Tuberculosis incidence in foreign-born people residing in European countries in 2020.

BackgroundEuropean-specific policies for tuberculosis (TB) elimination require identification of key populations that benefit from TB screening.AimWe aimed to identify groups of foreign-born individuals residing in European countries that benefit most from targeted TB prevention screening.MethodsThe Tuberculosis Network European Trials group collected, by cross-sectional survey, numbers of foreign-born TB patients residing in European Union (EU) countries, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom (UK) in 2020 from the 10 highest ranked countries of origin in terms of TB cases in each country of residence.

Availability and costs of medicines for the treatment of tuberculosis in Europe.

Objectives: To evaluate the access to comprehensive diagnostics and novel antituberculosis medicines in European countries.

Methods: We investigated the access to genotypic and phenotypic Mycobacterium tuberculosis drug susceptibility testing and the availability of antituberculosis drugs and calculated the cost of drugs and treatment regimens at major tuberculosis treatment centres in countries of the WHO European region where rates of drug-resistant tuberculosis are the highest among all WHO regions. Results were stratified by middle-income and high-income countries.

Use of cholesterol and soluble tumour markers CEA and syndecan-2 in pleural effusions in cases of inconclusive cytology.

Aims: In order to improve diagnostics in pleural effusions, additional value of effusion cholesterol, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and syndecan-2 assays to cytology was studied.

Methods: Biomarkers were measured in effusion supernatants from 247 patients, of whom 126 had malignant pleural involvement, and their additional diagnostic efficacy to cytology was assessed.

Results: Syndecan-2 measurement, although gave detectable concentrations in all effusions with highest median value in mesotheliomas, was non-discriminative between different pathological conditions.

Phase II Study of Roniciclib in Combination with Cisplatin/Etoposide or Carboplatin/Etoposide as First-Line Therapy in Patients with Extensive-Disease Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Introduction: This phase II study evaluated the efficacy and safety of the pan-cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor roniciclib with platinum-based chemotherapy in patients with extensive-disease SCLC.

Methods: In this randomized, double-blind study, unselected patients with previously untreated extensive-disease SCLC received roniciclib, 5 mg, or placebo twice daily according to a 3 days-on, 4 days-off schedule in 21-day cycles, with concomitant cisplatin or carboplatin on day 1 and etoposide on days 1 to 3. The primary end point was progression-free survival.

Afatinib beyond progression in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer following chemotherapy, erlotinib/gefitinib and afatinib: phase III randomized LUX-Lung 5 trial.

Background: Afatinib has demonstrated clinical benefit in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer progressing after treatment with erlotinib/gefitinib. This phase III trial prospectively assessed whether continued irreversible ErbB-family blockade with afatinib plus paclitaxel has superior outcomes versus switching to chemotherapy alone in patients acquiring resistance to erlotinib/gefitinib and afatinib monotherapy.

Patients And Methods: Patients with relapsed/refractory disease following ≥1 line of chemotherapy, and whose tumors had progressed following initial disease control (≥12 weeks) with erlotinib/gefitinib and thereafter afatinib (50 mg/day), were randomized 2:1 to receive afatinib plus paclitaxel (40 mg/day; 80 mg/m(2)/week) or investigator's choice of single-agent chemotherapy.

Efficacy and safety of topical application of human fibrinogen/thrombin-coated collagen patch (TachoComb) for treatment of air leakage after standard lobectomy.

Objectives: Persisting air leakage after pulmonary resection remains a significant problem. The aim of the study was to evaluate the incidence of air leakage after standard lobectomy and test the efficacy and safety of TachoComb (TC).

Methods: A total of 189 patients undergoing lobectomy were enrolled in a multi-centre, open, randomised, and prospective study to test the efficacy and safety of TachoComb (TC) for air leakage treatment.

Mucoepidermoid bronchial tumors: a review of 34 operated cases.

Objective: Pulmonary mucoepidermoid tumors are commonly included with adenoid cystic carcinoma and carcinoid tumors under the misleading rubric 'bronchial adenomas'. These neoplasms are extremely rare and little is known about their oncologic behaviour. They are considered to be of high, or low malignancy.

Surgical aspects of 175 mediastinal goiters.

Objective: Clinical picture and surgical management of 175 mediastinal goiters are discussed in this retrospective study.

Method: Between 1979 and 1996, 175 patients with intrathoracic goiters were operated on at the Thoracic Surgical Clinic in Budapest. The majority of the goiters were cervicomediastinal (n = 138, 79%), past the level of aortic arch, and the others were complete aberrant lesions (n = 37, 21 %).

Management of malignant tracheoesophageal fistulas with a cuffed funnel tube.

Background: A detachable cuffed flange tube for the assessment of malignant tracheoesophageal fistulas by a minimal invasive surgical insertion technique is presented. The funnel cuff of this tube seals the space between the esophageal wall and the flange of conventional tubes above the fistula at the level of the suprastrictural dilatation.

Methods: Twenty-eight patients having a malignant esophagorespiratory fistula with associated primary or secondary esophageal stricture, except 1, underwent esophageal intubation with this prosthesis between 1983 and 1996.