Impact of absolute values and changes in meteorological and air quality conditions on community-acquired pneumonia in Germany.

Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a major global health concern as it is a leading cause of morbidity, mortality and economic burden to the health care systems. In Germany, more than 15,000 people die every year from CAP. Climate change is altering weather patterns, and it may influence the probability and severity of CAP.

The effects of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids on MASLD: a Mendelian randomization analysis and in vivo experiment.

Background: Excessive intake of fatty acids is a key factor contributing to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). However, the effects of saturated fatty acids (SFA) and unsaturated fatty acids (UFA) on the development of MASLD are uncertain. Therefore, we conducted two-sample Mendelian randomization studies and animal experiments to explore the effects of SFA, monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) on the risk of developing MASLD.

Enhancing intercultural competence of German medical students through innovative teaching on medical ethics with a focus on Muslim patients - a pilot study.

Background: Effective healthcare delivery in today's diverse society necessitates healthcare providers' adeptness in navigating cultural and religious nuances in patient care. However, the integration of cultural competence training into medical education remains inadequate, particularly concerning the care of Muslim patients. In response, we introduce a novel educational intervention aimed at enhancing intercultural proficiency among medical students, emphasizing care for Muslim patients.

Enhanced capture of preeclampsia-derived extracellular vesicles from maternal plasma by monocytes and T lymphocytes.

Released from trophoblast and other fetal cells, placental extracellular vesicles (EVs) reach the maternal peripheral blood and modulate immune responses. Increased EVs in plasma of preeclampsia (PE) patients indicate their involvement in the etiology of this condition. This study addresses the uptake of plasma EVs by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and explores the underlying internalization mechanisms.

Visual quality of life in NMOSD and MOGAD: profiles, dynamics and associations with ageing and vision.

Objective: In this multicentric study, we were interested in the vision-related quality of life and its association with visual impairment in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease (MOGAD) in comparison to multiple sclerosis (MS) and healthy controls.

Methods: We analysed extracted data from the German NEMOS registry including National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI-VFQ) scores, high and low contrast visual acuity (HCVA, LCVA), visually evoked potentials (VEP) and the scores for the expanded disability status scale (EDSS) and other neurological tests which assessed their disease-related impairment. The mean follow-up time of our patients was 1.

Eplerenone, a mineralocorticoid receptor inhibitor, reduces cirrhosis associated changes of hepatocyte glucose and lipid metabolism.

Background: Recent studies suggest a contribution of intrahepatic mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) activation to the development of cirrhosis. As MR blockade abrogates the development of cirrhosis and hypoxia, common during the development of cirrhosis, can activate MR in hepatocytes. But, the impact of non-physiological hepatic MR activation is unknown.

Generation of a human induced pluripotent stem cell lines (UKJi003-A) from a patient with Fabry disease and healthy donor (UKJi004-A).

Fabry disease (FD, OMIM #301500) is a rare metabolic disorder, X-linked glycosphingolipidosis that is characterized by pathogenic mutations in the GLA (Galactosidase Alpha) gene (OMIM *300644) that result in reduced α-galactosidase A (α-GAL) activity and accumulation of globotriaosylceramide (Gb3) in tissues and organs. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were used to generate human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC). UKJi004-A was produced from a healthy donor, whereas UKJi003-A was produced from a patient who had FD with GLA-mutation (IVS6-10G>A).

The Na,K,2Cl Cotransporter, Not Aquaporin 1, Sustains Cerebrospinal Fluid Secretion While Controlling Brain K Homeostasis.

Disturbances in the brain fluid balance can lead to life-threatening elevation in intracranial pressure (ICP), which represents a vast clinical challenge. Targeted and efficient pharmaceutical therapy of elevated ICP is not currently available, as the molecular mechanisms governing cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) secretion are largely unresolved. To resolve the quantitative contribution of key choroid plexus transport proteins, this study employs mice with genetic knockout and/or viral choroid plexus-specific knockdown of aquaporin 1 (AQP1) and the Na, K, 2Cl cotransporter 1 (NKCC1) for in vivo determinations of CSF dynamics, ex vivo choroid plexus for transporter-mediated clearance of a CSF K load, and patient CSF for [K] quantification.

Studies on the hysteresis of trunk muscles-Muscular specificities must be taken into account.

Hysteresis refers to a physical phenomenon in which the response or state of a system depends on both the input variable and its history. Hysteresis phenomena are also observed in biological systems and have been described for the sensorimotor system. The aim of the present study was to determine whether hysteresis phenomena can also be detected in trunk muscles during isometric load-varying situations.

Identification of Novel Nexilin Splice Variants in Mouse and Human Tissues.

There is no doubt that the proper development of the heart is important for its correct function, in addition, maturation processes of the heart are crucial as well. The actin-binding protein nexilin seems to take over central roles in the latter processes, as nexilin-deficient mice are phenotypically inconspicuous at birth but die within short time thereafter. Recently, it has been proposed that nexilin plays a role in the formation and function of transverse tubules (T-tubules), which are essential for excitation-contraction coupling in the hearts of mature animals.

Nerve ultrasound helps to distinguish CIDP patients with diabetes from patients with diabetic polyneuropathy.

Diabetic polyneuropathy (DPN) shares overlapping clinical and electrodiagnostic features with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP), which complicates the differential diagnosis of CIDP in diabetic patients. 32 patients with diabetes mellitus and CIDP, 68 patients with CIDP without diabetes, 83 patients with DPN, and 28 diabetic patients without polyneuropathy were examined using clinical scores (Overall Neuropathy Limitation Scale (ONLS), Neuropathy Symptom Score, Neuropathy Deficit Score), nerve conduction studies, and nerve ultrasound (Ultrasound Pattern Sum Score (UPSS)). The ONLS was significantly higher in the CIDP patients with diabetes than in DPN (median [interquartile range]: 4.

Improving diagnosis in patients with obstetric antiphospholipid syndrome through the evaluation of non-criteria antibodies.

Objectives: Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is an autoimmune disease driven by antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL). Currently, APS diagnosis requires a combination of clinical manifestations (thrombosis and/or obstetric morbidity) and the persistent presence of at least one criteria aPL: anti-cardiolipin antibodies (aCL), anti-β2-glycoprotein I antibodies (aβ2GPI) or lupus anticoagulant (LA). Patients with suggestive obstetric symptoms but lacking criteria aPL face diagnostic challenges.

The oncogenic lncRNA MIR503HG suppresses cellular senescence counteracting supraphysiological androgen treatment in prostate cancer.

Background: The androgen receptor (AR), a ligand-dependent transcription factor, plays a key role in regulating prostate cancer (PCa) growth. The novel bipolar androgen therapy (BAT) uses supraphysiological androgen levels (SAL) that suppresses growth of PCa cells and induces cellular senescence functioning as a tumor suppressive mechanism. The role of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the regulation of SAL-mediated senescence remains unclear.

Relational neuroscience: Insights from hyperscanning research.

Humans are highly social, typically without this ability requiring noticeable efforts. Yet, such social fluency poses challenges both for the human brain to compute and for scientists to study. Over the last few decades, neuroscientific research of human sociality has witnessed a shift in focus from single-brain analysis to complex dynamics occurring across several brains, posing questions about what these dynamics mean and how they relate to multifaceted behavioural models.

Automated sample annotation for diabetes mellitus in healthcare integrated biobanking.

Healthcare integrated biobanking describes the annotation and collection of residual samples from hospitalized patients for research purposes. The central idea of the current work is to establish an automated workflow for sample annotation, selection and storage for diabetes mellitus. This is challenging due to incomplete data at the time of sample selection.

Guidelines for preparation and flow cytometry analysis of human nonlymphoid tissue DC.

This article is part of the Dendritic Cell Guidelines article series, which provides a collection of state-of-the-art protocols for the preparation, phenotype analysis by flow cytometry, generation, fluorescence microscopy, and functional characterization of mouse and human dendritic cells (DC) from lymphoid organs, and various nonlymphoid tissues. Within this article, detailed protocols are presented that allow for the generation of single-cell suspensions from human nonlymphoid tissues including lung, skin, gingiva, intestine as well as from tumors and tumor-draining lymph nodes with a subsequent analysis of dendritic cells by flow cytometry. Further, prepared single-cell suspensions can be subjected to other applications including cellular enrichment procedures, RNA sequencing, functional assays, etc.

Functional circuits of LYL1 controlled by supraphysiological androgen in prostate cancer cells to regulate cell senescence.

Background: Prostate cancer (PCa) is a public health problem mostly reported in developed countries. The androgen receptor (AR) regulates the development and physiological function of normal prostate as well as the proliferation of cancerous prostate tissue. Treatment with supraphysiological androgen levels (SAL) is used in bipolar androgen therapy and inhibits PCa growth, suggesting SAL induces a tumor suppressive program.

Affective modulation of emotional reactivity in euthymic patients with bipolar disorder.

Background: Affective modulation of startle reflex (AMSR) is a widely used experimental tool for assessing emotional reactivity. Previous research has shown inconsistent findings of emotional reactivity in amplitude in bipolar patients (BP). This study examined emotional reactivity (ER) in euthymic BP compared to healthy controls using both subjective and objective measures.

Mobility Medicine: A call to unify hyper-fragmented specialties by abstracts sent to 2025Pdm3, and typescripts to Ejtm3, and .

Mega scientific conferences increasingly suffer from the need for short and poster presentations without discussion. An alternative is to organize workshops in hotels large enough to accommodate all participants. This significantly increases the opportunities for constructive discussion during breakfasts, lunches, dinners and long evenings that can bring together experts of scientific and clinical sub-specialties and young fellows.

Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt for the patients on the liver transplant list.

Patients with cirrhosis-associated and portal hypertension-associated complications may benefit from TIPS and/or liver transplantation. In many patients, the decision of whether or not TIPS should be placed prior to liver transplantation is fairly clear-cut. Nevertheless, there are some patients in whom the decision can be more complex.

New insights of LncRNAs fingerprints in breast cancer progression: Tumorigenesis, drug resistance, and therapeutic opportunities.

Breast cancer (BC) is one of the common female cancers and it is characterized by considerable problems regarding its development and therapy. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been identified as significant modulators in BC development, especially, in tumorigenicity and chemoresistance. We therefore endeavor to present an up-to-date understanding of lncRNAs and their impact on BC progression and treatment, concerning molecular processes, treatment options, and use as a therapeutic opportunity.

Cytogenomic Characterization of Murine Osteosarcoma Cell Line SEWA.

Introduction: The SEWA cell line, which is derived from a virus-induced murine osteosarcoma (OS) ascites, was established in the 1980s from a serially transplanted male-derived tumor that was first published in 1961. It has been applied in about 50 studies but was never genetically characterized in detail; this study fills that gap.

Methods: The SEWA cell line was analyzed for its chromosomal constitution using molecular cytogenetic approaches.