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This dataset contains demographic, clinical, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) data from 2905 patients including 200 cancer patients after immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) cessation and 2705 patients with a wide variety of autoimmune diseases.Within this multicenter, cross-sectional survey study data were collected questionnaire-based in cancer patients (ICI-patients) ≥ 18 years of age who had received at least one dose of ICI with ≥ 12 weeks since ICI discontinuation. Patients with autoimmune diseases (AI-patients) were ≥ 18 years, had at least one autoimmune disease and had never received ICI. ICI-patients were recruited in three skin cancer centers and via support groups. AI-patients were recruited in an outpatient clinic for internal medicine and via support groups.Specific questionnaires for ICI-patients/AI-patients were provided paper-based for patients from outpatient clinics and online for patients from support groups. Both questionnaires contained sections with demographic information, clinical data, and the standardized patient-reported outcome measure EuroQol 5D-5L (EQ-5D-5L) to assess HRQoL. Clinical data focused on autoimmunity and therapy of autoimmunity in (1) ICI-patients referring to particularly persistent immune-related adverse events (persistent irAEs) and in (2) AI-patients referring to respective autoimmune diseases. Additionally, specific items on cancer and cancer therapy were included in ICI-patients, and AI-patients were asked about the presence of acute exacerbations of autoimmune diseases.This dataset contains the raw data for ICI-patients and AI-patients, analyzed data on patient demographics, clinical characteristics and HRQoL scores among ICI-patients with/without persistent irAEs and among AI-patients.The data provide a basis for further investigations within the cohort of ICI-patients after ICI cessation and/or for AI-patients with different autoimmune diseases with regard to HRQoL, autoimmunity and therapy of autoimmunity.

The optimal surgical approach in patients with pectus excavatum (PEx) who need cardiac surgery remains uncertain. The challenge is even greater, if it is already foreseeable that the patient will be needed further procedure in the next future. We describe a novel sternotomy-sparing approach for minimal-invasive biventricular assist device (BiVAD) implantation in a patient with an acute heart failure (HF) due to dilated cardiomyopathy and severe PEx. Moreover, alternative approaches for ventricular assist device (VAD) implantation and timing of the repair of PEx will be discussed., (© 2022. The Japanese Society for Artificial Organs.)

Objectives: Several studies have shown the potential advantage of less-invasive surgery (LIS) for left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation. This study aims to determine the impact of LIS on stroke and pump thrombosis events after LVAD implantation., Methods: Between January 2015 and March 2021, 335 consecutive patients underwent LVAD implantation using either conventional sternotomy (CS) or the LIS technique. Patient characteristics was prospectively collected. All patients were followed up until October 2021. Logistic multivariate regression and propensity-matched analyses were performed to account for confounding factors., Results: A total of 242 patients ( F  = 32; 13.0%) underwent LVAD implantation with CS and 93 patients ( F  = 8; 8.6%) with the LIS approach. Propensity matching generated two groups, including 98 patients in the CS group and 67 in the LIS group. Intensive care unit stay for the LIS group patients was significantly shorter than that for the CS group patients [2 (IQR: 2-5) days vs. 4 (IQR: 2-12) days, p  < 0.01]. There were no significant differences in the incidence of stroke events (14% in CS vs. 16% in the LIS group; p  = 0.6) or in pump thrombosis (6.1% in CS vs. 7.5% in the LIS group; p  = 0.8) between the groups. The hospital mortality rate in the matched cohort was significantly lower in the LIS group (7.5% vs. 19%; p  = 0.03). However, the 1-year mortality rate showed no significant difference between both groups (24.5% in CS and 17.9% in LIS; p  = 0.35)., Conclusions: The LIS approach for LVAD implantation is a safe procedure with potential advantage in the early postoperative period. However, the LIS approach remains comparable to the sternotomy approach in terms of postoperative stroke, pump thrombosis, and outcome., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (© 2023 Nozdrzykowski, Bauer, Schulz, Jawad, Bireta, Eifert, Sandri, Jozwiak-Nozdrzykowska, Borger and Saeed.)

To increase the performance of optical systems, a good antireflective coating is required to ensure low reflectance and high transmittance of optical surfaces. Further problems, such as fogging that causes light scattering, negatively affect the image quality. This implies that other functional properties are also required. Presented here is a highly promising combination of an antireflective double nanostructure on top of an antifog coating with long-term stable properties, generated in a commercial plasma-ion-assisted coating chamber. It is demonstrated that the nanostructures do not affect the antifog properties and can be successfully used for many applications.

A major problem for optical systems is the polarization splitting occurring at any interface in the event of oblique light. Low-index nanostructured silica layers were produced by overcoating an initial organic structure with silica and subsequent removal of the organic constituents. The nanostructured layers can be tailored to achieve defined low effective refractive indices down to 1.05. They can also be stacked together with homogeneous layers to produce broadband antireflective coatings with very low polarization splitting. Especially thin interlayers that separate the low-index structured layers turned out to be useful to optimize the polarization properties.

Objective:  Atherosclerosis is a common disease in older psittacines living in captivity with inadequate housing conditions. However, diagnosis in the living bird remains difficult and the disease is often only recognized during post mortem examination. In this context, we aimed at investigating the diagnostic value of currently reported methods in African grey parrots ( Psittacus erithacus )., Material and Methods:  7 clinically healthy African grey parrots and 32 African grey parrots with suspected atherosclerosis were evaluated in this study. An overall scoring system was implemented based on clinical signs, measurement of blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels, a radiographic exam, and an echocardiogram in B-mode. Furthermore, measurements of the blood flow velocity in the aortic root, heart rate and velocity time integral were performed using the spectral Doppler ultrasonographic function., Results:  Measurements of the blood flow velocity in the aortic root showed highly significant differences between the clinically healthy group and a subset of the patient group. Significant differences between the groups also were evident concerning the results of the overall scoring and of the initial examinations., Conclusion:  The results support that combining spectral Doppler ultrasonographic examination with other diagnostic options may be used to substantiate suspected atherosclerosis and provide additional information regarding the cardiovascular status of the patient., Clinical Relevance:  The presented findings indicate that employing the described diagnostic methods allows for an intra vitam diagnosis of atherosclerosis and therefore an earlier initiation of treatment., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Thieme. All rights reserved.)

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a primary heart muscle disease characterized by left or biventricular systolic impairment. Historically, most of the clinical attention has been devoted to the evaluation of left ventricular function and morphology, while right ventricle (RV) has been for many years the forgotten chamber. Recently, progresses in cardiac imaging gave clinicians precious tools for the evaluation of RV, raising the awareness of the importance of biventricular assessment in DCM. Indeed, RV involvement is far from being uncommon in DCM, and the presence of right ventricular dysfunction (RVD) is one of the major negative prognostic determinants in DCM patients. However, some aspects such as the possible role of specific genetic mutations in determining the biventricular phenotype in DCM, or the lack of specific treatments able to primarily counteract RVD, still need research. In this review, we summarized the current knowledge on RV involvement in DCM, giving an overview on the epidemiology and pathogenetic mechanisms implicated in determining RVD. Furthermore, we discussed the imaging techniques to evaluate RV function and the role of RV failure in advanced heart failure., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Fukutin encoded by FKTN is a ribitol 5-phosphate transferase involved in glycosylation of α-dystroglycan. It is known that mutations in FKTN affect the glycosylation of α-dystroglycan, leading to a dystroglycanopathy. Dystroglycanopathies are a group of syndromes with a broad clinical spectrum including dilated cardiomyopathy and muscular dystrophy. In this study, we reported the case of a patient with muscular dystrophy, early onset dilated cardiomyopathy, and elevated creatine kinase levels who was a carrier of the compound heterozygous variants p.Ser299Arg and p.Asn442Ser in FKTN . Our work showed that compound heterozygous mutations in FKTN lead to a loss of fully glycosylated α-dystroglycan and result in cardiomyopathy and end-stage heart failure at a young age.

Background: Early hypoattenuated leaflet thickening (HALT) occurs in at least 10% of all transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) patients. The long-term prognostic impact of HALT is uncertain., Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the long-term risk of early HALT post-TAVR., Methods: We report outcome data from our prospective observational registry with post-TAVR computed tomography angiography performed between May 2012 and December 2017. The outcomes were survival, cardiovascular mortality, ischemic cerebrovascular events, and symptomatic hemodynamic valve deterioration., Results: Early HALT was diagnosed in 115 (16.0%) of 804 patients. During a median follow-up of 3.25 years, survival rates did not differ significantly between patients with and without HALT (Kaplan-Meier 3-year estimates for survival 70.1% vs 74.0%, P = 0.597). The 3-year cardiovascular mortality rate was 13.2% versus 11.3% (with vs without HALT, P = 0.733). The 3-year event rate for cerebrovascular events was 2.0% versus 4.4% (with vs without HALT, P = 0.246), and the 3-year event rate of symptomatic hemodynamic valve deterioration was 9.4% versus 1.5% (with vs without HALT, P < 0.001). Multivariable analysis revealed the following predictors of symptomatic hemodynamic valve deterioration: HALT (HR: 6.10; 95% CI: 2.59-14.29; P < 0.001), the mixed valve-type group (HR: 6.51; 95% CI: 2.38-17.81; P < 0.001), and prosthesis diameter (HR valve size per 3 mm [HR: 0.37; 95% CI: 0.17-0.79]; P = 0.011)., Conclusions: During a median follow-up of more than 3 years, HALT was not associated with mortality or cerebrovascular events. However, we observed an association of HALT with symptomatic hemodynamic valve deterioration., Competing Interests: Funding Support and Author Disclosures Prof Neumann reports that his institution has received research grants, consultancy fees, and speaker honoraria to form Daiichi-Sankyo, AstraZeneca, Sanofi, Bayer, The Medicines Company, Bristol Myers Squibb, Novartis, Roche, Boston Scientific, Biotronik, Medtronic, Edwards, and Ferrer. All other authors have reported that they have no relationships relevant to the contents of this paper to disclose., (Copyright © 2022 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

(1) Background: The aim of this study was to systematically compare TEM sections of mineralized human enamel and dentine prepared by focused ion beam (in situ lift-out) technique and ultramicrotomy through a combination of microscopic examination methods (scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy). In contrast with published studies, we compared the TEM preparation methods using the same specimen blocks as those for the ultramicrotomy and FIB technique. (2) Methods: A further evaluation of TEM sample preparation was obtained by confocal laser scanning microscopy and atomic force microscopy. In addition, ultramicrotome- and focused ion beam-induced artefacts are illustrated. (3) Results: The FIB technique exposed a major difference between non-decalcified enamel and dentine concerning the ultrastructural morphology compared to ultramicrotome-prepared sections. We found that ultramicrotomy was useful for cutting mineralized dentine, with the possibility of mechanical artefacts, but offers limited options for the preparation of mineralized enamel. FIB preparation produced high-quality TEM sections, showing the anisotropic ultrastructural morphology in detail, with minor structural artefacts. Our results show that the solution of artificial saliva and glutardialdehyde (2.5% by volume) is a very suitable fixative for human mineralized tissue. (4) Conclusions: The protocol that we developed has strong potential for the preparation of mineralized biomaterials for TEM imaging and analysis.

Objectives: We sought to assess the impact of echocardiographic and hemodynamic grading of paravalvular leakage (PVL) after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) on the prediction of 5-year mortality. PVL after TAVI is known to influence outcome after TAVI. Yet, present available data of long-term outcomes and especially the comparison of different modalities for measurement of PVL is little., Methods: We performed a retrospective single-center cohort study and compared the prognostic value of echocardiographic PVL grading as well as the aortic regurgitation index (ARI) pre- and post-TAVI. Univariable and multivariable Cox proportional regression analysis generated hazard ratios for mortality., Results: A total of 464 patients underwent TAVI at our center between August 2012 and Decemebr 2014, with self-expandable CoreValve (11%) or balloon-expandable Sapien XT (47.4%) and Sapien 3 (41.6) valves. Overall 5-year mortality was 52.4% (243/464). Echocardiographic classes of PVL at discharge showed a significant (p = 0.002) association with 5-year mortality, mild PVL remained as an independent predictor for 5-year mortality in multivariable analysis (hazard ratio: 1.642 [95% confidence interval: 1.235-2.182]; p = 0.001). Grades of PVL as assessed during the procedure by ARI (below the previously defined cut-off of 25) did not show a significant association with 5-year mortality (p = 0.417 and p = 0.995, respectively)., Conclusions: Even mild PVL assessed by echocardiography was an independent predictor for 5-year survival, whereas hemodynamic measurements did not help to identify PVLs that are relevant to 5-year survival., (© 2022 The Authors. Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background: Circulating graft-derived cell-free DNA (dd-cfDNA) is a new marker of cardiac allograft damage that is used for noninvasive rejection diagnostics. We performed dd-cfDNA (%) in heart transplant recipients during the first posttransplant year., Methods: In 87 patients, serial dd-cfDNA determination at predefined time-points was performed in 770 single samples. dd-cfDNA fraction (%) was measured using an established universal droplet digital polymerase chain reaction method, providing same-day turn-around. Rejection was diagnosed according to clinical parameters and biopsies., Results: Median dd-cfDNA (%) was high (5.36%) immediately after reperfusion and decreased to a median (interquartile range) of 0.10% (0.05%-0.24%) in clinically stable patients by postoperative day 10. Compared to dd-cfDNA (%) samples in clinically stable patients, values were higher (P < 0.001) in biopsy-proven rejection ISHLT 1R (0.42% [0.15%-0.53%]) and 2R rejection (0.84% [0.39%-0.97%]). Moreover, dd-cfDNA (%) was already significantly increased 9-30 days before biopsy-proven rejection (0.36% [0.20%-0.61%]). An as yet unknown finding was a slightly, but significantly (P < 0.0001) higher dd-cfDNA (%) value in samples of stable patients with pericardial effusions (PEs) (n = 94; 0.18% [0.07%-0.30%]) compared to samples of non-PE patients (n = 132; 0.07% [0.04%-0.17%]). Using a cutoff of 0.35%, sensitivity and specificity of dd-cfDNA for cardiac rejection were 0.76 and 0.83 (area under the curve [AUC] ROC-curve: 0.81 [95% confidence interval, 0.73-0.89]). Omitting PE samples from the control group yielded an AUC of 0.86 [95% confidence interval, 0.76-0.95]. Samples drawn <12 hours after endomyocardial biopsy showed high (0.40% [0.15%-1.21%]) dd-cfDNA values, also in ISHLT0R (0.36% [0.10%-0.60%])., Conclusions: dd-cfDNA plasma values were significantly associated with cardiac rejection. However, PE or improper sampling (eg, shortly after biopsy) should be considered as confounders for rejection diagnoses using dd-cfDNA., Competing Interests: J.B. reports personal fees from Chronix Biomedical GmbH, during the conduct of the study; in addition, J.B. has patent EP3004388 pending and patent EP3201361 pending. M.O. reports grants from Krankenhausbetriebsgesellschaft Bad Oeynhausen mbH (Herz- und Diabeteszentrum Nordrhein-Westfalen), during the conduction of the study; personal fees from Chronix Biomedical Inc., San José, CA, and personal fees from Liquid Biopsy Center (LBC) GmbH, Göttingen, Germany, outside the submitted work. U.S. reports grants from Novartis during the conduction of the study, personal fees from Novartis, personal fees from Astellas, personal fees from Sanofi, and grants from Actelion outside the submitted work. U.F. reports grants from Novartis during the conduction of the study. E.S. reports grants from the German Ministry for Education and Research and others from Chronix Biomedical during the conduct of the study; in addition, E.S. has patents EP3004388 and EP3201361 issued. I.B. received speaker’s honoraria from Aspen Germany GmbH, Bristol-Myers Squibb/Pfizer, Siemens Healthcare, and CSL Behring; reimbursement for congress traveling and accommodation from Aspen, and performed contract research for Siemens Healthcare; I.B. is a member of the advisory board of LFB Biomedicaments, Siemens Healthcare, and CSL Behring. The other authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)