University of Würzburg

DNA-encoded Ugi reactions in the organic phase: Lactam synthesis and use of cyclic ketones as scaffold-providing oxo-component

Isocyanide multicomponent reactions such as the Ugi fourcenter reaction are attractive for DNA-encoded library design because they allow for synthesizing diverse peptidomimetic and heterocyclic scaffolds from large numbers of simple and readily available starting materials. DNA a...

STAT3 operates as an inflammation-dependent transcriptional switch in antiviral NK cells

The immune system integrates signals to regulate immune responses, forming complex context-dependent networks where identical cues produce distinct outcomes. Signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) transcription factors convert cytokine receptor engagement into tr...

Alignment restoration of the hip and the influence on outcomes following DAA THA in none-obese and obese patients: a retrospective comparative study

Abstract Background Accurate biomechanical alignment is crucial for the success of Total Hip Arthroplasty (THA). Obesity poses an increasing challenge in THA. This study compares hip restoration and clinical outcomes after direct anterior approach (DAA) THA between non-obese and...

Clickable Turn-On Nanoparticles for Target-Specific Intracellular Activation

Abstract Precise visualization of nanoparticles (NPs) at the subcellular level is crucial for targeted drug delivery. However, NPs functionalized with permanently fluorescent probes are challenging to detect when only a small fraction reaches the target compartment, as weak fluor...

Cold test passed — no gasp under the pool shower

The author tested the breathing mechanism described in the series After Buteyko, from No. 1, The invisible breath, to No. 7, Shock value, three years before he wrote it down. The test took place in 2023 at a small village swimming pool, under the cold shower that every bather pas...

On integrable structures on non–compact boundaries in three–dimensional gravity

We study three-dimensional Einstein gravity with negative cosmological constant on non-compact spatial boundaries within the Chern-Simons formulation. Using an exact fluid/gravity correspondence, we derive a closed radial flow equation for the quasi-local stress tensor and show t...

Anatomy and mechanics of tsetse fly blood feeding

Abstract African trypanosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease transmitted by tsetse flies ( Glossin a spp.) in sub-Saharan Africa. The fly’s saliva carries parasitic unicellular trypanosomes, such as Trypanosoma brucei , leading to infections in humans, domestic animals, and w...

Molecular Mechanisms of Candida albicans Adhesion to Maxillofacial Silicone Elastomers: Integrating Candidate Molecular Pathways with Material Surface Properties

Colonisation of maxillofacial prostheses by Candida albicans is conventionally attributed to surface roughness, porosity, and wettability properties that explain where cells accumulate rather than why particular surfaces promote biofilm formation. This review reinterprets the in...

Synaptic connectome of a neurosecretory network in the Drosophila brain

Abstract Hormones mediate inter-organ signaling which is crucial in orchestrating diverse behaviors and physiological processes including sleep and activity, feeding, growth, metabolism and reproduction. The pars intercerebralis and pars lateralis in insects represent major hubs...

Land use intensification results in abrupt transitions between extensively and intensively managed grasslands

Abstract Understanding whether land use intensification causes regime shifts (i.e. persistent, large changes in ecosystem states) is of key importance for management, particularly if these shifts occur abruptly as thresholds in land use intensity are crossed. Further, these thres...

FIND: a phase-II study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of erdafitinib in FGFR-altered NSCLC

Abstract Introduction: FGFR alterations occur in approximately 2% of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients, predominantly in squamous cell histology (sqNSCLC). We evaluated the efficacy of the selective FGFR1-4 inhibitor erdafitinib in patients with FGFR-altered NSCLC. Meth...

Intensive vs Standard Blood Pressure Lowering in People With and Without Chronic Kidney Disease

Importance There is uncertainty about the effects of intensive blood pressure (BP) lowering on risks of cardiovascular disease and kidney failure in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Objective To assess the standardized effects of intensive BP lowering on cardiovascular...

Single-Domain Orbital Angular Momentum Mapping: Advancing Photoemission Dichroism to the Nanoscale

Abstract Circular dichroism in angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (CD-ARPES) is widely used to probe orbital angular momentum (OAM) and Berry-curvature-related phenomena in two-dimensional quantum materials. However, in many materials, conventional micron-scale measurement...

Visual cue properties determine innate orientation strategy in Monarch butterflies

Animals use a wide range of environmental signals, including celestial and terrestrial cues for navigation. While celestial cues, such as the sun, play a major role in maintaining a constant heading during long-distance migration and dispersal, terrestrial cues provide an animal...

Development and Nationwide Multicentre Evaluation of Guideline-Grounded Large Language Model Chatbots to Support Patient Self-Management and Education in Rheumatology

Patients with rheumatic diseases have persistent information needs that are not fully addressed in routine care. We developed and evaluated guideline-grounded, large language model (LLM) chatbots to support patient self-management and education in rheumatology.Ten disease-specifi...

The sound of a bubble bursting — Pa, the first word, and the race for superintelligence

This essay asks how a sound becomes a sign. Its starting point is the bilabial [pa], the sound of a bursting bubble that infants make at their own lips months before their first word: a minimal release of pressure that the child causes, feels and hears at once, and from which syl...

Depression, not stroke, is associated with greater expressive suppression while emotion identification is preserved

INTRODUCTION: Stroke is followed both by frequent depression and by reported alterations in emotional processing, yet these are rarely examined jointly, leaving it unclear whether emotional disturbances reflect the lesion or the concurrent depression. We aimed to separate the con...

Junctional plakoglobin regulates intestinal epithelial cell proliferation via MAPK/ERK signaling

Junctional plakoglobin (JUP) is a desmosomal protein essential for epithelial tissue integrity and epithelial-immune cell crosstalk. Although JUP has been implicated in inflammatory processes, its role in intestinal epithelial repair remains unclear. In vitro, loss of JUP in Caco...

Platelet GPVI drives fibrotic lung remodeling

Platelets are a major reservoir of bioactive mediators, including growth factors such as transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1), that regulate vascular repair and tissue remodeling. Beyond these classical functions, platelets also participate in inflammatory hemostasis through ac...

Credit the advice, own the choice: governing expertise in German policymaking

Abstract Democratic governments depend on expertise. Yet expert authority becomes fragile when advisory roles remain ill-defined, evidentiary and decision pathways cannot be reconstructed, disagreement is submerged beneath claims of consensus, or democratically accountable decisi...