Subacute Degeneration of Fibers After Vertical Parasagittal Hemispherotomy.

Purpose: After vertical parasagittal hemispherotomy a restricted diffusion is often seen ipsilaterally and even distant from the adjacent resection margin. This retrospective cohort study analyses the anatomic site and the time course of the diffusion restriction after vertical parasagittal hemispherotomy.

Methods: Fifty-nine patients were included into this study, all of them having had one pre-operative and at least one post-operative MRI, including diffusion imaging at b‑values of 0 and 1000 s/mm with a calculated ADC.

German Registry for Cardiac Operations and Interventions in Congenital Heart Disease: Annual Report 2022.

Background:  The German Registry for Cardiac Operations and Interventions in Patients with Congenital Heart Disease is a voluntary registry initiated by the German Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery and the German Society for Pediatric Cardiology and Congenital Heart Defects. Since 2012, the registry collects data for the assessment of treatment and outcomes of surgical and interventional procedures in patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) of all age groups.

Methods:  This real-world, prospective all-comers registry collects clinical and procedural characteristics, adverse events (AEs), mortality, and medium-term outcomes (up to 90 days) of patients undergoing surgical and interventional.

The Diagnosis and Treatment of Tricuspid Regurgitation.

Background: It is estimated that 6% of persons over age 75 have clinically relevant tricuspid regurgitation (TR). This condition carries a high mortality and is of particular interest because of the recent development of new interventional treatments.

Methods: This review is based on publications that were retrieved by a selective search in the PubMed database for randomized controlled trials (RCTs), observational studies, registry studies, expert recommendations, and current international guidelines.

Reduced anti-Müllerian hormone action in cumulus-oocyte complexes is beneficial for oocyte maturation without affecting oocyte competence.

Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) is a key paracrine/autocrine factor regulating folliculogenesis in the postnatal ovary. As antral follicles mature to the preovulatory stage, AMH production tends to be limited to cumulus cells. Therefore, the present study investigated the role of cumulus cell-derived AMH in supporting maturation and competence of the enclosed oocyte.

Multidimensional water level and water quality response to severe drought in Xingyun Lake.

Drought stress has a significant impact on the quality and quantity of lake water. Understanding this impact is crucial for preventing water security risks and pollution recovery. However, there is a lack of systemic understanding of how drought affects water quality and quantity, and how they change in multiple dimensions.

Intravascular Lithotripsy for Treatment of Severely Calcified Common Femoral Artery Disease: Results From the Disrupt PAD III Observational Study.

Background: Surgical endarterectomy is currently considered the front-line therapy for the treatment of calcified lesions in the common femoral artery (CFA). Endovascular interventions have evolved, and their use is increasing in frequency. Intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) has shown promising safety and effectiveness in calcified CFA lesions in a small pilot study, but "real-world" evidence from a larger cohort is lacking.

A microdeletion event at 19q13.43 in IDH-mutant astrocytomas is strongly correlated with MYC overexpression.

MYC dysregulation is pivotal in the onset and progression of IDH-mutant gliomas, mostly driven by copy-number alterations, regulatory element alterations, or epigenetic changes. Our pilot analysis uncovered instances of relative MYC overexpression without alterations in the proximal MYC network (PMN), prompting a deeper investigation into potential novel oncogenic mechanisms. Analysing comprehensive genomics profiles of 236 "IDH-mutant 1p/19q non-co-deleted" lower-grade gliomas from The Cancer Genome Atlas, we identified somatic genomic alterations within the PMN.

Intestinal colonization resistance in the context of environmental, host, and microbial determinants.

Microbial communities that colonize the human gastrointestinal (GI) tract defend against pathogens through a mechanism known as colonization resistance (CR). Advances in technologies such as next-generation sequencing, gnotobiotic mouse models, and bacterial cultivation have enhanced our understanding of the underlying mechanisms and the intricate microbial interactions involved in CR. Rather than being attributed to specific microbial clades, CR is now understood to arise from a dynamic interplay between microbes and the host and is shaped by metabolic, immune, and environmental factors.

Bidirectional modulation of TCA cycle metabolites and anaplerosis by metformin and its combination with SGLT2i.

Background: Metformin and sodium-glucose-cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) are cornerstone therapies for managing hyperglycemia in diabetes. However, their detailed impacts on metabolic processes, particularly within the citric acid (TCA) cycle and its anaplerotic pathways, remain unclear. This study investigates the tissue-specific metabolic effects of metformin, both as a monotherapy and in combination with SGLT2i, on the TCA cycle and associated anaplerotic reactions in both mice and humans.

Choice enhances touch pleasantness.

We value what we choose more than what is imposed upon us. Choice-induced preferences are extensively demonstrated using behavioural and neural methods, mainly involving rewarding objects such as money or material goods. However, the impact of choice on experiences, especially in the realm of affective touch, remains less explored.

Evaluation of ImpENSA technology-enabled behaviour change module delivered to healthcare professionals in South Africa to improve micronutrient nutrition during the first 1000 days.

Healthcare professionals (HCPs) have vital roles in providing evidence-based care to promote healthy micronutrient nutrition in early life. Providing such care requires scalable training to strengthen knowledge and confident application of effective behaviour change skills. Among 33 public and private HCPs (primarily dietitians) in South Africa, we evaluated the behaviour change aspects of a technology-enabled National Qualification Sub-Framework level 6 programme, Improving Early Nutrition and Health in South Africa ('ImpENSA').

Influence of additive and subtractive zirconia and lithium disilicate manufacturing on tensile bond strength and surface topography.

Statement Of Problem: Although bonding is important for long-term clinical success, studies on the bonding of additively manufactured ceramics are sparse.

Purpose: The purpose of this in vitro study was to determine the influence of manufacturing methods, additive (LCM) versus subtractive (CAM). and ceramic materials, zirconia (ZrO) and lithium disilicate (LiSi), on the tensile bond strength (TBS), failure mode, and surface roughness of ceramics.

Boredom due to being over- or under-challenged in mathematics: A latent profile analysis.

Background: Recent research on boredom suggests that it can emerge in situations characterized by over- and under-challenge. In learning contexts, this implies that high boredom may be experienced both by low- and high-achieving students.

Aims: This research aimed to explore the existence and prevalence of boredom due to being over- and under-challenged in mathematics, for which empirical evidence is lacking.

Treatment effect heterogeneity of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia - A meta-analysis.

Investigation of the heterogeneity of the treatment effect (HTE) might guide the optimization of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I). This study examined HTE in CBT-I thereby analyzing if treatment setting, control group, different CBT-I components, and patient characteristics drive HTE. Randomized controlled trials investigating CBT-I were included.

Patient-reported burden in adults with atopic dermatitis: an international qualitative study.

The objective was to study a large, international, ethnically diverse population of patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) to support the creation of patient-centric recommendations for AD management. Qualitative data were generated from 45-min, 1:1 telephone interviews conducted across 15 countries in each patient's native language. Interviews explored the impact of AD on patients' lives, patients' most important symptoms, treatment expectations, and treatment decision-making.

Structural Characterization, and Antioxidative and Anti-inflammatory Activities of Phylloxanthobilins in Tropaeolum majus, a Plant with Relevance in Phytomedicine.

(garden nasturtium) is a plant with relevance in phytomedicine, appreciated not only for its pharmaceutical activities, but also for its beautiful leaves and flowers. Here, we investigated the phytochemical composition of senescent nasturtium leaves. Indeed, we identified yellow chlorophyll catabolites, also termed phylloxanthobilins, which we show to contribute to the bright yellow color of the leaves in the autumn season.

Increased endothelial sclerostin caused by elevated DSCAM mediates multiple trisomy 21 phenotypes.

Trisomy 21 (T21), a recurrent aneuploidy occurring in 1:800 births, predisposes to congenital heart disease (CHD) and multiple extracardiac phenotypes. Despite a definitive genetic etiology, the mechanisms by which T21 perturbs development and homeostasis remain poorly understood. We compared the transcriptome of CHD tissues from 49 patients with T21 and 226 with euploid CHD (eCHD).

In vitro antimicrobial resistance of Escherichia coli, Serratia marcescens, Klebsiella oxytoca, and Klebsiella pneumoniae on Bavarian dairy farms between 2014 and 2022.

The objective of this study was to describe the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance of Escherichia coli, Klebsiella oxytoca, Klebsiellapneumoniae, and Serratiamarcescens from quarter milk samples submitted to the udder health laboratory of the Bavarian Animal Health Services (TGD) in Southern Germany between 2014 and 2022. All samples were tested with the California Mastitis Test and analyzed with a standard microbroth dilution to determine the MIC. The antimicrobials tested were amoxicillin/clavulanate, cefazoline, kanamycin/cefalexin, cefoperazone, cefquinome, and marbofloxacin.

Can the DEX/CRH test or markers of oxidative stress distinguish work-related stress from major depressive disorder and normal controls?

Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA)-axis hyperactivity measured by the combined dexamethasone-CRH test (DEX-CRH test) has been found in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD), whereas hypoactivity has been found in patients with work-related stress. We aimed to investigate the DEX-CRH test as a biomarker to distinguish between MDD and work-related stress (exhaustion disorder - ED). We hypothesized that there would be lower cortisol and ACTH response in participants with ED compared to MDD and healthy controls (HC).

Associations of long-term exposure to air pollution and greenness with incidence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Northern Europe: The Life-GAP project.

Background: Prolonged exposure to air pollution has been linked to adverse respiratory health, yet the evidence concerning its association with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is inconsistent. The evidence of a greenness effect on chronic respiratory diseases is limited.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the association between long-term exposure to particulate matter (PM and PM), black carbon (BC), nitrogen dioxide (NO), ozone (O) and greenness (as measured by the normalized difference vegetation index - NDVI) and incidence of self-reported chronic bronchitis or COPD (CB/COPD).

Online-Assisted Survey on Antibiotic Use by Pet Owners in Dogs and Cats.

The aim of the study was two-fold: first, to collect data on the use of antibiotics in Germany for dogs and cats and, second, their owners' experiences and opinions. Using an anonymous online survey, dog and cat owners were asked about the last antibiotic administration in their pet. The inclusion criterion was any antibiotic administration within the last year.