Effects of Resveratrol on Inflammation and Apoptosis After Experimental Spinal Cord Injury

AIM: To determine the effects of resveratrol on inflammation and apoptosis after experimental spinal cord injury (SCI)

Arthroscopic Repair of the Hip Abductor Musculotendinous Unit: The Effect of Microfracture on Clinical Outcomes.

Place: United StatesInternational audienceBACKGROUND: Endoscopic surgical repair has become a common procedure for treating patients with hip abductor tendon tears. Considering that retear rates are high after the repair of gluteus medius and minimus tendons, exploring alternative strategies to enhance structural healing is important.PURPOSE/HYPOTHESIS: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of adding microfracture to single-row repair (SR) on outcomes after the surgical repair of gluteus medius and minimus tendons and compare with SR and double-row repair (DR) without microfracture. We hypothesized that microfracture of the trochanteric footprint with SR would lead to superior clinical outcomes and lower clinically evident retear rates compared with SR and DR without the addition of microfracture.STUDY DESIGN: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.METHODS: A total of 50 patients who underwent primary arthroscopic repair of hip gluteus medius and minimus tendon tears were investigated. Patients were divided into 3 groups: DR, 16 patients; SR, 14 patients; and SR with microfracture (SRM), 20 patients. Patients were evaluated with a visual analog scale (VAS) for pain as well as the Hip Outcome Score-Activities of Daily Living (HOS-ADL), Hip Outcome Score-Sport Specific (HOS-SS), and modified Harris Hip Score (mHHS) both preoperatively and at a minimum 2-year follow-up (mean, 30 months). RESULTS: Among the SR, SRM, and DR groups, the greatest decrease in VAS scores and increase in mHHS, HOS-ADL, and HOS-SS scores were seen in the SRM group, and all the differences were significant (P \textless .001 to P = .006). The abductor tendon retear rates were 31.3%, 35.7%, and 15.0% in the DR, SR, and SRM groups, respectively. Retear rates were lower in the SRM group compared with the SR and DR groups (P = .042); however, there was no significant difference between the SR and DR groups (P = .32) in terms of retear rates.CONCLUSION: Endoscopic SR with microfracture was a safe, practical, and effective technique and had the potential advantage of enhancing biological healing at the footprint. The addition of microfracturing the trochanteric footprint significantly lowered the retear rate and provided better functional outcomes than SR and DR without microfracture

Comparison of Acetabular Labral Reconstruction With 7-mm Tibialis Anterior Allograft and 5-mm Iliotibial Band Autograft at Minimum 2-Year Follow-up

Background: Labral reconstruction has been described as a treatment option for irreparable labral tear. Labral graft size ranges from 5 to 7 mm(2) for reconstruction. A thicker labral graft could support mechanical stability and protect cartilage better. No study has compared the effect of graft thickness on clinical outcomes. Purpose/Hypothesis: The purpose of this study was to compare patient-reported outcomes between hips reconstructed with an autologous iliotibial band (AUITB; 5 mm(2)) graft and with an allogenic tibialis anterior (ALTA; 7 mm(2)) tendon graft. Our hypothesis was that hips reconstructed with a thicker allograft (7 mm(2)) would have better clinical outcomes than those with a smaller autograft (5 mm(2)). Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2. Methods: A total of 42 patients (aged 21 to 54 years) underwent arthroscopic hip segmental labral reconstruction during the study period of January 2016 to November 2018. Twenty patients had reconstruction with AUITB grafts (5 mm(2)) and 22 with ALTA grafts (7 mm(2)). Both groups had minimum 2 year follow-up. Patients were evaluated with patient-related outcome scores: modified Harris Hip Score, Nonarthritic Hip Score, and Hip Outcome Score-Sports Specific. Pain evaluation was performed using a visual analog scale. Results: There were significant differences in all studied variables when comparing pre- and postoperative scores. Yet, there were no differences in terms of patient-related outcome scores between the groups postoperatively. Postoperative visual analog scale scores averaged 2.1 for the AUITB group vs 1.9 for the ALTA group (P = .89); modified Harris Hip Score, 82.7 vs 83.3 (P = .77); Nonarthritic Hip Score, 81.1 vs 82.2 (P = .81); and Hip Outcome Score-Sports Specific, 81.6 vs 82.5 (P = .67). Conclusion: No differences were found in terms of clinical outcomes between the 7-mm(2) ALTA graft and the 5-mm(2) AUITB graft. Both graft types and thicknesses might be considered comparable choices for primary reconstruction. Although a thicker-graft labral reconstruction seemed to have more ability to cover joint surface, clinical results did not show any superiority of a thicker graft whether it is autologous or allogenic

Enhanced performance and cycling behavior in symmetric supercapacitors developed by pure HfB2 and HfB2-SiC composites

Boron-based materials have attracted growing interest as promising candidates for energy storage applications. This study focuses on synthesizing pure HfB2 powders through a straightforward method involving the mechanical activation of a powder mixture comprising hafnium tetrachloride (HfCl4), boron (B), and magnesium (Mg). The HfB2 powders were mechanically alloyed with varying amounts of SiC powders to create HfB2-based composite structures. The chemical and microstructural properties of the synthesized samples were assessed using XRD, SEM/EDX, and DLS characterization techniques. Supercapacitor device performances of all resulting powders as symmetrical electrodes were systematically investigated. The test results revealed that the pure HfB2 electrode material exhibited a pseudocapacitor behavior, whereas composite powders exhibited battery-like behavior. Composite powders, demonstrated enhanced supercapacitor performance surpassing that of pure powder in terms of energy density and cycle efficiency. The pure HfB2 electrode displayed the highest power density (95 Wkg−1) among all samples: Its distinctive pseudocapacitor behavior results in the highest power density, providing valuable insights into the intricate relationship between composition and electrochemical performance in boron-based supercapacitor materials. Moreover, these results propose that by synthesizing composite powders, the charge storage mechanism can be altered and used to improve the energy density

Atezolizumab in patients with metastatic urothelial carcinoma who have progressed after first-line chemotherapy: Results of real-life experience

...American Society of Clinical Oncolog

Efficacy and safety of trastuzumab emtansine in older patients with HER2-positive advanced breast cancer: a real-world study

Introduction: Ado-trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) is an antibody-drug conjugate and its survival advantage has been shown in advanced human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer. However, clinical trials underrepresent patients > 65 years of age, leading to a lack of information in this population. We analyzed the real-world outcomes of older women who were treated with T-DM1 therapy. Methods: We performed a multicenter, observational, retrospective analysis of patients aged > 65 years treated with T-DM1. A total of 93 patients from 10 cancer centers were involved in the study. Our goal was to determine the survival, response rates, and toxicity profile in T-DM1-treated patients, as well as the factors that influence survival. Results: Median follow-up was 12.2 months. Objective response rate was 29%. Median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 8.47 and 15.0 months, respectively. In multivariate analysis, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Score 2 was found to be an independent prognostic factor for worse PFS (hazard ratio [HR] 1.81, p = 0.032) and OS (HR 2.33, p = 0.006). Any adverse event (AE) was seen in 92.5% of patients; grade 3 or 4 AEs were seen in 30.1%. Dose reduction or treatment discontinuation rates were 11.8% and 6.5%, respectively. Conclusion: The efficacy of T-DM1 was acceptable and it was generally well-tolerated among older patients with advanced HER2-positive breast cancer

Association of response to first-line chemotherapy with the efficacy of atezolizumab in patients with metastatic urothelial carcinoma

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