Discovery and Validation of Novel Biomarkers for Detection of Epithelial Ovarian Cancer.

Detection of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) poses a critical medical challenge. However, novel biomarkers for diagnosis remain to be discovered. Therefore, innovative approaches are of the utmost importance for patient outcome.

Novel Drivers of the Inflammatory Response in Liver Injury and Fibrosis.

Hepatocyte demise as well as signals released by stressed hepatocytes have been now recognized as important triggers of liver inflammation. While traditional concepts classically viewed hepatocyte cell death to occur by either a nonlytic, noninflammatory form (apoptosis), or lytic, proinflammatory nonregulated cell death (necrosis), recent studies have provided evidence for additional mechanisms that can contribute to both acute and chronic liver damage. Two novel forms of cell death, pyroptosis and necroptosis, are of particular importance as they are highly regulated and intrinsically proinflammatory.

A novel approach reveals that HLA class 1 single antigen bead-signatures provide a means of high-accuracy pre-transplant risk assessment of acute cellular rejection in renal transplantation.

Background: Acute cellular rejection (ACR) is associated with complications after kidney transplantation, such as graft dysfunction and graft loss. Early risk assessment is therefore critical for the improvement of transplantation outcomes. In this work, we retrospectively analyzed a pre-transplant HLA antigen bead assay data set that was acquired by the e:KID consortium as part of a systems medicine approach.

Strain-encoded magnetic resonance: a method for the assessment of myocardial deformation.

This study aims to assess the usefulness of strain-encoded magnetic resonance (SENC) for the quantification of myocardial deformation ('strain') in healthy volunteers and for the diagnostic workup of patients with different cardiovascular pathologies. SENC was initially described in the year 2001. Since then, the SENC sequence has undergone several technical developments, aiming at the detection of strain during single-heartbeat acquisitions (fast-SENC).

Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation improves outcome of adults with t(6;9) acute myeloid leukemia: results from an international collaborative study.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with t(6;9)(p22;q34) is a distinct entity accounting for 1-2% of AML cases. A substantial proportion of these patients have a concomitant -ITD. While outcomes are dismal with intensive chemotherapy, limited evidence suggests allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) may improve survival if performed early during first complete remission.

Hamate's coronal fracture: diagnostic and therapeutic approaches based on a long-term follow-up.

Hamate fractures are commonly divided into hook fractures and body fractures. The coronal fractures as a special form of hamate's body fracture are very rare injuries. Because of unspecific clinical findings and the mostly inconclusive x-ray imaging, these fractures are frequently overseen or misdiagnosed.

Frontal sinus augmentation: Preliminary results of a new approach in prosthetic orbital reconstruction.

Purpose: Reliable application of endosseous implants for prosthetic facial reconstruction depends on the bone volume available at the defect site. Regarding the orbit, sufficient bone presentation in the medial superior orbital rim is limited due to the frontal sinus. The aim of this article is to report for the first time on the augmentation of the frontal sinus for gaining bone volume for supraorbital implant placement.

Malnutrition predicts long-term survival in hospitalized patients with gastroenterological and hepatological diseases.

Background & Aims: Malnutrition is a common problem in hospitalized patients, influencing treatment outcomes, length of hospital stay, quality of life and overall survival. However, the association of nutritional status parameters with long-term mortality has not yet been studied systematically in gastroenterological-hepatological patients. The present study aimed to assess the association between nutritional status parameters as characterized by Nutritional Risk Screening (NRS), anthropometry, serum transferrin, bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) and long-term overall survival in hospitalized gastroenterological-hepatological patients.

Strain-encoded cardiac magnetic resonance imaging: a new approach for fast estimation of left ventricular function.

Background: Recently introduced fast strain-encoded (SENC) cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging (fast-SENC) provides real-time acquisition of myocardial performance in a single heartbeat. We aimed to test the ability and accuracy of real-time strain-encoded CMR imaging to estimate left ventricular volumes, ejection fraction and mass.

Methods: Thirty-five subjects (12 healthy volunteers and 23 patients with known or suspected coronary artery disease) were investigated.

Management of sepsis in neutropenic cancer patients: 2018 guidelines from the Infectious Diseases Working Party (AGIHO) and Intensive Care Working Party (iCHOP) of the German Society of Hematology and Medical Oncology (DGHO).

Sepsis and septic shock are major causes of mortality during chemotherapy-induced neutropenia for malignancies requiring urgent treatment. Thus, awareness of the presenting characteristics and prompt management is most important. Improved management of sepsis during neutropenia may reduce the mortality of cancer therapies.

Randomized phase-II trial evaluating induction therapy with idarubicin and etoposide plus sequential or concurrent azacitidine and maintenance therapy with azacitidine.

The aim of this randomized phase-II study was to evaluate the effect of substituting cytarabine by azacitidine in intensive induction therapy of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Patients were randomized to four induction schedules for two cycles: STANDARD (idarubicin, cytarabine, etoposide); and azacitidine given prior (PRIOR), concurrently (CONCURRENT), or after (AFTER) therapy with idarubicin and etoposide. Consolidation therapy consisted of allogeneic hematopoietic-cell transplantation or three courses of high-dose cytarabine followed by 2-year maintenance therapy with azacitidine in the azacitidine-arms.

Cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging feature tracking: Impact of training on observer performance and reproducibility.

Background: Cardiovascular magnetic resonance feature tracking (CMR-FT) is increasingly used for myocardial deformation assessment including ventricular strain, showing prognostic value beyond established risk markers if used in experienced centres. Little is known about the impact of appropriate training on CMR-FT performance. Consequently, this study aimed to evaluate the impact of training on observer variance using different commercially available CMR-FT software.

Midostaurin added to chemotherapy and continued single-agent maintenance therapy in acute myeloid leukemia with -ITD.

Patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and a internal tandem duplication (ITD) have poor outcomes to current treatment. A phase 2 hypothesis-generating trial was conducted to determine whether the addition of the multitargeted kinase inhibitor midostaurin to intensive chemotherapy followed by allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (alloHCT) and single-agent maintenance therapy of 12 months is feasible and favorably influences event-free survival (EFS) compared with historical controls. Patients 18 to 70 years of age with newly diagnosed AML and centrally confirmed -ITD were eligible: 284 patients were treated, including 198 younger (18-60 years) and 86 older (61-70 years) patients.

The prognostic significance of estrogen and progesterone receptors in grade I and II endometrioid endometrial adenocarcinoma: hormone receptors in risk stratification.

Objectives: Although patients with grade I and II endometrioid endometrial adenocarcinoma (EEA) are considered with good prognosis, among them 15%-25% died in 5 years. It is still unknown whether integrating estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) into clinical risk stratification can help select high-risk patients with grade I-II EEA. This study was to investigate the prognostic value of ER and PR double negativity (ER/PR loss) in grade I-II EEA, and the association between ER/PR loss and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) classification.

Impact of bladder volume on acute genitourinary toxicity in intensity modulated radiotherapy for localized and locally advanced prostate cancer.

Background And Purpose: To evaluate the effect of changes in bladder volume during high-dose intensity-modulated-radiotherapy (IMRT) of prostate cancer on acute genitourinary (GU) toxicity and prospectively evaluate a simple biofeedback technique for reproducible bladder filling with the aim of reducing acute GU toxicity.

Methods: One hundred ninety-three patients were trained via a biofeedback mechanism to maintain a partially filled bladder with a reproducible volume of 200-300 cc at planning CT and subsequently at each fraction of radiotherapy. We prospectively analyzed whether and to what extent the patients' ability to maintain a certain bladder filling influenced the degree of acute GU toxicity and whether cut-off values could be differentiated.

Motivational Interviewing as a tool to enhance access to mental health treatment in adolescents with chronic medical conditions and need for psychological support (COACH-MI): study protocol for a clusterrandomised controlled trial.

Background: This cluster-randomised monocentric controlled trial focuses on improving the uptake symptoms of mental health care in adolescents with chronic medical conditions who have been identified by screening to have depression or anxiety. The study aims to determine the efficacy of motivational interviewing (MI) delivered by trained physicians to increase 12- to 20-year-old adolescents' utilisation of psychological health care for symptoms of anxiety or depression.

Methods/design: In this single-centre approach, n = 1,000 adolescents will be screened (using PHQ-9 and GAD-7), and adolescents with results indicative of anxiety or depressive symptoms (n = 162) will be advised to seek psychological health care in clusters from treating physicians in specialised outpatient departments.

Clinical and morphological practices in the diagnosis of transplant-associated microangiopathy: a study on behalf of Transplant Complications Working Party of the EBMT.

Transplant-associated thrombotic microangiopathy (TA-TMA) is a life-threatening complication of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). This study evaluated clinical and morphological practices of TA-TMA diagnosis in EBMT centers. Two questionnaires, one for transplant physician and one for morphologist, and also a set of electronic blood slides from 10 patients with TA-TMA and 10 control patients with various erythrocyte abnormalities, were implemented for evaluation.

Alterations in structure of the muscle-tendon unit and gait pattern after percutaneous repair of Achilles tendon rupture with the Dresden instrument.

Background: Functional deficits after Achilles tendon (AT) ruptures are observed. The relationship between musculotendinous structural alterations and functional outcome is not clear.

Methods: Kinematic analyses (level walking, stair climbing), patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), calf atrophy (maximum calf circumference (MCC)), and AT length were evaluated in patients after percutaneous AT repair with the Dresden instrument (n=20min.

Functional outcome and complication rate after percutaneous suture of fresh Achilles tendon ruptures with the Dresden instrument.

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcome of patients with a rupture of the Achilles tendon (ATR) treated percutaneously with the Dresden instrument in the hands of surgeons others than its inventors.

Materials And Methods: 118 patients (FU rate: 77.1%) with an acute ATR treated with the Dresden instrument were retrospectively evaluated.

Novel endocrine therapeutic strategy in endometrial carcinoma targeting estrogen-related receptor α by XCT790 and siRNA.

Purpose: To explore the targeted therapy of estrogen-related receptor α (ERRα) in endometrial cancer (EC) cells and its potential mechanisms.

Methods: The mRNA and protein expression levels of ERRα and estrogen receptor α (ERα) were detected by qPCR and Western blotting in RL-952, AN3-CA, HEC-1A, and HEC-1B EC cell lines. After treatment with the ERRα-specific antagonist XCT790 or infection with lentivirus-mediated small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting the ERRα (siRNA-ERRα), cell proliferation and apoptosis were evaluated by MTS assay and flow cytometry.

Targeting proinflammatory cytokines ameliorates calcifying phenotype conversion of vascular progenitors under uremic conditions in vitro.

Severe vascular calcification develops almost invariably in chronic kidney patients posing a substantial risk to quality of life and survival. This unmet medical need demands identification of novel therapeutic modalities. We aimed to pinpoint components of the uremic microenvironment triggering differentiation of vascular progenitors to calcifying osteoblast-like cells.

Clinical Outcome After Completion Surgery in Patients With Ovarian Cancer: The Charite Experience.

Objective: The aim of this study was to estimate surgical outcome and survival benefit after completion surgery.

Methods: We evaluated 164 patients with epithelial ovarian cancer who underwent incomplete primary cytoreductive surgery or rather received only staging procedures from January 2000 to December 2014 in outside institutions. Patient-related data were registered in prospective database of Tumor Bank Ovarian Cancer.

Cyclosporine use and male gender are independent determinants of avascular necrosis after kidney transplantation: a cohort study.

Background: Kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) are at increased risk of avascular necrosis (AVN) due to bone disorder, steroid use and common comorbidities. However, knowledge on risk factors and outcomes of AVN among KTRs in the modern era of immunosuppression remains scarce.

Methods: We analysed 765 KTRs between 2001 and 2013 for AVN.

Triple helix conformation of β-d-glucan from Ganoderma lucidum and effect of molecular weight on its immunostimulatory activity.

β-d-glucan (GLP20) isolated from Ganoderma lucidum fruiting bodies was successfully fractionated into five fractions with different weight-average molecular weights (M) through ultrasonic irradiation. The M, radius of gyration (R), hydrodynamic radius (R) and intrinsic viscosity ([η]) of these fractions in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) aqueous solution were determined using HPSEC-MALLS-RI-VS system. The results indicated that β-d-glucan displayed rigid chain conformations with ρ values lager than 2.