Urinary acute kidney injury biomarkers in very low-birth-weight infants on indomethacin for patent ductus arteriosus.

Background: Serum creatinine (SCr)- or urine output-based definitions of acute kidney injury (AKI) have important limitations in neonates. This study evaluates the diagnostic value of urinary biomarkers in very low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants receiving indomethacin for closure of a patent ductus arteriosus (PDA).

Methods: Prospective cohort study in 14 indomethacin-treated VLBW infants and 18 VLBW infants without indomethacin as controls.

The Conservative Treatment of Traumatic Thoracolumbar Vertebral Fractures.

Background: The conservative treatment of traumatic thoracolumbar vertebral fractures is often not clearly defined.

Methods: This review is based on articles retrieved by a systematic search in the PubMed and Web of Science databases for publications up to February 2018 dealing with the conservative treatment of traumatic thoracolumbar vertebral fractures. The search initially yielded 3345 hits, of which 35 were suitable for use in this review.

Ventricular Tachycardia (VT) Storm After Cryoballoon-Based Pulmonary Vein Isolation.

BACKGROUND Following catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation, increased incidence of ventricular arrhythmia has been observed. We report a case of sustained ventricular arrhythmia in a patient who underwent cryoballoon-based pulmonary vein isolation for symptomatic persistent atrial fibrillation. CASE REPORT A 57-year-old patient with dilated cardiomyopathy underwent CB-based pulmonary vein isolation for symptomatic persistent AF.

The full-endoscopic uniportal technique for decompression of the anterior craniocervical junction using the retropharyngeal approach: an anatomical feasibility study in human cadavers and review of the literature.

Objective: Acute or progressive myelopathy may necessitate direct anterior decompression of the craniocervical junction and odontoidectomy. Different techniques with individual advantages and disadvantages can be used. In addition to the gold standard-the transoral approach-there is also increasing experience with the endoscopic transnasal technique.

Full-endoscopic uniportal retropharyngeal odontoidectomy for anterior craniocervical infection.

Background: Infections of the anterior craniocervical junction may require surgery. There are various techniques with individual advantages and disadvantages. This study evaluates the full-endoscopic uniportal technique via the anterior retropharyngeal approach for odontoidectomy, decompression, and debridement.

Retinal imaging including optical coherence tomography angiography for detecting active choroidal neovascularization in pseudoxanthoma elasticum.

Importance: The diagnostic accuracy of different retinal imaging modalities to detect active choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE) is essential to enable a correct diagnosis but is currently poorly understood.

Background: Optical coherence tomography (OCT), fluorescein angiography (FA) and OCT angiography (OCT-A) are employed in daily practice, but a systematic comparison of these imaging techniques is lacking.

Design: Retrospective, observational study.

Operation of Soft or Calcified Thoracic Disc Herniations in the Full-Endoscopic Uniportal Extraforaminal Technique.

Background: Surgery for thoracic disc herniation and stenosis is comparatively rare and often demanding. The goal is to achieve sufficient decompression without manipulating the spinal cord and to minimize surgical trauma and its consequences. Individual planning and various surgical techniques and approaches are required.

Persistence of de novo donor specific HLA-Antibodies after lung transplantation: a potential marker of decreased patient survival.

The impact of de novo donor-specific anti-HLA antibodies (DSA) on outcomes in lung transplantation is still a matter of debate. We hypothesize that differentiating DSA by persistent and transient appearance may offer an additional risk assessment. The clinical relevance of HLA-antibodies was investigated prospectively in 72 recipients with a median follow-up period of 21 months.

Heart re-transplantation in Eurotransplant.

Internationally 3% of the donor hearts are distributed to re-transplant patients. In Eurotransplant, only patients with a primary graft dysfunction (PGD) within 1 week after heart transplantation (HTX) are indicated for high urgency listing. The aim of this study is to provide evidence for the discussion on whether these patients should still be allocated with priority.

Surgical treatment of cervical subaxial intraspinal extradural cysts using a full-endoscopic uniportal posterior approach.

Purpose: Symptomatic intraspinal extradural cysts of the cervical subaxial spine are rare, but usually require surgery. Conventional posterior decompression is the gold standard. However, there is increasing experience with endoscopic surgical techniques.

Decompression of the anterior thoracic spinal canal using a novel full-endoscopic uniportal transthoracic retropleural technique-an anatomical feasibility study in human cadavers.

Surgery for thoracic disc herniation and spinal stenosis is comparatively rare and often demanding. The goal is to achieve sufficient decompression without manipulating the spinal cord. Individual planning and various surgical techniques and approaches are required.

Carotid strain measurement in patients with pseudoxanthoma elasticum - Hint for a different pathomechanism?

Pseudoxanthoma Elasticum (PXE), caused by autosomal-recessive mutations in the ATP-binding cassette transporter (ABCC6) gene, is known for high prevalence of atherosclerosis. A novel method investigating elastic properties of arteries in atherosclerotic patients is vascular strain analysis. We compared 44 PXE patients with peripheral artery disease (PXE+PAD group) with 50 control patients, each 25 without (control group) and with PAD (PAD group).

Full-endoscopic Uniportal Odontoidectomy and Decompression of the Anterior Cervicomedullary Junction Using the Retropharyngeal Approach.

Study Design: A study of a series of consecutive full-endoscopic uniportal decompressions of the anterior craniocervical junction with retropharyngeal approach.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the direct anterior decompression of the craniocervical junction in patients with bulbomedullary compression using a full-endoscopic uniportal technique via an anterolateral retropharyngeal approach.

Summary Of Background Data: Acute or progressive myelopathy may necessitate direct anterior decompression of the craniocervical junction and odontoidectomy.

Quantitative Fundus Autofluorescence in Pseudoxanthoma Elasticum.

Purpose: To quantify lipofuscin-associated fundus autofluorescence in patients with pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE), a model disease for Bruch's membrane pathology.

Methods: In this prospective, monocenter, cross-sectional case-control study, 49 patients with PXE (mean age: 46 years, range 18-62) underwent quantitative fundus autofluorescence (qAF) imaging with a modified scanning laser ophthalmoscope containing an internal fluorescent reference for normalization of images. The mean qAF values of a circular ring centered on the fovea (qAF8) were measured and compared to 108 healthy controls (mean age 40 years, range 18-64).

Aerobic versus isometric handgrip exercise in hypertension: a randomized controlled trial.

Objectives: Aerobic dynamic exercise reduces blood pressure (BP) and is broadly recommended by current American and European hypertension guidelines. Isometric exercise is currently not recommended, since data from only a few studies are available. We compare for the first time the effects of isometric handgrip training and aerobic exercise in a randomized controlled trial.

Urinary calprotectin, kidney injury molecule-1, and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin for the prediction of adverse outcome in pediatric acute kidney injury.

Unlabelled: Early identification of patients with acute kidney injury (AKI) being at high risk for adverse outcome can influence medical treatment. This study compares urinary calprotectin, kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1), and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) for their performance in predicting mortality and need for renal replacement therapy (RRT) in pediatric AKI patients. Urinary biomarker concentrations were assessed prospectively in 141 subjects aged 0-18 years including 55 patients with established AKI according to pediatric Risk, Injury, Failure, Loss, and End-stage kidney disease (pRIFLE) criteria, 27 patients without AKI, and 59 healthy children.

Internalization of secreted antigen-targeted antibodies by the neonatal Fc receptor for precision imaging of the androgen receptor axis.

Targeting the androgen receptor (AR) pathway prolongs survival in patients with prostate cancer, but resistance rapidly develops. Understanding this resistance is confounded by a lack of noninvasive means to assess AR activity in vivo. We report intracellular accumulation of a secreted antigen-targeted antibody (SATA) that can be used to characterize disease, guide therapy, and monitor response.

Reticular pseudodrusen associated with a diseased bruch membrane in pseudoxanthoma elasticum.

Importance: Reticular pseudodrusen (RPD) are frequently associated with age-related macular degeneration and considered to be an independent risk factor for disease progression, but the pathophysiologic mechanisms are only incompletely understood. Therefore, it may be helpful to identify the associations of RPD with other diseases that have defined pathophysiologic mechanisms.

Objective: To describe the phenotype, prevalence, and topographic distribution of RPD in patients with pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE) and their association with a diseased Bruch membrane.

A randomized multicenter trial of minimally invasive rapid deployment versus conventional full sternotomy aortic valve replacement.

Background: Minimally invasive surgical procedures (MIS) may offer several advantages over conventional full sternotomy (FS) aortic valve replacement (AVR). A novel class of aortic valve prostheses has been developed for rapid-deployment AVR (RDAVR). We report a randomized, multicenter trial comparing the outcomes for MIS-RDAVR with those of conventional FS-AVR.

Choroidal changes associated with Bruch membrane pathology in pseudoxanthoma elasticum.

Purpose: To investigate the impact of Bruch membrane pathology on the choroid in pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE).

Design: Monocenter cross-sectional prospective case series.

Methods: The study included 61 eyes of 51 patients with PXE and 54 eyes of 54 normal subjects.

Influence of depressive and eating disorders on short- and long-term course of weight after surgical and nonsurgical weight loss treatment.

Objective: To investigate the influence of depressive and eating disorders on short- and long-term weight loss after surgical and non-surgical weight-reduction treatment. Covariations between the disorders were considered.

Method: In a longitudinal naturalistic study, current diagnoses at baseline and lifetime diagnoses of depressive and eating disorders were assessed in participants who were undertaking a very-low-calorie diet (n = 250) and in bariatric surgery patients (n = 153).