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Background The Worldwide Hospice Palliative Care Alliance has recommended integration of palliative care into primary health care. Diminished capacity to provide palliative care is a barrier for integration. The purpose of this study was to screen for palliative care needs in the community. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in two rural communities of Udupi district. Supportive and Palliative Care Indicators Tool – 4ALL (SPICT-4ALL) was used to identify the palliative care needs. Purposive sampling was used to collect the individual information from the households for identifying the palliative care need. Conditions requiring palliative care and the sociodemographic factors associated with it were explored. Results Out of 2041 participants, 51.49% were female, and 19.65% were elderly. Less than a quarter of them (23.08%) had at least one chronic illness. Hypertension, diabetes, and ischemic heart disease were commonly found. 4.31% had satisfied the requisite SPICT criteria, which indicated a need for palliative care. Diseases of cardiovascular system followed by dementia and frailty were the most common conditions requiring palliative care. Univariate analysis showed that age, marital status, years of education, occupation, and the presence of morbidities were significantly associated with the need for palliative care. Being unemployed and having one or more morbidities were factors independently associated with requirement of palliative care. Conclusions The estimated palliative care need in the community survey exceeds the perceived need. Although palliative care is traditionally identified with cancer, the proportion of people with noncancer palliative care needs were significantly higher than cancer palliative care.

Introduction Multiple myeloma (MM) patients with renal impairment (RI), especially dialysis-dependent (DD) RI, have poorer outcomes than MM patients with normal renal function. Autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) is a treatment option, but there is concern at a perceived higher risk of complications which may be limiting consideration of the use of ASCT in this population. The evidence is inconsistent among studies and interpretation is complicated by heterogeneous datasets, some dating to before the availability of novel agents. Finally, the reversibility of RI following ASCT is an important prognostic factor for both survival and quality of life. Aim To evaluate the safety and efficacy of ASCT in MM patients with DD RI transplanted in EBMT centres between 1997 and 2017. Methods Baseline characteristics at diagnosis, patient treatment regimens and clinical outcomes were collected using standardised report forms. OS was defined as the period between the date of ASCT and the date of death or the date of last observation. PFS was defined as the period between the date of ASCT and date of progression/relapse or death of any causes or the date of the last observation. Cox proportional hazard regression analysis was applied to assess risk factors for progression and death. Survival curves were plotted by the Kaplan-Meier method and compared using log-rank test. P Results A total of 109,959 adult MM patients are registered in the EBMT database as having undergone ASCT between 1997 and 2017. We further analysed 118 DD MM patients who had a first ASCT during this period. The median (range) age was 57 (27-71) years. Seventy (59%) patients were males. Forty nine patients (49/94 patients, 52%) had Karnofsky score ≥90. One hundred and ten patients were treated with hemodialysis and eight with peritoneal dialysis. A total of 68 (58%) patients had Light Chain MM, 43 kappa and 25 Lambda. In first-line induction therapy, 47/76 (62%) patients received bortezomib-based regimens. Forty-four (37%) patients achieved at least VGPR pre-ASCT. The median time from diagnosis to ASCT was 0.7 years (0.3-4.9). Melphalan doses were as follows: 140 mg/m2 (n=55, 67%), 70-100 mg/m2 (n=15, 18%), and >140 mg/m2 (n=12, 15%). The times to Neutrophil (>0.5) and Platelet (>20) engraftment were 12 (10-37) and 14 (4-128) days, respectively. The 30-day and 100-day transplant-related mortality (TRM) rates were 0.0% and 0.9%, respectively. ASCT was associated with a significant deepening of response (at least VGPR pre- vs post-ASCT: 36/93 (39%) vs 48/93 (52%), p < 0.001). The median PFS was 37 months (95% CI: 24-43) and 5-year PFS was 31% (95% CI: 20-41). The median OS was 102 months (95% CI: 67-129). Five-year OS post-ASCT was 62% (52-72) and 10-year OS 36% (17-55). Thirty-one (26%) DD MM patients achieved dialysis independence. There were no differences in PFS or OS when comparing the 1997-2007 and 2008-2017 cohorts: 5-year PFS - 28% (6-49) vs 31% (19-43) (p=0.7) and 5-year OS - 61% (38-84) vs 63% (51-74) (p=0.9), respectively. On univariate analysis of factors affecting PFS, achievement of an Overall Response Rate (ORR) (CR+VGPR+PR vs. Other) pre-ASCT was associated with a lower risk (HR 0.467, p=0.032) and older age (>55 years) with a higher risk (HR 1.786, p=0.035) of post-ASCT progression. Age higher than 55 (HR 2.033, 95%CI: 0.992 - 4.166, p=0.053) increased and achievement of at least VGPR pre-transplant (HR 0.494, 95%CI: 0.224 - 1.091, p=0.081, on the verge of statistical significance) decreased the risk of death. Conclusion To the best of our knowledge, the DIADEM study is the largest analysis of ASCT in DD MM pts to date. This cohort of 118 unselected patients had an OS comparable to patients without RI. This may reflect patient selection based on younger age, Karnofsky scores and pre-ASCT response. The low TRM and excellent outcomes support consideration of the use of ASCT in pts with DD RI. Notably, more than a quarter of patients became dialysis independent, an outcome likely to confer an improved Quality-of-Life.. These results can also inform the debate around the role of renal transplantation in younger DD MM patients who do not achieve dialysis independence. Disclosures Snowden: IDMC: Honoraria; Kiadis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Janssen: Honoraria; Mallinckrodt: Honoraria; Jazz: Honoraria; Gilead: Honoraria. Dreger:MSD: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Sponsoring of Symposia; AbbVie, AstraZeneca, Gilead, Janssen, Novartis, Riemser, Roche: Consultancy; AbbVie, Gilead, Novartis, Riemser, Roche: Speakers Bureau; Neovii, Riemser: Research Funding. Illés:Takeda, Seattle: Research Funding; Janssen, Celgene, Novartis, Takeda, Roche, Pfizer: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Basak:Teva: Honoraria; Celgene: Honoraria. Gyan:Pfizer: Honoraria. Hayden:Alnylam: Honoraria; Amgen: Honoraria. Beksac:Amgen: Consultancy; Celgene: Consultancy; Janssen&Janssen: Consultancy; Takeda: Consultancy. Schönland:Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Medac: Other: Travel Grant; Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Prothena: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding.

ObjetiveTo analyze the effects of the implementation of an ERAS program in patients undergoing pulmonary resection in a tertiary university hospital on the rates of complications and readmission and the length of stay.Methodsambispective cohort study, with a prospective arm of patients undergoing thoracic surgery within an ERAS program versus a retrospective arm of patients before the implementation of the protocol. We recluited 50 patients per arm. The primary outcome was the number of patients with 30-day surgical complications. Secondary outcome included ERAS adherence, no-surgical complications, mortality, readmission, reintervention rates, pain and hospital lenght of stay. We performed a multivariate logistic analysis to study the association of coutcomes with ERAS adherence.ResultsWe found no difference between the two groups in surgical complications [Standard 18 (36%) vs 12 (24%], p =0.19]. ERAS group was significantly lower only in its readmission rate [Standard 15 (30%) vs 6 (12%], p =0.03]. In multivariate analyses, ERAS adherence was the only factor associated with a reduction in surgical complications [OR (95%CI) = 0.02 (0.00, 0.59), p = 0.03] and length of stay [HR (95%CI) = 18.5 (4.39, 78.4), p < 0.001].ConclusionsERAS program was able to decrease the readmission rate at our centre significantly. The adherence to the ERAS protocol influenced the reduction of surgical complications and length of stay.

Objective The prognostic importance of minichromosome maintenance complex expression in nasopharyngeal cancer is still unknown. We aimed to find whether minichromosome maintenance complex 2–7 expression may potentially be used to predict the prognosis of nasopharyngeal cancer patients treated with definitive radiotherapy. Methods Between April 2007 and July 2020, patients with nasopharyngeal cancer treated with radiotherapy were identified. Immunohistochemical analysis was performed on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues of cases. A single pathologist analyzed the histologic specimens of all patients. Results Totally, 67 patients were included. The median followup was 75.3 months. Higher tumor (T) stage was correlated with minichromosome maintenance complex 2 overexpression. Minichromosome maintenance complex s expression was also associated with histopathologic subgroups. According to univariate analysis, AJCC stage, histopathological subgroups, tumor response after treatment, minichromosome maintenance complex 2, 3, 5, 6 and 7 expression were the prognostic factors that predict overall survival. According to multivariate analysis minichromosome maintenance complex 7 expression was the only prognostic marker for both progression-free survival and overall survival. Conclusion The overexpression of minichromosome maintenance complex 2, 3, 5, 6 and 7 indicated bad prognosis. Minichromosome maintenance complex 7 was an independent prognostic factor for survival outcomes in nasopharyngeal cancer and may be a potential therapeutic target for treatment.

Chest drains are placed after surgery to enable lung re-expansion. However, there remains little guidance on optimal placement. This study aims to identify the ideal size and position for chest drain insertion with regards to post-operative outcomes.383 patients undergoing lobectomy in 1-year had their chest drain size and x-ray position noted (1 (apical), 2 (mid-zone) or 3 (basal)). Primary outcome was residual air space on immediate post-operative x-ray. Secondary outcomes were length of drain in situ (72 versus ≥72 h), persisting pleural effusion, surgical emphysema, post-operative pneumonia (POP), and length of hospital stay (5 versus ≥5 days). Fisher's exact analysis for the primary outcome and binary logistic regression analysis for all outcomes were used. Results presented as odds ratios (OR±95%CI).Univariate analysis for residual air space showed increased risk in area 2 (OR = 1.61, p = 0.041) and 3 (OR = 2.59, p = 0.0043) compared with area 1. Multivariate analysis for residual air space showed increased risk in area 2 (OR = 2.39, p 0.001) and 3 (OR = 2.86, p 0.001) compared with area 1. Drain size had no impact on residual air space in univariate or multivariate analysis. Multivariate analysis showed area 2 drains remained in situ for72 h (OR = 1.49, p = 0.017), had persisting effusions (OR = 2.03, p = 0.004) and POP (OR = 2.10, p = 0.023) compared with area 1. This risk is magnified further for drains in area 3. Drains ≥28F had reduced risk of surgical emphysema (OR = 0.23, p = 0.027) in multivariate analysis.A ≥28F, apical chest drain reduces the risk of post-operative complications, allowing early removal and discharge.

Up to 50% of patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) experience slow colonic transit, which may be associated with severe outcomes. Our objective, therefore, was to identify specific clinical features associated with slow colonic transit in SSc.SSc patients with gastrointestinal symptoms were prospectively enrolled and completed a scintigraphy-based whole gut transit study. Clinical features were compared between patients with and without slow colonic transit in univariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses.Forty-eight of 100 patients (48%) in our cohort had slow colonic transit. In the univariate analyses, slow colonic transit was positively associated with female sex (odds ratio [OR] 12.61 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.56-101.90]), telangiectasia (OR 4.00 [95% CI 1.32-12.10]), anticentromere antibodies (OR 3.25 [95% CI 1.25-8.44]), prior or current smoking (OR 2.56 [95% CI 1.06-6.21]), and a Medsger gastrointestinal severity score of ≥3 (OR 3.94 [95% CI 1.16-13.36]). Patients were less likely to have significant restriction on pulmonary function tests (OR 0.23 [95% CI 0.09-0.63]). In our multivariable model, the association between slow colonic transit and telangiectasia (OR 3.97 [95% CI 1.20-13.20]) and less restrictive lung disease on pulmonary function tests (OR 0.28 [95% CI 0.09-0.86]) remained statistically significant, though a trend with smoking remained (OR 2.16 [95% CI 0.82-5.75]). Interestingly, there were no significant associations between slow colonic transit and delayed transit in other regions of the gastrointestinal tract.Distinct clinical features are associated with slow colonic transit in SSc. Such features may provide insight in risk stratification and the study of disease mechanism in more homogeneous subgroups.

Background Three-dimensional (3D) models improve the comprehension of renal anatomy. Objective To evaluate the impact of novel 3D-derived parameters, to predict surgical outcomes after robot-assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPN). Design, setting, and participants Sixty-nine patients with cT1-T2 renal mass scheduled for RAPN were included. Three-dimensional virtual modeling was achieved from computed tomography. The following volumetric and morphological 3D parameters were calculated: VT (volume of the tumor); VT/VK (ratio between tumor volume and kidney volume); CSA3D (ie, contact surface area); UCS3D (contact to the urinary collecting system); Tumor-Artery3D: tumor’s blood supply by tertiary segmental arteries (score = 1), secondary segmental artery (score = 2), or primary segmental/main renal artery (scoren = 3); ST (tumor’s sphericity); ConvT (tumor’s convexity); and Endophyticity3D (ratio between the CSA3D and the global tumor surface). Intervention RAPN with a 3D model. Outcome measurements and statistical analysis Three-dimensional parameters were compared between patients with and without complications. Univariate logistic regression was used to predict overall complications and type of clamping; linear regression was used to predict operative time, warm ischemia time, and estimated blood loss. Results and limitations Overall, 11 (15%) individuals experienced overall complications (7.2% had Clavien ≥3 complications). Patients with urinary collecting system (UCS) involvement at 3D model (UCS3D = 2), tumor with blood supply by primary or secondary segmentary arteries (Tumor-Artery3D = 1 and 2), and high Endophyticity3D values had significantly higher rates of overall complications (all p ≤ 0.03). At univariate analysis, UCS3D, Tumor-Artery3D, and Endophyticity3D are significantly associated with overall complications; CSA3D and Endophyticity3D were associated with warm ischemia time; and CSA3D was associated with selective clamping (all p ≤ 0.03). Sample size and the lack of interobserver variability are the main limits. Conclusions Three-dimensional modeling provides novel volumetric and morphological parameters to predict surgical outcomes after RAPN. Patient summary Novel morphological and volumetric parameters can be derived from a three-dimensional model to describe surgical complexity of renal mass and to predict surgical outcomes after robot-assisted partial nephrectomy.

The primary aim of this study was to develop and validate radiomics models, applied to ultrasound images, capable of differentiating from other cancers high-risk endometrial cancer, as defined jointly by the European Society for Medical Oncology, European Society of Gynaecological Oncology and European Society for RadiotherapyOncology (ESMO-ESGO-ESTRO) in 2016. The secondary aim was to develop and validate radiomics models for differentiating low-risk endometrial cancer from other endometrial cancers.This was a multicenter, retrospective, observational study. From two participating centers, we identified consecutive patients with histologically confirmed diagnosis of endometrial cancer who had undergone preoperative ultrasound examination by an experienced examiner between 2016 and 2019. Patients recruited in Center 1 (Rome) were included as the training set and patients enrolled in Center 2 (Milan) formed the external validation set. Radiomics analysis (extraction of a high number of quantitative features from medical images) was applied to the ultrasound images. Clinical (including preoperative biopsy), ultrasound and radiomics features that were statistically significantly different in the high-risk group vs the other groups and in the low-risk group vs the other groups on univariate analysis in the training set were considered for multivariate analysis and for developing ultrasound-based machine-learning risk-prediction models. For discriminating between the high-risk group and the other groups, a random forest model from the radiomics features (radiomics model), a binary logistic regression model from clinical and ultrasound features (clinical-ultrasound model) and another binary logistic regression model from clinical, ultrasound and previously selected radiomics features (mixed model) were created. Similar models were created for discriminating between the low-risk group and the other groups. The models developed in the training set were tested in the validation set. The performance of the models in discriminating between the high-risk group and the other groups, and between the low-risk group and the other risk groups for both validation and training sets was compared.The training set comprised 396 patients and the validation set 102 patients. In the validation set, for predicting high-risk endometrial cancer, the radiomics model had an area under the receiver-operating-characteristics curve (AUC) of 0.80, sensitivity of 58.7% and specificity of 85.7% (using the optimal risk cut-off of 0.41); the clinical-ultrasound model had an AUC of 0.90, sensitivity of 80.4% and specificity of 83.9% (using the optimal cut-off of 0.32); and the mixed model had an AUC of 0.88, sensitivity of 67.3% and specificity of 91.0% (using the optimal cut-off of 0.42). For the prediction of low-risk endometrial cancer, the radiomics model had an AUC of 0.71, sensitivity of 65.0% and specificity of 64.5% (using the optimal cut-off of 0.38); the clinical-ultrasound model had an AUC of 0.85, sensitivity of 70.0% and specificity of 80.6% (using the optimal cut-off of 0.46); and the mixed model had an AUC of 0.85, sensitivity of 87.5% and specificity of 72.5% (using the optimal cut-off of 0.36).Radiomics seems to have some ability to discriminate between low-risk endometrial cancer and other endometrial cancers and better ability to discriminate between high-risk endometrial cancer and other endometrial cancers. However, the addition of radiomics features to the clinical-ultrasound models did not result in any notable increase in performance. Other efficacy studies and further effectiveness studies are needed to validate the performance of the models. © 2021 International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Objectives Cancer is the second leading cause of mortality in the world, and represents an economic, social and psychological burden. Scientific studies have focused on psychosocial coping mechanisms of patients and on factors improving their quality of life. Thus, the aim of the present study is to analyze the influence that spirituality would have on the quality of life of Lebanese cancer patients and to identify whether the influence on quality of life is mediated through a decreased depression. Methods This is a cross-sectional study targeting cancer patients in the hemato-oncology department of the Hotel-Dieu de France Hospital (Beirut, Lebanon). It is based on a questionnaire composed of three parts: EQ-5D-5L, PHQ-9, and FACIT-Sp-12. Likewise, a control group suffering from chronic diseases and treated in the hospital was questioned. Univariate and multivariate analysis were conducted to assess the relationship between the different questionnaires for controls and for cancer patients. Results Thirty-nine cancer patients and eight control patients were questioned. In the univariate analysis, there was no relationship between depression and spirituality nor for spirituality and quality of life. After controlling for depression, an inverse correlation between quality of life and spirituality was shown. Conclusions Our study is a pilot study which for the first time investigates the implication of depression in a “spirituality-quality of life” association. There is no clear association of spirituality with quality of life. In fact, the physical and psychological burden of chronically ill patients could exceed and render insignificant a possible impact of spirituality on quality of life.

PurposePoor oral health is associated with head and neck cancer (HNC). We evaluated whether a national oral health screening program (OHSP) could reduce the risk of HNC.Materials and MethodsData from 408,247 healthy individuals aged ≥ 40 years from the National Health Insurance System-National Health Screening program during 2003 and 2004 in Korea were analyzed. The risk of HNC was compared between subjects who underwent OHSP (HEALS-Dental+, n=165,292) and routine health check-ups only (HEALS-Dental‒, n=242,955). The impact of individual oral health-related factors on HNC risk was evaluated in HEALS-Dental+.ResultsA total of 1,650 HNC cases were diagnosed. The 10-year HNC-free rate was 99.684% with a median follow-up of 11 years. The risk of all HNC (hazard ratio [HR], 1.16; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.03 to 1.29; p=0.011) and oropharyngeal cancer (HR, 1.48; 95% CI, 1.13 to 1.94; p=0.005) was significantly higher in HEALS-Dental‒ than in HEALS-Dental+. In HEALS-Dental+, oral cavity cancer was marginally reduced (p=0.085), and missing teeth was a significant factor for HNC (HR, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.02 to 1.50; p=0.032). Toothbrushing was a significant factor in univariate analysis (p=0.028), but not in multivariate analysis (p=0.877).ConclusionThe National OHSP significantly reduced the long-term HNC risk, particularly the incidence of oropharyngeal cancer. Routine OHSP should be considered at the population level.

BACKGROUND Hospital environment is generally propitious to smoking cessation for several reasons such as a legal ban on smoking in hospital facilities, greater vulnerability facing acute illness and the continuous contact with healthcare professionals. AIMS To evaluate the effectiveness of intensive smoking cessation intervention during hospital admission due to acute respiratory disease and 6-month follow-up after hospital discharge. METHODS Prospective study that included patients admitted at our Pulmonology Department, due to acute respiratory disease, active smokers who consented to participate in smoking cessation counseling program, between January and December 2019. After hospital discharge, the patient completed 6-month follow-up. Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS system version 24.0, using univariate analysis chi-square and t-test. RESULTS We included 30 patients, 86.7% male, with a mean age of 58.6 ±13.6 years. The mean length of stay was 10 ±11 days. The mean smoking time was 40.3 ±14.4 years and mean smoking load 40 ±26 pack-year units. The mean level of nicotine dependence by the Fagerstrom test was 4.3 ±2.8. None of the patients accepted smoking cessation pharmacological therapy. After hospital discharge, 19 patients were seen in consultation, 11 of whom maintained smoking cessation at 6 months, determining an overall smoking cessation rate of 36.7%. There was a statistically significant difference in the smoking cessation successful group regarding the motivation to quit smoking and the Richmond test, comparatively to unsuccessful group. CONCLUSIONS Smoking cessation counseling behavior programs during hospitalization, with regular follow-up after hospital discharge, contribute to an increase in smoking cessation rate. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

OBJECTIVE The clinical outcomes for patients undergoing resection of diffuse glioma within the middle frontal gyrus (MFG) are understudied. Anatomically, the MFG is richly interconnected to known language areas, and nearby subcortical fibers are at risk during resection. The goal of this study was to determine the functional outcomes and intraoperative mapping results related to resection of MFG gliomas. Additionally, the study aimed to evaluate if subcortical tract disruption on imaging correlated with functional outcomes. METHODS The authors performed a retrospective review of 39 patients with WHO grade II–IV diffuse gliomas restricted to only the MFG and underlying subcortical region that were treated with resection and had no prior treatment. Intraoperative mapping results and postoperative neurological deficits by discharge and 90 days were assessed. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) tractography was used to assess subcortical tract integrity on pre- and postoperative imaging. RESULTS The mean age of the cohort was 37.9 years at surgery, and the median follow-up was 5.1 years. The mean extent of resection was 98.9% for the cohort. Of the 39 tumors, 24 were left sided (61.5%). Thirty-six patients (92.3%) underwent intraoperative mapping, with 59% of patients undergoing an awake craniotomy. No patients had positive cortical mapping sites overlying the tumor, and 12 patients (33.3%) had positive subcortical stimulation sites. By discharge, 8 patients had language dysfunction, and 5 patients had mild weakness. By 90 days, 2 patients (5.1%) had persistent mild hand weakness only. There were no persistent language deficits by 90 days. On univariate analysis, preoperative tumor size (p = 0.0001), positive subcortical mapping (p = 0.03), preoperative tumor invasion of neighboring subcortical tracts on DTI tractography (p = 0.0003), and resection cavity interruption of subcortical tracts on DTI tractography (p < 0.0001) were associated with an increased risk of having a postoperative deficit by discharge. There were no instances of complete subcortical tract transections in the cohort. CONCLUSIONS MFG diffuse gliomas may undergo extensive resection with minimal risk for long-term morbidity. Partial subcortical tract interruption may lead to transient but not permanent deficits. Subcortical mapping is essential to reduce permanent morbidity during resection of MFG tumors by avoiding complete transection of critical subcortical tracts.

This study aimed to determine the factors associated with the co-infection of Candida albicans and Candida glabrata. This retrospective study conducted between January 2015 and 2020 comprised 131 patients who were diagnosed with oral candidiasis. The factors associated with this condition were analyzed by univariate and multivariate logistic regression. Age and denture use were identified as significant risk factors in the univariate analysis. The multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that denture use (odds ratio [OR], 8.44 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.99-28.3) and immunosuppressive therapy (OR, 9.20; 95% CI, 1.19 -62.0) had significant effects on co-infection with the two Candida species. These findings suggest that immunosuppressive therapy using and dentures is significantly associated with oral candidiasis caused by co-infection of C. albicans and C. glabrata. (C) 2021 Association for Dental Sciences of the Republic of China. Publishing services by Elsevier B.V.

Background Determining the efficacy, safety, and prognostic factors affecting overall survival (OS) among metastatic prostate cancer patients undergoing PSMA-targeted radioligand therapy (PRLT). Method In this retrospective study, from November 2016 and December 2019, 43 heavily pretreated (90.7% on 1st line androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), 53.5% on 2nd line ADT, 58.1% on docetaxel) metastatic prostate cancer patients with median age of 71 years (range: 51−88 years) were enrolled. Treatment cycles were repeated every 8 weeks (range: 6–12 weeks). To evaluate the biochemical response after each cycle, prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels were measured and analyzed according to the Prostate Cancer Working Group 3 (PCWG3) criteria cutoffs. Possible adverse events after therapy were retrospectively classified according to the Common Toxicity Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) v.5.0. Kaplan-Meier and multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression analyses were used to identify factors associated with OS. Results A total of 112 cycles of PRLT with a median of 3 cycles (range: 1–6) and median administered activity per cycle of 6.29 GBq (range: 4.45–7.7 GBq) were used. PSA decline was observed in 65.1% of patients, and best PSA decline of ≥50% and ≥90% were achieved in 39.5% and 23.3% of patients, respectively. Major (grade III) anemia and thrombocytopenia occurred in 11.6% and 7% of patients, respectively. Median OS and median PSA progression-free survival were 52 and 20 weeks, respectively. In univariate analysis, baseline hemoglobin 2, baseline PSA ≥ 115 ng/mL, cumulative dose of 177Lu-PSMA Conclusion PRLT with 177Lu-PSMA is well-tolerated and effective in metastatic prostate cancer patients who have no other treatment options available. The novel prognostic markers found in this study (high platelet count, superscan pattern) were associated with poor overall survival.

Background Incidentally discovered low-grade gliomas (iLGGs) are poorly reported in the literature and little is still known about their effects on white-matter structure. In this study, we investigated whether iLLG growth in either hemisphere could affect main white-matter association tracts and cortico-spinal tract. Methods We retrospectively analyzed white-matter integrity in a group of 18 patients with iLGG having a mostly preserved cognitive status [1]. We identified two groups of patients, 13 having iLGG in left hemisphere (LH) five in right hemisphere (RH) and maximum lesion overlap in inferior frontal gyrus and in medial frontal areas, respectively. A group of healthy controls (n = 20) was included. We carried out a univariate analysis of variance to inspect potential effect of interaction between hemisphere harboring the lesion (i.e., LH or RH) and hemisphere taken into account on number of streamlines and fractional anisotropy (FA) of reconstructed white-matter tracts. Results The sole significant interaction concerned left arcuate fasciculus, with patients with iLGG in LH having a lower number of streamlines than healthy controls; interaction involving FA was not significant for any of the fascicles. Lack of any other significant findings indicates overall preserved white matter. Conclusions iLGG size and growth pattern could explain why white-matter status did not markedly differ with respect to the healthy controls. Findings therefore support evidence that iLGGs represent the earlier phase in natural history of LGGs and are discussed in a clinical perspective and in support to safe early surgery.

PURPOSE: To compare scoring systems and their ability to capture short and long-term recovery of paediatric patients with acute encephalitis. To identify clinical predictors of short-term outcomes by correlating functional outcome measures at 1 month post diagnosis of acute encephalitis. METHODS: Patients with encephalitis diagnosed between July 2011 and 2016 based on Granerod’s criteria were studied in this retrospective cohort study. Functional outcome scores on WeeFIM, LOS, GOS-E, mRS and ICF at initial presentation and 1, 3, 6 and 12 months later were compared. RESULTS: WeeFIM and LOS scores both showed maximum change in the first 3 months, reflecting highest recovery in this period. With WeeFIM, the greatest change occurred within the first month following diagnosis. On univariate analysis, seizure frequency in the first month, presence of movement disorder, presence of autonomic dysfunction and lower baseline functional score was associated with poorer WeeFIM scores at 1 month. The latter three variables remained statistically significant on multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: WeeFIM is a potentially preferred functional outcome assessment tool as it demonstrated greatest recovery within the first month due to a trend of high responsiveness and relatively low ceiling effect. Presence of autonomic dysfunction and movement disorders at diagnosis correlated with poorer outcome at 1 month post diagnosis.

In acute respiratory failure due to severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia, mechanical ventilation remains challenging and may result in high mortality. The use of noninvasive ventilation (NIV) may delay required invasive ventilation, increase adverse outcomes, and have a potential aerosol risk to caregivers. Data of 30 patients were collected from patient files and analyzed. Twenty-one (70%) patients were weaned successfully after helmet-NIV support (NIV success group), and invasive mechanical ventilation was required in 9 (30%) patients (NIV failure group) of which 8 (26.7%) patients died. In NIV success vs failure patients, the mean baseline PaO2/FiO2 ratio (PFR) (147.2 +/- 57.9 vs 156.8 +/- 59.0 mm Hg;p = 0.683) and PFR before initiation of helmet (132.3 +/- 46.9 vs 121.6 +/- 32.7 mm Hg;p = 0.541) were comparable. The NIV success group demonstrated a progressive improvement in PFR in comparison with the failure group at 2 hours (158.8 +/- 56.1 vs 118.7 +/- 40.7 mm Hg;p = 0.063) and 24 hours (PFR-24) (204.4 +/- 94.3 vs 121.3 +/- 32.6;p = 0.016). As predictor variables, PFR-24 and change (delta) in PFR at 24 hours from baseline or helmet initiation (dPFR-24) were significantly associated with NIV success in univariate analysis but similar significance could not be reflected in multivariate analysis perhaps due to a small sample size of the study. The PFR-24 cutoff of 161 mm Hg and dPFR-24 cutoff of -1.44 mm Hg discriminate NIV success and failure groups with the area under curve (confidence interval) of 0.78 (0.62-0.95);p = 0.015 and 0.74 (0.55-0.93);p = 0.039, respectively. Helmet interface NIV may be a safe and effective tool for the management of patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia with acute respiratory failure. More studies are needed to further evaluate the role of helmet NIV especially in patients with initial PFR

Background Over the past twenty years, progress of cardiac surgery has been such that actual life expectancy of a patient with congenital heart disease (CHD) approaches that of the average for the general population. The current challenge is no longer to decrease cardiac surgery's mortality rate, but rather to manage morbidity and a child's overall development regarding nutrition and neurodevelopment. Malnutrition is a common cause of morbidity in infants with CHD, especially before the age of one. It can easily be explained by an increased metabolic demand linked to cardiac failure, hypoxemia or pulmonary hypertension. Secondly, food intake is frequently not optimal in this population and the infant's growth is insufficiently examined by paediatric cardiologists. Another factor is that much needed therapeutics such as diuretic drugs for example, often lead to weight loss. Ultimately, malnutrition in infants with CHD increases surgical risk, morbidity (infections, …), hospital stay, and alters long-term cognitive development. This study reports prevalence and associated factors of malnutrition on short and long-term follow-up of a large cohort of patients with various CHD, and who underwent cardiac surgery before the age of one. Method We conducted a retrospective and multicentre study that included infants from the North of France with CHD who underwent cardiac surgery before the age of one, between 2013 and 2017. To determine malnutrition, anthropometric measures (weight and height) were collected on the day of the surgery and during follow-up until 3 years after surgery to calculate Z-score for weight, height and weight/height. To test the statistical significance of the association between nutritional status and risk variables, univariate analysis was done applying Chi-square test. All variables significant at 0.1 in univariate analysis were included in the multivariate logistic regression analysis. The study was approved by French national ethic committee Commission national de l’informatique et des libertes (CNIL) and by the GFHGNP ethic committee (Groupe francophone d’hepatologie–gastro-enterologie et nutrition pediatrique). The author declares that he has no competing of interest. Result In total, 331 patients with CHD who underwent their first cardiac surgery (palliation or repair) before the age of one were included. Table 1 lists the cardiac diagnosis of patients included in the study. Demographic and clinical characteristics are summarised in Table 2 . Caesarean section was performed in 23.5% of cases. Only 38% infants were breastfed after maternity stay. An important part of our population was treated with diuretic drugs before surgery for congestive heart failure (38.5%). 69 (21%) infants needed a gastric tube before surgery. Feeding difficulties (including need for dietary enrichment and/or presence of a gastric tube) represented 35% of our population at the day of surgery. Only 39 (12%) were specifically assessed by speech therapist for feeding problems. Concerning surgery, 246 (74.5%) infants had undergone a biventricular repair, 51 (15.5%) infants had undergone a palliative intervention before a biventricular repair and 33 (10%) had a palliative intervention before a univentricular repair. 84 (26%) were cyanotic after their first surgery, 104 (32%) needed at least a second intervention. 49 (15%) infants had postoperative complications and 84 (26%) infants were treated by diuretics for congestive heart failure one month after surgery. 19 (5.9%) infants needed intravenous (IV) nutrition for more than 7 days. There were 19 (6%) deaths. Regarding nutritional status, at the time of the surgery, 14% of the infants presented moderate to severe growth failure (with a Z score weight for age During follow-up, between six months and 12 months after surgery, moderate to severe growth failure persisted in 16% of the study population and minor growth failure in 24%. In other terms, 40% of our cohort presented a persistent minor to severe growth failure. Fig. 1 , Fig. 2 summarize evolution of growth failure and malnutrition respectively during follow-up from 15 days to 3 years after surgery. Nineteen patients died during follow-up. A significant proportion of patients had impaired somatic growth or malnutrition at the end of the follow-up. Several associated factors of persistent growth failure 6 to 12 months after surgery were identified in univariate analysis: prenatal diagnosis, presence of genetic syndrome, birth weight ≤ 3 kg, complex CHD (CHD with 2 or more significative lesions or double outlet right ventricule or single ventricule physiology), surgery after 30 days from birth, and diuretic therapy before surgery and/or still necessary one month after surgery. The results of multivariate logistic regression analysis are summarized in Table 3 . CHD types were divided in 4 groups regarding anatomy and complexity, using TGA, Fallot and coarctation of Aorta as referent CHD with low impact on infant growth away from the day of surgery. The presence of a feeding tube at the day of surgery was not associated with growth failure 6 to 12 months after. Conclusion Growth failure in infants with CHD who undergo cardiac surgery before the age of one persists between 6 and 12 months after surgery. This should be taken into account as it can have serious consequences on children's health and development. Highlighting predictive factors will allow medical staff to identify vulnerable infants at birth and during the period of surgery and therefore increase nutritional care to combat malnutrition and growth failure.

Background: Paradoxical low-flow, low-gradient (PLF-LG) aortic stenosis (AS) is associated with poor prognosis in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). This study aimed to verify the conventional criteria of PLF-LG AS (left ventricular ejection fraction [LVEF] > 50%, mean aortic valve pressure gradient [AVPG] < 40 mm Hg and stroke volume index [SVI] < 35 ml/m2 by measuring Doppler method) compatible for predicting prognosis in patients undergoing TAVI., Materials and methods: A total of 128 consecutive patients who underwent TAVI for AS with LVEF > 50% were enrolled. The primary endpoint was the hospital readmission due to heart failure (HRHF) and the secondary endpoint was all-cause mortality after hospital discharge. The patients were classified by both the conventional criteria of PLF-LG AS and the proposal criteria of PLF-LG AS if mean aortic valve pressure gradient (AVPG) < 40 mmHg and SVI by measuring Simpson's method < cut off value based on the ROC curve for predicting HRHF., Results: According to the conventional criteria, only 6 patients were diagnosed with PLF-LG AS. However, according to the proposal criteria, 16 patients were diagnosed with PLF-LG AS. Fourteen patients developed HRHF during the follow-up period after TAVI. Based on the ROC curves, SVI by measuring Simpson's method (cut off value = 25 ml/m2) had higher sensitivity and specificity for predicting HRHF (AUC = 0.74, p = 0.0013) than SVI by measuring Doppler method (AUC = 0.63, p = 0.045). The multivariate analysis revealed that PLF-LG AS defined by the proposal criteria (HR: 5.25; 95% CI: 1.60–17.16; p = 0.0073) but not by the conventional criteria was independently associated with HRHF. PLF-LG AS defined by the conventional criteria and the proposal criteria were not associated with all-cause mortality in the univariate analysis., Conclusions: Our results demonstrated that new criteria of PLF-LG AS defined as SVI < 25 ml/m2 measured by Simpson's method could predict HRHF in patients with severe AS who underwent TAVI.

Background The optimal treatment strategy for resectable cervical esophageal cancer (CEC) remains controversial. This study aimed to explore prognostic factors and optimal treatment strategies in the context of staging. Methods In this population-based study, 1371 patients with resectable CEC were identified in the SEER database. Univariate analysis and multivariable Cox regression model were performed to evaluate factors related to overall survival (OS). Subgroup analysis based on staging was performed to assess the effect of treatments on survival and propensity score matching (PSM) was conducted to adjust confounding factors. Results Univariate and multivariable analyses revealed that age, sex, year of diagnosis, histological type, tumor size, cN stage, surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy are independent prognostic factors. After PSM, patients with local disease (cT1-2N0M0) who received surgery alone had a higher 10-year OS rate than those received chemoradiotherapy (CRT) (20.7% vs. 11.4%, p = 0.023). Compared with CRT, surgery-based multimodal therapy did not increase the OS rate of patients (14.8% vs. 11.1%, p = 0.084). For regional disease (cT3-4aN0M0/cT1-4aN1-3M0), although surgery alone did not improve the OS rate of patients compared with CRT (7.3% vs. 8.2%, p = 0.18), we observed a significant difference in 10-year OS among patients who underwent surgery-based multimodal therapy versus those who underwent CRT (20.4% vs. 9.0%, p = 0.031). Conclusions Compared with CRT, surgery alone improves the long-term survival of patients with localized disease, and surgery-based multimodal therapy increases the survival rate of patients with regional disease. Further studies are required to confirm our findings.

The prognostic significance of an architectural grading system for clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) has recently been demonstrated. The present study aimed to establish a vascularity-based architectural classification using the cohort of 436 patients with localized ccRCC who underwent extirpative surgery and correlated the findings with conventional pathologic factors, gene expression, and prognosis. First, we assessed architectural patterns in the highest-grade area on hematoxylin and eosin-stained slides, then separately evaluated our surrogate score for vascularity. We grouped nine architectural patterns into three categories based on the vascular network score. "Vascularity-based architectural classification" was defined: category 1: characterized by enrichment of the vascular network, including compact/small nested, macrocyst/microcystic, and tubular/acinar patterns; category 2: characterized by a widely spaced-out vascular network, including alveolar/large nested, thick trabecular/insular, papillary/pseudopapillary patterns; category 3: characterized by scattered vascularity without a vascular network, including solid sheets, rhabdoid and sarcomatoid patterns. Adverse pathological prognostic factors such as TNM stage, WHO/ISUP grade, and necrosis were significantly associated with category 3, followed by category 2 (all p < 0.001). We successfully validated the classification using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) cohort (n = 162), and RNA-sequencing data available from TCGA showed that the angiogenesis gene signature was significantly enriched in category 1 compared to categories 2 and 3, whereas the immune gene signature was significantly enriched in category 3 compared to categories 1 and 2. In univariate analysis, vascularity-based architectural classification showed the best accuracy in pathological prognostic factors for predicting recurrence-free survival (c-index = 0.786). The predictive accuracy of our model which integrated WHO/ISUP grade, necrosis, TNM stage, and vascularity-based architectural classification was greater than conventional risk models (c-index = 0.871 vs. 0.755-0.843). Our findings suggest that the vascularity-based architectural classification is prognostically useful and may help stratify patients appropriately for management based on their likelihood of post-surgical recurrence.

The study objective was to evaluate the outcomes of slide tracheoplasty in infancy and identify predictors of adverse outcomes.We retrospectively reviewed the clinical data of infants aged less than 1 year with congenital tracheal stenosis who underwent slide tracheoplasty at a single center from April 2010 to September 2020.Of 120 infants, 71.7% (86/120) had a pulmonary artery sling and 37.5% (45/120) had simultaneous intracardiac repairs. Additionally, 52.5% (63/120) of the patients had anomalous tracheobronchial arborization, and 17.5% (21/120) had diffuse tracheal stenosis. Six airway reoperations (5%) and 6 deaths (5%) occurred, and the mortality decreased annually. Multivariate analysis revealed that a low body weight, cardiovascular anomalies, and normal tracheobronchial arborization predicted a longer intubation duration. Univariate analysis revealed that a low body weight, preoperative invasive ventilation, a long cardiopulmonary bypass time, and granulation tissue were associated with death. After surgery, 26 patients had dysphagia, 24 of whom resumed oral feeding during follow-up. Ninety-two patients underwent chest computed tomography reexamination, and the trachea diameter had increased significantly from 2.32 ± 0.72 mm to 5.46 ± 1.24 mm. Nineteen and 29 patients underwent spirometry before and after surgery, respectively, and showed improvements in ventilation function, with the ratio of time to peak tidal expiratory flow to total expiratory time and ratio of volume to peak tidal expiratory flow to total expiratory volume values significantly improved from 19.80% (interquartile range, 16.90-23.80) and 23.10% (interquartile range, 21.10-25.90) to 26.80% (interquartile range, 21.20-34.40) and 30.20% (interquartile range, 25.00-34.50), respectively (P .05).A tailored individual management strategy of slide tracheoplasty in infancy facilitates favorable clinical outcomes. Close postoperative follow-up and long-term functional evaluations including clinical symptoms and pulmonary function are still needed.

Background We investigated the safety and efficacy of bendamustine-rituximab (BR) in previously untreated symptomatic and advanced CLL patients, as there is no data available on BR from Indian subcontinent. Methods This retrospective study included 120 consecutive treatment naive patients with CLL without del (17p), who were registered at Department of Medical Oncology, AIIMS between January 2010 and to July 2018. Bendamustine was given at a dose of 90 mg/m2on day 1 and 2, combined with rituximab 375 mg/m2 rituximab on day 1, every 28 days for up to 6 courses. Event free survival (EFS) was defined as date of treatment to date of relapse, disease progression or death due to any cause. Results The median age was 57 years (range: 30-75 years). As per clinical Rai stage 30(25%) patients were in stage II, 42(35%) were in stage III and 48(40%)were in stage IV. ZAP-70 was positive (>20%) in 50%, CD 38 was positive (>30%) in 33%, and CD49d was positive (>30%) in 49% of cases. Beta-2 microglobulin (B2M) was elevated (≥3.5 mg/L) in 80% of cases. Fifty five cases (50%, n = 110) were IGHV mutated. The mean number of cycles was 5 (1-6). Overall response rate (ORR) seen with BR was 90% and complete response was 45%. Median event free survival was 24 months with a median follow up period of 29 months. Haemoglobin ( Conclusions This is the first study of Asia to demonstrate safety and efficacy of BR in symptomatic CLL patients. BR is effective and safe regimen in the first-line treatment of CLL. Unmutaed- CLL patients have inferior EFS than mutated - CLL patients. Skin toxicity was the most common adverse effect seen in our population which was observed in around one third of cases. Legal entity responsible for the study The authors. Funding Has not received any funding. Disclosure All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.

To determine the optimal combination of imaging and biochemical biomarkers for use in the prediction of knee osteoarthritis (OA) progression.The present study was a nested case-control trial from the Foundation of the National Institutes of Health OA Biomarkers Consortium that assessed study participants with a Kellgren/Lawrence grade of 1-3 who had complete biomarker data available (n = 539 to 550). Cases were participants' knees that had radiographic and pain progression between 24 and 48 months compared to baseline. Radiographic progression only was assessed in secondary analyses. Biomarkers (baseline and 24-month changes) that had a P value of0.10 in univariate analysis were selected, including quantitative cartilage thickness and volume on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), semiquantitative MRI markers, bone shape and area, quantitative meniscal volume, radiographic progression (trabecular bone texture [TBT]), and serum and/or urine biochemical markers. Multivariable logistic regression models were built using 3 different stepwise selection methods (complex models versus parsimonious models).Among baseline biomarkers, the number of locations affected by osteophytes (semiquantitative), quantitative central medial femoral and central lateral femoral cartilage thickness, patellar bone shape, and semiquantitative Hoffa-synovitis predicted OA progression in most models (C statistic 0.641-0.671). In most models, 24-month changes in semiquantitative MRI markers (effusion-synovitis, meniscal morphologic changes, and cartilage damage), quantitative central medial femoral cartilage thickness, quantitative medial tibial cartilage volume, quantitative lateral patellofemoral bone area, horizontal TBT (intercept term), and urine N-telopeptide of type I collagen predicted OA progression (C statistic 0.680-0.724). A different combination of imaging and biochemical biomarkers (baseline and 24-month change) predicted radiographic progression only, which had a higher C statistic of 0.716-0.832.The present study highlights the combination of biomarkers with potential prognostic utility in OA disease-modifying trials. Properly qualified, these biomarkers could be used to enrich future trials with participants likely to experience progression of knee OA.

Purpose We report our experience of 86 consecutive patients with locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma who were treated with volumetric modulated arc therapy. Materials and methods We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 86 patients with histologically proven primary nasopharyngeal carcinoma treated with volumetric modulated arctherapy technique radiotherapy. Primary endpoints were local, regional, distant control, and overall survival, second endpoint was late toxicity. Results The median age was 47.5 years (range: 13–79 years) with sex ratio 1.09. At diagnosis, rhinologic symptoms represented the most common clinical presentation, reported by 61 patients (70.9%). Almost 88.4% of patients presented non-keratinizing undifferentiated carcinoma histology (n = 76). Most of the patients presented a locally advanced disease defined by stage III and IVa (95.3%). Therefore, 31 patients were treated by concurrent chemoradiation (36%), 52 patients received induction chemotherapy followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy (57%), three patients received induction chemotherapy followed by exclusive radiotherapy (3.5%). and three patients treated with exclusive irradiation (3.5%). With a median follow up of 15.7 months (range: 4–33.3 months), nine patients died (10.4%), three presented local or locoregional relapse (3.4%), while nine patients presented distant recurrences (10.4%). The two years overall and disease-free survival rates were 88.7% and 83.1% respectively, locoregional control was 100% at 12 months and 96.2% at 24 months, and the two years distant failure-free survival was 86.7%. Time to relapse was the only prognostic factor in univariate analysis for overall survival in our study. The therapeutic tolerance was good with 61.7% of grade 3 and 2.3% grade 4 hyposialia respectively, 46.5% of otological disorders and no radionecrosis was noted. Conclusion Volumetric modulated arctherapy technique with concurrent chemoradiotherapy is an effective treatment for nasopharyngeal carcinoma with excellent overall and locoregional control without severe toxicity. Distant metastasis is the major site of failure, so induction chemotherapy added to chemoradiotherapy must be discussed in multidisciplinary consultation meeting because it significantly improved recurrence-free survival and overall survival, as compared with chemoradiotherapy alone.

INTRODUCTION To evaluate the functional outcomes and quality of life beyond 1 year, in patients treated with radical cystectomy and orthotopic diversion for invasive bladder cancer. To investigate various potential contributing factors on patient's quality of life after radical cystectomy and urinary diversion via orthotopic neobladder. MATERIALS AND METHODS This retrospective study was conducted at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), Cairo; including a total of 97 patients who underwent radical cystectomy and orthotopic diversion. Functional and sexual outcome and patient QoL were assessed by ICIQ-SF, IIEF-5 and QLQ-C30 questionnaires. Potential association of patient QoL with pre-and intraoperative variables was studied. RESULTS Our results show that preoperative ECOG performance status 0 (P=0.0001), and nerve sparing surgery (P=0.001), were associated with high QoL and functional outcomes. On the contrary, ECOG performance status 2, preoperative comorbidities as ischemic heart diseases (P=0.01), recurrence (0.041), adjuvant chemotherapy (P=0.017) and radiotherapy (P=0.001) were associated with low QoL on univariate analysis. However, only ECOG performance status 2 (P

Background: Non-contrast chest CTs (NCCT) are performed routinely for coronary artery calcium (CAC) scoring and lung cancer screening. However, a large amount of noncoronary and nonpulmonary data from these scans remain unassessed. We aimed to validate a deep learning model to automatically segment and measure left atrial (LA) volumes from routine NCCT and evaluate prediction for cardiovascular outcomes. Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 273 patients (median age 69 years, 55.5% male) who underwent a routine non-ECG gated NCCT for lung cancer screening. LA volumes were quantified by three expert cardiothoracic radiologists and a prototype AI algorithm. LA volumes were then indexed to the body surface area (BSA). Expert and AI LA volume index (LAVi) were compared and used to predict cardiovascular outcomes within five years. Logistic regression with appropriate univariate statistics were used for modelling outcomes. Findings: There was excellent correlation between AI and expert results with an LAV intraclass correlation of 0.950 (0.936-0.960). Bland-Altman plot demonstrated the AI underestimated LAVi by a mean 5.86 mL/m 2 . AI-LAVi was associated with new-onset atrial fibrillation (AUC 0.86; OR 1.12, 95% CI 1.08-1.18, p

Background: Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is potentially curative for hematological disease however can be complicated by relapse or graft failure (GF), for which second-HCT and donor lymphocyte infusions (DLI) are performed. This study aimed to compare outcomes following the two interventions. Methods: We retrospectively investigated 89 patients with relapse or GF after first-HCT, 50 (56%) underwent second HCT and 39 (44%) received (DLI), from June 2011 to September 2020. Results: Median age at intervention was 55 years (19-72). Second-HCT was performed for relapse in 19 patients and for GF in 31 patients (primary GF in 11 and secondary in 20 patients), same donor was used in 25 (50%) patients. DLI was performed for relapse in 20 and for secondary GF in 19 patients. Median number of DLI administered was 2 (range 1-11). Univariate analysis demonstrated 2-year overall survival (OS) for second-HCT was superior when performed for relapse (65%) compared to GF (44%) (p=0.03). For DLI patients, 2-year OS was 49% for GF and 45% for relapse patients (p=0.49). For relapse as an indication, second-HCT demonstrated borderline superiority compared to DLI (p=0.07). Multivariable analysis demonstrated for OS for the entire cohort demonstrated donor mismatch (HR 0.50, 95%CI 0.26-0.94%, p=0.03), KPS at time of intervention (HR 2.10, 95%CI 1.14-3.85%, p=0.02) and time from first-HCT to intervention (HR 0.51, 95%CI 0.28-0.93%, p=0.03) as significant variables. Conclusion: Second-HCT may improve outcomes when performed for relapse post-transplant if patients achieve remission again, while DLI may be reserved for patients with active disease.

BACKGROUND Enhanced recovery after surgery pathways in several specialties reduce length of stay, but accelerated discharge after thoracic surgery is not well characterized. This study tested the hypothesis that patients discharged on postoperative day 1 (POD1) after lobectomy for lung cancer have an increased risk of readmission. METHODS Patients who underwent a lobectomy for lung cancer between 2011 and 2019 in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database were identified. Readmission rates were compared between patients discharged on postoperative day 1 (POD 1) and patients discharged on POD 2 to 6. Early discharge and readmission predictors were evaluated using multivariable logistic regression analysis. RESULTS Only 854 (3.8%) of 22,585 patients who met inclusion criteria were discharged on POD 1, although POD 1 discharge rates increased from 2.3% to 8.1% (P < .001) from 2011 to 2019, respectively. Median hospitalization for patients discharged on POD 2 to 6 was 4 days (interquartile range, 3 to 5 days). Patients' characteristics associated with a lower likelihood of POD 1 discharge were increasing age, smoking, or a history of dyspnea, whereas a minimally invasive approach was the strongest predictor of early discharge (adjusted odds ratio, 5.42; P < .001). Readmission rates were not significantly different for the POD 1 and POD 2 to 6 groups in univariate analysis (6.0% vs 7.0%; P = .269). Further, POD 1 discharge was not a risk factor for readmission in multivariable analysis (adjusted odds ratio, 1.10; P = .537). CONCLUSIONS Select patients can be discharged on POD 1 after lobectomy for lung cancer without an increased readmission risk, a finding supporting this accelerated discharge target inclusion in lobectomy enhanced recovery after surgery protocols.

Background: There are disparities in access to specialty care for chronic diseases in rural and minority populations. Telemedicine has been proposed to improve access. Introduction: The objective of this study was to identify predictors of telemedicine use for chronic disease specialty care in the Alaska Tribal Health System (ATHS) in the setting of usual care. Materials and Methods: We utilized data from the electronic health record (EHR) of patients from four regions in the ATHS. We queried the EHR to identify cases (ever users of telemedicine) and controls (never users), both of whom had chronic diseases requiring specialty care. Data were collected from 2015 through mid-2019. Results: We included 3,075 patients (799 ever users and 2,276 never users). In univariate analysis, ever users were older, more likely to be male, had more chronic conditions and higher encounter rates. There were differences by region, community, and type of specialty clinic. In our simple multivariate model, factors associated with telemedicine use included age, male gender, region, and outpatient visit rate per year. Having at least one cardiology clinic visit was also associated with telemedicine use, with the highest estimated odds ratio (5.27, p < 0.01). Discussion: This study describes factors associated with telemedicine use in the ATHS before the COVID-19 pandemic. We anticipate monitoring changes in these predictors over time, as we expect them to evolve. Conclusions: We found among factors associated with telemedicine use were age, gender, region, outpatient visit rate, and visits to a specific specialty clinic.

Background: Avascular necrosis is a common complication in patients with SLE. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the risk factors for the occurrence of avascular necrosis among SLE patients receiving steroid therapy at various doses in combination with immunosuppressants. Methods: In this retrospective study, the medical records of all SLE patients under follow-up at the outpatient clinics of Cairo and Kafr Elsheikh University hospitals through the period from November 2014 to August 2019 were included. Avascular necrosis was diagnosed by the findings of different imaging modalities. Results: We retrieved the medical records of 770 SLE patients during the study period; of them, 55 patients (7.1%) had avascular necrosis. There was significant higher usage of cyclophosphamide (p = 0.003), total cumulative dose of steroids 15-35g plus immunosuppressants (p < 0.001), and steroids >35g plus immunosuppressants (p = 0.016) in the avascular necrosis cohort. Based on the univariate analysis, disease duration of more than five years and cumulative use of steroids were statistically significant predictors for the evolvement of avascular necrosis. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that a disease duration of more than five years was associated independently with avascular necrosis. Conclusion: Our data seem to show a role of the association of immunosuppressants plus steroids in the risk of developing avascular necrosis.

Objective To investigate the risk factors for lateral lymph node metastasis (LLNM) in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). Methods A retrospective analysis of 209 patients with PTC who underwent primary surgery at the Beijing Friendship Hospital affiliated with Capital Medical University from November 2014 to November 2018 was performed. The patients were divided into the LLNM group and the non-LLNM group. The clinical and pathological characteristics of the patients were analysed. The risk factors for LLNM were analysed by univariate and multivariate analyses. Results The incidence of LLNM was 13.4% in PTC patients. Univariate analysis showed that the maximum diameter of the primary tumour >2 cm (P 2 cm, ETE, and CLNM were independent risk factors for LLNM (OR values were 3.880, 5.202, and 4.474, respectively). There were 6 patients with skip lateral cervical lymph node metastasis, accounting for 21% of all LLNM patients. Conclusion This study revealed several independent risk factors for predicting LLNM in PTC patients, such as the maximum diameter of the primary tumour >2 cm, ETE and CLNM. Lateral neck dissection may be recommended in PTC patients with those risk factors. Paying attention to the occurrence of skip lateral cervical lymph node metastasis during the clinical diagnosis and treatment processes is necessary.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES Emergency department (ED) visits due to hypoglycaemia are frequent in elderly patients. The main objective of the study is to evaluate the risk factors associated to ED re-visits at 90days in elderly patients who visited ED with an episode of hypoglycaemia. MATERIAL AND METHODS A retrospective observational study was designed, including elderly diabetic patients (>65years) attended in a fragility area of an ED for an episode of hypoglycaemia. To evaluate the risk factors associated to ED re-visits at 90days a multivariate analysis with logistic regression was performed, including those variables related to comorbidity and antidiabetic treatment with a P

Introduction Mutations in the IDH1 or IDH2 genes are detected in approximately 20% of cases of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Few studies have examined the impact of IDH mutations in AML on allogeneic bone marrow transplant (alloBMT) outcomes. Patients and methods In this single center study, alloBMT outcomes for 61 patients with IDH-mutated (mIDH) AML were compared to those for 146 patients with IDH-wildtype (wtIDH) AML. Results Patients with mIDH AML had a 2-year overall survival (OS) of 85% (95% CI 76%-95%), 2-year relapse free survival (RFS) of 71% (95% CI 59%-85%), 1-year cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR) of 14% (95% CI 5%-23%) and a 1-year cumulative incidence of transplant related mortality (CITRM) of 3% (95% CI 0%-8%). Patients with wtIDH had a 2-year OS of 61% (95% CI 53%-70%), 2-year RFS of 58% (95% CI 50%-67%), 1-year CIR of 27% (95% CI 20%-35%), and a 1-year CITRM of 9% (95% CI 5%-14%). In a univariate analysis cox-proportional hazard model, mIDH was associated with significantly better OS (HR 0.52, 95% CI 0.29-0.96) and a trend toward better RFS (HR 0.60, 95% CI 0.35-1.01). After controlling for donor age, diagnosis, and ELN risk category, mIDH was associated with a nonsignificantly improved OS (HR 0.54, 95% CI 0.29-1.01) and RFS (HR 0.67, 95% CI 0.39-1.15). Conclusion Among patients with mIDH AML, patients who received a peritransplant IDH inhibitor had improved OS (P = .03) compared to those who did not, but there was no detectable difference for RFS (P = .29).

Purpose To compare postoperative pain and recovery after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) in patients who received an adductor canal block (ACB) or periarticular local infiltrative anesthesia (LIA). Methods A retrospective review of a prospectively collected ACL registry was performed. Patients underwent ACLR at a single institution between January 2015 and September 2020 and received long-acting local anesthesia with a pre-operative ultrasound-guided ACB or peri-articular LIA after surgery. Visual Analog Scale (VAS) pain scores, milligram morphine equivalents (MME) consumed in the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU), and total hospital recovery time were compared. Univariate analysis was used to compare VAS pain and MME totals between overall groups and groups propensity score matched for age, sex, BMI, graft type, and meniscal treatment. Results are presented as mean(95%CI) unless otherwise indicated. Results There were 265 knees (253 patients) included (LIA, 157 knees; ACB, 108 knees). Overall, VAS pain scores before hospital discharge (LIA 2.6 (2.4-2.8) vs. ACB 2.4 (2.1-2.7), p=0.334) and total MMEs were similar (LIA 17.6 (16.4-18.8) vs. ACB 18.5 (17.2-19.8) (MME), p=0.134). Median time to discharge also did not significantly differ (LIA 137.5 (IQR:116-178) vs. ACB 147 (IQR:123-183) (min), p=0.118). Matched sub-analysis (LIA and ACB, n=94) did not reveal significant differences in VAS pain before discharge (LIA 2.4 (2.1-2.7) vs ACB: 2.7 (2.4-3.0), p=0.134) or total MMEs (LIA 18.6 (17.2-20.0) vs. ACB 17.9 (16.4-19.4), p=0.520). Conclusion The use of ACB or LIA resulted in similar early pain levels, opioid consumption, and hospital recovery times after ACLR surgery.

Background and Aim: Subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) is frequently seen in diabetic patients. Elevated levels of uric acid (UA) were also reported in diabetic patients. No study assessed the relation between SCH and UA levels in diabetic patients. We aimed to evaluate this relation and the association of both conditions with other clinical and laboratory parameters in diabetic patients. Subjects and Methods: This cross-sectional study included 100 T2DM patients in addition to 50 age and sex matched healthy controls. Diabetic patients comprised 50 patients with SCH and 50 euthyroid patients. All participants were subjected to careful history taking, thorough clinical examination and standard laboratory work up. The performed investigations included fasting and postprandial blood sugar, fasting insulin levels, HbA1c levels, thyroid hormones (FT3, FT4 and TSH), renal profile and serum UA. Results: Comparison between the studied groups regarding serum UA levels revealed significantly higher levels in the diabetic group (5.4 ± 1.9 versus 4.2 ± 1.0 mg/dl, p Conclusions: The present study suggests an association between SCH and increased UA levels in diabetic patients.

OBJECTIVE Endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) can treat anatomically compatible ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms (rAAA), but registry data suggests that women undergo more open abdominal aneurysm repairs than men. We evaluate in-hospital outcomes of EVAR for rAAA by sex. METHODS The Vascular Quality Initiative (VQI) registry was queried from 2013 to 2019 for rAAA patients treated with EVAR. Univariate analysis was performed with Student's t-test and chi-squared tests. Multivariable logistic regression was then performed to assess the association between female sex and inpatient mortality. RESULTS 1775 patients were included (23.8% female). Female rAAA patients were older (p < 0.01) and weighed less (p < 0.01). They were less likely to have smoked (p

Background During surgery, the effectiveness of perioperative prophylactic antibiotic administration against surgical site infections is inferred from serum concentrations and not from tissues where local infections occur. This study aimed to measure the serum and tissue concentrations of cefmetazole in colorectal surgery cases to clarify whether there is an association between the incidence of surgical site infections and antibiotic concentrations. Methods This prospective cohort study was performed at a single tertiary care center. The data of 105 patients who underwent colorectal surgery between October 2017 and September 2019 were evaluated. The primary outcome was the incidence of surgical site infections. Univariate analysis was performed to investigate the association between surgical site infections, perioperative factors, and the serum and tissue concentrations of cefmetazole. Results The incidence of surgical site infections was 13/105 (12.4%). Cefmetazole concentrations were measured at initial incision (serum; 101 vs 93.1 mg/L, P = .75, subcutaneous fat tissue; 2.8 vs 3.7 mg/g, P = .15), intestinal resection (serum; 35.1 vs 36.7 mg/L, P = .63, mesenteric adipose tissue; 1.3 vs 1.7 mg/g, P = .55), and at skin closure (serum; 34.5 vs 44.8 mg/L, P = .18, subcutaneous fat tissue; 1.0 vs 2.2 mg/g, P = .09). In univariate analysis with P ≤ .10, cefmetazole concentration in subcutaneous fat tissue at skin closure was found to be a significant risk factor for surgical site infections. Age, additional intraoperative administration of cefmetazole, and creatinine clearance were also significant risk factors for the occurrence of surgical site infections. Conclusion Low subcutaneous fat cefmetazole concentrations at skin closure during gastrointestinal operations may also be involved in the occurrence of surgical site infections.

To report experience and technical refinements with the Koyanagi urethroplasty for proximal hypospadias.A retrospective study was conducted between 2004 and 2017. Medical records of patients treated by the Koyanagi technique were investigated. The penile ventral skin was closed either with a Byars flap or using an "Ombredanne's chasuble" (OC). The cohort was divided chronologically into two groups of the same number of patients (early -E- and late experience group-LEG-). Demographics, anatomical findings and surgical outcomes were compared between groups using univariate analysis. A logistic regression was performed to assess factors associated with the occurrence of a postoperative urethrocutaneous fistula or urethroplasty dehiscence (UD).The Koyanagi urethroplasty was performed in 67 patients, 33 in the EEG and 34 in the LEG. The overall surgical complication rate was 64.2% (n=43), including 42 fistula or UD, higher in the EEG (81.8%) than in the LEG (44.1%, P0.01). However, in the LEG, patients underwent the surgery older and the use of OC more frequent. After multivariate analyses, factors associated with a postoperative fistula or UD were the year of surgery (OR=0.71 [0.53-0.96] P=0.02), the age at surgery (OR=1.11 [1.01-1.22], P=0.03); contrary to the skin coverage method or the stenting duration (P0.05). An urethral stenosis occurred in 1 patient (1.5%). At last follow-up, 64.2% of patients required a further procedure and 80.6% of urethral meatus were glandular.In this study the complication rate, particularly the urethrocutaneous fistula, remained high. Urethral stenosis, were rare but the follow-up was too short to clearly identified them. Considering as a 2 stage procedure koyanagi uretroplasty allows to obtain finally good results.III.

BACKGROUND CONTEXT Anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF) procedures for lumbar spine disease have been increasing amid a growing obese patient population with limited studies available focusing exclusively on risk-factors for post-operative ALIF complications. PURPOSE The objective of this study was to compare 30-day post-operative complications among different obesity World Health Organization (WHO) classes according to body mass index (BMI) in comparison to non-obese patients who underwent an ALIF procedure. STUDY DESIGN/SETTING Retrospective cohort study of the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) from 2009 to 2019. PATIENT SAMPLE A total of 10,934 patients undergoing an ALIF. OUTCOME MEASURES Primary outcome measures include 30-day cardiac, pulmonary, urinary, infectious, and wound complications. Secondary outcomes included rates of blood transfusion, reintubation, deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, 30-day return to the operating room (OR), and 30-day mortality. METHODS Patients were identified by use of the current procedural terminology codes 22558 & 22585 from 2009 to 2019. Patients were divided into the following groups: non-obese (BMI 18.5–29.9 kg/m2), Obese I (BMI 30–34.9 kg/m2), Obese II (BMI 35–39.9 kg/m2), and Obese III (BMI ≥40 kg/m2). Age, gender, race, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) status, smoking status, hypertension requiring medication, steroid used, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), history of a bleeding disorder, & diabetes were identified as risk factors after a univariate analysis conducted for demographic variables and pre-operative comorbidities. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was then performed to adjust for these preoperative risk factors and compare obesity classes I-III to non-obese patients. RESULTS Obesity classes II and III had a significant odds ratio (OR) for superficial infection (OR:2.7, 95%CI(1.7-4.5); OR:2.8, 95%CI(1.5-5.2) respectively), organ space infection (OR:3.8, 95%CI(1.6-7.4); OR:3.2, 95%CI(1.1-9.9) respectively), wound disruption (OR:2.8, 95%CI(1..1-7.4); OR:4.6, 95%CI(1.6-13.6) respectively), and total wound complication (OR:2.6, 95%CI(1.8-3.9); OR:3.4, 95%CI(2.2-5.4) respectively) following a multivariate logistic regression analysis. CONCLUSIONS Risk for post-operative wound complications following an ALIF were found to be significantly higher for obesity classes II-III in comparison to non-obese patients. These findings can further support the use of additional wound care in the perioperative setting for certain levels of obesity.

OBJECTIVES This study aimed to investigate the relationship between pre-procedure high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), free fatty acid (FFA), and uric acid (UA) levels and post-procedure mortality and morbidity of endovascular revascularization of arterial femoropopliteal occlusion lesions. METHODS This was a retrospective review of clinical data retrieved from a prospectively held database in Peking Union Medical College Hospital. 71 Patients who underwent endovascular treatment (EVT) for femoropopliteal occlusive disease between January 1, 2014 and November 1, 2017, were included in this study. Endpoints were defined as major adverse limb events (MALE; target vessel revascularization, amputation, or disease progression) and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE; stroke, myocardial infarction, or all-cause death) during the entire follow-up period. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to evaluate the relationship of elevated biomarker levels (hsCRP, FFA and UA, measured by immunoturbidimetry assay, enzymatic assay and enzymatic assay, respectively) to MALE and MACE outcomes. RESULTS Seventy-one patients (72 limbs) with sufficient follow-up information were included in the analysis. The mean age was 69.7±8.6 years; 21.1% were female. The Rutherford class of target limbs were ≥ 3. The median follow-up was 36 (range 18-59 months). Univariate analyses revealed that patients with elevated hsCRP levels had an increased risk of MALE (hazard ratio [HR], 2.682; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.281-5.617, P=0.009). High FFA levels were associated with an increased risk of MALE (HR, 2.658; 95% CI, 1.075-6.573; P=0.034). Multivariate analyses demonstrated that elevated hsCRP values (HR, 4.015; 95% CI, 1.628-10.551; P=0.003) and FFA value (HR, 3.034; 95% CI, 1.102-8.354; P=0.032) were both significantly associated with increased MALE. Elevated UA levels predicted MACE in the presence of confounders (HR, 11.446; 95% CI, 1.367-95.801 P=0.023). CONCLUSION Pre-procedure hsCRP and FFA levels could serve as predictors of adverse events after EVT in patients with arterial femoropopliteal occlusive disease. The role of UA in MACE may warrant further investigation, because the correlation is not as powerful as the other two in the study.

Objective To assess the effect of race and gender on complications after urologic surgeries. Materials and Methods The American College of Surgeons’ National Surgical Quality Improvement Program data was utilized for patients undergoing urologic surgeries. Patient demographics and comorbidities were analyzed. Postoperative complications occurring in a 30-day postoperative period were noted and classified per the Clavien-Dindo classification. Results From 2008-2018, 284,050 patients underwent urologic surgery. The majority were men (80%) and identified as non-Hispanic white (80%). Complications occurred in 12%, including 9% minor, 5% major, and mortality in 0.6%. Univariate analysis found female gender, non-Hispanic black and Native American race, and patient comorbidities (hypertension, diabetes, heart failure, lung disease, chronic kidney disease) to be associated with increased risk of complications. Female gender remained a significant predictor on multivariable logistic regression, and Hispanic race was found to be an independent negative predictor of postoperative complications, although these results did not appear clinically significant. On exclusion of gender-specific urologic surgeries, female gender was associated with higher likelihood of minor complications, but male gender was associated with higher likelihood of major complications or mortality. Conclusion Race was not associated with postoperative complication rate. Patient comorbidities are associated with an increased risk of 30-day postoperative complications. Females were more likely to have minor and males were more likely to major complications. Optimizing patient comorbidities preoperatively is key to improving postoperative outcomes.

Introduction Kawasaki syndrome (KS) is a systemic vasculitis of unknown etiology that affects medium and small blood vessels. The aim of our study is to analyze coronary artery lesions in children with KS and their risk factors. Material and methods All children under the age of 15 years-old presenting KS and admitted in the pediatric department of three university hospital (Sahloul hospital, and Farhat Hached hospital of Sousse, Ibn El Jazzar hospital of Kairoun) from January 2000 to December 2018 were included. Results Sixty-five patients were included in our study. The mean age at diagnosis was of 29.9 months [2-120 months] and the sex ratio was of 1.7. Echocardiography was performed in all patients. It showed coronary dilation in 37% of patients with coronary artery diameter of 4.2 mm on average [3.2-7mm]. The coronary aneurysm was small in 19 cases and medium in 5 cases. No giant aneurysm has been identified. In univariate analysis, the predictors of coronary artery lesions were male sex, atypical form, fever duration more than 10 days, hepatic cytolysis, thrombocytosis and anemia. In multivariate analysis, only the last four parameters were the predictive factors of the coronary artery involvement. Conclusion Several risk factors can be used to determine which children are predisposed to develop coronary dilations. In case of patient with risk factors, intravenous immunoglobulins should be initiated early to avoid these serious complications.

Background Our purpose is to describe the structure, function and outcomes of our multidisciplinary pediatric thyroid program and to evaluate our experience in comparison to other high-volume centers. Methods We reviewed all thyroid operations performed 10/2012 through 09/2019, and examined number of cases per year, patient demographics, procedures, final diagnoses and results. Primary outcomes were hypoparathyroidism and recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) injury at 12 months. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and univariate analyses. Results We performed 294 thyroid operations on 279 patients. Seventy-nine percent were female. Median age was 15 years (IQR: 12–17). Operations included total thyroidectomy (65%), lobectomy (30%) and completion thyroidectomy (5%). Most common diagnoses were Graves’ disease (35%), malignancy (29%), and benign nodule (20%). We developed an evidence-based clinical pathway and conducted weekly multidisciplinary meetings. A clinical data specialist reviewed process and outcome measures routinely. Overall, 6 patients (2.0%) had hypoparathyroidism and 2 (0.7%) had unilateral RLN injury at 12 months. Two of the patients with clinical suspicion of permanent hypoparathyroidism were ultimately weaned off calcium. Both patients with RLN injury had extensive locally advanced malignant disease involving the nerve. Conclusions Our multidisciplinary team achieved excellent long-term outcomes for pediatric thyroid surgery comparable to other high-volume pediatric and adult centers. Level of Evidence IV

Structured Abstract Objective : Preoperative functional status is appreciated as a key determinant of decision-making when evaluating patients for complex elective surgeries. We used the Vascular Quality Initiative (VQI) to analyze the effect of being able to independently ambulate on outcomes after open abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repairs. Methods : We identified all patients who underwent elective or urgent open AAA repairs from January 2013 to August 2019 in the VQI registry. We recorded demographic variables, comorbidities, and operative factors such as approach, operative ischemia time, proximal clamp site, and presence of iliac aneurysms. Short-term and long-term outcomes included 30-day mortality, any perioperative complications, failure to rescue (defined as death after a complication), and one-year all-cause mortality. We dichotomized patients based on their ability to independently ambulate (Ambulatory) or inability to ambulate independently (Non-Ambulatory) and used both multivariable logistic regressions and cox-proportional hazards models to evaluate outcomes. Results : Of 5,371 patients, 328 (6.1%) could not ambulate independently and were more likely to be older (median age 69 vs 72), female (25% vs. 38%), and have greater comorbidities. Overall outcomes were: 4.3% for 30-day mortality, 38.7% for complications, 10.2% for failure-to-rescue, and 6.9% for one-year mortality. Univariate analysis showed higher rates of all adverse outcomes in non-ambulatory patients. On adjusted analysis, non-ambulatory patients had increased odds of complications by 46% (OR 1.46 [95%-CI 1.11-1.91]) and one-year mortality by 46% (HR 1.46 [95%-CI 1.06-1.99]), but not failure to rescue (OR 1.05 [95%-CI 0.67-1.62]) or 30-day mortality (OR 1.22 [95%-CI 0.82-1.81]). Increased hospital volume, age, and increased operative renal ischemia time were independently associated with adverse outcomes. Conclusions : Non-ambulatory status was observed in a small percentage of patients undergoing open AAA repair but was associated with higher rates of post-operative complications and one-year mortality. Ambulatory capacity is one of the key determinants of outcomes following open AAA repair. In patients with poor ambulatory function, a conservative approach is highly recommended over invasive open surgical intervention.

Objective: Variable treatment strategies and protocols have been applied to reduce time durations in the process of acute stroke management. The aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of our intra-arterial thrombectomy (IAT) protocol for decreasing door-to-recanalization time duration and improve successful recanalization.Methods: A systemic and endovascular protocol included door-to-image, image-to-puncture and puncture-to-recanalization. We retrospectively analyzed the patients of pre- (Sep 2012–Apr 2014) and post-IAT protocol (May 2014–Jul 2018). Univariate analysis was used for the statistical significance according to variable factors (age, gender, the location of occluded vessel, successful recanalization TICI 2b-3). Independent t-test was used to compare the time duration.Results: Among all 267 patients with acute stroke of anterior circulation, there were 50 and 217 patients with pre- and post-IAT protocol. Age, gender, and the location of occluded vessel have no statistical significance (p＞0.05). In pre- and post-IAT group, successful recanalization was 39 of 50 (78.0%) and 185/217 (85.3%), respectively (p＜0.05). Post-IAT (48.8%, 106/217) group had a higher tendency of good outcome than pre-IAT group (36.0%, 18/50) (p＞0.05). Pre- and post-IAT group showed 61.7±21.4 vs. 25±16.0 (p＜0.05), 102.0±29.8 vs. 82.7±30.4 (min) (p＜0.05), and 79.1±47.5 vs. 58.4±75.3 (p＜0.05) in three steps, respectively.Conclusions: We suggest that the application of systemic and endovascular IAT protocols showed a significant time reduction for faster recanalization in patients with LVO. To build-up the well-designed IAT protocol through puncture-to-recanalization can be needed to decrease time duration and improve clinical outcome in recanalization therapy in acute stroke patients.