Hallmark discoveries in the biology of non-Wilms tumour childhood kidney cancers.

Approximately 20% of paediatric and adolescent/young adult patients with renal tumours are diagnosed with non-Wilms tumour, a broad heterogeneous group of tumours that includes clear-cell sarcoma of the kidney, congenital mesoblastic nephroma, malignant rhabdoid tumour of the kidney, renal-cell carcinoma, renal medullary carcinoma and other rare histologies. The differential diagnosis of these tumours dates back many decades, when these pathologies were identified initially through clinicopathological observation of entities with outcomes that diverged from Wilms tumour, corroborated with immunohistochemistry and molecular cytogenetics and, subsequently, through next-generation sequencing. These advances enabled near-definitive recognition of different tumours and risk stratification of patients.

Effectiveness of a timed praziquantel treatment of school children in relation to seasonal transmission of urogenital schistosomiasis in Northwestern Tanzania.

Background: Regular mass drug administration of praziquantel has a positive impact on reducing the burden of human schistosomiasis, however transmission still persists in many areas. To reach disease elimination; tailored interventions are needed to not only further reduce infections but also to tackle areas of persistent high prevalences of infection. One proposed approach is timed treatment based on the natural disease transmission cycle in relation to seasons.

Relationship between plasma urea and copeptin in response to arginine stimulation in healthy adults, patients with vasopressin deficiency and primary polydipsia.

Background: Arginine infusion stimulates copeptin secretion, a surrogate marker of arginine vasopressin (AVP), thereby serving as a diagnostic test in the differential diagnosis of suspected AVP deficiency (AVP-D). Yet, the precise mechanism underlying the stimulatory effect of arginine on the vasopressinergic system remains elusive. Arginine plays a significant role in the urea cycle and increases the production of urea.

Evaluation of Non-Invasive Hemoglobin Monitoring in Perioperative Patients: A Retrospective Study of the Rad-67 (Masimo).

: Hemoglobin (Hb) is a crucial parameter in perioperative care due to its essential role for oxygen transport and tissue oxygenation. Accurate Hb monitoring allows for timely interventions to address perioperative anemia and, thus, prevent morbidity and mortality. Traditional Hb measurements rely on invasive blood sampling, which significantly contributes to iatrogenic anemia and poses discomfort and increased infection risks.

Antisocial personality disorder:Failure to balance excitation/inhibition?

While healthy brain function relies on a dynamic but tightly regulated interaction between excitation (E) and inhibition (I), a spectrum of social cognition disorders, including antisocial behavior and antisocial personality disorder (ASPD), frequently ensuing from irregular neurodevelopment, may be associated with E/I imbalance and concomitant alterations in neural connectivity. Technological advances in the evaluation of structural and functional E/I balance proxies in clinical settings and in human cell culture models provide a general basis for identification of biomarkers providing a powerful concept for prevention and intervention across different dimensions of mental health and disease. In this perspective we outline a framework for research to characterize neurodevelopmental pathways to antisocial behavior and ASPD driven by (epi)genetic factors across life, and to identify molecular targets for preventing the detrimental effects of cognitive dysfunction and maladaptive social behavior, considering psychosocial experience; to validate signatures of E/I imbalance and altered myelination proxies as biomarkers of pathogenic neural circuitry mechanisms to determine etiological processes in the transition from mental health to antisocial behavior and ASPD and in the switch from prevention to treatment; to develop a neurobiologically-grounded integrative model of antisocial behavior and ASPD resultant of disrupted E/I balance, allowing to establish objective diagnoses and monitoring tools, to personalize prevention and therapeutic decisions, to predict treatment response, and thus counteract relapse; and finally, to promote transformation of dimensional disorder taxonomy and to enhance societal awareness and reception of the neurobiological basis of antisocial behavior and ASPD.

Medication patterns and potentially inappropriate medication in patients with metastatic breast cancer: results of the BRE-BY-MED study.

Background: The treatment of metastatic breast cancer (mBC) focuses on prolonging patient survival, providing adequate symptom management, and maintaining quality of life (QoL). This includes supportive therapy to prevent or treat potential side effects and handle comorbidities. The combination of mBC therapy, supportive therapy, and treatment for comorbidities increases the risk for polypharmacy, potential drug-drug interactions (pDDI), potentially inappropriate medication (PIM), and potentially missing drugs (pMD).

Meeting report - Alpine desmosome disease meeting 2024: advances and emerging topics in desmosomes and related diseases.

Desmosomes are adhesive cell contacts abundant in tissues exposed to mechanical strain, such as the stratified and simple epithelia of the epidermis and mucous membranes, as well as the myocardium. Besides their role in mechanical cell cohesion, desmosomes also modulate pathways important for tissue differentiation, wound healing and immune responses. Dysfunctional desmosomes, resulting from pathogenic variants in genes encoding desmosomal components, autoantibodies targeting desmosomal adhesion molecules or inflammation, cause the life-threatening diseases arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy and pemphigus and contribute to the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel diseases.

TRAF2 and RIPK1 redundantly mediate classical NFκB signaling by TNFR1 and CD95-type death receptors.

This study suggests a modified model of TNFR1-induced complex I-mediated NFκB signaling. Evaluation of a panel of five tumor cell lines (HCT116-PIK3CAmut, SK-MEL-23, HeLa-RIPK3, HT29, D10) with TRAF2 knockout revealed in two cell lines (HT29, HeLa-RIPK3) a sensitizing effect for death receptor-induced necroptosis and in one cell line (D10) a mild sensitization for TNFR1-induced apoptosis. TRAF2 deficiency inhibited death receptor-induced classical NFκB-mediated production of IL-8 only in a subset of cell lines and only partly.

Nomogram models for predicting outcomes in thyroid cancer patients with distant metastasis receiving iodine therapy.

This study aimed to establish and validate prognostic nomogram models for patients who underwent I therapy for thyroid cancer with distant metastases. The cohort was divided into training (70%) and validation (30%) sets for nomogram development. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were used to identify independent predictors for overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS).

Multinational retrospective analysis of bridging therapy prior to chimeric antigen receptor t cells for relapsed/refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia in children and young adults.

Anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR) are a well-established treatment option for children and young adults suffering from relapsed/refractory B-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Bridging therapy is used to control disease prior to start of lymphodepletion before CAR infusion and thereby improve efficacy of CAR therapy. However, the effect of different bridging strategies on outcome, side effects and response to CAR therapy is still poorly understood.

Long-term recurrence after parathyroidectomy in primary hyperparathyroidism-do predictors exist?

Background: Primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT) is the third most common endocrine disease, affecting predominantly postmenopausal women. About 85% of cases are caused by a solitary parathyroid adenoma which leads to a hypersecretion of the parathyroid hormone (PTH) and consequently to elevated serum calcium concentrations. Parathyroidectomy is the only curative treatment.

A mouse coccygeal intervertebral disc degeneration model with tail-looping constructed using a suturing method.

Backgroud: Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) is one of the common degenerative diseases. Due to ethical constraints, it is difficult to obtain sufficient research on humans, so the use of an animal model of IDD is very important to clarify the pathogenesis and treatment mechanism of the disease.

Methods: In this study, thirty 2-month-old mice were selected for operation to establish a coccygeal IDD model.

A Multicellular In Vitro Model of the Human Intestine with Immunocompetent Features Highlights Host-Pathogen Interactions During Early Salmonella Typhimurium Infection.

Studying the molecular basis of intestinal infections caused by enteric pathogens at the tissue level is challenging, because most human intestinal infection models have limitations, and results obtained from animals may not reflect the human situation. Infections with Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (STm) have different outcomes between organisms. 3D tissue modeling of primary human material provides alternatives to animal experimentation, but epithelial co-culture with immune cells remains difficult.

Isolated inflammatory involvement of the occipital artery in giant cell arteritis and polymyalgia rheumatica: findings from a retrospective analysis and the critical role of MRI in diagnosis.

Background: Diagnosis of Giant Cell Arteritis (GCA) and Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) may be challenging as many patients present with non-specific symptoms. Superficial cranial arteries are predilection sites of inflammatory affection. Ultrasound is typically the diagnostic tool of first choice supplementary to clinical and laboratory examination.

Depletion of alloreactive B cells by drug-resistant chimeric alloantigen receptor T cells to prevent transplant rejection.

Antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) remains a major complication after solid organ transplantation (SOT). Current treatment options are inefficient and result in drastic impairment of the general immunity. To selectively eliminate responsible alloreactive B cells characterized by anti-donor-HLA B cell receptors (BCRs), we generated T cells overcoming rejection by antibodies (CORA-Ts) engineered with a novel chimeric receptor comprising a truncated donor-HLA molecule as antigen recognition domain.

Long-Term Outcomes and Quality of Life of High-Risk Neuroblastoma Patients Treated with a Multimodal Treatment Including Anti-GD2 Immunotherapy: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: The incorporation of anti-GD2 antibodies such as ch14.18/SP2/0 into the multimodal treatment of high-risk neuroblastoma (HR-NB) patients has improved their outcomes. As studies assessing the long-term outcomes, long-term sequelae, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of this treatment are limited, this retrospective analysis aimed to explore these.

Preconditioning with Wound Fluid Enhances Immunosuppressive Properties of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells In Vitro.

Immunosuppression is one key feature of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) that has high expectations for therapeutic use. The influence of pro-inflammatory stimuli can modify the characteristics of MSCs and enhance immunosuppressive properties. The local postoperative environment contains cytokines, MSCs, and immune cells in high quantities, and their mutual influence is still unclear.