Community-Based Point-of-Care Screening for Hepatitis B Virus and Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Rural Tanzania.

Sub-Saharan Africa has a high burden of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The lack of surveillance programs has led to low rates of diagnosis and treatment, particularly in rural areas. We conducted mobile HBV-HCC screening clinics in rural Tanzania between March 2021 and February 2023.

Hypoxia Dysregulates the Transcription of Myoendothelial Junction Proteins Involved with Nitric Oxide Production in Brain Endothelial Cells.

Myoendothelial junctions (MEJs) are structures that allow chemical signals to be transmitted between endothelial cells (ECs) and vascular smooth muscle cells, which control vascular tone. MEJs contain hemoglobin alpha (Hbα) and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) complexes that appear to control the production and scavenging of nitric oxide (NO) along with the activity of cytochrome b5 reductase 3 (CYB5R3). The aim of this study was to examine how hypoxia affected the regulation of proteins involved in the production of NO in brain ECs.

Combined Hepatitis B Virus and Hepatocellular Carcinoma Screening Using Point-of-Care Testing and Ultrasound in a Tanzanian Emergency Department.

The WHO aims to detect 90% of global cases of hepatitis B virus (HBV) by 2030. Sub-Saharan Africa carries a disproportionate burden of HBV and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In this study, we sought to assess the utility of a combined HBV and HCC screening program in Tanzania.

Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor and its role in attenuating renal fibrosis: a review.

Chronic kidney disease is estimated to affect approximately 10 to 15% of the Chinese population. Renal fibrosis is characterized by progressive extracellular matrix deposition in the kidney parenchyma with eventual tissue scarring and inevitable deterioration of renal function. Vascular rarefaction, glomerulosclerosis, interstitial inflammation, and fibrogenesis are associated with or contribute to renal fibrosis.

Epidemics and the healthcare professional's duty to care: Students' attitudes about work requirements before and during Covid-19 (2017-2021).

Context: The Covid-19 pandemic has added a new chapter to discussions about the professional duty to care. To understand how Covid-19 may have changed medical students' ethical attitudes towards this duty, we analysed policies written before and during the pandemic by first-year students completing a yearly educational exercise focused on work requirement expectations for healthcare professionals during a hypothetical epidemic.

Methods: Within a repeated cross-sectional design, consensus coding was performed on policies written over 5 years (2017-2021) using a codebook based on eight questions from the educational exercise for summative content analysis.

The effect of the Dar es Salaam neurosurgery training course on self-reported neurosurgical knowledge and confidence.

Introduction: The Muhimbili Orthopaedic Institute in collaboration with Weill Cornell Medicine organises an annual neurosurgery training course in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The course teaches theory and practical skills in neurotrauma, neurosurgery, and neurointensive care to attendees from across Tanzania and East Africa. This is the only neurosurgical course in Tanzania, where there are few neurosurgeons and limited access to neurosurgical care and equipment.

Synchronous Bilateral Breast Cancer: A Case Report Piloting and Evaluating the Implementation of the AI-Powered Large Language Model (LLM) ChatGPT.

Primary breast carcinoma is the most common cancer type in women, and although bilateral synchronous breast cancers (s-BBC) remain quite rare, the reported incidence may increase with the adoption of more sensitive imaging modalities. Here, we present a case of histomorphological and clinically distinct s-BBC, together with a discussion of clinical management decisions, prognosis, and treatment standards and how these relate to outcomes vis-à-vis more established standards in unifocal breast carcinoma. The case report also constitutes a pilot and formal evaluation of a large language model (LLM) of ChatGPT as a tool to aid in generating a single patient case report.

Changes in Pediatric Intensive Care Admissions in Wisconsin During the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background: We perceived changes in the frequency of and reasons for admissions to Wisconsin pediatric intensive care units (PICU) during the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, and we hypothesized that the rates of total, scheduled, and respiratory viral admissions were lower during the first calendar year of the pandemic than would have been predicted by historical admission data. Such findings would reflect important changes in PICU utilization paradigms during the pandemic. There are no descriptions of PICU admission changes in a single American state during the pandemic.

A Review of Concurrent Chemo/Radiation, Immunotherapy, Radiation Planning, and Biomarkers for Locally Advanced Non-small Cell Lung Cancer and Their Role in the Development of ECOG-ACRIN EA5181.

ECOG-ACRIN EA5181 is a current prospective, randomized trial that is investigating whether the addition of concomitant durvalumab to standard chemo/radiation followed by 1 year of consolidative durvalumab results in an overall survival benefit over standard chemo/radiation alone followed by 1 year of consolidative durvalumab in patients with locally advanced, unresectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Because multiple phase I/II trials have shown the relative safety of adding immunotherapy to chemo/radiation and due to the known synergism between chemotherapy and immunotherapy, it is hoped that concomitant durvalumab can reduce the relatively high incidence of local failure (38%-46%) as seen in recent prospective, randomized trials of standard chemo/radiation in this patient population. We will review the history of radiation for LA-NSCLC and discuss the role of induction, concurrent and consolidative chemotherapy as well as the concerns for late cardiac and pulmonary toxicities associated with treatment.

Lytic Replication and Reactivation from B Cells Is Not Required for Establishing or Maintaining Gammaherpesvirus Latency .

Gammaherpesviruses (GHVs) are lymphotropic tumor viruses with a biphasic infectious cycle. Lytic replication at the primary site of infection is necessary for GHVs to spread throughout the host and establish latency in distal sites. Dissemination is mediated by infected B cells that traffic hematogenously from draining lymph nodes to peripheral lymphoid organs, such as the spleen.

Resuscitative Endovascular Balloon Occlusion of the Aorta in Penetrating Trauma.

Background: Resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA) achieves temporary hemorrhage control via aortic occlusion. Existing REBOA literature focuses on blunt trauma without a clearly defined role in penetrating trauma. This study compared clinical/injury data and outcomes after REBOA in penetrating vs blunt trauma.

Reducing central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) rates with cognitive science-based training.

There have been many tactics throughout the years aimed at reducing central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) in the healthcare setting. To reduce CLABSI rates at this facility, we employed cognitive science-based online training directed at nursing departments. Following implementation, we found significant reductions in CLABSI rates that were sustained for a minimum of 9 months.

Concomitant use of oral anticoagulants in patients with advanced prostate cancer receiving apalutamide: A post-hoc analysis of TITAN and SPARTAN studies.

Apalutamide, an androgen receptor signaling inhibitor, in combination with androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT), is approved for treatment of patients with nonmetastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer and metastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer, based on the data from the phase 3 SPARTAN and TITAN studies respectively. Apalutamide is an inducer of cytochrome P450 enzymes and P-glycoprotein, which are involved in the metabolism of oral anticoagulants (OACs) and may thus have potential drug-drug interactions when co-administered with OACs. Concomitant use of certain OACs such as apixaban, rivaroxaban, edoxaban, dabigatran, and warfarin was allowed in the SPARTAN and TITAN studies.

Diagnostic Stewardship: Appropriate Testing and Judicious Treatments.

Diagnostic stewardship encompasses the entire diagnosis-to-treatment paradigm in the intensive care unit (ICU). Initially born of the antimicrobial stewardship movement, contemporary diagnostic stewardship aims to promote timely and appropriate diagnostic testing that directly links to management decisions. In the stewardship framework, excessive diagnostic testing in low probability cases is discouraged due to its tendency to generate false-positive results, which have their own downstream consequences.

Diagnostic Error in the Critically Ill: A Hidden Epidemic?

Epidemiologic studies of diagnostic error in the intensive care unit (ICU) consist mostly of descriptive autopsy series. In these studies, rates of diagnostic errors are approximately 5% to 10%. Recently validated methods for retrospectively measuring error have expanded our understanding of the scope of the problem.

The Risks of Reflexive Refilling.

Introduction: The electronic health record and electronic prescribing have transformed the practice of medicine. Both have led to improved efficacy and safety in medication management. However, dangers may arise when electronic prescription requests are filled by default and when electronic health record medication lists are presumed accurate.

A Case of Infiltrative Hepatocellular Carcinoma With Vascular Invasion Into the Heart.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) represents a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the world, but this problem is especially significant in low-resource countries where HCC screening recommendations and strategies are limited. We describe a rare complication of newly diagnosed HCC in a patient with untreated hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, underscoring the importance of improving screening strategies and promoting early diagnosis of HCC in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Electronic Geriatric Assessment: Is It Feasible in a Multi-Institutional Study That Included a Notable Proportion of Older African American Patients? (Alliance A171603).

Purpose: This study determined whether an electronic version of the geriatric assessment is feasible in a multi-institutional, diverse setting.

Methods: Ten sites within the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology participated. Patients who had active cancer or a history of cancer and were 65 years of age or older were eligible.