Ex Vivo Venetoclax Sensitivity Predicts Clinical Response in Acute Myeloid Leukemia in the Prospective VenEx Trial.

The BCL2 inhibitor venetoclax has shown promise for treating acute myeloid leukemia (AML). However, identifying patients likely to respond remains a challenge, especially for those with relapsed/refractory (R/R) disease. We evaluated the utility of ex vivo venetoclax sensitivity testing to predict treatment responses to venetoclax-azacitidine in a prospective, multicenter, phase 2 trial conducted by the Finnish AML Group (VenEx, NCT04267081).

Long-Term Outcomes of Adjuvant Trastuzumab for 9 Weeks or 1 Year for ERBB2-Positive Breast Cancer: A Secondary Analysis of the SOLD Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: The standard adjuvant treatment for patients with ERRB2-positive breast cancer is chemotherapy plus 1 year of trastuzumab. Shorter durations of trastuzumab administration improve cardiac safety, but more information is needed about their effect on survival.

Objective: To compare survival outcomes after 9-week vs 1-year administration of trastuzumab with the same adjuvant chemotherapy.

Feasibility and patient acceptability of a commercially available wearable and a smart phone application in identification of motor states in parkinson's disease.

In the quantification of symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD), healthcare professional assessments, patient reported outcomes (PRO), and medical device grade wearables are currently used. Recently, also commercially available smartphones and wearable devices have been actively researched in the detection of PD symptoms. The continuous, longitudinal, and automated detection of motor and especially non-motor symptoms with these devices is still a challenge that requires more research.

Polymorphism in interferon alpha/beta receptor contributes to glucocorticoid response and outcome of ARDS and COVID-19.

Background: The use of glucocorticoids has given contradictory results for treating acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The use of intravenous Interferon beta (IFN β) for the treatment of ARDS was recently tested in a phase III ARDS trial (INTEREST), in which more than half of the patients simultaneously received glucocorticoids. Trial results showed deleterious effects of glucocorticoids when administered together with IFN β, and therefore, we aimed at finding the reason behind this.

Body movement as a biomarker for use in chronic pain rehabilitation: An embedded analysis of an RCT of a virtual reality solution for adults with chronic pain.

Introduction: Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is a major public health problem. Reliably measuring the effects of chronic pain on movement and activity, and any changes due to treatment, is a healthcare challenge. A recently published paper demonstrated that a novel digital therapeutic (DTxP) was efficacious in reducing fear of movement and increasing the quality of life of adult patients with moderate to severe CLBP.

Health-related Quality of Life in Intermediate- or High-risk Patients Treated With Radical External Radiotherapy and Adjuvant Docetaxel for Localized Prostate Cancer: A Randomized, Phase III SPCG-13 Study.

Background/aim: The goal of this study was to investigate whether health-related quality of life (HRQoL) was affected in patients with high- or intermediate-risk localized prostate cancer treated with docetaxel following radiation therapy (RT).

Patients And Methods: A total of 376 patients treated with RT and androgen deprivation were randomized to receive 6 cycles of docetaxel 75 mg/m (N=188, Arm A) or surveillance (N=188, Arm B). FACT-P HRQoL questionnaires were gathered at baseline, six months and 1, 2 and 4 years after randomization.

Effect of spp. Bl-04 on Rhinovirus-Induced Colds: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Single-Center, Phase II Trial in Healthy Volunteers.

Background: This study was designed to assess the efficacy of ssp. (Bl-04) for prevention of rhinovirus colds and to explore the interactions between the probiotic, the viral infection, the host response and the host microbiome.

Methods: The effect of ingestion of the probiotic Bl-04 was evaluated in a randomized, double-blinded rhinovirus (RV) challenge study.

Biweekly Cabazitaxel Is a Safe Treatment Option for Metastatic Castration-resistant Prostate Cancer (mCRPC) Patients After Docetaxel - A Final Analysis of the Prosty II Trial.

Background/aim: Our phase III trial showed that biweekly docetaxel (D) is better tolerated than triweekly D in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). The safety of biweekly cabazitaxel (CBZ) post-docetaxel was studied in mCRPC.

Patients And Methods: Altogether, 60 patients received CBZ 16 mg/m i.

Quantification of tremor using consumer product accelerometry is feasible in patients with essential tremor and Parkinson's disease: a comparative study.

Background: To quantify pharmacological effects on tremor in patients with essential tremor (ET) or Parkinson's Disease (PD), laboratory-grade accelerometers have previously been used. Over the last years, consumer products such as smartphones and smartwatches have been increasingly applied to measure tremor in an easy way. However, it is unknown how the technical performance of these consumer product accelerometers (CPAs) compares to laboratory-grade accelerometers (LGA).

Docetaxel Versus Surveillance After Radical Radiotherapy for Intermediate- or High-risk Prostate Cancer-Results from the Prospective, Randomised, Open-label Phase III SPCG-13 Trial.

Background: Docetaxel combined with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) has improved patient survival for advanced prostate cancer (PCa).

Objective: This randomised trial aimed to evaluate whether six courses of docetaxel improved biochemical disease-free survival (BDFS) after radical radiotherapy (RT) for intermediate- or high-risk PCa patients.

Design, Setting, And Participants: A total of 376 patients were randomised in this multinational phase III study, and received either six cycles of adjuvant docetaxel 75 mg/m every 3 wk without continuous prednisone (arm A, n = 188) or surveillance (arm B, n = 188) after RT (NTC006653848).

Effect of Adjuvant Trastuzumab for a Duration of 9 Weeks vs 1 Year With Concomitant Chemotherapy for Early Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2-Positive Breast Cancer: The SOLD Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Trastuzumab plus chemotherapy is the standard adjuvant treatment for patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive early breast cancer. While the standard duration of trastuzumab treatment is 12 months, the benefits and harms of trastuzumab continued beyond the chemotherapy are unclear.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of adjuvant trastuzumab continued beyond chemotherapy in women treated with up-front chemotherapy containing a taxane and trastuzumab.

Irritable bowel syndrome symptom severity improves equally with probiotic and placebo.

Aim: To determine the effects of NCFM on irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptoms and quality of life (QoL).

Methods: In this randomized triple-blind trial, adult IBS volunteers who were recruited according to Rome III criteria received 10 or 10 colony-forming units of NCFM or placebo daily for 12 wk. IBS Symptom Severity Score (IBS-SSS), which constituted the primary outcome, and secondary outcomes, including individual IBS symptoms, IBS-related QoL questionnaire, anxiety and depression, defecation frequency, and stool consistency, were assessed at baseline at the end of the 8-wk run-in period, after 4 and 12 wk of intervention, and after a 4-wk washout.

Bevacizumab Combined with Docetaxel or Paclitaxel as First-line Treatment of HER2-negative Metastatic Breast Cancer.

Aim: The study evaluated the efficacy of bevacizumab combined with a taxane-based treatment for advanced breast cancer.

Patients And Methods: In this non-randomized phase II study 65 patients received 10 mg/kg bevacizumab i.v.

Improving uptake of screening for colorectal cancer: a study on invitation strategies and different test kit use.

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the uptake of mail-delivered tests for colorectal cancer screening. We assessed the effect of an advance notification letter and a reminder letter, and analysed the proportion of inappropriately handled tests.

Materials And Methods: Fifteen thousand randomly selected residents of Latvia aged 50-74 years were allocated to receive one of three different test systems: either a guaiac faecal occult blood test (gFOBT) or one of two laboratory-based immunochemical tests (FIT) - FOB Gold or OC-Sensor.

Fixed-dose combination of tafluprost and timolol in the treatment of open-angle glaucoma and ocular hypertension: comparison with other fixed-combination products.

A new preservative-free fixed-dose combination of 0.0015% tafluprost, a prostaglandin F2α analog, and 0.5% timolol (TAF/TIM; Santen Oy, Tampere, Finland), a beta-adrenergic antagonist has recently been developed.

Prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection and atrophic gastritis in Latvia.

Objectives: Helicobacter pylori infection and atrophic gastritis are related to an increased risk for gastric cancer. There is a decrease in global H. pylori prevalence.

Childbearing, the desire to have children, and awareness about the impact of age on female fertility among Finnish university students.

Objective: To describe Finnish university students' childbearing histories, desires concerning childbearing, and awareness regarding the impact of age on female fertility.

Methods: A national survey of Finnish university students in 2008. A questionnaire was sent to 9,967 Finnish undergraduate university students aged less than 35 years.

Violence victimization among Finnish university students: prevalence, symptoms and healthcare usage.

The present study examined the prevalence of various forms of violence victimization among university students in Finland. Violence victimization was analyzed in relation to physical and mental health symptoms, and the use of student healthcare services. A cross-sectional Student Health Survey was performed as a national postal survey for Finnish university students in 2004.

Users and non-users of web-based health advice service among Finnish university students - chronic conditions and self-reported health status (a cross-sectional study).

Background: The Internet is increasingly used by citizens as source of health information. Young, highly educated adults use the Internet frequently to search for health-related information. Our study explores whether reported chronic conditions or self-reported health status differed among Finnish university students using the Finnish Student Health Services web-based health advice service compared with those not using the service.

Risk of serious upper gastrointestinal events with concurrent use of NSAIDs and SSRIs: a case-control study in the general population.

Objectives: To study the risk of serious upper gastrointestinal (GI) events associated with the concurrent use of selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and different types of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

Methods: This was a nationwide, register-based matched case-control study on non-institutionalized residents of Finland during the period 2000-2004. Patient-cases with serious upper GI events (n=9191) were drawn from the Hospital Discharge Register, and individually matched controls (n=41,780) were drawn from the Population Register.

Sexual intercourse and current contraceptive use among university students in Finland.

Objective: To ascertain the current frequency of sexual intercourse, the current use of contraceptives, the ever use of emergency contraception, and the ever experience of condom failure among Finnish university students.

Study Design: The study population consisted of Finnish undergraduate university students (19-34 years of age) in 2004. The randomly selected sample comprised 5030 subjects.

Childbearing and the desire to have children among university students in Finland.

Background: The fertility rate in Europe is low and there is concern over the low birth rate in relation to the aging population. The age of childbearing women has increased and infertility is a growing problem. Highly educated women in Finland suffer from childlessness more often than less educated women.