Publications by authors named "Beer R"

Aim: Infections can impair cognitive development, but their role on adverse childhood educational outcomes is unknown. We examined the associations of infectious morbidity and inflammatory biomarkers with grade repetition and school absenteeism.

Methods: We followed 2762 Colombian children aged 5-12 years for a school year.

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Background And Purpose: Prognostication in patients with spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) can be challenging. The aim of this study was to assess whether cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) red blood cell (RBC) count and total protein (TP) concentration are associated with SAH prognosis.

Methods: Patients with SAH treated at the neurological intensive care unit (ICU) in Innsbruck were included in this real-world, observational study.

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Background: Pathologically low brain glucose levels, referred to as neuroglucopenia, are associated with unfavorable outcomes in neurocritical care patients. We sought to investigate whether an increase in serum glucose levels would be associated with a reduction of neuroglucopenia.

Methods: In this retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data, we included 55 consecutive patients with spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage who underwent cerebral microdialysis (CMD) monitoring.

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(A)Life as It Could Be.

Artif Life

November 2024

On this 30th anniversary of the founding of the Artificial Life journal, I share some personal reflections on my own history of engagement with the field, my own particular assessment of its current status, and my vision for its future development. At the very least, I hope to stimulate some necessary critical conversations about the field of Artificial Life and where it is going.

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There are many different kinds of models, and they play many different roles in the scientific endeavour. Neuroscience, and biology more generally, has understandably tended to emphasise empirical models that are grounded in data and make specific, experimentally testable predictions. Meanwhile, strongly idealised or 'toy' models have played a central role in the theoretical development of other sciences such as physics.

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Background: The aim of this study was to assess the diagnostic yield of follow-up investigations in aneurysm-negative subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) patients.

Methods: In 109 (25%) of 435 patients with SAH and initial negative digital subtraction angiography (DSA), the diagnostic yield of repeat DSA and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain and craniocervical junction was reviewed.

Results: Of the 109 patients with an initial negative DSA, 51 (47%) had perimesencephalic (PM), 54 (50%) had nonperimesencephalic (NPM) blood distribution, and 4 (3.

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Objective: This study aimed to evaluate subjective cognitive, physical, and mental health symptoms as well as objective cognitive deficits in COVID-19 patients 1 year after infection.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. Seventy-four patients, who contracted a SARS-CoV-2 infection in 2020, underwent an in-person neuropsychological assessment in 2021.

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Article Synopsis
  • A study analyzed sedation-analgesia trends in children with neuroblastoma receiving I-131 MIBG therapy, using data from the Pediatric Health Information System (PHIS) over a 9-year period (2010-2019).
  • Among 476 patient encounters, results showed a notable decrease in the use of benzodiazepines and opioids, while the use of ketamine and dexmedetomidine increased, particularly in younger patients.
  • The findings indicate a shift in sedation practices, highlighting variability in medication choices and suggesting a movement towards less reliance on traditional sedatives like benzodiazepines and opioids.
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Background: Temperature abnormalities are common after spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Here, we aimed to describe the evolution of temperature burden despite temperature control and to assess its impact on outcome parameters.

Methods: This retrospective observational study of prospectively collected data included 375 consecutive patients with SAH admitted to the neurological intensive care unit between 2010 and 2022.

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Objective: More than 200 million children and adolescents live in countries affected by violent conflict, are likely to have complex mental health needs, and struggle to access traditional mental health services. Digital mental health interventions have the potential to overcome some of the barriers in accessing mental health support. We performed a scoping review to map existing digital mental health interventions relevant for children and adolescents affected by war, to examine the strength of the evidence base, and to inform the development of future interventions.

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Objectives: To describe the technique and results of a new sagittal plane computed tomography (CT)-based angular measure for predicting stability after posterior wall acetabular fractures (PWF).

Design: Retrospective review.

Setting: Academic Level II trauma center.

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Background: Patients with spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) frequently encounter cognitive dysfunction and mental health issues with negative effects on health-related quality of life (HR-QoL). Here, we aimed to describe the prevalence of cognitive deficits, mental health problems, and HR-QoL impairments 1 year after SAH.

Methods: In this prospective observational study, 177 patients with SAH admitted to our neurointensive care unit over a time span of ten years followed the invitation for an in-person 1-year follow-up, including a standardized neuropsychological test battery.

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Objectives: To investigate the association between maternal early pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and offspring bipolar disorder (BPD).

Methods: We conducted a nationwide cohort study among 1,507,056 non-malformed singleton live-births in Sweden born 1983-2004. Using national registries with prospectively recorded information, we followed participants for a BPD diagnosis from ages 13 to up to 35 years.

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Article Synopsis
  • Identifying impactful rare genetic variants is difficult, but using personal multi-omics can help overcome this challenge, as shown in a study involving several hundred individuals over 10 years.
  • By analyzing whole-genome sequencing and other omics data, researchers found that combining expression and protein data significantly increased the detection of rare stop and frameshift variants.
  • A new Bayesian hierarchical model called "Watershed" was used to prioritize rare variants linked to significant traits, revealing variants that influence complex conditions like height, schizophrenia, and Alzheimer's disease.
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Purpose: Olfactory dysfunction (OD) commonly accompanies coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We investigated the kinetics of OD resolution following SARS-CoV-2 infection (wild-type and alpha variant) and its impact on quality of life, physical and mental health.

Methods: OD prevalence was assessed in an ambulatory COVID-19 survey (n = 906, ≥ 90 days follow-up) and an observational cohort of ambulatory and hospitalized individuals (n = 108, 360 days follow-up).

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This essay examines the relevance of dynamical ideas for cognitive science. On its own, the mere mathematical idea of a dynamical system is too weak to serve as a scientific theory of anything, and dynamical approaches within cognitive science are too rich and varied to be subsumed under a single "dynamical hypothesis." Instead, after first attempting to dissect the different notions of "dynamics" and "cognition" at play, a more specific theoretical framework for cognitive science broadly construed is sketched.

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Objective: Long-term consequences after COVID-19 include physical complaints, which may impair physical recovery and quality of life.

Design: We assessed body composition and physical ability in patients 12 months after COVID-19. Consecutively recruited patients recovering from mild to severe COVID-19 were assessed using bioelectrical impedance analysis, 6-min-walk test, additional scales for physical performance and health-related quality of life.

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Objectives: Measurement of plasma albumin is pivotal for clinical decision-making in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Routinely used methods as bromocresol green (BCG) and bromocresol purple (BCP) can suffer from aselectivity, but the impact of aselectivity on the accuracy of plasma albumin results of CKD-patients is still unknown. Therefore, we evaluated the performance of BCG-, BCP- and JCTLM-endorsed immunological methods in patients with various stages of CKD.

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Article Synopsis
  • ICU acquired weakness significantly impacts patient recovery, and measuring temporal muscle volume through CT scans can help identify muscle wasting in patients with acute brain injuries.
  • A study of 110 patients with spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage found that muscle volume decreased by an average of 7.9% per week, with higher disease severity and complications linked to more muscle loss.
  • Patients who experienced poor functional outcomes had smaller temporal muscle volumes in the weeks following their condition, highlighting the importance of monitoring muscle volume as a potential predictor of recovery.
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Background: Nimodipine is recommended to prevent delayed cerebral ischemia in patients with spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Here, we studied hemodynamic side effects of different nimodipine formulations (per os [PO] and intravenous [IV]) in patients with SAH undergoing continuous blood pressure monitoring.

Methods: This observational cohort study includes consecutive patients with SAH (271 included in the IV group, 49 in the PO group) admitted to a tertiary care center between 2010 and 2021.

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The full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia in February 2022 led to an increase of traumatic events and mental health burden in the Ukrainian general population. The (ongoing) traumatisation can have a crucial impact on children and adolescents as they are especially vulnerable for developing trauma-related disorders such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or Depression. To date, these children have only very limited access to trauma-focused evidence-based treatments (EBTs) by trained mental health specialists in Ukraine.

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Background And Purpose: Red blood cell (RBC) degradation after subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) negatively affects functional outcome. Although the detection of RBCs in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is a widely available part of neurological routine diagnostics, the prognostic value as a biomarker remains unclear. This study was undertaken to investigate whether CSF RBC count correlates with established radiological markers of SAH volume and whether the CSF RBC count can predict functional outcome in SAH patients.

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Objectives: To investigate associations of neonatal characteristics and pregnancy complications with bipolar disorder (BPD) in offspring.

Methods: We conducted a nationwide cohort study among 2,059,578 non-malformed singleton live-births in Sweden born 1983-2004. Using national registries with prospectively recorded information, we followed participants for a BPD diagnosis from 13 up to 34 years of age.

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