Feasibility, Accuracy, and Reproducibility of Aortic Valve Sizing for Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation Using Virtual Reality.

Background: Detailed visualization and precise measurements of aortic valve dimensions are critical for the success of transcatheter aortic valve implantation and for the prevention of complications. Currently, multislice computed tomography is the gold standard for assessment of the aortic annulus and surrounding structures to determine the prosthesis size. New technologies such as virtual reality (VR) not only enable 3-dimensional (3D) visualization with the potential to improve understanding of anatomy and pathology but also allow measurements in 3D.

Risk of Lymphoma and Leukemia in Thyroid Cancer Patients: A Retrospective Cohort Study in Germany.

Thyroid cancer is the ninth most common cancer worldwide. While differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) has a high survival rate, concerns arise regarding optimal treatment strategies and potential long-term risks, including second primary malignancies (SPMs), associated with therapies such as radioiodine (RAI). The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between thyroid cancer and the incidence of subsequent lymphoma and leukemia in Germany.

The Role of the Human Cerebellum for Learning from and Processing of External Feedback in Non-Motor Learning: A Systematic Review.

This review aimed to systematically identify and comprehensively review the role of the cerebellum in performance monitoring, focusing on learning from and on processing of external feedback in non-motor learning. While 1078 articles were screened for eligibility, ultimately 36 studies were included in which external feedback was delivered in cognitive tasks and which referenced the cerebellum. These included studies in patient populations with cerebellar damage and studies in healthy subjects applying neuroimaging.

The development of a hiPSC-based platform to identify tissue-dependencies of IDH1 R132H.

The application of patient-derived (PD) in vitro tumor models represents the classical strategy for clinical translational oncology research. Using these cellular heterogeneous cultures for the isolation of cancer stem cells (CSCs), suggested to be the main driver for disease malignancy, relies on the use of surrogate biomarkers or is based on CSC-enriching culture conditions. However, the ability of those strategies to exclusively and efficiently enrich for CSC pool has been questioned.

Rapid, label-free classification of glioblastoma differentiation status combining confocal Raman spectroscopy and machine learning.

Label-free identification of tumor cells using spectroscopic assays has emerged as a technological innovation with a proven ability for rapid implementation in clinical care. Machine learning facilitates the optimization of processing and interpretation of extensive data, such as various spectroscopy data obtained from surgical samples. The here-described preclinical work investigates the potential of machine learning algorithms combining confocal Raman spectroscopy to distinguish non-differentiated glioblastoma cells and their respective isogenic differentiated phenotype by means of confocal ultra-rapid measurements.

A Th17 cell-intrinsic glutathione/mitochondrial-IL-22 axis protects against intestinal inflammation.

Although the intestinal tract is a major site of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, the mechanisms by which antioxidant defense in gut T cells contribute to intestinal homeostasis are currently unknown. Here we show, using T cell-specific ablation of the catalytic subunit of glutamate cysteine ligase (), that the ensuing loss of glutathione (GSH) impairs the production of gut-protective IL-22 by Th17 cells within the lamina propria. Although ablation does not affect T cell cytokine secretion in the gut of mice at steady-state, infection with increases ROS, inhibits mitochondrial gene expression and mitochondrial function in -deficient Th17 cells.

Impact of NKG2D Signaling on Natural Killer and T-Cell Function in Cerebral Ischemia.

Background Typically defined as a thromboinflammatory disease, ischemic stroke features early and delayed inflammatory responses, which determine the extent of ischemia-related brain damage. T and natural killer cells have been implicated in neuronal cytotoxicity and inflammation, but the precise mechanisms of immune cell-mediated stroke progression remain poorly understood. The activating immunoreceptor NKG2D is expressed on both natural killer and T cells and may be critically involved.

A rare case of severely elevated septic parameters caused by intercurrent juvenile rheumatoid arthritis despite dual trauma surgery.

Procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) are considered markers used in clinical practice to differentiate bacterial infections from autoimmune origin. Here we evaluate a rare case of a male patient diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis. The patient presented repeatedly to our department with atraumatic femoral head necrosis, traumatic medial femoral neck fracture and peri-implant femoral fracture.

Chronic stress targets mitochondrial respiratory efficiency in the skeletal muscle of C57BL/6 mice.

Episodes of chronic stress can result in psychic disorders like post-traumatic stress disorder, but also promote the development of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. We hypothesize that muscle, as main regulator of whole-body energy expenditure, is a central target of acute and adaptive molecular effects of stress in this context. Here, we investigate the immediate effect of a stress period on energy metabolism in Musculus gastrocnemius in our established C57BL/6 chronic variable stress (Cvs) mouse model.

An oral French maritime pine bark extract improves hair density in menopausal women: A randomized, placebo-controlled, double blind intervention study.

Background And Aims: Female pattern hair loss affects females of all ages with a trend to increase after menopause. This disorder may have significant psychological impact and lead to anxiety and depression.

Objective: In a single center, double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study, the effects of oral Pycnogenol® intake (3 × 50 mg/day for a total of 6 months) on hair density, scalp microcirculation, and a variety of skin physiological parameters was studied in Han Chinese menopausal women ( = 76) in Shanghai, China.

Combining PSA and PET features to select candidates for salvage lymph node dissection in recurrent prostate cancer.

Objective: To evaluate the relationship between pre-operative PSA value, Ga-prostate-specific-membrane-antigen (PSMA) PET performance and oncologic outcomes after salvage lymph node dissection (sLND) for biochemical recurrent prostate cancer (PCa).

Patients And Methods: The study included 164 patients diagnosed with ≤2 pelvic lymph-node recurrence(s) of PCa documented on Ga-PSMA PET scan and treated with pelvic ± retroperitoneal sLND at 11 high-volume centres between 2012 and 2019. Pathologic findings were correlated to PSA values at time of sLND, categorized in early (<0.

The association between the body height and cardiovascular diseases: a retrospective analysis of 657,310 outpatients in Germany.

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) represents the leading cause of death worldwide. The identification of individuals at increased risk of CVD is essential to reduce its morbidity and mortality globally. Based on existing data on a potential association between the individual body height and the risk for CVD, we investigated this association in a large cohort of outpatients in Germany.

Detailed stratified GWAS analysis for severe COVID-19 in four European populations.

Given the highly variable clinical phenotype of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a deeper analysis of the host genetic contribution to severe COVID-19 is important to improve our understanding of underlying disease mechanisms. Here, we describe an extended genome-wide association meta-analysis of a well-characterized cohort of 3255 COVID-19 patients with respiratory failure and 12 488 population controls from Italy, Spain, Norway and Germany/Austria, including stratified analyses based on age, sex and disease severity, as well as targeted analyses of chromosome Y haplotypes, the human leukocyte antigen region and the SARS-CoV-2 peptidome. By inversion imputation, we traced a reported association at 17q21.

Current status and future directions for a neurotoxicity hazard assessment framework that integrates approaches.

Neurotoxicology is the study of adverse effects on the structure or function of the developing or mature adult nervous system following exposure to chemical, biological, or physical agents. The development of more informative alternative methods to assess developmental (DNT) and adult (NT) neurotoxicity induced by xenobiotics is critically needed. The use of such alternative methods including approaches that predict DNT or NT from chemical structure (e.

Work and Training Conditions of German Residents and Young Radiologists in Interventional Radiology - A Nationwide Survey.

With the increasing need for minimally invasive procedures based on lower complication rates, higher patient acceptance, and technical developments, there is a growing focus on the sound interventional training of young radiologists. This survey aimed to analyze the current situation in interventional radiology (IR) training in Germany to detect shortcomings and identify areas for improvement.From November 1-30, 2020, an online questionnaire was distributed to representative radiological associations and societies with the request to forward it to radiology residents and radiologists < 40 years.

Patient participation in multidisciplinary tumor conferences in breast and gynecological cancer care: How patient-centered is the communication?

Objective: Patients' participation is part of patient-centeredness, but it is so far unclear whether providers in multidisciplinary tumor conferences (MTCs) with patient participation communicate in a patient-centered way. Our aim is to explore (a) to what extent providers ask questions to breast and gynecological cancer patients during case discussion in MTCs, (b) how providers respond to patients' expressions of emotions during case discussions, and (c) which patient- and context-related characteristics and responses are associated with patients' trust in the treatment team after the case discussion.

Methods: This observational study included survey data and audio recordings of MTCs with patient participation at three breast and gynecological cancer centers.

The Seasonal Fluctuation of Fatigue in Multiple Sclerosis.

Background: Fatigue is a common symptom in patients with multiple sclerosis. Several studies suggest that outdoor temperature can impact fatigue severity, but a systematic study of seasonal variations is lacking.

Methods: Fatigue was assessed with the Fatigue Scale for Motor and Cognitive Functions (FSMC) in a temperate climatic zone with an average outdoor temperature of 8.

Convergent regional brain abnormalities in behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia: A neuroimaging meta-analysis of 73 studies.

Introduction: Numerous studies have reported brain alterations in behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD). However, they pointed to inconsistent findings.

Methods: We used a meta-analytic approach to identify the convergent structural and functional brain abnormalities in bvFTD.

Regional analysis of inflammation and contractile function in reperfused acute myocardial infarction by in vivo F cardiovascular magnetic resonance in pigs.

Inflammatory cell infiltration is central to healing after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The relation of regional inflammation to edema, infarct size (IS), microvascular obstruction (MVO), intramyocardial hemorrhage (IMH), and regional and global LV function is not clear. Here we noninvasively characterized regional inflammation and contractile function in reperfused AMI in pigs using fluorine (F) cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR).