Significance of HIV status in cervical cancer patients receiving curative chemoradiation therapy, definitive radiation alone, or palliative radiation in Botswana.

Background: Cervical cancer associated with human papillomavirus has the highest cancer incidence and mortality for women in Botswana because of a high HIV prevalence and limited screening. This study investigates the significance of HIV on the overall survival (OS) of patients with locally advanced cervical cancer by various treatment categories (curative chemoradiation, definitive radiation [RT] alone, or palliative RT alone).

Methods: This study included patients diagnosed with cervical cancer between 2013 and 2020, prospectively enrolled in the Botswana Prospective Cancer Cohort.

Pregnancy Outcomes in Patients After Completion of the mRNA Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Vaccination Series Compared With Unvaccinated Patients.

Objective: To compare frequency of perinatal death between pregnant patients who completed the mRNA coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination series and unvaccinated patients.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 15,865 pregnant patients who delivered 16,132 newborns after 20 weeks of gestation within a large regional health system between January 1, 2021, and December 31, 2021. Patients who received two doses of mRNA vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech [BNT162b2] or Moderna [mRNA-1273]) were included in the vaccinated group and were compared with unvaccinated patients.

Evaluating schema modes and cognitive distortions in borderline personality disorder: A mixed-method approach.

Objectives: Cognitive processes, such as schema modes and cognitive distortions, may play a role in the genesis and maintenance of affective, interpersonal, and behavioral difficulties in individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). This study aimed at exploring the schema modes and cognitive distortions in individuals with BPD.

Methods: Using a mixed-method approach, 30 individuals with BPD and 30 healthy participants were assessed on the Borderline Personality Questionnaire, the Schema Mode Inventory, the Cognitive Distortions Scale, and a semi-structured interview schedule.

The Fistula Risk Score Catalog: Toward Precision Medicine for Pancreatic Fistula After Pancreatoduodenectomy.

Objective: This study aims to present a full spectrum of individual patient presentations of pancreatic fistula risk, and to define the utility of mitigation strategies amongst some of the most prevalent, and vulnerable scenarios surgeons encounter.

Background: The FRS has been utilized to identify technical strategies associated with reduced CR-POPF incidence across various risk strata. However, risk-stratification using the FRS has never been investigated with greater granularity.

Breast Cancer and HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Complex Relationship.

Introduction: The number and lifespan of individuals living with HIV have increased significantly with the scale-up of antiretroviral therapy. Furthermore, the incidence of breast cancer in women with HIV is growing, especially in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). However, the association between HIV infection and breast cancer is not well understood.

Survival Benefit of Adjuvant Radiation Therapy in Node-positive Vulvar Cancer.

Background: Adjuvant radiation therapy improves overall survival in patients with vulvar cancer with 2+ positive lymph nodes, but its benefit remains uncertain for 1 positive lymph node.

Methods: Using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database, we identified node-positive, American Joint Committee on Cancer version 6-staged women with squamous cell vulvar carcinoma treated with and without radiation following surgery. The Kaplan-Meier approach assessed overall and cause-specific survival.

Individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder manifest cognitive biases implicated in psychosis.

Individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) frequently manifest psychotic symptoms. Certain cognitive biases have been implicated in the genesis and maintenance of psychotic symptoms. The present study aimed at exploring whether individuals with BPD manifest these cognitive biases.

Impact of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection on Survival and Acute Toxicities From Chemoradiation Therapy for Cervical Cancer Patients in a Limited-Resource Setting.

Purpose: To prospectively compare survival between human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected versus HIV-uninfected cervical cancer patients who initiated curative chemoradiation therapy (CRT) in a limited-resource setting.

Methods And Materials: Women with locally advanced cervical cancer with or without HIV infection initiating radical CRT in Botswana were enrolled in a prospective, observational, cohort study from July 2013 through January 2015.

Results: Of 182 women treated for cervical cancer during the study period, 143 women initiating curative CRT were included in the study.

Multidisciplinary Gynecologic Oncology Clinic in Botswana: A Model for Multidisciplinary Oncology Care in Low- and Middle-Income Settings.

Purpose: Cervical cancer is a major cause of mortality in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and the most common cancer diagnosed in women in Botswana. Most women present with locally advanced disease, requiring chemotherapy and radiation. Care co-ordination requires input from a multidisciplinary team (MDT) to deliver appropriate, timely treatment.

Decision-Making for the Management of Cystic Lesions of the Pancreas: How Satisfied Are Patients with Surgery?

Introduction: This study aims to understand patients' perspectives and satisfaction with choosing surgery for the treatment of pancreatic cystic lesions (PCLs).

Methods: A 62-question survey was administered to 113 patients who had a resection for a PCL by 12 surgeons at two pancreatic specialty centers (2004-2016). Patients' final diagnoses and perioperative outcomes were correlated to the survey's results using univariate analysis.

Radiation Oncology in India: Challenges and Opportunities.

Rising cancer incidence and mortality in India emphasize the need to address the increasing burden of this disease and the stark inequities in access to radiotherapy and other essential medical treatments. State-of-the-art technology is available within the private sector and a few hospitals in the public sector, but 75% of patients in the public sector in India do not have access to timely radiotherapy. This inequity in access to radiotherapy in the public sector is amplified in rural areas, where most of India׳s population lives.

The Unique Issues With Brachytherapy in Low- and Middle-Income Countries.

Gynecologic carcinomas, including cervical cancer, present a significant burden on low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Brachytherapy plays an integral role in the treatment of gynecologic carcinomas, as it is essential for both curative and palliative treatment. However, there are numerous geographic and economic barriers to providing brachytherapy to cancer patients in LMICs.

Antibody-Guided In Vivo Imaging for Early Detection of Mammary Gland Tumors.

Background: Earlier detection of transformed cells using target-specific imaging techniques holds great promise. We have developed TAB 004, a monoclonal antibody highly specific to a protein sequence accessible in the tumor form of MUC1 (tMUC1). We present data assessing both the specificity and sensitivity of TAB 004 in vitro and in genetically engineered mice in vivo.

20-OH-ecdysone prevents hot flushes in ovariectomized rats.

Hot flushes are due to the lack of estrogens and are the most characteristic climacteric complaints. Hormone replacement therapy was the standard treatment but now its use is limited because of side effects. Need therefore arises to search for non-estrogenic alternatives.