Evaluation of 18F-2-deoxy-2-fluoro-glucose positron emission tomography for gastric cancer screening in asymptomatic individuals undergoing endoscopy

18F-2-deoxy-2-fluoro-glucose Positron Emission Tomography (FDG-PET) has been recently proposed as a promising cancer-screening test. However, the validity of FDG-PET in cancer screening has not been evaluated. We investigated the sensitivity of FDG-PET compared with upper gastric endoscopy in gastric cancer screening for asymptomatic individuals. A total of 2861 consecutive subjects (1600 men and 1261 women) who were asymptomatic and who underwent both FDG-PET and upper gastrointestinal endoscopy between 1 February 2004 and 31 January 2005 were included in this study. Both endoscopists and a radiologist were unaware of the results of the other diagnostic tests. The FDG-PET images were examined using criteria determined by the pattern of FDG accumulation. Sensitivity and specificity of FDG-PET were calculated compared with endoscopic diagnosis as the gold standard. Among 2861 subjects enrolled in the study, there were 20 subjects with gastric cancer, of whom 18 were T1 in depth of cancer invasion. Positive FDG-PET results were obtained only in 2 of the 20 cancer subjects. The calculated sensitivity and specificity for overall gastric cancers were 10.0% (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.2–31.7%) and 99.2% (95% CI: 98.8–99.5%), respectively. 18F-2-deoxy-2-fluoro-glucose Positron Emission Tomography was poorly sensitive for detection of gastric cancer in the early stages

Care planning interventions for care home residents: A scoping review

Context: Previous reviews of care planning (CP) interventions in care homes focus on higher quality research methodologies and exclusively consider advanced care planning (ACP), thereby excluding many intervention-based studies that could inform current practice. CP is concerned with residents’ current circumstances while ACP focuses on expressing preferences which relate to future care decisions. Objectives: To identify, map, and summarise studies reporting CP interventions for older people in care homes. Methods: Seven electronic databases were searched from 1 January 2012 until 1 January 2022. Studies of CP interventions, targeted at older people (>60 years) whose primary place of residence was a care home, were eligible for inclusion. Two reviewers independently screened the titles and abstracts of 3,778 articles. Following a full text review of 404 articles, data from 112 eligible articles were extracted using a predefined data extraction form. Findings: Studies were conducted in 25 countries and the majority of studies took place in the USA, Australia, and the UK. Most interventions occurred within nursing homes (61%, 68/112). More than 90% of interventions (93%, 104/112) targeted staff, and training was the most common focus (80%, 83/104), although only one included training for ancillary staff (such as cleaners and caterers). Only a third of studies (35%, 39/112) involved family and friends, and 62% (69/112) described interventions to improve CP practices through multiple means. Limitations: Only papers written in English were included and so potentially relevant studies may have been omitted. Implications: Two groups of people – ancillary workers and family and friends – who could play a valuable role in CP, were often not included in CP interventions. These oversights should be addressed in future research

The IARC perspective on cervical cancer screening

In May 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) called for a global initiative to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health problem. To achieve this goal, global scale-up of effective vaccination against the human papillomavirus (HPV) as well as screening for and treatment of cervical cancer are required. Cervical cancer screening was evaluated in 2005 by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) Handbooks program,1 and a reevaluation was deemed to be timely given the major advances in the field since then. The new handbook provides updated evaluations of the effectiveness of screening methods, which were used as a basis for the update of the WHO Guideline for Screening and Treatment of Cervical Pre-cancer Lesions for Cervical Cancer Prevention.2 We convened an IARC Working Group of 27 scientists from 20 countries to assess the evidence on the current approaches to and technologies used in cervical cancer screening with the use of the newly updated Handbooks Preamble3 (Fig. 1) and Table 1).Fil: Bouvard, Véronique. International Agency For Research On Cancer; FranciaFil: Wentzensen, Nicolas. National Cancer Institute; Estados UnidosFil: Mackie, Anne. Public Health England; Reino UnidoFil: Berkhof, Johannes. University of Amsterdam; Países BajosFil: Brotherton, Julia. VCS Foundation; Australia. University of Melbourne; AustraliaFil: Giorgi Rossi, Paolo. Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale Di Reggio Emilia; ItaliaFil: Kupets, Rachel. University of Toronto; CanadáFil: Smith, Robert. American Cancer Society; Estados UnidosFil: Arrossi, Silvina. Centro de Estudios de Estado y Sociedad; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Bendahhou, Karima. Casablanca Cancer Registry; MarruecosFil: Canfell, Karen. The University Of Sydney; AustraliaFil: Chirenje, Z. Mike. University Of Zimbabwe; ZimbabueFil: Chung, Michael H.. University of Emory; Estados UnidosFil: del Pino, Marta. Hospital Clinico de Barcelona; EspañaFil: de Sanjosé, Silvia. Program for Appropriate Technology in Health; Estados UnidosFil: Elfström, Miriam. Karolinska Huddinge Hospital. Karolinska Institutet; SueciaFil: Franco, Eduardo L.. McGill University; CanadáFil: Hamashima, Chisato. Teikyo University; JapónFil: Hamers, Françoise F.. French National Public Health Agency; FranciaFil: Herrington, C. Simon. University of Edinburgh; Reino UnidoFil: Murillo, Raúl. Hospital Universitario San Ignacio; ColombiaFil: Sangrajrang, Suleeporn. National Cancer Institute; TailandiaFil: Sankaranarayanan, Rengaswamy. Research Triangle Institute; Estados UnidosFil: Saraiya, Mona. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Estados UnidosFil: Schiffman, Mark. National Cancer Institute; Estados UnidosFil: Zhao, Fanghui. Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College; ChinaFil: Arbyn, Marc. Sciensano; BélgicaFil: Prendiville, Walter. International Agency For Research On Cancer; FranciaFil: Indave Ruiz, Blanca I.. International Agency For Research On Cancer; FranciaFil: Mosquera Metcalfe, Isabel. International Agency For Research On Cancer; FranciaFil: Lauby Secretan, Béatrice. International Agency For Research On Cancer; Franci

Genetic analysis of the capsule polysaccharide (K antigen) and exopolysaccharide genes in pandemic Vibrio parahaemolyticus O3:K6

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Pandemic <it>Vibrio parahaemolyticus </it>has undergone rapid changes in both K- and O-antigens, making detection of outbreaks more difficult. In order to understand these rapid changes, the genetic regions encoding these antigens must be examined. In <it>Vibrio cholerae </it>and <it>Vibrio vulnificus</it>, both O-antigen and capsular polysaccharides are encoded in a single region on the large chromosome; a similar arrangement in pandemic <it>V. parahaemolyticus </it>would help explain the rapid serotype changes. However, previous reports on "capsule" genes are controversial. Therefore, we set out to clarify and characterize these regions in pandemic <it>V. parahaemolyticus </it>O3:K6 by gene deletion using a chitin based transformation strategy.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We generated different deletion mutants of putative polysaccharide genes and examined the mutants by immuno-blots with O and K specific antisera. Our results showed that O- and K-antigen genes are separated in <it>V. parahaemolyticus </it>O3:K6; the region encoding both O-antigen and capsule biosynthesis in other vibrios, i.e. genes between <it>gmhD </it>and <it>rjg</it>, determines the K6-antigen but not the O3-antigen in <it>V. parahaemolyticus</it>. The previously identified "capsule genes" on the smaller chromosome were related to exopolysaccharide synthesis, not K-antigen.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Understanding of the genetic basis of O- and K-antigens is critical to understanding the rapid changes in these polysaccharides seen in pandemic <it>V. parahaemolyticus. </it>This report confirms the genetic location of K-antigen synthesis in <it>V. parahaemolyticus </it>O3:K6 allowing us to focus future studies of the evolution of serotypes to this region.</p

Procyanidins are potent inhibitors of LOX-1: a new player in the French Paradox

Lectin-like oxidized LDL receptor-1 (LOX-1) is an endothelial receptor for oxidized LDL (oxLDL) and plays multiple roles in the development of cardiovascular diseases. We screened more than 400 foodstuff extracts for identifying materials that inhibit oxLDL binding to LOX-1. Results showed that 52 extracts inhibited LOX-1 by more than 70% in cell-free assays. Subsequent cell-based assays revealed that a variety of foodstuffs known to be rich in procyanidins such as grape seed extracts and apple polyphenols, potently inhibited oxLDL uptake in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells expressing LOX-1. Indeed, purified procyanidins significantly inhibited oxLDL binding to LOX-1 while other ingredients of apple polyphenols did not. Moreover, chronic administration of oligomeric procyanidins suppressed lipid accumulation in vascular wall in hypertensive rats fed with high fat diet. These results suggest that procyanidins are LOX-1 inhibitors and LOX-1 inhibition might be a possible underlying mechanism of the well-known vascular protective effects of red wine, the French Paradox

Feasibility test of a UK-scalable electronic system for regular collection of patient-reported outcome measures and linkage with clinical cancer registry data: The electronic Patient-reported Outcomes from Cancer Survivors (ePOCS) system

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Cancer survivors can face significant physical and psychosocial challenges; there is a need to identify and predict which survivors experience what sorts of difficulties. As highlighted in the UK National Cancer Survivorship Initiative, routine post-diagnostic collection of patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) is required; to be most informative, PROMs must be linked and analysed with patients' diagnostic and treatment information. We have designed and built a potentially cost-efficient UK-scalable electronic system for collecting PROMs via the internet, at regular post-diagnostic time-points, for linking these data with patients' clinical data in cancer registries, and for electronically managing the associated patient monitoring and communications; the electronic Patient-reported Outcomes from Cancer Survivors (ePOCS) system. This study aims to test the feasibility of the ePOCS system, by running it for 2 years in two Yorkshire NHS Trusts, and using the Northern and Yorkshire Cancer Registry and Information Service.</p> <p>Methods/Design</p> <p>Non-metastatic breast, colorectal and prostate cancer patients (largest survivor groups), within 6 months post-diagnosis, will be recruited from hospitals in the Yorkshire Cancer Network. Participants will be asked to complete PROMS, assessing a range of health-related quality-of-life outcomes, at three time-points up to 15 months post-diagnosis, and subsequently to provide opinion on the ePOCS system via a feedback questionnaire. Feasibility will be examined primarily in terms of patient recruitment and retention rates, the representativeness of participating patients, the quantity and quality of collected PROMs data, patients' feedback, the success and reliability of the underpinning informatics, and the system running costs. If sufficient data are generated during system testing, these will be analysed to assess the health-related quality-of-life outcomes reported by patients, and to explore if and how they relate to disease, treatment and/or individual differences characteristics.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>There is currently no system in the UK for collecting PROMs online and linking these with patients' clinical data in cancer registries. If feasible, ePOCS has potential to provide an affordable UK-scalable technical platform to facilitate and support longitudinal cohort research, and improve understanding of cancer survivors' experiences. Comprehensive understanding of survivorship difficulties is vital to inform the development and provision of supportive services and interventions.</p