Feldmanleonard2294
Electronic adherence sensors allow review of controller and rescue medication use through a cloud-based dashboard and provides an opportunity for real-time assessment and intervention by providers to improve asthma outcomes.
The school setting provides a convenient and suitable environment to conduct telemedicine visits between school-aged children and their primary care or specialty provider. Electronic adherence sensors allow review of controller and rescue medication use through a cloud-based dashboard and provides an opportunity for real-time assessment and intervention by providers to improve asthma outcomes.
Perioperative chemotherapy (P-CT) or neoadjuvant chemoradiation (C-RT) followed by surgical resection is the standard of care for locally advanced esophageal cancer (LAEC). We present an institutional review and outcome of patients with LAEC treated with neoadjuvant C-RT or P-CT followed by surgery.
Patients were identified through the Manitoba Cancer Registry. selleck inhibitor Overall survival (OS), recurrence-free survival (RFS), and time to recurrence (TTR) were compared using proportion hazard regression analysis. Metabolic and pathologic response rates were compared by the Fisher exact test.
Sixty-seven patients were treated with C-RT and 32 with P-CT. Fifty-two percent of the patients had pretreatment and posttreatment positron emission tomography scans before surgery. Ninety-five percent of the patients in C-RT and 91% in P-CT had a partial metabolic response or stable disease. Sixty-one percent of C-RT and 34% of P-CT patients had tumor regression grade (TRG) 0 to 1; 39% of C-RT and 66% of P-CT had TRG 2 to 3 (P=0.018). Median OS was 37 and 18 months for patients with TRG 0 to 1 and 2 to 3, respectively (P=0.013, hazard ratio [HR]=1.96). Three-year OS was 43% versus 37% (P=0.37, HR=1.30), RFS was 34% versus 26% (P=0.87, HR=0.96), and median TTR was 30 versus 13 months (P=0.07, HR=0.59) for C-RT and P-CT, respectively.
C-RT was associated with a higher degree of pathologically tumor regression. Patients with major tumor regression had a better outcome than those with minimal to poor response. There was a trend toward improved TTR with C-RT but no difference in OS or RFS.
C-RT was associated with a higher degree of pathologically tumor regression. Patients with major tumor regression had a better outcome than those with minimal to poor response. There was a trend toward improved TTR with C-RT but no difference in OS or RFS.
The sacrum as radiation target, raises a conceptual question should the structure be regarded as a single unit or 5 distinct bones. If the entire sacrum must be irradiated there is a higher risk of rectal morbidity.
Images of 53 patients with sacral metastases were reviewed. link2 The extent of sacral involvement was documented. The location of the rectum was recorded relative to the individual sacral bones.
In 37.7% only S1 and S2 were involved by metastatic disease. In 41.5% there was metastatic involvement of S1-S3. In 1 patient there was involvement of S5 only. In 10 cases the entire sacrum was infested by metastatic disease. The rectum never extended to the height of S1. In 38% the upper pole of the rectum reached the S3 level. In toto, there were 64.2% where the inferior extension of sacral metastatic involvement did not overlap the upper pole of the rectum. Palliation of pain was achieved in 19/20 patients treated with partial sacral irradiation.
The distal part of the sacrum is rarely involved in the metastatic process. Avoidance of radiation therapy to the lower sacrum simultaneously enables effective palliation and sparing of the adjacent rectum.
The distal part of the sacrum is rarely involved in the metastatic process. Avoidance of radiation therapy to the lower sacrum simultaneously enables effective palliation and sparing of the adjacent rectum.
Submucous cleft palate (SMCP) represents an uncommon congenital palatal anomaly with a variable rate of velopharyngeal dysfunction or resulting speech abnormality. Classic teaching regarding management of this entity involves delayed repair until a perceptual speech assessment by a skilled speech-language pathologist can be performed, typically at age 3-5 years. An assessment of timing of intervention, surgical techniques, and patient comorbidities is critical for optimized outcomes.
Early diagnosis and surgical intervention for SMCP are associated with improved speech outcomes. Expanding indications for surgery are being actively investigated. Timing of intervention and surgical technique may be influenced by a syndromic diagnosis, specifically 22q11.2 deletion syndrome.
Diagnosis of classic SMCP and occult SMCP may be difficult based on provider experience. Variable surgical techniques may be used with good outcomes; patient comorbidities including syndromic diagnoses may determine best surgical technique. Expanding indications for surgery and timing of repair continue to evolve and warrant additional study.
Diagnosis of classic SMCP and occult SMCP may be difficult based on provider experience. Variable surgical techniques may be used with good outcomes; patient comorbidities including syndromic diagnoses may determine best surgical technique. Expanding indications for surgery and timing of repair continue to evolve and warrant additional study.A clinical instructor finds herself haunted by disquieting impressions.An advanced degree can expand knowledge and skills, enhance work performance, improve earning potential, increase contributions to the field, and promote a sense of accomplishment. This article provides nurses with a list of factors to consider prior to pursuing an advanced degree, and offers information on available master's and doctoral programs.
Each year, 13,000 women in the United States are diagnosed with cervical cancer and 4,000 die from it. Moreover, 8 million women 21 to 65 years of age haven't had a Pap test in five years. Hispanic women have the highest incidence of cervical cancer and are less likely to be screened or return for care. Migrant women can face additional barriers to cervical cancer screening, including federal prohibitions against their participation in public health insurance exchanges and nonemergency Medicaid.
Improving cervical cancer screening rates was identified as a priority in a federally qualified health center when only 40% of eligible women were properly screened in 2016. Forty-five percent of the population the clinic serves is uninsured and 60% are Hispanic. The aim of this quality improvement project was to have 75% of the women 21 to 65 years of age who sought care at this clinic during the 60-day project period receive Pap test eligibility screening, enrollment in a state and federal screening program, andrvical cancer screening program.This article is part of a series, Supporting Family Caregivers No Longer Home Alone, published in collaboration with the AARP Public Policy Institute. Results of focus groups, conducted as part of the AARP Public Policy Institute's No Longer Home Alone video project, supported evidence that family caregivers aren't given the information they need to manage the complex care regimens of family members. This series of articles and accompanying videos aims to help nurses provide caregivers with the tools they need to manage their family member's health care at home. Nurses should read the articles first, so they understand how best to help family caregivers. Then they can refer caregivers to the informational tear sheet-Information for Family Caregivers-and instructional videos, encouraging them to ask questions. For additional information, see Resources for Nurses.Data suggest not in Arkansas, the first state to implement such requirements.How politics is impeding the U.S. pandemic response.Rates unchanged in poorer countries of Africa, Asia, and South America.Two recent studies arrive at different conclusions.Surging rates of depression and anxiety are reported.Skilled nurses are critically important to an effective pandemic response.Although burnout is shared among colleagues, most solutions have focused on the individual.We need to celebrate the wins wherever we find them.
Deceased donation represents the largest supply of organs for transplant in the United States. Organs with suboptimal characteristics related to donor disease or recovery-related issues are increasingly discarded at the time of recovery, prompting late allocation to candidates later in the match sequence. Late allocation contributes to organ injury by prolonging cold ischemia, which may further lead to the risk of organ discard, despite the potential to provide benefit to certain transplant candidates.
Expedited placement of marginal organs has emerged as a strategy to address the growing problem of organ discard of marginal organs that have been declined late after recovery. In this review, we describe the basis for expedited organ placement, and approaches to facilitating placement of these grafts, drawing examples from kidney and liver donation and transplantation globally.
There is significant global variation in practice related to late allocation. Multiple policy mechanisms exist to facilitate expedited placement, including simultaneous offers to multiple centers, predesignation of aggressive centers, and increasing organ procurement organization autonomy in late allocation. Optimizing late allocation of deceased donor organs holds significant promise to increase the number of transplants.
There is significant global variation in practice related to late allocation. Multiple policy mechanisms exist to facilitate expedited placement, including simultaneous offers to multiple centers, predesignation of aggressive centers, and increasing organ procurement organization autonomy in late allocation. Optimizing late allocation of deceased donor organs holds significant promise to increase the number of transplants.
There has been an ongoing disparity between the number of organs available for solid organ transplantation (SOT) relative to the need. This has resulted in significant waitlist mortality, may affect transplant outcomes due to transplants being performed on sicker patients and may even increase healthcare costs due to extended hospital stays. link3 Transplanting organs from hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected donors into uninfected recipients (D+/R-) is now a reality, due to the advent of highly affective direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) which not only have very high efficacy, but also a favorable side effect and drug-drug interaction profile.
Data from multiple centers reporting outcomes of kidney, liver, heart, lung and liver-kidney transplant during the past few years reveal that SOT from HCV-infected donors into noninfected recipients is safe, efficacious and can result in excellent recipient outcomes, with an opportunity to decrease the time on the waitlist, waitlist mortality and to improve outcomes after tranbe considered for recipients who would benefit from receiving an organ earlier than they would if they waited for an organ from an uninfected donor.
In recent times, vascularized composite allotransplantation (VCA) have been gaining more attention and applications. Currently, VCA are at the highest level of the reconstruction pyramid, and thus the effects expected after them are intended to outweigh what the 'classical' reconstructive surgery can offer us, including even the most advanced microsurgical techniques.
Over 40 patients have received a partial or full-face transplant. Others have received penis, uterus, larynx, abdominal wall, and lower extremity transplants. Each type of VCA has its own problems and limitations. However, resolving the limits defined by immunosuppression and improved donor selection would revolutionize all of them.
Defining the limits and limitations of given procedures will not only allow for better preparation of transplant teams but will also help in determining the direction of future research.
Defining the limits and limitations of given procedures will not only allow for better preparation of transplant teams but will also help in determining the direction of future research.