Higher hydroxyurea adherence among young adults with sickle cell disease compared to children and adolescents

BackgroundSickle cell disease (SCD) results in severe complications, such as anaemia and pain episodes. Hydroxyurea (HU) is efficacious in SCD, yet adherence remains low.ObjectiveTo assess the relationship of HU adherence to health care utilization and patients’ characteristics.MethodsThis is a 5-year retrospective chart review. Patients’ demographics and medical history were collected from the electronic medical record (EMR). HU adherence was evaluated using foetal haemoglobin “HbF%”, mean corpuscular volume “MCV”, and absolute neutrophil count “ANC”. Age groups included children (<12 years), adolescents (12–17 years), and young adults (≥18 years).ResultsA total of 113 SCD patients on HU were included (median age 14 years, IQR 10–20; 50% female; 88% HbSS). Young adults had significantly higher HU adherence compared to adolescents and children, including higher median HbF% (24.2 vs. 12.4 vs. 8.6, p = .003), MCV (fl) (106.4 vs. 96.2 vs. 95.4, p = .01) and lower ANC (10³/ml) (3.25 vs. 4.9 vs. 4.2, p = .01), respectively. Patients with chronic pain had lower HU adherence (HbF% 15.3 vs. 10.7, p = .04; ANC 3.6 vs. 6.3, p = .002; MCV 102.3 vs. 93.1, p = .1). Patients with higher HbF or MCV and lower ANC had significantly less frequent emergency room visits (r_s=–0.26, p = .01; r_s=–0.23, p = .01; r_s=0.24, p = .01) and hospitalizations (r_s=–0.27, p = .01; r_s=–0.31, p = .01; r_s=0.21, p = .02) as well as shorter length of stays (r_s=–0.27, p = .0045; r_s=–.34, p = 0.004; r_s=0.23, p = .02), respectively. Similar trends in HU adherence and health care utilization were seen in subgroup analysis of only HbSS patients. There was no significant association of HU adherence to patients’ sex, socio-economic status, distance from hospital, and HU duration.ConclusionsYoung adults with SCD had significantly higher HU adherence compared to children and adolescents. Patients with lower HU adherence and/or chronic pain had increased health care utilization. Future studies examining barriers to adherence and evaluating interventions to optimize HU adherence in SCD are warranted.

KEY MESSAGES

1. Young adults with SCD had significantly higher HU adherence, as reflected in their laboratory markers, compared to children and adolescents.
2. Patients with higher HU adherence and/or those without chronic pain had lower or less frequent health care utilization.
3. No significant association of HU adherence to patients’ sex, socio-economic status and distance from hospital.

     

Improved Survival of Young Adults with Cancer Following the Passage of the Affordable Care Act

BackgroundCompared with their ensured counterparts, uninsured adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with cancer are more likely to present with advanced disease and have poor prognoses. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), enacted in 2010, provided health care coverage to millions of uninsured young adults by allowing them to remain on their parents’ insurance until age 26 years (the Dependent Care Expansion, DCE). The impact of the expansion of insurance coverage on survival outcomes for young adults with cancer has not been assessed.ParticipantsUtilizing the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database, we identified all patients aged 12-16 (younger-AYAs), 19-23 (middle-AYAs), and 26-30 (older-AYAs) who were diagnosed with cancer between 2006-2008 (pre-ACA) and 2011-2013 (post-ACA).MethodsIn this population-based cohort study, we used an accelerated failure time model to assess changes in survival rates before and after the enactment of the ACA DCE.ResultsMiddle-AYAs ages 19-23 (thus eligible to remain on their parents’ insurance) experienced significantly increased 2-year survival after the enactment of the ACA DCE (survival time ratio 1.25, 95% confidence interval: 0.75-2.43, P = .029) and that did not occur in younger-AYAs (ages 12-16). Patients with sarcoma and acute myeloid leukemia accounted for the majority of improvement in survival. Middle-AYAs of hispanic ethnicity and those with low socioeconomic status experienced trends of improved survival after the ACA DCE was enacted.ConclusionSurvival outcomes improved for young adults with cancer following the expansion of health insurance coverage. Efforts are needed to expand coverage for the millions of young adults who do not have health insurance.     

Is Tamoxifen Alone Adequate Therapy in Very Young Chinese Women with Operable Breast Cancer?

Breast cancer occurs earlier in Chinese women than in Caucasian women. We have compared the clinicopathologic characteristics and prognosis in very young and older premenopausal women with breast cancer in south China. We separated 905 consecutive premenopausal patients with first diagnosis of breast cancer, surgically treated at the Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center from October 2003 to December 2006, into a very young group (189 [13.7%]; <35 years old) and an older group (716 [52.0%]; 35-57 years old). Approximately, 90% of patients received adjuvant chemotherapy and hormonal therapy with tamoxifen for hormone-receptor (HR)-positive breast cancer. We retrospectively compared the clinicopathologic factors and survival rates of these two groups. The 3-year disease-free survival rate (78.0% versus 89.1%, p < 0.001) was poorer in the very young group, and 3-year overall survival rate (94.3% versus. 96.8%, p = 0.10) was similar. Moreover, the 3-year overall survival rate (p = 0.020) and disease-free survival rate (p < 0.001) were significantly poorer in HR-positive patients in the very young group whereas there was no significant difference in outcomes between the HR-negative groups. In China, age younger than 35 years is an independent predictor of breast cancer recurrence. In very young women with HR-positive breast cancer, chemotherapy plus tamoxifen alone may not be adequate standard treatment.     

儿童年轻恒磨牙大面积缺损常见修复方式的选择

儿童年轻恒磨牙大面积缺损临床上常见,影响患儿咀嚼功能及颌骨发育,因混合牙列期的特点,其修复方式与成人不同。该文列举现在临床上常用的年轻恒磨牙大面积缺损的治疗方法,就目前儿童年轻恒磨牙牙体缺损的修复方式进行回顾性综述,并讨论各个方式的优缺点,以期为临床修复方式的选择提供参考。     

两种方法治疗年轻恒切牙冠折露髓的疗效比较

目的比较部分冠髓切除术和活髓切断术治疗年轻恒切牙冠折露髓的效果。方法选择38例43颗冠折露髓年轻恒切牙,随机分为2组,分别采用部分冠髓切除术和活髓切断术治疗,随访2年观察疗效。结果部分冠髓切除术组成功率为91.30%,活髓切断术组成功率为95.00%,两组成功率差异无显著性。结论部分冠髓切除术是治疗年轻恒切牙冠折露髓的一种可选治疗方法。     

The Suitability of Questionnaires for Exploring Relations of Dietary Behavior and Tooth Wear

Tooth wear is a relevant oral health problem, especially at a young age. Although ongoing acid exposures may contribute to tooth wear, the role of acidic dietary components in this context remains unclear. To date, in tooth wear studies, dietary behavior has been assessed using traditional questionnaires, but the suitability of this approach has not been investigated so far. In our longitudinal study, we followed 91 participants (21.0 ± 2.2 years) over a period of 1 year (373 ± 19 days) and monitored tooth wear with an intraoral scanner. At baseline (T0) and at the end (T1), we assessed dietary behavior with questionnaires asking about the consumption frequencies of acidic dietary components and the acid taste preferences. Complete data were available from 80 subjects. The consumption frequencies of T0 and T1 correlated weakly to moderately. Taste preferences seem to be a more consistent measure, but there was predominantly no significant correlation with the corresponding consumption frequencies. None of the dietary parameters showed a significant relation with tooth wear. The suitability of dietary questionnaires to assess tooth-relevant dietary behavior seems to be limited.     

双嘧达莫致幼儿严重过敏反应

1倒1岁9个月川崎病女性患儿，因血小板升高（684×10^9／L），给予双嘧达莫25mg口服。首次服药后约15min出现呕吐，全身大汗，面色苍白，口周发绀，口唇肿胀，呼吸困难，T36．3℃，HR130次／min，R32次／min，BP97／54mmHg，诊断为双嘧达莫过敏反应。立即给予肾上腺素肌内注射，5min后患儿症状缓解。30min后给予西替利嗪和甲泼尼龙，1h后完全恢复正常。     

231例男性青年阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停低通气综合征患者的睡眠监测及相关分析

目的:分析男性青年阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停低通气综合征OSAHS患者整夜多导睡眠监测PSG的特点。方法:对我院睡眠医学中心诊断的231例男性青年OSAHS患者的整夜PSG资料进行回顾性分析,对患者的一般情况、呼吸暂停和低通气情况、氧减饱和情况、睡眠结构以及各指标间可能的相关关系进行统计分析。结果:该组OSAHS患者超重率93.07%,肥胖率为75.76%。中位呼吸暂停低通气指数AHI为40.1次/h,AHI>40者占51.95%。中位夜间最低血氧饱和度LSaO2为70%,LSaO265%～<85%占45.45%,<65%者占40.69%。血氧饱和度<90%、<85%、<80%分别占监测总时间的百分比(TS90、TS85、TS80)为20.75%、4.53%、1.66%。快动眼相REM睡眠时间占(17.00±7.45)%,非快动眼相(NREM)睡眠时间占(82.96±7.40)%。AHI除与LSaO2、平均夜间血氧饱和度MSaO2呈负相关,与其他指标均呈正相关,其中与氧减饱和指数ODI、每小时氧减时间(简称氧减/h)相关性强。体重指数BMI与LSaO2、MSaO2呈负相关,与AHI、ODI、最大氧减幅度LDD呈正相关。LSaO2与呼吸暂停最长时间、低通气最长时间、TS90、TS85、TS80均呈负相关。结论:男性青年OSAHS患者超重肥胖率高,存在睡眠结构紊乱。     

Closing the gap: Novel therapies in treating acute lymphoblastic leukemia in adolescents and young adults

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is one of the most common cancer diagnoses identified in adolescents and young adults (AYAs). Although most children with ALL are cured of their disease, AYAs have experienced much worse outcomes over time, with event-free survival ranging from 30 to 45%. This survival disparity is likely due to differences in tumor biology, treatment-related toxicities, and nonmedical issues. This review summarizes these differences as well as focusing on the various trials that have demonstrated superior outcomes with pediatric protocols in AYAs with ALL. Even with the widespread use of these protocols, a treatment gap remains, and novel therapies are one way to address this problem. Still, these therapies also have significant toxicities and unique issues that need to be tested further, especially in the AYA population. The development of more AYA-specific trials will be an important way to examine novel therapies and interventions designed to reduce treatment-related toxicities and improve long-term outcomes.