Electrical Bioimpedance-Based Monitoring of Intracochlear Tissue Changes After Cochlear Implantation.

Background: This study examined electrical bioimpedance as a biomarker for intracochlear tissue changes after cochlear implant surgery, comparing monopolar, three-point, and four-point impedance measurements over time and evaluating different measurement systems and approaches.

Methods: Impedance measurements were obtained from 21 participants during surgery and at four postoperative stages. Monopolar impedances were recorded using the Bionic Ear Data Collection System (BEDCS) and the Active Insertion Monitoring (AIM) system.

Exploring the uptake of advanced digital technologies in environmental assessment practice - Experiences from Austria and Germany.

Environmental assessment (EA) evaluates the environmental impacts of proposed projects, plans or policies to inform decision making. While several studies have highlighted the potential and opportunities of digitalisation for EA, few have explored practitioners' perceptions using a mixed methods approach in order to discover concerns and risks identified by EA of novel technological approaches. In addition, this initial exploratory study examines the perception of benefits and contributions to quality and effectiveness of advanced digital approaches, such as the introduction of artificial intelligence, in EA practice.

Data-Driven Mathematical Model of Apoptosis Regulation in Memory Plasma Cells.

Memory plasma cells constitutively produce copious amounts of antibodies, imposing a critical risk factor for autoimmune disease. We previously found that plasma cell survival requires secreted factors such as APRIL and direct contact to stromal cells, which act in concert to activate NF-κB- and PI3K-dependent signaling pathways to prevent cell death. However, the regulatory properties of the underlying biochemical network are confounded by the complexity of potential interaction and cross-regulation pathways.

Clinical experiences with intraoperative electrocochleography in cochlear implant recipients and its potential to reduce insertion trauma and improve postoperative hearing preservation.

Access to low-frequency acoustic information in cochlear implant patients leads to better speech understanding in noise. Electrocochleography (ECochG) can provide real-time feedback about the health of the cochlea during the insertion process with the potential to reduce insertion trauma. We describe our experiences of using this technique.

Electric acoustic stimulation (EAS) with the Naída CI Q90 sound processor in experienced cochlear implant users.

: The benefit of using the electroacoustic functionality was tested compared to electric stimulation alone. Two different cut-off frequencies between acoustic and electric stimulation were tried. : Performance and subjective preference in 10 subjects was measured with electric only and electroacoustic stimulation with two settings: a cut-off for acoustic amplification at the frequency where thresholds exceeded 70 dB and 85 dB.

Reversibility of platelet P2Y12 inhibition by platelet supplementation: ex vivo and in vitro comparisons of prasugrel, clopidogrel and ticagrelor.

Unlabelled: Essentials Successful outcome of platelet transfusion depends on specific antiplatelet therapy in use. We assessed if ticagrelor, clopidogrel or prasugrel impacts on donor platelet activity ex vivo. Ticagrelor and/or its active metabolite in plasma or bound to platelets can inhibit donor platelets.

Rhesus CE expression on patient red blood cells is an independent prognostic factor for adenocarcinoma of the lung.

Objectives: The influence of blood group antigens on cancerogenesis is shown for distinct tumor types, yet the impact of Rhesus blood group antigens in lung cancer is not clarified.

Materials And Methods: To investigate the impact of Rhesus blood groups a non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) collective (n = 1047) was analyzed retrospectively. Using a second cohort of n = 340 primarily operated stage I-III NSCLC patients, we evaluated immunohistochemistry of CD47-antibody stained tissue samples in correlation to histopathologic subtype and Rhesus blood group.

Speech reception threshold benefits in cochlear implant users with an adaptive beamformer in real life situations.

Objectives: To compare the Naida CI UltraZoom adaptive beamformer and T-Mic settings in a real life environment.

Methods: Speech reception thresholds (SRTs) were measured in a moderately reverberant room, using the German Oldenburger sentence test. The speech signal was always presented from the front loudspeaker at 0° azimuth and fixed masking noise was presented either simultaneously from all eight loudspeakers around the subject at 0°, ±45°, ±90°, ±135°, and 180° azimuth or from five loudspeakers positioned at ±70°, ±135°, and 180° azimuth.

Adenomatous multinodular goiter causing airway obstruction in an infant.

Nontoxic adenomatous multinodular goiter (AMNG) in infants is a rare condition. We discuss an extremely rare case of a nontoxic AMNG in a 3-month-old female presenting with airway obstruction. Surgical resection of the mass was performed to reduce the burden on the airway and for diagnosis.

Foot strike and injury rates in endurance runners: a retrospective study.

Purpose: This retrospective study tests if runners who habitually forefoot strike have different rates of injury than runners who habitually rearfoot strike.

Methods: We measured the strike characteristics of middle- and long-distance runners from a collegiate cross-country team and quantified their history of injury, including the incidence and rate of specific injuries, the severity of each injury, and the rate of mild, moderate, and severe injuries per mile run.

Results: Of the 52 runners studied, 36 (69%) primarily used a rearfoot strike and 16 (31%) primarily used a forefoot strike.

Chemical oxygen demand reduction in coffee wastewater through chemical flocculation and advanced oxidation processes.

The removal of the natural organic matter present in coffee processing wastewater through chemical coagulation-flocculation and advanced oxidation processes (AOP) had been studied. The effectiveness of the removal of natural organic matter using commercial flocculants and UV/H2O2, UV/O3 and UV/H2O2/O3 processes was determined under acidic conditions. For each of these processes, different operational conditions were explored to optimize the treatment efficiency of the coffee wastewater.

Reduced intensity conditioning allows for up-front allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation after cytoreductive induction therapy in newly-diagnosed high-risk acute myeloid leukemia.

There is substantial need to improve the outcome of patients with high-risk acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The clinical trial reported here investigated a new approach of up-front allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), provided a median of 40 days (range 22-74) after diagnosis, in twenty-six consecutive patients with newly-diagnosed high-risk AML characterized by poor-risk cytogenetics (n = 19) or inadequate blast clearance by induction chemotherapy (IC, n = 7). The median age was 49 years (range 17-68).

Graft clonogenicity and intensity of pre-treatment: factors affecting outcome of autologous peripheral hematopoietic cell transplantation in patients with acute myeloid leukemia in first remission.

A total of 22 patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in first complete remission receiving autologous blood stem cell transplantation (ABSCT) were investigated in order to determine factors affecting outcome. All but two patients had a normal karyotype and received the same high-dose chemotherapy followed by G-CSF-mobilized peripheral blood stem cells after the second (n=5) or third (n=17) course of induction and post-remission chemotherapy, respectively. With a median follow-up of 30 months, the median disease-free survival is 24.

Photooxidative treatment of sulfurous water for its potabilization.

The feasibility of potabilization of sulfurous water was investigated by photochemical oxidation processes using a batch photoreactor and a continuous-flow photoreactor, equipped with UV lamps of 1000 W and 1500 W, respectively. Additionally, two advanced processes of oxidation were applied i.e.

Treatment of relapsed Wilms' tumor with high-dose therapy and autologous hematopoietic stem-cell rescue: the experience at Children's Memorial Hospital.

Purpose: To investigate whether high-dose therapy with hematopoietic stem-cell rescue (HSCR) will improve survival for patients with relapsed Wilms' tumor.

Patients And Methods: Thirteen children with relapsed Wilms' tumor were treated with one or two cycles of high-dose chemotherapy (HDT) followed by autologous HSCR. Twelve of 13 patients received reinduction chemotherapy before HDT and HSCR.

Treatment of high-risk neuroblastoma with triple-tandem high-dose therapy and stem-cell rescue: results of the Chicago Pilot II Study.

Purpose: To investigate whether intensive induction therapy followed by triple-tandem cycles of high-dose therapy with peripheral-blood stem-cell rescue and local irradiation will improve event-free survival for patients with high-risk neuroblastoma.

Patients And Methods: From August 1995 to January 2000, 25 consecutive newly diagnosed high-risk neuroblastoma patients and one child with recurrent MYCN-amplified disease were enrolled onto the Chicago Pilot II Protocol. After induction therapy and surgery, peripheral-blood stem cells were mobilized with three cycles of high-dose cyclophosphamide and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor.

Dose-reduced conditioning and allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation from unrelated donors in 42 patients.

Purpose: A fludarabine-based "nonmyeloablative" preparative regimen was investigated in 42 patients with hematological malignancies receiving hematopoietic stem cell grafts from unrelated volunteer donors.

Experimental Design: Recipient conditioning consisted of fludarabine 30 mg/m(2) on days -6 to -2 and i.v.

Successful preemptive cidofovir treatment for CMV antigenemia after dose-reduced conditioning and allogeneic blood stem cell transplantation.

Background: Cidofovir (CDV) is a nucleotide analogue with proven in vitro effects against cytomegalovirus (CMV) and adenovirus and has been successfully used in the treatment of CMV retinitis in AIDS patients.

Methods: We performed a prospective study to evaluate the efficacy of CDV in 17 patients with hematological malignancies after allogeneic blood stem cell transplantation from related (n=3) and unrelated (n=14) donors. Dose-reduced conditioning (DRC) regimen consisted of busulfan (Bu)/fludarabine (Flu) (n=9) and idarubicin/cytosine arabinoside/Flu (n=1).

Sequential monitoring of chimerism and detection of minimal residual disease after allogeneic blood stem cell transplantation (BSCT) using multiplex PCR amplification of short tandem repeat-markers.

Sequential analysis of chimerism after allogeneic blood stem cell transplantation (BSCT) has been shown to be predictive for graft failure and relapse. We have explored the impact of a novel approach for the quantitative determination of chimerism using a commercial PCR assay with multiplex amplification of nine STR-loci and fluorescence detection. The feasibility was studied in 121 patients transplanted from related or unrelated donors.

A new technique for resecting 'unresectable' liver tumors.

Background/purpose: Liver tumors that surround the three major hepatic veins traditionally have been considered unresectable. This report describes an extended atypical left hepatectomy technique for tumors around the major hepatic veins.

Methods: Three children with tumors surrounding the 3 hepatic veins underwent intraoperative evaluation for extended atypical left hepatectomy.

Foscarnet--an alternative for cytomegalovirus prophylaxis after allogeneic stem cell transplantation?

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease is a serious complication after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) and is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Early detection of the disease by antigenemia testing and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) along with pre-emptive antiviral therapy has been shown to be very effective in decreasing the incidence of CMV. We performed an uncontrolled observational study in 21 patients after HSCT (14 related, 7 unrelated donors) to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of foscarnet administered as prophylaxis for CMV reactivation.

Congenital cysts of the third and fourth pharyngeal pouches or pyriform sinus cysts.

Cysts arising from the III and IV pharyngeal pouches, although uncommon, are typical in their presentation. They occur in neonates, invariably in the left anterior neck and cause respiratory distress. Excision of the cyst with ligation of the tract at the level of the pyriform sinus is curative.

Encouraging results in the treatment of haemorrhagic cystitis with estrogen - report of 10 cases and review of the literature.

Haemorrhagic cystitis (HC) after allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) or high-dose cyclophosphamide (CP) chemotherapy is a severe side-effect and can cause significant morbidity and mortality. In this report, we describe the clinical courses of 10 patients with HC and review the literature. The patients were treated with oral conjugated estrogen in an attempt to improve severe haemorrhagic cystitis.

Stable engraftment after megadose blood stem cell transplantation across the HLA barrier: the case for natural killer cells as graft-facilitating cells.

Background: The case of a patient with chronic myelogenous leukemia who underwent transplantation with highly purified CD34+ peripheral blood stem cells from his two-antigen-mismatched mother is reported. No graft-versus-host disease has been observed so far and stable engraftment has been documented until day 100.

Methods: Weekly analysis of chimerism in different cellular subsets was performed using a quantitative polymerase chain reaction assay for nine short tandem repeat markers in leukocytes sorted by fluorescence-activated cell sorting.

Treatment of patients with low-risk myelodysplastic syndromes using a combination of all-trans retinoic acid, interferon alpha, and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor.

Used as single agents, ATRA, G-CSF, and IFN-alpha have shown a moderate benefit in patients with low-risk MDS, with a response rate of 10%. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of a combination of these agents. The effect on hemoglobin (Hb), platelets, and absolute neutrophil count (ANC), as well as on transfusion frequency, was examined in 25 patients with MDS (11 RA, four RARS, eight RAEB, two CMML).