Citations

Abstract Rationale: Tracheostomies are commonly placed to facilitate weaning from ventilators in ICU patients who fail extubation. Once these patients are successfully weaned from mechanical ventilation and transferred out of the ICU however, management of the tracheostomies are frequently left to the floor teams that are less experienced in managing them. This can delay downsizing/removing tracheostomies when appropriate or in exchanging them when they cannot be safely removed. This report details the number and type of patients with tracheostomies and describes their tracheostomy management after placement.in a small university hospital that did not have a dedicated tracheostomy team. Methods: We reviewed the charts of all patients with tracheostomies who were in the hospital on a single day (7/22/2024). Patients were categorized based on which service placed the initial trach, the reason for the tracheostomy placement, the time from the initial trach placement, and the most recent exchange date. Results: Twelve patients with tracheostomies were in the hospital on that day (4% of all hospitalized patients); six were still in the ICU and 6 were on the floor. The time from initial tracheostomy placement ranged from 10 days to 2.5 years. The primary indications for tracheostomy included respiratory failure (n=5), cerebrovascular accidents (CVA) (n=4), and trauma (n=3). Eight tracheostomies were placed by the Surgery/Trauma service, three by the ENT service, and one by an outside hospital. At the time of data collection 5 of the 12 patients had not yet received a first trach exchange with an average time from tracheostomy placement of >20 days. Three of the 12 patients had had their trach downsized at least once. At least 4 patients had not had a documented tracheostomy exchange for at least 2 months. Conclusion: Our findings emphasize the diverse clinical situations requiring tracheostomy and their impact on patient care in and out of the ICU. The study highlights the importance of continuous assessment throughout a patient's hospital stay. In at least four cases, tracheostomy exchange intervals exceeded the recommended monthly timeframe. Research indicates that tracheostomy teams improve patient safety and outcomes through standardized protocols, suggesting a need for further investigation into team dynamics and their role in recovery.

Importance A subset of Union for International Cancer Control ( UICC )/ American Joint Committee on Cancer ( AJCC ) eighth edition TNM stage I and II human papillomavirus–positive oropharyngeal carcinoma has undesirable outcomes, which might have contributed to a lack of success in phase III deintensification trials. Refining clinical stage groups, especially in the overabundant cN1/stage I group, has become important for treatment selection. Objective To assess the prognostic importance of pretreatment lymph node (LN) characteristics to optimize case distribution and outcome homogeneity within the N classification system. Design, Setting, and Participants This is an international multi-institutional retrospective prognostic cohort study. Analysis of human papillomavirus–positive oropharyngeal carcinoma treated curatively from 4 institutions (International Collaboration of Oropharyngeal Cancer Network for N-Classification [ICON-N] dataset) provided a refined clinical staging proposal; an independent dataset (Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal [CHUM] dataset) validated the proposal. Neuroradiologists reviewed pretreatment computed tomography and/or magnetic resonance imaging for nodal features, including presence or absence of abnormal LN(s), retropharyngeal LN, laterality, number of abnormal LN, and imaging-detected extranodal extension (iENE). Data were collected from February to May 2023, and data were analyzed from June to July 2023. Exposures Definitive chemoradiotherapy/radiotherapy or definitive surgery with or without postoperative chemoradiotherapy/radiotherapy. Main Outcomes and Measures The primary end point was overall survival. A Cox proportional hazards multivariable model was used to estimate adjusted hazard ratios (AHRs) and to derive an optimal clinical TNM stage classification (AHR-stage schema) incorporating the strongest prognostic nodal features within the UICC/AJCC eighth edition TNM framework after confirming the prognostication of iENE status. The performance (according to overall normalized scores and ranking) of the AHR-stage schema against the current UICC/AJCC eighth edition TNM staging system was evaluated for hazard consistency, hazard discrimination, prognostic importance, and sample size balance. Validation was performed in the CHUM dataset. Results The ICON-N dataset comprised 2053 patients, including 1898 (92.5%) with cN-positive disease and 155 (7.5%) with cN0 disease; a total of 298 (14.5%) were female, and the mean (SD) age was 60.6 (9.3) years. iENE-positive disease was identified in 710 of 1898 patients with cN-positive disease (37.4%). The median (range) follow-up was 5.1 (0.1-14.7) years. iENE was the strongest prognostic nodal feature in multivariable analysis; the AHR for iENE-positive vs iENE-positive disease was 2.43 (95% CI, 1.96-3.03) in the ICON-N dataset and 2.04 (95% CI, 1.28-3.23) in the CHUM dataset (n = 451). Reclassifying iENE-positive cases 1 stratum higher for N categorization without altering iENE-negative cases yielded an AHR-stage schema that outperformed the current TNM staging system in disease-free and overall survival with a lower (ie, better) overall normalized score (2 vs 3). Conclusions and Relevance In this study, reclassifying each N category 1 stratum higher for iENE-positive disease resulted in better disease-free and overall survival. The proposed new classification outperformed the currently TNM staging system in risk stratification and may facilitate future clinical trial design, outcomes research, and patient care.

Abstract Background Percutaneous ablation of parathyroid adenomas provides a minimally invasive treatment option for primary hyperparathyroidism. However, the overall performance of this technique remains underexplored. This meta-analysis evaluates the effectiveness and safety of various ablation techniques for parathyroid adenomas. Methods Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, multiple databases, including Ovid MEDLINE and Cochrane, were systematically searched. Studies that provided separate data for radiofrequency (RF), microwave ablation (MWA), and ethanol ablation technique were included. Outcomes of interest were changes in serum calcium, PTH, and phosphorus levels, along with normocalcemia rates at 6 to 12 months after ablation. Safety outcomes included transient hoarseness, permanent hoarseness, severe hemorrhage, major complications, and severe hypocalcemia. Data were pooled using a random-effects model, with pooled prevalence and 95% CIs calculated. Also, the publication bias was assessed with Egger's test for each outcome measure. Results Twenty studies (815 patients) were included. The posttreatment normocalcemia rate at 6 to 12 months was 85.6% (95% CI, 80.48-90.72). Serum PTH and calcium levels significantly decreased, with mean differences of 101.49 pg/mL (95% CI, 73.50-129.48) and 0.39 mmol/L (95% CI, 0.34-.45), respectively. Permanent hoarseness and major complications were rare, with incidences of 0.28% (95% CI, 0.00-1.05) and 0.31% (95% CI, 0.00-1.09). The safety and efficacy outcomes of RF, MWA, and ethanol ablation were comparable. Conclusion Our findings indicate that percutaneous ablation of parathyroid adenomas is safe and effective within the first year of the treatment. Additionally, they suggest that RF, MWA, and ethanol ablation techniques can each be employed depending on patients' needs without particular limitations.

PURPOSE The combination of the Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor ibrutinib with bendamustine-rituximab for first-line treatment of mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) prolonged progression-free survival (PFS), but without improvement in overall survival (OS), likely because of toxicity. Acalabrutinib was shown to be efficacious and less toxic than ibrutinib in a head-to-head trial in chronic lymphocytic leukemia and therefore might lead to better outcomes in MCL. METHODS Patients 65 years and older with previously untreated MCL received acalabrutinib (100 mg twice daily) or placebo (until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity), plus six cycles of bendamustine (90 mg/m 2 once daily; days 1 and 2) and rituximab (375 mg/m 2 as a single dose; day 1) followed by rituximab maintenance in responding patients for 2 years. Crossover to acalabrutinib at disease progression was permitted. The primary end point was PFS per the independent review committee; overall response rate and OS were secondary end points. RESULTS In total, 598 patients were randomly assigned, with 299 in each arm. At a median follow-up of 49.8 months using the reverse Kaplan-Meier method, the median PFS was 66.4 months in the acalabrutinib arm and 49.6 months in the placebo arm (hazard ratio [HR], 0.73 [95% CI, 0.57 to 0.94]; P = .0160). Benefit was seen across all subgroups, including those with high-risk features. Overall response/complete response rates were 91.0%/66.6% and 88.0%/53.5% in the acalabrutinib and placebo arms, respectively. OS was not significantly different (HR, 0.86 [95% CI, 0.65 to 1.13]; P = .27). Grade 3 or greater adverse events were reported in 88.9% and 88.2% in the acalabrutinib and placebo arms, respectively. CONCLUSION The combination of acalabrutinib with bendamustine-rituximab significantly improved PFS. Clinical benefit of acalabrutinib with bendamustine-rituximab was achieved with manageable toxicity.

Background: The relationship between vegetation characteristics in Staphylococcus aureus infective endocarditis (IE) and blood culture time to positivity (TTP) has not been investigated. This study evaluates the correlation between vegetation length and TTP in patients with S. aureus IE. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted that included 164 definite cases S. aureus IE. Vegetation length was determined by transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), and TTP was measured in hours from the initial time of blood culture incubation to positivity. Correlations between vegetation characteristics and TTP were analyzed using Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient. Results: A modest but statistically significant negative correlation was observed between vegetation length and TTP (Spearman ρ = −0.18, p = 0.020), suggesting that larger vegetations were associated with shorter TTP. No significant correlations were found for other vegetation characteristics (e.g., vegetation mobility, location, or number) and TTP. Conclusions: Larger vegetation size in S. aureus IE was associated with shorter TTP. These findings highlight the importance of vegetation size in the pathophysiology of S. aureus IE and its role in bacteremia dynamics.

Background We hypothesized treatment with nivolumab and stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) would be feasible, well tolerated, and may improve intracranial tumor control over SRS alone for breast cancer brain metastases (BCBM). Methods The study is a phase Ib trial of nivolumab and SRS for BCBM. Clinical trial information: NCT03807765 . Key eligibility criteria include BCBM of all subtypes, age ≥18, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performace Status (ECOG-PS)≤2 with ≤10 brain metastases. Treatment was initiated with a dose of nivolumab (480 mg intravenously) that was repeated every 4 weeks. The initial dose of nivolumab was followed 1 week later by SRS. Blood was collected at baseline and every 4 weeks for flow cytometry and cell-free DNA (cfDNA) assessment. Results A total of 12 patients received SRS to 17 brain metastases. Breast cancer subtypes included triple negative (50%), hormone receptor (HR)+/HER2− (33%), and HR−/HER2+ (17%). Median follow-up from start of protocol therapy is 56 months. No cases of radionecrosis were noted. Two lesions were noted to undergo local failure, both pathologically confirmed, for a 12-month local control of 94%. Median distant intracranial control was 7.4 months with a 12-month control rate of 33%. Median systemic progression-free survival was 7.7 months with a 12-month rate of 42%. Median overall survival (OS) was 24.7 months with a 12-month OS of 75%. Most patients were noted to have an increase in cfDNA throughout study treatment, at week 5 compared with baseline (83%), week 25 compared with baseline (89%), and 100% at first follow-up. Intracranial control was associated with lower levels of CD4 regulatory T cells (Treg) (p=0.03) and higher levels of CD4 T effector memory (p=0.04). Conclusions Nivolumab and SRS is a safe and feasible treatment option in BCBM. Long-term follow-up revealed no cases of radiation necrosis. Trial registration number NCT03807765 .

Abstract Background: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the U.S. mainly because of late-stage diagnosis. Heritable genetic information can improve risk stratification for individuals with moderate to high-risk of PDAC for targeted screening and early detection. We aimed to develop an enhanced polygenic risk score (PRS) for PDAC using a Bayesian approach, LDpred2, that reweights risk estimates attributed to millions of polymorphisms (SNPs) estimated from genome-wide association studies (GWASs). We then compared the performance of LDpred2 with the commonly used genetic risk score (GRS) approach that is based only on genome-wide significant SNPs. Methods: GWAS summary statistics were obtained from the Pancreatic Cancer Cohort Consortium and the Pancreatic Cancer Case Control Consortium for 9040 cases and 12496 controls and were used to compute weights for a GRS (17 SNPs) using a p-value threshold of 5e-8 and weights for an enhanced PRS (1.3 million SNPs) using LDpred2. These weights were then used to compute risk scores in an independent validation sample of 2616 cases and 45407 controls from the Mayo Clinic. We used logistic regression to test for associations of the GRS and PRS with PDAC risk, adjusting for age, sex, and the first 10 principal components of ancestry. Results: The validation sample was of mostly European ancestries (>95%). Cases were slightly older than controls (median age: 66 yrs. vs. 63 yrs.) and had a higher frequency of men than controls (57% vs. 42%). Comparisons between the GRS and the PRS are shown in Table 1. DeLong’s test comparing the AUCs between the two genetic scores showed the PRS significantly outperformed the GRS (AUC = 0.68 vs. 0.67; p = 7.6e-7). Conclusions: The LDpred2 PRS model that used a larger set of SNPs significantly improved prediction of PDAC. Comparing the top percentile of the PRS versus the rest showed that the PRS is a clinically significant risk score (OR > 3) for PDAC and could inform clinical decision making and genetic counseling of individuals identified as having a high risk of PDAC. Citation Format: Samuel O. Antwi, Brandon J. Coombes, Nicholas B. Larson, Erin E. Carlson, Kari G. Rabe, Hunter J. Atkinson, Shounak Majumder, Jun Zhong, David McKean, Pancreatic Cancer Cohort & Case Control Consortia (PanScan and PanC4), Brian M. Wolpin, Rachael Z. Stolzenberg-Solomon, Alison P. Klein, Laufey T. Amundadottir, Ann L. Oberg. Enhanced polygenic risk score for pancreatic cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2025; Part 2 (Late-Breaking, Clinical Trial, and Invited Abstracts); 2025 Apr 25-30; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2025;85(8_Suppl_2):Abstract nr LB331.

AbstractINTRODUCTIONHigher male prevalence in sporadic behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) has been reported. We hypothesized differences in phenotypes between genetic and sporadic bvFTD females resulting in underdiagnosis of sporadic bvFTD females.METHODSWe included genetic and sporadic bvFTD patients from two multicenter cohorts. We compared behavioral and cognitive symptoms, and gray matter volumes, between genetic and sporadic cases in each sex.RESULTSFemales with sporadic bvFTD showed worse compulsive behavior (p = 0.026) and language impairments (p = 0.024) compared to females with genetic bvFTD (n = 152). Genetic bvFTD females had smaller gray matter volumes than sporadic bvFTD females, particularly in the parietal lobe.DISCUSSIONFemales with sporadic bvFTD exhibit a distinct clinical phenotype compared to females with genetic bvFTD. This difference may explain the discrepancy in prevalence between genetic and sporadic cases, as some females without genetic mutations may be misdiagnosed due to atypical bvFTD symptom presentation.Highlights Sex ratio is equal in genetic behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), whereas more males are present in sporadic bvFTD. Distinct neuropsychiatric phenotypes exist between sporadic and genetic bvFTD in females. Phenotype might explain the sex ratio difference between sporadic and genetic cases.

Abstract INTRODUCTION Sex differences are apparent in neurodegenerative diseases but have not been comprehensively characterized in frontotemporal dementia (FTD). METHODS Participants included 337 adults with autosomal dominant FTD enrolled in the ALLFTD Consortium. Clinical assessments and plasma were collected annually for up to 6 years. Linear mixed‐effects models investigated how sex and disease stage are associated with longitudinal trajectories of cognition, function, and neurofilament light chain (NfL). RESULTS While sex differences were not apparent at asymptomatic stages, females showed more rapid declines across all outcomes in symptomatic stages compared to males. In asymptomatic participants, the association between baseline NfL and clinical trajectories was weaker in females versus males, a difference that was not present in symptomatic participants. DISCUSSION In genetic FTD, females show cognitive resilience in early disease stages followed by steeper clinical declines later in the disease. Baseline NfL may be a less sensitive prognostic tool for clinical progression in females with FTD‐causing mutations. Highlights Females with genetic FTD exhibit overall steeper increases in plasma neurofilament light chain (NfL) than males. Females with genetic FTD outperform NfL levels in asymptomatic stages compared to males. Once symptomatic, females with genetic FTD decline more rapidly than males. Plasma NfL is a stronger prognostic marker in asymptomatic males than females.