Patient Engagement With an Automated Telephone Symptom Management Intervention: Predictors and Outcomes.

Background: Self-management of symptoms related to cancer and its treatment is important for maintaining treatment regimens and improving outcomes.

Purpose: To determine factors associated with engagement in a symptom self-management intervention among patients initiating oral anticancer treatment.

Methods: This secondary analysis included 127 patients randomized to the medication adherence reminder and symptom management intervention in a recently completed trial.

Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT) With Carbon Ion Boost in the Multimodal Treatment of Salivary Duct Carcinoma.

To assess outcomes and treatment related toxicity following intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and a Carbon Ion Radiotherapy (CIRT) boost for salivary duct carcinoma (SDC). Twenty-eight consecutive patients with SDC who underwent a postoperative (82%) or definitive (18%) radiation therapy between 2010 and 2017 were assessed in this retrospective single-center analysis. CIRT boost was delivered with median 18 Gy(RBE) in 6 daily fractions, followed by an TomoTherapy-based IMRT (median 54 Gy in 27 daily fractions).

Entrectinib in patients with advanced or metastatic NTRK fusion-positive solid tumours: integrated analysis of three phase 1-2 trials.

Background: Entrectinib is a potent inhibitor of tropomyosin receptor kinase (TRK) A, B, and C, which has been shown to have anti-tumour activity against NTRK gene fusion-positive solid tumours, including CNS activity due to its ability to penetrate the blood-brain barrier. We present an integrated efficacy and safety analysis of patients with metastatic or locally advanced solid tumours harbouring oncogenic NTRK1, NTRK2, and NTRK3 gene fusions treated in three ongoing, early-phase trials.

Methods: An integrated database comprised the pivotal datasets of three, ongoing phase 1 or 2 clinical trials (ALKA-372-001, STARTRK-1, and STARTRK-2), which enrolled patients aged 18 years or older with metastatic or locally advanced NTRK fusion-positive solid tumours who received entrectinib orally at a dose of at least 600 mg once per day in a capsule.

Position-Dependent Dysfunction of Deep Brain Stimulation in Tourette Syndrome: Diagnostic Clues.

Background: Detection of defective deep brain stimulation (DBS) contacts/electrodes is sometimes challenging.

Case Report: We report a patient with Tourette syndrome (TS), who presented with abrupt tic increase and mild generalized headache 9 years after DBS implantation. On the suspicion of a hardware defect, a fracture of the DBS electrode and extension lead was ruled out by radiography and standard implantable pulse generator readouts.

Staphylococcus aureus Infects Osteoclasts and Replicates Intracellularly.

Osteomyelitis (OM), or inflammation of bone tissue, occurs most frequently as a result of bacterial infection and severely perturbs bone structure. OM is predominantly caused by , and even with proper treatment, OM has a high rate of recurrence and chronicity. While has been shown to infect osteoblasts, it remains unclear whether osteoclasts (OCs) are also a target of intracellular infection.

Deep brain stimulation of the thalamic centromedian-parafascicular nucleus improves behavioural and neuronal traits in a rat model of Tourette.

Deficient prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the acoustic startle reaction after injection of the dopamine receptor agonist apomorphine has been experimentally used to model certain aspects of Tourette syndrome (TS) in rats. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the centromedian-parafascicular (CM-Pf) complex alleviates tics in patients with TS. The CM-Pf projects to striatal regions, which might mediate the effect of DBS via the cortico basal-ganglia circuitry implicated in the pathophysiology of TS.

Favorable prognosis in pediatric brainstem low-grade glioma: Report from the German SIOP-LGG 2004 cohort.

Reports on pediatric low-grade glioma (LGG) of the caudal brainstem are retrospective with heterogeneous cohorts, variable treatments and inconsistent outcome data. We analyzed their natural history and asked whether brainstem location proved unfavorable for survival within the framework of the comprehensive SIOP-LGG 2004 management strategy. Within the prospectively registered, population-based German SIOP-LGG 2004 cohort 116 patients (age 0.

Characterization of two new degradation products of atorvastatin calcium formed upon treatment with strong acids.

Atorvastatin calcium (Lipitor, Sortis) is a well-established cholesterol synthesis enzyme (CSE) inhibitor commonly used in the therapy of hypercholesterolemia. This drug is known to be sensitive to acid treatment, but only little data has been published on the structures of the degradation products. Here we report the identification of two novel degradation products of atorvastatin, which are formed only under drastic acidic conditions.

Neuroanatomical correlates of mobility: Sensory brain centres are bigger in winged than in wingless parthenogenetic pea aphid females.

Many aphid species reproduce parthenogenetically throughout most of the year, with individuals having identical genomes. Nevertheless, aphid clones display a marked polyphenism with associated behavioural differences. Pea aphids (Acyrthosiphon pisum), when crowded, produce winged individuals, which have a larger dispersal range than wingless individuals.

Cerebello-striatal interaction mediates effects of subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation in Parkinson's disease.

Background: In Parkinson's disease (PD), dopamine replacement therapy (DRT) enhances the effective connectivity of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and supplementary motor area (SMA). The clinical effects of deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) go beyond DRT effects including highly beneficial tremor suppression.

Objectives: Here, we aimed to determine DBS-related changes of a motor network using resting state fMRI in PD patients with chronic STN DBS.

Pallidal low-frequency activity in dystonia after cessation of long-term deep brain stimulation.

Objective: This study investigates the association between pallidal low-frequency activity and motor sign severity in dystonia after chronic deep brain stimulation for several months.

Methods: Local field potentials were recorded in 9 dystonia patients at 5 timepoints (T1-T5) during an OFF-stimulation period of 5 to 7 hours in parallel with clinical assessment using Burke-Fahn-Marsden Dystonia Rating Scale. A linear mixed effects model was used to investigate the potential association of motor signs with local field potential activity in the low frequency (3-12 Hz) and beta range (13-30 Hz).

Detection of bacterial DNA on neurostimulation systems in patients without overt infection.

Objective: Hardware-related infection remains a major problem in patients with neurostimulation systems. The role of bacterial colonization and the formation of biofilm on the surface of implanted devices remain unclear. Here, we analysed the incidence of bacterial DNA on the surface of implantable pulse generators (IPGs) using 16S rRNA gene sequencing in a consecutive series of patients who underwent routine IPG replacement without clinical signs of infection.

Infection Rates and Alkaloid Patterns of Different Grass Species with Systemic Endophytes.

Symbiotic species are fungal endophytes of cool-season grasses that can produce alkaloids with toxicity to vertebrates and/or invertebrates. Monitoring infections and presence of alkaloids in grasses infected with species can provide an estimate of possible intoxication risks for livestock. We sampled 3,046 individuals of 13 different grass species in three regions on 150 study sites in Germany.

Standardized nutritional supply versus individual nutritional assessment: Impact on weight changes, complications and functional outcome from neurological early rehabilitation.

Background & Aims: Approximately 55% of neurological and neurosurgical early rehabilitation (NNER) patients are in need of enteral nutrition, but long-term nutritional assessment of these critically ill patients is suboptimal. Therefore, this study analyzed the effect of an individual nutritional assessment on weight changes during rehabilitation and impact on complications and functional outcome.

Methods: 170 NNER patients on enteral nutrition were enrolled in the study.

Potential mediators of improvement in painful chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy via a web-based cognitive behavioural intervention.

Purpose: Preliminary evidence suggests that a self-guided cognitive and behaviourally-based pain management intervention (PROSPECT) is effective for chronic painful chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN), but its mechanism of action is unknown. The purpose of this secondary analysis was to explore if changes in anxiety, depression, sleep-related impairment, or fatigue mediated improvements in worst pain following PROSPECT in individuals with chronic painful CIPN.

Methods: Sixty participants were randomized to receive self-guided cognitive behavioural pain management (access for eight weeks) or treatment as usual.

Tumour-treating fields (TTFields): Investigations on the mechanism of action by electromagnetic exposure of cells in telophase/cytokinesis.

Tumour-treating fields (TTFields) use alternating electric fields which interfere with dividing cells, thereby reducing tumour growth. Previous reports suggest that electrical forces on cell structure proteins interfered with the chromosome separation during mitosis and induced apoptosis. In the present report we evaluate electromagnetic exposure of cells in telophase/cytokinesis in order to further analyse the mechanism of action on cells.

Adverse events associated with deep brain stimulation in patients with childhood-onset dystonia.

Background: Data on pediatric DBS is still limited because of small numbers in single center series and lack of systematic multi-center trials.

Objectives: We evaluate short- and long-term adverse events (AEs) of patients undergoing deep brain stimulation (DBS) during childhood and adolescence.

Methods: Data collected by the German registry on pediatric DBS (GEPESTIM) were analyzed according to reversible and irreversible AEs and time of occurrence with relation to DBS-surgery: Intraoperative, perioperative (<4 weeks), postoperative (4 weeks < 6 months) and long term AEs (>6 months).

Glial tumors and deep brain stimulation: An increasingly recognized association?

Occurrence of gliomas in patients with chronic deep brain stimulation (DBS) has been reported few. It has been speculated whether there could be a causal relationship. Here, we report the development of a pilocytic astrocytoma in close vicinity of a DBS electrode during the course of chronic DBS.

Neurobiological Mechanisms of Metacognitive Therapy - An Experimental Paradigm.

Introduction: The neurobiological mechanisms underlying the clinical effects of psychotherapy are scarcely understood. In particular, the modifying effects of psychotherapy on neuronal activity are largely unknown. We here present data from an innovative experimental paradigm using the example of a patient with treatment resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder (trOCD) who underwent implantation of bilateral electrodes for deep brain stimulation (DBS).

Long-term impairment of social behavior, vocalizations and motor activity induced by bilateral lesions of the fastigial nucleus in juvenile rats.

The cerebellum is increasingly recognized to be involved in limbic and cognitive-associative functioning. Cerebellar cognitive affective syndromes may result from various types of injuries. Cerebellar mutism may occur in children after resection of midline tumors in the posterior fossa, which has been thought to be related to damage to the cerebellar vermis.

The interplay of landscape composition and configuration: new pathways to manage functional biodiversity and agroecosystem services across Europe.

Managing agricultural landscapes to support biodiversity and ecosystem services is a key aim of a sustainable agriculture. However, how the spatial arrangement of crop fields and other habitats in landscapes impacts arthropods and their functions is poorly known. Synthesising data from 49 studies (1515 landscapes) across Europe, we examined effects of landscape composition (% habitats) and configuration (edge density) on arthropods in fields and their margins, pest control, pollination and yields.

Implementation of the Current Dystonia Classification from 2013 to 2018.

Background: There is a discrepancy in the way dystonia is classified in the literature, as articles continue to reference the old criteria or fail to use the 2013 criteria correctly.

Methods: We performed a systematic review of the dystonia literature and distinguished between studies that use the new classification correctly, made errors in implementing the new classification, or continued to use the old classification methods.

Results: Of the 990 articles included in the study, 59.

Stimulation of the globus pallidus internus in the treatment of Parkinson's disease: Long-term results of a monocentric cohort.

Background: Pallidal deep brain stimulation (DBS) has shown to be beneficial in patients with advanced levodopa-responsive Parkinson's disease (PD) in several short-term studies. However, reported long-term outcomes of pallidal DBS for PD are limited and contradictory.

Methods: Eighteen consecutive PD patients were treated with unilateral or bilateral stimulation of the internal part of the globus pallidus (GPi).

First-in-human study to assess safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of the anti-CD27L antibody-drug conjugate AMG 172 in patients with relapsed/refractory renal cell carcinoma.

Purpose: This study evaluated safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of the anti-CD27L antibody-drug conjugate AMG 172 in patients with relapsed/refractory clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC).

Methods: This was an open-label, adaptive dose-exploration study in patients with relapsed/refractory ccRCC. The study was conducted in two parts for dose exploration and dose expansion on a biweekly dosing schedule.