University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz

War-related and psychological predictors of experiential and physiological fear of war in Germany: findings from a nationally representative survey

Abstract Background Fear of war has emerged as a relevant psychosocial phenomenon in Europe, yet little is known about factors associated with its experiential and physiological dimensions in representative populations. This study examined sociodemographic, war-related, and psych...

Psychotherapy remission prediction models show limited cross-clinic generalizability in routine outpatient care

Abstract Clinical prediction models for psychotherapy outcomes have the potential to assist therapists in planning a patient’s individual treatment, but their clinical utility depends on maintaining predictive performance across settings. We assessed prediction of post-treatment...

Quantitative proteomics reveals coordinated changes in the proteome during replicative senescence

Abstract Cellular senescence is a state of irreversible cell cycle arrest triggered by telomere erosion, persistent DNA damage or chronic stress. The accumulation of senescent cells disrupts tissue function and contributes to aging and disease. Here, we employ mass spectrometry-b...

Whole-blood transcriptomics identifies a distinct metabolic and inflammatory signature in lupus arthritis compared with rheumatoid arthritis

BACKGROUND: Lupus arthritis (LA) is a major determinant of clinical outcomes and treat-to-target strategies in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), yet its molecular basis remains elusive. METHODS: Whole-blood RNA sequencing from 170 SLE [67 with active arthritis but quiescent dis...

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...

Colour Doppler ultrasound assessment of retrobulbar hemodynamics and static retinal vessel analysis in Sjögren’s disease: the SICARD cohort

Abstract Objectives To assess, for the first time, macrovascular, medium-calibre vessel, and microvascular damage in Sjögren’s disease (SjD) using carotid greyscale ultrasound (GSUS), retrobulbar colour Doppler ophthalmic artery (OA) ultrasound (RCDUS), and static retinal vessel...

Enhancing detection of polygenic adaptation: a comparative study of machine learning and statistical approaches using simulated evolve-and-resequence data

Abstract Background Detecting signals of polygenic adaptation remains a significant challenge in population genomics, as traditional methods often struggle to identify the associated subtle, multi-locus allele-frequency shifts. Here, we introduced and tested several novel approac...

Neural sharpening of object categories through parafoveal priming

Abstract During natural vision, humans make saccades approximately every 250–300 ms to fixate on important objects in a scene. Given this rapid succession of eye movements, it has been proposed that visual processing begins in the parafovea, prior to fixation. Such parafoveal pre...

The Pear Strategy for Two‐Ring Pulmonary Vein Isolation: Antral and Sleeve Ablation Using a Balloon‐in‐Basket Pulsed Field Ablation Catheter

ABSTRACT Background Pulsed field ablation (PFA) has emerged as a promising energy source for atrial fibrillation (AF) catheter ablation. This study aimed to describe the adoption and workflow optimization of a novel balloon‐in‐basket PFA catheter using a two rings balloon and pea...

Does a 360° VR nature environment augment relaxation during a MBSR breathing meditation?

Abstract This study investigated whether immersive 360° virtual reality (VR) nature environments enhance the relaxation effects of a guided mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) breathing meditation. In a randomized controlled trial, 100 healthy adults were assigned to one of...

ATP‐Mediated Bidirectional Communication Between Natural and Artificial Cells for Controlled Bioreactions

ABSTRACT Communication between living and artificial cells represents a fundamental step toward constructing hybrid systems capable of cooperative behaviors. Here, we introduce an ATP‐mediated energy transduction mechanism that enables bidirectional communication between natural...

Messenger RNA delivery of a dual CD25/CD122 affinity-tuned IL-2 variant prolongs exposure and potentiates antitumor T cell immunity

The therapeutic potential of interleukin-2 (IL-2) in cancer treatment is limited by toxicity challenges, partly due to an unfavorable pharmacokinetic profile and unintended activation of regulatory T (T reg ) cells alongside the desired activation of CD8 + effector T cells. To se...

Maternal DNA repair safeguards genome stability during the oocyte-to-embryo transition

Abstract De novo mutations are a major source of genetic variation and disease risk, yet the developmental timing and mechanisms underlying their origin require further investigation. While germ cells have traditionally been considered the primary source of these mutations, incre...

Immunogenicity and safety of seasonal influenza vaccine co-administered with other vaccines: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract Seasonal influenza remains a leading cause of global morbidity and mortality, highlighting the need for vaccination strategies that improve coverage and streamline vaccine delivery. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science,...

Tricuspid-Valve Intervention in Heart Failure

BackgroundThe effect of transcatheter tricuspid-valve repair on clinical outcomes, including death and hospitalization for heart failure, in patients with severe tricuspid regurgitation remains uncertain. MethodsWe randomly assigned patients with symptomatic severe tricuspid regu...

Repair of DNA double-strand breaks after low radiation doses in childhood cancer survivors and matched cancer-free individuals

Abstract DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) which arise in G1- or G0-phase normal human cells are repaired by non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ), a pathway which is important for cell survival but can cause mutations at the break sites. DSB repair by NHEJ is very efficient at high da...

Mitigation of serotonin-caused suppression of osteoblast function by extracts of the psychoactive indigenous plant Sceletium tortuosum

Abstract Background Sceletium tortuosum is an endemic plant in Southern Africa, traditionally used as kanna by the indigenous people and also exploited commercially due to its mood-elevating properties. Mesembrine, a major alkaloid from this plant, acts as a selective serotonin r...

CD8+ effector memory and regulatory T cell dynamics predict subclinical atherosclerotic plaque formation in healthy aging

<title>Abstract</title> Background Subclinical atherosclerotic plaque (SAP) develops silently in older adults. Early biological changes that predict plaque formation are not well defined. We examined whether immunological, and metabolic or functional measures identify vascular vu...

Caregiver-reported experience of integrated care for children with special health care needs and its sociodemographic, health- and network-related correlates in Germany: Cross-sectional results from the PART-CHILD cohort

Abstract Background Children with special health care needs (CSHCN) often rely on cross-sectoral care networks involving medical, therapeutic, educational, and social services. However, key dimensions of integrated care, including cross-sectoral communication and attention to fam...

Global stability and uniform persistence in an epidemic model with saturating fomite-mediated transmission

Abstract We analyse the global dynamics of a Susceptible–Vaccinated–Exposed–Infected–Recovered (SVEIR) epidemic model with demographic turnover, imperfect vaccination, and two transmission routes: direct host-to-host contagion and indirect transmission via contaminated fomites. I...