Early clinical outcomes of Portico and Edwards Sapien 3 valve prosthesis in transcatheter aortic valve replacement: propensity-matched analysis.

Introduction: There is a lack of real-world data directly comparing different valve prostheses for transaortic valve replacement (TAVR). We aimed to compare early clinical outcomes at 30-days between the self-expandable Portico valve (Abbott) with the balloon-expandable Edwards Sapien 3 valve (Edwards Lifesciences) (ES3).

Methods: Out of 1,901 patients undergoing TAVR between January 2018 and December 2021, all patients who received either Portico valve or ES3 valve via transfemoral TAVR were matched using nearest-neighbor (1:1) propensity scoring.

Stress experiences of healthcare assistants in family practice at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic: a mixed methods study.

Background: At the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, healthcare assistants in general practices were confronted with numerous new challenges. The aim of the study was to investigate the stress factors of healthcare assistants in March/April 2020 as well as in the further course of the pandemic in 2020.

Methods: From August to December 2020, 6,300 randomly selected healthcare assistants in four German states were invited to participate in the study.

Standardized tissue sampling guidelines for histopathological and molecular analyses of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in ecotoxicological studies.

In ecotoxicology, evaluation of toxicities and no observed effect concentrations (NOEC) of test compounds in experimental fish is commonly based on molecular-, biochemical- and analytical chemistry analyses of organ/tissue samples and the assessment of (histo-) pathological lesions. Standardization of organ/tissue sampling locations, sample numbers, and sample processing contributes to warrant the reproducibility and inter- and intra-study comparability of analysis results. The present article provides the first comprehensive tissue sampling guidelines specifically adapted to rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) as a frequently used fish species in ecotoxicological studies.

[General Practitioners' Experiences with COVID-19: a Survey After the First Wave of the Pandemic in March/April 2020].

Background And Objectives: The first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic (Mar-Apr 2020) posed significant challenges for primary care. The goal of this study was to analyse the burden of the crisis situation as experienced by the general practitioners (GPs) at its beginning and over the course of the pandemic and to identify factors predictive of the sense of being overburdened.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 6300 randomly selected GPs in four federal states of Germany were contacted per post in order to survey changes in health care they provided and their psychological burden in the context of the pandemic between August and October 2020.

Ablation of C-type natriuretic peptide/cGMP signaling in fibroblasts exacerbates adverse cardiac remodeling in mice.

Excessive activation of cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) in response to injury provokes cardiac fibrosis, stiffness, and failure. The local mediators counterregulating this response remain unclear. Exogenous C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) exerts antifibrotic effects in preclinical models.

German general practitioners' experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic and how it affected their patient care: A qualitative study.

Background: General practitioners (GPs) play a significant role in providing medical care to patients affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Little is known about the impact of the pandemic on patient care from the perspective of GPs.

Objectives: To gain insight into GPs' experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on patient care in Germany.

Detection of Diclofenac-Induced Alterations in Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) Using Quantitative Stereological Methods.

In 2013, the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac (DCF) was included in the watch list for emerging pollutants under the European Union Water Framework Directive. Frequently, monitoring data revealed DCF concentrations in surface waters exceeding the proposed environmental quality standards of 0.04 µg L and 0.

Experiencing COVID-19, home isolation and primary health care: A mixed-methods study.

Objectives: Although the vast majority of COVID-19 cases are treated in primary care, patients' experiences during home isolation have been little studied. This study aimed to explore the experiences of patients with acute COVID-19 and to identify challenges after the initial adaptation of the German health system to the pandemic (after first infection wave from February to June 2020).

Methods: A mixed-method convergent design was used to gain a holistic insight into patients experience.

CDON contributes to Hedgehog-dependent patterning and growth of the developing limb.

Hedgehog (HH) signaling is a major driver of tissue patterning during embryonic development through the regulation of a multitude of cell behaviors including cell fate specification, proliferation, migration, and survival. HH ligands signal through the canonical receptor PTCH1 and three co-receptors, GAS1, CDON and BOC. While previous studies demonstrated an overlapping and collective requirement for these co-receptors in early HH-dependent processes, the early embryonic lethality of Gas1;Cdon;Boc mutants precluded an assessment of their collective contribution to later HH-dependent signaling events.

Understanding the widespread use of veterinary ivermectin for Chagas disease, underlying factors and implications for the COVID-19 pandemic: a convergent mixed-methods study.

Objectives: Veterinary ivermectin (vet-IVM) has been used widely in Latin America against COVID-19, despite the lack of scientific evidence and potential risks. Widespread vet-IVM intake was also discovered against Chagas disease during a study in Bolivia prior to the pandemic. All vet-IVM-related data were extracted to understand this phenomenon, its extent and underlying factors and to discuss potential implications for the current pandemic.

Combinatorial Gli activity directs immune infiltration and tumor growth in pancreatic cancer.

Proper Hedgehog (HH) signaling is essential for embryonic development, while aberrant HH signaling drives pediatric and adult cancers. HH signaling is frequently dysregulated in pancreatic cancer, yet its role remains controversial, with both tumor-promoting and tumor-restraining functions reported. Notably, the GLI family of HH transcription factors (GLI1, GLI2, GLI3), remain largely unexplored in pancreatic cancer.

Diagnostic accuracy and feasibility of a rapid SARS-CoV-2 antigen test in general practice - a prospective multicenter validation and implementation study.

Background: PCR testing is considered the gold standard for SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis but its results are earliest available hours to days after testing. Rapid antigen tests represent a diagnostic tool enabling testing at the point of care. Rapid antigen tests have mostly been validated by the manufacturer or in controlled laboratory settings only.

Factitious disorders in Germany-a detailed insight.

Factitious disorders (FDs) are well known to a majority of physicians; however, the corresponding ICD-10 diagnosis F68.1 remains severely under assigned and often misdiagnosed. Based on a previously conducted nationwide survey in Germany, we extended the analyzed variables to further understand FD characteristics.

Dental Workload Reduction during First SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 Lockdown in Germany: A Cross-Sectional Survey.

An observational cross-sectional survey was planned to analyze the weekly workload reduction of German dentists during lockdown due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. Participants were predominantly members of the Free Association of German Dentists and filled in an online questionnaire. The questionnaire was sent to a total of 9416 dentists, with a response rate of 27.

Impact of the COVID-19 nonpharmaceutical interventions on influenza and other respiratory viral infections in New Zealand.

Stringent nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) such as lockdowns and border closures are not currently recommended for pandemic influenza control. New Zealand used these NPIs to eliminate coronavirus disease 2019 during its first wave. Using multiple surveillance systems, we observed a parallel and unprecedented reduction of influenza and other respiratory viral infections in 2020.

Impact of the COVID-19 nonpharmaceutical interventions on influenza and other respiratory viral infections in New Zealand.

Stringent nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) such as lockdowns and border closures are not currently recommended for pandemic influenza control. New Zealand used these NPIs to eliminate coronavirus disease 2019 during its first wave. Using multiple surveillance systems, we observed a parallel and unprecedented reduction of influenza and other respiratory viral infections in 2020.

Meta-analyses comparing spine simulators with cadavers and finite element models by analysing range-of-motion data before and after lumbar total disc replacement.

Background: Range-of-motion (ROM) data generated by the in vitro test methods of spine simulators with cadavers (SSCs) and finite element models (FEMs) are used alternatively and complementarily for in vitro evaluations.

Aim Of Review: Our purpose is to compare exemplary segmental ROM data from SSCs and FEMs before and after ball-and-socket total disc replacement (bsTDR) to determine whether the two test methods provide the same data for the same evaluation subjects.

Key Scientific Concepts Of Review: We performed 70 meta-analyses (MAs) and 20 additional comparative analyses based on data from 21 SSC studies used for 39 MAs and 16 FEM studies used for 31 MAs.

Incidence of the diagnosis of factitious disorders - Nationwide comparison study between Germany and Norway.

Factitious disorders (FD) like Munchausen syndrome are well known to most physicians, yet the corresponding ICD-10 diagnosis F68.1 remains severely under-assigned and often misdiagnosed. To approach this problem, we conducted a nationwide inquiry for Germany and Norway as well as a comparison between these two countries regarding the incidence of diagnosis of FD.

Bisphenol F has different effects on preadipocytes differentiation and weight gain in adult mice as compared with Bisphenol A and S.

Bisphenol S (2,2-bisulfone, BPS) and Bisphenol F (2,2-bis [4-hydroxyphenol]methane, BPF) are analogs of Bisphenol A (2,2-bis[4-hydroxyphenyl]propane, BPA), a widely used endocrine disrupting compound present in polycarbonate plastics, thermal receipts and epoxy resins that line food cans. Here we examined effects of BPA, BPS, and BPF in low concentrations on differentiation in murine 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. We also fed adult male mice chow with one of three doses of BPF (0, 0.

The Incidence of Diagnosis of Munchausen Syndrome, Other Factitious Disorders, and Malingering.

Background: Systematic studies on factitious disorders and malingering in large populations are rare. To address this issue, we performed a nationwide epidemiological study in Norway on the incidence of these diagnoses in an unselected patient population. In particular, we tried to confirm the diagnoses and to estimate the contribution of Munchausen syndrome to the spectrum of factitious disorders.

[Leukopenia with unclear fever].

We report on a 77-year-old male patient with neutropenic fever as a result of a newly diagnosed agranulocytosis. The patient was taking metamizole, which is a well known cause of agranulocytosis. The diagnosis of metamizole-induced agranulocytosis as an underestimated side-effect of metamizole could be confirmed by a bone marrow biopsy.