Tube feeding in advanced dementia: Insights from South African speech-language therapists.

Background:  Speech-language therapists (SLTs) may recommend tube feeding even with minimal research evidence of its effectiveness, and an understanding of SLTs' perceived practices is warranted.

Objectives:  To qualitatively describe a sample of South African SLTs' perceived practices regarding feeding tube placement in people with advanced dementia.

Method:  Semi-structured online interviews were conducted via Microsoft Teams.

Cardiac Amyloidosis: A Rare TTR Mutation Found in an Asian Female.

Background: Transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis (ATTR) is a life-threatening, debilitating disease caused by abnormal formation and deposit of transthyretin (TTR) protein in multiple tissues, including myocardial extracellular matrix. It can be challenging to diagnose due to the myriad of presenting signs and symptoms. Additionally, numerous TTR mutations exist in certain ethnicities.

Biallelic DNAJC3 variants in a neuroendocrine developmental disorder with insulin dysregulation.

DNAJC3, a co-chaperone of BiP, is a member of the heat shock protein family. These proteins are produced in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to counter cell stress resulting from healthy functional protein processing. Dysregulation of unfolded proteins within the ER is implicated as a mechanism of genetic disease.

Adapting Scoring Based Classification to Simplify and Automate Phenotype Creation for Cohort Identification in Clinical Data.

EHR-based phenotype development and validation are extremely time-consuming and have considerable monetary cost. The creation of a phenotype currently requires clinical experts and experts in the data to be queried. The new approach presented here demonstrates a computational alternative to the classification of patient cohorts based on automatic weighting of ICD codes.

Randomized controlled trial: a pilot study of a psychoeducational intervention for fatigue in patients with quiescent inflammatory bowel disease.

Introduction: Fatigue is a frequent, debilitating symptom of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Despite this, studies report dissatisfaction among IBD patients regarding how little attention is given to fatigue-related issues during consultations. We performed a pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) to assess whether a brief, structured, multidisciplinary psychological support program improved fatigue, mood and quality of life indices in patients with quiescent IBD.

Data Profiling in Support of Entity Resolution of Multi-Institutional EHR Data.

Information Quality (IQ) is a core tenant of contemporary data management practices. Across many disciplines and industries, it has become a necessary process to improve value and reduce liability in data driven processes. Information quality is a multifaceted discipline with many degrees of complexity in implementation, especially in healthcare.

Outcome modeling with CRLF2, IKZF1, JAK, and minimal residual disease in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia: a Children's Oncology Group study.

As controversy exists regarding the prognostic significance of genomic rearrangements of CRLF2 in pediatric B-precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) classified as standard/intermediate-risk (SR) or high-risk (HR), we assessed the prognostic significance of CRLF2 mRNA expression, CRLF2 genomic lesions (IGH@-CRLF2, P2RY8-CRLF2, CRLF2 F232C), deletion/mutation in genes frequently associated with high CRLF2 expression (IKZF1, JAK, IL7R), and minimal residual disease (MRD) in 1061 pediatric ALL patients (499 HR and 562 SR) on COG Trials P9905/P9906. Whereas very high CRLF2 expression was found in 17.5% of cases, only 51.

Augmented therapy improves outcome for pediatric high risk acute lymphocytic leukemia: results of Children's Oncology Group trial P9906.

Background: The augmented BFM regimen improves outcome for children with NCI high acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Patient age, sex, and presenting white blood cell count (WBC) can be used to identify a subset of approximately 12% of children with B-precursor ALL that had a 5-year continuous complete remission (CCR) rate of only about 50% on earlier Pediatric Oncology Group (POG) trials.

Procedures: Children's Oncology Group trial P9906 evaluated a modified augmented BFM regimen in 267 patients with particularly high risk B-precursor ALL.

Clinical significance of minimal residual disease in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia and its relationship to other prognostic factors: a Children's Oncology Group study.

Minimal residual disease (MRD) is an important predictor of relapse in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), but its relationship to other prognostic variables has not been fully assessed. The Children's Oncology Group studied the prognostic impact of MRD measured by flow cytometry in the peripheral blood at day 8, and in end-induction (day 29) and end-consolidation marrows in 2143 children with precursor B-cell ALL (B-ALL). The presence of MRD in day-8 blood and day-29 marrow MRD was associated with shorter event-free survival (EFS) in all risk groups; even patients with 0.

An evaluative case study of online learning for healthcare professionals.

Background: This evaluation study assessed the pedagogical and instructional design (e-pedagogy) effectiveness of online continuing professional education (CPE) courses offered by a large Australian CPE provider.

Methods: A naturalistic theory approach and a multilevel evaluation were used to examine the impact of web-based learning on more than 300 healthcare professionals. Participant satisfaction, learning achievement, self-reported practice performance change, and e-pedagogical courseware characteristics were assessed by various qualitative and quantitative data collection methods.

Risk- and response-based classification of childhood B-precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia: a combined analysis of prognostic markers from the Pediatric Oncology Group (POG) and Children's Cancer Group (CCG).

The Children's Cancer Group (CCG) and the Pediatric Oncology Group (POG) joined to form the Children's Oncology Group (COG) in 2000. This merger allowed analysis of clinical, biologic, and early response data predictive of event-free survival (EFS) in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) to develop a new classification system and treatment algorithm. From 11 779 children (age, 1 to 21.

Comparison of diagnostic and relapse flow cytometry phenotypes in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia: implications for residual disease detection: a report from the children's oncology group.

Background: Flow cytometric analysis of minimal residual disease (MRD) depends on detecting phenotypically abnormal populations. However, little is known about how phenotypic shifts between diagnosis and relapse affect MRD detection in childhood acute lymphoid leukemia (ALL).

Methods: We compared diagnostic and relapse bone marrow specimens in 42 children with precursor B-ALL studied with the two-tube panel CD19-APC/CD45-PerCP/CD10-PE/CD20-FITC and CD19-APC/CD45-PerCP/CD9-PE/CD34-FITC.

Accumulation of methotrexate and methotrexate polyglutamates in lymphoblasts and treatment outcome in children with B-progenitor-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia: a Pediatric Oncology Group study.

We reported that children with B-progenitor-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BpALL) treated in the early 1980s whose lymphoblasts accumulated high levels of methotrexate (MTX) and of methotrexate polyglutamates (MTXPGs) in vitro had an improved 5-year event-free survival (EFS) (65% (standard error (s.e.) 12%) vs 22% (s.

Minimal residual disease detection in childhood precursor-B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia: relation to other risk factors. A Children's Oncology Group study.

Minimal residual disease (MRD) can be detected in the marrows of children undergoing chemotherapy either by flow cytometry or polymerase chain reaction. In this study, we used four-color flow cytometry to detect MRD in 1016 children undergoing therapy on Children's Oncology Group therapeutic protocols for precursor-B-cell ALL. Compliance was excellent, with follow-up samples received at the end of induction on nearly 95% of cases; sensitivity of detection at this time point was at least 1/10,000 in more than 90% of cases.

The association of the TEL-AML1 chromosomal translocation with the accumulation of methotrexate polyglutamates in lymphoblasts and with ploidy in childhood B-progenitor cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia: a Pediatric Oncology Group study.

Lymphoblasts from children with B-progenitor cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BpALL) with chromosomal hyperdiploidy and with translocations affecting chromosome 12p11-13, accumulate high and low levels of methotrexate polyglutamates (MTXPGs), respectively. Recently a cryptic translocation, t(12;21) (p13;q22), has been demonstrated by molecular and fluorescence in situ hybridization techniques in this disease. The chimeric TEL-AML1 transcript, which has been associated with this translocation, can be detected in up to 25% of children with BpALL.

New recurring cytogenetic abnormalities and association of blast cell karyotypes with prognosis in childhood T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia: a pediatric oncology group report of 343 cases.

To further define the cytogenetic differences between B-cell lineage (B-lineage) acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and T-cell lineage ALL (T-ALL) and to determine the prognostic value of cytogenetics in childhood T-ALL, the blast cell karyotypes of 343 cases of pediatric T-ALL, the largest series reported to date, were evaluated. Cytogenetics were performed in a single central laboratory, and the children were treated using a single Pediatric Oncology Group protocol. Clear differences between the karyotypic characteristics of B-lineage ALL and T-ALL were confirmed.

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia with an unusual t(8;14)(q11.2;q32): a Pediatric Oncology Group Study.

We present the clinicopathologic findings and survival data on 10 patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and a rare t(8;14)(q11.2;q32). There were five male and five female patients, nine Caucasians and one Black, aged 4-17 (median 10.

Racial differences in the survival of childhood B-precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia: a Pediatric Oncology Group Study.

Purpose: We conducted a historic cohort study to test the hypothesis that, after adjustment for biologic factors, African-American (AA) children and Spanish surname (SS) children with newly diagnosed B-precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia had lower survival than did comparable white children.

Patients And Methods: From 1981 to 1994, 4,061 white, 518 AA, and 507 SS children aged 1 to 20 years were treated on three successive Pediatric Oncology Group multicenter randomized clinical trials.

Results: AA and SS patients were more likely to have adverse prognostic features at diagnosis and lower survival than were white patients.

Childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia with the MLL-ENL fusion and t(11;19)(q23;p13.3) translocation.

Purpose: To determine the molecular characteristics, clinical features, and treatment outcomes of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and the t(11;19)(q23,p13.3) translocation.

Patients And Methods: A retrospective analysis of leukemic cell karyotypes obtained from patients with new diagnoses of ALL who were treated at St.

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia with the (8;14)(q24;q32) translocation and FAB L3 morphology associated with a B-precursor immunophenotype: the Pediatric Oncology Group experience.

Five pediatric patients are described with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) who at presentation had clinical findings suggestive of B cell ALL and lymphoblasts with FAB L3 morphology and the characteristic t(8;14)(q24;q32). However, the leukemia cells of all five patients failed to express surface immunoglobulin (sIg) and kappa or lambda light chains. Based on initial immunophenotyping results consistent with B-precursor ALL, four of these cases were initially treated with conventional ALL chemotherapy.

Accumulation of methotrexate polyglutamates, ploidy and trisomies of both chromosomes 4 and 10 in lymphoblasts from children with B-progenitor cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia: a Pediatric Oncology Group Study.

Levels of accumulation of methotrexate polyglutamates were measured in vitro in lymphoblasts obtained at diagnosis from children with B-progenitor cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (pro-B ALL). They were compared to numerical and structural chromosomal abnormalities present in these leukemic cells. In a series of 95 patients, the percent with high lymphoblast methotrexate polyglutamate levels increased with the increase in modal number of total chromosomes (p<0.

Surface antigen phenotype can predict TEL-AML1 rearrangement in childhood B-precursor ALL: a Pediatric Oncology Group study.

The t(12;21)(p13;q22) is the most common translocation in childhood B-precursor ALL. It results in a TEL-AML1 rearrangement and is associated with a good prognosis. Because many chromosomal alterations in leukemia are associated with distinct cell surface phenotypes, we investigated whether there was an association seen between surface marker expression and the TEL-AML1 rearrangement.

Consolidation therapy with antimetabolite-based therapy in standard-risk acute lymphocytic leukemia of childhood: a Pediatric Oncology Group Study.

Purpose: To develop antimetabolite-based consolidation regimens that minimize acute and long-term toxicities and improve the survival rate of children with standard-risk B-lineage acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL).

Patients And Methods: Seven hundred twenty-seven eligible patients with standard-risk early pre-B ALL were registered onto the study. Seven hundred sixteen patients attained a complete remission (CR) after induction therapy.