Ovine Biosynthetic Grafts for Aortoiliac Reconstructions in Nonsterile Operative Fields.

Background: Prosthetic vascular grafts placed surgically or via endovascular techniques can be subject to the risk of life-threatening graft infections. The Omniflow II vascular prosthesis is a biosynthetic graft that was reported to have favorable properties in resisting infections.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively reviewed our 3 years' experience of using the Omniflow II prostheses for aortoiliac reconstructions in patients considered to carry a substantial risk of subsequent prosthetic graft infections (prevention group) as well as in patients with actively infected prosthetic vascular grafts (treatment group).

Immune checkpoint inhibition therapy for advanced skin cancer in patients with concomitant hematological malignancy: a retrospective multicenter DeCOG study of 84 patients.

Background: Skin cancers are known for their strong immunogenicity, which may contribute to a high treatment efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibition (ICI). However, a considerable proportion of patients with skin cancer is immuno-compromised by concomitant diseases. Due to their previous exclusion from clinical trials, the ICI treatment efficacy is poorly investigated in these patients.

Genotoxic and cytotoxic potential of methacrylate-based orthodontic adhesives.

Objectives: The biocompatibility of methacrylate-based adhesives is a topic that is intensively discussed in dentistry. Since only limited evidence concerning the cyto- and genotoxicity of orthodontic adhesives is available, the aim of this study was to measure the genotoxic potential of seven orthodontic methacrylate-based adhesives.

Materials And Methods: The XTT assay was utilized to determine the cytotoxicity of Assure Plus, Assure Bonding Resin, ExciTE F, OptiBond Solo Plus, Scotchbond Universal Adhesive, Transbond MIP, and Transbond XT after an incubation period of 24 h on human gingival fibroblasts.

Asthma exacerbations and worsenings in patients aged 1-75 years with add-on tiotropium treatment.

This review explores the effect of tiotropium Respimat® add-on therapy on asthma exacerbations and worsenings, adverse events (AEs) related to exacerbations and symptoms and any effects on seasonality across the 10 UniTinA-asthma® clinical trials comprising over 6000 patients. When added on to inhaled corticosteroids ± additional therapies, tiotropium significantly reduced the risk of exacerbations and worsenings in adults with symptomatic severe asthma and provided a non-significant improvement in worsenings in adults with symptomatic moderate and mild asthma, which was significant for patients with moderate asthma receiving tiotropium 2.5 µg once daily vs.

[Current Treatment of Esophageal Atresia with Tracheoesophageal Fistula - Updated Guidelines of the German Society of Pediatric Surgery].

Esophageal atresia (EA) is a congenital anomaly that entails an interrupted esophagus with or without tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF). Depending on the distance of the two esophageal pouches a "short-gap" is distinguished from a "long-gap" variant. Up to 50% of newborns have additional anomalies.

Benefits of Tiotropium/Olodaterol Compared with Tiotropium in Patients with COPD Receiving only LAMA at Baseline: Pooled Analysis of the TONADO and OTEMTO Studies.

Introduction: The Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) strategy report recommends long-acting muscarinic antagonists (LAMA) or long-acting β-agonists (LABA) as first-line treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but many patients remain symptomatic on monotherapy and escalation to dual-bronchodilator therapy may be warranted.

Methods: TONADO 1&2 and OTEMTO 1&2 assessed lung function and patient-reported outcomes in patients with moderate-to-severe (OTEMTO) or moderate-to-very-severe (TONADO) COPD. This pooled post hoc analysis included patients treated with LAMA monotherapy at baseline who were randomised to receive either 5 µg tiotropium (LAMA) or 5/5 µg tiotropium/olodaterol (LAMA/LABA).

A randomized, double-blind study to compare the efficacy and safety of two doses of mometasone furoate delivered via Breezhaler® or Twisthaler® in patients with asthma.

Introduction: Mometasone furoate (MF) is the inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) component in the long-acting β-agonist (LABA)/ICS fixed-dose combination of indacaterol/MF, delivered via Breezhaler®, in development for asthma. MF at low (80 μg) and high (320 μg) doses delivered via Breezhaler® is expected to be comparable to MF at low (200 μg) and high (800 μg) doses respectively, delivered via Twisthaler®.

Methods: This was a randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, four-week, parallel-group study of 739 adolescents and adults with persistent asthma.

Localization of Brain Networks Engaged by the Sustained Attention to Response Task Provides Quantitative Markers of Executive Impairment in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

Objective: To identify cortical regions engaged during the sustained attention to response task (SART) and characterize changes in their activity associated with the neurodegenerative condition amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Methods: High-density electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded from 33 controls and 23 ALS patients during a SART paradigm. Differences in associated event-related potential peaks were measured for Go and NoGo trials.

Questions and controversies in the study of time-varying functional connectivity in resting fMRI.

The brain is a complex, multiscale dynamical system composed of many interacting regions. Knowledge of the spatiotemporal organization of these interactions is critical for establishing a solid understanding of the brain's functional architecture and the relationship between neural dynamics and cognition in health and disease. The possibility of studying these dynamics through careful analysis of neuroimaging data has catalyzed substantial interest in methods that estimate time-resolved fluctuations in functional connectivity (often referred to as "dynamic" or time-varying functional connectivity; TVFC).

Interictal Hyperperfusion in the Higher Visual Cortex in Patients With Episodic Migraine.

Background: Migraine pathophysiology is complex and probably involves cortical and subcortical alterations. Structural and functional brain imaging studies indicate alterations in the higher order visual cortex in patients with migraine. Arterial spin labeling magnetic resonance imaging (ASL-MRI) is a non-invasive imaging method for assessing changes in cerebral blood flow (CBF) in vivo.

Patterned functional network disruption in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease primarily affecting motor function, with additional evidence of extensive nonmotor involvement. Despite increasing recognition of the disease as a multisystem network disorder characterised by impaired connectivity, the precise neuroelectric characteristics of impaired cortical communication remain to be fully elucidated. Here, we characterise changes in functional connectivity using beamformer source analysis on resting-state electroencephalography recordings from 74 ALS patients and 47 age-matched healthy controls.

Assessment of physical functioning and handling of tiotropium/olodaterol Respimat in patients with COPD in a real-world clinical setting.

Background: Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) show signs of reduced physical activity from the early stages of the disease, impacting morbidity and mortality. Data suggest treatment with tiotropium, a long-acting muscarinic antagonist, and olodaterol, a long-acting ß-agonist (LABA), as monotherapies and in combination, increases exercise capacity. This study assessed the effects of fixed-dose tiotropium/olodaterol (delivered via Respimat) on physical function in Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease A-D patients requiring long-acting dual bronchodilation treatment in a real-world setting.

Future perspectives of anticholinergics for the treatment of asthma in adults and children.

Despite major advances in therapeutic interventions and the availability of detailed treatment guidelines, a high proportion of patients with symptomatic asthma remain uncontrolled. Asthma management is largely guided by the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) strategy and is based on a backbone of inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) therapy with the use of additional therapies to achieve disease control. Inhaled long-acting bronchodilators alone and in combination are the preferred add-on treatment options.

Usefulness of Clopidogrel Loading in Patients Who Underwent Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (from the BRAVO-3 Randomized Trial).

P2Y-inhibitor initiation with clopidogrel using a loading dose (LD) versus no LD (NLD) provides more rapid inhibition of platelet activation and reduced risk of ischemic events after coronary stenting. Whether a similar beneficial effect is achieved in the setting of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is unknown. We evaluate the effects of preprocedural clopidogrel LD versus no NLD on 48-hour and 30-day clinical outcomes after TAVI.

Dysfunction of attention switching networks in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Objective: To localise and characterise changes in cognitive networks in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) using source analysis of mismatch negativity (MMN) waveforms.

Rationale: The MMN waveform has an increased average delay in ALS. MMN has been attributed to change detection and involuntary attention switching.

Safety of tiotropium/olodaterol in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: pooled analysis of three large, 52-week, randomized clinical trials.

Background: An extensive clinical trial program supports the efficacy and safety of tiotropium/olodaterol in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We examined the safety of tiotropium/olodaterol compared with tiotropium in a large population of patients, focusing on cardiovascular and respiratory events.

Methods: Patients (n = 9942) who received once-daily tiotropium/olodaterol 5/5 μg or tiotropium 5 μg (via Respimat) in TONADO 1 & 2 and DYNAGITO were included.

Cecal Resection with Bipolar Sealing Devices in a Rat Model.

: Bipolar sealing devices are routinely used to seal blood vessels. The aim of the study is to evaluate the feasibility and safety of colonic sealing with the use of the bipolar energy devices in rats as model for experimental appendectomy. : Seventy-five male Wistar rats underwent a cecal resection with four different bipolar sealing devices or a linear stapler.

One visceral artery may be enough; successful pancreatectomy in a patient with total occlusion of the celiac and superior mesenteric arteries.

Background: The anatomic variations of the visceral arteries are not uncommon. The liver arterial blood supply shows 50% variability between humans, with the most common anatomy being one hepatic artery arising from the celiac trunk and one pancreatico-duodenal arcade between the celiac trunk and the superior mesenteric artery. Occlusion of one artery are mostly asymptomatic but may become clinically relevant when surgery of the liver, bile duct or the pancreas is required.

Design of the Growth hormone deficiency and Efficacy of Treatment (GET) score and non-interventional proof of concept study.

Background: The adverse effects of growth hormone (GH) deficiency (GHD) in adults (AGHD) on metabolism and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) can be improved with GH substitution. This investigation aimed to design a score summarising the features of GHD and evaluate its ability to measure the effect of GH substitution in AGHD.

Methods: The Growth hormone deficiency and Efficacy of Treatment (GET) score (0-100 points) assessed (weighting): HRQoL (40%), disease-related days off work (10%), bone mineral density (20%), waist circumference (10%), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (10%) and body fat mass (10%).

Pringle maneuver increases the risk of anastomotic leakage after colonic resection in rats.

Background: Many centers use the Pringle's maneuver during liver resections. Since this maneuver might impair healing of bowel anastomoses, we evaluated its influence on the healing of colonic anastomosis in rats.

Methods: Male Wistar rats underwent median laparotomy and sigmoid resection with end-to-end anastomosis under inhalation anesthesia.

An FFR diagnostic strategy versus usual care in patients with suspected coronary artery disease planned for invasive coronary angiography at German sites: one-year results of a subgroup analysis of the PLATFORM (Prospective Longitudinal Trial of FFR: Outcome and Resource Impacts) study.

Aim: Diagnostic evaluation practices for suspected coronary artery disease (CAD) may vary between countries. Our objective was to compare a CT-derived fractional flow reserve (FFR) diagnostic strategy with usual care in patients with planned invasive coronary angiography (ICA) enrolled in the PLATFORM (Prospective Longitudinal Trial of FFR: Outcome and Resource Impacts) study at German sites.

Methods: Patients were divided into two consecutive observational cohorts, receiving either usual care or CT angiography (CTA)/FFR.

Effect of valve design and anticoagulation strategy on 30-day clinical outcomes in transcatheter aortic valve replacement: Results from the BRAVO 3 randomized trial.

Background: Selection of valve type and procedural anticoagulant may impact bleeding and vascular complications in transfemoral transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). We sought to compare outcomes by valve [balloon expandable (BE) or non-BE] and anticoagulant [bivalirudin vs. unfractionated heparin (UFH)] type from the BRAVO-3 trial.

Gender-, age- and time-dependent dosing of growth hormone in adults - real-world data from a decade of clinical practice in Germany.

We evaluated treatment patterns and gender-dependent dosing of growth hormone (GH) substitution in adults with GH deficiency (AGHD). Data on GH dose were collected (2003-2013) from 509 GH-treated patients (mean age: 48.9 years; 47% female) enroled in the observational German NordiWin study (NCT01543880).