Berlin Institute of Health at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin

Het-node2vec: second-order random walk sampling for heterogeneous graph embedding

Abstract Many real-world problems are naturally modeled as heterogeneous graphs, where nodes and edges represent multiple types of entities and relations. Existing learning models for heterogeneous graph representation usually depend on the computation of specific, user-defined h...

Imputing longitudinal PROM data at the item and score level in clinical trials

Abstract Background Missing data in patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) can affect estimation accuracy and inferential validity, particularly under missing-at-random (MAR) mechanisms. Multiple imputation (MI) is commonly recommended, but the relative performance of item-lev...

The Reproducibility Promotion Plan for Funders–a co-created set of recommendations to foster reproducible research practices

Abstract Reproducibility is a critical component of research integrity, enhancing the quality, efficiency and trustworthiness of scientific knowledge. Despite increasing attention, reproducibility remains insufficiently prioritized within the scientific agenda. Research funders a...

Measurement Properties of Delirium Tools in Pediatric Intensive Care: A Systematic Review

CONTEXT: Delirium is common in pediatric intensive care units. Reliable tools are needed, but evidence on measurement properties remains fragmented. OBJECTIVES: To identify pediatric delirium tools and evaluate their measurement properties and certainty of evidence. DATA SOURCES:...

Classification of Seasonal Allergic Rhinitis Patients by Prospective Patient‐Recorded Symptoms: The @ IT .2020 Project

BACKGROUND: Seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR) has been so far classified according to frequency and severity by retrospective information based on the ARIA (Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma) classification. Electronic symptom diaries (e-Diaries) are feasible tools to col...

Chronic exposure to aflatoxin B1, ochratoxin A, and citrinin in women and children and associated health risk characterization: blood biomonitoring evidence from rural Bangladesh

Abstract Dietary exposure to mycotoxins—including aflatoxins (AFs), ochratoxin A (OTA), and citrinin (CIT)—represents an important health risk, particularly in low-resource settings with widespread food contamination. This study investigates mycotoxin exposure among 712 participa...

Nanobodies specific for Vβ11 enable detection and noninvasive imaging of antigen-specific T cells in vivo

Through screening of a VHH phage display library constructed from an alpaca immunized with the recombinantly expressed murine myelin oligodendrocyte (MOG)-specific 2D2 T cell receptor (TCR), we identified nanobodies that reduced antigen-driven 2D2 T cell activation in vitro. Immu...

Disentangling the drivers of heterogeneity in SARS-CoV-2 transmission from data on viral load and daily contact rates

Abstract SARS-CoV-2 transmission is highly overdispersed, with a minority of individuals responsible for the majority of transmission, though the drivers of this heterogeneity are unclear. Here, we assess the contribution of variation in viral load and daily contact rates to this...

Association of self-reported hearing loss and tinnitus with brain structure and cognitive function: a population-based cross-sectional analysis from the Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP)

Abstract Background Hearing loss has been reported as a major, potentially modifiable risk factor for dementia and often co-occurs with tinnitus. Both conditions are prevalent and have been linked to brain health and cognitive decline. However, evidence from studies containing th...

Deep molecular profiling of lung neuroendocrine tumours and supra-carcinoids

BACKGROUND: Lung neuroendocrine tumours (NETs, also known as carcinoids) are rapidly rising in incidence worldwide but have unknown aetiology and limited therapeutic options beyond surgery. The current WHO classification, based on mitotic count and presence or absence of necrosis...

Beyond benchmarking: an expert-guided consensus approach to spatially aware clustering

Spatial omics technologies have revolutionized the study of tissue architecture and cellular heterogeneity by integrating molecular profiles with spatial localization. In spatially resolved transcriptomics, delineating higher-order anatomical structures is critical for understand...

Patient perspectives from the BEYOND Delphi panel: burden of remaining symptoms and their fluctuations, despite treatment, in patients with generalised myasthenia gravis

Abstract Background Patients with generalised myasthenia gravis (gMG) can experience remaining symptoms despite treatment. Our study aimed to describe how remaining symptoms and their fluctuations may affect a person’s daily life while living with gMG. Methods A modified-Delphi p...

Empowering medical educators to teach planetary health: development and outcomes of a curriculum integration training

<title>Abstract</title> <bold>Background</bold> Planetary Health (PH) content is increasingly recognized as essential for medical education. For longitudinal integration across the curriculum, medical educators can serve as change agents and multipliers. A targeted training that...

Transcranial Electrical Stimulation and Delirium Among Postoperative Patients

Importance Postoperative delirium (POD) occurs as a significant complication after elective surgery. Objective To investigate the modulation of delirium incidence by transcranial electric stimulation (tES). Design, Setting, and Participants A double-blind, sham-controlled randomi...

Quantification of practice effects in a self-administered online cognitive pre-screening test

BACKGROUND: With growing prevalence of mild cognitive impairment and dementia, online self-administered pre-screening tests hold the promise to more objectively identify individuals who stand to benefit from prioritized access to supervised cognitive testing and in-depth neurolog...

Comparative analysis of neuronal proteolytic pathways reveals neuron-specific and sub-compartmental-specific capacities with aging

Abstract Proteostasis is essential for maintaining neuronal function, and its dysregulation is a hallmark of aging and neurodegeneration. The ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) and macroautophagy are the two major proteolytic pathways responsible for protein degradation. However,...

Implementation barriers, facilitators, and fidelity of a mobile money-based savings tool for pregnant women in the Analamanga region of Madagascar: an ex-post process evaluation

Abstract Background Mobile payment services could improve access to obstetric care by easing saving, raising revenue, and pooling resources. Between 2019 and 2022, a mobile money-based savings tool for obstetric care was implemented in the Analamanga region of Madagascar followin...

Evaluating clinical and neuroimaging predictors for cognitive-behavioral therapy outcome in obsessive-compulsive disorder

Abstract Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is the first-line treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), yet a significant number of patients do not achieve remission or substantial symptom relief. This study aims to enhance the prediction of CBT outcomes in OCD by integr...

The importance of B cells for osteogenic homeostasis

Abstract Therapeutic interventions for diseases such as leukemia and autoimmune disorders are increasingly designed to selectively target and deplete specific immune cell subsets over prolonged periods. This can disrupt the homeostasis of the adaptive immune system, with conseque...

Reversible epiblast regionalization determines differentiation potential of human pluripotent stem cells

Abstract Although human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) can generate all tissues of the body, hPSCs in vitro frequently exhibit differentiation biases or failure that pose substantial challenges for disease modeling and regenerative medicine. The origins of these biases remain inc...