Spectroscopic characterization of the a3Π state of aluminum monofluoride.

Spectroscopic studies of aluminum monofluoride (AlF) have revealed its highly favorable properties for direct laser cooling. All Q lines of the strong A1Π â† X1Σ+ transition around 227 nm are rotationally closed and thereby suitable for the main cooling cycle. The same holds for the narrow, spin-forbidden a3Π â† X1Σ+ transition around 367 nm, which has a recoil limit in the µK range. We here report on the spectroscopic characterization of the lowest rotational levels in the a3Π state of AlF for v = 0-8 using a jet-cooled, pulsed molecular beam. An accidental AC Stark shift is observed on the a3Π0, v = 4 ← X1Σ+, v = 4 band. By using time-delayed ionization for state-selective detection of the molecules in the metastable a3Π state at different points along the molecular beam, the radiative lifetime of the a3Π1, v = 0, J = 1 level is experimentally determined as τ = 1.89 ± 0.15 ms. A laser/radio frequency multiple resonance ionization scheme is employed to determine the hyperfine splittings in the a3Π1, v = 5 level. The experimentally derived hyperfine parameters are compared to the outcome of quantum chemistry calculations. A spectral line with a width of 1.27 kHz is recorded between hyperfine levels in the a3Π, v = 0 state. These measurements benchmark the electronic potential of the a3Π state and yield accurate values for the photon scattering rate and for the elements of the Franck-Condon matrix of the a3Π-X1Σ+ system.

Bedside hyperspectral imaging indicates a microcirculatory sepsis pattern - an observational study.

INTRODUCTION: Microcirculatory alterations are key mechanisms in sepsis pathophysiology leading to tissue hypoxia, edema formation, and organ dysfunction. Hyperspectral imaging (HSI) is an emerging imaging technology that uses tissue-light interactions to evaluate biochemical tissue characteristics including tissue oxygenation, hemoglobin content and water content. Currently, clinical data for HSI technologies in critical ill patients are still limited. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: TIVITA® Tissue System was used to measure Tissue oxygenation (StO2), Tissue Hemoglobin Index (THI), Near Infrared Perfusion Index (NPI) and Tissue Water Index (TWI) in 25 healthy volunteers and 25 septic patients. HSI measurement sites were the palm, the fingertip, and a suprapatellar knee area. Septic patients were evaluated on admission to the ICU (E), 6 h afterwards (E+6) and three times a day (t3-t9) within a total observation period of 72 h. Primary outcome was the correlation of HSI results with daily SOFA-scores. RESULTS: Serial HSI at the three measurement sites in healthy volunteers showed a low mean variance expressing high retest reliability. HSI at E demonstrated significantly lower StO2 and NPI as well as higher TWI at the palm and fingertip in septic patients compared to healthy volunteers. StO2 and TWI showed corresponding results at the suprapatellar knee area. In septic patients, palm and fingertip THI identified survivors (E-t4) and revealed predictivity for 28-day mortality (E). Fingertip StO2 and THI correlated to SOFA-score on day 2. TWI was consistently increased in relation to the TWI range of healthy controls during the observation time. Palm TWI correlated positively with SOFA scores on day 3. DISCUSSION: HSI results in septic patients point to a distinctive microcirculatory pattern indicative of reduced skin oxygenation and perfusion quality combined with increased blood pooling and tissue water content. THI might possess risk-stratification properties and TWI could allow tissue edema evaluation in critically ill patients. CONCLUSION: HSI technologies could open new perspectives in microcirculatory monitoring by visualizing oxygenation and perfusion quality combined with tissue water content in critically ill patients - a prerequisite for future tissue perfusion guided therapy concepts in intensive care medicine.

Localizing the Primary Motor Cortex of the Hand by the 10-5 and 10-20 Systems for Neurostimulation: An MRI Study.

Background. The primary motor cortex of the hand (M1-Hand) is a target used in transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and in transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) for the treatment and evaluation of motor neurological diseases. Magnetic resonance imaging-guided neuronavigation locates the M1-Hand with high precision, but at a high cost. Although less accurate, the C3/C4 points of the international 10-20 system (IS 10-20) are routinely used to locate the M1-Hand. The international 10-5 system (IS 10-5) was developed with additional points (C3h/C4h), which could make it more accurate, but has not yet been tested on the location of the M1-Hand. Objective. To analyze and compare the accuracy of C1/C2, C3h/C4h and C3/C4 points in locating the M1-Hand correspondence on the scalp. Methods. The authors comparatively analyzed the distances from points C1/C2, C3h/C4h, and C3/C4 to the correspondence of the M1-Hand on the scalp in 30 MRI head exams. Results. In most cases, the M1-Hand was located between C1-C3h and C2-C4h in the left and right hemispheres of the brain, respectively. The C3h (0.98 ± 0.49 cm) and C4h (0.98 ± 0.51 cm) points presented the shortest distances from the M1-Hand, with a significant difference when compared with C3/C4. The accuracy between C1/C2 and C3h/C4h was not statistically significant. Conclusion. The C3h/C4h and C1/C2 points were more accurate when compared with the C3 and C4 points in locating the M1-Hand correspondence on the scalp.

Million-year lag times in a post-orogenic sediment conveyor.

Understanding how sediment transport and storage will delay, attenuate, and even erase the erosional signal of tectonic and climatic forcings has bearing on our ability to read and interpret the geologic record effectively. Here, we estimate sediment transit times in Australia's largest river system, the Murray-Darling basin, by measuring downstream changes in cosmogenic 26Al/10Be/14C ratios in modern river sediment. Results show that the sediments have experienced multiple episodes of burial and reexposure, with cumulative lag times exceeding 1 Ma in the downstream reaches of the Murray and Darling rivers. Combined with low sediment supply rates and old sediment blanketing the landscape, we posit that sediment recycling in the Murray-Darling is an important and ongoing process that will substantially delay and alter signals of external environmental forcing transmitted from the sediment's hinterland.

Comment on: "A novel approach to peatlands as archives of total cumulative spatial pollution loads from atmospheric deposition of airborne elements complementary to EMEP data: Priority pollutants (Pb, Cd, Hg)" by Ewa Miszczak, Sebastian Stefaniak, Adam Michczynski, Eiliv Steinnes and Irena Twardowska.

A recent paper by Miszczak et al. (2020) examines metal contamination of mires in Poland and Norway. The authors conclude that lead (Pb) records in ombrotrophic peatlands cannot be used to reconstruct the chronological history of anthropogenic activities due to post-depositional mobility of the metal. We contest this general conclusion which stands in contrast with a significant body of literature demonstrating that Pb is largely immobile in the vast majority of ombrotrophic peatlands. Our aim is to reaffirm the crucial contribution that peat records have made to our knowledge of atmospheric Pb contamination. In addition, we reiterate the necessity of following established protocols to produce reliable records of anthropogenic Pb contamination in environmental archives.

Polymer-based or polymer-free stents in patients at high bleeding risk

BACKGROUND Polymer-free drug-coated stents provide superior clinical outcomes to bare-metal stents in patients at high bleeding risk who undergo percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and are treated with 1 month of dual antiplatelet therapy. Data on the use of polymer-based drug-eluting stents, as compared with polymer-free drug-coated stents, in such patients are limited. METHODS In an international, randomized, single-blind trial, we compared polymer-based zotarolimus-eluting stents with polymer-free umirolimus­coated stents in patients at high bleeding risk. After PCI, patients were treated with 1 month of dual antiplatelet therapy, followed by single antiplatelet therapy. The primary outcome was a safety composite of death from cardiac causes, myocardial infarction, or stent thrombosis at 1 year. The principal secondary outcome was target-lesion failure, an effectiveness composite of death from cardiac causes, target-vessel myocardial infarction, or clinically indicated target-lesion revascularization. Both outcomes were powered for noninferiority. RESULTS A total of 1996 patients at high bleeding risk were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive zotarolimus-eluting stents (1003 patients) or polymer-free drugcoated stents (993 patients). At 1 year, the primary outcome was observed in 169 of 988 patients (17.1%) in the zotarolimus-eluting stent group and in 164 of 969 (16.9%) in the polymer-free drug-coated stent group (risk difference, 0.2 percentage points; upper boundary of the one-sided 97.5% confidence interval [CI], 3.5; noninferiority margin, 4.1; P=0.01 for noninferiority). The principal secondary outcome was observed in 174 patients (17.6%) in the zotarolimus-eluting stent group and in 169 (17.4%) in the polymer-free drug-coated stent group (risk difference, 0.2 percentage points; upper boundary of the one-sided 97.5% CI, 3.5; noninferiority margin, 4.4; P=0.007 for noninferiority). CONCLUSIONS Among patients at high bleeding risk who received 1 month of dual antiplatelet therapy after PCI, use of polymer-based zotarolimus-eluting stents was noninferior to use of polymer-free drug-coated stents with regard to safety and effectiveness composite outcomes. (Funded by Medtronic; ONYX ONE ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT03344653.). (AU)

Unusual features of the c-ring of F1FO ATP synthases.

Membrane integral ATP synthases produce adenosine triphosphate, the universal "energy currency" of most organisms. However, important details of proton driven energy conversion are still unknown. We present the first high-resolution structure (2.3 Å) of the in meso crystallized c-ring of 14 subunits from spinach chloroplasts. The structure reveals molecular mechanisms of intersubunit contacts in the c14-ring, and it shows additional electron densities inside the c-ring which form circles parallel to the membrane plane. Similar densities were found in all known high-resolution structures of c-rings of F1FO ATP synthases from archaea and bacteria to eukaryotes. The densities might originate from isoprenoid quinones (such as coenzyme Q in mitochondria and plastoquinone in chloroplasts) that is consistent with differential UV-Vis spectroscopy of the c-ring samples, unusually large distance between polar/apolar interfaces inside the c-ring and universality among different species. Although additional experiments are required to verify this hypothesis, coenzyme Q and its analogues known as electron carriers of bioenergetic chains may be universal cofactors of ATP synthases, stabilizing c-ring and prevent ion leakage through it.

[Chronic pelvic pain syndrome : Treatment options using osteopathy]. / Das chronische Beckenschmerzsyndrom : Hilfe durch Osteopathie.

Urogenital problems are dramatically increasing; especially chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CPPS) poses a major challenge for physicians and therapists. Few forms of therapy have been able to promise relief because the cause of CPPS remains unclear. Functional complaints are increasingly discussed as triggers. Osteopathic treatment has been reported to help many patients in recent years. In this article, the approach and osteopathic point of view of functional complaints are presented. In addition, possible causes for the development of CPPS and important anatomical structures that are directly involved in it are explained. Further interdisciplinary research of functional relationships would be desirable in the future.

Measurement of fallout radionuclides, (239)(,240)Pu and (137)Cs, in soil and creek sediment: Sydney Basin, Australia.

Soil and sediment samples from the Sydney basin were measured to ascertain fallout radionuclide activity concentrations and atom ratios. Caesium-137 ((137)Cs) was measured using gamma spectroscopy, and plutonium isotopes ((239)Pu and (240)Pu) were quantified using accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS). Fallout radionuclide activity concentrations were variable ranging from 0.6 to 26.1 Bq/kg for (137)Cs and 0.02-0.52 Bq/kg for (239+240)Pu. Radionuclides in creek sediment samples were an order of magnitude lower than in soils. (137)Cs and (239+240)Pu activity concentration in soils were well correlated (r(2) = 0.80) although some deviation was observed in samples collected at higher elevations. Soil ratios of (137)Cs/(239+240)Pu (decay corrected to 1/1/2014) ranged from 11.5 to 52.1 (average = 37.0 ± 12.4) and showed more variability than previous studies. (240)Pu/(239)Pu atom ratios ranged from 0.117 to 0.165 with an average of 0.146 (±0.013) and an error weighted mean of 0.138 (±0.001). These ratios are lower than a previously reported ratio for Sydney, and lower than the global average. However, these ratios are similar to those reported for other sites within Australia that are located away from former weapons testing sites and indicate that atom ratio measurements from other parts of the world are unlikely to be applicable to the Australian context.

n-Butanol derived from biochemical and chemical routes: A review.

Traditionally, bio-butanol is produced with the ABE (Acetone Butanol Ethanol) process using Clostridium species to ferment sugars from biomass. However, the route is associated with some disadvantages such as low butanol yield and by-product formation (acetone and ethanol). On the other hand, butanol can be directly produced from ethanol through aldol condensation over metal oxides/ hydroxyapatite catalysts. This paper suggests that the chemical conversion route is more preferable than the ABE process, because the reaction proceeds more quickly compared to the fermentation route and fewer steps are required to get to the product.

Influence of reaction atmosphere and solvent on biochar yield and characteristics.

Sunflower husks were converted to biochar via thermochemical liquefaction in different solvents and reaction atmospheres. Highest biochar yields obtained was 574 g kg(-1) husks. Surface area of the produced chars and evolution of aromatic compounds in the biochar structure increased with an increase in temperature. Volatile matter and N-content decreased and S-content decreased significantly with an increase in temperature which is favourable should the biochars be used for combustion. The HHV of the biochars were significantly higher than that of the feedstock as was also indicated by the energy densification ratio. The biochars compared favourable with coal on a Van Krevelen diagram, showing the possibility of the biochars for application in co-gasification. CO2 performed better in retaining the energy of the feedstock in the biochar (up to 58%). It was shown that sunflower husks are a viable feedstock for the production of biochars for application in co-gasification or combustion.

Utilizing glycogen synthase kinase-3ß as a marker for the diagnosis of graft-versus-host disease.

INTRODUCTION: Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is a deadly complication of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Timely diagnosis is critical, because mortality rates for GVHD are high, increasing with disease severity. A diagnostic tool to predict GVHD before the onset of clinical symptoms could save many lives. On the cellular level, GVHD occurs when T cells from the transplant attack the tissues of the host, after perceiving them to be foreign. T-cell proliferation occurs even before clinical symptoms appear. Glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)-3ß is a protein which regulates proliferation in many cell types including T-cells. GSK-3ß has never been directly connected with GVHD and we applied GSK-3ß as a novel marker for GVHD prediction, seeking herein to determine whether GSK-3ß can be utilized as a marker for the early diagnosis of GVHD. METHODS: For the mouse model of acute GVHD, irradiated mice underwent allogeneic splenocyte transplantation and GSK-3ß expression levels and phosphorylation states were monitored in harvested spleens by western blot. FACS analysis was used to measure the number of T cells within the harvested spleens. RESULTS: Mice developed observable GVHD symptoms by day 5 post-transplantation, with severe symptoms on day 6 requiring mice to be killed for humane reasons. A significantly increased number of T cells in the allogeneic mice correlated with GVHD development. GSK-3ß protein expression levels and phosphorylation levels were significantly lower in allogeneic (GVHD) mice compared with negative (untreated) and positive (syngeneic transplant; non-GVHD) controls over time. CONCLUSION: GSK-3ß was directly connected with the onset and progression of GVHD. Therefore, it can be utilized as a marker for GVHD diagnosis in animals and potentially in humans.

[Long-term effects of osteopathic treatment of chronic prostatitis with chronic pelvic pain syndrome: a 5-year follow-up of a randomized controlled trial and considerations on the pathophysiological context]. / Langzeiteffekte osteopathischer Behandlungen bei chronischer Prostatitis/chronischem Beckenschmerzsyndrom : 5-Jahres-Follow-up einer randomisiert kontrollierten Studie und Überlegungen zum pathophysiologischen Kontext.

BACKGROUND: The etiology of chronic prostatitis chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) is still unclear. As no pathological findings exist the diagnosis of CP/CPPS is essentially a diagnosis by exclusion and functional disorders, so-called somatoform disorders play a more important role. Osteopathy treats functional disorders of the musculoskeletal system including all associated internal organs but little attention has so far been paid to this treatment method. Therefore, the 5-year follow-up period was intended to show that this is a sustainable form of therapy using exclusively manual and gentle techniques and simple treatment procedures resulting in manageable costs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The aim of this study was to investigate whether sustainability of osteopathic treatment could be demonstrated even after 5 years. This was a randomized controlled study initially involving 5 treatment sessions, a follow-up without treatment after 6 weeks and further follow-up after 1.5 and 5 years. Of the 20 patients 19 in the test group participated in the 5-year follow-up. The control group were not asked because it would have been unacceptable to expect the patients to refrain from having treatment for as long as 5 years. The men were aged between 29 and 70 years. The patients were asked to complete the international prostate symptom score (IPSS), the National Institutes of Health chronic prostatitis symptom index (NIH-CPSI) and the quality of life (QOL) questionnaires once again and in particular to state whether they had received osteopathic treatment specifically for the prostate problem and how often they had been treated. RESULTS: The follow-up assessment of the symptoms of chronic prostatitis (NIH-CPSI) showed that they had further improved after 1.5 years (intragroup difference -1.8 points, 95 % confidence interval CI=-3.8 to 0.3) and also after 5 years (intragroup difference -1.3 points 95 % CI=-3.4 to 0.8). The urinary tract symptoms (IPSS) showed a statistically significant improvement (intergroup difference 8.9 points, 95 % CI=4.7-13.1, p<0.0005). At the second follow-up after 1.5 years there was a further improvement (intragroup difference -2.2 points, 95% CI=-3.9 to -0.4, p=0.02) which was found to remain constant after 5 years (intragroup difference 0.2 points). The quality of life (QOL) with respect to the symptoms showed a statistically significant improvement in comparing both groups during the study phase (intergroup difference χ 2: p<0.005). At follow-up after 5 years out of 19 patients 15 answered the question"how would you feel if the symptoms currently present would not change in the future?" with excellent or satisfactory and 11 patients would not have wanted further osteopathic treatment. Of the patients 8 reported that since the second follow-up (within 3.5 years) they had received osteopathic treatment one to eight times; however, this was partially more prophylactic than due to pain. CONCLUSIONS: Due to the sustainability of osteopathic treatment and the low amount of time involved, osteopathy should be taken seriously as a treatment for patients with CP/CPPS. Furthermore, due to the osteopathic treatment the patients learnt to alleviate or even eliminate their own symptoms in treating themselves. In order to help many other affected persons out of their dilemma it would be desirable if more urologists and internists would become acquainted with osteopathy in order to be able to offer this to patients at an early stage. Further studies with larger numbers of patients should be carried out to confirm these results.

Clinical indication for intraoperative 3D imaging during open reduction of fractures of the mandibular angle.

PURPOSE: This retrospective study investigated 3-dimensional (3D) imaging with intraoperative Cone-Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) in Mandibular Angle Fractures (MAF) treated by open reduction. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the image quality of intraoperative CBCT in this region and the benefit for the patients. METHODS: 83 patients with 86 MAF were included in this study. 8 patients were female and 75 male. Patient age ranged from 11 to 68 years (average age 26.8 years). All patients were examined with the mobile CBCT scanner ARCADIS Orbic 3D (Siemens Medical Solutions, Erlangen, Germany) directly after surgical treatment of the MAF. RESULTS: As a direct result of intraoperative CBCT four patients (5%) underwent intraoperative revision. The intraoperative acquisition of the data sets was uncomplicated and in all cases it was possible to effectively visualise and assess the MAF in 3D quality. CONCLUSION: The results showed that intraoperative CBCT is a reliable imaging technique for real-time intraoperative assessment of treated MAF. Use of the mobile 3D CBCT scanner is easy to integrate into routine practice and offers the advantage that immediate revision surgery can be performed.

Imaging cold molecules on a chip.

We present the integrated imaging of cold molecules in a microchip environment. The on-chip detection is based on resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization, which is quantum state selective and generally applicable. We demonstrate and characterize time-resolved spatial imaging and subsequently use it to analyze the effect of a phase-space manipulation sequence aimed at compressing the velocity distribution of a molecular ensemble with a view to future high-resolution spectroscopic studies. The realization of such on-chip measurements adds the final fundamental component to the molecule chip, offering a new and promising route for investigating cold molecules.

Impact of elevated intact parathyroid hormone on mortality and renal disease progression in patients with chronic kidney disease stages 3 and 4.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the impact of elevated intact parathyroid hormone levels on time to death and renal replacement therapy in patients with chronic kidney disease stages 3 and 4. METHODS: A retrospective cohort analysis from 01/1996 to 09/2007 was conducted in 11,092 patients with chronic kidney disease stages 3 and 4 patients using Cockroft-Gault and Modification of Diet in Renal Disease equations to estimate their glomerular filtration rates. Patients' highest parathyroid hormone levels were used to define the index date and cohort (followed for 1 year). Mortality and renal replacement therapy events were evaluated among cohorts at pre-defined parathyroid hormone levels. RESULTS: As the intact parathyroid hormone levels increased, the mean age, number of females and estimated glomerular filtration rates decreased. Patients with an intact parathyroid hormone level<50 pg/mL were defined as the reference group. Similar results were found using the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease equation for calculating estimated glomerular filtration rate, which was possible in 48% of the patients where race could be identified. Combined mortality and renal replacement therapy adjusted hazard ratio using Cox regression for intact parathyroid hormone level 51-110 pg/mL was 1.12 (0.82-1.54), intact parathyroid hormone level 111-199 pg/mL was 2.42 (1.78-3.29), intact parathyroid hormone level 200-299 pg/mL was 3.01 (2.14-4.27), intact parathyroid hormone level 300-399 pg/mL was 3.12 (2.09-4.60), intact parathyroid hormone level 400-499 pg/mL was 3.91 (2.61-5.85) and intact parathyroid hormone level>500 pg/mL was 2.67 (1.84-3.84). CONCLUSION: Intact parathyroid hormone levels>50 pg/mL in patients with chronic kidney disease stages 3 and 4 are associated with an escalating combined risk of death or RRT.

Comparison of efficacy and safety of dabigatran, rivaroxaban and apixaban in patients with atrial fibrillation using network meta-analysis.

AIM: A network meta-analysis of the three new oral anticoagulants was performed from the three trials comparing dabigatran, rivaroxaban and apixaban with warfarin in patients with atrial fibrillation. METHODS: Data were extracted of the RE-LY study of dabigatran 110 mg bid and dabigatran 150 mg bid, the ROCKET AF trial of rivaroxaban and the ARISTOTLE trial of apixaban for the composite outcome of ischemic stroke and systemic embolism, for major bleeding, intracerebral bleeding, mortality and myocardial infarction. RESULTS: Dabigatran (150 mg bid) showed superior efficacy in preventing ischemic stroke plus systemic embolism to dabigatran (110 mg bid, P=0.0364) and rivaroxaban (P=0.0388). Apixaban had equivalent efficacy with rivaroxaban and dabigatran (either dose). Apixaban was safer (less major bleeding) than dabigatran (150 mg bid, P=0.036) or rivaroxaban (P=0.0002). Intracerebral hemorrhage occurred with equal frequency for all agents except for rivaroxaban (higher risk than dabigatran 110 mg bid, P=0.0070). Myocardial infarction occurred less frequently with rivaroxaban and apixaban compared to either dose of dabigatran (all P<0.05). CONCLUSION: All-cause mortality was not different for any agent or regimen. In the absence of head-to-head comparisons, this network meta-analysis suggests that apixaban and dabigatran 110 mg bid may offer the best benefit-risk balance for stroke prevention in non-valvular atrial fibrillation. Dabigatran 150 mg bid may be preferred for patients with a high risk for embolism.