Publications by authors named "Julia Kaiser"

The corticospinal tract (CST) facilitates skilled, precise movements, which necessitates that subcerebral projection neurons (SCPN) establish segmentally specific connectivity with brainstem and spinal circuits. Developmental molecular delineation enables prospective identification of corticospinal neurons (CSN) projecting to thoraco-lumbar spinal segments; however, it remains unclear whether other SCPN subpopulations in developing sensorimotor cortex can be prospectively identified in this manner. Such molecular tools could enable investigations of SCPN circuitry with precision and specificity.

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Background: Working alliance is a prominent non-specific factor for treatment outcomes in face-to-face and internet-based interventions. The association between working alliance and therapy outcome appears to be time- and disorder-specific, but less is known about the change of working alliance during the intervention and the impact of working alliance in grief-specific interventions. The present study examines the association between the change of working alliance and treatment outcomes in an internet-based intervention for parents who experienced pregnancy loss.

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This study investigates linguistic predictors of reduction in prolonged grief symptoms following a writing intervention in an internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy for people bereaved by cancer. Data stem from a randomized control clinical trial with 70 people. The Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count program was used to analyse patient language.

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Internet-based psychological interventions have proven effective in the treatment of prolonged grief disorder (PGD). Yet, some patients do not benefit from treatment in a clinically significant way. We aimed to examine predictors of symptom reduction in an Internet-based intervention for PGD after cancer bereavement, in order to identify possible treatment mechanisms and discern directions for future intervention design.

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Objectives: Before the loss of a loved one to cancer, relatives have time to adapt to the impending death. However, due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, adjustment to an imminent death may be more difficult. This study investigates factors related to pre-loss grief and preparedness during the COVID-19 pandemic and their relationship with COVID-19 related fears.

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Background: The objective of this study was to determine how clinical characteristics and validated quality of life (QoL)-measures are associated with eating behavior in patients with olfactory dysfunction (OD).

Methods: For this cross-sectional study, 150 OD patients of different causes were retrospectively recruited. Olfactory function was measured using the Sniffin' Sticks (TDI), while olfactory-related QoL was evaluated with the Questionnaire of OD negative and positive statements (QOD-NS and QOD-PS).

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The aim of this study was to examine the simultaneous effects of pre-loss grief, preparedness for death and preparedness for caregiving on different psychological health outcomes in relatives of people with cancer. Two hundred ninety-nine relatives of people with cancer participated in a cross-sectional online survey. Participants were included if they spoke German and were 18 years or older.

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Background: Stroke research heavily relies on rodent behavior when assessing underlying disease mechanisms and treatment efficacy. Although functional motor recovery is considered the primary targeted outcome, tests in rodents are still poorly reproducible and often unsuitable for unraveling the complex behavior after injury.

Results: Here, we provide a comprehensive 3D gait analysis of mice after focal cerebral ischemia based on the new deep learning-based software (DeepLabCut, DLC) that only requires basic behavioral equipment.

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Article Synopsis
  • Patients with myasthenia gravis (MG) may experience more severe outcomes from COVID-19, and this study looked at how their immunosuppressive therapy (IST) affects both the risk of infection and the severity of the disease.
  • Analysis of data from the German myasthenia gravis registry revealed that out of 1379 patients, 95 contracted COVID-19, with a significant portion (76%) already on IST.
  • The results indicated that while IST did not increase the risk of contracting COVID-19, it was linked to a higher likelihood of hospitalization or death among those infected, highlighting the need for prevention strategies in this vulnerable population.*
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Objectives: Patients with olfactory dysfunction (OD) frequently report symptoms of depression. The objective of this study was to determine how clinical characteristics and olfactory-related quality of life (QoL) measures associate with the likelihood for major depressive disorders (MDDs).

Methods: A total of 192 OD patients were included.

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Background: Physicians show an increased prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Potentially traumatic events in the medical profession include confrontation with suffering, death, violent experiences, and medical errors. The aim of the present analysis is to record traumatic events (TE) in physicians seeking help and to qualitatively analyze the roles and process factors involved.

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Background: Bereavement due to cancer increases the risk of prolonged grief disorder. However, specialized treatment options for prolonged grief after a loss due to illness are still scarce.

Objective: The aim of this study is to extend previous findings by evaluating a web-based cognitive behavioral intervention with asynchronous therapist support, consisting of structured writing tasks adapted specifically for prolonged grief after cancer bereavement.

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The treatment of locally recurrent lung cancer is a major challenge for radiation-oncologists, especially with data on high-dose reirradiation being limited to small retrospective studies. The aim of the present study is to assess overall survival (OS) for patients with locally recurrent lung cancer after high-dose thoracic reirradiation. Thirty-nine patients who were re-irradiated for lung cancer relapse between October 2013 and February 2019 were eligible for the current retrospective analysis.

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Article Synopsis
  • In 2017, eculizumab was approved to treat generalised myasthenia gravis (TRgMG), but the definition of treatment-refractory status is still unclear and needs clarification.* -
  • A structured consensus process involving 12 experts aimed to create a simple scoring system to operationalize TRgMG status for better clinical decision making.* -
  • The scoring system uses 13 specific criteria related to disease severity and treatment inefficacy, and it helps clarify eculizumab's use while establishing new criteria for future clinical studies.*
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Objective: Congenital hyperinsulinism (CHI) is a rare disease characterized by persistent hypoglycemia as a result of inappropriate insulin secretion, which can lead to irreversible neurological defects in infants. Poor efficacy and strong adverse effects of the current medications impede successful treatment. The aim of the study was to investigate new approaches to silence β-cells and thus attenuate insulin secretion.

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The aim for this study was to elucidate how the hypothalamic hunger-inducing hormone acyl-ghrelin (AG), which is also produced in the pancreas, affects β-cell function, with particular attention to the role of ATP-sensitive K (K) channels and the exact site of action of the hormone. AG hyperpolarized the membrane potential and decreased cytoplasmic calcium concentration [Ca] and glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS). These effects were abolished in β-cells from SUR1-knockout (KO) mice.

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Dioctophymosis is caused by Dioctophyme renale, a nematode that usually affects the right kidney of carnivores. The aim of this study was to report on a case of a dog with progressive weight loss and swollen abdomen that was diagnosed as presenting dioctophymosis. The patient underwent surgical treatment through which 34 nematodes were found, of which 18 were female and 16 were male, with a maximum length of 74 centimeters.

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Transforming growth factor (TGF)β1 has repeatedly been associated with axonal regeneration and recovery after injury to the CNS. We found TGFβ1 upregulated in the stroke-denervated mouse spinal cord after ischemic injury to the motor cortex as early as 4 d postinjury (dpi) and persisting up to 28 dpi. Given the potential role of TGFβ1 in structural plasticity and functional recovery after stroke highlighted in several published studies, we investigated its downstream signaling in an model of neurite outgrowth.

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Background: Grief reactions that become abnormally persistent and cause significant impairment in functioning have been introduced as new diagnostic entities within the classification systems DSM-5 and ICD-11 termed persistent complex bereavement disorder (PCBD) and prolonged grief disorder (PGD), respectively. In order to assess these conditions, reliable and valid assessment instruments are indispensable. This systematic review examines available assessment tools for disordered grief, reviews their psychometric properties and assesses the extent to which they reflect the diagnostic entities.

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Objective: Masculinity ideologies have been associated with negative mental health outcomes. However, little is known regarding the link between masculinity ideologies and posttraumatic stress (PTS). This review aims to provide insight into this association by synthesizing available empirical research.

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Recent studies suggest that synaptic lysophosphatidic acids (LPAs) augment glutamate-dependent cortical excitability and sensory information processing in mice and humans via presynaptic LPAR2 activation. Here, we studied the consequences of LPAR2 deletion or antagonism on various aspects of cognition using a set of behavioral and electrophysiological analyses. Hippocampal neuronal network activity was decreased in middle-aged LPAR2 mice, whereas hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP) was increased suggesting cognitive advantages of LPAR2 mice.

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Purpose: After publication of the radiation field design in the American College of Surgeons Oncology Group Z0011 trial, a radiation therapy quality assurance review was integrated into the Intergroup-Sentinel-Mamma (INSEMA) trial. We aimed to investigate the role of patient characteristics, extent of axillary surgery, and radiation techniques for dose distribution in ipsilateral axillary levels.

Methods And Materials: INSEMA (NCT02466737) has randomized 5542 patients who underwent breast-conserving surgery.

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The aim of this review is to provide a comprehensive overview of the role of intraoperative radiation therapy with electrons (IOERT) in breast conserving therapy (BCT), both as partial breast irradiation (PBI) as well as anticipated boost ("IOERT-Boost"). For both applications, the criteria for patient selection, technical details/requirements, physical aspects and outcome data are presented. IOERT AS PBI: The largest evidence comes from Italian studies, especially the ELIOT randomized trial.

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Antibody-based therapeutics targeting CNS antigens emerge as promising treatments in neurology. However, access to the CNS is limited by the blood-brain barrier. We examined the effects of a neurite growth-enhancing anti-Nogo A antibody therapy following 3 routes of administration-intrathecal (i.

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Concomitant chemo-radiotherapy (cCRT) with 60 Gy in 30 fractions is the standard of care for stage 111 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). With a median overall survival of 28.7 months at best and maximum locoregional control rates of 70% at two years, the prognosis for these patients is still dismal.

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