AbstractObjective: To understand the origin of extremely high gonadotropin levels in a perimenopausal woman.Methods: A 52-year-old woman with a 2?months of amenorrhea followed spontaneous menstrual cycles recovery was referred to our outpatient clinic with elevated follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH, 483 mUI/ml), luteinizing hormone (LH, 475 mUI/ml) and prolactin (PRL, 173?ng/ml). She was known to take levosulpiride. The gonadotropin levels did not fit with the clinical features.Results: A gonadotroph tumor was ruled out. Further analysis confirmed constantly high FSH, LH and PRL levels. The measurements were repeated using different analytical platforms with different results. After serial dilutions, nonlinearity was present suggesting an immunoassay interference. After post-polyethylene glycol recovery, hormone levels appeared in the normal range. Anti-goat antibodies were recognized in the serum of the patient.Conclusions: This case report shows a case of falsely abnormal high gonadotropin and PRL levels in a woman during menopause transition. In the clinical practice the evaluation of gonadotropin profile is not recommended at this age, but the abnormal levels stimulated further evaluation. An interference in the assay due to anti-goat antibodies resulted in abnormally high level of FSH and LH. A strict collaboration between clinicians and the laboratory is needed, when laboratory findings do not correspond to clinical findings. 相似文献
To examine the influence of pre-existing psychiatric disorder on the choice of treatment in patients with gynaecological cancer.
Materials and methods
The analyses were based on all patients who underwent surgical treatment for endometrial, ovarian or cervical cancer who were registered in the Danish Gynecological Cancer Database in the years 2007–2014 (3059 patients with ovarian cancer, 5100 patients with endometrial cancer and 1150 with cervical cancer). Logistic regression model and Cox regression model, adjusted for relevant confounders, were used to estimate the effect of pre-existing psychiatric disorder on the course of cancer treatment. Our outcomes were (i) presurgical oncological treatment, (ii) macroradical surgery for patients with ovarian cancer, (iii) radiation/chemotherapy within 30 days and 100 days after surgery and (iv) time from surgery to first oncological treatment.
Results
In the group of patients with ovarian cancer, more patients with a psychiatric disorder received macroradical surgery versus patients without a psychiatric disorder, corresponding to an adjusted odds ratio of 1.24 (95% confidence interval 0.62–2.41) and the chance for having oncological treatment within 100 days was odds ratio = 1.26 (95% confidence interval 0.77–2.10). As for patients with endometrial cancer, all outcome estimates were close to unity. The adjusted odds ratio for oncological treatment within 30 days after surgery in patients with cervical cancer with a history of psychiatric disorder was 0.20 (95% confidence interval 0.03–1.54).
Conclusions
We did not find any significant differences in the treatment of ovarian and endometrial cancer in patients with pre-existing psychiatric diagnoses. When it comes to oncological treatment, we suggest that increased attention should be paid to patients with cervical cancer having a pre-existing psychiatric diagnosis. 相似文献
To determine whether differences in combination DTaP vaccine types at 2, 4 and 6?months of age were associated with mortality (all-cause or non-specific), within 30?days of vaccination.
Design
Observational nationwide cohort study.
Setting
Linked population data from the Australian Childhood Immunisation Register and National Death Index.
Participants
Australian infants administered a combination trivalent, quadrivalent or hexavalent DTaP vaccine (DTaP types) between January 1999 and December 2010 at 2, 4 and 6?months as part of the primary vaccination series. The study population included 2.9, 2.6, & 2.3?million children in the 2, 4 and 6?month vaccine cohorts, respectively.
Main outcome measures
Infants were evaluated for the primary outcome of all-cause mortality within 30?days. A secondary outcome was non-specific mortality (unknown cause of death) within 30?days of vaccination. Non-specific mortality was defined as underlying or other cause of death codes, R95 ‘Sudden infant death syndrome’, R96 ‘Other sudden death, cause unknown’, R98 ‘Unattended death’, R99 ‘Other ill-defined and unspecified cause of mortality’ or where no cause of death was recorded.
Results
The rate of 30?day all-cause mortality was low and declined from 127.4 to 59.3 deaths per 100,000 person-years between 2 and 6?month cohorts. When compared with trivalent DTaP vaccines, no elevated risk in all-cause or non-specific mortality was seen with any quadrivalent or hexavalent DTaP vaccines, for any cohort.
Conclusion
Use of routine DTaP combination vaccines with differing disease antigens administered during the first six months of life is not associated with infant mortality. 相似文献
In this review we summarize the impact of the various modalities of breast cancer therapy coupled with intrinsic patient factors on incidence of subsequent treatment-induced myelodysplasia and acute myelogenous leukemia (t-MDS/AML). It is clear that risk is increased for patients treated with radiation and chemotherapy at younger ages. Radiation is associated with modest risk, whereas chemotherapy, particularly the combination of an alkylating agent and an anthracycline, carries higher risk and radiation and chemotherapy combined increase the risk markedly. Recently, treatment with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), but not pegylated G-CSF, has been identified as a factor associated with increased t-MDS/AML risk. Two newly identified associations may link homologous DNA repair gene deficiency and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitor treatment to increased t-MDS/AML risk. When predisposing factors, such as young age, are combined with an increasing number of potentially leukemogenic treatments that may not confer large risk singly, the risk of t-MDS/AML appears to increase. Patient and treatment factors combine to form a biological cascade that can trigger a myelodysplastic event. Patients with breast cancer are often exposed to many of these risk factors in the course of their treatment, and triple-negative patients, who are often younger and/or BRCA positive, are often exposed to all of them. It is important going forward to identify effective therapies without these adverse associated effects and choose existing therapies that minimize the risk of t-MDS/AML without sacrificing therapeutic gain.
Implications for Practice
Breast cancer is far more curable than in the past but requires multimodality treatment. Great care must be taken to use the least leukemogenic treatment programs that do not sacrifice efficacy. Elimination of radiation and anthracycline/alkylating agent regimens will be helpful where possible, particularly in younger patients and possibly those with homologous repair deficiency (HRD). Use of colony-stimulating factors should be limited to those who truly require them for safe chemotherapy administration. Further study of a possible leukemogenic association with HRD and the various forms of colony-stimulating factors is badly needed. 相似文献
One approach to boost influenza vaccination coverage has been to expand immunization authority. In 2012, the province of Ontario gave community pharmacists the authority to administer the influenza vaccine.
Objective
This study investigates the perspectives of Ontario pharmacy patrons, who had not recently received this vaccine from a pharmacist, regarding this pharmacist service.
Methods
A survey was administered in six Ontario community pharmacies to pharmacy patrons who had not received an influenza vaccination from a pharmacist during the previous year. The instrument included questions about influenza vaccination, and knowledge of and attitudes toward vaccines and pharmacist-administered immunization.
Results
A total of 541 pharmacy patrons completed the survey (53.9% response rate). About one-third (30.5%) of respondents were not aware that pharmacists could give the influenza vaccine, with younger individuals being less likely to be aware (OR 0.48, 95% CI 0.29–0.77, p?<?0.05) and less likely to receive the vaccine annually (OR 0.28, 95% CI 0.19–0.42, p?<?0.05). Leading reasons respondents gave as to why they did not receive their influenza vaccine from a pharmacist included not wanting or feeling they needed to be immunized (41.6%) and being used to receiving the vaccine from a physician (16.5%). Concerns about the experience and training of pharmacists and lack of privacy in a community pharmacy were uncommon.
Conclusion
Reduced awareness of the availability of pharmacist-provided influenza vaccine is still common. Pharmacists have a significant opportunity to address lack of awareness and vaccine hesitancy issues. They can promote this service to increase influenza vaccination rates among pharmacy patrons who do not utilize this professional service. 相似文献
Although classified by the Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) as unimproved sanitation facilities, public toilets still play a critical role in eliminating open defecation in informal settlements. We explored perspectives of toilet operators on opportunities and barriers to operation and maintenance (O&M) of public toilets in informal settlements. A cross-sectional study design was used. Up to 20 in-depth interviews were used to obtain data on the experiences of public toilet operators. Thematic content analysis was used.
Ressults show that opportunities for improving O&M include; operation of public toilets is a source of livelihood; operators are knowledgeable on occupational risks, and the community is involvedin sanitation activities. Barriers to effective O&M include; high operation costs, failure to break even and a lack of investments in occupational health Therefore, there is need to recognise the significance of public toilets as a viable alternative to open defecation in areas where ownership of private sanitation facilities is difficult. Failure to observe the health and safety of toilet operators may further compromise O&M. 相似文献
Physicians treating nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (AF) assess stroke and bleeding risks when deciding on anticoagulation. The agreement between empirical and physician-estimated risks is unclear. Furthermore, the association between patient and physician sex and anticoagulation decision-making is uncertain.
Methods
We pooled data from 2 national primary care physician chart audit databases of patients with AF (Facilitating Review and Education to Optimize Stroke Prevention in Atrial Fibrillation and Coordinated National Network to Engage Physicians in the Care and Treatment of Patients with Atrial Fibrillation Chart Audit) with a combined 1035 physicians (133 female, 902 male) and 10,927 patients (4567 female and 6360 male).
Results
Male physicians underestimated stroke risk in female patients and overestimated risk in male patients. Female physicians estimated stroke risk well in female patients but underestimated the risk in male patients. Risk of bleeding was underestimated in all. Despite differences in risk assessment by physician and patient sex, > 90% of patients received anticoagulation across all subgroups. There was modest agreement between physician estimated and calculated (ie, CHADS2 score) stroke risk: Kappa scores were 0.41 (0.35-0.47) for female physicians and 0.34 (0.32-0.36) for male physicians.
Conclusions
Our study is the first to examine the association between patient and physician sex influences and stroke and bleeding risk estimation in AF. Although there were differences in agreement between physician estimated stroke risk and calculated CHADS2 scores, these differences were small and unlikely to affect clinical practice; further, despite any perceived differences in the accuracy of risk assessment by sex, most patients received anticoagulation. 相似文献