Cost-Effectiveness of a High-Concentration (179 mg) Capsaicin Patch for the Treatment of Patients with Peripheral Neuropathic Pain in Scotland.

Introduction: Peripheral neuropathic pain (PNP) is a chronic condition often inadequately controlled by oral pharmacologic treatments. High-concentration capsaicin patch (HCCP) is a topical neurolytic treatment for PNP. This study assessed the cost-effectiveness of HCCP as an add-on to standard of care (SoC) in patients with PNP in Scotland.

Progressive Response of Repeated Treatment with High-Concentration (179 mg) Capsaicin Patch in Peripheral Neuropathic Pain After Surgical or Traumatic Nerve Injury: Findings from the 12-Month German CASPAR Registry Study.

Introduction: Peripheral neuropathic pain after nerve injury (PNI) caused by surgery or trauma can severely impact daily life. The high-concentration capsaicin patch (HCCP, 179 mg) is a topical therapy approved for peripheral neuropathic pain, including PNI. This study utilizes data from the German Pain e-Registry (GPeR) to investigate the real-world effectiveness of HCCP in managing PNI across multiple treatments over 1 year.

Progressive improvements in patient-reported outcomes with the high-concentration capsaicin patch: A retrospective cohort study in patients with painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy (CASPAR study).

Objective: To assess long-term outcomes and tolerability associated with repeated topical high-concentration capsaicin patch (HCCP) treatments in painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy (pDPN).

Methods: CASPAR, a retrospective, non-interventional cohort study of HCCP for neuropathic pain, utilizes real-world data from the German Pain e-Registry. This analysis included 826 patients with pDPN of the hands, feet, or legs receiving ≥1 HCCP with ≥12 months of follow-up.

Predictive factors for pCR and relapse following neoadjuvant dual HER2-blockade in HER2+ breast cancer: an international cohort study.

Purpose: Neoadjuvant systemic therapy with dual HER2-blockade, trastuzumab and pertuzumab, combined with chemotherapy has become a standard approach in patients with HER2-positive (HER2+) breast cancer (BC). However, the variability in treatment outcomes, such as pathological complete response (pCR) or relapse rates, underscores the need to identify predictive factors to optimize therapeutic strategies. This study aims to explore the relationship between clinicopathological factors and both pCR and disease-free survival (DFS) in an international cohort of patients with HER2+ BC, contributing to defining personalized treatment strategies.

CASPAR: a retrospective cohort study of the high-concentration capsaicin topical system in patients with painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the feet.

Introduction: Painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy (pDPN), a common complication of diabetes, is challenging to treat and negatively impacts quality of life (QoL). Many patients either fail to achieve adequate pain relief with current treatments or suffer from systemic side effects with oral options. This study used data from the German Pain e-Registry (GPeR) to evaluate the high-concentration capsaicin topical system (HCCTS) for treating pDPN of the feet.

Avelumab Maintenance Therapy in Advanced Urothelial Carcinoma: Implications of Timing and Treatment Sequencing.

Background: Platinum-based chemotherapy (PBC) followed by avelumab maintenance is a treatment option for patients with advanced urothelial carcinoma (aUC) patients. However, the optimal treatment sequencing in the era of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) is yet to be determined. Recent studies suggest that the timing of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) administration may impact patient outcomes, with a potential benefit from morning infusions.

Literature Review to Understand the Burden and Current Non-surgical Management of Moderate-Severe Pain Associated with Knee Osteoarthritis.

Introduction: To conduct a literature review exploring the humanistic burden, costs, and guideline recommendations for non-surgical management of moderate-severe pain in knee osteoarthritis (KOA).

Methods: Published studies (2018-25 April 2023) assessing the burden of moderate-severe pain in KOA were identified by searching Medline, Embase, EconLit, and Cochrane database, supplemented with grey literature hand searches and reference list snowballing. Treatment guidelines were also identified for key countries.

One-Year Brolucizumab Outcomes in Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration from a Large United States Cohort in the IRIS® Registry.

Purpose: To evaluate visual acuity (VA) and injection intervals in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) after 12 months of brolucizumab therapy in clinical practice.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Participants: Adults in the United States-based IRIS® Registry (Intelligent Research in Sight) with nAMD who received brolucizumab exclusively for 12 months (2308 eyes of 2079 patients).

Factors Linked to Injection Interval Extension in Eyes with Wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration Switched to Brolucizumab.

Purpose: To evaluate factors associated with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) injection interval extension in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) switched to brolucizumab treatment.

Design: Retrospective, observational cohort study.

Participants: Adults in the United States-based IRIS® Registry (Intelligent Research in Sight) with nAMD who switched from another anti-VEGF agent to brolucizumab-only treatment for ≥ 12 months from October 8, 2019, through November 26, 2021.

The Treatment Patterns with Brolucizumab in Germany (REALIZE) Study: A Retrospective Cohort Study Based on Longitudinal Prescription Data.

Introduction: This study describes real-world treatment patterns in Germany for brolucizumab, an anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) therapy for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD).

Methods: This single-arm retrospective cohort study used German patient-level prescription data. Patients aged ≥ 50 years, who received ≥ 1 brolucizumab prescription in one eye only (unilateral) and had a minimum of 12 months follow-up were included.

Efficacy and safety of brolucizumab in age-related macular degeneration: A systematic review of real-world studies.

Intravitreally injected anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) agents are first-line treatment for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD). Phase 3 trials demonstrated non-inferiority of anti-VEGF therapy with brolucizumab compared with aflibercept in best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) gains, with superior anatomical outcomes after brolucizumab. The purpose of the review was to summarize real-world efficacy and safety data on brolucizumab in patients with nAMD.

Comparative Efficacy of Brolucizumab in the Treatment of Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration: A Systematic Literature Review and Network Meta-Analysis.

Introduction: A systematic literature review (SLR) and network meta-analysis (NMA) were conducted to evaluate the comparative efficacy of brolucizumab relative to other anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) treatments for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) at 1 and 2 years, and overall safety and injection frequency of each treatment.

Methods: An SLR identifying randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published before June 2021 according to a pre-specified protocol was followed by a Bayesian NMA to compare brolucizumab (6 mg q12w/q8w) against sham and all relevant anti-VEGF regimens. Pooled mean injection frequency, serious adverse ocular events, and discontinuation rates were estimated for each treatment regimen.

Ecological effects on female bill colour explain plastic sexual dichromatism in a mutually-ornamented bird.

Sex differences in ornamentation are common and, in species with conventional sex roles, are generally thought of as stable, due to stronger sexual selection on males. Yet, especially in gregarious species, ornaments can also have non-sexual social functions, raising the possibility that observed sex differences in ornamentation are plastic. For example, females may invest in costly ornamentation more plastically, to protect body and reproductive ability in more adverse ecological conditions.

Risk of requiring a wheelchair in primary progressive multiple sclerosis: Data from the ORATORIO trial and the MSBase registry.

Background And Purpose: Reaching Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) ≥7.0 represents the requirement for a wheelchair. Here we (i) assess the effect of ocrelizumab on time to EDSS ≥7.

Treatment Patterns in Patients with Incident Parkinson's Disease in the United States.

Background: Treatment patterns in Parkinson's disease (PD) have not been extensively studied for nearly two decades. Insurance claims are appropriate for such analysis.

Objective: To understand the standard of care use of symptomatic treatments in new cases of PD and factors associated with treatment choice.

Phylogenetic analysis of apicomplexan parasites infecting commercially valuable species from the North-East Atlantic reveals high levels of diversity and insights into the evolution of the group.

Background: The Apicomplexa from aquatic environments are understudied relative to their terrestrial counterparts, and the seminal work assessing the phylogenetic relations of fish-infecting lineages is mostly based on freshwater hosts. The taxonomic uncertainty of some apicomplexan groups, such as the coccidia, is high and many genera were recently shown to be paraphyletic, questioning the value of strict morphological and ecological traits for parasite classification. Here, we surveyed the genetic diversity of the Apicomplexa in several commercially valuable vertebrates from the North-East Atlantic, including farmed fish.

LONG-TERM OUTCOMES OF RANIBIZUMAB TREATMENT OF MYOPIC CHOROIDAL NEOVASCULARIZATION IN EAST-ASIAN PATIENTS FROM THE RADIANCE STUDY.

Purpose: To evaluate long-term efficacy and safety of ranibizumab for treatment of myopic choroidal neovascularization (mCNV) in clinical practice.

Methods: Noninterventional, retrospective cohort study of East-Asian patients previously treated with ranibizumab during the RADIANCE trial. Forty-one patients who completed the RADIANCE trial were followed-up for up to 48 months (post-RADIANCE observation period).

A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Prevalence Studies of Sporadic Inclusion Body Myositis.

Background: Sporadic Inclusion Body Myositis (sIBM) is a rare and slowly progressive debilitating muscle disease with symptoms generally developing≥50 years of age.

Objective: To conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of the prevalence of sIBM literature, including a methodological quality assessment of the selected papers.

Methods: A systematic search of Medline, Embase, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and major Myositis and Neurological conferences was conducted.

Effect of MUC1/β-catenin interaction on the tumorigenic capacity of pancreatic CD133 cells.

Despite the fact that the biological function of cluster of differentiation (CD)133 remains unclear, this glycoprotein is currently used in the identification and isolation of tumor-initiating cells from certain malignant tumors, including pancreatic cancer. In the present study, the involvement of mucin 1 (MUC1) in the signaling pathways of a highly tumorigenic CD133+ cellular subpopulation sorted from the pancreatic cancer cell line HPAF-II was evaluated. The expression of MUC1-cytoplasmic domain (MUC1-CD) and oncogenic signaling transducers (epidermal growth factor receptor, protein kinase C delta, glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta and growth factor receptor-bound protein 2), as well as the association between MUC1 and β-catenin, were characterized in HPAF-II CD133+ and CD133low cell subpopulations and in tumor xenografts generated from these cells.

Expanding the use of administrative claims databases in conducting clinical real-world evidence studies in multiple sclerosis.

Objective: Administrative claims databases provide a wealth of data for assessing the effect of treatments in clinical practice. Our aim was to propose methodology for real-world studies in multiple sclerosis (MS) using these databases.

Research Design And Methods: In three large US administrative claims databases: MarketScan, PharMetrics Plus and Department of Defense (DoD), patients with MS were selected using an algorithm identified in the published literature and refined for accuracy.

[Do Capsicum spp. trichomes influence the biological aspects of the broad mite, Polyphagotarsonemus latus Banks (Acari: Tarsonemidae)?].

Plant morphology traits can affect the feeding preference, oviposition choice and the vulnerability of herbivores to natural enemies. At long term, these plant variations may influence herbivore population dynamics due to the interference on their development, survival and reproduction. In this paper, the development of the broad mite Polyphagotarsonemus latus (Banks) was evaluated on five species of Capsicum with different density of trichomes.