Improved Irritative Voiding Symptoms 3 Years after Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy for Prostate Cancer

Background: Irritative voiding symptoms are common in elderly men and following prostate radiotherapy. The impact of hypofractionated treatment on irritative voiding symptoms has not been determined. This study sought to evaluate urgency, frequency and nocturia following SBRT for prostate cancer. Methods: Patients treated with SBRT monotherapy for localized prostate cancer from August 2007 to July 2011 at Georgetown University Hospital were included in this study. Treatment was delivered using the CyberKnife® with doses of 35 Gy-36.25 Gy in 5 fractions. Patient-reported urinary symptoms were assessed using the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) before treatment and at 1, 3, 6, 9, 12 months post-treatment and every 6 months thereafter.Results: 204 patients at a median age of 69 years received SBRT with a median follow-up of 4.8 years. Prior to treatment, 50.0% of patients reported moderate to severe lower urinary track symptoms and 17.7% felt that urinary frequency was a moderate to big problem. The mean prostate volume was 39 cc and 8% had prior procedures for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). A mean baseline IPSS-irritative score of 4.8 significantly increased to 6.5 at 1 month (p 8) at baseline, the mean IPSS-I decreased from a baseline score of 6.8 to 4.9 at three years post-SBRT. This decrease was both statistically (p < 0.0001) and clinically significant (MID = 1.45). Only 14.6% of patients felt that urinary frequency was a moderate to big problem at three years post-SBRT (p = 0.23).Conclusions: Treatment of prostate cance

Rationale for Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy in Treating Patients with Oligometastatic Hormone-Naïve Prostate Cancer

Despite advances in treatment for metastatic prostate cancer, patients eventually progress to castrate-resistant disease and ultimately succumb to their cancer. Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is the standard treatment for metastatic prostate cancer and has been shown to improve median time to progression and median survival time. Research suggests that castrate-resistant clones may be present early in the disease process prior to the initiation of ADT. These clones are not susceptible to ADT and may even flourish when androgen-responsive clones are depleted. Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) is a safe and efficacious method of treating clinically localized prostate cancer and metastases. In patients with a limited number of metastatic sites, SBRT may have a role in eliminating castrate-resistant clones and possibly delaying progression to castrate-resistant disease

“Without a mother”: caregivers and community members’ views about the impacts of maternal mortality on families in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

BACKGROUND: Maternal mortality in South Africa is high and a cause for concern especially because the bulk of deaths from maternal causes are preventable. One of the proposed reasons for persistently high maternal mortality is HIV which causes death both indirectly and directly. While there is some evidence for the impact of maternal death on children and families in South Africa, few studies have explored the impacts of maternal mortality on the well-being of the surviving infants, older children and family. This study provides qualitative insight into the consequences of maternal mortality for child and family well-being throughout the life-course. METHODS: This qualitative study was conducted in rural and peri-urban communities in Vulindlela, KwaZulu-Natal. The sample included 22 families directly affected by maternal mortality, 15 community stakeholders and 7 community focus group discussions. These provided unique and diverse perspectives about the causes, experiences and impacts of maternal mortality. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Children left behind were primarily cared for by female family members, even where a father was alive and involved. The financial burden for care and children’s basic needs were largely met through government grants (direct and indirectly targeted at children) and/or through an obligation for the father or his family to assist. The repercussions of losing a mother were felt more by older children for whom it was harder for caregivers to provide educational supervision and emotional or psychological support. Respondents expressed concerns about adolescent’s educational attainment, general behaviour and particularly girl’s sexual risk. CONCLUSION: These results illuminate the high costs to surviving children and their families of failing to reduce maternal mortality in South Africa. Ensuring social protection and community support is important for remaining children and families. Additional qualitative evidence is needed to explore differential effects for children by gender and to guide future research and inform policies and programs aimed at supporting maternal orphans and other vulnerable children throughout their development.Web of Scienc

Impact of COVID-19 disease on placental histopathology. PLAXAVID study

Background. The impact of COVID-19 on pregnancy has been analyzed suggesting an increased risk of placental lesions that might lead to maternal and neonatal complications. However, the current published evidence is not conclusive because contradictory results. Methods. PLAXAVID is an observational, retrospective, histopathological, single-center study that aimed to evaluate the prevalence of vascular and inflammatory lesions in placental and umbilical cord samples of one hundred women infected by SARS-CoV2 during pregnancy. Results. The histopathological analysis showed that in most of the placentas (77.8%) there were signs of maternal vascular malperfusion (MVM; primary endpoint). The most common MVM features were an accelerated villous maturation (37.4%), central villous infarcts (33.3%), and villous agglutination (46.5%). Fetal vascular malperfusion (FVM) was identified in 57.6% of samples, and the most frequent features were hyalinized avascular villi (38.4%), fetal vascular thrombi (20.2%) and umbilical cord at risk of partial obstruction (14.1%). Acute and chronic inflammatory pathology were noticed in 22.2% and 49.5% of placentas, respectively. No significant correlations were found between MVM presence and the time, duration, and severity of infection, nor with the duration of pregnancy. However, in critically ill patients, the pregnancy duration (p=0.008), newborn weight (p=0.003), and APGAR test scores (p<0.001) were significantly lower. The same trend was observed considering the presence of infection at the time of delivery and in preterm births. Conclusion. A very high percentage of placentas with vascular and/or inflammatory lesions was found in the analyzed cohort. Therefore, PLAXAVID study results supported that COVID-19 should be considered a risk factor during gestation and requires close monitoring of pregnancy

Proteoglycan synthesis by human corneal explants submitted to laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK)

PURPOSE: To evaluate the acute effects of laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) upon the synthesis of proteoglycans (PGs) and collagen fibril organization in human corneal explants.METHODS: Human corneas that had been rejected for transplants were obtained at Banco de Olhos of Hospital So Paulo. For each eye pair, one cornea was submitted to refractive surgery, and the other was used as its matched control. After surgery, the corneas were excised from the eyes and immediately placed in a Ham F-12 nutrient mixture containing S-35-sulfate for the metabolic labeling of PGs. After 24 h incubation, PGs were extracted and identified by a combination of agarose gel electrophoresis and enzymatic degradation with protease and specific glycosaminoglycan lyases. Histopathological and birefringence analysis were performed in fixed tissue slices.RESULTS: A marked decrease in S-35-sulfate incorporation in PGs was observed in corneal explants that received LASIK, especially concerning dermatan sulfate-PGs, with keratan sulfate- and heparan sulfate-PG synthesis reduced to a lower degree. Only low molecular weight PGs were present in the corneas, both before and 24 h after LASIK. No sign of wound healing processes were observed, but a marked change in corneal birefringence was seen following LASIK treatment.CONCLUSIONS: Laser application led to decreased PG biosynthesis in human corneal explants, with marked changes in the collagen fibril organization, as revealed by changes in the tissue birefringence.Univ Fed Sao Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, Dept Bioquim, BR-04044020 Sao Paulo, SP, BrazilUniv Fed Sao Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, Dept Oftalmol, Sao Paulo, SP, BrazilUniv Estadual Campinas, Dept Biol Celular, Campinas, SP, BrazilUniv Fed Sao Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, Dept Bioquim, BR-04044020 Sao Paulo, SP, BrazilUniv Fed Sao Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, Dept Oftalmol, Sao Paulo, SP, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Epidemiology of paediatric gastrointestinal colonisation by extended spectrum cephalosporin-resistant Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates in north-west Cambodia

Extended-spectrum cephalosporin resistance (ESC-R) in Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae is a healthcare threat; high gastrointestinal carriage rates are reported from South-east Asia. Colonisation prevalence data in Cambodia are lacking. We determined gastrointestinal colonisation prevalence of ESC-resistant E. coli (ESC-R-EC) and K. pneumoniae (ESC-R-KP) in Cambodian children/adolescents and associated risk factors; characterised relevant resistance genes, their genetic contexts, and the genetic relatedness of ESC-R strains using whole genome sequencing (WGS). Faeces and questionnaire data were obtained from individuals <16 years in northwestern Cambodia, 2012. WGS of cultured ESC-R-EC/KP was performed (Illumina). Maximum likelihood phylogenies were used to characterise relatedness of isolates; ESC-R-associated resistance genes and their genetic contexts were identified from de novo assemblies using BLASTn and automated/manual annotation. 82/148 (55%) of children/adolescents were ESC-R-EC/KP colonised; 12/148 (8%) were co-colonised with both species. Independent risk factors for colonisation were hospitalisation (OR: 3.12, 95%, CI [1.52-6.38]) and intestinal parasites (OR: 3.11 [1.29-7.51]); school attendance conferred decreased risk (OR: 0.44 [0.21-0.92]. ESC-R strains were diverse; the commonest ESC-R mechanisms were blaCTX-M 1 and 9 sub-family variants. Structures flanking these genes were highly variable, and for blaCTX-M-15, -55 and -27, frequently involved IS26. Chromosomal blaCTX-M integration was common in E. coli. Gastrointestinal ESC-R-EC/KP colonisation is widespread in Cambodian children/adolescents; hospital admission and intestinal parasites are independent risk factors. The genetic contexts of blaCTX-M are highly mosaic, consistent with rapid horizontal exchange. Chromosomal integration of blaCTX-M may result in stable propagation in these community-associated pathogens

Predictors of multidomain decline in health‐related quality of life after stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for prostate cancer

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/136687/1/cncr30519_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/136687/2/cncr30519.pd

Clinical Outcomes of a Zika Virus Mother-Child Pair Cohort in Spain

BACKGROUND: Zika virus (ZIKV) infection has been associated with congenital microcephaly and other neurodevelopmental abnormalities. There is little published research on the effect of maternal ZIKV infection in a non-endemic European region. We aimed to describe the outcomes of pregnant travelers diagnosed as ZIKV-infected in Spain, and their exposed children. METHODS: This prospective observational cohort study of nine referral hospitals enrolled pregnant women (PW) who travelled to endemic areas during their pregnancy or the two previous months, or those whose sexual partners visited endemic areas in the previous 6 months. Infants of ZIKV-infected mothers were followed for about two years. RESULTS: ZIKV infection was diagnosed in 163 PW; 112 (70%) were asymptomatic and 24 (14.7%) were confirmed cases. Among 143 infants, 14 (9.8%) had adverse outcomes during follow-up; three had a congenital Zika syndrome (CZS), and 11 other potential Zika-related outcomes. The overall incidence of CZS was 2.1% (95%CI: 0.4-6.0%), but among infants born to ZIKV-confirmed mothers, this increased to 15.8% (95%CI: 3.4-39.6%). CONCLUSIONS: A nearly 10% overall risk of neurologic and hearing adverse outcomes was found in ZIKV-exposed children born to a ZIKV-infected traveler PW. Longer-term follow-up of these children is needed to assess whether there are any later-onset manifestations