Rapid-prototyping of microscopic thermal landscapes in micro-focused Brillouin light scattering spectroscopy

Since temperature and its spatial and temporal variations affect a wide range of physical properties of material systems, they can be used to create reconfigurable spatial structures of various types in physical and biological objects. This paper presents an experimental optical setup for creating tunable two-dimensional temperature patterns on a micrometer scale. As an example of its practical application, we have produced temperature-induced magnetization landscapes in ferrimagnetic yttrium iron garnet films and investigated them using micro-focused Brillouin light scattering spectroscopy. It is shown that, due to the temperature dependence of the magnon spectrum, temperature changes can be visualized even for microscale thermal patterns.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Genetic Diagnostics Contribute to the Risk Stratification for Major Arrhythmic Events in Pediatric Patients with Long QT Syndrome Type 1–3

Long QT syndrome (LQTS) is an inherited arrhythmic disorder associated with sudden cardiac death (SCD). This study aimed to identify the clinical and molecular genetic risk factors that contribute to major arrhythmic events (MAEs) in patients with genetically confirmed childhood onset LQTS 1–3. This study was a retrospective double-center study. An MAE was defined as the occurrence of SCD, aborted SCD, appropriate implantable cardioverter defibrillator discharge, or sustained ventricular tachycardia. During a median follow-up of 4.6 years (range 0.1–24.3 years), MAEs occurred in 18 (17.8%) of 101 patients diagnosed with LQTS at a median of 7.7 years (range 0.0–18.0 years) despite the use of beta-blockers in 91.6% of patients at the last follow-up. A multivariate analysis identified a genetic diagnosis of LQTS2 and LQTS3 and variants within the KCNH2 S5-loop-S6 pore region as independent risk factors for MAEs, independent of the QTc value or a history of syncope detected from a univariate analysis. MAEs occur frequently in childhood onset LQTS despite beta-blocker treatment. A detailed molecular genetic diagnosis can contribute to the arrhythmia risk stratification and optimize the use of preventive measures in this vulnerable patient populatio

Another Day, Another Dollar General: The Architectural, Environmental, and Economic Impacts of Dollar Stores

In 2022, one in three new retail openings in America is a dollar store. Dollar General Corporation, the country’s largest “small-box” retailer, owns and operates the majority of these stores, with nearly 18,000 locations nationwide. By strategically expanding into sites where Walmart and other “big-box” grocers won’t, Dollar General justifies their aggressive expansion as providing at least one food and retail option in areas considered to be food deserts. This significant retail shift is one of the outcomes of – and in turn, a cause of - the well-told story of American food culture where at least 70% of the food Americans eat is processed and manufactured, rather than consumed fresh. Dollar General’s impact on the American landscape, society, and culture is profound and growing exponentially into issues of land use, food culture, economic health, agricultural practices, and supply infrastructures, as well as exacerbating divides among Americans along lines of race, class, religion, politics, and geography. As the dollar-store empire continues its expansion in both rural and urban communities, “small-box” stores are becoming increasingly critical to the function of daily life. Nevertheless, this building typology and the larger ecosystems it operates within are under-explored in architectural discourse. The research seeks to uncover the covert and overt relationships between Dollar General and the communities it serves locally and globally, looking at production processes, marketing strategies, real estate tactics, and fresh food distribution. The research is working to position Dollar General in a more proactive role in terms of how it might work to mitigate its own contributions to catastrophic climate change. By inventorying DG’s products – many of which satisfy basic human needs – the goal is to facilitate a relationship between Dollar General and local community non-profits who collect and distribute essential goods in the aftermath of climate-related disasters

Influencing Factors on Aesthetics: Highly Controlled Study Based on Eye Movement and the Forensic Aspects in Computer-Based Assessment of Visual Appeal in Upper Front Teeth

First impressions are formed by the external appearance and, in this respect, essentially by an examination of the face. In the literature, the teeth, especially the maxillary front, are among an eye-catching and sensitive area that plays a significant role in the overall evaluation of appearance. In this study, the first eye fixation of 60 subjects with different levels of dental training (layperson, trained layperson, dental student, and dentist) is recorded using an eye-tracking system, and their subsequent evaluation of the images is recorded. Ten unedited original photographs of different maxillary anterior teeth and ten subsequently edited photographs will be used to evaluate forensic aspects such as the effect of symmetry and color on the overall evaluation. The results will be used to determine which areas of the maxillary anterior are demonstrably viewed and whether knowledge of dental esthetics influences evaluation and viewing

Genetic Diagnostics Contribute to the Risk Stratification for Major Arrhythmic Events in Pediatric Patients with Long QT Syndrome Type 1–3

Long QT syndrome (LQTS) is an inherited arrhythmic disorder associated with sudden cardiac death (SCD). This study aimed to identify the clinical and molecular genetic risk factors that contribute to major arrhythmic events (MAEs) in patients with genetically confirmed childhood onset LQTS 1–3. This study was a retrospective double-center study. An MAE was defined as the occurrence of SCD, aborted SCD, appropriate implantable cardioverter defibrillator discharge, or sustained ventricular tachycardia. During a median follow-up of 4.6 years (range 0.1–24.3 years), MAEs occurred in 18 (17.8%) of 101 patients diagnosed with LQTS at a median of 7.7 years (range 0.0–18.0 years) despite the use of beta-blockers in 91.6% of patients at the last follow-up. A multivariate analysis identified a genetic diagnosis of LQTS2 and LQTS3 and variants within the KCNH2 S5-loop-S6 pore region as independent risk factors for MAEs, independent of the QTc value or a history of syncope detected from a univariate analysis. MAEs occur frequently in childhood onset LQTS despite beta-blocker treatment. A detailed molecular genetic diagnosis can contribute to the arrhythmia risk stratification and optimize the use of preventive measures in this vulnerable patient populatio

Genetic Diagnostics Contribute to the Risk Stratification for Major Arrhythmic Events in Pediatric Patients with Long QT Syndrome Type 1–3

Long QT syndrome (LQTS) is an inherited arrhythmic disorder associated with sudden cardiac death (SCD). This study aimed to identify the clinical and molecular genetic risk factors that contribute to major arrhythmic events (MAEs) in patients with genetically confirmed childhood onset LQTS 1–3. This study was a retrospective double-center study. An MAE was defined as the occurrence of SCD, aborted SCD, appropriate implantable cardioverter defibrillator discharge, or sustained ventricular tachycardia. During a median follow-up of 4.6 years (range 0.1–24.3 years), MAEs occurred in 18 (17.8%) of 101 patients diagnosed with LQTS at a median of 7.7 years (range 0.0–18.0 years) despite the use of beta-blockers in 91.6% of patients at the last follow-up. A multivariate analysis identified a genetic diagnosis of LQTS2 and LQTS3 and variants within the KCNH2 S5-loop-S6 pore region as independent risk factors for MAEs, independent of the QTc value or a history of syncope detected from a univariate analysis. MAEs occur frequently in childhood onset LQTS despite beta-blocker treatment. A detailed molecular genetic diagnosis can contribute to the arrhythmia risk stratification and optimize the use of preventive measures in this vulnerable patient population

Genetic Diagnostics Contribute to the Risk Stratification for Major Arrhythmic Events in Pediatric Patients with Long QT Syndrome Type 1–3

Long QT syndrome (LQTS) is an inherited arrhythmic disorder associated with sudden cardiac death (SCD). This study aimed to identify the clinical and molecular genetic risk factors that contribute to major arrhythmic events (MAEs) in patients with genetically confirmed childhood onset LQTS 1–3. This study was a retrospective double-center study. An MAE was defined as the occurrence of SCD, aborted SCD, appropriate implantable cardioverter defibrillator discharge, or sustained ventricular tachycardia. During a median follow-up of 4.6 years (range 0.1–24.3 years), MAEs occurred in 18 (17.8%) of 101 patients diagnosed with LQTS at a median of 7.7 years (range 0.0–18.0 years) despite the use of beta-blockers in 91.6% of patients at the last follow-up. A multivariate analysis identified a genetic diagnosis of LQTS2 and LQTS3 and variants within the KCNH2 S5-loop-S6 pore region as independent risk factors for MAEs, independent of the QTc value or a history of syncope detected from a univariate analysis. MAEs occur frequently in childhood onset LQTS despite beta-blocker treatment. A detailed molecular genetic diagnosis can contribute to the arrhythmia risk stratification and optimize the use of preventive measures in this vulnerable patient population

Genetic Diagnostics Contribute to the Risk Stratification for Major Arrhythmic Events in Pediatric Patients with Long QT Syndrome Type 1–3

Long QT syndrome (LQTS) is an inherited arrhythmic disorder associated with sudden cardiac death (SCD). This study aimed to identify the clinical and molecular genetic risk factors that contribute to major arrhythmic events (MAEs) in patients with genetically confirmed childhood onset LQTS 1–3. This study was a retrospective double-center study. An MAE was defined as the occurrence of SCD, aborted SCD, appropriate implantable cardioverter defibrillator discharge, or sustained ventricular tachycardia. During a median follow-up of 4.6 years (range 0.1–24.3 years), MAEs occurred in 18 (17.8%) of 101 patients diagnosed with LQTS at a median of 7.7 years (range 0.0–18.0 years) despite the use of beta-blockers in 91.6% of patients at the last follow-up. A multivariate analysis identified a genetic diagnosis of LQTS2 and LQTS3 and variants within the KCNH2 S5-loop-S6 pore region as independent risk factors for MAEs, independent of the QTc value or a history of syncope detected from a univariate analysis. MAEs occur frequently in childhood onset LQTS despite beta-blocker treatment. A detailed molecular genetic diagnosis can contribute to the arrhythmia risk stratification and optimize the use of preventive measures in this vulnerable patient populatio

Prolonged Exposure to Oxaliplatin during HIPEC Improves Effectiveness in a Preclinical Micrometastasis Model

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Absence of survival benefits when adding hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) with oxaliplatin to cytoreductive surgery in peritoneal metastasis from colorectal cancer has recently been shown in the randomized controlled PRODIGE 7 trial. We therefore aimed to investigate the effects of this treatment modality in a preclinical micrometastasis model. Cancer cells were incubated with either patient samples obtained during HIPEC procedures or with defined oxaliplatin-containing solutions prepared according to clinically established HIPEC protocols. Our results demonstrate a limited effectiveness of short-term HIPEC in simulations with oxaliplatin to eliminate micrometastases, although we used platinum-sensitive cell lines for our model. Since these results are in line with findings from current research, our studies might offer further convincing evidence and potential explanations for HIPEC futility observed in clinical application. ABSTRACT: Cytoreductive surgery combined with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) was considered a promising treatment for patients with peritoneal metastasis from colorectal cancer. However, the recently published randomized controlled PRODIGE 7 trial failed to demonstrate survival benefits through the addition of short-term oxaliplatin-based HIPEC. Constituting a complex multifactorial treatment, we investigated HIPEC in a preclinical model concerning the elimination of minimal tumor residues, thereby aiming to better understand the size of effects and respective clinical trial results. Patient samples of peritoneal perfusates obtained during HIPEC treatments and oxaliplatin-containing solutions at clinically relevant dosages, conforming with established HIPEC protocols, were assessed regarding their ability to eliminate modelled ~100 µm thickness cancer cell layers. Impedance-based real-time cell analysis and classical end-point assays were used. Flow cytometry was employed to determine the effect of different HIPEC drug solvents on tumor cell properties. Effectiveness of peritoneal perfusate patient samples and defined oxaliplatin-containing solutions proved limited but reproducible. HIPEC simulations for 30 min reduced the normalized cell index below 50% with peritoneal perfusates from merely 3 out of 9 patients within 72 h, indicating full-thickness cytotoxic effects. Instead, prolonging HIPEC to 1 h enhanced these effects and comprised 7 patients’ samples, while continuous drug exposure invariably resulted in complete cell death. Further, frequently used drug diluents caused approximately 25% cell size reduction within 30 min. Prolonging oxaliplatin exposure improved effectiveness of HIPEC to eliminate micrometastases in our preclinical model. Accordingly, insufficient penetration depth, short exposure time, and the physicochemical impact of drug solvents may constitute critical factors