9,925 results match your criteria: "German Research Center for Environmental Health; stefan.stricker@bio.uni-muenchen.de.[Affiliation]"

Beekeepers' perceptions toward a new omics tool for monitoring bee health in Europe.

PLoS One

January 2025

Centre for Agri-Environmental Research, School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, University of Reading, Reading, England, United Kingdom.

Pressures on honey bee health have substantially increased both colony mortality and beekeepers' costs for hive management across Europe. Although technological advances could offer cost-effective solutions to these challenges, there is little research into the incentives and barriers to technological adoption by beekeepers in Europe. Our study is the first to investigate beekeepers' willingness to adopt the Bee Health Card, a molecular diagnostic tool developed within the PoshBee EU project which can rapidly assess bee health by monitoring molecular changes in bees.

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Type 2 diabetes (T2D) complications pose a significant global health challenge. Omics technologies have been employed to investigate these complications and identify the biological pathways involved. In this review, we focus on four major T2D complications: diabetic kidney disease, diabetic retinopathy, diabetic neuropathy, and cardiovascular complications.

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Immune deficits after CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy can be long-lasting, predisposing patients to infections and non-relapse mortality. In B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B-NHL), the prognostic impact of immune reconstitution (IR) remains ill-defined, and detailed cross-product comparisons have not been performed to date. In this retrospective observational study, we longitudinally characterized lymphocyte subsets and immunoglobulin levels in 105 B-NHL patients to assess patterns of immune recovery arising after CD19 CAR-T.

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Nonlinear exposure-response associations of daytime, nighttime, and day-night compound heatwaves with mortality amid climate change.

Nat Commun

January 2025

School of Public Health, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Key Lab of Public Health Safety of the Ministry of Education and NHC Key Lab of Health Technology Assessment, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.

Heatwaves are commonly simplified as binary variables in epidemiological studies, limiting the understanding of heatwave-mortality associations. Here we conduct a multi-country study across 28 East Asian cities that employed the Cumulative Excess Heatwave Index (CEHWI), which represents excess heat accumulation during heatwaves, to explore the potentially nonlinear associations of daytime-only, nighttime-only, and day-night compound heatwaves with mortality from 1981 to 2010. Populations exhibited high adaptability to daytime-only and nighttime-only heatwaves, with non-accidental mortality risks increasing only at higher CEHWI levels (75th-90th percentiles).

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Consumers are increasingly aware of the environmental and health impacts of their food choices, leading to changes in consumption behavior. This study examines the consumption patterns and behaviors of European consumers regarding meat substitutes and identifies factors influencing their acceptance as alternative protein sources. The study involved 5000 participants from four European countries-France, Germany, Italy, and Spain with data extracted from the Mintel consumer database in 2024.

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Overweight, obesity, and cardiovascular disease in heterozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia: the EAS FH Studies Collaboration registry.

Eur Heart J

January 2025

Department of Primary Care and Public Health, Imperial Centre for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, White City Campus, 90 Wood Lane, London W12 0BZ, UK.

Background And Aims: Overweight and obesity are modifiable risk factors for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) in the general population, but their prevalence in individuals with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia (HeFH) and whether they confer additional risk of ASCVD independent of LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) remains unclear.

Methods: Cross-sectional analysis was conducted in 35 540 patients with HeFH across 50 countries, in the EAS FH Studies Collaboration registry. Prevalence of World Health Organization-defined body mass index categories was investigated in adults (n = 29 265) and children/adolescents (n = 6275); and their association with prevalent ASCVD.

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Hypoxia Regulates Brown Adipocyte Differentiation and Stimulates miR-210 by HIF-1α.

Int J Mol Sci

December 2024

Institute for Cardiovascular Prevention (IPEK), Faculty of Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 81377 Munich, Germany.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short sequences of single-stranded non-coding RNAs that target messenger RNAs, leading to their repression or decay. Interestingly, miRNAs play a role in the cellular response to low oxygen levels, known as hypoxia, which is associated with reactive oxygen species and oxidative stress. However, the physiological implications of hypoxia-induced miRNAs ("hypoxamiRs") remain largely unclear.

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Safety, bactericidal activity, and pharmacokinetics of the antituberculosis drug candidate BTZ-043 in South Africa (PanACEA-BTZ-043-02): an open-label, dose-expansion, randomised, controlled, phase 1b/2a trial.

Lancet Microbe

December 2024

Institute of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Germany; German Center for Infection Research, Munich Partner Site, Munich, Germany; Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology ITMP, Immunology, Infection, and Pandemic Research, Munich, Germany; Unit Global Health, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany. Electronic address:

Background: The broad use of bedaquiline and pretomanid as the mainstay of new regimens to combat tuberculosis is a risk due to increasing bedaquiline resistance. We aimed to assess the safety, bactericidal activity, and pharmacokinetics of BTZ-043, a first-in-class DprE1 inhibitor with strong bactericidal activity in murine models.

Methods: This open-label, dose-expansion, randomised, controlled, phase 1b/2a trial was conducted in two specialised tuberculosis sites in Cape Town, South Africa.

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Background And Aim: Cannabis use disorder (CUD) is strongly influenced by genetic factors; however the mechanisms underpinning this association are not well understood. This study investigated whether a polygenic risk score (PRS) based on a genome-wide association study for CUD in adults predicts cannabis use in adolescents and whether the association can be explained by inter-individual variation in structural properties of brain white matter or risk-taking behaviors.

Design And Setting: Longitudinal and cross-sectional analyses using data from the IMAGEN cohort, a European longitudinal study integrating genetic, neuroimaging and behavioral measures.

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Effect of applying a diabetes risk score on lifestyle counselling and shared decision-making in primary care: A pragmatic cluster randomised trial.

Prim Care Diabetes

January 2025

Institute for Biometrics and Epidemiology, German Diabetes Center (DDZ), Leibniz Center for Diabetes Research at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany; German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Partner Düsseldorf, Munich-Neuherberg, Germany. Electronic address:

Aims: There is a lack of studies on the impact of diabetes risk scores on diabetes prevention. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of applying a non-invasive diabetes risk score as component of routine health checks on counselling intensity and shared decision-making (SDM) in primary care.

Methods: Cluster randomised trial, in which primary care physicians (n = 30) enrolled participants (n = 315) with statutory health insurance without known diabetes, ≥ 35 years of age with a body mass index (BMI) ≥ 27.

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Drivers of extended spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Enterobacterales colonization among residents of long-term health care facilities: a European multicentric prospective cohort study.

J Hosp Infect

January 2025

Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine I, University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany; Infectious Diseases, Dept of Diagnostic and Public Health, University Hospital Verona, Verona, Italy; DZIF-Clinical Research Unit, Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine I, University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.

Article Synopsis
  • ESBL-producing Enterobacterales (ESBL-PE) are common in long-term care facilities (LTCFs), prompting a study across six sites in Europe to assess how residents acquire these bacteria and the associated risk factors.
  • Over 32 weeks, researchers screened 299 residents and found that 16.4% were colonized at the start, with a new acquisition rate of 0.79 per 1000 resident-days, influenced by factors like age, vascular disease, and antibiotic use.
  • Key findings highlight the importance of infection control measures, such as ensuring hand sanitizers and adequate nurse staffing, as well as using genomic surveillance to inform strategies for managing ESBL-PE in LTCFs.
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Association of Residential Greenness and Sleep Duration in Adults: A Prospective Cohort Study in China.

Environ Res

January 2025

Department of Public Health, the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310058, China. Electronic address:

Background: Exposure to residential greenness has been linked with improved sleep duration; however, longitudinal evidence is limited, and the potential mediating effect of ambient fine particulate matter (PM) has yet to be assessed.

Methods: We obtained data for 19,567 participants across seven counties in a prospective cohort in Ningbo, China. Greenness was estimated using Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) within 250-m, 500-m and 1000-m buffer zones, while yearly average PM concentrations were measured using validated land-use regression models, both based on individual residential addresses.

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Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a major neurodegenerative disorder with significant environmental factors, including diet and lifestyle, influencing its onset and progression. Although previous studies have suggested that certain diets may reduce the incidence of AD, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear.

Method: In this post-hoc analysis of a randomized crossover study of 20 elderly adults, we investigated the effects of a modified Mediterranean ketogenic diet (MMKD) on the plasma lipidome in the context of AD biomarkers, analyzing 784 lipid species across 47 classes using a targeted lipidomics platform.

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

Sci Rep

January 2025

Professorship of Exercise Biology, Department Health and Sport Sciences, TUM School of Medicine and Health, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.

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.

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Background: In humans, environmental enrichment (EE), as measured by the engagement in a variety of leisure activities, has been associated with larger hippocampal structure and better memory function. The present cross-sectional study assessed whether EE during early life (13-30 years) and midlife (30-65 years) is associated with better preserved memory-related brain activity patterns in older age.

Methods: In total, 372 cognitively unimpaired older adults (aged ≥60 years old) of the DZNE-Longitudinal Study on Cognitive Impairment and Dementia (DELCODE; DRKS00007966) were investigated.

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Problem: Although it is still uncertain whether Severe Acute Respiratory Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) placental infection and vertical transmission occur, inflammation during early pregnancy can have devastating consequences for gestation itself and the growing fetus. If and how SARS-CoV-2-specific immune cells negatively affect placenta functionality is still unknown.

Method Of Study: We stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from women of reproductive age with SARS-CoV-2 peptides and cocultured them with trophoblast spheroids (HTR-8/SVneo and JEG-3) to dissect if SARS-CoV-2-activated immune cells can interfere with trophoblast functionality.

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Fiber is essential for rumen health, microbial fermentation, and the energy supply of herbivores. Even though the study of fecal fiber contents (neutral detergent fiber NDF, acid detergent fiber ADF, and acid detergent lignin ADL) using near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) has allowed investigating nutritional ecology of different herbivore species, NIRS calibrations are species-specific and require a large number of samples for predictions. A multispecies calibration would be an advantage since samples from different herbivores could be used to calibrate a model capable of predicting the fecal fiber content of other herbivores.

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Exposure to Cadmium and Other Trace Elements Among Individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment.

Toxics

December 2024

Environmental, Genetics, and Nutritional Epidemiology Research Center (CREAGEN), Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41125 Modena, Italy.

Background: A limited number of studies have investigated the role of environmental chemicals in the etiology of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). We performed a cross-sectional study of the association between exposure to selected trace elements and the biomarkers of cognitive decline.

Methods: During 2019-2021, we recruited 128 newly diagnosed patients with MCI from two Neurology Clinics in Northern Italy, i.

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Background/objectives: The colonization history of house mice reflects the maritime history of humans that passively transported them worldwide. We investigated western house mouse colonization in the Atlantic region through studies of mitochondrial D-loop DNA sequences from modern specimens.

Methods: We assembled a dataset of 758 haplotypes derived from 2765 mice from 47 countries/oceanic archipelagos (a combination of new and published data).

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Latin Americans have a rich genetic make-up that translates into heterogeneous fractions of the autosomal genome in runs of homozygosity (F) and heterogeneous types and proportions of indigenous American ancestry. While autozygosity has been linked to several human diseases, very little is known about the relationship between inbreeding, genetic ancestry, and cancer risk in Latin Americans. Chile has one of the highest incidences of gallbladder cancer (GBC) in the world, and we investigated the association between inbreeding, GBC, gallstone disease (GSD), and body mass index (BMI) in 4029 genetically admixed Chileans.

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Increasing evidence suggests the involvement of metabolic alterations in neurological disorders, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), and highlights the significance of the peripheral metabolome, influenced by genetic factors and modifiable environmental exposures, for brain health. In this study, we examined 1,387 metabolites in plasma samples from 1,082 dementia-free middle-aged participants of the population-based Rotterdam Study. We assessed the relation of metabolites with general cognition (G-factor) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) markers using linear regression and estimated the variance of these metabolites explained by genes, gut microbiome, lifestyle factors, common clinical comorbidities, and medication using gradient boosting decision tree analysis.

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Background: Type 2 diabetes (T2D) results from a complex interplay between genetic predisposition and lifestyle factors. Both genetic susceptibility and unhealthy lifestyle are known to be associated with elevated T2D risk. However, their combined effects on T2D risk are not well studied.

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Article Synopsis
  • SARS-CoV-2 can infect liver cells (hepatocytes), leading to elevated liver enzymes and more severe disease in those with pre-existing liver conditions.
  • The study shows that the virus replicates and spreads in hepatocytes, with infection being dependent on two specific proteins, ACE2 and TMPRSS2, which are found on the liver cells.
  • Infection causes rapid liver cell death, with the Omicron variant causing quicker but less extensive damage compared to other strains, as seen in both human liver cells and infected mice.
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N-acetylcysteine modulates markers of oxidation, inflammation and infection in tuberculosis.

J Infect

January 2025

The Aurum Institute, Johannesburg, South Africa; Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland USA; Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University, Nashville USA.

Background: Half the global tuberculosis health burden is due to post-tuberculosis lung disease. Host-directed therapies have been proposed to reduce this burden. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) provides the conditionally essential amino acid cysteine required for synthesis of glutathione, an antioxidant thiol.

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Background: Some studies have revealed various sleep patterns in adolescents and adults using multidimensional objective sleep parameters. However, it remains unknown whether these patterns are consistent from adolescence to young adulthood and how they relate to long-term obesity.

Methods: Seven-day accelerometry was conducted in German Infant Study on the influence of Nutrition Intervention PLUS environmental and genetic influences on allergy development (GINIplus) and Influence of Lifestyle factors on the development of the Immune System and Allergies in East and West Germany (LISA) birth cohorts during the 15-year and 20-year follow-ups, respectively.

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