A New Global Definition of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome

Background: Since publication of the 2012 Berlin definition of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), several developments have supported the need for an expansion of the definition, including the use of high-flow nasal oxygen, the expansion of the use of pulse oximetry in place of arterial blood gases, the use of ultrasound for chest imaging, and the need for applicability in resource-limited settings. Methods: A consensus conference of 32 critical care ARDS experts was convened, had six virtual meetings (June 2021 to March 2022), and subsequently obtained input from members of several critical care societies. The goal was to develop a definition that would 1) identify patients with the currently accepted conceptual framework for ARDS, 2) facilitate rapid ARDS diagnosis for clinical care and research, 3) be applicable in resource-limited settings, 4) be useful for testing specific therapies, and 5) be practical for communication to patients and caregivers. Results: The committee made four main recommendations: 1) include high-flow nasal oxygen with a minimum flow rate of ⩾30 L/min; 2) use PaO2:FiO2 ⩽ 300 mm Hg or oxygen saturation as measured by pulse oximetry SpO2:FiO2 ⩽ 315 (if oxygen saturation as measured by pulse oximetry is ⩽97%) to identify hypoxemia; 3) retain bilateral opacities for imaging criteria but add ultrasound as an imaging modality, especially in resource-limited areas; and 4) in resource-limited settings, do not require positive end-expiratory pressure, oxygen flow rate, or specific respiratory support devices. Conclusions: We propose a new global definition of ARDS that builds on the Berlin definition. The recommendations also identify areas for future research, including the need for prospective assessments of the feasibility, reliability, and prognostic validity of the proposed global definition.

Cognitive Outcomes in the Pragmatic Investigation of optimaL Oxygen Targets (CO-PILOT) trial: protocol and statistical analysis plan

INTRODUCTION

Long-term cognitive impairment is one of the most common complications of critical illness among survivors who receive mechanical ventilation. Recommended oxygen targets during mechanical ventilation vary among international guidelines. Different oxygen targets during mechanical ventilation have the potential to alter long-term cognitive function due to cerebral hypoxemia or hyperoxemia. Whether higher, intermediate or lower SpO2 targets are associated with better cognitive function at 12-month follow-up is unknown.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

The Pragmatic Investigation of optimaL Oxygen Targets (PILOT) trial is an ongoing pragmatic, cluster-randomised, cluster-crossover trial comparing the effect of a higher SpO2 target (target 98%, goal range 96%-100%), an intermediate SpO2 target (target 94%, goal range 92%-96%) and a lower SpO2 target (target 90%, goal range 88%-92%) on clinical outcomes in mechanically ventilated patients admitted to the medical intensive care unit at a single centre in the USA. For this ancillary study of long-term Cognitive Outcomes (CO-PILOT), survivors of critical illness who are in the PILOT trial and who do not meet exclusion criteria for CO-PILOT are approached for consent. The anticipated number of patients for whom assessment of long-term cognition will be performed in CO-PILOT is 612 patients over 36 months of enrolment. Cognitive, functional and quality of life assessments are assessed via telephone interview at approximately 12 months after enrolment in PILOT. The primary outcome of CO-PILOT is the telephone version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment. A subset of patients will also complete a comprehensive neuropsychological telephone battery to better characterise the cognitive domains affected.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

The CO-PILOT ancillary study was approved by the Vanderbilt Institutional Review Board. The results will be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal and presented at one or more scientific conferences.

[Re-irradiation of bone marrow compression on a focus of extra medullary hematopoiesis: Presentation of a case]

We present the case of a 40-year-old patient with β-Thalassemia major who underwent decompressive palliative radiotherapy on symptomatic intracanal extra medullary hematopoiesis on three occasions between 2016 and 2020. We delivered normo-fractionated radiotherapy at a dose of 10Gy in five fractions on vertebrae T4 to T10 and L3 to S2, 20Gy in ten fractions on vertebrae C7 to T11, and 12Gy in six fractions on vertebrae C7 to T9. The treatment was well tolerated with complete recovery of the symptomatology during the first two irradiations, and almost complete recovery after the 3rd irradiation.

Classical Spin Liquid State in the S=5/2 Heisenberg Kagome Antiferromagnet Li_{9}Fe_{3}(P_{2}O_{7})_{3}(PO_{4})_{2}

We investigate the low temperature magnetic properties of a S=5/2 Heisenberg kagome antiferromagnet, the layered monodiphosphate Li_{9}Fe_{3}(P_{2}O_{7})_{3}(PO_{4})_{2}, using magnetization measurements and ^{31}P nuclear magnetic resonance. An antiferromagnetic-type order sets in at T_{N}=1.3  K and a characteristic magnetization plateau is observed at 1/3 of the saturation magnetization below T^{*}∼5  K. A moderate ^{31}P NMR line broadening reveals the development of anisotropic short-range correlations concomitantly with a gapless spin-lattice relaxation time T_{1}∼k_{B}T/ℏS, which may point to the presence of a semiclassical nematic spin-liquid state predicted for the Heisenberg kagome antiferromagnetic model or to the persistence of the zero-energy modes of the kagome lattice under large magnetic fields.

Response of the trial innovation network to the COVID-19 pandemic

INTRODUCTION

The COVID-19 pandemic prompted the development and implementation of hundreds of clinical trials across the USA. The Trial Innovation Network (TIN), funded by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, was an established clinical research network that pivoted to respond to the pandemic.

METHODS

The TIN's three Trial Innovation Centers, Recruitment Innovation Center, and 66 Clinical and Translational Science Award Hub institutions, collaborated to adapt to the pandemic's rapidly changing landscape, playing central roles in the planning and execution of pivotal studies addressing COVID-19. Our objective was to summarize the results of these collaborations and lessons learned.

RESULTS

The TIN provided 29 COVID-related consults between March 2020 and December 2020, including 6 trial participation expressions of interest and 8 community engagement studios from the Recruitment Innovation Center. Key lessons learned from these experiences include the benefits of leveraging an established infrastructure, innovations surrounding remote research activities, data harmonization and central safety reviews, and early community engagement and involvement.

CONCLUSIONS

Our experience highlighted the benefits and challenges of a multi-institutional approach to clinical research during a pandemic.

Stress in Parents of Children With Genetically Determined Leukoencephalopathies: A Pilot Study

Genetically determined leukoencephalopathies comprise a group of rare inherited white matter disorders. The majority are progressive diseases resulting in early death. We performed a cross-sectional pilot study including 55 parents from 36 families to assess the level of stress experienced by parents of patients with genetically determined leukoencephalopathies, aged 1 month to 12 years. Thirty-four mothers and 21 fathers completed the Parenting Stress Index-4th Edition. One demographic questionnaire was completed per family. Detailed clinical data was gathered on all patients. Statistical analysis was performed with total stress percentile score as the primary outcome. Mothers and fathers had significantly higher stress levels compared with the normative sample; 20% of parents had high levels of stress whereas 11% had clinically significant levels of stress. Mothers and fathers had comparable total stress percentile scores. We identified pediatric behavioral difficulties and gross motor function to be factors influencing stress in mothers. Our study is the first to examine parental stress in this population and highlights the need for parental support early in the disease course. In this pilot study, we demonstrated that using the Parenting Stress Index-4th Edition to assess stress levels in parents of patients with genetically determined leukoencephalopathies is feasible, leads to valuable and actionable results, and should be used in larger, prospective studies.

Cervical myelopathy caused by ventrally located atlanto-axial synovial cysts: An open quest for the safest and most effective surgical management. Case series and systematic review of the literature

OF BACKGROUND DATA

Despite a good understanding of the natural history of spinal synovial cysts (SCs), a widespread agreement regarding their optimal management is still lacking. This is particularly true for SCs occurring at the C1-C2 level, which are rare, but oftentimes lead to a rapidly evolving cervical myelopathy.

METHODS

We report a series of 4 patients (M:F ratio=1:1; mean age 63.5 years) presenting with progressive cervical myelopathy secondary to ventrally located C1-C2 SCs. All patients underwent a postero-lateral facet-sparing intradural approach with total excision of the SCs. Functional status was assessed pre- and postoperatively with Nurick scale and the modified Japanese Orthopaedic association grading. Furthermore we conducted a systematic review, following PRISMA guidelines of pertinent literature to contextualize the options for surgical management of such lesions.

RESULTS

Complete excision of the SCs was confirmed radiologically and on histological analysis. All measures of functional status improved post-operatively, and no cyst recurrence or need for instrumented fusion were noted during follow up (range from 22 to 88 months).

CONCLUSION

Our experience suggests that the facet-sparing intradural approach provides excellent clinical outcomes without causing any C1-C2 instability. This is in keeping with the take home message emerging from our literature review, which confirms that treatment should aim at radical resection of SCs while minimizing the risk of postoperative instability.

Growth of nanowire arrays from micron-feature templates

Here, we present a two-step annealing procedure to imprint nanofeatures on SiO₂ starting from metallic microfeatures. The first annealing transforms the microfeatures into gold nanoparticles and the second imprints these nanoparticles into the SiO₂ layer with nanometric control. The resulting nanohole arrays show a high ensemble uniformity. As a potential application, the nanohole mask is used as a selective mask for the Ga self-assisted growth of GaAs nanowires (NWs). Thus, for the first time, a successful implementation of nano-self-imprinting that links high-throughput microlithography with bottom-up NW growth is shown. The beneficial hole morphology of the SiO₂ mask promotes high Ga droplet contact angles with the silicon substrate and the formation of single droplets in the mask holes. This droplet predeposition configuration enables a high vertical yield of NWs. Thus, this article describes a new protocol to grow NW devices that combines simultaneously nanosized holes and parallel processing.

Recruitment of activated neutrophils correlates with disease severity in adult Crohn's disease

Neutrophils are detected in inflamed colon in Crohn's disease (CD). However, whether the frequency and/or activation of circulating or gut tissue neutrophils correlate with endoscopic severity remains to be investigated. A cohort of 73 CD patients was prospectively enrolled according to endoscopic severity and treatment history. Individuals with active disease were stratified using the Montreal classification. Harvey-Bradshaw Index (HBI) and Simple Endoscopic Score for Crohn's Disease (SES-CD) were performed at the time of ileocolonoscopy. Frequency of neutrophils and their expression of CD66b and CD64 were assessed in paired blood and colonic biopsies using flow cytometry. The percentage of neutrophils increased in inflamed colon and correlated with SES-CD in the entire cohort of patients examined, as well as in the subgroup with inflammatory (B1) active disease. SES-CD further correlated with neutrophil CD66b expression in mucosa but not blood and, conversely, with neutrophil CD64 expression in blood but not mucosa. However, the evaluation of neutrophil activation in mucosa when compared to blood reflected disease activity more clearly. Finally, a neutrophil activation power index (CD66b in mucosa X CD64 in blood) that correlated with SES-CD discriminated between patients with mild and severe disease. In conclusion, the frequency and activation of colonic neutrophils correlated with SES-CD, highlighting that mucosal neutrophils are associated with disease severity in CD.

Effect of active temperature management on mortality in intensive care unit patients

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the effect of active temperature management on mortality, intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital length of stay, as well as the relative efficacy of antipyretic medications and physical cooling devices for achieving reductions in temperature in critically ill adults.

DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) investigating treatments administered to febrile patients in order to reduce body temperature. Fifteen studies reporting results from 13 RCTs met our eligibility criteria.

INTERVENTIONS

Treatments administered to reduce body temperature were defined as physical cooling, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, paracetamol, or any combination of these.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

The primary outcome variable was all-cause mortality at the longest time point after randomisation. Secondary outcomes were ICU and hospital length of stay, and body temperature 12 hours after randomisation.

RESULTS

Active temperature control had no statistically significant association with mortality (odds ratio, 1.01; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.81-1.28; P = 0.95, for fixed effects). There was no statistically significant association between active temperature management and ICU or hospital length of stay. Active temperature management was associated with a statistically significant reduction in temperature. The fixed effects estimate for the active minus control treatment for pharmaceutical management was -0.62C (95% CI, -0.72C to -0.51C; P < 0.001) and for physical cooling was -1.59C (95% CI, -1.82C to -1.35C; P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Active temperature management neither increased nor decreased mortality risk in critically ill adults. When the therapeutic goal is to reduce body temperature, physical cooling approaches may be more effective than pharmacological measures in critically ill adults.

Increasing densities of an invasive polychaete enhance bioturbation with variable effects on solute fluxes

Bioturbation is a key process affecting nutrient cycling in soft sediments. The invasive polychaete genus Marenzelleria spp. has established successfully throughout the Baltic Sea increasing species and functional diversity with possible density-dependent effects on bioturbation and associated solute fluxes. We tested the effects of increasing density of M. arctia, M. viridis and M. neglecta on bioturbation and solute fluxes in a laboratory experiment. Benthic communities in intact sediment cores were manipulated by adding increasing numbers of Marenzelleria spp. The results showed that Marenzelleria spp. in general enhanced all bioturbation metrics, but the effects on solute fluxes varied depending on the solute, on the density and species identity of Marenzelleria, and on the species and functional composition of the surrounding community. M. viridis and M. neglecta were more important in predicting variation in phosphate and silicate fluxes, whereas M. arctia had a larger effect on nitrogen cycling. The complex direct and indirect pathways indicate the importance of considering the whole community and not just species in isolation in the experimental studies. Including these interactions provides a way forward regarding our understanding of the complex ecosystem effects of invasive species.

Randomised controlled pragmatic clinical trial evaluating the effectiveness of a discharge follow-up phone call on 30-day hospital readmissions: balancing pragmatic and explanatory design considerations

INTRODUCTION

Hospital readmissions within 30 days are a healthcare quality problem associated with increased costs and poor health outcomes. Identifying interventions to improve patients' successful transition from inpatient to outpatient care is a continued challenge.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

This is a single-centre pragmatic randomised and controlled clinical trial examining the effectiveness of a discharge follow-up phone call to reduce 30-day inpatient readmissions. Our primary endpoint is inpatient readmission within 30 days of hospital discharge censored for death analysed with an intention-to-treat approach. Secondary endpoints included observation status readmission within 30 days, time to readmission, all-cause emergency department revisits within 30 days, patient satisfaction (measured as mean Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems scores) and 30-day mortality. Exploratory endpoints include the need for assistance with discharge plan implementation among those randomised to the intervention arm and reached by the study nurse, and the number of call attempts to achieve successful intervention delivery. Consistent with the Learning Healthcare System model for clinical research, timeliness is a critical quality for studies to most effectively inform hospital clinical practice. We are challenged to apply pragmatic design elements in order to maintain a high-quality practicable study providing timely results. This type of prospective pragmatic trial empowers the advancement of hospital-wide evidence-based practice directly affecting patients.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

Study results will inform the structure, objective and function of future iterations of the hospital's discharge follow-up phone call programme and be submitted for publication in the literature.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

NCT03050918; Pre-results.

Utility of whole-exome sequencing for those near the end of the diagnostic odyssey: time to address gaps in care

An accurate diagnosis is an integral component of patient care for children with rare genetic disease. Recent advances in sequencing, in particular whole‐exome sequencing (WES), are identifying the genetic basis of disease for 25–40% of patients. The diagnostic rate is probably influenced by when in the diagnostic process WES is used. The Finding Of Rare Disease GEnes (FORGE) Canada project was a nation‐wide effort to identify mutations for childhood‐onset disorders using WES. Most children enrolled in the FORGE project were toward the end of the diagnostic odyssey. The two primary outcomes of FORGE were novel gene discovery and the identification of mutations in genes known to cause disease. In the latter instance, WES identified mutations in known disease genes for 105 of 362 families studied (29%), thereby informing the impact of WES in the setting of the diagnostic odyssey. Our analysis of this dataset showed that these known disease genes were not identified prior to WES enrollment for two key reasons: genetic heterogeneity associated with a clinical diagnosis and atypical presentation of known, clinically recognized diseases. What is becoming increasingly clear is that WES will be paradigm altering for patients and families with rare genetic diseases.

Functional bowel symptoms in quiescent inflammatory bowel diseases: role of epithelial barrier disruption and low-grade inflammation

OBJECTIVE

To determine the role of colonic barrier defects and low-grade inflammation in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)-like symptoms in quiescent inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

DESIGN

Caecal biopsies were collected from 51 IBS, 49 quiescent IBD (31 Crohn's disease (CD) and 18 ulcerative colitis (UC)) patients and 27 controls. IBS was assessed using the Rome III criteria and the IBS severity score. Epithelial barrier integrity was evaluated by determining the paracellular permeability of biopsies mounted in Ussing chambers and the mRNA expression of tight junction proteins (ZO-1, α-catenin and occludin). Low-grade inflammation was evaluated by counting cells, including intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs), eosinophils and mast cells, and by determining the mRNA and protein expression of tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α in biopsies and culture supernatants.

RESULTS

IBS-like symptoms were present in 35.4 and 38% of CD and UC patients, respectively. Paracellular permeability was significantly increased in both quiescent IBD with IBS-like symptoms and IBS compared with quiescent IBD without IBS-like symptoms (p<0.01, respectively) or controls (p<0.01, respectively). Significantly lower expression of ZO-1 and α-catenin was detected in IBS and quiescent IBD with IBS-like symptoms. IELs and TNF-α were significantly increased in quiescent IBD with IBS-like symptoms, but not in IBS.

CONCLUSIONS

In quiescent IBD, IBS-like symptoms related to persistent subclinical inflammation associated with increased colonic paracellular permeability. A persistent increase in TNF-α in colonic mucosa may contribute to the epithelial barrier defects associated with abdominal pain in quiescent IBD, but not in IBS. Optimisation of anti-inflammatory therapy may be considered in quiescent IBD with IBS-like symptoms.

Models of interinstitutional partnerships between research intensive universities and minority serving institutions (MSI) across the Clinical Translational Science Award (CTSA) consortium

Health disparities are an immense challenge to American society. Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSAs) housed within the National Center for Advancing Translational Science (NCATS) are designed to accelerate the translation of experimental findings into clinically meaningful practices and bring new therapies to the doorsteps of all patients. Research Centers at Minority Institutions (RCMI) program at the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) are designed to build capacity for biomedical research and training at minority serving institutions. The CTSA created a mechanism fostering formal collaborations between research intensive universities and minority serving institutions (MSI) supported by the RCMI program. These consortium-level collaborations activate unique translational research approaches to reduce health disparities with credence to each academic institutions history and unique characteristics. Five formal partnerships between research intensive universities and MSI have formed as a result of the CTSA and RCMI programs. These partnerships present a multifocal approach; shifting cultural change and consciousness toward addressing health disparities, and training the next generation of minority scientists. This collaborative model is based on the respective strengths and contributions of the partnering institutions, allowing bidirectional interchange and leveraging NIH and institutional investments providing measurable benchmarks toward the elimination of health disparities.

Preparedness of the CTSA's structural and scientific assets to support the mission of the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)

The formation of the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) brings new promise for moving basic science discoveries to clinical practice, ultimately improving the health of the nation. The Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) sites, now housed with NCATS, are organized and prepared to support in this endeavor. The CTSAs provide a foundation for capitalizing on such promise through provision of a disease-agnostic infrastructure devoted to clinical and translational (C&T) science, maintenance of training programs designed for C&T investigators of the future, by incentivizing institutional reorganization and by cultivating institutional support.

Scientific and logistical challenges in designing the CONTROL trial: recombinant factor VIIa in severe trauma patients with refractory bleeding

BACKGROUND

Clinical research in trauma patients poses multiple challenges in study design. These reflect the heterogeneity of injury and treatment, the paucity of acceptable study endpoints aside from mortality, and the difficulties inherent in obtaining informed consent in acutely ill populations. A current example of this problem is the study of recombinant factor VIIa (rFVIIa), which has attracted considerable interest as a systemic procoagulant agent for use in trauma patients with exsanguinating hemorrhage.

PURPOSE

To report on the implementation of an international trial - CONTROL - intended to assess the efficacy and safety of rFVIIa in trauma, and discuss trauma research study design in light of this experience.

METHODS

The CONTROL trial international steering committee confronted a number of barriers in the design of the CONTROL trial. They addressed methodologies for (1) standardizing entry criteria for trauma patients suffering inherently heterogeneous injuries, (2) obtaining informed consent in an acutely injured population with altered levels of consciousness, (3) avoiding futile care, while recruiting subjects with incompletely diagnosed injuries, (4) standardizing trauma intensive care across different investigating sites and countries, and (5) establishing study endpoints that were both clinically relevant and convincing to regulatory authorities. The resulting study methodology is reported.

RESULTS

The CONTROL trial began active recruitment in October 2005, and was halted on June 11, 2008 because the observed mortality in the 576 enrolled patients was so far below expectations that the study would lack sufficient statistical power at the planned number of subjects to demonstrate a benefit. The utility of the endpoints selected for study will not be known until completion of data analysis.

LIMITATIONS

Any clinical trial in trauma patients must cope with the urgency of care required, issues of patient heterogeneity, standardization of care across multiple centers, and the difficulties of obtaining informed consent.

CONCLUSION

Research in acutely hemorrhaging trauma patients presents numerous scientific and ethical challenges. The methodology of the CONTROL study is presented as an example of how some of these challenges can be approached and managed, and of the pitfalls that may arise.

Frequency and severity of ileal adenomas in familial adenomatous polyposis after colectomy

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS

The high cumulative risk of colorectal cancer in patients with familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) justifies prophylactic colectomy with either ileorectal (IRA) or ileal-pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA). Our aim was to evaluate retrospectively the frequency of and time interval to adenoma development in the ileal mucosa of patients with both types of surgery.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Retrospective study of 44 FAP patients with IRA (n = 21) and IPAA (n = 23). All patients were followed with a standardized procedure including chromoscopy and biopsies of visible polyps. In patients with IRA, specific attention was paid to the ileal mucosa above the anastomosis.

RESULTS

In the IPAA group, 18/23 patients (78 %) presented with visible polyps [histology: 16 (70 %) had adenoma with low-grade dysplasia; 1 (4 %) had adenoma with high-grade dysplasia; 1 had normal mucosa]. The mean interval between colectomy and the diagnosis of adenoma was 4.7 +/- 3.3 years. In the IRA group, 16/21 patients (77 %) presented visible polyps in the ileal mucosa [adenoma with low-grade dysplasia in 8 patients (38 %), with high-grade dysplasia in 2 (10 %), and lymphoid nodular hyperplasia in 6]. The mean interval between colectomy and adenoma diagnosis was significantly shorter in the IPAA than in the IRA group (4.76 +/- 3.3 vs. 16.4 +/- 8.5 years, P< 0.0001).

CONCLUSION

Our results show a high frequency of adenomas in the ileal mucosa of patients with IPAA and IRA (74 % and 48 % respectively), with evolution into high-grade dysplasia in 6.7 % of cases.

CD99 isoforms dictate opposite functions in tumour malignancy and metastases by activating or repressing c-Src kinase activity

CD99 gene encodes two distinct proteins, produced by alternative splicing of CD99 gene transcript. Full-length CD99 isoform (CD99wt) is formed by an extracellular domain, followed by a transmembrane domain and a 36 amino-acid intracytoplasmic domain, which is partially deleted in the truncated, short form (CD99sh). A differential expression of these two CD99 molecules can lead to distinct functional outcomes in lymphocytes. To investigate the functional effects of CD99 molecules on malignancy, forced overexpression of the two CD99 isoforms was induced in osteosarcoma and prostate cancer cells. The two isoforms exhibited opposite functions: the major form dramatically inhibits anchorage-independent growth, anoikis resistance, migration and metastasis, whereas the CD99sh remarkably favours the phenomena. A mechanistic analysis of CD99-transfected osteosarcoma cells points to involvement of c-Src family kinase activity in regulating CD99 functions in malignancy. Ser168 residue of CD99 plays a pivotal role in the reversion of the malignant phenotype. Our findings highlight the involvement of CD99 in crucial processes of cancer malignancy, serving as a curtain raiser for this, so far neglected molecule. In addition, a dualistic role for the two CD99 isoforms was shown in agreement with what was observed for other cell adhesion molecules.

Spontaneous hypoglycaemia in the presence of both anti-insulin antibody and anti-insulin receptor antibody

Beside insulinoma, alternative causes of hyperinsulinaemic hypoglycaemia include the rare autoimmune syndrome related to spontaneous autoantibodies either to insulin or to insulin receptor. We describe a case of hypoglycaemia with high insulinemia in which insulinoma could not be evidenced. Surprisingly, we found in the patient's serum both insulin autoantibodies and insulin receptor autoantibodies. Available data eventually supported the predominant role of insulin autoantibodies rather than insulin receptor autoantibodies in the mechanism of hypoglycaemia of this patient. Insulin antibodies were present in high titre. Most of the insulin in serum was bound to the insulin antibodies and free insulin was slightly increased. HLA typing displayed DR4 haplotype, known to be strongly linked to the insulin autoimmune syndrome. The patient's serum was able to inhibit insulin binding to its receptor in a cultured cell line overexpressing insulin receptors both in experiments with native serum and with serum depleted from insulin antibodies. However, we could not demonstrate that the insulin receptor antibodies had insulin mimicking effect. We have no obvious explanation for the presence of these two antibodies in the same patient. Possible hypotheses might involve an idiotype-anti-idiotype mechanism or a poly-autoimmune disease.

Controversies in sepsis clinical trials: proceedings of a meeting of the International Sepsis Forum, Lausanne, Switzerland, September 29, 2001

Despite some recent success with clinical trials studying innovative therapies in sepsis, the field remains predominantly one of failure despite compounds with significant preclinical activity. Preclinical animal experimentation remains an important component of drug development, and a portfolio approach is recommended. Failure in animals is more likely to predict failure in humans; however, success in animals often does not predict success in humans. Because the signal with innovative therapy of sepsis is likely to be low, an oncology model clinical trial approach, in which studies start with a high-risk homogeneous population and look for a large treatment effect with smaller numbers of patients, is likely to be more relevant than the commonly used cardiology model, in which studies search for a small treatment effect using large, heterogeneous, low-risk populations. With certain rules in place, improvement in organ function may be a worthwhile alternative to mortality as a clinical end point. Once a therapy is approved, adopting less stringent but still appropriate criteria for the use of that therapy in clinical practice may be appropriate.