The burden of skin and soft tissue, bone and joint infections in an Australian cohort of people who inject drugs

INTRODUCTION

There are currently limited data regarding the clinical and economic significance of skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI) and bone and joint infections in Australian people who inject drugs (PWID).

METHODS

Retrospective cohort study in adult PWID admitted to Monash Health, a large heath care network with six hospitals in Victoria, Australia. Inpatients were identified using administrative datasets and International Classification of Disease (ICD-10) coding for specific infection-related conditions. Cost analysis was based on mean ward, intensive care and hospital-in-the-home (HITH) lengths of stay. Spinal infections and endocarditis were excluded as part of previous studies.

RESULTS

A total of 185 PWID (61 female, 124 male, median age 37) meeting the study criteria were admitted to Monash Health between January 2010 and January 2021. Admitting diagnoses included 78 skin abscesses, 80 cellulitis, 17 septic arthritis, 4 osteomyelitis, 3 thrombophlebitis and 1 each of necrotising fasciitis, vasculitis and myositis. Pain (87.5%) and swelling (75.1%) were the most common presenting complaints. Opioids (67.4%) and methamphetamine (37.5%) were the most common primary drugs injected. Almost half (46.5%) of patients had concurrent active hepatitis C (HCV) infection on admission. Hepatitis B (HBV) and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) were uncommon. The most significant causative organism was methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (24.9%). In 40.0% (74/185) no organism was identified. Patients required a median acute hospital stay of 5 days (2-51 days). There were 15 patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) with median duration 2 days. PICC line insertion for antibiotics was required in 16.8% of patients, while 51.4% required surgical intervention. Median duration of both oral and IV antibiotic therapy was 11 days. Almost half (48.6%) of patients were enrolled in an opioid maintenance program on discharge. Average estimated expenditure was AUD $16, 528 per admission.

CONCLUSION

Skin and soft tissue and joint infections are a major cause of morbidity for PWID. Admission to hospital provides opportunistic involvement of addiction specialty services.

A third-line antiretroviral therapy register to track patient clinical and virological outcomes

In 2021, South Africa (SA) had an estimated 7.8 million people living with HIV, of whom 5.6 million were receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART),[1] with 3.4 million on first-line ART, 145 000 on second-line ART (SLART) and >700 on third-line ART (TLART).

Abstract P5-19-04: The WISDOM study: Reducing sequential steps and implementing parallel workflows in pragmatic trials

Background:The WISDOM Study is a preference-tolerant pragmatic study, comparing annual mammograms to a risk-based screening. Eligibility includes women ages 40-74 years with no history of breast cancer or DCIS. Participants are enrolled to one study arm: annual screening or risk-based screening (includes genetic testing). Pragmatic trials often involve gathering real-time data over multiple time points. Collecting real-time data sequentially can limit enrollment, delay study assignments, and reduce participant engagement. The WISDOM Study has identified such bottlenecks and has implemented parallel workflows, reducing the overall wait time for participants to complete required study steps. These data highlight how moving participants through the study more efficiently can improve enrollment and retention and inform other pragmatic trials. Methods: WISDOM participants have the option to either choose their study arm or be randomized into one as part of the preference tolerant randomized trial design. Participants then complete breast health questionnaires and genetic testing (if in the risk-based arm). This information is analyzed by the WISDOM breast cancer risk assessment algorithm, the result of which is then communicated to the participant through a screening assignment letter (SAL). Specific data elements, such as breast density found participants’ mammogram reports and genetic testing results are required for study randomization process and risk assessment calculations, respectively. The WISDOM randomization algorithm is stratified by several factors, including breast cancer risk estimated using the Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium (BCSC) model, which uses mammographic density as a key input variable. The study team changed the workflow to allow participants to proceed to randomization without specific information by imputing both density and risk. Additionally, a parallel workflow improvement process was implemented to obtain mammogram reports while genetic testing was being completed. Results: Before the weighted BCSC and imputed density algorithms were introduced, it took an average of 47 days to randomize participants after completion of the baseline enrollment questionnaires. Now, participants are randomized immediately which has reduced delays by 100%. Prior to implementing the parallel workflow for genetic testing and mammogram ascertainment, genetic testing kits were sent only after mammogram reports were collected and validated. The expected turnaround time for genetic testing results was 30-60 days and on average, results were returned to participants in 42 days. Streamlining the study design to obtain mammogram reports while participants complete their genetic testing has shortened the time for participants to receive their screening assignment letters (SALs) from an average of 160 days to 78 days, a reduction by 49%. In comparison, participants in the annual arm of the study who do not complete genetic testing, receive their SALs after an average of 38 days from enrollment. This is due to long wait times to obtain mammographic densities from outside medical facilities. Conclusions: Creating parallel data ascertainment workflows and reducing sequential steps in the study process has increased completion of individual enrollment activities. Participants now are randomized immediately upon joining the study and have access to their SALs and genetic results more rapidly. This approach eliminated randomization wait times and improved efficiency of the early in the enrollment process. We are evaluating the impact on participant retention going forward. Workflow efficiency is critical to improve the patient experience, and our learnings can inform future trial design, particularly for studies requiring data from outside sources.

Citation Format: Tomiyuri Lewis, Stephanie Flores, Leah Sabacan, Patricia Choy, Halle Thannickal, Yiwey Shieh, Jeffrey Tice, Elad Ziv, Lisa Madlensky, Martin Eklund, Christina Yau, Amie Blanco, Barry Tong, Deborah Goodman, Nancy Anderson, Heather Harvey, Steele Fors, Hannah L Park, Samrrah Raouf, Skye Stewart, Janet Wernisch, Barbara Koenig, Celia Kaplan, Robert Hiatt, Neil Wenger, Vivian Lee, Diane Heditsian, Susie Brain, Dolores Moorehead, Barbara A Parker, Alexander Borowsky, Hoda Anton-Culver, Arash Naeim, Andrea Kaster, Laura van ‘t Veer, Andrea Z LaCroix, Olufunmilayo I Olopade, Deepa Sheth, Agustin Garcia, Rachel Lancaster, Michael Plaza, Wisdom Study, Athena Breast Health Network Investigators, Advocate Partners, Allison S Fiscalini, Laura Esserman. The WISDOM study: Reducing sequential steps and implementing parallel workflows in pragmatic trials [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2021 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2021 Dec 7-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P5-19-04.

Abstract P5-19-01: The impact of streamlined processes and patient-directed messaging to improve enrollment in a remote, pragmatic clinical trial

Background Recent advances in technology have made it possible to conduct remote clinical trials that allow individuals to participate from home with comfort, privacy, and ease. Despite these advances, challenges persist in running remote trials, such as survey question redundancies, lack of patient-initiated data-sharing tools, and unclear patient communication around critical enrollment steps. The Women Informed to Screen Depending on Measures of risk (WISDOM) Study is a pragmatic, preference-tolerant randomized control breast cancer screening trial comparing personalized risk-based screening to traditional, annual screening. The study population includes women ages 40-74 without a history of breast cancer or DCIS. Since 2016, study enrollment has been available to all women in the U.S. who meet study eligibility criteria. Since October 2020, WISDOM has implemented multiple strategies to improve participant experience: participant-initiated data-sharing tools and clear participant messaging. This abstract presents the efficacy of these interventions as they relate to increasing patient enrollment in remote, pragmatic clinical trials. Methods The WISDOM Study online enrollment process includes registration, participant study arm selection or randomization, online consent, and enrollment (submission of multiple study surveys over a secure, online platform). Barriers to online enrollment were uncovered through an internally-conducted needs assessment of participants who enrolled between 2019-2020, and participant feedback obtained through phone interviews conducted by WISDOM’s embedded ethics study. Improvements to our online enrollment procedures were executed in October 2020 and included: improving the clarity of study arm selection options, streamlining data collection surveys, and enacting a secure, patient-initiated online data-sharing tool and an online portal feature with auto-launch of critical information. Study metrics were obtained through Google Analytics and Salesforce. Results Prior to the end of 2020, only 62% of the 30,046 participants who registered for the WISDOM Study completed study enrollment. After improving the enrollment process, of the 5,334 participants registered for the study between Jan-June 2021, 69% completed the enrollment process finishing both the online consent and survey forms. Conversion from consent to enrollment went from 78% in January 2020 to 93% in June 2021. Currently, 56% participants complete enrollment in one day. Streamlining online patient questionnaires led to an increase in completion rates, with 75% of participants completing their yearly surveys, compared to 59% prior to April 2021. A secure patient upload feature for data sharing led to 1,054 participants successfully sharing their mammogram reports with WISDOM between March - June 2021. Previously, mammogram reports were missing for 20% of enrolled participants. This feature has enabled WISDOM to process 300 additional mammogram reports per month. Integration of an auto-launch feature in the participant’s portal in Feb 2021 has led to a 17% increase in participants viewing their screening recommendations in Yr 1. Prior to auto-launch, only 59% (n=6328) of Yr 1 screening recommendations and 61% (n=3681) of genetic testing reports were viewed by participants. Since implementation, the numbers increased to 78% (n=8406) and 85% (n=5160), respectively. Conclusions. Streamlining data to the most essential elements, and minimizing the steps required to share clinical documents, complete questionnaires and open key study notification is essential to improving enrollment rates in virtual, pragmatic trials. Patient-initiated data-sharing tools such as the ability for participants to share documents through secure, online portals is one example of success.

Citation Format: Patricia Choy, Tomiyuri Lewis, Stephanie Flores, Leah Sabacan, Halle Thannickal, Steffanie Goodman, Yiwey Shieh, Lisa Madlensky, Jeffrey A. Tice, Elad Ziv, Martin Eklund, Amie Blanco, Barry Tong, Deborah Goodman, Nancy Anderson, Heather Harvey, Steele Fors, Hannah Lui Park, Antonia Petruse, Skye Stewart, Samrrah Raouf, Janet Wernisch, Barbara Koenig, Celia Kaplan, Robert Hiatt, Neil Wenger, Vivian Lee, Diane Heditsian, Susie Brain, Dolores Moorehead, Barbara A Parker, Alexander Borowsky, Hoda Anton-Culver, Arash Naeim, Andrea Kaster, Laura van 't Veer, Andrea Z LaCroix, Olufunmilayo I. Olopade, Deepa Sheth, Agustin Garcia, Rachel Lancaster, Jennifer James, Galen Joseph, Wisdom Study, Athena Breast Health Network Investigators and Advocates, Allison Stover Fiscallini, Laura Esserman. The impact of streamlined processes and patient-directed messaging to improve enrollment in a remote, pragmatic clinical trial [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2021 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2021 Dec 7-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P5-19-01.

Honouring COVID-19 restrictions: A qualitative study of the virtual asd diagnostic pathway in a uk nhs camhs service

Introduction

The Multi-Agency Autism Team (MAAT) diagnose Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in children and young people using a multi-stage assessment process. In March 2020, the UK went into lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, affecting the MAAT’s ability to continue their typical diagnostic pathway.

Objectives

This qualitative study aimed to assess the effectiveness and feasibility of a virtual ASD diagnostic pathway.

Methods

From March – September; one hundred detailed developmental history assessments were conducted over the telephone, fifteen socially-distanced BOSA (Brief Observation of Symptoms of Autism) assessments were piloted, twenty-five multi-disciplinary formulation meeting were held over a video platform, and sixty diagnosis feedback consultations were conducted via telephone or video call. Structured interviews were conducted with clinicians and service-users.

Results

revealed that telephone developmental history assessments were generally preferable over face-to-face appointments, and video-based formulation meetings were effective, productive and resulted in higher clinician attendance. The qualitative data on feedback appointments was mixed. Clinicians felt that telephone appointments were less personable and ethical; whereas, video-based feedback appointments allowed for more empathy. However, the majority of service-users opted for tele-calls over video-calls for these appointments. Socially-distanced BOSAs obtained positive clinician feedback in general. Service-user feedback was mixed; some found the experience uncomfortable and unfamiliar, whilst others enjoyed the experience. Overall, service-users were content with the knowledge that it may support a diagnostic outcome for their child.

Conclusions

We concluded that the overall experience of the virtual ASD diagnostic pathway was a positive and informative process, identifying opportunities for permanent change to the service.

Abstract OT-21-01: Personalized breast cancer screening in a population-based study: Women informed to screen depending on measures of risk (WISDOM)

Background: WISDOM is a 100,000 healthy women preference-tolerant, pragmatic study comparing traditional annual screening to personalized risk-based breast screening. The novelty of WISDOM personalized screening is the integration of previously validated genetic and clinical risk factors (age, family history, breast biopsy results, ethnicity, mammographic density) into a single risk assessment model that directs the starting age, timing, and frequency of screening. The goal of WISDOM is to determine if personalized screening, compared to annual screening, is as safe, less morbid, enables prevention, and is more accepted by women. The study is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02620852. Methods: Women aged 40-74 years with no history of breast cancer, DCIS or previous double mastectomy can join the study online at wisdomstudy.org. Participants can either elect randomization or self-select a study arm. Then, they provide electronic consent and sign the Release for Medical Information via DocuSign. For all participants, 5-year risk of developing breast cancer is calculated according to the Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium (BCSC) model. Participants in the personalized arm undergo panel-based mutation testing (BRCA1, BRCA2, TP53, PTEN, STK11, CDH1, ATM, PALB2, and CHEK2), and their 5-year risk is calculated using the BCSC score combined with a Polygenic Risk Score (BCSC-PRS) that includes 229 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) known to increase breast cancer risk. The SNPs and mutations are assessed by saliva-based testing through Color Genomics. Five-year risk level thresholds are used to stratify participants as low-, moderate- and high risk. Risk stratification determines age to start, stop, and frequency of screening in the personalized arm. Accrual: As of July 2020 the WISDOM Study is open to all eligible women in the United States. To date, 38,762 eligible women have registered, and 28,706 women have consented to participate in the trial. The median age is 56 years. Seventy-seven percent of participants are Caucasian, 2% African-American, 5% Asian, and 8% of self-reported Hispanic ethnicity. WISDOM is partnering with Blue Cross Blue Shield Association for regional plan opt-in coverage, self-insured companies (Salesforce, Genentech, Qualcomm, CalPERS) and Medi-Cal (Inland Empire Health Plan) using a coverage with evidence progression approach. Accrual expansion and diversity: To ensure that resulting data are meaningful and potentially practice-changing for all populations of women, the WISDOM Study is enhancing the diversity of our participant population by establishing WISDOM sites in diverse areas with large African-American (Alabama, Louisiana, Illinois) and Latina (Florida) populations. These new recruitment sites, intentionally selected for the diverse communities they serve, have established partnerships with community organizations and outreach navigators. Additionally, we have translated the WISDOM Study to Spanish to facilitate access by Latina communities. With the engagement of patient advocates and community partnerships, expanding diversity in the study population will strengthen our scientific knowledge of breast cancer risk and improve access to personalized breast cancer screening recommendations for all women. Enrollment will continue through 2022. Conclusions: Results of 5 years follow-up will enable us to demonstrate whether personalized screening improves outcomes for future patients and it improves healthcare value by reducing screen volumes and costs without jeopardizing outcomes.

Citation Format: Irene Acerbi, Allison Stover Fiscalini, Mandy Che, Yiwey Shieh, Lisa Madlensky, Jeffrey Tice, Elad Ziv, Martin Eklund, Amie Blanco, Barry Tong, Deborah Goodman, Lamees Nassereddine, Nancy Anderson, Heather Harvey, Steele Fors, Hannah L Park, Antonia Petruse, Skye Stewart, Janet Wernisch, Larissa Risty, Ian Hurley, Barbara Koenig, Celia Kaplan, Robert Hiatt, Neil Wenger, Vivian Lee, Diane Heditsian, Susie Brain, Leah Sabacan, Tianyi Wang, Barbara A Parker, Alexander Borowsky, Hoda Anton-Culver, Arash Naeim, Andrea Kaster, Melinda Talley, Laura van 't Veer, Andrea Z LaCroix, Olufunmilayo I Olopade, Deepa Sheth, Augustin Garcia, Rachel Lancaster, Wisdom Study and Athena Breast Health Network Investigators and Advocate Partners, Laura Esserman. Personalized breast cancer screening in a population-based study: Women informed to screen depending on measures of risk (WISDOM) [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2020 San Antonio Breast Cancer Virtual Symposium; 2020 Dec 8-11; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(4 Suppl):Abstract nr OT-21-01.

Abstract PD4-04: Role of breast MRI in predicting pathologically negative nodes after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in cN0 patients in the I-SPY2 trial

Background

In clinically node-negative (cN0) breast cancer patients with triple negative (TN) and HER2+ disease and breast pathological complete response (breast pCR), low rates of nodal positivity after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) have been demonstrated. In these patients, the omission of surgical axillary staging has been proposed. However, this information is not routinely known preoperatively. We aimed to validate the correlation between pathologic breast response and pathologic nodal status, and evaluate the relationship between response of the breast tumor on MRI and pathologic nodal status after NAC in cN0 patients in the I-SPY2 trial.

Methods

We identified all patients with cT1-4 cN0 breast cancer prior to NAC from graduated arms of the I-SPY2 trial, a prospective neoadjuvant chemotherapy trial. Absence of residual disease post-NAC was defined as longest diameter (LD) of 0 mm on MRI. Breast pCR was defined as the absence of invasive tumor in the breast at surgery. Associations between ypN0 and patient, MRI, and tumor characteristics were assessed using chi-square tests and univariate regression.

Results

Of 365 cT1-4 cN0 patients included, 128 had HR+/HER2- tumors (35%), 60 HR+/HER2+ tumors (16%), 34 HR-/HER2+ tumors (9%) and 143 TN tumors (39%). Overall, 283 patients (78%) were ypN0 after NAC and 152 patients (42%) had a breast pCR. ypN0 rate was higher in patients with a breast pCR than those with residual disease (93% vs 66%, p<0.001). Patients with HR-/HER2+ and TN tumors were more likely to be ypN0 (97% and 87% respectively) than patients with HR+/HER2- and HR+/HER2+ disease (66% and 71% respectively, p<0.001). Other characteristics associated with ypN0 were tumor grade (grade I 57%, grade II 66%, grade III 84%; p=0.002), MammaPrint Classification (High Risk 1 68% and High Risk 2 87%; p<0.001) and absence of residual tumor in the breast on MRI (87% vs 72% in patients with evidence of tumor on MRI post-NAC/pre-surgery; p=0.003).

In patients with HR-/HER2+, HR+/HER2+, HR-/HER2+ or TN disease and a breast pCR, ypN0 rate was respectively 82%, 96%, 96% and 97% (table 1). In patients with HR+/HER2-, HR+/HER2+, HR-/HER2+ or TN disease and with no evidence of residual disease in the breast on MRI, rate of ypN0 was 71%, 80%, 94% and 96% respectively.

Conclusion

In cT1-4 cN0 breast cancer patients with HR+/HER2+, HR-/HER2+ and TN tumors and a breast pCR, ypN0 rates after NAC are extremely high. In patients with HR-/HER2+ and TN tumors with no residual breast disease on MRI after NAC and pre-surgery, ypN0 rates are high enough to consider omission of axillary surgery. In patients with HR+ tumors, MRI is unsufficiently predictive for pathological response and can therefore not be used to select ypN0 patients. Research on the prediction of ypN0 in cN+ I-SPY2 patients is ongoing.

Nodal status in patients with pCR and absence of residual disease on MRI Number of positive nodesBreast Cancer Subtype0123AllBreast pCR     HR+/HER2-27(82)2(6)4(12)033(100)HR+/HER2+24(96)01(4)025(100)HR-/HER2+24(96)1(4)0025(100)TN67(97)2(3)0069(100)Absence of residual disease on MRI     HR+/HER2-24(71)7(21)3(9)034(100)HR+/HER2+16(80)3(15)01(5)20(100)HR-/HER2+15(94)1(6)0016(100)TN54(96)2(4)0056(100)

Citation Format: van der Noordaa ME, Esserman L, Yau C, Mukhtar R, Price E, Hylton N, Abe H, Wolverton D, Crane EP, Ward KA, Nelson M, Niell BL, Oh K, Brandt KR, Bang DH, Ojeda-Fournier H, Eghtedari M, Sheth PA, Bernreuter WK, Umphrey H, Rosen MA, Dogan B, Yang W, Joe B, van 't Veer L, Hirst G, Lancaster R, Wallace A, Alvaredo M, Symmans F, Asare S, Boughey JC, I-SPY2 Consortium. Role of breast MRI in predicting pathologically negative nodes after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in cN0 patients in the I-SPY2 trial [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2018 Dec 4-8; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(4 Suppl):Abstract nr PD4-04.

Abstract P5-22-16: Choosing wisely recommendations against prophylactic bilateral mastectomy: Analysis of the National cancer database

Background: Surgical treatment for breast cancer is often a preference sensitive decision. The American Society of Breast Surgeons 2016 Choosing Wisely recommendation discourages routine contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM). The purpose of this abstract is to analyze trends and factors that may be contributing to increasing utilization of CPM in the setting of unilateral breast cancer in the National Cancer Database (NCDB) from 2004-2013.

Methods: The NCDB is a national database of the American Cancer Society and the Commission on Cancer comprising approximately 70% of the cancer population in the US. Data from women with AJCC Stage 0-2 breast cancer treated with unilateral mastectomy (UM) vs CPM were abstracted. CPM was the primary outcome variable. Other variables included age, race, geographic region, payer status, income quartile, estrogen/progesterone receptor(ER/PR) status. HER2 status was not evaluated given limited availability of data. Categorical data was compared using Chi square tests. Odds ratios (OR) and Hazard ratios (HR) with confidence intervals (CI) were reported for univariate logistic regression models to evaluate effect of various factors on type of surgical treatment, and cox regression for survival with CPM, respectively. Significance was defined as p<0.01.

Results: Median age for UM and CPM were 62.5 (SD 12) and 56.5 (SD 10.7) years respectively. In adjusted analysis, compared to Caucasian women, African American (OR 0.48, CI 0.47-0.50, p<0.01) and Hispanic (OR 0.58, CI 0.56-0.61, p<0.01) women were less likely to undergo CPM. Compared to women without insurance, those with private insurance (OR 1.53, CI 1.43-1.63, p<0.01) or Medicare (OR 1.45, CI 1.37-1.57, p<0.01) were more likely to under CPM. In comparison to women living in metro regions, those in urban (OR 1.08, CI 1.12-1.27, p<0.01) and rural (OR 1.19, CI 1.12-1.27, p<0.01) were more likely to undergo CPM. Women in the lower income quartile (OR 0.85 CI 0.82-0.87, p<0.01) were less likely to undergo CPM compared to women in the highest quartile.

In the entire cohort, CPM was performed in 6.9% of ER/PR-, and 5.5% of ER/PR+ women (p<0.01). ER/PR + women were less likely to undergo CPM (HR 0.7, CPM 0.69-0.73,p< 0.01). Despite undergoing fewer CPM, women with ER/PR+ disease had improved overall survival in comparison to women who were ER/PR- There was an increase in utilization of CPM from 3.3% in 2004 to 7.5% in 2013 (p<0.01) Progressive year of diagnosis (HR 1.12, CI 1.12-1.13, p<0.01) was associated with increasing treatment with CPM, but among newly diagnosed women with CPM there was no change in survival over time (HR 1.0).

Conclusion: Women with newly diagnosed unilateral breast cancer are increasingly undergoing contralateral prophylactic mastectomy. There is great heterogeneity in socioeconomic factors associated with CPM. Women with ER/PR+ disease are undergoing CPM more often despite good outcomes in comparison to women with hormone negative disease. Given the new AJCC staging emphasis on tumor biology and disease outcomes, further research should consider socioeconomic variables as well as biology to create individualized risk assessment and decision aids to guide surgical decision making.

Citation Format: Wallace AS, Threet A, Richman J, Lancaster R, Parker CC. Choosing wisely recommendations against prophylactic bilateral mastectomy: Analysis of the National cancer database [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2017 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2017 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P5-22-16.

Snapshots of five clinical ethics committees in the UK

Each of the following papers gives an account of a different UK clinical ethics committee. The committees vary in the length of time they have been established, and also in the main focus of their work. The accounts discuss the development of the committees and some of the ethical problems that have been brought to them. The issues raised will be relevant for other National Health Service (NHS) trusts in the UK that wish to set up such a committee.

Growth of porcine kidneys in their native and xenograft environment

The increased survival of hDAF pig-to-primate renal xenografts for up to two months has afforded the opportunity to study physiological aspects such as organ growth. Experimental evidence exists of species restriction of the activity of growth hormone, although growth itself is also controlled by a number of other endocrine, paracrine and autocrine substances. This study consisted of four parts: (1) measurement of pig kidney size according to pig body weight; (2) measurement of pig kidney size according to pig age; (3) serial length measurement of pig-to-primate renal xenografts; (4) correlation of terminal weight of renal xenograft with age and histology. The xenografted pig kidneys in a primate recipient grow as they would in the pig for the first two weeks after transplantation. After this time there is a reduction in the rate of increase in the length of the xenograft. Over the same period, changes in weight are greatly increased by the presence of rejection. This observational study supports the notion that regulation of growth of a xenotransplanted porcine kidney occurs.

Dynamic cortical activity in the human brain reveals motor equivalence

That animals and humans can accomplish the same goal using different effectors and different goals using the same effectors attests to the remarkable flexibility of the central nervous system. This phenomenon has been termed 'motor equivalence', an example being the writing of a name with a pencil held between the toes or teeth. The idea of motor equivalence has reappeared because single-cell studies in monkeys have shown that parameters of voluntary movement (such as direction) may be specified in the brain, relegating muscle activation to spinal interneuronal systems. Using a novel experimental paradigms and a full-head SQUID (for superconducting quantum interference device) array to record magnetic fields corresponding to ongoing brain activity, we demonstrate: (1), a robust relationship between time-dependent activity in sensorimotor cortex and movement velocity, independent of explicit task requirements; and (2) neural activations that are specific to task demands alone. It appears, therefore, that signatures of motor equivalence in humans may be found in dynamic patterns of cortical activity.

Characterization of pigs transgenic for human decay-accelerating factor

BACKGROUND

To prevent the central role played by complement activation in the hyperacute rejection of pig organs transplanted into primates, pigs transgenic for human decay-accelerating factor (HDAF) have recently been produced. The data presented here extend previous immunohistochemical findings by documenting the immunological characterization and the levels of expression of HDAF in these transgenic pigs.

METHODS

Animals from 30 independently derived lines were included in this study. HDAF expression was characterized by immunoprecipitation and epitope mapping. Quantitative analysis was performed by radiometric assays followed by Scatchard analysis and by double-determinant radioimmunoassay. Deposition of iC3b on porcine aortic endothelial cells was determined by radioimmunoassay. DNA slot-blot analysis and densitometric scanning were used to evaluate HDAF transgene copy number.

RESULTS

The integrity of HDAF expressed by these transgenic pigs could be demonstrated. HDAF was present in 72% of the organs analyzed, although considerable variation in expression occurred, both between animals and within the same pig. High levels of HDAF on porcine aortic endothelial cells resulted in iC3b deposition at levels as low as that detected on human endothelial cells. Twenty-six organs expressed levels of HDAF greater than those observed in the equivalent human tissue. HDAF expression did not correlate with the number of copies of the transgene incorporated into the porcine genome.

CONCLUSIONS

Transgenic pigs, which express levels of functional HDAF even greater than those observed in humans, have successfully been produced. Pigs transgenic for human complement inhibiting molecules could represent a source of organs for future clinical xenotransplantation.

The development and testing of a competency-focused psychiatric nursing clinical evaluation instrument

This article presents the development of a competency-focused psychiatric clinical evaluation instrument for the junior year of a baccalaureate program. Initially, 80 competencies were identified and categorized into six subscales. Competency achievement was measured by the Bondy Criterion Matrix (1983). Pilot setting generated an overall alpha (alpha) of 0.89 with item reliabilities ranging from 0.16 to 0.95. Testing of the revised Psychiatric Nursing Performance Appraisal Instrument (PsychNPAI) with another group of students (N = 51) generated an overall alpha = 0.96. Subscale alphas ranged from 0.82 to 0.92. These clinical subscales correlated significantly with related aspects of the didactic content in the course. The National League for Nursing Psychiatric Achievement Test correlated significantly with the overall course grade but not with PsychNPAI. The faculty and students perceive that the PsychNPAI clarifies expected outcomes and increases confidence in performance appraisal.

Brain dynamics, psychophysiological uncertainty and behavioral learning

The present paper takes a first step toward the integration of recent findings on brain dynamics and learning into established fields of psychophysiological science. Leading-edge studies of brain dynamics have shown that the brain manifests an inherent variability and that, when new stimuli (i.e., "problems") are presented to the organism, brain chaos increases. Similarly, many previous studies using a wide variety of physiological and behavioral measures have shown that "psychophysiological uncertainty" is associated with novel stimuli, novice behavioral performance, and new stimulus-stimulus and response-stimulus contingencies. Such uncertainty may ultimately be resolved through some form of learning. Along with the general changes in physiological and behavioral activity, increases in brain chaos may usher the organism into an exploratory mode which serves as a catalyst for learning.

Brucellosis as a rare cause of spondylitis

Images

Genetically determined oxidation capacity and the disposition of debrisoquine

1 The disposition in urine of debrisoquine and its hydroxylated metabolites has been studied in subjects of the 'extensive metabolizer' (EM; n = 5) and 'poor metabolizer' (PM; n = 5) phenotypes. The 4-hydroxylation of debrisoquine by PM subjects following a 10 mg oral dose was capacity-limited and displayed significant dose-dependency over a range of 1-20 mg. In contrast, the EM subjects' ability to perform this metabolic oxidation did not deviate from first-order kinetics over a dose range of 10-40 mg. 2 The disposition of debrisoquine in plasma following a 10 mg oral dose has been studied in EM (n = 4) and PM (n = 3) subjects. Whilst PM subjects displayed significantly higher plasma levels of debrisoquine at all time points following 1 h post-dosing, and higher values for areas under the plasma concentration-time curve (EM: 105.6 +/- 7.0 ng ml-1 h; PM: 371.4 +/- 22.4 ng ml-1 h, 2P less than 0.0001), neither debrisoquine plasma half-life (EM: 3.0 +/- 0.5 h; PM: 3.3 +/- 0.4 h) nor renal clearance of the drug (EM: 152.8 +/- 30.3 ml min-1; PM: 137 +/- 4.5 ml min-1) displayed significant inter-phenotype differences. 3 The results of these investigations show that the phenotyping of individuals for debrisoquine oxidation status by means of a 'metabolic ratio' derived from a single 0-8 h urine sample has a sound kinetic basis. The kinetic differences between the two phenotypes would strongly suggest that the metabolic defect manifested in PM subjects is one of pre-systemic elimination capacity.

The St. Mary's Hospital sleep questionnaire: a study of reliability

A systematic sleep questionnaire has been devised for assessing the previous night's sleep of a subject. It has been designed for repeated use. It is completed by the subject and is framed with the needs of the hospital patient in mind. In the present study it was given to 93 subjects in four different groups: 16 surgical inpatients, 21 medical inpatients, 32 psychiatric inpatients (in a general hospital unit), and 24 normal volunteers. Test retest reliability correlations have been derived using a nonparametric correlation coefficient (Kendall's tau). Each of the items achieved statistically significant reliability (p less than 0.0001) in all four groups, with the value for tau on the total sample varying from 0.70 to 0.96. The St. Mary's (or SMH) Sleep Questionnaire is put forward as an instrument that is a systematic inquiry into the subject's experience of sleep and that is composed of items of demonstrable reliability.

Renal function, body fluid volumes, renin, aldosterone, and noradrenaline during treatment of hypertension with pindolol

Sixteen hypertensive patients received pindolol (10-45 mg/day); mean +/- SD, 28.75 +/- 15.22) for 3-8 weeks in a placebo-controlled, single-blind, crossover study. Supine and standing blood pressures (BP) were lowered, whereas effective renal plasma flow and glomerular filtration rates (estimated from the clearances of Hippuran and EDTA during oral water loading) did not change consistently. "Blood volume" (calculated from 125I-human serum albumin space and microhaematocrit) increased, with a corresponding reduction in serum albumin but without a change in body weight or "total body water" (T2O space). The results suggest a transfer of water from the interstitial to the intravascular compartment. This was supported by estimates of "extracellular fluid volume" (EDTA space) and "interstitial volume" (EDTA) minus human serum albumin spaces) in 3 subjects. The changes produced in "blood volume" correlated with those in BP. Plasma levels of noradrenaline, renin activity, and aldosterone were reduced, as was renal aldosterone excretion. There was no correlation between the changes produced by pindolol in BP and these hormone levels. Pindolol treatment reduced serum calcium concentration. There was a strong positive correlation between changes in BP and serum calcium and renal calcium excretion.

The metabolism of [14C]-debrisoquine in man

1 The synthesis of [14C]-debrisoquine hydrochloride and 4-hydroxy-debrisoquine sulphate is described. 2 The metabolic fate and excretion profile in both urine and faeces of 14C-labelled debrisoquine was studied in five healthy human subjects. 3 Investigations showed that the drug is well-absorbed after a single oral dose of 32 mg and quantitatively eliminated from the body within three days. 4 4-Hydroxy-debrisoquine is the major metabolite of debrisoquine, although significant amounts of 5-,6-, 7- and 8-hydroxy-debrisoquine are also formed. 5 Electron-capture gas chromatography is a useful method for measuring debrisoquine and its five hydroxylated metabolites in urine at the pg level.

Polymorphism of carbon oxidation of drugs and clinical implications

Eight volunteers previously phenotyped for their ability to hydroxylate debrisoquine (four extensive metabolisers (EM), four poor metabolisers (PM) were investigated for their metabolic handling of guanoxan and phenacetin. All three drugs are oxidised at carbon centres. Oxidative dealkylation of phenacetin was determined by measuring the rate of formation of paracetamol. The EM subjects excreted mostly metabolites of guanoxan (mean 29% of dose), whereas the PM group excreted large amounts of unchanged drug (48% of dose). The rate of formation of paracetamol was noticeably slower in the PM group, and, when analysed by minimum estimates of apparent first-order rate constants, the difference between the two phenotypes was significant. Thus the hydroxylation defect shown for debrisoquine metabolism carries over to the oxidative metabolism of phenacetin and guanoxan. Some 5% of the population are genetically defective hydroxylators of drugs. Thus methods for evaluating the metabolism of new drugs in respect of usage and side effects need to be revised.

Polymorphic hydroxylation of Debrisoquine in man

Debrisoquine and its primary metabolite, 4-hydroxydebrisoquine, were measured in the urine of 94 volunteers after a single oral dose of 10 mg debrisoquine. The ratio between excreted debrisoquine and its metabolite was bimorphically distributed in the study population. Family studies supported the view that alicyclic 4-hydroxylation of debrisoquine is controlled by a single autosomal gene and that a defect in this metabolic step is caused by a recessive allele.