Citations

37 Background: While parenchymal hepatic metastases were previously considered a contraindication to cytoreductive surgery(CRS) and heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy(HIPEC), liver resection(LR) is increasingly performed concomitantly with CRS/HIPEC. As this practice continues to expand, identification of preoperative factors associated with poor outcomes is paramount. Methods: Patients from the US HIPEC Collaborative(2000-2017) with invasive appendiceal or colorectal adenocarcinoma undergoing primary, curative intent CRS/HIPEC with CC0-1 resection were included. LR was defined as a formal parenchymal resection. Primary endpoints were postoperative complications and overall survival(OS). Results: 658 patients were included. Average age was 54 years and 45% were male; 83 (15%) underwent liver resection of colorectal (58%) or invasive appendiceal (42%) metastases. Liver resection patients had more complications (81 vs 60%; p = 0.001), greater number of complications (2.3 vs 1.5; p < 0.001), and required more reoperations (22 vs 11%; p = 0.007) and readmissions (39 vs 25%; p = 0.014) than non-liver resection patients. Liver resection patients had decreased OS (2-year OS 62% vs 79%, p < 0.001), which persisted on multivariable Cox regression when accounting for PCI and histology type. Preoperative factors associated with decreased OS on multivariable analysis in patients undergoing liver resection included age < 60 years (HR:3.61), colorectal histology (HR:3.84), and multiple liver tumors (HR:3.45) (all p < 0.05). When assigning one point for each factor, there was an incremental decrease in 2-yr survival as the risk score increased from 0 to 3 (0: 100%; 1: 91%; 2: 58%; 3: 0%; p < 0.001). Conclusions: As concurrent liver resection with CRS/HIPEC has become more common, we created a simple risk score to stratify patients considered for CRS/HIPEC with liver resection. These data aid in striking the balance between an increased perioperative complication profile with the potential for improvement in overall survival.

Abstract Background The number of patients requiring home enteral nutrition (HEN) continues to increase. Many of these patients are interested in using blended food instead of, or in addition to, commercial enteral formula (CEF). Increased risk of food‐borne illness is a concern of blenderized tube‐feeding (BTF). This project assessed a standard procedure for minimizing bacterial growth of BTF prepared in the home setting. Methods Fifty participants prepared BTF in their kitchens using a standard preparation procedure to minimize bacterial contamination. BTF was assessed for growth of aerobic microorganisms, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus , and coliforms at baseline, 24‐hour, and 48‐hour intervals after preparation for a total of 150 colony forming units (CFU) counts performed. Results No sample had zero aerobic microbial counts; yet no substantial increase in microbial counts was observed during the 48 hours. At baseline and 24 hours, 5/50 (10%) had a CFU count of >10 4 , and at 48 hours, 6/50 (12%) exceeded 10 4 CFUs. Out of 150 CFU counts, 2 (1.3%) were just over 10 5 CFU/mL. Samples exceeding 10 4 CFU/mL were likely contaminated by common endospore‐forming bacteria found in soil or by bacteria in milk that was close to its expiration date. Conclusion In this study, 88% of the samples met the US Food Code criteria for safe food consumption; 10.7% met guidelines for marginal safety by other standards; and 1.3% slightly exceeded 10 5 CFUs. Established safe food‐handling procedures can minimize bacterial contamination of BTF and consequently reduce risk of food‐borne infection in HEN patients.

Background: The National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey III, 2009 reported that 48% of adolescents in the United States are vitamin D insufficient/deficient. Nutritional and environmental factors are implicated. The purpose of this study was to measure the prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency in orthopaedic patients and typical children and identify risk factors to aid in screening. Methods: This prospective study recruited 138 patients and 30 typical children ages 2 to <18 yr. Those with known problems with abnormal vitamin D metabolism or diminished ability to play outside were excluded. Height, weight, and serum 25-OH vitamin D levels were measured. Questionnaires assessed skin type, sunscreen use, diet, and physical activity. Results: Statistical analysis failed to detect any differences between patients and controls. Therefore, they were combined for statistical analysis (N=168). The mean age was 11.9±4.2 yr. The mean vitamin D level was 26.5±7.8 ng/mL, which was deficient (<20 ng/mL, n=33) or insufficient (≥21 to <30 ng/mL, n=84) for 71% of participants. Children with sufficient vitamin D levels were younger than those with insufficient/deficient levels (P=0.02). Multivariate analysis showed that vitamin D levels were negatively affected in ethnic minority groups, those with higher body mass index, those with Medicaid or no insurance status, and those with outside playtime of less than 20 min/day (P=0.0006, P=0.001, P=0.0004, P=0.0005, respectively). Conclusions: Vitamin D insufficiency in 71% of our population is much greater than that being reported. The high rate of vitamin D insufficiency suggests that routine screening may be necessary to prevent long-term effects on bone growth and fragility. Characteristics of those at highest risk are ethnic minority, older age, obesity, time spent outdoors of less than 20 min per day, and no private health insurance. Level of Evidence: Level II.

AbstractThe high discard rate of pediatric donor hearts presents a major challenge for children awaiting heart transplantation. Recent literature identifies several factors that contribute to the disparities in pediatric donor heart usage, including regulatory oversight, the absence of guidelines on pediatric donor heart acceptance, and variation among transplant programs. However, a likely additional contributor to this issue are the behavioral factors influencing transplant team decisions in donor offer scenarios, a topic that has not yet been studied in detail. Behavioral economics and decision psychology provide an excellent foundation for investigating decision‐making in the pediatric transplant setting, offering key insights into the behavior of transplant professionals. We conducted a systematic review of published literature in pediatric heart transplant related to behavioral economics and the psychology of decision‐making. In this review, we draw on paradigms from these two domains in order to examine how existing aspects of the transplant environment, including regulatory oversight, programmatic variation, and allocation systems, may precipitate potential biases surrounding donor offer decisions. Recognizing how human decision behavior influences donor acceptance is a first step toward improving utilization of potentially viable pediatric donor hearts.

Abstract Radioimmunoassay of serum estrogen (sum of estrone and estradiol-17β) in 0.5 ml of human serum is described. After dilution of the serum, the estrogens are adsorbed on a Sephadex G-15 column in the presence of dilute HCl and then eluted with benzene. After evaporation of the benzene eluate, the estrogens are dissolved in bovine serum albumin (5 g/ liter solution, at pH 8.0). An aliquot of this solution is used for the assay. Serum estrogen concentrations (mean ± SD) were 69 ± 23 pg/ml in 105 normal men and 199 ± 146 pg/ml in 26 fertile women. In 109 postmenopausal women, estrogen was undetectable in seven sera, but in the remaining 102 it was 52 ± 30 pg/ml of serum.

BACKGROUNDSingle antigen bead (SAB) assays are used to identify human leukocyte antigen (HLA) antibodies in patients with platelet refractoriness due to HLA Class I alloimmunization. Some laboratories use serum pretreatment regimens to eliminate interference from immunoglobulin M antibodies and complement. These modifications may contribute to interlaboratory variability, which is a recognized problem with the SAB assay.STUDY DESIGN AND METHODSFive patientsʼ sera were overnight shipped to 12 laboratories in the United States and internationally. Recipients used their labʼs SAB procedure to identify HLA Class I antibodies. The resultant mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) data were compared by instrumentation, bead lot, and pretreatment regimens. Laboratory‐specific cutoffs for positive antibodies were applied to the results.RESULTSInterlaboratory variability for MFI values appears to be associated with different pretreatment regimens. The coefficient of variation (CV) of MFI from samples pretreated with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, dithiothreitol, or heat inactivation (EDHI) were similar, ranging from 14% to 56% (mean, 22%). For samples with no pretreatment, the CVs were significantly higher than EDHI‐treated samples, ranging from 25% to 74% (mean, 39%; 95% confidence interval, 12.10‐21.90; p < 0.0001). An intralaboratory comparison of pretreatment regimens confirmed these findings. Some positive antibody specificities present in EDHI‐treated samples were negative in corresponding samples with no pretreatment when laboratory‐specific cutoffs for positive antibodies were applied.CONCLUSIONOur results show that greater interlaboratory precision can be achieved when samples are pretreated with EDHI as opposed to no pretreatment, likely because these pretreatments eliminate interference from inhibitors. Inhibitors may mask antibodies, leading to missed (or uncalled) specificities when no pretreatment is used.

Background. Anesthetic management of orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) can be challenging. Management involves responding to sudden hemodynamic shifts, addressing instability, and performing ongoing volume assessment. To best prepare for these perturbations, various monitors are used intraoperatively. We sought to explore the impact of transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) and pulmonary artery catheter (PAC) use on outcomes of patients undergoing OLT. Methods. We retrospectively reviewed records of patients who underwent OLT at a single institution and included all who were monitored intraoperatively with TEE alone, PAC alone, or both methods concurrently (TEE + PAC). We determined whether these groups had differences in length of hospitalization (primary outcome), 30-day mortality rate, and other outcomes. Results. Three hundred eighteen liver transplant operations were included in the study. Patients in the TEE + PAC group had the shortest median length of hospitalization (TEE + PAC, 8.6 days; TEE, 10.3; PAC, 9.1; P = 0.04). The TEE + PAC group also had the lowest 30-day mortality rate (TEE + PAC, n = 1 [1.3%]; TEE, n = 5 [12.8%]; PAC, n = 7 [3.5%]; P = 0.009). However, the TEE + PAC group also had the highest rate of a new postoperative need for dialysis (TEE + PAC, n = 8 [10.3%]; TEE, n = 2 [5.1%]; PAC, n = 1 [0.5%]; P < 0.001). Conclusions. Compared with either TEE alone or PAC alone, intraoperative monitoring with TEE + PAC during OLT was associated with the shortest length of hospitalization and lowest 30-day mortality rate. Transplant anesthesiologists should be aware of the potential benefit on patient mortality and hospital length of stay with concurrent intraoperative TEE + PAC monitoring and the increased need for new postoperative dialysis.

AbstractPurposeWe explored the feasibility of a clinical pathway to identify hospitalized patients with dementia who would benefit from a palliative intervention.Design and MethodsConsecutive geropsychiatric admissions were screened for terminal dementia to be randomized to a palliative consultation vs usual care.FindingsA total of 43 of the 188 patients (23%) had dementia; however, dementia stages were severe but not terminal. The pathway was not feasible because of the lack of the target population in the inpatient setting for the intervention.Practice ImplicationsNew clinical pathways are needed to identify patients with dementia who would benefit from palliative care.

Abstract Persons of African ancestry (AA) have a twofold higher risk for multiple myeloma (MM) compared with persons of European ancestry (EA). Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) support a genetic contribution to MM etiology in individuals of EA. Little is known about genetic risk factors for MM in individuals of AA. We performed a meta-analysis of 2 GWASs of MM in 1813 cases and 8871 controls and conducted an admixture mapping scan to identify risk alleles. We fine-mapped the 23 known susceptibility loci to find markers that could better capture MM risk in individuals of AA and constructed a polygenic risk score (PRS) to assess the aggregated effect of known MM risk alleles. In GWAS meta-analysis, we identified 2 suggestive novel loci located at 9p24.3 and 9p13.1 at P &lt; 1 × 10−6; however, no genome-wide significant association was noted. In admixture mapping, we observed a genome-wide significant inverse association between local AA at 2p24.1-23.1 and MM risk in AA individuals. Of the 23 known EA risk variants, 20 showed directional consistency, and 9 replicated at P &lt; .05 in AA individuals. In 8 regions, we identified markers that better capture MM risk in persons with AA. AA individuals with a PRS in the top 10% had a 1.82-fold (95% confidence interval, 1.56-2.11) increased MM risk compared with those with average risk (25%-75%). The strongest functional association was between the risk allele for variant rs56219066 at 5q15 and lower ELL2 expression (P = 5.1 × 10−12). Our study shows that common genetic variation contributes to MM risk in individuals with AA.