Analyzing Runs of Homozygosity Reveals Patterns of Selection in German Brown Cattle.

An increasing trend in ancestral and classical inbreeding coefficients as well as inbreeding depression for longevity were found in the German Brown population. In addition, the proportion of US Brown Swiss genes is steadily increasing in German Browns. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to analyze the presence and genomic localization of runs of homozygosity (ROH) in order to evaluate their associations with the proportion of US Brown Swiss genes and survival rates of cows to higher lactations.

Navigating the Future of Organisational Health Services Research in Germany and beyond: a Position Paper.

Background: Recent analyses have shown that in health services research in Germany, healthcare organisations are often considered primarily as a study setting, without fully taking their complex organisational nature into account, neither theoretically nor methodologically. Therefore, an initiative was launched to analyse the state of Organisational Health Services Research (OHSR) in Germany and to develop a strategic framework and road map to guide future efforts in the field. This paper summarizes positions that have been jointly developed by consulting experts from the interdisciplinary and international scientific community.

Organisational Health Services Research in Germany: A Scoping Review of Conference Abstracts.

Background: Health Services Research (HSR) is a growing field in Germany, in which Organisational Health Services Research (OHSR) has emerged as a subfield. The aim of this scoping review was to provide an overview of the field of OHSR within HSR in Germany and to map systematically original contributions by describing the organisational setting, the research design, the research objectives and the theoretical underpinning.

Methods: A scoping review examined published abstracts from the 19th German Conference on Health Services Research 2020.

Definition of metafounders based on population structure analysis.

Background: Limitations of the concept of identity by descent in the presence of stratification within a breeding population may lead to an incomplete formulation of the conventional numerator relationship matrix ( ). Combining with the genomic relationship matrix ( ) in a single-step approach for genetic evaluation may cause inconsistencies that can be a source of bias in the resulting predictions. The objective of this study was to identify stratification using genomic data and to transfer this information to matrix , to improve the compatibility of and .

Exploring a Lux® i-Amylose-3 column in normal phase and polar-organic mode for chiral separation of cathinone derivatives and pyrovalerones using high-performance liquid chromatography.

Each year, new psychoactive substances appear on the global drug market leading to constant changes. Most of these compounds with stimulating effect possess a chiral center, thus leading to two enantiomers with presumably different pharmacological properties. Among them, synthetic cathinones, often misleadingly traded as "bath salts," play an important role.

Mesoscopic Structure of Lipid Nanoparticle Formulations for mRNA Drug Delivery: Comirnaty and Drug-Free Dispersions.

Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) produced by antisolvent precipitation (ASP) are used in formulations for mRNA drug delivery. The mesoscopic structure of such complex multicomponent and polydisperse nanoparticulate systems is most relevant for their drug delivery properties, medical efficiency, shelf life, and possible side effects. However, the knowledge on the structural details of such formulations is very limited.

[Experience with orthopaedic insoles-a cross-sectional study].

Background: Orthopaedic insoles (OI) are used to treat a variety of foot problems.

Objectives: The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the perceptions of the treatment with OI among the manufacturers of the OIs, the orthopaedic technicians (OT).

Methods: OT from the federal states of Schleswig-Holstein and Lower Saxony in Germany were invited to take part in a survey.

Proinflammatory phenotype of iPS cell-derived JAK2 V617F megakaryocytes induces fibrosis in 3D in vitro bone marrow niche.

The myeloproliferative disease polycythemia vera (PV) driven by the JAK2 V617F mutation can transform into myelofibrosis (post-PV-MF). It remains an open question how JAK2 V617F in hematopoietic stem cells induces MF. Megakaryocytes are major players in murine PV models but are difficult to study in the human setting.

How pedigree errors affect genetic evaluations and validation statistics.

Pedigrees used in genetic evaluations contain errors. Because of such errors, assumptions regarding the relatedness among individuals in genetic evaluation models are wrong. Consequences of that have been investigated in earlier studies focusing on models that did not account for genomic information yet.

A dynamic time-to-event model for prediction of acute graft-versus-host disease in patients after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Background: Acute graft-versus-host disease (aGvHD) is a major cause of death for patients following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Effective management of moderate to severe aGvHD remains challenging despite recent advances in HSCT, emphasizing the importance of prophylaxis and risk factor identification.

Methods: In this study, we analyzed data from 1479 adults who underwent HSCT between 2005 and 2017 to investigate the effects of aGvHD prophylaxis and time-dependent risk factors on the development of grades II-IV aGvHD within 100 days post-HSCT.

Non-canonical Hedgehog signaling mediates profibrotic hematopoiesis-stroma crosstalk in myeloproliferative neoplasms.

The role of hematopoietic Hedgehog signaling in myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) remains incompletely understood despite data suggesting that Hedgehog (Hh) pathway inhibitors have therapeutic activity in patients. We aim to systematically interrogate the role of canonical vs. non-canonical Hh signaling in MPNs.

The impact of C-reactive protein levels on the effectiveness of upadacitinib in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a 12-month prospective, non-interventional German study.

Objectives: We investigated whether the effectiveness of upadacitinib in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatment is affected by baseline CRP levels in a real-world setting.

Methods: UPwArds was a prospective, non-interventional study. Patients had moderate-to-severe RA and an inadequate response or intolerance to ≥1 disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD).

Explaining the health system in a practical way - the use of a simulation game in medical sociology teaching.

Objective: A simulation game is a valuable method for conveying teaching content in a practical way. The aim was to design a teaching module for medical sociology on the subject of "The German health care system" which would convey the contents and connections to the students in a practical way using a simulation game.

Project Description: In addition to the development of scenarios for the simulation game, role cards for various institutions of the health care system were also produced as a result.

Trace mineral concentrations and accretion rates in the empty body and body tissues of growing Fleckvieh (German Simmental) bulls.

This research project aimed to generate basic data for specifying the trace mineral requirements of Fleckvieh (German Simmental) bulls. Hence, the concentrations of the trace minerals iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), and manganese (Mn) in the empty-body and body tissue fractions of growing Fleckvieh bulls slaughtered at 120-780 kg live weight were determined. Results were used to calculate trace mineral accretion rates.

[Coordinated primary care of older patients with complex needs. The perspective of family doctors in the light of a case management project within practice networks of independent physicians in Germany].

Background: Cross-sectoral and interdisciplinary care and case management can contribute to an improved integration of the primary care for patients with geriatric characteristics. Following this approach, the pilot study RubiN (Regional ununterbrochen betreut im Netz / Continuous Care in Regional Networks) implemented a specific geriatric Care and Case Management (CCM) in five certified practice networks of independent physicians in different regions in Germany. As part of the accompanying process-based evaluation of the project, a survey was conducted among general practitioners and other specialists from these networks in order to find out how, in their view, collaboration with case managers can improve medical care of geriatric patients and contribute to closing possible gaps in primary care structures.

Increasing social disparities in obesity among 15 000 pre-schoolers in a German district from 2009 to 2019.

Background: Although childhood obesity prevalence has stagnated in many high-income regions after decades of increase, it continues to be a major public health problem with adverse effects. The objective was to examine obesity trends as a function of parental social status to identify obesity disparities among children.

Methods: Data from school entry examinations from 2009 to 2019 of 14 952 pre-schoolers in one German district were used.

Integration of interictal EEG source localization in presurgical epilepsy evaluation - A single-center prospective study.

Objective: To investigate cost in working hours for initial integration of interictal EEG source localization (ESL) into clinical practice of a tertiary epilepsy center, and to examine concordance of results obtained with three different ESL pipelines.

Methods: This prospective study covered the first year of using ESL in the Epilepsy-Center Berlin-Brandenburg. Patients aged ≥14 years with drug-resistant focal epilepsy referred for noninvasive presurgical evaluation were included.

KIT D816V Mast Cells Derived from Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Recapitulate Systemic Mastocytosis Transcriptional Profile.

Mast cells (MCs) represent a population of hematopoietic cells with a key role in innate and adaptive immunity and are well known for their detrimental role in allergic responses. Yet, MCs occur in low abundance, which hampers their detailed molecular analysis. Here, we capitalized on the potential of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells to give rise to all cells in the body and established a novel and robust protocol for human iPS cell differentiation toward MCs.

Metabolites That Confirm Induction and Release of Dormancy Phases in Sweet Cherry Buds.

Here we report on metabolites found in a targeted profiling of 'Summit' flower buds for nine years, which could be indicators for the timing of endodormancy release (t) and beginning of ontogenetic development (t*). Investigated metabolites included chrysin, arabonic acid, pentose acid, sucrose, abscisic acid (ABA), and abscisic acid glucose ester (ABA-GE). Chrysin and water content showed an almost parallel course between leaf fall and t*.