1,330 research outputs found
Somatostatin Receptor Scintigraphy in Medullary Thyroid Cancer
Medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) is a neuroendocrine tumor originating from the calcitonin‐secreting C cells. Surgery, consisting of a total thyroidectomy and an extensive lymph node dissection, is the only effective treatment in MTC; however, metastases are frequently found in the regional cervical lymph. The biochemical marker for MTC is calcitonin, and this is frequently used for the detection of persistent/residual/metastatic tumor. The value of 111In‐labeled somatostatin receptor scintigraphy (SRS) in patients with MTC is limited, with sensitivity ranging between 0 and 75%. Other scintigraphic imaging techniques such as 18F‐FDG PET, 18F‐DOPA PET, and PET imaging with 68Ga‐labeled DOTA peptides combined with CT imaging are upcoming. Treatment of patients with metastatic disease with the current available somatostatin analogues, octreotide and lanreotide, does not seem to have an effect on survival but may be considered to control flushing and diarrhea in some patients. Experience with peptide receptor radionuclide therapy is limited in this patient group and disappointing. New therapies in the treatment of metastatic MTC use target tyrosine kinase receptors inhibitors belonging to the same family group of proteins as RET
Production of human recombinant proapolipoprotein A-I in Escherichia coli: purification and biochemical characterization
A human liver cDNA library was used to isolate a clone coding for apolipoprotein A-I (Apo A-I). The clone
carries the sequence for the prepeptide (18 amino acids), the propeptide (6 amino acids), and the mature protein
(243 amino acids). A coding cassette for the proapo A-I molecule was reconstructed by fusing synthetic
sequences, chosen to optimize expression and specifying the amino-terminal methionine and amino acids -6
to +14, to a large fragment of the cDNA coding for amino acids 15-243. The module was expressed in
pOTS-Nco, an Escherichia coli expression vector carrying the regulatable X P^ promoter, leading to the production
of proapolipoprotein A-I at up to 10% of total soluble proteins. The recombinant polypeptide was
purified and characterized in terms of apparent molecular mass, isoelectric point, and by both chemical and
enzymatic peptide mapping. In addition, it was assayed in vitro for the stimulation of the enzyme lecithin:
cholesterol acyltransferase. The data show for the first time that proapo A-I can be produced efficiently in
E. coli as a stable and undegraded protein having physical and functional properties indistinguishable from
those of the natural product
The Diagnostic Value of 18F-FDG PET/CT Scan in Characterizing Adrenal Tumors
CONTEXT: Imaging plays an important role in the characterization of adrenal tumors, but findings might be inconclusive. The clinical question is whether 18F fluodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) is of diagnostic value in this setting.OBJECTIVE: This meta-analysis was aimed at the diagnostic value of 18F-FDG PET/CT in differentiating benign from malignant adrenal tumors discovered either as adrenal incidentaloma or during staging or follow-up of oncologic patients.DATA SOURCES: PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library were searched to select articles between 2000 and 2021.STUDY SELECTION: We included studies describing the diagnostic value of 18F-FDG PET/CT in adult patients with an adrenal tumor. Exclusion criteria were 10 or fewer participants, insufficient data on histopathology, clinical follow-up, or PET results. After screening of title and abstract by 2 independent reviewers, 79 studies were retrieved, of which 17 studies met the selection criteria.DATA EXTRACTION: Data extraction using a protocol and quality assessment according to QUADAS-2 was performed independently by at least 2 authors.DATA SYNTHESIS: A bivariate random-effects model was applied using R (version 3.6.2.). Pooled sensitivity and specificity of 18F-FDG PET/CT for identifying malignant adrenal tumors was 87.3% (95% CI, 82.5%-90.9%) and 84.7% (95% CI, 79.3%-88.9%), respectively. The pooled diagnostic odds ratio was 9.20 (95% CI, 5.27-16.08; P < .01). Major sources of heterogeneity (I2, 57.1% [95% CI, 27.5%-74.6%]) were in population characteristics, reference standard, and interpretation criteria of imaging results.CONCLUSIONS: 18F-FDG PET/CT had good diagnostic accuracy for characterization of adrenal tumors. The literature, however, is limited, in particular regarding adrenal incidentalomas. Large prospective studies in well-defined patient populations with application of validated cutoff values are needed.</p
Workplace mental health disclosure, sustainable employability and well-being at work:A cross-sectional study among military personnel with mental illness
Purpose Disclosure of mental illness to a supervisor can have positive (e.g. supervisor support) and negative consequences (e.g. stigma). However, research on the association between disclosure and sustainable employability and well-being at work is scarce. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between the disclosure decision (yes/no), experiences with the decision (positive/negative) and sustainable employment and well-being at work among military personnel with mental illness (N = 323). Methods A cross-sectional questionnaire study was conducted. Descriptive and regression (linear and ordinal) analyses were performed. Comparisons were made between those with positive and negative disclosure experiences. Results Disclosure decision (yes/no) was not significantly associated with any of the measures of sustainable employability and well-being at work. However, positive disclosure experiences were significantly associated with higher scores on almost all measures of sustainable employability and well-being at work. Those with negative disclosure experiences reported significantly more shame (M(pos) = 2.42, M(neg) = 2.78, p < .05) and discrimination (M(pos) = 1.70, M(neg) = 2.84, p < .001). Those with a positive disclosure experience, reported significantly more supervisor support (M(pos) = 3.20, M(neg) = 1.94, p < .001). Conclusion We did not find evidence that the disclosure decision itself is related to measures of sustainable employment and well-being at work. In contrast, how participants had experienced their (non-)disclosure decision was significantly related to almost all measures. This emphasizes the importance of the work environments reactions to disclosure and mental illness in the workplace. Future research and interventions should focus on increasing the likelihood of positive disclosure experiences through creating a more inclusive work environment, with more supervisor support and less stigma. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10926-022-10083-2
The scientific basis for secondary prevention of coronary artery disease: recent contributions from the Netherlands
While the beneficial effects of secondary
prevention of cardiovascular disease are undisputed,
implementation remains challenging. A gap between
guideline-mandated risk factor targets and clinical reality was documented as early as the 1990s. To address this issue, research groups in the Netherlands
have performed several major projects. These projects
address innovative, multidisciplinary strategies to improve medication adherence and to stimulate healthy
lifestyles, both in the setting of cardiac rehabilitation
and at dedicated outpatient clinics. The findings of
these projects have led to changes in prevention and
rehabilitation guidelines
Appropriate choice of drugs in older patients
Older patients use many drugs, while there is hardly any information about the effect and safety of these in elderly patients. It appears that only 56%, and 20% of the information required by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) concerning use of medication in the elderly is stated in the patient information leaflet and in the Dutch Pharmacotherapeutic Compass, respectively. The Expertise Centre PHarmacotherapy in Old Persons (Ephor) gathered all available information about drug prescribing in older patients for a number of drug groups from national and international literature, and provided prescribing advice. This information will be made available to users of the Dutch Pharmacotherapeutic Compass, for quick accessibility.</p
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