Evaluation of the effectiveness and safety of single-operator cholangiopancreatoscopy with the SpyGlass™ system.

Background And Study Aims: The single-operator cholangiopancreatoscopy (SOCP) with the SpyGlass™ system is a endoscopy technique whose use has grown exponentially in recent years. The aims of this study were to evaluate the efficacy and safety of SOCP with SpyGlass™ and determine the factors related to the onset of adverse events (AEs).

Patients And Methods: Retrospective study at a single tertiary institution with inclusion of all consecutive patients undergoing SOCP with SpyGlass™ from February-2009 to December-2021.

Computing Arithmetic Functions Using Immobilised Enzymatic Reaction Networks.

Living systems use enzymatic reaction networks to process biochemical information and make decisions in response to external or internal stimuli. Herein, we present a modular and reusable platform for molecular information processing using enzymes immobilised in hydrogel beads and compartmentalised in a continuous stirred tank reactor. We demonstrate how this setup allows us to perform simple arithmetic operations, such as addition, subtraction and multiplication, using various concentrations of substrates or inhibitors as inputs and the production of a fluorescent molecule as the readout.

Effect of the Nutraceutical Micodigest 2.0 on the Complication Rate of Colorectal Cancer Surgery With Curative Intent: Protocol for a Placebo-Controlled Double-blind Randomized Clinical Trial.

Background: Most colorectal cancer patients diagnosed are candidates for surgical resection with curative intent, although colorectal surgery is associated with some complications that could be life-threatening. Antibiotic prophylaxis is commonly used for the prevention of infectious postoperative complications. However, this intervention can change the composition of intestinal microbiota and promote adverse inflammatory outcomes in colorectal cancer patients.

Antibodies against 4 Atypical Post-Translational Protein Modifications in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) show autoantibodies against post-translational protein modifications (PTMs), such as anti-citrullinated protein antibodies. However, the range of recognized PTMs is unknown. Here, we addressed four PTMs: chlorination, non-enzymatic glycation, nitration, and homocysteinylation, identified as targets of atypical RA autoantibodies in studies whose protocols we have followed.

Polyprev: Randomized, Multicenter, Controlled Trial Comparing Fecal Immunochemical Test with Endoscopic Surveillance after Advanced Adenoma Resection in Colorectal Cancer Screening Programs: A Study Protocol.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) screening programs have been implemented to reduce the burden of the disease. When an advanced colonic lesion is detected, clinical practice guidelines recommend endoscopic surveillance with different intervals between explorations. Endoscopic surveillance is producing a considerable increase in the number of colonoscopies, with a limited effect on the CRC incidence.

Improved classification of rheumatoid arthritis with a score including anti-acetylated ornithine antibodies.

The presence of rheumatoid factor (RF) or anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) autoantibodies contributes to the current rheumatoid arthritis (RA) classification criteria. These criteria involve stratification on antibody levels, which limits reproducibility, and underperform in the RA patients without RF and anti-CCP. Here, we have explored if two anti-acetylated peptide antibodies (AAPA), anti-acetylated lysine (AcLys) and anti-acetylated ornithine (AcOrn), could improve the performance of the current criteria.

Publisher Correction: A predominant involvement of the triple seropositive patients and others with rheumatoid factor in the association of smoking with rheumatoid arthritis.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Association of serum anti-centromere protein F antibodies with clinical response to infliximab in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: A prospective study.

Background: One-third of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients demonstrate no clinical improvement after receiving tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi). The presence of serum autoantibodies is a hallmark in RA and may provide information on future response to treatment. The aim of this prospective study was to search for novel serum autoantibodies useful to predict clinical response to TNFi.

A predominant involvement of the triple seropositive patients and others with rheumatoid factor in the association of smoking with rheumatoid arthritis.

The major environmental risk factor for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is smoking, which according to a widely accepted model induces protein citrullination in the lungs, triggering the production of anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA) and RA development. Nevertheless, some research findings do not fit this model. Therefore, we obtained six independent cohorts with 2253 RA patients for a detailed analysis of the association between smoking and RA autoantibodies.

Improved RA classification among early arthritis patients with the concordant presence of three RA autoantibodies: analysis in two early arthritis clinics.

Background: The patients with RA benefit from early identification soon after the first clinical symptoms appear. The 2010 ACR/EULAR classification criteria were developed to fulfill this need and their application has been demonstrated to be effective. However, there is still room for improvement.

Specific Association of HLA-DRB1*03 With Anti-Carbamylated Protein Antibodies in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Objective: Recognition of a new type of rheumatoid arthritis (RA)-specific autoantibody, the anti-carbamylated protein antibodies (anti-CarP), has provided an opportunity to improve the management and understanding of RA. The current study was undertaken to assess the relationship between anti-CarP antibodies and HLA-DRB1 alleles in RA.

Methods: Serum samples were obtained from 3 different collections, comprising a total of 1,126 RA patients.

Robust Step Counting for Inertial Navigation with Mobile Phones.

Mobile phones are increasingly used for purposes that have nothing to do with phone calls or simple data transfers, and one such use is indoor inertial navigation. Nevertheless, the development of a standalone application able to detect the displacement of the user starting only from the data provided by the most common inertial sensors in the mobile phones (accelerometer, gyroscope and magnetometer), is a complex task. This complexity lies in the hardware disparity, noise on data, and mostly the many movements that the mobile phone can experience and which have nothing to do with the physical displacement of the owner.

Association of high titers of anti-carbamylated protein antibodies with decreased bone mineral density in early arthritis patients.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has a negative impact on bone that is partly mediated by anti-citrullinated proteins antibodies (ACPA). These antibodies are associated with erosions, and with juxta-articular and systemic bone loss. Other RA autoantibodies, the anti-carbamylated protein antibodies (anti-CarPA), are independently associated with erosions.

Interest of Supportive and Barrier Protective Skin Care Products in the Daily Prevention and Treatment of Cutaneous Toxicity During Radiotherapy for Breast Cancer.

Purpose: As many as 50% of patients with cancer develop acute skin reactions to some degree with radiotherapy. Proactive skin care is often recommended to minimise these skin reactions and maintain the integrity of the epidermal barrier; nevertheless, no consensual guidelines are systematically used. This multicentre, observational, prospective study evaluated the tolerability and benefit of supportive and barrier protective skin care products in preventing radiotherapy-induced skin reactions in 253 women initiating radiotherapy (exclusive or adjuvant) for breast cancer.

Value of Measuring Anti-Carbamylated Protein Antibodies for Classification on Early Arthritis Patients.

Classification of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) as quickly as possible improves their prognosis. This reason motivates specially dedicated early arthritis (EA) clinics. Here, we have used 1062 EA patients with two years of follow-up to explore the value of anti-carbamylated protein (anti-CarP) antibodies, a new type of RA specific autoantibodies, for classification.

Anti-carbamylated protein autoantibodies associated with mortality in Spanish rheumatoid arthritis patients.

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have an increased mortality rate that is associated with the presence of RA-specific autoantibodies in many studies. However, the relative role of rheumatoid factor (RF), anti-CCP antibodies and the most recently established RA-autoantibodies, directed against carbamylated proteins (anti-CarP antibodies), is unclear. Here, we have assessed the role of these three antibodies in 331 patients with established RA recruited from 2001 to 2009 and followed until November 2015.

Anti-Carbamylated Protein Antibodies as a Reproducible Independent Type of Rheumatoid Arthritis Autoantibodies.

A large fraction of the patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) develop specific autoantibodies, which until recently were only of two types, rheumatoid factor (RF) and anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA). We aimed to replicate important findings about a recently described third type of specific autoantibodies, anti-carbamylated protein (anti-CarP) antibodies, because they have been described based only in the homemade ELISA from a single laboratory. Our study included 520 patients with established RA and 278 healthy controls of Spanish ancestry and it was done with an independently performed ELISA.

Mobile Robot Positioning with 433-MHz Wireless Motes with Varying Transmission Powers and a Particle Filter.

In wireless positioning systems, the transmitter's power is usually fixed. In this paper, we explore the use of varying transmission powers to increase the performance of a wireless localization system. To this extent, we have designed a robot positioning system based on wireless motes.

Self-organized multi-camera network for a fast and easy deployment of ubiquitous robots in unknown environments.

To bring cutting edge robotics from research centres to social environments, the robotics community must start providing affordable solutions: the costs must be reduced and the quality and usefulness of the robot services must be enhanced. Unfortunately, nowadays the deployment of robots and the adaptation of their services to new environments are tasks that usually require several days of expert work. With this in view, we present a multi-agent system made up of intelligent cameras and autonomous robots, which is easy and fast to deploy in different environments.

Preoperative chemoradiotherapy for rectal cancer: randomized trial comparing oral uracil and tegafur and oral leucovorin vs. intravenous 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin.

Purpose: To compare, in a randomized trial, 5-fluorouracil (FU) plus leucovorin (LV) (FU+LV) vs. oral uracil and tegafur (UFT) plus LV (UFT+LV) given concomitantly with preoperative irradiation in patients with cT3-4 or N+ rectal cancer.

Methods And Materials: A total of 155 patients were entered onto the trial.