Improving Lesbian,Gay, Bisexual,Transgender, Queer and Two-Spirit Content in a Radiation Therapy Undergraduate Curriculum

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and two-spirit plus (LGBTQ2S+) people have distinct healthcare needs that may be unaddressed in many undergraduate healthcare curricula. The Radiation Therapy Program (RADTH) at the University of Alberta underwent a review of the three-year didactic curriculum using an online survey. The survey sought to ascertain if, where and how topics related to LGBTQ2S + healthcare are taught. Results indicated that out of 10 RADTH program faculty respondents, three teach related topics. The total time dedicated within the three-year curriculum was approximately three and a half hours. Other findings showed that faculty are interested in receiving more education in this area and would favour discussions about how to incorporate these themes into appropriate courses. This preliminary investigation demonstrated that there has been some initial work in this area, but there is more to be done.     

How does measurement of platelet P-selectin compare with other methods of measuring platelet function as a means of determining the effectiveness of antiplatelet therapy?

Measurement of P-selectin on activated platelets as a means of measuring platelet function utilizing the technology described here has the advantage of not requiring immediate access to specialist equipment and expertise. Blood samples are activated, fixed, stored, and transported to a central laboratory for flow cytometric analysis. Here we have compared P-selectin with other more traditional approaches to measuring platelet function in blood and/or platelet-rich plasma (PRP) from patients with acute coronary syndromes on treatment for at least 1 month with either aspirin and clopidogrel or aspirin with prasugrel. The comparators were light transmission aggregometry (LTA), VerifyNow and Multiplate aggregometry (for determining the effects of aspirin) and LTA, VerifyNow and Multiplate together with the BioCytex VASP phosphorylation assay (for the P2Y₁₂ antagonists). The P-selectin Aspirin Test revealed substantial inhibition of platelet function in all but three of 96 patients receiving aspirin with clopidogrel and in none of 51 patients receiving aspirin and prasugrel. The results were very similar to those obtained using LTA. There was only one patient with high residual platelet aggregation and low P-selectin expression. The same patients identified as “non-responders” to aspirin also presented with the highest residual platelet activity as measured using the VerifyNow system, although not quite as well separated from the other values. With the Multiplate test only one of these patients clearly stood out from the others. The results obtained using the P-selectin P2Y₁₂ Test in 102 patients taking aspirin and clopidogrel were similar to the more traditional approaches in that a wide scatter of results was obtained. Generally, high values seen with the P-selectin P2Y₁₂ Test were also high with the LTA, VerifyNow, Multiplate, and BioCytex VASP P2Y₁₂ Tests. Similarly, low residual platelet function using the P2Y₁₂ test was seen irrespective of the testing procedure used. However, there were differences in some patients. Prasugrel was always more effective than clopidogrel in inhibiting platelet function with none of 56 patients (P-selectin and VerifyNow), only 2 of 56 patients (Multiplate) and only 3 of 56 patients (Biocytex VASP) demonstrating high on-treatment residual platelet reactivity (HRPR) defined using previously published cut-off values. The exception was LTA where there were 11 of 56 patients with HRPR. It remains to be seen which experimental approach provides the most useful information regarding outcomes after adjusting therapies in treated patients.     

Love and Justice in the Family

The Patient in the Family: An Ethics of Medicine and Families. By Hilde Lindemann Nelson and James Lindemann Nelson.     

Primary treatment of pelvic osteosarcoma. Report of five cases.

Five patients, ages 12 to 20 years, with nonresectable primary (Patients 2, 3, and 5) and metastatic (Patients 1 and 4) pelvic osteosarcomas were treated with intraarterial cisplatin and concurrent radiation therapy from 1983 to 1987. Long-term local tumor control was achieved in all five patients. Patients 1 and 3 are alive with no evidence of local recurrence or metastatic disease at 77 and 56 months of follow-up, respectively, since diagnosis of the pelvic tumor. Patients 2, 4, and 5 died of metastatic lung disease at 25, 39, and 12 months, respectively, after diagnosis of the pelvic tumor. Patient 4 had no clinical or radiologic evidence of local recurrence. Control of tumor growth in patients with pelvic osteosarcomas can be achieved with regional chemotherapy and concurrent radiation therapy. These patients also should receive adjuvant intensive systemic chemotherapy to increase the probability of eliminating potential subclinical metastatic disease.     

Impact of Induction Chemotherapy and Preoperative Chemoradiotherapy on Operative Morbidity and Mortality in Patients with Locoregional Adenocarcinoma of the Stomach or Gastroesophageal Junction

Background Significant tumor downstaging has been achieved in patients with localized gastric or gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma by induction chemotherapy and preoperative chemoradiotherapy (CTX–CTXRT). However, the influence of CTX–CTXRT on operative morbidity and mortality has not yet been clarified. The aim of the present study was to document the frequency and nature of morbidity and mortality after surgery combined with CTX–CTXRT, and identify factors predictive of postoperative complications in patients with localized gastric or gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma. Methods A prospectively collected database on 71 consecutive patients who underwent CTX–CTXRT at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center between January 1997 and August 2004 was reviewed. Postoperative morbidity and mortality were investigated, and risk factors for overall complications were identified by multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results Overall morbidity and mortality rates were 38.0% (27 patients) and 2.8% (2 patients), respectively. Age greater than 60 years [relative risk 11.3 (95% confidence interval 2.50–50.6)] and body mass index (BMI) of 26 kg/m² or above [relative risk 4.08 (95% confidence interval 1.08–15.4)] were significant risk factors for overall complications. Conclusions CTX–CTXRT can be performed safely with an acceptable operative morbidity and a low operative mortality rate in patients with gastric or gastroesophageal cancer, with careful consideration of added risk associated with age and obesity.     

Axonal damage in the spinal cord of multiple sclerosis patients detected by magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

Axonal damage is a major factor contributing to permanent disability in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS); it has been extensively investigated in the brain using magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). In this study, MRS was used to investigate the degree of neuronal damage in the cervical spinal cord in MS. Spectra were acquired from spinal cord and brain in 11 patients with MS (expanded disability status score [EDSS], range 2.5-7.0) and 11 controls. Brain lesion volume and spinal cord cross-sectional area were measured. Concentration of the neuronal metabolite N-acetyl-aspartate ([NAA]) was reduced in the spinal cord in MS patients relative to controls (reduced by 32%, P < 0.05), indicating significant neuronal damage. Additionally, the spinal cord was significantly atrophied in MS patients (15%, P < 0.001). No significant reduction in brain [NAA] was seen in the MS group. There were no correlations between clinical measures and cord atrophy or brain lesion volume on MRI; however, spinal cord [NAA] correlated with the cerebellar subscore of the neurological assessment (P < 0.005), while brain [NAA] correlated with disease duration (P < 0.05). MRS demonstrated cellular damage within the cord over and above the tissue atrophy seen by MRI. Combining MRI and MRS may therefore give a more complete picture of neurodegeneration in the spinal cord.     

A phase II study of sulofenur,a novel sulfonylurea,in recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer

Summary A total of 16 patients with recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer were treated with sulofenur (LY 186641), a novel oral sulfonylurea. All subjects had received previous chemotherapy. Anaemia occurred in all 16 patients, 14 of whom required a blood transfusion, and 2/16 patients received methylene blue for breathlessness due to methaemaglobinaemia. Treatment was discontinued in 2/16 cases due to rising liver enzyme values, which reverted to normal on cessation of the drug. There was no nausea or alopecia. Only two minor responses were seen. Plasma drug levels were insufficient to result in antitumour activity as extrapolated from animal data. Further studies that attempt to increase the bioavailability and improve the therapeutic index are warranted.     

A comparison of preoperative and intraoperative evaluation of patients undergoing pelvic reconstructive surgery for pelvic organ prolapse using the pelvic organ prolapse quantification system

OBJECTIVE: To compare the pre- and intraoperative situation using the POP-Q system during optimally standardized conditions of both examinations. STUDY DESIGN: In a prospective observational study, 108 women were compared. The POP-Q in the outpatient department (preoperative) was compared with the situation just prior to surgery after full anesthesia was reached (intraoperative). During the intraoperative measurement, traction with 0.5 kg force was applied on all relevant places. RESULTS: The pre- and intraoperative measurements were all significant correlated with the R-values between 0.43 and 0.85. All six points, which are measured during the POP-Q, were more prolapsed in the intra- as compared with the preoperative situation. The points Bp, C, and D were significantly more prolapsed, but for the points Aa, Ba, and Ap this was not significant. Fifteen patients were upstaged by the intraoperative measurements and five patients were downstaged in the overall POP-Q grading system. CONCLUSIONS: Intraoperative evaluation of the prolapse can reveal significant changes as compared with the preoperative situation. In general, the prolapse is more pronounced especially in the middle and posterior compartment.