PICC versus midlines: Comparison of peripherally inserted central catheters and midline catheters with respect to incidence of thromboembolic and infectious complications.

Introduction: To decrease the complications related to central catheters there has been an increasing utilization of peripherally inserted central catheters (PICC) and ultrasound-guided long peripheral intravenous catheters (i.e. midlines).

Restating Surgical Risk: From Patient to Population.

Background: Recent federal legislation driving transition from fee-for-service to alternative methods of payment makes risk recognition essential for determination of appropriate payment systems. Because negotiations will include bundled population cohorts, we compared risk and results of an urban safety net teaching hospital's surgical population with state and national cohorts.

Study Design: Deidentified summary data for 2013 and 2014 were analyzed to compare the safety net teaching hospital with a statewide collaborative and a national cohort from similar academic centers.

Unregulated proliferation of trauma centers undermines cost efficiency of population-based injury control.

Background: We evaluated the impact on coverage and regional cost of trauma care produced by the activation of a Level II center with no preceding needs analysis in an established trauma region with a Level I center.

Methods: Patient deidentified trauma registry data for years 2010, 2011, and 2012 were analyzed to assess the effect on trauma service volume during a period at the midpoint of which the Level II center was activated. Trends for each year were evaluated by patient volume, mechanism, resource use as reflected in a transfer to the intensive care unit (ICU) and ICU stay, patient severity as defined by Injury Severity Score (ISS), and patient injury profile determined by mean body region Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) score.

Should all melanoma patients undergo sentinel lymph node biopsy?

Purpose Of Review: It is now well established that sentinel lymph node biopsy is a powerful test to predict prognosis for melanoma patients. Controversy exists, however, regarding the appropriate selection of patients for sentinel lymph node biopsy, especially among patients with thin melanomas (< 1 mm Breslow thickness), thick melanomas (> 4 mm Breslow thickness), or locally recurrent melanoma.

Recent Findings: The majority of the studies in the past 2 years regarding sentinel lymph node biopsy have been concerned with identifying factors that can better predict regional nodal metastasis and survival.

AKT activation and response to interferon-beta in human cancer cells.

Significant growth inhibition and induction of apoptosis by IFN-beta in cancer cells including colorectal cancer cells have been observed. We and others have previously reported the Stat 1 induction of TRAIL is a crucial step in the IFN-beta induced apoptosis pathway. However, when evaluating the sensitivity of a panel of colorectal cancer cell lines, we found no clear correlation between activation of the Jak/Stat signaling pathway and response to interferon.