Efficacy and safety of Actovegin in the treatment of intermittent claudication: results of an international, multicenter, placebo-controlled, randomized, phase IIIb clinical trial (APOLLO).

Background: This study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of Actovegin for the treatment of patients with Fontaine stage IIB peripheral arterial disease (PAD).

Methods: The study included 366 patients with Fontaine stage IIB PAD from 19 centers (Russia, Georgia, Kazakhstan). Placebo or Actovegin (1200 mg daily [QD]) were administered intravenously for two weeks, followed by a 10-week course of oral administration (placebo or Actovegin 1200 mg QD).

Proof of concept for the sapphire scalpel combining tissue dissection and optical diagnosis.

Objectives: The development of compact diagnostic probes and instruments with an ability to direct access to organs and tissues and integration of these instruments into surgical workflows is an important task of modern physics and medicine. The need for such tools is essential for surgical oncology, where intraoperative visualization and demarcation of tumor margins define further prognosis and survival of patients. In this paper, the possible solution for this intraoperative imaging problem is proposed and its feasibility to detect tumorous tissue is studied experimentally.