The importance of microbiology reference laboratories and adequate funding for infectious disease surveillance.

Microbiology reference laboratories perform a crucial role within public health systems. This role was especially evident during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this Viewpoint, we emphasise the importance of microbiology reference laboratories and highlight the types of digital data and expertise they provide, which benefit national and international public health.

Subtypes of cognitive impairment in cerebellar disease identified by cross-diagnostic cluster-analysis: results from a German multicenter study.

Background: Cognitive and neuropsychiatric impairment, known as cerebellar cognitive affective syndrome (CCAS), may be present in cerebellar disorders. This study identified distinct CCAS subtypes in cerebellar patients using cluster analysis.

Methods: The German CCAS-Scale (G-CCAS-S), a brief screening test for CCAS, was assessed in 205 cerebellar patients and 200 healthy controls.

Global impact of ten-valent and 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccines on invasive pneumococcal disease in all ages (the PSERENADE project): a global surveillance analysis.

Background: Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) that are ten-valent (PCV10) and 13-valent (PCV13) became available in 2010. We evaluated their global impact on invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) incidence in all ages.

Methods: Serotype-specific IPD cases and population denominators were obtained directly from surveillance sites using PCV10 or PCV13 in their national immunisation programmes and with a primary series uptake of at least 50%.

Evaluation of zirconia implants in fibula and deep circumflex iliac artery flaps: a prospective 1.5-year follow-up study.

Objectives: Follow-up results of modern zirconia implants inserted in fibula free and deep circumflex iliac artery (DCIA) flaps with fixed dentures are scarce. This study aimed to evaluate crestal bone changes and the survival rate of zirconia implants for up to 1.5 years of prospective follow-up.

Toward Precision in Nutrition Therapy.

Precision in critical care nutrition is paramount, as it focuses nutrition interventions on those patients most likely to benefit, or those who might potentially be harmed. Critical care nutrition must therefore be tailored to individual metabolic needs as determined by factors that control the capacity for tissue homeostasis and anabolic responses. This ideally involves the accurate and timely assessment of macronutrient and micronutrient requirements, a careful evaluation of metabolic response mechanisms and the identification of circumstances that might interfere with the productive utilization of dietary substrates.

Individualized surgical treatment using decellularized fish skin transplantation after enzymatic debridement: A two years retrospective analysis.

Over the past few years, treatment of burn injuries has evolved beyond primary surgical therapy with the development of enzymatic debridement and new types of skin replacement materials by providing complex personalized therapy concepts aimed at preserving and replacing the dermal layer of the skin. The aim of our study was to develop an individualized treatment algorithm for mixed depth burn wound and evaluate the outcomes of individualized combined treatment of mixed depth burn wounds with enzymatic debridement and decellularized fish skin. A total of 18 patients with a mean age of 34.

Deep metabolic phenotyping of humans with protein-altering variants in using a genome-first approach.

Background & Aim: An unbiased genome-first approach can expand the molecular understanding of specific genes in disease-agnostic biobanks for deeper phenotyping. represents a good candidate for this approach due to its known association with steatotic liver disease (SLD).

Methods: We screened participants with whole-exome sequences in the Penn Medicine Biobank (PMBB, n >40,000) and the UK Biobank (UKB, n >200,000) for protein-altering variants in and evaluated their association with liver phenotypes and clinical outcomes.

Random forest algorithm identifies miRNA signatures for breast cancer detection and classification from patient urine samples.

Background And Objectives: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, with one in eight women suffering from this disease in her lifetime. The implementation of centrally organized mammography screening for women between 50 and 69 years of age was a major step in the direction of early detection. However, the participation rate reaches approximately 50% of the eligible women, one reason being the painful compression of the breast, cited as a major issue for not participating in this very important program.

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).

Influence of antiplatelet medication and anticoagulation therapy after dental extractions on hospitalization: a retrospective 10-year study.

Background: The aim of this retrospective study was to identify high-risk dental extraction patients and the timing of postoperative hemorrhage to evaluate whether preventive hospitalization should be considered in patients on antiplatelet medication (AP) or anticoagulants.

Methods: Our study included 1595 procedures; 1319 were conducted under monotherapy (Group I: AP; Group II: indirect oral anticoagulant [IAC]; Group III: direct oral anticoagulant [DOAC]) and 276 under dual therapy (Group IV: double AP; Group V: AP and IAC; Group VI: AP and DOAC). We evaluated the incidence, frequency and timing of hemorrhage, hospitalization rate, and treatment of bleeding incidents.

Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Inclusions Sequester GRP78 in a Bile Acid-Inducible Manner.

Background And Aims: The homozygous PiZ mutation (PIZZ genotype) constitutes the predominant cause of severe alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency and leads to liver disease via hepatocellular AAT aggregation. We systematically analysed the composition of AAT aggregates and studied the impact of bile acids.

Methods: AAT inclusions were isolated from livers of PiZ overexpressing mice and PIZZ humans via fluorescence-activated and immunomagnetic sorting (FACS/MACS), while insoluble proteins were obtained via Triton-X extraction.

Anxiety in Endometriosis Patients: Implications for Clinical Practice.

Introduction: Endometriosis is a chronic disease associated with pain that affects at least 10% of all women of reproductive age. The symptoms of endometriosis have a negative impact on quality of life; they limit the patient physically and psychologically and are the cause of significant anxiety. The aim of our study was to investigate the anxiety levels of women presenting to our specialized endometriosis outpatient clinic at the RWTH Aachen University Hospital.

PSMA - Targeted Clinical Molecular Imaging of Atherosclerosis: Correlation with Cardiovascular Risk Factors.

Aim: The early diagnosis of atherosclerotic changes to prevent ischemic events represents a clinical challenge.Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) as an established diagnostic in the field of prostate cancer also appears to detect neovascularization and inflammation in other diseases. We hypothesized that it might be also suited for detection of inflammation in atherosclerosis.

The prognostic utility of IGF-1 in hepatocellular carcinoma treated with stereotactic body radiotherapy.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) poses a significant challenge for patients ineligible for surgical resection or liver transplantation. Local therapies like Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy (SBRT) are crucial for those with liver-limited disease. Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) is a potential biomarker for liver function.

Biomechanical analysis of a magnesium plantar plate prototype system for the first tarsometatarsal joint fusion: a cadaveric study.

Background: Titanium plantar plates have proven successful in the fixation of the first tarsometatarsal arthrodesis (TMT). However, a second surgery is typically needed for implant removal, and potential adverse effects, carried by the conventional implantations, are not uncommon. The purpose of this study was to determine whether a novel magnesium-based plantar plate system provides similar fusion stability to a titanium-based plantar plate system under various loading conditions.

Contrastive learning for neural fingerprinting from limited neuroimaging data.

Introduction: Neural fingerprinting is a technique used to identify individuals based on their unique brain activity patterns. While deep learning techniques have been demonstrated to outperform traditional correlation-based methods, they often require retraining to accommodate new subjects. Furthermore, the limited availability of samples in neuroscience research can impede the quick adoption of deep learning methods, presenting a challenge for their broader application in neural fingerprinting.