Alkaline phosphatase decline and pain response as predictors of overall survival benefit in patients treated with radium-223: a post hoc analysis of the REASSURE study.

Background: Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) declines and pain responses can occur during radium-223 (Ra) treatment, but their association with treatment outcomes is unclear.

Methods: For patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer treated with Ra in the REASSURE study, we investigated whether ALP decline (Week 12) and/or pain response (during treatment) are associated with improved overall survival (OS). The Brief Pain Inventory-Short Form (BPI-SF) was used to assess pain at baseline and pain response (in patients with baseline BPI-SF score ≥2).

Microfilaria in the Urine of a Dog with Concurrent Urinary Bladder Sarcoma.

A 12 yr old female spayed American Staffordshire terrier was referred for stranguria, pollakiuria, and concern for a mass in the trigone of the urinary bladder. A urinalysis and abdominal ultrasound were performed to further investigate the bladder mass. Nematode larvae were identified in the urine, termed microfilaruria, while a caudal abdominal mass was found on ultrasound impinging on the urethra.

Mild autonomous cortisol secretion leads to reduced volumetric BMD at lumbar spine in patients with primary aldosteronism.

Objectives: Glucocorticoid cosecretion is more common in primary aldosteronism (PA) than previously thought. Chronic subtle cortisol excess in patients with mild autonomous cortisol secretion (MACS) negatively affects bone health. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of MACS on bone density and turnover markers in PA patients.

Impact of confirmatory test results on subtype classification and biochemical outcome following unilateral adrenalectomy in patients with primary aldosteronism.

Context: Primary aldosteronism (PA) is the most common form of endocrine hypertension. According to the Endocrine Society Practice Guidelines, the diagnosis of PA requires a pathological screening test result and non-suppressible aldosterone levels during confirmatory testing. Sequential testing with more than one confirmatory test may result in discordant test results.

Retinal Fluid and Thickness Fluctuations in Archway Trial for Port Delivery System with Ranibizumab versus Monthly Ranibizumab Injections.

Purpose: To determine proportion of eyes with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) with retinal fluid and central subfield thickness (CST) fluctuations and evaluate their impact on best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) in eyes treated with the Port Delivery System with ranibizumab (PDS) versus monthly intravitreal ranibizumab injections.

Design: Post hoc analyses of phase 3 Archway trial (NCT03677934).

Participants: Adults with nAMD responsive to anti-VEGF therapy.

A randomized, open-label, phase 3 trial of pembrolizumab plus epacadostat versus sunitinib or pazopanib as first-line treatment for metastatic renal cell carcinoma (KEYNOTE-679/ECHO-302).

Background: Immunotherapy-based combinations have emerged as standard therapies for patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC). Pembrolizumab, a PD-1 inhibitor, combined with epacadostat, an indoleamine 2,3-deoxygenase 1 selective inhibitor, demonstrated promising antitumor activity in a phase 1 study in advanced solid tumors, including mRCC.

Methods: KEYNOTE-679/ECHO-302 was a randomized, open-label, parallel-group, multicenter, phase 3 study (NCT03260894) that compared pembrolizumab plus epacadostat with sunitinib or pazopanib as first-line treatment for mRCC.

Plain language summary of the results from the TALAPRO-2 study: Talazoparib plus enzalutamide versus placebo plus enzalutamide for patients with advanced prostate cancer.

What Is This Summary About?: This summary describes the results from the TALAPRO-2 research study (also known as a clinical trial). The TALAPRO-2 study tested the combination of two medicines called talazoparib plus enzalutamide. This combination of medicines was used as the first treatment for adult patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.

Supplemental Intravitreal Ranibizumab Injections in Eyes Treated with the Port Delivery System with Ranibizumab in the Archway Trial.

Purpose: To determine the proportion and characteristics of eyes with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) treated with the Port Delivery System (PDS) with ranibizumab that receive supplemental intravitreal ranibizumab injections because of changes in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) or central subfield thickness (CST), or both, and to investigate the safety and efficacy of supplemental injections in eyes with the PDS.

Design: Post hoc analyses of data from the phase III, randomized, multicenter, open-label, active-comparator Archway trial (NCT03677934).

Participants: Adults with nAMD diagnosed within 9 months of screening previously responsive to anti-VEGF therapy.

Assessing Lateralization Index of Adrenal Venous Sampling for Surgical Indication in Primary Aldosteronism.

Background: Clinical practice guidelines recommend the Lateralization Index (LI) as the standard for determining surgical eligibility in primary aldosteronism (PA). Our goal was to identify the optimal LI cut-offs in adrenal venous sampling (AVS) for diagnosing PA that is amenable to surgical cure.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective international cohort study across 16 institutions in 11 countries, including 1,550 patients with PA who underwent AVS, with and/or without ACTH stimulation.

Spurious hyperbicarbonatemia and a negative anion gap in a cat and a dog with severe rhabdomyolysis.

A 3-year-old male neutered domestic shorthair cat and a 2-year-old male neutered Labrador-mix dog were separately presented to the Veterinary Medical Center for evaluation after sustaining significant muscle trauma due to a dog attack and seizure activity, respectively. In both cases, biochemical analysis was consistent with rhabdomyolysis. Additionally, a markedly increased measured serum bicarbonate concentration and negative calculated anion gap were observed.

Hepatic insufficiency in two juvenile dogs with histoplasmosis.

A 9-month-old female intact toy poodle and a 1-year-old female intact Labrador retriever mix presented to separate teaching hospitals for chronic histories of malaise and clinicopathologic evidence of hepatic dysfunction. The signalment and clinical histories of these dogs prompted consideration of a congenital portosystemic shunt as a primary differential. However, microscopic evaluation of peritoneal effusion, pleural effusion, and peripheral blood samples from the dogs revealed round to ovoid yeast organisms morphologically most compatible with Histoplasma capsulatum.

The Binding of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein to Platelet Factor 4: A Proposed Mechanism for the Generation of Pathogenic Antibodies.

Pathogenic platelet factor 4 (PF4) antibodies contributed to the abnormal coagulation profiles in COVID-19 and vaccinated patients. However, the mechanism of what triggers the body to produce these antibodies has not yet been clarified. Similar patterns and many comparable features between the COVID-19 virus and heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) have been reported.

An 8-week injury prevention exercise program combined with change-of-direction technique training limits movement patterns associated with anterior cruciate ligament injury risk.

Knee ligament sprains are common during change-of-direction (COD) maneuvers in multidirectional team sports. This study aimed to compare the effects of an 8-week injury prevention exercise program containing COD-specific exercises and a similar program containing linear sprint exercises on injury- and performance-related variables during a 135° COD task. We hypothesized that the COD-specific training would lead to (H1) stronger reductions in biomechanical variables associated with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury risk during COD, i.

Effect of mild cortisol cosecretion on body composition and metabolic parameters in patients with primary hyperaldosteronism.

Objective: To investigate the effects of simultaneous cortisol cosecretion (CCS) on body composition in computed tomography (CT)-imaging and metabolic parameters in patients with primary aldosteronism (PA) with the objective of facilitating early detection.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Patients: Forty-seven patients with PA and CCS confirmed by 1-mg dexamethasone suppression test (DST) with a cutoff of ≥1.

A graph-based approach can improve keypoint detection of complex poses: a proof-of-concept on injury occurrences in alpine ski racing.

For most applications, 2D keypoint detection works well and offers a simple and fast tool to analyse human movements. However, there remain many situations where even the best state-of-the-art algorithms reach their limits and fail to detect human keypoints correctly. Such situations may occur especially when individual body parts are occluded, twisted, or when the whole person is flipped.

Postoperative ACTH-stimulated aldosterone predicts biochemical outcome in primary aldosteronism.

Objective: Primary aldosteronism (PA) is the most common surgically curable cause of hypertension. Unilateral aldosterone-producing adenoma can be treated with adrenalectomy. Clinical and biochemical outcomes are assessed 6-12 months after adrenalectomy according to primary aldosteronism surgical outcome (PASO) consensus criteria.

An international comparative analysis and roadmap to sustainable biosimilar markets.

Although biosimilar uptake has increased (at a variable pace) in many countries, there have been recent concerns about the long-term sustainability of biosimilar markets. The aim of this manuscript is to assess the sustainability of policies across the biosimilar life cycle in selected countries with a view to propose recommendations for supporting biosimilar sustainability. The study conducted a comparative analysis across 17 countries from North America, South America, Asia-Pacific, Europe and the Gulf Cooperation Council.

Integration of clinical parameters and CT-based radiomics improves machine learning assisted subtyping of primary hyperaldosteronism.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate an integrated diagnostics approach for prediction of the source of aldosterone overproduction in primary hyperaldosteronism (PA).

Methods: 269 patients from the prospective German Conn Registry with PA were included in this study. After segmentation of adrenal glands in native CT images, radiomic features were calculated.

Characterization of alkaline phosphatase cytochemistry in canine neoplastic and non-neoplastic pulmonary mass aspirates.

Background: Distinguishing primary and secondary pulmonary neoplasms can be challenging via cytology, and a rapid, inexpensive diagnostic tool to differentiate these neoplasms is unavailable. Alkaline phosphatase cytochemistry (ALP-CC) has been used to identify primary pulmonary carcinomas in human patients, and we hypothesized it could be applied to canine lung aspirates.

Objective: We aimed to characterize ALP-CC expression in fine-needle aspirate (FNA) samples of canine pulmonary neoplastic and non-neoplastic tumors.

The Effects of Mindfulness Meditation on Nursing Students' Stress and Anxiety Levels.

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of a virtual mindfulness meditation intervention on stress and anxiety levels of 145 nursing students.

Background: Because of the twin demands of classroom and clinical workloads, nursing students experience greater amounts of stress and anxiety than the average college student. Mindfulness meditation is a promising method to alleviate stress and anxiety.