Automatic microscopes are disclosing new opportunities to the technique of nuclear emulsions as particle detectors. The system described in the present paper achieves the unprecedented scanning speed ...of 20 cm 2 /h/emulsion layer, with a measurement precision of 0.3 mum. These performances are obtained with commercial hardware and custom software joined in a fully engineered system that is already built in several replicas used in daily duty in many European laboratories
Although hand hygiene is the most important measure in preventing infection transmission in healthcare settings, adherence to recommendations among healthcare workers is low. We implemented and ...assessed the impact of a World Health Organization-recommended educational intervention to improve hand hygiene adherence at the endoscopy unit of a Brazilian tertiary hospital.
Hand hygiene adherence and techniques used by healthcare workers of the endoscopy unit in the course of their duties were observed unobtrusively by four nurses from the infection control unit. Data were collected at every opportunity for hand hygiene. Evaluations were carried out before and 1 and 10 months after an educational intervention. The intervention consisted of task-orientated training sessions, with live demonstrations of the multitude of opportunities for hand hygiene and the appropriate techniques. In addition to assessing hand hygiene practices, we also evaluated staff knowledge through standardized questionnaires administered before and after the education intervention. Adherence was defined as hand hygiene/disinfection at an opportunity for hand hygiene.
Adherence improved from 21.4 % before the intervention to 63.3 % 1 month and 73.5 % 10 months after the educational intervention. Correct answers to the questionnaire were 82.1 % on pre-intervention test and 85.7 % on post-intervention test.
Hand hygiene rates were low before the education intervention and improved significantly after it. Against expectations, adherence to hand hygiene practices had increased further at 10 months after the intervention, reinforcing the intervention's positive impact.
Abstract
Background: The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is an independent predictor of poor prognosis inunselected breast cancer patients with NLR >3.3. Moreover, pre-treatment NLR has been ...associated with disease-free and overal survival (OS) in patients with early triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). We aimed to determine whether the NLR is predictive of progression-free survival (PFS) in metastatic TNBC.
Methods: We reviewed the records of 48 TNBC patients who received at least one administration of first-line (1°L) chemotherapy for advanced disease from October 2004 to April 2014. The NLR (absolute neutrophil count/absolute lymphocyte count) was calculated from the full blood count routinely performed immediately before the initiation of first-line treatment. The association between categorical variables was calculated by X2 test. PFS (from start of 1°L treatment to disease progression or death) and OS (from start of 1°L treatment to death) were estimated using Kaplan Meier method. Multivariable Cox regression was used to determine the independent prognostic significances of the NLR (co-variables stage at diagnosis, histology, and tumor grade).
Results: NLR was not associated with stage at diagnosis (p=0.214), histology (p=0.597), or tumor grade (p=0.775). After a median follow-up of 10.9 months (range 1.3-54.9), 88.6% of TNBC patients with NLR≤3.3 versus 0.0% of patients with NLR>3.3 had a 1°L PFS>3 months (p<0.001). Similarly, 62.9% of TNBC patients with NLR≤3.3 versus 30.8% of patients with NLR>3.3 had an OS>10 months (p=0.047). Metastatic TNBC patients with NLR≤3.3 had a longer median 1°L PFS (5.2 months) and median OS (13.5 months) compared with patients with NLR>3.3 (1°L PFS 2.1 months, p<0.001; OS 7.7 months, p=0.018). In multivariable analysis, NLR>3.3 is associated with a shorter PFS (hazard ratio HR 22.4; 95% confidence interval CI 6.7-75.1, p<0.001) and higher risk of death (HR 3.2, 95%CI 1.4-7.4, p=0.005).
Conclusion: Our study showed that pre-treatment NLR is associated with 1°L PFS and OS in patients with metastatic TNBC. However, further investigation in larger series of metastatic TNBC is warranted.
Citation Format: Fontanella C, Fanotto V, Gerratana L, Bonotto M, Cinausero M, Bozza C, Iacono D, Russo S, Andreetta C, Minisini AM, Moroso S, Mansutti M, Fasola G, Puglisi F. Usefulness of the pre-treatment neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in predicting first-line progression free-survival in triple-negative breast cancer patients. abstract. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Eighth Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2015 Dec 8-12; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P2-08-06.
The results of the analysis of the data collected with the NEMO Phase-2 tower, deployed at 3500m depth about 80km off-shore Capo Passero (Italy), are presented. Čerenkov photons detected with the ...photomultipliers tubes were used to reconstruct the tracks of atmospheric muons. Their zenith-angle distribution was measured and the results compared with Monte Carlo simulations. An evaluation of the systematic effects due to uncertainties on environmental and detector parameters is also included. The associated depth intensity relation was evaluated and compared with previous measurements and theoretical predictions. With the present analysis, the muon depth intensity relation has been measured up to 13km of water equivalent.
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