Effects of Interaural Latency and Frequency Mismatch on Speech Recognition for Bimodal Cochlear Implant Users.

Objectives: Bimodal cochlear implant (CI) users vary in speech recognition outcomes. This variability may be influenced partly by the CI and contralateral hearing aid (HA) programming procedures, which can result in mismatches in latency and frequency. We assessed the performance of bimodal listeners when latency mismatches were corrected and analyzed how frequency mismatches influenced outcomes.

msiFlow: automated workflows for reproducible and scalable multimodal mass spectrometry imaging and microscopy data analysis.

Multimodal imaging by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionisation mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI MSI) and microscopy holds potential for understanding pathological mechanisms by mapping molecular signatures from the tissue microenvironment to specific cell populations. However, existing software solutions for MALDI MSI data analysis are incomplete, require programming skills and contain laborious manual steps, hindering broadly applicable, reproducible, and high-throughput analysis to generate impactful biological discoveries. Here, we present msiFlow, an accessible open-source, platform-independent and vendor-neutral software for end-to-end, high-throughput, transparent and reproducible analysis of multimodal imaging data.

Development and validation of the eHealth Literacy and Use Scale (eHLUS) to measure medical app literacy.

Objectives: This study aimed to develop and validate the eHealth Literacy and Use Scale (eHLUS), a German assessment tool designed to measure health literacy in the context of using medical apps. This scale enhances traditional eHealth literacy tools by focusing on the unique requirements of medical app use, such as integration into everyday life, and self-efficacy.

Study Design: This study employed a mixed-method design.

The deubiquitinase USP5 prevents accumulation of protein aggregates in cardiomyocytes.

Protein homeostasis is crucial for maintaining cardiomyocyte (CM) function. Disruption of proteostasis results in accumulation of protein aggregates causing cardiac pathologies such as hypertrophy, dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), and heart failure. Here, we identify ubiquitin-specific peptidase 5 (USP5) as a critical determinant of protein quality control (PQC) in CM.

Benefits of Cochlear Implantation and Hearing Preservation for Children With Preoperative Functional Hearing: A Prospective Clinical Trial.

Objectives: This study was designed to (1) compare preactivation and postactivation performance with a cochlear implant for children with functional preoperative low-frequency hearing, (2) compare outcomes of electric-acoustic stimulation (EAS) versus electric-only stimulation (ES) for children with versus without hearing preservation to understand the benefits of low-frequency acoustic cues, and (3) to investigate the relationship between postoperative acoustic hearing thresholds and performance.

Design: This was a prospective, 12-month between-subjects trial including 24 pediatric cochlear implant recipients with preoperative low-frequency functional hearing. Participant ages ranged from 5 to 17 years old.

Amide Internucleoside Linkages Suppress the MicroRNA-like Off-Target Activity of Short Interfering RNA.

RNA interference (RNAi) has rapidly matured as a novel therapeutic approach. In this field, chemical modifications have been critical to the clinical success of short interfering RNAs (siRNAs). Notwithstanding the significant advances, achieving robust durability and gene silencing in extrahepatic tissues, as well as reducing off-target effects of siRNA, are areas where chemical modifications can still improve siRNA performance.

β-Glucan reprograms neutrophils to promote disease tolerance against influenza A virus.

Disease tolerance is an evolutionarily conserved host defense strategy that preserves tissue integrity and physiology without affecting pathogen load. Unlike host resistance, the mechanisms underlying disease tolerance remain poorly understood. In the present study, we investigated whether an adjuvant (β-glucan) can reprogram innate immunity to provide protection against influenza A virus (IAV) infection.

African Swine Fever in Saxony-Disease Dynamics.

African swine fever (ASF) emerged in Germany in 2020. A few weeks after the initial occurrence, infected wild boar were detected in Saxony. In this study, data from wild boar surveillance in Saxony were analyzed.

Exploration of Novel Biomarkers for Neurodegenerative Diseases Using Proteomic Analysis and Ligand-Binding Assays.

Background/objectives: Neurodegenerative diseases are a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, and their public health burden continues to increase. There is an urgent need to develop reliable and sensitive biomarkers to aid the timely diagnosis, disease progression monitoring, and therapeutic development for neurodegenerative disorders. Proteomic screening strategies, including antibody microarrays, are a powerful tool for biomarker discovery, but their findings should be confirmed using quantitative assays.

Judged by your neighbors: Brain structural normativity profiles for large and heterogeneous samples.

The detection of norm deviations is fundamental to clinical decision making and impacts our ability to diagnose and treat diseases effectively. Current normative modeling approaches rely on generic comparisons and quantify deviations in relation to the population average. However, generic models interpolate subtle nuances and risk the loss of critical information, thereby compromising effective personalization of health care strategies.

Emerging spp. infections in Europe: characterization of human clinical isolates from German patients.

Bacteria of the genus are widely distributed in water bodies around the world. Some species have been identified as human pathogens causing intestinal and a variety of extraintestinal infections. In Germany, information on diseases caused by is rare, because infections are not notifiable in Germany.

The combined assessment of p16 and Mib/Ki-67 in oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Objective: Despite numerous studies addressing the impact of p16 in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), consistent data regarding survival and tumor proliferation behavior are lacking. Although some authors investigate both p16 and Mib/Ki-67 in their cohorts, direct correlations are consistently missing. The aim of this study was to investigate the combined influence of p16 and Mib/Ki-67 status on prognosis in OSCC.

Warehouse-based, immunopeptidome-guided design of personalised peptide vaccines shows feasibility in clinical trial evaluation in CLL patients.

Unlabelled: Cancer peptide vaccination represents a promising therapeutic approach, but has been hampered by lack of suitable antigens and restricted applicability due to different HLA backgrounds of individual patients. We here introduce a novel warehouse-based concept for composition of personalized peptide vaccines and report on its successful application in a Phase II clinical trial in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) after first-line therapy. 26 CLL patients in at least partial remission (PR) after 6 months of immuno-chemotherapy were vaccinated with a personalized vaccine compiled from a premanufactured peptide warehouse comprising immunopeptidome-defined CLL-associated peptides.

SPARCL1 and NT-proBNP as biomarkers of right ventricular-to-pulmonary artery uncoupling in pulmonary hypertension.

Aims: SPARCL1 was recently identified as a biomarker of right ventricular (RV) maladaptation in patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH), and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic protein (NT-proBNP) is an established biomarker of RV failure in PH. The present study investigated whether NT-proBNP and SPARCL1 concentrations are associated with load-independent parameters of RV function and RV-to-pulmonary artery (RV-PA) coupling as measured using invasive pressure-volume (PV) loops in the RV.

Methods: SPARCL1 and NT-proBNP were measured in the plasma of patients with idiopathic pulmonary artery hypertension (IPAH, n = 73).

Cancer Nursing Frameworks to Guide Clinical Capability, Education and Careers: A Scoping Review of the International Literature.

Aim: This review aimed to provide a current global profile of all existing cancer nursing competency, capability, education and career frameworks and map capabilities and competencies to the clinical, facilitation of education, management and research pillars of practice.

Design: Scoping review.

Data Sources: Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Cochrane Library, Epistemonikos, Google Scholar, Medline, and PubMed.

[Combination drug therapy in pulmonary hypertension: switch from selexipaq to intravenous trepostinil].

A wide range of substances is currently available for the treatment of patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension. The current recommendations for initial drug therapy are based on the patient's risk profile. For patients at high risk, an initial triple combination therapy with different substances including prostanoids is recommended.

Polymer Capsules with Volatile Organic Compounds as Reference Materials for Controlled Emission.

Encapsulation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that could evaporate at a defined rate is of immense interest for application in emission reference materials (ERMs). Polyurethane/polyurea microcapsules with various VOC active ingredients (limonene, pinene, and toluene) were successfully produced by interfacial polymerization with Shirasu porous glass membrane emulsification in a size range between 10 and 50 μm. The effect of surfactant, VOC, monomer(s) type, and ratio has a great effect on the formulation process and morphology of capsules.

Dry Amorphization of Itraconazole Using Mesoporous Silica and Twin-Screw Technology.

Amorphization of an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) can improve its dissolution and enhance bioavailability. Avoiding solvents for drug amorphization is beneficial due to environmental issues and potential solvent residues in the final product. Dry amorphization using a twin-screw extruder is presented in this paper.

Incorporating Virtual Reality Agents During a Dichotic Speech Reception Task: Insights From the Heart.

Objectives: Listening effort is moderated by not only task difficulty, but also success importance. In real communication scenarios, success importance varies based upon the social context. However, in the laboratory, it can be challenging to manipulate social context without compromising experimental control.

Influence of Matching the Processing Delays of Cochlear Implant and Hearing Aid Devices for Bimodal Listeners on Speech Recognition in Noise.

Purpose: Cochlear implant (CI) recipients who listen with a hearing aid (HA) in the contralateral ear, known as bimodal listeners, demonstrate individual variability in speech recognition in noise. This variability may be due in part to differences in the processing delays of the CI and HA devices. This study investigated the influence of matching the processing delays of CI and HA devices on masked speech recognition for bimodal listeners.

spp. in German wildlife: Detection, regional occurrence and diversity in wild boar, roe, red and fallow deer.

is a cause of diarrheal infections responsible for a loss of human and animal welfare worldwide. The impact of the parasite is underestimated and the reported sources of infection are diverse, as it occurs in a wide variety of hosts. Wildlife has been reported as a notifiable source, but few studies are available on its occurrence in European wild boar and cervid species.

Management of giant left atrial thrombus late after transcatheter mitral valve-in-ring replacement using a transcatheter aortic valve: a case report.

Background: In symptomatic high-risk patients with severe mitral valve regurgitation (MR), who are not eligible for surgery, Transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER) or transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR) may be an option, especially when surgical mitral valve repair by annuloplasty has been performed earlier. After TMVR, the appropriate anticoagulation regimen is still matter of debate.

Case Presentation: We here report on a 78-year-old frail lady with heart failure and atrial fibrillation who underwent surgical reconstruction of the mitral valve nine years ago.