Principles of environmentally-sustainable anaesthesia: a global consensus statement from the World Federation of Societies of Anaesthesiologists

The Earth’s mean surface temperature is already approximately 1.1°C higher than pre-industrial levels. Exceeding a mean 1.5°C rise by 2050 will make global adaptation to the consequences of climate change less possible. To protect public health, anaesthesia providers need to reduce the contribution their practice makes to global warming. We convened a Working Group of 45 anaesthesia providers with a recognised interest in sustainability, and used a three-stage modified Delphi consensus process to agree on principles of environmentally sustainable anaesthesia that are achievable worldwide. The Working Group agreed on the following three important underlying statements: patient safety should not be compromised by sustainable anaesthetic practices; high-, middle- and low-income countries should support each other appropriately in delivering sustainable healthcare (including anaesthesia); and healthcare systems should be mandated to reduce their contribution to global warming. We set out seven fundamental principles to guide anaesthesia providers in the move to environmentally sustainable practice, including: choice of medications and equipment; minimising waste and overuse of resources; and addressing environmental sustainability in anaesthetists’ education, research, quality improvement and local healthcare leadership activities. These changes are achievable with minimal material resource and financial investment, and should undergo re-evaluation and updates as better evidence is published. This paper discusses each principle individually, and directs readers towards further important references.     

Survival from breast cancer in women with a BRCA2 mutation by treatment

Background The impact of various breast-cancer treatments on patients with a BRCA2 mutation has not been studied. We sought to estimate the impact of bilateral oophorectomy and other treatments on breast cancer-specific survival among patients with a germline BRCA2 mutation.Methods We identified 664 women with stage I–III breast cancer and a BRCA2 mutation by combining five different datasets (retrospective and prospective). Subjects were followed for 7.2 years from diagnosis to death from breast cancer. Tumour characteristics and cancer treatments were patient-reported and derived from medical records. Predictors of survival were determined using Cox proportional hazard models, adjusted for other treatments and for prognostic features.Results The 10-year breast-cancer survival for ER-positive patients was 78.9% and for ER-negative patients was 82.3% (adjusted HR = 1.23 (95% CI, 0.62–2.45, p = 0.55)). The 10-year breast-cancer survival for women who had a bilateral oophorectomy was 89.1% and for women who did not have an oophorectomy was 59.0% (adjusted HR = 0.45; 95% CI, 0.28–0.72, p = 0.001). The adjusted hazard ratio for chemotherapy was 0.83 (95% CI, 0.65–1.53: p = 0.56).Conclusions For women with breast cancer and a germline BRCA2 mutation, positive ER status does not predict superior survival. Oophorectomy is associated with a reduced risk of death from breast cancer and should be considered in the treatment plan.Subject terms: Targeted therapies, Breast cancer     

Human papilloma virus (HPV) integration signature in Cervical Cancer: identification of MACROD2 gene as HPV hot spot integration site

Background Cervical cancer (CC) remains a leading cause of gynaecological cancer-related mortality with infection by human papilloma virus (HPV) being the most important risk factor. We analysed the association between different viral integration signatures, clinical parameters and outcome in pre-treated CCs.Methods Different integration signatures were identified using HPV double capture followed by next-generation sequencing (NGS) in 272 CC patients from the BioRAIDs study [{"type":"clinical-trial","attrs":{"text":"NCT02428842","term_id":"NCT02428842"}}NCT02428842]. Correlations between HPV integration signatures and clinical, biological and molecular features were assessed.Results Episomal HPV was much less frequent in CC as compared to anal carcinoma (p < 0.0001). We identified >300 different HPV-chromosomal junctions (inter- or intra-genic). The most frequent integration site in CC was in MACROD2 gene followed by MIPOL1/TTC6 and TP63. HPV integration signatures were not associated with histological subtype, FIGO staging, treatment or PFS. HPVs were more frequently episomal in PIK3CA mutated tumours (p = 0.023). Viral integration type was dependent on HPV genotype (p < 0.0001); HPV18 and HPV45 being always integrated. High HPV copy number was associated with longer PFS (p = 0.011).Conclusions This is to our knowledge the first study assessing the prognostic value of HPV integration in a prospectively annotated CC cohort, which detects a hotspot of HPV integration at MACROD2; involved in impaired PARP1 activity and chromosome instability.Subject terms: Oncology, Molecular medicine, Biomarkers, Molecular biology     

Surgery or Conservative Treatment of Forearm in Patients Diagnosed with Pediatric Floating Elbow? Retrospective Analysis of 60 Consecutive Cases

BackgroundThe coexistence of supracondylar humerus fracture and forearm fracture is a rare trauma (3–13%) and it is called floating elbow. The aim of this study is to clinically compare the treatment outcomes of the patients diagnosed with floating elbow who underwent surgical treatment and who were followed up forearm with immobilization with splint.Materials and MethodsWhen scanned retrospectively, 60 patients who were treated with the diagnosis of floating elbow due to traumatic causes and followed up for at least 1 year were included in our study. Surgical treatment was performed on 42 patients for forearm fracture. Eighteen patients followed up with immobilization with a long arm splint. The results were evaluated according to the criteria modified by Templeton and Graham, in comparison with the patient’s intact side.ResultsIn the patients whose forearms were followed up conservatively, the mean age was 5.67 ± 2.25 years, and the mean follow-up period was 62.17 ± 45.91 months. In the patients who underwent surgery for the forearm, the mean age was 8.79 ± 2.01 years, and the mean follow-up was 47.14 ± 34.25 months. Eighteen patients whose forearms followed up conservatively, 12 had excellent and good clinical results and 6 had poor and moderate clinical results. Excellent and good clinical results in 27 patients who underwent surgical treatment for their forearms, moderate and poor clinical results obtained in 15 of them. There was no significant difference between the two groups (p = 0.357).ConclusionsIn conclusion, satisfactory clinical and radiological outcomes can be obtained with immobilization of the forearm fracture with splint, if acceptable reduction can be provided for the forearm following fixation of the supracondylar humerus fracture with the K-wire for treatment of floating elbow injury.     

重型和危重型COVID-19患者实施气管插管的临床经验

目的 对18例实施气管插管的重型和危重型新型冠状病毒肺炎（COVID-19）患者进行临床分析。方法 采用回顾性研究方法，对这18例COVID-19患者的气管插管情况进行分析。记录患者的年龄、性别、插管前意识状态、给氧方式等基本信息。由实施气管插管的麻醉医生评估并记录患者的插管条件。记录患者麻醉诱导前及插管后的基本生命体征变化。结果 患者平均年龄70.39±8.02岁，插管前15例（83.33%）患者进行了无创呼吸机治疗，13例患者（72.22%）插管前意识状态是清醒的。麻醉诱导后，患者的血压、心率有显著下降（P<0.05）。患者气管插管条件的优良率为94.44%，一次插管成功率为100%。目前有死亡5 例，有1例已行气管切开，有12例患者仍在ICU行气管插管机械通气治疗，其中1例患者机械通气效果差，目前已行ECMO辅 助。共16名临床经验丰富的麻醉医生参与了气管插管操作，插管时均采取三级防护，目前尚未发生医务人员感染的情况。结 论 对于有气管插管指征的重型和危重型新冠肺炎患者，建议早期插管，给予有创呼吸支持，增加患者的救治机会。插管过程中需谨慎使用麻醉药物，加强医务人员的防护，最大化保障患者和医务人员的安全。