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Purpose: Heart valve disease is commonly treated by minimally invasive procedures with guide wires and catheterization. The main purpose of this study is to find out whether an extension of the guide wire with a sensor can support the surgeon within the blood vessel to reduce X-ray necessity., Methods: A smart guide wire is developed by an extension with a flex-bending sensor to evaluate the sensor signal with and without "blood" flow at a constant compression force. Various surgically relevant investigations are performed. For assessment, the mean temporal average of the moving averaged filtered ADC signal and a subsequent FFT are carried out., Results: Results show that there is a smaller sensor signal when the applied force or bending at the sensor is higher. In all investigations, there was a different sensor signal. The flex-bending sensor can detect the effect of pulsatile flow. The smallest temporal averaged signal difference between reference and clamp in the front wire's tip is 1.09%. For example, the mean temporal average of the filtered ADC signal for different clinically relevant scenarios is between 2550 and 2900., Conclusions: The results show that the sensorized guide wire developed for catheterization can support aortic valve implementation. The sensor sensitivity is sufficient to detect even very small variations within the blood vessel and therefore is promising to support catheterization heart valve surgeries in future., (© 2024. CARS.)

The autonomic nervous system (ANS) harmoniously regulates all internal organic functions (heart rate, blood pressure, vasomotion, digestive tract motility, endocrinal secretions) and adapts them to the needs. It's the control of so-called vegetative functions, which allows homeostasis but also allostasis of our body. ANS is divided into two systems often understood as antagonistic and complementary: the sympathetic and the parasympathetic systems. However, we currently know of many situations of co-activation of the two systems. Long seen as acting through "reflex" control loops passing through the integration of peripheral information and the efferent response to the peripheral organ, more recent electrophysiological and brain functional imaging knowledge has been able to identify the essential role of the central autonomic network. This element complicates the understanding of the responses of the reflex loops classically used to identify and quantify dysautonomia. Finding the "ANS" tools best suited for the clinician in their daily practice is a challenge that we will attempt to address in this work., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Background: A modified grass allergen subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) product with MicroCrystalline Tyrosine and monophosphoryl lipid-A as an adjuvant system (Grass MATA MPL [PQ Grass]) is being developed as short-course treatment of grass-pollen allergic rhinitis (SAR) and/or rhinoconjunctivitis. We sought to evaluate the combined symptom and medication score (CSMS) of the optimized cumulative dose of 27,600 standardized units (SU) PQ Grass in a field setting prior to embarking on a pivotal Phase III trial., Methods: In this exploratory, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial subjects were enrolled across 14 sites (Germany and the United States of America). Six pre-seasonal subcutaneous injections of PQ Grass (using conventional or extended regimens) or placebo were administered to 119 subjects (aged 18-65 years) with moderate-to-severe SAR with or without asthma that was well-controlled. The primary efficacy endpoint was CSMS during peak grass pollen season (GPS). Secondary endpoints included Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire standardized (RQLQ-S) and allergen-specific IgG4 response., Results: The mean CSMS compared to placebo was 33.1% (p = .0325) and 39.5% (p = .0112) for the conventional and extended regimens, respectively. An increase in IgG4 was shown for both regimens (p < .01) as well as an improvement in total RQLQ-S for the extended regimen (mean change -0.72, p = .02). Both regimens were well-tolerated., Conclusions: This trial demonstrated a clinically relevant and statistically significant efficacy response to PQ Grass. Unprecedented effect sizes were reached for grass allergy of up to ≈40% compared to placebo for CSMS after only six PQ Grass injections. Both PQ Grass regimens were considered equally safe and well-tolerated. Based on enhanced efficacy profile extended regime will be progressed to the pivotal Phase III trial., (© 2023 Allergy Therapeutics Plc and The Authors. Allergy published by European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: The think-aloud (TA) approach is a qualitative research method that allows for gaining insight into thoughts and cognitive processes. It can be used to incorporate a respondent's perspective when developing resource-use measurement (RUM) instruments. Currently, the application of TA methods in RUM research is limited, and so is the guidance on how to use them. Transparent publication of TA methods for RUM in health economics studies, which is the aim of this paper, can contribute to reducing the aforementioned gap., Methods: Methods for conducting TA interviews were iteratively developed by a multi-national working group of health economists and additional qualitative research expertise was sought. TA interviews were conducted in four countries to support this process. A ten-step process was outlined in three parts: Part A 'before the interview' (including translation, recruitment, training), Part B 'during the interview' (including setting, opening, completing the instrument, open-ended questions, closing), and part C 'after the interview' (including transcription and data analysis, trustworthiness)., Conclusions: This manuscript describes the step-by-step approach for conducting multi-national TA interviews with potential respondents of the PECUNIA RUM instrument. It increases the methodological transparency in RUM development and reduces the knowledge gap of using qualitative research methods in health economics.

Background: The coronavirus pandemic created an unprecedented deployment of health professionals. The objective of this study was to describe the experiences of pediatric nurses transferred to adult COVID-19 wards during the first wave of the pandemic., Methods: We performed a qualitative study using a phenomenological approach. Nurses were recruited on a voluntary basis. All participants moved from a pediatric ward and were redeployed to an adult COVID-19 ward in another hospital. Interviews were carried out face to face in line with social-distancing guidelines. We used a script of open-end questions. The interviews were recorded and transcribed in full and qualitative data were analyzed using NVivo software., Results and Conclusions: In total, 23 nurses were interviewed. Our analysis revealed positive and negative experiences given the different types of support the nurses received, individual attitudes that promoted resilience in a crisis situation, ethical conflicts linked to end-of-life care, and their perspectives on the next wave of the pandemic. The main difficulties encountered by the transferred nurses were related to their working conditions and safety, communication about working practices, and end-of-life patient care. In most cases, the individual resilience strategies put in place and the different forms of social support enabled them to cope with stress and maintain their commitment. However, some interviewees would have benefited from improved managerial support. For all participants, their perception of this support and the benefits of their experience influenced their willingness to be transferred to an adult ward again during a future wave of the pandemic., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest None., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.. All rights reserved.)

Background: Health problems can lead to costs in the education sector. However, these costs are rarely incorporated in health economic evaluations due to the lack of reference unit costs (RUCs), cost per unit of service, of education services and of validated methods to obtain them. In this study, a standardized unit cost calculation tool developed in the PECUNIA project, the PECUNIA RUC Template for services, was applied to calculate the RUCs of selected education services in five European countries., Methods: The RUCs of special education services and of educational therapy were calculated using the information collected via an exploratory gray literature search and contact with service providers., Results: The RUCs of special education services ranged from €55 to €189 per school day. The RUCs of educational therapy ranged from €6 to €25 per contact and from €5 to €35 per day. Variation was observed in the type of input data and measurement unit, among other., Discussion: The tool helped reduce variability in the RUCs related to costing methodology and gain insights into other aspects that contribute to the variability (e.g. data availability). Further research and efforts to generate high quality input data are required to reduce the variability of the RUCs.

The aim of this study was the development of a statistical model for reliable prediction of Posterior Airway Space (PAS) changes in lateral cephalograms (LCR) of patients after bimaxillary orthognathic surgery. The LCRs of patients who underwent bimaxillary orthognathic surgery were retrospectively analyzed. The anteroposterior dimension of the PAS was measured at three levels in the pre-operative and postoperative LCR: On the nasopharyngeal (SPAS), oropharyngeal (MAS), and hypopharyngeal level (IAS). The data of 139 patients were collected. The following changes of the PAS were measured: in class II patients SPAS: 0.291 mm (SD = 2.570 mm); MAS: 2.444 mm (SD = 2.986 mm); IAS: 0.750 mm (SD = 3.017 mm); in class III patients SPAS: 1.377 mm (SD 3.212 mm); MAS: 0.962 (SD: = 3.135 mm); IAS: 0.370 mm (SD = 3.468 mm). Linear regression analysis showed for class II patients, a significant influence of mandibular movement on MAS (p = 0.049) and a significant effect of maxillary and mandibular movements on SPAS (p = 0.001) and MAS (p = 0.022) in class III patients. The other jaw displacements had no significant impact on the investigated PAS levels. While the presented method does not permit exact prediction of the dimension of the PAS, it is still an easily accessible method of orientation for the surgeon. The surgeon can initiate three-dimensional examinations to provide exact three-dimensional prediction based on this calculation., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare to have no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 European Association for Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Surgery. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Changes in sleep architecture following ischemic stroke have been poorly investigated. Our objective was to explore changes of sleep structure in patients with ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack in order to verify a possible predictive value of sleep with respect to clinical outcome., Methods: Patients recruited in the prospective SAS-CARE study received two polysomnographies (PSG) in the acute and chronic phases after stroke/TIA. Sleep parameters were compared between the two time-points and matched with a non-stroke population randomly selected from the HypnoLaus cohort., Results: Of the 169 patients investigated with PSG in the acute phase, 104 were again studied 3 months after stroke symptom onset and compared with 162 controls. The acute phase of stroke/TIA was associated with sleep disruption, which significantly improved in the chronic phase, but remained worse than controls (total sleep time improve from 318.8 ± 90.8 to 348.4 ± 81.5 min, compared to 388.2 ± 71.3 in controls, sleep latency from 49.9 ± 58.4 to 27.9 min, compared to 20.2 ± 22 in controls, sleep efficiency from 58.2 ± 18.1% to 27.9 ± 36.4 min, compared to 83.4 ± 10.3% in controls, wakefulness after sleep onset percentage from 36.5 ± 17.3 to 29.3 ± 15.6, compared to 13.2 ± 9.2 in controls). The percentage of REM sleep was negatively associated with stroke severity, whereas stroke topography did not correlate with sleep parameters., Conclusions: This study confirmed a severe sleep disruption in the acute phase of stroke. Although a significant improvement of sleep quality was observed during the three months after stroke, sleep architecture did not normalize. In particular, sleep efficiency and REM sleep seem to be particularly affected by stroke in the acute phase, with a relative preservation of NREM sleep. We suggest that these sleep architecture changes represent a persistent marker of brain damage due to stroke. Further studies are needed to assess the relationship with stroke topographic and outcome., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: In 2003, randomized trials demonstrated potentially improved outcomes when local instead of general anesthesia is used for inguinal hernia repair. Our study aimed to evaluate how the use of local anesthesia for this procedure changed over time following the publication of the trials' level 1 evidence., Methods: We used the 1998-2018 Veterans Affairs Surgical Quality Improvement Program database to identify adults who underwent open, unilateral inguinal hernia repair under local or general anesthesia. Our primary outcome was the percentage of cases performed under local anesthesia. We used a time-series design to examine the trend and rate of change of the use of local anesthesia., Results: We included 97,437 veterans, of which 22,333 (22.9%) had hernia surgery under local anesthesia. The median age of veterans receiving local anesthesia remained stable at 64-67 years over time. The use of local anesthesia decreased steadily, from 38.2% at the beginning year to 15.1% in the final year (P < 0.0001). The publication of results from randomized trials (in 2003) did not appear to increase the overall use or change the rate of decline in the use of local anesthesia. Overall, we found that the use of local anesthesia decreased by about 1.5% per year., Conclusion: The utilization of local anesthesia for inguinal hernia repair in the VA has steadily declined over the last 20 + years, despite data showing equivalence or superiority to general anesthesia. Future studies should explore barriers to the use of local anesthesia for hernia repair., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag France SAS, part of Springer Nature.)

Aim: To investigate the effects of anticancer therapy on dental development and caries formation in Italian childhood cancer survivors compared to healthy controls., Methods: A total of 52 children treated with chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy when younger than 10 years and in remission from at least 2 years, and 52 healthy age- and gender-matched children were consecutively enrolled in this cross-sectional study. All participants were examined for dental caries and enamel defects according to the decayed-missing-filled teeth (dmft/DMFT) index and the Aine rating scale. Panoramic radiographs were taken to estimate dental age and to assess dental abnormalities using the Höltta Defect Index., Conclusion: These children are at high risk for tooth developmental abnormalities and poor dental health and should be closely monitored by a specialist dentist.

Cell growth is driven by the acquisition and synthesis of both dry biomass and water mass. In this study, we examine the increase of water mass in T cell during cell growth. We found that T-cell growth is characterized by an initial phase of slow increase in cellular water, followed by a second phase of rapid increase in water content. To study the origin of the water gain, we developed a novel methodology we call cold aqua trap-isotope ratio mass spectrometry, which allows analysis of the isotope composition of intracellular water. Applying cold aqua trap-isotope ratio mass spectrometry, we discovered that glycolysis-coupled metabolism of water accounts on average for 11 fl out of the 20 fl of water gained per cell during the initial slow phase. In addition, we show that at the end of the rapid phase before initiation of cell division, a water influx occurs, increasing the cellular water mass by threefold. Thus, we conclude that activated T cells switch from metabolizing water to rapidly taking up water from the extracellular medium prior to cell division. Our work provides a method to analyze cell water content as well as insights into the ways cells regulate their water mass., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest with the contents of this article., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

We have measured the 3d→2p transition x rays of kaonic ^{3}He and ^{4}He atoms using superconducting transition-edge-sensor microcalorimeters with an energy resolution better than 6 eV (FWHM). We determined the energies to be 6224.5±0.4(stat)±0.2(syst)  eV and 6463.7±0.3(stat)±0.1(syst)  eV, and widths to be 2.5±1.0(stat)±0.4(syst)  eV and 1.0±0.6(stat)±0.3(stat)  eV, for kaonic ^{3}He and ^{4}He, respectively. These values are nearly 10 times more precise than in previous measurements. Our results exclude the large strong-interaction shifts and widths that are suggested by a coupled-channel approach and agree with calculations based on optical-potential models.

Silver diamine fluoride (SDF) is a dental biomaterial used to arrest dental caries. To better understand SDF's mechanism of action, we examined the localization of silver within the tissues of SDF-treated teeth. Carious primary teeth fixed within 2 min of SDF application (SDF-minutes, n = 3), at 3 wk after SDF application in vivo (SDF-weeks, n = 4), and at 2 y after multiple SDF applications in vivo (SDF-multiple, n = 1) were investigated in this study. Carious primary teeth without SDF application (no-SDF, n = 3) served as controls. Mineral density and structural analyses were performed via micro-X-ray computed tomography and scanning electron microscopy. Elemental analyses were performed through X-ray fluorescence microprobe and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopic techniques. SDF-treated teeth revealed higher X-ray-attenuated surface and subsurface regions within carious lesions, and similar regions were not present in no-SDF teeth. Regions of higher mineral density correlated with regions of silver abundance in SDF-treated teeth. The SDF penetration depth was approximated to 0.5 ± 0.02 mm and 0.6 ± 0.05 mm (mean ± SD) for SDF-minutes and SDF-weeks specimens, respectively. A higher percentage of dentin tubular occlusion by silver or calcium phosphate particles was observed in primary teeth treated with SDF-weeks as compared with SDF-minutes. Elemental analysis also revealed zinc abundance in carious lesions and around the pulp chamber. SDF-weeks teeth had significantly increased tertiary dentin than SDF-minutes and no-SDF teeth. These results suggest that SDF treatment on primary teeth affected by caries promotes pathologic biomineralization by altering their physicochemical properties, occluding dentin tubules, and increasing tertiary dentin volume. These seemingly serendipitous effects collectively contribute to the cariostatic activity of SDF.

Background: Ultra high-risk (UHR) criteria were introduced to identify people at imminent risk of developing psychosis. To improve prognostic accuracy, additional clinical and biological risk factors have been researched. Associations between psychotic disorders and infections with Toxoplasma gondii and Herpesviridae have been found. It is unknown if exposure to those pathogens increases the risk of transition to psychosis in UHR cohorts., Methods: We conducted a long-term follow-up of 96 people meeting UHR criteria, previously seen at the Personal Assessment and Crisis Evaluation (PACE) clinic, a specialized service in Melbourne, Australia. Transition to psychosis was assessed using the Comprehensive Assessment of the At-Risk Mental State (CAARMS) and state public mental health records. The relationship between IgG antibodies to Herpesviridae (HSV-1, HSV-2, CMV, EBV, VZV) and Toxoplasma gondii and risk for transition was examined with Cox regression models., Results: Mean follow-up duration was 6.46 (±3.65) years. Participants who transitioned to psychosis (n = 14) had significantly higher antibody titers for Toxoplasma gondii compared to those who did not develop psychosis (p = 0.03). After adjusting for age, gender and year of baseline assessment, seropositivity for Toxoplasma gondii was associated with a 3.6-fold increase in transition hazard in multivariate Cox regression models (HR = 3.6; p = 0.036). No significant association was found between serostatus for Herpesviridae and risk of transition., Conclusions: Exposure to Toxoplasma gondii may contribute to the manifestation of positive psychotic symptoms and increase the risk of transitioning to psychosis in UHR individuals., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Introduction:  Besides dyspnea a dry cough is one of the main symptoms in patients with pulmonary fibrosis. Little is known about the 24-hour-variability of this symptom. Moreover, it is unclear if other auscultation phenomena occur., Methods:  A long-term auscultation for 24-hours was performed in patients with fibrotic lung diseases (LEOSound, Löwenstein Medical GmbH & Co. KG, Medical-Electronics, Bad Ems, Germany). Coughing and wheezing sounds were recorded. For the following analysis the 24-hour period was divided into two intervals of 12 hours each (daytime and nighttime). Events were registered in epochs (at least one event in 30 seconds)., Results:  20 patients were included (6 with nonspecific interstitial pneumonia and 14 with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis). On average 166 coughing epochs were recorded in a 24-hour-period (day/night 116/50; P  < 0.001). Moreover, 203 wheezing epochs were registered (day/night 84/119; P  = 0.273). Auscultation phenomena did not correlate with spirometric and bodyplethymographic data, nor with data of diffusion capacity., Discussion:  The study is showing the clinical potential of long-term auscultation in patients with fibrotic lung diseases. Especially the findings concerning the coughing symptoms were remarkable. It could be shown that there was a decrease of coughing during nighttime in comparison to daytime. In contrast to this, wheezing sounds were increasing at nighttime. The clinical relevance of this finding is yet to be assessed. Finally, there was no correlation between the severity of the disease measured by functional diagnostics and the amount of coughing., Competing Interests: M. B., M. W. S. und D. M. geben an, keinen Interessenkonflikt im Kontext der vorliegenden Arbeit zu haben.W. W. hat Vortragshonorare von Löwenstein Medical GmbH und Co. KG erhalten.S. B. S. und F. S. M. geben an, Reisekostenunterstützung von Löwenstein Medical GmbH und Co. KG erhalten zu haben., (Thieme. All rights reserved.)

We present a measurement of R&#95;{K^{*}}, the branching fraction ratio B(B→K^{*}μ^{+}μ^{-})/B(B→K^{*}e^{+}e^{-}), for both charged and neutral B mesons. The ratio for the charged case R&#95;{K^{*+}} is the first measurement ever performed. In addition, we report absolute branching fractions for the individual modes in bins of the squared dilepton invariant mass q^{2}. The analysis is based on a data sample of 711  fb^{-1}, containing 772×10^{6}  BB[over ¯] events, recorded at the ϒ(4S) resonance with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric-energy e^{+}e^{-} collider. The obtained results are consistent with standard model expectations.

Purpose: State-of-the-art medical examination techniques (e.g., rhinomanometry and endoscopy) do not always lead to satisfactory postoperative outcome. A fully automatized optimization tool based on patient computer tomography (CT) data to calculate local pressure gradient regions to reshape pathological nasal cavity geometry is proposed., Methods: Five anonymous pre- and postoperative CT datasets with nasal septum deviations were used to simulate the airflow through the nasal cavity with lattice Boltzmann (LB) simulations. Pressure gradient regions were detected by a streamline analysis. After shape optimization, the volumetric difference between the two shapes of the nasal cavity yields the estimated resection volume., Results: At LB rhinomanometry boundary conditions (bilateral flow rate of 600 ml/s), the preliminary study shows a critical pressure gradient of -1.1 Pa/mm as optimization criterion. The maximum coronal airflow ΔA  := cross-section ratio [Formula: see text] found close to the nostrils is 1.15. For the patients a pressure drop ratio ΔΠ  := (pre-surgery - virtual surgery)/(pre-surgery - post-surgery) between nostril and nasopharynx of 1.25, 1.72, -1.85, 0.79 and 1.02 is calculated., Conclusions: LB fluid mechanics optimization of the nasal cavity can yield results similar to surgery for air-flow cross section and pressure drop between nostril and nasopharynx. The optimization is numerically stable in all five cases of the presented study. A limitation of this study is that anatomical constraints (e.g. mucosa) have not been considered.

A direct measurement of the decay width of the excited 0&#95;{1}^{+} state of ^{6}Li using the relative self-absorption technique is reported. Our value of Γ&#95;{γ,0&#95;{1}^{+}→1&#95;{1}^{+}}=8.17(14)&#95;{stat.}(11)&#95;{syst.}  eV provides sufficiently low experimental uncertainties to test modern theories of nuclear forces. The corresponding transition rate is compared to the results of ab initio calculations based on chiral effective field theory that take into account contributions to the magnetic dipole operator beyond leading order. This enables a precision test of the impact of two-body currents that enter at next-to-leading order.

T-cell replete hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) from a haploidentical donor followed by high doses of cyclophosphamide has been demonstrated to provide the best chances of a cure for many children in need of an allograft but who lack both a sibling and an unrelated donor. In this study we retrospectively compared the outcome of pediatric patients undergoing T-replete haploidentical HSCT (Haplo) for acute leukemia with those undergoing transplantation from unrelated HLA-matched donor (MUD) and HLA mismatched unrelated donor (MMUD) from 2012 to 2017 at our Center. Both univariable and multivariable analyses showed similar 5-year overall survival rates for MUD, MMUD, and Haplo patients: 71% (95% CI 56-86), 72% (95% CI 55-90), and 75% (95% CI 54-94), respectively (p = 0.97). Haplo patients showed reduced event-free survival rates compared to MUD and MMUD patients: 30% (95% CI 12-49) versus 70% (95% CI 55-84) versus 53% (95% CI 35-73), respectively (p = 0.007), but these data were not confirmed by a multivariable analysis. Non-relapse mortality (NRM) and relapse incidence (RI) were similar for the three groups. Therefore, our data confirm that Haplo is a suitable clinical option for pediatric patients needing HSCT when lacking both an MUD and an MMUD donor.

Objective parameters to assess the physical flow conditions of breathing are scarce and decisions for surgery, e.g. nasal septum correction, mainly rely on subjective surgeon judgment. To define decision supporting parameters, we compare laser Doppler anemometry (LDA) and numerical computational fluid dynamic simulations (CFD) of the airflow velocity vector fields in the nasal cavity, including lattice Boltzmann (LB) and finite volume methods (FVM). The simulations are based on an anonymous patient CT dataset with septal deviation. LDA measurements are preformed using a 3D printed model. Nasal airflow geometry is randomly deformed in order to approximate surgical changes. The root-mean-square velocity error near the nasal valve of laser Doppler anemometry and lattice Boltzmann simulations is 0.071. Changes in geometry similarly affect both measurement and simulation., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Backround and study aims  Duodenal cancer is the cancer most often seen in patients with familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) who have undergone risk-reducing colonic surgery. Almost all patients with FAP eventually develop duodenal adenomas and risk for duodenal cancer is up to 12 % with poor prognosis. In addition, there is a rising concern regarding increased gastric cancer risk in patients with FAP. Our aim was to enhance polyp detection by using CE (CE) with the application of indigo carmine dye. Patient and methods  We conducted a prospective, blinded study of patients with FAP undergoing endoscopic examination of the upper gastrointestinal tract. First, a standard white-light examination (WLE) was done followed by an examination performed by an endoscopist who was blinded to the previous examination, using chromoendoscopy (CE) (0.4 % indigo carmine dye). Results  Fifty patients were included in the study. Using WLE, a median number of 13 adenomas (range 0-90) was detected compared to 23 adenomas/patient (range 0-150; P  < 0.0001) detected after staining, leading to a higher Spigelman stage in 16 patients (32 %; P  = 0.0003). CE detected significantly more larger adenomas (> 10 mm) than WLE (12 vs. 19; P  = 0.0391). In the gastric antral region, a median number of 0 adenomas (range 0-6) before and 0.5 adenomas (range 0-7) after staining ( P  = 0.0025) were detected. Conclusion  This prospective endoscopic trial, to our knowledge the largest in patients with FAP, showed a significant impact of CE on adenoma detection and therapeutic management in the upper gastrointestinal tract. This leads to more intensive surveillance intervals., Competing Interests: Competing interests The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commecial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).)

The aim of this narrative review was to demonstrate how the notion of allostatic load (AL) relates directly to the mental health disparities observed between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. We also endeavored to synthesize the results of the limited number of studies examining stress and AL in Indigenous Australians in order to explore the potential public health benefits of the AL concept. A range of literature examining health inequalities, psychosocial determinants of mental illness and AL was explored to demonstrate the applicability of stress biology to the significant mental health burden faced by Indigenous Australians. Furthermore, all original studies indexed in MEDLINE that provided quantitative data on primary stress biomarkers in Indigenous Australians were selected for review. Evidence of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis dysregulation and increased AL is apparent even in the handful of studies examining stress biomarkers in Indigenous Australians. Urinary, salivary, hair and fingernail cortisol, hair cortisone, urinary epinephrine, heart rate variability and the cortisol awakening response are all AL parameters which have been shown to be dysregulated in Indigenous Australian cohorts. Furthermore, associations between some of these biomarkers, self-perceived discrimination, exposure to stressful life events and symptoms of psychiatric disorders in Indigenous Australians have also been demonstrated. The continued assessment of AL biomarkers and their relationship with past traumas, lifetime stressors and socio-economic factors amongst Indigenous Australians is important to addressing the mental health this population. Measurement of AL biomarkers in a culturally appropriate manner may lead to more targeted preventative measures, interventions and policies, which mitigate the effects of stress at both the individual and societal level.

Background: Recent studies reported elevated concentrations of ultrafine particles (UFP) near airports. Little is known about the health effects of UFP from aviation. Since UFP can deposit deep into the lungs and other organs, they may cause significant adverse health effects., Objective: We investigated health effects of controlled short-term human exposure to UFP near a major airport., Methods: In this study, 21 healthy non-smoking volunteers (age range: 18-35 years) were repeatedly (2-5 visits) exposed for 5 h to ambient air near Schiphol Airport, while performing intermittent moderate exercise (i.e. cycling). Pre- to post-exposure changes in cardiopulmonary outcomes (spirometry, forced exhaled nitric oxide, electrocardiography and blood pressure) were assessed and related to total- and size-specific particle number concentrations (PNC), using linear mixed effect models., Results: The PNC was on average 53,500 particles/cm 3 (range 10,500-173,200). A 5-95th percentile increase in exposure to UFP (i.e. 125,400 particles/cm 3 ) was associated with a decrease in FVC of -73.8 mL (95% CI -138.8 - -0.4) and a prolongation of the corrected QT (QTc) interval by 9.9 ms (95% CI 2.0 - 19.1). These effects were associated with particles < 20 nm (mainly UFP from aviation), but not with particles > 50 nm (mainly UFP from road traffic)., Discussion: Short-term exposures to aviation-related UFP near a major airport, was associated with decreased lung function (mainly FVC) and a prolonged QTc interval in healthy volunteers. The effects were relatively small, however, they appeared after single exposures of 5 h in young healthy adults. As this study cannot make any inferences about long-term health impacts, appropriate studies investigating potential health effects of long-term exposure to airport-related UFP, are urgently needed., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declared that there is no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Chronic neutrophilic leukemia (CNL) is a rare myeloproliferative syndrome characterized by a significant increase in mature neutrophils. One of the most serious complications is the occurrence of bleeding events, which may sometimes lead to death., Case Report: A 75-year-old patient presented with CNL, complicated by a severe bleeding phenotype. Biological investigations revealed platelet function defect and increase in neutrophil elastase. The follow-up was marked by an intracranial hemorrhage leading to the patient's death 7 months after diagnosis., Conclusion: This bleeding phenotype has been reported several times in patients with CNL. However, the pathophysiological mechanisms that cause bleeding are not yet fully understood., (Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.)

Capping protein regulator and myosin 1 linker 2 (CARMIL2) deficiency is characterized by impaired T cell activation, which is attributed to defective CD28-mediated co-signaling. Herein, we aimed to analyze the effect of exogenous interleukin (IL)-2 on in-vitro T cell activation and proliferation in a family with CARMIL2 deficiency. This study included four children (one male and three females; aged 2·5-10 years at presentation). The patients presented with inflammatory bowel disease and recurrent viral infections. Genetic analysis revealed a novel homozygous 25-base pairs deletion in CARMIL2. Immunoblotting demonstrated the absence of CARMIL2 protein in all four patients and confirmed the diagnosis of CARMIL2 deficiency. T cells were activated in-vitro with the addition of IL-2 in different concentrations. CD25 and interferon (IFN)-γ levels were measured after 48 h and 5 days of activation. CD25 surface expression on activated CD8 + and CD4 + T cells was significantly diminished in all patients compared to healthy controls. Additionally, CD8 + T cells from all patients demonstrated significantly reduced IFN-γ production. When cells derived from CARMIL2-deficient patients were treated with IL-2, CD25 and IFN-γ production increased in a dose-dependent manner. T cell proliferation, as measured by Cell Trace Violet, was impaired in one patient and it was also rescued with IL-2. In conclusion, we found that IL-2 rescued T cell activation and proliferation in CARMIL2-deficient patients. Thus, IL-2 should be further studied as a potential therapeutic modality for these patients., (© 2020 British Society for Immunology.)

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the relation between mandibular advancement, the three-dimensional extent of the posterior airway space (PAS), and the position of the hyoid bone, using cone-beam computed tomography (CT). Twenty-eight Class II patients (21 women (mean (SD) age 29 (9) years) and seven men (mean (SD) age 23 (6) years)), who had had mandibular-only advancement surgery (Obwegeser-Dal Pont) were included in the study. In each case, cone-beam CT scans were taken one week before and six months after operation, and a retrospective analysis made of the alterations of several airway variables (volume, mean cross-sectional area, and diameter) and the three-dimensional extent of mandibular and hyoid movement, by using IPlan® cranial software. A linear regression was also done to correlate mandibular advancement, the movement of the hyoid bone, and airway variables. There were significant postoperative increases in all volumetric PAS variables, and in most diametric and spherical variables (p<0.05). There was also a significant linear relation between forward displacement of the mandible and the movement of the hyoid bone (p<0.05). These results show that mandible-only advancement surgery causes an increase in most dimensions of the PAS. This intervention can be assumed to reduce airway resistance and therefore might be a suitable treatment option for patients with obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome., (Copyright © 2019 The British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Assessment of patient satisfaction following an aesthetic surgery has shown an increasing trend over the past years. To date, there is no prospective and comprehensive study evaluating this aspect after surgical facial and neck rejuvenation. The aim of the current work was to address patient satisfaction after face and neck lift surgery using a validated questionnaire., Patients and Methods: We present a prospective and multicenter study (five regional centers) involving all patients undergoing face and neck lift surgery between April 2015 and April 2017 in several French centers for aesthetic surgery. All subjects assessed the FACE-Q scales before the procedure, and furtherly at 3-month, 6-month and 12-month follow-ups., Results: Thirty-six patients were included with a median age of 58.5 years old [IQR 54.0-66.0]. The FACE-Q outcomes were significantly higher at 3-month follow-up (p < 0.001). Seventy-five percent of the patients underwent an additional surgical procedure associated with face and neck lift. Particularly, a combined blepharoplasty led to a significant increase in the score of global facial appearance. The patients considered themselves a mean of 6 years younger in the third month after surgery. These results remained constant at six and twelve postoperative months., Conclusion: A statistically significant improvement of the FACE-Q scores could be highlighted on every scale, with permanent results at 6 and 12 months postsurgery. We hereby present the first study with evidence that appearance and quality of life outcomes can be reliably assessed after rhytidectomy., Level of Evidence Iv: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

We present the first measurements of absolute branching fractions of Ξ&#95;{c}^{0} decays into Ξ^{-}π^{+}, ΛK^{-}π^{+}, and pK^{-}K^{-}π^{+} final states. The measurements are made using a dataset comprising (772±11)×10^{6} BB[over ¯] pairs collected at the ϒ(4S) resonance with the Belle detector at the KEKB e^{+}e^{-} collider. We first measure the absolute branching fraction for B^{-}→Λ[over ¯]&#95;{c}^{-}Ξ&#95;{c}^{0} using a missing-mass technique; the result is B(B^{-}→Λ[over ¯]&#95;{c}^{-}Ξ&#95;{c}^{0})=(9.51±2.10±0.88)×10^{-4}. We subsequently measure the product branching fractions B(B^{-}→Λ[over ¯]&#95;{c}^{-}Ξ&#95;{c}^{0})B(Ξ&#95;{c}^{0}→Ξ^{-}π^{+}), B(B^{-}→Λ[over ¯]&#95;{c}^{-}Ξ&#95;{c}^{0})B(Ξ&#95;{c}^{0}→ΛK^{-}π^{+}), and B(B^{-}→Λ[over ¯]&#95;{c}^{-}Ξ&#95;{c}^{0})B(Ξ&#95;{c}^{0}→pK^{-}K^{-}π^{+}) with improved precision. Dividing these product branching fractions by the result for B^{-}→Λ[over ¯]&#95;{c}^{-}Ξ&#95;{c}^{0} yields the following branching fractions: B(Ξ&#95;{c}^{0}→Ξ^{-}π^{+})=(1.80±0.50±0.14)%, B(Ξ&#95;{c}^{0}→ΛK^{-}π^{+})=(1.17±0.37±0.09)%, and B(Ξ&#95;{c}^{0}→pK^{-}K^{-}π^{+})=(0.58±0.23±0.05)%. For the above branching fractions, the first uncertainties are statistical and the second are systematic. Our result for B(Ξ&#95;{c}^{0}→Ξ^{-}π^{+}) can be combined with Ξ&#95;{c}^{0} branching fractions measured relative to Ξ&#95;{c}^{0}→Ξ^{-}π^{+} to yield other absolute Ξ&#95;{c}^{0} branching fractions.

Background: Resolution of inflammation is an active and dynamic process after surgery. Maresin 1 (MaR1) is one of a growing number of specialised pro-resolving lipids biosynthesised by macrophages that regulates acute inflammation. We investigated the effects of MaR1 on postoperative neuroinflammation, macrophage activity, and cognitive function in mice., Methods: Adult male C57BL/6 (n=111) and Ccr2 RFP/+ Cx3cr1 GFP/+ (n=54) mice were treated with MaR1 before undergoing anaesthesia and orthopaedic surgery. Systemic inflammatory changes, bone healing, neuroinflammation, and cognition were assessed at different time points. MaR1 protective effects were also evaluated using bone marrow derived macrophage cultures., Results: MaR1 exerted potent systemic anti-inflammatory effects without impairing fracture healing. Prophylaxis with MaR1 prevented surgery-induced glial activation and opening of the blood-brain barrier. In Ccr2 RFP/+ Cx3cr1 GFP/+ mice, fewer infiltrating macrophages were detected in the hippocampus after surgery with MaR1 prophylaxis, which resulted in improved memory function. MaR1 treatment also reduced expression of pro-inflammatory cell surface markers and cytokines by in vitro cultured macrophages. MaR1 was detectable in the cerebrospinal fluid of older adults before and after surgery., Conclusions: MaR1 exerts distinct anti-inflammatory and pro-resolving effects through regulation of macrophage infiltration, NF-κB signalling, and cytokine release after surgery. Future studies on the use of pro-resolving lipid mediators may inform novel approaches to treat neuroinflammation and postoperative neurocognitive disorders., (Copyright © 2018 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

We report the first observation of the double strange baryon Ξ(1620)^{0} in its decay to Ξ^{-}π^{+} via Ξ&#95;{c}^{+}→Ξ^{-}π^{+}π^{+} decays based on a 980  fb^{-1} data sample collected with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric-energy e^{+}e^{-} collider. The mass and width are measured to be 1610.4±6.0(stat)&#95;{-4.2}^{+6.1} (syst)  MeV/c^{2} and 59.9±4.8(stat)&#95;{-7.1}^{+2.8}(syst)  MeV, respectively. We obtain 4.0σ evidence of the Ξ(1690)^{0} with the same data sample. These results shed light on the structure of hyperon resonances with strangeness S=-2.

We report the first observation of the spontaneous polarization of Λ and Λ[over ¯] hyperons transverse to the production plane in e^{+}e^{-} annihilation, which is attributed to the effect arising from a polarizing fragmentation function. For inclusive Λ/Λ[over ¯] production, we also report results with subtracted feed-down contributions from Σ^{0} and charm. This measurement uses a dataset of 800.4  fb^{-1} collected by the Belle experiment at or near a center-of-mass energy of 10.58 GeV. We observe a significant polarization that rises with the fractional energy carried by the Λ/Λ[over ¯] hyperon.

We report the observation of ϒ(2S)→γη&#95;{b}(1S) decay based on an analysis of the inclusive photon spectrum of 24.7  fb^{-1} of e^{+}e^{-} collisions at the ϒ(2S) center-of-mass energy collected with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric-energy e^{+}e^{-} collider. We measure a branching fraction of B[ϒ(2S)→γη&#95;{b}(1S)]=(6.1&#95;{-0.7-0.6}^{+0.6+0.9})×10^{-4} and derive an η&#95;{b}(1S) mass of 9394.8&#95;{-3.1-2.7}^{+2.7+4.5}  MeV/c^{2}, where the uncertainties are statistical and systematic, respectively. The significance of our measurement is greater than 7 standard deviations, constituting the first observation of this decay mode.

Cognitive change affecting patients after anaesthesia and surgery has been recognised for more than 100 yr. Research into cognitive change after anaesthesia and surgery accelerated in the 1980s when multiple studies utilised detailed neuropsychological testing for assessment of cognitive change after cardiac surgery. This body of work consistently documented decline in cognitive function in elderly patients after anaesthesia and surgery, and cognitive changes have been identified up to 7.5 yr afterwards. Importantly, other studies have identified that the incidence of cognitive change is similar after non-cardiac surgery. Other than the inclusion of non-surgical control groups to calculate postoperative cognitive dysfunction, research into these cognitive changes in the perioperative period has been undertaken in isolation from cognitive studies in the general population. The aim of this work is to develop similar terminology to that used in cognitive classifications of the general population for use in investigations of cognitive changes after anaesthesia and surgery. A multispecialty working group followed a modified Delphi procedure with no prespecified number of rounds comprised of three face-to-face meetings followed by online editing of draft versions.Two major classification guidelines [Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders, fifth edition (DSM-5) and National Institute for Aging and the Alzheimer Association (NIA-AA)] are used outside of anaesthesia and surgery, and may be useful for inclusion of biomarkers in research. For clinical purposes, it is recommended to use the DSM-5 nomenclature. The working group recommends that 'perioperative neurocognitive disorders' be used as an overarching term for cognitive impairment identified in the preoperative or postoperative period. This includes cognitive decline diagnosed before operation (described as neurocognitive disorder); any form of acute event (postoperative delirium) and cognitive decline diagnosed up to 30 days after the procedure (delayed neurocognitive recovery) and up to 12 months (postoperative neurocognitive disorder).

The companies publishing predatory journals are an emerging problem in the area of scientific literature as they only seek to drain money from authors without providing any customer service for the authors or their readership. These predatory journals try to attract new submissions by aggressive email advertising and high acceptance rates. But in turn, they do not provide proper peer review, and therefore, the scientific quality of submitted articles is questionable. This is important because more and more people, including patients, are reading such journals and rely on the information they provide. Consequently, predatory journals are a serious threat to the integrity of medical science, and it is crucial for scientists, physicians and even patients to be aware of this problem. In this review, we briefly summarize the history of the open access movement, as well as the rise of and roles played by predatory journals. In conclusion, young and inexperienced authors publishing in a predatory journal must be aware of the damage of their reputation, of inadequate peer review processes and that unprofitable journals might get closed and all published articles in that journal might be lost., (© 2018 The Authors. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.)

We report the first observation of the hadronic transition ϒ(4S)→η^{'}ϒ(1S), using 496  fb^{-1} data collected at the ϒ(4S) resonance with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric-energy e^{+}e^{-} collider. We reconstruct the η^{'} meson through its decays to ρ^{0}γ and to π^{+}π^{-}η, with η→γγ. We measure B(ϒ(4S)→η^{'}ϒ(1S))=[3.43±0.88(stat)±0.21(syst)]×10^{-5}, with a significance of 5.7σ.

Using data recorded with the Belle detector, we observe a new excited hyperon, an Ω^{*-} candidate decaying into Ξ^{0}K^{-} and Ξ^{-}K&#95;{S}^{0} with a mass of 2012.4±0.7(stat)±0.6(syst)  MeV/c^{2} and a width of Γ=6.4&#95;{-2.0}^{+2.5}(stat)±1.6(syst)  MeV. The Ω^{*-} is seen primarily in ϒ(1S),ϒ(2S), and ϒ(3S) decays.

Since the advent of orthognathic surgery major efforts have been made to render these surgical procedures more reliable, accurate, reproducible, and shorter. Such improvements imply the enhancement of surgical planning (SP) techniques and optimization of SP transfer tools. Most widespread current SP methods are based on physical examination/anthropometric measurements combined with cephalometric analysis. Most surgeons currently use handmade acrylic surgical splints or sometimes freehand surgery as transfer tool. The emergence of virtual surgical planning (VSP) procedures gave birth to several modern transfer tools, such as computer-assisted design and manufactured (CAD/CAM) splints, CAD/CAM splints with extra-oral bone support, customized miniplates, and surgical navigation. This article classifies and describes these emerging transfer tools, therewith underlining their advantages and drawbacks., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Study Question: Can a discriminant threshold be determined for human sperm DNA oxidation?, Summary Answer: A discriminant threshold was found with 65.8% of 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG)-positive sperm cells and a mean intensity of fluorescence (MIF) of 552 arbitrary units., What Is Known Already: Oxidative stress is known to interfere with sperm quality and fertilizing capacity. However, current practice does not include the routine determination of oxidative DNA damage in spermatozoa; optimized consensus protocols are lacking and no thresholds of normality have been established., Study Design, Size, Duration: Intra- and inter-method comparisons between four protocols (I-IV) were conducted to determine the most relevant and efficient means of assessing human sperm 8-OHdG content. Tests of assay repeatability, specificity, sensitivity and stability were performed to validate an optimized methodology for routine diagnostic use., Participants/materials, Setting, Methods: This prospective study compared three immuno-detection methods including immunocytochemistry, fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry. Sperm DNA oxidation for 80 patients was determined relative to semen parameters and clinical conditions, using the selected immuno-detection protocol in comparison with a commercial kit. These patients (age 35 ± 1 years: mean ± SEM) presented with normozoospermic (n = 40) or altered parameters (necro- or/and astheno- or/and teratozoospermia or/and leukocytospermia)., Main Results and the Role of Chance: Significant positive Pearson and Spearman correlations were determined for 8-OHdG values and sperm parameters using protocol III. A notable high and positive correlation was revealed for MIF with BMI and leukocyte concentration. Protocol III was the most discriminating method regarding assay repeatability, specificity, sensitivity, stability and reliability for sperm parameter alterations, in particular leukocytospermia according to parametric or non-parametric tests, effect-size determinations and factorial analysis such as principal component analysis and factor discriminant analysis. Of interest is that 39% of the subjects with 'pathological' sperm DNA oxidation values were normozoospermic., Limitations, Reasons for Caution: The oligozoospermic population was not evaluated in this study because insufficient material was available to carry out the comparisons. However, spermatozoa concentration was taken into account in the statistical analysis., Wider Implications of the Findings: Our study is the first validation of a protocol to determine a discriminant threshold for human sperm DNA oxidation. The protocol's detection accuracy for 8-OHdG human sperm DNA residues, stability over time, and relationship to human sperm quality were demonstrated. The assay should find application in the diagnosis of male factor infertility associated with oxidative stress., Study Funding/competing Interest(s): This work was funded by institutional grants from the CNRS, INSERM and Université Clermont Auvergne (to J.R.D.) and by Clermont-Ferrand Hospital-CECOS research funds (to L.J. and F.B.). P.G., A.M., R.J.A. and J.D. are, respectively, CEO, scientific director and scientific advisors of a US-based biotech company (Celloxess, Princeton, NJ, USA) involved in preventative medicine with a focus on the generation of antioxidant oral supplements.

Teaching nonhuman primates the complex cognitive behavioral tasks that are central to cognitive neuroscience research is an essential and challenging endeavor. It is crucial for the scientific success that the animals learn to interpret the often complex task rules and reliably and enduringly act accordingly. To achieve consistent behavior and comparable learning histories across animals, it is desirable to standardize training protocols. Automatizing the training can significantly reduce the time invested by the person training the animal. In addition, self-paced training schedules with individualized learning speeds based on automatic updating of task conditions could enhance the animals' motivation and welfare. We developed a training paradigm for across-task unsupervised training (AUT) of successively more complex cognitive tasks to be administered through a stand-alone housing-based system optimized for rhesus monkeys in neuroscience research settings (Calapai A, Berger M, Niessing M, Heisig K, Brockhausen R, Treue S, Gail A. Behav Res Methods 5: 1-11, 2016). The AUT revealed interindividual differences in long-term learning progress between animals, helping to characterize learning personalities, and commonalities, helping to identify easier and more difficult learning steps in the training protocol. Our results demonstrate that 1) rhesus monkeys stay engaged with the AUT over months despite access to water and food outside the experimental sessions but with lower numbers of interaction compared with conventional fluid-controlled training; 2) with unsupervised training across sessions and task levels, rhesus monkeys can learn tasks of sufficient complexity for state-of-the-art cognitive neuroscience in their housing environment; and 3) AUT learning progress is primarily determined by the number of interactions with the system rather than the mere exposure time. NEW & NOTEWORTHY We demonstrate that highly structured training of behavioral tasks, as used in neuroscience research, can be achieved in an unsupervised fashion over many sessions and task difficulties in a monkey housing environment. Employing a predefined training strategy allows for an observer-independent comparison of learning between animals and of training approaches. We believe that self-paced standardized training can be utilized for pretraining and animal selection and can contribute to animal welfare in a neuroscience research environment.

Background: Depressive disorders are associated with a high burden of suffering and significantly reduce the well-being and the self-esteem of affected patients. Psychotherapy is one of the main treatment options for depressive disorders., Objective: The aim of this article is to present the current evidence for antidepressive psychotherapeutic treatments., Material and Methods: During the revision of the German S3- and National Disease Management Guideline (NDMG) on unipolar depression in 2015, a comprehensive and systematic evidence search was conducted. The results of this search along with a systematic update are summarized., Results: The most intensively investigated psychotherapeutic method is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which proved to be effective in many trials. Evidence also exists for psychodynamic psychotherapy and interpersonal therapy (IPT), followed by systemic therapy and client-centered psychotherapy; however, the evidence is less robust., Conclusion: Psychotherapy alone or in combination with pharmacotherapy was shown to be an effective treatment option. Psychotherapy represents a key element in the treatment of depressive disorders.

Background: Psychotherapy has been shown to be an effective treatment option for depressive disorders; however, its effectiveness varies depending on patient and therapist characteristics and the individual form of the depressive disorder., Objectives: The aim of this article is to present the current evidence for psychotherapeutic antidepressive treatments for patients with chronic and treatment-resistant depression as well as for patients with mental and somatic comorbidities., Material and Methods: During the revision of the currently valid German S3- and National Disease Management Guideline (NDMG) on unipolar depression published in 2015, a comprehensive and systematic evidence search including psychotherapy for specific patient groups was conducted. The results of this search along with a systematic update are summarized., Results: Psychotherapy has been shown to be effective in reducing depressive symptoms in patients suffering from chronic and treatment-resistant depression and in patients with mental and somatic comorbidities. The evidence is insufficient particularly for patients with mental comorbidities., Conclusion: Based on the current evidence and clinical expertise the NDMG recommends psychotherapy alone or in combination with pharmacotherapy to treat most of these depressive patient groups. Evidence gaps were identified, which highlight the need for further research.

The most common temporomandibular joint (TMJ) internal derangement is an abnormal relationship of the disc with respect to the mandibular condyle, articular eminence and glenoid fossa-disc displacement. The aim of our study was to analyse the correlation between partial/complete disc displacement in the intercuspal position (IP) and its reduction in the open-mouth position (OMP) in both oblique sagittal and coronal planes on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with temporomandibular disorders. Multisection MRI analysis of 382 TMJs was conducted in 191 patients with disc displacement according to the RDC/TMD criteria (148 women, 43 men; aged 14-60 years). The disc position was evaluated on all oblique sagittal and coronal images in the IP and the OMP. Univariate logistic regression analysis showed that the severity of disc displacement in the sagittal plane is a statistically significant predictor of reduction ability during mouth opening (B = 3.118; P < .001). Moreover, the severity of disc displacement in both planes is also a significant predictor of disc reduction in OMP (B = 2.200; P < .05). In conclusion, reduction ability during mouth opening is associated with the severity of disc displacement in IP, in both sagittal and coronal planes. Multisection analysis of all MR images allows distinguishing the correct disc position from disc displacement and can improve the ability to distinguish between various stages of TMJ internal derangement., (© 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

In cone-beam CT, involuntary patient motion and inaccurate or irreproducible scanner motion substantially degrades image quality. To avoid artifacts this motion needs to be estimated and compensated during image reconstruction. In previous work we showed that Fourier consistency conditions (FCC) can be used in fan-beam CT to estimate motion in the sinogram domain. This work extends the FCC to [Formula: see text] cone-beam CT. We derive an efficient cost function to compensate for [Formula: see text] motion using [Formula: see text] detector translations. The extended FCC method have been tested with five translational motion patterns, using a challenging numerical phantom. We evaluated the root-mean-square-error and the structural-similarity-index between motion corrected and motion-free reconstructions. Additionally, we computed the mean-absolute-difference (MAD) between the estimated and the ground-truth motion. The practical applicability of the method is demonstrated by application to respiratory motion estimation in rotational angiography, but also to motion correction for weight-bearing imaging of knees. Where the latter makes use of a specifically modified FCC version which is robust to axial truncation. The results show a great reduction of motion artifacts. Accurate estimation results were achieved with a maximum MAD value of 708 μm and 1184 μm for motion along the vertical and horizontal detector direction, respectively. The image quality of reconstructions obtained with the proposed method is close to that of motion corrected reconstructions based on the ground-truth motion. Simulations using noise-free and noisy data demonstrate that FCC are robust to noise. Even high-frequency motion was accurately estimated leading to a considerable reduction of streaking artifacts. The method is purely image-based and therefore independent of any auxiliary data.

We report the first measurement of the τ lepton polarization P&#95;{τ}(D^{*}) in the decay B[over ¯]→D^{*}τ^{-}ν[over ¯]&#95;{τ} as well as a new measurement of the ratio of the branching fractions R(D^{*})=B(B[over ¯]→D^{*}τ^{-}ν[over ¯]&#95;{τ})/B(B[over ¯]→D^{*}ℓ^{-}ν[over ¯]&#95;{ℓ}), where ℓ^{-} denotes an electron or a muon, and the τ is reconstructed in the modes τ^{-}→π^{-}ν&#95;{τ} and τ^{-}→ρ^{-}ν&#95;{τ}. We use the full data sample of 772×10^{6}  BB[over ¯] pairs recorded with the Belle detector at the KEKB electron-positron collider. Our results, P&#95;{τ}(D^{*})=-0.38±0.51(stat)&#95;{-0.16}^{+0.21}(syst) and R(D^{*})=0.270±0.035(stat)&#95;{-0.025}^{+0.028}(syst), are consistent with the theoretical predictions of the standard model.