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Cardiovascular and Interventional... Jun 2024Demonstrating the safety and efficacy of percutaneous irreversible electroporation (IRE) for the treatment of lymph node metastases.
PURPOSE
Demonstrating the safety and efficacy of percutaneous irreversible electroporation (IRE) for the treatment of lymph node metastases.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
An IRB-approved, single-center retrospective review was performed on patients with lymph node metastases gastrointestinal, and genitourinary primary cancers. Primary objective safety was evaluated by assessing complications graded according to the Clavien-Dindo Classification, and efficacy was determined by tumor response on follow-up imaging and local progression-free survival (LPFS). Secondary outcome measures were technical success (complete ablation with an adequate ablative margin > 5 mm), length of hospital stay and distant progression-free survival (DPFS).
RESULTS
Nineteen patients underwent percutaneous IRE between June 2018 and February 2023 for lymph node metastases, close to critical structures, such as vasculature, bowel, or nerves. The technical success was achieved in all cases. Complications occurred in four patients (21.1%), including two self-limiting grade 1 hematomas, a grade 1 abdominal pain, and grade 2 nerve pain treated with medication. Seventeen patients were hospitalized overnight, one patient stayed two nights and another patient stayed fourteen nights. Median follow-up was 25.5 months. Median time to local progression was 24.1 months (95% CI: 0-52.8) with 1-, 2-, and 5-year LPFS of 57.9%, 57.9% and 20.7%, respectively. Median time to distant progression was 4.3 months (95% CI: 0.3-8.3) with 1-, 2-, and 5-year DPFS of 31.6%, 13.2% and 13.2%, respectively.
CONCLUSION
IRE is a safe and effective minimally-invasive treatment for lymph node metastases in locations, where temperature dependent ablation may be contraindicated. Care should be taken when employing IRE near nerves.
PubMed: 38943032
DOI: 10.1007/s00270-024-03795-w -
Patient Education and Counseling Jun 2024Since negative emotions were identified as barriers to HIV self-testing (HIVST), offering emotional support may promote this behavior. This study examined whether the...
OBJECTIVE
Since negative emotions were identified as barriers to HIV self-testing (HIVST), offering emotional support may promote this behavior. This study examined whether the socio-affective and reappraisal components of emotional support messages differ in affecting one's attitude towards and intention to conduct HIVST via response efficacy and self-efficacy.
METHOD
A between-subject online experiment was conducted with 309 Chinese men who have sex with men. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: no support, only reappraisal information, socio-affective and reappraisal information both provided.
RESULTS
Emotional support only worked for those completing HIVST in recent three months. The reappraisal information enhanced their response efficacy and self-efficacy, but only self-efficacy was positively related to one's attitude towards and intention to conduct HIVST. The message including socio-affective and reappraisal components directly improved their HIVST-related attitudes.
CONCLUSION
Emotional support presents an approach to promoting HIVST. The socio-affective and reappraisal information function differently on their response efficacy, self-efficacy, attitude, and intention.
PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS
This study provides implications on how to design messages promoting HIVST for health campaigns and AI-based healthcare technologies. Reappraisal information should be offered to enhance one's response efficacy and self-efficacy. Messages should address both socio-affective and reappraisal needs of individuals.
PubMed: 38941720
DOI: 10.1016/j.pec.2024.108360 -
Journal of Cystic Fibrosis : Official... Jun 2024Most males with cystic fibrosis (MwCF) have congenital bilateral absence of the vas deferens and require assisted reproductive technology to conceive, yet many have...
BACKGROUND
Most males with cystic fibrosis (MwCF) have congenital bilateral absence of the vas deferens and require assisted reproductive technology to conceive, yet many have limited knowledge about how CF affects sexual and reproductive health (SRH). This study evaluates the feasibility, acceptability, and potential effectiveness of telehealth fertility preservation (FP) counseling for MwCF.
METHODS
Pre-lung transplant MwCF ≥18 years, recruited from U.S. CF centers, social media, and via snowball sampling, received individualized telehealth counseling. Participants completed intervention feasibility/acceptability one week post-counseling and FP knowledge, care satisfaction, and self-efficacy assessments at baseline and two months post-counseling. We completed acceptability interviews one-week post-counseling and audio-recorded, transcribed, and thematically analyzed results. We descriptively analyzed survey results and conducted pre/post comparisons using paired t-tests.
RESULTS
Thirty MwCF (ages 22-49 years) completed counseling. Most were in a relationship (70 %) and White (86.7 %). Telehealth FP counseling was acceptable (M = 4.38/5 ± 0.60), appropriate (M = 4.37/5 ± 0.60), and feasible (M = 4.60/5 ± 0.45) to MwCF. FP knowledge (9.53 vs. 10.40/12; p = .010), care satisfaction (20.23 vs 26.67/32; p<.001), and self-efficacy (22.87 vs 25.20/30; p = .016) improved at two months post-counseling. Despite desiring provider-initiated SRH, wanting children (81 %), and perceiving the CF team as their primary care provider (97 %), 44 % report not receiving information about infertility by the CF team.
CONCLUSIONS
Integrating FP counseling into CF care is feasible and acceptable to MwCF and can improve FP knowledge, self-efficacy, and care satisfaction. MwCF desire early and regular provider-initiated SRH education.
PubMed: 38942720
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcf.2024.06.011 -
Neurotherapeutics : the Journal of the... Jun 2024Mal de Debarquement Syndrome (MdDS) is a debilitating neuro-otological disorder where individuals consistently feel self-motion, often triggered by motion like being on...
Mal de Debarquement Syndrome (MdDS) is a debilitating neuro-otological disorder where individuals consistently feel self-motion, often triggered by motion like being on a boat (MT-MdDS). Due to the unknown pathophysiological mechanism, available treatment options for managing symptoms are limited. Our objective was to develop a virtual reality application (VRA) to simulate the full field optokinetic stimulation (OKS) booth and evaluate its efficacy compared to the standard treatment. In our randomized, open, non-inferiority clinical trial with 30 MT-MdDS patients, 15 received the OKS booth and 15 the new VRA over four consecutive days. Two 4-min treatment blocks were scheduled in the morning and afternoon, with a total of four blocks. Treatment effectiveness was evaluated through questionnaires and posturography. Our findings suggest that the choice of modality does not significantly differ in achieving an overall improvement in symptoms. We advocate that the VRA can be used as an accessible alternative to the booth method worldwide, effectively mitigating MdDS symptoms and enhancing the QoL of numerous MdDS patients.
PubMed: 38942708
DOI: 10.1016/j.neurot.2024.e00390 -
Public Health Jun 2024COVID-19 revealed major shortfalls in healthcare workers (HCWs) trained in acute and critical care worldwide, especially in low-resource settings. We aimed to assess...
OBJECTIVES
COVID-19 revealed major shortfalls in healthcare workers (HCWs) trained in acute and critical care worldwide, especially in low-resource settings. We aimed to assess mass online courses' efficacy in preparing HCWs to manage COVID-19 patients and to determine whether rapidly deployed e-learning can enhance their knowledge and confidence during a pandemic.
STUDY DESIGN
Retrospective cohort study.
METHODS
This international retrospective cohort study, led by a large Academic Medical Centre (AMC), was conducted via YouTube and the AMC's online learning platform. From 2020 to 2021, multidisciplinary experts developed and deployed six online training courses based on the latest evidence-based management guidelines. Participants were selected through a voluntary sample following an electronic campaign. Training outcomes were assessed using pre-and post-test questionnaires, evaluation forms, and post-training assessment surveys. Kirkpatrick's Model guided training evaluation to measure self-reported knowledge, clinical skills, and confidence improvement. We also captured the number and type of COVID-19 patients managed by HCWs after the trainings.
RESULTS
Every 22.8 reach/impression and every 1.2 engagements led to a course registration. The 10,425 registrants (56.8% female, 43.1% male) represented 584 medical facilities across 154 cities. The largest segments of participants were students/interns (20.6%) and medical officers (13.4%). Of the 2169 registered participants in courses with tests, 66.9% completed post-tests. Test scores from all courses increased from the initial baseline to subsequent improvement post-course. Participants completing post-training assessment surveys reported that the online courses improved their knowledge and clinical skills (83.5%) and confidence (89.4%). Respondents managed over 19,720 COVID-19 patients after attending the courses, with 47.7% patients being moderately/severely ill.
CONCLUSIONS
Participants' confidence in handling COVID-19 patients is increased by rapidly deploying mass training to a substantial target population through digital tools. The findings present a virtual education and assessment model that can be leveraged for future global public health issues, and estimates for future electronic campaigns to target.
PubMed: 38941682
DOI: 10.1016/j.puhe.2024.05.006 -
Death Studies Jun 2024Knowledge about effective coping strategies is important to support bereaved adolescents who have lost a parent. We used data on 104 bereaved adolescents (13-17 years)...
Knowledge about effective coping strategies is important to support bereaved adolescents who have lost a parent. We used data on 104 bereaved adolescents (13-17 years) from the FALCON nationwide questionnaire study of parentally bereaved families. We examined associations between adolescents' control-oriented and escape-oriented coping strategies (KidCOPE scale) approximately two months after loss and grief symptoms (PG-13 scale) at six months follow-up. We also examined associations between the perceived efficacy of each coping strategy at baseline and grief symptoms at six months. The use of escape-oriented coping (e.g., distraction, self-criticism and social withdrawal) was associated with higher grief symptoms at six months follow-up (β = 0.4, 95% CI 0.1-0.9, = 0.02), but no associations were found for control-oriented coping or perceived coping efficacy. Finding alternatives to the use of escape-oriented coping strategies may be an important part of grief interventions for bereaved adolescents.
PubMed: 38941174
DOI: 10.1080/07481187.2024.2370464 -
JMIR Research Protocols Jun 2024Despite the potential to significantly reduce complications, many patients do not consistently receive diabetes preventive care. Our research team recently applied... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
BACKGROUND
Despite the potential to significantly reduce complications, many patients do not consistently receive diabetes preventive care. Our research team recently applied user-centered design sprint methodology to develop a patient portal intervention empowering patients to address selected diabetes care gaps (eg, no diabetes eye examination in last 12 months).
OBJECTIVE
This study aims to evaluate the effect of our novel diabetes care gap intervention on completion of selected evidence-based diabetes preventive care services and secondary outcomes.
METHODS
We are conducting a pragmatic randomized controlled trial of the effect of the intervention on diabetes care gaps. Adult patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) are recruited from primary care clinics affiliated with Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Participants are eligible if they have type 1 or 2 DM, can read in English, are aged 18-75 years, have a current patient portal account, and have reliable access to a mobile device with internet access. We exclude patients with medical conditions that prevent them from using a mobile device, severe difficulty seeing, pregnant women or women who plan to become pregnant during the study period, and patients on dialysis. Participants will be randomly assigned to the intervention or usual care. The primary outcome measure will be the number of diabetes care gaps among 4 DM preventive care services (diabetes eye examination, pneumococcal vaccination, hemoglobin A, and urine microalbumin) at 12 months after randomization. Secondary outcomes will include diabetes self-efficacy, confidence managing diabetes in general, understanding of diabetes preventive care, diabetes distress, patient portal satisfaction, and patient-initiated orders at baseline, 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months after randomization. An ordinal logistic regression model will be used to quantify the effect of the intervention on the number of diabetes care gaps at the 12-month follow-up. For dichotomous secondary outcomes, a logistic regression model will be used with random effects for the clinic and provider variables as needed. For continuous secondary outcomes, a regression model will be used.
RESULTS
This study is ongoing. Recruitment was closed in February 2022; a total of 433 patients were randomized. Of those randomized, most (n=288, 66.5%) were non-Hispanic White, 33.5% (n=145) were racial or ethnic minorities, 33.9% (n=147) were aged 65 years or older, and 30.7% (n=133) indicated limited health literacy.
CONCLUSIONS
The study directly tests the hypothesis that a patient portal intervention-alerting patients about selected diabetes care gaps, fostering understanding of their significance, and allowing patients to initiate care-will reduce diabetes care gaps compared with usual care. The insights gained from this study may have broad implications for developing future interventions to address various care gaps, such as gaps in cancer screening, and contribute to the development of effective, scalable, and sustainable approaches to engage patients in chronic disease management and prevention.
TRIAL REGISTRATION
ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04894903; https://classic.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04894903.
INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID)
DERR1-10.2196/56123.
Topics: Humans; Patient Portals; Adult; Middle Aged; Female; Male; Aged; Adolescent; Diabetes Mellitus; Young Adult; Pragmatic Clinical Trials as Topic
PubMed: 38941148
DOI: 10.2196/56123 -
Digestive Diseases and Sciences Jun 2024Drainage of pancreatic fluid collections (PFCs) is required in select cases including infected or symptomatic collections. In this network meta-analysis, we have...
BACKGROUND AND AIMS
Drainage of pancreatic fluid collections (PFCs) is required in select cases including infected or symptomatic collections. In this network meta-analysis, we have compared lumen-apposing metal stents (LAMS), fully covered self-expandable metal stents (FCSEMS), and double-pigtail stents (DPS) to identify the most useful stent type in the management of PFCs.
METHODS
We reviewed several databases to identify studies that compared DPS or FCSEMS with LAMS and the ones which compared DPS with FCSEMS for the treatment of PFCs. Our outcomes of interest were clinical success, adverse events, technical success, recurrence of PFCs, and procedure duration. Random effects model and frequentist approach were used for statistical analysis.
RESULTS
We included 28 studies with 2974 patients. Rate of clinical success was significantly lower with DPS compared to LAMS, OR (95% CI): 0.43 (0.32, 0.59). Rate of recurrence was higher with DPS compared to LAMS, OR (95% CI): 2.06 (1.19, 3.57). We found no significant difference in rate of adverse events between groups. Rate of technical success was higher for FCSEMS compared to LAMS. Procedure duration was significantly shorter for LAMS compared to DPS and FCSEMS. Based on frequentist approach, LAMS was found to be superior to DPS and FCSEMS in achieving higher clinical success, lower rate of adverse events and recurrence, and shorter procedure time.
CONCLUSIONS
This network meta-analysis demonstrates the superiority of LAMS over DPS and FCSEMS in the management of PFCs in achieving a higher clinical success, shorter procedure time, and lower rate of recurrence. Some of the analyses are not adequately powered to make firm conclusions, and future large multicenter RCTs are required to further evaluate this issue.
PubMed: 38940974
DOI: 10.1007/s10620-024-08538-y -
Parasitology Research Jun 2024Opisthorchis viverrini infection is a pressing health issue in rural Southeast Asia and is associated with the risk of cholangiocarcinoma. Despite control efforts, high...
Opisthorchis viverrini infection is a pressing health issue in rural Southeast Asia and is associated with the risk of cholangiocarcinoma. Despite control efforts, high infection rates persist, including evidence of reinfection post-treatment. This study aimed to address this public health concern through an integrated One-Health approach in endemic areas in rural Thailand over a 3-year period. The study included data from 3600 participants from Udon Thani Province, Thailand, during the years 2020 to 2022 and involved integrated epidemiological data collection and risk factor analysis to understand the impact of various interventions on disease transmission in the community. The efficacy of interventions was assessed by monitoring the incidence of O. viverrini reinfection in 2021 and 2022. In 2020, 218 cases of O. viverrini infection (6.0%) were identified. Significant risk factors included proximity to water bodies and consumption of raw fish. Variables contributing to infection risk among participants (P < 0.001) were education level, engagement in traditional ceremonies, poor sanitation, absence of ducks in nearby water bodies, self-medication for parasitic conditions, and multiple infections within a household. Dogs, cats, and cyprinoid fish showed prevalence rates of 5.4%, 6.3%, and 11.5%, respectively. Geographic analysis revealed clusters of infected households around water bodies. Interventions, including in-depth interviews, focus-group discussions, health education, anthelminthic treatment, and biological control using local free-range ducks, were implemented, resulting in no human reinfections in the second year and a minimal 0.3% prevalence rate in the third year. This study offers valuable insights into the dynamic changes in infection prevalence, making a significant contribution to effective disease control and community health promotion. This integrated One-Health approach proved to be an effective strategy for the prevention and control of opisthorchiasis.
Topics: Opisthorchiasis; Thailand; Humans; Animals; Opisthorchis; Rural Population; Male; Middle Aged; Adult; Female; Risk Factors; Prevalence; One Health; Aged; Young Adult; Adolescent; Cats; Child; Dogs; Incidence
PubMed: 38940830
DOI: 10.1007/s00436-024-08275-1 -
Alternative Therapies in Health and... Jun 2024To evaluate the effectiveness of FLS model nursing in the rehabilitation of elderly patients after femoral neck fracture surgery.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the effectiveness of FLS model nursing in the rehabilitation of elderly patients after femoral neck fracture surgery.
METHODS
We retrospectively analyzed data from 89 elderly patients treated surgically for femoral neck fractures, comparing outcomes between those receiving routine nursing (control group, n=44) and FLS model nursing interventions (observation group, n=45). Key metrics included rehabilitation process indicators, hip joint function, self-efficacy, perceived burden, limb stability, and adverse reactions.
RESULTS
The observation group showed significantly shorter first out-of-bed time, time for pain disappearance, and length of hospital stay compared to the control group. The observation group also exhibited significantly higher scores in pain, gait, functional activities, and deformity/mobility assessments after the intervention compared to the control group. The GSES score was significantly higher and the SPB score was significantly lower in the observation group after the intervention compared to the control group. The observation group demonstrated significantly higher levels of dynamic balance ability, lower limb muscle strength, and mobile walking ability than the control group. The incidence of adverse reactions was significantly lower in the observation group (8.89%) compared to the control group (36.36%).
CONCLUSION
FLS model nursing intervention has a significant positive effect on the rehabilitation of elderly patients undergoing surgery for femoral neck fractures. Compared to routine nursing intervention, the FLS model nursing intervention can further promote postoperative recovery of hip joint function, improve self-efficacy, alleviate the self-perceived burden, shorten the rehabilitation process, and reduce the risk of adverse postoperative reactions. These findings suggest the FLS model nursing approach holds promise for broader clinical adoption and implementation.
PubMed: 38940811
DOI: No ID Found