A hepatocellular carcinoma model with and without parenchymal liver damage that integrates technical and pathophysiological advantages for therapy testing.

Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) is the most common form of primary liver cancer, with cirrhosis being its strongest risk factor. Interestingly, an increasing number of HCC cases is also observed without cirrhosis. We developed an HCC model via intrasplenic injection of highly tumorigenic HCC cells, which, due to cellular tropism, invade the liver and allow for a controllable disease progression.

Supporting Nursing Staff During Crises: Impact of Organisational Support Measures and Resources in Job Satisfaction in German Nursing Homes.

Background/objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic placed an immense burden on nursing home staff, significantly increasing their workload. How the impact of these challenges on job satisfaction is mitigated by personal and social resources, along with organisational support measures initiated by nursing homes, is investigated in this study.

Methods: In 2021, a cross-sectional survey was conducted among nursing home staff in Rhineland-Palatinate (n = 373).

Psychometric evaluation and community norms of the PHQ-9, based on a representative German sample.

Background: The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) is a popular tool for assessing depressive symptoms in both general and clinical populations. The present study used a large representative sample of the German adult population to confirm desired psychometric functioning and to provide updated population norms.

Methods: The following psychometric properties were assessed: (i) Item characteristics (item means, standard deviations and inter-item correlations), (ii) Construct validity (correlations of the PHQ-9 sum-score with scores obtained from instruments assessing depression, anxiety and somatization (GAD-7, BSI-18), (iii) Internal consistency (coefficient omega), (iv) Factorial validity (via confirmatory factor analysis of the assumed one factorial model) as well as (v) Measurement invariance (via multi-group confirmatory factor analyses across gender, age, income and education).

Loneliness and social anxiety in the general population over time - results of a cross-lagged panel analysis.

Background: Loneliness has become a major public health issue of the recent decades due to its severe impact on health and mortality. Little is known about the relation between loneliness and social anxiety. This study aimed (1) to explore levels of loneliness and social anxiety in the general population, and (2) to assess whether and how loneliness affects symptoms of social anxiety and vice versa over a period of five years.

Endothelial dysfunction in adults with congenital heart disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Adults with congenital heart disease (ACHD) can face a lifelong risk of premature cardiovascular events. Endothelial dysfunction and arterial stiffness may be some of the key mechanisms involved. Early identification of endothelial damage in ACHD could be crucial to mitigate the adverse events.

Boredom and curiosity: the hunger and the appetite for information.

Boredom and curiosity are common everyday states that drive individuals to seek information. Due to their functional relatedness, it is not trivial to distinguish whether an action, for instance in the context of a behavioral experiment, is driven by boredom or curiosity. Are the two constructs opposite poles of the same cognitive mechanism, or distinct states? How do they interact? Can they co-exist and complement each other? Here, we systematically review similarities and dissimilarities of boredom and curiosity with respect to their subjective experience, functional role, and neurocognitive implementation.

Claudins in vulvar cancer - from epithelial barrier to potential tumor-agnostic cancer therapy.

The immunohistochemical expression of various members of the claudin family has already been studied in pathological affections of the vulva whether to differentiate precancerous lesions from vulvar squamous cell carcinoma or in inflammatory conditions such as lichen sclerosus. From an oncological perspective, however, immunohistochemical analysis of claudin 18.2 protein expression has become increasingly clinically relevant nowadays since the impressive therapeutic benefits of the claudin 18.

PRIO - a prospective integrative oncology registry: trial protocol.

Background: Integrative Oncology (IO) - the use of lifestyle modifications, mind-body practices and natural products in oncology - is increasingly asked for by patients. The evidence base of IO is growing and IO measures are included in national guidelines. Still, many questions about IO remain unanswered or still show a poor evidence base.

Single-cell RNA seq-derived signatures define response patterns to atezolizumab + bevacizumab in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background & Aims: The combination of atezolizumab and bevacizumab (atezo+bev) is the current standard of care for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), providing a median overall survival (OS) of 19.2 months. Here, we aim to uncover the underlying cellular processes driving clinical benefit versus resistance to atezo+bev.

De-escalating and discontinuing disease-modifying therapies in multiple sclerosis.

The development of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) has been highly successful in recent decades. It is now widely accepted that early initiation of DMTs after disease onset is associated with a better long-term prognosis. However, the question of when and how to de-escalate or discontinue DMTs remains open and critical.

Endosonography in head and neck imaging and surgery.

This CME article explores the evolving role of endosonography in otorhinolaryngology and head and neck surgery. Endosonography offers significant potential to improve imaging inside the upper respiratory tract, particularly with advancements in probe technology and imaging resolution. The article will describe the sonoanatomy of the oral cavity, pharynx, and larynx and the selection of probes and scanning techniques used for the various anatomical sites.

Platelet characteristics in extremely preterm infants after fatty acid supplementation: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Two risk factors for severe retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in extremely preterm infants are thrombocytopenia and low levels of arachidonic acid (AA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). To date, these risk factors have not been linked.

Method: Infants born < 28 weeks gestational age (GA) from 2016 to 2019 were randomized to postnatal enteral AA/DHA supplementation or standard care (controls).

Evaluating glaucoma in myopic eyes: Challenges and opportunities.

The increasing global prevalence of myopia presents a significant public health concern, and growing evidence has demonstrated that myopia is a major risk factor for the development of open-angle glaucoma. Therefore, timely detection and management of glaucoma in myopic patients are crucial; however, identifying the structural alterations of glaucoma in the optic nerve head (ONH) and retinal tissues of myopic eyes using standard diagnostic tools such as fundus photography, optical coherence tomography (OCT), and OCT angiography (OCTA) presents challenges. Additionally, myopia-related perimetric defects can be confounded with glaucoma-related defects.

Subsequent Thyroid Carcinomas in Children and Adolescents Registered in the German MET Consortium (1997-2023).

Among childhood cancer survivors, the cumulative incidence rate of differentiated thyroid carcinomas (DTCs) is estimated to be 8-11%. Although the association of DTC with prior radiotherapy is well-studied, the association with chemotherapy remains less understood. Most studies focused on young adults, leaving a knowledge gap on subsequent DTC occurring in childhood and adolescence.

Primary thromboprophylaxis in ambulatory symptomatic patients with COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Background: The global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted the search for strategies to improve outcomes in affected individuals, including those initially managed in outpatient settings. Thromboembolic events have been reported as a concerning complication.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate efficacy and safety of primary thromboprophylaxis in outpatients with COVID-19.

Evaluation of immunohistochemical TRPC3 and TRPC6 expression patterns in human endometriosis.

Background: Although to date the pathogenesis of endometriosis remains largely unexplained, it is known that processes of migration, proliferation and revascularization and thus calcium as a messenger substance play an important role. Consecutively, the present study examines the immunohistochemical expression of the calcium transient receptor potential channels 3 and 6 (TRPC3 and TRPC6) in ectopically located (outside the uterine cavity) endometrial tissue.

Methods: Laparoscopically collected and histomorphologically verified endometriosis tissues from several different intraabdominal locations were examined (n = 20) and immunohistochemical stainings were performed with anti-TRPC3 and anti-TRPC6 antibodies (Alomone Labs, Jerusalem).

Clinical utility of the Fibrosis-4 index for predicting mortality in patients with heart failure with or without metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease: a prospective cohort study.

Background: The liver-heart axis potentially influences the risk of mortality in patients with heart failure. We aimed to identify the clinical utility of the fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) index in patients with heart failure for predicting mortality in the context of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD).

Methods: Patients with heart failure and a subsample of healthy participants were enrolled in the MyoVasc study (NCT04064450) and followed for nine years.

Long-term risk and characteristics of cerebrovascular events after upper body radiotherapy among childhood cancer survivors in the DCCSS-LATER cohort.

Cerebrovascular events (CVEs) are serious late adverse events among childhood cancer survivors. We estimated the incidence and risk factors of symptomatic CVEs and described the clinical characteristics among childhood cancer survivors after upper body radiotherapy. The Dutch Childhood Cancer Survivor Study LATER cohort study includes 5-year childhood cancer survivors diagnosed View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Rigid Probe Trabeculotomy Versus 360-Degree Catheter Trabeculotomy in Childhood Glaucoma.

: This study aims to compare the effectiveness of traditional rigid probe trabeculotomy and 360-degree catheter trabeculotomy in treating childhood glaucoma, underlining the necessity of early surgical intervention. This retrospective cohort study, conducted at the University Eye Hospital Mainz, Germany, included 109 patients under 18 years with childhood glaucoma who underwent rigid probe trabeculotomy or 360-degree catheter trabeculotomy between January 2015 and February 2021. A total of 151 eyes from 109 patients were included.

Hybrid Aortic Arch Replacement with Frozen Elephant Trunk (FET) Technique: Surgical Considerations, Pearls, and Pitfalls.

The involvement of the aortic arch in thoracic aortic aneurysms (TAA), or acute aortic dissections (AAD), represents a challenging clinical entity, mandating a meticulous surgical plan, tailored to each individual case. The advent of endovascular techniques and the introduction of modern arch protheses have led to the implementation of the frozen elephant trunk (FET) technique. This one-step hybrid operation consists of a total aortic arch replacement combined with an antegrade delivery of a stent-graft for the descending aorta, which acts as a proximal landing zone facilitating a potential distal endovascular reintervention.

Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging with Myocardial Strain Assessment Correlates with Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing in Patients with Pectus Excavatum.

: To evaluate correlations between cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (cMRI) at rest including strain imaging and variables derived from quantitative cardiopulmonary exercise testing using a treadmill in patients with pectus excavatum. : We retrospectively correlated the results of cMRI and cardiopulmonary exercise testing in 17 patients with pectus excavatum, in whom both examinations were performed during their pre-operative clinical evaluation. In addition to cardiac volumetry, we assessed the strain rates of both ventricles using a feature-tracking algorithm of a piece of commercially available post-processing software.

Psychometric properties of the parent-rated assessment scale of positive and negative parenting behavior (FPNE) in a German sample of school-aged children.

Background: The aim of this study was to develop and psychometrically evaluate a parent-rated parenting assessment scale including positive and negative dimensions of parenting. Factorial validity, reliability, measurement invariance, latent mean differences and construct validity of the Assessment Scale of Positive and Negative Parenting Behavior (FPNE) were tested in a pooled sample of five studies of 1,879 school-aged children (6.00 to 12.

Perceived and endocrine acute and chronic stress indicators in fibromyalgia syndrome.

Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a chronic disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain, fatigue and tenderness and closely associated with high levels of stress. FMS is therefore often considered a stress-related disease. A comparative study was conducted with 99 individuals diagnosed with FMS and a control group of 50 pain-free individuals.

Genetic Tools in Rodents to Study Cannabinoid Functions.

During the past 30 years, the endocannabinoid system (ECS) has emerged as a major signalling system in the mammalian brain regulating neurotransmission in numerous brain regions and in various cell populations. Endocannabinoids are able to regulate specific physiological functions and thus modify their behavioural manifestations and allostatic alterations of the ECS linked to different pathological conditions. As discussed in detail in other chapters of this book, endocannabinoids are involved in learning and memory, stress, and anxiety, feeding, energy balance, development, and ageing.