Baseline characteristics of patients with acute ischaemic stroke included in the randomised controlled Find-AF 2 trial.

Background: In the Find-AF 2 randomised controlled trial, we investigate whether a risk-adapted intensified heart rhythm monitoring with subsequent initiation of oral anticoagulation in ischaemic stroke patients leads to a reduction of recurrent ischaemic stroke and systemic embolism. The objective of this analysis is to present baseline characteristics of the overall Find-AF 2 study population and stratified by low or high risk for developing AF.

Methods: The Find-AF 2 trial included acute ischaemic stroke patients ≥ 60 years of age within 30 days of ischaemic stroke of any cause.

The effect of 6 months of structured strength or endurance exercise program on weight loss after gastric bypass surgery in a randomized controlled trial.

Purpose: To examine the effects of differently structured exercise programs (strength training (ST) vs endurance training (ET) vs a control group (CG)) on glucose metabolism and weight loss following Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass (RYGB).

Methods: After RYGB, patients were randomized to a standardized ST or ET program or a control group, the intervention started within 28 days. Outcomes at 6 months were glucose and lipid metabolism, anthropometrics, inflammation, and quality of life.

Pulmonary vein isolation versus SHAM-pulmonary vein isolation for symptomatic relief in patients with atrial fibrillation-Design and rationale of the PVI-SHAM-AF trial.

Background: Catheter ablation by pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) has a class IA recommendation for patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) resistant or intolerant to antiarrhythmic drug therapy to reduce symptoms, recurrence and progression of AF. However, the symptomatic effect of catheter ablation is difficult to quantitate in the absence of a double-blind trial with a sham procedure control. The PVI-SHAM-AF trial aims to compare the effects of catheter ablation versus a sham procedure on patient-reported outcomes using standardized AF questionnaires.

Evaluating Resmetirom Eligibility Among Patients with MASH: Insights from the German Steatotic Liver Disease-Registry.

The THR-β agonist resmetirom is the first treatment approved for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) in the US so far. It can be prescribed given MASH and F2/F3-fibrosis ("at-risk MASH").We analyzed how many patients qualify for resmetirom in a recently recruited Steatotic Liver Disease-cohort involving both tertiary and secondary care centers, the German SLD-Registry.

Surgical Antibiotic Prophylaxis Dosing in Adult Patients with Obesity: A Comprehensive Review of Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamic Data.

Surgical antibiotic prophylaxis is an important measure to prevent postoperative surgical site infections. Current guideline recommendations do not treat obesity specifically, although it can affect pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. The objective of this review was to synthesize current evidence on the need for obesity-related dosing adjustments in surgical antibiotic prophylaxis.

Evaluation of the need for dosing adaptations in obese patients for surgical antibiotic prophylaxis: a model-based analysis of cefazolin pharmacokinetics.

Background: Cefazolin is used as a prophylactic antibiotic to reduce surgical site infections (SSIs). Obesity has been identified as a risk factor for SSIs. Cefazolin dosing recommendations and guidelines are currently inconsistent for obese patients.

A simple blinding index for randomized controlled trials.

Blinding is an essential part of many randomized controlled trials. However, its quality is usually not checked, and when it is, common measures are the James index and/or the Bang index. In the present paper we discuss these two indices, providing examples demonstrating their considerable weaknesses and limitations, and propose an alternative method for measuring blinding.

Successful Amendment of an Existing Hepatitis B Screening Programme by a Guideline Recommended Hepatitis D Screening in the Primary Care Setting.

Background: Despite European guidelines recommending anti-hepatitis D virus (HDV) screening for all hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-positive cases, screening rates remain insufficient.

Aims: We analysed anti-HDV screening rates in primary care and implemented prospective HDV screening in HBsAg-positive cases identified in the preventive medical examination from the age of 35 ("Check-Up 35+").

Methods: From 2012 to 2021, we reviewed anti-HDV and HDV RNA test rates in HBsAg-positive patients at 11 sites of a large German laboratory group.

Successful hepatitis B and C screening in the health check-up in the German primary care setting.

Background & Aims: A goal of the World Health Organization's global hepatitis strategy is the elimination of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection by 2030. As part of its strategy, the Federal Joint Committee (Germany) decided to include hepatitis B and C screening in a preventive medical examination, which is performed at the primary care level in Germany. We investigated the results 1 year after implementation of screening between October 2021 and September 2022.

Visceral fat mass dynamics in a 2-year randomized STrength versus ENdurance training trial in people with obesity.

Aim: To compare the effectiveness of strength versus endurance training on reducing visceral fat in individuals with obesity.

Materials And Methods: For the STrength versus ENdurance (STEN) 24-month randomized clinical trial, we assigned 239 participants with abdominal obesity to either strength or endurance training (two to three times a week, 60 min/training session) in addition to standard nutritional counselling to promote a healthy diet. Changes in abdominal visceral adipose tissue (VAT) area quantified by magnetic resonance imaging after 12 months were defined as a primary endpoint.

Weight-Loss Endoscopy Trial: A Multicenter, Randomized, Controlled Trial Comparing Weight Loss in Endoscopically Implanted Duodenal-Jejunal Bypass Liners versus Intragastric Balloons versus a Sham Procedure.

Introduction: Obesity is associated with reduced life expectancy and various comorbidities. Surgical interventions are effective but accompanied by the risk of serious complications. Less invasive endoscopic procedures mainly comprise the intragastric balloon (IB) and the duodenal-jejunal bypass liner (DJBL).

Clinical management, pathogen spectrum and outcomes in patients with pyogenic liver abscess in a German tertiary-care hospital.

Pyogenic liver abscesses (PLA) are life-threatening disorders and require immediate treatment, but structured evidence is sparse and treatment guidelines are not established. In a retrospective observational study of 221 adult PLA patients (mean age 63 years, 63% men) treated between 2013 and 2019 at the Leipzig University Medical Center, we characterized pathogen spectrum, clinical management and outcomes. Biliary malignancies (33%), cholelithiasis (23%) and ischemic biliary tract disease (16%) were most common causes of PLA.

Near-infrared spectroscopy and electroencephalography neurofeedback for binge-eating disorder: an exploratory randomized trial.

Background: Binge-eating disorder (BED) co-occurs with neurobehavioral alterations in the processing of disorder-relevant content such as visual food stimuli. Whether neurofeedback (NF) directly targeting them is suited for treatment remains unclear. This study sought to determine feasibility and estimate effects of individualized, functional near-infrared spectroscopy-based real-time NF (rtfNIRS-NF) and high-beta electroencephalography-based NF (EEG-NF), assuming superiority over waitlist (WL).

Relevance of GLP-1 receptor agonists or SGLT-2 inhibitors on the recruitment for clinical studies in patients with NAFLD.

Introduction: Guidelines increasingly recommend the use of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RA) or sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) to prevent cardiovascular and cardiorenal endpoints. Both drugs also show beneficial effects in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Preexisting GLP-1 RA and SGLT2i therapies are frequently defined as exclusion criterion in clinical studies to avoid confounding effects.

Rationale of the PAPAartis trial.

Surgical and interventional repair of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms improve survival significantly compared to the natural history of the disease. However, both strategies are associated with a substantial risk of spinal cord ischemia, which has been reported to occur-even in contemporary series by expert centers-in up to 12% of patients, depending on the extent of the disease. Following improved neurological outcomes after staged approaches in extensive clinical and long-term large animal studies, and the description of the "collateral network", the concept of "Minimally Invasive Staged Segmental Artery Coil Embolization" (MISACE) was introduced by Etz This concept of priming the collateral network in order to improve spinal cord blood supply showed promising experimental and early clinical outcomes, and consequently led to the initiation of the randomized controlled multicenter PAPAartis trial (Paraplegia Prevention in Aortic Aneurysm Repair by Thoracoabdominal Staging).

Intensive heart rhythm monitoring to decrease ischemic stroke and systemic embolism-the Find-AF 2 study-rationale and design.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is one of the most frequent causes of stroke. Several randomized trials have shown that prolonged monitoring increases the detection of AF, but the effect on reducing recurrent cardioembolism, ie, ischemic stroke and systemic embolism, remains unknown. We aim to evaluate whether a risk-adapted, intensified heart rhythm monitoring with consequent guideline conform treatment, which implies initiation of oral anticoagulation (OAC), leads to a reduction of recurrent cardioembolism.