization (TARE) as a palliative measure and bridging-to-transplant therapy in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. A total of 167 patients (50 bridging, 117 palliative) with 245 TARE procedures were assessed. Fourteen patients underwent subsequent liver transplantation (LT).

[Standardized acquisition and documentation of cine loops on conventional thyroid ultrasound].

Ultrasound is the basic imaging method for the assessment of the thyroid gland. Due to the high prevalence of structural disease, the examination procedure is used very frequently in Germany, in many cases in the context of follow-up. The assessment of thyroid pathologies and their dynamics is subjected to relevant inter- and intraobserver variability.

[Technical innovations to optimize ultrasound imaging].

Due to the high incidence of thyroid disease, ultrasound examination of the neck has high priority in many nuclear medicine departments. A precise sonogram with high spatial resolution and image sharpness over the entire imaging area, combined with minimal artifacts, is the prerequisite for meeting the demand for high diagnostic accuracy in modern medicine. In the last 20-30 years, a number of significant technical innovations have been implemented, such as the development of the matrix array, electronic image focusing, realtime compound imaging, artifact limitation by speckle reduction and harmonic imaging, as well as the possibility to extend the field of view.

Correct and Incorrect Recommendations for or against Fine Needle Biopsies of Hypofunctioning Thyroid Nodules: Performance of Different Ultrasound-based Risk Stratification Systems.

Purpose:  To evaluate the recommendations for or against fine needle biopsy (FNB) of hypofunctioning thyroid nodules (TNs) using of five different Ultrasound (US) -based risk stratification systems (RSSs).

Methods:  German multicenter study with 563 TNs (≥ 10 mm) in 534 patients who underwent thyroid US and surgery. All TNs were evaluated with ACR TI-RADS, EU-TIRADS, ATA, K-TIRADS 2016 and modified K-TIRADS 2021.

[Normal values for adult thyroid volume on ultrasound - where do they come from and how should they be evaluated?].

The upper limit for the thyroid volume is 18 ml for women and 25 ml for men. These reference values are used and taught in many clinics and practices across several disciplines. The thyroid volume is a relevant factor for the treatment course.

Image-Guided Fine-Needle Aspiration Cytology for BRCA Mutation Assessment of PSMA-Positive Lymph Node Metastases in a Patient With Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer.

A 64-year-old man with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer presented for prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) PET/CT in preparation for 177 Lu-PSMA radioligand therapy. For precedent BRCA mutation assessment, fine-needle aspiration cytology of 2 PSMA-positive lymph node metastases was conducted. The acquired material was suitable for next-generation sequencing-based gene panel diagnostics and did not show a BRCA1 / 2 mutation, thus PSMA radioligand therapy was initiated.

Noninvasive Verification of a Very Small Intraocular Prostate Carcinoma Metastasis by 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT.

A male patient underwent 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT for the evaluation of a suspected intraocular metastasis in the right eye. Although the choroidal thickening was very small (4 × 2 mm), and ophthalmoscopy as well as MRI were inconclusive, PET/CT imaging showed distinct PSMA expression in the suspected lesion, confirming prostate cancer metastasis. The ability of dedicated PSMA ligand PET/CT imaging to detect small metastases, even with 68Ga-labeled ligands, has been demonstrated.

Astrocytes in the Optic Nerve Are Heterogeneous in Their Reactivity to Glaucomatous Injury.

The optic nerve head is thought to be the site of initial injury to retinal ganglion cell injury in glaucoma. In the initial segment of the optic nerve directly behind the globe, the ganglion cell axons are unmyelinated and come into direct contact to astrocytes, suggesting that astrocytes may play a role in the pathology of glaucoma. As in other parts of the CNS, optic nerve head astrocytes respond to injury by characteristic changes in cell morphology and gene expression profile.

Clinical Results of Transarterial Radioembolization (TARE) with Holmium-166 Microspheres in the Multidisciplinary Oncologic Treatment of Patients with Primary and Secondary Liver Cancer.

Holmium-166 microspheres are used for the transarterial radioembolization (TARE) treatment of primary and secondary liver cancers. In this study, its efficacy regarding local tumor control and integration into the oncological treatment sequence of the first 20 patients treated in our institution were examined. A total of twenty-nine Ho-TARE procedures were performed to treat hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC, fourteen patients), metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC, four patients), intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC, one patient), and hemangioendothelioma of the liver (HE, one patient).

The effect of butylscopolamine on [F]FDG uptake in the gastrointestinal tract is negligible and regionally variable.

Background: Butylscopolamine (or hyoscine butylbromide, trade name Buscopan) is occasionally administered as a premedication to reduce non-specific FDG uptake in the gastrointestinal tract based on its antiperistaltic effect. To date, there are no consistent recommendations for its use. The aim of this study was to quantify the reduction in intestinal and non-intestinal uptake by butylscopolamine administration and to derive relevance for clinical evaluation.