Clinical Utility of Circulating Tumour Cell Androgen Receptor Splice Variant-7 Status in Metastatic Castration-resistant Prostate Cancer.

Abstract Background Detection of androgen receptor splice variant-7 (AR-V7) mRNA in circulating tumour cells (CTCs) is associated with worse outcome in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). However, studies rarely report comparisons with CTC counts and biopsy AR-V7 protein expression. Objective To determine the reproducibility of AdnaTest CTC AR-V7 testing, and associations with clinical characteristics, CellSearch CTC counts, tumour biopsy AR-V7 protein expression and overall survival (OS). Design, setting, and participants CTC AR-V7 status was determined for 227 peripheral blood samples, from 181 mCRPC patients with CTC counts (202 samples; 136 patients) and matched mCRPC biopsies (65 samples; 58 patients). Outcome measurements and statistical analysis CTC AR-V7 status was associated with clinical characteristics, CTC counts, and tissue biopsy AR-V7 protein expression. The association of CTC AR-V7 status and other baseline variables with OS was determined. Results and limitations Of the samples, 35% were CTC+/AR-V7+. CTC+/AR-V7+ samples had higher CellSearch CTC counts (median CTC; interquartile range [IQR]: 60, 19–184 vs 9, 2–64; Mann-Whitney test p Conclusions Studies reporting the prognostic relevance of CTC AR-V7 status must account for CTC counts. Discordant CTC AR-V7 results and AR-V7 protein expression in matched, same-patient biopsies are reported. Patient summary Liquid biopsies that determine circulating tumour cell androgen receptor splice variant-7 status have the potential to impact treatment decisions in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer patients. Robust clinical qualification of these assays is required before their routine use

Arrival angles of teleseismic fundamental mode Rayleigh waves across the AlpArray

The dense AlpArray network allows studying seismic wave propagation with high spatial resolution. Here we introduce an array approach to measure arrival angles of teleseismic Rayleigh waves. The approach combines the advantages of phase correlation as in the two-station method with array beamforming to obtain the phase-velocity vector. 20 earthquakes from the first two years of the AlpArray project are selected, and spatial patterns of arrival-angle deviations across the AlpArray are shown in maps, depending on period and earthquake location. The cause of these intriguing spatial patterns is discussed. A simple wave-propagation modelling example using an isolated anomaly and a Gaussian beam solution suggests that much of the complexity can be explained as a result of wave interference after passing a structural anomaly along the wave paths. This indicates that arrival-angle information constitutes useful additional information on the Earth structure, beyond what is currently used in inversions

Ambient-noise tomography of the wider Vienna Basin region

We present a new 3-D shear-velocity model for the top 30 km of the crust in the wider Vienna Basin region based on surface waves extracted from ambient-noise cross-correlations. We use continuous seismic records of 63 broad-band stations of the AlpArray project to retrieve interstation Green’s functions from ambient-noise cross-correlations in the period range from 5 to 25 s. From these Green’s functions, we measure Rayleigh group traveltimes, utilizing all four components of the cross-correlation tensor, which are associated with Rayleigh waves (ZZ, RR, RZ and ZR), to exploit multiple measurements per station pair. A set of selection criteria is applied to ensure that we use high-quality recordings of fundamental Rayleigh modes. We regionalize the interstation group velocities in a 5 km × 5 km grid with an average path density of ∼20 paths per cell. From the resulting group-velocity maps, we extract local 1-D dispersion curves for each cell and invert all cells independently to retrieve the crustal shear-velocity structure of the study area. The resulting model provides a previously unachieved lateral resolution of seismic velocities in the region of ∼15 km. As major features, we image the Vienna Basin and Little Hungarian Plain as low-velocity anomalies, and the Bohemian Massif with high velocities. The edges of these features are marked with prominent velocity contrasts correlated with faults, such as the Alpine Front and Vienna Basin transfer fault system. The observed structures correlate well with surface geology, gravitational anomalies and the few known crystalline basement depths from boreholes. For depths larger than those reached by boreholes, the new model allows new insight into the complex structure of the Vienna Basin and surrounding areas, including deep low-velocity zones, which we image with previously unachieved detail. This model may be used in the future to interpret the deeper structures and tectonic evolution of the wider Vienna Basin region, evaluate natural resources, model wave propagation and improve earthquake locations, among others

Sub-acute Tamponade and the Value of Point-of-Care Ultrasound for Rapid Diagnosis: A Case Report

Minoxidil is a strong oral vasodilator that is used to treat patients with hypertension refractory to first-line medications. We report a case of minoxidil-associated subacute cardiac tamponade diagnosed by point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) in a hypertensive patient. A 30-year-old male with a past medical history of poorly controlled hypertension (treated with minoxidil) and chronic kidney disease presented with 2–3 days of chest pain and shortness of breath with markedly elevated blood pressures. A point-of-care transthoracic echocardiogram revealed a massive pericardial effusion with sonographic tamponade physiology. We review the risk factors for developing pericardial effusions that progress to cardiac tamponade, the utility of diagnosing these patients by POCUS, and the incidence of patients who present with sonographic signs of cardiac tamponade without hypotension

Sub-acute Tamponade and the Value of Point-of- Care Ultrasound for Rapid Diagnosis: A Case Report

Minoxidil is a strong oral vasodilator that is used to treat patients with hypertension refractoryto first-line medications. We report a case of minoxidil-associated subacute cardiac tamponadediagnosed by point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) in a hypertensive patient. A 30-year-old male witha past medical history of poorly controlled hypertension (treated with minoxidil) and chronic kidneydisease presented with 2-3 days of chest pain and shortness of breath with markedly elevated bloodpressures. A point-of-care transthoracic echocardiogram revealed a massive pericardial effusion withsonographic tamponade physiology. We review the risk factors for developing pericardial effusionsthat progress to cardiac tamponade, the utility of diagnosing these patients by POCUS, and theincidence of patients who present with sonographic signs of cardiac tamponade without hypotension

Coda-Q in the 2.5-20 s period band from seismic noise : application to the greater Alpine area

Coda-Q is used to estimate the attenuation and scattering properties of the Earth. So far focus has been on earthquake data at frequencies above 1 Hz, as the high noise level in the first and second microseismic peak, and possibly lower scattering coefficient, hinder stable measurements at lower frequencies. In this work, we measure and map coda-Q in the period bands 2.5-5 s, 5-10 s and 10-20 s in the greater Alpine region using noise cross-correlations between station pairs, based on data from permanent seismic stations and from the temporary AlpArray experiment. The observed coda-Q for short interstation distances is independent of azimuth so there is no indication of influence of the directivity of the incoming noise field on our measurements. In the 2.5-5 s and 5-10 s period bands, our measurements are self-consistent, and we observe stable geographic patterns of low and high coda-Q in the period bands 2.5-5 s and 5-10 s. In the period band 10-20 s, the dispersion of our measurements increases and geographic patterns become speculative. The coda-Q maps show that major features are observed with high resolution, with a very good geographical resolution of for example low coda-Q in the Po Plain. There is a sharp contrast between the Po Plain and the Alps and Apennines where coda-Q is high, with the exception a small area in the Swiss Alps which may be contaminated by the low coda-Q of the Po Plain. The coda of the correlations is too short to make independent measurements at different times within the coda, so we cannot distinguish between intrinsic and scattering Q. Measurements on more severely selected data sets and longer time-series result in identical geographical patterns but lower numerical values. Therefore, high coda-Q values may be overestimated, but the geographic distribution between high and low coda-Q areas is respected. Our results demonstrate that noise correlations are a promising tool for extending coda-Q measurements to frequencies lower than those analysed with earthquake data