Informing pandemic management in Germany with trustworthy living evidence syntheses and guideline development: lessons learned from the COVID-19 evidence ecosystem.

Objectives: We present the 'COVID-19 evidence ecosystem' (CEOsys) as a German network to inform pandemic management and to support clinical and public health decision-making. We discuss challenges faced when organizing the ecosystem and derive lessons learned for similar networks acting during pandemics or health-related crises.

Study Design And Setting: Bringing together 18 university hospitals and additional institutions, CEOsys key activities included research prioritization, conducting living systematic reviews (LSRs), supporting evidence-based (living) guidelines, knowledge translation (KT), detecting research gaps, and deriving recommendations, backed by technical infrastructure and capacity building.

A Plea for Monitoring Serum Selenium Levels in Breast Cancer Patients: Selenium Deficiency Is Rare during the First Year of Therapy, and Selenium Supplementation Is Associated with Elevated Risk of Overdosing.

(1) Background: The role of selenium in cancer biology remains poorly understood. Our aim was to study the course of selenium serum levels and the use of selenium supplements during breast cancer therapy. (2) Methods: Serum selenium levels, clinical-pathological data, selenium supplementation, and lifestyle factors were monitored quarterly over one year.

Rapid submillimeter QSM and R* mapping using interleaved multishot 3D-EPI at 7 and 3 Tesla.

Purpose: To explore the high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) efficiency of interleaved multishot 3D-EPI with standard image reconstruction for fast and robust high-resolution whole-brain quantitative susceptibility (QSM) and mapping at 7 and 3T.

Methods: Single- and multi-TE segmented 3D-EPI is combined with conventional CAIPIRINHA undersampling for up to 72-fold effective gradient echo (GRE) imaging acceleration. Across multiple averages, scan parameters are varied (e.

Gentamicin combination treatment is associated with lower mortality in patients with invasive listeriosis: a retrospective analysis.

Purpose: Listeria monocytogenes causes severe bacterial infections with the highest mortality rate among foodborne pathogens in Europe. Combination treatment with ampicillin and gentamicin is recommended for invasive manifestations. However, evidence to support this treatment approach remains limited due to a lack of randomised controlled trials.

Plasma amyloid beta X-42/X-40 ratio and cognitive decline in suspected early and preclinical Alzheimer's disease.

Introduction: Blood-based biomarkers are a cost-effective and minimally invasive method for diagnosing the early and preclinical stages of amyloid positivity (AP). Our study aims to investigate our novel immunoprecipitation-immunoassay (IP-IA) as a test for predicting cognitive decline.

Methods: We measured levels of amyloid beta (Aβ)X-40 and AβX-42 in immunoprecipitated eluates from the DELCODE cohort.

The Healthy Participant Effect: insights and results from a population-based case-control study on breast cancer.

Agreement to participate in case-control studies has become low. Healthy participant bias resulting from differential response proportions in cases and controls can distort results; however, the magnitude of bias is difficult to assess. We investigated the effect in a large population-based case-control study on breast cancer, with a participation rate of 43.

Panacus: fast and exact pangenome growth and core size estimation.

Motivation: Using a single linear reference genome poses a limitation to exploring the full genomic diversity of a species. The release of a draft human pangenome underscores the increasing relevance of pangenomics to overcome these limitations. Pangenomes are commonly represented as graphs, which can represent billions of base pairs of sequence.

Plasma extracellular vesicle tau and TDP-43 as diagnostic biomarkers in FTD and ALS.

Minimally invasive biomarkers are urgently needed to detect molecular pathology in frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Here, we show that plasma extracellular vesicles (EVs) contain quantifiable amounts of TDP-43 and full-length tau, which allow the quantification of 3-repeat (3R) and 4-repeat (4R) tau isoforms. Plasma EV TDP-43 levels and EV 3R/4R tau ratios were determined in a cohort of 704 patients, including 37 genetically and 31 neuropathologically proven cases.

Closeness Discrepancies and Relationship Quality in German Partnered Women and Men.

The construct of inclusion of other in the self has been established as one of the most influential measures for relationship closeness in romantic relationships. It is regularly associated with relational well-being, sexual satisfaction, as well as mental health. However, the degree of closeness one desires in the present relationship is person-specific and can differ from the closeness one actually experiences.

Can Lymph Node Involvement in Unilateral Wilms Tumor be Predicted by Preoperatively known Data in Combination with Intraoperative Findings?

Objective: This study aimed to identify parameters that allow the estimation of tumor-infiltrated lymph nodes (LN) after pretreatment for unilateral Wilms tumor (WT).

Summary Background Data: Complete tumor resection with removal of regional LN is always necessary. Positive LNs require local irradiation influencing benefits in case of NSS in long-term follow-up.

Treatment exit options for non-infectious uveitis registry: participant characteristics at 3 years.

Purpose: The Treatment exit Options For non-infectious Uveitis (TOFU) registry documents disease courses for non-anterior non-infectious uveitis entities with and without treatment to generate more evidence for clinical management recommendations including treatment exit strategies. In this article, we present the participants' baseline characteristics after the first 3 years.

Methods: TOFU is an observational, prospective registry and recruits patients ≥18 years of age with non-anterior non-infectious uveitis with or without a history of previous disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) treatment.

Refining the hospitalization rate: A mixed methods approach to differentiate primary COVID-19 from incidental cases.

Purpose: Until now, the Hospitalization Rate (HR) served as an indicator (among others) for the COVID-19 associated healthcare burden. To ensure that the HR accomplishes its full potential, hospitalizations caused by COVID-19 (primary cases) and hospitalizations of patients with incidental positive SARS-CoV-2 test results (incidental cases) must be differentiated. The aim of this study was to synthesize the existing evidence on differentiation criteria between hospitalizations of primary cases and incidental cases.

Type 1 Myocardial Infarction in Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke.

Importance: Elevated values of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin (hs-cTn) are common in patients with acute ischemic stroke and are associated with poor prognosis. However, diagnostic and therapeutic implications in patients with ischemic stroke remain unclear.

Objective: To identify factors indicative of myocardial infarction (MI) in patients with acute ischemic stroke and hs-cTn elevation.

Associations of Urine and Plasma Metabolites With Kidney Failure and Death in a Chronic Kidney Disease Cohort.

Rationale & Objective: Biomarkers that enable better identification of persons with chronic kidney disease (CKD) who are at higher risk for disease progression and adverse events are needed. This study sought to identify urine and plasma metabolites associated with progression of kidney disease.

Study Design: Prospective metabolome-wide association study.

Neuropilin2 in Mesenchymal Stromal Cells as a Potential Novel Therapeutic Target in Myelofibrosis.

Bone marrow fibrosis in myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN), myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), MPN/MDS overlap syndromes and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is associated with poor prognosis and early treatment failure. Myelofibrosis (MF) is accompanied by reprogramming of multipotent bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) into osteoid and fiber-producing stromal cells. We demonstrate NRP2 and osteolineage marker NCAM1 (neural cell adhesion molecule 1) expression within the endosteal niche in normal bone marrow and aberrantly in MPN, MDS MPN/MDS overlap syndromes and AML ( = 99), as assessed by immunohistochemistry.

Motivational Interviewing improves postoperative nutrition goals within the Enhanced Recovery after Surgery (ERAS®) pathway in elective bowel surgery - A randomized clinical pilot trial.

Background & Aims: Exploration whether Motivational Interviewing (MI) could be learned and implemented with ease within a surgical in-hospital setting and whether participation in the intervention led to significantly higher compliance with ERAS®-recommended protein intake goals. The individual healing process of many patients is delayed because they fail to cover their calorie requirement, which could be counteracted by a patient-centered conversational intervention that is new in perioperative practice.

Methods: This patient-blinded pilot-RCT included 60 patients (≥18 years) following the certified ERAS® bowel protocol for colorectal surgery between March and August 2022.

FeverApp for Parents: A Multilingual and Socially Accountable Approach to Paediatric Fever Management in Germany.

Policymakers and practitioners are increasingly focused on achieving health equity and meeting the specific health needs of diverse populations, including vulnerable groups such as children. To address these challenges, the Fever App for Parents has emerged as a solution to guide parents through the complexities of managing fever in their children by improving fever management in children through real-time data collection and comprehensive educational support. This systematic approach aims to reduce unnecessary medical interventions and overuse of antibiotics, thereby improving the overall quality of pediatric care and reducing parental anxiety.

Single-value brain activity scores reflect both severity and risk across the Alzheimer's continuum.

Single-value scores reflecting the deviation from (FADE score) or similarity with (SAME score) prototypical novelty-related and memory-related functional MRI activation patterns in young adults have been proposed as imaging biomarkers of healthy neurocognitive ageing. Here, we tested the utility of these scores as potential diagnostic and prognostic markers in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and risk states like mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or subjective cognitive decline (SCD). To this end, we analysed subsequent memory functional MRI data from individuals with SCD, MCI and AD dementia as well as healthy controls and first-degree relatives of AD dementia patients (AD-rel) who participated in the multi-centre DELCODE study (n = 468).

Inferior Frontal Sulcal Hyperintensities on Brain MRI Are Associated with Amyloid Positivity beyond Age-Results from the Multicentre Observational DELCODE Study.

Inferior frontal sulcal hyperintensities (IFSHs) on fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) sequences have been proposed to be indicative of glymphatic dysfunction. Replication studies in large and diverse samples are nonetheless needed to confirm them as an imaging biomarker. We investigated whether IFSHs were tied to Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology and cognitive performance.

Next-generation phenotyping in Nigerian children with Cornelia de Lange syndrome.

Next-generation phenotyping (NGP) can be used to compute the similarity of dysmorphic patients to known syndromic diseases. So far, the technology has been evaluated in variant prioritization and classification, providing evidence for pathogenicity if the phenotype matched with other patients with a confirmed molecular diagnosis. In a Nigerian cohort of individuals with facial dysmorphism, we used the NGP tool GestaltMatcher to screen portraits prior to genetic testing and subjected individuals with high similarity scores to exome sequencing (ES).

Dyslipidemia in children with chronic kidney disease-findings from the Cardiovascular Comorbidity in Children with Chronic Kidney Disease (4C) study.

Background: Dyslipidemia is an important and modifiable risk factor for CVD in children with CKD.

Methods: In a cross-sectional study of baseline serum lipid levels in a large prospective cohort study of children with stage 3-5 (predialysis) CKD, frequencies of abnormal lipid levels and types of dyslipidemia were analyzed in the entire cohort and in subpopulations defined by fasting status or by the presence of nephrotic range proteinuria. Associated clinical and laboratory characteristics were determined by multivariable linear regression analysis.