A novel risk calculator to predict outcome after surgery for symptomatic spinal metastases; use of a large prospective patient database to personalise surgical management.

Aim: Surgery for spinal metastases can improve symptoms, but sometimes complications can negate the benefits. Operations may have different indications, complexities and risks, and the choice for an individual is a tailor-made personalised decision. Previous prognostic scoring systems are becoming out of date and inaccurate.

ABM Clinical Protocol #7: Model Maternity Policy Supportive of Breastfeeding.

A central goal of The Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine is the development of clinical protocols for managing common medical problems that may impact breastfeeding success. These protocols serve only as guidelines for the care of breastfeeding mothers and infants and do not delineate an exclusive course of treatment or serve as standards of medical care. Variations in treatment may be appropriate according to the needs of an individual patient.

Prediction Accuracy of Common Prognostic Scoring Systems for Metastatic Spine Disease: Results of a Prospective International Multicentre Study of 1469 Patients.

Study Design: A prospective multicenter cohort study.

Objective: To assess the clinical accuracy of six commonly cited prognostic scoring systems for patients with spinal metastases.

Summary Of Background Data: There are presently several available methods for the estimation of prognosis in metastatic spinal disease, but none are universally accepted by surgeons for clinical use.

Cytokine expression in tears of patients with glaucoma or dry eye disease: A prospective, observational cohort study.

Background: The aim of this study was to assess the expression of cytokines/chemokines in tears from patients with non-advanced primary open-angle glaucoma and patients with non-severe dry eye disease versus healthy controls.

Methods: This prospective, observational cohort study enrolled patients with confirmed or suspected non-advanced primary open-angle glaucoma who received any prostaglandin analogue monotherapy for longer than 6 months, patients with non-severe dry eye disease, and healthy controls. Expression of interleukin-1β, interleukin-2, interleukin-4, interleukin-5, interleukin-6, interleukin-8, interleukin-10, and interleukin-12; tumor necrosis factor α; vascular endothelial growth factor; granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor; and interferon γ was assessed.

Post-mortem microbiology in sudden death: sampling protocols proposed in different clinical settings.

Background: Autopsies, including minimally invasive autopsies, are a powerful tool for determination of the cause of death. When a patient dies from an infection, microbiology is crucial to identify the causative organism. Post-mortem microbiology (PMM) aims to detect unexpected infections causing sudden deaths; confirm clinically suspected but unproven infection; evaluate the efficacy of antimicrobial therapy; identify emergent pathogens; and recognize medical errors.

Perampanel in routine clinical use in idiopathic generalized epilepsy: The 12-month GENERAL study.

Objective: To analyze the effectiveness and tolerability of perampanel across different seizure types in routine clinical care of patients with idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE).

Methods: This multicenter, retrospective, 1-year observational study collected data from patient records at 21 specialist epilepsy units in Spain. All patients who were aged ≥12 years, prescribed perampanel before December 2016, and had a confirmed diagnosis of IGE were included.

Metastatic Spine Tumor Epidemiology: Comparison of Trends in Surgery Across Two Decades and Three Continents.

Background: Indications for surgery for symptomatic spinal metastases have become better defined in recent years, and suitable outcome measures have been established against a changing backdrop of patient characteristics, tumor behavior, and oncologic treatments. Nonetheless, variations still exist in the local management of patients with spinal metastases. In this study, we aimed to review global trends and habits in the surgical treatment of symptomatic spinal metastases, and to examine how these have changed over the last 25 years.

Effects of a Carob-Pod-Derived Sweetener on Glucose Metabolism.

Background: Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) have a higher incidence of cardiovascular (CV) events. The ingestion of high-glycemic index (GI) diets, specially sweetened beverage consumption, has been associated with the development of T2DM and CV disease.

Objective: We investigated the effects of the intake of a sweetened beverage, obtained from natural carbohydrates containing pinitol (PEB) compared to a sucrose-enriched beverage (SEB) in the context of impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and diabetes.

Lipidomics reveals altered biosynthetic pathways of glycerophospholipids and cell signaling as biomarkers of the polycystic ovary syndrome.

Purpose: In this work, a non-targeted approach was used to unravel changes in the plasma lipidome of PCOS patients. The aim is to offer new insights in PCOS patients strictly selected in order to avoid confounding factors such as dyslipemia, obesity, altered glucose/insulin metabolism, cardiovascular disease, or cancer.

Results: Multivariate statistics revealed a specific lipidomic signature for PCOS patients without associated pathologies.

2017 WSES guidelines for the management of iatrogenic colonoscopy perforation.

Iatrogenic colonoscopy perforation (ICP) is a severe complication that can occur during both diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. Although 45-60% of ICPs are diagnosed by the endoscopist while performing the colonoscopy, many ICPs are not immediately recognized but are instead suspected on the basis of clinical signs and symptoms that occur after the endoscopic procedure. There are three main therapeutic options for ICPs: endoscopic repair, conservative therapy, and surgery.

The Effect of Moderate- Versus High-Intensity Resistance Training on Systemic Redox State and DNA Damage in Healthy Older Women.

Unlabelled: This study investigated effects of a 16-week progressive resistance training program (RTP) with elastic bands at two different intensities on systemic redox state, DNA damage, and physical function in healthy older women.

Methods: Participants were randomly assigned to the high-intensity group (HIGH; n = 39), moderate-intensity group (MOD; n = 31), or control group (CG; n = 23). The exercise groups performed an RTP twice a week with three to four sets of 6 (HIGH) or 15 (MOD) repetitions of six overall body exercises at a perceived exertion rate of 8-9 on the OMNI-Resistance Exercise Scale for use with elastic bands.

Effectiveness and quality of life 10 years after transobturator suburethral tape surgery for stress urinary incontinence.

Aim: We aimed to measure the effectiveness and quality of life (QoL) 10 years after transobturator suburethral tape surgery.

Methods: We carried out a prospective observational study of 42 women assessed 10 years after surgical intervention with the transobturator technique. The main outcome measures were subjective and objective cure or improvement, complications, and changes in QoL.

Inflammasomes in Liver Fibrosis.

Cell death and inflammation are two central elements in the development of liver fibrosis. Inflammasomes are intracellular multiprotein complexes expressed in both hepatocytes and nonparenchymal cells in the liver that are key regulators of inflammation and cell fate. They respond to cellular danger signals by activating caspase 1, releasing the proinflammatory cytokines IL-1β and IL-18, as well as initiating a novel pathway of programmed cell death termed "pyroptosis.

Eculizumab in secondary atypical haemolytic uraemic syndrome.

Background: Complement dysregulation occurs in thrombotic microangiopathies (TMAs) other than primary atypical haemolytic uraemic syndrome (aHUS). A few of these patients have been reported previously to be successfully treated with eculizumab.

Methods: We identified 29 patients with so-called secondary aHUS who had received eculizumab at 11 Spanish nephrology centres.

One-year follow-up of clinical, metabolic and oxidative stress profile of morbid obese patients after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy. 8-oxo-dG as a clinical marker.

Obesity has grown worldwide over the last few decades. In its different degrees, obesity is accompanied by many clinical and biochemical alterations reflecting the pathological condition of various body tissues. Among the mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of obesity and associated complications, oxidative stress (OS) may be playing an important role.

How is post-mortem microbiology appraised by pathologists? Results from a practice survey conducted by ESGFOR.

Post-mortem microbiology (PMM) is an important tool in forensic pathology, assisting to determine the cause and manner of death. However, there is a lack of standardisation of PMM sampling. In order to get a better insight into the methods used, the available technical options and developmental needs, ESCMID Study Group for Forensic and Postmortem Microbiology (ESGFOR) members designed a survey aimed at pathologists regarding common practices of PMM in clinical and forensic autopsies.

Consensus on the standardization of terminology in thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura and related thrombotic microangiopathies.

Unlabelled: Essentials An international collaboration provides a consensus for clinical definitions. This concerns thrombotic microangiopathies and thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP). The consensus defines diagnosis, disease monitoring and response to treatment.

Effect of consumption of a carob pod inositol-enriched beverage on insulin sensitivity and inflammation in middle-aged prediabetic subjects.

This study assessed the effects of an inositol-enriched beverage (IEB) on blood glucose levels and inflammation status in subjects with an impaired fasting glucose (IFG) state according to body mass index (BMI). This was a 12 week, double-blind, randomized, controlled trial employing forty-four IFG subjects (fasting glucose levels 100-125 mg dl) that were divided into two intervention groups: one receiving a IEB (n = 24) containing mainly pinitol (2.0 g twice a day), and the other a sweetened beverage based on sucrose (SB; n = 20).

Role of ROS and RNS Sources in Physiological and Pathological Conditions.

There is significant evidence that, in living systems, free radicals and other reactive oxygen and nitrogen species play a double role, because they can cause oxidative damage and tissue dysfunction and serve as molecular signals activating stress responses that are beneficial to the organism. Mitochondria have been thought to both play a major role in tissue oxidative damage and dysfunction and provide protection against excessive tissue dysfunction through several mechanisms, including stimulation of opening of permeability transition pores. Until recently, the functional significance of ROS sources different from mitochondria has received lesser attention.

Effects of simvastatin, ezetimibe and simvastatin/ezetimibe on mitochondrial function and leukocyte/endothelial cell interactions in patients with hypercholesterolemia.

Background: Cholesterol-lowering therapy has been related with several beneficial effects; however, its influence on oxidative stress and endothelial function is not fully elucidated.

Aims: To investigate the effect of simvastatin and ezetimibe on mitochondrial function and leukocyte-endothelium interactions in polymorphonuclear cells of hyperlipidemic patients.

Methods: Thirty-nine hyperlipidemic patients were randomly assigned to one of two groups: one received simvastatin (40 mg/day) and the other received ezetimibe (10 mg/day) for 4 weeks, after which both groups were administered combined therapy for an additional 4-week period.