[Plastering-A technique fallen into obscurity]. / Gipsen ­ eine in Vergessenheit geratene Technik.

Immobilization of fractures and dislocations is a basic technique in orthopedic trauma surgery care. The orthopedic surgeon should be familiar with the various materials, techniques and possible complications. Despite other techniques, the classical white plaster cast remains an integral part of orthopedic trauma surgery care. The application of such a cast must be learned as failure to observe the basic principles can result in harm to the patient. In many hospitals, the application of a plaster cast is delegated to the nursing staff according to the physician's instructions. As a result, many young medical colleagues lack the knowledge of how to apply a plaster cast. In addition to the treatment of fractures, immobilization after dislocation, inflammation and ligamentous injuries are some of the areas of application. In this article the application of a plaster cast is described based on a case study, from the indications to the execution and possible complications.

Heterojunction Devices Fabricated from Sprayed n-Type Ga2O3, Combined with Sputtered p-Type NiO and Cu2O.

This work reports on the properties of heterojunctions consisting of n-type Ga2O3 layers, deposited using ultrasonic spray pyrolysis at high temperature from water-based solution, combined with p-type NiO and Cu2O counterparts, deposited by radio frequency and reactive, direct-current magnetron sputtering, respectively. After a comprehensive investigation of the properties of the single layers, the fabricated junctions on indium tin oxide (ITO)-coated glass showed high rectification, with an open circuit voltage of 940 mV for Ga2O3/Cu2O and 220 mV for Ga2O3/NiO under simulated solar illumination. This demonstrates in praxis the favorable band alignment between the sprayed Ga2O3 and Cu2O, with small conduction band offset, and the large offsets anticipated for both energy bands in the case of Ga2O3/NiO. Large differences in the ideality factors between the two types of heterojunctions were observed, suggestive of distinctive properties of the heterointerface. Further, it is shown that the interface between the high-temperature-deposited Ga2O3 and the ITO contact does not impede electron transport, opening new possibilities for the design of solar cell and optoelectronic device architectures.

Advances in the clinical use of metaproteomics.

INTRODUCTION: Investigating the taxonomic and functional composition of human microbiomes can aid in the understanding of disease etiologies, diagnosis, and therapy monitoring for several diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease or obesity. One method for microbiome monitoring is metaproteomics, which assesses human and microbial proteins and thus enables the study of host-microbiome interactions. This advantage led to increased interest in metaproteome analyses and significant developments to introduce this method into a clinical context. AREAS COVERED: This review summarizes the recent progress from a technical side and an application-related point of view. EXPERT OPINION: Numerous publications imply the massive potential of metaproteomics to impact human health care. However, the key challenges of standardization and validation of experimental and bioinformatic workflows and accurate quantification methods must be overcome.

Structural characterisation of methanogen pseudomurein cell wall peptide ligases homologous to bacterial MurE/F murein peptide ligases.

Archaea have diverse cell wall types, yet none are identical to bacterial peptidoglycan (murein). Methanogens Methanobacteria and Methanopyrus possess cell walls of pseudomurein, a structural analogue of murein. Pseudomurein differs from murein in containing the unique archaeal sugar N-acetyltalosaminuronic acid instead of N-acetylmuramic acid, ß-1,3 glycosidic bonds in place of ß-1,4 bonds and only l-amino acids in the peptide cross-links. We have determined crystal structures of methanogen pseudomurein peptide ligases (termed pMurE) from Methanothermus fervidus (Mfer762) and Methanothermobacter thermautotrophicus (Mth734) that are structurally most closely related to bacterial MurE peptide ligases. The homology of the archaeal pMurE and bacterial MurE enzymes is clear both in the overall structure and at the level of each of the three domains. In addition, we identified two UDP-binding sites in Mfer762 pMurE, one at the exterior surface of the interface of the N-terminal and middle domains, and a second site at an inner surface continuous with the highly conserved interface of the three domains. Residues involved in ATP binding in MurE are conserved in pMurE, suggesting that a similar ATP-binding pocket is present at the interface of the middle and the C-terminal domains of pMurE. The presence of pMurE ligases in members of the Methanobacteriales and Methanopyrales, that are structurally related to bacterial MurE ligases, supports the idea that the biosynthetic origins of archaeal pseudomurein and bacterial peptidoglycan cell walls are evolutionarily related.

Discovering Biomarkers for Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis Patients with and without Hepatocellular Carcinoma Using Fecal Metaproteomics.

High-calorie diets lead to hepatic steatosis and to the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which can evolve over many years into the inflammatory form of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), posing a risk for the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Due to diet and liver alteration, the axis between liver and gut is disturbed, resulting in gut microbiome alterations. Consequently, detecting these gut microbiome alterations represents a promising strategy for early NASH and HCC detection. We analyzed medical parameters and the fecal metaproteome of 19 healthy controls, 32 NASH patients, and 29 HCC patients, targeting the discovery of diagnostic biomarkers. Here, NASH and HCC resulted in increased inflammation status and shifts within the composition of the gut microbiome. An increased abundance of kielin/chordin, E3 ubiquitin ligase, and nucleophosmin 1 represented valuable fecal biomarkers, indicating disease-related changes in the liver. Although a single biomarker failed to separate NASH and HCC, machine learning-based classification algorithms provided an 86% accuracy in distinguishing between controls, NASH, and HCC. Fecal metaproteomics enables early detection of NASH and HCC by providing single biomarkers and machine learning-based metaprotein panels.

Critical Assessment of MetaProteome Investigation (CAMPI): a multi-laboratory comparison of established workflows.

Metaproteomics has matured into a powerful tool to assess functional interactions in microbial communities. While many metaproteomic workflows are available, the impact of method choice on results remains unclear. Here, we carry out a community-driven, multi-laboratory comparison in metaproteomics: the critical assessment of metaproteome investigation study (CAMPI). Based on well-established workflows, we evaluate the effect of sample preparation, mass spectrometry, and bioinformatic analysis using two samples: a simplified, laboratory-assembled human intestinal model and a human fecal sample. We observe that variability at the peptide level is predominantly due to sample processing workflows, with a smaller contribution of bioinformatic pipelines. These peptide-level differences largely disappear at the protein group level. While differences are observed for predicted community composition, similar functional profiles are obtained across workflows. CAMPI demonstrates the robustness of present-day metaproteomics research, serves as a template for multi-laboratory studies in metaproteomics, and provides publicly available data sets for benchmarking future developments.

Panchromatic light funneling through the synergy in hexabenzocoronene-(metallo)porphyrin-fullerene assemblies to realize the separation of charges.

Here, we present a novel butadiyne-linked HBC-ethynyl-porphyrin dimer, which exhibits in the ground state strong absorption cross sections throughout the UV and visible ranges of the solar spectrum. In short, a unidirectional flow of excited state energy from the HBC termini to the (metallo)porphyrin focal points enables concentrating light at the latter. Control over excitonic interactions within, for example, the electron-donating porphyrin dimers was realized by complexation of bidentate ligands to set up panchromatic absorption that extends all the way into the near-infrared range. The bidentate binding motif was then exploited to create a supramolecular electron donor-acceptor assembly based on a HBC-ethynyl-porphyrin dimer and an electron accepting bis(aminoalkyl)-substituted fullerene. Of great relevance is the fact that charge separation from the photoexcited HBC-ethynyl-porphyrin dimer to the bis(aminoalkyl)-substituted fullerene is activated not only upon photoexciting the HBCs in the UV as well as the (metallo)porphyrins in the visible but also in the NIR. Implicit is the synergetic interplay of energy and charge transfer in a photosynthetic mimicking manner. The dimer and bis-HBC-ethynyl-porphyrin monomers, which serve as references, were probed by means of steady-state as well as time-resolved optical spectroscopies, including global target analyses of the time-resolved transient absorption data.

Light triggers molecular shuttling in rotaxanes: control over proximity and charge recombination.

We present the synthesis of novel rotaxanes based on mechanically interlocked porphyrins and fullerene and their advanced investigations by means of photophysical measurements. To this end, a fullerene-capped dumbbell-type axle containing a central triazole was threaded through strapped (metallo)porphyrins-either a free-base or a zinc porphyrin. Femtosecond-resolved transient absorption measurements revealed charge-separation between the porphyrin and fullerene upon light excitation. Solvent polarity and solvent coordination effects induced molecular motion of the rotaxanes upon charge separation and enabled, for the first time, subtle control over the charge recombination by enabling and controlling the directionality of shuttling.

Mediating Reductive Charge Shift Reactions in Electron Transport Chains.

We report the synthesis of a full-fledged family of covalent electron donor-acceptor1-acceptor2 conjugates and their charge-transfer characterization by means of advanced photophysical assays. By virtue of variable excited state energies and electron donor strengths, either Zn(II)Porphyrins or Zn(II)Phthalocyanines were linked to different electron-transport chains featuring pairs of electron accepting fullerenes, that is, C60 and C70. In this way, a fine-tuned redox gradient is established to power a unidirectional, long-range charge transport from the excited-state electron donor via a transient C60•- toward C70•-. This strategy helps minimize energy losses in the reductive, short-range charge shift from C60 to C70. At the forefront of our investigations are excited-state dynamics deduced from femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopic measurements and subsequent computational deconvolution of the transient absorption spectra. These provide evidence for cascades of short-range charge-transfer processes, including reductive charge shift reactions between the two electron-accepting fullerenes, and for kinetics that are influenced by the nature and length of the respective spacer. Of key importance is the postulate of a mediating state in the charge-shift reaction at weak electronic couplings. Our results point to an intimate relationship between triplet-triplet energy transfer and charge transfer.

Rigid, Branched Porphyrin Antennas: Control over Cascades of Unidirectional Energy Funneling and Charge Transfer.

Porphyrin arrays consisting of three peripheral Zinc porphyrins (ZnPs) and a central free base porphyrin (H2P)-all rigidly linked to each other-serve as light-harvesting antennas as well as electron donors and are flexibly coupled to an electron-accepting C60 to realize the unidirectional flow of (i) excited-state energy from the ZnPs at the periphery to the H2P, (ii) electrons to C60, and (iii) holes to H2P and, subsequently, to ZnP. Dynamics following photoexcitation are elucidated by time-resolved transient absorption measurements on the femto-, pico-, nano-, and microsecond time scales and are examined by multiwavelength as well as target analyses. Hereby, full control over the charge shift between H2P and ZnP to convert the (ZnP)3-H2P•+-C60•- charge-separated state into (ZnP)3•+-H2P-C60•- charge-separated state is enabled by the solvent polarity: It is deactivated/switched-off in apolar toluene, while in polar benzonitrile it is activated/switched-on. Activating/switching impacts the recovery of the ground state via charge recombination rates, which differ by up to 2 orders of magnitude. All charge-separated states lead to the repopulation of the ground state with dynamics that are placed in the inverted region of the Marcus parabola.

Coordinating Electron Transport Chains to an Electron Donor.

Two electron transport chains (2 and 3) featuring two fullerenes with different electron acceptor strengths have been synthesized, characterized, and coordinated to a light harvesting/electron donating zinc porphyrin. Electrochemical assays corroborate the redox gradients along the designed electron transport chains, and complementary absorption and fluorescence titrations prove the assembly of ZnP-2 and ZnP-3 hybrids.

Overt attention toward oriented objects in free-viewing barn owls.

Visual saliency based on orientation contrast is a perceptual product attributed to the functional organization of the mammalian brain. We examined this visual phenomenon in barn owls by mounting a wireless video microcamera on the owls' heads and confronting them with visual scenes that contained one differently oriented target among similarly oriented distracters. Without being confined by any particular task, the owls looked significantly longer, more often, and earlier at the target, thus exhibiting visual search strategies so far demonstrated in similar conditions only in primates. Given the considerable differences in phylogeny and the structure of visual pathways between owls and humans, these findings suggest that orientation saliency has computational optimality in a wide variety of ecological contexts, and thus constitutes a universal building block for efficient visual information processing in general.