Development of a pandemic-related core set of quality indicators for quality and patient safety in University Hospitals in Germany.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic entailed a global health crisis, significantly affecting medical service delivery in Germany as well as elsewhere. While intensive care capacities were overloaded by COVID cases, not only elective cases but also non-COVID cases requiring urgent treatment unexpectedly decreased, potentially leading to a deterioration in health outcomes. However, these developments were only uncovered retrospectively.

Effects of time-of-day on the noradrenaline, adrenaline, cortisol and blood lipidome response to an ice bath.

While the effect of time-of-day (morning versus evening) on hormones, lipids and lipolysis has been studied in relation to meals and exercise, there are no studies that have investigated the effects of time-of-day on ice bath induced hormone and lipidome responses. In this crossover-designed study, a group of six women and six men, 26 ± 5 years old, 176 ± 7 cm tall, weighing 75 ± 10 kg, and a BMI of 23 ± 2 kg/mhad an ice bath (8-12 °C for 5 min) both in the morning and evening on separate days. Absence from intense physical exercise, nutrient intake and meal order was standardized in the 24 h prior the ice baths to account for confounders such as diet or exercise.

Introducing the forearm fracture index to define the diametaphyseal junction zone through clinical evaluation in a cohort of 366 diametaphyseal radius fractures.

Background: Unstable diametaphyseal radius fractures (DMRFs) can be prone to complications, and treatment strategies are heterogeneous. Studies are difficult to interpret as definitions of the diametaphyseal junction zone (DMJZ) are impractical for clinical use, imprecise, or prone to error.

Methods: We introduce the forearm fracture index (FFI) to define DMRFs in radiographs and ultrasound.

Differentiation Between Pellucid-Like Keratoconus and Pellucid Marginal Degeneration Using Swept-Source Optical Coherence Tomography.

Purpose: The distinction between pellucid-like keratoconus (PLK) and pellucid marginal corneal degeneration (PMD) based on tomographic examinations is difficult. In this study, corneal tomographic and biomechanical parameters, after classifying PMD and PLK using swept-source optical coherence tomography, were analyzed.

Methods: Diagnoses of PLK and PMD were made using SS-OCT imaging, two groups were formed: PLK (n = 30) and PMD (n = 10).

Global Challenges in the Access of Endovascular Treatment for Acute Ischemic Stroke (Global MT Access).

Background: Mechanical thrombectomy (MT) is the standard of care for eligible acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients with large vessel occlusion (LVO) since 2015.

Aim: Our aim was to determine the key challenges for MT implementation and access worldwide.

Methods: We conducted an international online survey consisting of 37 questions, distributed through the World Stroke Organization network, and as invited by co-authors between December 2022 and March 2023.

Vestibular Hypofunction in Patients with Presbycusis: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Vestibular Hypofunction (VH) and hearing loss can affect quality of life and lead to disability, especially in the elderly. Studies investigating presbycusis and vestibular function in the aging population have been conducted separately, but few have examined the combination of both conditions in older patients, with inconsistent results that may be due to small sample sizes or heterogeneity in the methods used to assess vestibular function. We aimed to characterize the occurrence of VH in patients with presbycusis using the video head impulse test (vHIT), which is a specific and reliable assessment tool for VH.

Generalized, sublethal damage-based mathematical approach for improved modeling of clonogenic survival curve flattening upon hyperthermia, radiotherapy, and beyond.

. Mathematical modeling can offer valuable insights into the behavior of biological systems upon treatment. Different mathematical models (empirical, semi-empirical, and mechanistic) have been designed to predict the efficacy of either hyperthermia (HT), radiotherapy (RT), or their combination.

Finding Predictive Factors of Stabilization Exercise Adherence in Randomized Controlled Trials on Low Back Pain: An Individual Data Reanalysis Using Machine Learning Techniques.

Objective: To identify predictors of adherence in supervised and self-administered exercise interventions for individuals with low back pain.

Design: Cohort study.

Setting: Rehabilitation.

The sarcoma ring trial: a case-based analysis of inter-center agreement across 21 German-speaking sarcoma centers.

Purpose: The management of soft tissue sarcoma (STS) at reference centers with specialized multidisciplinary tumor boards (MTB) improves patient survival. The German Cancer Society (DKG) certifies sarcoma centers in German-speaking countries, promoting high standards of care. This study investigated the variability in treatment recommendations for localized STS across different German-speaking tertiary sarcoma centers.

Simulator training in focus assessed transthoracic echocardiography (FATE) for undergraduate medical students: results from the FateSim randomized controlled trial.

Introduction: Ultrasound is important in heart diagnostics, yet implementing effective cardiac ultrasound requires training. While current strategies incorporate digital learning and ultrasound simulators, the effectiveness of these simulators for learning remains uncertain. This study evaluates the effectiveness of simulator-based versus human-based training in Focused Assessed with Transthoracic Echocardiography (FATE).

Rescue therapy after failed thrombectomy in medium/distal vessel occlusions: A retrospective analysis of an international, multi-center registry.

Background: There are limited therapeutic options in cases of failed reperfusion (modified thrombolysis in cerebral infarction [mTICI] score < 2b) after stent-retriever and/or aspiration based endovascular treatment (EVT) for acute ischemic stroke. Despite the absence of data supporting its use, rescue therapy (balloon angioplasty and/or stent implantation) is often utilized in such cases. Studies are limited to large vessel occlusions, while the outcomes and complications after rescue therapy in medium/distal vessel occlusions (MDVOs) have not been reported.

Real-world management of patients with complete response under immune-checkpoint inhibition for advanced melanoma.

Background: Up to now, the optimal duration of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) has not been evaluated in prospective studies. However, current clinical practice requires decisions to be made regarding the duration of ICI in complete responders.

Material And Methods: A survey was sent to 80 DeCOG skin cancer centers to assess how decisions are made on treatment duration of ICI in melanoma after having reached complete response, and staging intervals after ICI discontinuation.

Service preferences among postpartum women (non-)affected by different types of intimate partner violence: insights from the cross-sectional study INVITE.

Background: Women in the postpartum period are at greater risk of intimate partner violence (IPV), which may cause physical, sexual, or psychological harm and have a long-lasting negative impact on mother and child. Seeking help in case of IPV in the postpartum period can be difficult.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine service preferences among postpartum women in Germany (non-)affected by IPV.

Proteomic and Metabolomic Signatures in Prediabetes Progressing to Diabetes or Reversing to Normoglycemia Within 1 Year.

Objective: Progression of prediabetes to type 2 diabetes has been associated with β-cell dysfunction, whereas its remission to normoglycemia has been related to improvement of insulin sensitivity. To understand the mechanisms and identify potential biomarkers related to prediabetes trajectories, we compared the proteomics and metabolomics profile of people with prediabetes progressing to diabetes or reversing to normoglycemia within 1 year.

Research Design And Methods: The fasting plasma concentrations of 1,389 proteins and the fasting, 30-min, and 120-min post-oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) plasma concentrations of 152 metabolites were measured in up to 134 individuals with new-onset diabetes, prediabetes, or normal glucose tolerance.

Long-term persistence of glycemic dysregulation in patients with a history of pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma.

Context: Pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas (PPGLs) are rare endocrine tumors that frequently produce catecholamines. Catecholamine-induced cardiometabolic complications substantially contribute to increased morbidity and mortality in PPGL patients prior to surgical resection.

Objective: To determine whether markers of elevated cardiometabolic risk persist in patients following PPGL resection.

Longitudinal volumetric analysis of compartments in chicken eggs using ultra-high-field magnetic resonance imaging.

Introduction: The chicken egg, with its compartments, is a widely used and popular animal model in experimental studies. This study aimed to quantify the volumes of the yolk/yolk sac, amniotic fluid, and chicken embryo using non-invasive ultra-high-field magnetic resonance imaging (UHF-MRI).

Materials And Methods: In total, 64 chicken eggs were examined using a 7 T UHF-MRI scanner, acquiring T2-weighted anatomical images of the entire egg from developmental day 1 to 16 (D1-D16).

Treatment and counselling preferences of postpartum women with and without symptoms of (childbirth-related) PTSD: findings of the cross-sectional study INVITE.

Background: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the postpartum period is a prevalent yet under-researched mental health condition. To date, many women who suffer from postpartum PTSD remain unrecognized and untreated. To enhance the accessibility of help for these women, it is crucial to offer tailored treatment and counselling services that align with their needs.

Frequency, characteristics, and immunological accompaniments of ataxia in anti-NMDAR antibody-associated encephalitis.

Introduction: Very rarely, adult NMDAR antibody-associated encephalitis (NMDAR-E) leads to persistent cerebellar atrophy and ataxia. Transient cerebellar ataxia is common in pediatric NMDAR-E. Immune-mediated cerebellar ataxia may be associated with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG), aquaporin-4 (AQP-4), kelch-like family member 11 (KLHL11), and glutamate kainate receptor subunit 2 (GluK2) antibodies, all of which may co-occur in NMDAR-E.

Trends of Mycoplasma genitalium infections in Berlin, Germany, 2017-2023.

Objective: The cell wall-less species Mycoplasma genitalium is a sexually transmitted pathogen with a strong tendency to acquire resistance. Current knowledge on trends of resistance rates and differences between the at-risk population of men who have sex with men (MSM) and heterosexual patients, as well as on circulating genotypes in both groups, is limited.

Methods: Between August 2017 and December 2023, M.

Clinical confocal laser endomicroscopy for imaging of autofluorescence signals of human brain tumors and non-tumor brain.

Purpose: Analysis of autofluorescence holds promise for brain tumor delineation and diagnosis. Therefore, we investigated the potential of a commercial confocal laser scanning endomicroscopy (CLE) system for clinical imaging of brain tumors.

Methods: A clinical CLE system with fiber probe and 488 nm laser excitation was used to acquire images of tissue autofluorescence.

Exposure Profiles for the Long-Term Use of Disinfectants and Cleaning Products and Asthma.

Background: Using disinfectants and cleaning products (DCPs) at home and work is known to influence both the onset and course of asthma, but most epidemiological studies did not consider the multiplicity and correlations of exposures to DCPs. We aimed to identify exposure profiles for the long-term weekly use of DCPs by latent class analysis (LCA) and assess their associations with asthma.

Methods: LCA was conducted on data from 1143 young adults initially recruited in the German centers of Phase II of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) and followed up three times.

Bayesian Reanalyses of the Trials TOMAHAWK and COACT.

Background: The timing of coronary angiography in patients with successfully resuscitated out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and missing ST-segment elevations on the electrocardiogram has been investigated in 2 large randomized controlled trials, TOMAHAWK (Angiography After Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Without ST-Segment Elevation) and COACT (Coronary Angiography After Cardiac Arrest Trial). Both trials found neutral results for immediate vs delayed/selective coronary angiography on short-term all-cause mortality. The TOMAHAWK trial showed a tendency towards harm with immediate coronary angiography, though not statistically significant with traditional frequentist methods.