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Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2021 Apr 16. Epub 2021 Apr 16.

Department of Thoracic Surgery, Agaplesion Markus Krankenhaus, Wilhelm-Epstein-Str. 4, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

Background:  Due to its very aggressive nature and low survival chances, the metastasized urothelium carcinoma poses a challenge in regard to therapy. The gold-standard chemotherapy is platinum based. The therapy options are considered controversial, including new systemic therapies. Read More

Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2021 Apr 16. Epub 2021 Apr 16.

Department of Cardiac Surgery, University Hospital, Duesseldorf, Germany.

Objectives:  The global shortage of donor organs has urged transplanting units to extend donor selection criteria, for example, impaired left ventricular function (LVF), leading to the use of marginal donor hearts. We retrospectively analyzed our patients after orthotopic heart transplantation (oHTX) with a focus on the clinical outcome depending on donor LVF.

Methods:  Donor reports, intraoperative, echocardiographic, and clinical follow-up data of patients undergoing oHTX at a single-center between September 2010 and June 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. Read More

Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2021 Apr 16. Epub 2021 Apr 16.

Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Uniklinik RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany.

Background:  Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a potential treatment option in critically ill COVID-19 patients suffering from acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) if mechanical ventilation (MV) is insufficient; however, thromboembolic and bleeding events (TEBE) during ECMO treatment still need to be investigated.

Methods:  We conducted a retrospective, single-center study including COVID-19 patients treated with ECMO. Additionally, we performed a univariate analysis of 85 pre-ECMO variables to identify factors influencing incidences of thromboembolic events (TEE) and bleeding events (BE), respectively. Read More

EBioMedicine 2021 Apr 13;66:103332. Epub 2021 Apr 13.

Centre de Recherche en Cancérologie de Marseille (CRCM), INSERM U1068, CNRS UMR 7258, Aix-Marseille Université and Institut Paoli-Calmettes, Parc Scientifique et Technologique de Luminy, Marseille, France. Electronic address:

Background: Although significant advances have been made recently to characterize the biology of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), more efforts are needed to improve our understanding and to face challenges related to the aggressiveness, high mortality rate and chemoresistance of this disease.

Methods: In this study, we perform the metabolomics profiling of 77 PDAC patient-derived tumor xenografts (PDTX) to investigate the relationship of metabolic profiles with overall survival (OS) in PDAC patients, tumor phenotypes and resistance to five anticancer drugs (gemcitabine, oxaliplatin, docetaxel, SN-38 and 5-Fluorouracil).

Findings: We identified a metabolic signature that was able to predict the clinical outcome of PDAC patients (p < 0. Read More

EBioMedicine 2021 Apr 13;66:103327. Epub 2021 Apr 13.

Department of Hematology, Oncology, and Tumor Immunology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Augustenburger Platz 1, Berlin 13353, Germany; German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), partner site Berlin, Berlin, Germany; German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany. Electronic address:

Background: high recurrence rates of up to 75% within 2 years in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) patients resected for cure indicate a high medical need for clinical prediction tools and patient specific treatment approaches. Addition of the EGFR inhibitor erlotinib to adjuvant chemotherapy failed to improve outcome but its efficacy in some patients warrants predictors of responsiveness.

Patients And Methods: we analysed tumour samples from 293 R0-resected patients from the randomized, multicentre phase III CONKO-005 trial (gemcitabine ± erlotinib) with targeted sequencing, copy number, and RNA expression analyses. Read More

Surg Oncol 2021 Apr 5;38:101562. Epub 2021 Apr 5.

Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases Research Center, Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

Objective: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is known as one of the malignant form of cells growing in the inner lining of colon and rectum which could seriously affect the cure rate of patients. We aimed to evaluate the effect of prognostic factors on cure fraction of CRC patients.

Methods: A total of 1043 CRC patients were included to the study from December 2001 to January 2007 at the Research Center of Gastroenterology and Liver Disease in Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Read More

Eur J Cancer 2021 Apr 13;149:134-152. Epub 2021 Apr 13.

Department of Medical, Surgery and Health Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy; Breast Cancer Unit, Azienda Socio Sanitaria Territoriale di Cremona, Cremona, Italy.

Background: Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase-inhibitors (PARPis) showed antitumour activity in BRCA1/2-mutated cancers, with more heterogeneous outcomes in tumours harbouring mutations that impair other genes involved in the DNA homologous recombination repair (HRR) or wild-type (wt).

Methods: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to better assess the role of PARPis in the treatment of metastatic solid tumours, with and without BRCA1/2 mutations. The primary end-point was progression-free survival (PFS). Read More

J Neurol Sci 2021 Apr 13;425:117446. Epub 2021 Apr 13.

Heart Center, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland; Research Center of Applied and Preventive Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland; Center for Population Health Research, Turku University Hospital and University of Turku, Turku, Finland; Administrative Center, Hospital District of Southwest Finland, Turku, Finland. Electronic address:

Background: Case-fatality of Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) has been reported to have improved in some areas recently. Previous reports have shown that in Finland ICH survival has improved already from the 1980s. We aimed to investigate if this trend has continued and to assess possible predictors for death. Read More

Am J Emerg Med 2021 Mar 26;48:87-91. Epub 2021 Mar 26.

Department of Emergency Medicine, Soonchunhyang University Bucheon Hospital, Bucheon, Republic of Korea. Electronic address:

Background And Purpose: Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is one of the most common causes of death in many countries. For OHCA patients to have a good clinical outcome, bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is extremely significant. It is necessary to study the various characteristics of bystanders to improve bystander CPR quality. Read More

Vet Microbiol 2021 Apr 10;257:109069. Epub 2021 Apr 10.

Equine Infectious Disease Laboratory, Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843-4475, United States. Electronic address:

Rhodococcus equi is a soil saprophytic bacterium and intracellular pathogen that causes pneumonia in foals. Strains of R. equi that are virulent in foals contain a plasmid that encodes a virulence-associated protein A (VapA) necessary for replication in macrophages. Read More

Int J Infect Dis 2021 Apr 13. Epub 2021 Apr 13.

Department of Nephrology and Organ Transplant Unit, Specialties Hospital, National Western Medical Centre, Mexican Institute of Social Security, Mexico.

Background: In our population, anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) of 1 mg/Kg/day for 4 days is used; which permits not using valgancyclovir (VGC) prophylaxis in some renal transplant recipients (RTR) of moderate risk (R+), to reduce costs. Our objective was to determine the incidence and risk for the development of cytomegalovirus (CMV) with or without prophylaxis, when exposed to low doses of ATG or basiliximab (BSL).

Patients And Methods: A retrospective cohort included 265 RTRs with follow up of 12 months. Read More

Genomics 2021 Apr 13. Epub 2021 Apr 13.

Faculty of Sciences, El Manar University, Tunis, Tunisia; College of Health Sciences, Abu Dhabi University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Considering the critical roles of hsa-miR-155-5p participated in hematopoietic system, this study aims to clarify the possible pathogenesis of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) induced by hsa-miR-155-5p.Three different strategies were employed, namely a network-based pipeline, a survival analysis and genetic screening method, and a simulation modeling approach, to assess the oncogenic role of hsa-miR-155-5p in CML. We identified new potential roles of hsa-miR-155-5p in CML, involving the BCR/ABL-mediated leukemogenesis through MAPK signaling. Read More

Gastrointest Endosc 2021 Apr 13. Epub 2021 Apr 13.

Department of Health Policy, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN; Vanderbilt-Ingram Comprehensive Cancer Center, Nashville, TN.

Background And Aims: Patients with biliary obstruction caused by adenocarcinoma of the pancreas head may require bile duct decompression to treat symptomatic cholestasis and/or permit systemic chemotherapy. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) with biliary stent placement is the preferred intervention in such cases. The primary aim of this study was to determine what proportion of patients with surgically unresectable pancreatic adenocarcinoma undergo ERCP and whether this proportion has changed over time. Read More

J Biol Chem 2021 Apr 13:100666. Epub 2021 Apr 13.

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama 36849, USA. Electronic address:

Heme oxygenases (HOs) play a critical role in recouping iron from the labile heme pool. The acquisition and liberation of heme iron is especially important for the survival of pathogenic bacteria. All characterized HOs, including those belonging to the HugZ superfamily, preferentially cleave free b-type heme. Read More

Lancet Oncol 2021 Apr 13. Epub 2021 Apr 13.

Service de Biostatistique et d'Epidémiologie, Gustave Roussy, Oncostat U1018, Ligue Contre le Cancer, INSERM, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France; Department of Radiation Oncology, Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, F-94805 Villejuif, France; Groupe d'Oncologie Radiothérapie Tête Et Cou, Tours, France. Electronic address:

Background: Randomised, controlled trials and meta-analyses have shown the survival benefit of concomitant chemoradiotherapy or hyperfractionated radiotherapy in the treatment of locally advanced head and neck cancer. However, the relative efficacy of these treatments is unknown. We aimed to determine whether one treatment was superior to the other. Read More

PLoS One 2021 16;16(4):e0250321. Epub 2021 Apr 16.

Department of Medicine III, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany.

Objective: Obesity is a negative prognostic factor for various clinical conditions. In this observational cohort study, we evaluated a CT-based assessment of the adipose tissue distribution as a potential non-invasive prognostic parameter in critical illness.

Methods: Routine CT-scans upon admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) were used to analyze the visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissue areas at the 3rd lumbar vertebra in 155 patients. Read More

PLoS One 2021 16;16(4):e0250147. Epub 2021 Apr 16.

Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas 17 Agustus 1945, Jakarta, Indonesia.

Background: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a virus that causes COVID-19, which has become a worldwide pandemic. However, until now, there is no vaccine or specific drug to prevent or treat COVID-19.

Objectives: To find out the effective treatment as an antiviral agent for COVID-19, to determine the correlation between sociodemography with clinical outcomes and duration of treatment, and to determine the relationship between comorbidities with clinical outcomes and duration of treatment for COVID-19 patients. Read More

PLoS One 2021 16;16(4):e0249881. Epub 2021 Apr 16.

Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.

Liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC) is one of the major causes of cancer-related death worldwide with increasing incidences, however there are very few studies about the underlying mechanisms and pathways in the development of LIHC. We obtained LIHC samples from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) to screen differentially expressed mRNAs, lncRNAs, miRNAs and driver mutations. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway, Gene ontology enrichment analyses and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network were performed. Read More

Am Surg 2021 Apr 16:31348211011152. Epub 2021 Apr 16.

Department of Surgery, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center and Case Western Reserve School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, USA.

Background: Minimally invasive mastectomy (MIM) was emerged as an approach to decrease morbidity and increase patient satisfaction through improved cosmetic results; however, there is a paucity of data regarding the long-term oncologic outcomes of these minimally invasive approaches.

Methods: Patients who underwent mastectomy procedures were identified in the National Cancer Database (2010-2016). Patients were categorized as MIM or open mastectomy. Read More

Br J Radiol 2021 Apr 16:20200456. Epub 2021 Apr 16.

Department of Radiation Oncology, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.

Objectives: Image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT) is a recommended advanced radiation technique that is associated with fewer acute and chronic toxicities. However, one Phase III trial showed worse overall survival in the IGRT arm. The purpose of this observational study is to evaluate the impact of IGRT on overall survival. Read More

Crit Care Med 2021 Apr 2. Epub 2021 Apr 2.

1 Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore. 2 Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore. 3 Children's Intensive Care Unit, KK Women's Children's Hospital, Singapore. 4 Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore. 5 Clinical Nutrition Research Center, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore. 6 Department of Endocrinology, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore. 7 Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. 8 William Harvey Research Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom. 9 Adult Critical Care Unit, Royal London Hospital, London, United Kingdom.

Objectives: To describe functional and skeletal muscle changes observed during pediatric critical illness and recovery and their association with health-related quality of life.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Setting: Single multidisciplinary PICU. Read More

Crit Care Med 2021 Apr 2. Epub 2021 Apr 2.

1 Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Foggia, Foggia, Italy. 2 Hospital Clinico San Carlos, Madrid, Spain. 3 Hospital Universitario Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Spain. 4 Hospital Universitario La Paz. Instituto de Investigacion, Hospital Universitario La Paz (IdiPAZ), Madrid, Spain. 5 Hospital Universitario Getafe, Madrid, Spain. 6 Hospital Universitario Severo Ochoa, Leganés, Spain. 7 Hospital Clinico Universitario de Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain. 8 Hospital Clinico Universitario Virgen de la Victoria, Malaga, Spain. 9 Hospital Puerta de Hierro de Majadahonda, Majadahonda, Madrid, Spain. 10 The Second Affiliated Hospital of Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China. 11 Sant'Andrea Hospital, Vercelli, Italy. 12 San Luigi Gonzaga University Hospital, Orbassano and Rivoli Infermi Hospital, Rivoli, Italy. 13 Institute of Cardiology and Cardiovascular Surgery, Havana, Cuba. 14 Hospital General del norte de Guayaquil IESS, Los Ceibos, Guayaquil, Ecuador. 15 Hospital de la Arreixaca, Murcia, Spain. 16 University Hospital Alvaro Cunqueiro, Vigo, Spain. 17 University Hospital of Bari, Bari, Italy. 18 Nuestra Señora de América, Madrid, Spain. 19 Hospital Universitario Infanta Sofia, San Sebastian de los Reyes, Madrid, Spain. 20 San Carlo Clinic, Milano, Italy. 21 Hospital Universitario, Burgos, Spain. 22 Kerckhoff Heart and Thorax Center, Bad Nauheim, Germany. 23 Hospital General de Albacete, Albacete, Spain.

Objectives: No standard therapy, including anticoagulation regimens, is currently recommended for coronavirus disease 2019. Aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of anticoagulation in coronavirus disease 2019 hospitalized patients and its impact on survival.

Design: Multicenter international prospective registry (Health Outcome Predictive Evaluation for Corona Virus Disease 2019). Read More

Crit Care Med 2021 Apr 5. Epub 2021 Apr 5.

1 Department of Pharmacy and Health Systems Sciences, Bouve College of Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA. 2 Department of Intensive Care, Radboud Institute for Health Science, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, NL. 3 Department of Health Sciences, Bouve College of Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA.

Objectives: Haloperidol is commonly administered in the ICU to reduce the burden of delirium and its related symptoms despite no clear evidence showing haloperidol helps to resolve delirium or improve survival. We evaluated the association between haloperidol, when used to treat incident ICU delirium and its symptoms, and mortality.

Design: Post hoc cohort analysis of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, delirium prevention trial. Read More

Ann Surg Oncol 2021 Apr 16. Epub 2021 Apr 16.

Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Suita City, Osaka, Japan.

Background: The impact of thoracic duct (TD) resection on prognosis is controversial. This study aimed to examine the impact of TD resection.

Methods: In this six-institution, matched-cohort study, 2269 consecutive patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma who underwent esophagectomy between 2000 and 2017 were enrolled for analysis of long-term outcomes, including overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), cause-specific survival (CSS), and recurrence patterns. Read More

Hepatol Int 2021 Apr 16. Epub 2021 Apr 16.

Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, 1-757 Asahimachi-dori, Chuo-ku, Niigata, 951-8510, Japan.

Background: Biochemical response to treatment in patients with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) reflects prognosis. However, the best predictive criteria to detect biochemical response remain undetermined. In addition, because these criteria need > 6 months until definition, parameters that can estimate its results before initiating treatment are needed. Read More

Int Ophthalmol 2021 Apr 16. Epub 2021 Apr 16.

WVU Eye Institute, 1 Medical Center Drive, Morgantown, WV, USA.

Purpose: To explore how endophthalmitis presented from 2009 to 2019 in a West Virginia population particularly affected by the national opioid crisis. The analysis explores the relationship between the type of endophthalmitis and mortality, accounting for factors including age, gender, type of organism, and intravenous drug use (IVDU).

Methods: The electronic health record of West Virginia University (WVU) Medicine was queried for all patients managed for endophthalmitis from October 2009 to October 2019. Read More

AIDS Behav 2021 Apr 16. Epub 2021 Apr 16.

Department of Global Health, University of Washington, 325 9th Avenue, Box 359909, Seattle, WA, 98104, USA.

No tool exists to stratify HIV risk in contemporary African female sex worker (FSW) populations. Data from a cohort of HIV-negative FSWs in Mombasa, Kenya from 2010 to 2017 were used to conduct a survival analysis assessing predictors of HIV infection. Stepwise regression was used to construct a multivariable model that formed the basis for the score. Read More

Clin Infect Dis 2021 Apr 16. Epub 2021 Apr 16.

Division of Viral Products, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER), FDA, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA.

Convalescent plasma (CP) have been used for treatment of COVID-19, but their effectiveness varies significantly. Moreover, the impact of CP treatment on the composition of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in COVID-19 patients and antibody markers that differentiate between those who survive and those who succumb to the COVID-19 disease are not well understood. Herein, we performed longitudinal analysis of antibody profile on 115 sequential plasma samples from 16 hospitalized COVID-19 patients treated with either CP or standard of care, only half of them survived. Read More

Food Funct 2021 Apr 16. Epub 2021 Apr 16.

Department of Food Science and Engineering, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, 92 Xidazhi Street, Harbin, Nangang District, China.

Herein, polyphenols were extracted from Pinus koraiensis bark and characterized. Besides, the in vitro antioxidant activity, inhibition effect on cancer cells and the activity of the immune system were investigated. The results showed that the main component of Pinus koraiensis bark was 3,5,7,3',5'-pentahydroxydihydroflavone. Read More

Clin Orthop Relat Res 2021 May;479(5):1134-1143

K. Jamshidi, A. Bagherifard, A. Mirzaei, Bone and Joint Reconstruction Research Center, Shafa Orthopedic Hospital, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

Background: Heterotopic ossification (HO) is common after total joint arthroplasty and usually does not cause diagnostic problems. However, the occurrence of HO after oncologic prostheses implantation can be troublesome as it may mimic a locally recurrent tumor. Because this distinction could have a profound impact on the surgeon and patient, it is important to distinguish the two entities; to our knowledge, no study has evaluated this after oncologic endoprosthetic reconstruction around the knee after tumor resection. Read More