Who threw that stone? A study on DNA transfer.

Contact or touch DNA traces from stones account for around 5 % of all crime scene-related swab samples analysed in our department. These traces are often used to identify perpetrators in cases such as burglary, when a stone is used as a tool to break a window or in cases of property damage during riots. Provided that a DNA profile can be obtained in such a case, questions may arise in court regarding the possibilities of DNA transfer onto the stone.

Multimodal epigenetic sequencing analysis (MESA) of cell-free DNA for non-invasive colorectal cancer detection.

Background: Detecting human cancers through cell-free DNA (cfDNA) in blood is a sensitive and non-invasive option. However, capturing multiple forms of epigenetic information remains a technical and financial challenge.

Methods: To address this, we developed multimodal epigenetic sequencing analysis (MESA), a flexible and sensitive approach to capturing and integrating a diverse range of epigenetic features in cfDNA using a single experimental assay, i.

Human background DNA on stones in an urban environment.

Stones are frequently used as tools in criminal acts. In our department, around 5 % of all analysed crime scene related trace samples are contact or touch DNA traces swabbed from stones. These samples are primarily related to cases of damage to property and burglary.

Burden of Pediatric SARS-CoV-2 Hospitalizations during the Omicron Wave in Germany.

(1) Background: When the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 first emerged in Germany in January 2022, data on related disease severity among children and adolescents were not yet available. Given Omicron's high transmissibility, the ability to assess its impact on admission and hospitalization rates in children's hospitals is critical for the purpose of understanding the scope of its burden on the German healthcare system. (2) Methods: From 24 January 2022 to 31 July 2022, SARS-CoV-2 cases admitted to German pediatric hospitals were monitored via a national, clinician-led reporting system (CLRS) established by the German Society for Pediatric Infectious Diseases (DGPI).

Administrative data in pediatric critical care research-Potential, challenges, and future directions.

Heterogenous patient populations with small case numbers constitute a relevant barrier to research in pediatric critical care. Prospective studies bring along logistic barriers and-if interventional-ethical concerns. Therefore, retrospective observational investigations, mainly multicenter studies or analyses of registry data, prevail in the field of pediatric critical care research.

SARS-CoV-2 variants and the risk of pediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome temporally associated with SARS-CoV-2 among children in Germany.

Purpose: To investigate the relationship between the risk of pediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome temporally associated with SARS-CoV-2 (PIMS-TS) in children and the predominance of different SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOC) over time.

Methods: In relation to the Alpha, Delta, and Omicron VOC phases of the pandemic, the risk of developing PIMS-TS was calculated by analyzing data for rtPCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infections reported to the German statutory notification system, along with data captured by a separate, national PIMS-TS registry. Both overall infection rates and age group-specific ratios of PIMS-TS during the different pandemic phases were calculated using the Alpha period as the baseline.

Risk for severe outcomes of COVID-19 and PIMS-TS in children with SARS-CoV-2 infection in Germany.

Unlabelled: Although children and adolescents have a lower burden of SARS-CoV-2-associated disease compared to adults, assessing the risk for severe outcomes among SARS-CoV-2-infected children remains difficult due to a high rate of undetected cases. We combine data from three data sources - a national seroprevalence study (the SARS-CoV-2 KIDS study), the nationwide, state-based reporting system for PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infections in Germany, and a nationwide registry on children and adolescents hospitalized with either SARS-CoV-2 or pediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome (PIMS-TS, also known as MIS-C) - in order to provide estimates on the risk of hospitalization for COVID-19-related treatment, intensive care admission, and death due to COVID-19 and PIMS-TS in children. The rate of hospitalization for COVID-19-related treatment among all SARS-CoV-2 seropositive children was 7.

Cognitive disorders in childhood epilepsy: a comparative longitudinal study using administrative healthcare data.

Objective: The study aimed to assess the risk of cognitive impairment in patients with epilepsy, the impact of age of epilepsy onset on cognition and the temporal relationship of epilepsy onset and intellectual impairment.

Methods: This longitudinal study analyzed birth cohorts and followed-up children born 2005-2007 up to the age of ten using administrative healthcare data of about 8.9 million members insured by the statutory health insurance "BARMER" in Germany.

The impact of responsible fatherhood programs on parenting, psychological well-being, and financial outcomes: A randomized controlled trial.

The objective of this study was to examine differences in parenting, psychological well-being, and economic outcomes between fathers receiving two different programs offered by Fathers & Families Support Center for economically disadvantaged fathers: (a) Family Formation (FF), a 6-week/240-h program focused on economic stability/mobility, responsible fatherhood, and healthy relationships, with case management and legal services; (b) Economic Stability (ES), a 4-week/80-h program focused only on economic stability with limited case management and legal services. A randomized controlled trial (RCT) was used to compare fathers in FF (n = 350) vs. ES (n = 342).

Test-Retest Reliability and Construct Validity of the German Translation of the Gait Outcome Assessment List (GOAL) Questionnaire for Children with Ambulatory Cerebral Palsy.

The Gait Outcome Assessment List (GOAL) is a patient or caregiver-reported assessment of gait-related function across different domains of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) developed for ambulant children with cerebral palsy (CP). So far, the questionnaire is only available in English. The aim of this study was to translate the GOAL into German and to evaluate its reliability and validity by studying the association between GOAL scores and gross motor function as categorized by the gross motor function classification system (GMFCS) in children with cerebral palsy (CP).

Impact of School Closures on the Proportion of Children in the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Example from the Winter Lockdown in Germany.

Background: In addition to widely used basic hygiene measures in school, school closures are applied to contain SARS-CoV-2 spread, although the effect on the pandemic is unclear. We proposed a simple approach to disentangle the effect of school closures from other lockdown measures on the pandemic course based on publicly available data in Germany.

Methods: We used data on the number of SARS-CoV-2 cases from the onset of the pandemic to 14th April 2021.

Managing infants with craniofacial malformations - Where to go next?

Treatment of infants with craniofacial malformations, e.g. Robin sequence, is characterized by considerable heterogeneity and a lack of randomized trials to identify an optimal approach.

Recanalization strategies in childhood stroke in Germany.

Childhood arterial ischemic stroke (CAIS) is a rare event. Diverse etiologies, risk factors, symptoms and stroke mimics hamper obtaining a fast diagnosis and implementing immediate recanalization strategies. Over a period of 3 years (2015-2017), the data of 164 pediatric patients (> 28 days of life-18 years) with a first episode of AIS were submitted to a hospital-based nationwide surveillance system for rare disorders (ESPED).

Incidence trends of parapneumonic pleural effusions/empyema in children 2009 to 2018 from health insurance data: Only temporal reduction after the introduction of PCV13.

Background: Recently, emergence of a higher proportion of serotype 3 in children with parapneumonic pleural effusion/empyema (PPE/PE) were observed in Germany despite general immunization with 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) since 2009. The impact of PCV13 on the overall incidence of PPE/PE in children is unclear.

Methods: Annual incidence of PPE/PE in children were determined using secondary health care data for 2009-2018, provided by the Barmer statutory health insurer, serving about 11% of the German population.

Clinical Diversity of Cerebral Sinovenous Thrombosis and Arterial Ischaemic Stroke in the Neonate: A Surveillance Study.

Introduction: Incidence, risk factors, clinical presentation, onset of symptoms, and age at diagnosis differ between neonatal arterial ischaemic stroke (AIS) and cerebral sinovenous thrombosis (CSVT). A more accurate and earlier discrimination of these two entities can be of eminent importance.

Methods: Active surveillance for AIS and CSVT was performed in 345 German paediatric hospitals.

Incidence and risk factors of cerebral sinovenous thrombosis in infants.

Aim: To describe the incidence of term and preterm neonatal cerebral sinovenous thrombosis (CSVT) and identify perinatal risk factors.

Method: This was a national capture-recapture calculation-corrected surveillance and nested case-control study. Infants born preterm and at term with magnetic resonance imaging-confirmed neonatal CSVT were identified by surveillance in all paediatric hospitals in Germany (2015-2017).

[Decrease in Group B Streptococcal Infections in Neonates: Analysis of Health Insurance Data 2005 to 2017].

Background: In the German guidelines for prophylaxis of group B streptococcal (GBS) early onset sepsis in neonates (EOS), GBS screening of all pregnant women has been recommended, but is not yet included in the Maternity Directives. Aim of the study was to identify temporal trends in incidence of EOS and their association to GBS Screening.

Methods: The analysis based on health insurance data of the statutory health insurance provider Barmer from 2005 to 2017 of 313,385 mother-child pairs.

Development of a computational modeling laboratory for examining tobacco control policies: Tobacco Town.

A key focus of recent policy efforts to curb tobacco product usage has been the role of place-specifically the density of retail and advertising and the resulting spatial pattern of access and exposure for consumers. Policies can alter the environment by reducing density or shifting distribution of tobacco retail and thus limiting access and exposure. Since little empirical evidence exists for the potential impact of these policies across potentially heterogeneous places, we develop and apply an original spatial computational model to simulate place-based retail tobacco control policies.

Risk factors for perinatal arterial ischaemic stroke: a large case-control study.

Aim: To identify maternal, obstetric, and neonatal risk factors related to perinatal arterial ischaemic stroke (PAIS) diagnosed within 28 days after birth and to understand the underlying pathophysiology.

Method: For case and control ascertainment, we used active surveillance in 345 paediatric hospitals and a population-based perinatal database for quality assurance of hospital care. We analysed complete cases of PAIS using logistic regression.

Arterial ischemic stroke in infants, children, and adolescents: results of a Germany-wide surveillance study 2015-2017.

Objective: Childhood arterial ischaemic stroke (AIS) is rare, but causes significant morbidity and mortality. We aimed to investigate incidence, age-dependent clinical presentation, and risk factors and to discuss the medical care situation in Germany.

Methods: This prospective epidemiological study was conducted via ESPED (Erhebungseinheit für Seltene Pädiatrische Erkrankungen in Deutschland), a hospital-based German nation-wide surveillance unit for rare pediatric diseases.

Tobacco Town: Computational Modeling of Policy Options to Reduce Tobacco Retailer Density.

Objectives: To identify the behavioral mechanisms and effects of tobacco control policies designed to reduce tobacco retailer density.

Methods: We developed the Tobacco Town agent-based simulation model to examine 4 types of retailer reduction policies: (1) random retailer reduction, (2) restriction by type of retailer, (3) limiting proximity of retailers to schools, and (4) limiting proximity of retailers to each other. The model examined the effects of these policies alone and in combination across 4 different types of towns, defined by 2 levels of population density (urban vs suburban) and 2 levels of income (higher vs lower).

Tobacco retail policy landscape: a longitudinal survey of US states.

Background: There are ∼380 000 tobacco retailers in the USA, where the largest tobacco companies spend almost $9 billion a year to promote their products. No systematic survey has been conducted of state-level activities to regulate the retail environment, thus little is known about what policies are being planned, proposed or implemented.

Methods: This longitudinal study is the first US survey of state tobacco control programmes (TCPs) about retail policy activities.