Associations between ADC histogram analysis values and tumor-micro milieu in uterine cervical cancer.

Background: The complex interactions of the tumor micromilieu may be reflected by diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) derived from the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The present study investigated the association between apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values and histopathologic features in uterine cervical cancer.

Methods: In this retrospective study, prebiopsy MRI was used to analyze histogram ADC-parameters.

A virtual patient authoring tool for transcatheter aortic valve replacement.

Purpose: Computer-based medical training scenarios, derived from patient's records, often lack variability, modifiability, and availability. Furthermore, generating image datasets and creating scenarios is resource-intensive. Therefore, patient authoring tools for rapid dataset-independent creation of virtual patients (VPs) is a pressing need.

Born to be wild: utilizing natural microbiota for reliable biomedical research.

Laboratory mice housed under specific pathogen-free (SPF) conditions are the standard model in biomedical research. However, experiments with a particular inbred mouse strain performed in different laboratories often yield inconsistent or conflicting data due to housing-specific variations in the composition and diversity of SPF microbiota. These variations affect immune and nonimmune cell functions, leading to systemic physiological changes.

Nanobubble nucleation by pulsed laser illumination of colloidal gold nanoparticles.

This study expands upon a technique our team previously developed for generating nanobubbles on demand with a collimated pulsed laser beam. This work highlights how the controlled addition of gold nanoparticles enhances nanobubble generation efficiency in water, even at laser intensities well below the threshold for multiphoton ionization. Specifically, we investigated the influence of nanoparticles of three distinct sizes on the laser fluence threshold for bubble nucleation and the lifetime of the resultant nanobubbles.

CT-Defined Pectoralis Muscle Density Predicts 30-Day Mortality in Hospitalized Patients with COVID-19: A Nationwide Multicenter Study.

Rationale And Objectives: The prognostic role of computed tomography (CT)-defined skeletal muscle features in COVID-19 is still under investigation. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the prognostic role of CT-defined skeletal muscle area and density in patients with COVID-19 in a multicenter setting.

Materials And Methods: This retrospective study is a part of the German multicenter project RACOON (Radiological Cooperative Network of the COVID-19 pandemic).

Downregulation of MHC-I on melanoma cells and decreased CD8+ T-cell infiltration are associated with metastatic spread and resistance to immunotherapy.

The success of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) for melanoma therapy has catalyzed the introduction of ICI in increasingly early stages of disease. This exposes many patients with lower risk of relapse to the risk of protracted adverse events, highlighting the need for biomarkers guiding the use of ICI. Already many years ago, brisk infiltration of primary melanomas by lymphocytes has been linked to improved patient outcome, but controversial findings due to a high variability in classification systems have been described.

'You grow with the allergy': a grounded theory study of families' experiences with food allergy risk or diagnosis in early childhood.

Objective: Childhood food allergy is increasing in western societies. Preventing and managing food allergies is therefore essential for both parents and children. Given the limited previous research on parents' experiences of food allergy prevention in early childhood, this study aimed to develop a grounded theory to understand the experiences and interactions of families whose children are at risk of, or have been diagnosed with, food allergy.

Micro-jet formation induced by the interaction of a spherical and toroidal cavitation bubble.

We investigate experimentally and numerically the interaction between a spherical cavitation bubble and a wall-bounded toroidal cavitation bubble. We demonstrate that shock wave focusing following toroidal bubble initiation induces the formation of micro-jets that pierce the spherical bubble in the torus-axis direction away from the surface, strongest in the anti-phase scenario. The velocity of micro-jets is determined by the initial standoff distance of the spherical bubble from the wall and thus from the toroidal bubble, with peak jet velocities approaching 1000m/s.

Liver Metastases are Associated with a Short Post-Progression Survival in a Real-World Group of Patients with Melanoma Treated with Checkpoint Inhibitors.

Introduction: The introduction of immunotherapy (IT) has transformed clinical care of patients with metastatic melanoma. However, many patients still die as a result of progressive disease. Here we analyzed how IT improved survival in a real-world setting.

Enhancing the outcomes of bariatric surgery with inhibitory control training, electrical brain stimulation and psychosocial aftercare: a pilot study protocol.

Background: Notwithstanding the documented short- and long-term weight loss and remission of physical and mental diseases following bariatric surgery, a significant proportion of patients fail to respond (fully) to treatment in terms of physical and mental health improvement. Mounting evidence links food-specific impulsivity, prefrontal cortex (PFC) hypoactivity and disrupted hormone secretion in bariatric surgery candidates to poorer post-surgical health outcomes. Neuromodulatory treatments like transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) uniquely target these neurobehavioral impairments.

Glial cell deficits are a key feature of schizophrenia: implications for neuronal circuit maintenance and histological differentiation from classical neurodegeneration.

Dysfunctional glial cells play a pre-eminent role in schizophrenia pathophysiology. Post-mortem studies have provided evidence for significantly decreased glial cell numbers in different brain regions of individuals with schizophrenia. Reduced glial cell numbers are most pronounced in oligodendroglia, but reduced astrocyte cell densities have also been reported.

Association between white matter microstructural changes and aggressiveness. A case-control diffusion tensor imaging study.

Research has focused on identifying neurobiological risk factors associated with aggressive behavior in order to improve prevention and treatment efforts. This study aimed to characterize microstructural differences in white matter (WM) integrity in individuals prone to aggression. We hypothesized that altered cerebral WM microstructure may underlie normal individual variability in aggression and tested this using a case-control design in healthy individuals.

Development and Assessment of a High-Fidelity Simulator for the Microsurgical Dissection of the Sylvian Fissure.

Background: The dissection of the Sylvian fissure (SF) is a crucial technique requiring considerable expertise and skills traditionally acquired through years of experience. The continuous decline in surgical case-load necessitates the development of efficient alternative training opportunities. However, building a realistic and effective training simulator for the microsurgical dissection of the SF as an integral part of the neurosurgical curriculum remains a challenging endeavor.

Psychological interventions to prevent the onset of major depression in adults: a systematic review and individual participant data meta-analysis.

Background: Psychological interventions are increasingly discussed as a method to prevent major depressive disorder (MDD) in adults who already experience subthreshold depressive symptoms. In this individual participant data meta-analysis, we quantify the effect of preventive interventions against control on MDD onset in this population, and explore effect modifiers.

Methods: In this systematic review and individual participant data meta-analysis, we screened full-texts of eligible studies within the Metapsy research domain for articles on psychological interventions for depression, from database inception to May 1, 2023, published in English, German, Spanish, and Dutch.

Proteome-wide CETSA reveals new step in apoptosis control.

Apoptosis, a well-established program of cell death, is fundamental to all multicellular organisms. Recent studies of apoptosis initiation events using proteome-wide cellular thermal shift assay (CETSA) have revealed a novel regulatory mechanism involving the cleavage of nuclear substrates. This finding suggests a previously unrecognized amplification step in apoptosis occurring within the nucleus.

Challenges for the human immune system after leaving Earth.

From the start of life on Earth, several immune defense mechanisms have evolved to guarantee cellular integrity, homeostasis, and host survival. All these sophisticated balances as shaped by and towards the environmental needs have occurred over hundreds of millions of years. Human spaceflight involves various health hazards, such as higher levels of radiation, altered gravity, isolation and confinement, living in tight quarters, and stress associated with being away from home.

[Management of venous aneurysms and the vascular surgical treatment options : Selection of representative case constellations illustrating experiences at a center for vascular surgery].

Introduction: Venous aneurysms are a rare entity in vascular surgery, which are mostly described in individual case series and meta-analyses generated from them. The treatment concepts are diverse and surgical treatment is highlighted due to the risk of thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. There is still an ongoing debate regarding the postoperative necessity and duration of anticoagulation.

The prognostic relevance of pleural effusion in patients with COVID-19 - A German multicenter study.

Purpose: This study evaluates the prognostic significance of pleural effusion (PE) in COVID-19 patients across thirteen centers in Germany, aiming to clarify its role in predicting clinical outcomes.

Methods: In this retrospective analysis within the RACOON project (Radiological Cooperative Network of the COVID-19 pandemic), 1183 patients (29.3 % women, 70.

Ascorbate: a forgotten component in the cytotoxicity of Cu(II) ATCUN peptide complexes.

In 1983, Linus Pauling and colleagues reported about enhanced antitumor activity of the Cu(II) complex of the simplest ATCUN (amino terminal Cu(II) and Ni(II)-binding motif) peptide (NH-Gly-Gly-His-COOH, GGH) in the presence of ascorbate as an additive. In the following 4 decades, structural modifications of this complex were implemented, however, anticancer activity could not be significantly increased. This has led to neglecting the ATCUN motif and its Cu(II) complexes as potential chemotherapeutic agents.

3D-cell phantom-experimental setup to assess thermal effects and cell viability of lung tumor cells after electroporation.

Medical devices and technologies must undergo extensive testing and validation before being certified for public healthcare use, especially in oncology where a high research focus is on new advancements. Human 3D-tissue models can offer valuable insights into cancer behavior and treatment efficacy. This study developed a cell phantom setup using a rattail collagen-based hydrogel to facilitate reproducible investigations into ablation techniques, focusing on electroporation (EP) for lung tumor cells.

Longitudinal analysis of astrocyte-derived protein levels in the blood of drug-naive and relapsed patients with schizophrenia.

The potential influence of astrocytes on neuronal circuitry and psychotic symptoms in schizophrenia have recently been highlighted. Human postmortem studies have observed reduced astrocyte numbers in schizophrenia, but whether this pathology is present at disease onset or accumulates progressively with further psychotic episodes remains unclear. Therefore, we analysed serum levels of the astrocyte-derived proteins glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and fatty acid-binding protein 7 (FABP7) in acutely ill first-episode (n = 60) and relapsed (n = 34) schizophrenia patients compared to 94 matched controls.