Early, very high-titre convalescent plasma therapy in clinically vulnerable individuals with mild COVID-19: an international, randomised, open-label trial.

Background: COVID-19 convalescent plasma (CCP) is a treatment option for COVID-19. This study investigated the safety and efficacy of early, very high-titre CCP in immunocompromised individuals with mild COVID-19.

Methods: This randomised, controlled, open-label trial assessed CCP in immunocompromised patients (n = 120) with mild COVID-19 in 10 clinical trial centres across Germany, France, and the Netherlands.

Dose-Dependent Concentration and Penetration Depth of Cisplatin in Human Lung Tissue During Hyperthermic Exposure.

: Hyperthermic intrathoracic chemotherapy (HITOC) is an additive treatment option after surgical cytoreduction of pleural malignancies. Despite growing clinical experience and studies evaluating its feasibility, postoperative morbidity and mortality, as well as the effect on survival, there is still only little known about the local effects of HITOC on the lung parenchyma and tumour cells. The objective of this in vitro study was to evaluate the dose-dependent concentration and penetration depth of cisplatin in human lung tissue.

[Management of Malignant Pleural Effusion].

Malignant pleural effusion is a common diagnosis in metastasized cancers. It is always of palliative character. Main symptoms are dyspnoea and reduced quality of life.

Conception of a mobile health application targeting early postoperative physiotherapeutic care after total knee replacement, a qualitative study.

Introduction: Mobile applications targeting physiotherapeutic care after total joint replacements are increasing in popularity among end-users. However, these applications were primarily conceived out of financial interest and lack an evidence-based programs tailored to the specific needs of the target population. The primary objective of this study is to describe the conception of an evidence-based mobile health application that targets early postoperative physiotherapeutic care after total knee replacement (TKR).

[The Results of RATS and VATS Anatomical Resections in the Initial Phase].

Robot-assisted (RATS) anatomical resection is a new method in the treatment of lung tumours, but is controversial due to its cost. The aim of our retrospective study was to compare the clinical results of the RATS and VATS anatomical resections.The first 100 VATS and RATS resections were analysed with regard to tumour stage, intra- and postoperative complications, conversion, operation time, hospital stay and length of drainage treatment, postoperative pain (numerical rating scale, NRS) and mortality.

Rapid changes in plasma corticosterone and medial amygdala transcriptome profiles during social status change reveal molecular pathways associated with a major life history transition in mouse dominance hierarchies.

Social hierarchies are a common form of social organization across species. Although hierarchies are largely stable across time, animals may socially ascend or descend within hierarchies depending on environmental and social challenges. Here, we develop a novel paradigm to study social ascent and descent within male CD-1 mouse social hierarchies.

The MuCAYA Study-Influence of Physical Activity and Metabolic Parameters on the Structure and Function of the Cardiovascular System in Young Athletes.

Exercise has a significant impact on the cardiovascular (CV) health of children and adolescents, with resultant alterations in CV structure and function being evident, even at an early age. Engagement in regular, moderate physical activity (PA) is associated with long-term CV health benefits and a reduced risk of CV disease and mortality later in life. However, competitive sports often involve PA training intensities that are beyond recommended levels for young athletes, potentially leading to adverse CV outcomes.

First results from a multimodal psychosomatic post-COVID treatment approach - a prospective longitudinal study.

Background: Clinical experiences using a psychosomatic-oriented multimodal treatment approach in patients with post-COVID are promising. We established a half-day multimodal treatment program for post-COVID patients at the Department of Psychosomatic Medicine at General Hospital Nuremberg, Paracelsus Medical University, Germany.

Methods: This observational study between January 2022 and March 2023 comprised baseline documentation of Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQD), ICD-10 Symptom Rating (ISR), Fatigue Scale (FS) and Health Status Questionnaire (SF-12) at admission and discharge of 65 patients suffering from post-COVID.

Hospitalization prediction from the emergency department using computer vision AI with short patient video clips.

In this study, we investigate the performance of computer vision AI algorithms in predicting patient disposition from the emergency department (ED) using short video clips. Clinicians often use "eye-balling" or clinical gestalt to aid in triage, based on brief observations. We hypothesize that AI can similarly use patient appearance for disposition prediction.

MamF-like proteins are distant Tic20 homologs involved in organelle assembly in bacteria.

Organelle-specific protein translocation systems are essential for organelle biogenesis and maintenance in eukaryotes but thought to be absent from prokaryotic organelles. Here, we demonstrate that MamF-like proteins are crucial for the formation and functionality of bacterial magnetosome organelles. Deletion of mamF-like genes in the Alphaproteobacterium Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense results in severe defects in organelle positioning, biomineralization, and magnetic navigation.

The value of a neurosurgeon: is neurosurgical compensation proportional to value added? A systematic review of the literature and an update on a changing healthcare economy.

Objective: Determining the value of a neurosurgeon is complex. Services provided by neurosurgeons have a range of interested parties-from a patient's singular health interest to a community catchment area rendering on-call emergency services. Such complexity makes it difficult to determine and define value.

Artificial intelligence as a modality to enhance the readability of neurosurgical literature for patients.

Objective: In this study the authors assessed the ability of Chat Generative Pretrained Transformer (ChatGPT) 3.5 and ChatGPT4 to generate readable and accurate summaries of published neurosurgical literature.

Methods: Abstracts published in journal issues released between June 2023 and August 2023 (n = 150) were randomly selected from the top 5 ranked neurosurgical journals according to Google Scholar.

Statistical Signatures of Quantum Contextuality.

Quantum contextuality describes situations where the statistics observed in different measurement contexts cannot be explained by a measurement of the independent reality of the system. The most simple case is observed in a three-dimensional Hilbert space, with five different measurement contexts related to each other by shared measurement outcomes. The quantum formalism defines the relations between these contexts in terms of well-defined relations between operators, and these relations can be used to reconstruct an unknown quantum state from a finite set of measurement results.

Genicular Artery Embolization, Radiofrequency Ablation, and Corticosteroid Therapy for Knee Osteoarthritis: A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis Using Randomized Clinical Trial Data.

Many patients with knee osteoarthritis (KOA) have symptoms that are refractory to traditional nonsurgical treatments, such as intraarticular corticosteroid (CS) injection, but are not yet eligible are not yet eligible for or decline surgery. Genicular artery embolization (GAE) and radiofrequency ablation (RFA) are emerging adjunctive or alternative minimally invasive treatments. The purpose of this study was to perform a cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) comparing CS therapy, GAE, and RFA for the treatment of symptomatic KOA using a Markov model based on a de novo network meta-analysis (NMA) of randomized control trials.

An algorithm for forensic toolmark comparisons.

Forensic toolmark analysis traditionally relies on subjective human judgment, leading to inconsistencies and lack of transparency. The multitude of variables, including angles and directions of mark generation, further complicates comparisons. To address this, we first generate a dataset of 3D toolmarks from various angles and directions using consecutively manufactured slotted screwdrivers.

Strontium isotopes in the atmosphere, geosphere and hydrosphere: Developing a systematic "fingerprinting" framework of rocks and water in sedimentary basins in eastern Australia.

Understanding the connection between aquifers, aquitards, and groundwater-dependant ecosystems remains a key challenge when developing a conceptual hydrogeological model. The aim of this study was to develop a systematic strontium isotope (Sr/Sr) fingerprinting framework of rocks and water within the sedimentary Surat and Clarence-Moreton basins (SCM basins) in eastern Australia - an area of extensive coal seam gas development and high potential for aquifer and groundwater-surface water connectivity. To do this, new groundwater samples (n = 298) were collected, analyzed and integrated with published data (n = 154) from the basins' major sedimentary, volcanic and alluvial aquifers, including the major coal seam gas target, the Walloon Coal Measures.

Priorities and strategy for the implementation of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) in thoracic surgery.

Background: Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) is a perioperative care protocol, which was introduced several years ago and has gained increasing importance in thoracic surgery. The aim of this study was to provide guidance through clinical implementation and to identify factors for better compliance.

Methods: This prospective cohort study collected data between July 2021 and June 2022 at the Department of Thoracic Surgery (University Hospital Regensburg, Germany).

Performance of Intraoperative Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound (Io-CEUS) in the Diagnosis of Primary Lung Cancer.

Background: Suspicious tumors of the lung require specific staging, intraoperative detection, and histological confirmation. We performed an intrathoracic, intraoperative contrast-enhanced ultrasound (Io-CEUS) for characterization of lung cancer.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data on the application of Io-CEUS in thoracic surgery for patients with operable lung cancer.

Mate choice in the brain: species differ in how male traits 'turn on' gene expression in female brains.

Mate choice plays a fundamental role in speciation, yet we know little about the molecular mechanisms that underpin this crucial decision-making process. Stickleback fish differentially adapted to limnetic and benthic habitats are reproductively isolated and females of each species use different male traits to evaluate prospective partners and reject heterospecific males. Here, we integrate behavioural data from a mate choice experiment with gene expression profiles from the brains of females actively deciding whether to mate.