Secondary basophilic leukemia in Ph-negative myeloid neoplasms: A distinct subset with poor prognosis.

During progression of myeloid neoplasms, the basophil compartment may expand substantially and in some of these patients, a basophilic leukemia is diagnosed. In patients with Ph-chromosome+ chronic myeloid leukemia, acceleration of disease is typically accompanied by marked basophilia. In other myeloid neoplasms, secondary leukemic expansion of basophils is rarely seen.

Redefining the Standard for Atrial Fibrillation: A Patient-centric Report.

A roundtable discussion with three European clinical experts in AF and one expert patient diagnosed and treated for AF was conducted in London in October 2019. The panel discussed the implications of AF for patients, current patient pathways, what treatment outcomes were relevant for patients and how the recommendations for the management of AF may change in the future, based on the outcomes of recently published and on-going clinical trials. This article summarises the discussion, and draws upon wider sources to detail best practice and optimal patient treatment pathways.

Phenotypic characterization of leukemia-initiating stem cells in chronic myelomonocytic leukemia.

Chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) is a stem cell-derived neoplasm characterized by dysplasia, uncontrolled expansion of monocytes, and substantial risk to transform to secondary acute myeloid leukemia (sAML). So far, little is known about CMML-initiating cells. We found that leukemic stem cells (LSC) in CMML reside in a CD34/CD38 fraction of the malignant clone.

Surgical Outcomes After Neoadjuvant Chemoradiation Followed by Curative Surgery in Patients With Esophageal Cancer: An Intergroup Phase III Trial of the Swiss Group for Clinical Cancer Research (SAKK 75/08).

Objective: To assess the impact of surgical technique in regard to morbidity and mortality after neoadjuvant treatment for esophageal cancer.

Background: The SAKK trial 75/08 was a multicenter phase III trial (NCT01107639) comparing induction chemotherapy followed by chemoradiation and surgery in patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer.

Methods: Patients in the control arm received induction chemotherapy with cisplatin and docetaxel, followed by concomitant chemoradiation therapy with cisplatin, docetaxel, and 45Gy.

Prognostic factors and follow-up parameters in patients with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH): experience of the Austrian PNH network.

Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) is a rare hematologic disease characterized by a deregulated complement system, chronic Coombs-negative, intravascular hemolysis, and a variable clinical course with substantial risk to develop thromboembolic events. We analyzed diagnostic and prognostic parameters as well as clinical endpoints in 59 adult patients suffering from PNH in 5 hematology centers in Austria (observation period: 1978-2015). Median follow-up time was 5.

Management of patients with SARS-CoV-2 infections and of patients with chronic lung diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic (as of 9 May 2020) : Statement of the Austrian Society of Pneumology (ASP).

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is currently a challenge worldwide. In Austria, a crisis within the healthcare system has so far been prevented. The treatment of patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), including SARS-CoV‑2 infections, should continue to be based on evidence-based CAP guidelines during the pandemic; however, COVID-19 specific adjustments are useful.

Blood pressure changes after renal denervation are more pronounced in women and nondiabetic patients: findings from the Austrian Transcatheter Renal Denervation Registry.

Objectives: Three recently published sham-controlled studies proved the efficacy of renal denervation (RDN) in hypertensive patients. The study presented here analyzed a nationwide multicentre registry database to clarify which patient subgroups benefit most from radiofrequency RDN.

Methods: This is a post hoc analysis from the multicentre Austrian Transcatheter Renal Denervation Registry hosted by the Austrian Society of Hypertension.

• Pancho trial (p53-adapted neoadjuvant chemotherapy for resectable esophageal cancer) completed-mutation rate of the marker higher than expected.

Background: In operable esophageal cancer patients, neoadjuvant therapy benefits only those who respond to the treatment. The • Pancho trial represents the first prospective randomized trial evaluating the relevance of the mark53 status for predicting the effect of two different neoadjuvant chemotherapies.

Method: Biomarker analysis was conducted using the mark53 analysis.

Indications for and outcome in patients with the wearable cardioverter-defibrillator in a nurse-based training programme: results of the Austrian WCD Registry.

Background: The wearable cardioverter-defibrillator is a treatment option for patients at temporarily high risk of sudden cardiac death or in whom implantation of a cardioverter-defibrillator is temporarily not possible.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to provide real-world data on patients receiving this therapy in a nurse-based wearable cardioverter-defibrillator training programme.

Methods: A registry including all patients prescribed with a wearable cardioverter-defibrillator in Austria between 2010 and 2016.

A Bi-national Analysis of 252 Pancreatic Resections for Chronic Pancreatitis with Regard to Incidental Carcinoma Sequence and Overall Postoperative Outcome.

Background/aim: Numerous treatment algorithms for patients with chronic pancreatitis are still debated. In particular, surgical therapy is often only considered after long-term conservative treatment. The aim of this study was the bi-national analysis of patients who underwent pancreatic resection for suspected chronic pancreatitis at an Austrian and a German high-volume center with regard to overall postoperative outcome and incidental carcinoma sequence.

Abundance of the Organic Anion-transporting Polypeptide OATP4A1 in Early-Stage Colorectal Cancer Patients: Association With Disease Relapse.

The abundance of OATP4A1 in colorectal cancer (CRC) might be related to tumor progression. This was studied by immunohistochemistry on paraffin-embedded samples obtained from 178 patients (43 patients with a relapse within 5 y) with early-stage CRC. Positivity for OATP4A1 in tumor cells and noncancerous mucosal cells was proved by double-immunofluorescence staining with antibodies against OATP4A1 and keratin 8, whereas antibodies against appropriate CD markers were used to identify immune cells.

The KIT and PDGFRA switch-control inhibitor DCC-2618 blocks growth and survival of multiple neoplastic cell types in advanced mastocytosis.

Systemic mastocytosis is a complex disease defined by abnormal growth and accumulation of neoplastic mast cells in various organs. Most patients exhibit a D816V-mutated variant of , which confers resistance against imatinib. Clinical problems in systemic mastocytosis arise from mediator-related symptoms and/or organ destruction caused by malignant expansion of neoplastic mast cells and/or other myeloid cells in various organ systems.

A multicenter prospective study on the diagnostic performance of a new liquid rapid urease test for the diagnosis of infection.

Background: () causes a diversity of gastric diseases. Rapid urease tests (RUT) are well established for the point-of-care, invasive diagnosis of infection. The study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of a new liquid RUT, the preOx-HUT, within a prospective cohort of treatment-naïve patients.

The pan-BCL-2-blocker obatoclax (GX15-070) and the PI3-kinase/mTOR-inhibitor BEZ235 produce cooperative growth-inhibitory effects in ALL cells.

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is characterized by leukemic expansion of lymphoid blasts in hematopoietic tissues. Despite improved therapy only a subset of patients can be cured. Therefore, current research is focusing on new drug-targets.

Pre-fibrotic/early primary myelofibrosis vs. WHO-defined essential thrombocythemia: The impact of minor clinical diagnostic criteria on the outcome of the disease.

The 2016 revised WHO criteria for the diagnosis of pre-fibrotic/early primary myelofibrosis (pre-PMF) require at least one of the following four borderline expressed minor clinical criteria: anemia, leukocytosis, elevated lactate dehydrogenase and splenomegaly. In this study, we evaluated the relative frequency of these four criteria in a group of 170 pre-PMF patients and compared them to 225 ET cases. More than 91% of pre-PMF cases showed one or more of these features required for diagnosis, by contrast with only 48% of ET patients.

Proposed diagnostic criteria and classification of basophilic leukemias and related disorders.

Basophils form a distinct cell lineage within the hematopoietic cell family. In various myeloid neoplasms, including chronic myeloid leukemia, basophilia is frequently seen. Acute and chronic basophilic leukemias, albeit rare, have also been described.

Austrian recommendations for the management of primary myelofibrosis, post-polycythemia vera myelofibrosis and post-essential thrombocythemia myelofibrosis: an expert statement.

The entity "myelofibrosis" represents a subgroup of the Philadelphia chromosome-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms. It comprises primary myelofibrosis, post-polycythemia vera myelofibrosis and post-essential thrombocythemia myelofibrosis. This heterogeneous disease is characterized by clonal myeloproliferation, dysregulated kinase signalling and the abnormal expression of several proinflammatory cytokines.

Cilastatin does not affect Carba NP test performance for detection of carbapenemase production in Enterobacteriaceae.

The Carba NP test is a simple confirmation method for carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) but reagents have to be freshly prepared as imipenem sodium salt is unstable. We evaluated the Carba NP test performance based on a commercially available 10-fold cheaper drug formulation containing cilastatin against 217 CPE and 78 non-CPE isolates with reduced meropenem susceptibility. Specificity and sensitivity were 100 % and 98.

Key Data Elements in Myeloid Leukemia.

Data standards consisting of key data elements for clinical routine and trial documentation harmonize documentation within and across different health care institutions making documentation more efficient and improving scientific data analysis. This work focusses on the field of myeloid leukemia (ML), where a semantic core of common data elements (CDEs) in routine and trial documentation is established by automatic UMLS-based form analysis of existing documentation models. These CDEs (n = 227) were initially reviewed and commented by leukemia experts before they were systematically surveyed by an international voting process through seven hematologists of four countries.

Acute myocarditis with normal wall motion detected with 2D speckle tracking echocardiography.

Unlabelled: SummaryWe present the case of a 26-year-old male with acute tonsillitis who was referred for coronary angiography because of chest pain, elevated cardiac biomarkers, and biphasic T waves. The patient had no cardiovascular risk factors. Echocardiography showed no wall motion abnormalities and no pericardial effusion.

Strategies to enhance rational use of antibiotics in hospital: a guideline by the German Society for Infectious Diseases.

Introduction: In the time of increasing resistance and paucity of new drug development there is a growing need for strategies to enhance rational use of antibiotics in German and Austrian hospitals. An evidence-based guideline on recommendations for implementation of antibiotic stewardship (ABS) programmes was developed by the German Society for Infectious Diseases in association with the following societies, associations and institutions: German Society of Hospital Pharmacists, German Society for Hygiene and Microbiology, Paul Ehrlich Society for Chemotherapy, The Austrian Association of Hospital Pharmacists, Austrian Society for Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, Austrian Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, Robert Koch Institute.

Materials And Methods: A structured literature research was performed in the databases EMBASE, BIOSIS, MEDLINE and The Cochrane Library from January 2006 to November 2010 with an update to April 2012 (MEDLINE and The Cochrane Library).