Analysis of risk factors for neurological dysfunction in patients with acute aortic dissection type A: data from the German Registry for Acute Aortic Dissection Type A (GERAADA)

OBJECTIVES: Acute aortic dissection type A (AADA) is associated with major adverse events, such as transient or persistent neurological dysfunction (ND), which may be patient-, disease- or surgery-related. There is a lack of consensus regarding risk factors for ND in AADA patients. The aim of this study was to analyse and identify risk factors for new postoperative ND after aortic repair for AADA. METHODS: Between July 2006 and June 2010, 2137 AADA patients were enrolled in the multi-centre, prospective German Registry of AADA (GERAADA). Perioperative data were prospectively gathered from 50 institutes in Austria, Switzerland and Germany, and multivariate logistic regression analysis was pe…

Disease Burden of Rotavirus Gastroenteritis in Children Residing in Germany: A Retrospective, Hospital-based Surveillance.

Background Representative, population-based epidemiologic data for gastroenteritis caused by rotavirus (RV) are rare. RV vaccines were first licensed in Europe in 2006 and recommended in 5 western federal states in 2008 or thereafter. This study establishes a baseline for assessing the impact of vaccination and delineates the RV disease burden in Germany today. Methods Nationwide data obtained from hospitals for children 0 to 10 years of age and transferred to the Federal Statistical Office were analyzed retrospectively. Acute gastroenteritis cases because of RV were identified by the International Classification of Diseases code (ICD-10) combined with the referring diagnosis-related group …

The Impact of Pre-Operative Malperfusion on Outcome in Acute Type A Aortic Dissection

Abstract Background Malperfusion adversely affects outcomes in patients with acute type A aortic dissection, but reliable quantitative data are lacking. Objectives The aim of this study was to analyze the impact of various forms of malperfusion on early outcome. Methods A total of 2,137 consecutive patients enrolled in GERAADA (German Registry for Acute Aortic Dissection Type A) who underwent surgery between 2006 and 2010, of whom 717 (33.6%) had any kind of pre-operative malperfusion, were retrospectively analyzed. Results All-cause 30-day mortality was 16.9% and varied substantially according to the number of organ systems affected by malperfusion (none, 12.6%; 1 system, 21.3%; 2 systems,…

Assessing the impact of CMF/FEC/FEC-DOC/ETC (dose-dense) adjuvant chemotherapy in dependency of positive axillary lymph nodes on survival: A retrospective multicenter cohort study of 4,526 breast cancer patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy.

1074 Background: Adjuvant chemotherapy has changed dramatically in the last decades. Anthracycline-/taxane-based and dose-dense chemotherapy regimens improved survival in node positive breast cancer. This study tries to answer the following questions: (1) Are there differences in survival dependent on chemotherapy regimens in 0/0-3/4-10/<10 positive lymph nodes? (2) Is it possible to define a cut-off of positive lymph nodes for the use of Taxane-based and dose dense chemotherapy? Methods: This German is a multi-center [17 participating hospitals all are certified as breast cancer centers] retrospective cohort study. We included CMF (1.385), FEC (1.170), FEC-DOC (1.723), and dose-dense E…

Iatrogenic acute aortic dissection type A: insight from the German Registry for Acute Aortic Dissection Type A (GERAADA)†

OBJECTIVES: Previous investigators have reported a grave prognosis for iatrogenic acute aortic dissection (iAADA), but such studies are limited by their small sample sizes. The purpose of the current study was to analyse the clinical characteristics, current management and surgical outcomes in a large number of iAADA patients identified through a multicentre registry. METHODS: Between July 2006 and June 2010, 50 centres participated in the German Registry for Acute Aortic Dissection Type A (GERAADA). Of the 2137 patients included, 100 (5%) had iAADA. We compared the clinical features and 30-day outcomes of patients with iatrogenic and spontaneous acute aortic dissection type A (sAADA). RESU…

Outcome after surgery for acute aortic dissection type A in patients over 70 years: data analysis from the German Registry for Acute Aortic Dissection Type A (GERAADA)☆

Objective: The number of elderly patients undergoing emergency surgery for acute aortic dissection type A (AADA) is rising. Published results report a higher risk for thesepatients comparedwith younger patients. The aim of our study wasto analyse the surgicaloutcomeof these patients and to identify those at risk. Methods: Between July 2006 and June 2009, 44 centres participating in the German Registry for Acute Aortic Dissection Type A (GERAADA) reported a total of 1558 patients. As many as 381 patients were between 70 and 80 years of age (septuagenarians), while 83 patients were 80 years and older (octogenarians). We compared the clinical features and events occurring 30 days after surgery…

Participation in adjuvant clinical breast cancer trials: Is there a difference in survival compared to guideline adherent adjuvant treatment? A retrospective multicenter cohort study of 5,326 patients.

1082 Background: Clinical trials (CT) usually compare a standard treatment regime versus innovative new substances or regimens. However participation in CT is available for only few patients and exclusion criteria is usually very strict. Therefore this study tries to answer the following questions: (1) Does participation in adjuvant CT improve survival in breast cancer (BC)? (2) Is there a difference in survival compared to guideline adherence and what is the role of the other treatments surrounding adjuvant breast cancer treatment? Methods: This German multi-center [17 participating hospitals all are certified as breast cancer centers] retrospective cohort study called BRENDA (BRENDA = qu…

Participation in adjuvant clinical breast cancer trials: does study participation improve survival compared to guideline adherent adjuvant treatment? A retrospective multi-centre cohort study of 9,433 patients.

Abstract Adjuvant clinical trials (CTs) usually compare a standard treatment regime versus an innovative new substance or regimen. Participation in CT however, is available for only few patients and exclusion criteria are usually very strict. Therefore we used an unselected patient cohort to investigate the following questions: (1) Is participation in adjuvant CT associated with improved survival in breast cancer (BC)? (2) What is the impact of guideline conform therapy on survival in BC compared to that of participants in CT? Does guideline-conform adjuvant treatment provide an equal impact? Material and methods This German retrospective multi-centre cohort study included 9433 patients wit…

Mortality in patients with acute aortic dissection type A: analysis of pre- and intraoperative risk factors from the German Registry for Acute Aortic Dissection Type A (GERAADA)

Acute aortic dissection type A (AADA) is an emergency with excessive mortality if surgery is delayed. Knowledge about independent predictors of mortality on surgically treated AADA patients is scarce. Therefore, this study was conducted to identify pre- and intraoperative risk factors for death.Between July 2006 and June 2010, 2137 surgically treated patients with AADA were enrolled in a multicentre, prospective German Registry for Acute Aortic Dissection type A (GERAADA), presenting perioperative status, operative strategies, postoperative outcomes and AADA-related risk factors for death. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the influence of different parameters …

Integrative Genome-Scale DNA Methylation Analysis of a Large and Unselected Cohort Reveals 5 Distinct Subtypes of Colorectal Adenocarcinomas

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Colorectal cancer is an epigenetically heterogeneous disease, however, the extent and spectrum of the CpG island methylator phenotype (CIMP) is not clear. METHODS: Genome-scale methylation and transcript expression were measured by DNA Methylation and RNA expression microarray in 216 unselected colorectal cancers, and findings were validated using The Cancer Genome Atlas 450K and RNA sequencing data. Mutations in epigenetic regulators were assessed using CIMP-subtyped Cancer Genome Atlas exomes. RESULTS: CIMP-high cancers dichotomized into CIMP-H1 and CIMP-H2 based on methylation profile. KRAS mutation was associated significantly with CIMP-H2 cancers, but not CIMP-H1 can…

Intraoperative neuroprotective drugs without beneficial effects? Results of the German Registry for Acute Aortic Dissection Type A (GERAADA).

OBJECTIVES: Cerebral protection during acute aortic dissection Type A (AADA) surgery may be affected by perfusion strategies and ischaemic protective drugs. METHODS: We analysed the impact of intraoperative barbiturate, steroid and mannitol use and adjunctive cerebral perfusion (CP), on 30-day mortality and new postoperative mortality-corrected permanent neurological dysfunction (PNDmc) in the German Registry for Acute Aortic Dissection Type A. RESULTS: Two thousand one hundred and thirty-seven AADA patients were registered over a 4-year period. The overall 30-day mortality was 16.9%, and the overall rate of PNDmc was 10.0%. A total of 48% of patients received no neuroprotective drugs (cont…

Effects of stepped psychooncological care on referral to psychosocial services and emotional well-being in cancer patients: A cluster-randomized phase III trial

Objective Emotional distress in cancer patients often goes unnoticed in daily routine; therefore, distress screening is now recommended in many national guidelines. However, screening alone does not necessarily translate into better well-being. We examined whether stepped psychooncological care improves referral to consultation-liaison (CL) services and improves well-being. Methods In a cluster-randomized trial, wards were randomly allocated to stepped versus standard care. Stepped care comprised screening for distress, consultation between doctor and patient about the patient's need for CL services, and provision of CL service. Primary outcomes were referral to psychosocial services and em…

In vitro model for DNA double‐strand break repair analysis in breast cancer reveals cell type–specific associations with age and prognosis

Dysfunction of homologous recombination is a common denominator of changes associated with breast cancer-predisposing mutations. In our previous work, we identified a functional signature in peripheral blood lymphocytes from women who were predisposed that indicated a shift from homologous recombination to alternative, error-prone DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair pathways. To capture both hereditary and nonhereditary factors, we newly established a protocol for isolation and ex vivo analysis of epithelial cells, epithelial-mesenchymal transition cells (EMTs), and fibroblasts from breast cancer specimens (147 patients). By applying a fluorescence-based test system, we analyzed the error-…

Influence of operative strategy for the aortic arch in DeBakey type I aortic dissection: Analysis of the German Registry for Acute Aortic Dissection Type A

Objective Patients treated with an extensive approach including total aortic arch replacement for acute aortic dissection type A may have a favorable long-term prognosis by treating the residual false lumen. Our goal was to analyze the operative strategy for treatment of type I DeBakey aortic dissection from the German Registry for Acute Aortic Dissection Type A (GERAADA) data. Methods A total of 658 patients with type I DeBakey aortic dissection and entry only in the ascending aorta were identified in the GERAADA. Patients in group A underwent replacement of the ascending aorta with hemiarch replacement. Patients in group B received extensive treatment with total arch replacement or conven…

Use of illicit and prescription drugs for cognitive or mood enhancement among surgeons

Acute Aortic Dissection Type A : Age-related Management and Outcomes Reported in the German Registry for Acute Aortic Dissection Type A (GERAADA) of Over 2000 Patients

To determine the association between age and clinical presentation, management and surgical outcomes in a large contemporary, prospective cohort of patients with acute aortic dissection type A (AADA).AADA is one of the most life-threatening cardiovascular diseases, and delayed surgery or overly conservative management can result in sudden death.The perioperative and intraoperative conditions of 2137 patients prospectively reported to the multicenter German Registry for Acute Aortic Dissection Type A were analyzed.Of all patients with AADA, 640 (30%) were 70 years or older and 160 patients (7%) were younger than 40 years. The probability of aortic dissection extension to the supra-aortic ves…

Supracoronary ascending aortic replacement in patients with acute aortic dissection type A: What happens to the aortic root in the long run?

ObjectiveOur objective was to determine long-term outcome predictors for patients with acute aortic dissection type A (AADA) and aortic root involvement.MethodsFrom 2001 through 2009, 119 of 152 patients operated on for AADA at a tertiary medical center underwent supracoronary ascending aortic replacement (52 women; mean age, 61 ± 15 years). Those with at least 1-year follow-up (n = 97) were retrospectively assessed for preoperative aortic root disease. Follow-up data were assessed for evidence of new-onset aortic root disease by computed tomography and echocardiography, and for reoperation for aortic root disease.ResultsMedian follow-up was 33.8 months (range, 0-112 months). Twenty-six (27…

Construct Validity and Population-Based Norms of the German Brief Resilience Scale (BRS).

Abstract. The Brief Resilience Scale (BRS) measures the ability to recover from stress. To provide further evidence for construct validity of the German BRS and to determine population-based norms, a large sample (N = 1,128) representative of the German adult population completed a survey including the BRS and instruments measuring perceived stress and the resilience factors optimism, self-efficacy, and locus of control. Confirmatory factor analyses showed best model fit for a five-factor model differentiating the ability to recover from stress from the three resilience factors. On the basis of latent and manifest correlations, convergent and discriminant validity of the BRS were fair to g…

Indikatoren schulischen Wohlbefindens bei gesunden und chronisch kranken Kindern: Psychometrische Prüfung und Validierung adaptierter FEESS-Skalen

Zusammenfassung. Das schulbezogene Wohlbefinden (SBWB) ist eine wichtige Voraussetzung für schulischen Erfolg. Trotzdem existieren – insbesondere mit Blick auf die Erfassung des SBWB von Erstklässlern – im deutschsprachigen Raum nur vereinzelt Studien. Dies lässt sich möglicherweise durch das Fehlen geeigneter Instrumente begründen. Dies gilt auch und insbesondere dann, wenn der Gesundheitszustand der Kinder berücksichtigt werden soll. Das Ziel der vorliegenden Arbeit besteht in der Validierung des adaptierten Fragebogens zur Erfassung von emotionalen und sozialen Schulerfahrungen (FEESS 1 – 2; Rauer & Schuck, 2004 ) mit Fokus auf die Eignung des Instruments für chronisch kranke und ge…