Long-term effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination in a population-based pediatric cohort.

During the omicron wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and with SARS-CoV-2 vaccines becoming available, seroprevalence rates rose in children and adolescents. This study investigated the impact of both SARS-CoV-2 infections and vaccinations on the incidence of acute and prolonged symptoms in real-world conditions during the transition from the pandemic to the endemic phase. Participants from a pediatric population based seroprevalence study (CorKID study) were followed up at least two and for almost four years by survey of health status features and symptoms suggestive of post-COVID syndrome (PCS).

[Do basic welfare payments in Germany cover the food costs of a healthy diet for children and adolescents?].

Introduction: Families in Germany who live in poverty receive citizens' benefits (Bürgergeld) within the context of welfare legislation. Basic rates for children and adolescents are included in these benefits and staggered into three groups according to age. The need for nutrition is the largest category of the basic rate.

Post-coronavirus disease 2019-associated symptoms among children and adolescents in the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron era.

Purpose: Lack of a control group(s) and selection bias were the main criticisms of previous studies investigating the prevalence of post-coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) syndrome (PCS). There are insufficient data regarding paediatric PCS, particularly in the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron era. As such, our study investigated PCS-associated symptoms in a representative control-matched cohort.

Compound Heterozygous Variants in a Patient with Severe Congenital Myopathy: Case Report and Comparison with Additional Cases of Recessive -Related Myopathy.

Pathogenic variants in the ryanodine receptor 1 () gene are causative for a wide spectrum of muscular phenotypes, ranging from malignant hyperthermia over mild, non-progressive to severe congenital myopathy. Both autosomal dominant and recessive inheritance can occur, with the more severe forms usually showing recessive inheritance. However, genotype-phenotype correlations are complicated due to the large size of the gene and heterogeneous phenotypes.

Getting breastfeeding started under pandemic visiting restrictions: lessons learned in Germany.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic contact restrictions considerably changed maternal visiting contacts during the time in which breastfeeding is initiated. We wanted to know how maternity ward staff and mothers rated the conditions of starting breastfeeding under contact restrictions.

Methods: In the Breastfeeding in North Rhine-Westphalia (SINA) study, Germany, 2021/22, chief physicians as well as ward staff from 41 (out of 131) maternity hospitals (82 members of the healthcare sector in total) were surveyed by telephone concerning structural and practical conditions for breastfeeding support before and during the pandemic; 192 (out of 426 eligible) mothers answered an online-questionnaire about their breastfeeding experiences at 2 weeks and 2 months after birth.

Effect of vaccinations and school restrictions on the spread of COVID-19 in different age groups in Germany.

With the emergence of SARS-CoV-2, various non-pharmaceutical interventions were adopted to control virus transmission, including school closures. Subsequently, the introduction of vaccines mitigated not only disease severity but also the spread of SARS-CoV-2. This study leveraged an adapted SIR model and non-linear mixed-effects modeling to quantify the impact of remote learning, school holidays, the emergence of Variants of Concern (VOCs), and the role of vaccinations in controlling SARS-CoV-2 spread across 16 German federal states with an age-stratified approach.

No Impairment in Bone Turnover or Executive Functions in Well-Treated Preschoolers with Phenylketonuria-A Pilot Study.

Patients with phenylketonuria (PKU) present signs of impaired executive functioning and bone health in adolescence and adulthood, depending in part on the success of therapy in childhood. Therefore, nine children with well-treated PKU (4-7 years old, 22.2% ♀, seven with a full set of data, two included into partial analysis) and 18 age-, gender- and season-matched controls were analyzed for differences in executive functioning and bone parameters in plasma.

The continuously evolving phenotype of succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase deficiency.

The objective of the study is to evaluate the evolving phenotype and genetic spectrum of patients with succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase deficiency (SSADHD) in long-term follow-up. Longitudinal clinical and biochemical data of 22 pediatric and 9 adult individuals with SSADHD from the patient registry of the International Working Group on Neurotransmitter related Disorders (iNTD) were studied with in silico analyses, pathogenicity scores and molecular modeling of ALDH5A1 variants. Leading initial symptoms, with onset in infancy, were developmental delay and hypotonia.

Cognitive development in children with new-onset Rolandic epilepsy and Rolandic discharges without seizures: Focusing on intelligence, visual perception, working memory and the role of parents' education.

Purpose: Our aim was to assess intelligence, visual perception and working memory in children with new-onset Rolandic epilepsy (RE) and children with Rolandic discharges without seizures (RD).

Methods: The participants in the study were 12 children with RE and 26 children with RD aged 4 to 10 years (all without medication and shortly after diagnosis) and 31 healthy controls. Their cognitive performance was assessed using the German versions of the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI-III), the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-IV), the Developmental Test of Visual Perception-2 (DTVP-2), the Developmental Test of Visual Perception-Adolescent and Adult (DTVP-A) (each according to age) and the Word Order, Hand Movements and Spatial Memory subtests of the German version of the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC).

Motivations for Adolescent COVID-19 Vaccination: A Comparative Study of Adolescent and Caregiver Perspectives in Germany.

Given the crucial role of vaccination in halting the COVID-19 pandemic, it is imperative to understand the factors that motivate adolescents to get vaccinated. We surveyed adolescents and their accompanying guardians scheduled to receive a COVID-19 vaccination (Comirnaty) in an urban region in Germany in mid-2021 regarding their motivation for getting vaccinated and collected data on their sociodemographic characteristics, medical history, vaccination status, and any history of COVID-19 infection in the family. We also queried information strategies related to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

Stress-Mediated Abnormalities in Regional Myocardial Wall Motion in Young Women with a History of Psychological Trauma.

Background: Psychosocial stress has been associated with the development and progression of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD). Previously, we reported subtle differences in global longitudinal strain in somatically healthy women with a psychiatric diagnosis of borderline personality disorder (BPD). This study aimed to investigate the impact of BPD on segmental myocardial wall motion using speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) analysis.

Effect of the addition of a mental health specialist for evaluation of undiagnosed patients in centres for rare diseases (ZSE-DUO): a prospective, controlled trial with a two-phase cohort design.

Background: People with complex symptomatology but unclear diagnosis presenting to a centre for rare diseases (CRD) may present with mental (co-)morbidity. We hypothesised that combining an expert in somatic medicine with a mental health specialist working in tandem will improve the diagnostic outcome.

Methods: Patients aged 12 years and older who presented to one of the 11 participating German CRDs with an unknown diagnosis were recruited into this prospective cohort trial with a two-phase cohort design.

ACOX1 Gain-of-Function Variant in Two German Pediatric Patients, in One Case Mimicking Autoimmune Inflammatory Disease.

Mitchell syndrome is a very rare genetic disorder due to a specific de novo gain-of-function variant in acyl-CoA oxidase 1 (). So far, only five patients with this disease have been described worldwide. We present here two additional unrelated German patients found to carry the same heterozygous  N237S variant through exome sequencing (ES).

Exome Sequencing and Optical Genome Mapping in Molecularly Unsolved Cases of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy: Identification of a Causative X-Chromosomal Inversion Disrupting the Gene.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a severe progressive muscle disease that mainly affects boys due to X-linked recessive inheritance. In most affected individuals, MLPA or sequencing-based techniques detect deletions, duplications, or point mutations in the dystrophin-encoding gene. However, in a small subset of patients clinically diagnosed with DMD, the molecular cause is not identified with these routine methods.

Impaired Nitric Oxide Synthetase Activity in Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia-Data-Driven Hypothesis.

Low nasal nitric oxide (nNO) is a typical feature of Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD). nNO is part of the PCD diagnostic algorithm due to its discriminative power against other lung diseases, such as cystic fibrosis (CF). However, the underlying pathomechanisms are elusive.

Adherence to recommendations for nutrient supplementation related to pregnancy in Germany.

Supplementation of certain micronutrients is recommended to ensure their adequate supply during pregnancy and lactation. In Germany, this applies particularly to folic acid and iodine. There is no nationwide data on adherence to the supplementation guidelines.

[Diagnosis and Management of Late-Onset Pompe Disease].

Pompe disease is a lysosomal storage disorder, with onset between the first weeks after birth and adulthood, depending on its phenotype. It can affect multiple organ systems and presents itself with a wide variety of symptoms. Thus, recognizing Pompe disease is difficult.

l-Arginine/nitric oxide pathway and oxidative stress in adults with ADHD: Effects of methylphenidate treatment.

Introduction: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a mental disorder that was once thought to occur only in children. Meanwhile, it is known that adults can also be affected. The first-line drug in children and adults to treat symptoms of inattention, impulsivity, lack of self-regulation, and hyperactivity is methylphenidate (MPH).

Exhaled aerosols among PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2-infected children.

Background: Available data on aerosol emissions among children and adolescents during spontaneous breathing are limited. Our aim was to gain insight into the role of children in the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and whether aerosol measurements among children can be used to help detect so-called superspreaders-infected individuals with extremely high numbers of exhaled aerosol particles.

Methods: In this prospective study, the aerosol concentrations of SARS-CoV-2 PCR-positive and SARS-CoV-2 PCR-negative children and adolescents (2-17 years) were investigated.

Endocannabinergic modulation of central serotonergic activity in healthy human volunteers.

Background: The serotonergic and the endocannabinoid system are involved in the etiology of depression. Depressive patients exhibit low serotonergic activity and decreased level of the endocannabinoids anandamide (AEA) and 2-arachidonylglycerol (2AG). Since the cannabinoid (CB) 1 receptor is activated by endogenous ligands such as AEA and 2AG, whose concentration are controlled by the fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) and monoacylglycerol lipase, respectively, we investigated the effects on serotonergic utilization.