Facultatively Anaerobic Staphylococci Enable Anaerobic Species to Grow and Form Biofilms Under Aerobic Conditions.

Facultatively anaerobic spp. and anaerobic spp. are among the most prominent bacteria on human skin.

Wound Gel Formulations Containing Poloxamer 407 and Polyhexanide Have Antimicrobial and Antibiofilm Activity Against Wound-Associated Microbial Pathogens.

Chronic wounds are often caused or exacerbated by microbial biofilms that are highly resistant to antimicrobial treatments and that prevent healing. This study compared the antimicrobial and antibiofilm activity of nine topical wound treatments, comprising gels with different concentrations of poloxamer 407 (20-26%) and different pH levels (4-6) and containing polyhexanide (PHMB) as an antimicrobial agent; the effects of pH on wound gels containing this agent have not been previously reported. The wound gel formulations were tested against six common wound-associated microbial pathogens: , , , , , and .

Pharmacometrics-Enhanced Bayesian Borrowing for Pediatric Extrapolation - A Case Study of the DINAMO Trial.

Bayesian borrowing analyses have an important role in the design and analysis of pediatric trials. This paper describes use of a prespecified Pharmacometrics Enhanced Bayesian Borrowing (PEBB) analysis that was conducted to overcome an expectation for reduced statistical power in the pediatric DINAMO trial due to a greater than expected variability in the primary endpoint. The DINAMO trial assessed the efficacy and safety of an empagliflozin dosing regimen versus placebo and linagliptin versus placebo on glycemic control (change in HbA1c over 26 weeks) in young people with type 2 diabetes (T2D).

Dispersin B: The Quintessential Antibiofilm Enzyme.

The extracellular matrix of most bacterial biofilms contains polysaccharides, proteins, and nucleic acids. These biopolymers have been shown to mediate fundamental biofilm-related phenotypes including surface attachment, intercellular adhesion, and biocide resistance. Enzymes that degrade polymeric biofilm matrix components, including glycoside hydrolases, proteases, and nucleases, are useful tools for studying the structure and function of biofilm matrix components and are also being investigated as potential antibiofilm agents for clinical use.

Hebbian plasticity induced by temporally coincident BCI enhances post-stroke motor recovery.

Functional electrical stimulation (FES) can support functional restoration of a paretic limb post-stroke. Hebbian plasticity depends on temporally coinciding pre- and post-synaptic activity. A tight temporal relationship between motor cortical (MC) activity associated with attempted movement and FES-generated visuo-proprioceptive feedback is hypothesized to enhance motor recovery.

Poly--(1→6)--acetyl-D-glucosamine mediates surface attachment, biofilm formation, and biocide resistance in .

Background: The commensal skin bacterium plays a role in the pathogenesis of acne vulgaris and also causes opportunistic infections of implanted medical devices due to its ability to form biofilms on biomaterial surfaces. Poly--(1→6)--acetyl-D-glucosamine (PNAG) is an extracellular polysaccharide that mediates biofilm formation and biocide resistance in a wide range of bacterial pathogens. The objective of this study was to determine whether produces PNAG, and whether PNAG contributes to biofilm formation and biocide resistance .

Tricuspid transcatheter edge-to-edge repair in a 72-year-old patient with a left ventricular assist device and prior mitral edge-to-edge repair: a case report.

Background: We report a case of a 72-year-old patient developing a significant tricuspid regurgitation (TR) 6 years after a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation. The aim of this case is to demonstrate the feasibility of transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER) of the tricuspid valve and the excellent clinical benefit in long-term follow-up in an LVAD patient.

Case Summary: Our patient presented with recurrent acute heart failure syndrome.

Use of Aureobasidium in a sustainable economy.

Aureobasidium is omnipresent and can be isolated from air, water bodies, soil, wood, and other plant materials, as well as inorganic materials such as rocks and marble. A total of 32 species of this fungal genus have been identified at the level of DNA, of which Aureobasidium pullulans is best known. Aureobasidium is of interest for a sustainable economy because it can be used to produce a wide variety of compounds, including enzymes, polysaccharides, and biosurfactants.

Predictors for Adherence to Recommended Anticoagulation after Stroke Unit Discharge in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation.

Introduction: Non-adherence to recommended secondary preventive anticoagulation in stroke patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common phenomenon although the introduction of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) has simplified anticoagulation management for physicians as well as for patients.

Methods: We examined the adherence of secondary preventive anticoagulation in AF patients after re-integration in their social environment 6 to 12 weeks after stroke unit and rehabilitation clinic treatment and analyzed for predictors for adherence and non-adherence. We conducted a telephone survey in consecutive patients treated between January 2013 and December 2021 at our institutional stroke unit with an acute cerebrovascular ischemic event and we analyzed discharge letters of rehabilitation clinics of those patients not anticoagulated at follow-up.

Duration of and time to response in oncology clinical trials from the perspective of the estimand framework.

Duration of response (DOR) and time to response (TTR) are typically evaluated as secondary endpoints in early-stage clinical studies in oncology when efficacy is assessed by the best overall response and presented as the overall response rate. Despite common use of DOR and TTR in particular in single-arm studies, the definition of these endpoints and the questions they are intended to answer remain unclear. Motivated by the estimand framework, we present relevant scientific questions of interest for DOR and TTR and propose corresponding estimand definitions.

Pharmacometrics enhanced Bayesian borrowing approach to improve clinical trial efficiency: Case of empagliflozin in type 2 diabetes.

We report use of a pharmacometrics enhanced Bayesian borrowing (PEBB) approach to leverage historical clinical trial data on a drug product to build models, project the outcome of future clinical trials, and borrow information from these projections to improve the efficiency of future target trials. This design takes a two-stage approach. First, a design phase is performed before target trial data are available to determine the operating characteristics and an appropriate tuning parameter that will be used in the subsequent analysis phase of a chosen target trial.

[Transanal Tumor Resection: Indication, Surgical Technique and Management of Complications].

Transanal resection procedures are special operations for the minimally invasive treatment of rectal tumours. Apart from benign tumours, this procedure is suitable for the excision of low-risk T1 rectal carcinomas, if these can be completely removed (R0 resection). With stringent patient selection, very good oncological results are achieved.

Real-world evidence for the effectiveness and safety of dupilumab in patients with CRSwNP after 1 year of therapy.

Objectives: For nearly 3 years, the monoclonal antibody dupilumab has been approved in Germany for the treatment of patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP). Although efficacy has been demonstrated in large double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials, few reports of real-world data on this therapy have been published to date.

Methods: Patients with an indication for treatment with dupilumab for CRSwNP were included in the study and followed up every 3 months for a period of 1 year.

Propensity score stratified MAP prior and posterior inference for incorporating information across multiple potentially heterogeneous data sources.

Incorporation of external information is becoming increasingly common when designing clinical trials. Availability of multiple sources of information has inspired the development of methodologies that account for potential heterogeneity not only between the prospective trial and the pooled external data sources but also between the different external data sources themselves. Our approach proposes an intuitive way of handling such a scenario for the continuous outcomes setting by using propensity score-based stratification and then utilizing robust meta-analytic predictive priors for each stratum to incorporate the prior data to distinguish among different external data sources in each stratum.

Nasal residence time and rheological properties of a new bentonite-based thixotropic gel emulsion nasal spray - AM-301.

Objective: The present work provides characterization of rheological properties of a new bentonite-based thixotropic gel emulsion nasal spray (AM-301), its nasal residence time, distribution, safety and tolerability.

Significance: The nasal epithelium is a portal of entry for allergens and primary infection by airborne pathogens. Non-pharmacological interventions, which enhance physical and biological barriers, protect against allergens and pathogens without drug-related side effects.

A typology of adolescents' technology use before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: A latent profile analysis.

The COVID-19 pandemic has made adolescents´ technology use unavoidable for sustaining teaching and learning processes. In the present paper we conducted two studies using a person-centered latent profile analysis to examine adolescents' technology use before (Study 1,  = 643) and during (Study 2,  = 644) the COVID-19 pandemic in the region of Bavaria, Germany. While adolescents' technology use before the COVID-19 pandemic was divergent in terms of study-related and social technology use, the results show that during the COVID-19 pandemic, adolescents' technology use increased in terms of both, study-related and social purposes.

A transfacet approach to the lumbar nerve root canal: technical note.

Background: Intraforaminal and extraforaminal nerve root compressions caused by disk herniation or stenosis are relatively common causes of lumbar radiculopathy. Currently, the two available surgical treatment methods are decompression from the spinal canal or lateral decompression via the Wiltse approach.

Objective: To describe a novel transosseous approach to the lumbar nerve root canal.

Closing the loop - The human role in artificial intelligence for education.

Recent advancements in artificial intelligence make its use in education more likely. In fact, existing learning systems already utilize it for supporting students' learning or teachers' judgments. In this perspective article, we want to elaborate on the role of humans in making decisions in the design and implementation process of artificial intelligence in education.

Implementing Remote Collaboration in a Virtual Patient Platform: Usability Study.

Background: Learning with virtual patients is highly popular for fostering clinical reasoning in medical education. However, little learning with virtual patients is done collaboratively, despite the potential learning benefits of collaborative versus individual learning.

Objective: This paper describes the implementation of student collaboration in a virtual patient platform.

Xenon-Enhanced Dynamic Dual-Energy CT Is Able to Quantify Sinus Ventilation Using Laminar and Pulsating Air-/Gas Flow Before and After Surgery: A Pilot Study in a Cadaver Model.

Background: Chronic rhinosinusitis is a common disease with a significant impact on the quality of life. Topical drug delivery to the paranasal sinuses is not efficient to prevent sinus surgery or expensive biologic treatment in a lot of cases as the affected mucosa is not reached. More efficient approaches for topical drug delivery are, therefore, necessary.

Influence of Pulse Duration on X-ray Emission during Industrial Ultrafast Laser Processing.

Soft X-ray emissions during the processing of industrial materials with ultrafast lasers are of major interest, especially against the background of legal regulations. Potentially hazardous soft X-rays, with photon energies of >5 keV, originate from the fraction of hot electrons in plasma, the temperature of which depends on laser irradiance. The interaction of a laser with the plasma intensifies with growing plasma expansion during the laser pulse, and the fraction of hot electrons is therefore enhanced with increasing pulse duration.

ENT Residents Benefit from a Structured Operation Planning Approach in the Training of Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery.

: Preoperative planning utilizing computed tomographies (CT) is of utmost importance in functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS). Frequently, no uniform documentation and planning structures are available to residents in training. Consequently, overall completeness and quality of operation planning may vary greatly.

Non-invasive electrical brain stimulation for vision restoration after stroke: An exploratory randomized trial (REVIS).

Background: Occipital strokes often cause permanent homonymous hemianopia leading to significant disability. In previous studies, non-invasive electrical brain stimulation (NIBS) has improved vision after optic nerve damage and in combination with training after stroke.

Objective: We explored different NIBS modalities for rehabilitation of hemianopia after chronic stroke.

Human papillomavirus persistence or clearance after infection in reproductive age. What is the status? Review of the literature and new data of a vaginal gel containing silicate dioxide, citric acid, and selenite.

Cervical cancer, the third most common cancer in women, is caused in nearly all cases by a persistent infection with high-risk types of the human papillomavirus. Although human papillomavirus infections are 80%-90% transient and disappear spontaneously within 24 months, human papillomavirus infections that remain are at risk of developing cervical lesions. Different therapeutical approaches have been tested to promote the regression of low-grade lesions or prevent progression.

Statistical literacy and scientific reasoning & argumentation in physicians.

Statistical literacy (SL) of physicians, i.e. the ability to use and interpret statistical numbers in the context of science, is an essential prerequisite for risk estimation and communication.