Corticospinal and Clinical Effects of Muscle Tendon Vibration in Neurologically Impaired Individuals. A Scoping Review.

This review verified the extent, variety, quality and main findings of studies that have tested the neurophysiological and clinical effects of muscle tendon vibration (VIB) in individuals with sensorimotor impairments. The search was conducted on PubMed, CINAHL, and SportDiscuss up to April 2024. Studies were selected if they included humans with neurological impairments, applied VIB and used at least one measure of corticospinal excitability using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS).

Optimized monitoring for immune checkpoint inhibitor induced myocarditis using high-sensitivity troponin-T.

Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI)-induced Myocarditis (irMyocarditis) is a rare adverse event with a high mortality rate of 40-50 % and which is mostly not diagnosed until clinical symptoms emerge.

Objectives: This study aims to screen patients for irMyocarditis using high-sensitivity cardiac troponin-T (hs-TnT) before and regularly during therapy with ICI.

Methods: A cohort of 280 cancer patients were prospectively screened for levels of hs-TnT at baseline and prior to every ICI infusion.

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.

Measurement of Bacterial Headspaces by FT-IR Spectroscopy Reveals Distinct Volatile Organic Compound Signatures.

Ensuring prompt and precise identification of bacterial pathogens is essential for initiating appropriate antibiotic therapy and combating severe bacterial infections effectively. Traditional microbiological diagnostics, involving initial culturing and subsequent pathogen detection, are often laborious and time-consuming. Even though modern techniques such as Raman spectroscopy, MALDI-TOF, and 16S rRNA PCR have significantly expedited this process, new methods are required for the accurate and fast detection of bacterial pathogens.

Investigation of choroid plexus variability in schizophrenia-spectrum disorders-insights from a multimodal study.

Previous studies have suggested that choroid plexus (ChP) enlargement occurs in individuals with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders (SSD) and is associated with peripheral inflammation. However, it is unclear whether such an enlargement delineates a biologically defined subgroup of SSD. Moreover, it remains elusive how ChP is linked to brain regions associated with peripheral inflammation in SSD.

A Representative Analysis of Nonparticipation in Workplace Health Promotion in Germany Using Multivariable Methods.

Objectives: Studies have identified sociodemographic and socioeconomic factors that promote participation in workplace health promotion activities. The present study therefore focuses on what influences nonparticipation within a representative sample of the German population.

Methods: In the analysis of possible factors influencing nonparticipation, company characteristics are accounted for in addition to sociodemographic and health behaviour-related variables.

Updated Structure of Repeat Expansions in Patients With Myotonic Dystrophy Type 2 and Its Implication for Standard Diagnostics.

Background And Objectives: Myotonic dystrophy type 2 (DM2) is a multisystemic repeat disorder caused by the expansion of an unstable CCTG tetranucleotide repeat in the noncoding region of the gene. Standard diagnostic is based on Southern blot analysis or a unidirectional RP-PCR that amplifies the repeat from the downstream end.

Methods: Our study reevaluated 80 patients (cohort 1) with clinical suspicion of DM2 but homozygous negative results using the standard diagnostic repeat-primed PCR (RP-PCR).

Repeat adolescent pregnancies in Southwestern Uganda: A cross-sectional study.

Background: Pregnancy in adolescents continues to remain a significant public health challenge, with repeat pregnancies in this age group often receiving insufficient attention. In Uganda, repeat adolescent pregnancy varies between 26.1% and 55.

Deceleration capacity derived from a five-minute electrocardiogram predicts mortality in the general population.

In contemporary healthcare, effective risk stratification in the general population is vital amidst rising chronic disease rates and an ageing demographic. Deceleration Capacity of the heart rate (DC), derived from 24-hour Holter electrocardiograms, holds promise in risk stratification for cardiac patients. However, the potential of short-term electrocardiograms of five minutes duration for population screening has not been fully explored.

A core genome MLST scheme for Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato improves insights into the evolutionary history of the species complex.

Multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) based on eight genes has become the method of choice for Borrelia typing and is extensively used for population studies. Whole-genome sequencing enables studies to scale up to genomic levels but necessitates extended schemes. We have developed a 639-loci core genome MLST (cgMLST) scheme for Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.

Personalized deep learning auto-segmentation models for adaptive fractionated magnetic resonance-guided radiation therapy of the abdomen.

Background: Manual contour corrections during fractionated magnetic resonance (MR)-guided radiotherapy (MRgRT) are time-consuming. Conventional population models for deep learning auto-segmentation might be suboptimal for MRgRT at MR-Linacs since they do not incorporate manual segmentation from treatment planning and previous fractions.

Purpose: In this work, we investigate patient-specific (PS) auto-segmentation methods leveraging expert-segmented planning and prior fraction MR images (MRIs) to improve auto-segmentation on consecutive treatment days.

Evaluating neurological outcomes of and risk factors for hypoattenuated leaflet thickening following aortic root replacement and arch surgery.

Objectives: In this retrospective study, we aimed to assess incidence, possible causes and clinical consequences of hypoattenuated leaflet thickening (HALT) following aortic root replacement with valved composite grafts and concomitant aortic arch repair.

Methods: Between January 2016 and December 2022, 454 patients underwent Bentall procedures with arch replacements in hypothermic circulatory arrest at the University Aortic Centre MunichLMU, Germany. Sequential postoperative ECG-gated, high-resolution computed tomography angiographies were analyzed, and the presence of HALT correlated with neurologic events and transvalvular gradients over time.

Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Clinical Validation of TIME Criteria to Detect Potentially Inappropriate Medication Use in Older Adults: Methodological Report from the TIME International Study Group.

Background: Various explicit screening tools, developed mostly in central Europe and the USA, assist clinicians in optimizing medication use for older adults. The Turkish Inappropriate Medication use in oldEr adults (TIME) criteria set, primarily based on the STOPP/START criteria set, is a current explicit tool originally developed for Eastern Europe and subsequently validated for broader use in Central European settings. Reviewed every three months to align with the latest scientific literature, it is one of the most up-to-date tools available.

Associative learning via eyeblink conditioning differs by age from infancy to adulthood.

Associative learning is a key feature of adaptive behaviour and mental health, enabling individuals to adjust their actions in anticipation of future events. Comprehensive documentation of this essential component of human cognitive development throughout different developmental periods is needed. Here, we investigated age-related changes in associative learning in key developmental stages, including infancy, childhood, adolescence, and adulthood.

Characterization of peripapillary hyperreflective ovoid mass-like structures (PHOMS) in a broad spectrum of neurological disorders.

Objective: Peripapillary hyperreflective ovoid mass-like structures (PHOMS) have been identified in ophthalmological and neurological diseases. Since PHOMS were found more frequently in these cohorts compared to healthy controls, it is assumed that the presence of PHOMS reflects a secondary disease marker of unknown significance. The extent to which disease-specific differences are reflected in PHOMS has not yet been sufficiently investigated.

Cost-effectiveness-analysis of oral health remotivation and reinstruction in nursing homes in a cluster-randomized controlled trial.

Objectives: We conducted a cluster-randomized-controlled trial (cRCT) in 18 German nursing homes (NH) to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of reinstruction and remotivation of nursing staff by dental assistants (DAs) over 13 months.

Methods: In the intervention arm, dentists examined NH residents, identified oral health conditions, and prescribed individualized oral care interventions. Nursing staff delivered these interventions, with regular follow-up support from DAs (reinstruction and remotivation).

Integration of genetic testing into diagnostic pathways for cardiomyopathies: a clinical consensus statement by the ESC Council on Cardiovascular Genomics.

In the modern era, cardiologists managing patients and families with cardiomyopathies need to be familiar with every stage of the diagnostic pathway from clinical phenotyping to the prescription and interpretation of genetic tests. This clinical consensus statement from the ESC Council for Cardiovascular Genomics aims to promote the integration of genetic testing into routine cardiac care of patients with cardiomyopathies, as recommended in the 2023 ESC guidelines for cardiomyopathies. The document describes the types of genetic tests currently available and provides advice on their prescription and for counselling after the return of genetic findings, including the approach in patients and families with variants of unknown significance.

Participatory Development of an International Information Brochure on the Multimodal Assessment of Disorders of Consciousness.

Background: Disorders of consciousness (DoC) refers to a group of clinical conditions of altered consciousness. To improve their diagnosis and prognosis, multimodal assessment can be of great importance. Informal caregivers of people with DoC who are confronted with new technologies as such can benefit from interventions to expand their health literacy, i.

Diagnosing primary lateral sclerosis: a clinico-pathological study.

Background:  Primary lateral sclerosis (PLS) is a rare motor neuron disease characterized by upper motor neuron degeneration, diagnosed clinically due to the absence of a (neuropathological) gold standard. Post-mortem studies, particularly TDP-43 pathology analysis, are limited.

Methods: This study reports on 5 cases in which the diagnostic criteria for PLS were met, but in which neuropathology findings showed (partially) conflicting results.

Management of acute decompensated valvular heart disease.

Worldwide, valvular heart disease (VHD) is a common cause of hospitalization for acute heart failure. In acute heart failure caused by VHD, symptoms result from rapid haemodynamic changes and subsequent decline in cardiac function, and if left untreated, leads to acute decompensation and cardiogenic shock. Current evidence remains scarce and recommendations regarding the management of acute heart failure caused by VHD are lacking in most recent international guidelines.

Line-field confocal optical coherence tomography in lichen planopilaris and frontal fibrosing alopecia: A pilot study.

Background And Objectives: Lichen planopilaris (LPP) and frontal fibrosing alopecia (FFA) are common causes of cicatricial alopecia. While several studies have demonstrated the usefulness of non-invasive imaging methods such as reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) for the diagnosis of scarring alopecia, this study aimed to identify characteristic features of cicatricial alopecia in LPP/FFA using line-field confocal OCT (LC-OCT).

Patients And Methods: Fifty-one patients (26 LPP, 24 FFA, 1 LPP and FFA) were prospectively analyzed with LC-OCT at three defined locations on the scalp: (1) scarring area = lesion, (2) scar-hair boundary = transition zone and (3) healthy area for the presence of the following pre-defined criteria: no hair follicles left, destructed hair follicles, dermal sclerosis, no rimming of the dermal papillae, epidermal and dermal inflammatory infiltrate, infundibular hyperkeratosis, dilated blood vessels, hypervascularization, melanophages, epidermal pigment incontinence.

MRI classification of progressive supranuclear palsy, Parkinson disease and controls using deep learning and machine learning algorithms for the identification of regions and tracts of interest as potential biomarkers.

Background: Quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) analysis has shown promise in differentiating neurodegenerative Parkinsonian syndromes and has significantly advanced our understanding of diseases like progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) in recent years.

Objective: The aim of this study was to develop, implement and compare MRI analysis algorithms based on artificial intelligence (AI) that can differentiate PSP not only from healthy controls but also from Parkinson disease (PD), by analyzing changes in brain structure and microstructure. Specifically, this study focused on identifying regions of interest (ROIs) and tracts of interest (TOIs) that are crucial for the algorithms to provide clinically relevant performance indices for the distinction between disease variants.