Friedrich Schiller University Jena

Electronic alert systems (e-alerts) based on blood creatinine changes are used to detect acute kidney injury (AKI) in hospitalized patients. While most e-alerts follow the KDIGO (Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes) definition for AKI, the Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine (ADLM, formerly AACC) has proposed alternative AACC criteria. This study directly compares e-alerts using both AKI definitions in relation to in-hospital outcomes. E-alerts based on KDIGO and AACC criteria were retrospectively assessed over 1 year in hospitalized patients at a tertiary care hospital. Adverse outcomes included in-hospital death, initiation of dialysis, and renal function decline at hospital discharge according to acute kidney disease criteria. Among 14 719 patients, 1304 had adverse outcomes. KDIGO-based e-alerts were fired in 2598 patients of whom 2554 also met AACC criteria, 1138 were detected by AACC-based e-alert alone. AACC-based alerts were more sensitive (81.4% vs 74.0%) but less specific (80.4% vs 87.8%) for the composite adverse outcome. KDIGO but not AACC-based e-alerts showed reduced sensitivity in female patients and patients without chronic kidney disease. AACC-based alerts triggered earlier than KDIGO-based e-alerts in 22% of dual-alert cases. This subgroup had a higher rate of adverse outcomes (42.7%) than those with e-alerts firing simultaneously (35.1%). AACC-based e-alerts improve early AKI detection and reduce bias, potentially enhancing risk stratification. However, they also increase alert burden. These findings provide a basis for future prospective comparative studies.

The early Permian was a key interval for the evolution of terrestrial ecosystems and tetrapods. One such ecosystem is preserved in the Bromacker lagerstätte (~294 Ma) of the Tambach Formation in the Thuringian Forest, central Germany. The depositional environments, climate, and tectonic evolution of the Tambach Formation have remained debated due to limited exposure and the absence of complete borehole data. We integrate new sedimentological observations from outcrops and two research boreholes drilled in 2022–2023 adjacent to the fossil site. Redbed lithofacies represent fluvial and alluvial architectural elements throughout the section, subdivided into four members. The Bielstein-Konglomerat overlies a slight angular unconformity above older sedimentary units in the west and fills paleovalleys within a rhyolitic complex in the east, comprising conglomeratic braidplain deposits interfingering northward with floodplain facies. The overlying Tambach-Sandstein consists of channelised sandstones of a braided channel belt in the south that grade into an episodically flooded floodplain towards the north. This fining-upward succession is terminated by the Bromacker-Sandstein, which contains metamorphic and granitic gravel derived from uplifted elements of the Mid-German Crystalline High. Shale-lined reactivation surfaces in channel sandstones indicate ephemerality within the fluvial system of the Bromacker-Sandstein which hosts the Bromacker lagerstätte in associated floodplain deposits. The Finsterbergen-Konglomerat records subsequent progradation of ephemeral distributary systems from the northwest. The Bielstein-Konglomerat and Tambach-Sandstein formed under stable tectonic and climatic conditions with perennial streams, whereas the Bromacker-Sandstein and Finsterbergen-Konglomerat record increasing aridity, seasonality, and periodic desiccation, imposing adaptive stress on the ecosystem. • Facies analysis of the Tambach Formation, hosting the Early Permian Bromacker Lagerstätte. • 3D facies distribution within the Tambach Basin derived from outcrops and new drillcores. • Aridification trend and tectonic relief building recognized within the late Asselian Tambach Formation.

Soil biodiversity and functioning are the foundation of ecosystem sustainability, but we do not know whether current nature conservation areas are efficiently protecting soils. Here, we investigated the contribution of terrestrial nature conservation areas to protect soil biodiversity and functioning across scales. We found no general positive effect on diversity of bacteria, fungi, protists, invertebrates, and nematodes, captured as richness, Shannon diversity and dissimilarity, and 5 soil functions (pathogen control, nutrient provision, soil carbon, soil organic matter decomposition, and soil aggregate stability). Our findings suggest that nature conservation areas show an inconsistent role in protecting soil biodiversity and functioning, as we found mostly non-significant and otherwise mixed effects across scales. Despite few positive and negative effects of protection status, our work highlights the urgent need to directly target soils in nature conservation.

The aim of this study was to investigate the dynamic biodistribution of [68Ga]Ga-TEoS-DAZA, a functional liver PET tracer, in 2 preclinical models (ostrich embryos and mice) and in a healthy human liver donor to identify similarities and differences among the 3 species, which are relevant in translational nuclear medicine. Furthermore, the molecular pathway and metabolism of [68Ga]Ga-TEoS-DAZA was investigated. Methods: The dynamic biodistribution of [68Ga]Ga-TEoS-DAZA was determined via PET/CT in ostrich embryos, in healthy mice (C57BL/6), and in a healthy human liver donor. Hepatocyte transporter binding studies were performed in transfected HEK293t cells. Metabolite analysis was performed in samples from ostrich embryos and a healthy liver donor. Blocking studies against cyclosporine A were performed in ostrich embryos. Results: The biodistribution of [68Ga]Ga-TEoS-DAZA was comparable in ostrich embryos, healthy mice (C57BL/6), and the healthy donor. In all 3 species, the tracer showed specific uptake in liver tissue (30-40 %IA at time of peak) and subsequent biliary excretion, whereas less than 5 %IA activity was excreted renally. The hepatic transit time in mice was significantly faster than in ostrich embryos and human, with mice exhibiting a much shorter time-to-peak (1.7 min) than the other 2 species (15-21 min) and rapid clearance of the tracer from the liver into the intestines. [68Ga]Ga-TEoS-DAZA is a substrate for OATP1B3, with tracer uptake into the liver being hampered in the presence of cyclosporine A. Tissue samples revealed an as yet unknown radiometabolite of [68Ga]Ga-TEoS-DAZA, indicating hepatic metabolism. Conclusion: [68Ga]Ga-TEoS-DAZA was shown to be a suitable hepatobiliary tracer using both mice and ostrich embryos as preclinical models; however, there were limits in translatability in both models because of a distinctly faster hepatic uptake and biliary excretion (mice) or a slower biliary excretion (ostrich embryo) compared with that in the human.

Eco-anxiety refers to psychological distress arising from the anticipated impacts of planetary crises. Even though young people are at major risk for both psychopathology and the long-term consequences of planetary crises, no psychometrically validated German instrument currently exists to assess eco-anxiety in this age group, and research on age differences in eco-anxiety remains limited. The present study aimed to replicate the psychometric properties of the German validation study of the Hogg Eco-Anxiety Scale (HEAS) in a younger age group (N = 414; Mage = 20.24, SDage = 2.80, age range: 15-25) as well as the four-factor structure (Affective Symptoms, Rumination, Behavioral Symptoms, and Anxiety about Personal Impact). By combining the present sample with two additional samples, measurement invariance across two age groups (15-25 years vs. >25 years) was established, suggesting that the HEAS measures eco-anxiety similarly across ages. All hypotheses were confirmed; additionally, latent mean comparisons show that the younger group experiences higher levels of eco-anxiety than the older group. Exploratory analyses further found that participants demonstrating elevated symptoms of depression or anxiety reported significantly higher levels of eco-anxiety across all HEAS subscales. Moreover, individuals residing in metropolitan areas scored higher on the scale Anxiety about the Personal Impact compared to participants from rural regions. Enhancing the precision of eco-anxiety assessment depending on age, clinical status, and geographical contexts enables the targeted development and implementation of preventive and therapeutic interventions according to the level of severity indicated by this instrument.

Abstract The ability to detect host cell factors during Staphylococcus aureus infection in vitro by immunofluorescence microscopy is severely hampered by staphylococcal protein A (SpA), a cell wall-anchored protein that binds the fragment crystallizable (Fc) region of immunoglobulins. This interaction generates strong nonspecific fluorescent signals on the bacterial surface, complicating data interpretation and limiting the accuracy of quantitative image analysis. Several measures have been put forward to overcome this obstacle, most importantly the pre-incubation with an anti-SpA antibody (αSpA) and the use of human serum (HS) as blocking agent and antibody diluent. To highlight this feature to general fluorescence microscopy users, we here systematically evaluated these two strategies. Using S. aureus coated on coverslips and S. aureus -infected A549 cells, we highlight the efficiencies of both approaches to markedly reduce nonspecific fluorescence, with HS treatment yielding the most profound suppression. Notably, HS, containing high levels of human immunoglobulins, offered a robust, cost-effective and broadly applicable solution for minimizing SpA-driven artifacts, thereby improving immunofluorescence microscopy in S. aureus infection models in vitro .

Interlayer engineering is widely used to improve charge storage in layered transition metal dichalcogenides, yet most studies rely on nanosized materials where the effects of interlayer expansion and particle downsizing are intertwined. Here, molecular pillaring is translated to bulk molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) using a top-down strategy. Chemical pre-reduction with butyllithium enables exfoliation and restacking in the presence of hexanediammonium (HDA) molecules, forming a pillared MoS2-HDA structure with an expanded interlayer spacing of 0.98 nm while preserving the bulk particle morphology and specific surface area. Electrochemical analysis reveals that improved rate capability primarily originates from the chemical activation associated with the pre-reduction step rather than from interlayer expansion itself. Operando X-ray diffraction and electrochemical dilatometry show that bulk MoS2 undergoes solvent co-intercalation in diglyme electrolyte, leading to pronounced lattice expansion and electrode swelling. In contrast, pillared MoS2-HDA suppresses solvent cointercalation despite its larger interlayer spacing, demonstrating that interlayer expansion alone does not dictate solvent co-intercalation in layered electrodes.

We study a class of dynamical systems generated by random substitutions, which contains both intrinsically ergodic systems and instances with several measures of maximal entropy. In this class, we show that the measures of maximal entropy are classified by invariance under an appropriate symmetry relation. All measures of maximal entropy are fully supported and they are generally not Gibbs measures. We prove that there is a unique measure of maximal entropy if and only if an associated Markov chain is ergodic in inverse time. This Markov chain has finitely many states and all transition matrices are explicitly computable. Thereby, we obtain several sufficient conditions for intrinsic ergodicity that are easy to verify. A practical way to compute the topological entropy in terms of inflation words is extended from previous work to a more general geometric setting.