Regional hyperthermia with cisplatin added to gemcitabine versus gemcitabine in patients with resected pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: The HEAT randomised clinical trial.

Background: Regional hyperthermia (RHT) with cisplatin added to gemcitabine showed efficacy in gemcitabine-pre-treated patients with advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. We conducted a randomised clinical trial to investigate RHT with cisplatin added to gemcitabine (GPH) compared with gemcitabine (G) in the adjuvant setting of resected pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

Methods: This randomised, multicentre, open-label trial randomly assigned patients to either GPH (gemcitabine 1000 mg/m on day 1, 15 and cisplatin 25 mg/m with RHT on day 2, 3 and 15,16) or to G (gemcitabine 1000 mg/m on day 1,8,15), four-weekly over six cycles.

Immune-related pan-cancer gene expression signatures of patient survival revealed by NanoString-based analyses.

The immune system plays a central role in the onset and progression of cancer. A better understanding of transcriptional changes in immune cell-related genes associated with cancer progression, and their significance in disease prognosis, is therefore needed. NanoString-based targeted gene expression profiling has advantages for deployment in a clinical setting over RNA-seq technologies.

Single-cell RNA sequencing identifies a population of human liver-type ILC1s.

Group 1 innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) comprise a heterogeneous family of cytotoxic natural killer (NK) cells and ILC1s. We identify a population of "liver-type" ILC1s with transcriptional, phenotypic, and functional features distinct from those of conventional and liver-resident NK cells as well as from other previously described human ILC1 subsets. LT-ILC1s are CD49aCD94CD200R1, express the transcription factor T-BET, and do not express the activating receptor NKp80 or the transcription factor EOMES.

Diverse but unique astrocytic phenotypes during embryonic stem cell differentiation, culturing and development.

Astrocytes are resident glial cells of the central nervous system (CNS) that play complex and heterogeneous roles in brain development, homeostasis and disease. Since their vast involvement in health and disease is becoming increasingly recognized, suitable and reliable tools for studying these cells in vivo and in vitro are of utmost importance. One of the key challenges hereby is to adequately mimic their context-dependent in vivo phenotypes and functions in vitro.

Integrative systems immunology uncovers molecular networks of the cell cycle that stratify COVID-19 severity.

Several perturbations in the number of peripheral blood leukocytes, such as neutrophilia and lymphopenia associated with Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) severity, point to systemic molecular cell cycle alterations during severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. However, the landscape of cell cycle alterations in COVID-19 remains primarily unexplored. Here, we performed an integrative systems immunology analysis of publicly available proteome and transcriptome data to characterize global changes in the cell cycle signature of COVID-19 patients.

Non-pharmacological interventions to promote work participation in people with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases: a systematic review and meta-analysis from the EULAR taskforce on healthy and sustainable work participation.

Objective: To summarise the evidence on effectiveness of non-pharmacological (ie, non-drug, non-surgical) interventions on work participation (sick leave, work status and presenteeism) in people with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs).

Methods: A systematic review of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and longitudinal observational studies (LOS) was performed. Qualitative (RCTs/LOS) and quantitative (RCTs) evidence syntheses were conducted.

Tractography-based navigated TMS language mapping protocol.

Introduction: This study explores the feasibility of implementing a tractography-based navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation (nTMS) language mapping protocol targeting cortical terminations of the arcuate fasciculus (AF). We compared the results and distribution of errors from the new protocol to an established perisylvian nTMS protocol that stimulated without any specific targeting over the entire perisylvian cortex.

Methods: Sixty right-handed patients with language-eloquent brain tumors were examined in this study with one half of the cohort receiving the tractographybased protocol and the other half receiving the perisylvian protocol.

Postoperative complications and oncologic outcomes after multimodal therapy of localized high risk soft tissue sarcoma.

Background: Standard therapy for localized high-risk soft tissue sarcoma includes surgical resection and neoadjuvant or adjuvant radiation therapy (± chemotherapy and locoregional hyperthermia). No difference in oncologic outcomes for patients treated with neoadjuvant and adjuvant radiation therapy was reported, whereas side effect profiles differ. The aim of this analysis was to analyse oncologic outcomes and postoperative complications in patients treated with multimodal treatment.

Trends in use, outcomes, and revision procedures of anterior cervical disc replacement in the United States: a premiere database analysis from 2006-2019.

Purpose: We sought to characterize trends in demographics, comorbidities, and postoperative complications among patients undergoing primary and revision cervical disc replacement (pCDR/rCDR) procedures.

Methods: In this retrospective database study, the Premier Healthcare database was queried from 2006 to 2019. Annual proportions or medians were calculated for patient and hospital characteristics, comorbidities, and postoperative complications associated with CDR surgery.

Assessment of the urinary bladder prior to cesarean delivery in women with multiple abdominal scars through operation table ultrasonography: a case report.

Bladder injury is a rare but serious complication that can occur during cesarean deliveries with an incidence of between 0.25% and 0.9%.

Symptom Perception in Pathological Illness Anxiety: Tactile Sensitivity and Bias.

Objective: Symptom perception in pathological illness anxiety (PIA) might be biased so that somatic signals are overreported. In the somatic signal detection task (SSDT), performance in detecting weak tactile stimuli gives information on overreporting or underreporting of stimuli. This task has not yet been applied in PIA.

Role of laparoscopic hysterectomy in cervical and endometrial cancer: a narrative review.

Endometrial cancer is the most common carcinoma of the female genital organs and cervical cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in women worldwide. The aim of this review is to evaluate the role of laparoscopic hysterectomy in patients with endometrial and cervical cancer in this period, and analyze the outcome of hysterectomy in terms of survival. Moreover, we present the historical background, new techniques, the anatomical features, and surgical steps of radical hysterectomy.

Dose-escalated radiotherapy with simultaneous integrated boost for bone metastases in selected patients with assumed favourable prognosis.

Background: Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) concepts for dose escalation are increasingly used for bone metastases in patients with oligometastatic or oligoprogressive disease. For metastases that are not suitable for SBRT-regimens, a treatment with 30/40 Gy with simultaneous integrated boost (SIB) in 10 fractions represents a possible regimen. The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of this concept and the acute and subacute toxicities.

First-line Treatment With Bendamustine and Rituximab for Old and Frail Patients With Aggressive Lymphoma: Results of the B-R-ENDA Trial.

The incidence of aggressive B-cell lymphomas increases with age, but for elderly or frail patients not eligible for doxorubicin-containing treatment standard therapy remains to be defined. In this prospective, multicenter, phase-2 B-R-ENDA trial, we investigated the feasibility, toxicity, and efficacy of 8 cycles rituximab combined with 6 cycles bendamustine (BR) in elderly or frail aggressive B-cell lymphoma patients: 39 patients aged >80 years and 29 patients aged 61-80 years with elevated Cumulative Illness Rating Scalescore >6 were included. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) at 2 years were 45% (95% confidence interval [CI], 28%-61%) and 46% (28%-63%) for the patients age >80, as well 32% (13%-51%) and 37% (17%-57%) for frail patients age 64-80, respectively.

Isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 mutation drives leukemogenesis by PDGFRA activation due to insulator disruption in acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is characterized by complex molecular alterations and driver mutations. Elderly patients show increased frequencies of IDH mutations with high chemoresistance and relapse rates despite recent therapeutic advances. Besides being associated with global promoter hypermethylation, IDH1 mutation facilitated changes in 3D DNA-conformation by CTCF-anchor methylation and upregulated oncogene expression in glioma, correlating with poor prognosis.

Corticotropin-stimulated steroid profiles to predict shock development and mortality in sepsis: From the HYPRESS study.

Rationale: Steroid profiles in combination with a corticotropin stimulation test provide information about steroidogenesis and its functional reserves in critically ill patients.

Objectives: We investigated whether steroid profiles before and after corticotropin stimulation can predict the risk of in-hospital death in sepsis.

Methods: An exploratory data analysis of a double blind, randomized trial in sepsis (HYPRESS [HYdrocortisone for PRevention of Septic Shock]) was performed.

Adding a piece to the puzzle of Latin American blood donors and the potential risk of transmission in Germany.

Introduction: Chagas disease (CD) is caused by the () infection and has become a global health concern due to population mobility, as well as non-vectorial transmission routes. Several countries outside Latin America (LA) have reported transfusion-associated transmission, but equivalent studies in Germany are lacking. This study aims to collect first data on the risk of transfusion associated transmission as well as LA blood donors originating from CD endemic countries in Germany.

Fusion assessment in standalone lateral lumbar interbody fusion: 3D-printed titanium versus polyetheretherketone (PEEK) cages.

Background: Compare fusion at two independent timepoints (early and late) between 3D-printed titanium (Ti) and polyetheretherketone (PEEK) cages in patients undergoing standalone lateral lumbar interbody fusion (SA-LLIF). We hypothesized that 3D-printed Ti cages show higher fusion rates at an early timepoint compared to PEEK.

Methods: A retrospective study of patients undergoing SA-LLIF with 3D-printed Ti cages and PEEK cages between 11/2016 and 01/2020 at a single academic institution was done.

Assessment of Cystatin C Level for Risk Stratification in Adults With Chronic Kidney Disease.

Importance: Kidney function is usually estimated from serum creatinine level, whereas an alternative glomerular filtration marker (cystatin C level) associates more closely with future risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and mortality.

Objectives: To evaluate whether testing concordance between estimated glomerular filtration rates based on cystatin C (eGFRcys) and creatinine (eGFRcr) levels would improve risk stratification for future outcomes and whether estimations differ by age.

Design, Setting, And Participants: A prospective population-based cohort study (UK Biobank), with participants recruited between 2006-2010 with median follow-up of 11.