Fast, bioluminescent blinks attract group members of the nocturnal flashlight fish Anomalops katoptron (Bleeker, 1856).

Background: During their nighttime shoaling, the flashlight fish Anomalops katoptron produce fascinating, bioluminescent blink patterns, which have been related to the localization of food, determination of nearest neighbor distance, and initiation of the shoal's movement direction. Information transfer e.g.

Balloon atrioseptostomy for transposition of the great arteries in Europe: characteristics and outcomes.

Introduction And Objectives: Balloon atrial septostomy (BAS) improves oxygenation in neonates with transposition of the great arteries (TGA) and restrictive foramen ovale. Currently, there is a global shortage of dedicated BAS catheters, while new unmarked catheters have recently become available at some European centers. This study aimed to characterize BAS outcomes using the currently available BAS catheters in Europe.

Neurological post-COVID syndrome is associated with substantial impairment of verbal short-term and working memory.

A substantial proportion of patients suffer from Post-COVID Syndrome (PCS) with fatigue and impairment of memory and concentration being the most important symptoms. We here set out to perform in-depth neuropsychological assessment of PCS patients referred to the Neurologic PCS clinic compared to patients without sequelae after COVID-19 (non-PCS) and healthy controls (HC) to decipher the most prevalent cognitive deficits. We included n = 60 PCS patients with neurologic symptoms, n = 15 non-PCS patients and n = 15 healthy controls.

Axial spondyloarthritis.

Axial spondyloarthritis manifests as a chronic inflammatory disease primarily affecting the sacroiliac joints and spine. Although chronic back pain and spinal stiffness are typical initial symptoms, peripheral (ie, enthesitis, arthritis, and dactylitis) and extra-musculoskeletal (ie, uveitis, inflammatory bowel disease, and psoriasis) manifestations are also common. Timely and accurate diagnosis is challenging and relies on identifying a clinical pattern with a combination of clinical, laboratory (HLA-B27 positivity), and imaging findings (eg, structural damage on pelvic radiographs and bone marrow oedema on MRI of the sacroiliac joints).

Effect of Immunoadsorption on clinical presentation and immune alterations in COVID-19-induced and/or aggravated ME/CFS.

Autoreactive antibodies (AAB) are currently being investigated as causative or aggravating factors during post-COVID. In this study we analyze the effect of immunoadsorption therapy on symptom improvement and the relationship with immunological parameters in post-COVID patients exhibiting symptoms of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) induced or aggravated by an SARS-CoV-2 infection. This observational study includes 12 post-COVID patients exhibiting a predominance of ME/CFS symptoms alongside increased concentrations of autonomic nervous system receptors (ANSR) autoantibodies and neurological impairments.

Discharge Against Medical Advice in Cancer Patients: Insights from a Multicenter Study in Germany.

Background: Discharge against medical advice (DAMA) disrupts continuity of care and is associated with increased readmission rates, morbidity, and mortality. While extensively studied in general hospital populations, its prevalence and associated factors in cancer patients, where treatment adherence is critical for outcomes, remain underexplored.

Methods: This multicenter, cross-sectional study analyzed anonymized data from the IQVIA hospital database, including cancer patients hospitalized in 36 German hospitals between January 2019 and December 2023.

Dynamics and development of interhemispheric conflict solving in pigeons.

The dominance of one hemisphere for cognitive operations and decision making may be an efficient mechanism solving interhemispheric conflicts. To understand the ecological significance of the so-called metacontrol, we need better knowledge of its frequency and ontogenetic foundations. Since in pigeons, embryonic light experiences influence degree and direction of interhemispheric specialization and communication, it is conceivable that light affects metacontrol mechanisms.

Oppositional and competitive instigation of hippocampal synaptic plasticity by the VTA and locus coeruleus.

The novelty, saliency, and valency of ongoing experiences potently influence the firing rate of the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and the locus coeruleus (LC). Associative experience, in turn, is recorded into memory by means of hippocampal synaptic plasticity that is regulated by noradrenaline sourced from the LC, and dopamine, sourced from both the VTA and LC. Two persistent forms of synaptic plasticity, long-term potentiation (LTP), and long-term depression (LTD) support the encoding of different kinds of spatial experience.

Extracorporeal Shock Waves Therapy for the Treatment of Acute and Chronic Wounds-A Prospective, Monocentric Clinical Trial to Examine the Effect of Shock Waves on Wound Healing.

Introduction: The aim of our prospective blinded clinical study was to examine a possible improvement and acceleration of epithelialization by treatment with low-energy extracorporeal shock waves on skin graft donor and recipient sites in patients with chronic wounds. In addition, several secondary parameters were investigated to evaluate the compatibility of the therapeutic method, its influence on infection occurrence and bacterial colonization.

Materials And Methods: A total of 35 patients were included in the study.

Systematic Review: Efficacy of Medical Therapy on Outcomes Important to Pediatric Patients with X-Linked Hypophosphatemia.

Objective: To examine the evidence addressing the management of X-linked hypophosphatemia (XLH) in children to inform treatment recommendations.

Methods: We searched Embase, MEDLINE, Web of Science, and Cochrane Central up to May 2023. Eligible studies included RCTs and observational studies of individuals less than 18yrs with clinically or genetically confirmed XLH.

Dehydrogenase oxidase function: the interplay between substrate binding and flavin microenvironment.

Redox enzymes, mostly equipped with metal or organic cofactors, can vary their reactivity with oxygen by orders of magnitudes. Understanding how oxygen reactivity is controlled by the protein milieu remains an open issue with broad implications for mechanistic enzymology and enzyme design. Here, we address this problem by focusing on a widespread group of flavoenzymes that oxidize phenolic compounds derived from microbial lignin degradation, using either oxygen or a cytochrome c as electron acceptors.

Gene regulation by convergent promoters.

Convergent transcription, that is, the collision of sense and antisense transcription, is ubiquitous in mammalian genomes and believed to diminish RNA expression. Recently, antisense transcription downstream of promoters was found to be surprisingly prevalent. However, functional characteristics of affected promoters are poorly investigated.

Deep-learning-based image compression for microscopy images: An empirical study.

With the fast development of modern microscopes and bioimaging techniques, an unprecedentedly large amount of imaging data is being generated, stored, analyzed, and shared through networks. The size of the data poses great challenges for current data infrastructure. One common way to reduce the data size is by image compression.

Reliability and validity of four cognitive interpretation bias measures in the context of social anxiety.

People with social anxiety disorder tend to interpret ambiguous social information in a negative rather than positive manner. Such interpretation biases may cause and maintain anxiety symptoms. However, there is considerable variability in the observed effects across studies, with some not finding a relationship between interpretation biases and social anxiety.

Real-World Prevalence, Incidence and Management of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus in Germany: A Retrospective Claims Data Analysis.

Introduction: This study evaluated the prevalence and incidence of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in Germany and explored real-world data on sequence of therapy (SOT; sequence of drugs as prescribed in clinical practice).

Methods: This retrospective, observational, longitudinal cohort study using German claims data from the WIG2 GmbH Scientific Institute for Health Economics and Health System Research database (January 2011-December 2019), extrapolated to the statutory health insurance (SHI)-insured population, evaluated prevalence and incidence in an epidemiological analysis group and SLE treatment patterns in an incident cohort (subgroup ≥ 18 years of age with incident disease and ≥ 24-month follow-up post index date). Analyses were descriptive.

The Lady and the Plants: Two Notions of Teleology in Agnes Arber's Philosophy of Plants.

Agnes Arber (1879-1960) was a British plant morphologist, historian of botany, and philosopher of biology. Though now largely forgotten, her work offers valuable insights into morphological as well as philosophical issues. This paper focuses on Arber's work on teleology in plants.

Geometric Effects on C-C Coupling of Aryl-Carbenes under 2D Confinement.

It is well established that the confinement of reactants to two dimensions influences their reactivity. However, such confinement is often dominated by charge transfer effects between the reactants and the confining walls, in particular if the walls are conductive. Also, the reactivity of carbenes on metal surfaces is significantly affected by the charge transfer between the carbene and the metal, rendering the carbene more nucleophilic or electrophilic.

Evaluation of the current status, significance, and availability of prostate MRI und MRI guided biopsy in Germany.

Evaluation of the current status, significance and availability of multiparametric prostate MRI and MRI-guided biopsy in Germany.A voluntary web-based questionnaire with 26 distinct items was emailed to members of the German Radiological Society (DRG) and the Professional Association of German Radiologists (BDR). The questions referred to personal qualification, acquisition, quality, and management of prostate MRI, and assessment of the importance of the method.

Early therapy initiation is crucial in chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy: prospective multimodal data from the German INHIBIT registry.

Background: Diagnosing chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) can be challenging, leading to delays in initiating therapy. As disability in CIDP is mainly dependent on axonal damage, the impact of delayed immunotherapy remains unclear. We multimodally investigated the clinical outcomes of patients with early CIDP regarding different treatment strategies and time points.

Phenotypic diversity of CTCs and tdEVs in liquid biopsies of tumour-draining veins is linked to poor prognosis in colorectal cancer.

Background: Circulating tumour cells (CTCs) and tumour-derived extracellular vesicles (tdEVs) have great potential for monitoring therapy response and early detection of tumour relapse, facilitating personalized adjuvant therapeutic strategies. However, their low abundance in peripheral blood limits their informative value. In this study, we explored the presence of CTCs and tdEVs collected intraoperatively from a tumour-draining vein (DV) and via a central venous catheter (CVC) prior to tumour resection.

Malnutrition in spondylodiscitis: an overlooked risk factor.

Objective: Spondylodiscitis presents a significant diagnostic and treatment challenge to healthcare providers, with various risk factors and treatment outcomes having been identified. Malnutrition, a multifactorial condition defined by imbalance or deficiency of nutrients, is a known risk factor for various adverse events such as postoperative infection and readmissions in spine surgery. However, its impact in SD has not yet been explored.

Treatment and Prevention of HPV-Associated Skin Tumors by HPV Vaccination.

HPV-associated dermatological diseases include benign lesions like cutaneous warts and external genital warts. In addition, HPV infection is associated with the development of epithelial skin cancers, in particular cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC). In contrast to anogenital and oropharyngeal cancers caused by mucosal HPV types of genus alpha papillomavirus, cSCC-associated HPV types belong to the genus beta papillomavirus.

Age Variation in Patients with Troponin Level Elevation Without Obstructive Culprit Lesion or Suspected Myocardial Infarction with Non-Obstructive Coronary Arteries-Long-Term Data Covering over Decade.

Troponin level elevation without an obstructive culprit lesion is caused by heterogenous entities. The effect of aging on this condition has been poorly investigated. After screening 24,775 patients between 2010 and 2021, this study included a total of 373 patients with elevated troponin levels without an obstructive culprit lesion or suspected myocardial infarction with non-obstructive coronary arteries (MINOCAs) categorized into four age groups containing 78 patients (<51 years), 72 patients (51-60 years), 81 patients (61-70 years), and 142 patients (>70 years).