Australia-wide consensus was reached on seven core concepts of physiology, which included homeostasis, a fundamental concept for students to understand as they develop their basic knowledge of ...physiological regulatory mechanisms. The term homeostasis is most commonly used to describe how the internal environment of mammalian systems maintains relative constancy. The descriptor "the internal environment of the organism is actively regulated by the responses of cells, tissues, and organs through feedback systems" was unpacked by a team of three Australian Physiology educators into 5 themes and 18 subthemes arranged in a hierarchy. Using a five-point Likert scale, the unpacked concept was rated by 24 physiology educators from 24 Australian Universities for level of importance and level of difficulty for students. Survey data were analyzed using a one-way ANOVA to compare between and within concept themes and subthemes. There were no differences in main themes for level of importance, with all ratings between essential or important.
was almost unanimously rated as essential. Difficulty ratings for unpacked concept themes averaged between slightly difficult and moderately difficult. The Australian team concurred with published literature that there are inconsistencies in the way the critical components of homeostatic systems are represented and interpreted. We aimed to simplify the components of the concept so that undergraduates would be able to easily identify the language used and build on their knowledge.
The homeostasis core concept of physiology was defined and unpacked by an Australian team with the goal of constructing a resource that will improve learning and teaching of this core physiology concept in an Australian Higher Education context.
Acute gastrointestinal (GI) toxicity has been studied in GI and gynecological (GYN) cancers, with volume receiving 15 Gy (V15) <830 mL, V25 <650 mL, and V45 <195 mL identified as dose constraints for ...the peritoneal space (bowel bag BB). There are no reported constraints derived from retroperitoneal sarcoma (RPS), and prospective trials for RPS have adopted some of the GI and GYN constraints. This study quantified GI toxicity during preoperative radiation therapy (RT) for RPS, assessed toxicity using published constraints, and evaluated predictors for toxicity.
From 2003 to 2013, 56 patients with RPS underwent preoperative RT at 2 institutions. Toxicity was scored using Radiation Therapy Oncology Group criteria for upper and lower acute GI toxicity. BB was contoured on planning computed tomography scans per Radiation Therapy Oncology Group atlas guidelines with review by a radiologist. Relationships among toxicity, clinical factors, and BB dose were analyzed.
Three patients (5%) developed grade ≥3 acute GI toxicity: 2 grade 3 toxicities (anorexia and nausea) and 1 grade 5 toxicity (tumor-bowel fistula). Thirty-six patients (64%) had grade 2 toxicity (nausea, 55%; diarrhea, 23%; pain, 20%). Tumor size was the only significant clinical predictor of grade ≥2 acute GI toxicity. Larger mean BB volumes predicted for grade ≥2 toxicity (P = .001). On receiver operating characteristics analysis, V30 was the best discriminator for toxicity (P = .0001). Median BB V15 was 1375 mL; 75% of patients had V15 ≥830 mL. Median V25 was 1083 mL; 68% had V25 ≥650 mL. Median V45 was 575 mL; 82% had V45 ≥195 mL. V25 ≥650 mL was significantly associated with grade ≥2 toxicity (P = .01).
Among patients treated with preoperative RT for RPS, significant acute GI toxicity was very low despite BB dose exceeding established constraints for most cases. Acceptable dose constraints for RPS may be higher than those for GI or GYN cancers. Further assessment of dose-volume constraints for RPS is needed.
Background:
Post-cardiac surgery renal dysfunction is a common, serious, multifactorial disorder, with interpatient variability predicted poorly by preoperative clinical, procedural, and biological ...markers. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that selected gene variants are associated with acute renal injury, reflected by a serum creatinine level increase after cardiac surgery.
Methods:
One thousand six hundred seventy-one patients undergoing aortocoronary surgery were studied. Clinical covariates were recorded. DNA was isolated from preoperative blood; mass spectrometry was used for genotype analysis. A model was developed relating clinical and genetic factors to postoperative acute renal injury.
Results:
A race effect was found; therefore, Caucasians and African Americans were analyzed separately. Overall, clinical factors alone account poorly for postoperative renal injury, although more so in African Americans than Caucasians. When 12 candidate polymorphisms were assessed, 2 alleles (interleukin 6 −572C and angiotensinogen 842C) showed a strong association with renal injury in Caucasians (
P < 0.0001; >50% decrease in renal filtration when they present together). Using less stringent criteria for significance (0.01 >
P > 0.001), 4 additional polymorphisms are identified (apolipoproteinE 448C ϵ4, angiotensin receptor1 1166C, and endothelial nitric oxide synthase eNOS 894T in Caucasians; eNOS 894T and angiotensin-converting enzyme deletion and insertion in African Americans). Adding genetic to clinical factors resulted in the best model, with overall ability to explain renal injury increasing approximately 4-fold in Caucasians and doubling in African Americans (
P < 0.0005).
Conclusion:
In this study, we identify genetic polymorphisms that collectively provide 2- to 4-fold improvement over preoperative clinical factors alone in explaining post-cardiac surgery renal dysfunction. From a mechanistic perspective, most identified genetic variants are associated with increased renal inflammatory and/or vasoconstrictor responses.
The primary cause of death for men and women in the United States is heart disease. Obesity and diabetes are major contributors to heart disease, and the risk is worsened in the presence of stress. ...It is clinically useful to identify predictors of obesity and prediabetes in a working population. The purpose of this current cross-sectional, correlational study was to examine relationships among obesity, prediabetes, and perceived stress in municipal workers using a subset of worksite wellness program data from employees screened in 2010 and 2011. Multiple regression models indicated that age, gender, race, HA1c, shift schedule, physical activity, and occupation were significant predictors of obesity in municipal workers ( p < .01). Prediabetes in municipal workers was predicted by age, Black race, and body mass index (BMI; p < .01). Perceived stress was not a significant predictor of obesity or prediabetes in municipal workers. Overall, the findings of this study provide guidance to occupational health nurses when evaluating individuals in an occupational health setting. Further research is needed to examine relationships among the variables and validate the models.
Introduction: Bleomycin has been an integral part of classical Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) treatment for decades but carries significant toxicity. In particular, acute bleomycin-related lung toxicity ...occurs in a minority of patients (pts) but has mortality rates as high as 25%. The long-term effects of bleomycin in HL and its impact on lung function are not well known and there is no established guidance for lung screening. The aim of this analysis was to evaluate the impact of bleomycin dose on lung function up to 5 years after treatment in pts recruited to the international, phase 3 RATHL trial. Methods: RATHL recruited pts with intermediate- or advanced-stage HL aged ≥18 years. Pts received 2 cycles of standard ABVD followed by PET assessment. Pts with complete metabolic response (CMR) received 4 further cycles of chemotherapy, with (ABVD arm; n=469) or without (AVD arm; n=464) bleomycin (12 or 4 doses bleomycin in total, respectively). PET-positive pts switched to BEACOPP-based treatment (total 8-10 doses bleomycin; n=172). Pulmonary function tests (PFTs) were performed at baseline, end of treatment (EOT) and annually for 5 years. Linear regression was used to assess changes in DLCO from baseline and Cox regression used to assess the time to return to within 10% of baseline values, censoring at relapse or death, in all pts, and those with a more than 10% reduction at EOT. Results: Median age was 33 years (range 18 - 79), 8.2% were aged >60 and 15.1% had a pre-existing respiratory disorder, including asthma in 8.4%. In pts with available data, 18.2% were smokers and 22.2% were ex-smokers with a median of 10 pack-years (IQR: 4 - 20). Baseline DLCO values were low (<75%) in 339 (29.8%) pts and were influenced by disease burden, with lower median DLCO in pts with mediastinal bulk (79%, IQR: 69.0 - 89.4) than in those without (83.1% (73- 94), p=0.006). Grade ≥3 respiratory adverse events occurred more frequently in the ABVD arm (17 events; 3.6%) than with AVD (7 events; 1.5%), p = 0.041. There was one respiratory death (pulmonary fibrosis) in the ABVD arm. PFT data were available for 779 pts at EOT, 386 pts at 2-year follow up and 196 pts at 5 years; uptake of repeat PFT was unaffected by treatment arm or presence of prior abnormal results. Changes in DLCO adjusted to baseline values for randomised patients are shown in the Figure. Pts randomised to AVD had a significantly smaller reduction in DLCO at EOT compared to those given ABVD or escalated to BEACOPP: +4.1% (95%CI: 1.8 to 6.5, p = 0.001 and +4.1 (0.1 to 8.0) p = 0.043). Other factors associated with a reduction in DLCO were age (-1.6% (-2.4 to -0.8) for a 10-year increase, p<0.001), female sex (-2.7% (-5.0 to -0.44), p=0.019) and baseline pulmonary disease (-4.9 (-8.4 to -1.4), p = 0.006). There was no evidence of an association with abnormal baseline DLCO values. DLCO had reduced to <90% of baseline values for 247 pts (59.8%) in the ABVD arm compared with 167 pts (40.6%; p<0.001) with AVD, and 63 (53.1%) with BEACOPP. At 2 years after EOT, DLCO had recovered to within 90% of baseline for 69.6% (95% CI: 64.9 - 74.1) of pts in the ABVD arm, 81.4% (77.4 - 85.2) with AVD and 68.5% (59.8 - 76.9) with BEACOPP. DLCO values remained <90% of baseline for 136 pts during follow-up with no reported recovery, with a median PFT follow-up of 18.3 months (IQR: 6.4 - 42.7) after registration. 58 pts had persistent reductions in DLCO at ≥2-year follow up (35 ABVD arm, 10 AVD; 13 BEACOPP arm). Factors associated with a slower recovery of DLCO on univariable analysis were treatment on the ABVD arm (HR 0.71, 95% CI: 0.57 - 0.90; p=0.004 compared with AVD), history of pulmonary disease (HR 0.66 (0.46 - 0.95; p=0.023) and female sex (HR 1.25, 1.01 - 1.54; p=0.041). DLCO values were consistently higher in the AVD arm than with ABVD throughout follow-up with a mean difference of 3.2% (95% CI: 0.3 to 6.1; p=0.029) at 2 years and 5.0% (1.20 to 8.8; p=0.010) at 5 years, after adjustment for baseline DLCO values (see Figure). Findings were consistent after excluding the minority of pts that received radiotherapy. Conclusions: Baseline RFTs are influenced by disease burden and do not predict subsequent bleomycin-related changes in lung function. Whilst individual grade ≥3 events were uncommon, there was a population-wide reduction in diffusion capacity that was only partially reversible at 5 years, findings that might have clinical consequences in later years for pts cured of HL. These data strongly support efforts to minimise bleomycin use in the treatment of HL.
Purpose: The introduction of targeted agents has been a major advance in the treatment of classical Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) but the optimal application and sequencing of these agents is unclear. The ...CD30-targeted antibody-drug conjugate brentuximab vedotin (BV) is licensed for treatment of relapsed and refractory (R/R) HL as monotherapy and is available in the United Kingdom as third-line (3L) therapy for HL. BV has been evaluated in combination with chemotherapy in single-arm trials with very promising results, but randomised data are lacking. The aim of this analysis was to compare the efficacy of BV monotherapy with BV plus bendamustine (BVB) as 3L treatment of HL in a real-world UK cohort. Methods: Data were retrospectively collectively for consecutive patients receiving treatment for R/R HL with intent to consolidate with stem cell transplant (SCT) between 01/2015 and 12/2019 at 11 UK centres. Use of BVB was principally determined by availability, due to regional differences in BV funding in the UK, rather than patient disposition. Response was assessed by PET according to the Lugano Classification. Most analyses use descriptive statistics. Time-to-event analyses are measured from the start of 3L treatment until the first event (death for overall survival and death or further therapy for treatment failure) with groups compared using Kaplan Meier survival analysis and Cox regression. Results: 96 patients received BV and 30 received BVB. Baseline demographics are provided in the Table. Patients receiving BVB were slightly younger in age at diagnosis (p=0.031), but a slightly higher proportion had primary refractory disease (p=0.16) and failed to respond to second-line therapy (p=0.034). Numerically fewer patients in the BVB arm had received prior SCT (p=0.16). Patients received a median of 4 cycles of BV monotherapy (range 3 - 5). Patients treated with BVB received a median of 3 cycles of bendamustine (IQR 2 - 4) and 4 cycles of BV (IQR 3 - 5); 2 patients discontinued bendamustine after 1 cycle due to adverse reactions. Complete metabolic response was achieved in 34 patients (37.4%) with BV and 22 patients (73.3%) with BVB, with overall response rates of 57.3% and 93.3%, respectively (OR 9.2; 95% CI: 2.06 - 40.86; p=0.004). SCT consolidation was performed after 3L treatment in 33 patients (34.4%) following BV (26 autologous, 7 allogeneic) and 22 patients (73.3%) after BVB (17 autologous, 5 allogeneic). Median follow-up was 30.1 months after BV (IQR: 15.3 - 46.8) and 18.1 months after BVB (15.4 - 29.8). Freedom-from-treatment-failure (FFTF) rates at 18 months were 41.5% (95% CI: 30.8 - 51.8) after BV and 62.9% (39.3 - 79.4) after BVB (HR 0.45, 95% CI 0.23 - 0.88; p=0.019; see Figure). Overall survival rates at 18 months were 76.9% (66.0 - 84.7) after BV and 88.4% (68.1 - 96.1) after BVB (HR 0.37, 95% CI 11 - 1.23; p=0.11. There were 29 deaths following BV, including 17 (17.7%) due to HL, 6 (6.3%) due to toxicity of SCT or subsequent treatment and 6 (6.3%) due to other causes/unknown. There were 3 deaths following BVB, all due to toxicity of SCT or subsequent treatment (10%). Eight patients received single-agent bendamustine after failure of BV monotherapy, at a median of 2.4 months after commencing BV. The median number of bendamustine cycles delivered was 2 (range 1 - 6). The overall response rates was 62.5%. Two patients (25%) achieved complete metabolic response; both underwent subsequent SCT. Conclusion: In this retrospective analysis, use of BVB as 3L treatment for R/R HL was associated with higher response rates, transplant rates and FFTF compared with BV monotherapy. Although toxicity data were not available, our results are otherwise consistent with phase 2 trial data with BVB as second-line therapy (LaCasce, Blood 2018;132:40, Broccoli, Blood Cancer Journal 2019;9:100). These data demonstrate that BVB is a highly effective regimen in R/R HL, and support its use in transplant-fit patients.
There is a growing awareness of the need for diversity and representation in the development of ethical robots. This is essential to ensure that the ethical considerations and decision-making ...processes built into these robots are inclusive and considerate of the diverse communities that will interact with them. Furthermore, it is important that diverse perspectives are included in the design, development, and evaluation of ethical robots to prevent potential biases and negative impacts on marginalized communities. With this foundation in mind, the purpose of this panel session is twofold: 1) to explore and discuss the ethical considerations and implications of diversity in AI research and robotic applications and 2) to foster a deeper understanding of the role that diverse perspectives and inclusive practices play in the development of responsible and equitable technology.
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