Late/delayed gadolinium enhancement in MRI after intravenous administration of extracellular gadolinium-based contrast agents: is it worth waiting?

The acquisition of images minutes or even hours after intravenous extracellular gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCA) administration ("Late/Delayed Gadolinium Enhancement" imaging; in this review, further termed LGE) has gained significant prominence in recent years in magnetic resonance imaging. The major limitation of LGE is the long examination time; thus, it becomes necessary to understand when it is worth waiting time after the intravenous injection of GBCA and which additional information comes from LGE. LGE can potentially be applied to various anatomical sites, such as heart, arterial vessels, lung, brain, abdomen, breast, and the musculoskeletal system, with different pathophysiological mechanisms.

Benefits of using exchangeable copper and the ratio of exchangeable copper in a real-world cohort of patients with Wilson disease.

Wilson disease (WD) is a complex disease in which diagnosis and long-term metabolic copper control remains challenging. The absence of accurate biomarkers requires the combination of different parameters to ensure copper homeostasis. Exchangeable copper and its ratio (REC) have been suggested to be useful biomarkers in this setting.

Critical appraisal and meta-analysis of biological variation studies on glycosylated albumin, glucose and HbA.

Objectives: Numerous biological variation (BV) studies have been performed over the years, but the quality of these studies vary. The objectives of this study were to perform a systematic review and critical appraisal of BV studies on glycosylated albumin and to deliver updated BV estimates for glucose and HbA, including recently published high-quality studies such as the European Biological Variation study (EuBIVAS).

Methods: Systematic literature searches were performed to identify BV studies.

Exposure to gadolinium and neurotoxicity: current status of preclinical and clinical studies.

Purpose: Gadolinium is a rare-earth lanthanide metal that is known to have a direct neurotoxic effect. The scope of the present review is to summarize the current preclinical and clinical evidence on the association between exposure to gadolinium of the central nervous system and neurotoxicity.

Methods: A literature review was performed by searching for original research papers investigating on gadolinium exposure and neurotoxicity.

Absolute risk and predictors of the growth of acute spontaneous intracerebral haemorrhage: a systematic review and meta-analysis of individual patient data.

Background: Intracerebral haemorrhage growth is associated with poor clinical outcome and is a therapeutic target for improving outcome. We aimed to determine the absolute risk and predictors of intracerebral haemorrhage growth, develop and validate prediction models, and evaluate the added value of CT angiography.

Methods: In a systematic review of OVID MEDLINE-with additional hand-searching of relevant studies' bibliographies- from Jan 1, 1970, to Dec 31, 2015, we identified observational cohorts and randomised trials with repeat scanning protocols that included at least ten patients with acute intracerebral haemorrhage.

Macrolide therapy is associated with lower mortality in community-acquired bacteraemic pneumonia.

Background: Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) has a potential complication of bacteremia. The objective of this study was to define the clinical outcomes of patients with CAP and bacteremia treated with and without a macrolide.

Materials And Methods: Secondary analysis of the Community-Acquired Pneumonia Organization database of hospitalized patients with CAP.

Endovascular treatment improves cognition after stroke: A secondary analysis of REVASCAT trial.

Objective: To investigate the effect of endovascular treatment on cognitive function as a prespecified secondary analysis of the REVASCAT (Endovascular Revascularization With Solitaire Device Versus Best Medical Therapy in Anterior Circulation Stroke Within 8 Hours) trial.

Methods: REVASCAT randomized 206 patients with anterior circulation proximal arterial occlusion stroke to Solitaire thrombectomy or best medical treatment alone. Patients with established dementia were excluded from enrollment.

CholesteroNitrones for Stroke.

This study describes CholesteroNitrone 2 as an antioxidant and neuroprotective agent against ischemic injury. Neuroprotection was assessed using in vitro and in vivo experimental ischemia models. The compound significantly increased cell viability, induced neuroprotection following ischemic reperfusion, and decreased neurological deficit scores in treated animals, supporting the next preclinical studies as a potential agent for the treatment of stroke.

Is telbivudine superior to lamivudine for the treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis B?

This practice point commentary discusses the findings and limitations of a prospective, double-blind, phase III trial conducted by Lai et al. in which patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) were randomly allocated to receive telbivudine 600 mg daily or lamivudine 100 mg daily. The trial showed that telbivudine was superior to lamivudine in terms of mean reduction in number of HBV DNA copies/ml from baseline, the number of patients with a reduction in serum HBV DNA to undetectable levels, and rate of HBV drug resistance.

Phase I clinical and pharmacokinetic study of kahalalide F administered weekly as a 1-hour infusion to patients with advanced solid tumors.

Purpose: A dose-escalation, phase I study evaluated the safety, pharmacokinetics, and efficacy of a weekly 1-h regimen of kahalalide F, a cyclic depsipeptide isolated from the marine mollusk Elysia rufescens, in adult patients with advanced solid tumors and no standard treatment available.

Experimental Design: Patients received an i.v.

Problems with use of composite end points in cardiovascular trials: systematic review of randomised controlled trials.

Objective: To explore the extent to which components of composite end points in randomised controlled trials vary in importance to patients, the frequency of events in the more and less important components, and the extent of variability in the relative risk reductions across components.

Design: Systematic review of randomised controlled trials.

Data Sources: Cardiovascular randomised controlled trials published in the Lancet, Annals of Internal Medicine, Circulation, European Heart Journal, JAMA, and New England Journal of Medicine, from 1 January 2002 to 30 June 2003.

Feasibility and tolerability of sequential doxorubicin/paclitaxel followed by cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and fluorouracil and its effects on tumor response as preoperative therapy.

Purpose: The European Cooperative Trial in Operable breast cancer (ECTO) randomly tested whether efficacy of adjuvant doxorubicin followed by i.v. cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and fluorouracil (CMF; doxorubicin-->CMF, arm A) could be improved by adding paclitaxel (doxorubicin/paclitaxel-->CMF) as adjuvant (arm B) or primary systemic therapy (PST, arm C).