Ultrasound-guided intermediate cervical plexus block and perivascular local anesthetic infiltration for carotid endarterectomy : A randomized controlled trial.

Background And Objective: Ultrasound-guided blocks of the cervical plexus are established anesthetic procedures for carotid endarterectomy. This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study tested the hypothesis that an additional ultrasound-guided periarterial injection of local anesthetic leads to a lower frequency of periarterial supplementation by the surgeon.

Methods: A total of 40 patients were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 groups.

Neuropsychological performance and seizure control after subsequent anteromesial temporal lobe resection following selective amygdalohippocampectomy.

Objective: Selective amygdalohippocampectomy (sAHE) is a well-established treatment for temporal lobe epilepsy, commonly with favorable neuropsychological outcome. Yet, it is still unknown if subsequent resection of the anteromesial temporal lobe (AMTLR), when necessary, deteriorates neuropsychological performance in this selected group of patients. Thus, we evaluated the clinical and neuropsychological data of patients who, due to insufficient seizure control after sAHE, received a subsequent ipsilateral AMTLR and compared these findings with patients who did not receive a second resection (control group).

S1-Guidelines on UV phototherapy and photochemotherapy.

Known in part since antiquity, the salutary effects of sunlight again garnered increasing attention in the second half of the 19(th) century. The development of a device for ultraviolet irradiation of cutaneous tuberculosis by Finnsen at the onset of the twentieth century truly marked the beginning of modern phototherapy. In dermatology, treatment methods almost exclusively use wavelengths below the visible light range (ultraviolet light).

Consensus statement on the symptom-based treatment of chronic venous diseases.

Background: Chronic venous diseases are very common. Early symptoms such as a sensation of swelling and heaviness may occur without objectifiable findings, but are nevertheless perceived as bothersome. Progressive disease - marked by varicose veins and symptoms of chronic venous insufficiency - is associated with considerable impairment in quality of life.

A Review of Molecular Predictors of Response to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Muscle-invasive Bladder Cancer.

Locally advanced, muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma of the bladder (MIBC) may be definitively treated with either radiotherapy or radical cystectomy (RC) with urinary diversion. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) is typically administered prior to treatment with either modality. Receiving NAC prior to RC might confer a survival advantage compared to undergoing RC alone.

(18)F-FDG PET/MRI evaluation of retroperitoneal fibrosis: a simultaneous multiparametric approach for diagnosing active disease.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate integrated (18)F-FDG PET/MRI as a one-stop diagnostic procedure in the assessment of (active) idiopathic retroperitoneal fibrosis (RPF) METHODS: A total of 22 examinations comprising a PET/CT scan followed by a PET/MRI scan in 17 patients (13 men, 4 women, age 58 ± 11 years) with histopathologically confirmed RPF at diagnosis or during follow-up under steroid therapy were analysed in correlation with laboratory inflammation markers (ESR, CRP). The patient cohort was subdivided into two groups: 6 examinations in untreated and 16 in treated patients. Tissue formations in typically periaortic localization suggestive of RPF were visually and quantitatively evaluated.

Subclinical Alterations of Cardiac Mechanics Present Early in the Course of Pediatric Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus: A Prospective Blinded Speckle Tracking Stress Echocardiography Study.

Diabetic cardiomyopathy substantially accounts for mortality in diabetes mellitus. The pathophysiological mechanism underlying diabetes-associated nonischemic heart failure is poorly understood and clinical data on myocardial mechanics in early stages of diabetes are lacking. In this study we utilize speckle tracking echocardiography combined with physical stress testing in order to evaluate whether left ventricular (LV) myocardial performance is altered early in the course of uncomplicated type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM).

Bacille-Calmette-Guerin non-responders: how to manage.

Intravesical immunotherapy with bacille-Calmette-Guerin (BCG) is indicated in the treatment of high-risk and intermediate-risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). Our goal is to describe the various disease states following induction and maintenance BCG and to describe contemporary treatment options and the current and projected clinical trial landscape for patients who recur following BCG therapy.

Temporal course of microvascular obstruction after myocardial infarction assessed by MRI.

Purpose: We aimed to analyze the extent of microvascular obstruction (MO) after the index event compared with the follow-up at a median of three months.

Methods: We identified 31 patients with MO after primary percutaneous coronary intervention of acute myocardial infarction by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. The initial examination was performed after the index event, and 27 patients had the follow-up exam after a median of three months (interquartile range, 2-4 months).

The influence of real-time blood glucose levels on left ventricular myocardial strain and strain rate in pediatric patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus - a speckle tracking echocardiography study.

Background: Echocardiographic myocardial performance parameters such as strain and strain rate are increasingly used to assess systolic and diastolic function in patients with diabetes mellitus and several other clinical and scientific scenarios. While long-term metabolic marks such as HbA1C are inherently assessed in diabetic patients, the actual blood glucose level at the very moment of the echocardiographic study has not yet been taken into account for the assessment of cardiac mechanics. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of real-time blood glucose levels on left ventricular (LV) myocardial strain and strain rate in pediatric patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM).

Cytological and Immunocytological Monitoring of Oropharyngeal Dysplasia and Squamous Cell Carcinomas.

Background/aim: Due to the high recurrence rates of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) and de-novo local secondary carcinomas, a close monitoring of patients is mandatory. In doubtful cases, a clearance by histological biopsy is necessary. This, however, bears potential complications.

Tlr4 Deficiency Protects against Cardiac Pressure Overload Induced Hyperinflammation.

Transverse aortic constriction provokes a pro-inflammatory reaction and results in cardiac hypertrophy. Endogenous ligands contribute to cardiac hypertrophy via toll-like receptor (TLR)-4 binding. A lack of TLR4 signaling diminishes hypertrophy and inflammation.

Operative management of cryptorchidism: guidelines and reality--a 10-year observational analysis of 3587 cases.

Background: Undescended testis (UDT) is the most common disorder in pediatric surgery and one of the most important risk factors for malignancy and subfertility. In 2009 local guidelines were modified and now recommend treatment to be completed by the age of 1. Aim of this study was to analyze age distribution at the time of orchidopexy, whether the procedure is performed according to guideline recommendations and to assess primary care pediatricians' attitude regarding their treatment approach.

Metal implant removal: benefits and drawbacks--a patient survey.

Background: Hardware removals are among the most commonly performed surgical procedures worldwide. Current literature offers little data concerning postoperative patient satisfaction. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the patients' point of view on implant removal.

Expression of the Epithelial Cell Adhesion Molecule and Cytokeratin 8 in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Cancer: A Comparative Study.

The epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) is a well-known and widely accepted tumor-associated antigen in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). In contrast, little is known about cytokeratin 8 (CK8), an intermediary filament protein, recently associated with HNSCC. Studies demonstrated an aberrant expression on the cell surface of different carcinomas of both antigens.

Long-term experience of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for refractory radio- or chemotherapy-induced haemorrhagic cystitis.

Background: Radiotherapy and cyclophosphamide-induced haemorrhagic cystitis are rare but severe complications occurring in 3-6% of patients. Hyperbaric oxygen treatment (HBOT) has been demonstrated to be an effective treatment for haematuria not responding to conventional management. Only very few data exist for long-term follow-up after HBOT.

Differential expression of mucosal trefoil factors and mucins in pediatric inflammatory bowel diseases.

In the intestinal mucosa trefoil factors (TFF) and mucins (Muc) - primarily produced by goblet cells - are thought to play a major role in providing barrier function during infection and inflammation. To investigate their role in pediatric Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) we obtained mucosal biopsies of children with CD, UC and healthy controls and analyzed genetic expression. Levels of TFF2 mRNA were lower in inflamed mucosal samples (terminal ileum (TI) and duodenum) of children with CD, but higher in non-inflamed mucosal samples when compared to healthy controls (p < 0.

Higher adenoma detection rates with endocuff-assisted colonoscopy - a randomized controlled multicenter trial.

Objectives: The Endocuff is a device mounted on the tip of the colonoscope to help flatten the colonic folds during withdrawal. This study aimed to compare the adenoma detection rates between Endocuff-assisted (EC) colonoscopy and standard colonoscopy (SC).

Methods: This randomized prospective multicenter trial was conducted at four academic endoscopy units in Germany.

Auditory-prefrontal axonal connectivity in the macaque cortex: quantitative assessment of processing streams.

Primate sensory systems subserve complex neurocomputational functions. Consequently, these systems are organised anatomically in a distributed fashion, commonly linking areas to form specialised processing streams. Each stream is related to a specific function, as evidenced from studies of the visual cortex, which features rather prominent segregation into spatial and non-spatial domains.

Novel endocuff-assisted colonoscopy significantly increases the polyp detection rate: a randomized controlled trial.

Goals And Background: Screening colonoscopy for colorectal cancer has proven to reduce mortality rates. Recently the Endocuff (EC), an attachment to the distal tip of the colonoscope, was introduced. The aim of our study was to compare EC-assisted colonoscopies with standard colonoscopies for the detection of colonic polyps.

Vascular events after transsylvian selective amygdalohippocampectomy and impact on epilepsy outcome.

Objective: Epilepsy surgery is a standard treatment option for medically intractable temporal lobe epilepsy. Selective amygdalohippocampectomy (SAH) and anterior temporal lobectomy (ATL) are two of the standard surgical procedures in these cases. We conducted a retrospective analysis of patients treated with SAH via a modified transsylvian approach in our epilepsy center between 2008 and 2011, and we analyzed the impact of adjacent procedure-related infarctions on seizure outcome in these patients.