A simple, reliable and accurate approach for assessing [131I]-capsule activity leading to significant reduction of radiation exposure of medical staff during radioiodine therapy

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader A simple, reliable and accurate approach for assessing [<sup>131</sup>I]-capsule activity leading to significant reduction of radiation exposure of medical staff during radioiodine therapy Via radioactive iodine Phys Med. 2022 Mar 17;96:157-165. doi: 10.1016/j.ejmp.2022.03.009. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT PURPOSE: According to German law, the [131I]-capsule activity has to be checked in the context of radioiodine therapy (RIT) immediately before application. The measurement leads to significant radiation exposure of the medical personnel, especially of their hands. We aimed to establish a method for estimating [131I]-capsule activity by measuring the dose rate (DR ) at contact of the delivered lead closed container carrying the [131I]-capsules and to evaluate radiation exposure in comparison to conventional [131I]-capsule measurement using a dose calibrator. METHODS: DR on the surface of the closed lead container was measured at two locations and correlated linearly with the [131I]-capsule activity measured in a dose calibrator to create calibrating curves. The hand and whole body (effective) doses were determined with official dose meters during validation of our method in clinical practice. RESULTS: The determination coefficients (R2) of linear calibration curves were greater than 0.9974. The total relative uncertainty for estimating [131I]-capsule activity with our method was <±7.5% which is lower than the uncertainty of the nominal activity and quite close to the threshold limit for the maximum allowed uncertainty of ± 5% for measuring activity in radioactive drugs. T he reduction of the hand dose caused by our method was 97% compared with the conventional measurements of the [131I]-capsules in a dose calibrator. CONCLUSION: Measuring DR on the surface of the closed lead containers enables the [131I]-capsules activity to be estimated simply, reliably and with sufficient accuracy leading to significant reduction of the radiation exposure for the medical staff. PMID:35306454 | DOI:10.1016/j.ejmp.2022.03.009 View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Low-Risk Papillary Thyroid Cancer: Treatment De-Escalation and Cost Implications

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader Low-Risk Papillary Thyroid Cancer: Treatment De-Escalation and Cost Implications Via radioactive iodine J Surg Res. 2022 Mar 17;275:273-280. doi: 10.1016/j.jss.2022.01.019. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION: The American Thyroid Association (ATA) updated consensus guidelines in 2015 for radioactive iodine (RAI) and resection for low-risk papillary thyroid cancer. The objective of this study was to describe the evolution of institutional practice patterns and estimate the cost implications of these trends. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with cT1-T2N0 papillary thyroi d cancer were identified via an institutional tumor registry. Incidences of total thyroidectomy or RAI were tracked longitudinally using cumulative sum. Real-world costs for RAI and each surgical encounter were adjusted for inflation and standardized to national average costs from National Inpatient Sample cost data. RESULTS: Sixty-one patients met inclusion criteria between 2007 and 2018. Among these, 28 patients underwent total thyroidectomies and received RAI treatments based on criteria pre-dating the 2015 ATA guidelines. Cumulative sum revealed significant decreases in the rate of total thyroidectomy following May 2015 (15.8% versus 59.5%, P = 0.002) and RAI following March 2013 (3.0% versus 32.1%, P = 0.002). There were no locoregional recurrences in either period. The average cost savings attributable to these institutional practice changes was $1580 per patient. CONCLUSIONS: De-escalation in surgical and RAI utilization for low-risk papillary thyroid cancer accor ding to 2015 ATA guidelines is associated with a substantial decrease in real-world costs. PMID:35306263 | DOI:10.1016/j.jss.2022.01.019 View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Ophthalmic features and management of 86 patients with cryptophthalmos-A refined classification to assist in surgical planning

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader Ophthalmic features and management of 86 patients with cryptophthalmos-A refined classification to assist in surgical planning Via Journal of plastic, reconstructive & aesthetic surgery : JPRAS J Plast Reconstr Aesthet Surg. 2022 Feb 26:S1748-6815(22)00078-X. doi: 10.1016/j.bjps.2022.02.007. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT BACKGROUND/AIMS: This study aimed to describe a cohort of patients with cryptophthalmos (CO), characterize associated oculofacial abnormalities, and expand the classification to summarize surgical strategies for managing CO. METHODS: A retrospective, interventional case series was conducted on 86 patients (124 eyes) with CO. The study proposed further classifying complete and incomplete CO into cyst, microphthalmia, anophthalmia, and normal eyeball based on globe structures and then modifying surgery accordingly. The demography, ophthalmic features, systemic anomalies, operation methods, and treatment outcomes were reviewed. RESULTS: CO was complete in seven eyes (5.6%) and incomplete in eight eyes (6.5%). A total of 109 eyes (87.9%) of abortive CO were encountered. Among 15 eyes (13 patients) o f complete and incomplete types, 9 (60.0%) eyeballs were identified as cysts, 3 (20.0%) as microphthalmia, 1 (6.7%) as anophthalmia, and 2 (13.3%) as normal eyeballs. Cyst reduction was performed in eight eyes and one patient underwent enucleation with hydroxyapatite implantation. The socket was fit with an ocular prosthesis or a conformer after fornix and eyelid reconstruction. Microphthalmia was enucleated, and hydroxyapatites were implanted; patients were fit with ocular prosthesis or conformer after fornix and eyelid reconstruction. A complete CO with normal eyeball was reported with the eyesight of hand movement after ocular surface reconstruction. The upper eyelid contour and adequate fornix were maintained after coloboma repair and fornix reconstruction in all patients with abortive CO. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates the clinical manifestations of different types of CO and expands the manifestation spectrum, proposing a refined classification of CO and modifying su rgical strategies accordingly. PMID:35305918 | DOI:10.1016/j.bjps.2022.02.007 View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

The effects of Cricothyroid Visor Maneuver (CVM) therapy on the voice characteristics of patients with muscular tension dysphonia: A Case Series Study

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader The effects of Cricothyroid Visor Maneuver (CVM) therapy on the voice characteristics of patients with muscular tension dysphonia: A Case Series Study Via Voice Publication date: Available online 20 March 2022 Source: Journal of Voice Author(s): Shahouzaie Nasrin, Dehqan Ali, Jamali Jamshid, Ghaemi Hamed, Rasoulian Bashir, Ghaemi Hamide View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Feasibility of Mobile and Sensor Technology for Remote Monitoring in Cancer Care and Prevention

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader Feasibility of Mobile and Sensor Technology for Remote Monitoring in Cancer Care and Prevention Via swallowing exercises AMIA Annu Symp Proc. 2022 Feb 21;2021:979-988. eCollection 2021. ABSTRACT Objectives. Remote monitoring (RM) of health-related outcomes may optimize cancer care and prevention outside of clinic settings. CYCORE is a software-based system for collection and analyses of sensor and mobile data. We evaluated CYCORE's feasibility in studies assessing: (1) physical functioning in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients; (2) swallowing exercise adherence in head and neck cancer (HNC) pati ents during radiation therapy; and (3) tobacco use in cancer survivors post-tobacco treatment (TTP). Methods. Participants completed RM: for CRC, blood pressure, activity, GPS; for HNC, video of swallowing exercises; for TTP, expired carbon monoxide. Patient-reported outcomes were assessed daily. Results. For CRC, HNC and TTP, respectively, 50, 37, and 50 participants achieved 96%, 84%, 96% completion rates. Also, 91-100% rated ease and self-efficacy as highly favorable, 72-100% gave equivalent ratings for overall satisfaction, 72-93% had low/no data privacy concerns. Conclusion. RM was highly feasible and acceptable for patients across diverse use cases. PMID:35308916 | PMC:PMC8861680 View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Common exacerbation-prone phenotypes across asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader Common exacerbation-prone phenotypes across asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) Via Rhinitis by Kentaro Hyodo, Hironori Masuko, Hisayuki Oshima, Rie Shigemasa, Haruna Kitazawa, Jun Kanazawa, Hiroaki Iijima, Hiroichi Ishikawa, Takahide Kodama, Akihiro Nomura, Katsunori Kagohashi, Hiroaki Satoh, Takefumi Saito, Tohru Sakamoto, Nobuyuki Hizawa Background and objectives Chronic inflammatory airway diseases, including asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), are complex syndromes with diverse clinical symptoms due to multiple pathophysiological conditions. In this study, using common and shared risk factors for the exacerbation of asthma and COPD, we sought to clarify the exacerbation-prone phenotypes beyond disease labels, and to specifically investigate the role of the IL4RA gene polymorphism, which is related to type 2 inflammation, in these exacerbation-prone phenotypes. Methods The study population comprised patients with asthma (n = 117), asthma-COPD overlap (ACO; n = 37) or COPD (n = 48) and a history of exacerbation within the previous year. Cluster analyses were performed using factors associated with both asthma and COPD exacerbation. The association of the IL4RA gene polymorphism rs8832 with each exacerbation-prone phenotype was evaluated by multinomial logistic analyses usi ng non-asthma non-COPD healthy adults as controls (n = 1,529). In addition, the genetic influence of rs8832 was also examined in asthma patients with allergic rhinitis and no history of exacerbation (n = 130). Results Two-step cluster analyses identified five clusters that did not necessarily correspond to the diagnostic disease labels. Cluster 1 was characterized by high eosinophil counts, cluster 2 was characterized by smokers with impaired lung function, cluster 3 was characterized by the presence of gastroesophageal reflux, cluster 4 was characterized by non-allergic females, and cluster 5 was characterized by allergic rhinitis and elevated total immunoglobulin E levels. A significant association with rs8832 was observed for cluster 5 (odds ratio, 3.88 (1.34–11.26), p = 0.013) and also for the type 2 exacerbation-prone phenotypes (clusters 1 and 5: odds ratio, 2.73 (1.45–5.15), p = 1.9 × 10−3). Discussion Our results indicated that t he clinical heterogeneity of disease exacerbation may reflect the presence of common exacerbation-prone endotypes across asthma and COPD, and may support the use of the treatable traits approach for the prevention of exacerbations in patients with chronic inflammatory airway diseases. View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Hyperexcitability in adult mice with severe deficiency in NaV1.2 channels

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader Hyperexcitability in adult mice with severe deficiency in Na<sub>V</sub>1.2 channels Via International Journal of Physiology, Pathophysiology and Pharmacology Int J Physiol Pathophysiol Pharmacol. 2022 Feb 15;14(1):55-59. eCollection 2022. ABSTRACT Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological diseases. Epileptic individuals are faced with seizures, which are largely caused by enhanced neuronal excitability and/or decreased neuronal inhibitory activity. SCN2A encodes a neuronal voltage-gated sodium channel, NaV1.2 that is primarily found in excitatory neurons throughout the brain. NaV1.2 is most concentrated within the principal neurons of the corticostriatal circuit, which includes pyramidal neurons in the medial prefrontal cortex and medium spiny neurons in the striatum. In the early stage of adult development, the NaV1.2 channel plays critical roles in generation and propagation of action potentials in these neurons. Gain of Function variants of SCN2A results in unprovoked seizures and epilepsy, while loss-of-function variants of SCN2A is a leading cause for autism spectrum disorder as well as intellectual disability. Previous studies have shown that full deletion of Scn2a gene in mice is lethal and partial disruption of Scn2a gene (less than 50%) leads to inhibition of neuronal excitability. A recent study from Dr. Yang's laboratory revealed an unexpected result from mice with severe NaV1.2 deficiency and they demonstrated that severe deletion of Scn2a gene (around 68% gene disruption) in NaV1.2 triggers neuronal hyperexcitability in adult mice. Their findings may explain the puzzling clinical observation that certain individuals with NaV1.2 deficiency still develop unprovoked seizure. With the knowledge that using sodium-channel blockers simply exacerbates the seizure, the need for understanding the intrinsic nature of the NaV1.2 channel provides an important research topic in the future. PMID:35310859 | PMC:PMC8918607 View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.