Imaging of the Pericoronary Adipose Tissue (PCAT) Using Cardiac Computed Tomography: Modern Clinical Implications.

Modern coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA) is the gold standard to visualize the epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) and pericoronary adipose tissue (PCAT). The EAT is a metabolic active fat depot enclosed by the visceral pericardium and surrounds the coronary arteries. In disease states with increased EAT volume and dysfunctional adipocytes, EAT secretes an increased amount of adipocytokines and the resulting imbalance of proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory mediators potentially causes atherogenic effects on the coronary vessel wall in a paracrine way ("outside-to-inside" signaling).

Photocyclization of diarylethylenes with a boronate moiety: a useful synthetic tool to soluble PAH building blocksf.

The synthesis of ten ortho-fused PAHs bearing boronic pinacol ester groups (BPin) is reported. The products are obtained via modification of Mallory photocyclization in 45-99% yields. Among them are examples of highly strained molecules such as [4]helicene derivatives with BPin substituents in the cavity.

Less is more - retrospective comparison of shoulder strength and range of motion between conventional and muscle-sparing harvesting technique of a latissimus dorsi flap.

Background: The muscle-sparing latissimus dorsi flap poses an alternative to the conventional latissimus dorsi flap when a defect requires a smaller flap volume with a long vascular pedicle. The aim of the study was to analyze the functional outcome following muscle-sparing versus conventional harvest of a latissimus dorsi flap.

Material And Methods: Patients who received a muscle-sparing latissimus dorsi muscle flap transplantation (group 1) and patients with a complete latissimus dorsi muscle flap harvest (group 2) for defect reconstruction at the University Hospital of Erlangen between 2007 and 2016 were examined.

From Submerged Cultures to 3D Cell Culture Models: Evolution of Nasal Epithelial Cells in Asthma Research and Virus Infection.

Understanding the response to viral infection in the context of respiratory diseases is of significant importance. Recently, there has been more focus on the role of the nasal epithelium in disease modeling. Here, we provide an overview of different submerged, organotypic 3D and spheroid cell culture models of nasal epithelial cells, which were used to study asthma and allergy with a special focus on virus infection.

Neural oscillatory responses to performance monitoring differ between high- and low-impulsive individuals, but are unaffected by TMS.

Higher impulsivity may arise from neurophysiological deficits of cognitive control in the prefrontal cortex. Cognitive control can be assessed by time-frequency decompositions of electrophysiological data. We aimed to clarify neuroelectric mechanisms of performance monitoring in connection with impulsiveness during a modified Eriksen flanker task in high- (n = 24) and low-impulsive subjects (n = 21) and whether these are modulated by double-blind, sham-controlled intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS).

Endoscopic recanalization of complete esophageal obstruction.

Background And Aims: Complete esophageal obstruction (CEO) is a rare complication after radiochemotherapy that dramatically impairs quality of life. Within this study, we assessed the outcome of two different endoscopic techniques for lumen restoration in patients with CEO.

Methods: 17 patients were included.

The influence of K-wire transfixation on proximalization of the first metacarpal after resection suspension interposition arthroplasty.

Introduction: Osteoarthritis of the first carpometacarpal joint is a common degenerative disease and surgical treatment includes resection suspension interposition arthroplasty (RSIA) with or without temporary transfixation of the first metacarpal. One major drawback includes proximalization of the first metacarpal during the postoperative course. Specific data comparing different transfixation techniques in this context is sparse.

Rare Pseudotumor-like Hematoma at the Latissimus Dorsi Muscle Flap Donor Site: A Treatment Strategy Utilizing Negative Pressure Wound Therapy With Instillation and Dwell Time.

Introduction: In reconstructive surgery, the latissimus dorsi (LD) muscle is known as a workhorse flap and is commonly used as a pedicled or free flap. Postoperative complications of a reconstructive procedure with an LD flap include seroma and hematoma formation at an early stage after LD transfer. Late-onset hematoma at the donor site are considered to be extremely rare postoperative complications; late, expanding pseudotumor-like hematoma can occur months or years after surgery.

Inflammation in the Human Periodontium Induces Downregulation of the α- and β-Subunits of the sGC in Cementoclasts.

Nitric oxide (NO) binds to soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC), activates it in a reduced oxidized heme iron state, and generates cyclic Guanosine Monophosphate (cGMP), which results in vasodilatation and inhibition of osteoclast activity. In inflammation, sGC is oxidized and becomes insensitive to NO. NO- and heme-independent activation of sGC requires protein expression of the α- and β-subunits.

BEST FOR CAN - bringing empirically supported treatments to children and adolescents after child abuse and neglect: study protocol.

Despite a large body of evidence demonstrating the effectiveness of psychotherapy for posttraumatic stress for children and adolescents, the adoption of empirically supported treatments (ESTs) in routine care is low. This implementation study aims to evaluate the dissemination of Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (TF-CBT) for children and adolescents with posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) after child abuse and neglect (CAN) with a focus on supervision. In a cluster-randomized controlled trial, the study will evaluate the implementation of TF-CBT focussing on the training of therapists including the provision of supervision.

Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Plasma Agonist Activity Correlates With Disease Activity in Progressive MS.

Objective: The relationship between serum aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) agonistic activity levels with disease severity, its modulation over the course of relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), and its regulation in progressive MS (PMS) are unknown. Here, we report the analysis of AHR agonistic activity levels in cross-sectional and longitudinal serum samples of patients with RRMS and PMS.

Methods: In a cross-sectional investigation, a total of 36 control patients diagnosed with noninflammatory diseases, 84 patients with RRMS, 35 patients with secondary progressive MS (SPMS), and 41 patients with primary progressive MS (PPMS) were included in this study.

Using the past to estimate sensory uncertainty.

To form a more reliable percept of the environment, the brain needs to estimate its own sensory uncertainty. Current theories of perceptual inference assume that the brain computes sensory uncertainty instantaneously and independently for each stimulus. We evaluated this assumption in four psychophysical experiments, in which human observers localized auditory signals that were presented synchronously with spatially disparate visual signals.

Phase angle and vector analysis from multifrequency segmental bioelectrical impedance analysis: new reference data for older adults.

Phase angle (PA) and bioelectrical impedance vector analysis (BIVA) have been recommended as useful prognostic markers in various clinical settings. However, reference data for older adults measured by the novel segmental multifrequency bioelectrical impedance analysis (SMF-BIA) technique are currently lacking. This study examined 567 (286 men, 281 women) healthy older adults (65 - 97 years) and new SMF-BIA-based PA and BIVA reference values were generated stratified according to gender and 3 age groups (65 - 75 years, 76 - 85 years, > 85 years).

A Human Periodontal Ligament Fibroblast Cell Line as a New Model to Study Periodontal Stress.

The periodontal ligament (PDL) is exposed to different kinds of mechanical stresses such as bite force or orthodontic tooth movement. A simple and efficient model to study molecular responses to mechanical stress is the application of compressive force onto primary human periodontal ligament fibroblasts via glass disks. Yet, this model suffers from the need for primary cells from human donors which have a limited proliferative capacity.

Macrophage migration inhibitory factor is regulated by HIF-1α and cAMP and promotes renal cyst cell proliferation in a macrophage-independent manner.

Progressive cyst growth leads to decline of renal function in polycystic kidney disease. Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) was found to be upregulated in cyst-lining cells in a mouse model of polycystic kidney disease and to promote cyst growth. In addition, MIF can be secreted by tubular cells and may contribute to cyst growth in an autocrine manner.

Lung Ultrasound Eight-Point Method in Diagnosing Acute Heart Failure in Emergency Patients with Acute Dyspnea: Diagnostic Accuracy and 72 h Monitoring.

: Acute dyspnea is a common chief complaint in the emergency department (ED), with acute heart failure (AHF) as a frequent underlying disease. Early diagnosis and rapid therapy are highly recommended by international guidelines. This study evaluates the accuracy of point-of-care B-line lung ultrasound in diagnosing AHF and monitoring the therapeutic success of heart failure patients.

Gas-Phase Transformation of Fluorinated Benzoporphyrins to Porphyrin-Embedded Conical Nanocarbons.

Geodesic nitrogen-containing graphene fragments are interesting candidates for various material applications, but the available synthetic protocols, which need to overcome intrinsic strain energy during the formation of the bowl-shaped skeletons, are often incompatible with heteroatom-embedded structures. Through this mass spectrometry-based gas-phase study, we show by means of collision-induced dissociation experiments and supported by density functional theory calculations, the first evidence for the formation of a porphyrin-embedded conical nanocarbon. The influences of metalation and functionalization of the used tetrabenzoporphyrins have been investigated, which revealed different cyclization efficiencies, different ionization possibilities, and a variation of the dissociation pathway.

Limb salvage procedure in immunocompromised patients with therapy-resistant leg ulcers-The value of ultra-radical debridement and instillation negative-pressure wound therapy.

The purpose of this study was to analyse the outcome of our established triple treatment strategy in therapy-resistant deep-thickness chronic lower leg ulcers. This limb salvage approach consists of ultra-radical surgical debridement, negative-pressure wound therapy (NPWT) with or without instillation, and split-thickness skin grafting. Between March 2003 and December 2019, a total of 16 patients and 24 severe cases of lower leg ulcers were eligible for inclusion in this highly selective population.

Effects of whole-body electromyostimulation exercise and caloric restriction on cardiometabolic risk profile and muscle strength in obese women with the metabolic syndrome: a pilot study.

Obesity, particularly in conjunction with further cardiometabolic risk factors, is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality. Increased physical activity and dietary modifications are cornerstones of therapeutic interventions to treat obesity and related risk factors. Whole-body electromyostimulation (WB-EMS) has emerged as an innovative, time-efficient type of exercise that can provide positive effects on body composition and muscle strength.

Oxidative Electrocyclization of Diradicaloids: C-C Bonds for Free or How to Use Biradical Character for π-Extension.

Herein, we show that biradical character and appropriate distribution of spin density can be used for synthetic purposes. We demonstrate the rational domino annulation that includes dehydrative π-extension (DPEX) as the initiation step and subsequent oxidative electrocyclizations (EC) promoted by favorable localization of the unpaired electrons enabling up to four C-C bonds formed during the reaction. Contradicting to the Woodward-Hoffmann rules, the reaction proceeds at room temperature, whereas termination occurs when biradical character vanishes.

Hybridized intervalley moiré excitons and flat bands in twisted WSe bilayers.

The large surface-to-volume ratio in atomically thin 2D materials allows to efficiently tune their properties through modifications of their environment. Artificial stacking of two monolayers into a bilayer leads to an overlap of layer-localized wave functions giving rise to a twist angle-dependent hybridization of excitonic states. In this joint theory-experiment study, we demonstrate the impact of interlayer hybridization on bright and momentum-dark excitons in twisted WSe2 bilayers.

Use of Fluorescent Dyes in Endoscopy and Diagnostic Investigation.

Background: The advancement of innovative endoscopic technology in terms of improving the visualization of the mucosa has been of significant benefit.

Summary: Advancements in image resolution, software processing, and optical filter technology have resulted in several techniques complemental to traditional white light endoscopy. These new techniques provide a real-time optical diagnosis as well as virtual histology of detected lesions.

A Hexabenzocoronene-Based Helical Nanographene.

A synthetic route towards a novel hexabenzocoronene-based helical nanographene motif was developed. A hexaphenylbenzene precursor was therefore designed, which cannot undergo, due to steric restrictions, a complete planarization reaction. This precursor was transformed under oxidative cyclodehydrogenation conditions to a π-extended [5]helicene, which was fully characterized including X-ray diffraction analysis.