Association between miRNA signatures in serum samples from epidermal growth factor inhibitor treated patients and skin toxicity.

Objective: Epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors (EGFRI) are used as targeted cancer therapy. On average 70% of patients treated with EGFRIs suffer from skin toxicity. Studies showed a correlation between overall survival and the appearance of a skin rash, which is used as a biomarker for therapy efficacy.

Coronary plaque composition influences biomechanical stress and predicts plaque rupture in a morpho-mechanic OCT analysis.

Plaque rupture occurs if stress within coronary lesions exceeds the protection exerted by the fibrous cap overlying the necrotic lipid core. However, very little is known about the biomechanical stress exerting this disrupting force. Employing optical coherence tomography (OCT), we generated plaque models and performed finite-element analysis to simulate stress distributions within the vessel wall in 10 ruptured and 10 non-ruptured lesions.

Quantitative Flow Ratio Is Related to Intraluminal Coronary Stenosis Parameters as Assessed with Optical Coherence Tomography.

Quantitative flow ratio (QFR) is a novel method for assessing hemodynamic relevance of a coronary lesion based on angiographic projections without the need of a pressure wire. Various studies demonstrated that QFR consistently related to fractional flow reserve (FFR); however, it is still unclear to what extent QFR reflects intraluminal stenosis parameters. Given that optical coherence tomography (OCT) is currently the gold standard to assess intraluminal stenosis parameters, we investigated the relationship between OCT-derived lesion geometry and QFR.

Analysis of the reporting of adverse drug reactions in children and adolescents in Germany in the time period from 2000 to 2019.

The objective of this study was to analyse reports on adverse drug reactions (ADRs) from Germany in the particularly vulnerable patient group of children and adolescents. Reporting characteristics, demographic parameters and off-label use were examined among others. The ratio of ADR reports per number of German inhabitants and the ratio of ADR reports per number of German inhabitants exposed to drugs were calculated and compared.

Sufficient Thrombin Generation Despite 95% Hemodilution: An In Vitro Experimental Study.

Guidelines for the treatment of severe bleeding comprise viscoelastic-test-guided use of coagulation factor concentrates as part of their recommendations. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of substituting fibrinogen, prothrombin complex concentrate, and a combination of both on conventional coagulation tests, viscoelastic test results, and thrombin generation. Blood was drawn from seven healthy volunteers to obtain platelet-free plasma, which later was diluted by replacing 40%, 60%, 80%, 90%, 95%, and 99% with a crystalloid solution.

Prognostic irrelevance of plaque vulnerability following plaque sealing in high-risk patients with type 2 diabetes: an optical coherence tomography study.

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is associated with an increased cardiovascular risk related at least in part to a more vulnerable plaque phenotype. However, patients with T2DM exhibit also an increased risk following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). It is unknown if plaque vulnerability of a treated lesion influences cardiovascular outcomes in patients with T2DM.

Cutaneous Vasculitis in a Patient With COVID-19.

We describe a 43-year-old patient with coronavirus disease 2019 who developed a bullous hemorrhagic rash that progressed to necrotic lesions. Histopathology confirmed a vasculitis of small- and medium-sized cutaneous vessels.

Borderline personality disorder and childhood trauma: Exploring the buffering role of self-compassion and self-esteem.

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to investigate whether patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) show lower self-compassion and self-esteem than healthy controls and whether patients' self-compassion and self-esteem moderate the association between childhood trauma and the severity of their BPD symptoms.

Method: Self-reported self-compassion, self-esteem, and the current severity of BPD symptoms were assessed in 35 female patients with BPD and 35 age-matched control participants. Further, traumatic childhood experiences were recorded in the patient group.

Severe neurological outcomes after very early bilateral nephrectomies in patients with autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease (ARPKD).

To test the association between bilateral nephrectomies in patients with autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease (ARPKD) and long-term clinical outcome and to identify risk factors for severe outcomes, a dataset comprising 504 patients from the international registry study ARegPKD was analyzed for characteristics and complications of patients with very early (≤ 3 months; VEBNE) and early (4-15 months; EBNE) bilateral nephrectomies. Patients with very early dialysis (VED, onset ≤ 3 months) without bilateral nephrectomies and patients with total kidney volumes (TKV) comparable to VEBNE infants served as additional control groups. We identified 19 children with VEBNE, 9 with EBNE, 12 with VED and 11 in the TKV control group.

High cardiovascular risk of patients with type 2 diabetes is only partially attributed to angiographic burden of atherosclerosis.

Background: Patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) are at high risk for cardiovascular events and present more severe coronary artery disease (CAD). The Gensini and COURAGE scores are established angiographic instruments to assess CAD severity, which may also predict future cardiovascular risk. However, it is unclear if these scores are able to depict the increased risk of patients with T2DM and stable CAD (T2DM-SAP).

A prospective observational study of the rapid detection of clinically-relevant plasma direct oral anticoagulant levels following acute traumatic injury.

In urgent clinical situations, such as trauma, urgent surgery or before thrombolysis, rapid quantification of direct oral anticoagulant plasma drug levels is warranted. Using the ClotPro® analyser, we assessed two novel viscoelastic tests for detection of clinically-relevant plasma drug levels in trauma patients. The ecarin clotting time was used to assess the plasma concentration of dabigatran and Russell´s viper venom clotting time to determine the plasma concentration of direct factor Xa inhibitors.

Three-dimensional evaluation of bracket placement accuracy and excess bonding adhesive depending on indirect bonding technique and bracket geometry: an in-vitro study.

Background: This study aimed at comparing bracket placement and excess bonding adhesive depending on different indirect bonding (IDB) techniques and bracket geometries.

Methods: Four hundred eighty brackets without hook (WOH) and 360 with hook (WH) were placed on 60 plaster models. Three IDB techniques were tested: polyvinyl-siloxane vacuum-form (PVS-VF), polyvinyl-siloxane putty (PVS-putty), and translucence double-polyvinyl-siloxane (double-PVS).

Influence of bone density, screw size and surgical procedure on orthodontic mini-implant placement - part B: implant stability.

This in vitro study aimed to investigate the influence of bone density, implant size, and surgical procedure on the primary stability (PS) of orthodontic mini-implants (OMIs). In total, 640 OMIs of various sizes (2.0 × 7, 2.

Influence of bone density, screw size and surgical procedure on orthodontic mini-implant placement - part A: temperature development.

The aim of this in vitro study was to determine the influence of bone density, orthodontic mini-implant (OMI) size, and the surgical procedure on temperature increase during implant site osteotomy and placement. OMIs of different sizes (2.0×7, 2.

Role of high-resolution ultrasound in detection and monitoring of peripheral nerve tumor burden in neurofibromatosis in children.

Purpose: Peripheral nerve sheath tumors are hallmark findings in neurofibromatosis types 1 and 2. With increasing size, they typically lead to neurological symptoms, and NF1 patients have a lifetime risk of 8-13% for developing malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors. Medical imaging is therefore highly needed for early detection and exact localization of symptomatic or potentially malignant tumors.

Adverse drug reactions in older adults: a retrospective comparative analysis of spontaneous reports to the German Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices.

Background: Older adults are more prone to develop adverse drug reactions (ADRs) since they exhibit numerous risk factors. The first aim was to analyse the number of spontaneous ADR reports regarding older adults (> 65) in the ADR database of the German Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) and to set them in relation to i) the number of ADR reports concerning younger adults (19-65), and ii) the number of inhabitants and assumed drug-exposed inhabitants. The second aim was to analyse, if reported characteristics occurred more often in older vs.

Combined Liver and Inferior Vena Cava Resection for Malignancies Is Safe and Feasible in a Group of High-Risk Patients.

Background And Methods: Tumors infiltrating the inferior caval vein (ICV) have been considered irresectable in the past due to high perioperative risks. Consequently, the only treatment option for these patients was best supportive care, which resulted in reduced survival. Advancements in surgical techniques have since evolved, such that combined resections of the ICV and the hepatic malignancy are being performed.

Comparison of fresh frozen plasma vs. coagulation factor concentrates for reconstitution of blood: An in vitro study.

Background: Many trauma centres have adopted the administration of fixed ratios of packed red blood cells (PRBCs), platelet concentrates and fresh frozen plasma (FFP) for bleeding patients. However, the haemostatic efficacy of this concept is not well proven.

Objective: Our objective was to characterise the haemostatic profile of different ratios (2 : 1 : 1, 1 : 1 : 1 and 1 : 1 : 2) of PRBCs, platelet concentrates and FFP in comparison with coagulation factor concentrates (fibrinogen and/or prothrombin complex concentrate).

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation of the Medial Prefrontal Cortex Has No Specific Effect on Self-referential Processes.

The processing of self-referential information can be influenced by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). The present randomized controlled study investigated whether similar effects can be elicited through the application of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) regarding the "self-serving bias" (SSB) and the "mnemic neglect effect" (MNE). Seventy-five healthy males ( = 25; SD = 4.

Angioedemas associated with renin-angiotensin system blocking drugs: Comparative analysis of spontaneous adverse drug reaction reports.

Introduction: Angioedema is a subcutaneous swelling typically affecting the face, larynx or pharynx. It is a known adverse drug reaction (ADR) of ACE inhibitors (ACEi), angiotensin-II-receptor blockers (ARBs) and aliskiren (renin inhibitor). Several studies have reported pathophysiological mechanisms and risk factors of ACEi-associated angioedemas, whereas little is known for ARBs and aliskiren.

Ecological Momentary Assessment in Patients With an Acquired Brain Injury: A Pilot Study on Compliance and Fluctuations.

Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) promises to be a suitable method for capturing the dynamics in self-assessments through repeated measurements in naturalistic environments using common mobile devices. Therefore, EMA could increase the power of neuropsychological assessment by obtaining a more fine-grained picture of symptoms, limitations, and strengths in patients with an acquired brain injury (ABI) in real-life situations. The present study examined 15 patients with an ABI with cognitive and motor impairments.

Cardiac Remodeling in Chronic Kidney Disease.

Cardiac remodeling occurs frequently in chronic kidney disease patients and affects quality of life and survival. Current treatment options are highly inadequate. As kidney function declines, numerous metabolic pathways are disturbed.