Timing of Complete Revascularization with Multivessel PCI for Myocardial Infarction.

BACKGROUND: In patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) with multivessel coronary artery disease, the time at which complete revascularization of nonculprit lesions should be performed remains unknown. METHODS: We performed an international, open-label, randomized, noninferiority trial at 37 sites in Europe. Patients in a hemodynamically stable condition who had STEMI and multivessel coronary artery disease were randomly assigned to undergo immediate multivessel percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI; immediate group) or PCI of the culprit lesion followed by staged multivessel PCI of nonculprit lesions within 19 to 45 days after the index procedure (staged group). The primary end point was a composite of death from any cause, nonfatal myocardial infarction, stroke, unplanned ischemia-driven revascularization, or hospitalization for heart failure at 1 year after randomization. The percentages of patients with a primary or secondary end-point event are provided as Kaplan-Meier estimates at 6 months and at 1 year. RESULTS: We assigned 418 patients to undergo immediate multivessel PCI and 422 to undergo staged multivessel PCI. A primary end-point event occurred in 35 patients (8.5%) in the immediate group as compared with 68 patients (16.3%) in the staged group (risk ratio, 0.52; 95% confidence interval, 0.38 to 0.72; P<0.001 for noninferiority and P<0.001 for superiority). Nonfatal myocardial infarction and unplanned ischemia-driven revascularization occurred in 8 patients (2.0%) and 17 patients (4.1%), respectively, in the immediate group and in 22 patients (5.3%) and 39 patients (9.3%), respectively, in the staged group. The risk of death from any cause, the risk of stroke, and the risk of hospitalization for heart failure appeared to be similar in the two groups. A total of 104 patients in the immediate group and 145 patients in the staged group had a serious adverse event. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients in hemodynamically stable condition with STEMI and multivessel coronary artery disease, immediate multivessel PCI was noninferior to staged multivessel PCI with respect to the risk of death from any cause, nonfatal myocardial infarction, stroke, unplanned ischemia-driven revascularization, or hospitalization for heart failure at 1 year. (Supported by Boston Scientific; MULTISTARS AMI ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT03135275.).

Implications for surveillance for breast cancer patients based on the internally and externally validated BRENDA-metastatic recurrence score.

PURPOSE: Although the incidence of distant relapse is decreasing, 20-30% of patients with early breast cancer die of metastasis. The aim of this study is to characterize patients with metastasis-free survival(MFS) less than 5 years, to analyze the most probable site of metastases according to the internally and externally validated BRENDA-score. The BRENDA-score is a combination of the biological subtype and clinical staging. METHOD: 3832 patients with primary diagnosis of breast cancer and either distant metastatic recurrence within 5 years or MFS ≥ 5 years were assigned to this study. Patients were classified for metastatic recurrence according to the BRENDA-score. 1765 patients were in a validation set. Statistical methods were Kaplan-Meier curves, Cox regression analysis, Exhausted CHAID, likelihood-ratio tests and the Nearest Neighbor Estimation method. RESULTS: There was a significant(p < 0.001) difference between the Kaplan-Meier MFS-functions of M0-patients stratified by BRENDA-score. The BRENDA score outperforms intrinsic subtypes and the Nottingham prognostic score. It fits the original data and the validation set equally well (p = 0.179).There was a significant(p < 0.001) difference between mean BRENDA-Index for patients with MFS < 5y(21.0 ± 9.0) and patients with MFS ≥ 5y(mean BRENDA-Index 11.7 ± 8.2). 55.6% of the very high risk patients(BRENDA-Index ≥ 27) had metastases within 5 years. The most likely primary metastatic site was bone(30%) followed by liver(19%) and lung(18%). The discriminatory ability(areas under the time dependent ROC curve) of the BRENDA score is good to acceptable for the first 5 years. In the very low/low risk (intermediate, high/very high) risk group 50% of all metastases were diagnosed within 26 months. Guideline adherence had a highly significant influence on outcome independent of the risk group. CONCLUSION: The evaluation showed that the BRENDA-Score is a robust predictive tool for breast cancer recurrence and site of metastases in the first five years after diagnosis. It outperforms intrinsic subtypes and the Nottingham prognostic score. The BRENDA-score could be a tool for a risk orientated and targeted follow up.

Intraventricular Thrombus Formation and Embolism in Takotsubo Syndrome: Insights From the International Takotsubo Registry.

OBJECTIVE: Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) is characterized by acute left ventricular dysfunction, which can contribute to intraventricular thrombus and embolism. Still, prevalence and clinical impact of thrombus formation and embolic events on outcome of TTS patients remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate clinical features and outcomes of patients with and without intraventricular thrombus or embolism. Additionally, factors associated with thrombus formation or embolism, as well as predictors for mortality, were identified. Approach and Results: TTS patients enrolled in the International Takotsubo Registry at 28 centers in Australia, Europe, and the United States were dichotomized according to the occurrence/absence of intraventricular thrombus or embolism. Patients with intraventricular thrombus or embolism were defined as the ThrombEmb group. Of 1676 TTS patients, 56 (3.3%) patients developed intraventricular thrombus and/or embolism following TTS diagnosis (median time interval, 2.0 days [range, 0-38 days]). Patients in the ThrombEmb group had a different clinical profile including lower left ventricular ejection fraction, higher prevalence of the apical type, elevated levels of troponin and inflammatory markers, and higher prevalence of vascular disease. In a Firth bias-reduced penalized-likelihood logistic regression model apical type, left ventricular ejection fraction ≤30%, previous vascular disease, and a white blood cell count on admission >10×103 cells/µL emerged as independent predictors for thrombus formation or embolism. CONCLUSIONS: Intraventricular thrombus or embolism occur in 3.3% of patients in the acute phase of TTS. A simple risk score including clinical parameters associated with intraventricular thrombus formation or embolism identifies patients at increased risk. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01947621.

Coexistence and outcome of coronary artery disease in Takotsubo syndrome.

AIMS: Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) is an acute heart failure syndrome, which shares many features with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Although TTS was initially described with angiographically normal coronary arteries, smaller studies recently indicated a potential coexistence of coronary artery disease (CAD) in TTS patients. This study aimed to determine the coexistence, features, and prognostic role of CAD in a large cohort of patients with TTS. METHODS AND RESULTS: Coronary anatomy and CAD were studied in patients diagnosed with TTS. Inclusion criteria were compliance with the International Takotsubo Diagnostic Criteria for TTS, and availability of original coronary angiographies with ventriculography performed during the acute phase. Exclusion criteria were missing views, poor quality of angiography loops, and angiography without ventriculography. A total of 1016 TTS patients were studied. Of those, 23.0% had obstructive CAD, 41.2% had non-obstructive CAD, and 35.7% had angiographically normal coronary arteries. A total of 47 patients (4.6%) underwent percutaneous coronary intervention, and 3 patients had acute and 8 had chronic coronary artery occlusion concomitant with TTS, respectively. The presence of CAD was associated with increased incidence of shock, ventilation, and death from any cause. After adjusting for confounders, the presence of obstructive CAD was associated with mortality at 30 days. Takotsubo syndrome patients with obstructive CAD were at comparable risk for shock and death and nearly at twice the risk for ventilation compared to an age- and sex-matched ACS cohort. CONCLUSIONS: Coronary artery disease frequently coexists in TTS patients, presents with the whole spectrum of coronary pathology including acute coronary occlusion, and is associated with adverse outcome. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov number: NCT01947621.

Rationale and design of the MULTISTARS AMI Trial: A randomized comparison of immediate versus staged complete revascularization in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction and multivessel disease.

About half of patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) present with multivessel coronary artery disease (MVD). Recent evidence supports complete revascularization in these patients. However, optimal timing of non-culprit lesion revascularization in STEMI patients is unknown because dedicated randomized trials on this topic are lacking. STUDY DESIGN: The MULTISTARS AMI trial is a prospective, international, multicenter, randomized, two-arm, open-label study planning to enroll at least 840 patients. It is designed to investigate whether immediate complete revascularization is non-inferior to staged (within 19-45 days) complete revascularization in patients in stable hemodynamic conditions presenting with STEMI and MVD and undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). After successful primary PCI of the culprit artery, patients are randomized in a 1:1 ratio to immediate or staged complete revascularization. The primary endpoint is a composite of all-cause death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, ischemia-driven revascularization, hospitalization for heart failure, and stroke at 1 year. CONCLUSIONS: The MULTISTARS AMI trial tests the hypothesis that immediate complete revascularization is non-inferior to staged complete revascularization in stable patients with STEMI and MVD.

Does the number of removed axillary lymphnodes in high risk breast cancer patients influence the survival?

BACKGROUND: The decision making process for axillary dissection has changed in recent years for patients with early breast cancer and positive sentinel lymph nodes (LN). The question now arises, what is the optimal surgical treatment for patients with positive axillary LN (pN+). This article tries to answer the following questions: (1) Is there a survival benefit for breast cancer patients with 3 or more positive LN (pN3+) and with more than 10 removed LN? (2) Is there a survival benefit for high risk breast cancer patients (triple negative or Her2 + breast cancer) and with 3 or more positive LN (pN3+) with more than 10 removed LN? (3) In pN + patients is the prognostic value of the lymph node ratio (LNR) of pN+/pN removed impaired if 10 or less LN are removed? METHODS: A retrospective database analysis of the multi center cohort database BRENDA (breast cancer under evidence based guidelines) with data from 9625 patients from 17 breast centers was carried out. Guideline adherence was defined by the 2008 German National consensus guidelines. RESULTS: 2992 out of 9625 patients had histological confirmed positive lymph nodes. The most important factors for survival were intrinsic sub types, tumor size and guideline adherent chemo- and hormonal treatment (and age at diagnosis for overall survival (OAS)). Uni-and multivariable analyses for recurrence free survival (RFS) and OAS showed no significant survival benefit when removing more than 10 lymph nodes even for high-risk patients. The mean and median of LNR were significantly higher in the pN+ patients with ≤10 excised LN compared to patients with > 10 excised LN. LNR was in both, uni-and multivariable, analysis a highly significant prognostic factor for RFS and OAS in both subgroups of pN + patients with less respective more than 10 excised LN. Multivariable COX regression analysis was adjusted by age, tumor size, intrinsic sub types and guideline adherent adjuvant systemic therapy. CONCLUSION: The removal of more than 10 LN did not result in a significant survival benefit even in high risk pN + breast cancer patients.

Gender and age differences in outcomes of patients with acute coronary syndromes referred for coronary angiography.

OBJECTIVES: The number of elderly patients undergoing coronary revascularization is steadily increasing, and data on the impact of gender on outcomes are scarce. This study sought to assess gender-related differences in outcomes in elderly patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS). METHODS: We investigated outcomes in elderly ACS patients referred for coronary angiography and prospectively enrolled in the Swiss ACS Cohort between December 2009 and October 2012. Adjudicated major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) included all-cause death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, clinically indicated repeat coronary revascularization, definite stent thrombosis, and transient ischemic attack/stroke. RESULTS: Among 2,168 patients recruited, 481 (22%) patients were >75 years of age (37% women). In patients >75 years, 1-year MACCE rates were 15% and 23% in women and men (OR 0.59, 95% CI 0.36-0.97, P = 0.04), respectively, and differences remained significant after adjustments for baseline variables (adjusted OR 0.48, 95% CI 0.26-0.90, P = 0.02). Women >75 years had a lower cardiovascular mortality (6% versus 12%, adjusted OR 0.31, 95% CI 0.12-0.81, P = 0.02). In patients ≤75 years, 1-year MACCE rates did not differ between gender (10% and 8% for women and men, adjusted OR 1.28, 95% CI 0.77-2.14, P = 0.34). Rates of TIMI major bleeding for women and men were 4% and 4% in patients >75 years (P = 0.96), and 5% and 3% in those ≤75 years (P = 0.11). CONCLUSIONS: The low rates of MACCE observed in elderly women in this patient cohort suggest that with current interventional strategies the gender gap in ACS management has been attenuated.

The effects of short-term fasting on quality of life and tolerance to chemotherapy in patients with breast and ovarian cancer: a randomized cross-over pilot study.

BACKGROUND: This pilot trial aimed to study the feasibility and effects on quality of life (QOL) and well-being of short-term fasting (STF) during chemotherapy in patients with gynecological cancer. METHODS: In an individually-randomized cross-over trial patients with gynecological cancer, 4 to 6 planned chemotherapy cycles were included. Thirty-four patients were randomized to STF in the first half of chemotherapies followed by normocaloric diet (group A;n = 18) or vice versa (group B;n = 16). Fasting started 36 h before and ended 24 h after chemotherapy (60 h-fasting period). QOL was assessed by the FACIT-measurement system. RESULTS: The chemotherapy-induced reduction of QOL was less than the Minimally Important Difference (MID; FACT-G = 5) with STF but greater than the MID for non-fasted periods. The mean chemotherapy-induced deterioration of total FACIT-F was 10.4 ± 5.3 for fasted and 27.0 ± 6.3 for non-fasted cycles in group A and 14.1 ± 5.6 for non-fasted and 11.0 ± 5.6 for fasted cycles in group B. There were no serious adverse effects. CONCLUSION: STF during chemotherapy is well tolerated and appears to improve QOL and fatigue during chemotherapy. Larger studies should prove the effect of STF as an adjunct to chemotherapy. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov: NCT01954836 .

Are There Breast Cancer Patients with Node-Negative Small Tumours, Who Do Not Benefit from Adjuvant Systemic Therapy?

OBJECTIVE: To identify subgroups of patients with pT1 pN0 breast cancer (BC) who might not profit from adjuvant systemic therapy (AST). METHODS: Data of 3,774 pT1 pN0 BC patients from 17 certified BC centres within the BRENDA study group were collected between 1992 and 2008 and retrospectively analysed. Uni- and multivariate analyses were performed using Kaplan-Meier methods and Cox regression models. RESULTS: 279 (7.4%) of the pT1 pN0 BC patients were T1a, 944 (25.0%) were T1b and 2,551 (67.6%) were T1c. There was no significant difference (p > 0.1) in recurrence-free survival (RFS)/overall survival (OAS) between patients with pT1a, pT1b, and T1c. Patients receiving any type of AST had a better outcome compared to women without AST after adjusting for age, tumour size, and intrinsic subtypes (RFS: p < 0.001; OAS: p < 0.001). AST was the most important prognostic parameter for RFS followed by intrinsic subtypes and age. CONCLUSION: Patients with pT1 pN0 BC profit from AST independently of molecular subtypes, tumour size, age or comorbidity, with 5-year RFS of more than 95%. The correct definition of subgroups of patients who do not need AST is still an open question.

Pattern of metastatic spread and subcategories of breast cancer.

PURPOSE: The development of metastases is the most aggressive attribute of breast cancer. In this retrospective multicenter study, we evaluated if and how the different pathological breast cancer subtypes influence the spreading of tumor cells, the development of metastasis and the survival of breast cancer patients. METHODS: This retrospective German multicenter study is based on the BRENDA collective including 9625 breast cancer patients treated in the adjuvant setting. We used the χ 2 tests for the analysis of the categorical variables between groups of patients with different sites of metastasis. Survival distributions and median survival times were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier product-limit method. The log-rank test was applied to compare survival rates. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to estimate the hazard ratio and confidence intervals. RESULTS: 886 women developed metastases during a time interval of 53 months after primary diagnosis. Luminal A tumor patients were more likely to get bone metastases than lung, liver or CNS metastases. Patients with a triple-negative subtype were, however, the least affected by metastasis in the skeleton. They were most likely to develop visceral metastases. Location, numbers of metastases herein and the subtype influenced the overall survival (OAS). Altogether, the best OAS was found in patients with the luminal A subtype, the worst in patients with the triple-negative subtype. CONCLUSIONS: Knowledge of the typical metastatic pattern of the subtypes of breast cancer will help to personalize therapeutic options and follow-up examinations of cancer patients.

The impact of breast cancer biological subtyping on tumor size assessment by ultrasound and mammography - a retrospective multicenter cohort study of 6543 primary breast cancer patients.

BACKGROUND: Mammography and ultrasound are the gold standard imaging techniques for preoperative assessment and for monitoring the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer. Maximum accuracy in predicting pathological tumor size non-invasively is critical for individualized therapy and surgical planning. We therefore aimed to assess the accuracy of tumor size measurement by ultrasound and mammography in a multicentered health services research study. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed data from 6543 patients with unifocal, unilateral primary breast cancer. The maximum tumor diameter was measured by ultrasound and/or mammographic imaging. All measurements were compared to final tumor diameter determined by postoperative histopathological examination. We compared the precision of each imaging method across different patient subgroups as well as the method-specific accuracy in each patient subgroup. RESULTS: Overall, the correlation with histology was 0.61 for mammography and 0.60 for ultrasound. Both correlations were higher in pT2 cancers than in pT1 and pT3. Ultrasound as well as mammography revealed a significantly higher correlation with histology in invasive ductal compared to lobular cancers (p < 0.01). For invasive lobular cancers, the mammography showed better correlation with histology than ultrasound (p = 0.01), whereas there was no such advantage for invasive ductal cancers. Ultrasound was significantly superior for HR negative cancers (p < 0.001). HER2/neu positive cancers were also more precisely assessed by ultrasound (p < 0.001). The size of HER2/neu negative cancers could be more accurately predicted by mammography (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: This multicentered health services research approach demonstrates that predicting tumor size by mammography and ultrasound provides accurate results. Biological tumor features do, however, affect the diagnostic precision.

Evaluation of clinical parameters influencing the development of bone metastasis in breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: The development of metastases is a negative prognostic parameter for the clinical outcome of breast cancer. Bone constitutes the first site of distant metastases for many affected women. The purpose of this retrospective multicentre study was to evaluate if and how different variables such as primary tumour stage, biological and histological subtype, age at primary diagnosis, tumour size, the number of affected lymph nodes as well as grading influence the development of bone-only metastases. METHODS: This retrospective German multicentre study is based on the BRENDA collective and included 9625 patients with primary breast cancer recruited from 1992 to 2008. In this analysis, we investigated a subgroup of 226 patients with bone-only metastases. Association between bone-only relapse and clinico-pathological risk factors was assessed in multivariate models using the tree-building algorithms "exhausted CHAID (Chi-square Automatic Interaction Detectors)" and CART(Classification and Regression Tree), as well as radial basis function networks (RBF-net), feedforward multilayer perceptron networks (MLP) and logistic regression. RESULTS: Multivariate analysis demonstrated that breast cancer subtypes have the strongest influence on the development of bone-only metastases (χ2 = 28). 29.9 % of patients with luminal A or luminal B (ABC-patients) and 11.4 % with triple negative BC (TNBC) or HER2-overexpressing tumours had bone-only metastases (p < 0.001). Five different mathematical models confirmed this correlation. The second important risk factor is the age at primary diagnosis. Moreover, BC subcategories influence the overall survival from date of metastatic disease of patients with bone-only metastases. Patients with bone-only metastases and TNBC (p < 0.001; HR = 7.47 (95 % CI: 3.52-15.87) or HER2 overexpressing BC (p = 0.007; HR = 3.04 (95 % CI: 1.36-6.80) have the worst outcome compared to patients with luminal A or luminal B tumours and bone-only metastases. CONCLUSION: The bottom line of different mathematical models is the prior importance of subcategories of breast cancer and the age at primary diagnosis for the appearance of osseous metastases. The primary tumour stage, histological subtype, tumour size, the number of affected lymph nodes, grading and NPI seem to have only a minor influence on the development of bone-only metastases.

Guidelines are advantageous, though not essential for improved survival among breast cancer patients.

The purpose of this retrospective multicenter study was to resolve the pseudo-paradox that the clinical outcome of women affected by breast cancer has improved during the last 20 years irrespective of whether they were treated in accordance with clinical guidelines or not. This retrospective German multicenter study included 9061 patients with primary breast cancer recruited from 1991 to 2009. We formed subgroups for the time intervals 1991-2000 (TI1) and 2001-2009 (TI2). In these subgroups, the risk of recurrence (RFS) and overall survival (OS) were compared between patients whose treatment was either 100% guideline-conforming or, respectively, non-guideline-conforming. The clinical outcome of all patients significantly improved in TI2 compared to TI1 [RFS: p < 0.001, HR = 0.57, 95% CI (0.49-0.67); OS: p < 0.001, HR = 0.76, 95% (CI 0.66-0.87)]. OS and RFS of guideline non-adherent patients also improved in TI2 compared to TI. Comparing risk profiles, determined by Nottingham Prognostic Score reveals a significant (p = 0.001) enhancement in the time cohort TI2. Furthermore, the percentage of guideline-conforming systemic therapy (endocrine therapy and chemotherapy) significantly increased (p < 0.001) in the time cohort TI2 to TI for the non-adherent group. The general improvement of clinical outcome of patients during the last 20 years is also valid in the subgroup of women who received treatments, which deviated from the guidelines. The shift in risk profiles as well as medical advances are major reasons for this improvement. Nevertheless, patients with 100% guideline-conforming therapy always had a better outcome compared to patients with guideline non-adherent therapy.

Wellness or medicine? Use and perception of Ayurveda in Germany: data from an online-representative cross-sectional study.

Introduction: Ayurveda, South Asia's largest and most relevant system of Traditional Medicine, holds a legal status akin to conventional Western medicine in India and elsewhere. There is an almost complete lack of data on the use of Ayurveda in Germany. The aim of this study was to investigate Ayurveda's utilization patterns, entry points, and factors influencing its use and the perception of Ayurveda among the German population. Methods: Basis of this manuscript was an online-representative survey which involved 4,065 participants aged 18-75 about the use and acceptance of Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine (TCIM) in Germany. The survey was conducted online using Computer Assisted Web Interview (CAWI) in 2022. The dataset was analyzed descriptively and inferentially. Results: Altogether 9.3% (n = 377) of all survey participants (n = 4,065) had already used Ayurveda somehow, either more often (1.7%) or at least once in a lifetime (7.6%). Responders associated Ayurveda primarily with Indian Medicine (27.7%) and wellness (18%). Commonly used Ayurvedic services included non-medical treatments at wellness resorts/spas (48.3%), in outpatient practices (27.1%), and hotels (23.6%). 30.2% of the participants believe in Ayurveda's therapeutic potential. 76.7% of Ayurveda users find healthy nutrition important or very important. Nine predictors were found to classify Ayurveda users vs. non-users with spirituality and belief in Ayurveda's therapeutic efficacy as the most relevant ones. Ayurveda seems to be primarily used by well-educated and female individuals, often from higher-income groups and with a rather modern social milieu-orientation. Conclusion: Study results suggest that about every tenth German citizen has used Ayurveda in the past and about one third believes in its therapeutic potential. Because Ayurvedic therapies are often not evidence-based, there is an urgent need to perform high quality randomized controlled trials to investigate potential effects and safety of Ayurveda and how evidence-based Ayurveda treatments can be integrated into the German healthcare system.

Use and acceptance of traditional, complementary and integrative medicine in Germany-an online representative cross-sectional study.

Background: Older representative surveys show that Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine (TCIM) is used by about 60% of the German population. However, no data exists for the current nationwide situation. The main aim of this cross-sectional study is to investigate the current use and acceptance of TCIM in Germany. Methods: This study is based on a representative sample of the German population aged 18-75 years. Participants were asked about the use and acceptance of TCIM. The survey was conducted online using Computer Assisted Web Interview (CAWI) in 2022 by three renowned German market research institutes on behalf of and in close coordination with the working group. The data set was analyzed descriptively and inferentially. Results: In total, 4,065 participants (52% female, 48% male, 0.4% diverse) responded completely (response rate: 21.5%). Among participants, 70% stated that they had used TCIM at some point in their lives, with 32% doing so in the last 12 months and 18% currently. The most common reason given (17%) was musculoskeletal pain. For their own health, 39% stated that TCIM is important. Traditional European Medicine was rated as very/mainly effective by 27% of participants and as partly effective by 44% (conventional medicine: 69% very/mainly effective, 19% partly effective). As a complementary treatment strategy to conventional medicine, 35% considered TCIM to be optimal ("Complementary Medicine"), 33% in combination with conventional medicine ("Integrative Medicine") and 5% without conventional medicine ("Alternative Medicine"). The majority of the participants were in favor of more research on TCIM and stated that the costs of TCIM services should be covered by health insurance companies (71% and 69%, respectively). Conclusion: These results from a representative online-population suggest that the use of TCIM in Germany remains at a high level. The nationwide relevance of TCIM should be given greater consideration in German health care policy making. TCIM should be systematically investigated using appropriate study designs and methods including high quality randomized clinical trials to investigate their effectiveness, efficacy, therapeutic safety and costs in the future.

Influence of CYP2D6-genotype on tamoxifen efficacy in advanced breast cancer.

The influence of CYP2D6 genotype on the efficacy of tamoxifen (Tam) has been extensively analyzed in early breast cancer with conflicting results. However, there is only scarce data regarding this potential influence in advanced breast cancer (ABC). We hypothesize that Tam is more effective in patients with a functional CYP2D6 allele than in patients with impaired CYP2D6 activity. ABC patients with prior or ongoing palliative Tam treatment (20 mg/d) were eligible. Genomic DNA was extracted from blood (n = 51) and formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue (n = 43). CYP2D6*2, *3, *4, *5, *6, *10, *17, *29, *41, CYP2D6 duplication and multiplication were determined in blood and CYP2D6*4 in tissue samples. Primary endpoint was progression free survival (PFS); secondary endpoints included clinical benefit (CB), and overall survival (OS). The clinical charts were retrospectively analyzed regarding survival and treatment effects. Genotyping was performed blinded and clinical data were analyzed separately. 94 patients were identified with a median age of 59 years (29-90 years). In 6 patients genotyping did not show conclusive results, therefore these patients were excluded from further analysis. Genotyping results were as follows: 1.1 % ultrarapid, 84.1 % extensive, 3.4 % intermediate, and 11.4 % poor metabolizers. Patients without any fully functional allele (IM/IM, IM/PM, PM/PM) had a significant shorter PFS and OS compared to patients with at least one functional allele (EM/EM, EM/IM, EM/PM) (PFS: p = 0.017; HR = 2.19; 95 % CI 1.15-4.18; OS: p = 0.028; HR = 2.79; 95 % CI 1.12-6.99). The CB rate was 73 % for EM-group and 38.5 % for IM + PM-group (p = 0.019). Our results show a significant influence of the CYP2D6 genotype on the efficacy of Tam in the treatment of ABC. In contrast to the adjuvant setting, the evidence in the palliative setting is congruent. CYP2D6 testing in ABC should be considered.

Early and late mortality in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation: comparison of the novel EuroScore II with established risk scores.

OBJECTIVES: In the evaluation of patients considered for transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), the EuroScore II might be superior to established risk scores. METHODS: We assessed the performance of the EuroScore II in predicting mortality in a cohort of 350 TAVI patients. RESULTS: The EuroScore II and the logistic EuroScore were higher in nonsurvivors compared to survivors at 30 days (12.6 ± 1.8 vs. 7.5 ± 0.3%, p < 0.001 for EuroScore II, and 27.7 ± 2.8 vs. 22.1 ± 0.8%, p = 0.04 for logistic EuroScore), while the STS-PROM score did not differ (7.3 ± 0.8 vs. 6.4 ± 0.3%, p = 0.09). The area under the curve (AUC) was 0.70 for the EuroScore II, 0.61 for the logistic EuroScore and 0.59 for the STS-PROM score for predicting 30-day mortality. Based on the estimated 30-day mortality risk, 3 risk groups were identified, a low-risk (EuroScore II ≤4%, 30-day mortality 1.2%), an intermediate-risk (EuroScore II between 4% and 9%, 30-day mortality 8.6%) and a high-risk group (EuroScore II >9%, 30-day mortality, 17.1%; p = 0.03). Regarding cumulative mortality, the AUC was 0.67 for the EuroScore II, 0.62 for the logistic EuroScore and 0.55 for the STS-PROM score for predicting mortality at total follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: In this patient cohort, the EuroScore II performed best in predicting short- and long-term mortality.

Age- and gender-dependent left ventricular remodeling.

BACKGROUND: The effect of age and gender on left ventricular (LV) size, muscle mass, and systolic function as determined by two-dimensional echocardiography has not yet been investigated in a large population. METHODS: Normal transthoracic two-dimensional echocardiography studies of 5307 subjects (47% males) performed between March 1990 and December 2011 were analyzed. LV end-diastolic volume index (LVEDVI), LV muscle mass index (LVMMI), LV ejection fraction (LVEF), and LV fractional shortening (LVFS) were compared in different age groups. RESULTS: LVMMI increased in females from 66.4 ± 1.3 g/m(2) (7-20 years) to 76.3 ± 0.9 g/m(2) (60-80 years; P < 0.0001) and in males from 81.9 ± 1.7 g/m(2) (7-20 years) to 94.6 ± 1.3 g/m(2) (60-80 years; P < 0.0001). LVEDVI decreased in females from 49.8 ± 0.9 mL/m(2) (7-20 years) to 42.8 ± 0.6 mL/m(2) (60-80 years; P < 0.0001) and in males from 56.6 ± 0.8 mL/m(2) (7-20 years) to 49.0 ± 0.7 mL/m(2) (60-80 years; P < 0.0001). A significant increase in LVEF was observed with age (P < 0.0001 for both genders), but it was more pronounced in females (62 ± 0.5% [age 7-20 years] vs. 65 ± 0.3% [age 60-80 years]) than in males (62 ± 0.5% [age 7-20 years] vs. 64 ± 0.3% [age 60-80 years]). Similarly, LVFS increased in females from 37.7 ± 0.5% (7-20 years) to 42.4 ± 0.4% (60-80 years; P < 0.001) and in males from 37.3 ± 0.5% (7-20 years) to 39.4 ± 0.5% (60-80 years; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: LVEF, LVFS, and LVMMI increase with advancing age, in particular in females. In contrast, LVEDVI decreases with age. These findings indicate that the LV undergoes a lifelong remodeling.

Effects of an Integrative Day Care Clinic Program with a Focus on Nature Therapy in a Hospital Park Setting on Quality of Life in Oncological Patients-A Non-Randomized Controlled Study.

Cancer often causes long-term physical and psychological impairments. Lifestyle modification and nature-based interventions (NBIs) can have a positive impact on patients' quality of life (QOL). This participants-blinded, non-randomized controlled study assessed parameters at weeks 0, 12, and 24, including, as a primary endpoint, QOL in cancer patients on the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G) at week 12. QOL in breast cancer patients, fatigue, well-being, stress, anxiety/depression, socio-psychological well-being, benefits of nature interaction, insomnia, self-efficacy, mindfulness, and self-compassion were assessed as secondary endpoints. N = 107 cancer patients (96.3% women; 52.5 ± 9.3 years, 80.4% breast cancer) were assigned to either a 12-week nature-based (NDC; n = 56) or conventional (DC; n = 51) oncology day care clinic program, whereby the assignment group was not known to the participants. There was no significant group difference for the primary endpoint. At week 24, QOL, fatigue, mindfulness and self-compassion scores were significantly higher, and at weeks 12 and 24, the insomnia score was significantly lower in NDC compared to DC. In conclusion, this study indicates positive and clinically relevant effects of the program on QOL, fatigue, and psychological parameters. NBIs seem to have a more pronounced effect.

Ayurveda in Knee Osteoarthritis-Secondary Analyses of a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Ayurveda is widely practiced in South Asia in the treatment of osteoarthritis (OA). The aim of these secondary data analyses were to identify the most relevant variables for treatment response and group differences between Ayurvedic therapy compared to conventional therapy in knee OA patients. Methods: A total of 151 patients (Ayurveda n = 77, conventional care n = 74) were analyzed according to the intention-to-treat principle in a randomized controlled trial. Different statistical approaches including generalized linear models, a radial basis function (RBF) network, exhausted CHAID, classification and regression trees (CART), and C5.0 with adaptive boosting were applied. Results: The RBF network implicated that the therapy arm and the baseline values of the WOMAC Index subscales might be the most important variables for the significant between-group differences of the WOMAC Index from baseline to 12 weeks in favor of Ayurveda. The intake of nutritional supplements in the Ayurveda group did not seem to be a significant factor in changes in the WOMAC Index. Ayurveda patients with functional limitations > 60 points and pain > 25 points at baseline showed the greatest improvements in the WOMAC Index from baseline to 12 weeks (mean value 107.8 ± 27.4). A C5.0 model with nine predictors had a predictive accuracy of 89.4% for a change in the WOMAC Index after 12 weeks > 10. With adaptive boosting, the accuracy rose to 98%. Conclusions: These secondary analyses suggested that therapeutic effects cannot be explained by the therapies themselves alone, although they were the most important factors in the applied models.