Carbon Footprint Analysis of an Outpatient Dermatology Practice at an Academic Medical Center.

Importance: There is growing awareness of the US health sector's substantial contribution to the country's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, exacerbating the health threats from climate change. Reducing health care's environmental impact requires understanding its carbon emissions, but there are few published audits of health systems and fewer comprehensive emissions analyses at the clinic or department level.

Objective: To quantify the annual GHG emissions from a large outpatient dermatology practice, compare relative sources of emissions, and identify actionable targets.

Colorization of H&E stained tissue using Deep Learning.

Histopathology is a critical tool in the diagnosis and stratification of cancer. Digital Pathology involves the scanning of stained and fixed tissue samples to produce highresolution images that can be used for computer-aided diagnosis and research. A common challenge in digital pathology related to the quality and characteristics of staining, which can vary widely from center to center and also within the same institution depending on the age of the stain and other human factors.

In-Vitro Pulsatile Flow Measurement in Prosthetic Heart Valves: An Inter-Laboratory Comparison.

Background And Aim Of Study: One of the first steps in qualifying a new prosthetic valve for eventual clinical use is preclinical flow performance testing in vitro. Such testing is typically performed in an in-vitro test system that simulates the pumping mechanics of the left ventricle of the heart, generally referred to as a pulse duplicator or duplicator. Historically, test results in these systems have varied from duplicator to duplicator.

Specificity of genome evolution in experimental populations of evolved at different temperatures.

Isolated populations derived from a common ancestor are expected to diverge genetically and phenotypically as they adapt to different local environments. To examine this process, 30 populations of were evolved for 2,000 generations, with six in each of five different thermal regimes: constant 20 °C, 32 °C, 37 °C, 42 °C, and daily alternations between 32 °C and 42 °C. Here, we sequenced the genomes of one endpoint clone from each population to test whether the history of adaptation in different thermal regimes was evident at the genomic level.

Resilience of Cyber Systems with Over- and Underregulation.

Recent cyber attacks provide evidence of increased threats to our critical systems and infrastructure. A common reaction to a new threat is to harden the system by adding new rules and regulations. As federal and state governments request new procedures to follow, each of their organizations implements their own cyber defense strategies.

The differences between yoga teacher training and yoga therapist training and the distinction between yoga teaching and yoga therapy.

This is a set of invited perspectives on two key policy issues: The Differences Between Yoga Teacher Training and Yoga Therapist Training and the Distinction Between Yoga Teaching and Yoga Therapy.

A biomedical engineering approach to mitigate the errors of prostate biopsy.

The current protocol for detecting and ruling out prostate cancer involves serum PSA testing followed by sampling of the prostate using a transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS)-guided biopsy. Many specialists have discussed how PSA screening has contributed to underdetection of clinically significant prostate cancer, overdiagnosis of clinically insignificant disease and poor risk stratification; however, little consideration has been given to the role of TRUS-guided biopsy in these errors. The performance of TRUS-guided biopsy is constrained by the biomechanical attributes of the sampling strategy, resulting in suboptimal detection efficiency of each core.

Outcomes of a cancer clinical trial matching service.

The American Cancer Society (ACS) and Coalition of Cancer Cooperative Groups (CCCG) provide a clinical trial (CT) information/matching/eligibility service (Clinical Trials Matching Service [CTMS]). Patients' demographic and clinical data, enrollment status, and self-reported barriers to CT participation were analyzed to assess enrollment rates and determinants of enrollment. During 3 years beginning October 1, 2007, the CTMS served 6,903 patients via the ACS call center.

Statistical modeling of lung cancer: answering relative questions.

THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS PAPER IS TO PERFORM PARAMETRIC AND NONPARAMETRIC ANALYSIS TO ADDRESS SOME VERY IMPORTANT QUESTIONS CONCERNING LUNG CANCER UTILIZING REAL LUNG CANCER DATA: What is the probabilistic nature of mortality time in ex-smoker lung cancer patients and non-smoker lung cancer patients, for female, male, and the totality of female and male patients? Is there significant difference of mortality time between ex-smoker and non-smoker patients? For ex-smokers, are there any differences with respect to the key variables such as mortality time, cigarettes per day (CPD), and duration of smoking between female and male patients? For non-smokers, can we notice a difference in mortality time between female and male patients? Can we accurately predict mortality time given information on CPD, starting time and quitting time for a specific lung cancer patient who smokes? Thus best fitting probability distributions are identified and their parameters are estimated. Mean mortality times are compared between non-smokers and ex-smokers, female non-smokers and male non-smokers, and female ex-smokers and male ex-smokers. Important entities related to lung cancer mortality time, such as cigarettes per day (CPD), and duration of smoking (DUR), are compared between female and male ex-smoker lung cancer patients.

Transperineal prostate biopsy: analysis of a uniform core sampling pattern that yields data on tumor volume limits in negative biopsies.

Background: Analyze an approach to distributing transperineal prostate biopsy cores that yields data on the volume of a tumor that might be present when the biopsy is negative, and also increases detection efficiency.

Methods: Basic principles of sampling and probability theory are employed to analyze a transperineal biopsy pattern that uses evenly-spaced parallel cores in order to extract quantitative data on the volume of a small spherical tumor that could potentially be present, even though the biopsy did not detect it, i.e.

Theory-based evaluation of an online cancer fatigue class.

Fatigue is a common problem faced by cancer patients and survivors, yet is often overlooked. An online fatigue class is evaluated using measures based on the Health Belief Model (HBM). A sample of 26 survivors and seven caregivers completed pre-class and post-class surveys and a facilitated discussion.

Use of a liquid nicotine delivery product to promote smoking cessation.

Background: Despite access to various pharmacotherapies and counseling support to aid cessation, smokers typically demonstrate quit rates below 50%. This report describes the results of a Phase 2a study exploring the efficacy of a liquid nicotine delivery system as an aid to smoking cessation assessed after 12 weeks of therapy.

Methods: A single-arm Phase 2a study was conducted.

Evolving information priorities of hematologic cancer survivors, caregivers, and other relatives.

Little is known about information priorities of people touched by hematologic cancers. We interviewed and surveyed 29 survivors/patients, 13 caregivers, and 19 non-caregiver relatives. Qualitative interviews indicated limited information describing topics other than specific cancer subtypes and treatment options.

On group sequential designs comparing two binomial proportions.

Discussed is the problem of sample size determination for one- and two-stage hypothesis tests comparing two binomial proportions using two independent random samples. A FORTRAN compiled search algorithm identifies exact group sequential designs that allow early stopping only for futility or only for efficacy or for either futility or efficacy. The resulting designs yield a substantial savings in terms of total sample size in many practical cases, are seen to satisfy a number of desirable properties, and are compared to other exact one- and two-stage designs and to designs derived based upon asymptotic normal theory methods.

Exact tests using two correlated binomial variables in contemporary cancer clinical trials.

New therapy strategies for the treatment of cancer are rapidly emerging because of recent technology advances in genetics and molecular biology. Although newer targeted therapies can improve survival without measurable changes in tumor size, clinical trial conduct has remained nearly unchanged. When potentially efficacious therapies are tested, current clinical trial design and analysis methods may not be suitable for detecting therapeutic effects.

Photopheresis in HIV-1 infected patients utilizing benzoporphyrin derivative (BPD) verteporfin and light.

An ex vivo trial utilizing photopheresis with Benzoporphyrin Derivative as the photoactive compound, identified the minimum energy levels of light and concentrations of BPD that eradicated both cell-free and cell-associated HIV-1 infectivity without destroying the virus particles or infected leukocytes. Leukocytes remained viable with altered chemokine/cytokine expression. Apoptosis was induced in a minority of CD4 but not CD8 positive cells with a statistically significant increase in cytolytic T-cell activity.

An evaluation of the American Cancer Society research scholar program.

Background: The American Cancer Society (ACS) allocated competitive funding for Research Project Grants (RPG) to investigators and health care professionals early in their careers. This study explored the process of applying for an ACS grant and determined the differences, if any, in applicants that were funded and applicants that were not funded.

Methods: Applicants applying for RPG funding in the spring of 1996 were sent a questionnaire.

A phase II study of gemcitabine and capecitabine in advanced cholangiocarcinoma and carcinoma of the gallbladder: a single-institution prospective study.

Aim: To determine the clinical benefit response (CBR), time to tumor progression (TTP), overall survival, and effect on quality of life (QOL) of gemcitabine and capecitabine in patients with advanced biliary cancer.

Methods: Gemcitabine (1000 mg/m2 i.v.

Treatment of children with diffuse intrinsic brain stem glioma with radiotherapy, vincristine and oral VP-16: a Children's Oncology Group phase II study.

Background: The prognosis for children with brain stem glioma remains grim. Based on studies suggesting efficacy of vincristine and oral VP-16, The Pediatric Oncology Group (POG, now part of the Children's Oncology Group) conducted a study using these agents in combination with standard external beam radiation for children with newly diagnosed brain stem glioma.

Methods: Children were eligible for the study if they 3-21 years of age, had MRI-evidence of a diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, and had neurologic deficits of <6 months duration.

The rationale, design, and implementation of the American Cancer Society's studies of cancer survivors.

The American Cancer Society (ACS) defines cancer survivorship as beginning at diagnosis with cancer and continuing for the balance of life and views quality of life (QOL) as a key outcome. In this article, the authors describe the rationale, methodology, and sample characteristics of the 2 ACS Studies of Cancer Survivors (SCS): 1) a longitudinal study identifying and surveying survivors approximately 1 year postdiagnosis that includes plans to resurvey the panel at 2 years, 7 years, and 12 years postdiagnosis to identify predictors of QOL; and 2) a cross-sectional study of QOL among 3 separate cohorts of survivors who were approximately 3 years, 6 years, and 11 years postdiagnosis at the time of data collection. Survivors of prostate, breast, lung, colorectal, bladder, skin, kidney, ovarian, and uterine cancers and of non-Hodgkin lymphoma were sampled from 25 different central cancer registries, with African-American and Hispanic survivors over sampled.

Changes in treatment of advanced laryngeal cancer 1985-2001.

Objective: In 1991, a randomized study was published and demonstrated that use of nonsurgical therapy (chemoradiation) provided similar survival to total laryngectomy (the gold standard) for patients with advanced-stage laryngeal cancer. The purpose of this study was to assess how treatment of advanced laryngeal cancer was influenced by such developments in non-surgical therapy.

Study Design: Patterns of care study using National Cancer Database (1985-2001).

Expression of genes related to activity of oxaliplatin and 5-fluorouracil in endoscopic biopsies of primary esophageal cancer in patients receiving oxaliplatin, 5-flourouracil and radiation: characterization and exploratory analysis with survival.

With a goal of identifying relations between gene expression and response (mucosal or pathological) or survival in esophageal cancer patients (stages II to IV) receiving oxaliplatin, 5-fluorouracil (5FU) and radiation, we measured in endoscopic primary tumor biopsies from 38 patients, the expression of seven genes (gammaGCS, gammaGT, MRP-2, ERCC-1, XPA, TS and DPD) prior to treatment, 1 week following oxaliplatin alone and at the end of the combined radio-chemotherapy cycle using real time QRT-PCR. A higher pretreatment level of XPA was related to shorter survival with a hazard ratio of 2.43 (90% confidence interval 1.

Phase I study of abagovomab in patients with epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer.

Purpose: This open-label study assessed the safety and immunogenicity of two doses and two routes of the anti-idiotypic monoclonal antibody abagovomab (formerly ACA125) in patients with epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer.

Experimental Design: Eligible patients from the three participating institutions were any stage at diagnosis, had relapsed, and had complete or partial response to additional chemotherapy. Patients were randomized to receive abagovomab at 2.

A Phase II study of St. John's Wort for smoking cessation.

Objectives: To examine the feasibility and efficacy of St. John's Wort (SJW) for smoking cessation.

Design: This one-arm Phase II study utilized an exact two-stage group sequential design with a 1-week run-in period between the start of SJW treatment and the designated quit date.

Radiotherapy in pediatric medulloblastoma: quality assessment of Pediatric Oncology Group Trial 9031.

Purpose: To evaluate the potential influence of radiotherapy quality on survival in high-risk pediatric medulloblastoma patients.

Methods And Materials: Trial 9031 of the Pediatric Oncology Group (POG) aimed to study the relative benefit of cisplatin and etoposide randomization of high-risk patients with medulloblastoma to preradiotherapy vs. postradiotherapy treatment.