Ethical and coordinative challenges in setting up a national cohort study during the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany.

With the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), global researchers were confronted with major challenges. The German National Pandemic Cohort Network (NAPKON) was launched in fall 2020 to effectively leverage resources and bundle research activities in the fight against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We analyzed the setup phase of NAPKON as an example for multicenter studies in Germany, highlighting challenges and optimization potential in connecting 59 university and nonuniversity study sites.

Use and outcome of TIPS in hospitalized patients in Germany: A Nationwide study (2007-2018).

Background: The number of complications in patients admitted for cirrhosis has increased over time. Portal hypertension is the driver of many complications of cirrhosis. TIPS placement is the most effective treatment of portal hypertension.

Glycogen storage diseases.

Glycogen storage diseases (GSDs) are a group of rare, monogenic disorders that share a defect in the synthesis or breakdown of glycogen. This Primer describes the multi-organ clinical features of hepatic GSDs and muscle GSDs, in addition to their epidemiology, biochemistry and mechanisms of disease, diagnosis, management, quality of life and future research directions. Some GSDs have available guidelines for diagnosis and management.

Collaborative evaluation study on 18 candidate diseases for newborn screening in 1.77 million samples.

Analytical and therapeutic innovations led to a continuous but variable extension of newborn screening (NBS) programmes worldwide. Every extension requires a careful evaluation of feasibility, diagnostic (process) quality and possible health benefits to balance benefits and limitations. The aim of this study was to evaluate the suitability of 18 candidate diseases for inclusion in NBS programmes.

Reverse genetics of parrot bornavirus 4 reveals a unique splicing of the glycoprotein gene that affects viral propagation.

Viruses can utilize host splicing machinery to enable the expression of multiple genes from a limited-sized genome. Orthobornaviruses use alternative splicing to regulate the expression level of viral proteins and achieve efficient viral replication in the nucleus. Although more than 20 orthobornaviruses have been identified belonging to eight different viral species, virus-specific splicing has not been demonstrated.

Differences in psychometric characteristics of outpatients with somatic symptom disorder from general hospital biomedical (neurology/gastroenterology), traditional Chinese medicine, and psychosomatic settings.

Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate the psychometric characteristics of outpatients diagnosed with somatic symptom disorder (SSD) in biomedical, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and psychosomatic settings.

Materials And Methods: A total of 697 participants who completed SCID-5 and questionnaires were presented in our former study, as 3 of them had missed questionnaire data, a total of 694 participants are presented in this study. A secondary analysis of the psychometric characteristics of Somatic Symptom Disorder-B Criteria Scale (SSD-12), Somatic Symptom Severity Scale of the Patient-Health Questionnaire (PHQ-15), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and General Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) is done to compare differences among outpatients from the three settings of medical specialties.

Complementary and alternative treatments for insomnia disorder: a systematic umbrella review.

Insomnia is a common disorder and cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is recommended as first-line treatment. However, CBT-I is not widely distributed and infrequently available while medication is not indicated for long-term use. To close this evident gap in supply, alternative treatments could be utilised.

Method development for the intraoral release of nanoparticles from dental restorative materials.

Objective: The aim of this study was the development of a novel in-vitro method to evaluate the intraoral release of wear particles with a diameter< 1 µm from dental restorative materials.

Methods: Test fixtures for a dual-axis chewing simulator (CS-4.8, SD Mechatronik, Feldkirchen-Westerham, Germany), consisting of three components to mount the specimens and a solvent (distilled water) as well as a zirconia antagonist to transfer the masticatory forces onto the specimen was developed.

Variable Outcome of Immunotherapy in Advanced Multiple Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinomas in Two Patients with Recessive Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa.

Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) is a major complication of recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB) that has high morbidity and mortality rates and unmet therapeutic needs. The aim of this study was to evaluate the molecular pattern of cSCC and the clinical course of immunotherapy in 2 RDEB patients with multiple advanced cSCC. Clinical course and disease staging were evaluated retrospectively.

Discriminating Paradoxical and Psychophysiological Insomnia Based on Structural and Functional Brain Images: A Preliminary Machine Learning Study.

Insomnia disorder (ID) is a prevalent mental illness. Several behavioral and neuroimaging studies suggested that ID is a heterogenous condition with various subtypes. However, neurobiological alterations in different subtypes of ID are poorly understood.

Integrated Metabolomic and Transcriptomic Analysis of Modified Nucleosides for Biomarker Discovery in Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma.

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) accounts for ~75% of kidney cancers. The biallelic inactivation of the von Hippel-Lindau tumor suppressor gene () is the truncal driver mutation of most cases of ccRCC. Cancer cells are metabolically reprogrammed and excrete modified nucleosides in larger amounts due to their increased RNA turnover.

An appeal for strengthening genomic pathogen surveillance to improve pandemic preparedness and infection prevention: the German perspective.

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has highlighted the importance of viable infection surveillance and the relevant infrastructure. From a German perspective, an integral part of this infrastructure, genomic pathogen sequencing, was at best fragmentary and stretched to its limits due to the lack or inefficient use of equipment, human resources, data management and coordination. The experience in other countries has shown that the rate of sequenced positive samples and linkage of genomic and epidemiological data (person, place, time) represent important factors for a successful application of genomic pathogen surveillance.

A Core Outcome Set for nutritional intervention studies in older adults with malnutrition and those at risk: a study protocol.

Background: Malnutrition (i.e., protein-energy malnutrition) in older adults has severe negative clinical consequences, emphasizing the need for effective treatments.

ERS/ESICM/ESCMID/ALAT guidelines for the management of severe community-acquired pneumonia.

Purpose: Severe community-acquired pneumonia (sCAP) is associated with high morbidity and mortality, and whilst European and non-European guidelines are available for community-acquired pneumonia, there are no specific guidelines for sCAP.

Methods: The European Respiratory Society (ERS), European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM), European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID), and Latin American Thoracic Association (ALAT) launched a task force to develop the first international guidelines for sCAP. The panel comprised a total of 18 European and four non-European experts, as well as two methodologists.

Sleep health dimensions and shift work as longitudinal predictors of cognitive performance in the UK Biobank cohort.

Study Objectives: The long-term effects of sleep health and shift work on cognitive performance are unclear. In addition, research has been limited by small sample sizes and short follow-up periods. We conducted one of the largest examinations of the longitudinal influence of sleep health dimensions and shift work on cognitive performance in people of middle and old age using data from the UK Biobank.

Comparison of facilitators and barriers to providing oral hygiene measures in dependent older people and young children: A systematic review.

Objective: The objective of the study was to systematically compare barriers/facilitators providing oral hygiene to young children and dependent older people and to generate ideas to improve the implementation of oral hygiene measures.

Background: Many older people, like children, rely on third-party assistance for teeth cleaning. Barriers/facilitators in providing oral care services have been described in recent works.