Cancer incidence and mortality in the occupational cohort of a German toxic waste landfill: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Employees at the Ihlenberg toxic waste landfill in northern Germany were found to have an increased risk of cancer and cancer-related deaths in previous analyses covering the time period from 1983 to 2008. The present study aimed to quantify cancer risk and all-cause mortality in the employee cohort in 2009 to 2021.

Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, cancers were identified by linkage with cancer registries, and employee deaths were obtained from population registries.

Impact of regional SARS-CoV-2 proceedings on changes in diagnoses of pediatric malignancies in Bavaria during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic affected daily life significantly and had massive consequences for healthcare systems with tremendous regional differences. This retrospective study aimed to investigate whether the pandemic and resulting societal changes impacted the diagnosis of pediatric malignancies in a distinct region. Pediatric cancer cases in Bavaria (2016-2021) and SARS-CoV-2 proceedings during the peak phase of the pandemic (2020-2021) were retrospectively analyzed.

[Socio-medical assessment: an inventory of the Medical Service of the Federal Employment Agency].

Introduction: The Medical Service of the Federal Employment Agency is responsible for socio-medical assessments of clients whose ability to work in the labor market is in question. Data about the Medical Service, its structure, and its performance were previously only available within the Federal Employment Agency.

Methods: In October 2023, data from the Medical Service containing information on the employee structure, clients, and orders were extracted from three data systems, processed, and analyzed.

FRACTION: protocol of a phase II study of Fedratinib and Nivolumab combination in patients with myelofibrosis and resistance or suboptimal response to JAK-inhibitor treatment of the German MPN study group (GSG-MPN).

Development of Janus-kinase (JAK) inhibitors has revolutionized the therapeutic landscape for patients with myeloproliferative neoplasia (MPN). Following approval of the first JAK1/2-inhibitor Ruxolitinib, symptoms of this inflammatory disease, characterized by splenomegaly, release of inflammatory cytokines and appearance of thrombosis, could be effectively reduced for the first time. However, JAK-inhibitor treatment is limited in several aspects: 1) duration of response: 3 years after initiation of therapy more than 50% of patients have discontinued JAK-inhibitor treatment due to lack of efficacy or resistance; 2) reduction of disease burden: while effective in reducing inflammation and constitutional symptoms, JAK-inhibitors fail to reduce the malignant clone in the majority of patients and therefore lack long-term efficacy.

Quality of Life and Patient Satisfaction After the Provision of an Orthopedic Knee Scooter.

Background: Partial or total avoidance of weight-bearing by a lower limb is regularly needed after trauma and surgery. There are approximately 200 such cases per 100 000 persons per year. Forearm crutches have mainly been used in Germany until now to keep these patients mobile.

Preventing Atrophic Long-Bone Nonunion: Retrospective Analysis at a Level I Trauma Center.

: Among the risk factors for nonunion are unchangeable patient factors such as the type of injury and comorbidities, and factors that can be influenced by the surgeon such as fracture treatment and the postoperative course. While there are numerous studies analyzing unchangeable factors, there is poor evidence for factors that can be affected by the physician. This raises the need to fill the existing knowledge gaps and lay the foundations for future prevention and in-depth treatment strategies.

Effects of robotic-assisted early mobilization versus conventional mobilization in intensive care unit patients: prospective interventional cohort study with retrospective control group analysis.

Background: Approximately one in three survivors of critical illness suffers from intensive-care-unit-acquired weakness, which increases mortality and impairs quality of life. By counteracting immobilization, a known risk factor, active mobilization may mitigate its negative effects on patients. In this single-center trial, the effect of robotic-assisted early mobilization in the intensive care unit (ICU) on patients' outcomes was investigated.

Robot-assisted early mobilization for intensive care unit patients: Feasibility and first-time clinical use.

Background: Early mobilization is only carried out to a limited extent in the intensive care unit. To address this issue, the robotic assistance system VEMOTION® was developed to facilitate (early) mobilization measures more easily. This paper describes the first integration of robotic assistance systems in acute clinical intensive care units.

Step-in dosing of bosutinib in pts with chronic phase chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) after second-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy: results of the Bosutinib Dose Optimization (BODO) Study.

The approved dose of bosutinib in chronic phase CML is 400 mg QD in first-line and 500 mg QD in later-line treatment. However, given that gastrointestinal (GI) toxicity typically occurs early after treatment initiation, physicians often tend to start therapy with lower doses although this has never been tested systematically in prospective trials in the Western world. The Bosutinib Dose Optimization (BODO) Study, a multicenter phase II study, investigated the tolerability and efficacy of a step-in dosing concept of bosutinib (starting at 300 mg QD) in chronic phase CML patients in 2 or 3 line who were intolerant and/or refractory to previous TKI treatment.

Trends in cancer incidence by socioeconomic deprivation in Germany in 2007 to 2018: An ecological registry-based study.

Age-standardized cancer incidence has decreased over the last years for many cancer sites in developed countries. Whether these trends led to narrowing or widening socioeconomic inequalities in cancer incidence is unknown. Using cancer registry data covering 48 million inhabitants in Germany, the ecological association between age-standardized total and site specific (colorectal, lung, prostate and breast) cancer incidence in 2007 to 2018 and a deprivation index on district level (aggregated to quintiles) was investigated.

Quality of long standing radiographs assessment of the patella position.

Background: The gold standard for evaluating leg alignment is a long leg standing radiograph (LSR). The research states that a correct LSR should have a patella that is centered and facing forward as well as a fibula head superimposition (FHS) with a tibia that is 1/3 larger than the fibula. The purpose of this study was to determine levels of quality for LSR by quantifying and correlating the patella position and fibular head superimposition.

Treatment outcome, cognitive function, and psychopathology in methamphetamine users compared to other substance users.

Background: The rising number of people using methamphetamine leads to an increasing need for treatment options for this patient group. Evidence-based research on the efficacy of treatment programs for methamphetamine users is limited. Due to specific characteristics of methamphetamine users, the question arises whether established treatment methods for individuals using other substances can be effective for the treatment of methamphetamine dependence as well.

[Mapping Regional Differences in Infection Rates for the Coronavirus (COVID-19): Results of a Bayesian Approach to Administrative Districts of Bavaria].

Background: Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, thematic maps showing the spread of the disease have been of great public interest. From the perspective of risk communication, those maps can be problematic, since random variation or extreme values may occur and cover up the actual regional patterns. One potential solution is applying spatial smoothing methods.

Area Deprivation and COVID-19 Incidence and Mortality in Bavaria, Germany: A Bayesian Geographical Analysis.

Background: Area deprivation has been shown to be associated with various adverse health outcomes including communicable as well as non-communicable diseases. Our objective was to assess potential associations between area deprivation and COVID-19 standardized incidence and mortality ratios in Bavaria over a period of nearly 2 years. Bavaria is the federal state with the highest infection dynamics in Germany and demographically comparable to several other European countries.

Binding potential changes of SERT in patients with depression are associated with remission: A prospective [¹²³I]β-CIT-SPECT study.

The status of remission in patients with major depressive disorder treated with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) is mostly evaluated with clinical rating scales. Morphological correlates of the remission status remain a rare event. Addressing this challenge, we investigated functional correlates of remission by assessment of serotonin and dopamine transporter availability (SERT and DAT) using single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT).

Psychiatric Comorbidity and Stress in Medical Students Using Neuroenhancers.

Pharmacological neuroenhancement (PN) is a common healthcare problem at least among students. PN seems to be associated with stressful situations. There is a lack of data about personal characteristics, comorbidities, and coping strategies regarding stress and factors of resilience in students and medical staff.

[Regional monitoring of infections by means of standardized case fatality rates using the example of SARS-CoV-2 in Bavaria].

Background: Maps of the temporal evolution of the regional distribution of a health-related measure enable public health-relevant assessments of health outcomes.

Objectives: The paper introduces the concept of standardized case fatality rate (sCFR). It describes the ratio of the regional variation in mortality to the regional variation in the documented infection process.

Stapes and Stapes Revision Surgery: Preoperative Air-Bone Gap Is a Prognostic Marker.

Objective: Stapes surgery is considered an effective treatment in otosclerosis, but controversy remains regarding predictors of surgical outcome.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Setting: Tertiary referral center.

Just "Like Coffee" or Neuroenhancement by Stimulants?

Pharmacological neuroenhancement (PN) is a topic of increasing importance and prevalence among students. However, there is a lack of differentiating PN substances, according to their psychoactive effects. In particular, there is a lack of data about PN by caffeinated drinks, even if coffee is a common and broadly used Neuroenhancer because of its cognitively enhancing effects regarding wakefulness, alertness and concentration.

Inequality indices to monitor geographic differences in incidence, mortality and fatality rates over time during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: It is of interest to explore the variability in how the COVID-19 pandemic evolved geographically during the first twelve months. To this end, we apply inequality indices over regions to incidences, infection related mortality, and infection fatality rates. If avoiding of inequality in health is an important political goal, a metric must be implemented to track geographical inequality over time.

CXCL13 and CXCL9 CSF Levels in Central Nervous System Lymphoma-Diagnostic, Therapeutic, and Prognostic Relevance.

Diagnostic delay and neurologic deterioration are still a problem for the treatment of rapidly progressing CNS lymphoma (CNSL); there is an unmet need for a diagnostic test with a high diagnostic yield and limited risk, minimizing the time to the initiation of effective treatment. In this prospective monocentric study, we analyzed the utility of CXCL13 and CXCL9 as diagnostic, therapeutic and prognostic biomarkers for CNSL. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from 155 consecutive patients admitted with brain lesions of various origins was collected.

Schistosoma haematobium infection and environmental factors in Southwestern Tanzania: A cross-sectional, population-based study.

Schistosomiasis is a leading cause of morbidity in Africa. Understanding the disease ecology and environmental factors that influence its distribution is important to guide control efforts. Geographic information systems have increasingly been used in the field of schistosomiasis environmental epidemiology.

Intraoperative use of cortical step sign and diameter difference sign: Accuracy, inter-rater agreement and influence of surgical experience in subtrochanteric transverse fractures.

Background: The cortical step sign (CSS) and diameter difference sign (DDS) are radiographic tools for torsional alignment control in intramedullary nailing. They have been found to be highly relevant in objective radiographic measurements, but for intraoperative visual identification they lack sufficient evidence yet. The aim of this experimental study was to evaluate their (1) accuracy, (2) inter-rater agreement, (3) predictors of correct identification for clinically relevant maltorsion (CRM: ≥15°), and (4) positive and negative predictive values.