University Hospital Cologne

Clinical characteristics, treatment patterns, and survival outcomes in ductal prostate cancer: a multicenter retrospective analysis

Abstract Purpose Prostatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) is a rare, aggressive prostate cancer subtype associated with advanced disease and poorer prognosis than acinar adenocarcinoma. Small ductal components influence management and preclude active surveillance. This study analyze...

Determinants of mutation susceptibility along the genome are largely invariant across human tissues

Abstract Background The propensity for accumulating somatic mutations varies along the genome, which critically influences somatic mosaicism, tumor evolution and the potential role of somatic mutations in the context of age-associated diseases. Genomic factors contributing to the...

Integrated metabolomics data analysis to generate mechanistic hypotheses with MetaProViz

ABSTRACT With the growing number of metabolomics and lipidomics studies, robust strategies for bioinformatic analyses are increasingly important. However, the absence of standardized and reproducible workflows, coupled with ambiguous metabolite annotations, hampers effective anal...

Are large language models such as ChatGPT, capable of supporting patients and general practitioners after spine surgery?

Abstract Purpose To evaluate whether large language models (LLMs) can provide accurate, complete, and audience-adapted answers to common spine-surgery–related questions for patients and family practitioners. Methods Ten frequently asked spine-surgery questions were collected at a...

The quest for the optimal level of sense of agency in the case of human-operated, AI-enabled robotics

Sense of agency is the subjective feeling of being in control over one’s own actions and their sensory outcomes. Here, we propose that a key feature of sense of agency is its link to intrinsic motivation, which is a key driver for engagement with the environment without external...

The outpatient economic burden of respiratory syncytial virus infection in adults aged ≥ 60 years in Germany: results from the BUCOSS study

Abstract Background Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a major cause of acute respiratory infection (ARI) in adults aged ≥ 60 years, but data on its outpatient epidemiology and societal costs remain limited. Methods BUCOSS was a prospective observational study conducted over 3...

PLCG2 downregulation impairs synaptic function and increases Alzheimer’s disease hallmarks in neuronal cultures

We developed a high-content screening to investigate how Alzheimer’s disease (AD) genetic risk factors may affect synaptic mechanisms in rat primary neuronal cultures. Of the target genes identified, we found that Plcg2 downregulation in mouse dentate gyrus neurons consistently d...

Histological aging signatures for monitoring tissue-specific aging and disease

Aging is the primary risk factor for chronic disease and is characterized by profound structural and architectural remodeling of human tissues. Here, we present a comprehensive assessment of these changes using 25,712 whole-slide histopathological images from 40 tissue types acro...

FastRet: Fast andSimple Retention Time Predictionin Liquid Chromatography

Abstract Feature annotation in liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS)-based untargeted metabolomics remains challenging. Retention time (RT) prediction can support candidate prioritization and improve annotation confidence. Here, we present FastRet, an R package predicti...

Development of a multi-species luciferase-based double-antigen ELISA for the detection of antibodies against influenza A virus H5 clade 2.3.4.4b

ABSTRACT The highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses of subtype H5N1 represent a major threat to animal and public health. The current panzootic with H5 clade 2.3.4.4b has caused numerous, widespread outbreaks in various domestic and wild avian species with high mortalities, ma...

Mechanistic insights into phage dynamics to overcome intracellular bacterial reservoirs in urinary tract infections

Abstract Recurrent urinary tract infections frequently arise from uropathogenic bacteria invading bladder epithelial cells, where they establish persistent intracellular reservoirs. Phages represent a promising therapeutic alternative to antibiotics owing to their host specificit...

Influence of dextran deswelling on graft preparation and clinical outcomes in DMEK

Abstract To evaluate the influence of dextran-containing versus dextran-free organ culture media on graft preparation characteristics and postoperative outcomes following Descemet Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty (DMEK). In this single-center retrospective comparative study, 31...

A Case Report on Cerebral Autoregulation in Posterior Reversible Encephalopathy Syndrome After Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

BACKGROUND: Disturbed cerebral autoregulation remains a theoretical contributor to posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES), but it has not been captured before. We report invasively measured autoregulation indices in a 50-year-old female with aneurysmal subarachnoid h...

Nutrient stress activates RAB5B-mediated autophagy to remodel the synaptic proteome

Abstract Synaptic proteostasis is crucial for maintaining neuronal function and plasticity, yet how synapses adapt to metabolic stress remains poorly understood. Here, we show that nutrient deprivation, particularly serum withdrawal, induces robust autophagy-dependent remodeling...