Prognostic Index for Liver Radiation (PILiR).

A Prognostic Index for Liver Radiation (PILiR) for improved patient selection for stereotactic liver-directed radiotherapy (SBRT) was developed. Using a large single-center database, 195 patients treated with SBRT for local control, including 66 with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and 129 with metastatic liver disease, were analyzed. Only patients ineligible for alternative treatments were included.

After a period of forced abstinence, rats treated with the norepinephrine neurotoxin DSP-4 still exhibit preserved food-seeking behavior and prefrontal cortex fos-expressing neurons.

Aims: Relapse is a common characteristic of compulsive behaviors like addiction, where individuals tend to return to drug use or overeating after a period of abstinence. PFC (prefrontal cortex) neuronal ensembles are required for drug and food-seeking behaviors and are partially regulated by Norepinephrine (NE). However, the contributions of neuromodulators, such as the adrenergic system, in food-seeking behavior are not fully understood.

Perspectives on decisions for treatment and care in severe asthma.

Background: Severe asthma is a subtype of asthma that can be hard to control, resulting in an exceptional impact on an individual's quality of life. The aim of this review article is to explore the misalignment of perceptions of severe asthma among different stakeholders to identify how to reduce burden and improve delivery of care.

Results: The misalignment of perspectives is best reflected in randomised controlled trials (RCTs) in asthma treatments, which are often designed for regulatory approval with a focus on exacerbations with no direct input from the individuals that the treatments are designed for.

A Phase I/II Trial of Fairly Brief Androgen Suppression and Stereotactic Radiation Therapy for High-Risk Prostate Cancer (FASTR-2): Preliminary Results and Toxicity Analysis.

Purpose: FASTR was designed to provide a compact treatment course for high-risk prostate cancer patients but was discontinued because of excess toxicity. We present the results of FASTR-2, which used a lower dose to the prostate (35 Gy vs 40 Gy), smaller posterior PTV margin (4 mm vs 5 mm) and omitted nodal radiation to lower the volumes of rectum receiving high and intermediate doses compared with FASTR. Gastrointestinal (GI) and genitourinary (GU) toxicities at baseline, 6 weeks, 6 months, and 1 year and biochemical control rates are presented.

Cyclical cervical function in the mare involves remodelling of collagen content, which is correlated with modification of oestrogen receptor 1 abundance.

This study was conducted to elucidate mare cervical dilation mechanisms by testing two hypotheses: (i) the proportion of collagen staining in histological samples of mare cervices and (ii) the abundance of hormone receptors in the equine cervix differ with stage of the oestrous cycle and site within the cervix. Tissues and jugular vein blood samples were collected from 15 mares. Collagen content was assessed using Masson's Trichome staining.

Higher Nest Predation Favors Rapid Fledging at the Cost of Plumage Quality in Nestling Birds.

High predation risk can favor rapid offspring development at the expense of offspring quality. Impacts of rapid development on phenotypic quality should be most readily expressed in traits that minimize fitness costs. We hypothesize that ephemeral traits that are replaced or repaired after a short period of life might express trade-offs in quality as a result of rapid development more strongly than traits used throughout life.

Metastatic cervical adenocarcinoma to the breast: A case report and literature review.

Breast metastases from gynecologic cancers are rare. Cervical cancer most commonly metastasizes to the lung, liver or bone. When cervical cancer metastasizes to the breast, the presentation is usually a solitary breast mass; rarely, however, breast metastases can mimic inflammatory breast cancer.

Cost-effectiveness of dapagliflozin versus DPP-4 inhibitors as an add-on to Metformin in the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus from a UK Healthcare System Perspective.

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a chronic, progressive condition where the primary treatment goal is to maintain control of glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c). In order for healthcare decision makers to ensure patients receive the highest standard of care within the available budget, the clinical benefits of each treatment option must be balanced against the economic consequences. The aim of this study was to assess the cost-effectiveness of dapagliflozin, the first-in-class sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor, compared with a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor (DPP-4i), when added to metformin for the treatment of patients with T2DM inadequately controlled on metformin alone.

Does Increasing or Decreasing the Daily Intake of Water/Fluid by Adults Affect Overactive Bladder Symptoms?

Background: Modifying fluid intake to decrease overactive bladder (OAB) symptoms, urgency, frequency, and urge urinary incontinence is advocated by health care professionals.

Objective: This Evidence Based Report Card reviews whether increasing or decreasing the daily intake of water and/or fluids by adults decreases their OAB symptoms.

Search Strategy: Three reviewers systematically reviewed the literature for studies that evaluated the association or effect of fluid intake on OAB urinary symptoms in adult men and women.

The cost-effectiveness of dapagliflozin versus sulfonylurea as an add-on to metformin in the treatment of Type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Aims: To assess the cost-effectiveness of dapagliflozin, a sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitor, compared with a sulfonylurea, when added to metformin for treatment of UK people with Type 2 diabetes mellitus inadequately controlled on metformin alone.

Methods: Clinical inputs sourced from a head-to-head randomized controlled trial (RCT) informed the Cardiff diabetes decision model. Risk equations developed from the United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS) were used in conjunction with the clinical inputs to predict disease progression and the incidence of micro- and macrovascular complications over a lifetime horizon.

Executive summary: A Quick Reference Guide for Managing Fecal Incontinence (FI).

This article is an executive summary of A Quick Reference Guide for Managing Fecal Incontinence (FI), which was published September 2013 by the WOCN Society's Continence Committee. The quick reference guide provides an overview of fecal incontinence and how it is commonly managed. The information has been compiled so that nurses can quickly access a wide array of information in a single resource to facilitate patient care and patient/staff education.

The Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test level 1 as a high intensity training tool: aerobic and anaerobic responses.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of using the Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test level 1 (Yo-Yo IR1) as a high intensity training tool for sedentary university female students.

Methods: Baseline measures were recorded for body fat percentage, Wingate Anaerobic Test (WAnT) peak power and mean power, and Yo-Yo IR1 performance. Subjects were matched in pairs for body fat percentage and then randomly allocated to the intervention group (INT) (n=12) or control group (CON) (n=13).

Nursing interventions to reduce the risk of catheter-associated urinary tract infection: part 2: staff education, monitoring, and care techniques.

Background: The US Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has enacted 2 policies that have focused considerable attention on the optimal use of indwelling catheters in the acute and long-term care settings and the prevention of complications including catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI).

Objectives: This is the second of a 2-part Evidence-Based Report Card reviewing current evidence pertaining to nursing actions for prevention of CAUTI in patients with short- and long-term indwelling catheters. Part 2 reviews multiple interventions for CAUTI prevention including staff education, monitoring of catheter use and CAUTI incidence, insertion technique, urethral meatal care, securement, use of a closed drainage system, bladder irrigation, frequency of catheter change, and antiseptic solutions in the drainage bag.

Nursing interventions to reduce the risk of catheter-associated urinary tract infection. Part 1: Catheter selection.

Background: The urinary system is the most common site for all hospital-acquired infections, accounting for approximately 40% of all nosocomial infections. The US Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has enacted 2 policies that have focused considerable attention on the optimal use of indwelling catheters in the acute and long-term care settings and the prevention of complications including catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI).

Objectives: This is the first of a 2-part Evidence-Based Report Card reviewing current evidence pertaining to nursing actions for prevention of CAUTIs in patients with short- and long-term indwelling catheters.

Assessing health needs in people with severe learning disabilities: a qualitative approach.

The nursing assessment, and the contribution it makes to the identification of an individual's health needs, is often a complex and multidimensional process. This is always true when the individual concerned has a severe learning disability. The nurse should develop the assessment in partnership with individuals who may experience major communication difficulties, or have unappreciated levels of perceptual or cognitive dysfunction.