Ruhr University Bochum

The connection between childhood trauma and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is well documented. However, knowledge regarding distinct associations between different subtypes of childhood trauma and both intestinal and extraintestinal symptoms is widely lacking. The current cross-sectional study aimed to elucidate the impact of different types of childhood trauma on IBS symptomatology. In 169 women with moderate to severe IBS and 39 healthy women (HCs), childhood trauma was assessed using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. Gastrointestinal, extraintestinal, and psychological symptoms were evaluated via symptom diaries and questionnaires. The overall prevalence of childhood trauma was significantly higher in women with IBS compared to HCs, with odds ratio (OR) 3.41 (95% CI, 1.35-8.60, p = 0.009) and with the highest rates observed for emotional and sexual abuse. Overall childhood trauma was positively associated with symptom severity (r = 0.305, p = 0.016). Among trauma types, emotional abuse was the strongest predictor of IBS, with a 6-fold increased odds of disorder, OR 6.69 (95% CI, 1.97-22.68, p = 0.002). Women with IBS and a history of emotional abuse reported longer episodes of abdominal pain, more defecation urgency, and higher levels of anxiety and depression. Our findings support the significant role of childhood trauma in IBS pathology and increased symptom burden. They further indicate the specific relevance of emotional abuse influencing not only gastrointestinal symptoms but also extraintestinal and psychological complaints. These findings may help contribute to the identification of a distinct phenotype of IBS patients with a history of traumatic emotional abuse during childhood.

Abstrakt Im Rahmen eines Forschungsvorhabens wurden in Versuchen Modellverpressanker in Sand hergestellt und die Veränderung des Herausziehwiderstands bei einer Lagerungsdauer von bis zu zwölf Monaten untersucht. Dabei erfolgte eine Umströmung der Modellverpressanker mit Leitungswasser, welches auf Basis von Wasseranalysen als calcitabscheidend eingestuft wird. Der bei Zugversuchen an den Modellverpressankern ermittelte Herausziehwiderstand war bei einer Lagerungszeit von sechs Monaten deutlich erhöht und stieg nach einer Lagerung von zwölf Monaten weiter an. Nach dem Ausbau wurde an der Oberfläche des Verpresskörpers eine zusätzliche Materialschicht von bis zu drei Millimetern Stärke vorgefunden, die mit längerer Lagerungsdauer an Festigkeit zunimmt. Analysen zeigen, dass in der Kontaktzone zwischen Boden und Zementstein Ionen der Porenlösung des Zementsteins mit den Calcium‐Ionen und Carbonat‐Ionen des Leitungswassers reagieren und dabei Calciumcarbonate entstehen, die eine zeitlich fester werdende Matrix mit den umliegenden Sandkörnern bilden.

Abstract In the study of complex systems, the intricate interdependence among individual components leads to emergent properties that cannot be solely attributed to the properties of the components themselves. This principle is central to compositionally complex materials (CCMs), where interactions between different elements introduced into the structure result in unprecedented material properties. The emergence of high entropy materials (HEMs) in 2004 further increase complexity by achieving high configurational entropy (Sconfig) leading to unique properties and stabilizing phases that would otherwise undergo demixing due to positive reaction enthalpy. HEMs and CCMs represent an emerging family of materials where multiple principal elements occupy equivalent crystallographic sites. This atomic architecture gives rise to extraordinary properties such as tailorable electronic structures, lattice distortion effects, and synergistic interactions, resulting from their vast, near-infinite combinatorial space. Although the field is still in its infancy, early discoveries highlight their disruptive potential, particularly in energy technologies where robustness and durability are critical. Their exceptional thermal stability, corrosion resistance, and electro-chemo-mechanical durability position HEMs and CCMs as game-changers for applications demanding resilience under harsh operating conditions, such as batteries, fuel cells, and hydrogen storage systems. Beyond performance advantages, CCMs challenge traditional materials discovery frameworks. Their extensive design space makes conventional trial-and-error approaches impractical, creating an ideal platform for deploying AI-driven high-throughput computational screening, multiscale modeling, and autonomous experimental workflows. This convergence of complexity and innovation offers unprecedented opportunities to accelerate the identification of next-generation energy materials. This roadmap compiles insights from leading experts in the field of CCMs across key energy domains, including electrochemical storage, catalysis, thermoelectrics, and turbomachinery. Their contributions critically assess the current state of this material family highlighting unresolved scientific challenges, technological barriers, and the key advancements needed to move beyond the current state-of-the-art. Special emphasis is placed on combinatorial synthesis and high-throughput approaches and their potential to trigger exponential development of this emerging family of materials. Focused on energy applications, this roadmap provides a comprehensive overview of a time-critical topic, emphasizing the need for material innovation and joint efforts from academia and industry.

The nucleoid-associated protein Fis is a key transcriptional regulator in Gram-negative bacteria that supports rapid adaptation to environmental changes. In Yersinia pseudotuberculosis, Fis plays a critical, yet poorly understood role in virulence. Here, we present a comparative transcriptomic analysis of Y. pseudotuberculosis wild type and fis deletion mutant at environmental (25°C) and host-relevant (37°C) temperatures. Our data show that Fis modulates the expression of more than 600 genes across 16 functional categories. Notably, Fis exerts reciprocal, temperature-dependent control over virulence genes, including those encoding the type III secretion system (T3SS) and Yersinia effector proteins (Yops), flagella biosynthesis, and cell adherence/invasion factors. Functional assays revealed that fis deletion disrupts this regulatory balance, producing a host-defense-like state at 25°C characterized by complete loss of motility, upregulation of the virulence master regulator LcrF, aberrant Yop secretion, impaired phagocytosis by host cells, and increased pathogenicity in the Galleria mellonella infection model. These findings establish Fis as a central regulator that coordinates motility and early host-cell engagement while preventing premature activation of antiphagocytic defenses, thereby optimizing the initial stages of infection.

ABSTRACT Peak group analysis (PGA), an MCR algorithm, has proven to be very successful in extracting pure component spectra and concentration profiles from IR and Raman spectral data when investigating carbonylation reactions with transition metal catalysts. In this field of study, mixture spectra typically exhibit high spectral selectivity, meaning certain peaks belong exclusively to a single chemical species. Under this condition, PGA can extract the associated pure component spectrum from the mixture spectra, and there is no factor ambiguity in these profiles. Here, we present a short mathematical proof of this remarkable PGA property.

Standard of care for non-metastatic colon cancer is surgery followed by stage-guided adjuvant therapy and/or structured follow-up. Upfront surgery in resectable colon cancer is irrespective of local T/N stage, whereas adjuvant systemic therapy is recommended according to pathological staging. The role of neoadjuvant chemotherapy remains unclear. Whereas perioperative systemic therapy in colon cancer seems to be safe and may lead to pathologic downstaging, evidence on improved survival and quality of life remains scarce. The PROTECTOR / FIRE‑10 trial aims to generate evidence that perioperative systemic therapy improves survival without compromising quality of life in locally advanced, mismatch-repair proficient colon cancer patients. Open-label, randomized, controlled, multicenter, phase III study with two parallel arms. Patients with locally advanced colon or upper rectal cancer staged cT3-4 and/or cN+ are randomized in a 2:1 fashion (favoring preoperative therapy) to investigate the efficacy, patient reported quality of life, and safety of preoperative therapy followed by surgery (Arm A) versus direct surgery followed by non-study specific stage-guided adjuvant therapy (Arm B). Stratification during randomization will be performed according to the following parameters: Fit for mFOLFOXIRI vs. mFOLFOX/CAPOX vs. 80%-mFOLFOX/CAPOX, ECOG 0 vs. ECOG 1-2, and left-sided primary vs. right-sided primary tumor. Only patients with confirmed mismatch-repair proficient and/or microsatellite stable tumor can be included. Preoperative treatment in Arm A is performed for a maximum of 6 biweekly cycles of FOLFOX/FOLFOXIRI or for a maximum of 4 triweekly cycles CAPOX (i.e., appr. 12 weeks). Patients in both arms should undergo quality-controlled surgery of the primary tumor, performed as complete mesocolic excision. Patients will be followed up with regard to relapse, survival and if applicable subsequent anti-cancer treatments until death or for at least 5 years after randomization, whichever date is earlier. The PROTECTOR / FIRE‑10 trial compares preoperative systemic therapy to upfront surgery (with stage-guided adjuvant therapy) in patients with locally advanced colon cancer. This study is registered with clinicaltrials.gov (NCT06899477) and EudraCT (2023-508076-11-00).