Tag: pubmed

Ecotoxicology. 2022 Mar 19. doi: 10.1007/s10646-022-02536-4. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Pollution caused by polyethylene microplastics (MP) has been reported for aquatic environments worldwide. However, despite recurrent research for several aquatic organisms, the effects of MP on the emergence stage of freshwater insects from tropical environments are little known. This study is the first to assess the emergence of the Brazilian native species Chironomus sancticaroli Strixino & Strixino, 1981 when exposed to primary polyethylene microplastics (size 40-48 µm). We performed two exposure scenarios, with a substrate (standard assays) and without substrate (as a stressful experience), and recorded emergence responses. The MP did not affect the species’ emergence rate, but these rates were statistically different for the standard and stressful exposure scenarios. In bioassays without substrate, the high concentrations of MP caused anticipation of the insect’s emergence (5-6 days). On the other hand, female emergence time was longer than males in standard bioassays. The substrate absence caused a slight increase in the left female wing’s length and the potential female fecundity. These findings suggest that the polyethylene microplastics and substrate availability can affect the emergence dynamics of the tropical insect C. sancticaroli.

PMID:35305165 | DOI:10.1007/s10646-022-02536-4

J Anesth. 2022 Mar 19. doi: 10.1007/s00540-022-03055-6. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The obturator nerve branches into the obturator canal; therefore, local anesthetic spread into the obturator canal predicts the success of the obturator nerve block (ONB). We compared three ONB techniques for the spread of local anesthetic mixed with contrast medium into the obturator canal.

METHODS: We performed the ONB using the classical pubic approach (PA), inguinal approach (IA), or ultrasound-guided methodologic approach (UMA) in 143 patients undergoing transurethral resection of bladder tumors. The obturator nerve course and branching patterns of the UMA group were examined using ultrasound imaging. After injecting a local anesthetic mixed with a contrast medium, we evaluated its spread into the obturator canal using fluoroscopic imaging. P < 0.05 indicated statistical significance.

RESULTS: Success rate of obturator canal enhancement was the greatest in the UMA group (84%; P < 0.001); the PA (42.6%; 20/47 patients) and IA (47.8%; 22/46 patients) groups did not differ significantly (P = 1.000). Both branches of the obturator nerve passed above the superior margin of the external obturator muscle (EOM), and the obturator canal was enhanced in 13 of 50 (26%) patients in the UMA group. The posterior branch of the obturator nerve passed between the superior and main fasciculi of the EOM in 37 of 50 patients (74%) in the UMA group; the obturator canal was enhanced in 29 of these 37 patients (78%).

CONCLUSION: Local anesthetic spread into the obturator canal using the UMA was superior to that using the PA and IA. Both branches of the obturator nerve could be blocked using the UMA.

PMID:35305154 | DOI:10.1007/s00540-022-03055-6

Oncologist. 2022 Feb 3;27(1):e76-e84. doi: 10.1093/oncolo/oyab005.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: ALK inhibitors (ALKi) are the standard-of-care treatment for metastatic ALK-rearranged non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in the first- and second-line setting. We conducted a real-world multi-institutional analysis, aiming to compare the efficacy of third-line ALKi versus chemotherapy in these patients.

METHODS: Consecutive ALK-positive metastatic NSCLC patients treated with at least one ALKi were identified in the working databases of 7 Israeli oncology centers (the full cohort). Demographic and clinical data were collected. Patients receiving any systemic treatment beyond 2 ALKi comprised the third-line cohort, whether a third ALKi (group A) or chemotherapy (group B). Groups A and B were compared in terms of overall survival (OS) and time-to-next-treatment line (TNT).

RESULTS: At a median follow-up of 41 months (95% confidence interval [CI]: 32-55), 80 (47.1%) have died. Median OS (mOS) in the full cohort (n = 170) was 52 months (95% CI: 32-65). Number of ALKi (hazard ratio [HR] 0.765; 95% CI: 0.61-0.95; P = .024) and age (HR 1.02, 95% CI: 1.01-1.04, P = .009) significantly associated with OS in the full cohort. The third-line cohort included 40 patients, of which 27 were treated with third ALKi (group A) and 13 treated with chemotherapy (group B). mOS from third-line initiation was 27 months in group A (95% CI: 13-NR) and 13 months for group B (95% CI: 3-NR); the difference was not significant (NS; P = .12). Chemotherapy as first line (HR 0.17, 95% CI: 0.05-0.52, P = .002) and a higher number of ALKi (HR 0.38, 95% CI: 0.20-0.86, P = .011) associated significantly with longer OS of the third-line cohort. TNT was 10 months for group A (95% CI: 5-19) and 3 months for group B (95% CI: 0-NR); the difference was NS (P = .079).

CONCLUSION: We report mature real-world data of more than 4-year mOS in ALK-positive patients. The number of ALKi given was associated with a better outcome. OS and TNT demonstrated a statistically nonsignificant trend for a better outcome in patients receiving a third-line ALKi.

PMID:35305096 | DOI:10.1093/oncolo/oyab005

Oncologist. 2022 Feb 3;27(1):4-6. doi: 10.1093/oncolo/oyab010.

ABSTRACT

This commentary highlights three important findings in the study by Vijayvargiya et al, published in this journal, involving 9554 oropharyngeal cancer patients from the SEER database. Firstly, there is improved performance in outcome prediction with TNM-8 in HPV+ OPC. However, heterogeneity exists, especially in TNM-8 stage I disease, and there is need for ongoing improvement in risk stratification. Several anatomical and non-anatomical prognostic factors have been proposed. Among them, radiologic extranodal extension has emerged as one of the promising parameters to be considered for future staging. These baseline prognostic factors should address sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy to serve different clinical needs. Secondly, cure is possible for some patients presenting with M1 disease. Optimal management of such patients remains to be explored, and clinical trials targeting de novo M1 disease should be encouraged to optimize outcomes for this subset. Finally, methodologies to address missing tumor HPV status in historical cohorts have been discussed, including using baseline demographics and clinical characteristics, as well as statistical procedures such as multiple imputation.

PMID:35305091 | DOI:10.1093/oncolo/oyab010

Oncologist. 2022 Feb 3;27(1):48-56. doi: 10.1093/oncolo/oyab001.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: The eighth edition American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) Staging incorporates significant changes to the seventh edition in the staging of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas (OPSCC). An important change was the inclusion of OPSCC associated with the human papilloma virus (HPV). Our goal is to compare the performance of both staging systems for patients with HPV-selected and unselected clinical characteristics for OPSCC.

METHODS: Using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database, 2004-2016, we identified patients with likely HPV-associated OPSCC based on surrogate markers (white males aged <65 years old with squamous cell carcinomas of the tonsil and base of tongue), excluding those who underwent surgery. We re-classified these patients using seventh and eighth edition staging for HPV-selected OPSCC and compared the prediction performance of both staging editions for overall survival (OS) and disease-specific survival (DSS). We performed the same analysis for clinically unselected patients with OPSCC.

RESULTS: Our analysis included 9554 patients with a median follow-up of 67 months. Comparing the eighth versus seventh edition for our HPV-selected cohort, clinical staging changed for 92.3% of patients and 10-year OS was 62.2%, 61.2%, 35.3%, and 15.5% for Stage I, II, III, and IV, versus 52.9%, 59.2%, 61.6%, 55.1%, 38.3%, and 15.5% for stage I, II, III, IVA, IVB, and IVC, respectively. A similar pattern was observed for 10-year DSS. The concordance statistics for our HPV-selected cohort were improved for both AJCC 7 (0.6260) and AJCC 8 (0.6846) compared with the unselected cohort, 0.5860 and 0.6457 for AJCC 7 and 8, respectively.

CONCLUSION: The overall performance of discrimination improved from AJCC 7 to AJCC 8 for both clinically selected and unselected patients, but more notably for our HPV-selected cohort. Despite the lack of statistically significant differentiation between Stages I and II in AJCC 8 in either groups, markedly improved discrimination was observed between Stages I/II, III, and IV in the HPV-selected cohort.

PMID:35305095 | DOI:10.1093/oncolo/oyab001

J Med Entomol. 2022 Mar 19:tjac005. doi: 10.1093/jme/tjac005. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF) is a major mosquito-borne viral disease. Studies have reported a strong correlation between weather, the abundance of Aedes aegypti, the vector of DHF virus, and dengue incidence. However, this conclusion has been based on the general climate pattern of wide regions. In general, however, the human population, level of infrastructure, and land-use change in rural and urban areas often produce localized climate patterns that may influence the interaction between climate, vector abundance, and dengue incidence. Thoroughly understanding this correlation will allow the development of a customized and precise local early warning system. To achieve this purpose, we conducted a cohort study, during January-December 2017, in 16 districts in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia. In the selected areas, local weather stations and modified light mosquito traps were set up to obtain data regarding daily weather and the abundance of adult female Ae. aegypti. A generalized linear model was applied to analyze the effect of local weather and female adult Ae. aegypti on the number of dengue cases. The result showed a significant non-linear correlation among mosquito abundance, maximum temperature, and dengue cases. Using our model, the data showed that the addition of a single adult Ae. aegypti mosquito increased the risk of dengue infection by 1.8%, while increasing the maximum temperature by one degree decreased the risk by 17%. This finding suggests specific actionable insights needed to supplement existing mosquito eradication programs.

PMID:35305089 | DOI:10.1093/jme/tjac005

Hum Brain Mapp. 2022 Mar 19. doi: 10.1002/hbm.25829. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The reproducibility crisis in neuroimaging has led to an increased demand for standardized data processing workflows. Within the ENIGMA consortium, we developed HALFpipe (Harmonized Analysis of Functional MRI pipeline), an open-source, containerized, user-friendly tool that facilitates reproducible analysis of task-based and resting-state fMRI data through uniform application of preprocessing, quality assessment, single-subject feature extraction, and group-level statistics. It provides state-of-the-art preprocessing using fMRIPrep without the requirement for input data in Brain Imaging Data Structure (BIDS) format. HALFpipe extends the functionality of fMRIPrep with additional preprocessing steps, which include spatial smoothing, grand mean scaling, temporal filtering, and confound regression. HALFpipe generates an interactive quality assessment (QA) webpage to rate the quality of key preprocessing outputs and raw data in general. HALFpipe features myriad post-processing functions at the individual subject level, including calculation of task-based activation, seed-based connectivity, network-template (or dual) regression, atlas-based functional connectivity matrices, regional homogeneity (ReHo), and fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (fALFF), offering support to evaluate a combinatorial number of features or preprocessing settings in one run. Finally, flexible factorial models can be defined for mixed-effects regression analysis at the group level, including multiple comparison correction. Here, we introduce the theoretical framework in which HALFpipe was developed, and present an overview of the main functions of the pipeline. HALFpipe offers the scientific community a major advance toward addressing the reproducibility crisis in neuroimaging, providing a workflow that encompasses preprocessing, post-processing, and QA of fMRI data, while broadening core principles of data analysis for producing reproducible results. Instructions and code can be found at https://github.com/HALFpipe/HALFpipe.

PMID:35305030 | DOI:10.1002/hbm.25829

Liver Int. 2022 Mar 18. doi: 10.1111/liv.15223. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND & AIM: Liver transplantation (LT) selection models for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have not been proposed to predict waitlist dropout due to tumor progression. The aim of this study was to compare the alfa-fetoprotein (AFP) model and other pre-LT models in their prediction of HCC dropout.

METHODS: A multicenter cohort study was conducted in 20 Latin American transplant centers, including 994 listed patients for LT with HCC from 2012 to 2018. Longitudinal tumor characteristics, and patterns of progression were recorded at time of listing, after treatments and at last follow-up over the waitlist period. Competing risk regression models were performed, and model’s discrimination was compared estimating Harrell’s adapted c-statistics.

RESULTS: HCC dropout rate was significantly higher in patients beyond [24% (95% CI 16-28)] compared to those within Milan criteria [8% (95% IC 5-12%); P<.0001], with a SHR of 3.01 (95% CI 2.03-4.47)], adjusted for waiting list time and bridging therapies (c-index 0.63 (95% CI 0.57;0.69). HCC dropout rates were higher in patients with AFP scores >2 [adjusted SHR of 3.17 (CI 2.13-4.71)], c-index of 0.71 (95% CI 0.65-0.77; P=0.09 vs Milan). Similar discrimination power for HCC dropout was observed between the AFP score and the Metroticket 2.0 model. In patients within Milan, an AFP score >2 points discriminated two populations with a higher risk of HCC dropout [SHR 1.68 (95% CI 1.08-2.61)].

CONCLUSIONS: Pre-transplant selection models similarly predicted HCC dropout. However, the AFP model can discriminate a higher risk of dropout among patients within Milan criteria.

PMID:35304813 | DOI:10.1111/liv.15223

Cancer Med. 2022 Mar 18. doi: 10.1002/cam4.4679. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Immune checkpoint inhibitor/tyrosine kinase inhibitor (ICI/TKI) combinations are a new standard of care for the initial treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC). Their efficacy and toxicity beyond the first-line setting remain poorly defined.

METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed charts for 85 adults with mRCC of any histology receiving combination of ICI/TKI in any line of treatment at two academic centers as of 05/01/2020. We collected clinical, pathological, and treatment-related variables. Outcomes including objective response rate (ORR), progression-free survival (PFS), and toxicity were analyzed via descriptive statistics and the Kaplan-Meier method.

RESULTS: Patients received pembrolizumab, nivolumab, avelumab, or nivolumab-ipilimumab, with concurrent use of sunitinib, axitinib, pazopanib, lenvatinib, or cabozantinib. Thirty-three patients received first-line ICI/TKI therapy, while 52 received ≥ second-line ICI/TKI. The efficacy of ICI/TKI therapy decreased with increasing lines of treatment (ORR: 56.7%, 37.5%, 21.4%, and 21%; median PFS [mPFS]: 15.2, 14.2, 10.1, and 6.8 months, for first, second, third, and ≥ fourth line therapy, respectively). In the ≥ second-line setting, ICI/TKI was most useful in patients who received ICI only, with an ORR of 50% and a mPFS of 9.1 months. Efficacy was limited in patients who received both TKI and ICI previously, with an ORR of 20% and a mPFS of 5.5 months. Overall, ≥ second-line ICI/TKI was tolerable with 25 of 52 (52%) patients developing grade ≥3 adverse events.

CONCLUSIONS: ICI/TKI combination therapy is feasible and safe beyond the first-line setting. Prior treatment history appears to impact efficacy but has a lesser effect on safety/tolerability.

PMID:35304832 | DOI:10.1002/cam4.4679

J Prosthodont. 2022 Mar 18. doi: 10.1111/jopr.13506. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The annealing and firing cycle’s effect on the adaptation of cobalt-chromium (CoCr) restorations fabricated by additive manufacturing has been poorly documented. This study compared the marginal and internal fit of CoCr three-unit fixed dental prostheses before and after firing cycles.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: The first right maxillary premolar (MP) and molar (MM) on a typodont model, were prepared with a circumferential 1.2 mm chamfer, 2 mm occlusal reduction, and total taper of 8 degrees, to receive 3-unit fixed dental prostheses (FDP). After the framework design, 20 framework specimens were fabricated using CoCr metal powder by selective laser melting. The replica technique was used for marginal and internal fit measurements in mesiodistal and buccolingual planes. The specimens were submitted to an annealing process, and to ceramic firing protocol. Measurements were repeated after each firing cycle. The data were compared by using Levene test, t-test, and analysis of variance (ANOVA) (α = .05).

RESULTS: A significant difference was found in the total intaglio surface discrepancy between the 3 treatments. The annealing treatment induced a statistical difference in the discrepancy value compared to the as printed state (P = .028). A significant difference was detected between the initial manufacturing phase and the ceramic layering firing cycle (P = .003).

CONCLUSIONS: Firing cycles induced an alteration of the frameworks adaptation. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

PMID:35304798 | DOI:10.1111/jopr.13506