Refine
Has Fulltext
- yes (67)
Is part of the Bibliography
- yes (67)
Year of publication
- 2021 (67) (remove)
Document Type
- Journal article (49)
- Doctoral Thesis (18)
Keywords
- Herzinsuffizienz (4)
- adrenocortical carcinoma (4)
- atherosclerosis (4)
- echocardiography (3)
- inflammation (3)
- obesity (3)
- paraganglioma (3)
- pheochromocytoma (3)
- wall shear stress (3)
- CXCR4 (2)
Institute
- Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik I (67) (remove)
Sonstige beteiligte Institutionen
Growth, ageing and atherosclerotic plaque development alter the biomechanical forces acting on the vessel wall. However, monitoring the detailed local changes in wall shear stress (WSS) at distinct sites of the murine aortic arch over time has been challenging. Here, we studied the temporal and spatial changes in flow, WSS, oscillatory shear index (OSI) and elastic properties of healthy wildtype (WT, n = 5) and atherosclerotic apolipoprotein E-deficient (Apoe\(^{−/−}\), n = 6) mice during ageing and atherosclerosis using high-resolution 4D flow magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Spatially resolved 2D projection maps of WSS and OSI of the complete aortic arch were generated, allowing the pixel-wise statistical analysis of inter- and intragroup hemodynamic changes over time and local correlations between WSS, pulse wave velocity (PWV), plaque and vessel wall characteristics. The study revealed converse differences of local hemodynamic profiles in healthy WT and atherosclerotic Apoe\(^{−/−}\) mice, and we identified the circumferential WSS as potential marker of plaque size and composition in advanced atherosclerosis and the radial strain as a potential marker for vascular elasticity. Two-dimensional (2D) projection maps of WSS and OSI, including statistical analysis provide a powerful tool to monitor local aortic hemodynamics during ageing and atherosclerosis. The correlation of spatially resolved hemodynamics and plaque characteristics could significantly improve our understanding of the impact of hemodynamics on atherosclerosis, which may be key to understand plaque progression towards vulnerability.
Anxiety disorders and depression are common comorbidities in cardiac patients. Mice lacking the serotonin transporter (5-HTT) exhibit increased anxiety-like behavior. However, the role of 5-HTT deficiency on cardiac aging, and on healing and remodeling processes after myocardial infarction (MI), remains unclear. Cardiological evaluation of experimentally naïve male mice revealed a mild cardiac dysfunction in ≥4-month-old 5-HTT knockout (−/−) animals. Following induction of chronic cardiac dysfunction (CCD) by MI vs. sham operation 5-HTT−/− mice with infarct sizes >30% experienced 100% mortality, while 50% of 5-HTT+/− and 37% of 5-HTT+/+ animals with large MI survived the 8-week observation period. Surviving (sham and MI < 30%) 5-HTT−/− mutants displayed reduced exploratory activity and increased anxiety-like behavior in different approach-avoidance tasks. However, CCD failed to provoke a depressive-like behavioral response in either 5-Htt genotype. Mechanistic analyses were performed on mice 3 days post-MI. Electrocardiography, histology and FACS of inflammatory cells revealed no abnormalities. However, gene expression of inflammation-related cytokines (TGF-β, TNF-α, IL-6) and MMP-2, a protein involved in the breakdown of extracellular matrix, was significantly increased in 5-HTT−/− mice after MI. This study shows that 5-HTT deficiency leads to age-dependent cardiac dysfunction and disrupted early healing after MI probably due to alterations of inflammatory processes in mice.
No studies have carried out an extensive analysis of the possible association between non-syndromic pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas (PPGLs) and other malignancies. To assess >the risk of additional malignancy in PPGL, we retrospectively evaluated 741 patients with PPGLs followed-up in twelve referral centers in Italy. Incidence of second malignant tumors was compared between this cohort and Italian patients with two subsequent malignancies. Among our patients, 95 (12.8%) developed a second malignant tumor, which were mainly prostate, colorectal and lung/bronchial cancers in males, breast cancer, differentiated thyroid cancer and melanoma in females. The standardized incidence ratio was 9.59 (95% CI 5.46–15.71) in males and 13.21 (95% CI 7.52–21.63) in females. At multivariable analysis, the risk of developing a second malignant tumor increased with age at diagnosis (HR 2.50, 95% CI 1.15–5.44, p = 0.021 for 50–59 vs. <50-year category; HR 3.46, 95% CI 1.67–7.15, p < 0.001 for >60- vs. <50-year). In patients with available genetic evaluation, a positive genetic test was inversely associated with the risk of developing a second tumor (HR 0.25, 95% CI 0.10–0.63, p = 0.003). In conclusion, PPGLs patients have higher incidence of additional malignant tumors compared to the general population who had a first malignancy, which could have an impact on the surveillance strategy.
Aims
It has been hypothesized that cardiac decompensation accompanying acute heart failure (AHF) episodes generates a pro-inflammatory environment boosting an adaptive immune response against myocardial antigens, thus contributing to progression of heart failure (HF) and poor prognosis. We assessed the prevalence of anti-myocardial autoantibodies (AMyA) as biomarkers reflecting adaptive immune responses in patients admitted to the hospital for AHF, followed the change in AMyA titres for 6 months after discharge, and evaluated their prognostic utility.
Methods and results
AMyA were determined in n = 47 patients, median age 71 (quartiles 60; 80) years, 23 (49%) female, and 24 (51%) with HF with preserved ejection fraction, from blood collected at baseline (time point of hospitalization) and at 6 month follow-up (visit F6). Patients were followed for 18 months (visit F18). The prevalence of AMyA increased from baseline (n = 21, 45%) to F6 (n = 36, 77%; P < 0.001). At F6, the prevalence of AMyA was higher in patients with HF with preserved ejection fraction (n = 21, 88%) compared with patients with reduced ejection fraction (n = 14, 61%; P = 0.036). During the subsequent 12 months after F6, that is up to F18, patients with newly developed AMyA at F6 had a higher risk for the combined endpoint of death or rehospitalization for HF (hazard ratio 4.79, 95% confidence interval 1.13–20.21; P = 0.033) compared with patients with persistent or without AMyA at F6.
Conclusions
Our results support the hypothesis that AHF may induce patterns of adaptive immune responses. More studies in larger populations and well-defined patient subgroups are needed to further clarify the role of the adaptive immune system in HF progression.
Adjuvant platinum-based chemotherapy in radically resected adrenocortical carcinoma: a cohort study
(2021)
Background
After radical resection, patients with adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) frequently experience recurrence and, therefore, effective adjuvant treatment is urgently needed. The aim of the study was to investigate the role of adjuvant platinum-based therapy.
Methods
In this retrospective multicentre cohort study, we identified patients treated with adjuvant platinum-based chemotherapy after radical resection and compared them with patients without adjuvant chemotherapy. Recurrence-free and overall survival (RFS/OS) were investigated in a matched group analysis and by applying a propensity score matching using the full control cohort (n = 268). For both approaches, we accounted for immortal time bias.
Results
Of the 31 patients in the platinum cohort (R0 n = 25, RX n = 4, R1 n = 2; ENSAT Stage II n = 11, III n = 16, IV n = 4, median Ki67 30%, mitotane n = 28), 14 experienced recurrence compared to 29 of 31 matched controls (median RFS after the landmark at 3 months 17.3 vs. 7.3 months; adjusted HR 0.19 (95% CI 0.09-0.42; P < 0.001). Using propensity score matching, the HR for RFS was 0.45 (0.29-0.89, P = 0.021) and for OS 0.25 (0.09-0.69; P = 0.007).
Conclusions
Our study provides the first evidence that adjuvant platinum-based chemotherapy may be associated with prolonged recurrence-free and overall survival in patients with ACC and a very high risk for recurrence.
Adrenocortical tumors are rare in children. This systematic review summarizes the published evidence on pediatric adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) to provide a basis for a better understanding of the disease, investigate new molecular biomarkers and therapeutic targets, and define which patients may benefit from a more aggressive therapeutic approach. We included 137 studies with 3680 ACC patients (~65% female) in our analysis. We found no randomized controlled trials, so this review mainly reflects retrospective data. Due to a specific mutation in the TP53 gene in ~80% of Brazilian patients, that cohort was analyzed separately from series from other countries. Hormone analysis was described in 2569 of the 2874 patients (89%). Most patients were diagnosed with localized disease, whereas 23% had metastasis at primary diagnosis. Only 72% of the patients achieved complete resection. In 334 children (23%), recurrent disease was reported: 81% — local recurrence, 19% (n = 65) — distant metastases at relapse. Patients < 4 years old had a different distribution of tumor stages and hormone activity and better overall survival (p < 0.001). Although therapeutic approaches are typically multimodal, no consensus is available on effective standard treatments for advanced ACC. Thus, knowledge regarding pediatric ACC is still scarce and international prospective studies are needed to implement standardized clinical stratifications and risk-adapted therapeutic strategies.
One of the main problems we face with PPGL is the lack of molecular markers capable of predicting the development of metastases in patients. Telomere-related genes, such as TERT and ATRX, have been recently described in PPGL, supporting the association between the activation of immortalization mechanisms and disease progression. However, the contribution of other genes involving telomere preservation machinery has not been previously investigated. In this work, we aimed to analyze the prognostic value of a comprehensive set of genes involved in telomere maintenance. For this study, we collected 165 PPGL samples (97 non-metastatic/63 metastatic), genetically characterized, in which the expression of 29 genes of interest was studied by NGS. Three of the 29 genes studied, TERT, ATRX and NOP10, showed differential expression between metastatic and non-metastatic cases, and alterations in these genes were associated with a shorter time to progression, independent of SDHB-status. We studied telomere length by Q-FISH in patient samples and in an in vitro model. NOP10 overexpressing tumors displayed an intermediate-length telomere phenotype without ALT, and in vitro results suggest that NOP10 has a role in telomerase-dependent telomere maintenance. We also propose the implementation of NOP10 IHC to better stratify PPGL patients.
Morbus Fabry betrifft als lysosomale Speicherkrankheit viele Organsysteme durch die Ablagerung von Gb3 in verschiedenen Geweben. Besonders durch die Beteiligung von Nieren und Herz, wird die Lebenszeit von den Patienten häufig verkürzt. Eine Beschreibung konkreter klinischer Symptome, welche auch durch Allgemeinmediziner oder Zahnärzte erkannt werden könnten, könnte eine frühzeitigere Diagnose und damit frühzeitige Therapie ermöglichen. Besonders extraorale gesichtsspezifische Merkmale können von verschiedensten Gruppen von Ärzten erkannt werden.
Die extraorale Auswertung zeigte, wie in der Literatur beschrieben, das Vorkommen von periorbitaler Fülle, prominente Arcus superciliaris, eine kürzere und bullösere Nase. Die Auffälligkeiten waren besonders bei den Männern zu beobachten.
Die intraorale Auswertung wurde in dentale Auffälligkeiten und Ereignisse des Hart- und Weichgewebes eingeteilt. Bei den dentalen Ereignissen zeigte sich eine Diskrepanz zwischen der Kiefergröße und dem Zahnmaterial. So neigte das Patientenkollektiv eher zu einem Breitkiefer, was eine Erklärung für die multiplen Lücken im Frontzahnbereich der Patienten darstellt. An der Mundschleimhaut und perioral konnten vermehrt Angiokeratome und Teleangiektasien festgestellt werden, sowie das vermehrte Vorkommen von Exostosen. Speziell die Zunge der Patienten zeigte auch Auffälligkeiten in Form von einer subjektiven Makroglossie, einer Furchenzunge und Veränderungen der Papillen.
Die Auffälligkeiten in der Mundhöhle und im Kopf-Hals Bereich der Morbus Fabry Patienten sind, wie der Literatur beschrieben, vorhanden, jedoch stellen sie keine Schlüsselrolle in der Diagnose dar, da sie in allen Bereichen nur leichte Abweichungen oder Auffälligkeiten zeigen, welche nicht immer Auftreten und daher schwer zu diagnostizieren sind.
A deep integration of routine care and research remains challenging in many respects. We aimed to show the feasibility of an automated transformation and transfer process feeding deeply structured data with a high level of granularity collected for a clinical prospective cohort study from our hospital information system to the study's electronic data capture system, while accounting for study-specific data and visits. We developed a system integrating all necessary software and organizational processes then used in the study. The process and key system components are described together with descriptive statistics to show its feasibility in general and to identify individual challenges in particular. Data of 2051 patients enrolled between 2014 and 2020 was transferred. We were able to automate the transfer of approximately 11 million individual data values, representing 95% of all entered study data. These were recorded in n = 314 variables (28% of all variables), with some variables being used multiple times for follow-up visits. Our validation approach allowed for constant good data quality over the course of the study. In conclusion, the automated transfer of multi-dimensional routine medical data from HIS to study databases using specific study data and visit structures is complex, yet viable.
The first description of neuromyelitis optica by Eugène Devic and Fernand Gault dates back to the 19th century, but only the discovery of aquaporin-4 autoantibodies in a major subset of affected patients in 2004 led to a fundamentally revised disease concept: Neuromyelits optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) are now considered autoantibody-mediated autoimmune diseases, bringing the pivotal pathogenetic role of B cells and plasma cells into focus. Not long ago, there was no approved medication for this deleterious disease and off-label therapies were the only treatment options for affected patients. Within the last years, there has been a tremendous development of novel therapies with diverse treatment strategies: immunosuppression, B cell depletion, complement factor antagonism and interleukin-6 receptor blockage were shown to be effective and promising therapeutic interventions. This has led to the long-expected official approval of eculizumab in 2019 and inebilizumab in 2020. In this article, we review current pathogenetic concepts in NMOSD with a focus on the role of B cells and autoantibodies as major contributors to the propagation of these diseases. Lastly, by highlighting promising experimental and future treatment options, we aim to round up the current state of knowledge on the therapeutic arsenal in NMOSD.