Project description:The annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology is the largest multidisciplinary oncology-focused conference in the world. With more than 4900 total abstracts in 2021 alone, it is difficult for individuals to evaluate all the results. This article presents a review of 32 selected abstracts across all disease sites, focusing on those of greatest relevance to radiation oncologists.
Project description:Sleep is increasingly recognized as an important lifestyle contributor to health. However, this has not always been the case, and an increasing number of Americans choose to curtail sleep in favor of other social, leisure, or work-related activities. This has resulted in a decline in average sleep duration over time. Sleep duration, mostly short sleep, and sleep disorders have emerged as being related to adverse cardiometabolic risk, including obesity, hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and cardiovascular disease. Here, we review the evidence relating sleep duration and sleep disorders to cardiometabolic risk and call for health organizations to include evidence-based sleep recommendations in their guidelines for optimal health.
Project description:In a complex system of interrelated reactions, the heart converts chemical energy to mechanical energy. Energy transfer is achieved through coordinated activation of enzymes, ion channels, and contractile elements, as well as structural and membrane proteins. The heart's needs for energy are difficult to overestimate. At a time when the cardiovascular research community is discovering a plethora of new molecular methods to assess cardiac metabolism, the methods remain scattered in the literature. The present statement on "Assessing Cardiac Metabolism" seeks to provide a collective and curated resource on methods and models used to investigate established and emerging aspects of cardiac metabolism. Some of those methods are refinements of classic biochemical tools, whereas most others are recent additions from the powerful tools of molecular biology. The aim of this statement is to be useful to many and to do justice to a dynamic field of great complexity.
Project description:Background: Infections following prostate biopsy can be associated with significant morbidity and occasional mortality. Studies have suggested an increased incidence in post-biopsy sepsis. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of a bacteria sensitivity adapted antimicrobial prophylactic strategy on the incidence of sepsis post prostate biopsy.Methods: In October 2008, based on the prevalence of ciprofloxacin-resistant E.coli in the region, our institution modified the prophylactic regimen for prostate biopsy from oral ciprofloxacin alone to a combination of single-dose ciprofloxacin and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole. If patients had a history of urosepsis, bacterial prostatitis, organ transplant, or fluoroquinolone use in the preceding 12 months, intramuscular ceftriaxone was administered for prophylaxis. Patients with penicillin allergy received gentamicin. We determined the incidence of ciprofloxacin-resistant bacteremia 16 months before and 16 months after the change in antibiotic protocol.Results: Between June 2007 and September 2008, 9 of 847 (1.06%) patients were admitted with prostate biopsy induced bacteremia secondary to ciprofloxacin-resistant E. coli. In the 16 months following introduction of the described prophylactic regimen, 1 of 989 (0.10%) patients suffered ciprofloxacin-resistant sepsis. The absolute reduction in E. coli sepsis was 0.96% (95%CI 0.2% to 1.7%; p=0.007). The number needed to treat is 104.Conclusions: Bacterial susceptibility to antimicrobial agents is in evolution. Using a regional bacteria sensitivity based approach to biopsy prophylaxis, we have significantly decreased ciprofloxacin-resistant E. coli sepsis in our patients. Regional bacteria sensitivity based protocols may decrease the incidence at other centers and warrants further study.
Project description:Despite numerous advances in the prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Novel and inexpensive interventions that can contribute to the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease are of interest. Numerous studies have reported on the benefits of meditation. Meditation instruction and practice is widely accessible and inexpensive and may thus be a potential attractive cost-effective adjunct to more traditional medical therapies. Accordingly, this American Heart Association scientific statement systematically reviewed the data on the potential benefits of meditation on cardiovascular risk. Neurophysiological and neuroanatomical studies demonstrate that meditation can have long-standing effects on the brain, which provide some biological plausibility for beneficial consequences on the physiological basal state and on cardiovascular risk. Studies of the effects of meditation on cardiovascular risk have included those investigating physiological response to stress, smoking cessation, blood pressure reduction, insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome, endothelial function, inducible myocardial ischemia, and primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease. Overall, studies of meditation suggest a possible benefit on cardiovascular risk, although the overall quality and, in some cases, quantity of study data are modest. Given the low costs and low risks of this intervention, meditation may be considered as an adjunct to guideline-directed cardiovascular risk reduction by those interested in this lifestyle modification, with the understanding that the benefits of such intervention remain to be better established. Further research on meditation and cardiovascular risk is warranted. Such studies, to the degree possible, should utilize randomized study design, be adequately powered to meet the primary study outcome, strive to achieve low drop-out rates, include long-term follow-up, and be performed by those without inherent bias in outcome.
Project description:This review provides an updated summary of the state of our knowledge of the genetic contributions to the pathogenesis of congenital heart disease. Since 2007, when the initial American Heart Association scientific statement on the genetic basis of congenital heart disease was published, new genomic techniques have become widely available that have dramatically changed our understanding of the causes of congenital heart disease and, clinically, have allowed more accurate definition of the pathogeneses of congenital heart disease in patients of all ages and even prenatally. Information is presented on new molecular testing techniques and their application to congenital heart disease, both isolated and associated with other congenital anomalies or syndromes. Recent advances in the understanding of copy number variants, syndromes, RASopathies, and heterotaxy/ciliopathies are provided. Insights into new research with congenital heart disease models, including genetically manipulated animals such as mice, chicks, and zebrafish, as well as human induced pluripotent stem cell-based approaches are provided to allow an understanding of how future research breakthroughs for congenital heart disease are likely to happen. It is anticipated that this review will provide a large range of health care-related personnel, including pediatric cardiologists, pediatricians, adult cardiologists, thoracic surgeons, obstetricians, geneticists, genetic counselors, and other related clinicians, timely information on the genetic aspects of congenital heart disease. The objective is to provide a comprehensive basis for interdisciplinary care for those with congenital heart disease.