The implementation of a hepatitis C testing service in community pharmacies: I-COPTIC consensus statement

OBJECTIVES

This aimed to develop a blueprint for an effective community pharmacy Hepatitis C virus (HCV) testing service by producing a consensus statement.

STUDY DESIGN

This was a modified Delphi process.

METHODS

We recruited a heterogenous panel of experts (who had been involved in the setup or delivery of a community pharmacy HCV testing service) by purposive and chain referral methods. We had three rounds of a modified Delphi process. The first was a series of questions with free text responses and was analysed using thematic analysis, and the second and third were statements for the respondents to rate using a 7-point Likert scale. Consensus was predefined in a published protocol, and the results were reviewed by a public and patient involvement panel before the statement was finalised.

RESULTS

We had 24 participants, including community and hospital-based pharmacists, local pharmaceutical committee members, charity representatives (Hepatitis C Trust), local clinical service lead, nurse specialists and doctors. The response rate of the first, second and third rounds were 100%, 96% and 88%, respectively. After the third round, we had 60 statements that reached consensus. We discussed the accepted statements with a patient and public involvement group. We used these statements to produce the I-COPTIC statement and a graphical summary.

CONCLUSIONS

We developed a blueprint for the design of a gold standard community pharmacy HCV testing service. We believe this will support the successful implementation of community pharmacy testing for HCV. Community pharmacy testing is an important service to help achieve and maintain HCV elimination.

Handling 'carbon footprint' in orthopaedics

INTRODUCTION

The National Health Service contributes 4%-5% of England and Wales' greenhouse gases and a quarter of all public sector waste. Between 20% and 33% of healthcare waste originates from a hospital's operating room, and up to 90% of waste is sent for costly and unneeded hazardous waste processing. The goal of this study was to quantify the amount and type of waste produced during a selection of common trauma and elective orthopaedic operations, and to calculate the carbon footprint of processing the waste.

METHODS

Waste generated for both elective and trauma procedures was separated primarily into clean and contaminated, paper or plastic, and then weighed. The annual carbon footprint for each operation at each site was subsequently calculated.

RESULTS

Elective procedures can generate up to 16.5kg of plastic waste per procedure. Practices such as double-draping the patient contribute to increasing the quantity of waste. Over the procedures analysed, the mean total plastic waste at the hospital sites varied from 6 to 12kg. One hospital site undertook a pilot of switching disposable gowns for reusable ones with a subsequent reduction of 66% in the carbon footprint and a cost saving of £13,483.89.

CONCLUSIONS

This study sheds new light on the environmental impact of waste produced during trauma and elective orthopaedic procedures. Mitigating the environmental impact of the operating room requires a collective drive for a culture change to sustainability and social responsibility. Each clinician can have an impact upon the carbon footprint of their operating theatre.

The carbon footprint of arthroscopic procedures

INTRODUCTION

The healthcare sector contributes the equivalent of 4.4% of global net emissions to the climate carbon footprint; between 20% and 70% of healthcare waste originates from a hospital's operating theatre and up to 90% of waste is sent for costly and unneeded hazardous waste processing. This study aimed to quantify the amount and type of waste produced during an arthroscopic anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) and an arthroscopic rotator cuff repair (RCR), calculate the carbon footprint and assess the cost of the waste disposal.

METHODS

The amount of waste generated from ACLR and RCR procedures was calculated across a range of hospital sites. The waste was separated primarily into clean and contaminated, paper or plastic. Both carbon footprint and cost of disposal across the hospital sites was subsequently calculated.

RESULTS

RCR generated 3.3-15.5kg of plastic waste and 0.9-2.3kg of paper waste. ACLR generated 2.4-9.6kg of plastic waste and 1.1-1.6kg of paper waste. The cost to process waste varies widely between hospital sites, waste disposal contractors and method of waste disposal. The annual burden of the included hospital sites for the arthroscopic procedures undertaken was 6.2 tonnes of carbon dioxide.

CONCLUSIONS

The data collected demonstrated a significant variability in waste production and cost for waste disposal between hospital sites. At a national level, consideration should be given to the procurement of appropriate products such that waste can be efficiently recycled or disposed of by environmentally sustainable methods.

Impact and process evaluation of a primary-school Food Education and Sustainability Training (FEAST) program in 10-12-year-old children in Australia: pragmatic cluster non-randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Environmentally sustainable food initiatives accompanying nutrition education, such as the Food Education and Sustainability Training (FEAST) program, have gained traction in school settings. The aim of this trial was to conduct an impact and process evaluation of FEAST, to evaluate its effect on children's fruit and vegetable (F&V) intakes, and secondary outcomes: F&V variety consumed, nutrition knowledge, food preparation/cooking skills, self-efficacy and behaviours, food waste knowledge and behaviours, and food production knowledge.

METHODS

FEAST was a 10-week curriculum-aligned program, designed to educate children about healthy eating, food waste, and sustainability, while teaching cooking skills. It was implemented by classroom teachers, face-to-face and online, during COVID-19 school closures, in Australia in 2021. A custom designed survey was used to collect baseline and post-intervention data from students. Generalised linear mixed models (GLMM) estimated group differences in pre-post changes for primary and secondary outcomes. Surveys were also administered to students and teachers to evaluate intervention implementation.

RESULTS

Twenty schools participated and self-selected to be either intervention schools (n = 10) or wait-list control (WLC) schools (n = 10). A total of 977, 5th and 6th grade children participated in the trial with a mean age of 11.1 years (SD ± 0.7). The FEAST intervention, compared to WLC, did not result in significant increases in primary outcomes nor secondary outcomes. The process evaluation revealed FEAST was well-received by students and teachers, but COVID-19 school closures hindered implementation fidelity with a less intense program delivered under the constraints of pandemic lockdowns.

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first cluster non-randomized controlled trial designed to independently evaluate FEAST in the primary-school setting. No evidence was found for improved F&V intakes in children, nor secondary outcomes. However, the positive process evaluation results suggest that further trials of the program are warranted. If implemented as originally designed (pre-pandemic), with increased duration and complemented by supporting school policies, such programs have the potential to improve children's daily F&V intakes, cooking skills and food waste behaviours. This would support the Australian curriculum and contribute to: health promotion within schools and sustainable schools initiatives, the national agenda to reduce food waste and sustainable development goals. AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRY: [ACTRN12620001347954]- Registered prospectively on 14/12/2020.

Kawasaki Disease in the Time of COVID-19 and MIS-C: The International Kawasaki Disease Registry

BACKGROUND

Patients with multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) and Kawasaki disease (KD) have overlapping clinical features. We compared demographics, clinical presentation, management, and outcomes of patients according to evidence of previous SARS-CoV-2 infection.

METHODS

The International Kawasaki Disease Registry (IKDR) enrolled KD and MIS-C patients from sites in North, Central, and South America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Evidence of previous infection was defined as: Positive (household contact or positive polymerase chain reaction [PCR]/serology), Possible (suggestive clinical features of MIS-C and/or KD with negative PCR or serology but not both), Negative (negative PCR and serology and no known exposure), and Unknown (incomplete testing and no known exposure).

RESULTS

Of 2345 enrolled patients SARS-CoV-2 status was Positive for 1541 (66%) patients, Possible for 89 (4%), Negative for 404 (17%) and Unknown for 311 (13%). Clinical outcomes varied significantly among the groups, with more patients in the Positive/Possible groups presenting with shock, having admission to intensive care, receiving inotropic support, and having longer hospital stays. Regarding cardiac abnormalities, patients in the Positive/Possible groups had a higher prevalence of left ventricular dysfunction, and patients in the Negative and Unknown groups had more severe coronary artery abnormalities.

CONCLUSIONS

There appears to be a spectrum of clinical features from MIS-C to KD with a great deal of heterogeneity, and one primary differentiating factor is evidence for previous acute SARS-CoV-2 infection/exposure. SARS-CoV-2 Positive/Possible patients had more severe presentations and required more intensive management, with a greater likelihood of ventricular dysfunction but less severe coronary artery adverse outcomes, in keeping with MIS-C.

Effects of empagliflozin on progression of chronic kidney disease: a prespecified secondary analysis from the empa-kidney trial

BACKGROUND

Sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors reduce progression of chronic kidney disease and the risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in a wide range of patients. However, their effects on kidney disease progression in some patients with chronic kidney disease are unclear because few clinical kidney outcomes occurred among such patients in the completed trials. In particular, some guidelines stratify their level of recommendation about who should be treated with SGLT2 inhibitors based on diabetes status and albuminuria. We aimed to assess the effects of empagliflozin on progression of chronic kidney disease both overall and among specific types of participants in the EMPA-KIDNEY trial.

METHODS

EMPA-KIDNEY, a randomised, controlled, phase 3 trial, was conducted at 241 centres in eight countries (Canada, China, Germany, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, the UK, and the USA), and included individuals aged 18 years or older with an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of 20 to less than 45 mL/min per 1·73 m2, or with an eGFR of 45 to less than 90 mL/min per 1·73 m2 with a urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (uACR) of 200 mg/g or higher. We explored the effects of 10 mg oral empagliflozin once daily versus placebo on the annualised rate of change in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR slope), a tertiary outcome. We studied the acute slope (from randomisation to 2 months) and chronic slope (from 2 months onwards) separately, using shared parameter models to estimate the latter. Analyses were done in all randomly assigned participants by intention to treat. EMPA-KIDNEY is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03594110.

FINDINGS

Between May 15, 2019, and April 16, 2021, 6609 participants were randomly assigned and then followed up for a median of 2·0 years (IQR 1·5-2·4). Prespecified subgroups of eGFR included 2282 (34·5%) participants with an eGFR of less than 30 mL/min per 1·73 m2, 2928 (44·3%) with an eGFR of 30 to less than 45 mL/min per 1·73 m2, and 1399 (21·2%) with an eGFR 45 mL/min per 1·73 m2 or higher. Prespecified subgroups of uACR included 1328 (20·1%) with a uACR of less than 30 mg/g, 1864 (28·2%) with a uACR of 30 to 300 mg/g, and 3417 (51·7%) with a uACR of more than 300 mg/g. Overall, allocation to empagliflozin caused an acute 2·12 mL/min per 1·73 m2 (95% CI 1·83-2·41) reduction in eGFR, equivalent to a 6% (5-6) dip in the first 2 months. After this, it halved the chronic slope from -2·75 to -1·37 mL/min per 1·73 m2 per year (relative difference 50%, 95% CI 42-58). The absolute and relative benefits of empagliflozin on the magnitude of the chronic slope varied significantly depending on diabetes status and baseline levels of eGFR and uACR. In particular, the absolute difference in chronic slopes was lower in patients with lower baseline uACR, but because this group progressed more slowly than those with higher uACR, this translated to a larger relative difference in chronic slopes in this group (86% [36-136] reduction in the chronic slope among those with baseline uACR <30 mg/g compared with a 29% [19-38] reduction for those with baseline uACR ≥2000 mg/g; ptrend<0·0001).

INTERPRETATION

Empagliflozin slowed the rate of progression of chronic kidney disease among all types of participant in the EMPA-KIDNEY trial, including those with little albuminuria. Albuminuria alone should not be used to determine whether to treat with an SGLT2 inhibitor.

FUNDING

Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly.

Amivantamab plus chemotherapy with and without lazertinib in EGFR-mutant advanced NSCLC after disease progression on osimertinib: primary results from the phase III MARIPOSA-2 study

BACKGROUND

Amivantamab plus carboplatin-pemetrexed (chemotherapy) with and without lazertinib demonstrated antitumor activity in patients with refractory epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutated advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in phase I studies. These combinations were evaluated in a global phase III trial.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A total of 657 patients with EGFR-mutated (exon 19 deletions or L858R) locally advanced or metastatic NSCLC after disease progression on osimertinib were randomized 2 : 2 : 1 to receive amivantamab-lazertinib-chemotherapy, chemotherapy, or amivantamab-chemotherapy. The dual primary endpoints were progression-free survival (PFS) of amivantamab-chemotherapy and amivantamab-lazertinib-chemotherapy versus chemotherapy. During the study, hematologic toxicities observed in the amivantamab-lazertinib-chemotherapy arm necessitated a regimen change to start lazertinib after carboplatin completion.

RESULTS

All baseline characteristics were well balanced across the three arms, including by history of brain metastases and prior brain radiation. PFS was significantly longer for amivantamab-chemotherapy and amivantamab-lazertinib-chemotherapy versus chemotherapy [hazard ratio (HR) for disease progression or death 0.48 and 0.44, respectively; P < 0.001 for both; median of 6.3 and 8.3 versus 4.2 months, respectively]. Consistent PFS results were seen by investigator assessment (HR for disease progression or death 0.41 and 0.38 for amivantamab-chemotherapy and amivantamab-lazertinib-chemotherapy, respectively; P < 0.001 for both; median of 8.2 and 8.3 versus 4.2 months, respectively). Objective response rate was significantly higher for amivantamab-chemotherapy and amivantamab-lazertinib-chemotherapy versus chemotherapy (64% and 63% versus 36%, respectively; P < 0.001 for both). Median intracranial PFS was 12.5 and 12.8 versus 8.3 months for amivantamab-chemotherapy and amivantamab-lazertinib-chemotherapy versus chemotherapy (HR for intracranial disease progression or death 0.55 and 0.58, respectively). Predominant adverse events (AEs) in the amivantamab-containing regimens were hematologic, EGFR-, and MET-related toxicities. Amivantamab-chemotherapy had lower rates of hematologic AEs than amivantamab-lazertinib-chemotherapy.

CONCLUSIONS

Amivantamab-chemotherapy and amivantamab-lazertinib-chemotherapy improved PFS and intracranial PFS versus chemotherapy in a population with limited options after disease progression on osimertinib. Longer follow-up is needed for the modified amivantamab-lazertinib-chemotherapy regimen.

A Retrospective Review of Patient-reported Outcomes after Postaxial Polydactyly Ligation and Surgical Excision

Background

Interventions for type B postaxial polydactyly include suture ligation and surgical excision, yet there is a paucity of literature comparing the outcomes of these procedures. This study sought to compare patient-reported long-term outcomes of postaxial digit excision.

Methods

A six-question survey was distributed from January 2021 to March 2022 to patients who underwent treatment for type B postaxial polydactyly at a single pediatric institution from 2010 to 2016. Patients were queried about the incidence of pain sensitivity, keloid healing, and/or persistent presence of bump ("nubbin") at the treatment site.

Results

A total of 158 responses accounting for 258 digits were attained for a 53% response rate. The majority of digits (67.4%, n = 174) were surgically excised. Median age at procedure was 49 days: 13.0 days for ligation, 63.0 days for surgical excision. Median age at survey was 8 [IQR 5.4-10.2] years. Short-term (<30 days after procedure) complications rate was 1.6%. The rate of a raised or sensitive scar was 39.5% (ligation 51.5% versus surgery 35.4%, P < 0.05). The likelihood of postoperative sensitivity (P = 0.80) was similar among groups. However, the odds of a residual bump or raised scar at the surgical site was significantly higher in the ligation group (P = 0.001). These findings remained significant in the adjusted analysis.

Conclusion

This study suggests that suture ligation can be used in select cases without increasing the prevalence of long-term pain or sensitivity, albeit with greater risk of a bump or raised scar at the excision site compared with surgical excision.

Impact of primary kidney disease on the effects of empagliflozin in patients with chronic kidney disease: secondary analyses of the EMPA-KIDNEY trial

BACKGROUND

The EMPA-KIDNEY trial showed that empagliflozin reduced the risk of the primary composite outcome of kidney disease progression or cardiovascular death in patients with chronic kidney disease mainly through slowing progression. We aimed to assess how effects of empagliflozin might differ by primary kidney disease across its broad population.

METHODS

EMPA-KIDNEY, a randomised, controlled, phase 3 trial, was conducted at 241 centres in eight countries (Canada, China, Germany, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, the UK, and the USA). Patients were eligible if their estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was 20 to less than 45 mL/min per 1·73 m2, or 45 to less than 90 mL/min per 1·73 m2 with a urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (uACR) of 200 mg/g or higher at screening. They were randomly assigned (1:1) to 10 mg oral empagliflozin once daily or matching placebo. Effects on kidney disease progression (defined as a sustained ≥40% eGFR decline from randomisation, end-stage kidney disease, a sustained eGFR below 10 mL/min per 1·73 m2, or death from kidney failure) were assessed using prespecified Cox models, and eGFR slope analyses used shared parameter models. Subgroup comparisons were performed by including relevant interaction terms in models. EMPA-KIDNEY is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03594110.

FINDINGS

Between May 15, 2019, and April 16, 2021, 6609 participants were randomly assigned and followed up for a median of 2·0 years (IQR 1·5-2·4). Prespecified subgroupings by primary kidney disease included 2057 (31·1%) participants with diabetic kidney disease, 1669 (25·3%) with glomerular disease, 1445 (21·9%) with hypertensive or renovascular disease, and 1438 (21·8%) with other or unknown causes. Kidney disease progression occurred in 384 (11·6%) of 3304 patients in the empagliflozin group and 504 (15·2%) of 3305 patients in the placebo group (hazard ratio 0·71 [95% CI 0·62-0·81]), with no evidence that the relative effect size varied significantly by primary kidney disease (pheterogeneity=0·62). The between-group difference in chronic eGFR slopes (ie, from 2 months to final follow-up) was 1·37 mL/min per 1·73 m2 per year (95% CI 1·16-1·59), representing a 50% (42-58) reduction in the rate of chronic eGFR decline. This relative effect of empagliflozin on chronic eGFR slope was similar in analyses by different primary kidney diseases, including in explorations by type of glomerular disease and diabetes (p values for heterogeneity all >0·1).

INTERPRETATION

In a broad range of patients with chronic kidney disease at risk of progression, including a wide range of non-diabetic causes of chronic kidney disease, empagliflozin reduced risk of kidney disease progression. Relative effect sizes were broadly similar irrespective of the cause of primary kidney disease, suggesting that SGLT2 inhibitors should be part of a standard of care to minimise risk of kidney failure in chronic kidney disease.

FUNDING

Boehringer Ingelheim, Eli Lilly, and UK Medical Research Council.

Yield, carbon stock, and price dynamics of agroforestry tree species in district Mardan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Abstract A socio-economic study was conducted in district Mardan of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province of Pakistan to get a comprehensive knowledge of the agroforestry tree species grown on the farmlands, their yield, and carbon stock. For yield and carbon stock estimation, data were collected from 59 sample plots by measuring the diameter, height, volume, and biomass of selected agroforestry tree species through D-tape and Haga altimeter. A total of 59 sample plots were inventoried using 2.5 percent sampling intensity. Each sample plot has an area of 0.5 ha, where each tree with a Diameter at Breast Height (DBH) ≥ 5 cm was inventoried. The calculated amount of volume of each tree species was then converted to biomass by multiplying it by the density of wood and the Biomass Expansion Factor (BEF). Total yield and C stock for the selected agroforestry tree species were 11535.2 metric tons and 2102.2 metric tons, respectively. Populus euroamericana is classified as the main tree with 28% growing stock prior to Morus alba by 21%, while Melia azedarach, Eucalyptus camaldulensis, Dalbergia sissoo, Acacia nilotica, Salix tetrasperma, and Bombax ceiba consist of 15%, 12%, 8%, 6%,7% and 3% growing stock respectively. Among the species found in different sampling plots the yield of Populus euroamericana was found to be 4747.5 metric tons and it was followed by the species Morus alba found at 2027.3 metric tons. Similarly, the volume for Melia azedarach, Eucalyptus camaldulensis, Dalbergia sissoo, Salix spp, Boombox ceiba, and Acacia nilotica was 1532.2 tons,1503 ton,745.7,203.5ton, 555.4ton and 220.5ton, respectively. The carbon stock for Populus euroamericana was calculated as 777.8 ton/ha, while for Eucalyptus camaldulensis, Melia azedarach, Morus alba, Dalbergia sissoo, Acacia nilotica, Salix species, and Bombax ceiba it was calculated as 312.3ton/ha, 272.1ton/ha, 363ton/ha, 245.1ton/ha, 51.4ton/ha, 27.3ton/ha and 53.2ton/ha, respectively. The questionnaire survey conducted for price dynamics showed that the majority of respondents purchase timber from the market for construction. But they use farm trees with low-quality city construction. They dislike using local timber in the conventional building as timber from farm trees is liable to insect attack. Rs. 50,000-100000, (33.33%) of daily sales was concluded from 50% of the trader while (16.7%) of the traders have their sales between Rs.150,000-200,000. Therefore, it is concluded by the authors that both provincial and federal government should promote agroforestry in Pakistan through different incentives because it has the potential to cope with dilemma of deforestation of natural forests and improve the livelihood of local peoples. It is strongly recommended that special projects just like the Ten Billion Tree Afforestation Project (T-BTTP) should be launched for agroforestry plantation and promotion in the country to sustain the ecological harmony and uplift the socio-economic condition of the peoples of Pakistan.

Exploring the use of masks for protection against the effects of wildfire smoke among people with preexisting respiratory conditions

BACKGROUND

The impact of wildfire smoke is a growing public health issue, especially for those living with preexisting respiratory conditions. Understanding perceptions and behaviors relevant to the use of individual protective strategies, and how these affect the adoption of these strategies, is critical for the development of future communication and support interventions. This study focused on the use of masks by people living in the Australian community with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

METHODS

Semi-structured phone interviews were undertaken with people living in the community aged 18 years and over. Participants lived in a bushfire-prone area and reported having been diagnosed with asthma or COPD.

RESULTS

Twenty interviews were undertaken between July and September 2021. We found that, during wildfire episodes, there was an overwhelming reliance on closing windows and staying inside as a means of mitigating exposure to smoke. There was limited use of masks for this purpose. Even among those who had worn a mask, there was little consideration given to the type of mask or respirator used. Reliance on sensory experiences with smoke was a common prompt to adopting an avoidance behavior. Participants lacked confidence in the information available from air-quality apps and websites, however they were receptive to the idea of using masks in the future.

CONCLUSIONS

Whilst COVID-19 has changed the nature of community mask use over the last couple of years, there is no guarantee that this event will influence an individual's mask behavior during other events like bushfires. Instead, we must create social support processes for early and appropriate mask use, including the use of air quality monitoring.

Bothersome Hot Flashes Following Neoadjuvant Androgen Deprivation Therapy and Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy for Localized Prostate Cancer

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) may improve cancer control in unfavorable localized prostate cancer treated with stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT). ADT is known to cause hormonally related symptoms that resolve with testosterone recovery. Hot flashes are particularly burdensome. This study sought to evaluate the timeline of hot flashes following short-course ADT and SBRT as well as its relationship with testosterone recovery.

MATERIALS/METHODS

Institutional IRB approval was obtained for this retrospective review of prospectively collected data (IRB#: 2009-510). ADT was initiated three months prior to the start of SBRT. Hot flashes were self-reported via question 13a a healthcare software prior to ADT initiation, the first day of robotic SBRT, and at each follow-up (1, 3, 6, 9, 12, 18, 24 and 36 months). The responses were grouped into three relevant categories (no problem, very small-small problem and moderate-big problem). Scores were transformed to a 0-100 scale with higher scores reflecting less bother. Testosterone levels were measured at each follow-up.

RESULTS

From 2007 to 2010, 122 localized prostate cancer patients (9 low-, 64 intermediate-, and 49 high-risk according to the D'Amico classification) at a median age of 72 years (range 54.5-88.3) were treated with short course ADT (3-6 months) and SBRT (35-36.25 Gy) at Georgetown University Hospital. Thirty-two percent were black and 27% were obese. 77% of patient received three months of ADT. At baseline, 2% of men experienced hot flashes that were a "moderate to big problem" and that proportion peaked at the start of SBRT (45%) before returning to baseline 9 months post-SBRT with a cumulative incidence of 52.4%. The median baseline healthcare software hot flash score of 94 declined to 50 at the start of SBRT but this returned to baseline by six months post SBRT. These changes were both statistically and clinically significant (MID = 9.5083). Testosterone recovery (> 230 ng/dL) occurred in approximately 70% of patients by 12 months post SBRT. Resolution of hot flashes correlated with testosterone recovery.

CONCLUSION

Bothersome hot flashes occur in greater than 50% of men treated with neoadjuvant ADT. Resolution of hot flashes occurs in the majority of patients within one year after treatment. Reassurance of the temporary nature of hot flashes may assist in reducing patient anxiety. Measuring testosterone levels at follow-up visits may allow for anticipatory counseling that may limit the associated bother.

Bothersome Gynecomastia Following Neoadjuvant GnRH Agonists and Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy for Localized Prostate Cancer

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is increasingly utilized in combination with stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) for unfavorable prostate cancer. ADT such as gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists are known to cause hormonal-related side effects such as gynecomastia. The incidence of bothersome breast tenderness and/or enlargement following short course GnRH agonists and SBRT is unknown. This study sought to evaluate the timeline of gynecomastia as well as its relationship with testosterone recovery.

MATERIALS/METHODS

Gynecomastia was self-reported via question 13b of a healthcare software prior to ADT initiation, the first day of robotic SBRT, and at each follow-up (1, 3, 6, 9, 12, 18, 24 and 36 months). The responses were grouped into three relevant categories (no problem, very small-small problem, and moderate-big problem). Scores were transformed to a 0-100 scale with higher scores reflecting less bother. Testosterone levels were measured at each follow-up.

RESULTS

From 2007 to 2010, 122 localized prostate cancer patients (9 low-, 64 intermediate-, and 49 high-risk according to the D'Amico classification) at a median age of 72 years (range 54.5-88.3) were treated with short course ADT (3-6 months) and SBRT (35-36.25 Gy) at Georgetown University Hospital. Of the participants, 48% percent were non-white and 48% were overweight. 77% of patients received three months of ADT. At baseline, 2% of men experienced gynecomastia that was a "moderate to big problem" and that proportion peaked at 3 and 12 months post-SBRT (7%) before returning to less than baseline (0%) 24 months post-SBRT with a cumulative incidence of 14.75%. The median baseline healthcare software hot flash score of 98 declined to 90 at 3 months post-SBRT but this returned to baseline by 24 months post SBRT. These changes were both statistically and clinically significant (MID = 6.5). Testosterone recovery (> 230 ng/dL) occurred in approximately 70% of patients by 12 months post SBRT. The development and resolution of gynecomastia fluctuated at various timepoints and did not directly correlate with testosterone recovery.

CONCLUSION

Bothersome gynecomastia occurs in less than 15% of men treated with neoadjuvant ADT. Resolution of gynecomastia occurs in most patients within two years after treatment. Reassurance of the temporary nature of gynecomastia may assist in reducing patient anxiety. Institutional IRB (IRB#: 2009-510) approval was obtained for retrospective review of prospectively collected data.

Audit of middle-ear surgery outcomes in a tertiary referral Australian teaching hospital

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to audit middle-ear surgical procedures, provide a record of Australian experiences and allow comparisons with other published audits.

METHOD

A retrospective continuous series audit was conducted on 274 patients who underwent tympanoplasty, mastoidectomy and stapedotomy surgery at Westmead Hospital, Sydney. All consecutive surgical procedures, performed by multiple operators at various stages of training but under the care of a single surgeon, were included.

RESULTS

Graft uptake was 86.9 per cent in tympanoplasty. Well healed cavities were seen in 72 per cent of mastoidectomies. Although 42 per cent of the patients had one or more co-morbidities, this did not influence the outcome. Hearing improvement was dramatic in stapedotomy and minimally changed in mastoidectomy. Post-operative complications were minimal.

CONCLUSION

All forms of middle-ear surgery were effective in achieving their surgical goals. Aural discharge and inflammatory diseases were well controlled with tympanoplasty and mastoid surgery.

β-hydroxybutyrate is a metabolic regulator of proteostasis in the aged and Alzheimer disease brain

Loss of proteostasis is a hallmark of aging and Alzheimer disease (AD). Here, we identify β-hydroxybutyrate (βHB), a ketone body, as a regulator of protein solubility in the aging brain. βHB is a small molecule metabolite which primarily provides an oxidative substrate for ATP during hypoglycemic conditions, and also regulates other cellular processes through covalent and noncovalent protein interactions. We demonstrate βHB-induced protein insolubility across in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo mouse systems. This activity is shared by select structurally similar metabolites, is not dependent on covalent protein modification, pH, or solute load, and is observable in mouse brain in vivo after delivery of a ketone ester. Furthermore, this phenotype is selective for pathological proteins such as amyloid-β, and exogenous βHB ameliorates pathology in nematode models of amyloid-β aggregation toxicity. We have generated a comprehensive atlas of the βHB-induced protein insolublome ex vivo and in vivo using mass spectrometry proteomics, and have identified common protein domains within βHB target sequences. Finally, we show enrichment of neurodegeneration-related proteins among βHB targets and the clearance of these targets from mouse brain, likely via βHB-induced autophagy. Overall, these data indicate a new metabolically regulated mechanism of proteostasis relevant to aging and AD.

THE GUT-BRAIN AXIS: IMPLICATIONS FOR NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS, MENTAL HEALTH, AND IMMUNE FUNCTION

A gut-brain axis (GBA) has a long history of conceptual development. Intestinal dysbiosis has now been recognized as a key player in the development of adult neurodevelopmental disorders, obesity, and inflammatory bowel disease. Recent developments in metagenomics suggest those nutrition and gut microbiotas (GM) are important regulators of the gut-brain communication pathways that cause neurodevelopmental and psychiatric problems in adulthood. Intestinal dysbiosis and neurodevelopmental disease outcomes in preterm newborns are being linked by recent research. Recent clinical investigations demonstrate that in critical care units, intestinal dysbiosis occurs before late-onset newborn sepsis and necrotizing enterocolitis. Strong epidemiologic data also shows a connection between necrotizing enterocolitis and extremely low birth weight babies' long-term psychomotor impairments and late-onset neonatal sepsis. The GBA theory suggests that intestinal bacteria may indirectly affect preterm newborns' developing brains. In this review, we emphasize the structure and function of the GBA and discuss how immune-microbial dysfunction in the gut affects the transmission of stress signals to the brain. Preterm babies who are exposed to these signals develop neurologic disorders. Understanding neuronal and humoral communication through the GBA may provide insight into therapeutic and nutritional strategies that may enhance the results of very low-birth-weight babies.

Solid organ graft-versus-host disease in a recipient of a COVID-19 positive liver graft

A 66-year-old male with end-stage liver disease (ESLD) secondary to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), complicated by hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), underwent deceased donor liver transplantation from a Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) positive donor. He presented a month later with fever, diarrhea and pancytopenia which led to hospitalization. The hospital course was notable for respiratory failure, attributed to invasive aspergillosis, as well as a diffuse rash. A bone marrow biopsy revealed hypocellular marrow without specific findings. In the following days, laboratory parameters raised concern for secondary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH). Clinical concern also grew for solid organ transplant graft-versus-host-disease (SOT-GVHD) based on repeat marrow biopsy with elevated donor-derived CD3+ T cells on chimerism. After, a multidisciplinary discussion, the patient was started on ruxolitinib, in addition to high dose steroids, to address both SOT-GVHD and secondary HLH. Patient developed symptoms concerning for hemorrhagic stroke and was transitioned to comfort care. Although GVHD has been studied extensively in hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) patients, it is a rare entity in SOT with a lack of guidelines for management. Additionally, whether COVID-19 may play a role in development of SOT-GVDH has not been explored.

Unraveling the invisible demon: a study of the oxidative stress markers, antioxidant activities and inflammatory markers in patients admitted with complete heart block

Funding Acknowledgements

Type of funding sources: None.

Introduction

Despite the recent advancements in the management of Complete Heart Block (CHB), the aetiology of CHB is still idiopathic in most of the cases. Our study explores this hitherto untouched aspect of complete heart block.

Purpose

We aimed to assess the aetiological profile of Complete Heart Block patients in our study.

Methods

The study population consisted of 60 patients with complete heart block aged between 30 to 80 years, attending as an inpatient in ER. Oxidative stress was measured by serum MDA, serum GSH, serum Catalase activity and serum SOD activity. Antioxidant activity was obtained by measuring the levels of serum total antioxidant capacity. Inflammatory stress was measured by IL-5 and TNF-alpha levels. These values were compared to 30 healthy controls with no prior history of smoking and diabetes mellitus.

Results

The mean age of the patient was 62.48 ± 7.98 years and the gender distribution was 37 males and 23 females out of 60 patients. The mean value of serum MDA (ng/mL) in cases is 1451.26 ± 206.32, and in controls, the mean value is 1197.98 ± 234.71 (p=&lt;0.001). The mean value of serum GSH (mcg/mL) in cases is 46.982 ± 18.613, and in controls, the mean value is 54.155 ± 10.762 (p=0.027). The mean value of serum Catalase Activity (U/min/mg protein) in cases is 10.763 ± 4.038 and in controls, the mean value is 19.878 ± 7.787 (p=0.003). The mean value of serum SOD Activity (U/g) in cases is 24.950 ± 5.4565, and in controls, the mean value is 46.214 ± 14.6309 (p=0.891). The mean value of serum Total Antioxidant Capacity (U/mL) in cases is 5.546 ± 0.620 and in controls, the mean value is 8.346 ± 2.781 (p=0.025). The mean value of serum IL-5 (pg/mL) in cases is 481.442 ± 28.8995, and in controls, the mean value is 67.347 ± 20.445 (p&lt;0.001). The mean value of serum TNF-ALFA (pg/mL) in cases is 196.741 ± 73.771, and in controls, the mean value is 144.530 ± 42.599 (p= 0.081).

Conclusions

During a complete heart block, SOD (p=0.891), CAT (p=0.003), GSH (p=0.027) and total antioxidant (TAOC) (p=0.025) were significantly decreased in cases, compared to healthy controls, thus suggesting that the elevated levels of oxidative free radicals causes endothelial dysfunctioning. The increase in ROS was observed by a highly significant increase of malondialdehyde (MDA) (p=&lt;0.001) showing high ROS-mediated tissue damage. Besides damage by oxidative stress, our study suggests that there are certain inflammatory markers like TNF-α and IL-5 that actively participate in causing heart block. There was a significant increase in the concentration of IL-5 (p&lt;0.001) in the cases as compared to the controls.

Treatment outcomes 12 months after antiretroviral therapy initiation in Oman: a nationwide study from the Middle East

ABSTRACTWe used routinely collected programme data on people living with HIV in Oman who started ART in 2014-2018 to assess retention on ART, viral suppression, attrition (mortality or loss to follow-up [LTFU]) and treatment failure (attrition or HIV viral load of > 1000 copies/mL) 12 months after antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation. We identified 726 patients; 72% were male. Overall, 12 months retention on ART and viral suppression (intention-to-treat [ITT] analysis) were 85.7% and 74.5%, respectively. Attrition occurred in 14.3% (mortality of 7% and LTFU of 7.3%). Retention increased from 78.8% (93/118) to 90.6% (144/159) among patients who started ART in 2014 and 2018, respectively. Similarly, ITT and on-treatment analyses revealed that viral suppression 12 months after ART initiation increased from 57.6% (68/118) and 73.1% (68/93) among patients who initiated therapy in 2014-80.5% (128/159) and 88.8% (128/144) among patients started treatment in 2018, respectively. On multivariate analysis, older age, having "Other" as an HIV risk factor (compared to heterosexual) and receiving HIV care outside the capital Muscat independently predicted both attrition and treatment failure. Our findings have been useful in identifying factors at the individual and programme level that influenced the risk of attrition and treatment failure.

Clinical pharmacy service evaluation of hepatology services at a large tertiary centre

Introduction

Kings College Hospital (KCH) provides tertiary level care to patients with liver disease across the UK. These patients are often under the joint care of primary and/or secondary care centres. As a result, several medications related enquires are received from patients and healthcare professionals including, doctors, nurses, and pharmacists to continue and optimise pharmacotherapy. The KCH liver pharmacy team does not provide a formal medicines information service, although a large amount of pharmacy resource is used to provide high level medicines information locally, regionally, and nationally by the team. In addition, significant time and input is provided in optimising access to hospital only medication.

Aim

To describe activities conducted by a specialist clinical pharmacy team out with an inpatient or formal outpatient setting which contribute to medicines optimisation and improve access to specialist medication.

Methods

Retrospective data collection was carried out over 2 separate four-week periods in November 2020 and November 2021 by the specialist liver pharmacy team. The data was analysed on an 8-week average using Microsoft Excel. Ethical approval was not required as this is a service evaluation data collection.

Results

Over eight weeks, the specialist clinical pharmacy team (pharmacists and pharmacy technicians) received 206 queries, of which (72%) were received by email and (28%) by phone. The team spends an average of 15 hours per week on clinical activities outside of formal inpatient and outpatient settings. Most of the queries received were from patients (64%), followed by healthcare professionals including doctors (11%), nurses (9.5%), and pharmacy staff (7.7%). The clinical interventions made by the team included supply of medications (37%), prescribing events (36%) and medicines intervention (20%) which included drug selection, administration, optimisation, deprescribing, therapeutic drug monitoring, drug-drug interaction, transfer of care and advice given following adverse drug reactions.

Discussion/Conclusion

The ease of accessibility to the specialist clinical pharmacy team plays a significant role in providing access to specialist medications to patients and a positive impact on other healthcare services, including decreasing the burden upon primary care. A structured medicines information line provided by the specialist team would be effective for patients and healthcare professionals as the specialist team spends substantial amount of time providing medicines intervention and medicines information. The involvement of specialist pharmacy technicians in medicines information services and interventions, provides an opportunity for role development and up-skill the pharmacy technician role in a specialist team. A formal and structured medicine information service for hepatology by the specialist clinical pharmacy team should be considered to improve access to specialist medication and medicines optimisation.

References

1. Williams M, Jordan A, Scott J, Jones MD, A systematic review examining the effectiveness of medicines information services for patients and the general public. International Journal of Pharmacy Practice, 2020;28(1):26-40.

2. Hayward K, Patel P, Valery P, Horsfall L, Catherine L, Penny W. Medication-related problems in outpatients with decompensated cirrhosis: opportunities for harm prevention. Hepatology Communications, 2019;3(5):620-663.

3. Newby B. Expanding the role of pharmacy technicians to facilitate a proactive pharmacist practice. American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy, 2019;76(6):398-402.

Diagnostic Dilemma of a Widely Metastatic Gastric-type Cervical Adenocarcinoma

Introduction/Objective

Gastric-type cervical adenocarcinoma is an HPV-independent neoplasm accounting for 0.5-0.6% of cervical carcinomas, typically in women aged 50-55 years presenting with bleeding or watery vaginal discharge. The immunophenotypic and molecular overlap with mucinous pancreatic carcinomas presents a diagnostic dilemma in metastatic cases.

Methods/Case Report

We report the case of a 50 year-old female with a remote history of cervical dysplasia who presented with abdominal pain in December 2020 with CT notable for an incidental prominent, heterogeneous appearing cervix. Follow-up in February-August 2021 showed two unsatisfactory pap smears and an ultrasound of the cervix revealed Nabothian cysts. A friable cervix and vaginal discharge were noted on physical exam, however, no malignancy was identified on endometrial and endocervical biopsies. The patient re-presented in March 2022 with a persistent cough and was found to have a metastatic process of unknown origin involving bilateral ovaries/lungs, abdominal mesentery, pancreas, and pelvis. Lung, cervical, endometrial, and pancreatic sampling demonstrated well- differentiated mucinous adenocarcinoma with an immunophenotype positive for CK7 and MUC6 and negative for PAX-8, CDX-2, ER, Vimentin, TTF1/Napsin, GATA-3, CK20, and p16 with wildtype p53 staining compatible with endocervical, upper gastrointestinal, or pancreaticobiliary origin. Labs were notable for elevations in CA125 (198 U/mL) and CA19-9 (4,939 U/mL), further supporting pancreatic or gynecologic primaries. A retrospective review of all gynecologic cytology and histology specimens collected from the uterus and cervix in 2021 revealed similar bland mucinous epithelium, without overt atypia or features of malignancy. Next generation sequencing demonstrated a nonspecific and complex mutational burden including STK11 D23fs*25, SMAD4 N107fs*3, CDKN2A/B loss, KRAS G12V, and MTAP loss.

Results (if a Case Study enter NA)

NA

Conclusion

The treatment regimens for metastatic mucinous carcinoma from the cervix and pancreas differ significantly. Ultimately, the diagnosis of widely metastatic gastric type endocervical carcinoma was made possible through extensive clinical/radiographic and retrospective pathologic correlation with the incorporation of molecular studies.

Use of remdesivir for COVID-19 pneumonia in patients with advanced kidney disease: A retrospective multicenter study

Background and objectives

Remdesivir, an antiviral drug routinely used in the treatment of COVID-19 has not yet received FDA approval for use in patients with advanced kidney disease defined as GFR < 30 mL/min/1.73 m². There is concern that an excipient in Veklury (Gilead's proprietary name for remdesivir) called sulfobutylether-beta-cyclodextrin (SBECD), which is renally cleared, may accumulate and reach toxic levels in patients with advanced kidney disease. The aim of this study was to summarize characteristics and incidence of adverse events of chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients who received remdesivir during hospitalization.Design, setting, participants, and measurements.We retrospectively studied patients admitted to one of several hospitals of the Mayo Clinic Foundation with the diagnosis of COVID-19 pneumonia and CKD. Laboratory values were also measured when remdesivir was first administered and stopped. All analyses were performed in the overall patient group and three separate subgroups of patients with a GFR ≥ 15, a GFR < 15 and dialysis, and a GFR < 15 and no dialysis.

Results

A total of 444 CKD patients who were admitted to the hospital with COVID-19 pneumonia between May 2020 and September 2021 were included. Information was collected on patient characteristics, hospitalization, and adverse events. In the overall cohort, median age was 72 years (Range: 21-100 years), 55.2 % of patients were male, and most (86.5 %) were Caucasian. CKD stage was 3 for 114 patients (25.7 %), 4 for 229 patients (51.6 %), and 5 for 101 patients (22.7 %). A total of 146 patients (32.9 %) were admitted to the ICU, 103 (23.2 %) died in the hospital, and 120 (27.0 %) were on dialysis. The proportion of patients with an adverse event did not differ dramatically between the GFR ≥ 15 (20.9 %), GFR < 15 and dialysis (30.2 %), and GFR < 15 and no dialysis (32.3 %) groups (P = 0.12).

Conclusion

Our results suggest that the use of remdesivir in patients with very severe CKD is safe, even in those who are not on renal replacement therapy.

Can honey improve the quality of cryopreserved cross bred ram semen added to tris egg yolk extender?

BACKGROUND

Honey can improve the quality of cryopreserved ram semen because of its multinutrient and cryoprotective nature added to standard tris egg yolk extender.

OBJECTIVE

Different concentrations of honey were added to the standard tris egg yolk extender to improve the post-thaw quality of crossbred ram semen.

METHOD

Thirty six (36) ejaculates from eight healthy cross bred rams were pooled and divided into four aliquots. Standard tris egg yolk extender without any alteration acted as Control (C) and was supplemented with different concentrations of honey, viz. T1 (honey 1.5%), T2 (2.5%), and T3 (3.5%).

RESULTS

The percent (mean ± S.E.M) sperm motility at pre-freeze was significantly (P < 0.05) higher in Group T2 and at post-thaw in Group T3 in comparison to T1 and C treatment groups. The percent (mean ± S.E.M) HOST reacted spermatozoa at post-thaw was significantly (P < 0.05) higher in Group C and at pre-freeze the value was significantly (P < 0.05) higher in the same treatment group than Group T1. The mean MDA level (mean ± S.E.M) at post thaw was significantly (P < 0.05) lower in Group T3 than the treatment groups C and Group T1.

CONCLUSION

From this study it is concluded that the addition of 3.5% honey to the standard tris egg yolk extender provides better protection to ram semen than the addition of 1.5% honey (i.e., Control). doi.org/10.54680/fr22610110212.

Black carbon and elemental characterization of PM2.5 in dense traffic areas in two cities in Fiji, a Small Island Developing State

PM_2.5 characterizations are essential in understanding its impact on the health of the exposed population. Sampled PM_2.5 by Mani et al. (2020) was characterized to determine atmospheric metal concentration and inhalation health risk in Suva and Lautoka Cities, the only two cities in Fiji and one of the largest in the South Pacific Islands. Twenty-two elements (Al, As, Ba, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Ni, P, Pb, S, Si, Sr, V, Zn) were analyzed using ICP-OES. Black Carbon (BC) sampling was also done at three different sites in Suva City, namely, Fiji National University Samabula Intersection site, Suva City Bus Station site and the Reservoir Road Community Settlement Site as well as at Lautoka City Bus Station. Mean BC concentrations over the sampling period were found to be 3.9 ± 2.9 (median = 3.3 μg/m³), 2.6 ± 2.7 μg/m³ (median = 1.7 μg/m³), 2.4 ± 2.3 μg/m³ (median = 1.7 μg/m³) and 4.0 ± 4.7 μg/m³ (median = 2.4 μg/m³) respectively. Health risk assessments (Carcinogenic Risk (CR) and Non-Carcinogenic Risk (HQ)) were also done to assess the risk of inhalation exposure in adults and children. The Hazard Index for children in Lautoka (HI = 1.03) was found to slightly exceed the safe level of 1. This study provides the first inventory of atmospheric particulate bound metal concentrations and diurnal BC profiles in Fiji and informs policy makers and scientists for further studies.

Anticoagulant treatment patterns and thromboembolic events by tumor type among patients with VTE and cancer

Background

Patients with venous thromboembolism (VTE) and cancer are at higher risk of adverse outcomes (mortality, recurrent VTE etc.) versus patients with cancer alone; as such, clinical guidelines recommend anticoagulant treatment for patients with VTE and cancer. There is limited real world data about how anticoagulant treatment and thromboembolic outcomes differ by tumor type in patients with VTE and cancer. Understanding such differences may help identify appropriate anticoagulant treatment for specific tumor types.

Purpose

To describe anticoagulant treatment patterns and thromboembolic outcomes by tumor type among patients with VTE and cancer.

Methods

Patients with VTE and cancer age ≥65 were identified from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Medicare database from 1/1/2014–12/31/2019. Patients were required to be enrolled for ≥6-months prior to their first VTE diagnosis (index) and without evidence of other conditions requiring anticoagulant (i.e., atrial fibrillation) prior to index. Cancer status and tumor type were identified from SEER or Medicare database in the 6-months prior through 30-days post VTE. This analysis focused on the following specific tumor types: high risk (brain, pancreas, and stomach) and common tumor types (breast, and prostate). Patients treated with an anticoagulant within 30-days after index were included in the final population. Major bleeding (MB) and recurrent VTE events were measured during follow-up (index date through earliest of disenrollment, death or 12/31/2019).

Results

A total of 3,546 anticoagulated patients with VTE and cancer of interest met all study criteria (breast [n=1,197], prostate [n=849], pancreatic [n=995], brain [n=248] and stomach [n=257] cancer). Patient mean age ranged from 73 (brain) to 76 (stomach) at index. Anticoagulant treatment patterns varied by tumor type (Figure 1). LMWH was more likely to be used in the 3 high risk tumor types whereas apixaban and rivaroxaban were more likely to be used in the 2 common tumor types. The incidence rate of recurrent VTE and major bleeding events also varied among different tumor types: ranging from 1.4 (breast) to 6.4 (pancreatic) per 100 person-years for recurrent VTE and from 4.3 (prostate) to 15.1 (pancreatic) per 100 person-years for major bleeding (Figure 2).

Conclusion

There are notable variations in anticoagulant treatment patters and the risks of major bleeding and recurrent VTE events by tumor type among patients with VTE and cancer. Further research is needed to understand which anticoagulant treatment option is more appropriate for VTE patients with specific tumor type.

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding sources: Private company. Main funding source(s): Pfizer Inc. and Bristol Myers Squibb Company

Caregiver willingness to give TPT to children living with drug-resistant TB patients

BACKGROUND Pediatric household contacts (HHCs) of patients with multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) are at high risk of infection and active disease. Evidence of caregiver willingness to give MDR-TB preventive therapy (TPT) to children is limited.METHODS This was a cross-sectional study of HHCs of patients with MDR-TB to assess caregiver willingness to give TPT to children aged <13 years.RESULTS Of 743 adult and adolescent HHCs, 299 reported caring for children aged <13 years of age. The median caregiver age was 35 years (IQR 27-48); 75% were women. Among caregivers, 89% were willing to give children MDR TPT. In unadjusted analyses, increased willingness was associated with TB-related knowledge (OR 5.1, 95% CI 2.3-11.3), belief that one can die of MDR-TB (OR 5.2, 95% CI 1.2-23.4), concern for MDR-TB transmission to child (OR 4.5, 95% CI 1.6-12.4), confidence in properly taking TPT (OR 4.5, 95% CI 1.6-12.6), comfort telling family about TPT (OR 5.5, 95% CI 2.1-14.3), and willingness to take TPT oneself (OR 35.1, 95% CI 11.0-112.8).CONCLUSIONS A high percentage of caregivers living with MDR- or rifampicin-resistant TB patients were willing to give children a hypothetical MDR TPT. These results provide important evidence for the potential uptake of effective MDR TPT when implemented.

159 Current Practice of Intra-Operative Sampling During Revision Surgery of the Knee for Prosthetic Joint Infection at a High-Volume District General Hospital

Aim

Successful treatment of prosthetic joint infection (PJI) involves surgical interventions and identification of infecting organisms to enable targeted antimicrobial therapy. Current PHE guidelines recommend 3–5 intra-operative samples to be taken using separate instruments for each, swabs are discouraged. We audited the revision arthroplasty practice at Barking, Havering, Redbridge University Trust (BHRUT), specifically comparing intra-operative sampling for infected revision knee procedures with these guidelines.

Method

Retrospective cohort study of all prosthetic knee infection cases, as defined by the Musculoskeletal Infection Society criteria, at BHRUT between December 2011 to May 2020. A review of case notes collected various key data points, focusing on intraoperative sample, type, number, and technique. Point biserial correlation analysis was performed to determine statistical significance.

Results

119 revision knee arthroplasty procedures were performed in the 8.5-year study period. 31 (26%) were for prosthetic joint infection (n=29 patients), n=2 patients had re-revision procedures for second PJI. Number of samples taken ranged from 1–12 with a mode of 6. N=27 (87%) cases had the recommended number of total samples taken, of these n= 20 (65%) had five or more samples taken, N=24 (77%) cases had three or more samples taken and n=18 (58%) had five or more samples.

Conclusions

Current management of infected knee arthroplasty presents great variability in intra-operative sampling technique. Sample collection adheres to national guidelines in 77% of cases. We recommend implementation of a standardised approach to sampling through inclusion of a five scalpel and five forceps pack specifically for sampling in theatre for all suspected PJI's.

Sex differences in rTMS treatment response: A deep learning-based EEG investigation

INTRODUCTION

The present study aimed to investigate sex differences in response to repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) patients. Identifying the factors that mediate treatment response to rTMS in MDD patients can guide clinicians to administer more appropriate, reliable, and personalized interventions.

METHODS

In this paper, we developed a novel pipeline based on convolutional LSTM-based deep learning (DL) to classify 25 female and 25 male patients based on their rTMS treatment response.

RESULTS

Five different classification models were generated, namely pre-/post-rTMS female (model 1), pre-/post-rTMS male (model 2), pre-rTMS female responder versus pre-rTMS female nonresponders (model 3), pre-rTMS male responder vs. pre-rTMS male nonresponder (model 4), and pre-rTMS responder versus nonresponder of both sexes (model 5), achieving 93.3%, 98%, 95.2%, 99.2%, and 96.6% overall test accuracy, respectively.

CONCLUSION

These results indicate the potential of our approach to be used as a response predictor especially regarding sex-specific antidepressant effects of rTMS in MDD patients.

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.

Prevalence and associated risk factors for intimate partner violence (IPV) in the Himalayan mountain villages of Pakistan

Introduction

Intimate partner Violence (IPV) against women includes all actions that violate one’s sense of self, physical body and sense of trust and involves episodes of violence of physical, psychological (emotional), or sexual nature, perpetrated by a current or former intimate partner.

Objectives

We estimated the prevalence of and risk factors for intimate partner violence (IPV) in the Himalayan mountain villages of Gilgit Baltistan in Pakistan.

Methods

We employed a cross-sectional study to randomly select ever married women (n=789) aged 18-49, in Pakistan. We used an adapted World Health Organization screening instrument to assess women’s experience of IPV in the previous 12 months. We used an indigenous validated instrument assess self-reported symptoms of major depression according to the DSM IV. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify significant predictors of IPV using adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI).

Results

The overall prevalence of IPV was 22.8% (95% CI: 20.0-25.9). Women exposed to IPV were less likely to have husbands educated at a college or a higher (AOR: 0.40; 95%CI: 0.22-0.70), household income in the middle or the highest tertile (AOR: 0.44; 95%CI: 0.29-0.68), and were more likely to have poor or very poor relationship with their mother in law (AOR=2.85; 95% CI: 1.90-4.28), to have a poor quality of health (AOR= 2.74; 95% CI: 1.92-3.92) poor quality of life (AOR= 3.54; 95%CI: 1.90-6.58), and higher odds of experiencing depressive symptoms (AOR=1.97; 95%CI:1.39-2.77).

Conclusions

IPV is a substantial public health burden in Himalayan mountain villages and merits serious attention.

Disclosure

No significant relationships.

POS1444 FLT1 AND EPHB2 ARE NOVEL GENETIC MARKERS ASSOCIATED WITH PANCREATITIS IN PATIENTS TAKING AZATHIOPRINE FOR IMMUNE-MEDIATED CONDITIONS: INTEGRATING GENOME- AND TRANSCRIPTOME-WIDE ASSOCIATION STUDIES

Background

Azathioprine (AZA) is a thiopurine immunosuppressant medication used to treat a variety of immune-mediated diseases. Unfortunately, its use is limited by adverse effects. Pancreatitis, a potentially severe, life-threatening side effect is independent of dose and necessitates AZA discontinuation given the high risk of recurrent pancreatitis with continued use or re-challenge. The mechanisms driving pancreatitis are unclear. While classic thiopurine-induced acute pancreatitis (TIAP) has been associated with HLA haplotypes, most patients taking AZA and presenting with pancreatitis do not fulfill the stringent criteria for TIAP.

Objectives

To identify genetic risk factors for pancreatitis in patients taking azathioprine for immune-mediated conditions.

Methods

Using a biobank linked to electronic health records (EHR) from a tertiary center, we identified new users of AZA. Patients were excluded if the primary indication for AZA was organ transplant or if there was a history of pancreatitis prior to AZA use. The analysis was restricted to patients with EHR-reported race as White due to insufficient case counts for the non-White group. We then identified patients with amylase or lipase values that exceeded twice the upper limit of normal (“>2x ULN”) or with ICD-9/ICD-10 codes for acute pancreatitis. Each record was manually reviewed to confirm the timing of AZA use in relation to laboratory derangements or ICD coding, as well as to further classify patients into three increasingly strict, but not exclusive categories: 1) pancreatic injury (amylase or lipase >2x ULN); 2) acute pancreatitis1, or 3) TIAP2. We completed genotyping with Illumina Infinium Expanded Multi-Ethnic Genotyping Array plus custom content data, employed Michigan Imputation servers for genetic imputation, and used PrediXcan (GTEx v8) to impute gene expression. We then conducted genome-wide association and transcriptome-wide association studies (GWAS, TWAS). Acknowledging the relatively small overall cohort, and possible imbalance of cases vs controls, we used the Firth logistic regression method, which is a penalized likelihood-based method.

Results

We studied 2127 AZA users (35.4% male; mean 44.5+/-17.2 years). The median AZA dose was 100mg/day (IQR: 50-125mg/day). Rheumatologic conditions (56.9%) and inflammatory bowel disease (40.4%) comprised the most common primary indications for AZA. Pancreatic injury, pancreatitis, and TIAP were diagnosed in 42 (2.0%), 16 (0.8%), and 9 (0.4%) patients, respectively. GWAS identified several significantly associated genes, many with overlapping TWAS findings in the pancreas and liver (Figure 1). From these, the two protein-encoding genes Fms Related Receptor Tyrosine Kinase-1 (FLT1) and Ephrin type-B receptor-2 (EPHB2) overlapped in two or more pancreatitis phenotypes in the TWAS and GWAS, respectively. EPHB2 was associated with a 8.6-fold (P=1.84 x 10-8) and a 31.4-fold (P=2.87x 10-8) higher likelihood of pancreatic injury and TIAP, respectively.

Figure 1.

Conclusion

FLT1—a gene that encodes a receptor tyrosine kinase and is a member of the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR) family—and EPHB2—a gene that encodes a member of the Eph receptor family, which is the largest subgroup of the receptor tyrosine kinase family—are novel genetic markers associated with pancreatitis in patients taking AZA. VEGF can potentiate inflammation and the pancreas microenvironment is known to promote VEGF expression, which has been linked to pancreatic cancer development; anti-VEGF treatments have been investigated both for mitigating inflammation and also anti-pancreatic cancer treatment. Future studies validating our findings in AZA-induced pancreatitis are warranted.

References

[1]Crockett et al. Gastroenterology (2018). 154(4):1096-1101.

[2]Heap et al. Nature Genetics (2014). 46:1131-1134

Disclosure of Interests

Shailja Shah Consultant of: ad hoc consultant for Phathom pharmaceuticals, Tyler Reese: None declared, Jacy Zanussi: None declared, Alyson Dickson: None declared, Laura Daniel: None declared, Ran Tao: None declared, Tyne Miller-Fleming: None declared, Peter Straub: None declared, Adriana Hung: None declared, Puran Nepal: None declared, Wei-Qi Wei: None declared, Elizabeth Phillips: None declared, Nancy Cox: None declared, Charles M. Stein: None declared, QiPeng Feng: None declared, Cecilia P. Chung: None declared

POS0867 COMORBIDITY AND COMPLICATIONS PRIOR TO SYSTEMIC SCLEROSIS DIAGNOSIS: A RETROSPECTIVE COHORT ANALYSIS

Background

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a rare autoimmune disease characterized by progressive microvascular damage, collagen deposition and subsequent fibrosis of the skin and internal organs which contributes to substantial morbidity and premature death.1-2

Objectives

The objective was to evaluate the disease burden of SSc patients prior to their SSc diagnosis.

Methods

Patients with SSc were identified in a claims dataset (IBM MarketScan Commercial Database, 2015-2019) using ICD 10 diagnosis codes for SSc. Eligible subjects were required to have > 1 inpatient or >2 outpatient/office claims with a scleroderma diagnosis code on separate days and > 24 months of continuous health plan enrollment without a SSc diagnosis before the first SSc claim (‘index date’) and > 12 months of enrollment after the index date. Overall comorbid disease burden was assessed via the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) 13-24 and 12 months before and 12 months after index date. The prevalence of SSc-related complications for atherosclerosis, pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), pulmonary fibrosis (PF), Raynaud’s Phenomenon (RP), and gastrointestinal (GI) complications (e.g., GERD, dysphagia, etc.) were identified using ICD codes and reported as percentages for the aforementioned time intervals relative to patients’ index dates.

Results

902 eligible SSc patients were identified for analysis. The mean age at index SSc diagnosis was 54.3 years and 84.7% of patients were female. Mean CCI scores 13-24 months before, 12 months before, and 12 months after index SSc diagnosis were 0.84, 1.13 and 1.30, respectively. From the time points 13-24 months before, 12 months before, and 12 months after index SSc diagnosis, increasing rates were also observed of atherosclerosis, PAH, PF, RP, and GI complications (Table 1).

Table 1.

Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) and systemic sclerosis-related complications by time-interval

Clinical characteristic13-24 months before Index12 months before Index12 months after IndexMean CCI (std dev)0.84 (1.58)1.13 (1.71)1.30 (1.75)Systemic sclerosis-related complicationsAtherosclerosis7%9%14%Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH)1%4%12%Pulmonary fibrosis (PF)5%8%16%Raynaud’s Phenomenon (RP)13%29%43%GI complications23%32%46%

Conclusion

Results from this analysis suggests that SSc-related sequalae are present at least two years prior to SSc diagnosis and rates of these complications increased markedly over time. Patients’ overall comorbid disease burden also worsened substantially over this period, likely because of these complications. The internal organ involvement is likely under reported due to requirements to link each diagnosis with an ICD-10 code. These data indicate the significant burden of SSc, prior to and after diagnosis, highlighting the need for awareness, prompt diagnosis, and effective therapies for SSc and its related complications.

References

[1]Cutolo M, et al. Expert Rev Clin Immunol. 2019;15(7):753-764.

[2]Steen VD, Medsger TA. Ann Rheum Dis. 2007;66(7):940-944.

Disclosure of Interests

Dinesh Khanna Consultant of: Horizon Therapeutics, Daniel Furst Consultant of: Horizon Therapeutics, Justin W. Li Grant/research support from: Horizon Therapeutics, Saloni Shah Grant/research support from: Horizon Therapeutics, Tamara Lesperance Shareholder of: Horizon Therapeutics, Employee of: Horizon Therapeutics, Farah Ali Shareholder of: Horizon Therapeutics, Employee of: Horizon Therapeutics, Brian LaMoreaux Shareholder of: Horizon Therapeutics, Employee of: Horizon Therapeutics, Stephanie Taylor Shareholder of: Horizon Therapeutics, Employee of: Horizon Therapeutics

Comparative evaluation of different techniques for herniorrhaphy in calves

Umbilical hernia is one of the most common problems in young calves. This problem occurs in dairy sector as well as in the local farmers. Present study was conducted to compare outcomes of four different techniques of herniorrhaphy. Twenty four young calves (n=24) were divided in 4 groups (A, B, C, and D) which underwent four different surgical techniques. Group A underwent vicryl plus suture material and pants-over-west technique, Group B underwent mesh application with Dexon suture material by using simple interrupted suture pattern, Group C underwent closed method with Nylon No. 3 suture material by using vertical mattress suture pattern and Group D underwent clamp application method with Silk No. 2 suture material by using simple interrupted suture pattern. The result showed that mesh application method was comparatively better with respect to feed intake, body weight gain and healing time. There was no reoccurrence with non-significant hematological changes (p≤0.05). It is concluded that mesh application method is safer than other three techniques and there are no systemic effects of this surgical intervention on calves' health.

Analyzing the impact of Сovid-19 on the hotel industry in Nepal

COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected the tourism and hospitality sectors across the globe. Due to the increase in the number of COVID positive cases, governments of countries have imposed strict lockdown globally as a precautionary measure to control the spread of the coronavirus, which has led to restrictions on travel and mobility of individuals from one place to the other. One of the countries that have been severely affected due to the lockdown is the economy of Nepal. Being a tourist-friendly nation, every year, Nepal’s tourism and hospitality sector contributes significantly to its GDP. With a restriction on travel and cancellation of bookings, one of the most important departments under this sector, the hotel industry, is currently struggling to survive due to loss of revenue. The present study tries to understand the challenges and strategies planned by the hotel industry stakeholders in Nepal. A primary survey conducted with hoteliers from 10 hotels reveals major concerns about maintaining a steady financial performance and expectations for government aid to help this sector come back to normalcy.

Impact of mapping technology on procedural characteristics during radiofrequency or cryoballoon pulmonary vein isolation for atrial fibrillation

Funding Acknowledgements

Type of funding sources: None.

Background/Introduction: Cryoballoon ablation (CBA) is often associated with shorter procedure times along with tradeoffs such as increased fluoroscopy use compared to radiofrequency (RF) ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF), however the impact of mapping technology on these characteristics is not fully understood.

Purpose

To assess the effect of mapping technology on trends in fluoroscopy use and procedure times in AF pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) procedures with an RF or CBA catheter.

Methods

Acute procedure data from 210 de novo AF cases using a 3D mapping system was prospectively collected from 48 centers in eight countries. Choice of technology was left to physician discretion; a PVI only ablation strategy was utilized in all cases. Procedure data such as total procedure and fluoroscopy times from cases using either an RF or CBA catheter with either a grid-style mapping catheter (HD Grid) or circular mapping catheter (CMC) were compared.

Results

Of the 210 cases, RF ablation was used in 103 (49%), and CBA used in 107 (51%). In RF cases, a relatively even split between CMC and HD Grid use was observed (n=46, 45% vs. n=57, 55%), while a CMC was used in 100% of CBA cases (Figure 1). Across all cases, fluoroscopy and procedure times were significantly shorter when HD Grid was used (7.4±26.7 minutes; 108.2±46.3 minutes) compared to a CMC (20.4±17.6 minutes; 133.7±62.7) (p&lt;0.001; p=0.003). A similar trend was also observed in RF cases using HD Grid (7.4±26.7 minutes; 108.2±46.3 minutes) compared to a CMC (17.9±12.3 minutes; 175.1±50.5) (p=0.01; p&lt;0.001). Fluoroscopy times in RF cases with HD Grid (7.4±26.7 minutes) were significantly shorter compared to CBA cases with a CMC (21.5±19.4 minutes) (p&lt;0.001), while procedure times were similar (108.2±46.3 minutes; 116.0±59.2 minutes, p=0.20).

Conclusion(s)

Use of HD Grid resulted in significantly shorter procedure and fluoroscopy times compared to a CMC across all cases, including those using RF ablation. Fluoroscopy times were also significantly shorter in RF cases using HD Grid compared to CBA cases using a CMC, with similar procedure times. These observations suggest that use of HD Grid may better enable safer and more efficient PVI, specifically when employing RF ablation, in addition to safer and equally efficient RF PVI compared to CBA with a CMC. Further study in in a larger, randomized cohort may be necessary.