KraussMaffei (Germany)

Introduction: The systemic HIF-2 alpha inhibitor, belzutifan, has been approved for use in patients with von Hippel-Lindau disease (VHL)-associated renal cell carcinoma, central nervous system (CNS) hemangioblastomas, and pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. This drug has also shown promise in controlling VHL retinal hemangioblastomas (RHs), but little work has been published on the use of the drug in this setting. Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of patients with VHL-associated RHs followed by the retina service at our institution who were treated with systemic belzutifan. Patient age, gender, genotype, presence of systemic tumors, indication for the drug, initial dose, adjusted dose, side effects, and tumor response were recorded. We also conducted a literature search for all manuscripts describing the effect of belzutifan on VHL-associated ocular tumors. Results: We identified 12 eyes of 7 patients with VHL-associated ocular tumors who were treated with belzutifan at our institution. Of these, 5 eyes of 3 patients had progressing ocular tumors when belzutifan was started. Of the 7 total patients, 2 were treated for renal cell carcinoma, 2 for CNS hemangioblastomas, 2 for RHs, and one for pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. Initial dose was 120 mg PO daily in 6 patients and 80 mg PO daily in 1 patient. The dose was reduced in all but 1 patient due to side effects. The ocular tumors were controlled in all patients with an average follow-up of 13 months (range 4–24 months). Literature review identified 7 manuscripts that described belzutifan-mediated control of ocular tumors in patients with VHL-associated RHs in 21 patients. Conclusion: The drug belzutifan shows great promise for controlling RHs and preventing vision loss in patients with VHL. Further work needs to address the optimal dose, role of the drug as a neoadjuvant therapy, and long-term efficacy and tolerability of the drug in a larger cohort of patients with ocular tumors.

The development of exoskeletons requires a long development process that involves multiple stages, including prototyping, testing, and validation. Simulation of exoskeleton behavior can contribute to exoskeleton development and evaluation, e.g., by reducing the number of necessary exoskeleton prototypes and thus accelerating system optimization and evaluation. This paper presents a novel approach to streamline the exoskeleton development process by implementing a physical simulation platform using a collaborative robot (cobot) and Robot Operating System 2 (ROS2). The platform enables real-time haptic feedback and motion support, simulating exoskeleton properties. By using the precision and adaptability of cobots, combined with the modularity and real-time communication of ROS2, the proposed system reduces the need for multiple physical prototypes and extensive testing procedures. Experimental results prove the effectiveness of the platform in simulating shoulder joint movements and forces under various conditions, highlighting its potential to accelerate exoskeleton design cycles. This work contributes to the field by providing a cost-effective, efficient, and reusable framework for exoskeleton physical simulation.

Article Moore, Kathryn / Khan, Hasan-Uddin (Hg.): The Religious Architecture of Islam. Vol. I: Asia and Australia. Turnhout: Brepols 2022. 488 S. m. s/w und farb. Abb. 8°. Hardb. 150,00 €. ISBN 978-2-503-58935-0. was published on September 1, 2023 in the journal Orientalistische Literaturzeitung (volume 118, issue 1).

Causal probabilistic graph-based models have gained widespread utility, enabling the modeling of cause-and-effect relationships across diverse domains. With their rising adoption in new areas, such as automotive system safety and machine learning, the need for an integrated lifecycle framework akin to DevOps and MLOps has emerged. Currently, a process reference for organizations interested in employing causal engineering is missing. To address this gap and foster widespread industrial adoption, we propose CausalOps, a novel lifecycle framework for causal model development and application. By defining key entities, dependencies, and intermediate artifacts generated during causal engineering, we establish a consistent vocabulary and workflow model. This work contextualizes causal model usage across different stages and stakeholders, outlining a holistic view of creating and maintaining them. CausalOps' aim is to drive the adoption of causal methods in practical applications within interested organizations and the causality community.

Uveal melanoma (UM) metastasises in ˜50% of patients, most frequently to the liver. Surveillance imaging can provide early detection of hepatic metastases; however, guidance regarding UM patient risk stratification for surveillance is unclear. This study compared sensitivity and specificity of four current prognostic systems, when used for risk stratification for surveillance, on patients treated at the Liverpool Ocular Oncology Centre (LOOC) between 2007–2016 (n = 1047). It found that the Liverpool Uveal Melanoma Prognosticator Online III (LUMPOIII) or Liverpool Parsimonious Model (LPM) offered greater specificity at equal levels of sensitivity than the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) system or monosomy 3 alone, and suggests guidance to achieve 95% sensitivity and 51% specificity (i.e., how to detect the same number of patients with metastases, while reducing the number of negative scans). For example, 180 scans could be safely avoided over 5 years in 200 patients using the most specific approach. LUMPOIII also offered high sensitivity and improved specificity over the AJCC in the absence of genetic information, making the result relevant to centres that do not perform genetic testing, or where such testing is inappropriate or fails. This study provides valuable information for clinical guidelines for risk stratification for surveillance in UM.

This paper investigates the future development of the Austrian population for the periodfrom 2005 to 2035. The main focus of our investigation lies on the working age populationand its age structure. Our calculations are based on the population projection released byStatistik Austria in 2005. We present three different scenarios with respect to age specificlabour force participation rates and discuss their impact on the Austrian labour force. Weshow that both the main variant and the low migration variant of the population projectionallow for an annual increase in the total size of labour force of 0.3% until the end of ourobservation period by applying labour force participation rates which are already put intopractice in the Nordic countries. An increase in labour force participation rates does notonly help to maintain an increase in the labour force but also leads to a more homogenousage distribution of the labour force.

In a 9-month-old tomcat presented for routine castration, only the right testis was palpable in the scrotum. This tomcat was part of an inbred litter. Unilateral cryptorchism was suspected, but further diagnostic procedures (ultrasound, diagnostic laparotomy) were unsuccessful in identifying a cryptorchid left testicle. Histopathologic evaluation of the resected right testis revealed a normal organ with spermatogenesis. In tissue resected from the subcutaneous tissue of the left inguinal region side during laparotomy, only a small left epididymis with surrounding fatty tissue was identified at the proximal end of the vas deferens. Morphologic controls of the phenotype and the remaining primary sexual characteristics as well as the results of a hCG stimulation test 7 months after the surgery further established the diagnosis of monorchism. Possible causes for monorchism are unilateral testicular agenesis and testicular atrophy because of vascular insults. This case shows that even during routine procedures, like tomcat castration, the general practitioner can encounter rare anomalies like monorchism, which must be differentiated from cryptorchidism by appropriate diagnostic procedures.

Otto Deiters, for whom the lateral vestibular nucleus and the supporting cells of the outer auditory hair cells were named, died in 1863 aged 29. He taught in the Bonn Anatomy Department, had an appointment in the University Clinic, and ran a small private practice. He published articles on the cell theory, the structure and development of muscle fibers, the inner ear, leukaemia, and scarlet fever. He was the second of five surviving children in an academic family whose private correspondence revealed him to be a young man with limited social skills and high ambitions to complete a deeply original study of the brainstem and spinal cord. However, first his father and then his younger brother died, leaving him and his older brother responsible for a suddenly impecunious family as he failed to gain academic promotion. Otto died of typhus two years after his younger brother's death, leaving his greatest scientific achievement to be published posthumously. He showed that most nerve cells have a single axon and several dendrites; he recognized the possibility that nerve cells might be functionally polarized and produced the first illustrations of synaptic inputs to dendrites from what he termed a second system of nerve fibers.

Das Mikrospritzgiesen stellt eine Sonderform der klassischen Spritzgiestechnik dar und erfreut sich in einem wachsenden Markt mit Mikro-Elektro-Mechanischen Systemen (sogenannter MEMS) zunehmenden Interesses und vielfaltiger Anwendungen [1]. Die Besonderheiten der Mikrospritzgiestechnik im Vergleich zum Standardspritzgiesen sind auch im vorangehenden Kapitel (Mikrospritzgiesen) dargelegt. Im Folgenden wird eine neuartige Anlagentechnik fur das Mikrospritzgiesen von Thermoplasten vorgestellt (siehe Figur 30.1), die im Rahmen eines geforderten Projekts am Lehrstuhl fur Medizintechnik an der Technischen Universitat Munchen erarbeitet wurde.