A Financial Incentives Program to Promote Smoking Cessation Among Recently Hospitalized Individuals: Feasibility and Acceptability Study.

Background: Hospitalization is an opportunity to engage underserved individuals in tobacco treatment who may not otherwise have access to it. Tobacco treatment interventions that begin during hospitalization and continue for at least 1 postdischarge month are effective in promoting smoking cessation. However, there is low usage of postdischarge tobacco treatment services.

Assessment of IGRT variability for lung SBRT.

Purpose: The purpose of this project was to assess factors that may influence variability in the pre-treatment kilovoltage cone beam computed tomography (kV CBCT) image matching process for lung stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT).

Methods And Materials: Pre-treatment CBCT and planning CT data sets of previously-treated lung SBRT patients were gathered and anonymized from four radiotherapy centers in Alberta. Eight radiation therapists (RTTs) and four radiation oncologists (ROs) were recruited from the same four cancer centers for image matching.

Probable Genitourinary Adverse Events Associated With Atomoxetine in an Adult Male: A Case Report.

Atomoxetine is a norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor used for treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Prescribing information from the manufacturer lists genitourinary-related adverse events such as urinary hesitancy/retention and priapism as precautions for atomoxetine. We report a case of urinary hesitancy with milky, white-colored discharge associated with atomoxetine use in a 42-year-old male.

Dynamic Clustering Algorithms via Small-Variance Analysis of Markov Chain Mixture Models.

Bayesian nonparametrics are a class of probabilistic models in which the model size is inferred from data. A recently developed methodology in this field is small-variance asymptotic analysis, a mathematical technique for deriving learning algorithms that capture much of the flexibility of Bayesian nonparametric inference algorithms, but are simpler to implement and less computationally expensive. Past work on small-variance analysis of Bayesian nonparametric inference algorithms has exclusively considered batch models trained on a single, static dataset, which are incapable of capturing time evolution in the latent structure of the data.

Is Weekend Radiation Therapy Always Justified?

Background: Patients presenting with an oncology emergency should be assessed and treated promptly to address symptoms, preserve function, and maintain quality of life. In some circumstances, this requires treatment of patients on weekends. The primary objective of this study was to review the delivery of urgent radiotherapy (RT) at our institution to determine the proportion of courses with a documented indication for which weekend RT could be justified based on comparison with published literature.

Virtual Simulation of Bone Metastases by a Dedicated Palliative Radiation Therapist: A Retrospective Comparison Pilot Study.

Purpose: In interdisciplinary teams, members may take on responsibilities usually performed by others to enhance patient care. In the Rapid Access Palliative Radiotherapy Program, a dedicated radiation therapist (MRT[T]) participates in clinical assessments, team conferences, patient education, simulation, treatment delivery, and follow-up. The purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility of virtual simulation performed by an MRT(T) experienced in treating bone metastases within this specialized clinic.