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Thermal conductivity (κ) plays an essential role in functional devices. It is advantageous to design materials where one can tune κ in a wide range according to its function: single-crystals and nanowires of anatase polymorph of titanium dioxide, broadly used in applications ranging from photovoltaics, reflective coatings to memristors, have been synthesized in large quantities. Here we identify a new, strong diffusion mechanism of heat by polaronic structures due to oxygen vacancies, which considerably influences both the absolute value and the temperature dependence of κ. The additional decrease of κ is achieved in anatase nanowires organized into foam, where porosity and the quasi-one-dimensional size-effect dramatically hinder the propagation of heat, resulting in an extremely low κ = 0.014 W/Km at room-temperature. Doping this anatase foam could herald promising applications, in particular in thermoelectricity. The thermal properties of a material often determine its suitability for application and use in devices. Here, the thermal conductivity of anatase TiO2 is tuned over three orders of magnitude from bulk crystals to foam samples, by controlling polaronic effects and texturing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tanulmányunkban azt a folyamatot mutatjuk be, amelynek során az elmúlt évtizedben a versenyképesség az EU regionális politikájának egyik kulcsfogalmává, a kohézió alapvető eszközévé vált. Úgy véljük, hogy a versenyképesség felértékelődése jól érzékelteti az EU regionális politikájának bizonyos szemléletváltását. A területi kohézióban a méltányosság helyett inkább a hatékonyságra helyeződik a hangsúly, a homogénnek feltételezett régiók támogatását felváltja a térbeli koncentrációk (városok) preferálása, a területi különbségek korábbi sematikus megítélése egyre árnyaltabbá válik stb., amely változások a magyar regionális politikára is döntő hatással lesznek.

An abstract of the article "Eco-Friendly Methods to Control Botrytis Cineria Infection During the Production of Propagating Materials of Grapevine" by L. Farkas and colleagues is presented.

An abstract of the conference paper "In-vivo validation of the XI VOCAL™ three-dimensional sonographic volumetry with the assessment of urinary retention after radical hysterectomy," by M. G. Vizer, and colleagues is presented.

An abstract of the conference paper "The reproducibility of the XI VOCAL™ three-dimensional sonographic volumetry in the measurement of irregular-shape objects," by L. Farkas, and colleagues is presented.

This article presents the findings of a retrospective cohort study that aimed to evaluate the long-term outcomes after endoscopic removal of malignant colorectal polyps. The study included 135 lesions from 129 patients, with a mean follow-up period of 5.59 years. The results showed that the reporting of histologic features and adherence to surveillance colonoscopy need improvement. Adverse outcomes occurred in 9.0% of patients, with no significant difference between those who underwent secondary surgery and those who only had surveillance. The study suggests that long-term adverse outcome rates may be higher than previously reported, regardless of whether secondary surgery was performed or not. [Extracted from the article]

Abstract: The multipulse interaction of ultraviolet femtosecond laser pulses with silicon and generation of surface structures in a large area spot (≳1mm2) has been studied. The evolution of multiscale structures at the constant fluence strongly depends on the number of pulses, N. For N <200, the “carpet-like” pattern of nano-, and micro-spikes is generated by the bubble explosion in a thin surface foam layer. The accumulation of bubbles and their explosion due to repetition of laser pulses cause damped membrane-like oscillations of the silicon surface. For 200≤ N, bifurcation of surface morphology takes place: (i) the surface tension waves of the wavelength ∼200μm appear in the peripheral region of the spot. Generated by the surface thermal gradient in the liquid foam layer, they spread from the hot centerline towards the periphery of the spot. The change of their wavelength with propagation distance indicates onset of the Eckhaus instability caused by the phase modulation in multipulse interaction. (ii) Deep caverns appear in a highly superheated silicon layer in the central region of the spot due to the fast gas–liquid phase separation and the fragmentation process. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Roughening the surface of solar cells is a common practice within the photovoltaic industry as it reduces reflectance, and thus enhances the performance of devices. In this work the relationship between reflectance characterized by the haze parameter, surface roughness and optical properties was investigated. To achieve this goal, model samples were prepared by hydrofluoric acid etching of glass for various times and measured by optical microscopy, spectroscopic ellipsometry, scanning electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy. Our investigation showed that the surface reflectance was decreased not only by the roughening of the surface but also by the modification of the depth profile and lowering of the refractive index of the surface domain of the samples. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Becker B, Multhoff G, Farkas B, Wild P-J, Landthaler M, Stolz W, Vogt T. Induction of Hsp90 protein expression in malignant melanomas and melanoma metastases. The heat-shock protein Hsp90 has been shown to be essential for the functional integrity of the telomerase complex. The telomerase activity is enhanced in melanoma and stabilizes the chromosomal integrity in proliferating cells. Furthermore, overexpression of Hsp90 induces silencing of point mutations in transcription factors which, otherwise, would result in a loss-of-function phenotype. In melanocytic lesions there is a higher risk of mutations caused by the enhanced proliferation in melanocytic cells. By analyzing microdissected melanocytic tumors by semiquantitative PCR, we demonstrate an overexpression of Hsp90 mRNA in malignant melanomas (10/14) and in melanoma metastases (6/6) as well as in melanoma cell lines (9/9) when compared with melanocytic nevi (2/9). These results could be confirmed on protein level by immunohistochemistry. While melanocytic nevi show discrete Hsp90 expression only in a minor fraction (2/9), malignant melanomas and metastases show a positive Hsp90 immunohistochemistry in the majority of cases; (7/9) and (13/14), respectively. In addition, by analyzing melanoma metastases by flow cytometry we show that Hsp90 is expressed on the surface of tumor cells (7/8). From these data we conclude that Hsp90 is present in advanced malignant melanomas and may have a stabilizing effect on the cellular functions in proliferating cells of melanocytic lesions and could thereby be a prerequisite for the tumor progression. As Hsp90 is expressed on the cell surface, it might also be a potential immunorelevant target structure for immunotherapy of melanoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the crystal growth processes is the production of crystal agglomerates by spherical crystallization. Agglomerates of drug materials were developed by means of non-typical (magnesium aspartate) and typical (acetylsalicylic acid) spherical crystallization techniques. The growth of particle size and the spherical form of the agglomerates resulted in formation of products with good bulk density, flow, compactibility and cohesivity properties. The crystal agglomerates were developed for direct capsule-filling and tablet-making. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This article discusses the accuracy of the PanMayo endoscopic score in predicting long-term disease outcomes in ulcerative colitis (UC). The study compared the PanMayo score to other scoring systems such as MES, UCEIS, and Dublin. The results showed that the PanMayo score was positively associated with the risk of flare-up, the need for new biological treatment, and treatment escalation. It was also associated with the risk of colectomy in patients with active disease. The study suggests that the combined endoscopic assessment provided by the PanMayo score may be more precise in predicting disease outcomes in UC. [Extracted from the article]

We present single-shot electron velocity-map images of nanoplasmas generated from doped helium nanodroplets and neon clusters by intense near-infrared and mid-infrared laser pulses. We report a large variety of signal types, most crucially depending on the cluster size. The common feature is a two-component distribution for each single-cluster event: a bright inner part with nearly circular shape corresponding to electron energies up to a few eV, surrounded by an extended background of more energetic electrons. The total counts and energy of the electrons in the inner part are strongly correlated and follow a simple power-law dependence. Deviations from the circular shape of the inner electrons observed for neon clusters and large helium nanodroplets indicate non-spherical shapes of the neutral clusters. The dependence of the measured electron energies on the extraction voltage of the spectrometer indicates that the evolution of the nanoplasma is significantly affected by the presence of an external electric field. This conjecture is confirmed by molecular dynamics simulations, which reproduce the salient features of the experimental electron spectra. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this research the long-term stability (one year) of amorphous solid dispersions (ASDs) prepared by high speed electrospinning was investigated at 25 °C/60% relative humidity (RH) (closed conditions) and 40 °C/75% RH (open conditions). Single needle electrospinning and film casting were applied as reference technologies. Itraconazole (ITR) was used as the model API in 40% concentration and the ASDs consisted of either one of the following polymers as a comparison: polyvinylpyrrolidone-vinyl acetate 6:4 copolymer (no hydrogen bonds between API and polymer) and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (possible hydrogen bonds between oxo or tertiary nitrogen function of API and hydroxyl moiety of polymer). DSC, XRPD and dissolution characteristics of samples at 0, 3 and 12 months were investigated. In addition, Raman maps of certain electrospun ASDs were assessed to investigate crystallinity. A new chemometric method, based on Multivariate Curve Resolution-Alternating Least Squares algorithm, was developed to calculate the spectrum of amorphous ITR in the matrices and to determine the crystalline/amorphous ratio of aged samples. As it was expected ITR in single needle electrospun SDs was totally amorphous at the beginning, in addition hydroxypropyl methylcellulose could keep ITR in this form at 40 °C/75% RH up to one year due to the hydrogen bonds and high glass transition temperature of the SD. In polyvinylpyrrolidone-vinyl acetate matrix ITR remained amorphous at 25 °C/60% RH throughout one year. Materials prepared by scaled-up, high throughput version of electrospinning, which is compatible with pharmaceutical industry, also gained the same quality. Therefore these ASDs are industrially applicable and with an appropriate downstream process it would be possible to bring them to the market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to examine the incidence and antibiotic sensitivity of Ureaplasma urealyticum and Mycoplasma hominis strains cultured from the genital discharges of sexually active individuals who attended our STD outpatient service. Samples were taken with universal swab (Biolab®, Budapest, Hungary) into the Urea-Myco DUO kit (Bio-Rad®, Budapest, Hungary) and incubated in ambient air for 48 h at 37 °C. The determination of antibiotic sensitivity was performed in U9 and arginin broth using the SIR Mycoplasma kit (Bio-Rad®, Budapest, Hungary) under the same conditions. Between 01.05.2008 and 31.12.2011, 373/4,466 (8.35 %) genito-urethral samples with U. urealyticum and 41/4,466 (0.91 %) genito-urethral samples with M. hominis infection were diagnosed in sexually active individuals in the National STD Center, Semmelweis University. U. urealyticum was isolated in 12.54 % in the cervix and 4.1 % in the male urethra, while M. hominis was isolated in 1.33 % in the cervix and 0.51 % in the male urethra. The affected age group was between 21 and 60 years old. U. urealyticum strains were sensitive to tetracycline (95.9 %), doxycycline (97.32 %), and azithromycin (85.79 %), and resistant to erythromycin (81.23 %), clindamycin (75.06 %), and ofloxacin (25.2 %). Cross-resistance occurred in 38.71 % of patients to erythromycin and clindamycin. M. hominis strains were sensitive to clindamycin, ofloxacin, and doxycycline in more than 95 %, to tetracycline in 82.92 %, and no cross-resistance was detected among the antibiotics. Our study confirms that the continuously changing antibiotic resistance of ureaplasmas and mycoplasmas should be followed at least in a few centers in every country, so as to determine the best local therapy options for sexually transmitted infection (STI) patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BSTRACT: Chunks of freshwater trout muscle were immersed in sorbitol solutions (0% to 60%), under different vacuum conditions, for up to 30 min at 5 °C. Moisture loss, weight change, and sorbitol uptake were measured or calculated by mass balance, and cryoprotection during subsequent freezing and thawing was monitored as change in myosin Ca2+ ATPase activity. Vacuum treatment had no effect on measured parameters. Initial sorbitol uptake and weight loss were greater at higher sorbitol concentrations, but adequate cryoprotection was achieved by all treatments when diffusion time following immersion was extended sufficiently. Injection of 60% sorbitol was faster in achieving desired levels of sorbitol in fish meat and induced excellent cryoprotection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The neuroprotective effect of BGP-15 against peripheral sensory neuropathy was studied in rats that were exposed to short-term cisplatin or taxol administration. The changes of nerve conduction velocity were determined in situ after treating the Wistar rats with BGP-15 (50, 100, and 200 mg/kg po daily doses throughout the experiment), cisplatin (1.5 mg/kg ip daily dose for 5 days), or taxol (5.0 mg/kg ip daily dose every other day in a 10-day interval) alone or giving the test compound in combination with cisplatin or taxol. Electrophysiological recordings were carried out in vivo by stimulating the sciatic nerve at both sciatic notch and ankle site. Neither motor nor sensory nerve conduction velocity was altered by any dose level of BGP-15 tested. Both anticancer drugs decreased the sensory nerve conduction velocity (SNCV). BGP-15 treatment prevented the impairment of SNCV either in part or totally in the cisplatin- or taxol-treated groups. This neuroprotective potential of BGP-15 could be well correlated with its recently described poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase- inhibitory effect and its ability to protect against the damages induced by the increased level of reactive oxygen species in response to anticancer treatment. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Thermal conductivity (κ) plays an essential role in functional devices. It is advantageous to design materials where one can tune κ in a wide range according to its function: single-crystals and nanowires of anatase polymorph of titanium dioxide, broadly used in applications ranging from photovoltaics, reflective coatings to memristors, have been synthesized in large quantities. Here we identify a new, strong diffusion mechanism of heat by polaronic structures due to oxygen vacancies, which considerably influences both the absolute value and the temperature dependence of κ. The additional decrease of κ is achieved in anatase nanowires organized into foam, where porosity and the quasi-one-dimensional size-effect dramatically hinder the propagation of heat, resulting in an extremely low κ = 0.014 W/Km at room-temperature. Doping this anatase foam could herald promising applications, in particular in thermoelectricity. The thermal properties of a material often determine its suitability for application and use in devices. Here, the thermal conductivity of anatase TiO2 is tuned over three orders of magnitude from bulk crystals to foam samples, by controlling polaronic effects and texturing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Perianal fistulas of Crohn's disease (CD) create a significant burden on patients' lives. However, the efficacy and safety of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cell treatment are contradicting, and real-world evidence is lacking., Aims: To examine the usability of darvadstrocel therapy in managing perianal CD., Methods: We enrolled patients with CD and perianal fistulas in this retrospective multicenter study. The primary outcome was perianal clinical remission (defined as all treated fistulas closed) at weeks 26 and 52. Secondary outcomes were clinical response rates (≥ 1 fistulas closed), perianal activity (PDAI), patient satisfaction, and adverse events. Data were recorded at baseline and weeks 12, 26 and 52. Prediction of primary outcomes was performed by logistic regression., Results: Overall, among 223 patients (male/female ratio: 0.48), perianal clinical remission was achieved in 78.2% and 62.3% until weeks 26 and 52. Baseline PDAI score (OR 0.75), number of fistulas (OR 0.28) and the number of weeks after preparation for surgery (OR 0.98) were associated with treatment failure. The clinical response rates were 84.8% and 79.8% at weeks 26 and 52. Improvement of subjective perianal symptoms was achieved in 77.8% and 78.4% of patients, respectively. Adverse events occurred in 13.5% of patients; perianal abscesses and proctalgia were the most frequently reported., Conclusion: Effectiveness data were higher than in clinical trials. The safety profile was reassuring, and patients' satisfaction was high. Appropriate patient selection, fistula preparation and expertise may help to achieve treatment success., (© 2024 The Author(s). Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: The usability of subcutaneous vedolizumab (s.c. VDZ) treatment in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD; ulcerative colitis (UC), Crohn's disease (CD)) has been proven via clinical trials while real-world data collection is ongoing., Objectives: Our study evaluates the effectiveness, safety, patients' preferences, and psychological factors associated with s.c. VDZ treatment, after switching from intravenous (i.v.) formulation., Design: Prospective, multicenter cohort study including IBD patients switching from i.v. VDZ to s.c. treatment and were evaluated over 52 weeks., Methods: Serum VDZ levels and C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured at the baseline and w52. At w12, a questionnaire on the patient's satisfaction and psychological characteristics was administered. The primary outcome was the drug persistence rate (cessation was due to loss of response (LOR), adverse events, patient request, and other causes) at w52, while the secondary outcomes were the changes in the clinical corticosteroid-free remission (CSFR) and biochemical remission (BR; CRP ⩽ 5 mg/L) rates, safety issues, serum drug levels, patients' preferences, and psychological features., Results: In total, 70 IBD patients were evaluated (32 CD patients, 38 UC patients; male/female ratio: 41.4%; median age: 43.2 years). In the CD group, 81.3% were in CSFR and 65.6% were in BR, while in the UC group, 71.7% were in CSFR and 69.4% were in BR. Overall, 17.1% of the patients ceased s.c. VDZ treatment after a median of 26.2 (interquartile range 20-47) weeks. LOR was registered in 3/12 ceased patients. In addition, CSFR and BR rates were stable, while serum VDZ levels increased by w52 ( p  < 0.001)., Conclusion: The transition from i.v. to s.c. VDZ treatment was effective, the overall persistence rate was associated with high serum drug levels, and no novel safety issues were reported. Although s.c. administration after induction can save resources, some patients still insisted on i.v. VDZ treatment, due to its proven formulation., Competing Interests: K.F. has received speaker’s honoraria from AbbVie, Janssen, Ferring, Takeda, and Goodwill Pharma. P.L.L. has been a speaker and/or advisory board member: AbbVie, Amgen, Bristol Myers Squibb, Celltrion, Fresenius Kabi, Gilead, Janssen, Eli Lilly, Merck, Organon, Pendopharm, Pfizer, Roche, Sandoz, and Takeda and has received unrestricted research grant: Gilead, Pfizer, and Takeda. T.M. has received speaker’s honoraria from MSD, AbbVie, Egis, Goodwill Pharma, Takeda, Pfizer, Janssen, Sandoz, MundiPharma, Phytotec, Roche, Fresenius, and Teva. P.B., T.R., P.S., Á.I., L.D.S., D.K., A.D., B.F., E.I., A.B., Z.S.B., A.F., R.B., Z.S.Z., W.A., and T.B. have no conflict of interest to disclose., (© The Author(s), 2024.)

Alterations to intestinal microbiota are assumed to occur in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). This study aims to analyze the association of fecal microbiota composition, body composition, and lipid characteristics in patients with Crohn's disease (CD). In our cross-sectional study, patients with CD were enrolled and blood and fecal samples were collected. Clinical and endoscopic disease activity and body composition were assessed and laboratory tests were made. Fecal bacterial composition was analyzed using the shotgun method. Microbiota alterations based on obesity, lipid parameters, and disease characteristics were analyzed. In this study, 27 patients with CD were analyzed, of which 37.0% were obese based on visceral fat area (VFA). Beta diversities were higher in non-obese patients ( p < 0.001), but relative abundances did not differ. C. innocuum had a higher abundance at a high cholesterol level than Bacillota ( p = 0.001, p = 0.0034). Adlercreutzia , B. longum , and Blautia alterations were correlated with triglyceride levels. Higher Clostridia ( p = 0.009) and B. schinkii ( p = 0.032) and lower Lactobacillus ( p = 0.035) were connected to high VFA. Disease activity was coupled with dysbiotic elements. Microbiota alterations in obesity highlight the importance of gut microbiota in diseases with a similar inflammatory background and project therapeutic options.

Introduction and Hypothesis: Currently, little is known about how daily self-management of cube pessaries influences sexual function. We hypothesized that removing the cube pessary prior to sexual activity did not negatively influence the sexual function, and pessary self-care did not lead to a deterioration of sexual wellbeing., Methods: We conducted a planned secondary analysis of a prospective cohort study in which 214 patients with symptomatic pelvic organ prolapse (stage 2+) were enrolled (2015). Each patient was size fitted with a cube pessary and completed a questionnaire online or by phone ≥ 5 years after her initial fitting. Changes in quality of life were measured using the Patient Global Impression of Improvement (PGI-I)., Results: Of the 143 women included in our analyses, 92 (64.3%) were sexually active during the study period. These patients (73.9%; 68 out of 92) described their sexual wellbeing as "better" or "much better" than their pretreatment status. Sexually active patients had a better quality of life as measured by the PGI-I than the sexually inactive patients. Of the sexually active patients, 91.3% (84 out of 92) described their condition as "better" or "much better" than their pretreatment status, whereas 84.3% (43 out of 51) of the sexually inactive patients reported the same improvement. Over 90% of sexually active patients reported that removal of the vaginal cube pessary before sexual activity is not disruptive., Conclusions: The overwhelming majority of the patients with symptomatic pelvic organ prolapse using daily self-management of cube pessaries reported that removal of the vaginal cube pessary before sexual activity is not disruptive, and its use was accompanied by improved sexual wellbeing., (© 2024. The Author(s).)