Influence of multidisciplinary therapeutic approach on fibromyalgia patients.

There is no specific cure for fibromyalgia (FM), but combined non-pharmacologic and pharmacologic treatments may mitigate symptoms and improve quality of life in patients. The aim of the present study was to monitor patient response to several types of therapy, including cognitive-behavioral and occupational therapy, and kinetic therapy, as compared to a control group that was not subjected to any form of therapy. The study included 98 FM patients, all women, out of which 32 received cognitive-behavioral therapy and occupational therapy (CBT+OT), 34 kinetic therapy (KT) and 32 participated as controls.

Proteomics Analysis of Monocyte-Derived Hepatocyte-Like Cells Identifies Integrin Beta 3 as a Specific Biomarker for Drug-Induced Liver Injury by Diclofenac.

Idiosyncratic drug-induced liver injury (iDILI) is a major cause of acute liver failure resulting in liver transplantation or death. Prediction and diagnosis of iDILI remain a great challenge, as current models provide unsatisfying results in terms of sensitivity, specificity, and prognostic value. The absence of appropriate tools for iDILI detection also impairs the development of reliable biomarkers.

Development and Validation of a Test to Identify Drugs That Cause Idiosyncratic Drug-Induced Liver Injury.

Background & Aims: Idiosyncratic drug-induced liver injury (iDILI) is one of the most challenging diagnoses in hepatology. It is frequently impossible to identify the agent that has caused iDILI in patients who take multiple medicines. We developed an in vitro method to identify drugs that cause liver injury in patients, based on drug toxicity to monocyte-derived hepatocyte-like (MH) cells from patient blood samples.

Twist1 induces distinct cell states depending on TGFBR1-activation.

Basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor Twist1 is a master regulator of Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT), a cellular program implicated in different stages of development as well as metastatic dissemination of carcinomas. Here, we show that Twist1 requires TGF-beta type-I receptor (TGFBR1)-activation to bind an enhancer region of downstream effector ZEB1, thereby inducing ZEB1 transcription and EMT. When TGFBR1-phosphorylation is inhibited, Twist1 generates a distinct cell state characterized by collective invasion, simultaneous proliferation and expression of endothelial markers.

Therapeutic polo-like kinase 1 inhibition results in mitotic arrest and subsequent cell death of blasts in the bone marrow of AML patients and has similar effects in non-neoplastic cell lines.

Polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) is an important regulator of the cell cycle and is overexpressed in various solid and hematological malignancies. Small molecule inhibitors targeting PLK1, such as BI2536 or BI6727 (Volasertib) are a promising therapeutic approach in such malignancies. Here, we show a loss of specifically localized PLK1 in AML blasts in vivo, accompanied by mitotic arrest with transition into apoptosis, in bone marrow biopsies of AML patients after treatment with BI2536.

Stem-cell-like properties and epithelial plasticity arise as stable traits after transient Twist1 activation.

Master regulators of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition such as Twist1 and Snail1 have been implicated in invasiveness and the generation of cancer stem cells, but their persistent activity inhibits stem-cell-like properties and the outgrowth of disseminated cancer cells into macroscopic metastases. Here, we show that Twist1 activation primes a subset of mammary epithelial cells for stem-cell-like properties, which only emerge and stably persist following Twist1 deactivation. Consequently, when cells undergo a mesenchymal-epithelial transition (MET), they do not return to their original epithelial cell state, evidenced by acquisition of invasive growth behavior and a distinct gene expression profile.

Can experienced physicians with high peripheral interventional volume but low carotid artery stenting (CAS) volume achieve low complication rates during CAS?

Aims: It has been stated that experienced physicians with a high volume of carotid artery stent (CAS) procedures have low complication rates, including cerebrovascular accidents (CVA). Complication rates, however, are not known for physicians with a low volume of CAS (<50 CAS/yr) but with a high volume of other peripheral endovascular procedures. Since the techniques used in CAS are similar to those used routinely in other peripheral interventions, we hypothesise that high volume peripheral interventional operators with appropriate training would have low complication rates during CAS procedures.

A multidisciplinary approach in patients with femoral neck fracture on an osteoporotic basis.

Introduction: Osteoporosis is a common affection characterized by a reduction of bone mass that affects mostly women after menopause. It currently leads to fractures, especially of the spine and hip thus enhancing the costs of medical care. There are many factors that contribute to its development, leading to various strategy lines to deal with it.