Search

Pancreatoduodenectomy is a complex operation with considerable morbidity and mortality. Locally advanced tumors may require concurrent colectomy. We hypothesized that a concurrent colectomy increases the risk associated with pancreatoduodenectomy.This retrospective review of the 2014-2019 pancreas-targeted American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program registry classified operations as pancreatoduodenectomy (PD) versus pancreatoduodenectomy/colectomy (PD+C). The two groups were compared with respect to demographics, comorbidities, disease characteristics, intraoperative variables, and postoperative outcomes. Main effect models were developed to examine the effect of concurrent colectomy on outcomes after adjusting for potential confounders.Of 24 421 pancreatoduodenectomies, 430 (1.8%) involved concurrent colectomy. PD + C patients had less comorbidities (obesity 19% vs. 27%, hypertension 43% vs. 53%, diabetes 20% vs. 26%) and were associated with malignant diagnosis (94% vs. 83%), vascular resection (28% vs. 18%), and longer operative time (median 6.9 vs. 6 h). On multivariable analysis, concurrent colectomy was independently associated with serious morbidity (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 2.62, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.94-3.54) but not mortality (OR 1.44 [0.63-3.31]).Concurrent colectomy at the time of pancreatoduodenectomy significantly increased the odds of serious morbidity but did not affect mortality. This should be considered in operative planning, preoperative counseling, and sequencing of cancer-directed treatments.

Background. Ebolavirus and Marburgvirus cause severe hemorrhagic fever with high mortality and are potential bioterrorism agents. There are no available vaccines or therapeutic agents. Previous clinical trials evaluated transmembrane-deleted and point-mutation Ebolavirus glycoproteins (GPs) in candidate vaccines. Constructs evaluated in this trial encode wild-type (WT) GP from Ebolavirus Zaire and Sudan species and the Marburgvirus Angola strain expressed in a DNA vaccine. Methods. The VRC 206 study evaluated the safety and immunogenicity of these DNA vaccines (4 mg administered intramuscularly by Biojector) at weeks 0, 4, and 8, with a homologous boost at or after week 32. Safety evaluations included solicited reactogenicity and coagulation parameters. Primary immune assessment was done by means of GP-specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results. The vaccines were well tolerated, with no serious adverse events; 80% of subjects had positive enzymelinked immunosorbent assay results (≥30) at week 12. The fourth DNA vaccination boosted the immune responses. Conclusions. The investigational Ebolavirus and Marburgvirus WT GP DNA vaccines were safe, well tolerated, and immunogenic in this phase I study. These results will further inform filovirus vaccine research toward a goal of inducing protective immunity by using WT GP antigens in candidate vaccine regimens. Clinical Trials Registration. NCT00605514.

Malaria Sporozoite Vaccine Each year, hundreds of millions of people are infected with Plasmodium falciparum, the mosquito-borne parasite that causes malaria. A preventative vaccine is greatly needed. Seder et al. (p. 1359, published online 8 August; see the Perspective by Good) now report the results from a phase I clinical trial where subjects were immunized intravenously with a whole, attenuated sporozoite vaccine. Three of 9 subjects who received four doses and zero of 6 subjects who received five doses of the vaccine went on to develop malaria after controlled malaria infection. Both antibody titers and cellular immune responses correlated positively with the dose of vaccine received, suggesting that both arms of the adaptive immune response may have participated in the observed protection. Consistent, high-level, vaccine-induced protection against human malaria has only been achieved by inoculation of Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) sporozoites (SPZ) by mosquito bites. We report that the PfSPZ Vaccine—composed of attenuated, aseptic, purified, cryopreserved PfSPZ—was safe and wel-tolerated when administered four to six times intravenously (IV) to 40 adults. Zero of six subjects receiving five doses and three of nine subjects receiving four doses of 1.35 × 105 PfSPZ Vaccine and five of six nonvaccinated controls developed malaria after controlled human malaria infection (P = 0.015 in the five-dose group and P = 0.028 for overall, both versus controls). PfSPZ-specific antibody and T cell responses were dose-dependent. These data indicate that there is a dose-dependent immunological threshold for establishing high-level protection against malaria that can be achieved with IV administration of a vaccine that is safe and meets regulatory standards. Intravenous immunization with an attenuated whole malaria sporozoite vaccine protected volunteers in a phase I clinical trial. [Also see Perspective by Good] Intravenous immunization with an attenuated whole malaria sporozoite vaccine protected volunteers in a phase I clinical trial. [Also see Perspective by Good]

An efficient method for data smoothing via least-squares, polynomial fitting is presented. The method has applications to smoothing experimental data that occur in digital form at uniformly spaced intervals of the independent variable, and it calculates smoothed derivatives of the data with equal efficiency. The work estimate for the method is independent of the length of the smoothing window; thus it avoids explicit convolutions. The storage required is also independent of the window length, except for the actual storage of the original data points.

Considers the methodological ramifications involved in measuring the discouragement effect in an area such as the Ozarks. Evidence on the discouragement effect; Migration and status shifts possible under the census's labor-force definition; Impact of net migration and labor-force status shifts on labor force and unemployment rates. (Abstract copyright EBSCO.)