The role of the estimand framework in the analysis of patient-reported outcomes in single-arm trials: a case study in oncology.

Background: Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) play an increasing role in the evaluation of oncology treatments. At the same time, single-arm trials are commonly included in regulatory approval submissions. Because of the high risk of biases, results from single-arm trials require careful interpretation.

An Overview of Neurophenomenological Approaches to Meditation and their Relevance to Clinical Research.

There is a renewed interest in taking phenomenology seriously in consciousness research, contemporary psychiatry, and neurocomputation. The neurophenomenology research program, pioneered by Varela (1996), rigorously examines subjective experience using first-person methodologies, inspired by phenomenology and contemplative practices. This review explores recent advancements in neurophenomenological approaches, particularly their application to meditation practices and potential clinical research translations.

Evaluation of spatiotemporal associations between COVID-19 pandemic waves and the incidence of pediatric type 1 diabetes in Germany considering time lags: A register-based ecological study.

To analyze the ecological relationship between COVID-19 incidence in the total population and type 1 diabetes (T1D) incidence in children and adolescents, spatiotemporal models were applied considering time lags from 0 to 12 months. The results do not indicate a positive correlation between COVID-19 incidence and T1D incidence.

LTβR deficiency causes lymph node aplasia and impaired B cell differentiation.

Secondary lymphoid organs (SLOs) provide the confined microenvironment required for stromal cells to interact with immune cells to initiate adaptive immune responses resulting in B cell differentiation. Here, we studied three patients from two families with functional hyposplenism, absence of tonsils, and complete lymph node aplasia, leading to recurrent bacterial and viral infections. We identified biallelic loss-of-function mutations in encoding the lymphotoxin beta receptor (LTβR), primarily expressed on stromal cells.

Using the German National Medication Plan for Clinical Studies in Practice-Based Research Networks.

The German National Medication Plan (GNMP) can be a valuable and interoperable data source for clinical studies, due to its digital specification and mandatory provisioning for chronically ill patients. Digital transfer of a patients current GNMP from the Patient Data Management System (PDMS) into electronic case report forms would avoid error prone manual data capturing. It is also essential for studies in practice-based research networks (PBRN), where data capturing must have as little impact as possible on everyday practice.

Effect of cerebral sinus venous thrombosis and its location on cerebral blood flow: a [O]water PET study in acute stroke patients compared to healthy volunteers.

Background: Symptoms in acute cerebral sinus venous thrombosis (CSVT) are highly variable, ranging from headaches to fatal stroke, and the basis for this high inter-individual variability is poorly understood. The present study aimed to assess whether acute CSVT significantly alters regional cerebral blood flow (CBF), if findings differ from CBF patterns know from large-artery occlusion in stroke, and whether the pattern of CBF alterations depends on clot location. Therefore, we retrospectively analyzed 12 patients with acute CSVT 10.

Factors associated with communication preferences in transgender and/or gender-diverse individuals - a survey study.

Introduction: As communication should be adapted to the individual, the aim of this study was to explore possible factors related to communication preferences in transgender and/or gender-diverse individuals.

Methods: A survey study was conducted in September 2022. Communication preferences were assessed using the CommTrans questionnaire, which included two scales: emotional resonance and gender-related communication.

How does urology work? Evaluation of activity trackers in the assessment of workload and stress burden among employees in the Department of Urology of a German University Hospital: A prospective pilot study.

Introduction: Workload and stress in excess can lead to work disability. The aim of our study was to determine whether commercially available "activity trackers" can be used to make statements about the work - or stress load of different occupational groups.

Material And Methods: The study was conducted at the University Hospital Freiburg, Germany.

Immunological reconstitution and infections after alloHCT - a comparison between post-transplantation cyclophosphamide, ATLG and non-ATLG based GvHD prophylaxis.

Immunological reconstitution after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (alloHCT) is critical for patient survival. We compared short- and long-term immune reconstitution and clinical endpoints in adult recipients of haploidentical or mismatched T cell replete peripheral blood stem cell transplants (PBSCT) with post-transplant cyclophosphamide as GvHD prophylaxis (PTCY, n = 68) to: (a) patients receiving matched unrelated grafts and anti-T lymphocyte globulin (ATLG) (MUD/ATLG, n = 280); (b) patients with a mismatched donor and ATLG (MM/ATLG, n = 54); and (c) recipients of matched related grafts without ATLG (MRD/NoATLG, n = 97). PTCY was associated with delayed neutrophil engraftment, low NK-cell counts on day 30 and reduced CD8+ cells on days 60-80.

Experts fail to reliably detect AI-generated histological data.

AI-based methods to generate images have seen unprecedented advances in recent years challenging both image forensic and human perceptual capabilities. Accordingly, these methods are expected to play an increasingly important role in the fraudulent fabrication of data. This includes images with complicated intrinsic structures such as histological tissue samples, which are harder to forge manually.

Patient satisfaction after miraDry treatment for axillary hyperhidrosis. Results of an online patient survey after miraDry treatment to reduce excessive axillary sweating.

Hyperhidrosis, with a prevalence of 1 to 2% of the population, primarily affects young people under 40 years of age. The individually perceived burden of odor and amount of sweat leads to a reduced quality of life. In recent years, conservative and surgical measures have been used to treat hyperhidrosis.

Dynamic modelling of signalling pathways when ordinary differential equations are not feasible.

Motivation: Mathematical modelling plays a crucial role in understanding inter- and intracellular signalling processes. Currently, ordinary differential equations (ODEs) are the predominant approach in systems biology for modelling such pathways. While ODE models offer mechanistic interpretability, they also suffer from limitations, including the need to consider all relevant compounds, resulting in large models difficult to handle numerically and requiring extensive data.

BlephEx-treatment for blepharitis: a prospective randomized placebo-controlled trial.

Background: Blepharitis is a chronic inflammatory condition of the eyelids that affects a large proportion of patients in eye care settings. First-line treatments provide only partial relief for many patients. The BlephEx™ device provides automated eyelid debridement and aims to remove pathogenic biofilms from the eyelid margin to treat blepharitis long-term.

Prostate-specific antigen kinetics after stereotactic body radiotherapy for localized prostate cancer: A scoping review and meta-analysis.

Purpose: Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) is emerging as a valuable treatment modality for localized prostate cancer, with promising biochemical progression-free survival rates. Longitudinal assessment of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is the mainstay of follow-up after treatment. PSA kinetics and dynamics are well-established in the context of brachytherapy and conventionally fractionated radiotherapy, yet little is known in the context of prostate SBRT.

Delirium after cardiac arrest: incidence, risk factors, and association with neurologic outcome-insights from the Freiburg Delirium Registry.

Aim: Delirium in patients treated in the intensive care unit (ICU) is linked to adverse outcome, according to previous observations. However, data on patients recovering after cardiac arrest are sparse. The aim of this study was to assess incidence, risk factors, and outcome of patients with delirium after cardiac arrest in the Freiburg Delirium Registry (FDR).

In vitro activity of ceftazidime-avibactam/aztreonam combination against MBL-producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains.

Purpose: The emergence of multidrug-resistant P. aeruginosa isolates poses a challenge to healthcare systems worldwide. Rising numbers in deaths, duration of hospitalization as well as failing treatments prove the hazards posed by these pathogens.