What Support Systems do Women Caring for Preterm Infants at Home Require in Urban Ghana? A Qualitative Study

Maternal and Child Health Journal - Caring for preterm infants and ensuring their survival beyond neonatal intensive care units remain a challenge in many low-income settings. While studies...     

Prenatal Substance Use and Perceptions of Parent and Partner Use Using the 4P’s Plus Screener

Maternal and Child Health Journal - Background Prenatal substance use screening is recommended. The 4 P’s Plus screener includes questions on perceived problematic substance use in parents...     

Diabetes is associated with high risk of severe adverse events during chemotherapy for cancer patients: A single-center study

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a common comorbidity among cancer patients, but its impact on chemotherapy tolerance has not been widely studied. We aimed to compare the occurrence of severe grade 3/4 adverse events (G3/4 AEs) within 90 days of starting chemotherapy between patients with and without diabetes. We conducted a retrospective single-center study in Lille University Hospital Oncology Department, France. Patients who received the first cycle of chemotherapy for gastrointestinal, gynecological or cancer of unknown primary source between 1 May 2013 and 1 May 2016, were included. Overall, 609 patients were enrolled: 490 patients without diabetes (80.5%) and 119 patients with diabetes (19.5%). Within 90 days of starting chemotherapy, patients with diabetes had a significantly higher occurrence of AEs G3/4 compared to those with no diabetes (multivariate odds ratio [OR]: 1.57 [1.02-2.42], P = .04). More frequent G3/4 AEs in patients with diabetes were infection (26%), hematological disorders (13%), endocrine disorders (13%) and deterioration of the general condition (13%). In the year following the beginning of chemotherapy, patients with diabetes were twice as likely to be hospitalized as those without diabetes (univariate OR: 2.1 [1.40-3.15], P = .0003). After multivariate adjustment, diabetes was no longer significantly associated with the risk of hospitalization (P = .051). There were no differences between patients with and without diabetes regarding dose reduction and chemotherapy treatment delays (P = .61 and P = .30, respectively). Our study suggests the need for better consideration of DM in the personalized care plan to improve chemotherapy tolerance and quality of life of patients with DM.     

Clinical and microbiological characteristics of reflux cholangitis following bilio-enteric anastomosis

European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases - Twenty-five patients with reflux cholangitis (RC) defined as acute cholangitis (AC) with normal abdominal imaging...     

Implantation of an Atrial Flow Regulator in a Child on Venoarterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenator as a Bridge to Heart Transplant: A Case Report

BackgroundBalloon dilation and stenting of the atrial septum are techniques used to unload left heart cavities in acute or end-stage heart failure in children. However, they carry significant risks such as tamponade or device embolization.Case PresentationWe report the first case of a child with an end-stage mitochondrial cardiomyopathy on a venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenator as a bridge to heart transplant where an atrial flow regulator device has been implanted.ConclusionsThis case illustrates the feasibility and safety of atrial flow regulator implantation in this setting. This procedure allowed to wean inotropic support while awaiting heart transplantation.     

Self-care activities,glycaemic control and health-related quality of life of patients with type 2 diabetes in a tertiary hospital in Nigeria

Background and aimsDiabetes is one of the global health emergencies of the 21st century. This study sought to assess self-care behaviours, glycaemic control and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of type 2 diabetes patients at a Nigerian hospital, determine factors associated with HRQoL, and assess the inter-relationship among these outcomes.MethodsThe Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities (SDSCA) measure was used to assess self-care behaviours; HRQoL was assessed with the Appraisal of Diabetes Scale (ADS) and SF-12v2 Health Survey. Glycaemic control was assessed with fasting blood sugar (FBS). The questionnaires were distributed to 250 eligible patients attending Endocrinology clinic at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria.ResultsMean scores (±SD) of self-care behaviours were 4.0 ± 1.3, 3.9 ± 1.0, 2.4 ± 1.2, 1.0 ± 1.1, and 2.5 ± 2.1 for general diet, specific diet, exercise, blood glucose monitoring, and foot care respectively. Mean FBS was 7.1 ± 2.1 mmol/L. Mean ADS score was 18.1 ± 4.2. The physical and mental component summary scores were 47.84 ± 8.21 and 45.66 ± 8.74 respectively. HRQoL was significantly associated with patient socio-demographic (except gender) and clinical variables (p < 0.05). Self-care activities, FBS and HRQoL were significantly inter-correlated (r_s ?0.31 to 0.68; p < 0.01, p < 0.001).ConclusionsPatients were more adherent to diet recommendations than to other aspects of self-care. Though most patients had adequate glucose control, the presence of diabetes had a negative impact on the mental component of health. HRQoL was affected by most of the patient-related variables. Interventions to improve adherence to self-care are recommended to achieve good glycaemic control and improve HRQoL.     

Clinical Features and Therapeutic Outcomes in Men with Advanced Prostate Cancer and DNA Mismatch Repair Gene Mutations

Mismatch repair (MMR) gene mutations are rare in prostate cancer, and their histological and clinical characteristics are largely unknown. We conducted a retrospective study to explore disease characteristics and treatment outcomes of men with metastatic prostate cancer harboring germline and/or somatic MMR mutations detected using clinical-grade genomic assays. Thirteen patients with a deleterious MMR gene mutation were identified. Median age was 64 yr, 75% had grade group 5 (Gleason sum 9 or 10), 23% had intraductal histology, 46% had metastatic disease at initial diagnosis, and 31% had visceral metastases. Most patients (46%) had MSH6 mutations, 73% demonstrated microsatellite instability, and median tumor mutational load was 18/Mb (range, 3–165 mutations/Mb). Surprisingly, responses to standard hormonal therapies were very durable (median progression-free survival [PFS] of 67 mo to initial androgen deprivation and median PFS of 26 mo to abiraterone/enzalutamide). Two of four men receiving PD-1 inhibitors achieved a ≥50% prostate-specific antigen response at 12 wk, with a median PFS duration in these four men of 9 mo. Despite aggressive clinical and pathological features, patients with MMR-mutated advanced prostate cancer appear to have particular sensitivity to hormonal therapies, as well as anecdotal responses to PD-1 inhibitors. Certain histological features (grade group 5, intraductal carcinoma) should prompt evaluation for MMR deficiency. These data are only hypothesis generating.