University Hospital Münster

Parvovirus B19 infections in paediatric sickle cell disease patients: Genotype and hydroxyurea treatment influence disease severity

Summary In patients with sickle cell disease (SCD), parvovirus B19 infection (B19V) leads to acute anaemia (aplastic crisis), but may also be associated with other serious complications. We retrospectively analysed clinical data from paediatric SCD patients with B19V infections b...

Pre-ejaculate – an overlooked body fluid with high amounts of DNA

Pre-ejaculate is a clear, sperm-free liquid secreted by the male bulbourethral glands. Since it is currently not a subject of routine forensic testing, pre-ejaculate is often overlooked. The aim of this study was to characterize the forensic value of pre-ejaculate: Pre-ejaculate...

Comparative Pharmacokinetics of Trientine Dihydrochloride Capsules: A Randomized, Open-Label, Reference-Controlled, Two-Period Crossover Study in Healthy Volunteers

Trientine dihydrochloride (TETA-2HCl) is an oral copper chelator used for Wilson disease. Because available formulations differ in marketed strength and may have formulation-specific pharmacokinetic properties, this study compared a 250 mg test capsule and a 300 mg reference caps...

Rehabilitation and the post-intensive care syndrome across the recovery continuum: a narrative review

Purpose Improved survival from critical illness has produced a growing population of intensive care unit (ICU) survivors with new or worsened physical, cognitive, and mental-health impairment, defined as post-intensive care syndrome (PICS), and frequent distress among families/ca...

A multicenter analysis of prognostic factors for patients undergoing re-irradiation for recurrent glioblastoma

Abstract Background Re-irradiation (re-RT) has gained popularity in the treatment of recurrent or progressive glioblastoma (rGBM) after first-line treatment. However, uncertainties regarding optimal treatment dose, fraction size and target volume definition remain. In this multic...

Extracellular cues and cellular conversations: The molecular choreography of embryo implantation

Infertility affects millions of people globally with recent statistics indicating that one in six adults is experiencing reproductive challenges at some point. For female infertility in particular, the global health burden is continuously intensifying with significant disparities...

Guidance for laboratory implementation, governance and continuous assurance of artificial intelligence in histopathology

Abstract Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming histopathology, with applications ranging from workflow optimisation and quality assurance to tumour diagnosis, grading, biomarker assessment and estimation of prognosis. While numerous AI algorithms have demonstrated...

Brugada Syndrome in the Pediatric Population: Diagnostic Challenges and Clinical Outcome—Results of the German Multicenter Study COGIA

ABSTRACT Introduction Diagnosis and treatment of children and adolescents with suspected Brugada syndrome (BrS) is challenging. Aim of the study was to evaluate the applicability of current diagnostic criteria for pediatric patients with suspected BrS in the German multicenter st...

Pediatric intensive care follow-up in Germany is rarely established and highly heterogeneous: a nationwide survey of 20 PICUs

BACKGROUND: Survival after pediatric critical illness has improved substantially, but many survivors and their families experience long-term physical, neurocognitive, psychological and social sequelae, summarized as post-intensive care syndrome in pediatrics and in families. Stru...

Palynology of Bathonian macroflora-bearing beds from NW-Jordan – expanding a rare ‘peephole’ into Middle Jurassic palaeotropical vegetation

Abstract A diverse and well-preserved sporomorph assemblage was recovered from the Middle Jurassic (Bathonian) marine Arda Formation in Jordan. The recorded palynomorphs originated from macroflora-rich layers that primarily represent a bennettitalean-fern community. This finding...

HBV re-activation is associated with increased mortality and dysregulation of oxidative and polyamine metabolism in pre-acute-on-chronic liver failure

Abstract Background/Aims Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) is one of the deadliest complications of chronic liver disease yet treatment options are sparse. In Asia, HBV-reactivation (HBVr) is one of the most common triggers. Recently, HBV-associated ACLF was associated with d...

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...

Transport of cytotoxic cyanine dyes coupled to siRNA into hematopoietic cancer cells with CD20-, CD22- or CD33-targeting ELART nanocarriers

Abstract The efficient and safe transfection of hematopoietic cells is a major hurdle that limits efficacy of therapeutic approaches like RNA-interference. We therefore used our modular EL ectrostatic A ntibody si R NA T argeted therapy platform (ELART) to develop nanocarriers de...

The transcription factor NF-Y promotes myeloid cell survival and protects from inflammatory vascular disease

Abstract Background Myeloid cells orchestrate vascular inflammation through transcriptional programs that regulate their maturation, effector function, and survival. While lineage-determining transcription factors establish myeloid identity, understanding of the transcriptional r...

Endothelial biomarkers predict kidney and cardiovascular outcomes after acute kidney injury

Abstract Background Acute kidney injury (AKI) is common in hospitalized patients, and post-injury biological processes activated after the initial insult may determine recovery or sustained damage. Identifying these processes may offer opportunities for early intervention, and bi...

Acute kidney injury and renal replacement therapy: a critical synthesis of metabolic derangements and nutritional implications

Acute kidney injury (AKI) affects up to 50% of critically ill patients and is frequently complicated by severe metabolic derangements, requiring the initiation of replacement therapy (RRT) in 10–15% of cases. Despite substantial progress in the diagnosis of AKI and optimisation o...

Conservative and surgical treatment of wrist osteoarthritis: a systematic review

INTRODUCTION: Wrist osteoarthritis leads to pain and functional impairment. Despite conservative treatment options, surgery remains a central therapeutic component. In Germany, the number of patients rose from over 472,000 cases in 2018 to more than 580,000 in 2024. This review e...

Subgroup variations in effectiveness of femoropopliteal sirolimus versus paclitaxel-coated balloon angioplasty: post hoc results of the randomised SIRONA trial

INTRODUCTION: The randomised SIRONA trial showed that sirolimus-coated balloon (SCB) angioplasty was non-inferior to paclitaxel-coated balloon angioplasty (PCB) regarding femoropopliteal primary patency. There was no difference in clinically driven target lesion revascularisation...

Magnetic resonance imaging‐based axial‐plane analysis of lower extremity torsion with dedicated 3D planning software is reliable and efficient

PURPOSE: The reliability and efficiency of a dedicated 3D planning software were evaluated for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based measurement of femoral torsion, tibial torsion, knee version and whole-lower extremity torsion compared with manual assessment. METHODS: In this r...

DECIDER-2: Prospective randomized multicenter phase III trial of decitabine and venetoclax administered in combination with all-trans retinoic acid or placebo in patients with acute myeloid leukemia who are ineligible for induction chemotherapy

Abstract Background Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is predominantly a disease of older patients with a poor long-term survival. Approval of the combination of venetoclax (VEN) with azacitidine (AZA) or decitabine (DAC) in the European Union in 2021 for the treatment of patients wit...