Quality control and improvement of cancer care: what is needed? 4th European Roundtable Meeting (ERTM) May 5th, 2017, Berlin, Germany.

Purpose: National Cancer Control Plans (NCCPs) often describe structural requirements for high quality cancer care. During the fourth European Roundtable Meeting (ERTM) participants shared learnings from their own national setting to formulate best practice in optimizing communication strategies between parties involved in clinical cancer registries, cancer centers and guideline groups.

Results: A decentralized model of data collection close to the patient and caregiver enhances timely completion and the quality of the data captured.

Electromagnetic fields: activities in the European Commission with a focus on research projects and the Scientific Committee of Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR).

The article summarizes the main activities of the European Commission concerning electromagnetic fields. It explains also the regulatory context, with a special focus on past and current research projects funded by the European Union and the role of the SCENIHR in assessing risks related to EMF. Main conclusions of the SCENIHR opinion adopted in 2015 on EMF are reported.

[EU rules for surveillance and control of communicable diseases].

Since 1999, EU Member States have had a number of obligations in the area of surveillance and control of communicable diseases (Decision 2119/98/EC). Specific technical standards to be applied by Member States are determined by the Commission, following an opinion of the network committee. Those concern among others the list of diseases under surveillance, case definitions, epidemiological and microbiological surveillance methods, and guidelines for emergency situations.

Novel suture device for beating-heart mitral leaflet approximation.

Background: This investigation evaluates the potential of using a novel suturing device to achieve mitral valve repair (Alfieri type) on a beating heart without cardiopulmonary bypass.

Methods: Eight healthy adult sheep were anesthetized and the chest was opened via a left thoracotomy. The suture device was directly inserted into the appendage of the left atrium.