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Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), independently of obesity (OBS), predisposes to insulin resistance (IR) for largely unknown reasons. Since OSA-related intermittent hypoxia triggers lipolysis, overnight increases in circulating free fatty acid (FFA) including palmitic acid (PA) may lead to ectopic intramuscular lipid accumulation potentially contributing to IR. Using 3-T-1H-magnetic-resonance-spectroscopy, we therefore compared intra- and extra-myocellular lipid (IMCL and EMCL) in vastus lateralis muscle at ~7:00 a.m. between 26 male patients with moderate-to-severe OSA (17 obese, 9 non-obese) and 23 healthy male controls (12 obese, 11 non-obese). Fiber type composition was evaluated by muscle biopsies. Moreover, we measured fasted FFA including PA, HbA1c, thigh subcutaneous fat volume (ScFAT, 1.5-T-magnetic-resonance-tomograpphy) and maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max). 14 patients were reassessed after continuous-positive-airway-pressure (CPAP) therapy. Total FFA and PA were significantly by 178% and 166% higher in OSA patients vs. controls and correlated with the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) (r≥0.45, P<0.01). Moreover, IMCL and EMCL were 55% (P<0.05) and 40% (P<0.05) higher in OSA patients, i.e. 114% and 103% in non-obese, 24.4% and 8.4% in obese subjects (with higher control levels). Overall, PA, FFA (minus PA) and ScFAT significantly contributed to IMCL (multiple r=0.568, P=0.002). CPAP significantly decreased EMCL (-26%) and, by trend only, IMCL, total FFA and PA. Muscle fiber composition was unaffected by OSA or CPAP. Increases in IMCL and EMCL are detectable at ~7:00 a.m. in OSA patients and partly attributable to overnight FFA excesses and high ScFAT or BMI. CPAP decreases FFAs and IMCL by trend but significantly reduces EMCL.

Purpose To retrospectively evaluate outcomes of a combined interventional approach to stage 1 (cT1cN0cM0) renal cell carcinomas (RCCs) by transarterial embolization (TAE) followed by percutaneous CT-guided radiofrequency ablation (RFA) in patients ineligible for surgery. Materials and Methods 13 patients (9 male, 4 female, 69.6 ± 16.6 y/o) with 14 RCCs (largest diameter: 40.4 ± 6.7 mm, cT1a: 4, cT1b: 10) were treated by RFA a median of one day after TAE in a single center. Indications for minimally invasive interventional therapy were bilateral RCCs (n = 4), RCCs in a single kidney after nephrectomy (n = 3), increased surgical risk due to comorbidities (n = 4), and rejection of surgical therapy (n = 2). Technical success, effectiveness, safety, ablative margin, cancer-specific survival, overall survival, and tumor characteristics were analyzed. Results All RCCs were successfully ablated after embolization with a minimum ablative margin of 1.2 mm. The median follow-up was 27 (1–83) months. There was no residual or recurrent tumor in the ablation zone. No patient developed metastasis. Two minor and two major complications occurred. Four patients with severe comorbidities died during follow-up due to causes unrelated to therapy. The 1-year and 5-year overall survival was 74.1 % each. Cancer-specific survival was 100 % after 1 and 5 years. There was no significant decline in mean eGFR directly after therapy (p = 0.226). However, the mean eGFR declined from 62.2 ± 22.0 to 50.0 ± 27.8 ml/min during follow-up (p < 0.05). Conclusion The combination of TAE and RFA provides an effective minimally invasive therapy to stage 1 RCCs in patients ineligible for surgery. The outcomes compare favorably with data from surgery. Key Points:  Citation Format