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Background:
While substantial progress has been made in the development of disease-modifying medications for multiple sclerosis (MS), a high percentage of treated patients still show progression and persistent inflammatory activity. Autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT) aims at eliminating a pathogenic immune repertoire through intense short-term immunosuppression that enables subsequent regeneration of a new and healthy immune system to re-establish immune tolerance for a long period of time. A number of mostly open-label, uncontrolled studies conducted over the past 20 years collected about 4000 cases. They uniformly reported high efficacy of AHSCT in controlling MS inflammatory disease activity, more markedly beneficial in relapsing-remitting MS. Immunological studies provided evidence for qualitative immune resetting following AHSCT. These data and improved safety profiles of transplantation procedures spurred interest in using AHSCT as a treatment option for MS.
Objective:
To develop expert consensus recommendations on AHSCT in Germany and outline a registry study project.
Methods:
An open call among MS neurologists as well as among experts in stem cell transplantation in Germany started in December 2021 to join a series of virtual meetings.
Results:
We provide a consensus-based opinion paper authored by 25 experts on the up-to-date optimal use of AHSCT in managing MS based on the Swiss criteria. Current data indicate that patients who are most likely to benefit from AHSCT have relapsing-remitting MS and are young, ambulatory and have high disease activity. Treatment data with AHSCT will be collected within the German REgistry Cohort of autologous haematopoietic stem CeLl trAnsplantation In MS (RECLAIM).
Conclusion:
Further clinical trials, including registry-based analyses, are urgently needed to better define the patient characteristics, efficacy and safety profile of AHSCT compared with other high-efficacy therapies and to optimally position it as a treatment option in different MS disease stages.
Keywords: Autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT), multiple sclerosis, registry study, treatment recommendation.
Behavioral and Emotional Academic Procrastination Scale: reliability, validity, and normative values
(2024)
Abstract: The Behavioral and Emotional Procrastination Scale (Bobe et al., 2022) measures the general frequency of behavioral and emotional components of academic procrastination. We used a representatively stratified sample of students based on demographic data from the Federal Statistical Office (2021) to provide extended evidence for the scale’s reliability and validity of test score interpretation and generate normative values. Our quota sample consisted of 890 students. We addressed deviations from the population with weighting factors. We found evidence for the reliability of the subscales delay and subjective discomfort , the assumed factorial structure, and measurement invariance regarding gender, field of study, type of university, and study phase. Motivational costs were significantly positively related to delay, and delay and subjective discomfort were significantly associated with academic performance and study satisfaction. The normative values quantify the extent of the components of academic procrastination to support researchers and practitioners in helping students overcome them.
Chemoresistance in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) frequently contributes to failure of systemic therapy. While the radiosensitizing properties of 5-fluorouracil (FU) are well known, it is unknown whether ionizing radiation (IR) sensitizes towards FU cytotoxicity. Here, we hypothesize that upregulation of thymidine phosphorylase (TP) by IR reverses FU chemoresistance in PDAC cells. The FU resistant variant of the human PDAC cell line AsPC-1 (FU-R) was used to determine the sensitizing effects of IR. Proliferation rates of FU sensitive parental (FU-S) and FU-R cells were determined by WST-1 assays after low (0.05 Gy) and intermediate dose (2.0 Gy) IR followed by FU treatment. TP protein expression in PDAC cells before and after IR was assessed by Western blot. To analyze the specificity of the FU sensitizing effect, TP was ablated by siRNA. FU-R cells showed a 2.7-fold increase of the half maximal inhibitory concentration, compared to FU-S parental cells. Further, FU-R cells showed a concomitant IR resistance towards both doses applied. When challenging both cell lines with FU after IR, FU-R cells had lower proliferation rates than FU-S cells, suggesting a reversal of chemoresistance by IR. This FU sensitizing effect was abolished when TP was blocked by anti-TP siRNA before IR. An increase of TP protein expression was seen after both IR doses. Our results suggest a TP dependent reversal of FU-chemoresistance in PDAC cells that is triggered by IR. Thus, induction of TP expression by low dose IR may be a therapeutic approach to potentially overcome FU chemoresistance in PDAC.
Purpose Colorectal cancer revealed over the last decades a remarkable shift with an increasing proportion of a right- compared to a left-sided tumor location. In the current study, we aimed to disclose clinicopathological differences between right- and left-sided colon cancer (rCC and lCC) with respect to mortality and outcome predictors. Methods In total, 417 patients with colon cancer stage I–IV were analyzed in the present retrospective single-center study. Survival rates were assessed using the Kaplan–Meier method and uni/multivariate analyses were performed with a Cox proportional hazards regression model. Results Our study showed no significant difference of the overall survival between rCC and lCC stage I–IV ( p = 0.354). Multivariate analysis revealed in the rCC cohort the worst outcome for ASA (American Society of Anesthesiologists) score IV patients (hazard ratio [HR]: 16.0; CI 95%: 2.1–123.5), CEA (carcinoembryonic antigen) blood level > 100 µg/l (HR: 3.3; CI 95%: 1.2–9.0), increased lymph node ratio of 0.6–1.0 (HR: 5.3; CI 95%: 1.7–16.1), and grade 4 tumors (G4) (HR: 120.6; CI 95%: 6.7–2179.6) whereas in the lCC population, ASA score IV (HR: 8.9; CI 95%: 0.9–91.9), CEA blood level 20.1–100 µg/l (HR: 5.4; CI 95%: 2.4–12.4), conversion to laparotomy (HR: 14.1; CI 95%: 4.0–49.0), and severe surgical complications (Clavien-Dindo III–IV) (HR: 2.9; CI 95%: 1.5–5.5) were identified as predictors of a diminished overall survival. Conclusion Laterality disclosed no significant effect on the overall prognosis of colon cancer patients. However, group differences and distinct survival predictors could be identified in rCC and lCC patients.
