High Power Short Duration Atrial Fibrillation Ablation: Long-Term Predictors of Success and Recurrence - A Multivariate Analysis.

Background: Point-by-point ablation with a high-power short-duration (HPSD) technique in atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation is used worldwide. Little data is available with the HPSD and dragging technique (DT).

Objective: To perform a multivariate analysis of clinical and procedural predictors of success and recurrence in HPSD with DT.

Urethral instrumentation in men with artificial urinary sphincter: a national survey among Brazilian urologists.

Purpose: Urethral instrumentation (UI) in patients with an artificial urinary sphincter (AUS) demands technical considerations and poses a risk of urethral erosion, leading to serious clinical and legal consequences. We conducted a national survey to evaluate the knowledge and experience of Brazilian urologists with UI in these patients.

Methods: This study used an electronic survey distributed to members of the Brazilian Society of Urology.

Head and neck cancer mortality trends in Espírito Santo, Brazil.

Introduction: In Brazil, regional disparities in mortality rates are evident. This study analyzes the mortality trends of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) from 1998 to 2017 in Espírito Santo.

Methods: Data on deaths were obtained from the Unified Health System's Department of Informatics (DATASUS), and population statistics were sourced from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE).

End-of-Life Costs in Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review.

Objectives: Identify the costs of an oncology patient at the end of life.

Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted by screening Embase, PubMed and Lilacs databases, including all studies evaluating end-of-life care costs for cancer patients up to March 2024. The review writing followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines.

Appendectomy: Cross-sectional study of the effects of COVID-19 in a hospital in South Brazil.

Background: COVID-19 has further burdened the Brazilian healthcare system, especially emergencies. Patients may have delayed seeking care for surgical abdominal pain. Delays in the approach may have impacted clinical evolution and outcomes.

Cancer symptom clusters, cardiovascular risk, and quality of life of patients with cancer undergoing chemotherapy: A longitudinal pilot study.

Patients with cancer undergoing chemotherapy may have different cancer symptom clusters (CSC) that negatively impact their quality of life (QoL). These symptoms can sometimes arise from the disease itself or as a result of their cancer treatment. This study aimed to: examine the feasibility of longitudinal testing of CSC pattern and QoL in a sample of adult cancer patients undergoing outpatient chemotherapy; to identify the cardiovascular risk of patients with cancer undergoing outpatient chemotherapy; and to investigate the most prevalent CSC and their impact on the QoL of these patients.

Electrical Stimulation for Treatment of Dysphagia Post Head Neck Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

 Dysphagia induced by radiotherapy in the head and neck region comprises a challenging scenario and sometimes difficult rehabilitation due to the severity of the adverse effects. Some resources such as electrical stimulation have emerged as an alternative to complement the therapeutic process, but there is still no consensus on its use.  The purpose of the present study was to evaluate, through a meta-analysis, the effect of electrical stimulation on the rehabilitation of dysphagia generated after head and neck cancer treatment.

The Mutographs biorepository: A unique genomic resource to study cancer around the world.

Large-scale biorepositories and databases are essential to generate equitable, effective, and sustainable advances in cancer prevention, early detection, cancer therapy, cancer care, and surveillance. The Mutographs project has created a large genomic dataset and biorepository of over 7,800 cancer cases from 30 countries across five continents with extensive demographic, lifestyle, environmental, and clinical information. Whole-genome sequencing is being finalized for over 4,000 cases, with the primary goal of understanding the causes of cancer at eight anatomic sites.

The impact of the association between Val16Ala-SOD2 SNP and SOD2 immunohistochemistry expression in the prognosis of patients with esophageal cancer.

Introduction: Esophageal cancer is an extensive public health issue worldwide, warranting the search for biomarkers related to its risk and progression. Previous studies have indicated an association between Val16AlaSOD2 single nucleotide polymorphism in the gene encoding the enzyme superoxide dismutase 2 and esophageal cancer. However, further investigations are needed to clarify its role in disease risk and progression.

Redesign of radiotherapy for prostate cancer: a proposal for universal healthcare systems.

This study was designed to recommend strategies to improve prostate patients' access to radiotherapy treatment in the Brazilian Unified Health System, along with a cost-tool to support radiotherapy care pathways' lead times and costs. Data was collected prospectively from patients with prostate cancer receiving radiotherapy in two Brazilian centers to provide data to apply design thinking and process reengineering techniques. The current status of the radiotherapy pathway was determined and the length of time taken for in-hospital activities was measured using data exported from ARIA.

High-value care for critically ill oncohematological patients: what do we know thus far?

The number of patients with cancer requiring intensive care unit admission is increasing around the world. The improvement in the pathophysiological understanding of this group of patients, as well as the increasingly better and more targeted treatment options for their underlying disease, has led to a significant increase in their survival over the past three decades. Within the organizational concepts, it is necessary to know what adds value in the care of critical oncohematological patients.

Endocarditis in critically ill patients: a review.

Purpose Of Review: To summarize the advances in literature that support the best current practices regarding infective endocarditis (IE) in critically ill patients.

Recent Findings: IE due to rheumatic diseases has decreased significantly, and in fact, the majority of cases are associated with degenerative valvopathies, prosthetic valves, and cardiovascular implantable electronic devices. The Duke criteria were recently updated, addressing the increasing incidence of new risk factors for IE, such as IE associated with the use of endovascular cardiac implantable electronic devices and transcatheter implant valves.

The Role of Preoperative Onyx Embolization by Transnasal Direct Puncture in the Treatment of an Advanced Juvenile Nasopharyngeal Angiofibroma.

Juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma (JNA) is a rare and locally aggressive tumor that commonly presents with painless nasal obstruction and severe, recurrent epistaxis. In this case report, we describe the successful management of a Radkowski stage IIIA JNA with extensive arterial supply from the internal carotid artery (ICA). Transnasal direct puncture embolization using Onyx (Medtronic, Minneapolis, Minnesota) was employed to effectively devascularize the tumor, enabling radical surgical resection in a single piece via endonasal and transmaxillary endoscopic approaches.

Ewing's sarcoma of the head and neck: A systematic review.

Objective: The aim of the present study was to conduct a systematic review of head and neck Ewing sarcoma (ES) concerning patients' demographic and clinical features, histopathological findings, treatment, follow-up, and survival rate.

Materials And Methods: An electronic search was undertaken in four databases. Articles describing case reports or case series were included.

High Expression of MRE11A Is Associated with Shorter Survival and a Higher Risk of Death in CRC Patients.

Background: Homologous recombination repair (HR) is the most accurate repair pathway for double-strand breaks and replication fork disruption that is capable of faithfully restoring the original nucleotide sequence of the broken DNA. The deficiency of this mechanism is a frequent event in tumorigenesis. Therapies that exploit defects in HR have been explored essentially in breast, ovarian, pancreatic, and prostate cancers, but poorly in colorectal cancers (CRC), although CRC ranks second in mortality worldwide.

Tumoral inflammatory infiltrate does not predict metastases in thin primary cutaneous melanomas.

Background: In cutaneous melanomas in general, tumor inflammatory infiltrate (TII) can protect against distant metastases, but there is no consensus when only thin primary cutaneous melanomas (TPCM) are considered.

Objective: To investigate the presence of TII in TPCM and the relationship between TII and the occurrence of metastases.

Methods: Case-control study including 50 patients with TPCM, 22 metastatic (MC group) and 28 non-metastatic (NMC group).

Intersecting care through specialized pharmacists: A case report of residency rotation focused on the new horizon of cardio-oncology.

Background And Purpose: Cardio-oncology is a nascent discipline in the synergy of clinical cardiology and oncology, aiming to improve antineoplastic therapies, whilst minimizing cardiovascular toxicities. It requires a multidisciplinary approach with particular knowledge to build individualized care for patients. As part of multidisciplinary teams, pharmacists are uniquely positioned to play a role in the management of these patients, being responsible for monitoring adverse reactions and having an active approach in preventing drug-related morbidity.

Analysis of risk factors associated with cerebral angiography headache.

Background: Despite previous studies indicating a moderate/high incidence of angiography headache (AH), there is still limited data about the risk factors associated with its occurrence.

Objective: The present study aimed to assess the associations among demographic, clinical, and technical characteristics of cerebral digital subtraction angiography (DSA) and the occurrence of AH.

Methods: Cross-sectional analytical observational study with a sample comprised of individuals with a recommendation for elective DSA.

Cost-effectiveness of selective internal radiation therapy with Y-90 resin microspheres for intermediate- and advanced-stage hepatocellular carcinoma in Brazil.

Aims: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a severe condition with poor prognosis that places a significant burden on patients, caregivers, and healthcare systems. Selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT) is a treatment available to patients with HCC which addresses some of the limitations of alternative treatment options. A cost-effectiveness analysis was undertaken into the use of SIRT using Y-90 resin microspheres for the treatment of unresectable intermediate- and late-stage HCC in Brazil.

Bilateral Persistent Primitive Olfactory Arteries Observed During Resection of Olfactory Groove Meningioma: Technical Case Report.

Background And Importance: Resection of olfactory groove meningiomas is challenging because of their close proximity with the anterior cerebral circulation. It is important to recognize the vascular variants in procedures at the anterior skull base because inadvertent maneuvers may result in the rupture of these arteries and unexpected bleeding.

Clinical Presentation: We reported a type 2 persistent primitive olfactory artery with a dural branch of the elongated anterior cerebral artery directly to the ethmoid region, visualized during the surgical removal of an olfactory groove meningioma.

Optimization of Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs Using Therapeutic Drug Monitoring and Pharmacokinetics-Pharmacodynamics Protocols: A Cost-Benefit Review.

Purpose: Antimicrobial stewardship programs are important for reducing antimicrobial resistance because they can readjust antibiotic prescriptions to local guidelines, switch intravenous to oral administration, and reduce hospitalization times. Pharmacokinetics-pharmacodynamics (PK-PD) empirically based prescriptions and therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) programs are essential for antimicrobial stewardship, but there is a need to fit protocols according to cost benefits. The cost benefits can be demonstrated by reducing toxicity and hospital stay, decreasing the amount of drug used per day, and preventing relapses in infection.

Evaluation of Direct Medical Costs and Associated Factors Within the Last 30 days of Life of Hospitalized Cancer Patients.

An estimated 9.6 million people died from cancer globally in 2018, which is a reflection of the quality of patients' end-of-life care and its costs. To estimate direct medical costs of the last 30 days of oncology patients admitted to an inpatient clinic and to evaluate factors associated with medical costs at the end of life.

Multicenter Database of Patients with Germ-Cell Tumors: A Latin American Cooperative Oncology Group Registry (LACOG 0515).

Introduction: Germ-cell tumors (GCTs) are the most common malignancy in young men. There is a paucity of data on GCTs in developing countries. LACOG 0515 study aimed to evaluate clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes in patients with GCTs from Brazilian cancer centers.