Diversity of Clinically Relevant Outcomes Resulting from Hypofractionated Radiation in Human Glioma Stem Cells Mirrors Distinct Patterns of Transcriptomic Changes.

Hypofractionated radiotherapy is the mainstay of the current treatment for glioblastoma. However, the efficacy of radiotherapy is hindered by the high degree of radioresistance associated with glioma stem cells comprising a heterogeneous compartment of cell lineages differing in their phenotypic characteristics, molecular signatures, and biological responses to external signals. Reconstruction of radiation responses in glioma stem cells is necessary for understanding the biological and molecular determinants of glioblastoma radioresistance.

Intratumoral Heterogeneity and Longitudinal Changes in Gene Expression Predict Differential Drug Sensitivity in Newly Diagnosed and Recurrent Glioblastoma.

Inevitable recurrence after radiochemotherapy is the major problem in the treatment of glioblastoma, the most prevalent type of adult brain malignancy. Glioblastomas are notorious for a high degree of intratumor heterogeneity manifest through a diversity of cell types and molecular patterns. The current paradigm of understanding glioblastoma recurrence is that cytotoxic therapy fails to target effectively glioma stem cells.

Transarterial chemoembolization for hepatocellular carcinoma: quality of life, tumour response, safety and survival comparing two types of drug-eluting beads.

Purpose: To compare two different types of drug-eluting microspheres with regard to impact on HRQoL after first TACE, tumour response, peri-procedural complications, adverse events and 1-year survival in patients suffering from unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods: HRQoL was prospectively assessed with validated questionnaires (EORTC QLQ-C30 and -HCC18) before and 2 weeks after treatment with their first drug-eluting beads (DEB-)TACE with either acrylamido-polyvinylalcohol-AMPS hydrogel microspheres (group; 20 patients) or polyvinyl alcohol-co-acrylic acid microspheres (group; 16 patients). Baseline characteristics, peri-procedural complications, treatment-related adverse events and 1-year survival were compared between both types of microspheres.

Treosulfan or busulfan plus fludarabine as conditioning treatment before allogeneic haemopoietic stem cell transplantation for older patients with acute myeloid leukaemia or myelodysplastic syndrome (MC-FludT.14/L): a randomised, non-inferiority, phase 3 trial.

Background: Further improvement of preparative regimens before allogeneic haemopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is an unmet medical need for the growing number of older or comorbid patients with acute myeloid leukaemia or myelodysplastic syndrome. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of conditioning with treosulfan plus fludarabine compared with reduced-intensity busulfan plus fludarabine in this population.

Methods: We did an open-label, randomised, non-inferiority, phase 3 trial in 31 transplantation centres in France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, and Poland.

Chemosaturation Percutaneous Hepatic Perfusion (CS-PHP) with Melphalan: Evaluation of 2D-Perfusion Angiography (2D-PA) for Leakage Detection of the Venous Double-Balloon Catheter.

Purpose: To evaluate the feasibility of 2D-perfusion angiography (2D-PA) for detecting leakage of the double-balloon catheter used for chemosaturation percutaneous hepatic perfusion (CS-PHP).

Materials And Methods: Overall, 112 CS-PHP (09/2015-09/2018) in 52 patients were retrospectively screened for leakage alongside the double-balloon catheter on standard venograms. Finally, 18 procedures with visually detected leakage were included.

Updated use of TACE for hepatocellular carcinoma treatment: How and when to use it based on clinical evidence.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary liver cancer, representing the sixth leading cause of cancer and the third leading cause of cancer-related mortality. Patient stratification and treatment allocation are based on tumor stage, liver function, and performance status. According to the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) staging system, transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is the first-line treatment for patients with intermediate stage HCC, including those with large or multinodular HCC, well-preserved liver function, and no cancer-related symptoms or evidence of vascular invasion or extrahepatic spread.

Pelvic MRI after induction chemotherapy and before long-course chemoradiation therapy for rectal cancer: What are the imaging findings?

Objectives: To determine the appearance of rectal cancer on MRI after oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy (ICT) and make a preliminary assessment of MRI's value in predicting response to total neoadjuvant treatment (TNT).

Methods: In this IRB-approved, HIPAA-compliant, retrospective study between 1 January 2010-20 October 2014, pre- and post-ICT tumour T2 volume, relative T2 signal intensity (rT2SI), node size, signal intensity and border characteristics were assessed in 63 patients (65 tumours) by three readers. The strength of association between the reference standard of histopathological percent tumour response and tumour volume change, rT2SI and lymph node characteristics was assessed with Spearman's correlation coefficient and Wilcoxon's rank sum test.

GABA receptors in the ventral tegmental area control the outcome of a social competition in rats.

Social dominance can be attained through social competitions. Recent work in both humans and rodents has identified trait anxiety as a crucial predictor of social competitiveness. In addition, the anxiolytic GABA positive modulator, diazepam, injected either systemically or into the ventral tegmental area (VTA) was shown to increase social dominance.

Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) dysfunction: quantitative assessment of flow and perfusion changes using 2D-perfusion angiography following shunt revision.

Purpose: To analyze the feasibility of 2D-perfusion angiography (2D-PA) to quantify flow and perfusion changes pre- and post-transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) revision.

Materials And Methods: Fifteen consecutive patients (54 ± 14 years, seven men and eight women) scheduled for TIPS revision were included in this study. To quantify flow and perfusion changes caused by TIPS revision, digital subtraction angiography (DSA) series acquired during the revision were post-processed using a dedicated software.

Autoantibodies against the calcium-sensing receptor and cytokines in autoimmune polyglandular syndromes types 2, 3 and 4.

Objective: The frequency of autoimmunity against the parathyroid glands in patients with polyglandular autoimmunity that is not due to autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type 1 (APS1) is unclear. To investigate this, this study aimed to determine the prevalence of autoantibodies against parathyroid autoantigens, calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR) and NACHT leucine-rich-repeat protein 5 (NALP5), in a large group of patients with non-APS1 polyendocrine autoimmunity. Possible occult APS1 was investigated by cytokine autoantibody measurement and AIRE gene analysis.

Quantification of perfusion reduction by using 2D-perfusion angiography following transarterial chemoembolization with drug-eluting beads.

Purpose: To analyze the feasibility of 2D-perfusion angiography (2D-PA) for the quantification of perfusion reduction following transarterial chemoembolization with drug-eluting beads (DEB-TACE).

Methods: Overall, 24 DEB-TACE procedures in 19 patients were included. To quantify changes in tumor perfusion following DEB-TACE using 2D-PA, the acquired digital subtraction angiography (DSA) series were post-processed.

The value of advanced MRI techniques in the assessment of cervical cancer: a review.

Objectives: To assess the value of new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques in cervical cancer.

Methods: We searched PubMed and MEDLINE and reviewed articles published from 1990 to 2016 to identify studies that used MRI techniques, such as diffusion weighted imaging (DWI), intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) and dynamic contrast enhancement (DCE) MRI, to assess parametric invasion, to detect lymph node metastases, tumour subtype and grading, and to detect and predict tumour recurrence.

Results: Seventy-nine studies were included.

Quantitative assessment of washout in hepatocellular carcinoma using MRI.

Background: Arterial hyperenhancement and washout on computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are described by all major guidelines as specific criteria for non-invasive diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, publications on the quantitative assessment of washout in MRI are lacking. Therefore, we evaluated a method for quantitatively measuring and defining washout in MRI in order to determine a cutoff value that allows objective HCC diagnosis.

Vital Life-Threatening Hematoma after Implant Insertion in the Anterior Mandible: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Dental implant insertion is considered a safe and reliable surgical procedure and severe complications are seldom reported. However, we present a case of a 52-year-old patient who attended our Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Johannes Gutenberg University Medical Center, Mainz, with spreading hematoma in the floor of the mouth and acute airway obstruction after insertion of a dental implant in the anterior mandible. The hematoma was removed and submentally drained by a silicon drainage.

The effects of stress during early postnatal periods on behavior and hippocampal neuroplasticity markers in adult male mice.

Infancy is a critical period for brain development. Emerging evidence indicates that stress experienced during that period can have long-term programming effects on the brain and behavior. However, whether different time periods represent different vulnerabilities to the programming of different neurobehavioral domains is not yet known.

The sGC stimulator riociguat inhibits platelet function in washed platelets but not in whole blood.

Background And Purpose: Stimulation of soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC) is a valuable therapeutic strategy for the treatment of several cardiovascular diseases. The sGC stimulator riociguat has been approved for the treatment of two forms of pulmonary hypertension. Platelets contain large amounts of sGC and play a key role in the regulation of haemostasis.

CD133 Expression Is Not Synonymous to Immunoreactivity for AC133 and Fluctuates throughout the Cell Cycle in Glioma Stem-Like Cells.

A transmembrane protein CD133 has been implicated as a marker of stem-like glioma cells and predictor for therapeutic response in malignant brain tumours. CD133 expression is commonly evaluated by using antibodies specific for the AC133 epitope located in one of the extracellular domains of membrane-bound CD133. There is conflicting evidence regarding the significance of the AC133 epitope as a marker for identifying stem-like glioma cells and predicting the degree of malignancy in glioma cells.

Conventional transarterial chemoembolization versus drug-eluting bead transarterial chemoembolization for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: To compare the overall survival of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who were treated with lipiodol-based conventional transarterial chemoembolization (cTACE) with that of patients treated with drug-eluting bead transarterial chemoembolization (DEB-TACE).

Methods: By an electronic search of our radiology information system, we identified 674 patients that received TACE between November 2002 and July 2013. A total of 520 patients received cTACE, and 154 received DEB-TACE.

Evidence for early, non-lesional cerebellar damage in patients with multiple sclerosis: DTI measures correlate with disability, atrophy, and disease duration.

Background: Common symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS) such as gait ataxia, poor coordination of the hands, and intention tremor are usually the result of dysfunctionality in the cerebellum. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has frequently failed to detect cerebellar damage in the form of inflammatory lesions in patients presenting with symptoms of cerebellar dysfunction.

Objective: To detect microstructural cerebellar tissue alterations in early MS patients with a "normal appearing" cerebellum using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).

Increased cortical curvature reflects white matter atrophy in individual patients with early multiple sclerosis.

Objective: White matter atrophy occurs independently of lesions in multiple sclerosis. In contrast to lesion detection, the quantitative assessment of white matter atrophy in individual patients has been regarded as a major challenge. We therefore tested the hypothesis that white matter atrophy (WMA) is present at the very beginning of multiple sclerosis (MS) and in virtually each individual patient.

"Default" versus "pre-atopic" IgG responses to foodborne and airborne pathogenesis-related group 10 protein molecules in birch-sensitized and nonatopic children.

Background: The route and dose of exposure are believed to be relevant factors in the sensitization process. Pathogenesis-related group 10 protein (PR-10) molecules are a family of allergenic proteins shared by many pollens (eg, birch and alder) and foods (eg, apple, peach, and soy). Children are exposed to both pollen-derived (inhaled) and food-derived (ingested) PR-10 molecules.

Multiple sclerosis in 2012: Novel therapeutic options and drug targets in MS.

2012 witnessed important developments for multiple sclerosis, including successful phase III trials of novel oral therapeutics and identification of the potassium channel KIR4.1 as an autoimmune target. Additionally, the lung was highlighted as an important site for immune-cell programming, and the relevance of a TNF receptor variant was clarified.

Public health relevance of Graves' orbitopathy.

Context: Disfiguring proptosis and functional impairment in patients with Graves' orbitopathy (GO) may lead to impaired earning capacity and to considerable indirect/direct costs.

Objective: The aim of the study was to investigate the public health relevance of GO.

Design And Setting: This cross-sectional study was performed between 2005 and 2009 at a multidisciplinary university orbital center.

Three-dimensional mapping of the B1 field using an optimized phase-based method: application to hyperpolarized 3He in lungs.

A novel method is presented for the three-dimensional mapping of the B(1) -field of a transmit radio-frequency MR coil. The method is based on the acquisition of phase images, where the effective flip angle is encoded in the phase of the nonselective hard pulse excitation. The method involves the application of a rectangular composite pulse as excitation in a three-dimensional gradient recall echo to produce measurable phase angle variation.