Post-Intensive Care Syndrome-Mental Health.

Intensive care unit (ICU) survivors experience longstanding psychological impairments that persist in the months to years following ICU discharge, regardless of severity of illness or extent of physical recovery. Risk factors for psychological problems following critical illness have been identified including early symptoms of acute stress. Assessment of psychological symptoms in ICU patients and survivors remains inconsistent and many do not receive appropriate psychological evaluation, diagnosis, or treatment.

Depletion of β1,6-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase reduces E-selectin binding capacity and migratory potential of human gastrointestinal adenocarcinoma cells.

The commonly altered glycosylation of tumor cells is a hallmark of tumor progression and metastasis formation. One prominent example is the interaction of sialylated glycans at the tumor cell surface with endothelial (E)-selectin as an early event of an adhesion cascade that enables extravasation of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) into distant tissues. In a previous study, we identified GCNT3 (mucin-type core2/ core4 β1,6-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase) highly over-expressed in gastrointestinal adenocarcinoma cells that facilitate the canonical E-selectin ligands sialyl-Lewis A and X (sLeA/X) for E-selectin binding and endothelial adhesion.

T1-weighted MRI texture analysis in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients stratified by the D50 progression model.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a progressive neurodegenerative disease, presents challenges in predicting individual disease trajectories due to its heterogeneous nature. This study explores the application of texture analysis on T1-weighted MRI in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, stratified by the D50 disease progression model. The D50 model, which offers a more nuanced representation of disease progression than traditional linear metrics, calculates the sigmoidal curve of functional decline and provides independent quantifications of disease aggressiveness and accumulation.

Age-related STING suppression in macrophages contributes to increased viral load during influenza a virus infection.

Ageing is a major risk factor that contributes to increased mortality and morbidity rates during influenza A virus (IAV) infections. Macrophages are crucial players in the defense against viral infections and display impaired function during ageing. However, the impact of ageing on macrophage function in response to an IAV infection remains unclear and offers potential insight for underlying mechanisms.

Complex chromosomal rearrangements in female carriers experiencing recurrent pregnancy loss or poor obstetric history and literature review.

Purpose: Complex chromosomal rearrangements (CCRs) often remain unidentified as they are rarely observed in the general population. Females with CCRs are generally recognized on the identification of an affected child with multiple congenital anomalies (MCA) or having a history of repeated pregnancy loss/bad obstetric history (RPL/BOH). In contrast, males with CCRs are diagnosed primarily due to infertility.

Defining clavicle growth in infancy using chest radiographs.

Background: Despite the critical role of the clavicle in understanding growth and development in early childhood, there remains a notable paucity of comprehensive studies investigating clavicle growth patterns during this crucial period. This hinders our ability to establish normative growth parameters during these early life stages. Our study sought to measure clavicle dimensions and subsequently construct growth curves spanning from preterm infants to toddlers up to the age of 6 years by measuring routine chest radiographs.

Inter-chromosomal contacts demarcate genome topology along a spatial gradient.

Non-homologous chromosomal contacts (NHCCs) between different chromosomes participate considerably in gene and genome regulation. Due to analytical challenges, NHCCs are currently considered as singular, stochastic events, and their extent and fundamental principles across cell types remain controversial. We develop a supervised and unsupervised learning algorithm, termed Signature, to call NHCCs in Hi-C datasets to advance our understanding of genome topology.

Rapid determination of sphingosine 1-phosphate association with carrier molecules by flow-induced dispersion analysis to predict sepsis outcome.

Flow-induced dispersion analysis (FIDA) was used to investigate the association of fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled signaling lipid sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) with its carrier molecules human serum albumin (HSA) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL). Associations were measured in plasma samples of patients after surgery, with sepsis or septic shock. All patients demonstrated a significant shift between the carrier binding: decrease of S1P bound to HSA with a concomitant increase of S1P bound to HDL.

Induction of Labor Using Castor Oil Cocktail - an Analysis of Real-world Data.

Introduction: Induction of labor is indicated when benefits of delivery outweigh benefits of prolonged pregnancy, which is not always welcomed by women. Castor oil is accepted as an "old household remedy" for labor induction but is not yet part of the official guidelines. Nevertheless, it is often used, mostly even before the women are admitted to the hospital.

Hemispheric divergence of interoceptive processing across psychiatric disorders.

Interactions between top-down attention and bottom-up visceral inputs are assumed to produce conscious perceptions of interoceptive states, and while each process has been independently associated with aberrant interoceptive symptomatology in psychiatric disorders, the neural substrates of this interface are unknown. We conducted a preregistered functional neuroimaging study of 46 individuals with anxiety, depression, and/or eating disorders (ADE) and 46 propensity-matched healthy comparisons (HC), comparing their neural activity across two interoceptive tasks differentially recruiting top-down or bottom-up processing within the same scan session. During an interoceptive attention task, top-down attention was voluntarily directed towards cardiorespiratory or visual signals.

Deceleration of denervated facial muscle atrophy through functional electrical stimulation: a sonographic quantification in patients with facial nerve paralysis.

Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) is an established intervention for a range of muscular and neurological disorders that has already been studied in numerous publications. However, its application to Peripheral Facial nerve Paralysis (PFP) still needs to be sufficiently investigated. As the first approach known to the authors, this study examines the effect of FES on the facial muscles in complete PFP using ultrasonography as a means of observation.

Durable left ventricular assist devices following temporary circulatory support on a microaxial flow pump with and without extracorporeal life support.

Background: Circulatory support with a catheter-based microaxial flow pump (mAFP) plays a major role in the treatment of severe cardiogenic shock. In most patients who fail to recover while on temporary mechanical circulatory support (tMCS) and who are not eligible for heart transplantation, durable left ventricular assist device (dLVAD) implantation is usually considered a reliable option. This study aimed to describe the outcome of dLVAD therapy following mAFP support and to identify predictors of mortality.

Job Satisfaction Among First-Generation Migrant Physicians in Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine in Germany.

Background/objectives: This study examines job satisfaction, burnout, and well-being among first-generation migrant physicians in anesthesiology and intensive care medicine in Germany, comparing them to their native German counterparts.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey design was utilized, collecting data from 513 physicians, 110 of whom identified as having a migration background. Job satisfaction was measured using the Warr-Cook-Wall (WCW) Job Satisfaction Scale, burnout was assessed with the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI), and well-being was evaluated using the WHO-5 Well-Being Index.

Reliability of sEMG data of back muscles during static submaximal loading situations - Values and pitfalls.

Alterations of trunk muscle activity can be objectified using surface electromyography (sEMG). But for diagnostic purposes reliable reference values are needed. Therefore, the present study evaluated sEMG measurements of representative back muscles concerning their reliability.

Physicians' and pharmacists' perspective on clarity and clinical relevance of absolute contraindications in "Summaries of Product Characteristics".

Aims: Previous work has identified several limitations in "Summaries of Product Characteristics" (SmPCs), which are associated with risks for patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate pharmacists' and physicians' interpretation of contraindications in SmPCs and reasons for their nonadherence in clinical routine.

Methods: For 20 commonly missed or ignored absolute contraindications, an anonymous online survey providing 24 clinical example cases (one or two per contraindication) for physicians and pharmacists was developed.

Standardizing Nutritional Care for Cancer Patients: Implementation and Evaluation of a Malnutrition Risk Screening.

Introduction: Cancer-related malnutrition is a highly prevalent, yet often overlooked concern in clinical practice. Although cancer-related management guidelines recommend standardized nutritional care, its implementation is scarce. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of malnutrition and the medical need for nutrition counseling in cancer patients employing a novel standardized nutritional management program (containing malnutrition risk screening, nutritional assessment, and counseling).

Polygenic risk for psychotic disorders in relation to cardiac autonomic dysfunction in unmedicated patients with schizophrenia.

Cardiac autonomic dysfunction (CADF), mainly characterized by increased heart rate, decreased heart rate variability, and loss of vagal modulation, has been extensively described in patients with schizophrenia (SCZ) and their healthy first-degree relatives. As such, it represents an apparent physiological link that contributes to the increased cardiovascular mortality in these patients. Common genetic variation is a putative underlying mechanism, along with lifestyle factors and antipsychotic medications.

Image quality of virtual monochromatic and material density iodine images for evaluation of head and neck neoplasms using deep learning-based CT image reconstruction - A retrospective observational study.

Purpose: To compare the quality of deep learning image reconstructed (DLIR) virtual monochromatic images (VMI) and material density (MD) iodine images from dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) for the evaluation of head and neck neoplasms with CT scans from a conventional single-energy protocol.

Method: A total of 294 head and neck CT scans (98 VMIs operated at 60 keV, 102 MD iodine images, and 94 images from a 120 kVp single-energy CT (SECT) protocol) were retrospectively evaluated. VMIs and MD iodine images were generated using the Gemstone Spectral Imaging (GSI) mode using DLIR and metal artifact reduction (MAR) algorithms.

Revolutionizing medicine: recent developments and future prospects in stem-cell therapy.

Stem-cell therapy is a revolutionary frontier in modern medicine, offering enormous capacity to transform the treatment landscape of numerous debilitating illnesses and injuries. This review examines the revolutionary frontier of treatments utilizing stem cells, highlighting the distinctive abilities of stem cells to undergo regeneration and specialized cell differentiation into a wide variety of phenotypes. This paper aims to guide researchers, physicians, and stakeholders through the intricate terrain of stem-cell therapy, examining the processes, applications, and challenges inherent in utilizing stem cells across diverse medical disciplines.