Advancements in Public First Responder Programs for Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest: An Updated Literature Review.

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is a leading cause of death worldwide, with a low survival rate of around 7% globally. Key factors for improving survival include witnessed arrest, bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and early defibrillation. Despite guidelines advocating for the "chain of survival", bystander CPR and defibrillation rates remain suboptimal.

Oral supplementation with propionate is reflected in the serum of healthy individuals.

Background: Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), including propionic acid (PA), are key in immunological research. Supplementing PA has shown benefits for autoimmune diseases. A comprehensive understanding of the PA pharmacokinetics is essential for the optimal design and execution of studies utilizing orally administered PA.

Vaccination coverage and its determinants in patients with multiple sclerosis-a multicenter cross-sectional study.

Background: Complete vaccination coverage is recommended by multiple sclerosis (MS) societies for patients with multiple sclerosis (pwMS) to mitigate infection risks associated with disease-modifying therapies (DMTs).

Objectives: To analyze vaccination coverage and its determinants in pwMS compared to healthy controls, considering vaccination hesitancy, MS-specific vaccination beliefs, trust in information sources, and the role of general practitioners (GPs).

Methods: This cross-sectional multicenter observational study was conducted in six German MS centers.

Cell-free DNA release following psychosocial and physical stress in women and men.

Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) is continuously shed by all cells in the body, but the regulation of this process and its physiological functions are still largely unknown. Previous research has demonstrated that both nuclear (cf-nDNA) and mitochondrial (cf-mtDNA) cfDNA levels increase in plasma in response to acute psychosocial and physical stress in males. This study further investigated these findings by testing 31 female participants (16 using oral hormonal contraception and 15 not using oral hormonal contraception), and the results were subsequently compared with those of 16 male participants.

Trends in work participation among patients with inflammatory rheumatic musculoskeletal diseases (iRMDs): Data from the German National Database (2010-2022).

Objective: To analyse work participation among patients with inflammatory rheumatic musculoskeletal diseases (iRMDs), namely rheumatoid arthritis (RA), axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), systemic sclerosis (SSc) and ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV).

Methods: A cross-sectional sample of 16 421 patients from the National Database of the German Collaborative Arthritis Centers, aged <65 years were analysed. For each diagnosis, yearly rates of absenteeism, employment and disability pensions were analysed from 2010 to 2022.

Effects of Short-Term Low Energy Availability on Metabolism and Performance-Related Parameters in Physically Active Adults.

Background/objectives: Low energy availability (LEA) can cause impaired reproductive function, bone health issues, and suppressed immune function, and may result in decreased performance and overall health status. The purpose of this study was to investigate adaptions of body composition, blood status, resting metabolic rate, and endurance performance to gain more comprehensive insights into the symptoms of LEA and the adaptive effects in the athlete population (active women (n = 11) and men (n = 11)).

Methods: Three treatments were defined as 45 (EA45, control), 30 (EA30), and 10 (EA10) kcal/kg FFM/day and randomly assigned.

Proteomic Profiling Towards a Better Understanding of Genetic Based Muscular Diseases: The Current Picture and a Look to the Future.

Proteomics accelerates diagnosis and research of muscular diseases by enabling the robust analysis of proteins relevant for the manifestation of neuromuscular diseases in the following aspects: (i) evaluation of the effect of genetic variants on the corresponding protein, (ii) prediction of the underlying genetic defect based on the proteomic signature of muscle biopsies, (iii) analysis of pathophysiologies underlying different entities of muscular diseases, key for the definition of new intervention concepts, and (iv) patient stratification according to biochemical fingerprints as well as (v) monitoring the success of therapeutic interventions. This review presents-also through exemplary case studies-the various advantages of mass proteomics in the investigation of genetic muscle diseases, discusses technical limitations, and provides an outlook on possible future application concepts. Hence, proteomics is an excellent large-scale analytical tool for the diagnostic workup of (hereditary) muscle diseases and warrants systematic profiling of underlying pathophysiological processes.

Functional traits mediate the effect of land use on drivers of community stability within and across trophic levels.

Understanding how land use affects temporal stability is crucial to preserve biodiversity and ecosystem functions. Yet, the mechanistic links between land-use intensity and stability-driving mechanisms remain unclear, with functional traits likely playing a key role. Using 13 years of data from 300 sites in Germany, we tested whether and how trait-based community features mediate the effect of land-use intensity on acknowledged stability drivers (compensatory dynamics, portfolio effect, and dominant species variability), within and across plant and arthropod communities.

The Protective Effect of Docosahexaenoic Acid on Mitochondria in SH-SY5Y Model of Rotenone-Induced Toxicity.

Polyunsaturated fatty acids in particular omega-3 fatty acids, such as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), are essential nutrients and components of the plasma membrane. They are involved in various processes, including synaptic development, functionality, integrity, and plasticity, and are therefore thought to have general neuroprotective properties. Considerable research evidence further supports the beneficial effects of omega-3 fatty acids, specifically on mitochondria, through their antioxidant and anti-apoptotic properties, making them an attractive addition in treatment options for neurodegenerative disorders in which mitochondrial alterations are commonly observed.

Long-term effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination in a population-based pediatric cohort.

During the omicron wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and with SARS-CoV-2 vaccines becoming available, seroprevalence rates rose in children and adolescents. This study investigated the impact of both SARS-CoV-2 infections and vaccinations on the incidence of acute and prolonged symptoms in real-world conditions during the transition from the pandemic to the endemic phase. Participants from a pediatric population based seroprevalence study (CorKID study) were followed up at least two and for almost four years by survey of health status features and symptoms suggestive of post-COVID syndrome (PCS).

Simplified Outcome Prediction in Patients Undergoing Transcatheter Tricuspid Valve Intervention by Survival Tree-Based Modelling.

Background: Patients with severe tricuspid regurgitation (TR) typically present with heterogeneity in the extent of cardiac dysfunction and extra-cardiac comorbidities, which play a decisive role for survival after transcatheter tricuspid valve intervention (TTVI).

Objectives: This aim of this study was to create a survival tree-based model to determine the cardiac and extra-cardiac features associated with 2-year survival after TTVI.

Methods: The study included 918 patients (derivation set, n = 631; validation set, n = 287) undergoing TTVI for severe TR.

Effect of siponimod on retinal thickness, a marker of neurodegeneration, in participants with SPMS: Findings from the EXPAND OCT substudy.

Background: People with MS show abnormal thinning of the retinal layers, which is associated with clinical disability and brain atrophy, and is a potential surrogate marker of neurodegeneration and treatment effects.

Objective: To evaluate the utility of retinal thickness as a surrogate marker of neurodegeneration and treatment effect in participants with secondary progressive MS (SPMS) from the optical coherence tomography (OCT) substudy of the EXPAND Phase 3 clinical trial (siponimod versus placebo).

Methods: In the OCT substudy population (n = 159), treatment effects on change in the average thickness of the retinal layer, peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (pRNFL), and combined macular ganglion cell and inner plexiform layers (GCIPL) were analyzed by high-definition spectral domain OCT at months 3, 12, and 24.

Real-time mechanism-based interventions for daily alcohol challenges: Protocol for ecological momentary assessment and intervention.

Background: Advancing evidence-based, tailored interventions for substance use disorders (SUDs) requires understanding temporal directionality while upholding ecological validity. Previous studies identified loneliness and craving as pivotal factors associated with alcohol consumption, yet the precise directionality of these relationships remains ambiguous.

Objective: This study aims to establish a smartphone-based real-life intervention platform that integrates momentary assessment and intervention into everyday life.

The Importance of Preserving the Posterior Ligament Complex in Elective Lumbar Fusion Surgery: Early Results from a Single-Center Experience.

Background:  Adjacent segment disease (ASD) is a degenerative condition at the segment adjacent to a previously fused segment. Potential risk factors for ASD, such as posterior ligamentous complex (PLC) integrity between the upper instrumented vertebra (UIV) and the first unfused segment (UIV+1), have not been addressed. The objective of this study is to assess the PLC integrity between the UIV and UIV+1 following posterior lumbar decompression and fusion (PLDF).

Evaluation of colour vision impairment during acute hypobaric hypoxia in aviation medicine: a randomized controlled trial.

The digitization of aircraft cockpits places high demands on the colour vision of pilots. The present study investigates colour vision changes upon acute exposure to hypobaric hypoxia. The digital Waggoner Computerized Color Vision Test and the Waggoner D-15 were performed by 54 healthy volunteers in a decompression chamber.

Perioperative Chemotherapy or Preoperative Chemoradiotherapy in Esophageal Cancer.

Background: The best multimodal approach for resectable locally advanced esophageal adenocarcinoma is unclear. An important question is whether perioperative chemotherapy is preferable to preoperative chemoradiotherapy.

Methods: In this phase 3, multicenter, randomized trial, we assigned in a 1:1 ratio patients with resectable esophageal adenocarcinoma to receive perioperative chemotherapy with FLOT (fluorouracil, leucovorin, oxaliplatin, and docetaxel) plus surgery or preoperative chemoradiotherapy (radiotherapy at a dose of 41.

Autophagy in Plant Health and Disease.

Autophagy has emerged as an essential quality control pathway in plants that selectively and rapidly removes damaged or unwanted cellular components to maintain cellular homeostasis. It can recycle a broad range of cargoes, including entire organelles, protein aggregates, and even invading microbes. It involves the de novo biogenesis of a new cellular compartment, making it intimately linked to endomembrane trafficking pathways.

Life satisfaction around the world: Measurement invariance of the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) across 65 nations, 40 languages, gender identities, and age groups.

The Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) is a widely used self-report measure of subjective well-being, but studies of its measurement invariance across a large number of nations remain limited. Here, we utilised the Body Image in Nature (BINS) dataset-with data collected between 2020 and 2022 -to assess measurement invariance of the SWLS across 65 nations, 40 languages, gender identities, and age groups (N = 56,968). All participants completed the SWLS under largely uniform conditions.

Circumstances in a young German cohort with sudden cardiac arrest: systematic insights and implications.

Introduction: Data on circumstances of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) in Germany are limited. The present study aimed to investigate systematically the current pre- and in-hospital circumstances of a SCA cohort at young age (65 years or younger) in Germany.

Methods: In the period from 2010 to 2021, we enrolled 191 consecutive patients with SCA at a university hospital in the Ruhr area, Germany.

Deep Learning-Enabled Assessment of Right Ventricular Function Improves Prognostication After Transcatheter Edge-to-Edge Repair for Mitral Regurgitation.

Background: Right ventricular (RV) function has a well-established prognostic role in patients with severe mitral regurgitation (MR) undergoing transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER) and is typically assessed using echocardiography-measured tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion. Recently, a deep learning model has been proposed that accurately predicts RV ejection fraction (RVEF) from 2-dimensional echocardiographic videos, with similar diagnostic accuracy as 3-dimensional imaging. This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of the deep learning-predicted RVEF values in patients with severe MR undergoing TEER.

Interaction between breastfeeding duration and an obesity genetic risk score to predict body fat composition in European adolescents: The HELENA study.

Background: Although the genetic interplay with the environment has a major impact on obesity development, little is known on whether breastfeeding could modulate the genetic predisposition to obesity.

Objectives: To investigate whether breastfeeding attenuates the effect of an obesity genetic risk score (GRS) on adiposity in European adolescents.

Methods: Totally 751 adolescents from the Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence (HELENA) cross-sectional study were included, divided according to breastfeeding status into never breastfed, 1-3 months and ≥4 months.

Trust in scientists and their role in society across 68 countries.

Science is crucial for evidence-based decision-making. Public trust in scientists can help decision makers act on the basis of the best available evidence, especially during crises. However, in recent years the epistemic authority of science has been challenged, causing concerns about low public trust in scientists.

Risk factors for non-benefit of implantable cardioverter defibrillator therapy.

Studies have demonstrated overall prognostic benefits of ICD implantation in patients at increased risk of sudden cardiac death. However, results are inconsistent in certain subgroups. This study aims to evaluate the prognostic implications of comorbidities on ICD outcomes and compare trends in patient selection and outcomes over a decade-long inclusion period.

Perceptions of science, science communication, and climate change attitudes in 68 countries - the TISP dataset.

Science is integral to society because it can inform individual, government, corporate, and civil society decision-making on issues such as public health, new technologies or climate change. Yet, public distrust and populist sentiment challenge the relationship between science and society. To help researchers analyse the science-society nexus across different geographical and cultural contexts, we undertook a cross-sectional population survey resulting in a dataset of 71,922 participants in 68 countries.