Prophylactic ECMO during TAVI in patients with depressed left ventricular ejection fraction.

Background: This study investigated the impact of prophylactic veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (pECMO) in patients with depressed left ventricular ejection fraction (dLVEF) undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI).

Methods: Out of 1490 patients undergoing TAVI at two centers (2010-2015), 222 patients had dLVEF (≤ 40%). Of these, 21 patients (10%) underwent TAVI with pECMO.

Multicenter Evaluation of Prosthesis Oversizing of the SAPIEN 3 Transcatheter Heart Valve. Impact on Device Failure and New Pacemaker Implantations.

Introduction And Objectives: A certain degree of prosthesis oversizing (OS) is recommended for the SAPIEN 3 to achieve device success. However, an increase in OS may increase permanent pacemaker implantation (PPI) rates. We therefore investigated the influence of OS on device failure and PPI.

Identifying risk profiles in liver transplant candidates and implications for induction immunosuppression.

Changes in recipient and donor characteristics are redefining the role of induction in liver transplant recipients. Older recipients are more common, with greater concomitant comorbidity. Moderate or severe renal dysfunction is now estimated to affect 40% of liver transplant recipients.

Effect of surgical decompression of spinal metastases in acute treatment - Predictors of neurological outcome.

Objective: Space-occupying spinal metastases (SM), commonly diagnosed because of acute neurological deterioration, consequently lead to immediate decompression with tumor removal or debulking. In this study, we analyzed a series of patients with surgically treated spinal metastases and explicitly sought to determine individual predictors of functional outcome.

Patients And Methods: 94 patients (26 women, 68 men; mean age 64.

Validation of diffusion tensor imaging tractography to visualize the dentatorubrothalamic tract for surgical planning.

OBJECTIVE The dentatorubrothalamic tract (DRTT) has been suggested as the anatomical substrate for deep brain stimulation (DBS)-induced tremor alleviation. So far, little is known about how accurately and reliably tracking results correspond to the anatomical DRTT. The objective of this study was to systematically investigate and validate the results of different tractography approaches for surgical planning.

In vitro effects of hydroxyapatite containing toothpastes on dentin permeability after multiple applications and ageing.

This in vitro study evaluated the effect of toothpastes with different active ingredients on dentin permeability using an extended protocol including multiple applications and several thermal ageing cycles in the presence or absence of human saliva. The Null hypothesis was that dentin permeability of a hydroxyapatite containing toothpaste (BR), a potassium nitrate (SP) and an arginine and calcium carbonate (EH) containing toothpaste were similar. Dentin permeability was measured as hydraulic conductance using a commercially available capillary flow system (Flodec, Geneva) and results were expressed as % relative to matching controls.

Predictors of Need for Permanent Pacemaker Implantation and Conduction Abnormalities With a Novel Self-expanding Transcatheter Heart Valve.

Introduction And Objectives: The incidence of permanent pacemaker implantation (PPI) and new conduction abnormalities (CA) with the ACURATE neo (Symetis S.A., Eclubens, Switzerland) has not been studied in detail.

'In-Situ Split' Liver Resection/ALPPS - Historical Development and Current Practice.

Background: Liver tumors that are extensive, multifocal, or critically located frequently require advanced techniques of liver resection including '!' - enabling liver resection in certain situations.

Methods: The development of the technique in the first and the subsequent 8 patients in the index center, and also the method's spread throughout Germany and the world were reviewed.

Results: In 2007, in the first patient, the new technique was developed intraoperatively by necessity.

Laparoscopy as a useful selection tool for patients with prior surgery and peritoneal metastases suitable for multimodality treatment strategies.

Background: Complete macroscopic cytoreduction in patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC) is the basic requirement for long-term survival. Diagnostic laparoscopy (DL) can be difficult and of limited clinical value secondary to postoperative or tumor-induced adhesions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of DL in patients with prior surgery and PC.

Emergency extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in transcatheter aortic valve implantation: A two-center experience of incidence, outcome and temporal trends from 2010 to 2015.

Background: Although the incidence of periprocedural complications has decreased in transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), life-threatening complications occur and emergency veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (vaECMO) can provide immediate circulatory stabilization. We report our two-center experience of vaECMO during life-threatening complications in TAVI.

Methods: From January 2010 to December 2015, 1,810 consecutive patients underwent TAVI at two centers.

Multicenter Comparison of Novel Self-Expanding Versus Balloon-Expandable Transcatheter Heart Valves.

Objectives: This study sought to compare 2 next-generation transcatheter heart valves (THV), the self-expanding ACURATE neo (NEO) and the balloon-expandable SAPIEN 3 (S3), in terms of device failure and early safety at 30 days.

Background: Deployment of these THV showed promising initial clinical results. However, no comparative data are available.

Tendon injuries: Basic science and new repair proposals.

Tendons connect muscles to bones, ensuring joint movement. With advanced age, tendons become more prone to degeneration followed by injuries. Tendon repair often requires lengthy periods of rehabilitation, especially in elderly patients.

The hackathon model to spur innovation around global mHealth.

The challenge of providing quality healthcare to underserved populations in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) has attracted increasing attention from information and communication technology (ICT) professionals interested in providing societal impact through their work. Sana is an organisation hosted at the Institute for Medical Engineering and Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology that was established out of this interest. Over the past several years, Sana has developed a model of organising mobile health bootcamp and hackathon events in LMICs with the goal of encouraging increased collaboration between ICT and medical professionals and leveraging the growing prevalence of cellphones to provide health solutions in resource limited settings.

Restoration of Functional Integrity After Evacuation of Chronic Subdural Hematoma-An Age-Adjusted Analysis of 697 Patients.

Objective: Although chronic subdural hematoma (CSH) can be treated by surgery, little is known about age-dependent symptoms and age-adjusted rates of restoring functional integrity. To evaluate the clinical symptoms and the course of CSH in patients of different age groups (AGs), we reviewed patients with CSH treated at our department over the past 22 years.

Methods: This retrospective analysis included 697 patients with CSH (461 men, 236 women; mean age 70.

The lung function score and its components as predictors of overall survival and chronic graft-vs-host disease after allogeneic stem cell transplantation.

Aim: To retrospectively assess if the modified lung function score (LFS) and/or its components, forced expiratory volume within the first second (FEV1) and diffusion capacity for carbon monoxide corrected for hemoglobin level (cDLCO), predict overall survival (OS) and chronic graft-vs-host-disease (cGvHD).

Methods: We evaluated 241 patients receiving allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) at the University of Regensburg Transplant Center between June 1998 and July 2005 in relation to their LFS, FEV1 and cDLCO, before and after HSCT.

Results: Decreased OS after allo-HSCT was related to decreased pre-transplantation values of FEV1<60% (P=0.

Multislice computed tomography-based prediction of the implantation plane in transcatheter aortic valve implantation: determination of the line of perpendicularity and the implanter's views.

Objectives: We demonstrate a multislice computed tomography (MSCT)-based method to calculate the prediction of the so-called 'line of perpendicularity' (LOP) and the 'implanter's views' (IVs) for transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) procedures. The LOP represents all possible angiographic angulations that result in an orthogonal view to the aortic annulus plane. The IVs allow visual confirmation of correct implantation planes, and are crucial for the commissural aligned implantation of second-generation TAVI prostheses.

mTOR inhibition improves fibroblast growth factor receptor targeting in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: Systemic therapy has proven only marginal effects in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) so far. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of targeting fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) on tumour and stromal cells in HCC models.

Methods: Human and murine HCC cells, endothelial cells (ECs), vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), human HCC samples, FGFR inhibitor BGJ398 and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitor rapamycin were used.

Regression of eosinophil counts after diagnosis of chronic graft-versus-host disease as a potential marker for improved clinical outcome.

Eosinophilia after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) has been associated with the development of acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD). However, a limited number of studies have investigated the course of eosinophil counts in relation to the onset of cGVHD. In this study, the course of relative eosinophil counts (RECs) was retrospectively analyzed in 64 patients who developed cGVHD following allogeneic HSCT in relation to overall survival (OS), relapse rate and clinical course of cGVHD.

5-Aminolevulinic acid-derived tumor fluorescence: the diagnostic accuracy of visible fluorescence qualities as corroborated by spectrometry and histology and postoperative imaging.

Background: 5-Aminolevulinic acid is used for fluorescence-guided resections. During resection, different macroscopic fluorescence qualities ("strong," "weak") can be distinguished that help guide resections.

Objective: This prospective study was designed to assess the reliability of visible fluorescence qualities by spectrometry, pathology, and imaging.

Skull base meningiomas: neurological outcome after microsurgical resection.

Microsurgical resection is the primary treatment of skull base meningiomas. Maximal resection provides the best tumor control rates but can be associated with high surgical morbidity. To understand the relation between extent of resection (EOR) and functional outcome we have analyzed the neurological improvement and recurrence rate in a large consecutive series of skull base meningioma patients.

Thyroid hormone-induced hypertrophy in mesenchymal stem cell chondrogenesis is mediated by bone morphogenetic protein-4.

Chondrogenic differentiating mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) express markers of hypertrophic growth plate chondrocytes. As hypertrophic cartilage undergoes ossification, this is a concern for the application of MSCs in articular cartilage tissue engineering. To identify mechanisms that elicit this phenomenon, we used an in vitro hypertrophy model of chondrifying MSCs for differential gene expression analysis and functional experiments with the focus on bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling.

Translational medicine meets new technologies for enabling personalized care.

For improving quality, safety and efficiency of care processes, health care systems perform two paradigm changes: the organizational transformation of the health care system from organization-centric to person-centric structures and the methodological transformation from the traditional phenomenological approach to individualized health care based on translational medicine. Both paradigm changes are interrelated and require advanced interoperability between different organizations and multiple disciplines. The paper presents a system-theoretical, architecture-centric approach to analyze, design and develop the systems of health care and medicine for enabling personalized health services.

Tumor marker carbohydrate antigen 125 predicts adverse outcome after transcatheter aortic valve implantation.

Objectives: This study sought to predict the value of tumor marker carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA125) before and after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) for all-cause death and a composite endpoint of death, admission for heart failure, myocardial infarction, and stroke (major adverse cardiac events [MACE]).

Background: Risk stratification after TAVI remains challenging. The use of biomarkers in this setting represents an unmet need.

Adverse reactions after tattooing: review of the literature and comparison to results of a survey.

The number of tattooed people has substantially increased in the past years. Surveys in different countries reveal this to be up to 24% of the population. The number of reported adverse reactions after tattooing has also increased including infections, granulomatous and allergic reactions and tumors.