Improving the accuracy of temperature measurement on TEM samples using plasmon energy expansion thermometry (PEET): Addressing sample thickness effects.

Advances in analytical scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and in microelectronic mechanical systems (MEMS) based microheaters have enabled in-situ materials' characterization at the nanometer scale at elevated temperature. In addition to resolving the structural information at elevated temperatures, detailed knowledge of the local temperature distribution inside the sample is essential to reveal thermally induced phenomena and processes. Here, we investigate the accuracy of plasmon energy expansion thermometry (PEET) as a method to map the local temperature in a tungsten (W) lamella in a range between room temperature and 700 °C.

N-glycan shielded CUB domains of ADAMTS13 prevent binding of C-terminal antibodies in patients with immune-mediated TTP.

In Immune-mediated Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (iTTP), patients develop antibodies against ADAMTS13. The majority of patients exhibit inhibitory anti-spacer antibodies. Non-inhibitory antibodies binding to the carboxy-terminal CUB domains have been suggested to enhance the clearance of ADAMTS13 in iTTP.

3D fluorescence staining and confocal imaging of low amount of intestinal organoids (enteroids): Protocol accessible to all.

The emerging field of 3D organ modeling encounters several imaging issues in particular related to antigen retrieval and sample loss during staining processes. Due to their compact shape, several antibodies fail to penetrate intact organoids or spheroids. Histology of organoids can be approached by paraffin inclusion and sectioning at 5 μm as performed for biopsies.

Shell colour luminance of Cuban painted snails, Polymita picta and Polymita muscarum (Gastropoda: Cepolidae).

Climate change is a global environmental threat, directly affecting biodiversity. Terrestrial gastropods are particularly susceptible to alterations in temperature and humidity and have develop morph-physiological and behavioural adaptations in this regard. Shell colour polymorphism and its potential implication for thermoresistance constitute an unexplored field in Neotropical land snails.

Decentralized worker-centred occupational management in health care: nationwide survey and alpha testing.

Background: Occupational stress among healthcare workers negatively impacts job satisfaction and patient care quality, jeopardizing healthcare system sustainability. Traditional employer-driven approaches often fail to address these challenges comprehensively, leading to persistent gaps in work condition transparency and well-being.

Aims: To elucidate the working conditions of health workers and introduce a worker-centred, technology-based strategy moving beyond traditional practices and entrenched medical culture.

Scapho-metacarpal dual mobility prosthesis for TMC-1 joint salvage: technical insights.

Introduction: Rhizarthrosis, or osteoarthritis of the trapeziometacarpal joint, predominantly affects women over 50, with up to 30% experiencing some degree of arthritis in this joint. Traditional surgical approaches, such as trapeziectomy with ligament reconstruction, can result in some patients in persistent pain or limited functionality. TMC ball-in-socket arthroplasty, with a cup placed in the distal scaphoid, offers a promising alternative to traditional arthrodesis or resection-suspension arthroplasty.

Clinical and imaging spectrum of non-congenital dominant ACTN2 myopathy.

Background: Alpha-actinin-2, a protein with high expression in cardiac and skeletal muscle, is located in the Z-disc and plays a key role in sarcomere stability. Mutations in ACTN2 have been associated with both hypertrophic and dilated cardiomyopathy and, more recently, with skeletal myopathy.

Methods: Genetic, clinical, and muscle imaging data were collected from 37 patients with an autosomal dominant ACTN2 myopathy belonging to 11 families from Spain and Belgium.

Outcomes of mechanical thrombectomy for medium vessel occlusion in acute ischemic stroke patients with ASPECTS 4-5 vs. 6-7: a retrospective, multicenter, and multinational study.

Introduction: Mechanical thrombectomy (MT) efficacy in medium vessel occlusion (MeVO) stroke, particularly in patients with low Alberta Stroke Program Early Computed Tomography Score (ASPECTS), remains less explored.

Methods: This retrospective study analyzed data from 443 AIS patients treated with MT for MeVO and low ASPECTS (4-7) at 37 centers across North America, Asia, and Europe, from September 2017 to July 2021. Patients were categorized into ASPECTS of 4-5 and 6-7.

Refining the clinical and therapeutic spectrum of granulomatous myositis from a large cohort of patients.

Objectives: Granulomatous myositis (GM) is a rare entity whose precise clinical features and therapeutic outcomes have not yet been well defined. Given the limited evidence, data from a large cohort of patients is needed to aid in the recognition and management of this condition.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed our institutional databases to identify patients who had myositis and non-caseating granuloma on muscle biopsy (GM).

Mutations disrupting the kinase domain of IKKα lead to immunodeficiency and immune dysregulation in humans.

IKKα, encoded by CHUK, is crucial in the non-canonical NF-κB pathway and part of the IKK complex activating the canonical pathway alongside IKKβ. The absence of IKKα causes fetal encasement syndrome in humans, fatal in utero, while an impaired IKKα-NIK interaction was reported in a single patient and causes combined immunodeficiency. Here, we describe compound heterozygous variants in the kinase domain of IKKα in a female patient with hypogammaglobulinemia, recurrent lung infections, and Hay-Wells syndrome-like features.

Lack of intracranial atherosclerosis in various atherosclerotic mouse models.

Background: Although mice are used extensively to study atherosclerosis of different vascular beds, limited data is published on the occurrence of intracranial atherosclerosis. Since intracranial atherosclerosis is a common cause of stroke and is associated with dementia, a relevant animal model is needed to study these diseases.

Methods And Results: We examined the presence of intracranial atherosclerosis in different atherogenic mouse strains and studied differences in vessel wall characteristics in mouse and human tissue in search for possible explanations for the different atherosclerotic susceptibility between extracranial and intracranial vessels.

Unveiling the Reaction Mechanism of Diels-Alder Cycloadditions between 2,5-Dimethylfuran and Ethylene Derivatives Using Topological Tools.

The [4+2] Diels-Alder cycloaddition reaction between 2,5-DMF (1) and ethylene derivatives (2a-h) activated by electron-withdrawing groups has been studied at the density functional theory levels using a panoply of tools to unravel the reaction mechanisms. From the analysis of the reactivity indices, 2a-h behave as electrophiles while 1 as nucleophile, and the activation of the double bond of ethylene increases its electrophilicity, which is accompanied by an enhancement of the polarity of the reaction. The activation Gibbs free energy decreases linearly as a function of this increase of polarity, as estimated by the electrophilicity difference between the reactants.

Data fusion by T3-PCA: A global model for the simultaneous analysis of coupled three-way and two-way real-valued data.

In various areas of science, researchers try to gain insight into important processes by jointly analysing different datasets containing information regarding common aspects of these processes. For example, to explain individual differences in personality, researchers collect, for the same set of persons, data regarding behavioural signatures (i.e.

Higher-order effects and validity of the point-dipole approximation for conjugated extended molecular emitters near plasmonic nanostructures.

Rapid advancements in nanotechnology have allowed for the characterization of single molecules by placing them in the vicinity of nanoplasmonic structures that are known to confine light to sub-molecular scales. In this study, we introduce a theoretical framework that captures higher-order effects, and we explore the limits of the standard description of a molecular emitter as a point-dipole. We particularly focus on the role played by the emitter chain length and electron conjugation.

Cardiovascular diseases, prevention and management of complications in older adults and frail patients treated for elective or post-traumatic hip orthopaedic interventions.

Due to the aging population, focusing on healthy aging has become a global priority. Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and frailty, characterized by increased vulnerability to adverse stress and health events, interact synergistically in advanced age. In older adults, hip fractures are a frequent dramatic "life-transition" event.

The role of multi-modality imaging for the assessment of left atrium and left atrial appendage. A clinical consensus statement of the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging (EACVI), European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA) of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).

Structural, architectural, contractile or electrophysiological alterations may occur in the left atrium (LA). The concept of LA cardiopathy is supported by accumulating scientific evidence demonstrating that LA remodeling has become a cornerstone diagnostic and prognostic marker. The structure and the function of LA and left atrial appendage (LAA) which is an integral part of the LA, are key elements for a better understanding of multiple clinical conditions, most notably atrial fibrillation (AF), cardioembolism, heart failure and mitral valve diseases.

Systematic Molecular Influenza A/B Screening Upon Hospital Admission in Belgium, January-April 2022: Positivity Ratios and Viral Loads According to Symptomatology, Age, and Vaccination Status.

Three hospitals implemented molecular point-of-care tests (POCTs) to screen patients for SARS-CoV-2 infection upon admission during the 2021/2022 influenza season, which in Belgium lasted from January to April 2022. The samples were simultaneously tested for influenza A/B. Influenza positivity at admission was examined in relation to patient characteristics and symptomatology.

Post-transseptal puncture re-entrant atrial tachycardia mimicking typical flutter.

This case report discusses the management of a 75-year-old man who developed an unusual type of atypical atrial flutter following a previous pulmonary vein isolation for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. Despite a second attempt to re-isolate the pulmonary veins and performing cavotricuspid isthmus ablation (which was suspected to be part of the arrythmia circuit), the flutter continued and was converted to sinus rhythm through electrical cardioversion. A few weeks later, the patient's atrial tachycardia relapsed.

Pharmacovigilance Pregnancy Data in a Population of Japanese Patients With Chronic Inflammatory Disease Exposed to Certolizumab Pegol.

Aim: Uncontrolled chronic inflammatory diseases (CIDs) before, during, and after pregnancy, as well as some CID medications, can increase the risk of impaired fertility in addition to adverse maternal/pregnancy outcomes in women of childbearing age. We report pregnancy outcomes from prospectively reported pregnancies in Japanese women treated with certolizumab pegol (CZP).

Methods: Data from July 2001 to November 2020 on CZP-exposed pregnancies from the CZP Pharmacovigilance safety database were reviewed.

Cost-effectiveness of follow-up algorithms for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension in pulmonary embolism survivors.

Introduction: Achieving an early diagnosis of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) in pulmonary embolism (PE) survivors results in better quality of life and survival. Importantly, dedicated follow-up strategies to achieve an earlier CTEPH diagnosis involve costs that were not explicitly incorporated in the models assessing their cost-effectiveness. We performed an economic evaluation of 11 distinct PE follow-up algorithms to determine which should be preferred.

Viscous damping of tremor using a wearable robot with an optimized mechanical metamaterial.

Pathological tremors can often be debilitating to activities of daily living and significantly affect the quality of life. Such tremulous movements are commonly observed in wrist flexion-extension (FE). To suppress this tremor we present a wearable robot (WR) with a customized mechanical metamaterial (MM) as the physical human-robot interface (pHRI).

Human-in-the-loop optimization of wearable device parameters using an EMG-based objective function.

Advancements in wearable robots aim to improve user motion, motor control, and overall experience by minimizing energetic cost (EC). However, EC is challenging to measure and it is typically indirectly estimated through respiratory gas analysis. This study introduces a novel EMG-based objective function that captures individuals' natural energetic expenditure during walking.

Evaluation of neutralizing antibody titers against SARS-CoV-2 JN.1 omicron subvariant during pregnancy - A case series study.

Background: SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy poses health risks to both mother and fetus. This study investigates neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) against the SARS-CoV-2 JN.1 Omicron subvariant in pregnant women, focusing on responses to natural infection, vaccination, and passive immunity.