Knowledge of appropriate acetaminophen use: A survey of college-age women

Objectives

To evaluate college-age women’s knowledge of appropriate doses and potential toxicities of acetaminophen, competency in interpreting Drug Facts label dosing information, and ability to recognize products containing acetaminophen.

Detection of Memory B Activity Against a Therapeutic Protein in Treatment-Naïve Subjects

Bridging immunoassays commonly used to detect and characterize immunogenicity during biologic development do not provide direct information on the presence or development of a memory anti-drug antibody (ADA) response. In this study, a B cell ELISPOT assay method was used to evaluate pre-existing ADA for anti-TNFR1 domain antibody, GSK1995057, an experimental biologic in treatment naive subjects. This assay utilized a 7-day activation of PBMCs by a combination of GSK1995057 (antigen) and polyclonal stimulator followed by GSK1995057-specific ELISPOT for the enumeration of memory B cells that have differentiated into antibody secreting cells (ASC) in vitro. We demonstrated that GSK1995057-specific ASC were detectable in treatment-naïve subjects with pre-existing ADA; the frequency of drug-specific ASC was low and ranged from 1 to 10 spot forming units (SFU) per million cells. Interestingly, the frequency of drug-specific ASC correlated with the ADA level measured using an in vitro ADA assay. We further confirmed that the ASC originated from CD27⁺ memory B cells, not from CD27^?-naïve B cells. Our data demonstrated the utility of the B cell ELISPOT method in therapeutic protein immunogenicity evaluation, providing a novel way to confirm and characterize the cell population producing pre-existing ADA. This novel application of a B cell ELISPOT assay informs and characterizes immune memory activity regarding incidence and magnitude associated with a pre-existing ADA response.     

ASO Author Reflections: Axillary Management in Mastectomy Patients with Limited Nodal Burden

Annals of Surgical Oncology -     

Urine kidney injury molecule-1: a potential non-invasive biomarker for patients with renal cell carcinoma

Background

KIM-1 staining is upregulated in proximal tubule-derived renal cell carcinoma (RCC) including clear renal cell carcinoma and papillary renal cell carcinoma, but not in chromophobe RCC (distal tubular tumor). This study was designed to prospectively examine urine KIM-1 level before and 1 month after removal of renal tumors.

Patients and design

A total of 19 patients were eventually enrolled in the study based on pre-operative imaging studies. Pre-operative and follow-up (1 month) urine KIM-1 levels were measured. The urine KIM-1 levels (uKIM-1) were then normalized to urine creatinine levels (uCr). Renal tumors were also stained for KIM-1 using immunohistochemical techniques.

Results

The KIM-1-negative staining group included 7 cases, and the KIM-1-positive group consisted of 12 cases. The percentage of KIM-1-positive staining RCC cells ranged from 10 to 100 %, and the staining intensity ranged from 1+ to 3+. In both groups, serum creatinine levels were both significantly elevated after nephrectomy. In the KIM-1-negative group, uKIM-1/uCr remained at a similar level before (0.37 ± 0.1 ng/mg Cr) and after nephrectomy (0.32 ± 0.01 ng/mg Cr). However, in the KIM-1-positive group, elevated uKIM-1/uCr at 1.20 ± 0.31 ng/mg Cr was significantly reduced to 0.36 ± 0.1 ng/mg Cr, which was similar to the pre-operative uKIM-1/uCr (0.37 ± 0.1 ng/mg Cr) in the KIM-1-negative group.

Conclusion

Our small but prospective study showed significant reduction in uKIM-1/uCr after nephrectomy in the KIM-1 positive group, suggesting that urine KIM-1 may serve as a surrogate biomarker for kidney cancer and a non-invasive pre-operative measure to evaluate the malignant potential of renal masses.     

Cognitive impairment in rapid‐onset dystonia‐parkinsonism

Rapid‐onset dystonia‐parkinsonism (RDP) is caused by mutations in the ATP1A3 gene. This observational study sought to determine if cognitive performance is decreased in patients with RDP compared with mutation‐negative controls. We studied 22 familial RDP patients, 3 non‐motor‐manifesting mutation‐positive family members, 29 mutation‐negative family member controls in 9 families, and 4 unrelated RDP patients, totaling 58 individuals. We administered a movement disorder assessment, including the Burke‐Fahn‐Marsden Dystonia Rating Scale (BFMDRS) and the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) and a cognitive battery of memory and learning, psychomotor speed, attention, and executive function. The cognitive battery was designed to evaluate a wide range of functions; recognition memory instruments were selected to be relatively pure measures of delayed memory, devoid of significant motor or vocal production limitations. Comparisons of standardized cognitive scores were assessed both with and without controlling for psychomotor speed and similarly for severity of depressive symptoms. A majority of RDP patients had onset of motor symptoms by age 25 and had initial symptom presentation in the upper body (face, mouth, or arm). Among patients, the BFMDRS (mean ± SD, 52.1 ± 29.5) and UPDRS motor subscore (29.8 ± 12.7) confirmed dystonia‐parkinsonism. The affected RDP patients performed more poorly, on average, than mutation‐negative controls for all memory and learning, psychomotor speed, attention, and executive function scores (all P ≤ 0.01). These differences persisted after controlling for psychomotor speed and severity of depressive symptoms. Impaired cognitive function may be a manifestation of ATP1A3 mutation and RDP. © 2014 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society     

Assessing Community-Based Injury Prevention Services in U.S. Children's Hospitals

ObjectiveNot-for-profit hospitals are required to meet federal reporting requirements detailing their community benefit activities, which support their tax-exempt status. Children''s hospitals have long provided community injury prevention (IP) programming and thus can inform public health outreach work in other areas. This work describes IP programming as a community service offered by children''s hospitals in the U.S.MethodsThe IP specialist at 232 US-based member institutions of the Children''s Hospital Association were invited to complete an assessment of their hospital''s IP outreach programming.Results47.7 percent of hospitals request financial data from IP programming for tax reporting purposes. Almost all offer injury prevention (IP) services; the majority are in the community (60.3%) and 34.5% are hospital-based. Most IP units are independent (60.3%) and 71.8% are responsible for their own budgets.ConclusionsBy integrating dissemination and implementation sciences and community health needs assessments, these findings can help advance community services provided by hospitals to impact public health.     

Outcomes of traumatic hemorrhagic shock and the epidemiology of preventable death from injury

The majority of potentially preventable deaths after trauma are related to hemorrhage and occur early after injury, with the largest number of deaths occurring before hospital arrival. Approximately one‐fourth of trauma deaths may be potentially preventable through early medical and surgical interventions. Interventions dedicated to bleeding control and hemostatic resuscitation have demonstrated merit in decreasing hemorrhagic injury mortality. Advancing these novel strategies to the casualty in the prehospital phase of care, particularly in tactical or austere environments, may prove beneficial for hemorrhage mitigation to temporize the window of survival to definitive care. Future studies of resuscitation and survival after traumatic injury must include analysis of prehospital deaths to fully understand the outcomes of early interventions.