First Case of Debilitating Lower Back Pain Induced by Severe Inflammation of Lumbar Joints, Healed by Intravenous Infusions of Purified Amniotic Fluid.

We report the first case of debilitating lower back pain induced by spondylitis with end plate inflammation of the lumbar spine, treated successfully by bi-weekly intravenous injections of a sterile fraction (1ml) from human purified amniotic fluid (ViX001) obtained from thoroughly screened volunteers at the time of planned c-section at the term of normal pregnancies. Our product ViX001 was generated through a proprietary process and kept in frozen one milliliter (1 ml) cryvials (protein content was ~1mg/ml) and thawed just prior to injections. Pain improvement was recorded weekly, and inflammation suppression was confirmed by monthly MRIs of the lumbar spine. While our findings need to be reproduced with a larger cohort of patients, it is instructive that ViX001 resolved pain and inflammation for a patient with severe lower back pain, the most common form of pain reported by U.S. adults.

First Case of Severe Pain and Inflammation Reduction by Application of Purified Amniotic Fluid on Active Lesions of a Patient with Pyoderma Gangrenosum.

We report the first case of severe pain and inflammation reduction by application of purified amniotic fluid on active lesions of a patient with pyoderma gangrenosum. We describe the impact of every third-day skin applications of a sterile fraction (4ml) from human purified amniotic fluid (ViX001) obtained from thoroughly screened volunteers at the time of planned c-section at the term of normal pregnancies. The product ViX001 was generated through a proprietary process and kept in frozen one or two milliliters cryovials (protein content was ~1mg/ml) and thawed just prior to applications. Pain improvement was recorded after each application, and inflammation suppression was confirmed by serial pictures of the lesions. While our findings need to be reproduced with a larger cohort of patients, preferably at an earlier stage of the disease, it is instructive that ViX001 reduced severe pain and inflammation for a patient with advanced pyoderma gangrenosum. Pyoderma gangrenosum is a dreadful skin condition consisting of noninfectious neutrophilic dermatosis that progresses to necrotic ulcers with a characteristic purple edge and extremely painful raw subdermal tissue exposure.

Identification of patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma due to inheritable mutation: Challenges of daily clinical practice.

BACKGROUND: Identification of germ-line mutations in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) could impact on patient/family. AIM: To assess the referral pathways for genetic consultations in PDAC. METHODS: Electronic records of PDAC patients were reviewed retrospectively. Patients eligible for genetic consultation referral were identified following the European Registry of Hereditary Pancreatitis and Familial Pancreatic Cancer (EUROPAC) criteria. RESULTS: Four-hundred patients were eligible. Of 113 patients (28.3%) meeting EUROPAC criteria, 8.8% were referred for genetic opinion. Germ-line mutations were identified in 0.75% of the whole population. CONCLUSION: Earlier referrals and increased awareness may be able to overcome the low rate of successful genetic appointments.

First observation of the decay B --> J/psistraight phiK

We present the first observation of the decay B-->J/psistraight phiK. Using 9.6x10(6) B&Bmacr; meson pairs collected with the CLEO detector, we have observed ten fully reconstructed B-->J/psistraight phiK candidates, whereas the estimated background is 0.5+/-0.2 event. We obtain a branching fraction of B(B-->J/psistraight phiK) = (8. 8(+3.5)(-3.0)[stat]+/-1.3[syst])x10(-5). This is the first observed B meson decay requiring the creation of an additional s&smacr; quark pair.