Impact of progestin type on the risk of drug interactions between combined oral contraceptives and psychotropic drugs: a pooled analysis of real-world data.

Objective: To assess the risk of contraceptive failure and adverse events (AEs) associated with the type of progestin when co-administered with psychotropic drugs within a routine clinical practice setting.

Study Design: A pooled analysis of four large, prospective, multinational cohort studies including women with a new prescription of combined oral contraceptives (COCs) and concomitant psychotropic drug use from 13 European countries and the United States. We determined the frequency of contraceptive failures and AEs within six months after COC initiation by progestin type.

Fit for purpose? Evaluating benthic invertebrate DNA metabarcoding for ecological status class assessment in streams under the Water Framework Directive.

The ecological state of aquatic ecosystems is systematically monitored using various bioindicators in many countries worldwide. In the European Union, freshwater biomonitoring is the central component of the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD, 2000/60/EC) and currently based on morpho-taxonomic methods. DNA metabarcoding is a novel approach to assess the ecological state fast and efficiently based on organismal DNA signatures and thereby support and upscale biomonitoring.

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.

RORA-neurodevelopmental disorder: a unique triad of developmental disability, cerebellar anomalies, and myoclonic seizures.

Purpose: RORA encodes the RAR-related orphan receptor-α (RORα), playing a pivotal role in cerebellar maturation and function. Here, we report the largest series of individuals with RORA-related-neurodevelopmental disorder (RORA-NDD).

Methods: Forty individuals (30 unrelated; 10 siblings from 4 families) carrying RORA pathogenic/likely pathogenic variants were collected through an international collaboration.

Correlation Between Progression-Free and Overall Survival in Patients with Hodgkin Lymphoma: A Comprehensive Analysis of Individual Patient Data from Randomized GHSG Trials.

Background: We aimed to evaluate the correlation of progression-free (PFS) and overall survival (OS) after first-line treatment of classical Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) and the potential of PFS to serve as a surrogate parameter for OS.

Patients And Methods: We analyzed individual patient data obtained during and after treatment with polychemotherapy within nine randomized phase III trials (GHSG HD7-HD15) between 01/93 - 08/18. Effects of 16 experimental treatments on PFS and OS on trial level were evaluated by estimation of the treatment effects with Cox proportional hazards (PH) regression and a linear weighted least squares regression.

Dissection of RET p.M918T-driven progression of hereditary vs. sporadic medullary thyroid cancer.

Background: Whether inherited in the context of multiple endocrine neoplasia 2B at germline level or acquired in a lifetime, all RET p.M918T (RET c.2753T>C) mutations should activate the RET tyrosine kinase receptor alike, with similar degrees of medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) progression when disparities in disease onset and multifocal growth are accounted for.

"Good childhood": children's perception and evaluation of transnational families.

In public debates, transnational families are portrayed as a deviation from the norm of "good childhood." In Europe, this is emphasized by the term "Euro-orphans," branding parents' (especially mothers') absence as a violation and scandalizing it. Children's voices are rarely heard in public discourse, and although research is now turning its attention to the "stayer children," they and their perspectives on transnational family life remain underrepresented, especially in Europe.

A CoA-Transferase and Acyl-CoA Dehydrogenase Convert 2-(Carboxymethyl)cyclohexane-1-Carboxyl-CoA During Anaerobic Naphthalene Degradation.

The CoA thioester of 2-(carboxymethyl)cyclohexane-1-carboxylic acid has been identified as a metabolite in anaerobic naphthalene degradation by the sulfate-reducing culture N47. This study identified and characterised two acyl-CoA dehydrogenases (ThnO/ThnT) and an intramolecular CoA-transferase (ThnP) encoded within the substrate-induced thn operon, which contains genes for anaerobic degradation of naphthalene. ThnP is a CoA transferase belonging to the family I (Cat 1 subgroup) that catalyses the intramolecular CoA transfer from the carboxyl group of 2-(carboxymethyl)cyclohexane-1-carboxyl-CoA to its carboxymethyl moiety, forming 2-carboxycyclohexylacetyl-CoA.

The representational instability in the generalization of fear learning.

Perception and perceptual memory play crucial roles in fear generalization, yet their dynamic interaction remains understudied. This research (N = 80) explored their relationship through a classical differential conditioning experiment. Results revealed that while fear context perception fluctuates over time with a drift effect, perceptual memory remains stable, creating a disjunction between the two systems.

Role of ZFHX4 in orofacial clefting based on human genetic data and zebrafish models.

Orofacial clefting (OFC) is a frequent congenital anomaly and can occur either in the context of underlying syndromes or in isolation (nonsyndromic). The two common OFC phenotypes are cleft lip with/without cleft palate (CL/P) and cleft palate only (CPO). In this study, we searched for penetrant CL/P genes, by evaluating de novo copy number variants (CNV) from an exome sequencing dataset of 50 nonsyndromic patient-parent trios.

Improving the reliability of phthalate esters analysis in water samples by gas chromatography-tube plasma ionization-high-resolution mass spectrometry (GC-TPI-HRMS).

The monitoring of phthalate esters (PAEs) is challenging due to background contamination as well as the low selectivity observed when analyzing them by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS) using electron ionization (EI). In this sense, alternative and soft ionization techniques could help to enhance the performance of the analytical determinations of PAEs in food samples. In this work, the use of a novel and soft ionization technique tube plasma ionization (TPI) has been explored to enhance the selectivity and sensitivity in the determination of PAEs in drinking water samples with GC-MS.

Subsequent Thyroid Carcinomas in Children and Adolescents Registered in the German MET Consortium (1997-2023).

Among childhood cancer survivors, the cumulative incidence rate of differentiated thyroid carcinomas (DTCs) is estimated to be 8-11%. Although the association of DTC with prior radiotherapy is well-studied, the association with chemotherapy remains less understood. Most studies focused on young adults, leaving a knowledge gap on subsequent DTC occurring in childhood and adolescence.

A Robust High-Pressure RO Technology to Overcome the Barriers to Full Circularity in Cr(III) Electroplating Operations.

Electroplating is a widely used technology for anticorrosion materials and decorative coatings. In view of the transition to a circular economy, the current electroplating wastewater treatment disposing of heavy metal sludge and wastewater severely lacks sustainability. Authors recently reported the successful recycling of electroplating agents using hybrid semibatch/batch reverse osmosis technology (hybrid RO).

Matrix-free human lung organoids derived from induced pluripotent stem cells to model lung injury.

Background: Organoids, as near-physiological 3D culture systems, offer new opportunities to study the pathogenesis of various organs in mimicking the cellular complexity and functionality of human organs.

Method: Here we used a quite simple and very practicable method to successfully generate induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived human lung organoids (LuOrg) in a matrix-free manner as an alternative to the widely used preclinical mouse models in order to investigate normal lung damage in detail and as close as possible to the patient. We performed detailed morphological and molecular analyses, including bulk and single cell RNA sequencing, of generated lung organoids and evaluated the quality and robustness of our model as a potential in vitro platform for lung diseases, namely radiation-induced lung injury.

In vitro model of retinoblastoma derived tumor and stromal cells for tumor microenvironment (TME) studies.

Retinoblastoma (RB) is an intraocular tumor arising from retinal cone progenitor cells affecting young children. In the last couple of years, RB treatment evolved towards eye preserving therapies. Therefore, investigating intratumoral differences and the RB tumor microenvironment (TME), regulating tumorigenesis and metastasis, is crucial.

A global comparison of surface and subsurface microbiomes reveals large-scale biodiversity gradients, and a marine-terrestrial divide.

Subsurface environments are among Earth's largest habitats for microbial life. Yet, until recently, we lacked adequate data to accurately differentiate between globally distributed marine and terrestrial surface and subsurface microbiomes. Here, we analyzed 478 archaeal and 964 bacterial metabarcoding datasets and 147 metagenomes from diverse and widely distributed environments.

Single-cell analysis of a bi-clonal chronic lymphocytic leukemia reveals two clones with distinct gene expression pattern.

Dual productive B-cell receptor (BCR) rearrangements have been repeatedly reported for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), but the standard population-based PCR analyses cannot distinguish whether these are bi-clonal CLL, or a monoclonal CLL with bi-allelic productive rearrangements. We investigated CLL cells by combined single-cell RNA and BCR sequencing. We identified two CLL clones using different immunoglobulin (Ig) heavy-chain V region genes (IGHV) genes and distinct Ig λ light chains.

Diagnosis of Child Sexual Abuse.

Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a widespread and alarming issue, with an estimated global prevalence of 12-13% (affecting 18% of girls and 8% of boys). Despite its prevalence, many physicians working with children have insufficient knowledge of the medical diagnosis of CSA. This lack of expertise, combined with the sensitive and complex nature of these cases, often hampers proper identification and management.

Acceptance, Needs, and Demands for Nutritional mHealth Support in Patients with Cardiovascular Disease.

Background: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading causes of death globally. Managing risk factors and preventing atherosclerosis and its progress, especially with lifestyle changes, are highly important. Smartphone-based mobile health (mHealth) strategies allow easily accessible assistance for healthy nutrition.

Image Quality Assessment and Reliability Analysis of Artificial Intelligence-Based Tumor Classification of Stimulated Raman Histology of Tumor Biobank Samples.

Background: Stimulated Raman histology (SRH) is a label-free optical imaging method for rapid intraoperative analysis of fresh tissue samples. Analysis of SRH images using Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) has shown promising results for predicting the main histopathological classes of neurooncological tumors. Due to the relatively low number of rare tumor representations in CNN training datasets, a valid prediction of rarer entities remains limited.

Regulation of Sexual Behavior and Health in German Prisons and Forensic Psychiatric Hospitals.

Individuals housed in prisons or forensic hospitals experience significant restrictions on their sexual rights. There is a lack of data on how sexual behavior and sexual health of institutionalized persons are managed and to what extent they are based on shared guidelines or decisions of the individual staff. Using a standardized online questionnaire, the heads of 35 prisons and 32 forensic psychiatric hospitals across 14 German federal states were surveyed, reflecting the situation of 16,902 inmates and patients.

Psychometric properties of the parent-rated assessment scale of positive and negative parenting behavior (FPNE) in a German sample of school-aged children.

Background: The aim of this study was to develop and psychometrically evaluate a parent-rated parenting assessment scale including positive and negative dimensions of parenting. Factorial validity, reliability, measurement invariance, latent mean differences and construct validity of the Assessment Scale of Positive and Negative Parenting Behavior (FPNE) were tested in a pooled sample of five studies of 1,879 school-aged children (6.00 to 12.

Inter-organ communication: pathways and targets to cardioprotection and neuro-protection. A report from the 12th Hatter Cardiovascular Institute workshop.

A long-standing aim in the setting of various pathologies including acute myocardial infarction, chronic kidney disease (CKD), and ischaemic stroke, has been to identify successful approaches to augment cellular and organ protection. Although the continual evolution and refinement of ideas over the past few decades has allowed the field to progress, we are yet to realise successful clinical translation of this concept. The 12th Hatter Cardiovascular Workshop identified a number of important points and key questions for future research relating to cardio- and neuro-protection and interorgan communication.

Advancing the personalized advantage index (PAI): a systematic review and application in two large multi-site samples in anxiety disorders.

Background: The Personalized Advantage Index (PAI) shows promise as a method for identifying the most effective treatment for individual patients. Previous studies have demonstrated its utility in retrospective evaluations across various settings. In this study, we explored the effect of different methodological choices in predictive modelling underlying the PAI.

Effects of a Mindfulness-Based Intervention on Event-Related Potentials (P3) and Depressive Symptoms in Oncological Patients.

The aim of this study was to investigate changes in P3 amplitude and latency to emotional stimuli with different arousal and valence levels after a mindfulness-based intervention in oncological patients. P3 amplitude and latency at Fz, Cz, and Pz to emotional salient stimuli differing in valence (positive vs. negative) and arousal (low vs.