Negative Association Between Schizophrenia and Subsequent Cancer Diagnoses-A Retrospective Cohort Study from Germany.

Background: Since previous studies have reported contradictory findings regarding the relationship between schizophrenia and cancer, we evaluated the association between schizophrenia and cancer diagnoses.

Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, the IQVIA Disease Analyzer database was utilized to examine the incidence of cancer among patients aged over 18 years diagnosed with schizophrenia in German general practices from 2005 to 2022. Patients with schizophrenia were compared with those without the condition, with adjustments made for age, sex, index year of diagnosis, average annual practitioners visit frequency, and comorbidity.

Long-COVID - pathophysiology, current concepts and future directions.

Long-COVID, an umbrella term referring to a variety of symptoms and clinical presentations, which emerge in a subset of patients after SARS-CoV-2 infection, has a significant impact on an individual's quality of life and places a substantial burden on healthcare systems worldwide, straining financial and human resources. The pathophysiology of long-COVID remains incompletely understood, though several hypotheses have been proposed to explain different aspects of this complex condition. SARS-CoV-2 persistence, direct organ damage, innate and adaptive immune system pertubation, autoimmunity, latent viruses reactivation, endothelial dysfunction, and microbiome disturbances are among the most relevant avenues for elucidating the evolution, complexity, and mechanisms of long-COVID.

Development of mirror-image monobodies targeting the oncogenic BCR::ABL1 kinase.

Mirror-image proteins, composed of D-amino acids, are an attractive therapeutic modality, as they exhibit high metabolic stability and lack immunogenicity. Development of mirror-image binding proteins is achieved through chemical synthesis of D-target proteins, phage display library selection of L-binders and chemical synthesis of (mirror-image) D-binders that consequently bind the physiological L-targets. Monobodies are well-established synthetic (L-)binding proteins and their small size (~90 residues) and lack of endogenous cysteine residues make them particularly accessible to chemical synthesis.

Systematic assessment of COVID-19 host genetics using whole genome sequencing data.

Courses of SARS-CoV-2 infections are highly variable, ranging from asymptomatic to lethal COVID-19. Though research has shown that host genetic factors contribute to this variability, cohort-based joint analyses of variants from the entire allelic spectrum in individuals with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infections are still lacking. Here, we present the results of whole genome sequencing in 1,220 mainly vaccine-naïve individuals with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, including 827 hospitalized COVID-19 cases.

Reference values for the adolescent post version of the Postconcussion Symptom Inventory from the German general population.

The present study aims at providing reference values from the general pediatric population for the German version of the 21-item self-report post version of the Postconcussion Symptom Inventory for adolescents aged 13-17 years (PCSI-SR13) following pediatric traumatic brain injury (pTBI). A total of N = 950 adolescents completed an adapted version of the PCSI-SR13. Prior to establishing reference values using percentiles, psychometric properties (i.

The butterfly effect of appreciation at work: An impulse for daily perfectionistic cognitions and well-being beyond the workday.

Research on employee perfectionism and its duality is shifting from a mere dispositional perspective to consider the state-like nature of this phenomenon. Despite recent findings identifying negative work experiences as antecedents of daily perfectionism, the role of positive experiences remains to be elaborated. Bridging the principles of trait activation and stress-as-offense-to-self theory, the present study examined the role of daily appreciation as a positive, self-affirming experience for the expression of daily perfectionistic cognitions at work and its implications for well-being (vigor, serenity) beyond the workday.

Psychometric validation of the Vaccination Attitudes Examination (VAX) scale in German pre-pandemic and mid-pandemic samples.

Despite the public health value of immunizations, vaccine hesitancy is a widespread phenomenon and received special attention during the global COVID-19 pandemic. The Vaccination Attitudes Examination (VAX) Scale aims to identify anti-vaccination attitudes for understanding vaccine hesitancy. The present study is the validation of the German version of the VAX scale in pre-/mid-pandemic samples.

GOLD COPD Exacerbation History Categories and Disease Outcomes.

Importance: Previous exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (ECOPD) are associated with future events. For more than a decade, patients at high risk have been defined as individuals with a history of 2 or more moderate ECOPD, 1 or more severe ECOPD, or both within 12 months, and treatments have been allocated accordingly, but these cutoffs lack validation.

Objectives: To validate ECOPD history categories by the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) and explore alternative cutoffs to estimate moderate and severe ECOPD and all-cause mortality in COPD.

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.

Aortic Pulse Wave Velocity Determined with Oscillometric Pulse Wave Analysis Algorithm Antares Is an Independent Predictor of Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events: A Prospective Cohort Study.

: Aortic pulse wave velocity (aPWV) is a well-established surrogate marker of arterial stiffness. The Antares algorithm offers a method for determining aPWV from oscillometric blood pressure waveforms without requiring additional inputs. This prospective study aimed to evaluate the association and prognostic value of aPWV, determined by Antares, in predicting major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE).

Neuroarchitecture of the Central Complex in the Madeira Cockroach Rhyparobia maderae: Tangential Neurons.

Navigating in diverse environments to find food, shelter, or mating partners is an important ability for nearly all animals. Insects have evolved diverse navigational strategies to survive in challenging and unknown environments. In the insect brain, the central complex (CX) plays an important role in spatial orientation and directed locomotion.

Yellow nail syndrome linked to a mediastinal lipoma: a case report.

Background: Yellow nail syndrome is characterized by a yellow discoloration of the nails, respiratory symptoms, and lymphedema. It was first described in 1964 and has an estimated prevalence of less than 1:1.000.

Unravelling the Information Contained in the Single Items of the COPD Assessment Test for Different Outcomes and Smoking Status in Patients with COPD: Results from COSYCONET.

Background: The COPD Assessment Test (CAT) comprises eight questions. We evaluated the information that each of the questions and the total score contributed to outcomes and characteristics of chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD), including their dependence on smoking status.

Methods: Patients with COPD of the COSYCONET cohort with Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) grades 1-4 and the former grade 0 were included.

Association of Patients' Knowledge on the Disease and Its Management with Indicators of Disease Severity and Individual Characteristics in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD): Results from COSYCONET 2.

Background: In patients with chronic diseases, including those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), knowledge on the disease and its self-management is considered as relevant for improving disease control and long-term outcome. We studied to which extent components of knowledge depended on potential predictors, such as participation in educational programs and disease severity. For example, the perception of exacerbations or GOLD grade might modulate the content and reliability of COPD understanding.

Expression quantitative trait loci influence DNA damage-induced apoptosis in cancer.

Background: Genomic instability and evading apoptosis are two fundamental hallmarks of cancer and closely linked to DNA damage response (DDR). By analyzing expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) upon cell stimulation (called exposure eQTL (eQTL)) it is possible to identify context specific gene regulatory variants and connect them to oncological diseases based on genome-wide association studies (GWAS).

Results: We isolate CD8 T cells from 461 healthy donors and stimulate them with high doses of 5 different carcinogens to identify regulatory mechanisms of DNA damage-induced apoptosis.

Nanomechanical detection to empower robust monitoring of sepsis and microbial adaptive immune system-mediated proinflammatory disease.

The correlation between circulating microbes and sepsis as well as proinflammatory diseases is increasingly gaining recognition. However, the detection of microbes' cell-free DNA (cfDNA), which exist at concentrations of a billion times lower than blood proteins, poses a significant challenge for early disease detection. Here, we present Nano mechanics combined with highly sensitive readout sequences to address the challenges of ultralow counts of disease biomarkers, thus enabling robust quantitative monitoring of chronic medical conditions at different stages of human disease progression.

Changing expectations toward end-of-life communication: An experimental investigation.

Objectives: To investigate the effect of a) a brief video intervention and b) end-of-life (EOL) conversations with relatives on EOL communication expectations.

Methods: 272 participants from the general population were randomly assigned to three different video conditions (Intervention group: Persons reporting positive EOL conversation experiences +imagination task, Control group 1: Video unrelated to EOL topics, Control group 2: Persons reporting different attitudes toward EOL conversations +imagination task). Primary outcome was negative expectations.

Skin Markers of Premature Ageing in Patients with COPD: Results Form COSYCONET.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is commonly associated with ageing, with the prevalence and severity increasing by age. Smoking-induced premature ageing is thought to contribute to COPD, particularly lung emphysema. This study aimed to explore the relationship between lung function impairment and skin texture, as a marker of biological or premature ageing, in COPD patients.

Mitral Valve Transcatheter Edge-to-Edge Repair (MV-TEER) in Patients with Secondary Mitral Regurgitation Improves Hemodynamics, Enhances Renal Function, and Optimizes Quality of Life in Patients with Advanced Renal Insufficiency.

Background/objectives: Secondary mitral regurgitation (MR) is a common valvular heart disease burdening the prognosis of patients with co-existing chronic heart failure. Transcatheter edge-to-edge mitral valve repair (MV-TEER) is a minimally invasive treatment option for high-risk patients. However, the effects of MV-TEER on expanded hemodynamics, tissue perfusion, and quality of life, particularly in patients with advanced renal failure, remain underexplored.

Utilization and Evaluation of Ethics Consultation Services in Neonatal Intensive Care.

Background: The opportunities of perinatal medicine have improved, but this has also been accompanied by increasing ethical challenges. Clinical ethics consultation services (CEC) could support medical teams facing these. However, nothing is currently known about the availability, utilization and evaluation of CEC in German neonatology units.

Incidence, epidemiology, radiology, and classification of metastatic spine tumors: WFNS Spine Committee recommendations.

Spinal metastasis (SMs) are the most encountered tumors of the spine. Their occurrence is expected roughly around one to two years after primary tumor diagnosis. Since the advent of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), this technology has been considered the gold standard for SMs diagnosis and characterization due to its precise ability to comprehend the rate of soft tissue compression/invasion (dural sac/nervous tissue), which is one of the main drivers of management strategies.

Metabolic rewiring controlled by HIF-1α tunes IgA-producing B-cell differentiation and intestinal inflammation.

Germinal centers where B cells undergo clonal expansion and antibody affinity maturation are hypoxic microenvironments. However, the function of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α in immunoglobulin production remains incompletely characterized. Here, we demonstrated that B cells lacking HIF-1α exhibited significantly lower glycolytic metabolism and impaired IgA production.