The relationship between Rarebit perimetry and OCT‐derived retinal nerve fibre layer thickness in glaucoma

Purpose: To examine the association between measures of neuroretinal matrix integrity as determined with Rarebit perimetry and optical coherence tomography (OCT)‐derived retinal nerve fibre layer thickness. Methods: One randomly selected eye of 30 White primary open‐angle glaucoma patients (age: 60.9 ± 11.7 years; MD: ?3.2 ± 5.1 dB) and 16 healthy White individuals (age: 33.2 ± 6.4 years; MD: ?0.8 ± 0.8 dB) were included in the study. Participants underwent Rarebit perimetry testing (central field, software version 4) and an OCT fast retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) scan. Correlation was investigated between hemifield Rarebit scores and the corresponding RNFL values, as well as between global Rarebit scores and the respective RNFL measures. Results: Statistically significant correlations of average hit rate (HR) < 90 and mean hit rate (MHR) were detected with Max–Min and average thickness (Pearson’s r ranging from 0.393 to 0.474). Number HR < 90 showed a moderate correlation only with Max–Min (r = ?0.396, P = 0.030). Regarding the association between hemifield hit rates and the corresponding OCT thickness parameters, only inferior maximum correlated moderately with HR superior (r = 0.385, P = 0.035). A tendency was detected for the relationship of superior maximum with HR inferior (r = 0.345, P = 0.062). For the control group, no significant correlation was found for any of the global or hemifield indices and the corresponding thickness values. Conclusion: Although Rarebit perimetry is based on a physiological principle distinctly different from conventional perimetry, it provides global indicators of neuroretinal matrix integrity that correlate with some OCT‐derived RNFL thickness measures.     

Impact of body mass index on IVF and ICSI outcome: a retrospective study

A group of 140 women with a body mass index (BMI) < or = 24 kg/m(2) undergoing 291 cycles was compared with a group of 138 women with a BMI >24 kg/m(2) in 291 cycles, with respect to duration of ovarian stimulation and dose of gonadotrophin, number of oocytes collected, cleavage and implantation rate, clinical pregnancy, miscarriage and delivery rates. Patients with a BMI > 24 kg/m(2) demonstrated a significant decrease in the number of follicles after stimulation (P = 0.01), a comparative increase in the number ampoules of gonadotrophin used (P = 0.03) and a lower number of eggs collected (P = 0.05). The mean number of embryos on days 1, 2 and 3 was significantly lower in the group with BMI > 24 kg/m(2) (P < 0.001). No significant difference was found in clinical pregnancy and miscarriage rates between the two groups. In spite of the lower response in women with BMI > 24 kg/m(2), the delivery rate per retrieval was not different (24.6 versus 24.8%). These results indicate a lower stimulation response in women with elevated BMI, but no adverse effect on IVF outcome. In relation to wellbeing, however, it is recommended that patients with a high BMI reduce their weight before IVF treatment.     

Homocysteine,folic acid and B12 serum levels in pregnancy complicated with preeclampsia

Objective Elevated plasma homocysteine has been implicated in vascular changes compatible with atherosis and endothelial dysfunction similar to the vascular changes of the placenta in preeclampsia. Previous reports have indicated an increased incidence of hyperohomocysteinemia in preeclamptic patients. The aim of this study was to examine the association of homocysteine levels and preeclampsia in our patients. Study design Prospective study of 28 preeclamptic patients that were matched with 26 normal controls of the same gestational age. Results The preeclamptic group had an increased incidence of cesarean sections (75%), of growth retarded fetuses (50%), intrauterine deaths (7%) and placental abruptions (7%). Mean levels of homocysteine were significantly elevated in the preeclamptic than in control group (11.11 vs. 6.40 μmol/l, P < 0.001). There were no differences between the groups regarding the levels of folic acid (11.12 vs. 9.73 ng/ml, P = 0.55) and vitamin B12 (295.76 vs. 356.15 pg/ml, P = 0.43). Conclusion It is concluded that in our study homocysteine levels are significantly elevated in patients with preeclampsia compared with control group, while no vitamin deficiencies were observed.     

Gender Differences in Treatment Outcomes for Eating Disorders: A Case-Matched,Retrospective Pre–Post Comparison

Eating disorders (EDs) are increasingly emerging as a health risk in men, yet men remain underrepresented in ED research, including interventional trials. This underrepresentation of men may have facilitated the development of women-centered ED treatments that result in suboptimal outcomes for men. The present study retrospectively compared pre- vs. post-treatment outcomes between age-, diagnosis-, and length-of-treatment-matched samples of n = 200 men and n = 200 women with Anorexia Nervosa (AN), Bulimia Nervosa (BN), Binge Eating Disorder (BED), or Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (EDNOS), treated in the same setting during the same period, and using the same measurements. Compared to women, men with AN showed marked improvements in weight gains during treatment as well as in ED-specific cognitions and general psychopathology. Likewise, men with BED showed marked weight loss during treatment compared to women with BED; ED-specific cognitions and general psychopathology outcomes were comparable in this case. For BN and EDNOS, weight, ED-specific cognitions, and general psychopathology outcomes remained largely comparable between men and women. Implications for treatments are discussed.     

Immunotherapy for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma: From clinical trials to real-world data and future advances

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of cancer-associated mortality worldwide. HCC is an inflammation-associated immunogenic cancer that frequently arises in chronically inflamed livers. Advanced HCC is managed with systemic therapies; the tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) sorafenib has been used in 1^st-line setting since 2007. Immunotherapies have emerged as promising treatments across solid tumors including HCC for which immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are licensed in 1^st- and 2^nd-line treatment setting. The treatment field of advanced HCC is continuously evolving. Several clinical trials are investigating novel ICI candidates as well as new ICI regimens in combination with other therapeutic modalities including systemic agents, such as other ICIs, TKIs, and anti-angiogenics. Novel immunotherapies including adoptive cell transfer, vaccine-based approaches, and virotherapy are also being brought to the fore. Yet, despite advances, several challenges persist. Lack of real-world data on the use of immunotherapy for advanced HCC in patients outside of clinical trials constitutes a main limitation hindering the breadth of application and generalizability of data to this larger and more diverse patient cohort. Consequently, issues encountered in real-world practice include patient ineligibly for immunotherapy because of contraindications, comorbidities, or poor performance status; lack of response, efficacy, and safety data; and cost-effectiveness. Further real-world data from high-quality large prospective cohort studies of immunotherapy in patients with advanced HCC is mandated to aid evidence-based clinical decision-making. This review provides a critical and comprehensive overview of clinical trials and real-world data of immunotherapy for HCC, with a focus on ICIs, as well as novel immunotherapy strategies underway.     

The Longitudinal Association of Lifestyle with Cognitive Health and Dementia Risk: Findings from the HELIAD Study

The aim of the current study was to investigate whether a Total Lifestyle Index (TLI), including adherence to the Mediterranean diet, sleep duration, physical activity and engagement in activities of daily living, is associated with cognitive health over time and dementia risk, in a representative cohort of older people. A total of 1018 non-demented community-dwelling older adults ≥65 years old (60% women) from the HELIAD study were included. A comprehensive neurological and neuropsychological assessment was conducted at baseline and at the 3-year follow-up evaluating cognitive functioning, and a dementia diagnosis was set. Diet, physical activity, sleep duration and engagement in activities of daily living were assessed using standard, validated questionnaires at baseline. Sixty-one participants developed dementia at follow-up; participants who developed dementia were older and had fewer years of education compared with participants with normal cognition. With the exception of sleep duration, participants with normal cognition at follow-up scored higher in the individual lifestyle factors compared to those who developed dementia. Regarding TLI, values were lower for participants with dementia compared with those with normal cognition. Each additional unit of the TLI was associated with 0.5% of a standard deviation less decline per year of the Global Cognition score, whereas for each additional unit of the TLI, the risk for dementia was reduced by 0.2% per year (p < 0.05). Our results suggest that greater adherence to a healthy lifestyle pattern is associated with a slower decline of cognitive function and reduced dementia risk.     

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors in sarcoma treatment

Sarcomas are a group of rare mesenchymal malignant tumors that arise from transformed cells of the mesenchymal connective tissue, which are challenging to treat. The majority of sarcomas are soft tissue sarcomas (STSs; 75%) and this heterogeneous group of tumors is further comprised of gastrointestinal stromal tumors (~15%) and bone sarcomas (10%). Although surgery remains the current primary therapeutic approach for localized disease, recurrent, metastatic and refractory sarcomas require cytotoxic chemotherapy, which usually yields poor results. Therefore the efficiency of sarcoma treatment imposes a difficult problem. Furthermore, even though progress has been made towards understanding the underlying molecular signaling pathways of sarcoma, there are limited treatment options. The aim of the present study was therefore to perform a systematic literature review of the available clinical evidence regarding the role of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in patients with recurrent or refractory STSs and bone sarcomas over the last two decades. Tyrosine kinases are principal elements of several intracellular molecular signaling pathways. Deregulation of these proteins has been implicated in driving oncogenesis via the crosstalk of pivotal cellular signaling pathways and cascades, including cell proliferation, migration, angiogenesis and apoptosis. Subsequently, small molecule TKIs that target these proteins provide a novel potential therapeutic approach for several types of tumor by offering significant clinical benefits. Among the eligible articles, there were 45 prospective clinical trials, primarily multicentric, single arm, phase II and non-randomized. Numerous studies have reported promising results regarding the use of TKIs, mainly resulting in disease control in patients with STSs. The lack of randomized clinical trials demonstrates the ambiguous efficiency of various studied treatment options, which therefore currently limits the approved drugs used in clinical practice. Research both in clinical and preclinical settings is needed to shed light on the underlying molecular drivers of sarcomagenesis and will identify novel therapeutic approaches for pretreated patients.