A Proof-of-Principle Study for δN Measurements of Aqueous Dissolved Nitrate With a Modified LC-IRMS Interface.

Rationale: The analysis of nitrogen isotopes in aqueous dissolved nitrate is an effective method for identifying pollution sources and offers the potential to study the nitrogen cycle. However, the measurement of nitrogen isotope ratios of nitrate still requires extensive sample preparation or derivatization.

Methods: In this study, a modified commercially available liquid chromatography-isotope ratio mass spectrometer (LC-IRMS) interface is presented that enables automated measurement of δN signatures from nitrate by online reduction of nitrate in two consecutive steps.

Incidence and Resolution of Eribulin-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy (IRENE) in Locally Advanced or Metastatic Breast Cancer: Prospective Cohort Study.

Background: Eribulin, a halichondrin-class microtubule dynamics inhibitor, is a preferred treatment option for patients with advanced breast cancer who have been pretreated with an anthracycline and a taxane. Peripheral neuropathy (PN) is a common side effect of chemotherapies for breast cancer and other tumors. The Incidence and Resolution of Eribulin-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy (IRENE) noninterventional postauthorization safety study assessed the incidence and severity of PN in patients with breast cancer treated with eribulin.

A new technique to study nutrient flow in host-parasite systems by carbon stable isotope analysis of amino acids and glucose.

Stable isotope analysis of individual compounds is emerging as a powerful tool to study nutrient origin and conversion in host-parasite systems. We measured the carbon isotope composition of amino acids and glucose in the cestode Schistocephalus solidus and in liver and muscle tissues of its second intermediate host, the three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus), over the course of 90 days in a controlled infection experiment. Similar linear regressions of δC values over time and low trophic fractionation of essential amino acids indicate that the parasite assimilates nutrients from sources closely connected to the liver metabolism of its host.

Moral Distress and Involuntary COVID-19 Vaccination of a Mature Minor Receiving Inpatient Psychiatric Treatment.

Mandatory vaccination against COVID-19 is a highly controversial issue, and many members of the public oppose it on the grounds that they should be free to determine what happens to their own body. Opinion has generally favored parental authority with respect to vaccination of children, but less attention has been paid to the ethical complexities of how to respond when mature minors refuse vaccination that is requested by their parents. We present a case in which an mature minor, who was psychiatrically hospitalized, refused vaccination that had been requested by her parents, which lead to significant moral distress for her caregivers.

Insights into amino acid fractionation and incorporation by compound-specific carbon isotope analysis of three-spined sticklebacks.

Interpretation of stable isotope data is of upmost importance in ecology to build sound models for the study of animal diets, migration patterns and physiology. However, our understanding of stable isotope fractionation and incorporation into consumer tissues is still limited. We therefore measured the δC values of individual amino acids over time from muscle and liver tissue of three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus) on a high protein diet.

Characteristics of patients with brain metastases from human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive breast cancer: subanalysis of Brain Metastases in Breast Cancer Registry.

Background: Up to 40% of patients with metastatic human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer develop brain metastases (BMs). Understanding of clinical features of these patients with HER2-positive breast cancer and BMs is vital.

Patients And Methods: A total of 2948 patients from the Brain Metastases in Breast Cancer registry were available for this analysis, of whom 1311 had primary tumors with the HER2-positive subtype.

Effectiveness of Acupuncture for Pain Control After Cesarean Delivery: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: A pharmacological approach to pain control after cesarean delivery is often insufficient on its own. Acupuncture is a promising method for mitigating postoperative pain and reducing postoperative opioid requirements.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and effectiveness of acupuncture as an adjunctive therapy for pain control after cesarean delivery, compared with a placebo intervention and standard care alone.

Induction of Rosette-to-Lumen stage embryoids using reprogramming paradigms in ESCs.

Blastocyst-derived stem cell lines were shown to self-organize into embryo-like structures in 3D cell culture environments. Here, we provide evidence that embryo-like structures can be generated solely based on transcription factor-mediated reprogramming of embryonic stem cells in a simple 3D co-culture system. Embryonic stem cells in these cultures self-organize into elongated, compartmentalized embryo-like structures reflecting aspects of the inner regions of the early post-implantation embryo.

Predicting Prognosis of Breast Cancer Patients with Brain Metastases in the BMBC Registry-Comparison of Three Different GPA Prognostic Scores.

Several scores have been developed in order to estimate the prognosis of patients with brain metastases (BM) by objective criteria. The aim of this analysis was to validate all three published graded-prognostic-assessment (GPA)-scores in a subcohort of 882 breast cancer (BC) patients with BM in the Brain Metastases in the German Breast Cancer (BMBC) registry. The median age at diagnosis of BM was 57 years.

Characteristics and Clinical Outcome of Breast Cancer Patients with Asymptomatic Brain Metastases.

: Brain metastases (BM) have become a major challenge in patients with metastatic breast cancer. : The aim of this analysis was to characterize patients with asymptomatic BM ( = 580) in the overall cohort of 2589 patients with BM from our Brain Metastases in Breast Cancer Network Germany (BMBC) registry. : Compared to symptomatic patients, asymptomatic patients were slightly younger at diagnosis (median age: 55.

Auricular stimulation vs. expressive writing for exam anxiety in medical students - A randomized crossover investigation.

Objective: Auricular stimulation (AS) is a promising method in the treatment of situational anxiety. Expressive writing (EW) is an established psychological method, which reduces test anxiety and improves exam results. The aim of this crossover trial was to compare AS with EW, and with the no intervention (NI) condition, for treatment of exam anxiety.

Resumption of Trastuzumab in Patients With Disease Recurrence After (Neo-) Adjuvant Anti-HER2-therapy in Patients With HER2-positive Breast Cancer.

Background/aim: HER2-positive breast cancers eventually relapse in about one third of patients. Is anti-HER2-directed therapy with Herceptin® (trastuzumab) effective in re-treatment? Between 2008 and 2018, 216 patients with recurrent HER2-positive breast cancer (BC) were re-treated with Herceptin (HER) during first-line therapy. This study assessed the effectiveness and tolerability of re-treatment with HER.

Stereoselective Decarboxylative Alkylation of Titanium(IV) Enolates with Diacyl Peroxides.

Simple treatment of chiral titanium(IV) enolates with diacyl peroxides produces highly diastereoselective decarboxylative alkylations to efficiently deliver the corresponding adducts, most of which are not accessible through any of the current alkylating procedures. Such an unprecedented alkylation proceeds through an SET process that triggers the decomposition of the peroxide into a carbon-centered radical that finally combines with the resulting Cα radical. The procedure has been applied to the enantioselective synthesis of arundic acid.

Computerized 4-choice reaction time test for the measurement of psychomotor recovery after general anesthesia.

The recovery of patients after general anesthesia is usually estimated by using clinical scores. Since there is a lack of objective methods for assessing psychomotor recovery, the aim of this study was to evaluate three psychological tests for this purpose. Patients, scheduled for ambulatory gynecological surgery, underwent 3 standard psychological tests before (T1), 15 min after the surgery (T2) and on discharge from the recovery room (T3).

Treatment and outcomes of patients in the Brain Metastases in Breast Cancer Network Registry.

Background: Brain metastases (BMs) have a major impact on life expectancy and quality of life for many breast cancer patients. Knowledge about treatment patterns and outcomes is limited.

Methods: We analysed clinical data of 1712 patients diagnosed with BMs from breast cancer between January 2000 and December 2016 at 80 institutions.

Auricular acupuncture for treatment of preoperative anxiety in patients scheduled for ambulatory gynaecological surgery: a prospective controlled investigation with a non-randomised arm.

Objective: Auricular acupuncture (AA) is a promising alternative treatment for situational anxiety. The aim of this pilot investigation was to test the acceptability and feasibility of AA as a treatment for preoperative anxiety (PA) in preparation for a subsequent randomised controlled trial.

Methods: AA was offered for treatment of PA to female patients who were scheduled for ambulatory gynaecological surgery.

Disparity between High Satisfaction and Severe Pain in Patients after Caesarean Section: A Prospective Observational-Controlled Investigation.

Objectives: Recent advances in the treatment of postoperative pain (POP) have increased the quality of life in surgical patients. The aim of this study was to examine the quality of POP management in patients after CS in comparison with patients after comparable surgical procedures.

Methods: This was a prospective observational analysis in patients after CS in comparison with the patients of the same age, who underwent comparable abdominal gynaecological surgeries (GS group) at the university hospital.

Trabectedin plus pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD) for patients with platinum-sensitive recurrent ovarian cancer: a prospective, observational, multicenter study.

Purpose: The OVA-YOND study is the first prospective, non-interventional trial designed to evaluate trabectedin (1.1 mg/m) plus PLD (30 mg/m) in patients with platinum-sensitive recurrent ovarian cancer (ROC), given according to the marketing authorization in real-life clinical practice across Germany.

Methods: Eligible patients were adults with platinum-sensitive ROC, pretreated with ≥ 1 platinum-containing regimen/s.

Auricular Acupuncture for Exam Anxiety in Medical Students-A Randomized Crossover Investigation.

Auricular acupuncture (AA) is effective in the treatment of preoperative anxiety. The aim was to investigate whether AA can reduce exam anxiety as compared to placebo and no intervention. Forty-four medical students were randomized to receive AA, placebo, or no intervention in a crossover manner and subsequently completed three comparable oral anatomy exams with an interval of 1 month between the exams/interventions.

Radiological Patterns of Brain Metastases in Breast Cancer Patients: A Subproject of the German Brain Metastases in Breast Cancer (BMBC) Registry.

Evidence about distribution patterns of brain metastases with regard to breast cancer subtypes and its influence on the prognosis of patients is insufficient. Clinical data, cranial computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of 300 breast cancer patients with brain metastases (BMs) were collected retrospectively in four centers participating in the Brain Metastases in Breast Cancer Registry (BMBC) in Germany. Patients with positive estrogen (ER), progesterone (PR), or human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) statuses, had a significantly lower number of BMs at diagnosis.

In situ microscopy as a tool for the monitoring of filamentous bacteria: a case study in an industrial activated sludge system dominated by M. parvicella.

The present study demonstrates the application of in situ microscopy for monitoring the growth of filamentous bacteria which can induce disturbances in an industrial activated sludge process. An in situ microscope (ISM) is immersed directly into samples of activated sludge with Microthrix parvicella as dominating species. Without needing further preparatory steps, the automatic evaluation of the ISM-images generates two signals: the number of individual filaments per image (ISM-filament counting) and the total extended filament length (TEFL) per image (ISM-online TEFL).