Biventricular Repair of Univentricular Heart Lowers Risk of Liver Disease Compared With the Fontan Operation.

Background: The Fontan operation is associated with chronic venous hypertension, liver and renal disease, and several other sequelae. The alterative surgical approach, when feasible, a biventricular conversion (BiV), may diminish some of these long-term risks.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare long-term outcomes of patients undergoing BiV with those undergoing a destination Fontan operation.

Transcriptome analysis of the aortic coarctation area.

Background: Coarctation of the aorta (CoA) is a relatively common congenital heart defect. The underlying causes are not known, but a combination of genetic factors and abnormalities linked to embryonic development is suspected. There are only a few studies of the underlying molecular mechanisms in CoA.

A stretchable human lung-on-chip model of alveolar inflammation for evaluating anti-inflammatory drug response.

This study describes a complex human in vitro model for evaluating anti-inflammatory drug response in the alveoli that may contribute to the reduction of animal testing in the pre-clinical stage of drug development. The model is based on the human alveolar epithelial cell line Arlo co-cultured with macrophages differentiated from the THP-1 cell line, creating a physiological biological microenvironment. To mimic the three-dimensional architecture and dynamic expansion and relaxation of the air-blood-barrier, they are grown on a stretchable microphysiological lung-on-chip.

Locus coeruleus signal intensity and emotion regulation in agitation in Alzheimer's disease.

Hyperphosphorylated tau accumulation is seen in the noradrenergic locus coeruleus from the earliest stages of Alzheimer's disease onwards and has been associated with symptoms of agitation. It is hypothesized that compensatory locus coeruleus-noradrenaline system overactivity and impaired emotion regulation could underlie agitation propensity, but to our knowledge this has not previously been investigated. A better understanding of the neurobiological underpinnings of agitation would help the development of targeted prevention and treatment strategies.

The GAA repeat expansion is a major cause of ataxia in the Cypriot population.

Dominantly inherited intronic GAA repeat expansions in the fibroblast growth factor 14 gene have recently been shown to cause spinocerebellar ataxia 27B. Currently, the pathogenic threshold of (GAA) repeat units is considered highly penetrant, while (GAA) is likely pathogenic with reduced penetrance. This study investigated the frequency of the GAA repeat expansion and the phenotypic profile in a Cypriot cohort with unresolved late-onset cerebellar ataxia.

Playing dirty: the shady governance and reproduction of migrant illegality.

State authorities in Europe invest immense resources in what the EU insists on calling the 'fight against illegal migration'. Based on ethnographic research in two German cities, this paper shows that a tough approach towards illegalised migration can only be implemented through state practices that operate at the margins of, or even cross, the boundaries of what is legally permissible. This argument is developed through an analysis of informal practices that frontline staff in registry offices and migration administrations deploy to prevent, or at least disturb, illegalised migrants' attempts to regularise their status by becoming the parent of child that is entitled to German citizenship.

Layer-by-layer assembly yields thin graphene films with near theoretical conductivity.

Thin films fabricated from solution-processed graphene nanosheets are of considerable technological interest for a wide variety of applications, such as transparent conductors, supercapacitors, and memristors. However, very thin printed films tend to have low conductivity compared to thicker ones. In this work, we demonstrate a simple layer-by-layer deposition method which yields thin films of highly-aligned, electrochemically-exfoliated graphene which have low roughness and nanometer-scale thickness control.

Dental Ultrasonography for Visualizing Osteoimmune Conditions and Assessing Jaw Bone Density: A Narrative Review.

Despite the widespread use of ultrasonography (US) in medical diagnostics, there is no similar US device available for visualizing jawbone density. This study is a narrative review of the possible applications of US in dentistry. This review is divided as follows: (a) Pulse-echo ultrasonography: the applications offer new perspectives for periodontal and peri-implant assessment.

An Overview of Patient-reported Outcomes for Men with Prostate Cancer: Results from the PIONEER Consortium.

Background And Objective: Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are increasingly being used to capture the patients' perspective of their functional status and quality of life (QoL). Big data can help us better understand patient-reported outcomes (PROs). Using prospectively collected data from the Prostate Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment Enhancement Through the Power of Big Data in Europe (PIONEER) consortium, we aimed to describe the functional status and QoL in men with prostate cancer (PCa) treated with active surveillance (AS), radical prostatectomy (RP), and radiotherapy (RT), and to demonstrate the applicability of PROM data on a large scale and at a European level.

Complex Ureteral Reconstruction via Open or Robotic Ureteroplasty with a Buccal Mucosa Onlay Graft: A Two-center Comparison.

Background And Objective: Management of a long proximal ureteral stricture is challenging. Buccal mucosal graft (BMG) ureteroplasty is a reliable technique for ureteral reconstruction that avoids the morbidity of bowel interposition or autotransplantation. We compared open and robotic BMG ureteroplasty in a two-center study.

A Consecutive Genome Engineering Method Reveals a New Phenotype and Regulation of Glucose and Glycerol Utilization in .

is a microorganism for production of 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PDO) and butanol, but suffers from lacking genetic tools for metabolic engineering to improve product titers. Furthermore, previous studies of have mainly focused on single genomic modification. The aim of this work is the development and application of a method for modification of multiple gene targets in the genome of .

Succinic Acid Production With -Influence of an Electric Potential on the Intercellular NADH/NAD Balance.

Bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) offer a sustainable method for chemical production, including the enhanced production of succinic acid. By combining fermentation with BES, it could be possible to achieve sustainable succinic acid production and CO fixation using . In literature, the potential application of BES is commonly associated with increased succinate yields, as it is expected to enhance the availability of NADH, thereby influencing the intracellular nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH/NAD) balance.

Investigating Ultrafiltration Membranes and Operation Modes for Improved Lentiviral Vector Processing.

The demand for lentiviral vectors (LVs) as tools for ex vivo gene therapies is ever-increasing. Despite their promising applications, challenges in LV production remain largely due to the fragile envelope, which challenges the maintenance of vector stability. Thus, downstream processing optimization to enhance efficiency, yield, and product quality is necessary.

Decoupling many-body interactions in the CeO(111) oxygen vacancy structure with statistical learning and cluster expansion.

Oxygen vacancies (V's) are of paramount importance in influencing the properties and applications of ceria (CeO). Yet, comprehending the distribution and nature of V's poses a significant challenge due to the vast number of electronic configurations and intricate many-body interactions among V's and polarons (Ce ions). In this study, we established a cluster expansion model based on first-principles calculations and statistical learning to decouple the interactions among the Ce ions and V's, thereby circumventing the limitations associated with sampling electronic configurations.

Dynamics of fluorinated imide-based ionic liquids using nuclear magnetic resonance techniques.

There is increasing interest in studying molecular motions in ionic liquids to gain better insights into their transport properties and to expand their applications. In this study, we have employed the fast field cycling relaxometry and pulsed field gradient nuclear magnetic resonance techniques to investigate the rotational and translational dynamics of fluorinated imide-based ionic liquids (ILs) at different temperatures. We have studied a total of six ILs composed of the 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium cation ([BMIM]) combined with chemically modified analogs of the bis((trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl)imide anion ([NTf] or [TFSI]).

A homoleptic rare-earth-metal tetramethylindate.

The homoleptic complex La(InMe) is obtained from the respective aluminium congener La(AlMe) a donor-assisted tetramethylaluminate/tetramethylindate exchange protocol. Compound La(InMe) exhibits interesting thermal lability as well as distinct cluster formation like LaIn(C)(CH)(CH)(CH) and LaIn(CH)(CH) upon addition of an excess of donor or thermal treatment. The neutral potentially tridentate ligand MeTACN (1,4,7-trimethyl-1,4,7-triazacyclononane) is used to investigate donor-triggered intermediates.

Evolution of the RNA alternative decay element into a high-affinity target for the immunomodulatory protein Roquin.

RNA elements play pivotal roles in regulatory processes, e.g. in transcriptional and translational regulation.

Metagenomic Profiling of Oral Microbiome Dynamics During Chemoradiotherapy in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Patients.

Background: We explored the interaction between the oral microbiome and the development of radiation-induced mucositis in patients with head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC) undergoing chemoradiotherapy (CRT). We prospectively studied the oral microbiome and compared it to healthy controls. Additionally, we compared patients with low-grade (LGM) vs.

Sulfonium-based polymethacrylamides for antimicrobial use: influence of the structure and composition.

We are facing a shortage of new antibiotics to fight against increasingly resistant bacteria. As an alternative to conventional small molecule antibiotics, antimicrobial polymers (AMPs) have great potential. These polymers contain cationic and hydrophobic groups and disrupt bacterial cell membranes through a combination of electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions.

Three-year course of clinical high-risk symptoms for psychosis in the community: a latent class analysis.

Aims: Clinical high-risk for psychosis (CHR-P) states exhibit diverse clinical presentations, prompting a shift towards broader outcome assessments beyond psychosis manifestation. To elucidate more uniform clinical profiles and their trajectories, we investigated CHR-P profiles in a community sample.

Methods: Participants ( = 829; baseline age: 16-40 years) comprised individuals from a Swiss community sample who were followed up over roughly 3 years.

Alternative Deep Brain Stimulation Targets in the Treatment of Isolated Dystonic Syndromes: A Multicenter Experience-Based Survey.

Background: The globus pallidus internus (GPi) is the traditional evidence-based deep brain stimulation (DBS) target for treating dystonia. Although patients with isolated "primary" dystonia respond best to GPi-DBS, some are primary or secondary nonresponders (improvement <25%), showing variability in clinical response.

Objective: The aim was to survey current practices regarding alternative DBS targets for isolated dystonia patients with focus on nonresponders to GPi-DBS.

Ca excitability of glia to neuromodulator octopamine in Drosophila living brain is greater than that of neurons.

Aim: Octopamine in the Drosophila brain has a neuromodulatory role similar to that of noradrenaline in mammals. After release from Tdc2 neurons, octopamine/tyramine may trigger intracellular Ca signaling via adrenoceptor-like receptors on neural cells, modulating neurotransmission. Octopamine/tyramine receptors are expressed in neurons and glia, but how each of these cell types responds to octopamine remains elusive.

Cryo-SEM and large volume FIB-SEM of Arabidopsis cotyledons: Degradation of lipid bodies, biogenesis of glyoxysomes and reorganisation of organelles during germination.

Until recently, the lack of three-dimensional visualisation of whole cells at the electron microscopic (EM) level has led to a significant gap in our understanding of the interaction of cellular organelles and their interconnection. This is particularly true with regard to the role of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). In this study, we perform three-dimensional reconstructions of serial FIB/SEM stacks and anaglyphs derived from volume rendering, cryo-scanning electron microscopy (cryo-SEM) and state-of-the-art electron microscopy immobilisation and imaging techniques.

Exploring molecule-surface interactions of urania IR spectroscopy and density functional theory.

Within the framework of surface-adsorbate interactions relevant to chemical reactions of spent nuclear fuel, the study of actinide oxide systems remains one of the most challenging tasks at both the experimental and computational levels. Consequently, our understanding of the effect of their unique electronic configurations on surface reactions lags behind that of d-block oxides. To investigate the surface properties of this system, we present the first infrared spectroscopy analysis of carbon monoxide (CO) interaction with a monocrystalline actinide oxide, UO(111).

4-Week intervention combining kiwifruit consumption and small-sided soccer games improves sleep quality in children with overweight/obesity and pre-existing sleep problems.

Childhood obesity is a global public health concern associated with various health risks, including disrupted sleep patterns. This study investigated the effects of kiwifruit consumption and small-sided soccer games (SSSG) over 4 weeks on sleep patterns in overweight/obese children with sleep problems. Thirty-six participants, aged 8 to 12 years with a body mass index above the 85th percentile, were randomly assigned to one of three groups: SSSG only ( = 12), SSSG-kiwifruit (SSSG-K,  = 12), or control (CG,  = 12).