Comparative Study: Postmortem Long-Term Stability of Endogenous GHB in Cardiac Blood, Femoral Blood, Vitreous Humor, Cerebrospinal Fluid and Urine with and without Sodium Fluoride Stabilization.

The interpretation of postmortem γ-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) concentrations is challenging due to endogenous existence and postmortem GHB production in body tissues and fluids. As an additional complication, formation of GHB was also described in stored postmortem samples. We examined cardiac blood, femoral blood, vitreous humor, cerebrospinal fluid and urine of eight different corpses (male/female 5/3, aged 33-92 years, postmortem interval 1-6 days) where no intake of GHB or one of its precursors was assumed.

Neuralgia-inducing cavitational osteonecrosis - A systematic review.

Objective: To assess the aetiologic factors, proposed diagnostic means and treatment strategies for neuralgia-inducing cavitational osteonecrosis.

Methods: A search of the literature published up to June 2020 was conducted using Medline, the Cochrane Library, PsycINFO, CINAHL and Web of Science. The scientific quality of the evidence was rated according to NIH Quality Assessment Tools.

Local and Systemic Expression Pattern of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in Complex Regional Pain Syndrome.

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMP)-2 and MMP-9 play important roles in inflammation as well as in pain processes. For this reason, we compared the concentrations of these enzymes in skin and serum of patients with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), other pain diseases and healthy subjects. We analyzed ipsi- and contralateral skin biopsies of 18 CRPS patients, as well as in 10 pain controls and 9 healthy subjects.

Utilization of Interdisciplinary Tumor Boards for Sarcoma Care in Germany: Results from the PROSa Study.

Background: Data on institutional structures of sarcoma care in Germany are scarce. The utilization of an interdisciplinary tumor board (IDTB) is an essential part of modern cancer care. We investigated to which extent and when IDTB are used in sarcoma care.

Effect of nurse-led care on outcomes in patients with ACPA/RF-positive rheumatoid arthritis with active disease undergoing treat-to-target: a multicentre randomised controlled trial.

Objective: To determine the non-inferiority of nurse-led care (NLC) in patients with anticitrullinated protein antibody (ACPA)-positive and/or rheumatoid factor (RF)-positive rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with active disease who are starting disease-modifying antirheumatic drug therapy, following treat-to-target (T2T) recommendations.

Methods: A multicentre, pragmatic randomised controlled trial was conducted to assess clinical effectiveness, anxiety, depression and patient satisfaction following a non-inferiority design. The participants were 224 adults with ACPA/RF-positive RA who were randomly assigned to either NLC or rheumatologist-led care (RLC).

Clinical presentation and long-term follow-up of 45 patients with Mondor disease: A single-center longitudinal study.

Mondor disease is characterized by an acute painful thrombophlebitis occurring at specific anatomical sites. Data on its incidence, characteristics of clinical presentation, and course are unavailable to date. We studied the course of Mondor disease in patients diagnosed and followed at the University Hospital Zurich (Switzerland) between 2004 and 2020.

Increased HERV-K(HML-2) Transcript Levels Correlate with Clinical Parameters of Liver Damage in Hepatitis C Patients.

Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is closely associated with a plethora of diseases, including cancers and autoimmune disorders. However, the distinct triggers and cellular networks leading to such HCV-derived diseases are poorly understood. Around 8% of the human genome consists of human endogenous retroviruses.

Treatment of advanced gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasia, are we on the way to personalised medicine?

Gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasia (GEPNEN) comprises clinically as well as prognostically diverse tumour entities often diagnosed at late stage. Current classification provides a uniform terminology and a Ki67-based grading system, thereby facilitating management. Advances in the study of genomic and epigenetic landscapes have amplified knowledge of tumour biology and enhanced identification of prognostic and potentially predictive treatment subgroups.

Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy for High-Risk Prostate Cancer: A Systematic Review.

Background: Radiotherapy (RT) is an established, potentially curative treatment option for all risk constellations of localized prostate cancer (PCA). Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) and dose-escalated RT can further improve outcome in high-risk (HR) PCA. In recent years, shorter RT schedules based on hypofractionated RT have shown equal outcome.

Ribavirin Improves NK Cell IFNγ Response During Sofosbuvir-based DAA Therapy in HCV-infected Liver Transplant Recipients.

Background: Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is characterized by activation of natural killer (NK) cells. Here, we asked whether HCV elimination by sofosbuvir-based direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) and the addition of ribavirin (RBV) improve NK cell function in liver transplant (LTx) recipients.

Methods: We analyzed NK cell degranulation and interferon (IFN)γ-response along with STAT1 and STAT4 phosphorylation in 29 HCV-infected LTx recipients and 17 HCV-infected patients during DAA treatment.

Ovine Biosynthetic Grafts for Aortoiliac Reconstructions in Nonsterile Operative Fields.

Background: Prosthetic vascular grafts placed surgically or via endovascular techniques can be subject to the risk of life-threatening graft infections. The Omniflow II vascular prosthesis is a biosynthetic graft that was reported to have favorable properties in resisting infections.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively reviewed our 3 years' experience of using the Omniflow II prostheses for aortoiliac reconstructions in patients considered to carry a substantial risk of subsequent prosthetic graft infections (prevention group) as well as in patients with actively infected prosthetic vascular grafts (treatment group).

Performance of a new integrated computer-assisted system (CADe/CADx) for detection and characterization of colorectal neoplasia.

Background: Use of artificial intelligence may increase detection of colorectal neoplasia at colonoscopy by improving lesion recognition (CADe) and reduce pathology costs by improving optical diagnosis (CADx).

Methods: A multicenter library of ≥ 200 000 images from 1572 polyps was used to train a combined CADe/CADx system. System testing was performed on two independent image sets (CADe: 446 with polyps, 234 without; CADx: 267) from 234 polyps, which were also evaluated by six endoscopists (three experts, three non-experts).

Management of Germ Cell Tumours of the Testes in Adult Patients: German Clinical Practice Guideline, PART II - Recommendations for the Treatment of Advanced, Recurrent, and Refractory Disease and Extragonadal and Sex Cord/Stromal Tumours and for the Management of Follow-Up, Toxicity, Quality of Life, Palliative Care, and Supportive Therapy.

Objectives: We developed the first German evidence- and consensus-based clinical guideline on diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of germ cell tumours (GCT) of the testes in adult patients. We present the guideline content in 2 separate publications. The present second part summarizes therecommendations for the treatment of advanced disease stages and for the management of follow-up and late effects.

Management of Germ Cell Tumours of the Testis in Adult Patients. German Clinical Practice Guideline Part I: Epidemiology, Classification, Diagnosis, Prognosis, Fertility Preservation, and Treatment Recommendations for Localized Stages.

Introduction: This is the first German evidence- and consensus-based clinical guideline on diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up on germ cell tumours (GCTs) of the testis in adult patients. We present the guideline content in two publications. Part I covers the topic's background, methods, epidemiology, classification systems, diagnostics, prognosis, and treatment recommendations for the localized stages.

Current status of use of high throughput nucleotide sequencing in rheumatology.

Objective: Here, we assess the usage of high throughput sequencing (HTS) in rheumatic research and the availability of public HTS data of rheumatic samples.

Methods: We performed a semiautomated literature review on PubMed, consisting of an R-script and manual curation as well as a manual search on the Sequence Read Archive for public available HTS data.

Results: Of the 699 identified articles, rheumatoid arthritis (n=182 publications, 26%), systemic lupus erythematous (n=161, 23%) and osteoarthritis (n=152, 22%) are among the rheumatic diseases with the most reported use of HTS assays.

Risk factors and outcomes associated with the carriage of tigecycline- and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium.

Objectives: Vancomycin-resistant E. faecium (VRE) is a common cause of healthcare-associated infections. The emergence of VRE with tigecycline resistance (TVRE) is increasing but its impact on patient outcome is still not well defined.

Transcriptomic profiling across the nonalcoholic fatty liver disease spectrum reveals gene signatures for steatohepatitis and fibrosis.

The mechanisms that drive nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) remain incompletely understood. This large multicenter study characterized the transcriptional changes that occur in liver tissue across the NAFLD spectrum as disease progresses to cirrhosis to identify potential circulating markers. We performed high-throughput RNA sequencing on a discovery cohort comprising histologically characterized NAFLD samples from 206 patients.

The Health-Related Quality of Life of Sarcoma Patients and Survivors in Germany-Cross-Sectional Results of a Nationwide Observational Study (PROSa).

Sarcomas are rare cancers with high heterogeneity in terms of type, location, and treatment. The health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of sarcoma patients has rarely been investigated and is the subject of this analysis. Adult sarcoma patients and survivors were assessed between September 2017 and February 2019 in 39 study centers in Germany using standardized, validated questionnaires (European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30)).

Combining T-cell-specific activation and in vivo gene delivery through CD3-targeted lentiviral vectors.

Genetic modification of T lymphocytes is a key issue in research and therapy. Conventional lentiviral vectors (LVs) are neither selective for T cells nor do they modify resting or minimally stimulated cells, which is crucial for applications, such as efficient in vivo modification of T lymphocytes. Here, we introduce novel CD3-targeted LVs (CD3-LVs) capable of genetically modifying human T lymphocytes without prior activation.

Efficacy and Toxicity of Different Chemotherapy Protocols for Concurrent Chemoradiation in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer-A Secondary Analysis of the PET Plan Trial.

(1) Background: The optimal chemotherapy (CHT) regimen for concurrent chemoradiation (cCRT) is not well defined. In this secondary analysis of the international randomized PET-Plan trial, we evaluate the efficacy of different CHT. (2) Methods: Patients with inoperable NSCLC were randomized at a 1:1 ratio regarding the target volume definition and received isotoxically dose-escalated cCRT using cisplatin 80 mg/m (day 1, 22) and vinorelbin 15 mg/m (day 1, 8, 22, 29) (P1) or cisplatin 20 mg/m (day 1-5, 29-33) and vinorelbin 12.