Determinants of clinic absenteeism in a chemotherapy service of a cancer center located at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Introduction: Clinic absenteeism promotes higher waiting lists for medical procedures and public resources waste.

Objectives: The present work aimed to identify the reasons for clinic absenteeism from each cycle of the antineoplastic chemotherapy treatment, as well as to determine the socio-demographic, clinical and treatment profiles of this population.

Methods: This observational prospective work evaluated pediatric and adult patients which missed their chemotherapy cycle between May and October 2023 in a Cancer Center located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Inflammation, but not skeletal muscle index, is associated with coronavirus disease 2019 mortality in patients with cancer.

Background & Aims: Patients with cancer and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have characteristics that can cause the most severe forms of the disease and higher mortality. We aimed to assess the association between computed tomography (CT)-derived muscle abnormalities, anthropometric parameters, inflammation, and mortality in patients with cancer and COVID-19.

Methods: This retrospective study included patients with cancer and COVID-19 admitted between March 1st and December 31st, 2020.

Safety, pharmacodynamics, and antiviral activity of selgantolimod in viremic patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection.

Background & Aims: Novel finite therapies for chronic hepatitis B (CHB) are needed, since lifelong treatment is usually required with current available oral antivirals. This phase II study (NCT03615066) evaluated the safety, pharmacodynamics, and antiviral activity of selgantolimod (a Toll-like receptor 8 agonist [TLR8]) with tenofovir alafenamide (TAF).

Methods: Viremic patients with CHB not receiving treatment were stratified by HBeAg status and randomized 2:2:1 to TAF 25 mg/day with selgantolimod 3 mg orally once weekly (QW), selgantolimod 1.

A comparative study on the quality of in vivo labeled red blood cell radionuclide ventriculography images employing different freeze-dried reagents.

Radionuclide ventriculography or Multi Gated Acquisition (MUGA) employing [ 99m Tc]Technetium red blood cell (RBC) labeling is considered the gold standard for cardiotoxicity assessments in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. This in-vivo RBC labeling technique involves the reduction of [ 99m Tc]Technetium by the stannous chloride present in freeze-dried reagent kits, with the pyrophosphate kit (PYP) being the most employed for this purpose. The literature, however, describes diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) as an alternative to PYP, although a lack of comparative data from MUGA images between both reagents is noted.

Sex Differences in Treatment Response to Nucleos(t)ide Therapy in Chronic Hepatitis B: A Multicenter Longitudinal Study.

Background & Aims: It is unclear if there may be sex differences in response to nucleos(t)ide analogs including virologic response (VR), biochemical response (BR), complete response (CR), and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) incidence among hepatitis B patients. We compared nucleos(t)ide analog treatment outcomes by sex.

Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study of 3388 treatment-naïve adult hepatitis B patients (1250 female, 2138 male) from the Real-World Evidence from the Global Alliance for the Study of Hepatitis B Virus consortium who initiated therapy with either entecavir or tenofovir from 22 sites (Argentina, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and the United States).

Radioiodine therapy during the COVID-19 pandemic in a public reference hospital in Brazil: an experience report.

COVID-2019 has resulted in an emerging respiratory infection that has spread as a pandemic since January 2020. Nuclear Medicine Services and its workers experienced a dramatic change in their clinical routine. They were required to adjust protocols for this new health condition.

Treatment, Outcome, and Relapse of Spontaneous and Nonspontaneous Cerebrospinal Fluid Leak.

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak can be spontaneous or nonspontaneous. The management options include conservative treatments, blood patch, and surgical repairs. We compared clinical symptoms, image findings, management options, hospitalization, and relapse rates among different causes of CSF leaks.

Clinical pharmaceutical screening in critical situations in a radioiodine therapy management service.

Radioiodine therapy can be used in differentiated thyroid carcinoma and requires extensive evaluation to ensure effectiveness and safety. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate all health problems and medications used in the pre-radioiodine therapy period and comprehensive medication managementservices can serve as a screening tool in this context. The present study aims to describe critical clinical situations identified during the initial assessments of a comprehensive medication management service offered to differentiated thyroid carcinoma patients pre-radioiodine therapy, and the pharmaceutical interventions performed to solve them.

Orthostatic myoclonus - A retrospective study of Asian patients.

Background/purpose: Orthostatic myoclonus (OM) is myoclonic jerks in both legs during standing. It may relate to gait unsteadiness and may be associated with various diagnoses, including neurodegenerative, systemic, and musculoskeletal diseases. Diagnosis is based on the surface electromyography (SEMG).

Association between nutritional status and muscle strength in pediatric cancer patients.

Background & Aims: Cancer provides a catabolic state, leading to weight loss and depletion of lean mass, which is accompanied by loss of muscle strength in pediatric patients. Muscle strength is considered a predictor of nutritional status. The aim was to evaluate the association between nutritional status and muscle strength in pediatric cancer patients hospitalized at the Cancer Hospital I.

Prognostic Impact of Diabetes Mellitus on Overall Survival in a Nationwide Population-Based Cohort of Patients With Pancreatic Cancer.

Objective: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a risk factor for pancreatic cancer but its prognostic impact remains controversial. We aimed to investigate the association between long-standing DM and the risk of mortality.

Methods: This population-based cohort study analyzed data from the national healthcare database in Taiwan.

Effects of Cirrhosis and Diagnosis Scenario in Metabolic-Associated Fatty Liver Disease-Related Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is a major cause of liver-related complications, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). While MAFLD-related HCC is known to occur in the absence of cirrhosis, our understanding of MAFLD-related HCC in this setting is limited. Here, we characterize MAFLD-related HCC and the impact of cirrhosis and screening on survival.

Increasing Age and Nonliver Comorbidities in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B in Taiwan: A Nationwide Population-Based Analysis.

Background: Data from the USA suggest that chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients have aged in the past decade. However, the burden of nonliver comorbidities has not been well characterized in Taiwan, where CHB is very prevalent.

Aim: Our study examined this issue as it presented between 2001 and 2011 in Taiwan.

Continuous positive airway pressure with good adherence can reduce risk of stroke in patients with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), prevalent in patients with stroke, increases the risks of cardiovascular events and stroke. This meta-analysis evaluated the effectiveness of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) for preventing stroke in patients with OSA. Embase, PubMed, and Cochrane Central database (up to October 2019) were searched for studies that compared stroke risk in patients with OSA receiving CPAP or usual treatment.

Long-term Outcomes of Primary Endoscopic Resection vs Surgery for T1 Colorectal Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Background & Aims: There is controversy over the best therapeutic approach for T1 colorectal cancer. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of long-term outcomes of endoscopic resection (ER) vs those of primary or additional surgery.

Methods: We performed a systematic review of the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases through October 2019 for studies that reported outcomes (overall survival, disease-specific survival, recurrence-free survival at 5 years, recurrence, and metastasis) of ER vs surgery in patients with colorectal neoplasms.

Magnitude of and prediction for risk of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with chronic hepatitis B taking entecavir or tenofovir therapy: A systematic review.

Background And Aim: Entecavir (ETV) and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) have been shown to reduce incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). This systematic review aims to evaluate the magnitude, change over time, and prediction of residual HCC risks in CHB patients treated with ETV/TDF therapy.

Methods: Available literature was systematically reviewed through searches of PubMed and EMBASE databases from January 1, 2006 to September 1, 2019, to identify cohort studies that reported HCC incidence in CHB patients during ETV/TDF therapy.

Hpv impact on oropharyngeal cancer patients treated at the largest cancer center from Brazil.

Oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a fatal and highly incident disease. Although tobacco and alcohol consumption are the main risk factors associated with OSCC, a recent significant increase in OSCC HPV16 positive cases in high-income countries has been observed. However, it is not clear whether this change is also present in low- and middle-income countries.

An atypical hyperosmolar hyperglycemic state and diabetic ketoacidosis induced by sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors: A case report.

Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors have become the best choice of second-line oral antidiabetic drugs for patients with heart or chronic kidney disease. However, it is not clear how safe this treatment is for elderly patients, especially Asians, who are known to be more insulin deficient than Caucasian individuals with a similar insulin resistance. Here, we report a case concerning an elderly patient with type 2 diabetes mellitus without insulin dependence, whose antidiabetic medication had recently been changed to include an SGLT-2 inhibitor.

Effectiveness of Tailored Rehabilitation Education in Improving the Health Literacy and Health Status of Postoperative Patients With Breast Cancer: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: The improvement of breast cancer treatment and the extension of survivorship have led to the development of postoperative complications among cancer survivors. Health literacy (HL), defined as patients' capability of using health information to maintain their health status, can enable breast cancer patients to manage postoperative complications.

Objective: The aims of this study were to develop a tailored rehabilitation education (TRE) program and examine the effectiveness of this program in improving the HL and health status with breast cancer.

S-1 plus cisplatin as first-line treatment of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer in Taiwan.

Aim: S-1 combined with cisplatin is known to be noninferior to taxanes plus platinum as the first-line treatment for patients with advanced nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in the Japanese population. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety profiles of oral S-1 plus cisplatin (SP) in Taiwanese patients.

Methods: Patients with previously untreated stage IIIB or IV NSCLC were prospectively recruited to receive 40-60 mg of S-1 twice daily on days 1-21 plus 60 mg/m of cisplatin on day 8 in a 5-week cycle for up to six cycles.

The Antioxidant from Ethanolic Extract of Fruits Activates Phosphatase and Tensin Homolog In Vitro and In Vivo: A New Insight on Its Antileukemic Effect.

Tratt is a Chinese herbal remedy that is used in the treatment of diarrhea, burns, rheumatoid arthritis, and hemorrhage. Despite its use in Asian folk medicine, there are limited reports on the biological activity of fruits. This study focused on the investigation of the antitumor effect of the antioxidative ethanolic extract of fruits (RCE) along with its underlying mechanism of action.