Graft--host disease and relapse/rejection-free survival after allogeneic transplantation for idiopathic severe aplastic anemia: a comprehensive analysis from the SAAWP of the EBMT.

Survival after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) for severe idiopathic aplastic anemia (SAA) has improved in recent years, approaching 75% at 5 years. However, an SAA-adapted composite endpoint, graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) and relapse/rejection-free survival (GRFS), may more accurately assess patient outcomes beyond survival. We analyzed GRFS to identify risk factors and specific causes of GRFS failure.

Survey on the Updated German S3 Guideline for Intensive Care in Cardiac Surgery Patients.

Background: The German guideline on intensive care treatment of cardiac surgical patients provides evidence-based recommendations on management and monitoring. It remains unclear if, respectively, to which degree the guidelines are implemented into the daily practice. Therefore, this study aims to characterize the implementation of guideline recommendations in German cardiac surgical intensive care units (ICUs).

Risk factors for a severe disease course in children with SARS-COV-2 infection following hematopoietic cell transplantation in the pre-Omicron period: a prospective multinational Infectious Disease Working Party from the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation group (EBMT) and the Spanish Group of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (GETH) study.

Risk factors for severe SARS-Cov-2 infection course are poorly described in children following hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). In this international study, we analyzed factors associated with a severe course (intensive care unit (ICU) admission and/or mortality) in post-HCT children. Eighty-nine children (58% male; median age 9 years (min-max 1-18)) who received an allogeneic (85; 96%) or an autologous (4; 4%) HCT were reported from 28 centers (18 countries).

Murine scald models characterize the role of neutrophils and neutrophil extracellular traps in severe burns.

Introduction: Severe burns cause unique pathophysiological alterations especially on the immune system. A murine scald model was optimized as a basis for the understanding of immunological reactions in response to heat induced injury. The understanding of the roles of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) and DNases will support the development of new surgical or pharmacological strategies for the therapy of severe burns.

Monitoring the clinical practice of palliative sedation (PALSED) in patients with advanced cancer: an international, multicentre, non-experimental prospective observational study protocol.

Background: Palliative sedation involves the intentional lowering of consciousness at the end of life. It can be initiated to relieve a patient's burden caused by refractory symptoms at the end of life. The impact of palliative sedation needs to be clinically monitored to adjust the proper dose and regimen of sedative medication to ensure that patients are at ease and comfortable at the end of their lives.

Early Subcellular Hepatocellular Alterations in Mice Post Hydrodynamic Transfection: An Explorative Study.

Hydrodynamic transfection (HT) or hydrodynamic tail vein injection (HTVi) is among the leading technique that is used to deliver plasmid genes mainly into the liver of live mice or rats. The DNA constructs are composed of coupled plasmids, while one contains the gene of interest that stably integrate into the hepatocyte genome with help of the other consisting sleeping beauty transposase system. The rapid injection of a large volume of DNA-solution through the tail vein induces an acute cardiac congestion that refluxed into the liver, mainly in acinus zone 3, also found through our EM study.

Fludarabine versus cyclophospamide in combination with myeloablative total body irradiation as conditioning for patients with acute myeloid leukemia treated with allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation. A study from the Acute Leukemia Working Party of the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation.

Total body irradiation (TBI) at a dose of 12 Gy combined with cyclophosphamide (CyTBI12Gy) is one of the standard myeloablative regimens for patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) treated with allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT). In clinical practice, cyclophosphamide may be substituted with fludarabine (FluTBI12Gy) to reduce toxicity. We retrospectively compared outcomes of CyTBI12Gy with FluTBI12Gy for patients with AML treated in complete remission (CR) with allo-HCT from either a matched sibling or unrelated donor.

Cognitive function in older patients and their stress challenge using different anesthesia regimes: a single center observational study.

Background: With increasing age older patients are at higher risk for cognitive decline after surgery. Even tailored anesthesia procedures in older patients remain a high risk for postoperative cognitive disorder. Additional stress derived from anxiety and anesthesia itself can negatively impact postoperative cognitive outcomes.

Histological evaluation of PAXgene tissue fixation in Barrett's esophagus and esophageal adenocarcinoma diagnostics.

The dysplasia grading of Barrett's esophagus (BE), based on the histomorphological assessment of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue, suffers from high interobserver variability leading to an unsatisfactory prediction of cancer risk. Thus, pre-analytic preservation of biological molecules, which could improve risk prediction in BE enabling molecular and genetic analysis, is needed. We aimed to evaluate such a molecular pre-analytic fixation tool, PAXgene-fixed paraffin-embedded (PFPE) biopsies, and their suitability for histomorphological BE diagnostics in comparison to FFPE.

Tucatinib vs Placebo, Both in Combination With Trastuzumab and Capecitabine, for Previously Treated ERBB2 (HER2)-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer in Patients With Brain Metastases: Updated Exploratory Analysis of the HER2CLIMB Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: It is estimated that up to 50% of patients with ERBB2 (HER2)-positive metastatic breast cancer (MBC) will develop brain metastases (BMs), which is associated with poor prognosis. Previous reports of the HER2CLIMB trial have demonstrated that tucatinib in combination with trastuzumab and capecitabine provides survival and intracranial benefits for patients with ERBB2-positive MBC and BMs.

Objective: To describe overall survival (OS) and intracranial outcomes from tucatinib in combination with trastuzumab and capecitabine in patients with ERBB2-positive MBC and BMs with an additional 15.

Exome-based gene panel analysis in a cohort of acute juvenile ischemic stroke patients:relevance of NOTCH3 and GLA variants.

Background: Genetic variants are considered to have a crucial impact on the occurrence of ischemic stroke. In clinical routine, the diagnostic value of next-generation sequencing (NGS) in the medical clarification of acute juvenile stroke has not been investigated so far.

Material And Methods: We analyzed an exome-based gene panel of 349 genes in 172 clinically well-characterized patients with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-proven, juvenile (age ≤ 55 years), ischemic stroke admitted to a single comprehensive stroke center.

Transcatheter valve repair of tricuspid regurgitation with the PASCAL system: TriCLASP study 30-day results.

Background: Severe tricuspid regurgitation (TR) is independently associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Percutaneous transcatheter approaches may offer an alternative for patients not amenable to surgery.

Methods: TriCLASP is a prospective, single-arm, multicenter European post-market clinical follow-up study (NCT04614402) to evaluate the safety and performance of the PASCAL system (Edwards Lifesciences) in patients with severe or greater TR.

Extraocular muscle ductions following nasal transposition of the split lateral rectus muscle.

Objective: To quantify changes in ductions following nasal transposition of the split lateral rectus muscle (NTSLR) for treating third nerve palsy.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Participants: A single eye from each patient with third nerve palsy treated with NTSLR with ocular motility measurements.

A Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing Apixaban With the Vitamin K Antagonist Phenprocoumon in Patients on Chronic Hemodialysis: The AXADIA-AFNET 8 Study.

Background: Non-vitamin K oral anticoagulants have become the standard therapy for preventing stroke and ischemic thromboembolism in most patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). The effectiveness and safety of non-vitamin K oral anticoagulants in patients on hemodialysis is not well known.

Methods: From June 2017 through May 2022, AXADIA-AFNET 8 (Compare Apixaban and Vitamin K Antagonists in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation and End-Stage Kidney Disease), an investigator-initiated PROBE (prospective randomized open blinded end point) outcome assessment trial, randomized patients with AF on chronic hemodialysis to either apixaban (2.

COVID-19 Severity and Thrombo-Inflammatory Response Linked to Ethnicity.

Although there is strong evidence that SARS-CoV-2 infection is associated with adverse outcomes in certain ethnic groups, the association of disease severity and risk factors such as comorbidities and biomarkers with racial disparities remains undefined. This retrospective study between March 2020 and February 2021 explores COVID-19 risk factors as predictors for patients' disease progression through country comparison. Disease severity predictors in Germany and Japan were cardiovascular-associated comorbidities, dementia, and age.

Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trial of the Corticosteroid-Sparing Effects of Immunoglobulin in Myasthenia Gravis.

Background And Objectives: Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune disease characterized by dysfunction at the neuromuscular junction. Treatment frequently includes corticosteroids (CSs) and IV immunoglobulin (IVIG). This study was conducted to determine whether immune globulin (human), 10% caprylate/chromatography purified (IGIV-C) could facilitate CS dose reduction in CS-dependent patients with MG.

Platelet LGALS3BP as a Mediator of Myeloid Inflammation in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

Objective: Platelets are mediators of inflammation with immune effector cell properties and have been implicated in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). This study investigated the role of platelet-associated lectin, galactoside-binding, soluble 3 binding protein (LGALS3BP) as a mediator of inflammation in SLE and as a potential biomarker associated with clinical phenotypes.

Methods: We performed RNA sequencing on platelets from patients with SLE (n = 54) and on platelets from age-, sex-, and race/ethnicity-matched healthy controls (n = 18) and measured LGALS3BP levels in platelet releasate and in circulating serum.

Closed loop stimulation in patients with chronic heart failure and severe chronotropic incompetence: Responders versus non-responders.

Background: Clinical effects of rate-adaptive pacing (RAP) are unpredictable and highly variable among cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) patients with chronotropic incompetence. Physiologic sensors such as Closed Loop Stimulation (CLS), measuring intracardiac impedance changes (surrogate for ventricular contractility), may add clinical benefit and help identify predictors of response to RAP. The objective of the present BIOlCREATE study subanalysis was to identify criteria for selection of CRT patients who are likely to respond positively to CLS-based RAP.

Overall survival in the OlympiA phase III trial of adjuvant olaparib in patients with germline pathogenic variants in BRCA1/2 and high-risk, early breast cancer.

Background: The randomized, double-blind OlympiA trial compared 1 year of the oral poly(adenosine diphosphate-ribose) polymerase inhibitor, olaparib, to matching placebo as adjuvant therapy for patients with pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants in germline BRCA1 or BRCA2 (gBRCA1/2pv) and high-risk, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative, early breast cancer (EBC). The first pre-specified interim analysis (IA) previously demonstrated statistically significant improvement in invasive disease-free survival (IDFS) and distant disease-free survival (DDFS). The olaparib group had fewer deaths than the placebo group, but the difference did not reach statistical significance for overall survival (OS).

Adjuvant pembrolizumab versus placebo in resected high-risk stage II melanoma: Health-related quality of life from the randomized phase 3 KEYNOTE-716 study.

Background: Adjuvant pembrolizumab significantly improved recurrence-free survival (RFS) versus placebo in resected stage IIB and IIC melanoma in the phase 3 KEYNOTE-716 study. Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) results are reported.

Methods: Patients were randomly assigned 1:1 to pembrolizumab 200 mg (2 mg/kg, patients ≥12 to <18 years) Q3W or placebo for ≤17 cycles or until disease recurrence, unacceptable toxicity, or withdrawal.