A comprehensive overview of liquid biopsy applications in pediatric solid tumors.

Liquid biopsies are emerging as an alternative source for pediatric cancer biomarkers with potential applications during all stages of patient care, from diagnosis to long-term follow-up. While developments within this field are reported, these mainly focus on dedicated items such as a specific liquid biopsy matrix, analyte, and/or single tumor type. To the best of our knowledge, a comprehensive overview is lacking.

The global dissemination of hospital clones of Enterococcus faecium.

Background: The hospital-adapted A1 group of Enterococcus faecium remains an organism of significant concern in the context of drug-resistant hospital-associated infections. How this pathogen evolves and disseminates remains poorly understood.

Methods: A large, globally representative collection of short-read genomic data from the hospital-associated A1 group of Enterococcus faecium was assembled (n = 973).

Barriers and facilitators to reduce low-value care: a qualitative evidence synthesis.

Objective: To assess barriers and facilitators to de-implementation.

Design: A qualitative evidence synthesis with a framework analysis.

Data Sources: Medline, Embase, Cochrane Library and Rx for Change databases until September 2018 were searched.

Sarcopenia, but not frailty, predicts early mortality and adverse events after emergent surgery for metastatic disease of the spine.

Background Context: Frailty and sarcopenia variably predict adverse events (AEs) in a number of surgical populations.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the ability of frailty and sarcopenia to independently predict early mortality and AEs following urgent surgery for metastatic disease of the spine.

Study Design: A single institution, retrospective cohort study.

Thoracoscopic aortopexy for tracheomalacia.

Background: Tracheomalacia is a condition that may result in acute life-threatening events. Aortopexy has become a generally accepted mode of treatment, although the impact of a thoracotomy is considerable. With the advent of minimal invasive surgery the impact of such a procedure may be greatly reduced.

Growth hormone (GH) peaks versus areas under the curve in the diagnosis of adult GH deficiency: analysis of the variables provided by the GHRH + GHRP-6 test.

Background: The diagnosis of growth hormone deficiency (GHD) relies on provocative tests of GH reserve. The aim in these tests is to obtain an objective, biochemical-based, measure of gland function, but clinicians and researchers rely on the GH peak, as a surrogate of the 24-hour pituitary secretion. However, on a mathematical basis the area under the secretory curve (AUC) should be more valid for this evaluation.