Citations

While all facets of the health care workforce need to diversify, the veterinary profession lags behind in training students from underrepresented populations. The need to increase diversity among health care professionals is not limited to clinicians but extends to those generating new information through biomedical research. To address demographic disparities within the biomedical research community, we provide a summer research program for veterinary and undergraduate students from populations historically underrepresented in the biomedical workforce that is explicitly designed to foster science identity and subsequently increase participants’ interest and success in pursuing biomedical research-related educational and career paths. We hypothesized that participation in this program would enhance science identity, confidence, and pursuit of research-related education and subsequent careers. Three validated survey instruments containing qualitative ordered rating scales were administered to program participants ( N = 57) over the course of the summer in which they participated (2018–2022). Questions asked at two time points were analyzed with a repeated-measures linear mixed-effects model. Significant growth was reported in most topics surveyed over time. Many queries within gains, confidence, and science identity modules displayed significant increases over time or scored high in surveys at both time points. In addition, post-graduate educational and career outcomes were obtained for alumni ( N = 130) of program years 2011–2023; their post-graduate enrollment rates (78%) markedly exceeded national norms. This multidimensional experiential research program, which holistically fosters professional networking and student confidence in research-related endeavors, provides quantifiable growth in research skills and science identity. These gains support students’ persistence in research and biomedical-related educational and career paths.

Abstract Artificial intelligence (AI)–enabled interpretation of electrocardiogram (ECG) images (AI-ECGs) can identify patterns predictive of future adverse cardiac events. We hypothesized that such an approach would provide prognostic information for the risk of cardiac complications and mortality in patients undergoing hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). We retrospectively subjected ECGs obtained before HCT to an externally trained, deep-learning model designed to predict the risk of atrial fibrillation (AF). Included were 1377 patients (849 autologous [auto] HCT and 528 allogeneic [allo] HCT recipients). The median follow-up was 2.9 years. The 3-year cumulative incidence of AF was 9% (95% confidence interval [CI], 7-12) in patients who underwent auto HCT and 13% (10%-16%) in patients who underwent allo HCT. In the entire cohort, pre-HCT AI-ECG estimate of AF risk correlated highly with the development of clinical AF (hazard ratio [HR], 7.37; 95% CI, 3.53-15.4; P < .001), inferior survival (HR, 2.4; 95% CI, 1.3-4.5; P = .004), and greater risk of nonrelapse mortality (NRM; HR, 95% CI, 3.36; 1.39-8.13; P = .007), without increased risk of relapse. Association with mortality was only noted in allo HCT recipients, where the risk of NRM was greater. The use of cyclophosphamide after transplantation resulted in greater 90-day incidence of AF (13% vs 5%; P = .01) compared to calcineurin inhibitor–based graft-versus-host disease prophylaxis, corresponding to temporal changes in AI-ECG AF prediction after HCT. In summary, AI-ECG can inform risk of posttransplant cardiac outcomes and survival in HCT patients and represents a novel strategy for personalized risk assessment.

AbstractSynoptic operative notes for pediatric surgical oncology provide standardized and structured documentation of surgical procedures performed on pediatric patients with cancer. These reports capture essential details such as preoperative diagnosis, intraoperative findings, surgical technique, and tumor characteristics in a concise and uniform format. By promoting consistency, accuracy, and completeness in reporting, synoptic operative notes facilitate effective communication among multidisciplinary healthcare teams, enhance quality assurance efforts, and streamline data extraction for research purposes. The integration of synoptic reporting within electronic medical record systems further enhances accessibility and usability, ensuring efficient documentation practices and improved patient care outcomes in pediatric surgical oncology.

AbstractObjectivesThe prevalence of celiac disease (CeD) is increasing, yet it is still underdiagnosed, in part because of its heterogeneous presentation. Diagnostic criteria are evolving and management with strict adherence to a gluten‐free diet is challenging for many. We aimed to characterize the clinical presentation of CeD among a large multicenter cohort of pediatric patients and to identify factors associated with gluten‐free diet adherence.MethodsPatients with CeD aged 0–18 years were recruited from 11 United States health centers. Parents completed surveys about gluten‐free diet adherence and patient electronic health records were reviewed. Logistic regression analyses were performed to identify risk factors associated with gluten exposure.ResultsCharts were reviewed for 460 children with a median age of 6.4 years. Abdominal pain was reported in 57% of the cohort, but diverse symptoms were identified. Parent surveys were completed for 455 participants. Sixty‐five (14%) participants were at high risk for gluten exposure based on parental reports of weekly or daily gluten exposure or eating gluten by choice in the past year. Participants under the age of 5 years had a lower risk of gluten exposure, while participants without repeat serology testing 18 months after initial diagnosis were at higher risk of gluten exposure.ConclusionsIn a large, multicenter cohort of pediatric CeD patients, clinical presentation is highly variable, necessitating a high index of suspicion to make a diagnosis. Parent surveys indicate that 14% of patients are at high risk of gluten exposure, with patient age and lack of close follow‐up associated with gluten‐free diet adherence.

Neuroblastoma is the most common extracranial solid tumor diagnosed in children. This inaugural version of the NCCN Guidelines for Neuroblastoma provides recommendations for the diagnosis, risk classification, and treatment of neuroblastoma. The information in these guidelines was developed by the NCCN Neuroblastoma Panel, a multidisciplinary group of representatives with expertise in neuroblastoma, consisting of pediatric oncologists, radiologists, pathologists, surgeons, and radiation oncologists from NCCN Member Institutions. The evidence-based and consensus recommendations contained in the NCCN Guidelines are intended to guide clinicians in selecting the most appropriate treatments for their patients with this clinically heterogeneous disease.

AbstractNon‐rhabdomyosarcoma soft tissue sarcoma (STS) comprises most STS in pediatric patients. It is a diverse set of over 30 histologic subtypes. Treatment is based on risk group determined by tumor size, grade, and the presence of metastases. Surgical resection is a cornerstone of therapy, as tumors are often resistant to chemotherapy or radiation. While patients with isolated tumors less than 5 cm may undergo upfront resection, strong consideration should be given to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy to ensure negative margins at surgical resection and optimal outcomes. Sentinel lymph node biopsy is strongly recommended for clear cell and epithelioid sarcomas. The most common metastatic site is the lung, and metastases should be resected at the end of therapy, when feasible. Unfortunately, many high‐risk patients progress on therapy, and alternative strategies including earlier metastatic control require investigation.

Background Endovascular treatment with the woven endobridge (WEB) device has been widely utilized for managing intracranial aneurysms. However, predicting the probability of achieving adequate occlusion (Raymond–Roy classification 1 or 2) remains challenging. Objective Our study sought to develop and validate a predictive calculator for adequate occlusion using the WEB device via data from a large multi-institutional retrospective cohort. Methods We used data from the WorldWide WEB Consortium, encompassing 356 patients from 30 centers across North America, South America, and Europe. Bivariate and multivariate regression analyses were performed on a variety of demographic and clinical factors, from which predictive factors were selected. Calibration and validation were conducted, with variance inflation factor (VIF) parameters checked for collinearity. Results A total of 356 patients were included: 124 (34.8%) were male, 108 (30.3%) were elderly (≥65 years), and 118 (33.1%) were current smokers. Mean maximum aneurysm diameter was 7.09 mm (SD 2.71), with 112 (31.5%) having a daughter sac. In the multivariate regression, increasing aneurysm neck size (OR 0.706 [95% CI: 0.535–0.929], p = 0.13) and partial aneurysm thrombosis (OR 0.135 [95% CI: 0.024–0.681], p = 0.016) were found to be the only statistically significant variables associated with poorer likelihood of achieving occlusion. The predictive calculator shows a c-statistic of 0.744. Hosmer–Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test indicated a satisfactory model fit with a p-value of 0.431. The calculator is available at: https://neurodx.shinyapps.io/WEBDEVICE/ . Conclusion The predictive calculator offers a substantial contribution to the clinical toolkit for estimating the likelihood of adequate intracranial aneurysm occlusion by WEB device embolization.

Abstract The effect of prior inotuzumab ozogamicin (InO) treatment on brexucabtagene autoleucel (brexu-cel) outcomes remains unclear in adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). We conducted a retrospective multicenter analysis of 189 patients with relapsed/refractory ALL treated with brexu-cel. Over half of the patients received InO before brexu-cel (InO exposed). InO-exposed patients were more heavily pretreated (P = .02) and frequently had active marrow disease before apheresis (P = .03). Response rate and toxicity profile after brexu-cel were comparable for InO-exposed and InO-naïve patients; however, consolidation therapy after brexu-cel response was used at a higher rate in InO-naïve patients (P = .005). With a median follow-up of 11.4 months, InO-exposed patients had inferior progression-free survival (PFS; P = .013) and overall survival (OS; P = .006) in univariate analyses; however, prior InO exposure did not influence PFS (hazard ratio, 1.20; 95% confidence interval, 0.71-2.03) in multivariate models. Within InO-exposed patients, InO responders had superior PFS (P = .002) and OS (P < .0001) relative to InO-refractory patients. The timing of administering InO did not affect brexu-cel outcomes, with comparable PFS (P = .51) and OS (P = .86) for patients receiving InO as bridging therapy or before apheresis. In conclusion, although InO exposure was associated with inferior survival outcomes after brexu-cel in unadjusted analyses, these associations were no longer significant in multivariate analyses, suggesting it is unlikely that InO negatively affects brexu-cel efficacy. Our data instead imply that InO-exposed recipients of brexu-cel tend to be higher-risk patients with intrinsic adverse leukemia biology.