A Different Mindset for a Different Culture: Sustaining the Next-Generation Workforce

The author is a nurse executive who shares insights into why company leaders must change their mindset in how they build the next-generation nursing workforce culture. Despite the national nursing shortage crisis, nurses continue to be the most trusted profession for the 22nd consecutive year in a row. Technology advancements, generational paradigm shifts, global and domestic business transformations, diversity, equity, inclusion, and employee well-being are trends that have directly impacted the need for these changes. We know that it is not just about recruiting but also about creating a culture where the ambitions, aspirations, and perspectives of the nursing workforce are honored. There are key company strategies that matter to creating a next-generation workforce culture and are transferable to health care. Leaders must think differently about the culture they have to build in order to attract and retain the next-generational nursing and clinical workforce.

Evaluation of prognostic risk models for postoperative pulmonary complications in adult patients undergoing major abdominal surgery: a systematic review and international external validation cohort study

BACKGROUND

Stratifying risk of postoperative pulmonary complications after major abdominal surgery allows clinicians to modify risk through targeted interventions and enhanced monitoring. In this study, we aimed to identify and validate prognostic models against a new consensus definition of postoperative pulmonary complications.

METHODS

We did a systematic review and international external validation cohort study. The systematic review was done in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. We searched MEDLINE and Embase on March 1, 2020, for articles published in English that reported on risk prediction models for postoperative pulmonary complications following abdominal surgery. External validation of existing models was done within a prospective international cohort study of adult patients (≥18 years) undergoing major abdominal surgery. Data were collected between Jan 1, 2019, and April 30, 2019, in the UK, Ireland, and Australia. Discriminative ability and prognostic accuracy summary statistics were compared between models for the 30-day postoperative pulmonary complication rate as defined by the Standardised Endpoints in Perioperative Medicine Core Outcome Measures in Perioperative and Anaesthetic Care (StEP-COMPAC). Model performance was compared using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROCC).

FINDINGS

In total, we identified 2903 records from our literature search; of which, 2514 (86·6%) unique records were screened, 121 (4·8%) of 2514 full texts were assessed for eligibility, and 29 unique prognostic models were identified. Nine (31·0%) of 29 models had score development reported only, 19 (65·5%) had undergone internal validation, and only four (13·8%) had been externally validated. Data to validate six eligible models were collected in the international external validation cohort study. Data from 11 591 patients were available, with an overall postoperative pulmonary complication rate of 7·8% (n=903). None of the six models showed good discrimination (defined as AUROCC ≥0·70) for identifying postoperative pulmonary complications, with the Assess Respiratory Risk in Surgical Patients in Catalonia score showing the best discrimination (AUROCC 0·700 [95% CI 0·683-0·717]).

INTERPRETATION

In the pre-COVID-19 pandemic data, variability in the risk of pulmonary complications (StEP-COMPAC definition) following major abdominal surgery was poorly described by existing prognostication tools. To improve surgical safety during the COVID-19 pandemic recovery and beyond, novel risk stratification tools are required.

FUNDING

British Journal of Surgery Society.

Peritoneal mesothelioma presenting with 'kissing' liver metastases

A 61-year-old woman was diagnosed with an incidental liver lesion with a satellite lesion that had features of a secondary liver metastasis. Investigations for primary sites did not reveal a primary tumour. The lesion was not amenable to biopsy due to location. Intraoperatively, the two lesions were adjacent, but the first was on the diaphragm and the lesion was in segment 7 of the liver. The liver lesion underwent non-anatomical resection and the diaphragmatic lesion was resected separately. The histopathology diagnosed peritoneal mesothelioma in the lesion removed from diaphragm and the liver lesion to be local metastatic spread to an area of liver that was in close contact (a 'kissing' lesion). This report portrays a rare occurrence of liver metastases from peritoneal mesothelioma and discusses the current evidence for diagnosis and treatment.

COVID-19 in Kidney Transplant Patients From a Large UK Transplant Center: Exploring Risk Factors for Disease Severity

Background

The novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has raised concern for the health of immunocompromised individuals, who are potentially at higher risk of more severe infection and poorer outcomes. As a large London transplant center serving a diverse patient population, we report the outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 infection in our cohort of 2848 kidney and/or pancreas transplant patients.

Methods

Data were obtained retrospectively for all transplant patients who attended hospital during the peak of the pandemic and had a positive nasopharyngeal SARS-CoV-2 test.

Results

Sixty-six patients were found to be positive for SARS-CoV-2. Twenty percent were treated as outpatients, 59% were admitted to the general ward, and 21% required intensive care. Treatment consisted of reduced immunosuppression, antibiotics for pneumonia or sepsis, and other supportive treatments. Within our cohort, 12 patients died (18%), with an overall mortality of 0.4%. Predictive risk factors for COVID-19 severity were explored.

Conclusions

Severe disease was associated with lower hemoglobin prior to COVID-19 diagnosis and lower lymphocyte count at the time of diagnosis but not age, sex, ethnicity, or preexisting comorbidities. Lower glomerular filtration rate and higher C-reactive protein were associated with more severe disease. Despite no use of hydroxychloroquine, azithromycin, antiviral, or immunomodulatory medications, our mortality rate (kidney and pancreas transplant patients) is similar to current international rates.

Perioperative intravenous contrast administration and the incidence of acute kidney injury after major gastrointestinal surgery: prospective, multicentre cohort study

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to determine the impact of preoperative exposure to intravenous contrast for CT and the risk of developing postoperative acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients undergoing major gastrointestinal surgery.

METHODS

This prospective, multicentre cohort study included adults undergoing gastrointestinal resection, stoma reversal or liver resection. Both elective and emergency procedures were included. Preoperative exposure to intravenous contrast was defined as exposure to contrast administered for the purposes of CT up to 7 days before surgery. The primary endpoint was the rate of AKI within 7 days. Propensity score-matched models were adjusted for patient, disease and operative variables. In a sensitivity analysis, a propensity score-matched model explored the association between preoperative exposure to contrast and AKI in the first 48 h after surgery.

RESULTS

A total of 5378 patients were included across 173 centres. Overall, 1249 patients (23·2 per cent) received intravenous contrast. The overall rate of AKI within 7 days of surgery was 13·4 per cent (718 of 5378). In the propensity score-matched model, preoperative exposure to contrast was not associated with AKI within 7 days (odds ratio (OR) 0·95, 95 per cent c.i. 0·73 to 1·21; P = 0·669). The sensitivity analysis showed no association between preoperative contrast administration and AKI within 48 h after operation (OR 1·09, 0·84 to 1·41; P = 0·498).

CONCLUSION

There was no association between preoperative intravenous contrast administered for CT up to 7 days before surgery and postoperative AKI. Risk of contrast-induced nephropathy should not be used as a reason to avoid contrast-enhanced CT.

The evolving role of surface electromyography in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: A systematic review

OBJECTIVE

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is an adult-onset neurodegenerative disease that leads to inexorable motor decline and a median survival of three years from symptom onset. Surface EMG represents a major technological advance that has been harnessed in the development of novel neurophysiological biomarkers. We have systematically reviewed the current application of surface EMG techniques in ALS.

METHODS

We searched PubMed to identify 42 studies focusing on surface EMG and its associated analytical methods in the diagnosis, prognosis and monitoring of ALS patients.

RESULTS

A wide variety of analytical techniques were identified, involving motor unit decomposition from high-density grids, motor unit number estimation and measurements of neuronal hyperexcitability or neuromuscular architecture. Some studies have proposed specific diagnostic and prognostic criteria however clinical calibration in large ALS cohorts is currently lacking. The most validated method to monitor disease is the motor unit number index (MUNIX), which has been implemented as an outcome measure in two ALS clinical trials.

CONCLUSION

Surface EMG offers significant practical and analytical flexibility compared to invasive techniques. To capitalise on this fully, emphasis must be placed upon the multi-disciplinary collaboration of clinicians, bioengineers, mathematicians and biostatisticians.

SIGNIFICANCE

Surface EMG techniques can enrich effective biomarker development in ALS.

Frailty and hospital outcomes within a low socioeconomic population

BACKGROUND

Clinical frailty scales (CFS) predict hospital-related outcomes. Frailty is more common in areas of higher socioeconomic disadvantage, but no studies exclusively report on the impact of CFS on hospital-related outcomes in areas of known socioeconomic disadvantage.

AIMS

To evaluate the association of the CFS with hospital-related outcomes.

DESIGN

Retrospective observational study in a community hospital within a disadvantaged area in Australia (Social Economic Index for Areas = 0.1%).

METHODS

The CFS was used in the emergency department (ED) for people aged ≥ 75 years. Frailty was defined as a score of ≥4. Associations between the CFS and mortality, admission rates, ED presentations and length of stay (LOS) were analysed using regression analyses.

RESULTS

Between 11 July 2017 and 31 March 2018, there were 5151 ED presentations involving 3258 patients aged ≥ 75 years. Frail persons were significantly more likely to be older, represent to the ED and have delirium compared with non-frail persons. CFS was independently associated with 28-day mortality, with odds of mortality increasing by 1.5 times per unit increase in CFS (95% CI: 1.3-1.7). Frail persons with CFS 4-6 were more likely to be admitted (OR: 1.2; 95% CI: 1.0-1.5), have higher geometric mean LOS (1.43; 95% CI 1.15-1.77 days) and higher rates of ED presentations (IRR: 1.12; 95% CI 1.04-1.21) compared with non-frail persons.

CONCLUSIONS

The CFS predicts community hospital-related outcomes in frail persons within a socioeconomic disadvantage area. Future intervention and allocation of resources could consider focusing on CFS 4-6 as a priority for frail persons within a community hospital setting.

Evaluation of the VIDAS Staph Enterotoxin II (SET 2) Immunoassay Method for the Detection of Staphylococcal Enterotoxins in Selected Foods: Collaborative Study

A multilaboratory study was conducted to determine the limit of detection (LOD) of Staphylococcal enterotoxins (SET) in 5 foods. Cooked chicken, ham, potato salad, pasteurized liquid whole milk, and canned mushrooms were each spiked with a different enterotoxin (A, B, C1, D, or E), and tested at 0.25 and 0.5 ng/g SET levels to determine the LOD of the assay for those foods in a collaborative study. Unspiked controls were also included. A total of 19 laboratories representing government and industry participated. In this study, 1674 test portions were analyzed, of which 1638 were used in the statistical analysis. Of the 1638 test portions used in the statistical analysis, 1104 were spiked test portions, of which 1073 were positive by the VIDAS Staph enterotoxin II (SET 2) method. The detection rates at the 0.25 ng/mL level were cooked chicken, 98.2; ham, 99.0; potato salad, 99.1; liquid whole milk, 85.2; and canned mushrooms, 100. The detection rates at the 0.5 ng/mL level were cooked chicken, 97.4; ham, 98.1; potato salad, 100; liquid whole milk, 99.0; and canned mushrooms, 100. The data indicate that the SET 2 method is capable of detecting SET at 0.25 ng/g in cooked chicken, ham, potato salad, and canned mushrooms and at 0.5 ng/g in pasteurized liquid whole milk.

Evaluation of the BAX® System for Detection of Listeria monocytogenes in Foods: Collaborative Study

A multilaboratory study was conducted to compare the automated BAX® system and the standard cultural methods for detection of Listeria monocytogenes in foods. Six food types (frankfurters, soft cheese, smoked salmon, raw, ground beef, fresh radishes, and frozen peas) were analyzed by each method. For each food type, 3 inoculation levels were tested: high (average of 2 CFU/g), low (average of 0.2 CFU/g) and uninoculated controls. A total of 25 laboratories representing government and industry participated. Of the 2335 samples analyzed, 1109 were positive by the BAX system and 1115 were positive by the standard method. A Chi square analysis of each of the 6 food types, at the 3 inoculation levels tested, was performed. For all foods, except radishes, the BAX system performed as well as or better than the standard reference methods based on the Chi square results.

Evaluation of the BAX® System for Detection of Salmonella in Selected Foods: Collaborative Study

A multilaboratory study was conducted to compare the automated BAX® System to the standard cultural methods for detection of Salmonella in selected foods. Five food types—frankfurters, raw ground beef, mozzarella cheese, raw frozen tilapia fish, and orange juice—at 3 inoculation levels, were analyzed by each method. A sixth food type, raw ground chicken, was tested using 3 naturally contaminated lots. A total of 16 laboratories representing government and industry participated. In this study, 1386 samples were analyzed, of which 1188 were paired samples and 198 were unpaired samples. Of the 1188 paired samples, 461 were positive by both methods and 404 were negative by both methods. Thirty-seven samples were positive by the BAX System but negative by the standard reference method, and 11 samples were positive by standard cultural method and negative by the BAX System. Of the 198 unpaired samples, 106 were positive by the BAX System and 60 were positive by the standard cultural method. A Chi square analysis of each of the 6 food types, at the 3 inoculation levels tested, was performed. For all foods, the BAX System demonstrated results comparable to those of the standard reference methods based on the Chi square results.

Key components of international and European governance for quality of care

The legal status and binding nature of various international governance and guidance instruments to foster and support quality strategies in European countries differs substantially. This presentation introduces and discusses the four main elements of an integrated international governance framework for quality in health care: i) raising political awareness of the relevance of health care quality and creating a common vision on how to improve it; ii) implementing this vision into actual policy frameworks by sharing experience and practice between countries; iii) developing and providing standards and models (voluntary or mandatory) that can be transposed into national policy; iv) measuring, assessing and comparing quality by developing better information, better indicators and methodologies as well as dissemination strategies.

The presentation will also focus on how quality in health care is addressed through EU policy, first through EU provisions and policies that are meant to ensure free movement of citizens and goods and establish an internal market, and by means of more horizontal and generic EU policies on quality and safety that stem from the mandate to support, coordinate or supplement national policies. It will further highlight how EU integration and policy touch upon quality in health care and how the approach has evolved over time.

External institutional strategies for health care organizations as a quality strategy

Accreditation, certification and supervision are quality strategies that intend to encourage the compliance of health care organizations with published standards through external assessment. The idea is that health care organizations will increase compliance with standards in advance of a planned external inspection. Despite several common characteristics of the three strategies, their origins and initial objectives differ. This presentation aims to disambiguate these concepts, inform on their utilization in European countries and discuss the evidence on their effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and implementation.

External assessment strategies have been widely implemented in Europe. Most countries make use of several strategies, including basic supervision as part of the licensing process for healthcare providers, coupled with certification or accreditation strategies to ensure and improve the quality of care. The scope of these strategies and their regulation differs substantially between countries. Despite this widespread uptake, there is little robust evidence to support their effectiveness and there is a complete absence of evidence on cost-effectiveness. Furthermore, due to the broad purpose range of external assessments and the lack of consensus in the use of terminology, implementation strategies are sparse or missing. However, this presentation highlights several facilitators and barriers that may affect the implementation of external assessment strategies in health care organizations as well as relevant insights for policy-makers.

SPiQE: An automated analytical tool for detecting and characterising fasciculations in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

OBJECTIVES

Fasciculations are a clinical hallmark of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Compared to concentric needle EMG, high-density surface EMG (HDSEMG) is non-invasive and records fasciculation potentials (FPs) from greater muscle volumes over longer durations. To detect and characterise FPs from vast data sets generated by serial HDSEMG, we developed an automated analytical tool.

METHODS

Six ALS patients and two control patients (one with benign fasciculation syndrome and one with multifocal motor neuropathy) underwent 30-minute HDSEMG from biceps and gastrocnemius monthly. In MATLAB we developed a novel, innovative method to identify FPs amidst fluctuating noise levels. One hundred repeats of 5-fold cross validation estimated the model's predictive ability.

RESULTS

By applying this method, we identified 5,318 FPs from 80 minutes of recordings with a sensitivity of 83.6% (+/- 0.2 SEM), specificity of 91.6% (+/- 0.1 SEM) and classification accuracy of 87.9% (+/- 0.1 SEM). An amplitude exclusion threshold (100 μV) removed excessively noisy data without compromising sensitivity. The resulting automated FP counts were not significantly different to the manual counts (p = 0.394).

CONCLUSION

We have devised and internally validated an automated method to accurately identify FPs from HDSEMG, a technique we have named Surface Potential Quantification Engine (SPiQE).

SIGNIFICANCE

Longitudinal quantification of fasciculations in ALS could provide unique insight into motor neuron health.

A Retrospective Look at TPN with Pancreatitis: Do Recommendations Match Guidelines? (P12-036-19)

Objectives

The objective of this project was to assess if best practice guidelines for the use of total parenteral nutrition (TPN) in pancreatitis are being followed at a university teaching hospital.

Methods

This retrospective study was an exploratory analysis of de-identified data pulled from a university teaching hospital clinical data repository and electronic medical records for patients who had a diagnosis of pancreatitis between the years of 2014 and 2018. Variables of interest included diagnosis, reason for initiating TPN, diet order, past medical history, age, gender, and race. Feeding modalities were compared to best practice guidelines for nutrition support initiation in pancreatitis provided by the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN), European Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ESPEN), American Pancreatic Association and the International Association of Pancreatology (IAP/APA), Best Practice in Surgery group at the University of Toronto, and the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG).

Results

A total of 57 patients were admitted between 2014 and 2018 with the diagnosis of pancreatitis. Chart reviews of each patient were assessed for an initial nutrition regimen of either enteral nutrition (EN) or TPN. Of the 57 patients started on nutrition support, 12 patients (21%) received a trial of EN prior to starting TPN. After exclusion of eight patients who had a diagnosis of either ileus, small bowel obstruction (SBO) or bowel perforation, there were 37 (65%) patients who were started on TPN initially without an EN trial.

Conclusions

Despite best practice guidelines from multiple groups advocating for EN over TPN, it was found that TPN appears to be a first line feeding strategy in the majority of patients admitted with or who developed pancreatitis at this hospital. Development of an interdisciplinary nutrition support team at this hospital is recommended to facilitate adherence to best practices regarding treatment of patients with pancreatitis.

Funding Sources

Not Applicable.

Healthy eating interventions in adults living with and beyond colorectal cancer: a systematic review

BACKGROUND

Rates of cancer survival are increasing, with more people living with and beyond cancer. Lifestyle recommendations for cancer survivors are based largely on extrapolation from cancer prevention recommendations. The present study aimed to systematically review the literature on randomised controlled trials (RCTs) focusing on healthy eating interventions in people with colorectal cancer (CRC).

METHODS

A structured search of electronic databases was conducted in March 2018 using medical subject headings (MeSH) and text words related to CRC and diet. The results of the literature searches were uploaded to online software for data management. Titles and abstracts were screened based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria and data were extracted. Quality of data was assessed using the Cochrane Handbook.

RESULTS

Seven studies were identified, including six RCTs and one RCT protocol, with a total of 2233 participants from six studies, of whom 1010 (45%) had CRC. Three studies assessed anthropometrics demonstrating participants who received dietary intervention had a greater reduction in measurements. Six studies assessed changes in dietary components; however, only one demonstrated an increase in dietary fibre. Two studies reported improvements in quality of life favouring dietary intervention groups.

CONCLUSIONS

The quality of identified studies was variable, with limited evidence to support dietary intervention improving dietary intake in people living with or after CRC. Studies to date have not been based on robust study design that has combined all dietary interventions linked to CRC. As a result of the heterogeneity of the studies identified, it was difficult to draw strong conclusions.

Nutritional status, the development and persistence of malnutrition and dietary intake in oesophago-gastric cancer: a longitudinal cohort study

BACKGROUND

Patients with oesophago-gastric (OG) cancer may be at risk of malnutrition, troublesome gastrointestinal symptoms (GI) and reduced dietary intake in view of the tumour location and multimodality curative treatment approach. Longitudinal research is lacking. The present study aimed to assess (i) nutritional status and how it evolved over the first year; (ii) the association between nutritional status scores and GI symptom scores; and (iii) the nutrient and food group intake pattern.

METHODS

This was a prospective, observational study of patients with an OG lesion planned for radical treatment, with assessment at diagnosis, 3 months and 12 months after the start of treatment. Nutritional assessment was performed using the Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment, GI symptoms measured using the modified Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale and dietary intake assessed using a semi-quantitative food frequency approach.

RESULTS

Eighty patients (61 males, 19 females; aged 46-89 years) were recruited. At baseline, 3 (n = 68) and 12 months (n = 57), 61%, 62% and 60%, respectively, were moderately/severely malnourished. Higher symptom burden was associated with poorer nutritional status at baseline (r = 0.55, P < 0.001), 3 months (r = 0.51, P < 0.001) and 12 months (r = 0.42, P = 0.001). At each respective time point, 37%, 38% and 42% were meeting their estimated average requirement for energy. No change in mean (SD) intake of energy, fibre, nutrient and food groups was observed over time.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with OG cancer have progressive weight loss, with malnutrition present over the majority of the 12-month study period. Optimising nutritional status and symptom management throughout the treatment pathway should be a clinical priority.

The second sputum sample complicates tuberculosis diagnosis for women: a qualitative study from Malawi

SETTING

District hospital and peripheral health care facilities in Balaka District, Malawi.

OBJECTIVE

To identify barriers encountered by women in submitting a second sputum sample.

DESIGN

Focus-group discussions and semi-structured interviews.

RESULTS

Women encounter barriers at several levels: personal, cultural, socio-economic and health care system. Personal, cultural and socio-economic barriers include the fear of a tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis, the perception and condition of the patient, the distance and cost of travel to a health care facility, the subordinate position of women in household decision-making and the social support that women receive. Barriers at the health care system level include high patient numbers, staff shortages, the duration of the TB diagnostic process as well as the uncaring attitude and poor communication of health care workers. These barriers may apply not only to the submission of the second sample, but to health care access in general.

CONCLUSION

Women face multiple barriers in submitting a second sputum sample. These do not operate in isolation but instead compound each other. Although potential solutions to overcome these barriers are recognised, some have yet to be adopted. To improve TB case finding, innovative and community approaches should be adopted more rapidly.

Anxiety, depression and fatigue at 5-year review following CNS demyelination

BACKGROUND

Anxiety and depression are common in multiple sclerosis (MS). We evaluated the prevalence and factors associated with anxiety, depression and fatigue at the 5-year review of a longitudinal cohort study following a first clinical diagnosis of CNS demyelination (FCD).

METHODS

Cases with a FCD were recruited soon after diagnosis and followed annually thereafter. A variety of environmental, behavioural and clinical covariates were measured at five-year review. Anxiety and depression were measured using the Hospital Anxiety & Depression Scale (HADS), and fatigue by the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS).

RESULTS

Of the 236 cases, 40.2% had clinical anxiety (median HADS-A: 6.0), 16.0% had clinical depression (median HADS-D: 3.0), and 41.3% had clinical fatigue (median FSS: 4.56). The co-occurrence of all three symptoms was 3.76 times greater than expectation. Younger age, higher disability, concussion or other disease diagnosis were independently associated with a higher anxiety score; male sex, higher disability, being unemployed, less physical activity, and antidepressant and/or anxiolytic-sedative medication use were independently associated with a higher depression score. Higher disability, immunomodulatory medication use, other disease diagnosis and anxiolytic-sedative medication use were independently associated with having fatigue, while female sex, higher BMI, having had a concussion, being unemployed and higher disability were associated with a higher fatigue score.

CONCLUSION

These results support previous findings of the commonality of anxiety, depression and fatigue in established MS and extend this to post-FCD and early MS cases. The clustering of the three symptoms indicates that they may share common antecedents.

Ethnic patterns of hypospadias in New Zealand do not resemble those observed for cryptorchidism and testicular cancer: evidence of differential aetiology?

It has been proposed that hypospadias, cryptorchidism, poor semen quality and testicular cancer might share common prenatal causes. We have previously demonstrated similar ethnic patterns for the incidence of testicular cancer and cryptorchidism - a known risk factor for testicular cancer. If the underlying exposure(s) that cause hypospadias, cryptorchidism and testicular cancer are shared, then we would expect the incidence relationship between ethnic groups to follow the same pattern across all three conditions. We followed a birth cohort of 318 345 eligible male neonates born in New Zealand between 2000-2010, and linked routinely collected maternity records with inpatient hospitalization and mortality records through to 2011. We searched hospitalization records for diagnoses of hypospadias, and used mortality records for censoring. We used Poisson regression methods to compare the relative risk of hypospadias between ethnic groups, adjusting for perinatal risk factors and total person time. We observed that European/Other children had the highest risk of hypospadias, with Māori, Pacific and Asian boys having around 40% lower risk of disease compared with this group (adjusted relative risk [RR]: Māori 0.62, 95% CI 0.55-0.70; Pacific 0.62, 95% CI 0.53-0.72; Asian 0.57, 95% CI 0.47-0.69). This contrasts substantially with our previous observations for cryptorchidism and testicular cancer, where Māori males have the greatest risk. Our observations suggest that - at least in New Zealand - the exposures that drive the development of hypospadias may differ to those that that drive the development of cryptorchidism and/or testicular cancer.

Cannabis exposure and risk of testicular cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

The aetiology of testicular cancer remains elusive. In this manuscript, we review the evidence regarding the association between cannabis use and testicular cancer development.

METHODS

In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we reviewed literature published between 1(st) January 1980 and 13(th) May 2015 and found three case-control studies that investigated the association between cannabis use and development of testicular germ cell tumours (TGCTs).

RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS

Using meta-analysis techniques, we observed that a) current, b) chronic, and c) frequent cannabis use is associated with the development of TGCT, when compared to never-use of the drug. The strongest association was found for non-seminoma development--for example, those using cannabis on at least a weekly basis had two and a half times greater odds of developing a non-seminoma TGCT compared those who never used cannabis (OR: 2.59, 95% CI 1.60-4.19). We found inconclusive evidence regarding the relationship between cannabis use and the development of seminoma tumours. It must be noted that these observations were derived from three studies all conducted in the United States; and the majority of data collection occurred during the 1990's.

Retrospective cohort study of an enhanced recovery programme in oesophageal and gastric cancer surgery

Introduction Enhanced recovery programmes have been established in some areas of elective surgery. This study applied enhanced recovery principles to elective oesophageal and gastric cancer surgery. Methods An enhanced recovery programme for patients undergoing open oesophagogastrectomy, total and subtotal gastrectomy for oesophageal and gastric malignancy was designed. A retrospective cohort study compared length of stay on the critical care unit (CCU), total length of inpatient stay, rates of complications and in-hospital mortality prior to (35 patients) and following (27 patients) implementation. Results In the cohort study, the median total length of stay was reduced by 3 days following oesophagogastrectomy and total gastrectomy. The median length of stay on the CCU remained the same for all patients. The rates of complications and mortality were the same. Conclusions The standardised protocol reduced the median overall length of stay but did not reduce CCU stay. Enhanced recovery principles can be applied to patients undergoing major oesophagogastrectomy and total gastrectomy as long as they have minimal or reversible co-morbidity.

The Role of the Nurse Navigator in the Management of the Heart Failure Patient

Today's health care systems are faced with challenges to transform health care delivery and provide quality and valued services for the heart failure population. These challenges require collaboration and the development of strategic processes that will redefine best practices. Implementing a multidimensional nurse navigator transition program is one approach to facilitating cross-continuum of care. Such a program has been proven to significantly reduce 30-day all-cause hospital readmissions, enhanced self-management skills, and improved follow-up compliance. This transitional care model can be used to address the needs of all patients with chronic conditions.

De novo deletions and duplications of 17q25.3 cause susceptibility to cardiovascular malformations

Background

Genomic disorders resulting from deletion or duplication of genomic segments are known to be an important cause of cardiovascular malformations (CVMs). In our previous study, we identified a unique individual with a de novo 17q25.3 deletion from a study of 714 individuals with CVM.

Methods

To understand the contribution of this locus to cardiac malformations, we reviewed the data on 60,000 samples submitted for array comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) studies to Medical Genetics Laboratories at Baylor College of Medicine, and ascertained seven individuals with segmental aneusomy of 17q25. We validated our findings by studying another individual with a de novo submicroscopic deletion of this region from Cytogenetics Laboratory at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. Using bioinformatic analyses including protein-protein interaction network, human tissue expression patterns, haploinsufficiency scores, and other annotation systems, including a training set of 251 genes known to be linked to human cardiac disease, we constructed a pathogenicity score for cardiac phenotype for each of the 57 genes within the terminal 2.0 Mb of 17q25.3.

Results

We found relatively high penetrance of cardiovascular defects (~60 %) with five deletions and three duplications, observed in eight unrelated individuals. Distinct cardiac phenotypes were present in four of these subjects with non-recurrent de novo deletions (range 0.08 Mb–1.4 Mb) in the subtelomeric region of 17q25.3. These included coarctation of the aorta (CoA), total anomalous pulmonary venous return (TAPVR), ventricular septal defect (VSD) and atrial septal defect (ASD). Amongst the three individuals with variable size duplications of this region, one had patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) at 8 months of age.

Conclusion

The distinct cardiac lesions observed in the affected patients and the bioinformatics analyses suggest that multiple genes may be plausible drivers of the cardiac phenotype within this gene-rich critical interval of 17q25.3.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13023-015-0291-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.