Publications by authors named "Sommer B"

Affective symptoms (i.e., depression, anxiety, and apathy) are the most prevalent subsyndrome of neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) in preclinical dementia, such as amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), and remain a challenge to understand and treat.

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Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic, deathly disease with no recognized effective cure as yet. Furthermore, its diagnosis and differentiation from other diffuse interstitial diseases remain a challenge. Circulating miRNAs have been measured in IPF and have proven to be an adequate option as biomarkers for this disease.

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Background: Tirofiban is administered for the treatment of aneurysms in cases of thromboembolic complications, as well as in cases of acute stenting or flow-diverter implantation required within the scope of aneurysm treatment. We aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of tirofiban in this group of patients.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of all patients undergoing aneurysm treatment and receiving peri-interventional tirofiban administration at our institution between 2009 and 2019.

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Prolonged antibiotic therapy is often recommended for the treatment of spinal infections. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of outpatient intravenous (IV) antibiotic therapy for spinal neurosurgery patients with spondylodiscitis. We carried out a retrospective study involving 67 patients who were administered peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) for IV antibiotic treatment from January 2020 to December 2022.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates how a family history of type 2 diabetes (FH-DM2) affects the function of endothelial cells (ECs) using human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) as a model.
  • Researchers measured various factors including reactive oxygen species (ROS), nitric oxide (NO) synthesis, mitochondrial activity, and glucose metabolism in HUVECs from newborns with FH-DM2.
  • Results indicated that HUVECs from these newborns showed impaired synthesis of ROS and NO, changes in cell complexity and size, and reduced glucose consumption, which highlight early endothelial dysfunction linked to FH-DM2 and may help in preventing cardiovascular diseases.
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Integrative Bioinformatics faces the challenge of integrating, aligning, modelling, and simulating data in a coherent fashion to gain deeper insights into complex biological systems. This special issue of the Journal of Integrative Bioinformatics consists of six articles accepted for the presentation at the "18th International Symposium on Integrative Bioinformatics" held in Zürich on September 12-13, 2024. In addition, the symposium featured five keynote talks which will be discussed here as well.

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: Schizophrenia (SZ) is a multifactorial chronic psychiatric disorder with a worldwide prevalence of 1%. Altered expression of PLCβ occurs in SZ patients, suggesting alterations in the PLCβ/IP/Ca signaling pathway. This cascade regulates critical cellular processes in all cell types, including the neuronal lineage; however, there is scarce evidence regarding the functionality of this transduction signaling in neuronal cells derived from SZ patients.

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Proteogenomics combines proteomic and genetic data to gain new insights in molecular mechanisms. Here, we extend this approach toward structural biology from a tool perspective. The chapter starts with tools which can be used to explore genetic information and then enrich those with proteomic data.

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Purpose: Superficial surgical site infection (SSSI) is a prominent problem in spine surgery. Intracutaneous sutures and staple-assisted closure are two widely used surgical techniques for skin closure. Yet, their comparative impact on wound healing and infection rates is underexplored.

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Purpose: Stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) is the predominant method for the irradiation of resection cavities after resection of brain metastases (BM). Intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) with 50 kV x-rays is an alternative way to irradiate the resection cavity focally. We have already reported the outcome of our first 40 IORT patients treated until 2020.

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Article Synopsis
  • Cervical spondylodiscitis is a rare spine infection that affects only a small number of people and can cause serious health problems.
  • The study looked at 24 patients treated for this condition at a hospital from 2017 to 2022, focusing on how severe their cases were.
  • Results showed that many patients had serious complications like sepsis and abscesses, and some sadly passed away, especially those with complicated cases.
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The family includes species considered to be medicinal. Their essential oil is used for headaches, colds, cough, and bronchitis. Cedar trees like () are commonly found in urban areas.

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Subtropical reefs host a dynamic mix of tropical, subtropical, and temperate species that is changing due to shifts in the abundance and distribution of species in response to ocean warming. In these transitional communities, biogeographic affinity is expected to predict changes in species composition, with projected increases of tropical species and declines in cool-affinity temperate species. Understanding population dynamics of species along biogeographic transition zones is critical, especially for habitat engineers such as sea urchins that can facilitate ecosystem shifts through grazing.

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High serum estrogen concentrations are associated with asthma development and severity, suggesting a link between estradiol and airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR). 17β-estradiol (E2) has non-genomic effects via Ca regulatory mechanisms; however, its effect on the plasma membrane Ca-ATPases (PMCA1 and 4) and sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca-ATPase (SERCA) is unknown. Hence, in the present study, we aim to demonstrate if E2 favors AHR by increasing intracellular Ca concentrations in guinea pig airway smooth muscle (ASM) through a mechanism involving Ca-ATPases.

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Introduction: Current treatment of spinal metastases (SM) aims on preserving spinal stability, neurological status, and functional status as well as achieving local control. It consists of spinal surgery followed by radiotherapy and/or systemic treatment. Adjuvant therapy usually starts with a delay of a few weeks to prevent wound healing issues.

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Background: Magnesium sulfate (MgSO) is a potential neuroprotective agent for patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). We analyzed the effect of early application of intraoperative intravenous MgSO and compared cerebral vasospasm (CV), delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI), and neurological outcome in 2 patient cohorts.

Methods: A retrospective matched-pair analysis from patients at a single center in Germany was performed without (group A) and with (group B) MgSO application <24 hours after diagnosis.

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Introduction: The reconstruction of frontobasal defects following oncologic resections of paranasal and anterior skull base (ASB) malignancies remains challenging. Ineffective reconstruction could lead to cerebrospinal fluid leak, meningitis, and tension pneumocephalus.

Research Question: Aim of this investigation was to analyse postoperative complication rates with or without bone graft for anterior skull base reconstruction.

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Long-term demographic studies at biogeographic transition zones can elucidate how body size mediates disturbance responses. Focusing on subtropical reefs in eastern Australia, we examine trends in the size-structure of corals with contrasting life-histories and zoogeographies surrounding the 2016 coral bleaching event (2010-2019) to determine their resilience and recovery capacity. We document demographic shifts, with disproportionate declines in the number of small corals and long-term persistence of larger corals.

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A prototype visual feedback system has been developed to assess and improve movement disorders related to neck pain. The aim of this study was to assess the usability of the prototype in a rehabilitation setting. Twelve physical therapists integrated the device into their regular therapy programs for 24 neck pain patients with movement disorders.

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AI chatbots such as ChatGPT help people produce texts. According to media reporting, these texts are also used for educational purposes. Thus, AI influences people's knowledge and perception of current issues.

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Objective: This pilot study compared muscle activity during lateral reaching tasks between mobile and stable sitting using a novel therapy chair in people after stroke and healthy controls.

Design: Observational pilot study.

Setting: This study was conducted in a rehabilitation center for people after stroke and at the university's movement laboratory for healthy participants.

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The tumor microenvironment (TME) is characterized by an acidic pH and low oxygen concentrations. Hypoxia induces neoplastic cell evasion of the immune surveillance, rapid DNA repair, metabolic reprogramming, and metastasis, mainly as a response to the hypoxic inducible factors (HIFs). Likewise, cancer cells increase matrix metalloproteinases' (MMPs) expression in response to TME conditions, allowing them to migrate from the primary tumor to different tissues.

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The function of the circadian cycle is to determine the natural 24 h biological rhythm, which includes physiological, metabolic, and hormonal changes that occur daily in the body. This cycle is controlled by an internal biological clock that is present in the body's tissues and helps regulate various processes such as sleeping, eating, and others. Interestingly, animal models have provided enough evidence to assume that the alteration in the circadian system leads to the appearance of numerous diseases.

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Schizophrenia (SZ) is a multifactorial disorder characterized by volume reduction in gray and white matter, oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, altered neurotransmission, as well as molecular deficiencies such as punctual mutation in Disrupted‑in‑Schizophrenia 1 protein. In this regard, it is essential to understand the underlying molecular disturbances to determine the pathophysiological mechanisms of the disease. The signaling pathways activated by G protein‑coupled receptors (GPCRs) are key molecular signaling pathways altered in SZ.

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