Synthetic data in generalizable, learning-based neuroimaging.

Synthetic data have emerged as an attractive option for developing machine-learning methods in human neuroimaging, particularly in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-a modality where image contrast depends enormously on acquisition hardware and parameters. This retrospective paper reviews a family of recently proposed methods, based on synthetic data, for generalizable machine learning in brain MRI analysis. Central to this framework is the concept of domain randomization, which involves training neural networks on a vastly diverse array of synthetically generated images with random contrast properties.

Nephrectomy in Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease: A consensus statement of the ERA Genes & Kidney Working Group.

A substantial number of patients with Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease (ADPKD) undergo a nephrectomy, especially in work-up for a kidney transplantation. Currently, there is no evidence-based algorithm to guide clinicians which patients should undergo nephrectomy, the optimal timing of this procedure, or the preferred surgical technique. This systematic review-based consensus statement aimed to answer important questions regarding nephrectomy in ADPKD.

Local resection in rectal cancer: when, who and how?

Local resection (LR) in rectal cancer is indicated in stage T1N0M0 without unfavorable pathological factors, achieving oncologically satisfactory outcomes through transanal endoscopic surgery techniques. However, the initial step involves accurate staging and selection of these tumors through specific tests conducted in specialized colorectal units. For T2N0M0 tumors and T1 tumors with poor prognostic factors, the standard treatment is total mesorectal excision (TME), a procedure associated with high postoperative morbidity and mortality, functional impairments, and reduced quality of life.

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.

MicroRNA Expression in High-Grade B-Cell Lymphoma With 11q Aberration.

Mature aggressive B-cell lymphomas, such as Burkitt lymphoma (BL) and Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), show variations in microRNA (miRNA) expression. The entity of High-grade B-cell lymphoma with 11q aberration (HGBCL-11q) shares several biological features with both BL and DLBCL but data on its miRNA expression profile are yet scarce. Hence, this study aims to analyze the potential differences in miRNA expression of HGBCL-11q compared to BL and DLBCL.

Genomics yields biological and phenotypic insights into bipolar disorder.

Bipolar disorder is a leading contributor to the global burden of disease. Despite high heritability (60-80%), the majority of the underlying genetic determinants remain unknown. We analysed data from participants of European, East Asian, African American and Latino ancestries (n = 158,036 cases with bipolar disorder, 2.

Depressive Symptoms and Amyloid Pathology.

Importance: Depressive symptoms are associated with cognitive decline in older individuals. Uncertainty about underlying mechanisms hampers diagnostic and therapeutic efforts. This large-scale study aimed to elucidate the association between depressive symptoms and amyloid pathology.

Timing of acute decompensated heart failure in patients with heart failure and mildly reduced ejection fraction.

This study investigates the prognosis of acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) on admission (i.e., primary ADHF) as compared to ADHF onset during course of hospitalization (i.

Detection of clinically relevant variants in the gene below 10% allelic frequency: A multicenter study by ERIC, the European Research Initiative on CLL.

In chronic lymphocytic leukemia, the reliability of next-generation sequencing (NGS) to detect variants ≤10% allelic frequency (low-VAF) is debated. We tested the ability to detect 23 such variants in 41 different laboratories using their NGS method of choice. The sensitivity was 85.

Impact of Organ Donor Pretreatment With Anti-Thymocyte Globulin in a Murine Model of Allogenic Kidney Transplantation.

Kidney transplantation is the treatment of choice for end-stage organ failure. To improve transplantation outcomes, particularly of "marginal" organs from extended criteria donors (ECD), attempts have been made to therapeutically modulate donor or graft pre-transplantation. Anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) has a history as lymphocyte-depleting, immunosuppressive drug for treating rejection episodes post transplantation.

Time to HIV viral rebound and frequency of post-treatment control after analytical interruption of antiretroviral therapy: an individual data-based meta-analysis of 24 prospective studies.

The only current strategy to test efficacy of novel interventions for sustained HIV control without antiretroviral therapy (ART) among people with HIV (PWH) is through an analytical treatment interruption (ATI). Inclusion of 'placebo' controls in ATIs poses ethical, logistical, and economic challenges. To understand viral dynamics and rates of post-treatment control (PTC) after ATI among PWH receiving either placebo or no intervention, we undertook an individual-participant data meta-analysis.

The association between neighbourhood socioeconomic status and parental mental health in the first years after birth - Cross-sectional results from the SKKIPPI project.

Background: The urban environment can influence mental health. However, research on neighbourhood influences on mental health of parents with young children is sparse. This study aimed to analyse the association between neighbourhood socioeconomic status (SES) and mental health outcomes in urban parents in the first years after birth.

Single- versus two-test criteria for cognitive impairment: associations with CSF and imaging markers in former American football players.

 Cognitive impairment is a core feature of traumatic encephalopathy syndrome (TES), the putative clinical syndrome of chronic traumatic encephalopathy-a neuropathological disease associated with repetitive head impacts (RHI). Careful operationalization of cognitive impairment is essential to improving the diagnostic specificity and accuracy of TES criteria. We compared single- versus two-test criteria for cognitive impairment in their associations with CSF and imaging biomarkers in male former American football players.

Thromboembolic prophylaxis in bariatric and metabolic surgery: state-of-the-art according to the results of a nationwide registry study.

The present study employed a large scaled multicenter nationwide study data analysis to elucidate the impact of thromboembolism prophylaxis (TEP) in the context of bariatric and metabolic surgery and to investigate the peri- and postoperative complications associated with TEP. A total of 63,909 patients who underwent primary bariatric surgery between 2005 and 2020 were included in the analysis. The data were collected prospectively and multicentrically in the German Bariatric Surgery Registry (GBSR) and subsequently analyzed retrospectively.

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.

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.

Inter-Rater Disagreements in Applying the Montreal Classification for Crohn's Disease: The Five-Nations Survey Study.

Background: The Montreal classification has been widely used in Crohn's disease since 2005 to categorize patients by the age of onset (A), disease location (L), behavior (B), and upper gastrointestinal tract and perianal involvement. With evolving management paradigms in Crohn's disease, we aimed to assess the performance of gastroenterologists in applying the Montreal classification.

Methods: An online survey was conducted among participants at an international educational conference on inflammatory bowel diseases.

Oxytocin levels in response to CRH administration in hypopituitarism and hypothalamic damage: a randomized, crossover, placebo-controlled trial.

Increasing evidence supports the presence of oxytocin deficiency (OXT-D) in patients with hypopituitarism and hypothalamic damage (HHD), that might be associated with neuropsychological deficits and sexual dysfunction, leading to worse quality of life (QoL). Therefore, identifying a provocative test to diagnose an OXT-D will be important. Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) is a candidate for such a test as it increases oxytocin secretion in animal models.

Discordance, accuracy and reproducibility study of pathologists' diagnosis of melanoma and melanocytic tumors.

Accurate melanoma diagnosis is crucial for patient outcomes and reliability of AI diagnostic tools. We assess interrater variability among eight expert pathologists reviewing histopathological images and clinical metadata of 792 melanoma-suspicious lesions prospectively collected at eight German hospitals. Moreover, we provide access to the largest panel-validated dataset featuring dermoscopic and histopathological images with metadata.

Gender and sex differences in colorectal cancer screening, diagnosis and treatment.

Males have a higher incidence and mortality rate from colorectal cancer (CRC) compared with females. This review examines the reasons for these differences, including risk factors, screening participation, interpretation of screening tests, presentation and tumour types, pathophysiology (particularly the impact of sex hormones on tumour-related gene expression, microsatellite instability, micro-RNA expression, and the tumour microenvironment), and the efficacy and toxicity of treatment. Sex differences in hormones and body composition are responsible for some of the sexual dimorphism in CRC incidence and outcomes, particularly the pathophysiology, CRC presentation, the pharmacokinetics of cytotoxic therapies, and the impact of treatment on outcomes.

Mild acute biliary pancreatitis: still a surgical disease. A post-hoc analysis of the MANCTRA-1 international study.

Background: The current standard of care for mild acute biliary pancreatitis (MABP) involves early laparoscopic cholecystectomy (ELC) to reduce the risk of recurrence. The MANCTRA-1 project revealed a knowledge-to-action gap and higher recurrence rates in patients admitted to medical wards, attributable to fewer ELCs being performed. The project estimated a 35% to 70% probability of narrowing this gap by 2025.

Robotic hiatus hernia surgery: learning curve and lessons learned.

New procedures like the robotic approach require proficiency to ensure patient safety and satisfactory functional results. Hiatal hernia surgery serves as a suitable training procedure for upper gastrointestinal tract surgeons transitioning to the robotic approach. This study aims to evaluate the outcomes of implementing the robotic approach in hiatal hernia surgery at a tertiary hospital and to assess the associated learning curve.

Prevalence of delirium in German nursing homes: protocol for a cross-sectional study.

Introduction: Delirium is a neuropathological syndrome that is associated with several negative outcomes. Nursing home residents are vulnerable to developing delirium. Valid prevalence data and associated factors are not yet available for Germany.

Association between the intensity of statin therapy and physical activity 1 year after acute coronary syndrome: a multicentre prospective cohort study in Switzerland.

Objectives: To assess the association between the intensity of statin therapy and the level of physical activity in patients 1 year after an acute coronary syndrome (ACS).

Design: Prospective cohort study from the Special Program University Medicine-Acute Coronary Syndromes.

Setting: Four university hospital centres in Switzerland.