Purpose: Little is known about serious illness conversations (SIC) conducted during telemedicine visits and their impact on end-of-life (EOL) outcomes for patients with advanced cancer.
Patients And Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis telemedicine visits for patients with metastatic lung cancer conducted during the first surge of the COVID-19 pandemic (October 3, 2020-October 6, 2020). We used natural language processing (NLP) to characterize documentation of SIC domains (ie, goals of care [GOC], limitation of life-sustaining treatment [LLST], prognostic awareness [PA], palliative care [PC], and hospice).
Introduction: To evaluate the impact of the updated United States Preventive Services Task Force colorectal cancer (CRC) screening recommendations on screening rates in a large health system.
Methods: We reviewed Massachusetts General Brigham electronic health record data for individuals eligible for CRC screening between January 3, 2020, and January 5, 2023, and calculated whether age-eligible individuals were up-to-date with CRC screening.
Results: There were large declines in the percentage of individuals who were up-to-date with CRC screening for all racial/ethnic groups, with non-Hispanic Asians being largest (-13.
Introduction: At-home colorectal cancer (CRC) screening is an effective way to reduce CRC mortality, but screening rates in medically underserved groups are low. To plan the implementation of a pragmatic randomized trial comparing two population-based outreach approaches, we conducted qualitative research on current processes and barriers to at-home CRC screening in 10 community health centers (CHCs) that serve medically underserved groups, four each in Massachusetts and California, and two tribal facilities in South Dakota.
Methods: We conducted 53 semi-structured interviews with clinical and administrative staff at the participating CHCs.
Introduction: Colorectal cancer (CRC) screening utilization is low among low-income, uninsured, and minority populations that receive care in community health centers (CHCs). There is a need for evidence-based interventions to increase screening and follow-up care in these settings.
Methods: A multilevel, multi-component pragmatic cluster randomized controlled trial is being conducted at 8 CHCs in two metropolitan areas (Boston and Los Angeles), with two arms: (1) Mailed FIT outreach with text reminders, and (2) Mailed FIT-DNA with patient support.
Objective: Disparities in colorectal cancer (CRC) screening prevalence across United States neighborhoods may reflect social inequities that create barriers to accessing and completing preventive health services. Our objective was to identify whether neighborhood social vulnerability was associated with a change in CRC screening prevalence in Boston neighborhoods during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods: Adults ages 50-74 years due for CRC screening who received primary care at one of 35 primary care practices affiliated with Massachusetts General Hospital or Brigham and Women's Hospital (Boston, MA), 3/1/2020 to 3/1/2022.
A 64-year-old man with history of renal stones and prostate cancer presented for evaluation of osseous metastatic disease due to elevated prostate-specific antigen (13.7 ng/mL). A Tc-labeled bone scan demonstrated unusual linear uptake projecting over the lower pelvis extending into the scrotum.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCurr Probl Cancer
February 2021
Autoimmune hypophysitis is a rare complication of immune checkpoint inhibitors. Immune checkpoint inhibitors have been used for advanced stages of melanoma, renal cell carcinoma, and lung cancer. Multiple endocrinopathies, among them hypophysitis, could result as a reverse event from this therapy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOrbital lesions in the pediatric population vary from adults in terms of their presentation, unique pathology, and imaging characteristics. The prompt and accurate diagnosis of these lesions is imperative to prevent serious consequences in terms of visual impairment and disfigurement. Along with dedicated ophthalmologic examination, imaging is instrumental in characterizing these lesions, both for accurate diagnosis and subsequent management.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBirt-Hogg-Dubé syndrome (BHD) is a rare autosomal dominant disorder that predisposes patients to cutaneous tumors, pulmonary cysts with recurrent spontaneous pneumothoraces, and a variety of renal neoplasms including hybrid oncocytic and chromophobe renal cell carcinomas. There has been much debate regarding the genetic link with the occurrence of colorectal cancer and other colonic anomalies. Associations between BHD and intestinal adenomatous polyposis and sigmoid diverticulosis have been described in the literature, but there have been no prior reports of appendiceal diverticulosis in patients with BHD.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdrenal myelolipoma is a benign tumor of the adrenal cortex composed predominantly of fat and hematopoietic tissue. These lesions are usually asymptomatic, and most often incidentally detected on imaging. Uncommonly, they present with retroperitoneal hemorrhage, and these have been traditionally treated with emergent surgery.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCurr Probl Diagn Radiol
June 2020
COVID-19 (Corona Virus Disease-19) is a zoonotic illness first reported in the city of Wuhan, China in December 2019, and is now officially a global pandemic as declared by the World Health Organization. The infection is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). COVID-19 infected patients can be asymptomatic carriers or present with mild-to-severe respiratory symptoms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Primary appendiceal cancers are rare, and they generally present with liver and/or peritoneal metastases. Currently there are no guidelines to treat metastatic appendiceal cancer, and hence they are treated as metastatic colorectal cancer. Combining Yttrium 90 (Y-90) radioembolization (RE) with systemic chemotherapy early in the treatment of right sided colon cancers has been shown to improve survival.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn patients with multiple sclerosis, the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, fluoxetine, resulted in less acute disease activity. We tested the immune modulating effects of fluoxetine in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis, i.e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUsing an integrated antigen microarray approach, we observed epitope-spreading of autoantibody responses to a variety of antigenic structures in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and in the serum of mice with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). These included previously described protein- and lipid-based antigenic targets and newly discovered autoimmunogenic sugar moieties, notably, autoantibodies specific for the oligomannoses in both MS patient CSF and the sera of mice with EAE. These glycans are often masked by other sugar moieties and belong to a class of cryptic autoantigens.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFour questions were posed about multiple sclerosis (MS) at the 2011 Charcot Lecture, Oct. 22, 2011. 1.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPeroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs; PPAR-alpha, PPAR-delta, and PPAR-gamma) comprise a family of nuclear receptors that sense fatty acid levels and translate this information into altered gene transcription. Previously, it was reported that treatment of mice with a synthetic ligand activator of PPAR-delta, GW0742, ameliorates experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), indicating a possible role for this nuclear receptor in the control of central nervous system (CNS) autoimmune inflammation. We show that mice deficient in PPAR-delta (PPAR-delta(-/-)) develop a severe inflammatory response during EAE characterized by a striking accumulation of IFN-gamma(+)IL-17A(-) and IFN-gamma(+)IL-17A(+) CD4(+) cells in the spinal cord.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInterferon-beta (IFN-beta) is the major treatment for multiple sclerosis. However, this treatment is not always effective. Here we have found congruence in outcome between responses to IFN-beta in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) and relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGABA, the principal inhibitory neurotransmitter in the adult brain, has a parallel inhibitory role in the immune system. We demonstrate that immune cells synthesize GABA and have the machinery for GABA catabolism. Antigen-presenting cells (APCs) express functional GABA receptors and respond electrophysiologically to GABA.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe immune system has two major components, an innate arm and an adaptive arm. Certain autoimmune diseases of the brain represent examples of disorders where one of these constituents plays a major role. Some rare autoimmune diseases involve activation of the innate arm and include chronic infantile neurologic, cutaneous, articular (CINCA) syndrome.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) is a major regulator of blood pressure. The octapeptide angiotensin II (AII) is proteolytically processed from the decapeptide AI by angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), and then acts via angiotensin type 1 and type 2 receptors (AT1R and AT2R). Inhibitors of ACE and antagonists of the AT1R are used in the treatment of hypertension, myocardial infarction, and stroke.
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