Citations

Traditional ice storage has been the historic standard for preserving donor’s hearts. However, this approach provides variability in cooling, increasing risks of freezing injury. To date, no preservation technology has been reported to improve survival after transplantation. The Paragonix SherpaPak Cardiac Transport System (SCTS) is a controlled hypothermic technology clinically used since 2018. Real-world evidence on clinical benefits of SCTS compared to conventional ice cold storage (ICS) was evaluated. Between October 2015 and January 2022, 569 US adults receiving donor hearts preserved and transported either in SCTS (n = 255) or ICS (n = 314) were analyzed from the Global Utilization And Registry Database for Improved heArt preservatioN (GUARDIAN-Heart) registry. Propensity matching and a subgroup analysis of >240 minutes ischemic time were performed to evaluate comparative outcomes. Overall, the SCTS cohort had significantly lower rates of severe primary graft dysfunction (PGD) ( p = 0.03). When propensity matched, SCTS had improving 1-year survival ( p = 0.10), significantly lower rates of severe PGD ( p = 0.011), and lower overall post-transplant MCS utilization ( p = 0.098). For patients with ischemic times >4 hours, the SCTS cohort had reduced post-transplant MCS utilization ( p = 0.01), reduced incidence of severe PGD ( p = 0.005), and improved 30-day survival ( p = 0.02). A multivariate analysis of independent risk factors revealed that compared to SCTS, use of ice results in a 3.4-fold greater chance of severe PGD ( p = 0.014). Utilization of SCTS is associated with a trend toward increased post-transplant survival and significantly lower severe PGD and MCS utilization. These findings fundamentally challenge the decades-long status quo of transporting donor hearts using ice.

Background: The prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in U.S. adults is over 30%, yet the role of lifestyle factors in the etiology of NAFLD remains understudied. We examined the associations of physical activity, by intensity and type, and television viewing with prevalent NAFLD. Methods: Cross-sectional analysis of a population-based sample of 2726 Black (49%) and White (51%) adults (Mean (SD) age, 50 (3.6) years; 57.3% female) from the CARDIA study. Exposures were aerobic activity by intensity (moderate, vigorous; hours/week); activity type (aerobic, muscle-strengthening; hours/week); and television viewing (hours/week), examined concurrently in all models and assessed by validated questionnaires. Our outcome was NAFLD (liver attenuation < 51 Hounsfield Units), measured by non-contrast computed tomography, after exclusions for other causes of liver fat. Covariates were sex, age, race, study center, education, diet quality, smoking status, alcohol consumption, and body mass index or waist circumference. Results: 648 participants had NAFLD. In the fully adjusted modified Poisson regression model, the risk ratios per interquartile range of each exposure were moderate-intensity aerobic activity, 1.10 (95% CI, 0.97–1.26); vigorous-intensity aerobic activity, 0.72 (0.63–0.82); muscle-strengthening activity, 0.89 (0.80–1.01); and television viewing, 1.20 (1.10–1.32). Relative to less active participants with higher levels of television viewing, those who participated in ≥2 h/week of both vigorous-intensity aerobic and muscle-strengthening activity and <7 h/week of television viewing had 65% lower risk of NAFLD (risk ratio = 0.35, 95% CI = 0.23–0.51). Conclusion: Adults who follow public health recommendations for vigorous-aerobic and muscle-strengthening activity, as well as minimize television viewing, are considerably less likely to have NAFLD than those who do not follow the recommendations and who have relatively high levels of television viewing.

We introduce tumor connectomics, a novel MRI-based complex graph theory framework that describes the intricate network of relationships within the tumor and surrounding tissue, and combine this with multiparametric radiomics (mpRad) in a machine-learning approach to distinguish radiation necrosis (RN) from true progression (TP). Pathologically confirmed cases of RN vs. TP in brain metastases treated with SRS were included from a single institution. The region of interest was manually segmented as the single largest diameter of the T1 post-contrast (T1C) lesion plus the corresponding area of T2 FLAIR hyperintensity. There were 40 mpRad features and 6 connectomics features extracted, as well as 5 clinical and treatment factors. We developed an Integrated Radiomics Informatics System (IRIS) based on an Isomap support vector machine (IsoSVM) model to distinguish TP from RN using leave-one-out cross-validation. Class imbalance was resolved with differential misclassification weighting during model training using the IRIS. In total, 135 lesions in 110 patients were analyzed, including 43 cases (31.9%) of pathologically proven RN and 92 cases (68.1%) of TP. The top-performing connectomics features were three centrality measures of degree, betweenness, and eigenvector centralities. Combining these with the 10 top-performing mpRad features, an optimized IsoSVM model was able to produce a sensitivity of 0.87, specificity of 0.84, AUC-ROC of 0.89 (95% CI: 0.82–0.94), and AUC-PR of 0.94 (95% CI: 0.87–0.97).

This selection from the NCCN Guidelines for Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Oncology focuses on considerations for the comprehensive care of AYA patients with cancer. Compared with older adults with cancer, AYA patients have unique needs regarding treatment, fertility counseling, psychosocial and behavioral issues, and supportive care services. The complete version of the NCCN Guidelines for Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Oncology addresses additional aspects of caring for AYA patients, including risk factors, screening, diagnosis, and survivorship.

PURPOSE Total neoadjuvant therapy (TNT) is a newly established standard treatment for rectal adenocarcinoma. Current methods to communicate magnitudes of regression during TNT are subjective and imprecise. Magnetic resonance tumor regression grade (MR-TRG) is an existing, but rarely used, regression grading system. Prospective validation of MR-TRG correlation with pathologic response in patients undergoing TNT is lacking. Utility of adding diffusion-weighted imaging to MR-TRG is also unknown. METHODS We conducted a multi-institutional prospective imaging substudy within NRG-GI002 (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02921256 ) examining the ability of MR-based imaging to predict pathologic complete response (pCR) and correlate MR-TRG with the pathologic neoadjuvant response score (NAR). Serial MRIs were needed from 110 patients. Three radiologists independently, then collectively, reviewed each MRI for complete response (mriCR), which was tested for positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), sensitivity, and specificity with pCR. MR-TRG was examined for association with the pathologic NAR score. All team members were blinded to pathologic data. RESULTS A total of 121 patients from 71 institutions met criteria: 28% were female (n = 34), 84% White (n = 101), and median age was 55 (24-78 years). Kappa scores for T- and N-stage after TNT were 0.38 and 0.88, reflecting fair agreement and near-perfect agreement, respectively. Calling an mriCR resulted in a kappa score of 0.82 after chemotherapy and 0.56 after TNT reflected near-perfect agreement and moderate agreement, respectively. MR-TRG scores were associated with pCR ( P < .01) and NAR ( P < .0001), PPV for pCR was 40% (95% CI, 26 to 53), and NPV was 84% (95% CI, 75 to 94). CONCLUSION MRI alone is a poor tool to distinguish pCR in rectal adenocarcinoma undergoing TNT. However, the MR-TRG score presents a now validated method, correlated with pathologic NAR, which can objectively measure regression magnitude during TNT.

Abstract Introduction Predictors of intraoperative corporal perforation and delayed cylinder complications in inflatable penile prosthesis (IPP) placement have not been well-delineated in the literature. Inflatable penile prosthesis (IPP) can offer high satisfaction rates of patients, but this procedure is not without complications that can be encountered intraoperatively and postoperatively. Particularly, predictors of intraoperative corporal perforation and delayed cylinder complications in IPP placement have not been well-delineated in the literature. Objective We evaluated our retrospective multi-institutional database of IPP surgeries performed by expert implant surgeons to identify risk factors that are predictive of the development of these non-infectious complications. Methods IPP cases performed by sixteen international implanters from 2016-2021 were identified. All primary and revision cases were included. Salvage cases for infection were excluded. Demographic characteristics, intraoperative variables, and postoperative outcomes were assessed. Poor corporal integrity (PCI) was defined as intraoperative corporal complications (proximal and/or distal perforation of the corpora, corporal crossover) or postoperative corporal complications (cylinder erosion, extrusion, impending erosion, or deformity). Risk factor analysis and multivariate analysis were performed to identify predictors of PCI. Results A total of 5406 IPP cases across 16 separate institutions were assessed. There were 163 (3.0%, mean age 64) cases of PCI. Of the 156 complications that occurred, 101 (64.7%) occurred intraoperatively, while 55 (35.3%) occurred postoperatively. The rates of diabetes (p=0.669), vascular disease (p=0.054), and history of intracavernosal injections (p=0.111) all had no statistically significant effect on corporal integrity. Patients with PCI tended to have hypertension (p=0.045), current smoking (p=0.03), history of IPP infection (p&lt;0.001), and history of shunt for priapism (p&lt;0.001). On multivariate analysis, predictors of PCI include hypertension (OR 1.64 (1.09-2.47), p=0.018), history of IPP infection (OR 4.41 (2.52-7.84), p&lt;0.001), and age (OR 1.02 (1.00-1.04), p=0.027). Obesity was found to be protective (OR 0.63 (0.42-0.95), p=0.027). Conclusions Our multicenter analysis found that hypertension, current smoking, history of IPP infection and age were risk factors for complications associated with poor corporal integrity. Recognizing these risk factors preoperatively can allow for improved patient-specific counseling and changes in surgical strategy to potentially prevent these complications. Disclosure Any of the authors act as a consultant, employee or shareholder of an industry for: Coloplast and Boston Scientific.

Abstract Introduction In primary implant patients without significant corporal fibrosis, penile implant surgical technique varies in implementation of either single dilation (SingD) or sequential dilation (SeqD). Vigorous debate exists regarding both methods, but there is no robust evidence supporting one technique over the other in the literature. Objective We compared the rates of intraoperative complications and postoperative outcomes from a large international database of inflatable penile prostheses (IPP) performed by expert implant surgeons to determine if there were any significant differences in rates between SingD and SeqD. Methods We analyzed IPP cases performed by international implanters from 2016-2021. All primary implant cases were included, while revision cases, salvage operations, and patients with evidence of corporal fibrosis were excluded. Intraoperative complications and postoperative noninfectious outcomes were assessed between the two groups. These included proximal/distal perforation and cylinder crossover. Results After exclusion based on aforementioned criteria, we identified 3045 patients who underwent IPP. After 1:1 propensity matching of both groups, we analyzed 572 patients who underwent SingD and 572 patients who underwent SeqD. Between the two groups, more men of non-Caucasian race underwent SingD vs SeqD (p&lt;0.001). There was a significant difference in cylinder length in the SeqD group vs the SingD group (20cm ± 1.5 vs. 20 cm ±2 respectively, p=0.018). There were 8 (0.7%) intraoperative complications in total, 7 in the SeqD group and 1 in the SingD group (p=0.034). Of these intraoperative complications, 3 (37.5%) patients who underwent SeqD sustained a proximal perforation, 3 (37.5%) sustained distal crossover, and 1 (12.5%) sustained proximal crossover. 1 patient (12.5%) with intraoperative complication who underwent SingD sustained a proximal perforation. Postoperatively, 78 (82%) of complications were in the SeqD group and 17 (18%) in the SingD group (p&lt;0.001). Of these postoperative complications, there were 15 patients with bleeding or hematoma, of which 14 were in the SeqD group vs 1 in the SingD group (p&lt;0.001). Of the 35 patients who were noted to have device-related malfunction, 29 underwent SeqD and 6 underwent SingD (p&lt;0.001). Postoperative complications were more related to technical error in the SeqD vs the SingD group (11 patients and 1 patient respectively, p&lt;0.011). On multivariate analysis, prior radical prostatectomy was predictive of intraoperative complications (OR 4.59 with IQR 1.39-15.16, p=0.024), while larger cylinder size seemed to be protective (OR 0.66 with IQR 0.50-0.89, p=0.006). On multivariate analysis, SeqD was predictive of postoperative complications (5.16 with IQR 3.01-8.83, p&lt;0.001), as was history of priapism (4.15 with IQR 1.30-13.29, p=0.017). Patients who undergo SeqD may be calibrated by the surgeon to have more complex corpora, which could explain higher complication rates. We identified 3045 patients who underwent IPP. Conclusions In our international multicenter assessment of primary IPPs without corporal fibrosis performed by expert surgeons, patients undergoing single dilation appear to have slight benefit in total cylinder length. Sequential dilation may confer greater risk of intraoperative and postoperative complications, including bleeding and hematoma. Single dilation is a safe technique for primary inflatable penile prosthesis. Disclosure Any of the authors act as a consultant, employee or shareholder of an industry for: Coloplast and Boston Scientific

Importance Airway mucus plugs are common in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD); however, the association of airway mucus plugging and mortality in patients with COPD is unknown. Objective To determine whether airway mucus plugs identified on chest computed tomography (CT) were associated with increased all-cause mortality. Design, Setting, and Participants Observational retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data of patients with a diagnosis of COPD in the Genetic Epidemiology of COPD cohort. Participants were non-Hispanic Black or White individuals, aged 45 to 80 years, who smoked at least 10 pack-years. Participants were enrolled at 21 centers across the US between November 2007 and April 2011 and were followed up through August 31, 2022. Exposures Mucus plugs that completely occluded airways on chest CT scans, identified in medium- to large-sized airways (ie, approximately 2- to 10-mm lumen diameter) and categorized as affecting 0, 1 to 2, or 3 or more lung segments. Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcome was all-cause mortality, assessed with proportional hazard regression analysis. Models were adjusted for age, sex, race and ethnicity, body mass index, pack-years smoked, current smoking status, forced expiratory volume in the first second of expiration, and CT measures of emphysema and airway disease. Results Among the 4483 participants with COPD, 4363 were included in the primary analysis (median age, 63 years [IQR, 57-70 years]; 44% were women). A total of 2585 (59.3%), 953 (21.8%), and 825 (18.9%) participants had mucus plugs in 0, 1 to 2, and 3 or more lung segments, respectively. During a median 9.5-year follow-up, 1769 participants (40.6%) died. The mortality rates were 34.0% (95% CI, 32.2%-35.8%), 46.7% (95% CI, 43.5%-49.9%), and 54.1% (95% CI, 50.7%-57.4%) in participants who had mucus plugs in 0, 1 to 2, and 3 or more lung segments, respectively. The presence of mucus plugs in 1 to 2 vs 0 and 3 or more vs 0 lung segments was associated with an adjusted hazard ratio of death of 1.15 (95% CI, 1.02-1.29) and 1.24 (95% CI, 1.10-1.41), respectively. Conclusions and Relevance In participants with COPD, the presence of mucus plugs that obstructed medium- to large-sized airways was associated with higher all-cause mortality compared with patients without mucus plugging on chest CT scans.