Observational study on the evolution of systemic treatments for advanced renal cell carcinoma in Southwest Finland between 2010 and 2021.

Background: Novel receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors and immune checkpoint inhibitors have been introduced to the treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma (aRCC) during the past decade. However, the adoption of novel treatments into clinical practice has been unknown in Finland.

Objectives: Our aim was to evaluate the use of systemic treatments and treatment outcomes of aRCC patients in Southwest Finland during 2010-2021.

Long-term outcomes after ascending aortic replacement and aortic root replacement for type A aortic dissection.

Objectives: We investigated whether the selective use of supracoronary ascending aorta replacement achieves late outcomes comparable to those of aortic root replacement for acute Stanford type A aortic dissection (TAAD).

Methods: Patients who underwent surgery for acute type A aortic dissection from 2005 to 2018 at the Helsinki University Hospital, Finland, were included in this analysis. Late mortality was evaluated with the Kaplan-Meier method and proximal aortic reoperation, i.

Ischemic Heart Disease Selectively Modifies the Right Atrial Appendage Transcriptome.

Although many pathological changes have been associated with ischemic heart disease (IHD), molecular-level alterations specific to the ischemic myocardium and their potential to reflect disease severity or therapeutic outcome remain unclear. Currently, diagnosis occurs relatively late and evaluating disease severity is largely based on clinical symptoms, various imaging modalities, or the determination of risk factors. This study aims to identify IHD-associated signature RNAs from the atrial myocardium and evaluate their ability to reflect disease severity or cardiac surgery outcomes.

Epicardial Transplantation of Autologous Cardiac Micrografts During Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery.

Cardio-regenerative cell therapies offer additional biologic support to coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) and are aimed at functionally repairing the myocardium that suffers from or is damaged by ischemia. This non-randomized open-label study assessed the safety and feasibility of epicardial transplantation of atrial appendage micrografts (AAMs) in patients undergoing CABG surgery. Twelve consecutive patients destined for CABG surgery were included in the study.

Epitranscriptomics of Ischemic Heart Disease-The IHD-EPITRAN Study Design and Objectives.

Epitranscriptomic modifications in RNA can dramatically alter the way our genetic code is deciphered. Cells utilize these modifications not only to maintain physiological processes, but also to respond to extracellular cues and various stressors. Most often, adenosine residues in RNA are targeted, and result in modifications including methylation and deamination.

Epicardial delivery of autologous atrial appendage micrografts during coronary artery bypass surgery-safety and feasibility study.

Background: The atrial appendages are a tissue reservoir for cardiac stem cells. During on-pump coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery, part of the right atrial appendage can be excised upon insertion of the right atrial cannula of the heart-lung machine. In the operating room, the removed tissue can be easily cut into micrografts for transplantation.

Early experience with robotic mitral valve repair with intra-aortic occlusion.

Objective: To report the learning curve and early results of robotic mitral valve repairs in comparison with propensity score-matched sternotomy controls after the adoption of a robotic mitral valve surgery program in a university teaching hospital.

Methods: A total of 142 patients underwent robotic mitral valve repair due to degenerative mitral regurgitation between May 2011 and December 2015. Control patients operated on via the conventional sternotomy approach were selected by the use of propensity score analysis resulting in 2 well-matched study groups.

Genome-wide repression of eRNA and target gene loci by the ETV6-RUNX1 fusion in acute leukemia.

Approximately 20%-25% of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemias carry the ETV6-RUNX1 (E/R) fusion gene, a fusion of two central hematopoietic transcription factors, ETV6 (TEL) and RUNX1 (AML1). Despite its prevalence, the exact genomic targets of E/R have remained elusive. We evaluated gene loci and enhancers targeted by E/R genome-wide in precursor B acute leukemia cells using global run-on sequencing (GRO-seq).

Transcription-coupled genetic instability marks acute lymphoblastic leukemia structural variation hotspots.

Progression of malignancy to overt disease requires multiple genetic hits. Activation-induced deaminase (AID) can drive lymphomagenesis by generating off-target DNA breaks at loci that harbor highly active enhancers and display convergent transcription. The first active transcriptional profiles from acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients acquired here reveal striking similarity at structural variation (SV) sites.

Relevance Rank Platform (RRP) for Functional Filtering of High Content Protein-Protein Interaction Data.

High content protein interaction screens have revolutionized our understanding of protein complex assembly. However, one of the major challenges in translation of high content protein interaction data is identification of those interactions that are functionally relevant for a particular biological question. To address this challenge, we developed a relevance ranking platform (RRP), which consist of modular functional and bioinformatic filters to provide relevance rank among the interactome proteins.

Comparison of 30-day and 5-year outcomes of percutaneous coronary intervention versus coronary artery bypass grafting in patients aged≤50 years (the Coronary aRtery diseAse in younG adultS Study).

Data on the outcome of young patients after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) are scarce. Data on 2,209 consecutive patients aged≤50 years who underwent CABG or PCI were retrospectively collected from 15 European institutions. PCI and CABG had similar 30-day mortality rates (0.

Expression of small nucleolar RNAs in leukemic cells.

Purpose: Small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) direct sequence-specific modifications to ribosomal RNA. We hypothesized that the expression of snoRNAs may be altered in leukemic cells.

Methods: The expression of snoRNAs was analyzed in various leukemic cell lines by massive parallel sequencing (SOLiD).

SAP30L (Sin3A-associated protein 30-like) is involved in regulation of cardiac development and hematopoiesis in zebrafish embryos.

The Sin3A-associated proteins SAP30 and SAP30L share 70% sequence identity and are part of the multiprotein Sin3A corepressor complex. They participate in gene repression events by linking members of the complex and stabilizing interactions among the protein members as well as between proteins and DNA. While most organisms have both SAP30 and SAP30L, the zebrafish is exceptional because it only has SAP30L.

The zebrafish as a tool in leukemia research.

The zebrafish has proven to be a valuable vertebrate model in which to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of various diseases. A high degree of genetic and morphological similarity in hematopoiesis between the zebrafish and human indicates that zebrafish can provide valuable knowledge about the mechanisms behind pathogenesis of leukemia. To date, a small number of zebrafish leukemia models have been published and they have already provided some interesting information.

Use of blood products and risk of stroke after coronary artery bypass surgery.

Background: The impact of blood transfusion on the development of post-operative stroke after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is not well established. We, therefore, investigated this issue.

Materials And Methods: Complete data on peri-operative blood transfusion were available for 2,226 patients who underwent CABG in three Finnish hospitals.

Timing of preoperative aspirin discontinuation and outcome after elective coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

Objective: Whether aspirin should be discontinued before coronary artery bypass grafting is controversial. The potential benefits and harms associated with late use of aspirin (no discontinuation or discontinuation <3 days before surgery) were investigated in this retrospective, multicenter study.

Design: Retrospective, multicenter study.

Nucleolar proteins with altered expression in leukemic cell lines.

The function of the nucleolus is intimately connected to cell proliferation, division and growth. Many cancer cells have enlarged nucleoli, and several nucleolar proteins have been linked to tumorigenesis. In order to find proteins whose expression is altered in the nucleoli of leukemic cells, we carried out two-dimensional difference gel electrophoresis (2-D DIGE) analyses.

Coronary artery bypass surgery in octogenarians: long-term outcome can be better than expected.

Background: We have reviewed our experience with octogenarians undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting.

Methods: A consecutive series of 274 patients age 80 years or greater out of 3,474 patients who underwent isolated coronary artery bypass grafting. We have assessed the intrinsic risk aged 80 years or greater by comparing them with a propensity score-matched cohort of younger patients with similar operative risk (other than age).

Miniaturized versus conventional cardiopulmonary bypass in high-risk patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery.

Objective: To review our results with the use of miniaturized cardiopulmonary bypass (Mini-CPB) versus conventional cardiopulmonary bypass (C-CPB) in high-risk patients (additive EuroSCORE>or=6) who have undergone coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG).

Patients And Methods: This study includes a consecutive series of 236 patients with an additive EuroSCORE>or=6 who underwent CABG, employing either C-CPB or Mini-CPB. Propensity score analysis was performed.

Is it possible to improve the accuracy of EuroSCORE?

Objective: We derived a new risk-scoring method by modifying some of the risk factors included in the EuroSCORE algorithm.

Methods: This study includes 3613 patients who underwent cardiac surgery at the Vaasa Central Hospital, Finland. The EuroSCORE variables, along with modified age classes (< 60 years, 60-69.

Outcome after coronary artery bypass surgery with miniaturized versus conventional cardiopulmonary bypass.

We have reviewed the results of our experience with the use of miniaturized (Mini-CPB) versus conventional (C-CPB) cardiopulmonary bypass in coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG). This study included 365 patients who underwent CABG with C-CPB and 101 patients with Mini-CPB. In-hospital mortality was lower in the C-CPB group (1.

PME-1 protects extracellular signal-regulated kinase pathway activity from protein phosphatase 2A-mediated inactivation in human malignant glioma.

Extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)/mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway activity is regulated by the antagonist function of activating kinases and inactivating protein phosphatases. Sustained ERK pathway activity is commonly observed in human malignancies; however, the mechanisms by which the pathway is protected from phosphatase-mediated inactivation in the tumor tissue remain obscure. Here, we show that methylesterase PME-1-mediated inhibition of the protein phosphatase 2A promotes basal ERK pathway activity and is required for efficient growth factor response.

Adjuvant arteriovenous fistula as means of rescue for infrapopliteal venous bypass with poor runoff.

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the outcome of infrapopliteal bypass when an adjuvant arteriovenous (AV) fistula was reconstructed as means of rescue as a result of poor runoff. The design was a retrospective multicenter case-control study.

Methods: Seventy-seven infrapopliteal vein bypasses required an adjuvant AV fistula among 1813 patients operated on for critical leg ischemia in 3 vascular centers between 1996 and 2003.

The impact of adjuvant av-fistula on cuffed Femorocrural PTFE bypass grafting: flow and pressure response.

Objective: The aim of the present study was to assess the effect of an adjuvant av-fistula on prosthetic bypass grafting and whether intraoperative flow measurements could predict patency and adverse events of cuffed femorocrural PTFE bypass with or without an av-fistula.

Methods: A total of 50 patients in need of vascular reconstruction for critical limb ischaemia (CLI) but with no suitable venous conduit were included.

Results: The flow values in patients with av-fistula were significantly higher (p=0.