Antiallergic and antihistaminic actions of Ceasalpinia bonducella seeds: Possible role in treatment of asthma

Publication date: 24 April 2018
Source:Journal of Ethnopharmacology, Volume 216
Author(s): Sunayana Vikhe, Sunil Nirmal
Ethnopharmacological relevanceSeed kernel of the plant Ceasalpinia bonducella Linn (Caesalpiniacaeae) are used for the treatment of asthma in folk medicine and ancient books.Aim of studyTo assess the pharmacological efficacy of the plant in asthma and to confine and describe the synthetic constituents from the seeds that are in charge of the action.Material and methodsThe viability of petroleum ether, ethanol extract and ethyl acetate fraction from ethanol extract of C. bonducella seeds were screened for the treatment of asthma by various methods viz. effect of test drug on clonidine and haloperidol induced catalepsy, milk-induced leukocytosis and eosinophilia, mast cell stabilizing activity in mice and studies on smooth muscle preparation of guinea pig ileum (in-vitro). Column chromatography of active extract was done to pinpoint the active compound followed by structure elucidation by FTIR, GCMS and NMR spectroscopic methods.ResultsEthyl acetate fraction from ethanol extract of C. bonducella seeds exhibited antihistaminic activity at the dose of 50 and 100 mg/kg, inhibited clonidine-induced catalepsy but not haloperidol-induced catalepsy. Ethyl acetate fraction from ethanol extract significantly inhibited increased leukocyte and eosinophil count due to milk allergen and showed maximum protection against mast cell degranulation by clonidine. The results of guinea pig ileum indicated that the compound 2 methyl, 1 hexadecanol isolated from ethyl acetate fraction of ethanol extract relaxed significantly the ileum muscle strips pre-contracted by which suggests the involvement of β2-agonists on the relaxation of the tissue. All the results are dose dependent. Active ethyl acetate fraction from ethanol extract showed presence of anti-asthmatic compound, 2-methyl, 1-hexadecanol.ConclusionThe ethyl acetate fraction from ethanol extract of seeds of the plant C. bonducella can inhibit parameters linked to asthma disease.

Graphical abstract

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5 Polyglycerols

Publication date: 2018
Source:Engineering of Biomaterials for Drug Delivery Systems
Author(s): Homa Gheybi, Shabnam Sattari, Ali Bodaghi, Khadijeh Soleimani, Abbas Dadkhah, Mohsen Adeli
Polyglycerol (PG), a flexible hydrophilic aliphatic polyether polyol, has been explored as a promising candidate for drug delivery purposes driven by its biocompatibility, low immunogenicity, and low toxicity. Considering the fact that PG shows advantages over its polyether analog poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), extensive attention has been devoted to the design and development of new PG-based structures for biomedical applications. In this chapter, an overview is provided with respect to synthetic strategies toward linear, hyperbranced, and perfect dendritic polyglycerols, characteristic features that highlight the advantages of PG over PEG, and potential applications of PGs in various smart supramolecular structures such as tailored pH-, thermo-, and light responsive drug delivery systems in which polyglycerols act as a promising PEG substitute. Particular emphasis is also placed on the advances in cancer and gene therapies using PG formulations.



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Noninvasive quantitative analysis of ceramide in skin of healthy Chinese population

Abstract

Objective

The objective of this study was to make noninvasive quantitative analysis of ceramide (CER) in skin of healthy Chinese population by high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry.

Methods

Seven healthy subjects were selected and the stratified skin samples were available using cyanoacrylate adhesion method. High performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry, use ceramide Subclass Standard C42H85NO3 Quantification of the 12 corresponding ceramide subclass in the epidermis on the 7 skin samples, which cannot get all the standard of ceramides subclass since the stratum corneum ceramide is complex and diverse. Data were collected and analyzed using full-flow lipid analysis software (LipidSearch).

Results

All the seven skin samples contained 12 subclasses of ceramide and the samples were quantitated with ceramide C42H85NO3 standard. The average contents were 33.63, 27.59, 108.57, 220.75, 149.20, 43.06, and 22.78 μg/mL, respectively.

Conclusion

Ceramide is an important lipid in the epidermis and is closely related to the skin barrier function. There are 12 subtypes of ceramide detected in the skin of Chinese healthy people, and there is a difference in the concentration between individuals. The difference may be associated with the skin barrier condition, and may also be related to the unavoidable error in the process of sampling, treatment, and detection.

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Systemic juvenile xanthogranuloma: a case report and brief review

http://ift.tt/2EhnYng

First report of COL7A1 mutations in two patients with recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa from Peru

http://ift.tt/2C8LFsi

Construction and evaluation of Bordetella pertussis live attenuated vaccine strain BPZE1 producing Fim3

Publication date: Available online 9 February 2018
Source:Vaccine
Author(s): Anne-Sophie Debrie, Loïc Coutte, Dominique Raze, Frits Mooi, Frances Alexander, Andrew Gorringe, Nathalie Mielcarek, Camille Locht
Pertussis or whooping cough is currently the most prevalent vaccine-preventable childhood disease despite >85% global vaccination coverage. In recent years incidence has greatly increased in several high-income countries that have switched from the first-generation, whole-cell vaccine to the newer acellular vaccines, calling for improved vaccination strategies with better vaccines. We have developed a live attenuated pertussis vaccine candidate, called BPZE1, which is currently in clinical development. Unlike other pertussis vaccines, BPZE1 has been shown to provide strong protection against infection by the causative agent of pertussis, Bordetella pertussis, in non-human primates. BPZE1 is a derivative of the B. pertussis strain Tohama I, which produces serotype 2 (Fim2) but not serotype 3 fimbriae (Fim3). As immune responses to fimbriae are likely to contribute to protection, we constructed a BPZE1 derivative, called BPZE1f3, that produces both serotypes of fimbriae. Whereas nasal vaccination of mice with BPZE1 induced antibodies to Fim2 but not to Fim3, vaccination with BPZE1f3 elicited antibodies to both Fim2 and Fim3 at approximately the same level. In mice, both BPZE1 and BPZE1f3 provided equal levels of protection against clinical isolates that either produce Fim2 alone, both Fim2 and Fim3, or no fimbriae. However, vaccination with BPZE1f3 provided significantly stronger protection against Fim3-only producing B. pertussis than vaccination with BPZE1, indicating that immune responses to fimbriae contribute to serotype-specific protection against B. pertussis infection.



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Post hoc analysis of the efficacy of the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine against vaccine-type community-acquired pneumonia in at-risk older adults

Publication date: Available online 9 February 2018
Source:Vaccine
Author(s): José A. Suaya, Qin Jiang, Daniel A. Scott, William C. Gruber, Chris Webber, Beate Schmoele-Thoma, Cassandra K. Hall-Murray, Luis Jodar, Raul E. Isturiz
BackgroundIndividuals with certain chronic medical conditions are at higher risk of developing pneumonia and pneumococcal disease than those without. Using data from the Community-Acquired Pneumonia Immunization Trial in Adults (CAPiTA), this post hoc analysis assessed the efficacy of the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) in adults aged ≥65 years with at-risk conditions.MethodsThe Community-Acquired Pneumonia Immunization Trial in Adults (CAPiTA) was a double-blind, parallel-group, randomized, placebo-controlled study in the Netherlands in which adults aged ≥65 years received either PCV13 or placebo. Outcomes of interest were identified using prespecified clinical criteria, radiographic confirmation, routine microbiologic testing, and a serotype-specific urinary antigen detection assay.In this post hoc analysis, participants were classified by at-risk status based on self-reporting of any of the following chronic medical conditions: heart disease, lung disease, asthma, diabetes, liver disease, and smoking. The objective of this analysis was to assess PCV13 vaccine efficacy (VE) against a first episode of vaccine-serotype community-acquired pneumonia (VT-CAP) in at-risk participants.ResultsOf the 84,496 adults enrolled in the study, 41,385 (49.2%) were considered at risk owing to chronic medical conditions. Of the 139 VT-CAP cases, 115 (82.7%) occurred in these participants. VE of PCV13 against a first episode of VT-CAP among participants with at-risk conditions was 40.3% (95.2% CI: 11.4%, 60.2%). Average duration of follow-up since vaccination was 3.95 years for at-risk participants; protection did not wane over the study period.ConclusionsThis post hoc analysis of the Community-Acquired Pneumonia Immunization Trial in Adults (CAPiTA) showed significant and persistent efficacy of PCV13 against VT-CAP in at-risk older adults.ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00744263.



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Improving human papilloma virus vaccination rates throughout military treatment facilities

Publication date: Available online 9 February 2018
Source:Vaccine
Author(s): Rachel Dawson, Keith Lemmon, Nidhi J. Trivedi, Shana Hansen
ObjectivesThe four objectives of this study were to (1) educate military healthcare providers on HPV disease and vaccine, (2) assess short term recall of information presented at educational sessions, (3) assess provider comfort level with the vaccine, and (4) assess improvement in HPV vaccination rates.MethodsStandardized interactive educational sessions were conducted at military primary care clinics with pre- and post-educational quizzes administered before and immediately following the sessions. Provider attitudes were assessed using Likert scale questionnaires. Vaccination rates in children and young adolescents ages 11–18 at one of the participating regions that had a champion and started a Quality Improvement (QI) project were assessed at baseline, at 3-months and at 6-months post sessions.Results200 providers were reached at 48 primary care clinics during May 2014 through October 2015 with 200 quizzes and Likert scale questionnaires returned. There was increase in knowledge following the educational sessions as revealed in the pre- and post- test scores [t(57) = −5.04, p < 0.001]. There was a significant overall increase in comfort in answering patients' and parents' questions about HPV vaccine [p = 0.003]. There was a significant increase in the number of vaccines given at all the clinics 3-months after the educational sessions at the region who had a champion dedicated to monitoring vaccine rates and ensuring implementation efforts [p = 0.01] and started a QI project. This increase was not sustained at 6-months [p = 0.324].ConclusionsImprovement in provider short term knowledge recall and comfort level in answering parents' questions was seen. We found that educational sessions can improve HPV vaccination rates in military clinics that have a vaccine champion for up to 3-months. Further research into the effects of having clinic vaccine champions is critical.



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A live attenuated Vibrio anguillarum vaccine induces efficient immunoprotection in Tiger puffer (Takifugu rubripes)

Publication date: Available online 9 February 2018
Source:Vaccine
Author(s): Xiaohong Liu, Chenglong Jiao, Yue Ma, Qiyao Wang, Yuanxing Zhang
Tiger puffer (Takifugu rubripes) is becoming an economic promising aquaculture species in China. However, the development of Tiger puffer breeding industry is restricted by some serious aquatic disease such as vibriosis. An effective live attenuated vaccine MVAV6203 was developed in our previous studies by curing the virulence plasmid pEIB1 and unmarked inframe-deletion of the aroC gene from the virulent V. anguillarum. Here, we evaluated whether this live vaccine was suitable for Tiger puffer against disease caused by Vibrio genus. The live vaccine show virulence attenuation in both juvenile and adult fish vaccinated with either a single or high dose (50-fold single dose). In addition, administration of the live vaccine shew limited growth in fish and did not affect fish body weight significantly, with no adverse impact on growth between vaccinated and saline control fish. Furthermore, increased expression of cytokines involved in pro-inflammatory (IL-1β, TNFα and IL-6), cell-mediated immunity inducing (IL-12p35, IL-12p40 and IL-18), antiviral/intracellular pathogen killing (I-IFN-1, IFN-γ and Mx), peripheral T cell expansion and survival controlling (IL-2, IL-7 and IL-15) and antigen processing maker and anti-inflammatory (MHC I and IL-10) were elicited significantly after the vaccination. These cellular responses correlate with protection against virulent strain challenge and high RPS of 90.67% and 80.31% in juvenile and adult fish were obtained, respectively. These data indicated for the first time that the live attenuated V. anguillarum vaccine is suitably applied for the development of an effective and safe vaccine for prevention of vibriosis in Tiger puffer aquaculture industry.



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Bordetella pertussis (Bp) disease: Before (2003–2011) and after (2013–2016) maternal immunization strategy in a pediatric hospital

Publication date: Available online 9 February 2018
Source:Vaccine
Author(s): Angela Gentile, María del Valle Juarez, María Florencia Lucion, Ana Clara Martínez, Viviana Romanin, Soledad Areso, Alicia Mistchenko
IntroductionWhooping cough continues to be a major cause of morbidity and mortality in infants younger than 1 year. In 2012, Argentina introduced Tdap in pregnancy to prevent infant mortality. The aim of this study is to describe the impact of maternal immunization on the hospitalization and mortality rates of confirmed Bordetella pertussis (Bp) cases by comparing pre- and post-Tdap vaccine recommendation periods.Material and MethodsAll PCR-confirmed Bp cases from "R. Gutierrez" Children's Hospital identified between December 2003 and December 2016 were included in. Analysis was performed comparing hospitalization rates (per 10,000 discharges) between pre-vaccination (PreV) 2003–2011 and post-vaccination (PostV) 2013–2016 time periods, excluding the intervention year (2012).ResultsDuring the study time frame, there were 1046 suspected Bp cases, of which 337 (32.2%) were confirmed. Three-hundred eight cases were analyzed (excluding year 2012): 237 in PreV and 71 in PostV. In comparison with PreV, PostV cases were older (3 vs 9 months; p < 0.001), and required less hospitalization (86.9% vs 67.6%; p < 0.001). Bp hospitalization rate (HR) decreased (22.3 vs 11.6; p < 0.001). The mortality rate in PreV 5.9% (14 cases); there were not deaths during PostV (p = 0.036).ConclusionsConfirmed cases were among infants younger than 1 year In PostV, Bp cases were older and there was a significant decrease in the hospitalization rate. There were no fatal cases in our center after the pregnancy Tdap recommendation was implemented.



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High-cell-density cultivations to increase MVA virus production

Publication date: Available online 9 February 2018
Source:Vaccine
Author(s): Daniel Vázquez-Ramírez, Yvonne Genzel, Ingo Jordan, Volker Sandig, Udo Reichl
Increasing the yield and the productivity in cell culture-based vaccine manufacturing using high-cell-density (HCD) cultivations faces a number of challenges. For example, medium consumption should be low to obtain a very high concentration of viable host cells in an economical way but must be balanced against the requirement that accumulation of toxic metabolites and limitation of nutrients have to be avoided. HCD cultivations should also be optimized to avoid unwanted induction of apoptosis or autophagy during the early phase of virus infection. To realize the full potential of HCD cultivations, a rational analysis of the cultivation conditions of the appropriate host cell line together with the optimal infection conditions for the chosen viral vaccine strain needs to be performed for each particular manufacturing process.We here illustrate our strategy for production of the modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA) virus isolate MVA-CR19 in the avian suspension cell line AGE1.CR.pIX at HCD. As a first step we demonstrate that the adjustment of the perfusion rate strictly based on the measured cell concentration and the glucose consumption rate of cells enables optimal growth in a 0.8 L bioreactor equipped with an ATF2 system. Concentrations up to 57 × 10⁶ cells/mL (before infection) were obtained with a viability exceeding 95%, and a maximum specific cell growth rate of 0.019 h⁻¹ (doubling time = 36.5 h). However, not only the cell-specific MVA-CR19 virus yield but also the volumetric productivity was reduced compared to infections at conventional-cell-density (CCD).To facilitate optimization of the virus propagation phase at HCD, a larger set of feeding strategies was analyzed in small-scale cultivations using shake flasks. Densities up to 63 × 10⁶ cells/mL were obtained at the end of the cell growth phase applying a discontinuous perfusion mode (semi-perfusion) with the same cell-specific perfusion rate as in the bioreactor (0.060 nL/(cell d)). At this cell concentration, a medium exchange at time of infection was required to obtain expected virus yields during the first 24 h after infection. Applying an additional fed-batch feeding strategy during the whole virus replication phase resulted in a faster virus titer increase during the first 36 h after infection. In contrast, a semi-continuous virus harvest scheme improved virus accumulation and recovery at a rather later stage of infection. Overall, a combination of both fed-batch and medium exchange strategies resulted in similar cell-specific virus yields as those obtained for CCD processes but 10-fold higher MVA-CR19 titers, and four times higher volumetric productivity.



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Envelope proteins of two HIV-1 clades induced different epitope-specific antibody response

Publication date: Available online 9 February 2018
Source:Vaccine
Author(s): Tripti Shrivastava, Sweety Samal, Ashish K. Tyagi, Sandeep Goswami, Naresh Kumar, Gabriel Ozorowski, Andrew B. Ward, Bimal K. Chakrabarti
Using HIV-1 envelope protein (Env)-based immunogens that closely mimic the conformation of functional HIV-1 Envs and represent the isolates prevalent in relevant geographical region is considered a rational approach towards developing HIV vaccine. We recently reported that like clade B Env, JRFL, membrane bound Indian clade C Env, 4-2.J41 is also efficiently cleaved and displays desirable antigenic properties for plasmid DNA immunization. Here, we evaluated the immune response in rabbit by injecting the animals with plasmid expressing membrane bound efficiently cleaved 4-2.J41 Env followed by its gp140-foldon (gp140-fd) protein boost. The purified 4-2.J41-gp140-fd protein is recognized by a wide panel of broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) including the quaternary conformation-dependent antibody, PGT145 with high affinity. We have also evaluated and compared the quality of antibody response elicited in rabbits after immunizing with plasmid DNA expressing the membrane bound efficiently cleaved Env followed by gp140-fd proteins boost with either of clade C Env, 4-2.J41 or clade B Env, JRFL or in combination. In comparison to JRFL group, 4-2.J41 group elicited autologous as well as limited low level cross clade neutralizing antibody response. Preliminary epitope-mapping of sera from animals show that in contrast to JRFL group, no reactivity to either linear peptides or V3-loop is detected in 4-2.J41 group. Furthermore, the presence of conformation-specific antibody in sera from animals immunized with 4-2.J41 Env is observed. However, unlike JRFL group, in 4-2.J41 group of animals, CD4-binding site-directed antibodies cannot be detected. Additionally, we have demonstrated that the quality of antibody response in combination group is guided by JRFL Env-based immunogen suggesting that the selection and the quality of Envs in multicade candidate vaccine are important factors to elicit desirable response.



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Enhancement of the twisted carbon nanotube fibers properties by drawing processing and acid treatment

Publication date: 5 April 2018
Source:Materials & Design, Volume 143
Author(s): Baoshuai Han, Enyu Guo, Xiang Xue, Zhiyong Zhao, Tiejun Li, Yanjin Xu, Liangshun Luo, Hongliang Hou
In this work, we report a promising processing methodology for enhancing the comprehensive properties of twisted carbon nanotube (CNT) fibers by combining drawing treatment with a copper capsule and subsequent acid treatment. This strengthening methodology enables the accurate control of the diameter of the as drawn CNT fibers, and provides an effective way to minimize surface damage to the CNT fibers during processing. The results show that the density, the CNT bundle alignment and the CNT fiber purity were improved after the combined strengthening treatment. Consequently, the tensile strength, electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity were significantly enhanced. Owing to the excellent properties, the strengthened CNT fibers have potential applications as an electric wire material.

Graphical abstract

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Electrosprayed hydrophilic nanocomposites coated with shellac for colon-specific delayed drug delivery

Publication date: 5 April 2018
Source:Materials & Design, Volume 143
Author(s): Ke Wang, Hai-Feng Wen, Deng-Guang Yu, Yaoyao Yang, Dao-Fang Zhang
Advanced medicated nanomaterials that provide time- and target-specific drug release profiles are highly desired for efficacious drug delivery. In this study, a structural nanocomposite (P2) consisted of tamoxifen citrate (TC) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) (2:8, w:w) as core and shellac as shell was designed and fabricated using a modified coaxial electrospraying process. Shellac solution, which could not be converted into solid particles individually, was explored as a shell working fluid to encapsulate the core TC-PVP blending solution, which could be electrosprayed into solid particles (P1) all alone. SEM and TEM evaluations demonstrated that the quality of the core-shell particles P2 was higher than that of the monolithic particles P1 in terms of particle diameter, size distribution and number of satellites. XRD results suggested that TC was similarly present in an amorphous state in particles P1 and P2 due to its fine compatibility with PVP, which was verified through FTIR tests. In vitro dissolution experiments suggested that P2 could provide the designed drug colon-specific delayed release characteristics, passing through acidic conditions of pH2.0 dissolution media and freeing all of the loaded TC within 5min at pH7.4 dissolution media.

Graphical abstract

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Effects of Marangoni convection on the embedding dynamic behavior of SiC nano-particles into the Al molten pool during laser micro-melting

Publication date: 5 April 2018
Source:Materials & Design, Volume 143
Author(s): C.Y. Cui, X.D. Li, C. Fang, W.L. Zhang, Z.W. Ruan, X.G. Cui, J.Z. Lu, C.D. Xia, Y.F. Lu
A facile approach to fabricate a surface nanocomposite structure by embedding SiC nano-particles (NPs) via laser micro-melting is reported. A high fidelity model is adopted to reveal transient temperature distributions and the embedding of the SiC NPs into an Al molten pool during laser micro-melting. Special attention is paid to the embedding dynamic behaviours within the molten pool affected by Marangoni convection. Fluid flow and migration characteristics of the SiC NPs into the molten pool, as well as the resultant bubble motion and pore defects formation, are considered. Simulation results show that the temperature distribution is basically symmetrical with respect to the laser beam, and the Marangoni convection in the molten pool tends to embed the SiC NPs into the Al surface layer together with gas bubbles. This phenomneon is well validated by the experimental study on the surface morphology and the SiC NPs distribution in the Al surface layer. Microstructural characterizations indicate that a relatively flat reinforced SiC/Al surface can be formed at an optimized laser energy of 0.6J. These studies may provide a new strategy for constructing nanocomposite structure on metal alloy surface.

Graphical abstract

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Interfacial microstructure characterization and mechanical behavior of NiTi fiber reinforced Al3Ti composite

Publication date: 5 April 2018
Source:Materials & Design, Volume 143
Author(s): Zichuan Lu, Fengchun Jiang, Yunpeng Chang, Zhongyi Niu, Zhenqiang Wang, Chunhuan Guo
To improve the ductility of Al3Ti alloy, the continuous shape memory alloy NiTi fiber (CSMAR) was introduced into intermetallic Al3Ti matrix for fabricating the novel CSMAR-Al3Ti composite in this work. Microstructure characterizations demonstrated that the CSMAR-Al3Ti composite mainly consists of Al3Ti layer, NiTi fiber, eutectic area and interfacial reaction layer. EBSD results indicated that the eutectic area is made up of Al3Ti and Al3Ni phases, the Al3Ti phase shows a strong [001] crystallographic oriented structure, while the Al3Ni phase has a non-textured structure. TEM results showed that the interfacial reaction layer between NiTi fiber and eutectic area is a multiple phase mixture, including various Ti-Al and Ni-Al intermetallics. Furthermore, TEM and HRTEM analyses revealed a newly formed Ti2Ni layer between NiTi fiber and interfacial reaction layer. Tensile test results confirmed that the CSMAR-Al3Ti composite could effectively improve the ductility of the Al3Ti alloy. Based on the systematic investigations of interfacial microstructure characterization, mechanical behavior and fracture morphology observation, it is found that the toughening mechanism of CSMAR-Al3Ti composite is related to the interfacial fine grain strengthening effect with the gradual distribution characteristic. In addition, the excellent metallurgical bonding between fiber reinforcement and matrix is also beneficial to the mechanical properties.

Graphical abstract

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Experimental realisation of off-stoichiometric Fe-Mn-Si full Heusler alloy with hexagonal crystal structure by pulsed laser deposition

Publication date: 5 April 2018
Source:Materials & Design, Volume 143
Author(s): N.R. Checca, R.J. Caraballo-Vivas, A.A. Coelho, A. Rossi, N.M. Fortunato, F. Mohseni, J.N. Gonçalves, J.S. Amaral, D.L. Rocco, M.S. Reis
Full Heusler alloys are well known to either crystallize in a cubic structure (Cu2MnAl-type), or present tetragonal distortions. Both structure types present interesting properties, like room temperature magnetic memory shape effect and/or remarkable magnetocaloric effect, mainly ruled by strong magnetostructural coupling. Due to this interplay, our aim was to produce a new crystal phase for the Heusler alloys, different from those well-established cubic and tetragonal, responsible for those well-known physical properties. Thus, we have produced nanoparticles of full Heusler alloys using a pulsed laser deposition technique (from targets of Fe2MnSi) and obtained a core-shell pattern, presenting an amorphous shell and a crystalline core, with hexagonal symmetry. In accordance with these experimental findings, it was shown, by means of density functional calculation, the existence of a minimum of energy as a function of the hexagonal lattice parameters, with a true indication that the hexagonal phase is metastable. The magnetic properties differ considerably from those of bulk Fe2MnSi, including an increase of the Curie temperature from 220 K to 295 K, which is of potential interest for room-temperature applications. This work opens the door to research in a new family of materials, whose properties have only now begun to be explored.

Graphical abstract

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Independent validation of a new reirradiation risk score (RRRS) for glioma patients predicting post-recurrence survival: A multicenter DKTK/ROG analysis

Publication date: Available online 9 February 2018
Source:Radiotherapy and Oncology
Author(s): Maximilian Niyazi, Sebastian Adeberg, David Kaul, Anne-Laure Boulesteix, Nina Bougatf, Daniel F. Fleischmann, Arne Grün, Anna Krämer, Claus Rödel, Franziska Eckert, Frank Paulsen, Kerstin A. Kessel, Stephanie E. Combs, Oliver Oehlke, Anca-Ligia Grosu, Annekatrin Seidlitz, Annika Lattermann, Mechthild Krause, Michael Baumann, Maja Guberina, Martin Stuschke, Volker Budach, Claus Belka, Jürgen Debus
Background and purposeReirradiation (reRT) is a valid option with considerable efficacy in patients with recurrent high-grade glioma, but it is still not known which patients might be optimal candidates for a second course of irradiation. This study validated a newly developed prognostic score independently in an external patient cohort.Material and methodsThe reRT risk score (RRRS) is based on a linear combination of initial histology, clinical performance status, and age derived from a multivariable model of 353 patients. This score can predict post-recurrence survival (PRS) after reRT. The validation dataset consisted of 212 patients.ResultsThe RRRS differentiates three prognostic groups. Discrimination and calibration were maintained in the validation group. Median PRS times in the development cohort for the good/intermediate/poor risk categories were 14.2, 9.1, and 5.3 months, respectively. The respective groups within the validation cohort displayed median PRS times of 13.8, 8.8, and 3.8 months, respectively. Uno's C for development data was 0.64 (CI: 0.60–0.69) and for validation data 0.63 (CI: 0.58–0.68).ConclusionsThe RRRS has been successfully validated in an independent patient cohort. This linear combination of three easily determined clinicopathological factors allows for a reliable classification of patients and may be used as stratification factor for future trials.



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ARDS – Ein Update – Teil 1: Epidemiologie, Pathophysiologie und Diagnostik

Anästhesiol Intensivmed Notfallmed Schmerzther 2018; 53: 102-111
DOI: 10.1055/s-0043-107166

Das akute Lungenversagen (Acute respiratory Distress Syndrome, ARDS) ist inzwischen seit mehr als 50 Jahren als schwerwiegende Komplikation unterschiedlicher Grunderkrankungen gefürchtet [1]. Häufig leiden ARDS-Patienten langfristig unter schwerwiegenden Beeinträchtigungen – auch nach primär erfolgreicher Therapie. Der erste Teil dieses Updates gibt einen aktualisierten Überblick zu Definition, Epidemiologie und Pathophysiologie des ARDS.
[...]

Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Article in Thieme eJournals:
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Fehlerhafte Daten in randomisierten Studien: Statistik kann sie aufdecken

Anästhesiol Intensivmed Notfallmed Schmerzther 2018; 53: 82-82
DOI: 10.1055/s-0043-123125

Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Article in Thieme eJournals:
Table of contents  |  Full text

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