Pancreatic nodule positive for 68-Ga-DOTAPEPTIDE-PET: NET or ectopic spleen? The importance of a good differential diagnosis

Abstract Background Accessory spleen is a congenital defect in which splenic tissue is present outside the spleen. In 20% of cases, accessory spleen is localized within the pancreatic tail, a condition known as IPAS. The identification of this benign anomaly, which affects about 2% of general population, is not easy because it is often mistaken for a pNET which is more common, at around 5%. A 68-Ga-DOTAPEPTIDE-PET normally identifies pNETs with high rate of sensitivity and specificity, but in some conditions, it produces false positives, including IPAS. Materials and tools A clinical case we recently encountered, prompted us to review the available medical literature on the topic. Typing "intrapancreatic accessory spleen" into PubMed database and limiting research to the last 10 years yielded 121 results from which we selected the most relevant articles for decision-making, with a brief explanation of the reasons for selecting those. Our analysis focused on the most critical and least descriptive articles, those which clearly indicated the importance of differential diagnosis by promoting the use of advanced investigations in case of pancreatic nodule suspected for IPAS. Ultimately, our objective was to update the available guidelines recommendations. Discussion and conclusions Despite concern in the medical literature, a differential IPAS diagnosis is still subordinate to other clinical, radiological, nuclear medicine, and cytological criteria. After reviewing the literature, we recommend that IPAS should always be considered as a possibility before diagnosis of pNET is made. IPAS should be suspected in the presence of the following findings: asymptomatic pancreatic nodule found incidentally, absence of laboratory findings of NETs, localization in the pancreatic tail, between 1 and 3 cm in size with well-defined margins, homogeneous enhancement, and similar attenuation to the spleen on CT and MRI. In these cases, the use of advanced investigations beyond 68-Ga-DOTAPEPTIDE-PET must be systematic. The recognition of IPAS is not only a diagnostic refinement, but it also avoids unnecessary surgery for the patient

Condições pós-COVID: construção de um manual para os profissionais de saúde no manejo dos usuários

Background and Objectives: in the course of care for users affected by COVID-19, there were persistent signs and symptoms or the development of late symptoms called post-COVID conditions. Thus, it is necessary to promote Continuing Education in Health practices to meet post-COVID conditions. Thus, the study aimed to construct a manual to assist Primary Health Care (PHC) professionals in managing post-COVID conditions. Methods: the method proposed by Echer was adopted for constructing the manual, which provides six steps for structuring a manual. Moreover, this study used only five of them, and the sixth step consists of manual validity. In addition, the following guiding axes were established: objectivity, self-explanatory formulation, problematizing pedagogical approach inspired by Bordenave and Pereira and the Brazilian National Policy for Continuing Education in Health. Results: the study resulted in the construction of a manual that comprises 25 post-COVID conditions, presented in a didactic way, with content selection and language adjustment considering the target audience, with illustrations and flowcharts that facilitate the conduct of the line of clinical reasoning as well as inclusion of clinical cases aiming at bringing them closer to clinical practice. Conclusion: the manual construction allows professionals to offer the affected users a quality and resolutive assistance, minimizing the damage to their quality of life. Furthermore, it is expected that the manual will reach a wide dissemination in the most distinct health spaces, providing subsidies to health professionals.Justificación y Objetivos: en el curso de la atención a los usuarios afectados por COVID-19, se observaron signos y síntomas persistentes o el desarrollo de síntomas tardíos llamados condiciones post-COVID. Por lo tanto, es necesario promover prácticas de Educación Permanente en Salud para cumplir con las condiciones post-COVID. Por lo tanto, el objetivo del estudio es construir un manual para ayudar a los profesionales de la salud de la Atención Primaria de Salud (APS) en el manejo de las condiciones post-COVID. Métodos: el método propuesto por Echer fue adoptado para la construcción del manual, que proporciona seis pasos para la estructuración de un manual. Además, el presente estudio utilizó sólo cinco de ellos, consistiendo la sexta etapa en la validación del manual. Además, se establecieron los siguientes principios rectores: objetividad, formulación autoexplicativa, enfoque pedagógico problematizador inspirado en Bordenave y Pereira y la Política Nacional de Educación Permanente en Salud. Resultados: el estudio resultó en la construcción de un manual que comprende 25 condiciones post-COVID, presentado de manera didáctica, con selección de contenidos y ajuste del lenguaje considerando el público objetivo, con ilustraciones y diagramas de flujo que facilitan la conducción de la línea de razonamiento clínico, así como así como la inclusión de casos clínicos con el objetivo de acercarlos a la práctica clínica. Conclusión: la construcción del manual permite al profesional ofrecer al usuario afectado una asistencia de calidad y resolutiva, minimizando el daño a la calidad de vida del mismo. Además, se espera que el manual alcance una amplia difusión en los espacios de salud más distintos, proporcionando subsidios a los profesionales de la salud.Justificativa e Objetivos: no decorrer dos atendimentos aos usuários acometidos pela COVID-19, observaram-se sinais e sintomas persistentes ou o desenvolvimento de sintomas tardios, denominados de condições pós-COVID. Dessa forma, torna-se necessário promover práticas de Educação Permanente em Saúde para o atendimento das condições pós-COVID. Com isso, o objetivo do estudo é construir um manual para auxiliar profissionais de saúde da Atenção Primária à Saúde (APS) no manejo das condições pós-COVID. Métodos: adotou-se, para a construção do manual, o método proposto por Echer, que prevê seis etapas para a estruturação de um manual. Ademais, o presente estudo utilizou somente cinco delas, sendo que a sexta etapa consiste na validação do manual. Além disso, estabeleceram-se os seguintes eixos norteadores: objetividade, formulação autoexplicativa, abordagem pedagógica problematizadora inspirada em Bordenave e Pereira e na Política Nacional de Educação Permanente em Saúde. Resultados: o estudo resultou na construção de um manual que compreende 25 condições pós-COVID, apresentadas de forma didática, com seleção de conteúdo e ajuste da linguagem considerando o público-alvo, com ilustrações e fluxogramas facilitadores na condução da linha de raciocínio clinico, bem como a inclusão de casos clínicos visando à aproximação com a pratica clínica. Conclusão: a construção do manual possibilita que o profissional ofereça ao usuário acometido uma assistência de qualidade e resolutiva, minimizando os danos na qualidade de vida do mesmo. Ademais, espera-se que o manual alcance uma ampla divulgação nos mais distintos espaços de saúde, fornecendo subsídios aos profissionais de saúde

INfluenza Vaccine Indication During therapy with Immune checkpoint inhibitors: a transversal challenge. The INVIDIa study

Aim: Considering the unmet need for the counseling of cancer patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (CKI) about influenza vaccination, an explorative study was planned to assess flu vaccine efficacy in this population. Methods: INVIDIa was a retrospective, multicenter study, enrolling consecutive advanced cancer outpatients receiving CKI during the influenza season 2016-2017. Results: Of 300 patients, 79 received flu vaccine. The incidence of influenza syndrome was 24.1% among vaccinated, versus 11.8% of controls; odds ratio: 2.4; 95% CI: 1.23-4.59; p = 0.009. The clinical ineffectiveness of vaccine was more pronounced among elderly: 37.8% among vaccinated patients, versus 6.1% of unvaccinated, odds ratio: 9.28; 95% CI: 2.77-31.14; p < 0.0001. Conclusion: Although influenza vaccine may be clinically ineffective in advanced cancer patients receiving CKI, it seems not to negatively impact the efficacy of anticancer therapy

In-vivo range verification analysis with in-beam PET data for patients treated with proton therapy at CNAO

Morphological changes that may arise through a treatment course are probably one of the most significant sources of range uncertainty in proton therapy. Non-invasive in-vivo treatment monitoring is useful to increase treatment quality. The INSIDE in-beam Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanner performs in-vivo range monitoring in proton and carbon therapy treatments at the National Center of Oncological Hadrontherapy (CNAO). It is currently in a clinical trial (ID: NCT03662373) and has acquired in-beam PET data during the treatment of various patients. In this work we analyze the in-beam PET (IB-PET) data of eight patients treated with proton therapy at CNAO. The goal of the analysis is twofold. First, we assess the level of experimental fluctuations in inter-fractional range differences (sensitivity) of the INSIDE PET system by studying patients without morphological changes. Second, we use the obtained results to see whether we can observe anomalously large range variations in patients where morphological changes have occurred. The sensitivity of the INSIDE IB-PET scanner was quantified as the standard deviation of the range difference distributions observed for six patients that did not show morphological changes. Inter-fractional range variations with respect to a reference distribution were estimated using the Most-Likely-Shift (MLS) method. To establish the efficacy of this method, we made a comparison with the Beam's Eye View (BEV) method. For patients showing no morphological changes in the control CT the average range variation standard deviation was found to be 2.5 mm with the MLS method and 2.3 mm with the BEV method. On the other hand, for patients where some small anatomical changes occurred, we found larger standard deviation values. In these patients we evaluated where anomalous range differences were found and compared them with the CT. We found that the identified regions were mostly in agreement with the morphological changes seen in the CT scan

Localization of anatomical changes in patients during proton therapy with in-beam PET monitoring: a voxel-based morphometry approach exploiting Monte Carlo simulations

Purpose: In-beam positron emission tomography (PET) is one of the modalities that can be used for in vivo noninvasive treatment monitoring in proton therapy. Although PET monitoring has been frequently applied for this purpose, there is still no straightforward method to translate the information obtained from the PET images into easy-to-interpret information for clinical personnel. The purpose of this work is to propose a statistical method for analyzing in-beam PET monitoring images that can be used to locate, quantify, and visualize regions with possible morphological changes occurring over the course of treatment. Methods: We selected a patient treated for squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) with proton therapy, to perform multiple Monte Carlo (MC) simulations of the expected PET signal at the start of treatment, and to study how the PET signal may change along the treatment course due to morphological changes. We performed voxel-wise two-tailed statistical tests of the simulated PET images, resembling the voxel-based morphometry (VBM) method commonly used in neuroimaging data analysis, to locate regions with significant morphological changes and to quantify the change. Results: The VBM resembling method has been successfully applied to the simulated in-beam PET images, despite the fact that such images suffer from image artifacts and limited statistics. Three dimensional probability maps were obtained, that allowed to identify interfractional morphological changes and to visualize them superimposed on the computed tomography (CT) scan. In particular, the characteristic color patterns resulting from the two-tailed statistical tests lend themselves to trigger alarms in case of morphological changes along the course of treatment. Conclusions: The statistical method presented in this work is a promising method to apply to PET monitoring data to reveal interfractional morphological changes in patients, occurring over the course of treatment. Based on simulated in-beam PET treatment monitoring images, we showed that with our method it was possible to correctly identify the regions that changed. Moreover we could quantify the changes, and visualize them superimposed on the CT scan. The proposed method can possibly help clinical personnel in the replanning procedure in adaptive proton therapy treatments

Impact of opioid-free analgesia on pain severity and patient satisfaction after discharge from surgery: multispecialty, prospective cohort study in 25 countries

Background: Balancing opioid stewardship and the need for adequate analgesia following discharge after surgery is challenging. This study aimed to compare the outcomes for patients discharged with opioid versus opioid-free analgesia after common surgical procedures.Methods: This international, multicentre, prospective cohort study collected data from patients undergoing common acute and elective general surgical, urological, gynaecological, and orthopaedic procedures. The primary outcomes were patient-reported time in severe pain measured on a numerical analogue scale from 0 to 100% and patient-reported satisfaction with pain relief during the first week following discharge. Data were collected by in-hospital chart review and patient telephone interview 1 week after discharge.Results: The study recruited 4273 patients from 144 centres in 25 countries; 1311 patients (30.7%) were prescribed opioid analgesia at discharge. Patients reported being in severe pain for 10 (i.q.r. 1-30)% of the first week after discharge and rated satisfaction with analgesia as 90 (i.q.r. 80-100) of 100. After adjustment for confounders, opioid analgesia on discharge was independently associated with increased pain severity (risk ratio 1.52, 95% c.i. 1.31 to 1.76; P < 0.001) and re-presentation to healthcare providers owing to side-effects of medication (OR 2.38, 95% c.i. 1.36 to 4.17; P = 0.004), but not with satisfaction with analgesia (beta coefficient 0.92, 95% c.i. -1.52 to 3.36; P = 0.468) compared with opioid-free analgesia. Although opioid prescribing varied greatly between high-income and low- and middle-income countries, patient-reported outcomes did not.Conclusion: Opioid analgesia prescription on surgical discharge is associated with a higher risk of re-presentation owing to side-effects of medication and increased patient-reported pain, but not with changes in patient-reported satisfaction. Opioid-free discharge analgesia should be adopted routinely

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Dalla calce al cemento: la realt\ue0 produttiva ligure

Liguria has always been a region with a rich production of binders, especially lime and, in part, hydraulic lime. The excellent quality of magnesian lime and the high cost of hydraulic lime did not favor the spread in the region of hydraulic binders. However, the potential of the cement sector did not escape Genoa\u2019s entrepreneurship which was initially supported by substantial investments outside Liguria, especially in Piedmont and Lombardy. Only at the beginning of the twentieth century the first cement plants in Liguria were built on the hydraulic lime production sites (in the Genoa and Imperia provinces). Despite the initial fervour, many production companies did not make it to the twenties and were closed down, downsized or changed their activity due to a crisis in the construction industry. Over time the factories and quarries were abandoned and most were demolished, today there are just a few testimonials left