Publications by authors named "Thomas Becker"

Hepatocellular cancer (HCC) therapy is in need for an ideal companion diagnostic. Preclinical experimental studies have identified the insulin receptor (IR) and its synergistic counterpart, the IGF1 receptor (IGF1R), as relevant in HCC development, and the ligands IGF1 and IGF2 have been found to be elevated in HCC. This study aimed to bridge the gap to the clinical setting and explore whether the IR or the IGF1R would be of prognostic significance and would be associated with clinicopathologic parameters in HCC patients.

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  • Barley is the main traditional malted cereal used for beverages, while rye is mainly used for baking, and quinoa is a gluten-free pseudocereal that offers high-quality proteins and starch.
  • The study explored how malting parameters like steep moisture, germination temperature, and germination time affect the quality and flavor compounds of malts from barley, rye, and quinoa.
  • Findings revealed that germination temperature and time significantly impact malt modification and the formation of volatile compounds, with distinct flavor profiles emerging for each type of grain.
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Background: The participation of representatives of patients and relatives in the development of guidelines is of central importance for the quality, feasibility and acceptance of guidelines. In Germany this has not been sufficiently implemented in the discipline of psychiatry, although in practice there are many examples for the benefits of the expertise of people with psychiatric experience.

Objective: The article describes the development and a first process evaluation of a trialogical working group (AG Impuls) accompanying the guideline process.

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Although in humans, the brain fails to heal after an injury, young zebrafish are able to restore tissue structural integrity in less than 24 h, thanks to the mechanical action of microglia.

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The work methods of eminent psychiatrist Emil Kraepelin (1856-1926) and of literary and cultural critic Walter Benjamin (1892-1940) are described based on the literature describing their ways of working. Kraepelin's approach of cross-sectional observation of symptoms and the longitudinal study of illness course in distinguishing 'disease entities' as well as his research strategy of investigating causes and correlates using methods of experimental psychology, pathology and neurobiology are described. Critical statements (on Kraepelin's work) highlighting preconceived concepts, ideological positions and a lack of critical reflection are reported.

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Issues concerning the relationship between psychiatrists and people with experience of mental ill health and implications for psychiatric reform are covered. Antonio Gramsci (1891-1937), Italian politician and Marxist philosopher, focused on the concepts of culture, hegemony and common sense in analysing societal change. He can be credited with having provided a concept for the role intellectuals can assume in processes of change.

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Refugees and asylum seekers might have an increased risk of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) carriage or infection due to several factors, with conflict and war known to accelerate the spread of AMR. However, data are scarce on prevalence and risk factors for AMR among refugees and asylum seekers and how they are affected globally; in addition, how their risk compares to that of the host-country population is unclear. We aimed to explore and assess global AMR data among refugees and asylum seekers.

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Objective: People with mental illness should live independently in the community. This study analyzed the housing situation and the use and need of psychiatric housing facilities of people with severe mental illness.

Methods: Data from a cross-sectional study with 397 people with severe mental illness from two Bavarian districts were used and analyzed descriptively.

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Mitochondria are surrounded by two membranes, the outer and inner membrane. The outer membrane contains a few dozen integral membrane proteins that mediate transport, fusion and fission processes, form contact sites and are involved in signaling pathways. There are two different types of outer membrane proteins.

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Obligate anaerobic beer spoilage bacteria have been a menace to the brewing industry for several decades. Technological advances in the brewing process aimed at suppressing aerobic spoilers gave rise to problems with obligate anaerobes. In previous studies, the metabolic spectrum of and species has been described, but their metabolism in the beer environment remains largely unknown.

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Background: Self-help can play an important supplementary role in the treatment of people with severe mental illness; however, little is known about the utilization of the various approaches.

Objective: This study describes the use of various self-help options by patients with severe mental illness and examines potential predictors.

Material And Methods: As part of the observational cross-sectional study on patients with severe mental illness (IMPPETUS, N = 397), trained staff collected sociodemographic, illness-associated and treatment-associated data between March 2019 and September 2019.

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Wound closure after brain injury is crucial for tissue restoration but remains poorly understood at the tissue level. We investigated this process using in vivo observations of larval zebrafish brain injury. Our findings show that wound closure occurs within the first 24 h through global tissue contraction, as evidenced by live-imaging and drug inhibition studies.

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  • In fermentation, monitoring yeast cell count and substrate concentration is crucial for assessing yeast performance.
  • Traditional monitoring methods are often invasive or limited by factors like detection thresholds and sample interference.
  • This study shows that ultrasound can effectively and non-invasively assess yeast suspensions, with findings indicating that ultrasound properties relate directly to yeast concentration and cell characteristics.
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Although many antibiotics inhibit bacterial ribosomes, loss of known factors that rescue stalled ribosomes does not lead to robust antibiotic sensitivity in , suggesting the existence of additional mechanisms. Here, we show that the RNA helicase HrpA rescues stalled ribosomes in Acting selectively on ribosomes that have collided, HrpA uses ATP hydrolysis to split stalled ribosomes into subunits. Cryo-EM structures reveal how HrpA simultaneously binds to two collided ribosomes, explaining its selectivity, and how its helicase module engages downstream mRNA, such that by exerting a pulling force on the mRNA, it would destabilize the stalled ribosome.

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Background: The market for beverages is highly changing within the last years. Increasing consumer awareness towards healthier drinks led to the revival of traditional and the creation of innovative beverages. Various protein-rich legumes were used for milk analogues, which might be also valuable raw materials for refreshing, protein-rich beverages.

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Background: Clinical practice guidelines are crucial for enhancing healthcare quality and patient outcomes. Yet, their implementation remains inconsistent across various professions and disciplines. Previous findings on the implementation of the German guideline for schizophrenia (2019) revealed low adherence rates among healthcare professionals.

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: Anastomotic insufficiencies (AI) and perforations of the upper gastrointestinal tract (uGIT) result in high morbidity and mortality. Endoscopic stent placement and endoluminal vacuum therapy (EVT) have been established as surgical revision treatment options. The Eso-Sponge is the only licensed EVT system with limitations in treating small defects (<10 mm).

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Introduction: For over two decades, abdominal surgical procedures have been safely performed robotically. After the first patent expiration, alternative robotic systems entered the market. The Dexter Robotic System™ is a small-format, modular, and robotic platform consisting of a surgeon's console, two patient carts with instrument arms, and one endoscope arm.

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  • This analysis explores the optimal amount of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) needed to effectively treat major depressive disorder, focusing on the number of therapy sessions as the "dose."
  • A systematic review of 72 studies with over 7,000 participants revealed that the most significant improvement in depression symptoms typically occurs within the first eight sessions of CBT, after which progress continues but at a slower rate.
  • The findings suggest that shorter CBT interventions might be effective for symptom relief, but further research is needed to understand long-term effects and benefits beyond just symptom reduction.
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Mitochondria carry out essential functions for the cell, including energy production, various biosynthesis pathways, formation of co-factors and cellular signalling in apoptosis and inflammation. The functionality of mitochondria requires the import of about 900-1300 proteins from the cytosol in baker's yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and human cells, respectively. The vast majority of these proteins pass the outer membrane in a largely unfolded state through the translocase of the outer mitochondrial membrane (TOM) complex.

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Food-derived peptides with an inhibitory effect on dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP-IV) can be used as an additive treatment for type 2 diabetes. The inhibitory potential of food depends on technological protein hydrolysis and gastrointestinal digestion, as the peptides only act after intestinal resorption. The effect of malting as a hydrolytic step on the availability of these peptides in grains has yet to be investigated.

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Hexanucleotide repeat expansions within the gene are the most common cause of the neurodegenerative diseases amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). This disease-causing expansion leads to a reduction in C9ORF72 expression levels in patients, suggesting loss of C9ORF72 function could contribute to disease. To further understand the consequences of C9ORF72 deficiency in vivo, we generated a mutant zebrafish line.

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