Using Resuscitative Endovascular Balloon Occlusion of the Aorta (REBOA) as a Rescue Strategy in Severe Postpartum Hemorrhage: A Case Report.

Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is a leading cause of maternal morbidity and mortality. Routine treatment of PPH includes uterotonics, tranexamic acid, curettage, uterine (balloon) tamponade, compression sutures, uterine artery ligation, and, if available, transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE). In cases of severe PPH refractory to standard medical and surgical management, hysterectomy is usually the ultima ratio, and is equally associated with a higher rate of complications.

Primary Thromboprophylaxis and the Risk of Venous Thromboembolic Events in Patients With Testicular Germ Cell Tumors Treated With Cisplatinum-Based Chemotherapy.

Background: Cisplatinum-based chemotherapy is associated with an increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE). We hypothesized that primary thromboprophylaxis in patients with testicular germ cell tumors (GCT) undergoing cisplatinum-based chemotherapy can reduce the risk of VTE.

Patients And Methods: In this single-center retrospective cohort study, we investigated the increased use of primary thromboprophylaxis between January 2000 and December 2021 at our institution and its effect on the risk of VTE.

An immune dysfunction score for stratification of patients with acute infection based on whole-blood gene expression.

Dysregulated host responses to infection can lead to organ dysfunction and sepsis, causing millions of global deaths each year. To alleviate this burden, improved prognostication and biomarkers of response are urgently needed. We investigated the use of whole-blood transcriptomics for stratification of patients with severe infection by integrating data from 3149 samples from patients with sepsis due to community-acquired pneumonia or fecal peritonitis admitted to intensive care and healthy individuals into a gene expression reference map.

Benefit of Metastasectomy in Renal Cell Carcinoma: A Propensity Score Analysis.

Introduction: To quantify the magnitude of benefit of metastasectomy as compared to medical treatment alone in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC).

Patients And Methods: We therefore conducted a propensity score analysis of overall survival (OS) in 106 mRCC patients with metachronous metastasis, of whom 36 (34%) were treated with metastasectomy, and 70 (66%) with medical therapy alone.

Results: The most frequent metastasectomy procedures were lung resections (n = 13) and craniotomies (n = 6).

Benefit of second-line therapy for advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: a tri-center propensity score analysis.

Background: The level of evidence for palliative second-line therapy in advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (aESCC) is limited. This is the first study that reports efficacy data comparing second-line therapy + active symptom control (ASC) ASC alone in aESCC.

Methods: We conducted a tri-center retrospective cohort study ( = 166) including patients with aESCC who had experienced disease progression on palliative first-line therapy.

Characterization of bacterial DNA identified in abscessed and non-abscessed bovine hepatic tissue at the time of harvest.

Bacteriological characterization of bovine liver abscesses has been accomplished by cultural methods but DNA methods are still needed, as many bacteria are not conducive to laboratory culture. In addition to this gap in research, there have been no studies which identify the bacterial presence within healthy, non-abscessed liver tissue. The objective of this study was to compare the bacteriome of both abscessed and non-abscessed bovine livers in an observational case-control study design.

Gemcitabine/nab-Paclitaxel versus FOLFIRINOX for palliative first-line treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer: A propensity score analysis.

Background: Gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel (GN) and FOLFIRINOX are standard first-line treatment options for advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (aPDAC), but currently no prospective randomised head-to-head comparison between these treatments has yet been performed.

Methods: We conducted a comparative propensity score (PS) analysis of overall (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) in a tri-centre cohort of patients with aPDAC undergoing palliative first-line treatment with either GN or FOLFIRINOX.

Results: In unadjusted analysis, OS and PFS were highly similar between patients treated with GN (n = 297) and FOLFIRINOX (n = 158).

Evaluation of immunoglobulin-Y in place of tylosin phosphate in the diets fed to Holstein Steers and preliminary analysis of liver abscess duration on animal growth performance.

Despite the regular use of feed-grade macrolide-antibiotics, bovine liver abscesses persist, representing a financial burden to pre- and post-mortem sectors of the beef industry. An immunoglobulin-Y () additive developed to target and was evaluated for the control of liver abscesses. Research is needed for the impact of liver abscess severity as well as abscess duration on steer performance and carcass characteristics.

The AST/ALT Ratio Is an Independent Prognostic Marker for Disease-free Survival in Stage II and III Colorectal Carcinoma.

Background/aim: The Aspartate aminotransaminase/Alanine aminotransaminase ratio (AST/ALT ratio) has been identified as a prognostic marker for several malignancies. In this study, we evaluated the prognostic value of the AST/ALT ratio in a large cohort of non-metastatic colorectal cancer patients (CRC).

Patients And Methods: A total of 536 patients with stage II and III CRC, as well as available AST/ALT ratio were included in this single-center retrospective analysis.

The use and diagnostic value of testing myositis-specific and myositis-associated autoantibodies by line immuno-assay: a retrospective study.

Aims: Line immune-assays (LIA) for the detection of myositis-specific antibodies (MSA) are used widely for characterization of idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM). Their current use and significance for the diagnosis of IIM remains unclear.

Methods: In this retrospective analysis, we retrieved clinical diagnoses of patients tested for MSA and myositis-associated antibodies (MAA) Jo-1, Mi-2α, Mi-2β, TIF1γ, SRP, MDA-5, NXP-2, SAE, PL-7, PL-12, EJ, OJ, PM-Scl100, PM-Scl75 and Ku.

C-Reactive Protein (CRP) Levels in Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Response and Progression in Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Bi-Center Study.

Background: Biomarkers for predicting response to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) are scarce and often lack external validation. This study provides a comprehensive investigation of pretreatment C-reactive protein (CRP) levels as well as its longitudinal trajectories as a marker of treatment response and disease outcome in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) undergoing immunotherapy with anti PD-1 or anti PD-L1 agents.

Methods: We performed a retrospective bi-center study to assess the association between baseline CRP levels and anti PD-(L)1 treatment outcomes in the discovery cohort ( = 90), confirm these findings in an external validation cohort ( = 101) and explore the longitudinal evolution of CRP during anti PD-(L)1 treatment and the potential impact of dynamic CRP changes on treatment response and disease outcome in the discovery cohort.

Decrease in treatment intensity predicts worse outcome in patients with locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma undergoing radiochemotherapy.

Purpose: Radiochemotherapy (RCT) is an effective standard therapy for locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (LA-HNSCC). Nonetheless, toxicity is common, with patients often requiring dose modifications.

Methods: To investigate associations of RCT toxicities according to CTCAE version 5.

Estimation versus measurement of the glomerular filtration rate for kidney function assessment in patients with cancer undergoing cisplatin-based chemotherapy.

Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) assessment is indicated before every administration of cisplatin. The optimal modality for this purpose [GFR measurement by urinary Creatinine Clearance (uCrCl) versus GFR estimation (eGFR) by the CKD-EPI formula versus both] is unclear. We investigated whether eGFR only is safe in this setting.

The Lipase/Amylase Ratio (LAR) in Peripheral Blood Might Represent a Novel Prognostic Marker in Patients with Surgically Resectable Pancreatic Cancer.

Pancreatic enzymes might play a pivotal role in the pathophysiology and prognosis of pancreatic cancer. The aim of this study is to investigate the lipase/amylase ratio (LAR), representing a marker previously used in the differentiation of pancreatitis, as a potential prognostic marker in pancreatic cancer. Data from 157 surgically treated patients with ductal pancreatic adenocarcinoma and 351 patients with metastatic disease were evaluated retrospectively.

External validation of the prognostic relevance of the advanced lung cancer inflammation index (ALI) in pancreatic cancer patients.

Background: The advanced lung cancer inflammation index (ALI) was first introduced for prognosis prediction in lung cancer patients and since then evaluated in several other malignancies. However, in pancreatic cancer (PC) the ALI and its prognostic utility were only investigated in a comparably small and specific cohort of locally advanced PC patients treated with chemoradiotherapy.

Methods: In our single-center cohort study, we included 429 patients with histologically verified PC who were treated between 2003 and 2015 at our academic institution.

Individualizing Follow-Up Strategies in High-Grade Soft Tissue Sarcoma with Flexible Parametric Competing Risk Regression Models.

Currently, patients with extremity soft tissue sarcoma (eSTS) who have undergone curative resection are followed up by a heuristic approach, not covering individual patient risks. The aim of this study was to develop two flexible parametric competing risk regression models (FPCRRMs) for local recurrence (LR) and distant metastasis (DM), aiming at providing guidance on how to individually follow-up patients. Three thousand sixteen patients (1931 test, 1085 validation cohort) with high-grade eSTS were included in this retrospective, multicenter study.

Age as a Predictor of Treatment Outcome in Metastatic Testicular Germ Cell Tumors.

Background/aim: To quantify the prognostic impact of age on relapse and mortality in patients with metastatic testicular germ cell tumors (TGCT).

Patients And Methods: Electronical medical records of 1,225 TGCT patients who were treated at a single academic center between 1994 and 2015 were reviewed.

Results: Higher age did not predict for worse progression-free survival (PFS) or for higher progression risk.

Benefit of second-line systemic chemotherapy for advanced biliary tract cancer: A propensity score analysis.

Whether 2-line-chemotherapy (2LCTX) + best-supportive-care (BSC) benefits patients with advanced biliary tract cancer (aBTC) more than BSC alone is unclear. We therefore conducted a propensity-score-based comparative effectiveness analysis of overall survival (OS) outcomes in 80 patients with metastatic, recurrent, or inoperable aBTC, of whom 38 (48%) were treated with BSC + 2LCTX and 42 (52%) with BSC alone. After a median follow-up of 14.

Genetic Analysis Using a Gene Panel in 87 Caucasian Patients With Colorectal Cancer: Own Results and Review of Literature.

Background/aim: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer worldwide. The prognosis between left- and right-sided CRC differs, partly due to baseline differences as vascular supply. The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether there are genetic differences between left- and right-sided CRC.

Critical evaluation of platelet size as a prognostic biomarker in colorectal cancer across multiple treatment settings: a retrospective cohort study.

Purpose: The role of mean platelet volume (MPV) as a predictor of outcomes in various cancer entities including colorectal cancer (CRC) has already been analyzed. However, data on the prognostic and predictive value of MPV in CRC over multiple lines of systemic therapy are missing.

Methods: In this retrospective single-center cohort study, 690 patients with UICC stage II, III or IV CRC receiving adjuvant and/or palliative chemotherapy were included.

MiR-371a-3p Serum Levels Are Increased in Recurrence of Testicular Germ Cell Tumor Patients.

Metastatic testicular germ cell tumors (TGCTs) are a potentially curable disease by administration of risk-adapted cytotoxic chemotherapy. Nevertheless, a disease-relapse after curative chemotherapy needs more intensive salvage chemotherapy and significantly worsens the prognosis of TGCT patients. Circulating tumor markers (β-subunit of human chorionic gonadotropin (β-HCG), alpha-Fetoprotein (AFP), and Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH)) are frequently used for monitoring disease recurrence in TGCT patients, though they lack diagnostic sensitivity and specificity.

Large platelet size is associated with poor outcome in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer.

Background Platelets are a major cellular component of blood and their interaction with cancer cells is well-established to influence cancer progression and metastases. The physical size of platelets may have a critical impact on the interaction with cancer cells. In this study, we explored the potential prognostic role of platelet size measured by the determination of the mean platetlet volume (MPV) in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).