Navigating choices: understanding the decision-making journey of patients with localised kidney cancer.

Objective: To explore patients' experience of decision making regarding treatment of localised kidney cancer.

Methods: A total of 21 patients with localised kidney cancer, across three countries, participated in either four focus groups or seven semi-structured interviews that lasted on average 2 h. Focus groups and interviews were all conducted in the participants' native language, recorded, transcribed and (if applicable) translated into English.

PrimerX: A Bayesian Multistage Cohort Embedded Randomised Trial to Evaluate the Role of Deferred Local Therapy of the Primary Tumour in Combination with Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor-based First-line Therapy in Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Patients.

Background: Historically, patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) have been offered upfront cytoreductive nephrectomy (CN) followed by systemic therapy. Currently, CN is no longer the standard of care (SOC) based on the randomised phase 3 CARMENA study performed in the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor era. With the advent of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) combination therapy in first line, the role of CN needs to be reassessed.

Prostate Cancer-related Events in Patients with Synchronous Metastatic Hormone-sensitive Prostate Cancer Treated with Androgen Deprivation Therapy with and Without Concurrent Radiation Therapy to the Prostate; Data from the HORRAD Trial.

Background And Objective: A survival benefit was demonstrated for patients with low-volume synchronous metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPCa) when local radiotherapy to the prostate was added to androgen deprivation therapy. This study aims to determine the incidence of prostate cancer-related events and treatments in those who received and those who did not receive external beam radiotherapy for mHSPCa.

Methods: The HORRAD trial is a multicentre randomised controlled trial recruiting originally 432 patients with mHSPCa diagnosed between 2004 and 2014.

Radiographic Progression-Free Survival and Clinical Progression-Free Survival as Potential Surrogates for Overall Survival in Men With Metastatic Hormone-Sensitive Prostate Cancer.

Purpose: Despite major increases in the longevity of men with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC), most men still die of prostate cancer. Phase III trials assessing new therapies in mHSPC with overall survival (OS) as the primary end point will take approximately a decade to complete. We investigated whether radiographic progression-free survival (rPFS) and clinical PFS (cPFS) are valid surrogates for OS in men with mHSPC and could potentially be used to expedite future phase III clinical trials.

Exploring the role of transcriptional and post-transcriptional processes in mRNA co-expression.

Co-expression of two or more genes at the single-cell level is usually associated with functional co-regulation. While mRNA co-expression-measured as the correlation in mRNA levels-can be influenced by both transcriptional and post-transcriptional events, transcriptional regulation is typically considered dominant. We review and connect the literature describing transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation of co-expression.

Noise Minimization in Cell-Free Gene Expression.

Biochemical reactions that involve small numbers of molecules are accompanied by a degree of inherent randomness that results in noisy reaction outcomes. In synthetic biology, the ability to minimize noise particularly during the reconstitution of future synthetic protocells is an outstanding challenge to secure robust and reproducible behavior. Here we show that by encapsulation of a bacterial cell-free gene expression system in water-in-oil droplets, -synthesized MazF reduces cell-free gene expression noise >2-fold.

Effect of docetaxel added to bicalutamide in Hormone-Naïve non-metastatic prostate cancer with rising PSA, a randomized clinical trial (SPCG-14).

Background: Historically, endocrine therapy was used in a range of scenarios in patients with rising PSA, both as a treatment for locally advanced non-metastatic prostate cancer and PSA recurrence following curative intended therapy. In the present study the objective was to investigate if chemotherapy added to endocrine therapy could improve progression-free survival (PFS).

Materials And Methods: Patients with hormone-naïve, non-metastatic prostate cancer and rising prostate-specific antigen (PSA), enrolled from Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Finland, were randomized to long-term bicalutamide (150 mg daily) or plus docetaxel (75 mg/m, q3w, 8-10 cycles) without prednisone, after stratification for the site, prior local therapy or not, and PSA doubling time.

[Religious diversity: mosaic and dynamics].

Background  Diversity manifests itself emphatically in the broad field of spirituality and worldview. Aim  To contribute to the diversity competence of mental health professionals consistent with the intent of the WPA Position Statement on religion and spirituality in psychiatry. Method  Explanation of a number of aspects: the spiritual landscape, the problem of definitions, interpretive power and diversity, and the concept of ‘lived religion’ as an alternative.

Biomarker-Oriented Therapy in Bladder and Renal Cancer.

Treatment of patients with urothelial carcinoma (UC) of the bladder or renal cancer has changed significantly during recent years and efforts towards biomarker-directed therapy are being investigated. Immune checkpoint inhibition (ICI) or fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) directed therapy are being evaluated for non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) patients, as well as muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) patients. Meanwhile, efforts to predict tumor response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) are still ongoing, and genomic biomarkers are being evaluated in prospective clinical trials.

Patient-reported Quality of Life in Patients with Primary Metastatic Prostate Cancer Treated with Androgen Deprivation Therapy with and Without Concurrent Radiation Therapy to the Prostate in a Prospective Randomised Clinical Trial; Data from the HORRAD Trial.

Background: A survival benefit was demonstrated for patients with low-volume metastatic prostate cancer (mPCa) when local radiotherapy was added to androgen deprivation therapy (ADT).

Objective: To determine the effect of ADT combined with external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) to the prostate on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of patients with primary bone mPCa.

Design, Setting, And Participants: The HORRAD trial is a multicentre randomised controlled trial recruiting 432patients with primary bone mPCa between 2004 and 2014.

Correction to: Two Randomized Controlled Trials of Bacillus Calmette-Guérin Vaccination to reduce absenteeism among health care workers and hospital admission by elderly persons during the COVID-19 pandemic: A structured summary of the study protocols for two randomised controlled trials.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.

Two Randomized Controlled Trials of Bacillus Calmette-Guérin Vaccination to reduce absenteeism among health care workers and hospital admission by elderly persons during the COVID-19 pandemic: A structured summary of the study protocols for two randomised controlled trials.

Objectives: The objectives of these two separate trials are: (1) to reduce health care workers (HCWs) absenteeism; and (2) to reduce hospital admission among the elderly during the COVID-19 pandemic through BCG vaccination.

Trial Design: Two separate multi-centre placebo-controlled parallel group randomized trials PARTICIPANTS: (1) Health care personnel working in the hospital or ambulance service where they will take care of patients with the COVID-19 infection and (2) elderly ≥60 years. The HCW trial is being undertaken in 9 hospitals.

Cystic renal-epithelial derived induced pluripotent stem cells from polycystic kidney disease patients.

Autosomal-dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is the most common inherited kidney disease, leading to kidney failure in most patients. In approximately 85% of cases, the disease is caused by mutations in PKD1. How dysregulation of PKD1 leads to cyst formation on a molecular level is unknown.

Believing in Psychiatry.

Believing always plays a role in psychiatry and in mental healthcare in general not only in patients but also in psychiatrists. It is part of how they relate to the illness, as far as the patients are concerned, and to the profession, as far as the psychiatrists are concerned. Both are driven by stories that not just are helpful in meaningmaking, but that wield also power for better or for worse.

Prostate Radiotherapy for Metastatic Hormone-sensitive Prostate Cancer: A STOPCAP Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Background: Many trials are evaluating therapies for men with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC).

Objective: To systematically review trials of prostate radiotherapy.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Using a prospective framework (framework for adaptive meta-analysis [FAME]), we prespecified methods before any trial results were known.

Identifying cystogenic paracrine signaling molecules in cyst fluid of patients with polycystic kidney disease.

In autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) paracrine signaling molecules in cyst fluid can induce proliferation and cystogenesis of neighboring renal epithelial cells. However, the identity of this cyst-inducing factor is still unknown. The aim of this study was to identify paracrine signaling proteins in cyst fluid using a 3D in vitro cystogenesis assay.

Effect on Survival of Androgen Deprivation Therapy Alone Compared to Androgen Deprivation Therapy Combined with Concurrent Radiation Therapy to the Prostate in Patients with Primary Bone Metastatic Prostate Cancer in a Prospective Randomised Clinical Trial: Data from the HORRAD Trial.

Background: The cornerstone of standard treatment for patients with primary bone metastatic prostate cancer (mPCa) is androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). Retrospective studies suggest a survival benefit for treatment of the primary prostatic tumour in mPCa, but to date, no randomised-controlled-trials (RCTs) have been published addressing this issue.

Objective: To determine whether overall survival is prolonged by adding local treatment of the primary prostatic tumour with external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) to ADT.

[Position Statement on religion and spirituality in psychiatry].

In December 2015 the Executive Committee of the World Psychiatric Association approved a Position Statement on religion and spirituality in psychiatry. This remarkable event remained unnoticed in the Netherlands.
AIM: To bring this statement to the attention of the Dutch psychiatry.