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The exchange coupling between a hard magnetic layer MnBi and a soft magnetic layer Co-Fe has been found to significantly improve the maximum energy product. In this work, the spin structure of exchange-coupled MnBi:Co-Fe bilayers is experimentally investigated by X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) and polarized neutron reflectometry (PNR). We find that the out-of-plane magnetization reversal process of the MnBi:Co-Fe bilayer structure involves formation of a curling-type twisting of the magnetization in the film plane at low or intermediate reversal fields. Micromagnetic simulations are further performed to provide a detailed view of the spins at the curling center. Reminiscent of chiral spin structures known as spin bobbers, this curling in the exchange-coupled hard-soft magnetic bilayers is a new type of skyrmionic spin structure and worth further investigation.

We demonstrate substantial enhancement in the energy product of MnBi-based magnets by forming robust ferromagnetic exchange coupling between a MnBi layer and a thin CoFe layer in a unique perpendicular coupling configuration, which provides increased resistance to magnetization reversal. The measured nominal energy product of 172kJ/m3 at room temperature is the largest value experimentally attained for permanent magnets free of expensive raw materials. Our finding shows that exchange-coupled MnBi/CoFe magnets are a viable option for pursuing rare-earth-free magnets with energy products approaching those containing rare-earth elements.

In this article we consider the non-linear thermoelastic plate equation in rectangular domains Ω. More precisely, Ω is considered to be given as the Cartesian product of whole or half spaces and a cube. First the linearized equation is treated as an abstract Cauchy problem in L-spaces. We take advantage of the structure of Ω and apply operator-valued Fourier multiplier results to infer an $${\mathcal{R}}$$ -bounded $${\mathcal{H}^\infty}$$ -calculus for A. With the help of maximal L-regularity existence and uniqueness of local real-analytic strong solutions together with analytic dependency on the data is shown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) demands near-time reperfusion to reduce the risk of long-term heart failure. This study evaluates the proportion of impaired left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) following STEMI in the context of current healthcare settings at a tertiary care center equipped with the most advanced and up-to-date standards of care., Methods: Patients experiencing STEMI as their first manifestation of coronary artery disease were analyzed, as these individuals had no prior experience with heart-related chest pain. LVEF was assessed by levocardiography at admission and semiautomatically using TOMTEC in patients with eligible full-cycle echocardiography of 2- and 4-chamber view available at discharge and 1-year follow-up (FU). Pain-to-balloon time was divided into quartiles (Q) [0-111, 112-159, 160-246 and 247-784 min]. Multiple logistic regression analysis identified independent predictors of reduced LVEF < 50% at 1-year FU., Results: A total of 1,379 consecutive STEMI patients were reviewed from 2010 to 2017, with 130 meeting the inclusion criteria. Mean age was 63 ± 12 years, 75% were male, 14% had diabetes, 72% had arterial hypertension, and 56% had history of smoking. LVEF was reduced in 94% of patients at admission, 69% at discharge, and remained reduced in 45% at the 1-year follow-up. Anterior wall myocardial infarction (OR 3.2 [95%-CI 1.2-6.9], p = 0.018) and increasing pain-to-balloon time across quartiles (Q2: OR 15.7 [95%-CI 1.8-140.4], p = 0.014; Q4: OR 33.7 [3.4-278.7] p = 0.002) were independently associated with reduced LVEF at 1 year., Conclusion: Despite optimal medical management and advanced healthcare structures, nearly half of patients with STEMI as their first presentation of coronary artery disease continue to exhibit reduced LVEF at 12-months. Anterior wall myocardial infarction and pain-to-balloon time exceeding 2 h remain independent predictors of left ventricular dysfunction. Further improvements in healthcare systems and public education are essential to reduce treatment delays and improve long-term outcomes., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Ulm University (369/21) on January 10th 2022. In accordance with the ethics approval and due to the retrospective character of this study analyzing anonymized data, informed consent was waived. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2025. The Author(s).)

The membrane composition of extracellular vesicles (EVs) largely reflects that of the plasma membrane of the cell of origin. We therefore hypothesized that EVs could be used for immunizations to generate monoclonal antibodies against well-known tumor antigens but possibly also against hitherto unknown tumor-associated target molecules. From an immunization experiment, we obtained a monoclonal antibody specific for SRRM2, an RNA-binding protein involved in splicing and a major component of nuclear speckles. Here, we used this antibody to demonstrate that SRRM2 is exposed on the surface of most cancer cell lines from various entities and, even more important, on cancer cells in vivo. Moreover, we demonstrated that SRRM2-specific CAR-T cells are functional in vitro and in vivo. Collectively, we identified SRRM2 as a promising new target molecule exposed on the cancer cell surface and showed that our SRRM2-specific antibody can be used as a basis for the development of new targeted cancer therapies.

Background: Foot deformities in children are common, and the majority can be treated conservatively. Nevertheless, there are deformities that require surgical treatment. These include rigid clubfeet, severe forms of pes planovalgus, pes cavus and several more. We retrospectively analysed the pseudarthrosis rate of surgical treatment of foot deformities with transcutaneous K-wire osteosynthesis in neurologically healthy children and adolescents. The aim of the study was to show that the results with K-wires are comparable to those with other osteosynthesis methods in the literature., Methods: A total of 46 paediatric patients aged 6 to 17 years treated between January 2010 and December 2015 met the inclusion criteria. Depending on the diagnosis, different surgical interventions were necessary. In clubfoot and pes planovalgus, representing n = 81, 70% of the whole collective triple arthrodesis with fusion of the talonavicular, calcaneocuboid and subtalar joints or Evans osteotomy was usually performed. Radiographs were taken at least 6 months post-surgery, and bony consolidation of the subtalar, talonavicular (TN), and calcaneocuboidal (CC) joints and the metatarsal I (MT I) osteotomy were assessed. If there was no evidence of fusion at this time, it was considered non-union., Results: In total, 117 arthrodesis procedures with K-wires were performed. Overall, 110 of the arthrodesis (94%) healed, and only 7 joints (6%) showed non-union (subtalar 0%, TN 7.7%, CC 6.5% and MT I 6.7%). All non-unions occurred in subjects with clubfoot deformities. No significant risk factors were observed., Conclusion: This study replicated the good consolidation rates reported in the literature with screws, plates, intramedullary nails or staples in arthrodesis of the adolescent foot in neurologically healthy subjects and confirmed the efficacy of K-wires. The main advantages of transcutaneous K-wire treatment are easy metal removal, lower osteosynthesis material costs and less concomitant damage. Further studies, especially randomised controlled trials, are needed to further investigate this topic.

Background: During the five waves of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic so far, German early childhood education and care (ECEC) centres implemented various protective measures, such as wearing a face mask, fixed children-staff groups or regular ventilation. In addition, parents and ECEC staff were increasingly vaccinated throughout 2021. During the 4th wave, variant of concern (VOC) Delta-driven transmission indicators reached record values at the end of 2021. Those values were even exceeded in the 5th wave at the beginning of 2022 when Omicron dominated. We examine which factors facilitated or prevented infection with SARS-CoV-2 in ECEC centres, and if these differed between different phases within wave 4 (Delta) and 5 (Omicron)., Methods: Since August 2020, a weekly online survey among approximately 8000 ECEC managers has been conducted, monitoring both incident SARS-CoV-2 infections and protective measures taken. We included data from calendar week 26/2021 to 05/2022. We estimate the probability of any infections and the number of SARS-CoV-2 infections in children, parents and staff using random-effect-within-between (REWB) panel models for binomial and count data., Results: While children, parents and staff of ECEC centres with a high proportion of children from families with low socioeconomic status (SES) have a higher risk of infections in the beginning of wave 4 (OR up to 1.99 [1.56; 2.56]), this effect diminishes for children and parents with rising incidences. Protective measures, such as wearing face masks, tend to have more extensive effects with rising incidences in wave 5 (IRR up to 0.87 [0.8; 0.93]). Further, the protective effect of vaccination against infection among staff is decreasing from wave 4 to wave 5 (OR 0.3 [0.16; 0.55] to OR 0.95, [0.84; 1.07, n.s.]). The degree of transmission from staff to child and from staff to parent is decreasing from wave 4 to wave 5, while transmission from child to staff seems to increase., Conclusion: While Omicron seems to affect children and parents from ECEC centres with families with all SES levels more equally than Delta, the protective effect of vaccination against infection is decreasing and the effect of protective measures like face masks becomes increasingly important. In order to prevent massive closures of ECEC centres due to infection of staff, protective measures should be strictly adhered to, especially to protect staff in centres with a high proportion of children from families with low socioeconomic status., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Objectives: This comparative study aimed to evaluate intraoral digital photography (IODP) as assessment-tool for DMFT and number of implants (IMPL) compared to clinical diagnosis (CLIN) in an elderly population with high restorative status. Secondary research questions were whether an additional evaluation of panoramic radiographs (PAN-X) or raters' clinical experience influence the agreement., Methods: Fifty patients (70.98±7.60 years) were enrolled for standardized CLIN and IODP. The clinical reference examiner and ten blinded raters evaluated the photographs without and with a PAN-X regarding DMFT and IMPL. CLIN were used as reference standard and differences to IODP and IODP-PAN-X findings were analysed descriptively. To assess intra-rater agreement, pairwise Gwet's AC1s of the three diagnostic methods CLIN, IODP and IODP+PAN-X were calculated., Results: Compared to a DMFT of 22.10±3.75 (CLIN), blinded raters evaluated a DMFT of 21.54±3.40 (IODP) and 22.12±3.45 (IODP+PAN-X). Mean values for "Decayed" were 0.18±0.52 (CLIN), 0.45±0.46 (IODP) and 0.48±0.47 (IODP-PAN-X), while 11.02±5.97 (CLIN), 10.66±5.78 (IODP) and 10.93±5.91 (IODP+PAN-X) were determined for "Missing" and 10.90±5.61 (CLIN), 10.43±4.85 (IODP) and 10.71±5.11 (IODP+PAN-X) for "Filled". IMPL were 0.78±2.04 (CLIN), 0.58±1.43 (IODP), 0.78±2.04 (IODP+PAN-X). Gwet's AC1 using the mode of the blinded raters' assessment of "Decayed", "Missing" and IMPL compared to CLIN ranged from 0.81 to 0.89 (IODP) and 0.87 to 1.00 (IODP+PAN-X), while for "Filled" and DMFT they were 0.29 and 0.36 (IODP) as well as 0.33 and 0.36 (IODP+PAN-X), respectively. Clinical experience did not influence the agreement., Conclusions: Assessment of "Decayed", "Missing" and IMPL by IODP showed almost perfect agreement, whereas of "Filled" and DMFT revealed fair to moderate agreement with clinical findings. Additional PAN-X-evaluation increased agreement compared to IODP-diagnostics alone. IODP for the assessment of DMFT and IMPL might be a suitable method in large-scale epidemiological studies, considering high agreement in total values and miscellaneous agreement at patient-level., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Xi-cam is an extensible platform for data management, analysis and visualization. Xi-cam aims to provide a flexible and extensible approach to synchrotron data treatment as a solution to rising demands for high-volume/high-throughput processing pipelines. The core of Xi-cam is an extensible plugin-based graphical user interface platform which provides users with an interactive interface to processing algorithms. Plugins are available for SAXS/WAXS/GISAXS/GIWAXS, tomography and NEXAFS data. With Xi-cam's `advanced' mode, data processing steps are designed as a graph-based workflow, which can be executed live, locally or remotely. Remote execution utilizes high-performance computing or de-localized resources, allowing for the effective reduction of high-throughput data. Xi-cam's plugin-based architecture targets cross-facility and cross-technique collaborative development, in support of multi-modal analysis. Xi-cam is open-source and cross-platform, and available for download on GitHub.

Tumor cells educate immune effector cells in their vicinity by releasing factors that manipulate their phenotype and function. In fact, the thus generated immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment constitutes an integral part and a hallmark of solid tumors and contributes significantly to tumor development and immune escape. It has long been thought that soluble factors like prostaglandin E2 and TGF-β are the main mediators of these effects. But tumor cells also constantly release large number of extracellular vesicles (EVs), which are important conveyors of immune responses. We show here that tumor-derived EVs interact with primary monocytes and induce an activated phenotype, which is also observed in tumor-associated macrophages. Thus, both tumor-derived EVs and soluble factors together collaborate to form the immunosuppressive milieu of the tumor environment., (© 2018 The Authors. Cancer Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Objective: To report the case of a patient with multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN 1) syndrome with con-comitant parathyroid carcinoma and a classic MEN1 germline mutation., Methods: We present the clinical findings, laboratory results, imaging studies, and surgical histopathologic features in a woman with MEN 1 syndrome and concomitant parathyroid carcinoma. We also review the literature regarding patients with similar clinical entities and the use of adjuvant radiotherapy for parathyroid carcinoma., Results: A 53-year-old woman presented with nausea and severe primary hyperparathyroidism. Computed tomography revealed parathyroid masses, shown later to be bilateral parathyroid carcinomas and adenomas. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated a pituitary macroadenoma, and gastrinomas were confirmed by computed tomography and a secretin stimulation test. She was successfully treated with total thyroidectomy, subtotal parathyroidectomy, and adjuvant radiotherapy. Genetic analysis revealed a classic MEN1 germline mutation., Conclusion: This report describes a patient with parathyroid carcinoma occurring in conjunction with MEN 1, further characterizing this rare condition. In contrast to previously described patients, our patient is the first with a classic MEN1 germline mutation, confirming that parathyroid cancer can occur in association with classic MEN 1 genetics.

A case of bilateral adrenal myelolipoma in association with congenital adrenal hyperplasia caused by 21-hydroxylase deficiency is presented. The clinical, radiologic, and endocrinologic features of this case are correlated with a review of the literature.

The purpose of this study was to review the authors' experiences with serial sodium Amytal (amobarbital) interviews and to compare these results with those found in the literature. A chart review of 21 patients with suspected conversion disorder evaluated by Amytal interview was conducted retrospectively. Presenting symptoms included movement disorders, focal neurologic deficits, chronic pain, "spells," and pseudoseizures. The serial Amytal interviews confirmed the presence of psychopathology noted on admission and revealed underlying psychosocial stressors. In 2 of 21 patients, agents other than Amytal were used after the first interview. This series confirms that the serial Amytal interview has utility in the clinical setting as a diagnostic and therapeutic tool.