Acute myeloid leukemia: negative prognostic impact of early blast persistence can be in part overcome by a later remission prior to post-induction therapy.

In acute myeloid leukemia, there is an ongoing debate on the prognostic value of the early bone marrow assessment in patients receiving intensive therapy. In this retrospective study, we analyzed the prognostic impact of the early response in 1,008 patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia, who were treated at our institution with intensive chemotherapy followed by consolidation chemotherapy and/or allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). We found that early blast persistence has an independent negative prognostic impact on overall survival, eventfree survival and relapse-free survival.

Knowledge transfer to enhance the performance of deep learning models for automated classification of B cell neoplasms.

Multi-parameter flow cytometry (MFC) is a cornerstone in clinical decision making for leukemia and lymphoma. MFC data analysis requires manual gating of cell populations, which is time-consuming, subjective, and often limited to a two-dimensional space. In recent years, deep learning models have been successfully used to analyze data in high-dimensional space and are highly accurate.

Pyroptosis in Steatohepatitis and Liver Diseases.

Pyroptosis is an inflammatory form of regulated cell death, which functions in the clearance of intracellularly replicating pathogens by cell lysis in order to induce further immune response. Since the discovery of the gasdermin (GSDM) family, pyroptosis has attracted attention in a wide range of inflammatory diseases such as nonalcoholic steatohepatitis and other liver diseases. Due to the cleavage of GSDMs by different caspases, the amino-terminal GSDM fragments form membrane pores essential for pyroptosis that facilitate the release of inflammatory cytokines by loss of ionic gradient and membrane rupture.

Clinical outcome in patients with primary epithelial ovarian cancer and germline BRCA1/2-mutation - real life data.

Background: We evaluated the clinical impact of germline (g)BRCA1/2-mutation on initial disease presentation, surgical implications, surgical morbidity and survival in patients with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) undergoing debulking surgery (DS).

Methods: Data of all consecutive EOC patients with stage III/IV, high-grade serous disease and known gBRCA1/2 status (gBRCA; non-gBRCA), who underwent DS at our department between 01/2011 and 06/2019 were analyzed. Associations between gBRCA-status and severe postoperative complications and survival were analyzed.

Vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC): fear it or dare it? An evaluation of potential risk factors.

Objectives: The consultation of women aspiring a vaginal birth after caesarean may be improved by integrating the individual evaluation of factors that predict their chance of success. Retrospective analysis of correlating factors for all trials of labor after caesarean that were conducted at the Department of Obstetrics of Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Virchow Clinic from 2014 to October 2017.

Methods: Of 2,151 pregnant women with previous caesarean, 408 (19%) attempted a vaginal birth after cesarean.

The effect of fertility-sparing surgery on sexuality and global quality of life in women with malignant ovarian germ cell and sex cord stromal tumors: an analysis of the CORSETT database of the AGO study group.

Purpose: Malignant ovarian germ cell (MOGCT) and sex cord stromal tumors (SCST) are ovarian neoplasms that affect disproportionally young women. Little is known about the impact of surgical and adjuvant management of these patient's sexual life. This study investigated the effect of fertility-sparing surgery on sexual activity and global quality of life (gQoL) in women with MOGCT and SCST.

Total body irradiation as part of conditioning regimens in childhood leukemia-long-term outcome, toxicity, and secondary malignancies.

Background: Total body irradiation (TBI) is an established part of conditioning regimens prior to stem cell transplantation in childhood leukemia but is associated with long-term toxicity. We retrospectively analyzed survival, long-term toxicity, and secondary malignancies in a pooled cohort of pediatric patients (pts.) treated with the same TBI regimen.

Maternal Exercise Mediates Hepatic Metabolic Programming via Activation of AMPK-PGC1α Axis in the Offspring of Obese Mothers.

Maternal obesity is associated with an increased risk of hepatic metabolic dysfunction for both mother and offspring and targeted interventions to address this growing metabolic disease burden are urgently needed. This study investigates whether maternal exercise (ME) could reverse the detrimental effects of hepatic metabolic dysfunction in obese dams and their offspring while focusing on the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), representing a key regulator of hepatic metabolism. In a mouse model of maternal western-style-diet (WSD)-induced obesity, we established an exercise intervention of voluntary wheel-running before and during pregnancy and analyzed its effects on hepatic energy metabolism during developmental organ programming.

Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells Restrain Natural Killer Cell Activity in Acute Coxsackievirus B3-Induced Myocarditis.

Murine models of coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3)-induced myocarditis well represent the different outcomes of this inflammatory heart disease. Previously, we found that CVB3-infected A.BY/SnJ mice, susceptible for severe acute and chronic myocarditis, have lower natural killer (NK) cell levels than C57BL/6 mice, with mild acute myocarditis.

The non-invasive assessment of myocardial work by pressure-strain analysis: clinical applications.

Pressure-volume (PV) analysis is the most comprehensive way to describe cardiac function, giving insights into cardiac mechanics and energetics. However, PV analysis still remains a highly invasive and time-consuming method, preventing it from integration into clinical practice. Most of the echocardiographic parameters currently used in the clinical routine to characterize left ventricular (LV) systolic function, such as LV ejection fraction and LV global longitudinal strain, do not take the pressure developed within the LV into account and therefore fall too short in describing LV function as a hydraulic pump.

Defining the optimal temporal and spatial resolution for cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging feature tracking.

Background: Myocardial deformation analyses using cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) feature tracking (CMR-FT) have incremental value in the assessment of cardiac function beyond volumetric analyses. Since guidelines do not recommend specific imaging parameters, we aimed to define optimal spatial and temporal resolutions for CMR cine images to enable reliable post-processing.

Methods: Intra- and inter-observer reproducibility was assessed in 12 healthy subjects and 9 heart failure (HF) patients.

Combined analysis of gut microbiota, diet and PNPLA3 polymorphism in biopsy-proven non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Background And Aims: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a global health burden. Risk factors for disease severity include older age, increased body mass index (BMI), diabetes, genetic variants, dietary factors and gut microbiota alterations. However, the interdependence of these factors and their individual impact on disease severity remain unknown.

Precision medicine in myeloid malignancies.

Myeloid malignancies have always been at the forefront of an improved understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of cancer. In accordance, over the last years, basic research focusing on the aberrations underlying malignant transformation of myeloid cells has provided the basis for precision medicine approaches and subsequently has led to the development of powerful therapeutic strategies. In this review article, we will recapitulate what has happened since in the 1980s the use of all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA), as a first targeted cancer therapy, has changed one of the deadliest leukemia subtypes, acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), into one that can be cured without classical chemotherapy today.

Benefit of a wearable cardioverter defibrillator for detection and therapy of arrhythmias in patients with myocarditis.

Aims: Myocarditis may lead to malignant arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death. As of today, there are no reliable predictors to identify individuals at risk for these catastrophic events. The aim of this study was to evaluate if a wearable cardioverter defibrillator (WCD) may detect and treat such arrhythmias adequately in the peracute setting of myocarditis.

Prognostic Value and Therapeutic Implications of Pleural Carcinosis and Malignant Pleural Effusion in Advanced Epithelial Ovarian Cancer.

Aim: To demonstrate the prognostic value of pleural carcinosis/effusion in a cohort of patients with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) and the associated therapeutic implications.

Patients And Methods: Overall, data for 388 patients with EOC with confirmed malignant pleural effusion (MPE) or pleural carcinosis were retrospectively analyzed. Exclusion criteria were non-epithelial ovarian malignancies and presence of other comorbidities associated with pleural effusions.

The "TIDE"-Algorithm for the Weaning of Patients With Cardiogenic Shock and Temporarily Mechanical Left Ventricular Support With Impella Devices. A Cardiovascular Physiology-Based Approach.

Mechanical circulatory support (MCS) is often required to stabilize therapy-refractory cardiogenic shock patients. Left ventricular (LV) unloading by mechanical ventricular support (MVS) via percutaneous devices, such as with Impella® axial pumps, alone or in combination with extracorporeal life support (ECLS, ECMELLA approach), has emerged as a potential clinical breakthrough in the field. While the weaning from MCS is essentially based on the evaluation of circulatory stability of patients, weaning from MVS holds a higher complexity, being dependent on bi-ventricular function and its adaption to load.

Response evaluation after neoadjuvant therapy: evaluation of chemotherapy response score and serological and/or radiological assessment of response in ovarian cancer patients.

Purpose: The chemotherapy response score (CRS) is a histopathological tool to evaluate response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) in high-grade serous ovarian cancer (OC). We critically evaluated the clinical value of CRS and compared its predictive power to standard serological (CA125) and radiological response.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of 277 OC patients, who received primary chemotherapy, was performed.

p53 and p16 expression profiles in vulvar cancer: a translational analysis by the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Gynäkologische Onkologie Chemo and Radiotherapy in Epithelial Vulvar Cancer study group.

Background: There are 2 known pathways for tumorigenesis of vulvar squamous cell carcinoma-a human papillomavirus-dependent pathway characterized by p16 overexpression and a human papillomavirus-independent pathway linked to lichen sclerosus, characterized by TP53 mutation. A correlation of human papillomavirus dependency with a favorable prognosis has been proposed.

Objective: The objective of the study was to further understand the role of human papillomavirus and p53 status in vulvar squamous cell carcinoma and characterize its clinical relevance.

High cut-off dialysis mitigates pro-calcific effects of plasma on vascular progenitor cells.

Mortality of patients with end-stage renal disease tremendously exceeds that of the general population due to excess cardiovascular morbidity. Large middle-sized molecules (LMM) including pro-inflammatory cytokines are major drivers of uremic cardiovascular toxicity and cannot be removed sufficiently by conventional high-flux (HFL) hemodialysis. We tested the ability of plasma from 19 hemodialysis patients participating in a trial comparing HFL with high cut-off (HCO) membranes facilitating removal of LMM to induce calcification in mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) functioning as vascular progenitors.