Tumor Vessel Normalization via PFKFB3 Inhibition Alleviates Hypoxia and Increases Tumor Necrosis in Rectal Cancer upon Radiotherapy.

Unlabelled: Treatment of patients with locally advanced rectal cancer (RC) is based on neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by surgery. In order to reduce the development of therapy resistance, it is necessary to further improve previous treatment approaches. Recent in vivo experimental studies suggested that the reduction of tumor hypoxia by tumor vessel normalization (TVN), through the inhibition of the glycolytic activator PFKFB3, could significantly improve tumor response to therapy.

Implications of Rectal Cancer Radiotherapy on the Immune Microenvironment: Allies and Foes to Therapy Resistance and Patients' Outcome.

Aside from surgical resection, locally advanced rectal cancer is regularly treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy. Since the concept of cancer treatment has shifted from only focusing on tumor cells as drivers of disease progression towards a broader understanding including the dynamic tumor microenvironment (TME), the impact of radiotherapy on the TME and specifically the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) is increasingly recognized. Both promoting as well as suppressing effects on anti-tumor immunity have been reported in response to rectal cancer (chemo-)radiotherapy and various targets for combination therapies are under investigation.

["Mobile" ECMO].

ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) is a cardiac or respiratory support which uses the principle of extracorporeal circulation (ECC). It consists of a pump generating an output as well as a membrane oxygenating blood and removing CO2. Thanks to an ECMO mobile team, expert caregivers can now perform the circulatory support in primary centers and then transfer patients under assistance to the referral center.

Goal-directed hemostatic therapy using the rotational thromboelastometry in patients requiring emergent cardiovascular surgery.

Aims And Objectives: We assessed the clinical impact of goal-directed coagulation management based on rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM) in patients undergoing emergent cardiovascular surgical procedures.

Materials And Methods: Over a 2-year period, data from 71 patients were collected prospectively and blood samples were obtained for coagulation testing. Administration of packed red blood cells (PRBC) and hemostatic products were guided by an algorithm using ROTEM-derived information and hemoglobin level.

Miniaturization for Point-of-Care Analysis: Platform Technology for Almost Every Biomedical Assay.

Platform technologies for the changing need of diagnostics are one of the main challenges in medical device technology. From one point-of-view the demand for new and more versatile diagnostic is increasing due to a deeper knowledge of biomarkers and their combination with diseases. From another point-of-view a decentralization of diagnostics will occur since decisions can be made faster resulting in higher success of therapy.