University Hospital Cologne

Schizophrenia research in 2026: report from the annual meeting of the Schizophrenia International Research Society

Abstract SIRS 2026, held under the theme “Schizophrenia Research in the Era of Artificial Intelligence,” brought together researchers, clinicians, and persons with lived experience to take stock of a field whose tools for measuring, predicting, and intervening in psychosis have e...

Screening strategies for the early detection of non-cardia gastric cancer in low- to moderate-prevalence regions: Asia-Pacific gastroesophageal cancer congress consensus 2026

Abstract Background Gastric cancer (GC) remains a major global health burden, and early detection is essential for improving patient outcomes. Although GC screening has been widely implemented in East Asian countries with a high disease burden, the optimal screening strategy for...

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...

Understanding cell fate decisions with temporal attention

Understanding non-genetic determinants of cell fate is critical for developing and improving cancer therapies, as genetically identical cells can exhibit divergent outcomes under the same treatment conditions. In this work, we present a deep learning approach for cell fate predic...

Object groups mutually bias each other’s perceived average size, as evidenced by neural and behavioural data

Abstract The human visual system simultaneously computes summary statistics of object features, such as average size, across groups of objects. Evidence suggests that summary statistics across groups of objects (ensembles) are not independent but influence one another. We investi...

Prognosis of acute symptomatic seizures and impact of prolonged treatment with anti‐seizure medication

Abstract Objectives Acute symptomatic epileptic seizures (ASySs) occur in temporal proximity to acute brain insults. Given their low risk of subsequent unprovoked seizures, current guidelines recommend either no treatment with anti‐seizure medication (ASM) or early discontinuatio...

FIND: a phase-II study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of erdafitinib in FGFR-altered NSCLC

Abstract Introduction: FGFR alterations occur in approximately 2% of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients, predominantly in squamous cell histology (sqNSCLC). We evaluated the efficacy of the selective FGFR1-4 inhibitor erdafitinib in patients with FGFR-altered NSCLC. Meth...

Deep whole genome sequencing of epileptogenic brain lesions

Abstract Objective Malformations of cortical development and low‐grade epilepsy‐associated tumors often cause drug‐resistant lesional focal epilepsy (LFE) amenable to surgical treatment. Genetic testing of resected brain tissue can provide diagnostic and mechanistic information a...

Outcomes of front-line tagraxofusp in patients with blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN) in a real-world scenario

Abstract Tagraxofusp (TAG), a CD123-directed protein-drug conjugate, is approved in front-line and relapsed/refractory blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN). Multicenter real-world outcomes and the contribution of up-front consolidation post-TAG remain less defined...

Retinal nerve fibre layer thickness change in the parapapillary region

Purpose To assess radial changes in the retinal nerve fibre layer thickness (RNFLT) in the temporal parapapillary region. Methods Using radial optical coherence tomographic images of the optic nerve head, we measured in a sample of participants of the population-based Beijing Eye...

Combining TAG ‐ 72CAR with anti‐ MUC16CAR improves the potency of ovarian cancer treatment

Ovarian cancer (OC) is typically associated with poor prognosis and high mortality. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T‐cell therapy offers a promising strategy, yet its application in solid tumours remains constrained by limited efficacy and on‐target/off‐tumour toxicities. We pre...

Comparison of navigation and fluoroscopic assisted posterior spinal fusion in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis surgery

Abstract Purpose Intraoperative navigation is increasingly used in spinal deformity surgery. However, evidence comparing navigated and conventional fluoroscopic-assisted posterior fusion in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis is still heterogeneous and often lacks comprehensive perio...

Leptin-sensitive hypothalamic Lepr+/Glp1r+ neurons limit hyperphagia and weight gain in diet-induced obesity

Abstract Despite loss of responsiveness to exogenous leptin in obesity, endogenous leptin continues to restrain feeding, although the neural substrates that remain sensitive and mediate this effect remain unknown. Combining spatial transcriptomics with single-nucleus RNA sequenci...

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...

Respiratory Syncytial Virus Vaccination Strongly Induces RSVpreF-specific IgG and Neutralizing Activity in Immunocompromised Individuals.

Background: Protein-based respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) prefusion F (RSVpreF) vaccines show promising immunogenicity in immunocompromised individuals. We have recently shown that RSV-specific CD4 T-cell responses and IgG antibodies were significantly induced, but data on func...

Geriatric co-managed prehabilitation before esophagectomy in patients aged ≥ 65 years with esophageal cancer: a prospective feasibility study with matched historical controls

Abstract Purpose Older patients undergoing esophagectomy remain at high risk for perioperative morbidity. This study evaluated the feasibility, safety and adherence of a multimodal prehabilitation program integrated with geriatric co-management in patients aged ≥ 65 years schedul...

The global cost of schizophrenia: a health economic modelling study

Abstract Background Schizophrenia is a chronic psychiatric disorder that leads to substantial disability, impaired quality of life, and reduced life expectancy. In addition to its profound impact on affected individuals, the disorder places a considerable financial burden on heal...

Cadaveric training of total hepatic vascular exclusion for juxtahepatic venous injury: a technical study

Abstract Purpose Retrohepatic inferior vena cava (IVC) injury is a rare but frequently fatal challenge in trauma surgery. This study describes a structured cadaveric training sequence for total hepatic vascular exclusion (THVE), including transdiaphragmatic intrapericardial IVC e...

Fecal Aβ and tau aggregates are elevated in cognitive impairment and reveal peripheral proteopathic alterations

Abstract Background Aggregation of amyloid-β (Aβ) and tau is central to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathogenesis and forms the basis of established cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and imaging biomarkers. However, increasing evidence suggests that AD involves systemic processes beyond the...

The German S3-level guideline for the diagnosis and management of rare dental disorders

Abstract Objectives The aim of this German S3-level guideline project was to develop evidence-based recommendations to support professionals in the diagnosis and management of individuals with rare dental disorders. The research question was which form of dental care should be pa...