Treatment of deep corneal ulcers with porcine small intestinal submusosa using a modified surgical technique in dogs.

Treatment of deep corneal ulcers using small intestinal submucosa (SIS) without corneal sutures in combination with a third eyelid flap seems a promising technical modification. Advantages are a reduction in surgery time and no additional damage of healthy corneal tissue.

Patterns of richness across forest beetle communities-A methodological comparison of observed and estimated species numbers.

Species richness is a frequently used measure of biodiversity. The compilation of a complete species list is an often unattainable goal. Estimators of species richness have been developed to overcome this problem.

The Narcissistic Personality Inventory 8: Validation of a Brief Measure of Narcissistic Personality.

The present study was conducted with the aim of constructing and validating a short form of the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI). The NPI is the most widely-applied measure for the assessment of narcissistic personality traits and, therefore, it is of great relevance for many research questions in personality and social psychology. To develop the short scale, we first found the optimal eight-item solution among all valid combinations of the NPI-15 items in an exploratory subsample ( = 1 165) of our complete representative sample of the German general population.

Reduced alpha diversity of the oral microbiome correlates with short progression-free survival in patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma treated with ixazomib-based therapy (AGMT MM 1, phase II trial).

Alterations in the human microbiome have been linked to several malignant diseases. Here, we investigated the oral microbiome of 79 patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (MM) treated with ixazomib-thalidomide-dexamethasone. Increased alpha diversity (Shannon index) at the phylum level was associated with longer progression-free survival (PFS) (10.

Biodiversity policy beyond economic growth.

Increasing evidence-synthesized in this paper-shows that economic growth contributes to biodiversity loss via greater resource consumption and higher emissions. Nonetheless, a review of international biodiversity and sustainability policies shows that the majority advocate economic growth. Since improvements in resource use efficiency have so far not allowed for absolute global reductions in resource use and pollution, we question the support for economic growth in these policies, where inadequate attention is paid to the question of how growth can be decoupled from biodiversity loss.

Early-stage sustainability assessment of biotechnological processes: A case study of citric acid production.

Sustainability assessment using a life-cycle approach is indispensable to contemporary bioprocess development. This assessment is particularly important for early-stage bioprocess development. As early-stage investigations of bioprocesses involve the evaluation of their ecological and socioeconomic effects, they can be adjusted more effectively and improved towards sustainability, thereby reducing environmental risk and production costs.

Clearance of interstitial fluid (ISF) and CSF (CLIC) group-part of Vascular Professional Interest Area (PIA): Cerebrovascular disease and the failure of elimination of Amyloid-β from the brain and retina with age and Alzheimer's disease-Opportunities for Therapy.

Two of the key functions of arteries in the brain are (1) the well-recognized supply of blood via the vascular lumen and (2) the emerging role for the arterial walls as routes for the elimination of interstitial fluid (ISF) and soluble metabolites, such as amyloid beta (Aβ), from the brain and retina. As the brain and retina possess no conventional lymphatic vessels, fluid drainage toward peripheral lymph nodes is mediated via transport along basement membranes in the walls of capillaries and arteries that form the intramural peri-arterial drainage (IPAD) system. IPAD tends to fail as arteries age but the mechanisms underlying the failure are unclear.

Low serum albumin is an independent risk factor in elderly patients with aggressive B-cell lymphoma: Results from prospective trials of the German High-Grade Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma Study Group.

Serum albumin a well-known risk factor predicting outcome in many solid tumors. We explore the role of low serum albumin (≤3.5 g/dL) as an independent risk factor in elderly patients with aggressive B-cell lymphoma.

Breeding habitat and nest-site selection by an obligatory "nest-cleptoparasite", the Amur Falcon .

The selection of a nest site is crucial for successful reproduction of birds. Animals which re-use or occupy nest sites constructed by other species often have limited choice. Little is known about the criteria of nest-stealing species to choose suitable nesting sites and habitats.

Erythematous scaling lesions of the face, dorsal fingers, elbows, and knees together with symmetrical muscle weakness in a child.

Juvenile dermatomyositis shows characteristic skin lesions. However, this does not rule out co-occurring other autoimmune diseases, which may be more prominent regarding skin manifestations. Co-occurring other skin autoimmune diseases should not be regarded as a preclusion for dermatomyositis.

Exercise-related sudden cardiac death of an American football player with arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia/cardiomyopathy AND sarcoidosis.

This case emphasizes the value of cardiac MRI and genetic testing in the early phase of ARVD/C. It also emphasizes the increased risk of SCD for patients with ARVD/C participating in competitive sports, even with immediate cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Developments in the MPI-M Earth System Model version 1.2 (MPI-ESM1.2) and Its Response to Increasing CO.

A new release of the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology Earth System Model version 1.2 (MPI-ESM1.2) is presented.

Incomplete datasets obscure associations between traits affecting dispersal ability and geographic range size of reef fishes in the Tropical Eastern Pacific.

Dispersal is thought to be an important process determining range size, especially for species in highly spatially structured habitats, such as tropical reef fishes. Despite intensive research efforts, there is conflicting evidence about the role of dispersal in determining range size. We hypothesize that traits related to dispersal drive range sizes, but that complete and comprehensive datasets are essential for detecting relationships between species' dispersal ability and range size.

Prevalence of moderately increased albuminuria among individuals with normal HbA1c level but impaired glucose tolerance: Results from the LIFE-Adult-Study.

Aims: Diabetes screening strategies using glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) as first-instance diagnostic parameter may cause failure to detect individuals with abnormal glucose regulation and possible signs of microvascular complications despite "rule-out" HbA1c levels. This cross-sectional study examined the diagnostic performance of HbA1c in relation to fasting and two-hour postload plasma glucose (FPG/2 h-PG), and investigated whether individuals with normal HbA1c but abnormal FPG/2 h-PG have a higher prevalence of moderately increased albuminuria as possible sign of early stage kidney damage.

Methods: A total of 2695 individuals (age 40-79 years, 48% men) without prior diagnosis of diabetes and complete measurement of HbA1c, FPG, 2 h-PG and urine albumin-creatinine ratio (UACR) were taken from a large population-based epidemiological study in the City of Leipzig, Germany.

Association Between Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance-Derived Left Atrial Dimensions, Electroanatomical Substrate and NT-proANP Levels in Atrial Fibrillation.

Background Enlargement of left atrial ( LA ) size indicates advanced disease stage in patients with atrial fibrillation ( AF ) and is associated with poor success of different AF therapies. Two dimensional echocardiographic LA measurements do not reliably reflect the true size of LA anatomy. The aim of the current study was: 1) to analyze cardiovascular magnetic resonance ( CMR )-derived LA dimensions and their association with low voltage areas ( LVA ); and 2) to investigate the association between these parameters and NT -pro ANP (N-terminal proatrial natriuretic peptide) levels.

Cardiac Surgery Compared With Antibiotics Only in Patients Developing Infective Endocarditis After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement.

Background Infective endocarditis ( IE ) after transcatheter aortic valve replacement is a devastating complication associated with a high mortality. Our objective was to determine the impact of cardiac surgery (CS) and antibiotics ( IE - CS ) compared with medical treatment with antibiotics only ( IE - AB x) on 1-year mortality in patients developing IE after transcatheter aortic valve replacement. Methods and Results Patients developing IE after transcatheter aortic valve replacement were included in this retrospective analysis.

Associations between apparent diffusion coefficient and electromyography parameters in myositis-A preliminary study.

Objective: MRI is widely used in several muscle disorders. Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) is an emergent imaging modality sensitive to microstructural alterations in tissue. The apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) is used to quantify the random motion of water molecules.

Vascular surgery of aortic thrombosis in a dog using Fogarty maneuver - technical feasibility.

Aortic thromboembolism is a rare and life-threatening disease in dogs. This report aims to describe the successful surgical treatment by use of a Fogarty Thrombectomy Catheter in an 8-year-old patient. The postsurgical intensive care therapy to prevent ischemia-reperfusion syndrome is specified, despite poor outcome in our case (owner elected euthanasia).

Detection and identification of using magnetic particle enhanced surface plasmon spectroscopy.

In this work, an approach for SPR spectroscopy using the SPR system is examined that combines signal amplification by PCR and magnetic nanoparticles in one injection step. Therefore, the synthesis of PCR products was performed on the beads similar to a solid-phase PCR, termed PCR-on-a-bead. The functionality of this PCR was proven using an enzymatic assay.

Toward a methodical framework for comprehensively assessing forest multifunctionality.

Biodiversity-ecosystem functioning (BEF) research has extended its scope from communities that are short-lived or reshape their structure annually to structurally complex forest ecosystems. The establishment of tree diversity experiments poses specific methodological challenges for assessing the multiple functions provided by forest ecosystems. In particular, methodological inconsistencies and nonstandardized protocols impede the analysis of multifunctionality within, and comparability across the increasing number of tree diversity experiments.

and are putative modulators of dyslexia-related MMR.

Background: Dyslexia is a specific learning disorder affecting reading and spelling abilities. Its prevalence is ~5% in German-speaking individuals. Although the etiology of dyslexia largely remains to be determined, comprehensive evidence supports deficient phonological processing as a major contributing factor.

Potential and limitations of inferring ecosystem photosynthetic capacity from leaf functional traits.

The aim of this study was to systematically analyze the potential and limitations of using plant functional trait observations from global databases versus in situ data to improve our understanding of vegetation impacts on ecosystem functional properties (EFPs). Using ecosystem photosynthetic capacity as an example, we first provide an objective approach to derive robust EFP estimates from gross primary productivity (GPP) obtained from eddy covariance flux measurements. Second, we investigate the impact of synchronizing EFPs and plant functional traits in time and space to evaluate their relationships, and the extent to which we can benefit from global plant trait databases to explain the variability of ecosystem photosynthetic capacity.

Genetic diversity and spatial structure of the Rufous-throated Antbird (, an Amazonian obligate army-ant follower.

Amazonian understory antbirds are thought to be relatively sedentary and to have limited dispersal ability; they avoid crossing forest gaps, and even narrow roads through a forest may limit their territories. However, most evidence for sedentariness in antbirds comes from field observations and plot-based recapture of adult individuals, which do not provide evidence for lack of genetic dispersal, as this often occurs through juveniles. In this study, we used microsatellite markers and mitochondrial control-region sequences to investigate contemporary and infer historical patterns of genetic diversity and structure of the Rufous-throated Antbird () within and between two large reserves in central Amazonia.