University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf

Integrated longitudinal analysis of ctDNA, radiologic response, and tumor volume reveals spatial and temporal heterogeneity in advanced melanoma

Abstract Background In advanced melanoma, longitudinal disease monitoring remains limited by infrequent biomarker assessment and predominantly categorical imaging readouts. Although circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) correlates with tumor burden, its behavior under high-frequency samp...

Incidence and Predictors of Braid Deformations following Aneurysm Treatment with the DERIVO(2heal) Flow Diverter: A Single-Center Experience

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Flow diverters (FDs) are established endoluminal devices for intracranial aneurysm treatment. Concerns have been raised regarding braid deformations (BDs) affecting braid stability. We investigated the incidence and potential predictors of BDs in DERIVO an...

Scientific Competence in Undergraduate Medical Education: Professional Orientations of Physiology Educators

Introduction: Scientific Competence (SC) is a central objective in medical education, but its conceptualization remains insufficiently differentiated, particularly regarding the relationship between evidence use and participation in scientific knowledge generation. Objective: Thi...

A systematic review of ultrasound to predict severe disease in patients with dengue and other viral infections associated with hemorrhagic fevers

Background Viral infections associated with hemorrhagic fevers (VaHFs) cause millions of cases each year across a broad geography with severity ranging from asymptomatic cases to clinical disease with a high case fatality rate. Commonalities in pathophysiology across VaHFs includ...

Effectiveness of concept map–based reflective learning for teaching peripheral intravenous catheterization to first-year nursing students: a cluster-randomized controlled trial

Traditional teaching methods in nursing education may not effectively integrate theory and practice. Concept map–based reflective learning may facilitate knowledge organization and support meaningful learning and critical thinking. This cluster-randomized controlled pretest–postt...

Impedance-based tracking of a cochlear implant electrode reliably detects successful array insertion

Abstract Introduction Continuous impedance measurements during cochlear implantation have been hypothesized to provide a reliable indication if the electrode is inside or outside the cochlea. Therefore they provide a valuable feedback mechanism for successful insertion to the sur...

Problematic social media use among young people in Germany: frequency and associated psychosocial and behavioral factors – results from the COPSY study

Abstract Problematic social media use (PSMU) among young people has become an increasing public health concern. This study examined the frequency of at-risk and pathological social media use and factors associated with PSMU using data from T1 (wave 7; 2024) and T2 (wave 8; 2025)...

Belantamab mafodotin plus venetoclax in t(11;14)-positive relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma – the BELI(E)VE trial

Abstract Background Multiple myeloma (MM) is a widely incurable B-cell malignancy that predominantly affects older adults, representing 10% of hematologic cancers. Despite advancements in therapy that have significantly extended median overall survival (OS), MM remains a clinical...

Efficacy, safety and circulating tumor cell dynamics in patients treated with Eribulin for HER2-negative advanced breast cancer – results from the phase II DETECT IVb trial

Abstract Background Eribulin is a non-taxane microtubule inhibitor that showed survival benefits for pretreated metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are a prognostic marker, but their role in predicting response to specific MBC treatments is les...

Biliary complications in pediatric living donor liver transplantation: An international multicenter analysis of risk and prognostic factors

Biliary reconstruction is often considered the Achilles’ heel of liver transplantation, yet risk factors and outcomes remain poorly defined, particularly in pediatric living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). This international multicenter study aims to identify predictors of bi...

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...

Clinical usability of an explainable AI decision support tool and evaluation of multimodal models in NSCLC

Abstract Despite a decade in, immunotherapy (IO) treatment selection in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains largely guided by subgroup analyses and imperfect programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) and clinical scores. To our knowledge, I 3 LUNG ( NCT05537922 ) is currently the...

Methods for analyzing recurrent and terminal events considering composite and competing endpoints in clinical trials: a practical overview

Abstract Time to event endpoints like time to myocardial infarction, relapse, or death are often of primary interest in clinical trials. To describe the whole disease process and gain a complete picture of treatment effects, methods for recurrent time to event analysis considerin...

Barriers, challenges, and facilitators in oral health care for older adults in home-based care: stakeholder perspectives from germany

Abstract Background With the growing number of people requiring long-term care in Germany, not only is the prevalence of chronic diseases increasing, but oral health is also deteriorating. Many older adults with functional impairments who live at home can no longer maintain their...

Disease-activity-linked complement-coagulation interactions and persistent platelet activation in treatment-naïve systemic lupus erythematosus

Background Thrombosis is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Although multiple prothrombotic pathways have been identified, most have been studied individually or after treatment initiation. We aimed to characterize interactions between...

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...

Noninvasive and objective near-real-time detection of pain changes during tonic fluctuating noxious heat stimulation

ABSTRACT: Chronic pain involves natural intensity fluctuations that patients cannot control, contributing to learned helplessness and functional impairment. Detecting spontaneous pain decreases could enable precisely timed interventions that enhance perceived control. However, ex...

Unilateral vitreoretinal proliferation and retinal vessel tortuosity in Proteus syndrome

Fig. 1 Full size image Multimodal retinal imaging of a 29-year-old woman of African descent with Proteus syndrome [ 1 , 2 ], showing tortuous retinal vessels with vitreoretinal proliferation along the superior vascular arcade in the left eye ( A , B ). The left half of the head w...

Optimizing MRI sequence selection for glioma classification: a radiomics-based analysis of WHO CNS grade, final pathological diagnosis, and IDH status

Abstract Background Multi-sequence MRI protocols for glioma classification are resource-intensive, prompting the need to identify optimal, potentially reduced imaging protocols. Purpose To evaluate the diagnostic utility of individual MRI sequences (ASL, DWI, FLAIR, SWI, T1w, T2w...

Negotiating uncertainty and responsibility after a vestibular schwannoma diagnosis: a qualitative study of meaning-making and surgical decision-making

Abstract Background A diagnosis of vestibular schwannoma (VS) confronts patients with complex treatment decisions under conditions of uncertainty. While previous research has focused on treatment outcomes, symptom trajectories, and predictors of treatment choice, less is known ab...