Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf

Mechanistic versus descriptive interpretation of brain activity pattern reconstruction

The geometric eigenmodes, derived from the shape of the cortical surface, have been suggested as a better model for explaining brain function due to their high accuracy in reconstructing patterns of both spontaneous and stimulus-evoked brain activity patterns captured by function...

Initial treatment strategies and outcomes across haemodynamic thresholds and risk stratification in incident systemic sclerosis–associated pulmonary arterial hypertension: a EUSTAR analysis

OBJECTIVE: Real-world initial treatment strategies in SSc-PAH remain incompletely described. We aimed to characterise these strategies across haemodynamic thresholds and risk strata and evaluate outcome associations. METHODS: We analysed treatment-naïve SSc-PAH patients in EUSTAR...

The Influence of Deep Hypothermic Circulatory Arrest on the Incidence of Postoperative Acute Kidney Injury After Pulmonary Endarterectomy

Background: Pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA) in patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is performed using phases of deep hypothermic circulatory arrest (DHCA). DHCA has been discussed as a risk factor for cardiac surgery-associated acute kidney injury (...

Robust and replicable effects of ageing on resting-state brain electrophysiology measured with MEG

Abstract Non-invasive recordings using brain electrophysiology provide credible insights into decline in neuronal functioning with age. New approaches are required to translate these results into compelling clinical metrics and meet the global challenge of preserving brain health...

Disease Duration Differentiates Freezing of Gait Response to Subthalamic and Nigral Stimulation for Parkinson's Disease in an Exploratory Multicenter Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND: Freezing of gait (FoG) belongs to most pressing unmet symptoms in the treatment of Parkinson's disease. OBJECTIVES: To explore whether combined subthalamic and nigral (STN + SNr) deep brain stimulation improves FoG compared with optimized STN stimulation alone; to ide...

Keep the Runtime, Derive the JIT Compiler: Runtime-Preserving Meta-Tracing with Two Coexisting Garbage Collectors

Meta-tracing frameworks derive a tracing JIT compiler from an interpreter, but implementations built with them commonly reimplement the object model and core library of an existing runtime as well. Meta-tracing constrains only the interpreter, not the values it manipulates. In ru...

MetaTensor: Tensor Fusion in a Meta-Tracing Compiler

Python tensor compilers capture a graph with a separate frontend, and a fused region ends wherever that frontend stops. Branches, exceptions and in-place writes in the host program therefore split fusion. We show that the JIT compiler of a dynamic language already provides what s...

A versatile Bacillus esterase reveals a carboxylesterase blueprint for PET intermediate degradation

Abstract The biodegradation of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and its derived intermediate breakdown products, represents a core focus of multidisciplinary research. While Ideonella sakaiensis PETase (IsPETase) and leaf-compost cutinase (LCC) efficiently depolymerize PET, many...

Recognition and mechanism of M. tuberculosis cell wall galactan transport

Mycobacterial-derived lipid-linked galactan (LLG) is an essential component of the Mycobacterial tuberculosis (Mtb) cell wall core arabinogalactan (AG), a well-established virulence factor and target of anti-tubercular drugs. Cross-membrane translocation of LLG is energetically u...

High diversity but limited expression of biosynthetic gene clusters in a peatland microbial community

Abstract The in situ relevance of biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) remains poorly understood. We apply meta-omics to characterize BGC diversity and activity along a peatland redox gradient. From seven metagenomes, we recover 9,694 BGCs, spanning diverse taxa, most lacking close...

Diagnostic accuracy of ultrasound, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging for the evaluation of thyroid nodules

OBJECTIVES: This is a protocol for a Cochrane review (diagnostic). The objectives are as follows: To assess the diagnostic accuracy of US, CT, and MRI - each considered separately - in identifying malignant thyroid nodules, using histopathological examination as the reference sta...

Junctional plakoglobin regulates intestinal epithelial cell proliferation via MAPK/ERK signaling

Junctional plakoglobin (JUP) is a desmosomal protein essential for epithelial tissue integrity and epithelial-immune cell crosstalk. Although JUP has been implicated in inflammatory processes, its role in intestinal epithelial repair remains unclear. In vitro, loss of JUP in Caco...

Gut microbiome features in methamphetamine use disorder: external validation of a candidate marker panel and exploratory multi-omics associations

Abstract Methamphetamine use disorder (MUD) is a chronic, relapsing disorder with symptoms most pronounced during withdrawal, yet objective biomarkers remain lacking. Although gut microbial alterations have been reported in substance use disorders, their potential as candidate ma...

Diagnostic accuracy of 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT and bone scintigraphy for detecting bone metastases in prostate cancer

Abstract Objective The performance of 18 F-labeled prostate-specific membrane antigen ( 18 F-PSMA-1007) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) and bone scintigraphy (BS) for detecting bone metastases in prostate cancer patients was compared. Materials and metho...

From Breath‐Hold to Free‐Breathing: Possibilities in High‐Resolution Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping ( QSM ) of the Kidney With Respiratory Gating

PURPOSE: This study aimed to assess the feasibility of QSM in the human kidney during free-breathing using respiratory gating for motion compensation. METHODS: Renal imaging of 15 healthy volunteers was performed using an axial multi-echo GRE sequence on a 3 T MRI scanner. Each s...

Development of a prediction model for occupational satisfaction among cancer patients following counseling in German psychosocial cancer counseling centers

Abstract A prognostic model was developed and internally validated to predict satisfaction with the occupational situation among cancer patients receiving psychosocial counseling regarding return to work (RTW). Data were collected from outpatient cancer counseling centers in Germ...

Subtonsillar Approach to a Polylobulated Posterior Inferior Cerebellar Artery Aneurysm: A Case Illustration.

BACKGROUND AND IMPORTANCE: Dysplastic and polylobulated aneurysms of the posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA) present significant technical challenges because of their irregular geometry and proximity to the lower cranial nerves and brainstem perforators. When endovascular...

I regulate my emotions; therefore, I am creative? Daily emotion regulation and workplace creativity

Purpose Evidence on the daily within-person relationship between emotion regulation strategies and creativity remains limited, particularly in non-service contexts. This study addresses this gap by examining the indirect relationship between day-level deep and surface acting and...

Neuropsychobiological transdiagnostic risk mechanisms for aggression in mental disorders across the life span

Abstract Background Aggression in mental disorders (AMD) is a prevalent symptom, poses difficulties to the clinical setting and has far-reaching societal implications. The biological basis of different manifestations, developmental courses, and disease-specific mechanisms remains...

Hydrothermal origin of metabolic phosphorylation

Abstract Phosphate is central to modern bioenergetics and to all theories for the origin of life. How phosphate entered metabolism is unknown, though microbial physiology and geochemical environments can provide important clues. Some bacteria obtain electrons and energy from phos...