Ventricular septal defect closure in a child with osteogenesis imperfecta: risk factors and management.

Cardiac surgery in patients with osteogenesis imperfecta is challenging as the friability of the tissues can be hazardous before, during, and after the operation. A multidisciplinary approach with a planned strategy is essential for the successful management of these patients. We present a 6-year old child with osteogenesis imperfecta, who underwent ventricular septal defect closure without any complication.

Temperature dependence of amino acid side chain IR absorptions in the amide I' region.

Amide I' IR spectra are widely used for studies of structural changes in peptides and proteins as a function of temperature. Temperature dependent absorptions of amino acid side-chains that overlap the amide I' may significantly complicate the structural analyses. While the side-chain IR spectra have been investigated previously, thus far their dependence on temperature has not been reported.

Why the time is right to tackle breast and cervical cancer in low-resource settings.

The health concerns of women in their mid-adult years - when the prime age of reproduction has passed - have been traditionally given little or no attention by health systems and donors, despite the heavy burden that diseases such as breast and cervical cancer impose on women and their families. The risk of sexually transmitted infections that accompanies sexual relations and the risk of death and morbidity associated with pregnancy have long been recognized and have stimulated major control efforts that are finally yielding positive results. Much less attention has been focused, however, on how experiences in early life can affect women's health in adulthood.

Short report: Limited effectiveness of screening mammography in addition to clinical breast examination by trained nurse midwives in rural Jakarta, Indonesia.

Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are undergoing an increase in incidence of breast cancer, but have inadequate resources to implement mammographic screening. Clinical breast examination (CBE) has been suggested as an alternative to mammography in these settings. We compared the results of CBE screening by 47 midwives and 15 trained lay health workers to results of independently performed mammographic screening in an unscreened population of 1,179 women in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Supportive care after curative treatment for breast cancer (survivorship care): resource allocations in low- and middle-income countries. A Breast Health Global Initiative 2013 consensus statement.

Breast cancer survivors may experience long-term treatment complications, must live with the risk of cancer recurrence, and often experience psychosocial complications that require supportive care services. In low- and middle-income settings, supportive care services are frequently limited, and program development for survivorship care and long-term follow-up has not been well addressed. As part of the 5th Breast Health Global Initiative (BHGI) Global Summit, an expert panel identified nine key resources recommended for appropriate survivorship care, and developed resource-stratified recommendations to illustrate how health systems can provide supportive care services for breast cancer survivors after curative treatment, using available resources.

Supportive care during treatment for breast cancer: resource allocations in low- and middle-income countries. A Breast Health Global Initiative 2013 consensus statement.

Breast cancer patients may have unmet supportive care needs during treatment, including symptom management of treatment-related toxicities, and educational, psychosocial, and spiritual needs. Delivery of supportive care is often a low priority in low- and middle-income settings, and is also dependent on resources available. This consensus statement describes twelve key recommendations for supportive care during treatment in low- and middle-income countries, identified by an expert international panel as part of the 5th Breast Health Global Initiative (BHGI) Global Summit for Supportive Care, which was held in October 2012, in Vienna, Austria.

Supportive and palliative care for metastatic breast cancer: resource allocations in low- and middle-income countries. A Breast Health Global Initiative 2013 consensus statement.

Many women diagnosed with breast cancer in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) present with advanced-stage disease. While cure is not a realistic outcome, site-specific interventions, supportive care, and palliative care can achieve meaningful outcomes and improve quality of life. As part of the 5th Breast Health Global Initiative (BHGI) Global Summit, an expert international panel identified thirteen key resource recommendations for supportive and palliative care for metastatic breast cancer.

Sparse evidence for equine or avian influenza virus infections among Mongolian adults with animal exposures.

In recent years, Mongolia has experienced recurrent epizootics of equine influenza virus (EIV) among its 2·1 million horses and multiple incursions of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus via migrating birds. No human EIV or HPAI infections have been reported. In 2009, 439 adults in Mongolia were enrolled in a population-based study of zoonotic influenza transmission.

Evaluation of the impact of a breast cancer awareness program in rural Ghana: a cross-sectional survey.

Community awareness is crucial to early detection of breast cancer in low- and middle-income countries. In Ghana 60% of the cases are detected at late stages. Breast Care International (BCI) is a Ghanaian non-governmental organization dedicated to raising breast cancer awareness.

Public finance of rotavirus vaccination in India and Ethiopia: an extended cost-effectiveness analysis.

Background: An estimated 4% of global child deaths (approximately 300,000 deaths) were attributed to rotavirus in 2010. About a third of these deaths occurred in India and Ethiopia. Public finance of rotavirus vaccination in these two countries could substantially decrease child mortality and also reduce rotavirus-related hospitalizations, prevent health-related impoverishment and bring significant cost savings to households.

Breast cancer, version 3.2013: featured updates to the NCCN guidelines.

These NCCN Guidelines Insights highlight the important updates specific to the management of HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer in the 2013 version of the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology for Breast Cancer. These include new first-line and subsequent therapy options for patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer.

Transcatheter closure of the patent ductus arteriosus: an intention to treat analysis.

Background: In patients with patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), transcatheter closure is the current procedure of choice. There are multiple devices available with limited current comparative data and varied recommendations for device selection.

Objective: To assess the efficacy and safety of the Flipper coil (FC) and the Amplatzer Duct Occluder (ADO).

Catheter interventions in the staged management of hypoplastic left heart syndrome.

Aim: To analyse the current practice and contribution of catheter interventions in the staged management of patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome.

Methods: This study is a retrospective case note review of 527 patients undergoing staged Norwood/Fontan palliation at a single centre between 1993 and 2010. Indications and type of catheter interventions were reviewed over a median follow-up period of 7.

Recovery of live virus after storage at ambient temperature using ViveST™.

Background: A major impediment to performing virological field studies in developing nations is the lack of ultra-low freezers as well as the expense and difficulty of shipping frozen samples. A commercially available product, ViveST™, was developed to preserve nucleic acids at ambient temperature for use in specimen storage and transportation. However, its applications as a viral storage, transport and recovery device have not been evaluated.

Guidelines for locoregional therapy in primary breast cancer in developing countries: The results of an expert panel at the 8(th) Annual Women's Cancer Initiative - Tata Memorial Hospital (WCI-TMH) Conference.

Background: Limited guidelines exist for breast cancer management in developing countries. In this context, the Women's Cancer Initiative - Tata Memorial Hospital (WCI-TMH) organised its 8(th) Annual Conference to update guidelines in breast cancer.

Materials And Methods: Appropriately formulated guideline questions on each topic and subtopic in the surgical, radiation and systemic management of primary breast cancer were developed by the scientific committee and shared with the guest faculty of the Conference.

A review of global cancer burden: trends, challenges, strategies, and a role for surgeons.

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. The global cancer burden (GCB) is expected to rise significantly and will disproportionately affect the less developed world (LDW). The aim of this review is to analyze the trends in GCB and describe the types, estimates, and causes of new cancer cases.

Seeking the mission-minded.

A rural hospital attracts clinicians who want to care for the underserved at home and abroad.

Metastatic breast cancer, version 1.2012: featured updates to the NCCN guidelines.

These NCCN Guidelines Insights highlight the important updates/changes specific to the management of metastatic breast cancer in the 2012 version of the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines) for Breast Cancer. These changes/updates include the issue of retesting of biomarkers (estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2) on recurrent disease, new information regarding first-line combination endocrine therapy for metastatic disease, a new section on monitoring of patients with metastatic disease, and new information on endocrine therapy combined with an mTOR inhibitor as a subsequent therapeutic option.

Cognitive training-related changes in hippocampal activity associated with recollection in older adults.

Impairments in the ability to recollect specific details of personally experienced events are one of the main cognitive changes associated with aging. Cognitive training can improve older adults' recollection. However, little is currently known regarding the neural correlates of these training-related changes in recollection.

Extracorporeal life support in the acute management of tumour lysis syndrome.

A 16-month old boy presented with a severe tumour lysis syndrome (TLS) complicating induction therapy for acute myeloid leukaemia. This was further complicated by a respiratory syncytial virus infection. The failure of response to escalating treatment necessitated the use of extracorporeal life support (ECLS) during continuation of his induction chemotherapy.

Violet diode laser-induced chlorophyll fluorescence: a tool for assessing mosaic disease severity in cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) cultivars.

Violet diode laser-induced chlorophyll fluorescence was used in agronomical assessment (disease severity and average yield per plant). Because cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is of economic importance, improved cultivars with various levels of affinity for cassava mosaic disease were investigated. Fluorescence data correlated with cassava mosaic disease severity levels and with the average yield per plant.