Visual quality of life in NMOSD and MOGAD: profiles, dynamics and associations with ageing and vision.

Objective: In this multicentric study, we were interested in the vision-related quality of life and its association with visual impairment in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease (MOGAD) in comparison to multiple sclerosis (MS) and healthy controls.

Methods: We analysed extracted data from the German NEMOS registry including National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI-VFQ) scores, high and low contrast visual acuity (HCVA, LCVA), visually evoked potentials (VEP) and the scores for the expanded disability status scale (EDSS) and other neurological tests which assessed their disease-related impairment. The mean follow-up time of our patients was 1.

Apheresis therapies in MOGAD: a retrospective study of 117 therapeutic interventions in 571 attacks.

Background: Incomplete attack remission is the main cause of disability in myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease (MOGAD). Apheresis therapies such as plasma exchange and immunoadsorption are widely used in neuroimmunology. Data on apheresis outcomes in MOGAD attacks remain limited.

EBSD and TKD analyses using inverted contrast Kikuchi diffraction patterns and alternative measurement geometries.

Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) patterns can exhibit Kikuchi bands with inverted contrast due to anomalous absorption. This can be observed, for example, on samples with nanoscale topography, in case of a low tilt backscattering geometry, or for transmission Kikuchi diffraction (TKD) on thicker samples. Three examples are discussed where contrast-inverted physics-based simulated master patterns have been applied to find the correct crystal orientation.

Differential gene expression in B cells and T helper cells following high-dose glucocorticoid therapy for multiple sclerosis relapse.

Background: Despite remarkable advances in the therapy of multiple sclerosis (MS), patients with MS may still experience relapses. High-dose short-term methylprednisolone (MP) remains the standard treatment in the acute management of MS relapses due to its potent anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive properties. However, there is a lack of studies on the cell type-specific transcriptome changes that are induced by this synthetic glucocorticoid (GC).

A novel mouse model for N-terminal truncated Aβ2-x generation through meprin β overexpression in astrocytes.

Neurotoxic amyloid-β (Aβ) peptides cause neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients' brains. They are released upon proteolytic processing of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) extracellularly at the β-secretase site and intramembranously at the γ-secretase site. Several AD mouse models were developed to conduct respective research in vivo.

The characterisation of dental enamel using transmission Kikuchi diffraction in the scanning electron microscope combined with dynamic template matching.

The remarkable physical properties of dental enamel can be largely attributed to the structure of the hydroxyapatite (HAp) crystallites on the sub-micrometre scale. Characterising the HAp microstructure is challenging, due to the nanoscale of individual crystallites and practical challenges associated with HAp examination using electron microscopy techniques. Conventional methods for enamel characterisation include imaging using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) or specialised beamline techniques, such as polarisation-dependent imaging contrast (PIC).

Wilhelm Waldeyer as an object - Anatomists as body donors.

Introduction: Berlin anatomist Wilhelm von Waldeyer-Hartz (1836-1921) donated his skull, brain, and hands to his institute. Only the skull survives in the present-day collection. This study investigates the skull itself as much as the historical context of Waldeyer's donation.

Imaging Threading Dislocations and Surface Steps in Nitride Thin Films Using Electron Backscatter Diffraction.

Extended defects, like threading dislocations, are detrimental to the performance of optoelectronic devices. In the scanning electron microscope, dislocations are traditionally imaged using diodes to monitor changes in backscattered electron intensity as the electron beam is scanned over the sample, with the sample positioned so the electron beam is at, or close to the Bragg angle for a crystal plane/planes. Here, we use a pixelated detector instead of single diodes, specifically an electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) detector.

Strong and aversive cold processing and pain facilitation in fibromyalgia patients relates to augmented thermal grill illusion.

The thermal grill illusion (TGI) is assumed to result from crosstalk between the thermoreceptive and nociceptive pathways. To elucidate this further, we compared 40 female fibromyalgia patients to 20 healthy women in an exploratory cross-sectional study. Sensations (cold, warm/heat, unpleasantness, pain and burning) evoked by 20 °C, 40 °C and alternating 20 °C/40 °C (TGI) and somatosensory profiles according to standardized quantitative sensory testing (QST) were assessed on the palm of the dominant hand.

Side effects following vaccination in multiple sclerosis: a prospective, multi-centre cohort study.

Vaccines play a crucial role in preventing infections in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), although concerns have been raised about potential worsening of the underlying disease. To investigate this, we conducted a prospective, multicentre, non-randomized observational study assessing changes in disease activity, safety, and clinical tolerability of vaccination in 222 MS patients on disease-modifying drugs. The majority of patients were female (76.

Mapping of lattice distortion in martensitic steel-Comparison of different evaluation methods of EBSD patterns.

To visualize the varying tetragonal distortions in high carbon martensitic steels by EBSD, two different approaches have been applied on backscattered Kikuchi diffraction (BKD) patterns. A band-edge refinement technique called Refined Accuracy (RA) (Oxford Instruments) is compared with a technique called Pattern Matching (PM), which optimizes the fit to a simulated BKD signal. RA distinguishes between hypothetical phases of different fixed c/a, while PM determines a best fitting continuous c/a by projective transformation of a master pattern.

Transcriptome alterations in peripheral blood B cells of patients with multiple sclerosis receiving immune reconstitution therapy.

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, inflammatory and neurodegenerative disease that leads to irreversible damage to the brain and spinal cord. The goal of so-called "immune reconstitution therapies" (IRTs) is to achieve long-term disease remission by eliminating a pathogenic immune repertoire through intense short-term immune cell depletion. B cells are major targets for effective immunotherapy in MS.

Circular dichroism in hard X-ray photoelectron diffraction observed by time-of-flight momentum microscopy.

X-ray photoelectron diffraction (XPD) is a powerful technique that yields detailed structural information of solids and thin films that complements electronic structure measurements. Among the strongholds of XPD we can identify dopant sites, track structural phase transitions, and perform holographic reconstruction. High-resolution imaging of k-distributions (momentum microscopy) presents a new approach to core-level photoemission.

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The German term "Schambein" (literally "shame bone") for the pubic bone, the anterior part of the pelvis, takes its name from its proximity to the sexual organs. At least the female external genitalia also carry German names built with the term "Scham" (shame). While the same is true for many Latin terms referring to the female genitalia like pudendum (pudor meaning shame), this is not true for the Os pubis which has a different Latin root that does not carry the negative connotation of shame.

Correlation of Heterogeneous Local Martensite Tetragonality and Carbon Distribution in High Carbon Steel.

A novel approach for the correlation of local martensite tetragonality determined by electron backscatter diffraction and carbon distribution by atom probe tomography (APT) is presented. The two methods are correlated by site-specific sample preparation for APT based on the local tetragonality. This approach is used to investigate the local carbon distribution in high carbon steel with varying local martensite tetragonality.

Anatomist Hermann Stieve used Nazi victims for his research on the menstrual cycle, but did he also fabricate facts?

Purpose: Hermann Stieve (1886-1952), director of the Berlin Anatomical Institute from 1935, benefited from the rise of execution numbers during the "Third Reich". He used organs and tissues from executed women for his histological research on the reproductive organs and investigated the influence of "nervous agitation" on the cyclical changes of endometrium and ovary. It is still controversial how he was able to acquire intimate data on the executed women and it was therefore suggested that some of his data may have been "invented".

[Conventional ultrasound diagnostics in dermatology].

The imaging of changes to the skin, the subcutis and especially the regional lymph nodes by high-resolution ultrasound is an integral part of routine dermatological diagnostics. This is mainly done with electronic scanners operating at frequencies between 7.5 and 20 MHz (conventional ultrasound diagnostics).

Correlation of Nabiximols Dose to Steady-State Concentrations of Cannabinoids in Urine Samples from Patients with Multiple Sclerosis.

Therapeutic drug monitoring of Δ-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) is based on a complex procedure and is therefore not possible in most laboratories, especially in emergency cases. This work addresses the question of whether therapeutic drug monitoring of nabiximols can be performed using an immunological urine-based test system for cannabinoid abuse. Seventeen patients with multiple sclerosis were included in this study.

Implication of genetic variants in primary microRNA processing sites in the risk of multiple sclerosis.

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system with a well-established genetic contribution to susceptibility. Over 200 genetic regions have been linked to the inherited risk of developing MS, but the disease-causing variants and their functional effects at the molecular level are still largely unresolved. We hypothesised that MS-associated single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) affect the recognition and enzymatic cleavage of primary microRNAs (pri-miRNAs).

A Pattern Processing Method to Map Nanoscale Phases by EBSD.

The crystallographic analysis of nanoscale phases with dimensions well below the spatial probing volume of electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) traditionally rely on electron microscopy in transmission (either in SEM or TEM), because EBSD patterns are invariably dominated by the matrix phase contribution and present seemingly no trace from such nanoscale phases. Yet, this study shows that such nanoscale features generate a very faint but valuable secondary diffraction signal which can be retrieved. A diffraction pattern postprocessing method is presented which focuses on the detection of such secondary signal emitted by nanoscale minority phases in overlapped patterns dominated by a dominant matrix signal.

Vaccination and immunotherapies in neuroimmunological diseases.

Neuroimmunological diseases and their treatment compromise the immune system, thereby increasing the risk of infections and serious illness. Consequently, vaccinations to protect against infections are an important part of the clinical management of these diseases. However, the wide variety of immunotherapies that are currently used to treat neuroimmunological disease - particularly multiple sclerosis and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders - can also impair immunological responses to vaccinations.