No clear survival benefit of azacitidine for lower‐risk myelodysplastic syndromes: A retrospective study of Nagasaki

The efficacy of azacitidine (AZA) on survival of lower risk (LR) ‐ myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) is controversial. To address this issue, we retrospectively evaluated the long‐term survival benefit of AZA for patients with LR‐MDS defined by International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS). Using data from 489 patients with LR‐MDS in Nagasaki, hematologic responses according to International Working Group 2006 and overall survival (OS) were compared among patients that received best supportive care (BSC), immunosuppressive therapy (IST), erythropoiesis‐stimulating agents (ESA), and AZA. Patients treated with AZA showed complete remission (CR) rate at 11.3%, marrow CR at 1.9%, and any hematologic improvement at 34.0%, with transfusion independence (TI) of red blood cells in 27.3% of patients. and platelet in 20% of patients, respectively. Median OS for patients received IST, ESA, BSC, and AZA (not reached, 91 months, 58 months, and 29 months, respectively) differed significantly (P < .001). Infection‐related severe adverse events were observed in more than 20% of patients treated with AZA. Multivariate analysis showed age, sex, IPSS score at diagnosis, and transfusion dependence were significant for OS, but AZA treatment was not, which maintained even response to AZA, and IPSS risk status at AZA administration was added as factors. We could not find significant survival benefit of AZA treatment for LR‐MDS patients.     

High-magnitude mechanical strain inhibits the differentiation of bone-forming rat calvarial progenitor cells

Purpose: Orthodontic tooth movement occurs during the bone remodeling induced by therapeutic mechanical strain. It is important to investigate the relation between the strength of mechanical stress and bone formation activity. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of high-magnitude mechanical strain on bone formation in detail.

Materials and methods: Osteoblast-like cells isolated from fetal rat calvariae were loaded with 18% cyclic tension force (TF) for 48?h. To phenotypically investigate the effect of TF, we measured the number and the size of bone nodules stained by von Kossa technique on day 21 after cell seeding and determined the calcium content of bone nodules on day 14. Furthermore, we examined the gene expression of BMP-2, Runx2 and Msx2, which are important factors for bone nodule formation, on days 1, 4 and 7 after TF loading.

Results: The maximum bone nodule size in the control group was 1620 and 719?μm in the TF group. Furthermore, the mean number of bone nodules sized over 360?μm in the TF group was significantly decreased compared to the control group. The calcium content was also significantly decreased to 42% by TF loading. The mRNA expression of BMP-2, Runx2 and Msx2 was decreased 1 and 4 days after TF loading.

Conclusion: The differentiation of bone forming progenitor cells into bone nodule forming cells was inhibited by TF due to the decreased expression of bone formation related factors such as BMP-2, Runx2 and Msx2.     

Periarticular Knee Injection With Liposomal Bupivacaine and Continuous Femoral Nerve Block for Postoperative Pain Management After Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background

Local periarticular infiltration (PAI) analgesia has emerged as an important component of multimodal approaches to treat total knee arthroplasty postoperative pain. Liposomal bupivacaine may provide prolonged analgesic duration when injected into the surrounding tissues. The purpose of this study was to compare the analgesic efficacy and serum bupivacaine levels of a continuous femoral nerve block (CFNB) with bupivacaine to PAI with liposomal bupivacaine.

Risk Adjustment and the Assessment of Disparities in Dialysis Mortality Outcomes

Standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) reported by Medicare compare mortality at individual dialysis facilities with the national average, and are currently adjusted for race. However, whether the adjustment for race obscures or clarifies disparities in quality of care for minority groups is unknown. Cox model-based SMRs were computed with and without adjustment for patient race for 5920 facilities in the United States during 2010. The study population included virtually all patients treated with dialysis during this period. Without race adjustment, facilities with higher proportions of black patients had better survival outcomes; facilities with the highest percentage of black patients (top 10%) had overall mortality rates approximately 7% lower than expected. After adjusting for within-facility racial differences, facilities with higher proportions of black patients had poorer survival outcomes among black and non-black patients; facilities with the highest percentage of black patients (top 10%) had mortality rates approximately 6% worse than expected. In conclusion, accounting for within-facility racial differences in the computation of SMR helps to clarify disparities in quality of health care among patients with ESRD. The adjustment that accommodates within-facility comparisons is key, because it could also clarify relationships between patient characteristics and health care provider outcomes in other settings.     

Repeat expansion and methylation-sensitive triplet-primed polymerase chain reaction for fragile X mental retardation 1 gene screening in institutionalised intellectually disabled individuals

INTRODUCTIONFragile X syndrome (FXS) is the most prevalent X-linked intellectual disability (ID) and a leading genetic cause of autism, characterised by cognitive and behavioural impairments. The hyperexpansion of a CGG repeat in the fragile X mental retardation 1 (FMR1) gene leads to abnormal hypermethylation, resulting in the lack or absence of its protein. Tools for establishing the diagnosis of FXS have been extensively developed, including assays based on triplet-primed polymerase chain reaction (TP-PCR) for detection and quantification of the CGG trinucleotide repeat expansion, as well as determination of the methylation status of the alleles. This study aimed to utilise a simple, quick and affordable method for high sensitivity and specificity screening and diagnosis of FXS in institutionalised individuals with ID.METHODSA total of 109 institutionalised individuals at the Center for Social Rehabilitation of Intellectual Disability Kartini, Temanggung, Central Java, Indonesia, were screened in a three-step process using FastFrax™ Identification, Sizing and Methylation Status Kits.RESULTSTwo samples that were classified as indeterminate with respect to the 41-repeat control at the identification step were subsequently determined to be non-expanded by both sizing and methylation status analyses. Two samples classified as expanded at the identification step were determined to carry full mutation expansions > 200 repeats that were fully methylated using sizing and methylation status analyses, respectively, yielding a disease prevalence of 1.83%.CONCLUSIONRepeat expansion and methylation-specific TP-PCR is practical, effective and inexpensive for the diagnosis of FXS, especially in high-risk populations of individuals with ID of undetermined aetiology.     

“Memory bias” for recall of experiences during initial weight loss is affected by subsequent weight loss outcome

Research has suggested that memories of mood, emotions, and behaviors are not purely unbiased retrieval, but more similar to reconstructions based on current opinions, positive or negative experiences associated with the memory, and how a person believes they would have felt, thought, or acted. We investigated this memory bias in 66 adult participants with overweight/obesity who rated their mood, emotions, and behaviors during a 12-week, Internet-based behavioral weight loss program and later recalled these ratings at Month 3 (immediate post-test) and Month 12 (follow-up). At Month 3, participants recalled the intervention more positively than reported previously, p = .010, but reported remembering the intervention more negatively at the Month 12 follow-up, p = .004. Memory bias was associated with initial weight loss and regain, ps < .05, such that participants who lost more weight at Month 3 remembered their mood, emotions, and behaviors during intervention more positively, and those who regained more weight at Month 12, more negatively. Future research should investigate whether this bias is associated with willingness to re-engage with intervention.     

Surgical management of Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the lower lip: An experience of 109 cases

Objectives: We are presenting our experience collected from a series of 109 cases with SCC of the lower lip focusing on clinical features of patients and surgical approach. Study Design: We retrospectively analyzed medical records of patients diagnosed with Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC) of the lower lip at the Oral and Maxillofacial surgery at Xi’an Jiaotong University during a period between 1999 and 2008. Results: A total of 109 patients with lip cancer were included in the study. When no frozen-section test was performed, the neoplasia was removed with a margin of at least 6 mm. Different surgical techniques were used for lip reconstruction after tumor excision. Neck dissection was performed in all patients with clinically palpable lymph nodes. Median follow-up was 38 months. During follow-up, recurrence occurred in 5 patients, 3 patients developed neck metastases, distant metastases developed in 1 patient. Five patients died during observation period. Conclusions: The patient-related and defect-related issues must be taken into consideration during reconstruction for surgical defect. For N0 patients, we recommend wait-and-see policy. Early detection, careful follow-up and prompt neck is essential for the successful treatment. Key words:Lip cancer, surgical management, reconstruction.