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In the compendium on the Vienna Ringstrasse, edited by Renate Wagner-Rieger, little mention is made of the sculptor Caspar Zumbusch and his Vienna School of Sculpture. The author outlines the emergence of the Viennese school of sculpture and the students of Caspar Zumbusch who came to Vienna from different parts of the monarchy. After the return to their own regions, they authored a number of monuments to Habsburg rulers. While many of these monuments were destroyed during various crises, especially after the collapse of the Monarchy, in the 20th and 21st centuries numerous examples were re-erected. Recently, several monuments to Habsburg rulers have even been reconceived and today again shape cityscapes in some of the former countries of the Habsburg Monarchy.

On the occasion of the 100th birthday of the art and architecture historian Renate Wagner-Rieger, the University of Vienna in cooperation with the Austrian Academy of Sciences organized an international conference in November 2021.1 Wagner-Rieger, who died in 1980, was the first female full professor at the Viennese Institute of Art History. On one hand, the conference showed the impact of her scholarly work in her time, and on the other hand her legacy and reception in current research. A second conference in early July 2022 focused on the genre of 19th-century sculpture, which as an art form closely related to architecture and was also an essential research interest of Wagner-Rieger. The 2021 conference was a further contribution of the Institute of Art History to its past. The focus of the institute’s self-reflection so far had contained several main representatives of the Viennese School, such as Rudolf Eitelberger, Alois Riegl, Julius Schlosser and Josef Strzygowski.

The Vienna Art Academy has always attracted budding artists from all over the Empire, especially after the reform in 1872. Similarly, the School of Arts and Crafts in Vienna played an important role from its foundation in 1867. It served as a model for such institutions in the crown lands, including Zagreb, Budapest and Prague. At the same time, the project of the Vienna Ringstraße, in which many professors from the academy were involved, offered the prospect of commissions. Still, the networks of sculptors in the capital and the crown lands during these decades have not been widely explored. This is not a matter of purely art-historical questions; rather, the national question plays an important role. An international group of researchers is now tackling these connections, a century after the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and decades after the partial division of Europe by the Iron Curtain.

This paper focuses on Caspar von Zumbusch, who was one of the leading sculptors of the second half of the 19th century in Vienna. At the initiative of the art historian Rudolf Eitelberger, the German sculptor was appointed to the Academy of Fine Arts (Akademie der bildenden Künste) in Vienna in 1873 and became the founder of the so-called Vienna school of monumental sculpture. By means of a statistical analysis of the matriculation books that serve as reliable documentation of the students enrolled in the Academy, the number and origin of Zumbusch’s students can be determined for the first time. The results show that Zumbusch taught numerous students from all over the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which made the Vienna Academy the preeminent centre for sculptors in the Dual Monarchy. Once the students had graduated, Zumbusch recommended them for projects and thereby established a large network of sculptors across the Austro-Hungarian Empire towards the end of the 19th century.

Background: Globally, there have been more than 771 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 and more than 6.9 million deaths. The relationship between Covid-19 and pulmonary embolism (PE) has been well-established. Objectives: We evaluated the correlation between normal D-dimer levels and negative findings on computed tomography pulmonary angiogram (CTPA) to assess its predictive value. Additionally, we determined the sensitivity and specificity of a D-dimer in COVID-19 (+) patients. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of all adult patients presenting to one of 17 EDs within a large integrated healthcare system between March 1, 2020, and December 31, 2021, who were diagnosed with COVID-19 and had a D-dimer and CTPA as part of their clinical workup. This study includes EDs in urban, suburban, and rural areas. Sensitivity and specificity were calculated to assess the performance of D-dimer tests in discriminating those with and without PE. Multiple logistic regression was used to assess the effect of D-dimer test results in predicting PE. Results: A total of 3133 patients were included in this study (Fig. 1). Of 3133 patients, 2846 (91 ​%) had an abnormal D-dimer, and 287 (9 ​%) had a normal D-dimer. In the group with the abnormal D-dimer, 145 (5 ​%) had a PE on CTPA. In the group with the normal D-dimer, 285 (99.3 ​%) patients did not have a PE on CTPA. The sensitivity of D-dimer in this population was 98.6 ​%, and the specificity was 9.5 ​%. Patients with abnormal D-dimer levels were 7.86 times more likely to have a PE. Conclusion: In conclusion, our study found that PE could be safely excluded for COVID-19 (+) patients with a normal or age-adjusted D-dimer.

Background: When emergency department (ED) patients require a higher level of care, transferring patients for specialized services to another ED may be needed. Previous studies have characterized risks and cost factors involved with transfers; however, few have evaluated the appropriateness of transfers. Objectives: The objective of this study was to determine if a specialty consultation or admission was required for ED-to-ED transfers. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort of all adult patients aged 18 and older who presented one of 17 EDs between January 1, 2018, and December 31, 2020, and were transferred to another ED within the healthcare system. Categorical variables are presented as frequencies and percentages. Continuous variables are presented as mean and standard deviations or median and quartiles. Multiple logistic regression was utilized to determine if the variables collected were predictive of hospital admission. Results: A total of 7486 encounters were included in the study. The mean age of participants was 54. Most patients were white (76.5%), male (50.6%), and had private insurance (39.0%). At the receiving ED, 64.0% (n ​= ​4750) received a specialty consult, and 61.3% (n ​= ​4549) were admitted to inpatient services. A total of 1430 (19.3%) patients did not receive a specialty consult and were discharged from the ED. Conclusion: The majority all ED-to-ED transfers involved a specialty consultation, and 61.3% of patients transferred were admitted to the hospital. Further research to determine why patients did not require specialty consultation or admission may help reduce unnecessary transfers.

Introduction: Agitation is frequently encountered in the emergency department (ED) and can range from psychomotor restlessness to overt aggression and violent behavior. Among all ED patients, 2.6% present with agitation or become agitated during their ED visit. We aimed to determine ED disposition for patients requiring agitation management with physical restraints. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort of all adult patients who presented to one of 19 EDs in a large integrated healthcare system and received agitation management with physical restraints between January 1, 2018–December 31, 2020. Categorical variables are presented as frequency and percentages, and continuous variables are presented as medians and interquartile range. Results: There were 3,539 patients who had agitation management with physical restraints included in this study. In total 2,076 (58.8%) were admitted to the hospital (95% CI [confidence interval] 0.572–0.605), and of those 81.4% were admitted to a primary medical floor and 18.6% were medically cleared and admitted to a psychiatric unit. Overall, 41.2% were able to be medically cleared and discharged from the ED. Mean age was 40.9 years, 2,140 were male (59.1%), 1,736 were White (50.3%), and 1,527 (43%) were Black. We found 26% had abnormal ethanol, (95% CI 0.245–0.274) and 54.6% had an abnormal toxicology screen (95% CI 0.529–0.562). A significant number were administered a benzodiazepine or antipsychotic in the ED (88.44%) (95% CI 0.874–0.895). Conclusion: The majority of patients who had agitation management with physical restraints were admitted to the hospital; of those patients, 81.4% were admitted to a primary medical floor and 18.6% were admitted to a psychiatric unit.

Background Immunosuppressive therapy or T-cell depletion in transplant patients can cause uncontrolled growth of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-infected B cells resulting in post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease (PTLD). Current treatment options do not distinguish between healthy and malignant B cells and are thereby often limited by severe side effects in the already immunocompromised patients. To specifically target EBV-infected B cells, we developed a novel peptide-selective chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) based on the monoclonal antibody TÜ165 which recognizes an Epstein-Barr nuclear antigen (EBNA)−3C-derived peptide in HLA-B*35 context in a T-cell receptor (TCR)-like manner. In order to attract additional immune cells to proximity of PTLD cells, based on the TÜ165 CAR, we moreover generated T cells redirected for universal cytokine-mediated killing (TRUCKs), which induce interleukin (IL)-12 release on target contact.Methods TÜ165-based CAR-T cells (CAR-Ts) and TRUCKs with inducible IL-12 expression in an all-in-one construct were generated. Functionality of the engineered cells was assessed in co-cultures with EBNA-3C-peptide-loaded, HLA-B*35-expressing K562 cells and EBV-infected B cells as PTLD model. IL-12, secreted by TRUCKs on target contact, was further tested for its chemoattractive and activating potential towards monocytes and natural killer (NK) cells.Results After co-cultivation with EBV target cells, TÜ165 CAR-Ts and TRUCKs showed an increased activation marker expression (CD137, CD25) and release of proinflammatory cytokines (interferon-γ and tumor necrosis factor-α). Moreover, TÜ165 CAR-Ts and TRUCKs released apoptosis-inducing mediators (granzyme B and perforin) and were capable to specifically lyse EBV-positive target cells. Live cell imaging revealed a specific attraction of TÜ165 CAR-Ts around EBNA-3C-peptide-loaded target cells. Of note, TÜ165 TRUCKs with inducible IL-12 showed highly improved effector functions and additionally led to recruitment of monocyte and NK cell lines.Conclusions Our results demonstrate that TÜ165 CAR-Ts recognize EBV peptide/HLA complexes in a TCR-like manner and thereby allow for recognizing an intracellular EBV target. TÜ165 TRUCKs equipped with inducible IL-12 expression responded even more effectively and released IL-12 recruited additional immune cells which are generally missing in proximity of lymphoproliferation in immunocompromised PTLD patients. This suggests a new and promising strategy to specifically target EBV-infected cells while sparing and mobilizing healthy immune cells and thereby enable control of EBV-associated lymphoproliferation.

Allogeneic and autologous transplantation of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCT) are being routinely used to treat patients with leukemia and lymphoma. Due to the required immunosuppression after stem cell transplantation, infection and reactivation by viruses are life-threatening complications. In recent years, adoptive transfer using virus-specific T cells (VSTs) has emerged as alternative to conventional therapies. Since vitamins are described to influence the immune system and its cellular components, the aim of this study was to examine whether vitamins modulate VST function and thereby enable an improvement of therapy. For that, we investigated the impact of vitamin C and D on the functionality of cytomegalovirus (CMV)-specific T cells isolated from CMV-seropositive healthy donors. We were able to show that vitamin C increases the expansion and activation state of CMV-specific T cells, and an increased influence of vitamin C was observed on cells isolated from male donors and donors above 40 years of age. A higher frequency of the terminally differentiated effector memory CD8+ T-cell population in these donors indicates a connection between these cells and the enhanced response to vitamin C. Thus, here we provide insights into the impact of vitamin C on cytotoxic T cells as well as possible additional selection criteria and strategies to improve VST functionality.

Background: Currently, no data are available on the prevalence of red blood cell (RBC) antibody formation amongst Kenyan patients with multiple transfusion needs, such as patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) or haematological malignancies (HM) and solid (SM) malignancies. Objectives: We determined the prevalence and specificities of RBC alloantibodies and autoantibodies in two patient groups with recurrent transfusion demands at Kenyatta National Hospital, Nairobi, Kenya. Method: Between February and August 2014, 300 samples from SCD, HM and SM patients were collected and screened for alloantibodies. Samples from 51 healthy blood donors were screened for irregular antibodies and phenotyped. Results: Amongst the 228 patients with viable samples (SCD, n = 137; HM, n = 48; SM, n = 43), the median transfusion frequency was two to three events per group, 38 (16.7%) were RBC immunised and 32 (14.0%) had a positive direct antiglobulin test. We identified specific alloantibodies in six patients (2.6%). Four of these six were SCD patients (2.9%) who had specific RBC alloantibodies (anti-Cw, anti-M, anti-Cob, anti-S); amongst HM patients one had anti-K and one had anti-Lea. RBC autoantibody prevalence was 3.1% (7/228). Amongst the healthy blood donors, the Ror, ccD.ee and R2r, ccD.Ee phenotypes accounted for 82% of the Rhesus phenotypes and all were Kell negative. Conclusion: The numbers of transfusions and the rates of RBC alloantibodies are low and the most important RBC alloantibody-inducing blood group antigens are relatively homogeneously distributed in this population. A general change in the Kenyatta National Hospital pre-transfusion test regimen is thus not necessary. The current transfusion practice should be reconsidered if transfusion frequencies increase in the future.