Comparison of the effects of tocilizumab monotherapy and adalimumab in combination with methotrexate on bone erosion repair in rheumatoid arthritis.

Objective: To compare the effects of interleukin-6 (IL-6) receptor and tumour necrosis factor inhibition on inducing repair of existing bone erosions in patients with very early rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: Prospective non-randomised observational study in patients with active erosive RA with inadequate response to methotrexate (MTX) receiving either tocilizumab (TOC) monotherapy or adalimumab (ADA) with MTX for 52 weeks. Erosion volumes were assessed in metacarpal heads (MCH) and the radius by high-resolution peripheral quantitative CT at baseline and after 52 weeks.

Second allogeneic stem cell transplantation in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia: a study on behalf of the Acute Leukaemia Working Party of the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation.

Although second allogeneic haematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT2) is a therapeutic option for patients relapsing after first HCT (allo-HCT1), there is limited data on allo-HCT2 in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). We retrospectively studied 245 patients receiving allo-HCT2 as a salvage treatment for relapse following allo-HCT1 between the 2000 and 2017. The median age at allo-HCT2 was 34·6 years (range: 18-74).

4D-CT-based motion correction of PET images using 3D iterative deconvolution.

Objectives: Positron emission tomography acquisition takes several minutes representing an image averaged over multiple breathing cycles. Therefore, in areas influenced by respiratory movement, PET-positive lesions occur larger, but less intensive than they actually are, resulting in false quantitative assessment. We developed a motion-correction algorithm based on 4D-CT without the need to adapt PET-acquisition.

Fludarabine-treosulfan compared to thiotepa-busulfan-fludarabine or FLAMSA as conditioning regimen for patients with primary refractory or relapsed acute myeloid leukemia: a study from the Acute Leukemia Working Party of the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT).

Background: Limited data is available to guide the choice of the conditioning regimen for patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) undergoing transplant with persistent disease.

Methods: We retrospectively compared outcome of fludarabine-treosulfan (FT), thiotepa-busulfan-fludarabine (TBF), and sequential fludarabine, intermediate dose Ara-C, amsacrine, total body irradiation/busulfan, cyclophosphamide (FLAMSA) conditioning in patients with refractory or relapsed AML.

Results: Complete remission rates at day 100 were 92%, 80%, and 88% for FT, TBF, and FLAMSA, respectively (p = 0.

Umbilical cord blood versus unrelated donor transplantation in adults with primary refractory or relapsed acute myeloid leukemia: a report from Eurocord, the Acute Leukemia Working Party and the Cord Blood Committee of the Cellular Therapy and Immunobiology Working Party of the EBMT.

The role of umbilical cord blood transplantation (CBT) in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients with active disease at allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) remains poorly investigated. In this study, we compared transplantation outcomes of 2963 patients with primary refractory or relapsed AML given CBT, 10/10 HLA-matched UD, or 9/10 HLA-matched UD allo-HCT from 2004 to 2015 at EBMT-affiliated centers. Neutrophil engraftment and complete remission rates in CBT, UD 10/10, and UD 9/10 recipients were 75 and 48%, 93 and 69%, and 93 and 70%, respectively.

The ageing joint-standard age- and sex-related values of bone erosions and osteophytes in the hand joints of healthy individuals.

Objective: To analyze the age-related changes of the physiological hand joint architecture.

Method: To address this concept, healthy individuals (each 10 women and 10 men in six different age decades spanning from 21 to 80 years) were recruited through a field campaign, investigated for the absence of rheumatic diseases and other comorbidities and received high-resolution quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT) examination of the hand joints. Number and extent of erosions and osteophytes were quantified across the ages and different sexes.

Chemotherapy-induced neutropenia/febrile neutropenia prophylaxis with biosimilar filgrastim in solid tumors versus hematological malignancies: MONITOR-GCSF study.

Aim: This study aimed to report patterns of biosimilar filgrastim prophylaxis and outcomes of chemotherapy-induced neutropenia (CIN)/febrile neutropenia (FN) in patients with hematological malignancies or solid tumors.

Patients & Methods: MONITOR-GCSF is a real-world study of 1447 cancer patients receiving CIN/FN prophylaxis with biosimilar filgrastim (solid tumors: 77.2%; hematological malignancies: 22.

The impact of local control on overall survival after stereotactic body radiotherapy for liver and lung metastases from colorectal cancer: a combined analysis of 388 patients with 500 metastases.

Background: The aim of this analysis was to model the effect of local control (LC) on overall survival (OS) in patients treated with stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) for liver or lung metastases from colorectal cancer.

Methods: The analysis is based on pooled data from two retrospective SBRT databases for pulmonary and hepatic metastases from 27 centers from Germany and Switzerland. Only patients with metastases from colorectal cancer were considered to avoid histology as a confounding factor.

Sialendoscopy plus laser lithotripsy in sialolithiasis of the submandibular gland in 64 patients: A simple and safe procedure.

Objective: To demonstrate the safety and efficiency of holmium laser-assisted lithotripsy during sialendoscopy of the submandibular gland using a retrospective, interventional consecutive case series.

Methods: We performed 374 sialendoscopies between 2008 and 2015 and evaluated all patients regarding clinical symptoms, clinical findings, therapy and outcome. We performed 109 procedures of holmium laser-assisted lithotripsy in 64 patients whose sialoliths measured 5 mm or more in diameter.

3D grating-based X-ray phase-contrast computed tomography for high-resolution quantitative assessment of cartilage: An experimental feasibility study with 3T MRI, 7T MRI and biomechanical correlation.

Objective: Aim of this study was, to demonstrate the feasibility of high-resolution grating-based X-ray phase-contrast computed tomography (PCCT) for quantitative assessment of cartilage.

Materials And Methods: In an experimental setup, 12 osteochondral samples were harvested from n = 6 bovine knees (n = 2 each). From each knee, one cartilage sample was degraded using 2.

Unmanipulated haploidentical versus HLA-matched sibling allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia: a retrospective study on behalf of the ALWP of the EBMT.

Refractory or relapsed acute myeloid leukemia (R/R-AML) has poor prognosis. Allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT) may provide cure in this scenario. We compared outcomes of HSCT from HLA-identical (HLA-id, n = 1654) sibling or haploidentical (Haplo, n = 389) donors in patients with R/R-AML, performed during the period 2007-2015.

Fam83F induces p53 stabilisation and promotes its activity.

p53 is one of the most important tumour suppressor proteins currently known. It is activated in response to DNA damage and this activation leads to proliferation arrest and cell death. The abundance and activity of p53 are tightly controlled and reductions in p53's activity can contribute to the development of cancer.

Activity Behaviour of Minipigs Transgenic for the Huntington Gene.

Background: To increase the reliability of translating preclinical findings to humans, large animal models, such as the transgenic (tg) Libechov minipig, were established. As minipigs possess high genetic homology with humans and have similarities in anatomy, physiology and metabolism to humans, they are considered for studying neurodegenerative diseases longitudinally. Recently, sleep abnormalities and changes in circadian rhythm in Huntington's disease (HD) patients were acknowledged to present one of the early symptoms in HD.

Supraciliary microstent implantation for open-angle glaucoma: multicentre 3-year outcomes.

Objective: To describe the safety and effectiveness of CyPass supraciliary microstent implantation alone in eyes with open-angle glaucoma (OAG) followed up for up to 3 years.

Methods And Analysis: This registry study included subjects with primary or secondary OAG who underwent CyPass Micro-Stent implantation alone at 12 sites in four European countries to reduce intraocular pressure (IOP) and/or use of IOP-lowering medications. The primary safety outcome was the incidence of adverse events.

Primary Human Osteocyte Networks in Pure and Modified Collagen Gels.

Osteocytes play a key role in orchestrating bone homeostasis and turnover and, therefore, investigations with osteocytes are of high relevance for biomaterial and drug testing in future. In this study, collagen type I gels and collagen gels modified with biomimetically mineralized collagen were tested as three-dimensional (3D) environment for the maintenance of the osteocytic phenotype of primary human osteocytes. After cultivation in different collagen gels, cells were analyzed microscopically for the osteocytic phenotype and gene expression of osteocyte marker genes osteocalcin, podoplanin ()/, phosphate regulating endopeptidase homolog, X-linked (), matrix extracellular phosphoglycoprotein (), dentin matrix protein 1 (), and sclerostin ().

Late treatment-related mortality versus competing causes of death after allogeneic transplantation for myelodysplastic syndromes and secondary acute myeloid leukemia.

The causes and rates of late patient-mortality following alloHCT for myelodysplastic syndromes or secondary acute myeloid leukemia were studied, to assess the contribution of relapse-related, treatment-related, and population factors. Data from EBMT on 6434 adults, who received a first alloHCT from January 2000 to December 2012, were retrospectively studied using combined land-marking, relative-survival methods and multi-state modeling techniques. Median age at alloHCT increased from 49 to 58 years, and the number of patients aged ≥65 years at alloHCT increased from 5 to 17%.

Octreotide SC depot in patients with acromegaly and functioning neuroendocrine tumors: a phase 2, multicenter study.

Purpose: Octreotide SC depot is a novel, ready-to-use formulation administered via a thin needle. In a phase 1 study in healthy volunteers, this formulation provided higher bioavailability of octreotide with faster onset and stronger suppression of IGF-1 in healthy volunteers versus long-acting intramuscular (IM) octreotide. This phase 2 study evaluated the pharmacokinetics, efficacy, and safety of octreotide SC depot in patients with acromegaly and functioning NETs, previously treated with octreotide IM.

Impact of anti-thymocyte globulin on results of allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell transplantation for patients with Philadelphia-positive acute lymphoblastic leukaemia: An analysis by the Acute Leukemia Working Party of the EBMT.

Background: Anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) is widely used to prevent graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) after allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (alloPBSCT). The goal of this study was to retrospectively assess the effect of ATG on outcomes in the setting of Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (Ph+ ALL).

Methods: In the analysis, 1170 adult patients undergoing alloPBSCT from human leucocyte antigen-matched sibling or unrelated donors in the first complete remission between 2007 and 2016 were included.

The effect of autologous platelet rich plasma on tenocytes of the human rotator cuff.

Background: Platelet rich plasma (PRP) is widely used in rotator cuff repairs but its effect on the healing process is unclear. Several cell culture studies on the effect of allogenic PRP have reported promising results but are not transferable to clinical practice. The aim of the present study is to assess the possible effect of autologous PRP on rotator cuff tendon cells.

Prophylactic donor lymphocyte infusion after allogeneic stem cell transplantation in acute leukaemia - a matched pair analysis by the Acute Leukaemia Working Party of EBMT.

Strategies for relapse prevention after allogeneic transplantation in acute leukaemia are warranted. A registry-based matched-pair analysis evaluated the efficacy of prophylactic donor lymphocyte infusion (proDLI). Adults receiving proDLI in complete remission (CR) and controls were pair-matched for age, diagnosis, cytogenetics, stage, donor, gender, conditioning and T-cell depletion.