A Nordic-Baltic perspective on indications for proton therapy with strategies for identification of proper patients.

The beneficial effects of protons are primarily based on reduction of low to intermediate radiation dose bath to normal tissue surrounding the radiotherapy target volume. Despite promise for reduced long-term toxicity, the percentage of cancer patients treated with proton therapy remains low. This is probably caused by technical improvements in planning and delivery of photon therapy, and by high cost, low availability and lack of high-level evidence on proton therapy.

Evaluation of correlation of articular cartilage staining for DDR2 and proteoglycans with histological tissue damage and the results of radiographic assessment in patients with early stages of knee osteoarthritis.

Objective: To determine, if staining of articular cartilage for proteoglycans (natural element of healthy and functioning cartilage) and discoidin domain receptor 2 (DDR2) (a protein associated with articular cartilage degradation) is correlated with histological tissue damage or radiographic assessment score in patients with early stages of knee osteoarthritis (OA).

Method: 40 patients, with early stage OA were enrolled, from whom the biopsies for histological and immunohistochemical studies were obtained from edge of the femoral condyle during the arthroscopy. Semi-quantitative computer based analysis was used to evaluate the proportion of staining in histological sections.

Two Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms in ADAM12 Gene Are Associated with Early and Late Radiographic Knee Osteoarthritis in Estonian Population.

Objectives. To investigate associations of selected single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in ADAM12 gene with radiographic knee osteoarthritis (rKOA) in Estonian population. Methods.

The ADAM12 is upregulated in synovitis and postinflammatory fibrosis of the synovial membrane in patients with early radiographic osteoarthritis.

Objective: To investigate the possible association between ADAM12 (disintegrin and metalloproteinase domain12) expression in the synovium and the histological synovitis of patients with radiographic knee osteoarthritis (rKOA).

Methods: The synovial biopsy samples were harvested from 44 subjects with chronic knee complaints during arthroscopy. In all subjects, the radiographs of both knee joints were performed for rKOA assessment.