Predicting the influence of a p2-symmetric substrate on molecular self-organization with an interaction-site model

An interaction-site model can a priori predict molecular selforganisation on a new substrate in Monte Carlo simulations. This is experimentally confirmed with scanning tunnelling microscopy on Fre´chet dendrons of a pentacontane template. Local and global ordering motifs, inclusion molecules and a rotated unit cell are correctly predicted

Current Developments and Challenges in the Recycling of Key Components of (Hybrid) Electric Vehicles

The introduction of electromobility causes major challenges as new components and materials enter vehicle recycling. This paper discusses the current developments in the recycling of traction batteries, electric motors, and power electronics, which constitute the key components of (hybrid) electric vehicles. Both technical and ecological aspects are addressed. Beside base metals, all components contain metals that are considered critical by the EU (European Union), e.g., rare earth elements, cobalt, antimony, and palladium. As electromobility is a new trend, no recycling routes have been established at an industrial scale for these components. The implementation is complicated by small return flows and a great variety of vehicle concepts as well as components. Furthermore, drastic changes regarding design and material compositions can be expected over the next decades. Due to hazards and high weights, there is a strong research emphasis on battery recycling. Most pilot-scale or semi-industrial processes focus on the recovery of cobalt, nickel, and copper due to their high value. Electric motors and power electronics can be fed into established recycling routes if they are extracted from the vehicle before shredding. However, these processes are not capable of recovering some minor metals such as rare earth elements and antimony

Zum Zusammenwirken von Regionalplanung und Regionalmanagement beim Klimaschutz - Konzeptentwurf für die Region Oberland

"Die Regionen stehen vor der Herausforderung, geeignete Maßnahmen zum Klimaschutz zu ergreifen. Insbesondere die Produktion von erneuerbaren Energien führt zu vielfältigen Raumansprüchen und Nutzungskonkurrenzen, die es zu bündeln und abzustimmen gilt. Im Sinne einer Bündelung der Kräfte sollten formelle Steuerungsinstrumente durch informelle Handlungsansätze ergänzt werden. Durch die Einbindung eines breiten Akteursnetzwerkes, die Vermittlung von gesamtstrategischen Zusammenhängen und kooperativen, projektbezogenen Handlungsweisen können Bewusstsein und Akzeptanz geschaffen werden. Informelle Instrumente tragen so zur Umsetzungsunterstützung formeller Instrumente bei. Der Beitrag zeigt modellhaft am Beispiel der oberbayerischen Planungsregion Oberland auf, wie dazu die Integration der Instrumente - konkret von Regionalplanung und Regionalmanagement - im Rahmen eines regionalen Energiekonzepts funktionieren könnte. Dazu ist eine Neubewertung der bestehenden landesplanerischen Instrumente erforderlich: sie müssen konsequent und aufeinander abgestimmt umgesetzt werden." (Autorenreferat)"Each single region faces its own challenging task when taking suitable measures for climate protection. The production of renewable energy in particular leads to various spatial requirements and results in competitive forms of utilisation. While aiming towards an optimal bundling of resources, formal control instruments should be complemented with informal action measures. Establishing a broad network among the key players shall lead to a raised public awareness and acceptance while creating a general understanding of overall strategic context and of proposed project activities. Thus, informal instruments will contribute to the implementation of formal instruments. This paper shows by the example of the Bavarian Planning Region Oberland on how the integration of such instruments can effectively function within the framework of a regional energy concept. A new interpretation of the existing instruments is necessary: they must be implemented strictly and in a coordinated way." (author's abstract

Patella alta and patellar subluxation might lead to early failure with inlay patello-femoral joint arthroplasty.

PURPOSE: With the growing interest in resurfacing procedures, several new implants have been recently introduced for isolated patello-femoral joint arthroplasty (PFA). However, not much data are available for these new techniques or about the right indications for each type of implant. METHODS: Out of a retrospective cohort of 20 inlay PFA, 11 PFA with an elevated Insall-Salvati index and an increased patello-femoral congruence angle showed an initial satisfactory result, but presented thereafter with recurrent pain and "clunk" phenomena. They were all revised after a median time of 25 months (range 8-28 months) into an onlay technique PFA and analyzed for their failure mode and revision technique. RESULTS: Clinical symptoms such as clunking, as well as abraded areas craniolateral of the inlay implant found intraoperatively, were the main observations of this study. The modified Insall-Salvati index (mISI) was significantly higher in the revised knees compared to the unrevised (median 1.8 versus 1.6; p = 0.041). VAS and KSS significantly improved after revision (median VAS reduction in pain of 4.0 points, median KSS improvement of 20.0 points; p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Patients with high-normal patellar height index or patella alta, as well as a craniolateral type of arthritis with additional lateralization, should be considered contra-indicated for an inlay technique PFA. They could be considered for a PFA system reaching further proximal into the distal femur. An onlay PFA can be an option for early revision of failed inlay implants. The clinical relevance of this study is that patella alta and patellar subluxation are more difficult to adjust for with an inlay PFJ component. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV

Progressive cardiac dysfunction in Bethlem myopathy during pregnancy

Bethlem myopathy is a congenital myopathy presenting with muscle weakness and joint abnormalities. Although cardiac involvement is frequent in other inherited myopathies, it has not yet been described in Bethlem myopathy.status: publishe

Frühsommer-Meningoenzephalitis-Virus Nachweis beim Europäischen Igel (Erinaceus europaeus)

European hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) have a high exposure to various ticks, which could transmit pathogens with direct health significance for the host and may have zoonotic potential. Tick-borne meningoencephalitis (FSME) is an important tick-borne disease in Switzerland, caused by the tick-borne encephalitis virus. About its occurrence in the European hedgehog population is little known. The present study examined various organs, blood and ticks of 65 European hedgehogs to obtain data of FSME virus presence in this species in Switzerland. Real-time RT-PCR from the lungs, liver, spleen and kidney of 56 hedgehogs and of 114 infesting ticks (Ixodes hexagonus or Ixodes ricinus) were used for the detection of viral RNA. In addition, 19 blood samples were tested for antibodies against FSME by ELISA. FSME virus antibodies were detected for the first time in the serum of a European hedgehog. Lung and spleen tissue samples of the same animal tested also weak virus positive on RT-PCR. Clinically, the hedgehog showed neurological symptoms, although these symptoms could have originated from an other diseases. No viral RNA was detected in any of the ticks. This study could not confirm if the meningoencephalitis in the hedgehog was triggered by the FSME viral infection. Nevertheless, the simultaneous detection of antibodies and virus RNA in the same animal makes the European hedgehog a competent host of the tick-borne encephalitis virus and leads to the assumption that this species can act as a reservoir

Enhanced discriminative fear learning of phobia-irrelevant stimuli in spider-fearful individuals

Clinical pathologies draw us to envisage disease as either an independent entity or a diverse set of traits governed by common physiopathological mechanisms, prompted by environmental assaults throughout life. Autoimmune diseases are not an exception, given they represent a diverse collection of diseases in terms of their demographic profile and primary clinical manifestations. Although they are pleiotropic outcomes of non-specific disease genes underlying similar immunogenetic mechanisms, research generally focuses on a single disease. Drastic technologic advances are leading research to organize clinical genomic multidisciplinary approaches to decipher the nature of human biological systems. Once the currently costly omic-based technologies become universally accessible, the way will be paved for a cleaner picture to risk quantification, prevention, prognosis and diagnosis, allowing us to clearly define better phenotypes always ensuring the integrity of the individuals studied. However, making accurate predictions for most autoimmune diseases is an ambitious challenge, since the understanding of these pathologies is far from complete. Herein, some pitfalls and challenges of the genetics of autoimmune diseases are reviewed, and an approximation to the future of research in this field is presented.This work was supported by Universidad del Rosario and Colciencias (122254531722), Bogota, Colombia

Lipodystrophy Increases the Risk of CKD Development in HIV-Positive Patients in Switzerland: The LIPOKID Study

Introduction Antiretroviral therapy has improved the life expectancy of patients living with HIV. However, lipodystrophy syndrome (LD) remains prevalent, affecting mostly patients treated with first-generation antiretroviral drugs. This syndrome is characterized by changes in body fat distribution with or without associated metabolic changes. Here, we studied whether clinically evaluated LD is independently associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD) development (sustained estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR] 60 ml/min per 1.73 m upon their entry into the cohort with more than 3 months of follow-up from January 2002 to August 2016. Cox regression models were used to estimate the association between LD and CKD development. Results Among the 5384 patients included, 1341 (24.9%) developed LD during the follow-up. The mean follow-up time was 72.3 months (SD ±48.4). In total, 252 patients (4.7%) reached the primary endpoint after a median time of 51.3 months (±SD 39.9 months) from inclusion. A diagnosis of LD significantly increased the risk of an eGFR on univariate analysis (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.72; 95% confidence interval [95% CI] = 2.07-3.58; < 0.001) and remained significantly higher after adjustment for known HIV and non-HIV risk factors for CKD (HR = 2.37; 95% CI = 1.67-3.36; < 0.001). The effect of LD on CKD was not mediated through the use of nephrotoxic antiretroviral drugs. Conclusion Lipodystrophy syndrome is independently associated with CKD after adjustment for previously reported risk factors

1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 Treatment Delays Cellular Aging in Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells while Maintaining Their Multipotent Capacity

<div><p>1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25D3) was reported to induce premature organismal aging in <em>fibroblast growth factor-23</em> (<em>Fgf23</em>) and <em>klotho</em> deficient mice, which is of main interest as 1,25D3 supplementation of its precursor cholecalciferol is used in basic osteoporosis treatment. We wanted to know if 1,25D3 is able to modulate aging processes on a cellular level in human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSC). Effects of 100 nM 1,25D3 on hMSC were analyzed by cell proliferation and apoptosis assay, β-galactosidase staining, VDR and surface marker immunocytochemistry, RT-PCR of 1,25D3-responsive, quiescence- and replicative senescence-associated genes. 1,25D3 treatment significantly inhibited hMSC proliferation and apoptosis after 72 h and delayed the development of replicative senescence in long-term cultures according to β-galactosidase staining and <em>P16</em> expression. Cell morphology changed from a fibroblast like appearance to broad and rounded shapes. Long term treatment did not induce lineage commitment in terms of osteogenic pathways but maintained their clonogenic capacity, their surface marker characteristics (expression of CD73, CD90, CD105) and their multipotency to develop towards the chondrogenic, adipogenic and osteogenic pathways. In conclusion, 1,25D3 delays replicative senescence in primary hMSC while the pro-aging effects seen in mouse models might mainly be due to elevated systemic phosphate levels, which propagate organismal aging.</p> </div