Tenosynovial Giant Cell Tumor: Incidence, Prevalence, Patient Characteristics, and Recurrence. A Registry-based Cohort Study in Denmark.

OBJECTIVE: Tenosynovial giant cell tumor (TGCT) is a rare benign proliferative and inflammatory disease arising from synovia of joints, bursae, or tendon sheaths. We aimed to estimate incidence rate and prevalence of TGCT in Denmark, to describe patient characteristics and treatment modalities among patients with TGCT, and to estimate risk of TGCT recurrence. METHODS: Using registry data on pathology examinations and inpatient and outpatient hospital diagnoses, we identified adult patients with diagnoses of diffuse TGCT (D-TGCT) or localized TGCT (L-TGCT) between 1997 and 2012, followed through 2012. We described patients' characteristics, treatment modalities, and recurrence. RESULTS: We identified 2087 patients with L-TGCT and 574 patients with D-TGCT. Their incidence rates per million person-years were 30.3 (95% CI 29.1-31.7) and 8.4 (95% CI 7.7-9.1), respectively. At the end of 2012, prevalence per 100,000 persons was 44.3 (95% CI 42.4-46.3) for L-TGCT and 11.5 (95% CI 10.6-12.6) for D-TGCT. Women made up 61% of the patients with L-TGCT and 51% of the patients with D-TGCT. Median age at diagnosis was 47 years. Ten-year risk of recurrence was 9.8% (95% CI 8.4-11.3%) after L-TGCT and 19.1% (95% CI 15.7-22.7%) after D-TGCT. CONCLUSION: This study contributes evidence about epidemiology of TGCT based on routinely collected population-based data gathered in a setting of universal equal access to healthcare and complete followup.

Comparison of Durable-Polymer Zotarolimus-Eluting and Biodegradable-Polymer Biolimus-Eluting Coronary Stents in Patients With Coronary Artery Disease: 3-Year Clinical Outcomes in the Randomized SORT OUT VI Trial.

OBJECTIVES: The authors sought to compare the safety and efficacy of the biocompatible durable-polymer zotarolimus-eluting stent with the biodegradable-polymer biolimus-eluting stent in unselected coronary patients. BACKGROUND: Biodegradable-polymer biolimus-eluting stents are superior to first-generation durable-polymer drug-eluting stents in long-term randomized all-comer trials. Long-term data comparing them to second-generation durable-polymer drug-eluting stents are lacking. METHODS: The study was a randomized, multicenter, all-comer, noninferiority trial in patients with chronic stable coronary artery disease or acute coronary syndromes and at least 1 coronary artery lesion requiring treatment with a drug-eluting stent. Endpoints included major adverse cardiac events (MACE), a composite of safety (cardiac death and myocardial infarction not clearly attributable to a non-target lesion) and efficacy (target lesion revascularization); the individual endpoints of MACE; all-cause mortality; any myocardial infarction; target vessel revascularization; and definite or probable stent thrombosis at 36 months. RESULTS: From March 2011 to August 2012, 2,999 patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive either the zotarolimus-eluting (1,502 patients) or the biolimus-eluting (1,497 patients) stent. At 3-year follow-up, MACE occurred in 128 (8.6%) patients assigned to the durable-polymer zotarolimus-eluting stent and in 144 (9.6%) assigned to the biodegradable-polymer biolimus-eluting stent (p = 0.36). Occurrence of cardiac death (2.7% vs. 3.4%), myocardial infarction not clearly attributable to a non-target lesion (2.7% vs. 2.5%), and target lesion revascularization (5.4% vs. 5.5%) did not differ significantly between the 2 groups. Definite very late stent thrombosis occurred in 6 (0.4%) patients assigned to the durable-polymer zotarolimus-eluting stent and in 10 (0.7%) assigned to the biodegradable-polymer biolimus-eluting stent (p = 0.33). CONCLUSIONS: At 3-year follow-up, the durable-polymer zotarolimus-eluting stent and the biodegradable-polymer biolimus-eluting stent were similar in clinical outcome, with no significant difference in safety and efficacy outcomes, including stent thrombosis.

Direct measurement of the formation length of photons.

We report the first observation of a shoulder in the radiation spectrum from GeV electrons in a structured target consisting of two thin and closely spaced foils. The position of the shoulder depends on the target spacing and is directly connected to the finite formation length of a low-energy photon emitted by an ultrarelativistic electron. With the present setup it is possible to control the separation of the foils on a µm scale and hence measure interference effects caused by the macroscopic dimensions of the formation length. Several theoretical groups have predicted this effect using different methods. Our observations have a preference for the modified theory by Blankenbecler but disagree with the results of Baier and Katkov.