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Emerson Purcell posted an update 6 months ago
Zero patients were diagnosed with HCC through routine screening, most patients (66%) were diagnosed upon imaging evaluation of symptoms. Twelve patients (36%) underwent resection or transplantation; the remaining 64% were ineligible for surgical treatment. Of the 26 patients with follow-up data, 18 (69%) died of disease or were critically ill at last encounter, and of these, 14 (77%) died within 1 year of HCC diagnosis. read more In conclusion, African immigrants in NYC with HBV/HCC are at high risk of HCC related mortality at a young age. Most were unaware of their hepatitis status at the time of HCC diagnosis. No patients were enrolled in routine HCC screening; the majority were diagnosed based on imaging obtained for symptoms. Most individuals presented with inoperable disease, and the majority died within months of diagnosis. Awareness of these findings may help healthcare providers improve patient outcomes.
Interconception care (ICC) is recommended to reduce maternal risk factors for poor birth outcomes between pregnancies. The IMPLICIT ICC model includes screening and brief intervention for mothers at well child visits (WCVs) for smoking, depression, multivitamin use, and family planning. Prior studies demonstrate feasibility and acceptability among providers and mothers, but not whether mothers recall receipt of targeted messages.
Mothers accompanying their child at 12- and 24-month WCVs at four sites of a family medicine academic practice were surveyed pre (2012) and post (2018) ICC model implementation. Survey items assessed health history, behaviors, and report of whether their child’s physician addressed maternal depression, tobacco use, family planning, and folic acid supplementation during WCVs. Pre and post results are compared using logistic regression adjusting for demographics and insurance.
Our sample included 307 distinct mothers with 108 and 199 respondents in the pre and post periods, respectively. Mothers were more likely to report discussions with their child’s doctor post-intervention for family planning (31% pre to 86% post; aOR 18.65), depression screening (63-85%; aOR 5.22), and taking a folic acid supplement (53-68%; aOR 2.54). Among mothers who smoked, the percentage that reported their child’s doctor recommended cessation increased from 56 to 75% (aOR = 3.66).
The IMPLICIT ICC model resulted in increased reported health care provider discussions of four key areas of interconception health by mothers attending WCVs. This model holds promise as a primary care strategy to systematically address maternal risks associated with poor pregnancy outcomes.
The IMPLICIT ICC model resulted in increased reported health care provider discussions of four key areas of interconception health by mothers attending WCVs. This model holds promise as a primary care strategy to systematically address maternal risks associated with poor pregnancy outcomes.Ovarian carcinoma is an extremely rare malignancy in children, often developing on the underlying inherited background. Female carriers of pathogenic germline mutations of SMARCA4 are at risk of an aggressive type of undifferentiated ovarian cancer called small cell carcinoma of the ovary, hypercalcemic type (SCCOHT). Regardless of age of the patient, stage of the disease, and oncological treatment, the prognosis for SCCOHT is poor. Therefore, early intervention with risk-reducing surgeries is recommended for these patients. In this study, we report genetic testing of a family with two children carrying pathogenic germline mutations of SMARCA4 and summarize the course of SCCOHT in all pediatric patients reported in the literature with constitutional defects identified within the SMARCA4 locus.Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) remains an elusive entity, due to its heterogeneous clinical profile and an arbitrarily defined nosology. Several pathophysiological mechanisms recognized as central for the development of HFpEF appear to be in common with the process of physiological aging of the heart. Both conditions are characterized by progressive impairment in cardiac function, accompanied by left ventricular hypertrophy, diastolic dysfunction, sarcomeric, and metabolic abnormalities. The neurological paradigm of dementia-intended as a progressive, multifactorial organ damage with decline of functional reserve, eventually leading to irreversible dysfunction-is well suited to represent HFpEF. In such perspective, certain phenotypes of HFpEF may be viewed as a maladaptive response to environmental modifiers, causing premature and pathological aging of the heart. We here propose that the ‘HFpEF syndrome’ may reflect the interplay of adverse structural remodelling and erosion of functional reserve, mirroring the processes leading to dementia in the brain. The resulting conceptual framework may help advance our understanding of HFpEF and unravel potential therapeutical targets.
Although preoperative α-fetoprotein (AFP) has been recognized as an important tumor marker among patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the predictive value of AFP levels at the time of recurrence (rAFP) on post-recurrence outcomes has not been well examined.
Patients undergoing curative-intent resection of HCC between 2000 and 2017 were identified using a multi-institutional database. The impact of rAFP on post-recurrence survival, as well as the impact of rAFP relative to the timing and treatment of HCCrecurrence wereexamined.
Among 852 patients who underwent resection of HCC, 307 (36.0%) individuals developed a recurrence. The median rAFP level was 8ng/mL (interquartile range 3-100). Among the 307 patients who developed recurrence, 3-year post-recurrence survival was 48.5%. Patients with rAFP > 10ng/mL had worse 3-year post-recurrence survival compared with individuals with rAFP < 10ng/mL (28.7% vs. 65.5%, p < 0.001). rAFP correlated with survival among patients who had early (3-year rence survival independent of the secondary treatment modality used. Evaluating AFP levels at the time of recurrence can help inform post-recurrence risk stratification of patients with recurrent HCC.