Ground based radial velocity (RV) searches continue to discover exoplanets below Neptune mass down to Earth mass. Furthermore, ground based transit searches now reach milli-mag photometric precision ...and can discover Neptune size planets around bright stars. These searches will find exoplanets around bright stars anywhere on the sky, their discoveries representing prime science targets for further study due to the proximity and brightness of their host stars. A mission for transit follow-up measurements of these prime targets is currently lacking. The first ESA S-class mission CHEOPS (CHaracterizing ExoPlanet Satellite) will fill this gap. It will perform ultra-high precision photometric monitoring of selected bright target stars almost anywhere on the sky with sufficient precision to detect Earth sized transits. It will be able to detect transits of RV-planets by photometric monitoring if the geometric configuration results in a transit. For Hot Neptunes discovered from the ground, CHEOPS will be able to improve the transit light curve so that the radius can be determined precisely. Because of the host stars' brightness, high precision RV measurements will be possible for all targets. All planets observed in transit by CHEOPS will be validated and their masses will be known. This will provide valuable data for constraining the mass-radius relation of exoplanets, especially in the Neptune-mass regime. During the planned 3.5 year mission, about 500 targets will be observed. There will be 20% of open time available for the community to develop new science programmes.
Anti-hormonal therapy (tamoxifen) is recommended for estrogen receptor (er)-positive breast cancer (bca); however, its effect on low-receptor cancers is unclear. We retrospectively evaluated the ...effect of adjuvant tamoxifen in patients with weakly er-positive bca.
We identified 2221 bca patients who had been er-tested by ligand-based assay (lba) during 1976-1995 and who had been treated and followed until 2008. Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for age, body mass index, tumour size, nodal status, surgery, and chemotherapy were used to assess the effect of er level on bca survival in patients who received tamoxifen.
Overall, 17% (383) of patients were within 0-3 fmol/mg cytosol protein, and 12% (266) were within 4-9 fmol/mg cytosol protein. Patients with er levels of 0-3, 4-9, 10-19, 20-49, and 50 fmol/mg or more cytosol protein had 20-year bca survival rates of 56%, 56%, 63%, 71%, and 60% respectively. Of the 2221 patients studied, 661 (29.8%) received anti-hormonal therapy. Within the latter group, er levels of 0-3, 4-9, 10-19, 20-49, and 50 fmol/mg or more cytosol protein were associated with a hazard ratio for lower bca mortality: respectively, 1.00 (reference), 0.59 (
= 0.09), 0.19 (
< 0.0001), 0.26 (
< 0.0001), and 0.31 (
< 0.0001)-the risk reduction being significant only for er levels of 10 fmol/mg or more cytosol protein.
Tamoxifen use in bca patients with a weakly positive er status (4-9 fmol/mg cytosol protein), compared with those having higher er levels (≥10 fmol/mg cytosol protein), is not associated with a significantly lower bca-specific mortality. Our results do not support treatment with anti-hormonal therapy for bca patients with a weakly positive er status as identified by lba.
Background:
The use of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) for the treatment of osteoarthritis (OA) has demonstrated mixed clinical outcomes in randomized controlled trials when compared with hyaluronic acid ...(HA), an accepted nonsurgical treatment for symptomatic OA. Biological analysis of PRP has demonstrated an anti-inflammatory effect on the intra-articular environment.
Purpose:
To compare the clinical and biological effects of an intra-articular injection of PRP with those of an intra-articular injection of HA in patients with mild to moderate knee OA.
Study Design:
Randomized controlled trial; Level of evidence, 1.
Methods:
A total of 111 patients with symptomatic unilateral knee OA received a series of either leukocyte-poor PRP or HA injections under ultrasound guidance. Clinical data were collected before treatment and at 4 time points across a 1-year period. Synovial fluid was also collected for analysis of proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory markers before treatment and at 12 and 24 weeks after treatment. Several measures were used to assess results: (1) Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) pain subscale; (2) International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) subjective knee evaluation, visual analog scale (VAS) for pain, and Lysholm knee score; and (3) difference in intra-articular biochemical marker concentrations.
Results:
There were 49 patients randomized to treatment with PRP and 50 randomized to treatment with HA. No difference was seen between the groups in the primary outcome measure (WOMAC pain score). In the secondary outcome measure, linear contrasts identified a significantly higher IKDC score in the PRP group compared with the HA group at 24 weeks (mean ± standard error SE, 65.5 ± 3.6 vs 55.8 ± 3.8, respectively; P = .013) and at final follow-up (52 weeks) (57.6 ± 3.37 vs 46.6 ± 3.76, respectively; P = .003). Linear contrasts also identified a statistically lower VAS score in the PRP group versus the HA group at 24 weeks (mean ± SE, 34.6 ± 3.24 vs 48.6 ± 3.7, respectively; P = .0096) and 52 weeks (44 ± 4.6 vs 57.3 ± 3.8, respectively; P = .0039). An examination of fixed effects showed that patients with mild OA and a lower body mass index had a statistically significant improvement in outcomes. In the biochemical analysis, differences between groups approached significance for interleukin-1β (mean ± SE, 0.14 ± 0.05 pg/mL PRP vs 0.34 ± 0.16 pg/mL HA; P = .06) and tumor necrosis factor α (0.08 ± 0.01 pg/mL PRP vs 0.2 ± 0.18 pg/mL HA; P = .068) at 12-week follow-up.
Conclusion:
We found no difference between HA and PRP at any time point in the primary outcome measure: the patient-reported WOMAC pain score. Significant improvements were seen in other patient-reported outcome measures, with results favoring PRP over HA. Preceding a significant difference in subjective outcomes favoring PRP, there was a trend toward a decrease in 2 proinflammatory cytokines, which suggest that the anti-inflammatory properties of PRP may contribute to an improvement of symptoms.
Registration:
ClinicalTrials.gov (Identifier: NCT02588872).
Summary Objective To correlate meniscal T2* relaxation times using ultra-short echo time (UTE) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with quantitative microscopic methods, and to determine the effect of ...meniscal repair on post-operative cartilage T2 values. Design A medial meniscal tear was created and repaired in the anterior horn of one limb of 28 crossbred mature ewes. MR scans for morphological evaluation, meniscal T2* values, and cartilage T2 values were acquired at 0, 4 and 8 months post-operatively for the Tear and Non-Op limb. Samples of menisci from both limbs were analyzed using multiphoton microscopy (MPM) analysis and biomechanical testing. Results Significantly prolonged meniscal T2* values were found in repaired limbs than in control limbs, P < 0.0001. No regional differences of T2* were detected for either the repaired or control limbs in the anterior horn. Repaired limbs had prolonged cartilage T2 values, primarily anteriorly, and tended to have lower biomechanical force to failure at 8 months than Non-Op limbs. MPM autofluorescence and second harmonic generation data correlated with T2* values at 8 months ( ρ = −0.48, P = 0.06). Conclusions T2* mapping is sensitive to detecting temporal and zonal differences of meniscal structure and composition. Meniscal MPM and cartilage T2 values indicate changes in tissue integrity in the presence of meniscal repair.
The necessity of change Fortier, Lisa A
Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association,
2024-Mar-01, 2024-03-01, 20240301, Letnik:
262, Številka:
3
Journal Article
Abstract Background/purpose Chronic postoperative pain is a well-established clinical phenomenon that is associated with adverse outcomes. The incidence of this clinical phenomenon in children, ...however, is not well established. The purpose of this study was to identify the incidence of chronic pain in children after surgery. Methods Following a screening process, a total of 113 children and their parents were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Data regarding persistence and characteristics of pain after surgery were obtained. Results Approximately 13% of the children, most of whom underwent orthopedic procedures, reported the existence of symptoms of chronic postoperative pain. Most of the children indicated that the pain started immediately after surgery, was localized to the surgery site, and was intermittent. Children reported a median duration of pain of 4.1 months, and approximately half of the children experienced pain most days of the week. Up to 30% of the children reported interference of pain in functioning in areas such as extracurricular activities and sleep. Discussion Given the large number of children at risk for experiencing chronic postoperative pain, preventative efforts are necessary. Large-scale cohort prospective studies are needed to confirm the results of this cross-sectional study.
Evidence-based journal strategies for 2024 Fortier, Lisa A
Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association,
2024-Jan-01, 2024-01-01, 20240101, Letnik:
262, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Welcome to the second issue of JCJP Fortier, Lisa A.
The journal of cartilage & joint preservation,
June 2021, 2021-06-00, 2021-06-01, Letnik:
1, Številka:
2
Journal Article
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