Background And Purpose: A quality assurance (QA) program in conjunction with the EORTC trial investigating the role of adjuvant internal mammary and medial supraclavicular irradiation in stage I-III breast cancer is presented. The results of a dummy run procedure and of an individual case review are compared to each other. The effects of recommendations based on QA procedures on the protocol compliance are evaluated.
Material And Methods: Prior to protocol activation all participating institutes were asked to produce treatment plans according to the guidelines of the protocol based on manual outlines of an average patient. Thereafter, they were asked to provide data on each of their first six randomized patients.
Results: The dummy run provided a lot of information on specific treatment techniques. In the individual case review, additional patient- and tumor-related data were collected, showing the use of anatomic information for treatment planning. A comparison between both procedures revealed that the individual case reports concurred more accurately with protocol guidelines than the dummy run.
Conclusion: It was observed that the number of systematic protocol deviations was substantially decreased in trial patients compared to the dummy run case. Therefore, it is concluded that this extensive QA program had a positive effect on the consistency of all institutes participating in the trial.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00066-006-1629-2 | DOI Listing |
Sci Rep
December 2024
Department of Drug Prohibition and Public Security, Criminal Investigation Police University of China, Shenyang, 110035, China.
Methamphetamine use disorder has emerged as a significant public health concern globally. This study endeavors to elucidate the alterations in expression changes of miRNAs in the plasma of methamphetamine use disorder and elucidate the alterations in miRNA expression in the plasma of individuals with methamphetamine use disorder and investigate the relationship between these differentially expressed miRNAs and the disorder itself, cravings for methamphetamine, and associated mental disorders. Furthermore, the study seeks to clarify the expression of downstream target molecules of specific miRNAs in the plasma of methamphetamine use disorder, assess the diagnostic utility of these miRNAs and their target molecules, explore their potential as biomarkers, and identify potential targets for the diagnosis and treatment of methamphetamine use disorder.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNat Commun
December 2024
School of Public Health, Key Lab of Public Health Safety of the Ministry of Education, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
Fine particulate matter has been linked with acute coronary syndrome. Nevertheless, the key constituents remain unclear. Here, we conduct a nationwide case-crossover study in China during 2015-2021 to quantify the associations between fine particulate matter constituents (organic matter, black carbon, nitrate, sulfate, and ammonium) and acute coronary syndrome, and to identify the critical contributors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNat Commun
December 2024
Boyd Orr Centre for Population and Ecosystem Health, School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary & Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
Rabies is a viral zoonosis that kills thousands of people annually in low- and middle-income countries across Africa and Asia where domestic dogs are the reservoir. 'Zero by 30', the global strategy to end dog-mediated human rabies, promotes a One Health approach underpinned by mass dog vaccination, post-exposure vaccination of bite victims, robust surveillance and community engagement. Using Integrated Bite Case Management (IBCM) and whole genome sequencing (WGS), we enhanced rabies surveillance to detect an outbreak in a formerly rabies-free island province in the Philippines.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTransl Psychiatry
December 2024
School of Computer Science and Technology (School of Data Science), Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan, 030024, China.
Bipolar disorder (BD) is a neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by severe disturbance and fluctuation in mood. Dynamic functional connectivity (dFC) has the potential to more accurately capture the evolving processes of emotion and cognition in BD. Nevertheless, prior investigations of dFC typically centered on larger time scales, limiting the sensitivity to transient changes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Community Psychol
January 2025
Department of Counseling and Applied Psychology, National Taichung University of Education, Taichung, Taiwan.
The COVID-19 pandemic has been one of the most significant public health events in human history. Domestic violence cases surged globally during the COVID-19 pandemic. In Taiwan, this trend was particularly evident, with a year-over-year increase in reported cases.
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