Effects of hospital facilities on patient outcomes after cancer surgery: an international, prospective, observational study

Background Early death after cancer surgery is higher in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) compared with in high-income countries, yet the impact of facility characteristics on early postoperative outcomes is unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the association between hospital infrastructure, resource availability, and processes on early outcomes after cancer surgery worldwide.Methods A multimethods analysis was performed as part of the GlobalSurg 3 study-a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study of patients who had surgery for breast, colorectal, or gastric cancer. The primary outcomes were 30-day mortality and 30-day major complication rates. Potentially beneficial hospital facilities were identified by variable selection to select those associated with 30-day mortality. Adjusted outcomes were determined using generalised estimating equations to account for patient characteristics and country-income group, with population stratification by hospital.Findings Between April 1, 2018, and April 23, 2019, facility-level data were collected for 9685 patients across 238 hospitals in 66 countries (91 hospitals in 20 high-income countries; 57 hospitals in 19 upper-middle-income countries; and 90 hospitals in 27 low-income to lower-middle-income countries). The availability of five hospital facilities was inversely associated with mortality: ultrasound, CT scanner, critical care unit, opioid analgesia, and oncologist. After adjustment for case-mix and country income group, hospitals with three or fewer of these facilities (62 hospitals, 1294 patients) had higher mortality compared with those with four or five (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 3.85 [95% CI 2.58-5.75]; p<0.0001), with excess mortality predominantly explained by a limited capacity to rescue following the development of major complications (63.0% vs 82.7%; OR 0.35 [0.23-0.53]; p<0.0001). Across LMICs, improvements in hospital facilities would prevent one to three deaths for every 100 patients undergoing surgery for cancer.Interpretation Hospitals with higher levels of infrastructure and resources have better outcomes after cancer surgery, independent of country income. Without urgent strengthening of hospital infrastructure and resources, the reductions in cancer-associated mortality associated with improved access will not be realised

Prevalencia de dependencia funcional y su asociación con caídas en una muestra de adultos mayores pobres en México Functional dependency and falls in elderly living in poverty in Mexico

OBJETIVO: Determinar la prevalencia de la dependencia funcional (DF) de los adultos mayores (AM) que viven en condiciones de pobreza en México, y estimar la asociación entre la DF y las caídas. MATERIAL Y MÉTODOS: Se realizó una encuesta con tres etapas de selección, con estratificación según tipo de localidad (rural o urbana) y con representatividad nacional del padrón de Oportunidades 2006. La población objetivo estuvo conformada por individuos de 70 años y más, beneficiarios del Programa Oportunidades. RESULTADOS: El 30.9% de los AM presentaron DF. Los resultados del modelo de regresión logística estratificado por sexo mostraron que, en el grupo de mujeres, la razón de momios RM para la asociación entre el incremento en el número de caídas y DF fue de 1.25 (IC:1.13-1.39), y en el grupo de hombres fue de 1.12 (IC:0.97-1.29). CONCLUSIONES: Debido a las condiciones de vulnerabilidad en que viven estos adultos mayores, se muestra la necesidad de realizar intervenciones específicas para la prevención de caídas de manera que se disminuya el riesgo de dependencia funcional.OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of functional dependency (FD) on Mexican elderly living in extreme poverty conditions and to estimate the association between falls and FD. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A survey was conducted with three stages for selection, stratified by type of locality (rural or urban) and nationally representative of the 2006 Oportunidades Program. The target population was composed of individuals 70 years of age and older who were beneficiaries of the Oportunidades Program. RESULTS: A total of 30.9% of the elderly presented FD. The gender stratified logistic regression model resulted in an odds ratio (OR) for women of 1.25 (I.C:1.13-1.39) for the association between the increase in the number of falls and FD and OR=1.12 (I.C:0.97-1.29) for men. CONCLUSIONS: Given the vulnerable conditions in which these older adults live, specific interventions need to be implemented to prevent falls in order to reduce the risk of functional dependency

Copy number variations in candidate genes and intergenic regions affect body mass index and abdominal obesity in Mexican children

Introduction. Increase in body weight is a gradual process that usually begins in childhood and in adolescence as a result of multiple interactions among environmental and genetic factors. This study aimed to analyze the relationship between copy number variants (CNVs) in five genes and four intergenic regions with obesity in Mexican children. Methods. We studied 1423 children aged 6–12 years. Anthropometric measurements and blood levels of biochemical parameters were obtained. Identification of CNVs was performed by real-time PCR. The effect of CNVs on obesity or body composition was assessed using regression models adjusted for age, gender, and family history of obesity. Results. Gains in copy numbers of LEPR and NEGR1 were associated with decreased body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and risk of abdominal obesity, whereas gain in ARHGEF4 and CPXCR1 and the intergenic regions 12q15c, 15q21.1a, and 22q11.21d and losses in INS were associated with increased BMI and WC. Conclusion. Our results indicate a possible contribution of CNVs in LEPR, NEGR1, ARHGEF4, and CPXCR1 and the intergenic regions 12q15c, 15q21.1a, and 22q11.21d to the development of obesity, particularly abdominal obesity in Mexican children

Immunized mice naturally process in silico-derived peptides from the nucleocapsid of SARS-CoV-2

Abstract Background The nucleocapsid (N) protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is an excellent immunogen that promotes the production of high-titer antibodies. N protein-derived peptides identified using a bioinformatics approach can potentially be used to develop a new generation of vaccines or diagnostic methods for detecting SARS-CoV-2 and its variants. However, further studies must demonstrate their capacity to be naturally processed by the immune system. Objective We aimed to examine the in vivo processing and recognition of in silico-identified peptides using the serum of immunized animals with the complete protein. Methods Recombinant N (Nrec) protein was subcutaneously administered to six Balb/c mice. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), western blotting, dot blotting, and immunoprecipitation were performed to evaluate the recognition of the complete protein and in silico-derived peptides. Results The serum of immunized mice recognized ~ 62.5 ng/µL of Nrec with high specificity to linear and conformational epitopes. Dot blot analysis showed that peptides Npep2 and Npep3 were the most reactive. Conclusion Our data confirm the high immunogenicity of the SARS-CoV-2 N protein and provide evidence on the antigenicity of two peptides located in the N-arm/RNA-binding domain (Npep2) and oligomerization domain/C-tail (Npep3), considered the biologically active site of the N protein

High expression of TNF alpha is associated with -308 and -238 TNF alpha polymorphisms in knee osteoarthritis

Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a common chronic degenerative disease characterized by the loss of articular cartilage components due to an imbalance between extracellular matrix destruction and repair. The proinflammatory cytokines involved in OA, TNFα and IL1β, are considered the major implicated. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between TNFα -308 and -238 polymorphisms with messenger RNA (mRNA) and soluble TNFα expression in knee OA patients and healthy subjects (HS). Case-control study involved 50 knee OA patients classified according to 1986 ACR Classification Criteria, as well as 100 HS. The Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index and Lequesne disability index were applied to OA patients. The -308 and -238 polymorphisms were determined by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism technique. The TNFα mRNA expression was quantified by real-time PCR using TaqMan method. The sTNFα levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The TNFα mRNA expression in knee OA patients was higher than in HS (1.56-fold). In addition, the TNFα mRNA expression was higher in carriers of G allele in the knee OA group for both polymorphisms. The sTNFα levels were increased in G/G versus G/A genotypes in both studied polymorphisms (p < 0.05). However, the TNFα -308 and -238 genotypes did not show statistical differences between groups. The G allele of TNFα -308 and -238 polymorphisms is associated with high mRNA and soluble expression in knee OA patients. However, it is not a marker of susceptibility in Western Mexico. Further studies are necessary to confirm these findings. © 2012 Springer-Verlag Italia

High Order Neural Networks for wind speed time series prediction

Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a common chronic degenerative disease characterized by the loss of articular cartilage components due to an imbalance between extracellular matrix destruction and repair. The proinflammatory cytokines involved in OA, TNF? and IL1?, are considered the major implicated. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between TNF? -308 and -238 polymorphisms with messenger RNA (mRNA) and soluble TNF? expression in knee OA patients and healthy subjects (HS). Case-control study involved 50 knee OA patients classified according to 1986 ACR Classification Criteria, as well as 100 HS. The Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index and Lequesne disability index were applied to OA patients. The -308 and -238 polymorphisms were determined by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism technique. The TNF? mRNA expression was quantified by real-time PCR using TaqMan method. The sTNF? levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The TNF? mRNA expression in knee OA patients was higher than in HS (1.56-fold). In addition, the TNF? mRNA expression was higher in carriers of G allele in the knee OA group for both polymorphisms. The sTNF? levels were increased in G/G versus G/A genotypes in both studied polymorphisms (p < 0.05). However, the TNF? -308 and -238 genotypes did not show statistical differences between groups. The G allele of TNF? -308 and -238 polymorphisms is associated with high mRNA and soluble expression in knee OA patients. However, it is not a marker of susceptibility in Western Mexico. Further studies are necessary to confirm these findings. " 2012 Springer-Verlag Italia.",,,,,,"10.1007/s10238-012-0216-3",,,"http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12104/41902","http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-84895158272&partnerID=40&md5=972453d40908bd56652734efa09d02f

Global variation in postoperative mortality and complications after cancer surgery: a multicentre, prospective cohort study in 82 countries

Background: 80% of individuals with cancer will require a surgical procedure, yet little comparative data exist on early outcomes in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We compared postoperative outcomes in breast, colorectal, and gastric cancer surgery in hospitals worldwide, focusing on the effect of disease stage and complications on postoperative mortality. Methods: This was a multicentre, international prospective cohort study of consecutive adult patients undergoing surgery for primary breast, colorectal, or gastric cancer requiring a skin incision done under general or neuraxial anaesthesia. The primary outcome was death or major complication within 30 days of surgery. Multilevel logistic regression determined relationships within three-level nested models of patients within hospitals and countries. Hospital-level infrastructure effects were explored with three-way mediation analyses. This study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03471494. Findings: Between April 1, 2018, and Jan 31, 2019, we enrolled 15 958 patients from 428 hospitals in 82 countries (high income 9106 patients, 31 countries; upper-middle income 2721 patients, 23 countries; or lower-middle income 4131 patients, 28 countries). Patients in LMICs presented with more advanced disease compared with patients in high-income countries. 30-day mortality was higher for gastric cancer in low-income or lower-middle-income countries (adjusted odds ratio 3·72, 95% CI 1·70–8·16) and for colorectal cancer in low-income or lower-middle-income countries (4·59, 2·39–8·80) and upper-middle-income countries (2·06, 1·11–3·83). No difference in 30-day mortality was seen in breast cancer. The proportion of patients who died after a major complication was greatest in low-income or lower-middle-income countries (6·15, 3·26–11·59) and upper-middle-income countries (3·89, 2·08–7·29). Postoperative death after complications was partly explained by patient factors (60%) and partly by hospital or country (40%). The absence of consistently available postoperative care facilities was associated with seven to 10 more deaths per 100 major complications in LMICs. Cancer stage alone explained little of the early variation in mortality or postoperative complications. Interpretation: Higher levels of mortality after cancer surgery in LMICs was not fully explained by later presentation of disease. The capacity to rescue patients from surgical complications is a tangible opportunity for meaningful intervention. Early death after cancer surgery might be reduced by policies focusing on strengthening perioperative care systems to detect and intervene in common complications. Funding: National Institute for Health Research Global Health Research Unit