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Background: Mucinous ovarian tumors are a rare subtype of epithelial ovarian tumors, accounting for approximately 3% of all cases. These tumors exhibit unique clinical and pathological characteristics, with a particularly poor prognosis in advanced stages due to low responsiveness to platinum-based chemotherapy. Objective: This study aims to analyze the relationships between clinicopathological characteristics in patients with mucinous ovarian tumors treated at a single center in Indonesia between 2019 and 2023. Materials and Methods: A correlational study from March to June 2024 analyzed patients with confirmed mucinous ovarian tumors in Indonesia, focusing on age, histopathological grade, FIGO stage, CA-125 levels, tumor size, and metastasis presence. Results: A study of 123 mucinous ovarian tumor patients found that 57.7% were over 40. Histopathological analysis revealed 21.1% were benign, 26% borderline, and 52.8% malignant. Patients over 40 had more malignant tumors, advanced-stage disease, and omental metastasis. A significant correlation was found between malignant histopathology and advanced FIGO stage, as well as between advanced FIGO stage and both lymph node and omental metastasis. Tumor size was associated with elevated CA-125 levels and bilateral tumors. Conclusion: Mucinous ovarian tumors in patients over 40 years old are more likely to be malignant, present at an advanced stage, and involve omental metastasis. Malignant histopathological results are associated with advanced FIGO stages, which in turn are linked to lymph node and omental metastasis. Tumors larger than 10 cm tend to have elevated CA-125 levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Despite advances in medical therapy, liver replacement continues to be the only definitive mode of therapy for children with end-stage liver disease (ESLD). However, its acceptance in India has been discouraging more due to financial and logistic reasons than the availability of expertise. This report outlines our journey and highlights issues pertinent to circumstances in an emerging economy like India. Aim: The aim is to review a single center’s 100 case experience with liver transplantation (LT). Materials and Methods: A prospective analysis of all children who underwent LT since 2005 at our institute was done. The data were collated from a maintained structured database. Results: Hundred children underwent LT. Sixty-four were boys. Age ranged from 5 to 144 months, with a median of 17 months. The mean weight of the cohort was 7.5 kg (ranging from 3.7 to 31.5 kg), with 60% of our children weighing between 5 and 10 kg. Biliary atresia is the most common indication (57%); others include metabolic disorders, progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis, and hepatoblastoma. Two patients were for acute liver failure. Ninety-one children underwent live donor LT (mothers being the majority of the donors). None of the donors had any major postoperative complications. Major intraoperative complications include sepsis (39%), vascular complications (17%), biliary leak (11%), and intestinal complications (11%). Early postoperative deaths occurred in 18% of patients with sepsis being most common cause. The mean follow-up was 8.5 years and the overall survival is 70%. The mean survival is time (months) = 176.1. All surviving patients were followed up and had achieved good catch up growth by 3rd and 5th years posttransplant. The long-term sequalae include recurrent intercurrent infections, graft rejection (9%), posttransplant lymphoproliferative disease (5%), and portal vein stenosis (5%). Conclusion: Our experience demonstrates the feasibility of LT in children with ESLD in India. With longer-living grafts, patients often struggle with other issues such as compliance with follow-up, financial issues, recurrent infections, and neurological problems. Close monitoring with regular follow-up of patients helps in early recognition and treatment of late-onset complications, thus helping the overall long-term outcomes.

Introduction: Despite advances in medical therapy, liver replacement continues to be the only definitive mode of therapy for children with end-stage liver disease (ESLD). However, its acceptance in India has been discouraging more due to financial and logistic reasons than the availability of expertise. This report outlines our journey and highlights issues pertinent to circumstances in an emerging economy like India. Aim: The aim is to review a single center's 100 case experience with liver transplantation (LT). Materials and Methods: A prospective analysis of all children who underwent LT since 2005 at our institute was done. The data were collated from a maintained structured database. Results: Hundred children underwent LT. Sixty-four were boys. Age ranged from 5 to 144 months, with a median of 17 months. The mean weight of the cohort was 7.5 kg (ranging from 3.7 to 31.5 kg), with 60% of our children weighing between 5 and 10 kg. Biliary atresia is the most common indication (57%); others include metabolic disorders, progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis, and hepatoblastoma. Two patients were for acute liver failure. Ninety-one children underwent live donor LT (mothers being the majority of the donors). None of the donors had any major postoperative complications. Major intraoperative complications include sepsis (39%), vascular complications (17%), biliary leak (11%), and intestinal complications (11%). Early postoperative deaths occurred in 18% of patients with sepsis being most common cause. The mean follow-up was 8.5 years and the overall survival is 70%. The mean survival is time (months) = 176.1. All surviving patients were followed up and had achieved good catch up growth by 3rd and 5th years posttransplant. The long-term sequalae include recurrent intercurrent infections, graft rejection (9%), posttransplant lymphoproliferative disease (5%), and portal vein stenosis (5%). Conclusion: 0ur experience demonstrates the feasibility of LT in children with ESLD in India. With longer-living grafts, patients often struggle with other issues such as compliance with follow-up, financial issues, recurrent infections, and neurological problems. Close monitoring with regular follow-up of patients helps in early recognition and treatment of late-onset complications, thus helping the overall long-term outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Prediction of outcomes following allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) remains a major challenge. Machine learning (ML) is a computational procedure that may facilitate the generation of HCT prediction models. We sought to investigate the prognostic potential of multiple ML algorithms when applied to a large single-center allogeneic HCT database. Methods: Our registry included 2,697 patients that underwent allogeneic HCT from January 1976 to December 2017. 45 pretransplant baseline variables were included in the predictive assessment of each ML algorithm on overall survival (OS) as determined by area under the curve (AUC). Pretransplant variables used in the EBMT ML study (Shouval et al., 2015) were used as a benchmark for comparison. Results: On the entire dataset, the random forest (RF) algorithm performed best (AUC 0.71 ± 0.04) compared to the second-best model, logistic regression (LR) (AUC = 0.69 ± 0.04) (p < 0.001). Both algorithms demonstrated improved AUC scores using all 45 variables compared to the limited variables examined by the EBMT study. Survival at 100 days post-HCT using RF on the full dataset discriminated patients into different prognostic groups with different 2-year OS (p < 0.0001). We then examined the ML methods that allow for significant individual variable identification, including LR and RF, and identified matched related donors (HR = 0.49, p < 0.0001), increasing TBI dose (HR = 1.60, p = 0.006), increasing recipient age (HR = 1.92, p < 0.0001), higher baseline Hb (HR = 0.59, p = 0.0002), and increased baseline FEV1 (HR = 0.73, p = 0.02), among others. Conclusion: The application of multiple ML techniques on single-center allogeneic HCT databases warrants further investigation and may provide a useful tool to identify variables with prognostic potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In this study, we aimed to analyze the clinical characteristics and prognosis of children with retinoblastoma (RB) in a single center in China with a large sample collection spanning 17 years. Methods: The clinical data of 2790 children with RB treated in Beijing Tongren Hospital from 2005 to 2021 were collected, and a retrospective analysis was conducted. Results: The median age of the participants was 28.3 months. There were 3624 affected eyes, 12.4% of which were in groups A–C, 67.1% in groups D–E and 16.2% were not specified. The primary symptom observed in most cases was a white pupil, accounting for 66.5%, followed by strabismus (12.8%). The median follow-up time was 59.7 months. The enucleation rate was 71.3% (703/986) in a single left eye and 72.5% (702/968) in a single right eye. The overall survival (OS) rate was 95.8% (2444/2552) because 237 patients dropped out, and 109 died. Kaplan‒Meier survival analysis showed that the median survival time (MST) was 125.92 months [95% confidence interval (CI) = 124.83–127.01]. Cox multivariate survival analysis showed that trilateral RB (P = 0.017), metastasis site (P = 0.001), and combined distant tissue metastasis (P = 0.001) were independent prognostic factors for RB. The OS of 44 cases of familial RB was 93.2% (41/44), with an MST of 80.62 months (95% CI = 67.70–93.54). Conclusions: The timing of eye protection treatment and enucleation should be comprehensively judged to avoid worsening prognosis due to operation time delay. More importantly, the promotion and popularization of diagnosis and treatment technologies are necessary to further improve RB prognosis. E4PcSvZkzAG-n1U_2P1icm [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Xueying Bai, Ji Luo Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, 110001, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Xueying Bai, Email baixueying9914@163.comBackground: Invasive candidiasis (ICs) is one of the common causes of death in patients with solid tumors. However, studies on the clinical characteristics of ICs with solid tumors are limited.Methods: The purpose of this study was to retrospectively analyse the clinical characteristics, laboratory results and risk factor prediction of inpatients with ICs and solid tumors. We reviewed the clinical data and candida specimen information of hospitalized patients diagnosed with solid tumors combined with ICs at the First Hospital of China Medical University from January 2016 to December 2020. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to assess the prognostic factors associated with mortality in these patients.Results: A total of 243 ICs patients with solid tumors were included in this study. The average ± SD age was 62.8 ± 11.7 (range: 27– 93 years old), of which nearly 41% were ≥ 65 years old (99/243, 40.7%), and most were male (162/243, 66.6%). Most patients had malignant tumors of the digestive system. The most common candida was Candida parapsilosis (101/243, 41.5%), followed by Candida guilliermondii (83/243, 34.1%), Candida albicans (32/243, 13.1%), Candida glabrata (17/243, 6.9%), Candida tropicalis (7/243, 2.8%) and Candida krusei (3/243, 1.2%). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the length of stay in the ICU, urinary catheter, total parenteral nutrition, stay in the ICU, renal failure and neutrophil count were prognostic factors related to death.Conclusion: In this study, based on the clinical data of solid tumor patients with ICs in the past 5 years, the results showed that the length of stay in the ICU, urinary catheter, total parenteral nutrition, stay in the ICU, renal failure and neutrophil count were identified as the main prognostic factors. This study can be used to help clinicians carry out early intervention for high-risk patients.Keywords: invasive candidiasis, solid tumors, epidemic, single center, prognosis

Background: Carbapenem-resistant gram-negative bacteria pose a serious threat worldwide, and some patients even have rapidly aggravated life-threatening infection. However, as a result of the complexities of clinical therapy, antibiotic options against carbapenem-resistant pathogens have not yet been fully standardized. It should be individualized to control carbapenem-resistant pathogens in accordance with the different region. Methods: In this study, we conducted a retrospective study in 65,000 inpatients over a 2-year period that involved a total of 86 patients from whom carbapenem-resistant gram-negative bacteria were isolated. Results: Monotherapy using trimethoprim/ sulfamethoxazole, amikacin, meropenem, and/or doxycycline in our hospital exhibited a clinical success rate of 83.3% for carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae, monotherapy using moxifloxacin, piperacillin/tazobactam, cefepime, and/or ceftazidime for carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa exhibited a clinical success rate of 77.7%, and monotherapy using cefoperazone/sulbactam or combination therapy with tigecycline and cefoperazone/sulbactam for carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii exhibited a clinical success rate of 62.1%. Conclusions: Taken together, our findings highlight the clinical strategies used in our hospital to successfully treat carbapenem-resistant gram-negative bacterial infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Transvenous lead extractions are increasingly performed for malfunction or infection of cardiac implantable electronic devices, but they harvest a potential for complications and suboptimal success. Apart from multicenter registries and reports from highly experienced single centers, the outcome in individual newly developing high-volume centers starting a lead extraction program is less well established. We aimed to evaluate the clinical and radiological success and complication rate at our center, having started a lead extraction program less than a decade ago. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed patients who underwent transvenous lead extraction at the University Hospital Zurich from 2013 to 2021 regarding success as well as complications and compared our results to previously reported outcome rates. Results: A total of 346 patients underwent 350 transvenous lead extractions from January 2013 to December 2021. Combined radiological success was achieved in 97.7% and clinical success in 96.0% of interventions. Procedure-related major complications occurred in 13 patients (3.7%). Death within 30 days after transvenous lead extractions occurred in 13 patients (3.7%), with a procedure-related mortality of 1.4% (five patients). Summary: Transvenous lead extractions in newly developing high-volume centers can be performed with high clinical and radiological success rates, but procedure-related major complications may affect a relevant number of patients. Compared to large single or multicenter registries of experienced centers, the success rate may be lower and the complication rate higher in centers newly starting with lead extraction, which may have important implications for patient selection, procedural planning, proctoring, and safety measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To assess the clinical, pathological and molecular characteristics (Sonic hedgehog and group 3/4 molecular subtypes expression) and treatment modalities for infantile medulloblastoma in correlation with outcomes. Materials & methods: A retrospective study of 86 medulloblastoma patients (≤3 years) was conducted. M0 patients <2.5 years received four cycles of chemotherapy followed by focal radiotherapy (FRT) and chemotherapy. Between 2007 and 2015, Metastatic patients <2.5 years received craniospinal irradiation (CSI) after the end of chemotherapy. After 2015, metastatic patients <2.5 years received CSI postinduction. Results: The hazard ratio for death was significantly higher in the FRT (HR = 2.8) group compared with the CSI group (hazard ratio = 1). Metastatic disease significantly affected the overall survival of the Sonic hedgehog group and the overall survival and event-free survival of group 3/4. Conclusion: Metastatic disease had a significant impact on outcomes. FRT is not effective in treating infantile medulloblastoma. This study aimed to analyze the management of and prognostic factors affecting the outcomes of 86 young children (<3 years of age at presentation) diagnosed with medulloblastoma, an aggressive brain tumor that is commonly seen in this age group. All children had surgical operations aiming at resecting their tumors, followed by chemotherapy and irradiation. Study results showed that disease disseminated into the nervous system was associated with poorer outcomes compared with localized disease. Administration of local irradiation to the primary tumor site in the brain only, without exposing the spinal cord to radiotherapy, was associated with a higher risk of death. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to estimate the number of motor units in 5 muscles from healthy individuals using the MScanFit program based on compound muscle action potential (CMAP) scan recordings. The examined muscles included first dorsal interosseous (FDI), abductor pollicis brevis (APB), abductor digitiminimi (ADM), second lumbrical (SL), and abductor hallucis (AH). CMAP scans were recorded from a total of 24 healthy participants. Motor unit number estimation (MUNE) values were derived from the MScanFit program. The average MUNE was 136.1 ± 31.1 (mean ± standard deviation) for the FDI, 134.9 ± 37.4 for the APB, 127.3 ± 32.3 for the ADM, 39.6 ± 8.3 for the SL, and 143.9 ± 28.9 for the AH muscles. Findings of the study provide useful information of the MScanFit MUNE for the examinedmuscles of healthy subjects from a single center. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP) is a clinically malignant tumour syndrome mainly derived from mucin-producing appendiceal tumours. This study aimed to explore the effect of preoperative systemic chemotherapy (PSC) before cytoreductive surgery (CRS) plus hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) on the safety and postoperative survival in patients with appendiceal PMP. Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis including consecutive patients with PMP undergoing primary surgery between January, 2008 and December, 2019 in Aerospace Center Hospital. The clinical data and postoperative survival were compared between PSC group and non-PSC group. Results: Seven hundred and fifty patients were included in the study. Significant differences were found between PSC group and non-PSC group on clinicopathological data and perioperative outcomes and the independent risk factor of serious complications was blood loss >1000 mL (P = 0.026). Shorter median overall survival (OS) was found (42 months, 95% CI 31.9–52.1) in PSC group than that (67 months 95% CI 44.5–89.5) in non-PSC group. In the stratified study with PCI < 20, CC 0/1 and low-grade pathological subtype, the OS from non-PSC group was significantly better than that in PSC group (log rank P-values are <0.001, 0.006 and <0.001, respectively). Multivariate survival analysis showed that CC 0/1, HIPEC, PCI < 20 and low-grade pathological subtype were the independent prognostic factors for better OS. Conclusions: PSC does not increase the risk of major perioperative complications in patients with appendiceal PMP, but it also does not bring postoperative survival benefits to patients either. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundTo summarize the current practice of anesthesia management for Chinese patients undergoing off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB) surgery at a large-volume cardiovascular center.Materials and methodsThe clinical data of consecutive patients undergoing isolated, primary OPCAB surgery during the period from September 2019 to December 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. Patient characteristics, intraoperative data, and short-term outcomes were extracted from the Hospital Information System and the Anesthesia Information Management System.ResultsA total of 255 patients who underwent OPCAB surgery were enrolled in the current study. High-dose opioids and short-acting sedatives were the most commonly administrated anesthetics intraoperatively. Pulmonary arterial catheter insertion is frequently performed in patients with serious coronary heart disease. Goal-directed fluid therapy, a restricted transfusion strategy, and perioperative blood management were routinely used. Rational usages of inotropic and vasoactive agents facilitate hemodynamic stability during the coronary anastomosis procedure. Four patients underwent re-exploration for bleeding, but no death was observed.ConclusionsThe study introduced the current practice of anesthesia management at the large-volume cardiovascular center, and the short-term outcomes indicated the efficacy and safety of the practice in OPCAB surgery.

BackgroundMultiple myeloma is genetically heterogeneous, and chromosome abnormalities play a pivotal role in prognosis. A gain in chromosome 1q (+1q) is among the most common cytogenetic abnormalities; however, its relationship with overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with multiple myeloma is still unclear. We aim to clarify the impact of +1q on the clinical characteristics and survival outcomes of patients treated with bortezomib-based combination regimes.Materials and methodsWe retrospectively analyzed 258 patients first diagnosed with myeloma who underwent bortezomib-based therapy at the bone marrow transplantation department of a multiple myeloma treatment center in the first affiliated hospital of Zhejiang University, China.ResultsWe identified 258 newly diagnosed patients with multiple myeloma in our department from July 2013 to September 2018. We observed that 127 (49.2%) of the patients acquired +1q at diagnosis, and +1q strongly correlated with the occurrence of del(13q) and IgH rearrangement (P < 0.001). In the patients with +1q, the PFS was 22.2 months (95% CI 15.8–28.5 months), and the three-year and five-year PFS was 35.1% and 15.3%, respectively. Univariate analysis revealed that albumin, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and the percentage of plasma cells significantly affected PFS. Multivariate analysis showed that LDH and the percentage of plasma cells significantly affected PFS in the +1q patients. In terms of OS, the median OS for the +1q patients was 47.4 months (95% CI 34.7–59.5), while the OS of the non-+1q patients was not reached (P = 0.048). The univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that age, platelet count, and extramedullary lesions were significant adverse factors for OS in the +1q patients. There were no statistical differences between PFS and OS when there were other chromosomal abnormalities, but there was a decreased tendency in PFS. LDH and +1q also had a synergistic adverse effect on survival.Conclusion+1q is associated with a higher tumor burden and correlated with the occurrence of del(13q) and IgH rearrangement at diagnosis. In the era of novel agents, +1q still significantly affects PFS and OS.

Background: Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is often an option of last resort for patients with post-laminectomy syndrome or an alternative option for patients with complex regional pain syndrome, chronic nonsurgical low back pain, or painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy when conservative management has failed. Although SCS is a helpful option, it is not without complications that can frequently lead to explantation of the SCS device and dissatisfaction with the treatment. Furthermore, as with any technology, SCS has potential issues that may lead to patient frustration and ultimately result in patient noncompliance and lack of follow-up visits., Objectives: The goals of this study are to explore the magnitude of and reasons for patient loss to follow-up after SCS device implantation., Study Design: A cross-sectional phone survey., Setting: A tertiary-care academic hospital., Methods: A cross-sectional phone survey was performed on 49 patients who were deemed lost to follow-up when they did not return to the clinic one month after being implanted with permanent SCS devices at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Patients were administered an institutional review board-approved questionnaire exploring their reasons for not returning to the clinic., Results: Over a 5-year period, 257 patients underwent full implantation of an SCS device. Of the 49 patients lost to follow-up, 24 were able to be contacted, and they completed the questionnaire. Twenty of the patients continued to use the SCS device but were lost to follow-up for the following reasons: 58% (14/24) due to improvement of pain, 13% (3/24) due to minimal improvement in pain control, 4% (1/24) due to other urgent health conditions, and 8% (2/24) due to patient noncompliance and missing follow-up appointments (4/24). Four patients discontinued using the SCS device after an average of 1.5 years +/- one year, 12% (3/24) due to inadequate pain control and 4% (1/24) due to inability to recharge the device (1/24). Of these patients, 2 of the 4 contacted their SCS representatives for help with troubleshooting prior to discontinuation. None of the patients was explanted., Limitations: The main limitation of this study was the incompletion rate, which was 51.0% (25 out of 49 patients)., Conclusions: This paper, the first cross-sectional study of loss to follow-up among patients who are implanted with SCS devices, identifies that up to 19% of patients are quickly lost to follow-up after implantation. Only half of the patients in this study could be reached, with most successfully using their device for meaningful pain control, but a substantial number of patients likely required additional device optimization for pain relief.

Jianfei Pan,1,* Quanwei Zhu,1,* Xiaoqian Zhang,2 Jun Xu,1 Linlin Pan,1 Xiang Mao,3 Xiao Wu1,4,* 1Department of Emergency, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, 230022, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Endocrinology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, 230022, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, 230022, People’s Republic of China; 4Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Critical Care Medicine, Department of Critical Care Medicine, Zhongda Hospital, School of Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210009, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Xiang MaoDepartment of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, 230022, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86 65908477Email xiangmao1002@163.comPurpose: To explore the distribution of pathogenic bacteria in patients with intra-abdominal infection, to clarify the independent factors that affect the prognosis of patients with intra-abdominal infection and its evaluation value for prognosis.Patients and Methods: The pathogens, underlying diseases, and related clinical data of patients with intra-abdominal infection from January 2012 to December 2019 in our hospital were retrospectively collected and the APACHE II score was calculated. The patients were divided into survival group and death group according to the prognosis, and the index between the two groups was compared. Spearman correlation analysis was used to evaluate the correlation between each index and prognosis, multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to screen the independent prognostic factors.Results: Spearman correlation analysis showed that ALB level was negatively correlated with prognosis, age and APACHE II score were positively correlated with prognosis. Logistic regression analysis showed that age, ALB level, and APACHE II score were independent prognostic factors. The formula of age combined ALB level and APACHE II score was Y = X1-3.6X2 + 6.5X3 (X1 was the age, X2 was the ALB level and X3 was the APACHE II score), Y was positively correlated with poor prognosis, and the optimal cutoff value was Y = 40.96.Conclusion: Age, ALB level, and APACHE II score are independent factors that influencing the prognosis of patients with intra-abdominal infection, and the combination of age, ALB level, and APACHE II score can better assess the prognosis of patients with intra-abdominal infection.Keywords: intra-abdominal infection, formula, prognostic factors, the value of independent factors, single center

Background: Transcatheter paravalvular leak (PVL) closure in recent times has emerged as a safe and effective alternate to redo-surgical repair. We sought to examine the clinical efficacy and safety of percutaneous PVL closure at our center. Methods and Results: A retrospective study from August 2012 to December 2019 of 19 patients who underwent 21 procedures for PVL closure. The mean age was 49.25 ± 14.72 years. The target valve was mitral in 11 (57%) and aortic in 7 (36%) cases. One (5%) patient had prosthetic valve in left atrioventricular valve with congenitally corrected transposition of great arteries. Majority of the cohort presented with heart failure without hemolysis (89%), with most of them being in NYHA functional class III (57%) or class IV (21%). A procedural success of 85% was achieved. Post procedure severity of regurgitation reduced from severe in thirteen patients and moderate in six patients to moderate in two patients and mild in fourteen patients. Symptomatic improvement was observed in all cases who had successful closure with NYHA function class improving from 3 ± 0.64 to 1.6 ± 0.94. The mean follow-up duration was 21 ± 13 months (median 24 months). There was one (4.7%) mortality with cumulative survival from all-cause mortality of 95%. Conclusion: The results of percutaneous PVL closure appear encouraging in our series with modest number of patients and offers a promising alternative to redo-surgery in this high-risk cohort.

Purpose: We investigated the changes in etiology of uveitis at the Uveitis Clinic of Tokyo Medical University Hospital in recent years.Methods: Medical records of patients with uveitis diagnosed between 2011 and 2017 (Group A) and between 2001 and 2007 (Group B) were reviewed.Results: 1,587 patients in group A and 1,507 patients in group B were analyzed. For noninfectious uveitis, frequencies of Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease, intraocular lymphoma (IOL) and iridocyclitis in young girls increased, while those of sarcoidosis and Behçet's disease decreased in the recent era. For infectious uveitis, herpetic iridocyclitis, ocular toxoplasmosis, ocular syphilis, and bacterial endophthalmitis increased, while acute retinal necrosis and ocular toxocariasis decreased. Unclassified uveitis decreased, whereas infectious uveitis and IOL increased due to the availability of new diagnostic tests.Conclusion: Etiologies of uveitis have changed over the years. Further development of novel tests and diagnostic criteria would increase definitive diagnosis for unclassified uveitis. (147/150 words). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to report the prognostic predictors and compare the long-term outcomes of complete cytoreductive surgery (CCRS) vs. debulking surgery (DS) in patients with pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP) of appendiceal origin. A retrospective analysis of 1008 consecutive patients with PMP undergoing primary surgery from January 2008 to December 2019 was performed. A propensity score-matched (PSM) analysis (1:1) was performed, and oncologic outcomes were compared between the CCRS and DS groups. Out of 1008 patients, 258 patients were excluded. Baseline characteristics differed significantly between the CCRS and DS groups (total n = 750). After PSM, 106 patients were selected from each group and the baseline characteristics were matched between groups. There were significant differences between groups in operative time, the incidence of major complications (P = 0.017), and the numbers of organs removed. The median follow-up was 28 (1–131) months. Median overall survival (OS) for the 212 patients was 52.0 months (95% CI 40.2–63.8), and 10-year OS was 39.0%. Median OS could not be calculated for the CCRS group; in the DS group, this value was 41 months (P = 0.010). The 10-year OS rate was 54.2% in the CCRS group and 31.2% in the DS group. Multivariate analyses identified CCRS (P = 0.012) and histopathologic subtype (P < 0.001) as independent prognostic factors for OS. In this matched-pair analysis of patients with appendiceal PMP, CCRS was safe and associated with better prognosis than DS. The completeness of cytoreduction and histopathologic subtype were two independent prognostic factors for OS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Transcatheter paravalvular leak (PVL) closure in recent times has emerged as a safe and effective alternate to redo-surgical repair. We sought to examine the clinical efficacy and safety of percutaneous PVL closure at our center.Methods and Results: A retrospective study from August 2012 to December 2019 of 19 patients who underwent 21 procedures for PVL closure. The mean age was 49.25 ± 14.72 years. The target valve was mitral in 11 (57%) and aortic in 7 (36%) cases. One (5%) patient had prosthetic valve in left atrioventricular valve with congenitally corrected transposition of great arteries. Majority of the cohort presented with heart failure without hemolysis (89%), with most of them being in NYHA functional class III (57%) or class IV (21%). A procedural success of 85% was achieved. Post procedure severity of regurgitation reduced from severe in thirteen patients and moderate in six patients to moderate in two patients and mild in fourteen patients. Symptomatic improvement was observed in all cases who had successful closure with NYHA function class improving from 3 ± 0.64 to 1.6 ± 0.94. The mean follow-up duration was 21 ± 13 months (median 24 months). There was one (4.7%) mortality with cumulative survival from all-cause mortality of 95%.Conclusion: The results of percutaneous PVL closure appear encouraging in our series with modest number of patients and offers a promising alternative to redo-surgery in this high-risk cohort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Objective:The aim of the present study was to report the prevalence of cleft lip and palate (CLP), isolated cleft palate (CP), isolated cleft lip (CL), and median cleft (MC) applied in Marmara University School of Dentistry, Department of Orthodontics.Methods:There were 1058 patients who applied to the center between 2000 and 2017. A total of 1026 patients were included in the study. Files, models, and photographs were evaluated. The patients were divided into six groups: unilateral right or left CLP, bilateral CLP, isolated CP, isolated CL, and MC. The prevalence was identified according to cleft type, side, gender, age, and application year.Results:The most common type was unilateral CLP (44.3%), which was observed more on the left side (28.9%), followed by CP (28.7%). MC had a minimum ratio (0.3%) between cleft types. Males were more prone to have unilateral CLP (right side, 64.6%) and bilateral CLP (64.1%), whereas females were more prone to have CP (59.9%). The greatest number of applications was recorded in 2004, and the patients mostly applied in the neonatal period (64.9%). The ratios of complete cleft cases in all types of clefts were statistically significantly higher.Conclusion:Unilateral CLP was the most common cleft type and seen more on the left side. While males were affected more by CLP, isolated CP was seen more in females than in males.

Background The Bank of Cyprus Oncology Center is the largest cancer center in Cyprus, providing standalone oncology services to a population of just under a million. Methods The aim of the study was to calculate disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) for consecutive patients with stage I-III colon cancer over a 10-year period, by collecting retrospective data from patients' medical charts. Results We identified 556 patients with a median age at diagnosis of 67 (range 18-88). The majority of them were male (60%). Just over half of stage II patients received chemotherapy: capecitabine (44%) and FOLFOX/CapeOx (7%). Treatment administered in stage III was as follows: CapeOx (48%); FOLFOX (28%); capecitabine (12%); 5-fluorouracil (4%); and 8% received no treatment. DFS at 5 years was: stage I 90%; stage II 85%; and stage III 69%. Cancer-specific OS at 5 years was: stage I 94%; stage II 93%; and stage III 81%. Favorable outcomes were also maintained at 10 years (stage I 94%; stage II 84%; and stage III 70%). On multivariate analysis, only stage was statistically significant as a prognostic factor, whereas high-risk features (pT4±pN2), disease location (right vs. left), and age >70 years old did not reach statistical significance. Conclusions Despite our country's fragmented healthcare system, with multiple referring surgeons from the private and public sectors, the outcomes achieved were highly consistent with those published in the international literature. This can be attributed to optimal multidisciplinary management and follow-up care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Vulvar cancer is a rare gynecological malignancy that primarily affects women of postmenopausal age. Treatment is mainly surgical, particularly for vulvar squamous cell carcinoma, the most prevalent histotype. In patients with unifocal tumors with a maximum diameter of <4 cm, in the absence of suspected inguinal lymph nodes, sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy is recommended. The use of a radioactive tracer is mandatory; the use of the vital blue dye is optional. Results: Two patients diagnosed with vulvar squamous cell carcinoma (FIGO IB stage) underwent bilateral radical vulvectomy, SLN search and removal, and bilateral inguinal lymphadenectomy at the Cannizzaro Hospital Operative Unit of Obstetrics and Gynecology Department (Catania, Italy). Three milliliters of indocyanine green (ICG) 0.5 mg/mL was administered in 3 peritumoral injections under general anesthesia to screen the SLN. The images were acquired using an intraoperative infrared camera system, which allowed intraoperative visualization of the SLN. An SLN was identified for each patient. The lymph nodes examined by the pathologist were negative for metastatic localization of the disease. However, patients underwent bilateral inguinofemoral lymphadenectomy, as this procedure is not currently codified as a gold standard for the detection of SLN in vulvar cancer. All the lymph nodes removed were negative for the localization of vulvar carcinoma metastases. Conclusions: The potential of the administration of indocyanine green (ICG) allows the execution of SLN biopsy, avoiding the multiple administrations of radiocolloid in the pre-operative phase, painful for the patient, elimination, and exposure to radioactivity. Therefore, while requiring standardization of the methodology and a large-scale application, this procedure could open a new surgical management perspective in patients with early-stage vulvar cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Background: Invasive fungal infection (IFI) is one of the most common nosocomial infections. However, data on the epidemiology of IFI and susceptibility to antifungal agents in China are quite limited, and in particular, no current data exist on the microbiological, and clinical characteristics of IFI patients in Northeast China.Objectives: The purpose of this study was to provide a retrospective review of the clinical characteristics, laboratory test results, and risk factor predictions of inpatients diagnosed with IFI. Multivariate regression analysis was used to assess prognostic factors associated with the mortality of these patients.Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the results from 509 patients with IFI extracted from the First Hospital of China Medical University from January 2013 to January 2018.Results: Neutrophil numbers, total bilirubin, length of stay in the ICU, renal failure, use of immunosuppressants within the past 30 days, stomach tube placement and septic shock were risk factors for death from IFI. Recent surgery (within 2 weeks) and drainage tube placement did not increase mortality in these IFI patients. Increased serum levels of PCT (AUC 0.601, 95% CI 0.536–0.665, P = 0.003) and CRP (AUC 0.578, 95% CI 0.512–0.644, P = 0.020) provided effective predictors of 30-day mortality rates.Conclusions: We report for the first time epidemiological data on invasive fungal infections in Northeast China over the past 5 years. Despite the limited available clinical data, these findings will greatly aid clinical health care workers with regard to the identification, prevention, and treatment of IFI in hospitalized patients.

Background: There is limited data evaluating the prescription practices for antithrombotic therapy in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) following elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).Objective: This single-center, single-operator, retrospective cohort study aimed to evaluate trends of antithrombotic treatment strategies in patients with AF undergoing elective PCI.Methods: Patients with AF who electively underwent PCI performed by a single interventionalist between April 2013 and May 2018 were identified. The primary outcome was the antithrombotic therapy at discharge assessed by chart review: triple (TAT, triple antithrombotic therapy) or dual (DAT, dual antithrombotic therapy) antithrombotic therapy and vitamin K antagonist (VKA) or non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant (NOAC), respectively.Results: Of 6,135 screened patients, 259 met the inclusion criteria. Among these, 133 (51%) patients received NOAC- and 126 (49%) VKA-therapy. Compared with patients on NOAC therapy, patients treated with VKA had higher bleeding risk (mean HAS-BLED-Score; 2.3 vs. 2.0; p = 0.02) and more co-morbidities (estimated glomerular filtration rate

Background: Invasive fungal infection (IFI) is one of the most common nosocomial infections. However, data on the epidemiology of IFI and susceptibility to antifungal agents in China are quite limited, and in particular, no current data exist on the microbiological, and clinical characteristics of IFI patients in Northeast China. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to provide a retrospective review of the clinical characteristics, laboratory test results, and risk factor predictions of inpatients diagnosed with IFI. Multivariate regression analysis was used to assess prognostic factors associated with the mortality of these patients. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the results from 509 patients with IFI extracted from the First Hospital of China Medical University from January 2013 to January 2018. Results: Neutrophil numbers, total bilirubin, length of stay in the ICU, renal failure, use of immunosuppressants within the past 30 days, stomach tube placement and septic shock were risk factors for death from IFI. Recent surgery (within 2 weeks) and drainage tube placement did not increase mortality in these IFI patients. Increased serum levels of PCT (AUC 0.601, 95% CI 0.536–0.665, P = 0.003) and CRP (AUC 0.578, 95% CI 0.512–0.644, P = 0.020) provided effective predictors of 30-day mortality rates. Conclusions: We report for the first time epidemiological data on invasive fungal infections in Northeast China over the past 5 years. Despite the limited available clinical data, these findings will greatly aid clinical health care workers with regard to the identification, prevention, and treatment of IFI in hospitalized patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Vulvar carcinoma represents 3–5% of all female genital cancers; the main surgical treatment is radical vulvectomy and inguinal lymphadenectomy. The aim of this study is to analyze prognostic factors in the patients underwent to primary surgery for vulvar carcinoma. Methods: One hundred and eighteen cases of vulvar carcinoma underwent surgery between 2006 and 2016 at Operative Unit of Gynecology and Obstetrics of Cannizzaro Hospital (Catania, Italy) were retrospective analyzed. Risk factors for relapse (age, tumor size, FIGO stage, type of surgery, lymphadenectomy, margins status, metastatic nodes and radiotherapy) were evaluated by logistic regression. Univariate analysis of prognostic factors (age, tumor size, FIGO stage, metastatic inguinal nodes and type of surgery) was obtained by Cox proportional hazard model. Overall survival was calculated by Kaplan–Meier curves either for the entire population and for comparison between positive and negative variables (margin status, nodes and radiotherapy) with log‐rank test to determine significance. Statistical significance was reached for P < 0.05. Results: Type of surgery (radical local excision vs. radical vulvectomy) and positive inguinal nodes were identified as risk factors for relapse. Positive inguinal nodes and positive margins were identified as prognostic factors either for overall survival and disease specific survival; tumor size greater than 4 cm was identified as prognostic factors for overall survival. Overall survival was 38.4% and it was significantly higher in the patients with negative margins and nodes. Conclusions: Nodes status, resection margins, age and type of surgery represent prognostic factors have to be considered for adjuvant treatment in the patients affected from vulvar carcinoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Continuous lumbar drainage (LD) of cerebrospinal fluid can reduce the risk of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH)–related complications. We evaluated the effectiveness of LD in aSAH patients with aneurysmal clipping and the relative benefits of different bleeding amounts. We retrospectively reviewed all consecutive aSAH patients who underwent aneurysm clipping in our hospital between January 1, 2014 and December 31, 2014. Outcomes and incidence of post-operative complications were compared between the LD group and the non-LD group in all patients and further analyzed in patients with the low modified Fisher Scale (mFS) (0–2) and high mFS (3–4). In 193 aSAH patients who underwent clipping, LD reduced the risk of hydrocephalus and improved the Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) score at discharge and at 3 months of follow-up. In the higher mFS group, patients who received LD had significantly lower risk of cerebral vasospasm, delayed cerebral infarction, and hydrocephalus; the GOS score was significantly higher in the LD group at discharge and at 3 months of follow-up. However, LD showed no benefits in terms of post-operative complications and outcome in patients with low mFS. LD for aneurysm clipping surgery after aSAH can reduce the risk of post-operative complications and improve the clinical outcome in patients with mFS grades 3 and 4. It should be considered as an adjunctive but dispensable treatment for aneurysm clipping in aSAH patient with low mFS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Very recently, a new coronavirus causing a serious, atypical pneumonia cluster that was life-threatening in humans was discovered in December 2019. The virus detected in China spread to 188 countries/regions all over the world in a short period of six months, and it was declared by the World Health Organization to cause pandemics. In Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19), the main route of transmission is directly from person-to-person transmission by droplets and contact. In the reported publications, the disease related to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-coronavirus-2 is more common in adults and causes a serious life-threatening disease, especially in the elderly. It is observed that it causes milder clinical presentation in children than adults. Fever and cough are also the most common symptoms in children. In the pandemic course, the department of pediatrics started the training, planning and preparation process before the acceptance of positive patients under the leadership of the Ministry of Health's constantly updated guide and the established multidisciplinary science committee of our hospital. The treatment of COVID-19 positive pediatric patients has been carried out for most up-to-date and successful manner. The protection both of our healthcare personnel and other pediatric patients who had to use same health care facility during the pandemic course was provided within the framework of the taken infection control measures. While applying the current scientific data and the guide of the Ministry of Health, it was aimed to emphasize that it is important to make decisions in accordance with the dynamics of the process, organized with team spirit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]