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Morning urinary calcium/creatinine ratio as a sex-specific screening tool for detecting hypercalciuria in hypoparathyroidism
No full textBackground
Hypercalciuria is a relevant complication in patients with treated hypoparathyroidism. While hypercalciuria is usually estimated by 24-hour urinary calcium excretion (24hUCa), the calcium/creatinine ratio (CaCrR) of a morning urine sample is more often used in pediatric endocrinology due to feasibility. This study aims to compare these two approaches in adult patients with hypoparathyroidism.
Methods
In a cohort of 184 systematically evaluated patients with primary hypoparathyroidism (93 % postoperative, 73 % female), the 24hUCa was compared with the CaCrR of a morning spot urine at home. All patients were evaluated at two University hospitals.
Results
60 % of patients met the sex-specific targets of 24hUCa (<6.25 mmol/d for female, < 7.50 mmol/d for men). CaCrR of spot urine correlated significantly with 24hUCa (r = 0.59, p < 0.001). Despite no significant differences between sexes in serum calcium and 24hUCa, females showed significantly higher CaCrRs than men (0.41 vs. 0.29; p = 0.005) due to lower creatinine levels (p < 0.001). ROC-analysis revealed that a CaCrR cutoff of 0.31 mmol/mmol correctly identified hypercalciuria in men with a sensitivity of 83.3 % and a specificity of 82.1 % (AUROC 0.87, PPV=0.75, NPV=0.89). In females, a cutoff of 0.25 mmol/mmol showed high sensitivity (83.3 %), but low specificity (64.6 %) for detecting hypercalciuria (NPV=0.88, PPV=0.57).
Conclusion
We propose a CaCrR cut-off of 0.31 mmol/mmol as surrogate for hypercalciuria in male patients. For female patients, the CaCrR does not reliably distinguish between patients with and without hypercalciuria, but a cut-off of 0.25 mmol/mmol can be used as screening tool for performing a 24-hour urinary sampling
Meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies of food allergy and IgE-sensitization
No full textBackground: Food allergies (FA) arise from a complex interplay between an individual's genetic predisposition and environmental factors and their prevalence is increasing. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to date have been hindered by small sample sizes and varying FA definitions.
Objective: Identify novel food allergy risk loci by conducting a GWAS meta-analysis in children and adults using a multi-phenotype approach to ensure the trade-off between sufficient sample size and valid FA definitions.
Methods: Analyses were conducted separately in children and adults based on the following FA phenotypes: self-report, doctors-diagnosis, food-specific sensitization, and doctors-diagnosis plus food-specific sensitization. GWAS from up to 16 cohorts of European ancestry including 229,426 adults and 14,234 children were meta-analyzed. Models were adjusted for sex, age, principal components, and if applicable, further study-specific confounders. Sensitivity models were additionally adjusted for hay fever. Replication was conducted in additional external cohorts and a validation in oral food challenge-defined FA cases.
Results: 37 SNPs met suggestive significance (p-value < 1x10-6), with two reaching genome-wide significance: rs116936231 (FGL1) in adult doctors-diagnosed FA plus food-specific sensitization phenotype (stable after additional hay fever adjustment) and rs8022829 (AKAP6-NPAS3) which was significant only in the hay fever-adjusted model in adults. However, neither variant was validated. Further, we identified three SNPs previously reported for FA and atopic diseases.
Conclusion: This study identified 37 SNPs suggestively associated with FA and demonstrated genetic differences across phenotypes. It highlights the need for a unified FA definition and sheds light on its shared genetic architecture with allergies
Curriculare universitäre Lehre in der Gefäßchirurgie: aktuelle Entwicklungen und Update: wo stehen wir?
No full textLand suitability analysis for sustainable cultivation of apple (Malus domestica) using integrated geospatial and multi-criteria modelling in Southwestern Ethiopia
No full textApple cultivation represents a sustainable livelihood strategy that enhances farmers’ income while contributing to environmental conservation. Apple production is highly constrained by winter chilling requirements, which are strongly influenced by altitude and local climate. This study assessed the spatial distribution of land suitability for apple cultivation in the study area using geospatial modeling techniques. Climatic, topographic, and environmental variables were integrated using GIS-based multi-criteria analysis to identify suitable zones for apple production. The results obtained from the evaluation of the suitability of the land for growing apple (Malus domestica) showed large variability in space. While 1.6% (112.5 km 2 ) and 35.2% (2423.8 km 2 ) were recorded as highly and moderately suitable areas respectively, 57.3% (3954.4 km 2 ) ranked as marginally suitable. The remaining 5.9% (404.9 km 2 ) is unsuitable because of factors consisting of high temperature, low chill intensity in winter, and soil characteristics. The highly suitable regions were largely dominated by Dabo Hana, Diga, and Bedele Zuriya in the mid and northwestern parts of the region, and the marginally suitable and unsuitable regions were largely dominated by Boricha and Gechi in the southern and Eastern districts, respectively. This indicates that apple production potential in the region is still limited and dependent on management interventions. Furthermore, the dominance of marginal suitability in the region shows that if apple production is extended without consideration of suitability, it may result in less productivity and climate risk. Thus, it is recommended to focus on apple production in highly suitable, moderately suitable, and marginal areas of the region, adopting climate-smart approaches like supplemental irrigation, fertilizer application, and the introduction of new apple varieties of low chill and heat française
Professionalisierung der Lehrkräftebildung durch Hybrid-Flexible-Lehre? Simulationsbasiertes Lernen mit Videos in hybriden Räumen
No full textHerr, hilf mir! – Ist Nicht-Mögliches möglich? Mit Tobias Krejtschis Illustration "Jesus hilft Petrus" zu Mt 14,22-33 im Unterricht einer neunten Jahrgangsstufe eines Sonderpädagogischen Förderzentrums
No full text
The 2026 guided acoustic waves roadmap
No full textGuided elastic waves are a truly cross-disciplinary key enabling technology. For more than five decades, surface acoustic wave (SAW) and bulk acoustic wave devices find widespread applications. Nowadays, different types of guided elastic waves cover the wide spectrum of applications spanning from quantum technologies to the life sciences, from controlling single excitations to macroscopic collective states in condensed matter. Six years after the first 2019 SAW roadmap, we believe it is time to make a step back and take a fresh look at the status of the field and its future challenges. Since the first roadmap in 2019, the spectrum clearly expanded and this new edition presents a current snapshot of the status of this vibrant field and prospects for potential future developments
NH3 synthesis in a dielectric barrier discharge reactor: a study from atmospheric to low pressure
No full textN2 -H2 discharges are systematically studied using a coaxial dielectric barrier discharge reactor for ammonia synthesis by means of mass spectrometry, electrical characterization and high-resolution emission spectroscopy. The influence of packing is investigated by accommodating chemically inert SiO beads in the discharge volume from 920 to 13 mbar. Above 275 mbar, the discharge is dominated by filaments associated with intense microdischarges, whereas at lower pressures, the plasma becomes diffuse and occupies a large volume. In presence of packing, the intensity of the microdischarges at 920 mbar are strongly suppressed, while the electrical and emission properties of the diffuse plasma remain largely unaffected. The absence of intense microdischarges in the diffuse mode at low pressures eliminates important NH dissociation channels. Decreasing the pressure below 100 mbar leads to a significant increase in [NH ] with SiO beads. This is attributed to both an increase of E / n , which favours H and N dissociation, and consequently to an increase in plasma-surface reactions involving H and N towards ammonia formation. Investigations at 50 mbar reveal that introducing SiO beads in contact with the plasma has a more limited impact on [NH ] than at 920 mbar. The emission spectra are dominated by the second positive system of N , first negative system of N , and H , with no evidence of excited NH . The rotational temperature of N (C) is mostly affected by [N ] in [H ] in the empty reactor at 920 mbar, reaching about 808 K at 75 vol.% N . With packing or at 50 mbar the rotational temperature remains at K. For all tested conditions, the vibrational temperatures of N (C) lie in the range of