Comparison of Acellular Solutions for Ex-situ Perfusion of Amputated Limbs.

Introduction: Hypothermic ex-situ machine perfusion (MP) has been shown to be a promising alternative to static cold storage (SCS) for preservation of solid organs for transplantation and vascularized composite allotransplantation. Perfusion with blood-based perfusion solutions in austere environments is problematic due to their need for appropriate storage and short shelf life, making it impractical for military and emergency use. Acellular perfusion has been shown to be effective, but the ideal perfusate solution for MP of amputated limbs is yet to be determined.

Treatment outcomes of elderly salivary gland cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy - Results from a large multicenter analysis.

Background And Purpose: To evaluate oncological outcomes and treatment-related toxicities of elderly salivary gland cancer patients undergoing (chemo)radiotherapy.

Material And Methods: Local/locoregional control (LRC), progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) of elderly patients ≥ 65 years with primary salivary gland cancers undergoing (chemo)radiotherapy between 2005 and 2020 at three tertiary cancer centers were calculated. The impact of clinicopathological and treatment parameters on outcomes were analyzed, and acute and chronic toxicities were quantified.

Nerve vascularity in free vascularized nerve flaps.

The blood supply of peripheral nerves consists of a complex internal vessels' network, feeding external vessels and the interlinking vasa nervorum. Patients with nerve damage may require nerve substitution. While the commonly performed avascular nerve grafts obtain vascularization only from random and slow inosculation into the vasa nervorum, their insufficient revascularization causes loss of the graft's potential due to central necrosis.

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Self-Reported Health.

Background: The pandemic caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 and the countermeasures taken to protect the public are having a substantial effect on the health of the population. In Germany, nationwide protective measures to halt the spread of the virus were implemented in mid-March for 6 weeks.

Methods: In May, the impact of the pandemic was assessed in the German National Cohort (NAKO).

Laser procedures in the treatment of BPH: a bibliometric study.

Purpose: To perform a bibliometric analysis of lased-based BPH treatment publications and to obtain an understanding of the publication trends over time.

Materials And Methods: The Medline database was searched for articles in English language regarding laser-based BPH therapy up to 2018. Matching articles were assigned to at least one of the following categories: Ho:YAG, Tm:YAG, green light, diode, Nd:YAG laser and review articles.

Development and validation of a novel prognostic score for elderly head-and-neck cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy or chemoradiation.

Background And Purpose: To establish a clinically feasible prognostic score and nomogram based on easily accessible clinical data that will aid decision-making in elderly head-and-neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients undergoing (chemo)radiotherapy.

Material And Methods: 284 elderly HNSCC patients (≥65 years) undergoing curative (chemo)radiotherapy were included for the development of a score predicting overall survival (OS) based on the beta regression coefficients from significant parameters in a multivariate Cox regression analysis with p < 0.1 as inclusion criterion.

Long-term Outcomes After Facial Allotransplantation: Systematic Review of the Literature.

Background: Facial vascularized composite allotransplantation (fVCA) represents a reconstructive approach that enables superior improvements in functional and esthetic restoration compared with conventional craniomaxillofacial reconstruction. Outcome reports of fVCA are usually limited to short-term follow-up or single-center experiences. We merge scientific literature on reported long-term outcome data to better define the risks and benefits of fVCA.

Dosimetric Impact of the Positional Imaging Frequency for Hypofractionated Prostate Radiotherapy - A Voxel-by-Voxel Analysis.

Background: To investigate deviations between planned and applied treatment doses for hypofractionated prostate radiotherapy and to quantify dosimetric accuracy in dependence of the image guidance frequency.

Methods: Daily diagnostic in-room CTs were carried out in 10 patients in treatment position as image guidance for hypofractionated prostate radiotherapy. Fraction doses were mapped to the planning CTs and recalculated, and applied doses were accumulated voxel-wise using deformable registration.

Detection of Synaptic Proteins in Microglia by Flow Cytometry.

A growing body of evidence indicates that microglia actively remove synapses , thereby playing a key role in synaptic refinement and modulation of brain connectivity. This phenomenon was mainly investigated in immunofluorescence staining and confocal microscopy. However, a quantification of synaptic material in microglia using these techniques is extremely time-consuming and labor-intensive.

High-Resolution Gadolinium-Enhanced MR Cisternography Using Compressed-Sensing T1 SPACE Technique for Detection of Intracranial CSF Leaks.

In patients with CSF rhinorrhea, accurate identification of the CSF leakage site is crucial for surgical planning. We describe the application of a novel gadolinium-enhanced high-resolution 3D compressed-sensing T1 SPACE technique for MR cisternography and compare findings with CT cisternography and intraoperative results. In our pilot experience with 7 patients, precise detection of CSF leaks was feasible using compressed-sensing T1 SPACE, which appeared to be superior to CT cisternography.

Neighborhood poverty and pediatric allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation outcomes: a CIBMTR analysis.

Social determinants of health, including poverty, contribute significantly to health outcomes in the United States; however, their impact on pediatric hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) outcomes is poorly understood. We aimed to identify the association between neighborhood poverty and HCT outcomes for pediatric allogeneic HCT recipients in the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research database. We assembled 2 pediatric cohorts undergoing first allogeneic HCT from 2006 to 2015 at age ≤18 years, including 2053 children with malignant disease and 1696 children with nonmalignant disease.

Principal-Component Analysis-Based Measures of PET Data Closely Reflect Neuropathologic Staging Schemes.

Voxel-based principal-component analysis allows for an identification of patterns of glucose metabolism and amyloid deposition related to the conversion from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to Alzheimer disease (AD). The present study aimed to validate these AD conversion-related patterns (ADCRPs) against neuropathologic findings. We included patients from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative who underwent autopsy and for whom F-FDG PET (30 AD, 6 MCI, 2 cognitively normal) and amyloid-β (Aβ) PET (17 AD, 3 MCI, 2 cognitively normal) were available.

Radiation-induced toxicities and outcomes after radiotherapy are independent of patient age in elderly salivary gland cancer patients: results from a matched-pair analysis of a rare disease.

Purpose: This study analyzed survival and toxicity after (chemo)radiotherapy for primary salivary gland cancer patients aged ≥ 65 years and compared these results with younger patients using a matched-pair analysis.

Methods: Twenty-nine elderly patients with primary salivary gland carcinomas treated with (chemo)radiotherapy from 2008 to 2020 at University of Freiburg Medical Center were analyzed for oncological outcomes and therapy-associated toxicities. Local/locoregional control (LRC), progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method, and the influence of clinical parameters on patient outcomes was assessed.

Characterization of health-related quality of life based on the EQ-5D-5L questionnaire in head-and-neck cancer patients undergoing modern radiotherapy.

: Patient-reported quality of life in cancer patients is becoming increasingly important, especially for head-and-neck (H&N) cancers, which are at risk of experiencing severe treatment-related toxicities. Therefore, we sought to characterize the peritherapeutic HRQOL of contemporary patients using the well-validated EQ-5D-5 L questionnaire. : All patients receiving radiotherapy for H&N cancers between July 2019 and November 2019 at the University of Freiburg Medical Center who completed the first two follow-ups were included.

Patient competence in the context of cancer: its dimensions and their relationships with coping, coping self-efficacy, fear of progression, and depression.

Purpose: Influenced in part by research on coping, patient empowerment and self-efficacy, and by patient self-help initiatives, the construct of patient competencies (PC) has been elaborated and later integrated into Germany's National Cancer Plan. As a self-report measure of PC, the Patient Competence Questionnaire 57 (PCQ-57) has only rarely been evaluated psychometrically. Therefore, we aimed to re-examine its dimensionality and its relationships with related constructs and potential psychosocial cancer outcomes.

Improving the Efficiency of Photodynamic Chemotherapy in Root Canals against In Vitro.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of photoactivated chemotherapy (PACT) on () biofilms in root canals using an 90% isopropanol (IPA)-based photosensitizer and removing excess photosensitizer before light incubation. Three hundred and seven extracted human teeth with one root canal were infected with for 72 h and treated in groups: IPA irrigation; PACT; PACT and final rinse with IPA; PACT with photosensitizer removal using either 0.9% NaCl solution or sterile paper points or both; PACT using IPA-based photosensitizer with and without a final rinse of IPA.

Proof-of-Concept Study of the NOTI Chelating Platform: Preclinical Evaluation of Cu-Labeled Mono- and Trimeric c(RGDfK) Conjugates.

Purpose: We recently developed a chelating platform based on the macrocycle 1,4,7-triazacyclononane with up to three five-membered azaheterocyclic arms for the preparation of Ga- and Cu-based radiopharmaceuticals. Based on this platform, the chelator scaffold NOTI-TVA with three additional carboxylic acid groups for bioconjugation was synthesized and characterized. The primary aims of this proof-of-concept study were (1) to evaluate if trimeric radiotracers on the basis of the NOTI-TVA 6 scaffold can be developed, (2) to determine if the additional substituents for bioconjugation at the non-coordinating NH atoms of the imidazole residues of the building block NOTI influence the metal binding properties, and (3) what influence multiple targeting vectors have on the biological performance of the radiotracer.

Pancreatic Inflammation and Proenzyme Activation Are Associated With Clinically Relevant Postoperative Pancreatic Fistulas After Pancreas Resection.

Objective: We investigated the activation of pancreatic proenzymes and signs of peripancreatic inflammation in patients with clinically relevant postoperative pancreatic fistulas (POPFs).

Summary Background Data: An increase of systemic amylase concentration was associated with POPFs. This suggested parallels in the pathomechanisms between the development of POPFs and pancreatitis.

Tracking of Tumor Cell-Derived Extracellular Vesicles In Vivo Reveals a Specific Distribution Pattern with Consecutive Biological Effects on Target Sites of Metastasis.

Purpose: Extracellular vesicles, small vesicles carrying inter alia proteins, miRNA and RNA, are important mediators of intercellular communication. The purpose of this study was to assess the distribution of extracellular vesicles from highly malignant breast cancer and their subsequent effect on the immune cell infiltrate in target organs of metastasis.

Procedures: Extracellular vesicles were isolated from the tissue culture supernatant of highly malignant 4T1 breast cancer cells or the serum of healthy BALB/c mice.

Exploring MR regression patterns in rectal cancer during neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy with daily T2- and diffusion-weighted MRI.

Background: To date, only limited magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data are available concerning tumor regression during neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy (RCT) of rectal cancer patients, which is a prerequisite for adaptive radiotherapy (RT) concepts. This exploratory study prospectively evaluated daily fractional MRI during neoadjuvant treatment to analyze the predictive value of MR biomarkers for treatment response.

Methods: Locally advanced rectal cancer patients were examined with daily MRI during neoadjuvant RCT.

The Value of Laboratory Parameters for Anemia, Renal Function, Systemic Inflammation and Nutritional Status as Predictors for Outcome in Elderly Patients with Head-and-Neck Cancers.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the value of routine blood markers regarding their predictive potential for treatment outcomes of elderly head-and-neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients. In total, 246 elderly HNSCC patients (≥65 years) undergoing (chemo)radiotherapy from 2010 to 2018 were analyzed for treatment outcomes, depending on their hemoglobin, glomerular filtration rate (GFR), C-reactive protein (CRP) and albumin values, representing anemia, kidney function, inflammation and nutrition status, respectively. Local/locoregional control, progression-free and overall survival (OS) were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method.

Metabolic Profiling of Early and Late Recurrent Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Using Patient-Derived Organoid Cultures.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is associated with high mortality and will become the second most common cause of cancer-associated mortality by 2030. The poor prognosis arises from a lack of sensitive biomarkers, limited therapeutic options, and the astonishingly high recurrence rate after surgery of 60-80%. The factors driving this recurrence, however, remain enigmatic.

Risk of disease recurrence and survival in patients with multiple myeloma: A German Study Group analysis using a conditional survival approach with long-term follow-up of 815 patients.

Background: Unlike the traditional method of overall survival prediction in patients with cancer, conditional survival predicts the survival of patients dynamically throughout the course of disease, identifying how a prognosis evolves over time.

Methods: The authors assessed 815 consecutive patients with multiple myeloma through the German Study Group on Multiple Myeloma (Deutsche Studiengruppe Multiples Myelom; DSMM) incentive. Over 10 variables, including patient-specific and multiple myeloma-specific parameters, were analyzed at the time of initial diagnosis and repeatedly during follow-up.

Metabolic Adaptation during nab-Paclitaxel Resistance in Pancreatic Cancer Cell Lines.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) correlates with high mortality and is about to become one of the major reasons for cancer-related mortality in the next decades. One reason for that high mortality is the limited availability of effective chemotherapy as well as the intrinsic or acquired resistance against it. Here, we report the impact of nab-paclitaxel on the cellular metabolome of PDAC cell lines.