Neuromuscular blockade with rocuronium bromide increases the tolerance of acute normovolemic anemia in anesthetized pigs.

Background: The patient's individual anemia tolerance is pivotal when blood transfusions become necessary, but are not feasible for some reason. To date, the effects of neuromuscular blockade (NMB) on anemia tolerance have not been investigated.

Methods: 14 anesthetized and mechanically ventilated pigs were randomly assigned to the Roc group (3.

Acoustic radiation force impulse-imaging and transient elastography for non-invasive assessment of liver fibrosis and steatosis in NAFLD.

Background: Transient elastography (TE) and acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI)-imaging have shown promising results for the staging of liver fibrosis.

Aim: The aim of the present study was to compare ARFI of the left and right liver lobe with TE using the standard and obese probes for the diagnosis of liver fibrosis in NAFL/NASH. In addition, liver steatosis is evaluated using the novel controlled attenuation parameter (CAP).

Efficacy of the EZ-IO needle driver for out-of-hospital intraosseous access--a preliminary, observational, multicenter study.

Background: Intraosseous (IO) access represents a reliable alternative to intravenous vascular access and is explicitly recommended in the current guidelines of the European Resuscitation Council when intravenous access is difficult or impossible. We therefore aimed to study the efficacy of the intraosseous needle driver EZ-IO in the prehospital setting.

Methods: During a 24-month period, all cases of prehospital IO access using the EZ-IO needle driver within three operational areas of emergency medical services were prospectively recorded by a standardized questionnaire that needed to be filled out by the rescuer immediately after the mission and sent to the primary investigator.

Inferior vena cava thrombosis and its relationship with the JAK2V617F mutation and chronic myeloproliferative disease.

Background: Splanchnic vein thrombosis (SVT) is a typical manifestation of polycythaemia vera (PV) or essential thrombocythaemia (ET). The recently discovered JAK2V617F somatic mutation is closely associated with chronic myeloproliferative disease (CMD). We investigated whether thrombosis involving the inferior vena cava (IVC) is also related to the JAK2V617F mutation or CMD.

Integrin-mediated cell-matrix interaction in physiological and pathological blood vessel formation.

Physiological as well as pathological blood vessel formation are fundamentally dependent on cell-matrix interaction. Integrins, a family of major cell adhesion receptors, play a pivotal role in development, maintenance, and remodeling of the vasculature. Cell migration, invasion, and remodeling of the extracellular matrix (ECM) are integrin-regulated processes, and the expression of certain integrins also correlates with tumor progression.

Efficacy of the protease inhibitor BI 201335, polymerase inhibitor BI 207127, and ribavirin in patients with chronic HCV infection.

Background & Aims: Therapeutic regimens are being developed for patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection that do not include the combination of peginterferon alfa and ribavirin. We investigated the antiviral effect and safety of BI 201335 (an inhibitor of the NS3/4A protease) and BI 207127 (an inhibitor of the NS5B non-nucleoside polymerase) with ribavirin.

Methods: Thirty-two treatment-naïve patients with chronic HCV genotype 1 infection were randomly assigned to groups that were given 400 mg or 600 mg BI 207127 3 times daily plus 120 mg BI 201335 once daily and 1000 to 1200 mg/day ribavirin for 4 weeks.

Effects of hyperoxic ventilation on 6-h survival at the critical haemoglobin concentration aggravated by experimentally induced tachycardia in anaesthetized pigs.

Aim: Administration of 100% oxygen [hyperoxic ventilation (HV)] has been proven to ameliorate oxygen transport, tissue oxygenation and survival in different models of extreme normovolemic and hypovolemic anaemia. However, up to date, it is unknown whether HV is also able to improve outcome of extreme anaemia if myocardial oxygen consumption is contemporaneously increased by tachycardia. Therefore, we investigated the influence of HV on the 6-h survival rate during extreme anaemia and aggravated by experimentally induced tachycardia in a prospective, randomized study in a pig model of critical anaemia.

HVR-1 heterogeneity during treatment with telaprevir with or without pegylated interferon alfa-2a.

Background: The extensive heterogeneity of the hypervariable region-1 (HVR-1) of hepatitis C virus (HCV) evidences the high genetic flexibility of HCV and was shown to be associated with virologic response to interferon-α-based therapies. However, the evolution of HVR-1 heterogeneity during treatment with directly acting antivirals has not been studied.

Methods: Clonal sequence analysis of HVR-1 quasispecies in the serum of patients who were treated with telaprevir (3 × 750 mg/day) alone, telaprevir plus pegylated interferon-α-2a (pegIFN-α-2a), or pegIFN-α-2a plus placebo for 14 days was performed.

Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse-Imaging for the evaluation of the thyroid gland: a limited patient feasibility study.

Purpose: Real-time tissue elastography, a qualitative elastography method, has shown promising results in the diagnostic work up of thyroid nodules. However, to our knowledge no study has evaluated a quantitative elastography method in the thyroid gland. The present study is a feasibility study evaluating Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse-Imaging, a novel quantitative elastography method in the thyroid gland.

Application, tolerance and safety of fondaparinux therapy in a German hospital: a prospective single-centre experience.

Introduction: The pentasaccharide fondaparinux is widely approved for prophylaxis and treatment of thromboembolic diseases and therapy of acute coronary syndrome. It is also used off-label in patients with acute, suspected or antecedent heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT). The aim of this prospective observational cohort study was to document fondaparinux' prescription practice, tolerance and therapy safety in a representative mixed German single-centre patient cohort.

Differentiation between benign and malignant adrenal mass using contrast-enhanced ultrasound.

Purpose: Adrenal masses can be detected by ultrasound with high sensitivity and specificity. The aim of the present study was to evaluate CEUS in a large patient population using CEUS patterns identified in a previous pilot study.

Materials And Methods: 116 adrenal masses were evaluated by ultrasound, including CEUS with the contrast agent Sonovue®.

Knockdown of ERM family member moesin in host cells increases HIV type 1 replication.

Moesin is a member of the ERM (ezrin, radixin, moesin) family of cytoskeleton/membrane structure organizing and signal transduction proteins. Previously, we found an increased expression of moesin during HIV-1 infection. Moesin was also reported to be incorporated into HIV-1 virions.

Assessment of mumps virus-specific antibodies by different serological assays: which test correlates best with mumps immunity?

Mumps is one of the vaccine-preventable childhood diseases and it has not yet been eradicated in Germany. This raises the question as to whether the available mumps vaccines are effective enough to prevent mumps and which antibody test system allows the authentic assigning of mumps-specific immunity. In an attempt to answer this question, we analysed 227 sera samples from medical students of the University Hospital Frankfurt/Main, Germany, using different test systems: indirect immune fluorescence, neutralisation assay, routine ELISA and newly developed immunoassays, which contain the mumps nucleoprotein and the wild-type strain Enders ATCC VR106, respectively.

Limited prevalence of influenza A/H1N1v antibodies: footprints of the pandemic of 2010.

Background: The intention of our investigation was to determine the seroprevalence of H1N1v antibodies after a pandemic by the haemagglutination inhibition (HI) test. We included the serum samples of adults who had not received vaccination against H1N1v. By means of serological footprints, the spread of infection can be investigated.

Outcome after operative treatment of Vancouver type B1 and C periprosthetic femoral fractures: open reduction and internal fixation versus revision arthroplasty.

Introduction: The rate of periprosthetic femoral fractures after hip arthroplasty is rising and the estimated current lifetime incidence is 0.4-2.1%.

Reduced dose and duration of peginterferon alfa-2b and weight-based ribavirin in patients with genotype 2 and 3 chronic hepatitis C.

Background & Aims: There is increasing interest in identifying patients with chronic hepatitis C genotype 2 or 3 infection in whom it is possible to lower the burden of therapy while retaining high levels of efficacy.

Methods: Treatment-naive patients with chronic hepatitis C genotype 2/3 infection were randomized to receive peginterferon alfa-2b (1.5μg/kg/wk) for 24weeks (group A); peginterferon alfa-2b (1.

Molecular biology of hearing.

THE INNER EAR IS OUR MOST SENSITIVE SENSORY ORGAN AND CAN BE SUBDIVIDED INTO THREE FUNCTIONAL UNITS: organ of Corti, stria vascularis and spiral ganglion. The appropriate stimulus for the organ of hearing is sound, which travels through the external auditory canal to the middle ear where it is transmitted to the inner ear. The inner ear houses the hair cells, the sensory cells of hearing.

Mutations in the C-terminal region of the HIV-1 reverse transcriptase and their correlation with drug resistance associated mutations and antiviral treatment.

Objective: replication of HIV-1 after cell entry is essentially dependent on the reverse transcriptase (RT). Antiretroviral drugs impairing the function of the RT currently aim at the polymerase subunit. One reason for failure of antiretroviral treatment is the evolvement of resistance-associated mutations in the viral genome.

Phenotypic differences of human neutrophils of carriers of the PSGL-1 A and B-allele in binding to immobilised P-selectin under flow conditions.

P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 (PSGL-1) interacts with P-selectin expressed on endothelial cells and platelets. PSGL-1 extracellular mucin-like domain displays a variable number of tandem repeats (VNTRs) polymorphism. The wildtype consists of 16 decameric repeats (designated A isoforms) and variants with 15 (B allele) and 14 (C allele) repeats that are assumed to be associated with reduced risk of vascular disease.

Normovolemic modified ultrafiltration is associated with better preserved platelet function and less postoperative blood loss in patients undergoing complex cardiac surgery: a randomized and controlled study.

Objective: The purpose of the investigation was to study the impact of normovolemic modified ultrafiltration (N-MUF) on hemostasis and perioperative blood loss.

Methods: Fifty patients scheduled for elective complex cardiac surgery were enrolled in this prospective, randomized, and controlled study. Patients were randomized into a control group (n = 25) or an N-MUF group (n = 25).

Importance of IL28B gene polymorphisms in hepatitis C virus genotype 2 and 3 infected patients.

Background & Aims: Genetic variation in the interleukin 28B (IL28B) gene has been associated with the response to interferon-alfa/ribavirin therapy in hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1-infected patients. The importance of three IL28B single nucleotide polymorphisms (rs8099917, rs12980275 and rs12979860) for HCV genotype 2/3-infected patients is unknown.

Methods: In patients with chronic hepatitis C genotype 2/3 (n=267), IL28B host genotypes (rs8099917, rs12980275 and rs12979860) were analyzed for associations with sustained virologic response (SVR) to antiviral therapy with (pegylated) interferon-alfa and ribavirin and with respect to epidemiological, biochemical, and virological parameters.

Disposable laryngeal tube suction: standard insertion technique versus two modified insertion techniques for patients with a simulated difficult airway.

Objective: The disposable laryngeal tube suction (LTS-D) is a supraglottic airway device that can be used as an alternative to tracheal tube to provide ventilation. We tested the hypothesis that, with a frontal jaw thrust insertion technique (FIT/JT), the rate of correct placement attempts in patients with a simulated difficult airway by means of a rigid cervical immobilization collar could be significantly increased compared to the standard insertion technique (SIT) recommended by the manufacturer.

Methods: 70 adult patients undergoing trauma surgery under general anaesthesia had an LTS-D inserted, randomly assigned to the SIT or FIT/JT.

Tranexamic acid partially improves platelet function in patients treated with dual antiplatelet therapy.

Background: Although the impact of tranexamic acid on platelet function remains controversial, tranexamic acid is part of clinical algorithms for the management of platelet dysfunction. The goal of our prospective, observational study was to examine the effects of tranexamic acid on platelet function in patients treated with dual antiplatelet therapy compared to those who ceased antiplatelet therapy for at least 7 days.

Methods: Forty patients scheduled for cardiac surgery were enrolled in this study.