Quantification of inter-brain coupling: A review of current methods used in haemodynamic and electrophysiological hyperscanning studies.

Hyperscanning is a form of neuroimaging experiment where the brains of two or more participants are imaged simultaneously whilst they interact. Within the domain of social neuroscience, hyperscanning is increasingly used to measure inter-brain coupling (IBC) and explore how brain responses change in tandem during social interaction. In addition to cognitive research, some have suggested that quantification of the interplay between interacting participants can be used as a biomarker for a variety of cognitive mechanisms aswell as to investigate mental health and developmental conditions including schizophrenia, social anxiety and autism. However, many different methods have been used to quantify brain coupling and this can lead to questions about comparability across studies and reduce research reproducibility. Here, we review methods for quantifying IBC, and suggest some ways moving forward. Following the PRISMA guidelines, we reviewed 215 hyperscanning studies, across four different brain imaging modalities: functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), functional magnetic resonance (fMRI), electroencephalography (EEG) and magnetoencephalography (MEG). Overall, the review identified a total of 27 different methods used to compute IBC. The most common hyperscanning modality is fNIRS, used by 119 studies, 89 of which adopted wavelet coherence. Based on the results of this literature survey, we first report summary statistics of the hyperscanning field, followed by a brief overview of each signal that is obtained from each neuroimaging modality used in hyperscanning. We then discuss the rationale, assumptions and suitability of each method to different modalities which can be used to investigate IBC. Finally, we discuss issues surrounding the interpretation of each method.

Chronic sacroiliac joint dysfunction and CT-guided percutaneous fixation: a 6-year experience.

PURPOSE: Reporting the clinical outcomes, patient satisfaction, and complications following an imaging-guided percutaneous screw fixation in the treatment of sacroiliac joint dysfunction and evaluating the safety and effectiveness of this method. METHODS: We performed a retrospective study on a prospectively gathered cohort of patients with physiotherapy-resistant pain due to sacroiliac joint incompetence that underwent percutaneous screw fixation, between 2016 and 2022 in our center. A minimum of two screws were used in all patients to obtain fixation of the sacroiliac joint, using percutaneous screw insertion under CT guidance, coupled with a C-arm fluoroscopy unit. RESULTS: The mean visual analog scale significantly improved at 6 months of follow-up (p < 0.05). One hundred percent of the patients reported significant improvement in pain scores at the final follow-up. None of our patients experienced intraoperative or postoperative complications. CONCLUSION: The use of percutaneous sacroiliac screws provides a safe and effective technique for the treatment of sacroiliac joint dysfunction in patients with chronic resistant pain.

Impact of myocardial injury after coronary artery bypass grafting on long-term prognosis.

AIMS: The most appropriate definition of perioperative myocardial infarction (pMI) after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and its impact on clinically relevant long-term events is controversial. We aimed to (i) analyse the incidence of pMI depending on various current definitions in a 'real-life' setting of CABG surgery and (ii) determine the long-term prognosis of patients with pMI depending on current definitions. METHODS AND RESULTS: A consecutive cohort of 2829 coronary artery disease patients undergoing CABG from two tertiary university centres with the presence of serial perioperative cardiac biomarker measurements (cardiac troponin and creatine kinase-myocardial band) were retrospectively analysed. The incidence and prognostic impact of pMI were assessed according to (i) the 4th Universal Definition of Myocardial Infarction (4UD), (ii) the definition of the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI), and (iii) the Academic Research Consortium (ARC). The primary endpoint of this study was a composite of myocardial infarction, all-cause death, and repeat revascularization; secondary endpoints were mortality at 30 days and during 5-year follow-up. There was a significant difference in the occurrence of pMI (49.5% SCAI vs. 2.9% 4UD vs. 2.6% ARC). The 4th Universal Definition of Myocardial Infarction and ARC criteria remained strong independent predictors of all-cause mortality at 30 days [4UD: odds ratio (OR) 12.18; 95% confidence interval (CI) 5.00-29.67; P < 0.001; ARC: OR 13.16; 95% CI 5.41-32.00; P < 0.001] and 5 years [4UD: hazard ratio (HR) 2.13; 95% CI 1.19-3.81; P = 0.011; ARC: HR 2.23; 95% CI 1.21-4.09; P = 0.010]. Moreover, the occurrence of new perioperative electrocardiographic changes was prognostic of both primary and secondary endpoints. CONCLUSION: Incidence and prognosis of pMI differ markedly depending on the underlying definition of myocardial infarction for patients undergoing CABG. Isolated biomarker release-based definitions (such as troponin) were not associated with pMI relevant to prognosis. Additional signs of ischaemia detected by new electrocardiographic abnormalities, regional wall motion abnormalities, or coronary angiography should result in rapid action in everyday clinical practice.

Trends in opioid use following balloon kyphoplasty or vertebroplasty for the treatment of vertebral compression fractures.

This retrospective analysis of insurance claims evaluated real-world trends in prescription fills among patients treated with balloon kyphoplasty (N = 6,656) or vertebroplasty (N = 2,189) following diagnosis of vertebral compression fracture. Among those with evidence of opioid use, nearly half of patients discontinued or reduced prescription fills relative to pre-operative levels. INTRODUCTION: Vertebral compression fractures (VCF) are associated with debilitating pain, spinal misalignment, increased mortality, and increased healthcare-resource utilization in elderly patients. This study evaluated the effect of balloon kyphoplasty (BKP) or vertebroplasty (VP) on post-procedure opioid prescription fills and payer costs in patients with VCF. METHODS: This was a retrospective analysis of a large, nationally representative insurance-claims database. Clinical characteristics, opioid prescription patterns, and payer costs for subjects who underwent either BKP or VP to treat VCF were evaluated beginning 6 months prior to surgery through 7-month follow-up that included a 30-day, postoperative medication washout. Patient demographics, changes in opioid utilization, and payer costs were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 8,845 patients met eligibility criteria (75.3% BKP and 24.7% VP) with a mean of age 77 and 74% female. Among the 75% of patients who used opioids, 48.7% of patients discontinued opioid medication and 8.4% reduced prescription fills versus preoperative baseline. Patients who reduced or discontinued prescriptions exhibited a decrease in all-cause payer costs relative to pre-intervention levels, which was a significantly greater change relative to patients with no change, increase, or new start of opioids. CONCLUSIONS: Interventional treatment for VCF was associated with decreased or discontinued opioid prescription fills and reduced payer costs in follow-up in a significant proportion of the study population. Reduction of opioid-based harms may represent a previously unrecognized benefit of vertebral augmentation for VCF, especially in this elderly and medically fragile population.

Mycosis fungoides-derived exosomes promote cell motility and are enriched with microRNA-155 and microRNA-1246, and their plasma-cell-free expression may serve as a potential biomarker for disease burden.

BACKGROUND: Literature regarding exosomes as mediators in intercellular communication to promote progression in mycosis fungoides (MF) is lacking. OBJECTIVES: To characterize MF-derived exosomes and their involvement in the disease. METHODS: Exosomes were isolated by ultracentrifugation from cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) cell lines, and from plasma of patients with MF and controls (healthy individuals). Exosomes were confirmed by electron microscopy, NanoSight and CD81 staining. Cell-line exosomes were profiled for microRNA array. Exosomal microRNA (exomiRNA) expression and uptake, and plasma-cell-free microRNA (cfmiRNA) were analysed by reverse-transcriptase quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Exosome uptake was monitored by fluorescent labelling and CD81 immunostaining. Migration was analysed by transwell migration assay. RESULTS: MyLa- and MJ-derived exosomes had a distinctive microRNA signature with abundant microRNA (miR)-155 and miR-1246. Both microRNAs were delivered into target cells, but only exomiR-155 was tested, demonstrating a migratory effect on target cells. Plasma levels of cfmiR-1246 were significantly highest in combined plaque/tumour MF, followed by patch MF, and were lowest in controls (plaque/tumour > patch > healthy), while cfmiR-155 was upregulated only in plaque/tumour MF vs. controls. Specifically, exomiR-1246 (and not exomiR-155) was higher in plasma of plaque/tumour MF than in healthy controls. Plasma exosomes from MF but not from controls increased cell migration. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings show that MF-derived exosomes promote cell motility and are enriched with miR-155, a well-known microRNA in MF, and miR-1246, not previously reported in MF. Based on their plasma expression we suggest that they may serve as potential biomarkers for tumour burden.

Correction to: Were VCF patients at higher risk of mortality following the 2009 publication of the vertebroplasty "sham" trials?

The article Were VCF patients at higher risk of mortality following the 2009 publication of the vertebroplasty "sham" trials?, written by K. L. Ong, D. P. Beall, M. Frohbergh, E. Lau, and J. A. Hirsch was originally published electronically on the publisher's internet portal.

Unilesional mycosis fungoides is associated with increased expression of microRNA-17~92 and T helper 1 skewing.

BACKGROUND: The molecular basis of unilesional mycosis fungoides (MF), characterized by a solitary lesion that is clinicopathologically indistinguishable from multifocal patch or plaque MF (early MF), is unknown. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the microRNA profile in unilesional MF distinguishing it from early MF. METHODS: Biopsy samples of unilesional MF and early MF were evaluated with the Affymetrix microRNA array, with further comparison with inflammatory dermatosis, using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. NanoString technology was applied to analyse the gene expression of T helper (Th)1 immune markers, and immunohistochemistry was used to evaluate CXCR3 and GATA-binding protein 3 (GATA3) markers for Th1 and Th2 cells, respectively. RESULTS: Unilesional MF had a significantly higher level of expression of all members of the microRNA miR-17~92 cluster than early MF. Specifically, unilesional MF had a higher miR-17 level than early MF and inflammatory dermatoses. There was downregulation of the expression of phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) and CREB1, known targets of miR-17~92 members; higher gene expression of interleukin-2 and interferon-γ; and a statistically lower average percentage of GATA3+ dermal cells (6·7% vs. 42·3%), were detected in unilesional MF compared with early MF. High immunoreactivity of CXCR3 was noted in both unilesional and early MF. CONCLUSIONS: Unilesional MF exhibits a microRNA profile distinct from that of conventional early MF, with a higher level of miR-17~92 members along with Th1 skewing. These findings suggest a robust reactive T-cell immune response in unilesional MF and might account for the localized nature of this disease.

Were VCF patients at higher risk of mortality following the 2009 publication of the vertebroplasty "sham" trials?

The 5-year period following 2009 saw a steep reduction in vertebral augmentation volume and was associated with elevated mortality risk in vertebral compression fracture (VCF) patients. The risk of mortality following a VCF diagnosis was 85.1% at 10 years and was found to be lower for balloon kyphoplasty (BKP) and vertebroplasty (VP) patients. INTRODUCTION: BKP and VP are associated with lower mortality risks than non-surgical management (NSM) of VCF. VP versus sham trials published in 2009 sparked controversy over its effectiveness, leading to diminished referral volumes. We hypothesized that lower BKP/VP utilization would lead to a greater mortality risk for VCF patients. METHODS: BKP/VP utilization was evaluated for VCF patients in the 100% US Medicare data set (2005-2014). Survival and morbidity were analyzed by the Kaplan-Meier method and compared between NSM, BKP, and VP using Cox regression with adjustment by propensity score and various factors. RESULTS: The cohort included 261,756 BKP (12.6%) and 117,232 VP (5.6%) patients, comprising 20% of the VCF patient population in 2005, peaking at 24% in 2007-2008, and declining to 14% in 2014. The propensity-adjusted mortality risk for VCF patients was 4% (95% CI, 3-4%; p < 0.001) greater in 2010-2014 versus 2005-2009. The 10-year risk of mortality for the overall cohort was 85.1%. BKP and VP cohorts had a 19% (95% CI, 19-19%; p < 0.001) and 7% (95% CI, 7-8%; p < 0.001) lower propensity-adjusted 10-year mortality risk than the NSM cohort, respectively. The BKP cohort had a 13% (95% CI, 12-13%; p < 0.001) lower propensity-adjusted 10-year mortality risk than the VP cohort. CONCLUSIONS: Changes in treatment patterns following the 2009 VP publications led to fewer augmentation procedures. In turn, the 5-year period following 2009 was associated with elevated mortality risk in VCF patients. This provides insight into the implications of treatment pattern changes and associated mortality risks.

The role of the glucuronoxylan carboxyl groups in the action of endoxylanases of three glycoside hydrolase families: A study with two substrate mutants.

BACKGROUND: Bacterial appendage-dependent GH30 glucuronoxylan hydrolases recognize the substrate through an ionic interaction of a conserved positively charged arginine with the carboxyl group of 4-O-methyl-d-glucuronic acid. One of the options to verify this interaction is preparation of enzyme mutants. An alternative approach is a chemical modification of the substrate, glucuronoxylan, in which the free carboxyl group in all residues of MeGlcA is eliminated. METHODS: In this work the carboxyl groups of 4-O-methyl-d-glucuronic acid residues of an alkali extracted beechwood xylan were esterified with methanol. A water-soluble fraction of the polysaccharide methyl ester was converted by NaBH4 reduction to the second soluble derivative, 4-O-methylglucoxylan. Specific activities of several endoxylanases (EXs) of GH families 10, 11 and 30 were determined on glucuronoxylan, and its two new uncharged derivatives. RESULTS: Elimination of the free carboxyl group from the polysaccharide did not influence activities of GH10 EXs, but resulted in 50% decrease of specific activity of GH11 EXs, and led to more than 300-fold reduction of specific activity of Erwinia chrysanthemi GH30 xylanase. CONCLUSIONS: These results confirm the crucial role of the interactions between GH30 xylanases and the MeGlcA carboxyl group for efficient cleavage of the polysaccharide. Analysis of the hydrolysis products by TLC and MS confirmed that all three types of xylanases hydrolyzed uncharged glucuronoxylans similarly as the original one. SIGNIFICANCE: The uncharged glucuronoxylan derivatives will be useful to differentiate GH30 xylanases with various degree of selectivity for glucuronoxylan, including fungal enzymes without the conserved arginine.

Difficulties in screening for peripheral neuropathies in children with diabetes.

AIMS: To assess the diagnostic utility of a novel abbreviated monofilament test in comparison with the tuning fork test to detect diabetic peripheral neuropathy in children. METHODS: A total of 88 children with Type 1 diabetes mellitus were screened for diabetic peripheral neuropathy using the monofilament test and the tuning fork. Nerve conduction studies were performed according to the 'gold standard' for neuropathy. We assessed the diagnostic utility and inter-rater agreement of the two screening methods. RESULTS: A total of 43 (49%) children (aged 6-18 years) had at least one abnormal nerve conduction study result. Diagnostic utility and inter-rater agreement were very low for both screening methods. The monofilament test yielded a sensitivity of 18% and a specificity of 80%. The tuning fork yielded a sensitivity of 0% and a specificity of 98%. CONCLUSION: The present study found that an abbreviated monofilament test has low diagnostic utility for the detection of early diabetic peripheral neuropathy because of its low reliability. The problem of reliability needs to be more thoroughly addressed in order to improve the screening procedures in diabetes management in childhood and adolescence.

The NAP motif of activity-dependent neuroprotective protein (ADNP) regulates dendritic spines through microtubule end binding proteins.

The NAP motif of activity-dependent neuroprotective protein (ADNP) enhanced memory scores in patients suffering from mild cognitive impairment and protected activities of daily living in schizophrenia patients, while fortifying microtubule (MT)-dependent axonal transport, in mice and flies. The question is how does NAP fortify MTs? Our sequence analysis identified the MT end-binding protein (EB1)-interacting motif SxIP (SIP, Ser-Ile-Pro) in ADNP/NAP and showed specific SxIP binding sites in all members of the EB protein family (EB1-3). Others found that EB1 enhancement of neurite outgrowth is attenuated by EB2, while EB3 interacts with postsynaptic density protein 95 (PSD-95) to modulate dendritic plasticity. Here, NAP increased PSD-95 expression in dendritic spines, which was inhibited by EB3 silencing. EB1 or EB3, but not EB2 silencing inhibited NAP-mediated cell protection, which reflected NAP binding specificity. NAPVSKIPQ (SxIP=SKIP), but not NAPVAAAAQ mimicked NAP activity. ADNP, essential for neuronal differentiation and brain formation in mouse, a member of the SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex and a major protein mutated in autism and deregulated in schizophrenia in men, showed similar EB interactions, which were enhanced by NAP treatment. The newly identified shared MT target of NAP/ADNP is directly implicated in synaptic plasticity, explaining the breadth and efficiency of neuroprotective/neurotrophic capacities.

Impact of intraoperative hypotension and blood pressure fluctuations on early postoperative delirium after non-cardiac surgery.

INTRODUCTION: Postoperative delirium is common in older patients. Despite its prognostic significance, the pathophysiology is incompletely understood. Although many risk factors have been identified, no reversible factors, particularly ones potentially modifiable by anaesthetic management, have been identified. The goal of this prospective cohort study was to investigate whether intraoperative hypotension was associated with postoperative delirium in older patients undergoing major non-cardiac surgery. METHODS: Study subjects were patients >65 years of age, undergoing major non-cardiac surgery, who were enrolled in an ongoing prospective observational study of the pathophysiology of postoperative delirium. Intraoperative blood pressure was measured and predefined criteria were used to define hypotension. Delirium was measured by the Confusion Assessment Method on the first two postoperative days. Data were analysed using t-tests, two-sample proportion tests and ordered logistic regression multivariable models, including correction for multiple comparisons. RESULTS: Data from 594 patients with a mean age of 73.6 years (sd 6.2) were studied. Of these 178 (30%) developed delirium on day 1 and 176 (30%) on day 2. Patients developing delirium were older, more often female, had lower preoperative cognitive scores, and underwent longer operations. Relative hypotension (decreases by 20, 30, or 40%) or absolute hypotension [mean arterial pressure (MAP)<50 mm Hg] were not significantly associated with postoperative delirium, nor was the duration of hypotension (MAP<50 mm Hg). Conversely, intraoperative blood pressure variance was significantly associated with postoperative delirium. DISCUSSION: These results showed that increased blood pressure fluctuation, not absolute or relative hypotension, was predictive of postoperative delirium.

[Potential cognitive alterations after treatment of benign prostate syndrome. Investigations on transurethral electroresection and 180 W GreenLight XPS laser therapy]. / Potenzielle kognitive Veränderungen nach Behandlung des benignen Prostatasyndroms. Untersuchungen zu transurethraler Elektroresektion oder 180-Watt-XPS-Greenlight-Laserung.

OBJECTIVE: The study was carried out to detect possible changes in cognition after transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) and 180 W GreenLight-XPS laser treatment of the prostate. METHODS: Cognitive capacity was assessed by the mini-mental state examination (MMSE) and the clock test preoperatively and on postoperative day 2 in addition to documentation of clinical parameters, such as patient age, prostate size, duration of surgery, comorbidities, co-medications and alterations in hemoglobin (Hb) and sodium concentrations. RESULTS: Patients treated with TURP (n = 88) and 180 W GreenLight-XPS laser treatment of the prostate (n = 114) were comparable regarding age, prostate size and duration of surgery. Baseline characteristics of the patients treated by laser showed an increased potential for postoperative cognitive changes with an average of 3.8 comorbidities (TURP 3.11, p = 0.005) and were using an average of 6.79 multiple medications (TURP 5.24, p < 0.001); however, neither the MMSE nor the clock test demonstrated a decrease in the average postoperative score (difference between postoperative and preoperative MMSE + 0.6 ± 1.6 for 180 W GreenLight-XPS laser treatment and + 0.6 ± 1.6 for TURP, p = 0.944; difference postoperative and preoperative clock test + 0.43 ± 1.44 for 180 W GreenLight-XPS laser treatment and 0.13 ± 1.17 for TURP, p = 0.097). Neither postoperative hemoglobin nor sodium concentrations, as safety relevant parameters, demonstrated clinically relevant changes. The differences between the surgical procedures were not statistically significant. DISCUSSION: Neither 180 W GreenLight-XPS laser treatment of the prostate nor TURP demonstrated changes in cognition by comparing the preoperative MMSE and the clock test scores. In this study, the baseline characteristics of laser-treated patients showed a higher number of comorbidities and a higher use of medications, particular those with anticholinergic potency; therefore, 180 W GreenLight-XPS laser treatment of the prostate appears particularly safe for elderly patients.

Sleep restriction increases the neuronal response to unhealthy food in normal-weight individuals.

CONTEXT: Sleep restriction alters responses to food. However, the underlying neural mechanisms for this effect are not well understood. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine whether there is a neural system that is preferentially activated in response to unhealthy compared with healthy foods. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-five normal-weight individuals, who normally slept 7-9 h per night, completed both phases of this randomized controlled study. INTERVENTION: Each participant was tested after a period of five nights of either 4 or 9 h in bed. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was performed in the fasted state, presenting healthy and unhealthy food stimuli and objects in a block design. Neuronal responses to unhealthy, relative to healthy food stimuli after each sleep period were assessed and compared. RESULTS: After a period of restricted sleep, viewing unhealthy foods led to greater activation in the superior and middle temporal gyri, middle and superior frontal gyri, left inferior parietal lobule, orbitofrontal cortex, and right insula compared with healthy foods. These same stimuli presented after a period of habitual sleep did not produce marked activity patterns specific to unhealthy foods. Further, food intake during restricted sleep increased in association with a relative decrease in brain oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) activity observed in the right insula. CONCLUSION: This inverse relationship between insula activity and food intake and enhanced activation in brain reward and food-sensitive centers in response to unhealthy foods provides a model of neuronal mechanisms relating short sleep duration to obesity.

Exposure of fallopian tube epithelium to follicular fluid mimics carcinogenic changes in precursor lesions of serous papillary carcinoma.

OBJECTIVES: Ovulation-related inflammation is suspected to have a causal role in ovarian carcinogenesis, but there are no human models to study the molecular pathways. Our aim is to develop such an ex-vivo model based on human fallopian tube (FT) epithelium exposed to human follicular fluid (FF). METHODS: FT epithelium was dissociated from normal surgical specimens. FF was obtained from donors undergoing in-vitro fertilization. The cells were cultured on collagen-coated Transwells and incubated with FF for various periods of time. The transcriptomic changes resulting from FF treatment were profiled using Affymetrix expression arrays. Specific characteristics of the FT pre-cancerous lesions were studied using immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, RT-PCR and XTT assay. RESULTS: We show that FF exposure causes up-regulation of inflammatory and DNA repair pathways. Double stranded DNA breaks are induced. There is a minor increase in cell proliferation. TP53, which is the hallmark of the precursor lesion in-vivo, is accumulated. Levels of expression and secretion of Interleukin-8 are significantly increased. CONCLUSIONS: Our model addresses the main non-genetic risk factor for ovarian cancer, namely the impact of ovulation. This study demonstrates the biological implications of in-vitro exposure of human FT epithelial cells to FF. The model replicates elements characterizing the precursor lesions of ovarian cancer, and warrants further investigation of the linkage between repeated exposure to ovulation-related damage and accumulation of neoplastic changes.

Vacuolar H+-ATPase is down-regulated by the angiogenesis-inhibitory pigment epithelium-derived factor in metastatic prostate cancer cells.

The Vacuolar H+-ATPases (V-ATPases), a multi-subunits nanomotor present in all eukaryotic cells resides in the endomembranes of exocytotic and endocytotic pathways. Plasmalemmal V-ATPases have been shown to be involved in tumor cell metastasis. Pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF), a potent endogenous inhibitor of angiogenesis, is down-regulated in prostate cancer cells. We hypothesized that the transduction of PEDF in prostate cancer cells will down-regulate V-ATPase function; that in turn will decrease the expression of the V-ATPase accessory protein ATP6ap2 and a-subunit isoforms that target V-ATPase to the cell surface. To test these hypotheses, we used the human androgen-sensitive prostate cancer cells LNCaP, and its castration-refractory-derivative CL1 that were engineered to stably co-express the DsRed Express Fluorescent Protein with or without PEDF. To determine if PEDF down-regulates the function of V-ATPase, we measured the rate of proton fluxes (JH+) of the cytosolic and endosome/lysosome compartments. The mRNA levels for subunit-a isoforms and the ATP6ap2 were measured using quantitative reverse transcription-PCR. The results showed that PEDF expression decreased the rate of JH+ in metastatic CL1 cells without affecting JH+ in non-metastatic LNCaP cells, when studying pH(cyt). Interestingly, PEDF did not affect JH+ in endosomes/lysosomes either in metastatic cells or in non-metastatic cells. We also showed that PEDF significantly decreases the levels of a4 isoform and ATP6ap2 in metastatic CL1 cells, without affecting the levels of a4 isoform in the non-metastatic LNCaP cells. These data identify PEDF as a novel regulator of V-ATPase suggesting a new way by which PEDF may inhibit prostate tumor growth.

Efficacy of Canakinumab vs. triamcinolone acetonide according to multiple gouty arthritis-related health outcomes measures.

AIM: Canakinumab (CAN), a selective, fully human, anti-IL-1ß monoclonal antibody, has demonstrated long-term benefits in gouty arthritis (GA) patients, who have contraindications for, or are unresponsive or intolerant of, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or colchicine (two trials:ß-RELIEVED [n = 228]; ß-RELIEVED II [n = 226]). The trials collected different responses, including patient-reported outcomes (PRO). A composite response end-point (CRE) was used to interpret each patient's overall response to treatment. METHODS: Data from ß-RELIEVED trials were pooled for this retrospective analysis. The CRE representing overall change in GA-related health outcomes, from baseline to 12 weeks, included clinical markers; PROs from the Gout Impact Scale (GIS); and the SF-36 bodily pain scale. Response to each variable (i.e. markedly important difference) was determined a priori. Variable values [1 (responder) or 0 (non-responder)] were summed to create a CRE score for each patient. RESULTS: For eight of 12 variables measured, the percentage of CAN responders was significantly greater than for TA (p < 0.05). On average, patients receiving CAN met a higher percentage of response criteria (65%) than patients receiving triamcinolone acetonide (TA) (49%), p < 0.001. Mean CRE scores were significantly higher for CAN vs. TA (mean [SD]; 4.7 [2.7] vs. 3.7 [2.4], p < 0.001). Treatment differences remained even after serially removing individual responder variables and domains from the composite end-point, indicating that the differences between CAN and TA were robust. CONCLUSION: CAN was superior to TA across multiple health-outcome variables comprising clinical markers and PRO over 12 weeks in patients contraindicated, intolerant or unresponsive to NSAIDs and/or colchicine.

[Metaanalysis to estimate the expected drop out-rates reported in clinical trials on cataract surgery]. / Metaanalyse zur Schätzung der in klinischen Studien zur Kataraktchirurgie zu erwartenden drop out-Rate.

BACKGROUND: A realistic sample size calculation is crucial to achieve significant results in clinical trials. As an expected drop out-rate has to be included in the sample size calculation, current practice consists in the presumption of drop out-rates published in previous similar investigations. This approach may, however, result in severely over- or under-estimated sample sizes. Therefore this meta-analysis sought to aggregate the drop out-rates from published clinical trial reports on cataract surgery to derive a quantitative suggestion for the planning of future clinical trials. METHODS: The data collection was a complete review of all prospective and retrospective studies in five journals of the years 2002-2012; trial-wise recall rates of subjects at follow-up 3, 6, 12, and 24 months after recruitment were documented. The primary endpoint of the meta-analysis was the reported drop out-rates after 6 months. 95 % confidence intervals were calculated for each trial, respectively; a median drop out-rate was estimated including its 95 % confidence interval. The drop-out-rate estimates were furthermore stratified by design characteristics of the reported studies. RESULTS: For randomised clinical trials on cataract surgery, the median drop out-rate increased during the follow-up period of 24 months from 4 % at three months to 17 % at 24 months after recruitment; for the six-month drop out-rate a median drop-out rate of 3 % (95 % CI 0 %; 14 %) was estimated. CONCLUSION: Drop out-rates in sample size calculations for clinical trials on cataract surgery were found to be over-estimated in general, ending up in the calculation of overly large patient numbers and thereby in both ethical and economic consequences. For randomised clinical trials on cataract surgery the median drop out-rate can be expected to be 5 % during a six-month follow-up and may rise up to 15 % during a 12-month trial period.

On Thermal and Electrodynamic Aspects of the Superconductive Transition Process.

In a classic paper of 1960, W. H. Cherry and J. I. Gittleman discussed various thermal and electrodynamic aspects of the superconductive transition process relevant to practical applications. In a section of the paper that has remained unnoticed, they proposed a physical model for the Meissner effect. Earlier in 1940-1943, in work that has also remained unnoticed, K. M. Koch had introduced related physical ideas to explain the Meissner effect. Still earlier in 1937, J. C. Slater proposed a model to explain the perfect diamagnetism of superconductors. None of these ideas are part of the conventional London-BCS understanding of superconductivity, yet I will argue that they are essential to understand the Meissner effect, the most fundamental property of superconductors. The unconventional theory of hole superconductivity unifies and extends these ideas. A key missing element in the conventional theory as well as in these early theories is electron-hole asymmetry. A proper understanding of the Meissner effect may help with practical applications of superconductors, as well as to find new superconducting materials with desirable properties.