Shaping Quality in Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance: A Comparative Study of Segmentation Approaches by Trainees and Experts.

Background: Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) is an established cardiovascular imaging (CVI) technique. Deficits in training limit the widespread use of CMR. This study analyzed the influence of CVI experience on segmentation, to define quality standards for teaching and supervision.

Disease stage-specific atrophy markers in Alzheimer's disease.

Introduction: Structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) often lacks diagnostic, prognostic, and monitoring value in Alzheimer's disease (AD), particularly in early disease stages. To improve its utility, we aimed to identify optimal atrophy markers for different intended uses.

Methods: We included 363 older adults; cognitively unimpaired individuals who were negative or positive for amyloid beta (Aβ) and Aβ-positive patients with subjective cognitive decline, mild cognitive impairment, or dementia of the Alzheimer type.

Relationships Between Self-Reported Sleep Quality, Quantity and Timing on Workdays vs Work-Free Days and Lifestyle Factors in Healthy Adults.

Purpose: Sufficient quantity and quality of sleep are crucial for physical and mental health and performance. The ideal duration and time of sleep varies from person to person, with the latter depending on chronotype. However, rather than accommodating these needs, everyday life is often structured around rigid societal times that can result in sleep deficits and poor sleep quality.

The economic burden of subjective cognitive decline, mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's dementia: excess costs and associated clinical and risk factors.

Background: With the availability of first disease-modifying treatments, evidence on costs across the entire Alzheimer's Continuum, especially for early disease stages, becomes increasingly important to inform healthcare planning, resource allocation, and policy decisions. This study assessed costs and cost-associated factors in patients with subjective cognitive decline (SCD), mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's Disease (AD) dementia compared to healthy controls.

Methods: The German DELCODE cohort study assessed clinical data, healthcare resource use, and informal care provision.

Mini social cognition and emotional assessment: Diagnostic performance and neural correlates in behavioural-variant frontotemporal dementia.

We aimed at validating the Mini Social Cognition and Emotional Assessment (Mini-SEA) in a German cohort of mildly impaired behavioural-variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) patients and healthy controls. The Mini-SEA comprises the Facial Emotion Recognition Test (FERT) and the Faux Pas Test (FPT) measuring Theory of Mind (ToM) abilities in social norm-related real-life stories. We examined the diagnostic performance of the Mini-SEA alongside other neuropsychological assessments and investigated its structural neural correlates.

Intermuscular adipose tissue and lean muscle mass assessed with MRI in people with chronic back pain in Germany: a retrospective observational study.

Background: Chronic back pain (CBP) affects over 80 million people in Europe, contributing to substantial healthcare costs and disability. Understanding modifiable risk factors, such as muscle composition, may aid in prevention and treatment. This study investigates the association between lean muscle mass (LMM) and intermuscular adipose tissue (InterMAT) with CBP using noninvasive whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Associations of road traffic noise with adipose tissue depots and hepatic fat content - Results from the German National Cohort (NAKO).

Little is known about the relation between traffic noise exposure, an established environmental risk factor for cardiovascular disease, and early obesity-related risk markers such as adipose tissue (AT) and hepatic fat. Therefore, we aimed to assess associations of long-term road traffic noise exposure with AT depots measures from whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We analyzed cross-sectional data from 11,343 participants from the population-based German National Cohort (NAKO) who underwent MRI examination between 2014 and 2016, considering visceral (VAT), subcutaneous abdominal (SCAAT), subcutaneous thoracic AT (SCTAT) and hepatic fat content as outcomes.

Application of IVDr NMR spectroscopy to stratify Parkinson's disease with absolute quantitation of blood serum metabolites and lipoproteins.

The challenge of early detection and stratification in Parkinson's disease (PD) is urgent due to the current emergence of mechanism-based disease-modifying treatments. In here, metabolomic and lipidomic parameters obtained by a standardized and targeted in vitro diagnostic research (IVDr) platform have a significant potential to address therapy-related questions and generate improved biomarker panels. Our study aimed to use IVDr nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to quantify metabolites and lipoproteins in PD blood serum from different cohorts to stratify metabolically driven subtypes of idiopathic and genetic PD.

CD8 T cell-derived CD40L mediates noncanonical cytotoxicity in CD40-expressing cancer cells.

T cells and their effector functions, in particular the canonical cytotoxicity of CD8 T cells involving perforin, granzymes, Fas ligand (FasL), and tumor necrosis factor related apoptosis inducing ligand (TRAIL), are crucial for tumor immunity. Here, we reveal a previously unidentified mechanism by which CD40L-expressing CD8 T cells induce cytotoxicity in cancer cells. In murine models, up to 50% of tumor-specific CD8 T cells expressed CD40L, and conditional CD40L ablation in CD8 T cells alone led to tumor formation.

Verity plots: A novel method of visualizing reliability assessments of artificial intelligence methods in quantitative cardiovascular magnetic resonance.

Background: Artificial intelligence (AI) methods have established themselves in cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) as automated quantification tools for ventricular volumes, function, and myocardial tissue characterization. Quality assurance approaches focus on measuring and controlling AI-expert differences but there is a need for tools that better communicate reliability and agreement. This study introduces the Verity plot, a novel statistical visualization that communicates the reliability of quantitative parameters (QP) with clear agreement criteria and descriptive statistics.

Observer variabilities for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease using anatomical and functional testing: the impact of certification.

Aim: To compare the reproducibility in reporting of coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) or cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) by certified readers for CCTA and CMR by the German Society of Cardiology (DGK) versus that by non-certified readers.

Methods: The study included 40 randomly selected CCTA and vasodilator stress CMR patient datasets. For CCTA, the degree of lumen narrowing, plaque composition, and high-risk plaque features were assessed.

Disease stage-specific atrophy markers in Alzheimer's disease.

Introduction: Structural MRI often lacks diagnostic, prognostic, and monitoring value in Alzheimer's disease (AD), particularly in early disease stages. To improve its utility, we aimed to identify optimal MRI readouts for different use cases.

Methods: We included 363 older adults; healthy controls (HC) who were negative or positive for amyloidbeta (Aβ) and Aβ-positive patients with subjective cognitive decline (SCD), mild cognitive impairment, or dementia of the Alzheimer type.

Perivascular space and white matter hyperintensities in Alzheimer's disease: associations with disease progression and cognitive function.

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia, characterized by the accumulation of amyloid-beta (Aβ) and neurofibrillary tangles. Recent studies emphasize the role of vascular factors, including the glymphatic system, in AD pathogenesis, particularly in Aβ clearance. The diffusion tensor image analysis along the perivascular space (DTI-ALPS; ALPS-Index) has emerged as a novel, non-invasive method to evaluate the glymphatic system in vivo, showing glymphatic insufficiency in AD.

Lumos: Software for Multi-level Multi-reader Comparison of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Late Gadolinium Enhancement Scar Quantification.

Cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) offers state-of-the-art myocardial tissue differentiation. The CMR technique late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) currently provides the noninvasive gold standard for the detection of myocardial fibrosis. Typically, thresholding methods are used for fibrotic scar tissue quantification.

Assessing reliability and comparability of 4D flow CMR whole heart measurements using retrospective valve tracking: A single-vendor study in the Berlin research network.

Introduction: This study investigated intracardiac flow dynamics and assessed the comparability and reliability of 4D flow CMR measurements across multiple sites within the Berlin Research Network for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (BER-CMR) using 3D cine phase-contrast imaging with three-directional velocity encoding in a healthy traveling cohort.

Methods: In a prospective multi-site cohort study, 20 healthy volunteers underwent CMR at different sites. Quantitative assessment of Forward flow Volume (FFV), Peak (PV) and Mean Velocity (MV) across the heart's valves were conducted using retrospective valve tracking.

Analysis of confounders of the image quality of a high-resolution isotropic three-dimensional Dixon water-fat late gadolinium enhancement technique.

Background: Three-dimensional (3D) water-fat separated late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) imaging is a cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging technique allowing simultaneous assessment of and discrimination between cardiac fibrosis and myocardial fatty infiltration. The aim of this study is to systematically analyze the image quality of a 3D water-fat separated LGE research sequence and identify confounders of image quality METHODS: In total, 126 patients and 12 healthy volunteers were included. Patients were included with inflammatory bowel disease (n=35), muscular dystrophy (n=38), hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (n=23) and paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (n=30).

Advanced disease and CD8 TEMRA cells predict severe infections in multiple myeloma.

Introduction: Infections are a major cause of early morbidity and mortality in patients with multiple myeloma (MM) who are characterized by immunodeficiency secondary to disease. However, prospectively collected data on infection risk in this population are scarce. We aimed at identifying parameters in monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) and newly diagnosed MM (NDMM) patients with predictive power for early severe infections (SI).

Cognitive Deficits in Anti-LGI1 Encephalitis Are Linked to Immunotherapy-Resistant White Matter Network Changes.

Background And Objectives: Cognitive deficits represent a major long-term complication of anti-leucine-rich, glioma-inactivated 1 encephalitis (LGI1-E). Although severely affecting patient outcomes, the structural brain changes underlying these deficits remain poorly understood. In this study, we hypothesized a link between white matter (WM) networks and cognitive outcomes in LGI1-E.

Sleep and circadian rhythms in delayed sleep-wake phase disorder: Phenotypic differences between patients with and without comorbid depression.

Delayed sleep-wake phase disorder involves chronic difficulty going to bed and waking up at conventional times and often co-occurs with depression. This study compared sleep and circadian rhythms between patients with delayed sleep-wake phase disorder with depression (DSWPD-D) and without (DSWPD-ND) comorbid depression. Clinical records of 162 patients with delayed sleep-wake phase disorder (70 DSWPD-D, 92 DSWPD-ND) were analysed, including a subset of 76 patients with circadian phase determined by the dim light melatonin onset.

Flow Cytometric Assessment of FcγRIIIa-V158F Polymorphisms and NK Cell Mediated ADCC Revealed Reduced NK Cell Functionality in Colorectal Cancer Patients.

Antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) by NK cells is a key mechanism in anti-cancer therapies with monoclonal antibodies, including cetuximab (EGFR-targeting) and avelumab (PDL1-targeting). Fc gamma receptor IIIa (FcγRIIIa) polymorphisms impact ADCC, yet their clinical relevance in NK cell functionality remains debated. We developed two complementary flow cytometry assays: one to predict the FcγRIIIa-V158F polymorphism using a machine learning model, and a 15-color flow cytometry panel to assess antibody-induced NK cell functionality and cancer-immune cell interactions.

Environmental enrichment is associated with favorable memory-related functional brain activity patterns in older adults.

Background: In humans, environmental enrichment (EE), as measured by the engagement in a variety of leisure activities, has been associated with larger hippocampal structure and better memory function. The present cross-sectional study assessed whether EE during early life (13-30 years) and midlife (30-65 years) is associated with better preserved memory-related brain activity patterns in older age.

Methods: In total, 372 cognitively unimpaired older adults (aged ≥60 years old) of the DZNE-Longitudinal Study on Cognitive Impairment and Dementia (DELCODE; DRKS00007966) were investigated.

Cognitive reserve against Alzheimer's pathology is linked to brain activity during memory formation.

The cognitive reserve (CR) hypothesis posits that individuals can differ in how their brain function is disrupted by pathology associated with aging and neurodegeneration. Here, we test this hypothesis in the continuum from cognitively normal to at-risk stages for Alzheimer's Disease (AD) to AD dementia using longitudinal data from 490 participants of the DELCODE multicentric observational study. Brain function is measured using task fMRI of visual memory encoding.