Ιατρικά Άρθρα Αλέξανδρος Γ. Σφακιανάκης: 03/03/18

Σάββατο 3 Μαρτίου 2018

Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) for multiple pulmonary oligometastases: Analysis of number and timing of repeat SBRT as impact factors on treatment safety and efficacy

Publication date: Available online 3 March 2018
Source:Radiotherapy and Oncology
Author(s): R.J. Klement, J. Hoerner-Rieber, S. Adebahr, N. Andratschke, O. Blanck, J. Boda-Heggemann, M. Duma, M.J. Eble, H.C. Eich, M. Flentje, S. Gerum, P. Hass, C. Henkenberens, G. Hildebrandt, D. Imhoff, K.H. Kahl, N.D. Klass, R. Krempien, F. Lohaus, C. Petersen, E. Schrade, T.G. Wendt, A. Wittig, M. Guckenberger
BackgroundStereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) for oligometastatic disease is characterized by an excellent safety profile; however, experiences are mostly based on treatment of one single metastasis. It was the aim of this study to evaluate safety and efficacy of SBRT for multiple pulmonary metastases.Patients and methodsThis study is based on a retrospective database of the DEGRO stereotactic working group, consisting of 637 patients with 858 treatments. Cox regression and logistic regression were used to analyze the association between the number of SBRT treatments or the number and the timing of repeat SBRT courses with overall survival (OS) and the risk of early death.ResultsOut of 637 patients, 145 patients were treated for multiple pulmonary metastases; 88 patients received all SBRT treatments within one month whereas 57 patients were treated with repeat SBRT separated by at least one month. Median OS for the total patient population was 23.5 months and OS was not significantly influenced by the overall number of SBRT treatments or the number and timing of repeat SBRT courses. The risk of early death within 3 and 6 months was not increased in patients treated with multiple SBRT treatments, and no grade 4 or grade 5 toxicity was observed in these patients.ConclusionsIn appropriately selected patients, synchronous SBRT for multiple pulmonary oligometastases and repeat SBRT may have a comparable safety and efficacy profile compared to SBRT for one single oligometastasis.

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Bond villain should have consulted a neuroradiologist

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Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) for multiple pulmonary oligometastases: Analysis of number and timing of repeat SBRT as impact factors on treatment safety and efficacy

Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) for oligometastatic disease is characterized by an excellent safety profile; however, experiences are mostly based on treatment of one single metastasis. It was the aim of this study to evaluate safety and efficacy of SBRT for multiple pulmonary metastases.

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Evaluation of prospective motion correction of high-resolution 3D-T2-FLAIR acquisitions in epilepsy patients

Publication date: Available online 2 March 2018
Source:Journal of Neuroradiology
Author(s): Sjoerd B. Vos, Caroline Micallef, Frederik Barkhof, Andrea Hill, Gavin P. Winston, Sebastien Ourselin, John S. Duncan
T2-FLAIR is the single most sensitive MRI contrast to detect lesions underlying focal epilepsies but 3D sequences used to obtain isotropic high-resolution images are susceptible to motion artefacts. Prospective motion correction (PMC) – demonstrated to improve 3D-T1 image quality in a pediatric population – was applied to high-resolution 3D-T2-FLAIR scans in adult epilepsy patients to evaluate its clinical benefit.Coronal 3D-T2-FLAIR scans were acquired with a 1mm isotropic resolution on a 3T MRI scanner. Two expert neuroradiologists reviewed 40 scans without PMC and 40 with navigator-based PMC. Visual assessment addressed six criteria of image quality (resolution, SNR, WM-GM contrast, intensity homogeneity, lesion conspicuity, diagnostic confidence) on a seven-point Likert scale (from non-diagnostic to outstanding). SNR was also objectively quantified within the white matter.PMC scans had near-identical scores on the criteria of image quality to non-PMC scans, with the notable exception that intensity homogeneity was generally worse. Using PMC, the percentage of scans with bad image quality was substantially lower than without PMC (3.25% vs. 12.5%) on the other five criteria. Quantitative SNR estimates revealed that PMC and non-PMC had no significant difference in SNR (p=0.07).Application of prospective motion correction to 3D-T2-FLAIR sequences decreased the percentage of low-quality scans, reducing the number of scans that need to be repeated to obtain clinically useful data.

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Comparison between burning mouth syndrome patients with and without psychological problems

Publication date: Available online 2 March 2018
Source:International Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Author(s): M.-J. Kim, J. Kim, H.-S. Kho
The purpose of this study was to compare clinical and socio-demographic characteristics between burning mouth syndrome (BMS) patients with and without psychological problems. Of 644 patients with symptoms of oral burning, 224 with primary BMS were selected on the basis of laboratory testing, medical history, and psychometric tests: 39 with psychological problems (age 62.5±11.5years) and 185 without psychological problems (age 58.4±11.4years). Comprehensive clinical and socio-demographic characteristics, including psychological profiles and salivary flow rates, were compared between the two groups. No significant difference in sex ratio, duration and diurnal pattern of symptoms, unstimulated whole saliva flow rate, or marital status was found between the groups. The patients with psychological problems had a significantly higher mean age, reduced stimulated whole saliva flow rate, and lower level of education than those without psychological problems. The patients with psychological problems also displayed higher rates and greater severity of various types of BMS-related symptom in most parts of the oral mucosa, higher rates of stress-related symptoms, and greater difficulties in daily activities. The severity of taste disturbance was the factor most significantly correlated with the level of psychometry. In conclusion, psychological problems in BMS patients are associated with an aggravation of BMS symptoms.

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Science isn’t everything – and it’s not even after the truth

Although science is an admirable achievement, we look silly when we claim there are no limits to what it can do, say two new books

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Science isn’t everything – and it’s not even after the truth

Correlation of Patient- and Physician-Scored Dysphagia with Videofluoroscopies in Patients Treated with Radiotherapy for Head and Neck Cancer

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between patient-scored dysphagia and physician-scored dysphagia in head and neck cancer patients treated with radiotherapy. Furthermore, we wanted to compare both patient- and physician-scored dysphagia with dysphagia evaluated on swallowing videofluoroscopies. Sixty-three patients from two different centers treated with radiotherapy for head and neck cancer were evaluated in the current study. Swallowing videofluoroscopies at baseline, 6, and 12 months following radiotherapy were evaluated by 2 observers using the Penetration Aspiration Scale (PAS) and Swallowing Performance Status Scale (SPS) and correlated with patient and physician scored dysphagia. We observed a significant association between physician and patient scored dysphagia (p < 0.01), pre-treatment and post-treatment. Furthermore, the risk of observing dysphagia on videofluoroscopies increased significantly with increasing scores of both physician as well as patient scored dysphagia, and this at all assessed time-points. Patient-scored dysphagia correlates better with dysphagia evaluated by the PAS. Physician-scored dysphagia, however, correlates better with dysphagia as evaluated using the SPS. Both physician- and patient-scored dysphagia correlate well with dysphagia evaluated on videofluoroscopies. Since patient-scored dysphagia correlates better with PAS and changes in the PAS score, and physician-scored dysphagia correlates better with SPS, we advocate to use both patient- and physician-scored dysphagia in future trials.

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Young scientists and Clinical Biochemists need to develop superior negotiating skills

Publication date: Available online 2 March 2018
Source:Clinical Biochemistry
Author(s): Clare Fiala, Eleftherios P. Diamandis

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health technology; +238 new citations

238 new pubmed citations were retrieved for your search. Click on the search hyperlink below to display the complete search results:

health technology

These pubmed results were generated on 2018/03/03

PubMed comprises more than millions of citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books. Citations may include links to full-text content from PubMed Central and publisher web sites.

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Noninvasive visualization of early osteoarthritic cartilage using targeted nanosomes in a destabilization of the medial meniscus mouse model

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Targeted delivery of anti-miR-155 by functionalized mesoporous silica nanoparticles for colorectal cancer therapy

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The Value of Supine Chest X-Ray in the Diagnosis of Pneumonia in the Basal Lung Zones

Publication date: Available online 2 March 2018
Source:Academic Radiology
Author(s): Wolfgang G. Kunz, Maximilian Patzig, Alexander Crispin, Robert Stahl, Maximilian F. Reiser, Mike Notohamiprodjo
Rationale and ObjectivesBasal lung opacities are frequently observed on supine chest x-ray (SCXR) of intensive care patients, causing insecurity among clinicians and radiologists. We sought to determine the diagnostic accuracy of SCXR for basal pneumonia.Materials and MethodsWe identified 172 patients who received both SCXR and computed tomography within 1 hour. Two readers examined the SCXR and rated findings in both basal zones according to the following scale: 0 = "no pneumonia," 1 = "possible pneumonia," 2 = "highly suspected pneumonia." Computed tomography served as standard of reference. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values (PPV/NPV) were calculated once pooling 0 and 1 as negative and once pooling 1 and 2 as positive finding.ResultsWhen pooling 0 and 1 as negative, sensitivity was 0.45 (right)/0.38 (left), specificity was 0.94/0.97, PPV was 0.76/0.79, and NPV was 0.81/0.84. When pooling 1 and 2 as positive, sensitivity was 0.80/0.75, specificity was 0.62/0.58, PPV was 0.45/0.35, and NPV was 0.88/0.89. The most common findings in false-positive cases were combined pleural effusions and lower lobe atelectasis.ConclusionsInterpreting only highly suspicious basal opacities as pneumonia considerably increases the PPV with almost constant NPV. Clinicians and radiologists should be aware of the limitations of SCXR regarding basal pneumonia.

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Pacemakers in MRI for the Neuroradiologist: Revisited.

Pacemakers in MRI for the Neuroradiologist: Revisited.

AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2018 Mar 01;:

Authors: Kanal E

PMID: 29496728 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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Reply.

Reply.

AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2018 Mar 01;:

Authors: Korutz AW, Hijaz TA, Collins JD, Nemeth AJ

PMID: 29496727 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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Utility of Repeat Head CT in Patients with Blunt Traumatic Brain Injury Presenting with Small Isolated Falcine or Tentorial Subdural Hematomas.

Utility of Repeat Head CT in Patients with Blunt Traumatic Brain Injury Presenting with Small Isolated Falcine or Tentorial Subdural Hematomas.

AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2018 Mar 01;:

Authors: Devulapalli KK, Talbott JF, Narvid J, Gean A, Rehani B, Manley G, Uzelac A, Yuh E, Huang MC

Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: In blunt traumatic brain injury with isolated falcotentorial subdural hematoma not amenable to neurosurgical intervention, the routinely performed, nonvalidated practice of serial head CT scans frequently necessitates increased hospital resources and exposure to ionizing radiation. The study goal was to evaluate clinical and imaging features of isolated falcotentorial subdural hematoma at presentation and short-term follow-up.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of patients presenting to a level 1 trauma center from January 2013 to March 2015 undergoing initial and short-term follow-up CT with initial findings positive for isolated subdural hematoma along the falx and/or tentorium. Patients with penetrating trauma, other sites of intracranial hemorrhage, or depressed skull fractures were excluded. Patient sex, age, Glasgow Coma Scale score, and anticoagulation history were obtained through review of the electronic medical records.
RESULTS: Eighty patients met the inclusion criteria (53 males; 27 females; median age, 61 years). Of subdural hematomas, 57.1% were falcine, 33.8% were tentorial, and 9.1% were mixed. The mean initial Glasgow Coma Scale score was 14.2 (range, 6-15). Isolated falcotentorial subdural hematomas were small (mean, 2.8 mm; range, 1-8 mm) without mass effect and significant change on follow-up CT (mean, 2.7 mm; range, 0-8 mm; P = .06), with an average follow-up time of 10.3 hours (range, 3.9-192 hours). All repeat CTs demonstrated no change or decreased size of the initial subdural hematoma. No new intracranial hemorrhages were seen on follow-up CT.
CONCLUSIONS: Isolated falcotentorial subdural hematomas in blunt traumatic brain injury average 2.8 mm in thickness and do not increase in size on short-term follow-up CT. Present data suggest that repeat CT in patients with mild traumatic brain injury with isolated falcotentorial subdural hematoma may not be necessary.

PMID: 29496726 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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Radiation Dosimetry of 3D Rotational Neuroangiography and 2D-DSA in Children.

Radiation Dosimetry of 3D Rotational Neuroangiography and 2D-DSA in Children.

AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2018 Mar 01;:

Authors: Shkumat NA, Shroff MM, Muthusami P

Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The benefit-risk assessment concerning radiation use in pediatric neuroangiography requires an extensive understanding of the doses delivered. This work evaluated the effective dose of 3D rotational angiography in a cohort of pediatric patients with complex neurovascular lesions and directly compared it with conventional 2D-biplane DSA.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-three 3D rotational angiography acquisitions were acquired in 24 pediatric patients (mean age, 10.4 years). When clinically indicated, following 2D-biplane DSA, 3D rotational angiography was performed with 1 of 3 technical protocols (2 subtracted, 1 unsubtracted). The protocols consisted of 1 factory and 2 customized techniques, with images subsequently reconstructed into CT volumes for clinical management. Raw projections and quantitative dose metrics were evaluated, and the effective dose was calculated.
RESULTS: All 3D rotational angiography acquisitions were of diagnostic quality and assisted in patient management. The mean effective doses were 0.5, 0.12, and 0.06 mSv for the factory-subtracted, customized-subtracted, and customized-unsubtracted protocols, respectively. The mean effective dose for 2D-biplane DSA was 0.9 mSv. A direct intraprocedural comparison between 3D and 2D acquisitions indicated that customized 3D rotational angiography protocols delivered mean relative doses of 9% and 15% in unsubtracted and subtracted acquisitions, respectively, compared with biplane DSA, whereas the factory subtracted protocol delivered 68%.
CONCLUSIONS: In pediatric neuroangiography, the effective dose for 3D rotational angiography can be significantly lower than for 2D-biplane DSA and can be an essential adjunct in the evaluation of neurovascular lesions. Additionally, available 3D rotational angiography protocols have significant room to be tailored for effectiveness and dose optimization, depending on the clinical question.

PMID: 29496725 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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Altered Regional Homogeneity in Chronic Insomnia Disorder with or without Cognitive Impairment.

Altered Regional Homogeneity in Chronic Insomnia Disorder with or without Cognitive Impairment.

AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2018 Mar 01;:

Authors: Pang R, Guo R, Wu X, Hu F, Liu M, Zhang L, Wang Z, Li K

Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Many studies have shown that insomnia is an independent factor in cognitive impairment, but the involved neurobiological mechanisms remain unclear. We used regional homogeneity to explore the specific neurobiologic indicators of chronic insomnia disorder with mild cognitive impairment.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-nine patients with insomnia were divided into a group with and without cognitive impairment; we also included a control group (n = 28). Abnormalities in brain functional activity were identified by comparing the regional homogeneity values for each brain region among the groups.
RESULTS: Subjective insomnia scores were negatively correlated with cognitive impairment after controlling for age, sex, and educational effects. Regions with significant differences in regional homogeneity values in the 3 groups were concentrated in the right medial prefrontal cortex, the right superior frontal gyrus, and the left superior occipital gyrus. Meanwhile, subjective insomnia scores were negatively correlated with the strength of the decreased regional homogeneity in the right medial prefrontal cortex. The increased regional homogeneity value in the right superior frontal gyrus was positively correlated with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment score in patients.
CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that decreased regional homogeneity values in the medial prefrontal cortex and increased regional homogeneity values in the cuneus may be important neurobiologic indicators of chronic insomnia disorder and accompanying cognitive impairment. Overall, our study described the regional homogeneity of the whole brain in chronic insomnia disorder with mild cognitive impairment and could be the basis for future studies.

PMID: 29496724 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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Normal Values of Magnetic Relaxation Parameters of Spine Components with the Synthetic MRI Sequence.

Normal Values of Magnetic Relaxation Parameters of Spine Components with the Synthetic MRI Sequence.

AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2018 Mar 01;:

Authors: Drake-Pérez M, Delattre BMA, Boto J, Fitsiori A, Lovblad KO, Boudabbous S, Vargas MI

Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: SyMRI is a technique developed to perform quantitative MR imaging. Our aim was to analyze its potential use for measuring relaxation times of normal components of the spine and to compare them with values found in the literature using relaxometry and other techniques.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-two spine MR imaging studies (10 cervical, 5 dorsal, 17 lumbosacral) were included. A modified multiple-dynamic multiple-echo sequence was added and processed to obtain quantitative T1 (millisecond), T2 (millisecond), and proton density (percentage units [pu]) maps for each patient. An ROI was placed on representative areas for CSF, spinal cord, intervertebral discs, and vertebral bodies, to measure their relaxation.
RESULTS: Relaxation time means are reported for CSF (T1 = 4273.4 ms; T2 = 1577.6 ms; proton density = 107.5 pu), spinal cord (T1 = 780.2 ms; T2 = 101.6 ms; proton density = 58.7 pu), normal disc (T1 = 1164.9 ms; T2 = 101.9 ms; proton density = 78.9 pu), intermediately hydrated disc (T1 = 723 ms; T2 = 66.8 ms; proton density = 60.8 pu), desiccated disc (T1 = 554.4 ms; T2 = 55.6 ms; proton density = 47.6 ms), and vertebral body (T1 = 515.3 ms; T2 = 100.8 ms; proton density = 91.1 pu). Comparisons among the mean T1, T2, and proton density values showed significant differences between different spinal levels (cervical, dorsal, lumbar, and sacral) for CSF (proton density), spinal cord (T2 and proton density), normal disc (T1, T2, and proton density), and vertebral bodies (T1 and proton density). Significant differences were found among mean T1, T2, and proton density values of normal, intermediately hydrated, and desiccated discs.
CONCLUSIONS: Measurements can be easily obtained on SyMRI and correlated with previously published values obtained using conventional relaxometry techniques.

PMID: 29496723 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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Prediabetes in pregnancy, can early intervention improve outcomes? A feasibility study for a parallel randomised clinical trial

Objective

Measurement of glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) in early pregnancy is routine in New Zealand to identify women with diabetes and prediabetes. However, the benefit of early intervention in women with prediabetes is inconclusive. Our aim was to test the feasibility of a two-arm parallel randomised controlled trial of standard care versus early intervention in pregnancies complicated by prediabetes.

Setting

Two tertiary referral centres in New Zealand.

Participants

Women <14 weeks’ gestation and HbA1c ≥5.9%–6.4% (41–46 mmol/mol) measured at booking, without pre-existing diabetes.

Interventions

Randomisation was done by remote web-based allocation into one of two groups. Women in the early intervention group attended an antenatal diabetes clinic, commenced daily home blood glucose monitoring, and medication was prescribed if lifestyle measures failed to maintain target blood glucose levels. Controls received lifestyle education, continued standard care with their midwife and/or obstetrician, and were asked to perform a 75 g oral glucose tolerance test at 24 weeks’ gestation with a referral to clinic if this test was positive. Both groups received lifestyle questionnaires at recruitment and in late pregnancy.

Outcome measures

Recruitment rate, adherence to protocol and validation of potential primary outcomes.

Results

Recruitment rates were lower than expected, especially in Māori and Pacific women. Non-adherence to allocated treatment protocol was significant, 42% (95% CI 24% to 61%) in the early intervention group and 30% (95% CI 16% to 51%) in controls. Caesarean section and pre-eclampsia were signalled as potential primary outcomes, due to both the high observed incidence in the control group and ease of measurement.

Conclusions

For a future definitive trial, extending the gestation of eligibility and stepped-wedge cluster randomisation may overcome the identified feasibility issues. Consistent with published observational data, pre-eclampsia and emergency caesarean section could be included as primary outcome measures, both of which have a significant impact on maternal and neonatal morbidity and healthcare costs.

Trial registration number

ACTRN12615000904572; Pre-results.

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Diagnostic study on an immunochromatographic rapid test for schistosomiasis: comparison between use on serum and on blood spot from fingerprick

Background

An immunochromatographic rapid test (ICT; Schistosoma ICT IgG-IgM, LDBIO Diagnostics) demonstrated high sensitivity (96%) in the diagnosis of Schistosoma mansoni and S. haematobium. To date, the test has been validated for use on serum only, but in the absence of lab equipment, blood drop from fingerprick could be a useful option. This method is acquiring more interest because of the high flow of migrants rapidly moving across Italy and other European countries.

Objective

The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate the use of ICT on whole blood obtained from fingerprick.

Setting

Centre for Tropical Diseases (CTD), Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Hospital, Negrar, Verona, Italy.

Participants

The inclusion criteria were African migrants aged ≥18 years with epidemiological risk of infection. The exclusion criteria were refusal to participate in the study and impossibility of execution of one of the two study methods, for any reason. Seventy of the 72 eligible patients completed the study, 79% of whom were male.

Interventions

The ICT was performed twice for each included patient: one on blood drop (by the research nurses, in the ward) and one on serum (by staff of CTD lab). The primary outcome was the concordance between the two methods, assessed by Cohen’s kappa.

Results

Cohen’s kappa was 0.45 (95% CI 27.0 to 63.6), indicating moderate agreement between the ICT on serum and the ICT on blood drop. Assuming the results on serum as reference standard for diagnosis, the sensitivity and specificity of ICT on blood drop were 55% (95% CI 40 to 69) and 93% (95% CI 79 to 98), respectively.

Conclusions

The agreement between the two diagnostic methods is too low to support the alternative one. Implementation of the kit for using blood drop instead of the serum and/or further studies aimed to identify easy-to-use tests for schistosomiasis feasible outside referral centres for tropical diseases are needed.

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Economic burden of cirrhosis in Catalonia: a population-based analysis

Background

Cirrhosis is a chronic disease with high morbidity and mortality. Few studies have evaluated healthcare resource use in patients with cirrhosis.

Objective

We aimed to describe the point prevalence of cirrhosis on 31 December 2012 and the population-level distribution of healthcare resource use and expenditures in a non-selected population of patients with cirrhosis, stratified by whether their disease was compensated or decompensated, and by comorbidity burden.

Methods

This population study included all known patients aged >18 years with cirrhosis (according to International Classification of Diseases, ninth revision) in Catalonia, Spain, on 31 December 2012. We evaluated healthcare resource use and expenditure during 2013, taking into account the presence of decompensation before or during 2012.

Results

We documented 34 740 patients diagnosed with cirrhosis (58.7% men; mean age 61.8±14 years), yielding a point prevalence of 460 per 100 000 inhabitants on 31 December 2012. Annual mortality was 9.1%. During 2013, healthcare expenditures on patients with cirrhosis totalled 142.1 million (4234 per patient), representing 1.8% of the total 2013 healthcare budget of Catalonia. Hospitalisation costs accounted for 35.1% of the total expenditure and outpatient care accounted for 22.4%. MultivariateMultivariate logistic regression identified morbidity burden, HIV infection, hospitalisation and emergency room visits during 2012 as independent predictors of expenditure above the 85th centile (area under the receiver operating curve, 0.88 (95% CI 0.883 to 0.893, P<0.001)).

Conclusions

Cirrhosis accounts for a high proportion of healthcare resource usage and expenditures; hospitalisation accounted for the highest expenditures.

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Factors affecting decisions to extend access to primary care: results of a qualitative evaluation of general practitioners views

Objectives

To report general practitioners’ (GPs’) views and experiences of an Enhanced Primary Care programme (EPCP) funded as part of the Prime Minister’s Challenge Fund (second wave) for England which aimed to extend patient access to primary care.

Setting

Primary care in Sheffield, England.

Participants

Semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of GPs working in 24 practices across the city.

Results

Four core themes were derived: GPs’ receptivity to the aims of the EPCP, their capacity to support integrated care teams, their capacity to manage urgent care and the value of some new community-based schemes to enhance locality-based primary care. GPs were aware of the policy initiatives associated with out-of-hours access that aimed to reduce emergency department and hospital admissions. Due to limited capacity to respond to the programme, they selected elements that directly related to local patient demand and did not increase their own workload.

Conclusions

The variation in practice engagement and capacity to manage changes in primary care services warrants a subtle and specialist approach to programme planning. The study makes the case for enhanced planning and organisational development with GPs as stakeholders within individual practices and groups. This would ensure that policy implementation is effective and sustained at local level. A failure to localise implementation may be associated with increased workloading in primary care without the sustained benefits to patients and the public. To enable GPs to become involved in systems transformation, further research is needed to identify the best methods to engage GPs in programme planning and evaluation.

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An electronic health records cohort study on heart failure following myocardial infarction in England: incidence and predictors

Objectives

To investigate the incidence and determinants of heart failure (HF) following a myocardial infarction (MI) in a contemporary cohort of patients with MI using routinely collected primary and hospital care electronic health records (EHRs).

Methods

Data were used from the CALIBER programme, linking EHRs in England from primary care, hospital admissions, an MI registry and mortality data. Subjects were eligible if they were 18 years or older, did not have a history of HF and survived a first MI. Factors associated with time to HF were examined using Cox proportional hazard models.

Results

Of the 24 479 patients with MI, 5775 (23.6%) developed HF during a median follow-up of 3.7 years (incidence rate per 1000 person-years: 63.8, 95% CI 62.2 to 65.5). Baseline characteristics significantly associated with developing HF were: atrial fibrillation (HR 1.62, 95% CI 1.51 to 1.75), age (per 10 years increase: 1.45, 1.41 to 1.49), diabetes (1.45, 1.35 to 1.56), peripheral arterial disease (1.38, 1.26 to 1.51), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (1.28, 1.17 to 1.40), greater socioeconomic deprivation (5th vs 1st quintile: 1.27, 1.13 to 1.41), ST-segment elevation MI at presentation (1.19, 1.11 to 1.27) and hypertension (1.16, 1.09 to 1.23). Results were robust to various sensitivity analyses such as competing risk analysis and multiple imputation.

Conclusion

In England, one in four survivors of a first MI develop HF within 4 years. This contemporary study demonstrates that patients with MI are at considerable risk of HF. Baseline patient characteristics associated with time until HF were identified, which may be used to target preventive strategies.

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Factors influencing career progress for early stage clinician-scientists in emerging Asian academic medical centres: a qualitative study in Singapore

Objectives

To explore the factors that influence career progress for early stage clinician-scientists and to identify ways to mitigate these factors in the context of emerging Asian academic medical centres (AMCs).

Design

Qualitative interviews and thematic data analysis based on grounded theory.

Setting and participants

Five focus group interviews comprising 29 early career clinician-scientists who have received their first national-level career development award in Singapore.

Results

Clinical priorities represented an overarching concern with many reporting the difficulty in delineating responsibilities between clinical care and research. Additionally, there was a prevailing perception of the lack of support for research at the institutional level. Participants tended to identify mentors through their own efforts in a relatively haphazard manner, often owing to the dearth of role models and perceived inadequacy of reward systems for mentoring. Support from mentors was thought to be limited in terms of targeted scientific guidance and long-term commitments to the relationship. Most of the participants expressed concerns about how they could secure the next level of funding with diminishing confidence. Notably, the work-life balance was neither conceptualised as a ‘barrier’ to successful pursuit of research career nor was it translated into the reason for leaving the dual clinical-research career pathway.

Conclusions

Results revealed specific limitations presented by the research environment in newly emerging Asian AMCs. To retain a vibrant clinician-scientist workforce, additional measures are needed, aiming to improve institutional culture of research, build mentoring networks, adopt effective tools for tracking career progress and provide a clear and viable career progression path for clinician-scientist. Further research might explore the cross-cultural differences in managing work-life balance in academic medicine.

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Prevalence of xenobiotic substances in first-trimester blood samples from Danish pregnant women: a cross-sectional study

Objective

The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of xenobiotic substances, such as caffeine, nicotine and illicit drugs (eg, cannabis and cocaine), in blood samples from first-trimester Danish pregnant women unaware of the screening.

Design

A cross-sectional study examined 436 anonymised residual blood samples obtained during 2014 as part of the nationwide prenatal first-trimester screening programme. The samples were analysed by ultra performance liquid chromatography with high-resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

Setting

An antenatal clinic in a Danish city with 62 000 inhabitants, where >95% of pregnant women joined the screening programme.

Primary and secondary outcome measures

The prevalence and patterns of caffeine, nicotine, medication and illicit drug intake during the first trimester of pregnancy.

Results

The prevalence of prescription and over-the-counter drug detection was 17.9%, including acetaminophen (8.9%) and antidepressants (3.0%), of which citalopram (0.9%) was the most frequent. The prevalence of illegal drugs, indicators of smoking (nicotine/cotinine) and caffeine was 0.9%, 9.9%, and 76.4%, respectively. Only 17.4% of women had no substance identified in their sample.

Conclusions

This study emphasises the need for further translational studies investigating lifestyle habits during pregnancy, as well as the underlying molecular mechanisms through which xenobiotic substances may affect placental function and fetal development.

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Risk of pyogenic liver abscess and endoscopic sphincterotomy: a population-based cohort study

Objectives

To evaluate the risk of pyogenic liver abscess (PLA) in patients receiving endoscopic sphincterotomy (ES).

Setting

A population-based cohort study using data from Taiwans’ National Health Insurance Research Database was conducted. Patients aged 20 or older who had undergone an ES were considered as the ES cohort. The dates for the first hospitalisation of the patients receiving ES were defined as the index dates.

Participants

Patients in the ES and non-ES cohorts were selected by 1:1 matching ratio based on a propensity score. A total of 8174 sex-matched, age-matched and index year-matched (1:1) pairs of patients receiving ES and 8174 patients without ES served as controls. Cox proportional hazards regression was employed to calculate the HRs and 95% CIs for the association between PLA and ES.

Results

The overall incidence of PLA was significantly higher in the ES cohort than in the non-ES cohort (4.20 vs 0.94, respectively, per 1000 person-year) with the adjusted HR (aHR) 4.50 (95% CI 3.38 to 6.58) A stratified analysis during the follow-up years revealed that when the ES cohort was compared with the non-ES cohort, they displayed a higher risk of PLA during the first follow-up year (aHR 4.35, 95% CI 2.26 to 8.39) which continued significantly over the next 4–5 years of follow-up.

Conclusions

Patients receiving ES are associated with having a higher risk of PLA.

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Prevalence of coronary artery calcification in a non-specific chest pain population in emergency and cardiology departments compared with the background population: a prospective cohort study in Southern Denmark with 12-month follow-up of cardiac endpoints

Objectives

To examine and compare the prevalence of coronary artery calcification (CAC) and the frequency of cardiac events in a background population and a cohort of patients with non-specific chest pain (NSCP) who present to an emergency or cardiology department and are discharged without an obvious reason for their symptom.

Design

A double-blinded, prospective, observational cohort study that measures both CT-determined CAC scores and cardiac events after 1 year of follow-up.

Setting

Emergency and cardiology departments in the Region of Southern Denmark.

Subjects

In total, 229 patients with NSCP were compared with 722 patients from a background comparator population.

Main outcomes measures

Prevalence of CAC and incidence of unstable angina (UAP), acute myocardial infarction (MI), ventricular tachycardia (VT), coronary revascularisation and cardiac-related mortality 1 year after index contact.

Results

There was no significant difference in the prevalence of CAC (OR 0.9 (95% CI 0.6 to 1.3), P=0.546) or the frequency of cardiac endpoints (P=0.64) between the studied groups. When compared with the background population, the OR for patients with NSCP for a CAC >100 Agatston units (AU) was 1.0 (95% CI 0.6 to 1.5), P=0.826. During 1 year of follow-up, two (0.9%) patients with NSCP underwent cardiac revascularisation, while none experienced UAP, MI, VT or death. In the background population, four (0.6%) participants experienced a clinical cardiac endpoint; two had an MI, one had VT and one had a cardiac-related death.

Conclusion

The prevalence of CAC (CAC >0 AU) among patients with NSCP is comparable to a background population and there is a low risk of a cardiac event in the first year after discharge. A CAC study does not provide notable clinical utility for risk-stratifying patients with NSCP.

Trial registration number

NCT02422316; Pre-results.

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Cost-effectiveness of a complex workplace dietary intervention: an economic evaluation of the Food Choice at Work study

Objective

To evaluate the costs, benefits and cost-effectiveness of complex workplace dietary interventions, involving nutrition education and system-level dietary modification, from the perspective of healthcare providers and employers.

Design

Single-study economic evaluation of a cluster-controlled trial (Food Choice at Work (FCW) study) with 1-year follow-up.

Setting

Four multinational manufacturing workplaces in Cork, Ireland.

Participants

517 randomly selected employees (18–65 years) from four workplaces.

Interventions

Cost data were obtained from the FCW study. Nutrition education included individual nutrition consultations, nutrition information (traffic light menu labelling, posters, leaflets and emails) and presentations. System-level dietary modification included menu modification (restriction of fat, sugar and salt), increase in fibre, fruit discounts, strategic positioning of healthier alternatives and portion size control. The combined intervention included nutrition education and system-level dietary modification. No intervention was implemented in the control.

Outcomes

The primary outcome was an improvement in health-related quality of life, measured using the EuroQoL 5 Dimensions 5 Levels questionnaire. The secondary outcome measure was reduction in absenteeism, which is measured in monetary amounts. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis (Monte Carlo simulation) assessed parameter uncertainty.

Results

The system-level intervention dominated the education and combined interventions. When compared with the control, the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (101.37/quality-adjusted life-year) is less than the nationally accepted ceiling ratio, so the system-level intervention can be considered cost-effective. The cost-effectiveness acceptability curve indicates there is some decision uncertainty surrounding this, arising from uncertainty surrounding the differences in effectiveness. These results are reiterated when the secondary outcome measure is considered in a cost–benefit analysis, whereby the system-level intervention yields the highest net benefit (56.56 per employee).

Conclusions

System-level dietary modification alone offers the most value per improving employee health-related quality of life and generating net benefit for employers by reducing absenteeism. While system-level dietary modification strategies are potentially sustainable obesity prevention interventions, future research should include long-term outcomes to determine if improvements in outcomes persist.

Trial registration number

ISRCTN35108237; Post-results.

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Intertester reliability of clinical shoulder instability and laxity tests in subjects with and without self-reported shoulder problems

Objective

First, to investigate the intertester reliability of clinical shoulder instability and laxity tests, and second, to describe the mutual dependency of each test evaluated by each tester for identifying self-reported shoulder instability and laxity.

Methods

A standardised protocol for conducting reliability studies was used to test the intertester reliability of the six clinical shoulder instability and laxity tests: apprehension, relocation, surprise, load-and-shift, sulcus sign and Gagey. Cohen’s kappa () with 95% CIs besides prevalence-adjusted and bias-adjusted kappa (PABAK), accounting for insufficient prevalence and bias, were computed to establish the intertester reliability and mutual dependency.

Results

Forty individuals (13 with self-reported shoulder instability and laxity-related shoulder problems and 27 normal shoulder individuals) aged 18–60 were included. Fair (relocation), moderate (load-and-shift, sulcus sign) and substantial (apprehension, surprise, Gagey) intertester reliability were observed across tests ( 0.39–0.73; 95% CI 0.00 to 1.00). PABAK improved reliability across tests, resulting in substantial to almost perfect intertester reliability for the apprehension, surprise, load-and-shift and Gagey tests ( 0.65–0.90). Mutual dependencies between each test and self-reported shoulder problem showed apprehension, relocation and surprise to be the most often used tests to characterise self-reported shoulder instability and laxity conditions.

Conclusions

Four tests (apprehension, surprise, load-and-shift and Gagey) out of six were considered intertester reliable for clinical use, while relocation and sulcus sign tests need further standardisation before acceptable evidence. Furthermore, the validity of the tests for shoulder instability and laxity needs to be studied.

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Management of haemothoraces in blunt thoracic trauma: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

Introduction

Haemothorax following blunt thoracic trauma is a common source of morbidity and mortality. The optimal management of moderate to large haemothoraces has yet to be defined. Observational data have suggested that expectant management may be an appropriate strategy in stable patients. This study aims to compare the outcomes of patients with haemothoraces following blunt thoracic trauma treated with either chest drainage or expectant management.

Methods and analysis

This is a single-centre, dual-arm randomised controlled trial. Patients presenting with a moderate to large sized haemothorax following blunt thoracic trauma will be assessed for eligibility. Eligible patients will then undergo an informed consent process followed by randomisation to either (1) chest drainage (tube thoracostomy) or (2) expectant management. These groups will be compared for the rate of additional thoracic interventions, major thoracic complications, length of stay and mortality.

Ethics and dissemination

This study has been approved by the institution’s research ethics board and registered with ClinicalTrials.gov. All eligible participants will provide informed consent prior to randomisation. The results of this study may provide guidance in an area where there remains significant variation between clinicians. The results of this study will be published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at national and international conferences.

Trial registration number

NCT03050502.

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Cushings sign and severe traumatic brain injury in children after blunt trauma: a nationwide retrospective cohort study in Japan

Objective

We tested whether Cushing’s sign could predict severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) requiring immediate neurosurgical intervention (BI-NSI) in children after blunt trauma.

Design

Retrospective cohort study using Japan Trauma Data Bank.

Setting

Emergency and critical care centres in secondary and tertiary hospitals in Japan.

Participants

Children between the ages of 2 and 15 years with Glasgow Coma Scale motor scores of 5 or less at presentation after blunt trauma from 2004 to 2015 were included. A total of 1480 paediatric patients were analysed.

Primary outcome measures

Patients requiring neurosurgical intervention within 24 hours of hospital arrival and patients who died due to isolated severe TBI were defined as BI-NSI. The combination of systolic blood pressure (SBP) and heart rate (HR) on arrival, which were respectively divided into tertiles, and its correlation with BI-NSI were investigated using a multiple logistic regression model.

Results

In the study cohort, 297 (20.1%) exhibited BI-NSI. After adjusting for sex, age category and with or without haemorrhage shock, groups with higher SBP and lower HR (SBP ≥135 mm Hg; HR ≤92 bpm) were significantly associated with BI-NSI (OR 2.84, 95% CI 1.68 to 4.80, P<0.001) compared with the patients with normal vital signs. In age-specific analysis, hypertension and bradycardia were significantly associated with BI-NSI in a group of 7–10 and 11–15 years of age; however, no significant association was observed in a group of 2–6 years of age.

Conclusions

Cushing’s sign after blunt trauma was significantly associated with BI-NSI in school-age children and young adolescents.

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Identifying research priorities for patient safety in mental health: an international expert Delphi study

Objective

Physical healthcare has dominated the patient safety field; research in mental healthcare is not as extensive but findings from physical healthcare cannot be applied to mental healthcare because it delivers specialised care that faces unique challenges. Therefore, a clearer focus and recognition of patient safety in mental health as a distinct research area is still needed. The study aim is to identify future research priorities in the field of patient safety in mental health.

Design

Semistructured interviews were conducted with the experts to ascertain their views on research priorities in patient safety in mental health. A three-round online Delphi study was used to ascertain consensus on 117 research priority statements.

Setting and participants

Academic and service user experts from the USA, UK, Switzerland, Netherlands, Ireland, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Sweden, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore were included.

Main outcome measures

Agreement in research priorities on a five-point scale.

Results

Seventy-nine statements achieved consensus (>70%). Three out of the top six research priorities were patient driven; experts agreed that understanding the patient perspective on safety planning, on self-harm and on medication was important.

Conclusions

This is the first international Delphi study to identify research priorities in safety in the mental field as determined by expert academic and service user perspectives. A reasonable consensus was obtained from international perspectives on future research priorities in patient safety in mental health; however, the patient perspective on their mental healthcare is a priority. The research agenda for patient safety in mental health identified here should be informed by patient safety science more broadly and used to further establish this area as a priority in its own right. The safety of mental health patients must have parity with that of physical health patients to achieve this.

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Impact and acceptability of self-consent procedures for the school-based human papillomavirus vaccine: a mixed-methods study protocol

Introduction

The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, administered in early adolescence, can substantially reduce cervical cancer incidence and mortality. However, lack of written parental consent is a key reason why some young women do not receive the vaccine. The national legal framework allows girls to be vaccinated without parental consent provided they are deemed Gillick competent, but there is some reticence about vaccinating without written parental consent. Self-consent procedures are being implemented in Bristol and South Gloucestershire. This study will examine the implementation, acceptability and impact of these new procedures.

Methods and analysis

Statistical analyses of routine data from Public Health England and the Child Health Information System will test if there has been an increase in HPV vaccination uptake in two ways: (a) Is there an increase when comparing before and after the change in our intervention sites? and (b) Does the percentage change in our intervention sites differ from comparison sites (similar to our intervention sites in terms of initial HPV uptake, ethnicity and deprivation levels) in England where no such intervention took place and how? For the process evaluation, we will develop a logic model and use questionnaires, observations and audio-recorded interviews with young women, school nurses, school staff and parents to examine the context, implementation of self-consent and response to the new procedures.

Ethics and dissemination

The University of Bristol Faculty of Health Sciences Research Ethics Committee and the National Health Service Health Research Authority provided approvals for the study. We will produce a report with recommendations about self-consent procedures in conjunction with key stakeholders. At least two papers will be written for publication in peer-reviewed journals and for conference presentations. A summary of results will be shared with participating immunisation nurses, school staff, young people and parents as requested.

Trial registration number

ISRCTN49086105; Pre-results.

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A new model of exercise referral scheme in primary care: is the effect on adherence to physical activity sustainable in the long term? A 15-month randomised controlled trial

Introduction

Studies had not yet overcome the most relevant barriers to physical activity (PA) adherence. An exercise referral scheme (ERS) with mechanisms to promote social support might enhance adherence to PA in the long term.

Setting

A randomised controlled trial in 10 primary care centres in Spain.

Objective

To assess the effectiveness of a primary care-based ERS linked to municipal resources and enhancing social support and social participation in establishing adherence to PA among adults over a 15-month period.

Participants

422 insufficiently active participants suffering from at least one chronic condition were included. 220 patients (69.5 (8.4) years; 136 women) were randomly allocated to the intervention group (IG) and 202 (68.2 (8.9) years; 121 women) to the control group (CG).

Interventions

The IG went through a 12-week standardised ERS linked to community resources and with inclusion of mechanisms to enhance social support. The CG received usual care from their primary care practice.

Outcomes

The main outcome measure was self-report PA with the International Physical Activity Questionnaire and secondary outcomes included stages of change and social support to PA practice.

Data collection

Participant-level data were collected via questionnaires at baseline, and at months 3, 9 and 15.

Blinding

The study statistician and research assessors were blinded to group allocation.

Results

Compared with usual care, follow-up data at month 15 for the ERS group showed a significant increase of self-reported PA (IG: 1373±1845 metabolic equivalents (MET) min/week, n=195; CG: 919±1454 MET min/week, n=144; P=0.009). Higher adherence (in terms of a more active stage of change) was associated with higher PA level at baseline and with social support.

Conclusions

Prescription from ordinary primary care centres staff yielded adherence to PA practice in the long term. An innovative ERS linked to community resources and enhancing social support had shown to be sustainable in the long term.

Trial registration number

NCT00714831; Results.

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Video from ECR 2018: Thomas Beyer on hybrid imaging

2018_03_03_11_49_7594_Beyer_Thomas_ECR_2 VIENNA - The successful clinical implementation of hybrid imaging in Europe...

ENHANCED BETA-CATENIN EXPRESSION IS ASSOCIATED WITH THE RECURRENCE OF PAPILLARY THYROID CARCINOMA.

ENHANCED BETA-CATENIN EXPRESSION IS ASSOCIATED WITH THE RECURRENCE OF PAPILLARY THYROID CARCINOMA.

Endocr Pract. 2018 Mar 02;:

Authors: Kordestani Z, Sanjari M, Safavi M, Mashrouteh M, Asadikaram G, FekriSoofiAbadi M, Mirzazadeh A

Abstract
OBJECTIVE: A direct role of Catenin beta-1(βcat) in the proliferation of human thyroid tumor cells has been identified. This study aimed to determine if there is an association between βcat gene expression and the staging, recurrence, metastasis, and disease free survival of papillary thyroid cancer.
METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using data from available information in the medical records and paraffin blocks of 81 of 400 patients referred to the endocrine clinic over a 10-year period. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to evaluate βcat gene expression. Disease-free survival was assessed using Kaplan-Meier method.
RESULTS: The ten-year survival rate in these patients was 98.25% and disease-free survival was 48.1%. Cumulative dose of radioactive iodine that patients received was significantly and positively correlated with βcat gene expression (r = -0.2, p value=0.03).Also, in patients with recurrence, βcat gene expression was higher and statistically significant (5 fold increase p=0.002). Patients in more advanced stage and those with recurrence /distant metastasis had higher βcat gene expression .We found that the patients had a better survival (lower recurrence) if they had a lower βcat gene expression. (SD = 0.142-0.052) (Mantel-Cox test, P =0.002).
CONCLUSION: We concluded that βcat gene expression was positively correlated with recurrence, distant metastasis and TNM stage.
ABBREVIATIONS: PTC = Papillary thyroid carcinoma; βcat = Catenin beta-1; FTC = Follicular thyroid cancer; TCF/LEF-1 = T-cell factor / lymphoid enhancer factor1; IHC = immunohistochemical; TG = Thyroglobulin; AUC = Area under the ROC curve; APC = Adenomatosis polyposis coli.

PMID: 29498921 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma Recurrence: Low Yield of Neck Ultrasound With an Undetectable Serum Thyroglobulin Level.

Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma Recurrence: Low Yield of Neck Ultrasound With an Undetectable Serum Thyroglobulin Level.

J Ultrasound Med. 2018 Mar 02;:

Authors: Epstein S, McEachern R, Khot R, Padia S, Patrie JT, Itri JN

Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To assess the yield of neck ultrasound (US) when serum thyroglobulin (Tg) is undetectable (<0.1 ng/mL) compared to elevated serum Tg in patients with differentiated papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) treated with thyroidectomy and radioactive iodine 131 (RAI) ablation.
METHODS: A retrospective chart review was conducted from 2010 through 2015 at an academic institution evaluating US results in patients with serum Tg levels obtained within 6 months of a neck US examination after thyroidectomy and RAI. The reference standard for recurrence was pathologic results from US-guided fine-needle aspiration (FNA) or follow-up for at least 1 year.
RESULTS: Among 76 patients with undetectable serum Tg levels, there were 19 examinations in 18 patients in which US raised the possibility of recurrence. None of these 18 patients had recurrence by FNA (n = 8) or clinical follow-up of at least 1 year (n = 10). Among 65 patients with elevated serum Tg levels, there were 24 examinations in 22 patients in which US raised the possibility of recurrence. Twelve patients underwent FNA, with 9 patients (34.6%) showing PTC; 7 patients had follow-up neck US examinations showing stability of findings; and 3 patients were lost to follow up. The yield of neck US was significantly lower when serum Tg was undetectable compared to when levels were elevated (P = .001).
CONCLUSIONS: Neck US did not identify recurrent PTC when the serum Tg level was undetectable in patients who underwent total thyroidectomy and RAI therapy. Eliminating neck US when serum TG levels are undetectable could decrease unnecessary imaging examinations without negatively affecting the ability to detect recurrent disease.

PMID: 29498418 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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The rs2910164 Genetic Variant of miR-146a-3p Is Associated with Increased Overall Mortality in Patients with Follicular Variant Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma.

The rs2910164 Genetic Variant of miR-146a-3p Is Associated with Increased Overall Mortality in Patients with Follicular Variant Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma.

Int J Mol Sci. 2018 Feb 26;19(3):

Authors: Kotlarek M, Kubiak A, Czetwertyńska M, Świerniak M, Gierlikowski W, Kolanowska M, Bakuła-Zalewska E, Jhiang SM, Jażdżewski K, Wójcicka A

Abstract
Aberrant expression of the sodium-iodide symporter (NIS) and the resistance to post-operative radioactive iodide treatment is a crucial cause of higher mortality of some thyroid cancer patients. In this study, we analyzed the impact of miR-146a on the expression and function of NIS and on the overall survival of thyroid cancer patients. The study included 2441 patients (2163 women; 278 men); including 359 cases with follicular variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma (fvPTC). miR:NIS interactions were analyzed in cell lines using in vivo binding and inhibition assays and radioactive iodine uptake assays. Tumor/blood DNA was used for rs2910164 genotyping. Overall survival was assessed retrospectively. In the results, we showed that miR-146a-3p directly binds to and inhibits NIS. Inhibition of miR-146a-3p restores the expression and function of NIS, increasing radioactive iodine uptake. Rs2910164 functional variant within miR-146a-3p is associated with increased overall mortality among fvPTC female patients. The deaths per 1000 person-years were 29.7 in CC carriers vs. 5.08 in GG/GC-carriers (HR = 6.21, p = 0.006). Higher mortality of CC vs. GG/GC carriers was also observed in patients with lower clinical stage (HR = 22.72, p < 0.001), smaller tumor size (pT1/pT2) (HR = 25.05, p < 0.001), lack of extrathyroidal invasion (HR = 9.03, p = 0.02), lack of nodular invasion (HR = 7.84, p = 0.002), lack of metastases (HR = 6.5, p = 0.005) and older (age at diagnosis >50 years) (HR = 7.8, p = 0.002). MiR-146a-3p underwent somatic mutations in 16.1% of analyzed specimens, mainly towards the deleterious C allele. In this report we propose a novel molecular marker of the clinical outcome of fvPTC patients. Rs2910164 increases the overall mortality with inhibition of NIS and disruption of radioiodine uptake as a possible mechanism.

PMID: 29495389 [PubMed - in process]

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Reduction in Thyroid Nodule Biopsies and Improved Accuracy with American College of Radiology Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System.

Reduction in Thyroid Nodule Biopsies and Improved Accuracy with American College of Radiology Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System.

Radiology. 2018 Mar 02;:172572

Authors: Hoang JK, Middleton WD, Farjat AE, Langer JE, Reading CC, Teefey SA, Abinanti N, Boschini FJ, Bronner AJ, Dahiya N, Hertzberg BS, Newman JR, Scanga D, Vogler RC, Tessler FN

Abstract
Purpose To compare the biopsy rate and diagnostic accuracy before and after applying the American College of Radiology (ACR) Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System (TI-RADS) criteria for thyroid nodule evaluation. Materials and Methods In this retrospective study, eight radiologists with 3-32 years experience in thyroid ultrasonography (US) reviewed US features of 100 thyroid nodules that were cytologically proven, pathologically proven, or both in December 2016. The radiologists evaluated nodule features in five US categories and provided biopsy recommendations based on their own practice patterns without knowledge of ACR TI-RADS criteria. Another three expert radiologists served as the reference standard readers for the imaging findings. ACR TI-RADS criteria were retrospectively applied to the features assigned by the eight radiologists to produce biopsy recommendations. Comparison was made for biopsy rate, sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy. Results Fifteen of the 100 nodules (15%) were malignant. The mean number of nodules recommended for biopsy by the eight radiologists was 80 ± 16 (standard deviation) (range, 38-95 nodules) based on their own practice patterns and 57 ± 11 (range, 37-73 nodules) with retrospective application of ACR TI-RADS criteria. Without ACR TI-RADS criteria, readers had an overall sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of 95% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 83%, 99%), 20% (95% CI: 16%, 25%), and 28% (95% CI: 21%, 37%), respectively. After applying ACR TI-RADS criteria, overall sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were 92% (95% CI: 68%, 98%), 44% (95% CI: 33%, 56%), and 52% (95% CI: 40%, 63%), respectively. Although fewer malignancies were recommended for biopsy with ACR TI-RADS criteria, the majority met the criteria for follow-up US, with only three of 120 (2.5%) malignancy encounters requiring no follow-up or biopsy. Expert consensus recommended biopsy in 55 of 100 nodules with ACR TI-RADS criteria. Their sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were 87% (95% CI: 48%, 98%), 51% (95% CI: 40%, 62%), and 56% (95% CI: 46%, 66%), respectively. Conclusion ACR TI-RADS criteria offer a meaningful reduction in the number of thyroid nodules recommended for biopsy and significantly improve the accuracy of recommendations for nodule management. © RSNA, 2018 Online supplemental material is available for this article.

PMID: 29498593 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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Novel anatomic variation: heptafurcation of the celiac trunk.

Novel anatomic variation: heptafurcation of the celiac trunk.

Surg Radiol Anat. 2018 Mar 02;:

Authors: Rusu MC, Manta BA

Abstract
We report here anatomic variants which were found during a retrospective study of a male patient, 54 years old, evaluated in computed tomography: heptafurcation of the celiac trunk (CT) and bilateral double renal arteries. The seven branches of the heptafurcated CT were the (1) left and (2) right inferior phrenic arteries, the (3) splenic and (4) left gastric artery, the (5) common hepatic artery, further sending off the (a) proper, continued as left, hepatic artery and (b) the gastroduodenal artery, (6) a replaced right hepatic artery and (7) the dorsal pancreatic artery. To our knowledge, heptafurcation of the CT was not reported previously. The arterial variants have great importance during various surgical and interventional procedures and should be documented prior to respective procedures.

PMID: 29497808 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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health technology; +238 new citations

238 new pubmed citations were retrieved for your search. Click on the search hyperlink below to display the complete search results:

health technology

These pubmed results were generated on 2018/03/03

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Safety assessment of sorafenib in Chinese patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma: subgroup analysis of the GIDEON study

This study aimed to investigate the safety of sorafenib for the treatment of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma in Chinese patients.

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Systematic reviews and cancer research: a suggested stepwise approach

Systematic reviews, with or without meta-analysis, play an important role today in synthesizing cancer research and are frequently used to guide decision-making. However, there is now an increase in the number...

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Feasibility, useability and acceptability of technology-based interventions for informal cancer carers: a systematic review

Carers looking after someone with cancer often experience negative impacts on their own health. M-health interventions have been designed to provide information and support to patients and their carers. Howeve...

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Transnasal endoscopic and lateral approaches to the clivus: a quantitative anatomical study.

Transnasal endoscopic and lateral approaches to the clivus: a quantitative anatomical study.

World Neurosurg. 2018 Feb 27;:

Authors: Doglietto F, Ferrari M, Mattavelli D, Belotti F, Rampinelli V, Kheshaifati H, Lancini D, Schreiber A, Sorrentino T, Ravanelli M, Buffoli B, Hirtler L, Maroldi R, Nicolai P, Rodella L, Fontanella MM

Abstract
BACKGROUND: Transnasal endoscopic approaches to the clivus have been recently established. Comparative analyses with "classic" lateral approaches are limited.
OBJECTIVE: To compare transnasal endoscopic and lateral approaches to the clivus, quantifying exposure and working volume of each approach in the anatomy laboratory.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Five injected specimens (10 sides) underwent high-resolution computed tomography. In each specimen, transnasal endoscopic (Paraseptal, Transrostral, Extended Transrostral, Transethmoidal, Extended Transclival approach without and with intradural hypophysiopexy) and lateral approaches (Retrosigmoid, Far-lateral, Presigmoid retro- and trans-labyrinthine) to the clivus were performed. An optic neuronavigation system and dedicated software (ApproachViewer-GTx-UHN, Toronto, Canada) were used to quantify working volume and exposed clival area of each approach. Statistical evaluation was performed with Kruskal-Wallis test and Steel-Dwass-Critchlow-Fligner post-hoc test.
RESULTS: Endoscopic transnasal transclival approaches showed higher working volume and larger clival exposure compared to lateral approaches. Incremental volumetric values were evident for transnasal approaches; pre-sigmoid approaches provided less working volume than retrosigmoid ones. A transnasal transclival approach with hypophysiopexy provided significant exposure of the upper clivus (84.4%). The transrostral approach was the first transnasal approach providing satisfactory access to the midclivus (66%); retrosigmoid and far-lateral approaches provided exposure of approximately half of it. The lower clivus was optimally exposed with endoscopic transclival approaches (83%), while access to this region was limited with lateral approaches.
CONCLUSIONS: This quantitative anatomical study shows that endoscopic transnasal approaches to the clivus provide larger working volume and wider exposure of the clivus than lateral approaches.

PMID: 29499424 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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Screening for human papillomavirus-driven oropharyngeal cancer: Considerations for feasibility and strategies for research.

Screening for human papillomavirus-driven oropharyngeal cancer: Considerations for feasibility and strategies for research.

Cancer. 2018 Mar 02;:

Authors: Kreimer AR, Shiels MS, Fakhry C, Johansson M, Pawlita M, Brennan P, Hildesheim A, Waterboer T

PMID: 29499070 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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Anatomic Considerations for Temporomandibular Joint Vascularized Composite Allotransplantation.

Anatomic Considerations for Temporomandibular Joint Vascularized Composite Allotransplantation.

J Craniofac Surg. 2018 Mar 01;:

Authors: Khavanin N, Davidson EH, Lee DY, Byrne P, Dorafshar AH

Abstract
Concomitant temporomandibular joint (TMJ) transplantation is an obvious advancement in the reconstructive armamentarium for face transplantation in scenarios involving TMJ ankylosis. This study investigates the fidelity of mandibular morphology and explores the feasibility of bilateral mandibular condyle transfer in facial vascularized composite allotransplantation. Geometric analysis was performed on 100 skeletally mature maxillofacial computed tomography scans. Exclusion criteria included mandibular trauma and dentoalveolar disease. Parameters measured were posterior height, ramus tilt, anterior height, intercondylar widths, condyle height, coronoid height, interglenoid distances, symphyseal and gonial angles, condyle and glenoid volumes, and condyle shapes. Parameters were compared by gender and ethnicity using χ, independent sample t tests, and one-way ANOVA. Correlation with age was assessed using Pearson correlation coefficients. Bilateral measurements were compared using paired-sample t tests. Mean intercondylar width was 102.5 mm (SD 7.0 mm), anterior height 21.5 mm (5.5), and posterior height 65.3 mm (7.7), Males demonstrate larger geometric parameters, for example, intercondylar width (4 mm mean difference, P = 0.005), anterior height (2.3 mm, P = 0.032), posterior height (5 mm, P = 0.001). Asians demonstrated statistically larger intercondylar width (8 mm difference to Caucasians, P < 0.001). Increased age was associated with greater anterior height, gonial angle, and symphyseal angle; decreased glenoid height; and change in condyle shape. Despite significant disparity of laterality measurements within individuals, posterior height, glenoid, and condyle volumes are equivalent. Mandibular morphology is highly variable. However, transplantation of a facial allograft including the mandible and bilateral condyles is technically and anatomically feasible in patients with concomitant TMJ pathology.

PMID: 29498981 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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Does Pediatric Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome Cause Systemic Microvascular Dysfunction?

Does Pediatric Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome Cause Systemic Microvascular Dysfunction?

J Craniofac Surg. 2018 Mar 01;:

Authors: Koçak HE, Acipayam AŞF, Acipayam H, Erdoğan BÇ, Elbistanli MS, Kaya KH

Abstract
The aim of this study was to evaluate whether pediatric obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) secondary to adenoid hypertrophy causes systemic microvascular dysfunction. This is a prospective single-blinded case-control study. As the patient group, 81 patients diagnosed to have OSAS secondary to adenoid hypertrophy at our hospital between January 2016 and May 2016; as the control group, 26 healthy pediatric volunteers who presented to the hospital for health screening were included in this study. Three groups of OSAS patients were defined as mild, moderate, and severe respectively, according to the lateral nasopharynx x-ray. Patients with comorbid diseases were excluded from the study. For microvascular dysfunction, videocapillaroscopic evaluation was performed at the nailfold and capillary density (CD) and postocclusive reactive hyperemia (PORH) values were measured and statistical analysis between the groups was performed. The duration of complaints in all patients with OSAS was at least 6 months and <1 year. CD measurement in the control group and mild, moderate, and severe OSAS group was 94.1 ± 7.9, 96.9 ± 11, 94.7 ± 8.4, and 93.7 ± 9.4, respectively, with no significant difference between the groups (P > 0.05). PORH measurement in the control group and mild, moderate, and severe OSAS group was 95.6 ± 8.6, 97.9 ± 10.1, 96 ± 8.7, and 93.9 ± 9.3, respectively, with no significant difference between the groups (P > 0.05). OSAS secondary to adenoid hypertrophy in pediatric patients was demonstrated to cause no dysfunction in microvascular circulation and carried no cardiovascular risk in the early period.

PMID: 29498980 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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The Specific Morphological Features of Alveolar Bone.

The Specific Morphological Features of Alveolar Bone.

J Craniofac Surg. 2018 Mar 01;:

Authors: Zhou S, Yang Y, Ha N, Zhang P, Ma X, Gong X, Hong Y, Yang X, Yang S, Dai Q, Jiang L

Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to study the specific morphological features of alveolar bone and compare it to femoral bone in rats.
METHODS: Twelve 3-month-old nonpregnant female Sprague-Dawley rats were used in the present study. The left maxillae and femurs of 6 rats were used for micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) scanning. The trabecular bone of the distal femur and the interradicular alveolar bone of the maxillary first molar were reconstructed and analyzed. Another 6 rats were used for histological analysis of trabecular bone and alveolar bone.
RESULTS: Micro-CT analysis suggested that the femoral trabecular bone was porous with rod-like trabeculae with a scattered distribution in bone marrow, whereas alveolar bone showed a compact structure with plate-like trabeculae and limited bone marrow. Tissue mineral density, bone mineral density, bone volume fraction, and trabecular thickness were dramatically higher in the alveolar bone compared with that in the trabecular bone. Alveolar bone displayed lower trabecular number and trabecular separation. Histomorphometric analysis showed that alveolar bone was formed of compact bone with wide trabeculae, whereas femurs were composed of loose bone with finer trabeculae.
CONCLUSIONS: In comparison to the spongiosa of the distal femur, alveolar bone displays specific morphological features with compact, wide, and highly mineralized trabeculae.

PMID: 29498973 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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Comparing the Efficacy of Peritonsillar Injection of Tramadol With Honey in Controlling Post-Tonsillectomy Pain in Adults.

Comparing the Efficacy of Peritonsillar Injection of Tramadol With Honey in Controlling Post-Tonsillectomy Pain in Adults.

J Craniofac Surg. 2018 Mar 01;:

Authors: Hatami M, Mirjalili M, Ayatollahi V, Vaziribozorg S, Zand V

Abstract
INTRODUCTION: The authors investigated the effect of honey on post-tonsillectomy pain and compare its efficacy with tramadol.
METHODS: This clinical trial was performed on 60 patients with American Society of Anesthesia I and II aged between 18 and 55 years and underwent tonsillectomy. Induction of anesthesia was carried out using 2 mg/kg propofol and 0.5 atracurium following 1.5 μg/kg fentanyl administration. Group B was given tramadol at dose of 2 mg/kg and with volume of 4 mL and Group A was given normal saline with the same volume 2 mL of medications were injected using needle (25) into tonsil bed and anterior old of each tonsil by an anesthesiologist. Three minutes after injection, the surgery was performed by the same ENT residents for all patients. In the recovery room Group B received antibiotics and oral acetaminophen. Group A was given antibiotics, oral acetaminophen, and honey dissolved in 40 mL warm water every 6 hours from when the patient was fully awake. Patients in Group A were told to eat honey 3 times a day 7 days postoperatively. Pain was scored using Numeric Rating Scale at the time points of 2, 6, 12, and 24 hours as well as 3 and 7 days postoperatively. Moreover, the healing status and epithelialization degree of tonsillar bed were considered on 1 and 7 days after the surgery by ENT specialist.
RESULTS: The mean of pain score was significantly higher in Group A within 24 hours postoperatively as compared with Group B (P < 0.01). The mean of pain score was lower in Group B after 3 and 7 days but this difference was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). Considering restoration status and epithelialization degree of tonsillar bed on the 1st and 7th days, there was no statistically significant difference between 2 groups; however, tonsillar bed healing process was better in Group B on the 7th day.
CONCLUSION: The current investigation confirmed the positive impact of tramadol on post-tonsillectomy pain relief in adults. The authors also found that honey can be used as a complementary treatment along with acetaminophen and other analgesics for reducing post-tonsillectomy pain. Considering honey impact on wound healing and its anti-inflammatory effect, it is suggested for relieving complications after surgery.

PMID: 29498972 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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Electrocochleography Results in Patients With Bilateral Vestibular Paresis and Sound- or Pressure-Induced Horizontal Nystagmus.

Electrocochleography Results in Patients With Bilateral Vestibular Paresis and Sound- or Pressure-Induced Horizontal Nystagmus.

Otol Neurotol. 2018 Mar 01;:

Authors: Heidenreich KD, Pitts CM, Angster K, Zajac T, Havard S, Melendez TL, Kileny PR

Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To describe the electrocochleography (ECochG) findings in patients with bilateral vestibular paresis and sound- and/or pressure-induced horizontal nystagmus.
DESIGN: Retrospective case series.
SETTING: Tertiary care center.
PATIENTS: Three adult patients with bilateral vestibular paresis and sound- and/or pressure-induced horizontal nystagmus were evaluated from 2012 to 2016.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: All patients underwent ECochG, vestibular evoked myogenic potential (VEMP) testing, bithermal caloric testing, rotary chair testing, audiometric testing, and temporal bone computed tomography (CT). For ECochG, the summating potential (SP) to action potential (AP) ratio was determined.
RESULTS: All patients had normal temporal bone CT, reduced caloric responses bilaterally, decreased gain on rotary chair, and abnormal ECochG. For two subjects, the SP/AP was elevated bilaterally. One subject had unilateral SP/AP elevation. Cervical VEMPs were present in all subjects, but at reduced thresholds in two subjects.
CONCLUSION: SP/AP elevation was found in all three patients with the syndrome of bilateral vestibular paresis and/or sound- or pressure-induced horizontal nystagmus. As the etiology of this syndrome remains unclear, understanding the basis for abnormal ECochG may shed insight into the pathophysiology of this condition.

PMID: 29498965 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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Structural Analysis of Tensor Tympani Muscle, Tympanic Diaphragm, Epitympanum, and Protympanum in Menière's Disease: a Human Temporal Bone Study.

Structural Analysis of Tensor Tympani Muscle, Tympanic Diaphragm, Epitympanum, and Protympanum in Menière's Disease: a Human Temporal Bone Study.

Otol Neurotol. 2018 Mar 01;:

Authors: Azuma T, Nogaki T, Schachern P, Paparella MM, Cureoglu S

Abstract
HYPOTHESIS: We hypothesized that there would be significant anatomic differences of the tensor tympani muscle (TTM), tympanic diaphragm, epitympanum, and protympanum in patients with versus without Menière's disease.
BACKGROUND: The effects of tenotomy on Menière's disease suggested it relieves the pressure on the inner ear of the contraction of the TTM and of negative middle ear pressure.
METHODS: Using human temporal bones from patients with Menière's disease, two studies were conducted. We examined the presence of otitis media, cholesteatoma, and endolymphatic hydrops, the length, diameter, configuration, the volume of the TTM and tendon, and the area of the tympanic isthmus (Study 1). We examined the presence of otitis media, cholesteatoma and endolymphatic hydrops, and the area and volume of the protympanum (Study 2).
RESULTS: In study 1, we observed no significant differences between the two groups. In study 2, we did not observe a small and narrow protympanum in the Menière's disease group. None of the ears in the Menière's or control groups had otitis media or cholesteatoma in either study. We observed hydrops in all the temporal bones of the Menière's disease group and none in the control groups.
CONCLUSION: The position, configuration, and size of the tensor tympani muscle and tendon do not seem to play a role in the pathogenesis of Menière's disease. Because the tympanic isthmus and protympanum in Menière's disease are not smaller than controls and that none of the temporal bones had otitis media or cholesteatoma, it is unlikely that there was dysventilation in the middle ear.

PMID: 29498964 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Presenting as a Cerebellopontine Angle and Internal Auditory Canal Mass.

Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Presenting as a Cerebellopontine Angle and Internal Auditory Canal Mass.

Otol Neurotol. 2018 Mar 01;:

Authors: Lambert PA, Crane BT

PMID: 29498963 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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PREVALENCE OF POTENTIAL HYBRID AND CONVENTIONAL COCHLEAR IMPLANT CANDIDATES BASED ON AUDIOMETRIC PROFILE.

PREVALENCE OF POTENTIAL HYBRID AND CONVENTIONAL COCHLEAR IMPLANT CANDIDATES BASED ON AUDIOMETRIC PROFILE.

Otol Neurotol. 2018 Mar 01;:

Authors: Goman AM, Dunn CC, Gantz BJ, Lin FR

PMID: 29498962 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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A Retrospective Estimate of Ear Disease Detection Using the "Red Flags" in a Clinical Sample.

A Retrospective Estimate of Ear Disease Detection Using the "Red Flags" in a Clinical Sample.

Ear Hear. 2018 Mar 01;:

Authors: Klyn NAM, Kleindienst Robler S, Alfakir R, Nielsen DW, Griffith JW, Carlson DL, Lundy L, Dhar S, Zapala DA

Abstract
OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the specificity and sensitivity of two red flag protocols in detecting ear diseases associated with changes in hearing.
DESIGN: The presence of red-flag symptoms was determined in a chart review of 307 adult patients from the Mayo Clinic Florida Departments of Otorhinolaryngology and Audiology. Participants formed a convenience sample recruited for a separate study. Neurotologist diagnosis was the criterion for comparisons.
RESULTS: Of the 251 patient files retained for analysis, 191 had one or more targeted diseases and 60 had age- or noise-related hearing loss. Food and Drug Administration red flags sensitivity was 91% (confidence interval [CI], 86 to 95%) and specificity was 72% (CI, 59 to 83%). American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery red flags sensitivity was 98% (CI, 95 to 99%) and specificity was 20% (CI, 11 to 32%).
CONCLUSIONS: Stakeholders must determine which diseases are meaningful contraindications for hearing aid use and whether these red-flag protocols have acceptable levels of sensitivity and specificity. As direct-to-consumer models of hearing devices increase, a disease detection method that does not require provider intercession would be useful.

PMID: 29498954 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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Risk Factors Linking Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma With Head and Neck Cancer or Gastric Cancer.

Risk Factors Linking Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma With Head and Neck Cancer or Gastric Cancer.

J Clin Gastroenterol. 2018 Mar 01;:

Authors: Onochi K, Shiga H, Takahashi S, Watanabe N, Fukuda S, Ishioka M, Koizumi S, Matsuhasi T, Jin M, Iijima K

Abstract
GOALS: To investigate retrospectively the risk factors for synchronous and metachronous cancers in the upper gastrointestinal tract in patients with superficial esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).
BACKGROUND: In patients who have received endoscopic resection (ER) for ESCC, synchronous and metachronous cancers are frequently detected not only in the esophagus but also in the head and neck area and the stomach.
STUDY: A total of 285 patients who received ER for superficial ESCC were enrolled in this analysis. These patients were periodically followed-up endoscopically. Cumulative occurrence rates of the metachronous second primary cancers were determined by Kaplan-Meier method. Risk factors for synchronous and metachronous cancers in the head and neck area and the stomach were determined by logistic regression analyses.
RESULTS: During a mean follow-up period of 76 months, the 5-year cumulative occurrence of metachronous esophageal, head and neck, and stomach cancer was 14.0%, 2.8%, and 4.1%, respectively. Although the presence of multiple lugol-voiding lesions in the esophagus was a significant risk factor for synchronous and metachronous head and neck cancers (odds ratio, 3.8; 95% confidence interval, 1.7-9.0), older age (>65 y) was a significant risk factor for synchronous and metachronous gastric cancer (odds ratio, 3.1; 95% confidence interval, 1.2-9.3).
CONCLUSIONS: The risk factors for the cooccurrence of head and neck cancer and that of gastric cancer in patients with ESCC differ. This information will likely be useful for managing patients who have been treated with ER for ESCC and who possess carcinogenic potential throughout the upper gastrointestinal tract.

PMID: 29498952 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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Estrogen Receptor Signaling in Radiotherapy: From Molecular Mechanisms to Clinical Studies.

Estrogen Receptor Signaling in Radiotherapy: From Molecular Mechanisms to Clinical Studies.

Int J Mol Sci. 2018 Mar 02;19(3):

Authors: Rong C, Meinert ÉFRC, Hess J

Abstract
Numerous studies have established a proof of concept that abnormal expression and function of estrogen receptors (ER) are crucial processes in initiation and development of hormone-related cancers and also affect the efficacy of anti-cancer therapy. Radiotherapy has been applied as one of the most common and potent therapeutic strategies, which is synergistic with surgical excision, chemotherapy and targeted therapy for treating malignant tumors. However, the impact of ionizing radiation on ER expression and ER-related signaling in cancer tissue, as well as the interaction between endocrine and irradiation therapy remains largely elusive. This review will discuss recent findings on ER and ER-related signaling, which are relevant for cancer radiotherapy. In addition, we will summarize pre-clinical and clinical studies that evaluate the consequences of anti-estrogen and irradiation therapy in cancer, including emerging studies on head and neck cancer, which might improve the understanding and development of novel therapeutic strategies for estrogen-related cancers.

PMID: 29498642 [PubMed - in process]

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Recent Understandings of Biology, Prophylaxis and Treatment Strategies for Hypertrophic Scars and Keloids.

Recent Understandings of Biology, Prophylaxis and Treatment Strategies for Hypertrophic Scars and Keloids.

Int J Mol Sci. 2018 Mar 02;19(3):

Authors: Lee HJ, Jang YJ

Abstract
Hypertrophic scars and keloids are fibroproliferative disorders that may arise after any deep cutaneous injury caused by trauma, burns, surgery, etc. Hypertrophic scars and keloids are cosmetically problematic, and in combination with functional problems such as contractures and subjective symptoms including pruritus, these significantly affect patients' quality of life. There have been many studies on hypertrophic scars and keloids; but the mechanisms underlying scar formation have not yet been well established, and prophylactic and treatment strategies remain unsatisfactory. In this review, the authors introduce and summarize classical concepts surrounding wound healing and review recent understandings of the biology, prevention and treatment strategies for hypertrophic scars and keloids.

PMID: 29498630 [PubMed - in process]

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Nonsyndromic cleft palate: An association study at GWAS candidate loci in a multiethnic sample.

Nonsyndromic cleft palate: An association study at GWAS candidate loci in a multiethnic sample.

Birth Defects Res. 2018 Mar 02;:

Authors: Ishorst N, Francheschelli P, Böhmer AC, Khan MFJ, Heilmann-Heimbach S, Fricker N, Little J, Steegers-Theunissen RPM, Peterlin B, Nowak S, Martini M, Kruse T, Dunsche A, Kreusch T, Gölz L, Aldhorae K, Halboub E, Reutter H, Mossey P, Nöthen MM, Rubini M, Ludwig KU, Knapp M, Mangold E

Abstract
BACKGROUND: Nonsyndromic cleft palate only (nsCPO) is a common and multifactorial form of orofacial clefting. In contrast to successes achieved for the other common form of orofacial clefting, that is, nonsyndromic cleft lip with/without cleft palate (nsCL/P), genome wide association studies (GWAS) of nsCPO have identified only one genome wide significant locus. Aim of the present study was to investigate whether common variants contribute to nsCPO and, if so, to identify novel risk loci.
METHODS: We genotyped 33 SNPs at 27 candidate loci from 2 previously published nsCPO GWAS in an independent multiethnic sample. It included: (i) a family-based sample of European ancestry (n = 212); and (ii) two case/control samples of Central European (n = 94/339) and Arabian ancestry (n = 38/231), respectively. A separate association analysis was performed for each genotyped dataset, and meta-analyses were performed.
RESULTS: After association analysis and meta-analyses, none of the 33 SNPs showed genome-wide significance. Two variants showed nominally significant association in the imputed GWAS dataset and exhibited a further decrease in p-value in a European and an overall meta-analysis including imputed GWAS data, respectively (rs395572: PMetaEU = 3.16 × 10-4 ; rs6809420: PMetaAll = 2.80 × 10-4 ).
CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that there is a limited contribution of common variants to nsCPO. However, the individual effect sizes might be too small for detection of further associations in the present sample sizes. Rare variants may play a more substantial role in nsCPO than in nsCL/P, for which GWAS of smaller sample sizes have identified genome-wide significant loci. Whole-exome/genome sequencing studies of nsCPO are now warranted.

PMID: 29498243 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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Examining clinicians' perceptions of head and neck cancer (HNC) information.

Examining clinicians' perceptions of head and neck cancer (HNC) information.

Asia Pac J Clin Oncol. 2018 Mar 02;:

Authors: Jabbour J, Wykes J, Milross C, Sundaresan P, Ebrahimi A, Shepherd HL, Dhillon HM, Clark JR

Abstract
BACKGROUND: Providing appropriate educational resources to patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) is important but challenging. The aim of this study was to determine Australian clinicians' perceptions of currently used HNC information resources.
METHODS: A purpose-designed questionnaire was disseminated electronically to clinician members of the Australian and New Zealand Head and Neck Cancer Society (ANZHNCS) and The Australian Society of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery (ASOHNS).
RESULTS: Of the 648 clinicians invited, 112 responded to the survey (17.3% response rate). Overall, 85% utilized written information as their primary mode of patient education and 49% received information on treatment details. Areas for improvement include information provision, pain management, emerging risk factors, survivorship and side effects. The majority (66%) of clinicians had a preference for internet patient education materials.
CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians predominantly utilized written HNC information rather than multimedia or interactive resources. However, they expressed the desire to be able to deliver HNC information resources via an internet-based platform covering the psychosocial effects of treatment.

PMID: 29498200 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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Πληροφορίες

Σάββατο 3 Μαρτίου 2018

Abstract

Δημοφιλείς αναρτήσεις