Correlation between EFAS- and MOCART score and clinical outcome after AMIC®-procedure for osteochondral lesion of the talus.

INTRODUCTION: Even though an increased interest in the use of the EFAS Score (European Foot and Ankle Society) has been observed, no data comparing it with radiological findings has been presented in the literature. Accordingly, the aim of this study is to investigate how the post-operative integration of the AMIC® (autologous matrix-induced chondrogenesis)-membrane for osteochondral lesion of the talus using the MOCART (Magnetic Resonance Observation of Cartilage Repair Tissue) - Score is related to the clinical satisfaction of the patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A group of 24 patients aged between 17 and 63 (with a mean age of 35.7) were included at least 1 year post-operatively. They had all undergone an AMIC®-procedure of the talus. MRI findings using the MOCART Score were correlated to the EFAS Score at the same time point. RESULTS: Our main results showed no correlation between the MOCART-Score and the EFAS-Score (R = - 0.08). There was also no correlation between the MOCART-Score, the FFI-Score (Foot and Function Index) (R = 0.2) and the MOXFQ-Score (Manchester-Oxford Foot Questionnaire) (R = 0.12). There was no correlation between components of the MOCART-Score with the EFAS-Score (R between - 0.32 and 0.23). CONCLUSION: Our results question whether the MRI (a standard part of AMIC®-procedure-of-the-ankle post-operative follow-up) is still the most appropriate tool for post-operative control. They also offer a starting point for future discussion regarding the need for post-operative MRI and the use of other radiological diagnostics in relation to clinical satisfaction.

STAT5b as molecular target in pancreatic cancer--inhibition of tumor growth, angiogenesis, and metastases.

The prognosis of patients suffering from pancreatic cancer is still poor and novel therapeutic options are urgently needed. Recently, the transcription factor signal transducer and activator of transcription 5b (STAT5b) was associated with tumor progression in human solid cancer. Hence, we assessed whether STAT5b might serve as an anticancer target in ductal pancreatic adenocarcinoma (DPAC). We found that nuclear expression of STAT5b can be detected in approximately 50% of DPAC. Blockade of STAT5b by stable shRNA-mediated knockdown showed no effects on tumor cell growth in vitro. However, inhibition of tumor cell motility was found even in response to stimulation with epidermal growth factor or interleukin-6. These findings were paralleled by a reduction of prometastatic and proangiogenic factors in vitro. Subsequent in vivo experiments revealed a strong growth inhibition on STAT5b blockade in subcutaneous and orthotopic models. These findings were paralleled by impaired tumor angiogenesis in vivo. In contrast to the subcutaneous model, the orthotopic model revealed a strong reduction of tumor cell proliferation that emphasizes the meaning of assessing targets in an appropriate microenvironment. Taken together, our results suggest that STAT5b might be a potential novel target for human DPAC.