Standardisierte Kontrastmittelsonographie (CEUS) in der klinischen Akut- und Notfallmedizin sowie Intensivmedizin (CEUS-Akut)

Die Anaesthesiologie -     

Multiscale quantification of morphological heterogeneity with creation of a predictor of longer survival in glioblastoma

Intratumor heterogeneity is a main cause of the dismal prognosis of glioblastoma (GBM). Yet, there remains a lack of a uniform assessment of the degree of heterogeneity. With a multiscale approach, we addressed the hypothesis that intratumor heterogeneity exists on different levels comprising traditional regional analyses, but also innovative methods including computer-assisted analysis of tumor morphology combined with epigenomic data. With this aim, 157 biopsies of 37 patients with therapy-naive IDH-wildtype GBM were analyzed regarding the intratumor variance of protein expression of glial marker GFAP, microglia marker Iba1 and proliferation marker Mib1. Hematoxylin and eosin stained slides were evaluated for tumor vascularization. For the estimation of pixel intensity and nuclear profiling, automated analysis was used. Additionally, DNA methylation profiling was conducted separately for the single biopsies. Scoring systems were established to integrate several parameters into one score for the four examined modalities of heterogeneity (regional, cellular, pixel-level and epigenomic). As a result, we could show that heterogeneity was detected in all four modalities. Furthermore, for the regional, cellular and epigenomic level, we confirmed the results of earlier studies stating that a higher degree of heterogeneity is associated with poorer overall survival. To integrate all modalities into one score, we designed a predictor of longer survival, which showed a highly significant separation regarding the OS. In conclusion, multiscale intratumor heterogeneity exists in glioblastoma and its degree has an impact on overall survival. In future studies, the implementation of a broadly feasible heterogeneity index should be considered.     

潜伏期脑胎盘率对预测新生儿不良结局的价值

目的 探讨低危单胎的足月妊娠自然临产后，潜伏期脑胎盘率(CPR)对预测新生儿不良结局的价值。方法 选取2018年1月至2021年3月我院住院临产分娩的673例孕妇为研究对象，测量胎儿大脑中动脉、脐动脉血流参数，获得分娩结局及新生儿结局。参考既往研究得出的不同孕周CPR正常参考值百分位作为分组指标(CPR≤10%参考值定为低CPR)。比较低CPR组(72例)与正常CPR组(601例)两组妊娠结局、新生儿不良结局。结果 低CPR组与正常CPR组在孕妇年龄、孕龄、产次、孕期体质量增长、总产程、新生儿体质量的构成上差异均无统计学意义(P>0.05)。低CPR组因胎儿窘迫行剖宫产或助产发生率、新生儿任一不良结局发生率、新生儿不良结局率均高于正常CPR组，差异均有统计学意义(P<0.05)。低CPR预测新生儿不良结局的准确率为89.5%(602/673),敏感度为51.7%(15/29),特异度为91.1%(587/644)。结论 本研究数据显示，对于无并发症及合并症、低风险的单胎足月妊娠，潜伏期低CPR与新生儿不良结局相关。     

Pre-COVID-19 Social Determinants of Health Among Mexican Migrants in Los Angeles and New York City and Their Increased Vulnerability to Unfavorable Health Outcomes During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health - COVID-19 has disproportionally affected underrepresented minorities (URM) and low-income immigrants in the United States. The aim of the study is to...     

The chondrocyte channelome: A narrative review

Chondrocytes are the main cells in the extracellular matrix (ECM) of articular cartilage and possess a highly differentiated phenotype that is the hallmark of the unique physiological functions of this specialised load-bearing connective tissue. The plasma membrane of articular chondrocytes contains a rich and diverse complement of membrane proteins, known as the membranome, which defines the cell surface phenotype of the cells. The membranome is a key target of pharmacological agents and is important for chondrocyte function. It includes channels, transporters, enzymes, receptors, and anchors for intracellular, cytoskeletal and ECM proteins and other macromolecular complexes. The chondrocyte channelome is a sub-compartment of the membranome and includes a complete set of ion channels and porins expressed in these cells. Many of these are multi-functional proteins with “moonlighting” roles, serving as channels, receptors and signalling components of larger molecular assemblies. The aim of this review is to summarise our current knowledge of the fundamental aspects of the chondrocyte channelome, discuss its relevance to cartilage biology and highlight its possible role in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis (OA). Excessive and inappropriate mechanical loads, an inflammatory micro-environment, alternative splicing of channel components or accumulation of basic calcium phosphate crystals can result in an altered chondrocyte channelome impairing its function. Alterations in Ca²⁺ signalling may lead to defective synthesis of ECM macromolecules and aggravated catabolic responses in chondrocytes, which is an important and relatively unexplored aspect of the complex and poorly understood mechanism of OA development.