Red Blood Cell Transfusion in European Neonatal Intensive Care Units, 2022 to 2023.

Importance: Red blood cell (RBC) transfusions are frequently administered to preterm infants born before 32 weeks of gestation in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Two randomized clinical trials (Effects of Transfusion Thresholds on Neurocognitive Outcomes of Extremely Low-Birth-Weight Infants [ETTNO] and Transfusion of Prematures [TOP]) found that liberal RBC transfusion thresholds are nonsuperior to restrictive thresholds, but the extent to which these results have been integrated into clinical practice since publication in 2020 is unknown.

Objective: To describe neonatal RBC transfusion practice in Europe.

Supplemental Iron and Recombinant Erythropoietin for Anemia in Infants Born Very Preterm: A Survey of Clinical Practice in Europe.

Objectives: To survey practices of iron and recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEpo) administration to infants born preterm across Europe.

Study Design: Over a 3-month period, we conducted an online survey in 597 neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) of 18 European countries treating infants born with a gestational age of <32 weeks.

Results: We included 343 NICUs (response rate 56.

Grandiose narcissism, unfounded beliefs, and behavioral reactions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A theoretical perspective on grandiose narcissism suggests four forms of it (sanctity, admiration, heroism, rivalry) and states that these forms conduce to different ways of thinking and acting. Guided by this perspective, we examined in a multinational and multicultural study (61 countries; N = 15,039) how narcissism forms are linked to cognitions and behaviors prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic. As expected, differences in cognitions and behaviors across narcissism forms emerged.

Comparison of patient-reported outcomes of physical activity and accelerometry in people with multiple sclerosis and ambulatory impairment: A cross-sectional study.

Background: Accelerometers and patient-reported outcomes (PRO) are used to assess physical activity (PA) in people with multiple sclerosis (pwMS). So far it is unknown, however, whether these assessments represent mobility limitations in pwMS with mild and moderate to severe disability alike. The primary aim of the study was to assess the correlation between accelerometry and International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) scores in pwMS with different degrees of ambulatory impairment.

Analgosedation for less-invasive surfactant administration: Variations in practice.

Background: Less-invasive surfactant administration (LISA) is widely used for surfactant delivery to spontaneously breathing preterm infants on nasal CPAP. However, the use of analgesia and/or sedation for the LISA procedure remains controversial.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of all tertiary neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland to assess current practices of analgosedation for LISA in preterm infants.

"It's where learning and teaching begins ‒ is this relationship" - insights on the teacher-student relationship at university from the teachers' perspective.

Positive teacher-student relationships have been identified as important for teacher and student well-being and for high-quality teaching and learning processes and outcomes. However, research on the perceptions of teachers in higher education on a high-quality relationship with students and the perceived antecedents is still scarce. This study aimed to address this research gap by interviewing 15 Australian higher education teachers about their perception of forming relationships with first-year students.

Survey of transfusion practices in preterm infants in Europe.

Background: Preterm infants commonly receive red blood cell (RBC), platelet and fresh frozen plasma (FFP) transfusions. The aim of this Neonatal Transfusion Network survey was to describe current transfusion practices in Europe and to compare our findings to three recent randomised controlled trials to understand how clinical practice relates to the trial data.

Methods: From October to December 2020, we performed an online survey among 597 neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) caring for infants with a gestational age (GA) of <32 weeks in 18 European countries.

The fear of COVID-19 scale: Its structure and measurement invariance across 48 countries.

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has been a source of fear around the world. We asked whether the measurement of this fear is trustworthy and comparable across countries. In particular, we explored the measurement invariance and cross-cultural replicability of the widely used Fear of COVID-19 scale (FCV-19S), testing community samples from 48 countries (N = 14,558).

Aberrant Hematopoiesis and Morbidity in Extremely Preterm Infants With Intrauterine Growth Restriction.

Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) poses additional challenges in extremely low gestational age newborns (ELGANs). We assessed disturbed hematopoiesis and morbidities associated with this disorder. This single-center retrospective case-control study compared perinatal hematological profiles, major morbidities, and mortality of 49 infants (gestational age <28 weeks, birth weight ≤ 3rd percentile, and compromised placental function) and 98 infants (birth weight >10th percentile) matched for gestational age, year, and sex.

Cardiopulmonary response to high-altitude mountaineering in lung transplant recipients-The Jebel Toubkal experience.

Objectives: Only a small proportion of lung transplant recipients achieve a physical status comparable to healthy individuals in the long term. It is reasonable to hypothesize that the necessary cardiopulmonary adaptation required for strenuous physical exercise may be impaired. Exposure to high altitude provides an optimal platform to study the physiological cardiopulmonary adaptation in lung transplant recipients under aerobic conditions.

Evidence for the Management of Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia in Very Preterm Infants.

Background: Very preterm birth often results in the development of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) with an inverse correlation of gestational age and birthweight. This very preterm population is especially exposed to interventions, which affect the development of BPD.

Objective: The goal of our review is to summarize the evidence on these daily procedures and provide evidence-based recommendations for the management of BPD.

Health Preference Research in Europe: A Review of Its Use in Marketing Authorization, Reimbursement, and Pricing Decisions-Report of the ISPOR Stated Preference Research Special Interest Group.

Objective: This study examines European decision makers' consideration and use of quantitative preference data.

Methods: The study reviewed quantitative preference data usage in 31 European countries to support marketing authorization, reimbursement, or pricing decisions. Use was defined as: agency guidance on preference data use, sponsor submission of preference data, or decision-maker collection of preference data.

Individual Differences in Mental Accounting.

Individual differences in mental accounting have rarely been studied, and empirical evidence regarding the relation between mental accounting and personality characteristics is scarce. The present paper reports three studies applying a Likert-type scale to assess the extent individuals engage in mental accounting practices. In each study, the five items of the measure loaded on a single dimension and had acceptable reliability, with a Cronbach's α between 0.

A Closer Look at a Small Brain: Transnuchal Ultrasound Facilitates High-Resolution Imaging of the Cerebellum in Preterm Infants.

Purpose:  Very preterm infants are at risk for cerebellar injury and impaired cerebellar growth with adverse neurodevelopmental outcome. Ultrasound through the mastoid fontanel (MF) with a curved-array or sector probe is the most established method for the sonographic examination of the cerebellum. The goal of our study was to examine the validity of transnuchal ultrasound through the foramen occipitale magnum (FOM) with a linear probe for monitoring postnatal cerebellar growth.

Implementation of Urgent Start Peritoneal Dialysis Reduces Hemodialysis Catheter Use and Hospital Stay in Patients with Unplanned Dialysis Start.

Background: Unplanned start of renal replacement therapy is common in patients with end-stage renal disease and often accomplished by hemodialysis (HD) using a central venous catheter (CVC). Urgent start using peritoneal dialysis (PD) could be an alternative for some of the patients; however, this requires a hospital-based PD center that offers a structured urgent start PD (usPD) program.

Methods: In this prospective study, we describe the implementation of an usPD program at our university hospital by structuring the process from presentation to PD catheter implantation and start of PD within a few days.

Ecological validity of walking capacity tests following rehabilitation in people with multiple sclerosis.

Background: Walking capacity tests are commonly used to evaluate interventions aiming at reducing walking impairment in people with multiple sclerosis (pwMS). However, their ecological validity has recently been questioned. The aim of the present study was to investigate the ecological validity of the 2- and 6-minutes walking tests (2MWT and 6MWT) and the timed 25-foot walk (T25FW) after 28 days of multidisciplinary inpatient rehabilitation (MIR) in pwMS using accelerometry.

Combined Processing of Facial and Vocal Emotion in Remitted Patients With Bipolar I Disorder.

Objectives: Bipolar disorder (BD) is associated with impairments in facial emotion and emotional prosody perception during both mood episodes and periods of remission. To expand on previous research, the current study investigated cross-modal emotion perception, that is, matching of facial emotion and emotional prosody in remitted BD patients.

Methods: Fifty-nine outpatients with BD and 45 healthy volunteers were included into a cross-sectional study.

No augmentation of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) activity through belatacept treatment in liver transplant recipients.

Belatacept is a second-generation cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen (CTLA)-4 immunoglobulin (Ig) fusion protein approved for immunosuppression in renal transplant recipients. It was designed intentionally to interrupt co-stimulation via CD28 by binding to its ligands B7·1 and B7·2. Experimental evidence suggests a potential additional mechanism for CTLA-4 Ig compounds through binding to B7 molecules expressed on antigen-presenting cells (APCs) and up-regulation of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO), an immunomodulating enzyme that catalyzes the degradation of tryptophan to kynurenine and that down-regulates T cell immunity.

Efficacy and Safety Outcomes of Extended Criteria Donor Kidneys by Subtype: Subgroup Analysis of BENEFIT-EXT at 7 Years After Transplant.

The phase III Belatacept Evaluation of Nephroprotection and Efficacy as First-Line Immunosuppression Trial-Extended Criteria Donors Trial (BENEFIT-EXT) study compared more or less intensive belatacept-based immunosuppression with cyclosporine (CsA)-based immunosuppression in recipients of extended criteria donor kidneys. In this post hoc analysis, patient outcomes were assessed according to donor kidney subtype. In total, 68.

Drug-induced phospholipidosis caused by combinations of common drugs in vitro.

Drug-induced phospholipidosis (DIPLD), characterized by the accumulation of phospholipids within lysosomes, is suspected to impair lysosomal function and considered an adverse side effect of the administered medication. The increasing use of polypharmacy and the resultant elevated risks of adverse drug reactions raise the need to explore the effects of drug combinations with respect to their influence on side effects, such as DIPLD. In this study, we utilized an in vitro assay to investigate DIPLD that was caused by 24 commonly used drugs applied alone and in binary combinations with each other.

Safety and tolerability of anticonvulsant medication in bipolar disorder.

Introduction: Anticonvulsants (AC) are widely used and recommended as a treatment option in different phases of bipolar disorder (BD). In contrast to ample evidence for efficacy in acute mania, there is generally less unambiguous evidence for maintenance treatment or bipolar depression, and data on long-term tolerability in BD are sparse, although this varies greatly between different compounds. This review summarizes the clinically relevant tolerability and safety profile of ACs commonly used for the treatment of BD based on findings from randomized controlled trials (RCT).

Prosodic and semantic affect perception in remitted patients with bipolar I disorder.

Objective: Bipolar disorder is associated with impairments in emotion processing that are present during both mood episodes and periods of remission. In this context, most previous studies have investigated facial emotion recognition abilities. In contrast, the current study focused on the perception of prosodic and semantic affect.