Publications by authors named "Christina Simon"

Background: Goal directed fluid management in major abdominal surgery has shown to reduce perioperative complications. The approach aims to optimize the intravascular fluid volume by use of minimally invasive devices which calculate flow-directed variables such as stroke volume (SV) and stroke volume variation (SVV).

Objective: We aimed to show the feasibility of routinely implementing this type of hemodynamic monitoring during pancreatic surgery, and to evaluate its effects in terms of perioperative fluid management and postoperative outcomes.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: To investigate the long-term effects of induction therapy with adalimumab (ADA) plus methotrexate (MTX) in comparison with placebo (PBO) plus MTX in DMARD-naïve patients with active early rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: Patients with active early RA (disease duration of ≤12 months) were randomly assigned to receive 40 mg ADA subcutaneously every other week (eow) plus MTX 15 mg/week subcutaneously or PBO plus MTX subcutaneously at 15 mg/week over 24 weeks. Thereafter, all patients received MTX monotherapy up to week 48.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Controversy still exists regarding the involvement of relaxin (RLX) in cervical reorganization throughout parturition in the human, despite its well-known role in facilitating extensive extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling in diverse organs. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to examine the influence of RLX and estrogen (E2) on the cervical tissue of the common marmoset monkey. Two experimental designs were used: 1) in vivo analysis of the intracervical diameter under locally applied RLX and 2) ovariectomized (ov) marmosets were treated systemically with either recombinant human (rh) RLX, E2 or rhRLX+E2 to examine their action on the cervix.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF