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Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the survival of patients with stage II obstructing colon cancer (OCC) who had adjuvant chemotherapy with those who did not. Summary Background Data: The need for adjuvant chemotherapy in stage II colon cancer is still debated. Methods: All consecutive patients treated for a stage II OCC in a curative intent (with primary tumor resection) between January 2000 and December 2015 were included in this retrospective, multicenter cohort study which included a propensity score analysis using an odds of treatment weighting (Average Treatment effect on the Treated, ATT). The endpoint was the comparison between the 2 groups for overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) according to whether or not patients received adjuvant chemotherapy. Results: During the study period, 504 patients underwent a curative colectomy for a stage II OCC. Among these patients, 179 (35.5%) had adjuvant chemotherapy and 325 (64.5%) had no adjuvant treatment. Among the 179 patients who received adjuvant chemotherapy, 108 patients (60%) received oxaliplatin based regimen and 99 patients (55%) completed all scheduled cycles. At multivariate analysis, after weighting by the odds (ATT analysis) and adjustment, adjuvant chemotherapy after resection of a stage II OCC was associated with improvements in OS [hazard ratio (HR) = 0.42 (0.17–0.99), P = 0.0498] and DFS [HR = 0.57 (0.37–0.88), P = 0.0116]. Conclusion: This study suggests that adjuvant chemotherapy after curative resection of stage II OCC may improve oncological outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Myocardial contraction fraction (MCF) is a volumetric measure of myocardial shortening independent of left ventricular size and geometry. This multicenter study investigates the usefulness of MCF for risk stratification in low-gradient severe aortic stenosis with preserved ejection fraction. METHODS: We included 643 consecutive patients with low-gradient severe aortic stenosis with preserved ejection fraction in whom MCF was computed at baseline and analyzed mortality during follow-up. RESULTS: Throughout follow-up with medical and surgical management (34.9 [16.1-65.3] months), lower MCF tertiles had higher mortality than the highest tertile. Eighty-month survival was 56±4% for MCF>41%, 41±4% for MCF 30% to 41%, and 40±4% for MCF<30% (P<0.001). After comprehensive adjustment, mortality risk remained high for MCF 30% to 41% (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.53 [1.08-2.18]) and for MCF<30% (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.82 [1.24-2.66]) versus MCF>41%. The optimal MCF cutoff point for mortality prediction was 41%. Age, body mass index, Charlson index, peak aortic velocity, and ejection fraction were independently associated with mortality. MCF (χ2 to improve 10.39; P=0.001), provided greater additional prognostic value over the baseline parameters than stroke volume (SV) index (χ2 to improve 5.41; P=0.042), left ventricular mass index (χ2 to improve 2.15; P=0.137), or global longitudinal strain (χ2 to improve 3.67; P=0.061). MCF outperformed ejection fraction for mortality prediction. When patients were classified by SV index and MCF, mortality risk was low when SV index was ≥30 mL/m2 and MCF>41%, higher for patients with SV index ≥30 mL/m2 and MCF≤41% (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.47 [1.05-2.07]) and extremely high for patients with SV index <30 mL/m2 (adjusted hazard ratio, 2.29 [1.45-3.62]). CONCLUSIONS: MCF is a valuable marker of risk in low-gradient severe aortic stenosis with preserved ejection fraction and could improve decision-making, especially in normal-flow low-gradient severe aortic stenosis with preserved ejection fraction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background—Current guidelines define severe aortic stenosis in patients with aortic valve area normalized to body surface area (AVA/BSA) <0.6 cm2/m2; yet, this cutoff has never been validated. Moreover, it is not known whether AVA normalization to other body size indexes allows improved outcome prediction. We aim to test the value of AVA normalized to body size for outcome prediction in asymptomatic aortic stenosis.Methods and Results—We included 289 patients with asymptomatic aortic stenosis, preserved ejection fraction, and AVA<1.3 cm2 at diagnosis. The outcome measure was the occurrence of aortic valve replacement or all-cause death or during follow-up. AVA was normalized to BSA, height, weight, and body mass index. For each normalized index, patients in the lowest tertile were at high risk of events whereas outcome was similar for the other tertiles. High risk of events was observed with AVA/BSA <0.4 cm2/m2 (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 3.42 [2.09–5.60]), AVA/height <0.45 cm2/m (adjusted HR, 3.99 [2.42–6.60]), AVA/weight <0.01 cm2/kg (adjusted HR, 3.37 [2.07–5.49]), and AVA/body mass index <0.029 cm2/kg per meter square (adjusted HR, 3.23 [1.99–5.24]). Mortality risk was high with AVA/height <0.45 cm2/m (adjusted HR, 2.18 [1.28–3.71]), followed by AVA/BSA <0.40 cm2/m2 (adjusted HR, 1.84 [1.09–3.11]), AVA/weight <0.01 cm2/kg (adjusted HR, 1.78 [1.07–2.98]), and AVA/body mass index <0.029 cm2/kg per meter square (adjusted HR, 1.75 [1.04–2.93]). AVA/height showed better predictive performance than AVA/BSA with improved reclassification and better discrimination (net reclassification improvement: 0.33 versus 0.28; integrated discrimination improvement: 0.10 versus 0.08; C statistic: 0.67 versus 0.65), whereas AVA/weight and AVA/body mass index showed lower predictive capacity.Conclusions—Among AVA normalization methods, AVA/height <0.45 cm2/m followed by AVA/BSA <0.40 cm2/m2 seem as robust parameters for defining high risk in asymptomatic aortic stenosis. The prognostic value of AVA/height deserves future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The frequency of executive disorders in mild-to-moderate Alzheimer disease (AD) has been demonstrated by the application of a comprehensive battery. The present study analyzed data from 2 recent multicenter studies based on the same executive battery. The objective was to derive a shortened battery by using the GREFEX population as a training dataset and by cross-validating the results in the REFLEX population. A total of 102 AD patients of the GREFEX study (MMSE=23.2±2.9) and 72 patients of the REFLEX study (MMSE=20.8±3.5) were included. Tests were selected and receiver operating characteristic curves were generated relative to the performance of 780 controls from the GREFEX study. Stepwise logistic regression identified 3 cognitive tests (Six Elements Task, categorical fluency and Trail Making Test B error) and behavioral disorders globally referred as global hypoactivity (P=0.0001, all). This shortened battery was as accurate as the entire GREFEX battery in diagnosing dysexecutive disorders in both training group and the validation group. Bootstrap procedure confirmed the stability of AUC. A shortened battery based on 3 cognitive tests and 3 behavioral domains provides a high diagnosis accuracy of executive disorders in mild-to-moderate AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: It has been suggested that oxygenation using pressure support ventilation (PSV) before general anaesthesia can reduce the duration of non-hypoxaemic apnoea. Objective: The objective was to determine whether or not pre-oxygenation with PSV increases the duration of non-hypoxaemic apnoea in non-obese patients during pan-endoscopy. Design: A randomised, controlled trial. Setting: Amiens University Hospital, France. Patients: Fifty patients scheduled for ENT pan-endoscopy with a BMI lower than 35  kg  m(-2). Intervention: Patients scheduled for pan-endoscopy were enrolled to receive either 100% oxygen at neutral pressure (the control group) or 100% oxygen with positive-pressure ventilation (a positive inspiratory pressure of 4  cmH2O and a positive end-expiratory pressure of 4  cmH2O; the PSV group) during spontaneous ventilation with a face mask. The goal of pre-oxygenation was to obtain an end-tidal oxygen concentration of more than 90% prior to induction of anaesthesia. Main Outcome Measures: The primary efficacy criterion was the duration of non-hypoxaemic apnoea (i.e. before the peripheral capillary oxygen saturation fell to 90%). Secondary outcomes were duration of pre-oxygenation, pre-oxygenation failure and tolerance. Results: The mean (interquartile range) duration of non-hypoxaemic apnoea was longer in the PSV group [598 (447 to 717) s] than in the control group [310 (217 to 451) s] (P < 0.001). Oxygenation time was shorter in the PSV group [190 (159 to 225) s] than in the control group [245 (151 to 435) s] (P = 0.037). Pre-oxygenation was unsuccessful (i.e. end-tidal oxygen concentration was < 90%) in 20% of the patients in the control group but none in the PSV group. The intergroup difference in the duration of pan-endoscopy was not significant. Tolerance was good or very good in all patients. Conclusion: Our results show that pre-oxygenation with PSV is associated with a longer duration of non-hypoxaemic apnoea and a lower frequency of manual reventilation during ENT pan-endoscopy. CLINICALTRIALS. Gov Registration Number: NCT02167334. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cardiac surgery can lead to dysregulation with a pro-inflammatory state, resulting in adverse outcomes. Hemadsorption using the AN69 membrane (Oxiris membrane) has the properties to chelate inflammatory cytokines. We hypothesized that in patients at high risk of inflammation, the use of the Oxiris membrane could decrease inflammation, preserve endothelial function, and improve postoperative outcomes., Methods: We conducted a randomized single-center study at Amiens University Hospital. The study population consisted of adult patients admitted for scheduled cardiac surgery with an expected cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) time over 90 minutes. The patients were allocated to either the standard group or the Oxiris group. The intervention consisted of using the Oxiris membrane on a Prismaflex device at a blood flow rate of 450 ml/min during CPB. The primary outcome was the assessment of microcirculation on day 1 after surgery by measuring sublingual microcirculation using the microvascular flow index (MFI). MFI reflects the microcirculation flow type and is graded from 0 to 3 as follows: 0: no flow; 1: intermittent flow; 2: sluggish flow; 3: continuous flow. The secondary outcome was a composite adverse outcome within 30 days after surgery. Cytokines and endothelial biomarkers were measured in all patients at different time points. An intention-to-treat analysis was performed., Results: From October 2019 to November 2022, we included 70 patients. Two patients were excluded from the Oxiris group: one patient did not undergo surgery and one procedure was performed under deep hypothermia. The MFI did not differ between groups on day 1 from baseline: difference Oxiris-standard at -0.17 [-0.44; 0.10]; P=0.2. The occurrence of a composite adverse outcome did not significantly differ between groups (14 [42%] for the Oxiris group vs 12 [35%] for the standard group; P=0.7). The overall variation in cytokines and angiopoietins did not significantly differ between groups., Conclusions: In patients scheduled for a cardiac surgery with prolonged CPB, we could not demonstrate the benefit on microcirculation and major cardiovascular events., Registration: URL: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04201119. Identifier: NCT04201119., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: Dr Maxime Nguyen reports personal fees from Fresenius reports Kabi outside the submitted work. The authors declared to no conflicts of interests., (Copyright © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of the American Society of Anesthesiologists.)

Objective and Background: Self-expanding metallic stent (SEMS) insertion has been suggested as a promising alternative to emergency surgery for left-sided malignant colonic obstruction (LMCO). However, the literature on the long-term impact of SEMS as "a bridge to surgery" is limited and contradictory., Methods: From January 1998 to June 2011, we retrospectively identified patients operated on for LMCO with curative intent. The primary outcome criterion was overall survival. Short-term secondary endpoints included the technical success rate and overall success rate and long-term secondary endpoints included 5-year overall survival, 5-year cancer-specific mortality, 5-year disease-free survival, the recurrence rate, and mean time to recurrence. Patients treated with SEMS were analyzed on an intention-to-treat basis. Overall survival was analyzed after using a propensity score to correct for selection bias., Results: There were 48 patients in the SEMS group and 39 in the surgery-only group. In the overall population, overall survival (P = 0.001) and 5-year overall survival (P = 0.0003) were significantly lower in the SEMS group than in the surgery-only group, and 5-year cancer-specific mortality was significantly higher in the SEMS group (48% vs 21%, respectively (P = 0.02)). Five-year disease-free survival, the recurrence rate, and the mean time to recurrence were better in the surgery-only group (not significant). For patients with no metastases or perforations at hospital admission, overall survival (P = 0.003) and 5-year overall survival (30% vs 67%, respectively, P = 0.001) were significantly lower in the SEMS group than in the surgery-only group., Conclusions: Our study results suggest worse overall survival of patients with LMCO with SEMS insertion compared with immediate surgery.

Background: In 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose PET/CT, respiratory motion induces bias in image interpretations (i.e. organ misregistration or lesion omission/underestimation)., Objective: The present study applied our custom gating method (referred to as 'CT-based gated PET' and that has already been validated by our research group) to PET imaging of the liver and compared its per lesion sensitivity with that of standard clinical (i.e. ungated) PET., Methods: A total of 13 patients scheduled for liver surgery were referred to our department for PET/CT imaging. Each patient underwent both ungated and CT-based gated PET imaging protocols. Two independent, blinded observers interpreted the two sets of PET images and reached a consensus when necessary. Image interpretations were combined with histological analysis and/or intraoperative ultrasound examination to compute each method's per lesion sensitivity and true positive fraction. Analyses were also performed by considering lesions according to their size (longest axis over 10 mm or over 15 mm)., Results: Forty-eight lesions were confirmed by pathology reports. When considering all the uptakes, the ungated and the CT-based gated PET methods had sensitivities of 54.2 and 64.6% (P=0.025) and true positive fractions of 83.9 and 86.1%, respectively. When considering uptakes greater than 10 mm in size, ungated and CT-based gated PET had sensitivities of 74.3 and 88.6% (P=0.025), respectively. For lesions greater than 15 mm in size, the corresponding sensitivities were 85.2 and 100% (P=0.046)., Conclusion: CT-based gated PET yielded a higher lesion-based sensitivity than routine, ungated PET did. Hence, this method improves the detection of intrahepatic colorectal metastases--especially for lesions that are close in size to the detection limit of the PET gantry.