Stereotactic Ablative Radiation for Oligoprogressive Cancers: Results of the Randomized Phase 2 STOP Trial.

Purpose: This trial examined if patients with ≤5 sites of oligoprogression benefit from the addition of SABR to standard of care (SOC) systemic therapy.

Methods And Materials: We enrolled patients with 1 to 5 metastases progressing on systemic therapy, and after stratifying by type of systemic therapy (cytotoxic vs noncytotoxic), randomized 1:2 between continued SOC treatment versus SABR to all progressing lesions plus SOC. The trial was initially limited to non-small cell lung cancer but was expanded to include all nonhematologic malignancies to meet accrual goals.

Young Adult and Parent Willingness to Pay for Meningococcal Serogroup B Vaccination.

Unlabelled: Serogroup B (MenB) is the leading cause of invasive meningococcal disease among adolescents and young adults in the United States. The US Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends MenB vaccination based on shared clinical decision making between patients and providers. However, suboptimal understanding of these recommendations could contribute to low vaccination awareness and coverage.

Differences in elementary-age children's accelerometer - measured physical activity between school and summer: three-year findings from the What's UP (Undermining Prevention) with summer observational cohort study.

Background: Among elementary-aged children (5-12yrs), summer vacation is associated with accelerated gains in Body Mass Index (BMI). A key behavioral driver of BMI gain is a lack of physical activity (PA). Previous studies indicate PA decreases during summer, compared to the school year but whether this difference is consistent among boys and girls, across age, and by income status remains unclear.

Results from a synthetic model of the ITER XRCS-Core diagnostic based on high-fidelity x-ray ray tracing.

A high-fidelity synthetic diagnostic has been developed for the ITER core x-ray crystal spectrometer diagnostic based on x-ray ray tracing. This synthetic diagnostic has been used to model expected performance of the diagnostic, to aid in diagnostic design, and to develop engineering tolerances. The synthetic model is based on x-ray ray tracing using the recently developed xicsrt ray tracing code and includes a fully three-dimensional representation of the diagnostic based on the computer aided design.

Splenic artery embolization in the treatment of blunt splenic injury: single level 1 trauma center experience.

Purpose: To describe the experience of a single level 1 trauma center in the management of blunt splenic injuries (BSI).

Methods: This is a retrospective study with Institutional Review Board approval. The medical records of 450 patients with BSI treated between January 2016 and December 2022 were reviewed.

A Systematic Review of Prognostic Factors in Patients with Cancer Receiving Palliative Radiotherapy: Evidence-Based Recommendations.

(1) Background: Prognostication in patients with cancer receiving palliative radiotherapy remains a challenge. To improve the process, we aim to identify prognostic factors in this population from the literature and offer evidence-based recommendations on prognostication in patients undergoing palliative radiotherapy for non-curable or advanced cancers. (2) Methods: A systematic review was performed on the medical literature from 2005 to 2023 to extract papers on the prognosis of palliative radiotherapy patients with advanced cancer.

E-cigarettes: A framework for comparative history and policy.

Background: England, Australia and the United States have approached the regulation of e-cigarettes in very different ways, yet all three countries have appealed to the concept of evidence as underpinning policy responses. We compared these policy responses using a combination of the methodologies of historians and policy scientists in order to elucidate the factors that had influenced policy in each country.

Argument/analysis: Each country's evidence and values intersected in different ways, producing very different responses within specific national contexts and histories.

Many nonnormalities, one simulation: Do different data generation algorithms affect study results?

Monte Carlo simulation studies are among the primary scientific outputs contributed by methodologists, guiding application of various statistical tools in practice. Although methodological researchers routinely extend simulation study findings through follow-up work, few studies are ever replicated. Simulation studies are susceptible to factors that can contribute to replicability failures, however.

Education for public health 2030: transformation to meet health needs in a changing world.

Education for public health is at a critical inflection point, and either transforms for success or fails to remain relevant. In 2020, the Association for Schools and Programs of Public Health launched an initiative, Framing the Future 2030: Education for Public Health (FTF 2030) to develop a resilient educational system for public health that promotes scientific inquiry, connects research, education, and practice, eliminates inequities, incorporates anti-racism principles, creates and sustains diverse and inclusive teaching and learning communities, and optimizes systems and resources to prepare graduates who are clearly recognizable for their population health perspectives, knowledge, skills, attitudes, and practices. Three expert panels: (1) Inclusive excellence through an anti-racism lens; (2) Transformative approaches to teaching and learning; and (3) Expanding the reach, visibility, and impact of the field of academic public health are engaged in ongoing deliberations to generate recommendations to implement the necessary change.

An Analysis of Clinical and Systemic Factors Associated with Palliative Radiotherapy Delivery and Completion at the End of Life in Alberta, Canada.

Radiotherapy (RT) is often utilized for symptom control at the end of life. Palliative RT (pRT) may not be taken to completion by patients, thus decreasing clinical benefits and adversely impacting resource allocation. We determined rates of incomplete pRT and examined predictors of non-completion using an electronic questionnaire.

One step at a time: A statistical approach for distinguishing mediators, confounders, and colliders using direction dependence analysis.

In observational data, understanding the causal link when estimating the causal effect of an independent variable () on a dependent variable () often requires researchers to identify the role of a third variable in the → relationship. Mediation, confounding, and colliding are three key third-variable effects that yield different theoretical and methodological implications for drawing causal conclusions. Commonly used covariance-based statistical methods, such as linear regression and structural equation modeling, cannot distinguish these effects in practice, however.

Triage for palliative radiotherapy by clinical specialist radiation therapists: A scoping review.

Patients who could benefit from palliative radiotherapy (PRT) may be in different phases of the cancer journey: they may have minimal symptoms and preserved functional status, or could be near end of life, with multiple complex care needs. Efficient triage at PRT referral is crucial to match patients with an appropriate provider and care setting as quickly as possible. Many centres have a dedicated PRT clinic, for which triage occurs by a Palliative Clinical Specialist Radiation Therapist (PCSRT).

Design, analysis, and interpretation of treatment response heterogeneity in personalized nutrition and obesity treatment research.

It is increasingly assumed that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to dietary recommendations for the management and treatment of chronic diseases such as obesity. This phenomenon that not all individuals respond uniformly to a given treatment has become an area of research interest given the rise of personalized and precision medicine. To conduct, interpret, and disseminate this research rigorously and with scientific accuracy, however, requires an understanding of treatment response heterogeneity.

Prevalence of palliative radiotherapy abstracts presented at the annual scientific meetings of the Canadian Association of Radiation Oncology: 2003-2021.

Purpose: Approximately half of all radiotherapy (RT) is delivered with palliative intent. Clinical research in palliative RT aims to manage symptoms, improve quality of life (QoL), evaluate supportive care, and determine optimal dose-fractionation schedules. Our aim was to describe the prevalence of palliative research at the Canadian Association of Radiation Oncology (CARO) Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM) over time and compare this analysis to previously published work which evaluated the years 1992-2002.

May-Thurner Syndrome Presenting with Pelvic Hemorrhage in the Setting of Blunt Trauma.

May-Thurner Syndrome is a vascular condition in which chronic compression of the left common iliac vein by the overlying right common iliac artery causes impaired venous return from the left lower extremity as well as possible development of pelvic varicosities. The condition typically presents with acute left lower extremity deep vein thrombosis or with signs and symptoms of pelvic or lower extremity venous insufficiency. In our patient, however, the presenting symptom was hemorrhage of pelvic varicosities in the setting of extensive pelvic fractures sustained during a motor vehicle collision.

An aerobic exercise intervention to improve metabolic health among people living with HIV with at-risk alcohol use: the ALIVE-Ex research study protocol.

Background: Effective antiretroviral therapy (ART) in people living with HIV (PLWH) has improved life expectancy and increased risk of age-associated cardiometabolic comorbidities. At-risk alcohol use is more frequent among PLWH and increases the risk of health challenges. PLWH with at-risk alcohol use are more likely to meet criteria for prediabetes/diabetes and this is associated with impaired whole-body glucose-insulin dynamics.

Cataract Surgery in the Medicare Merit-Based Incentive Payment System: Episode-Based Cost Measure Development and Evaluation.

Objective: To characterize the development and performance of a cataract surgery episode-based cost measure for the Medicare Quality Payment Program.

Design: Claims-based analysis.

Participants: Medicare clinicians with cataract surgery claims between June 1, 2016, and May 31, 2017.

Cirrhosis and Sarcopenia.

Sarcopenia is a progressive muscle wasting syndrome involving loss in skeletal muscle mass, strength, and function. It is closely associated with cirrhosis and its complications with up to more than half of cirrhotic patients demonstrating imaging findings of sarcopenia. The pathogenesis of this syndrome remains complex, including multiple factors involved in skeletal muscle homeostasis, systemic inflammation, and energy dysregulation.

Abdominal Pseudoaneurysms in Patients With High-Grade Traumatic Injuries.

Utilization of CT scans in the work-up of trauma patients has led to increasing diagnosis of traumatic pseudoaneurysms (PSAs). While rare, PSAs have devastating consequences if ruptured. Evidence for the benefit of early detection of PSAs is lacking.