The Presence of EGFR T790M in TKI-Naïve Lung Cancer Samples of Patients Who Developed a T790M-Positive Relapse on First or Second Generation TKI Is Rare

EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients can be effectively treated with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) but frequently present with an EGFR T790M resistance mutation at relapse. We aimed to screen for T790M in pre-treatment formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue samples of patients with a confirmed T790M mutation at progression. We analyzed 33 pre-treatment DNA samples of NSCLC patients who progressed upon TKI between 2013 to 2019. To establish storage-time dependent formalin fixation-induced background levels for C>T mutations, we analyzed DNA isolated from archival (stored >1 year, n = 22) and recently generated (stored <1 month, n = 11) FFPE samples and included DNA isolated from white blood cells (WBC) (n = 24) as controls. DNA samples were analyzed by droplet digital (dd)PCR, and positivity was defined by outlier detection according to Grubb's criterion. The T790M background allele frequency levels were 0.160% in DNA isolated from archival-FFPE, 0.100% in fresh FFPE, and 0.035% in WBC. Progression-free survival (PFS) time of the single T790M positive patient was 9 months, while T790M negative patients had a median PFS of 10 months (range 2-27). Proper storage time matched FFPE control samples are essential for reliable detection of T790M mutation at low VAF. The presence of EGFR T790M mutations in pre-TKI samples is rare, even in patients who progressed with EGFR T790M mutations

The development and validation of a scoring tool to predict the operative duration of elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy

Background: The ability to accurately predict operative duration has the potential to optimise theatre efficiency and utilisation, thus reducing costs and increasing staff and patient satisfaction. With laparoscopic cholecystectomy being one of the most commonly performed procedures worldwide, a tool to predict operative duration could be extremely beneficial to healthcare organisations. Methods: Data collected from the CholeS study on patients undergoing cholecystectomy in UK and Irish hospitals between 04/2014 and 05/2014 were used to study operative duration. A multivariable binary logistic regression model was produced in order to identify significant independent predictors of long (> 90 min) operations. The resulting model was converted to a risk score, which was subsequently validated on second cohort of patients using ROC curves. Results: After exclusions, data were available for 7227 patients in the derivation (CholeS) cohort. The median operative duration was 60 min (interquartile range 45–85), with 17.7% of operations lasting longer than 90 min. Ten factors were found to be significant independent predictors of operative durations > 90 min, including ASA, age, previous surgical admissions, BMI, gallbladder wall thickness and CBD diameter. A risk score was then produced from these factors, and applied to a cohort of 2405 patients from a tertiary centre for external validation. This returned an area under the ROC curve of 0.708 (SE = 0.013, p  90 min increasing more than eightfold from 5.1 to 41.8% in the extremes of the score. Conclusion: The scoring tool produced in this study was found to be significantly predictive of long operative durations on validation in an external cohort. As such, the tool may have the potential to enable organisations to better organise theatre lists and deliver greater efficiencies in care

Society of singles : a closer look into the stigmatisation of single women in Singapore

In an endless debate over whether it is better to be married or to be single, the married have always gotten far more favourable attention than the singles do. Exaggerated claims about the benefits of marrying are commonplace, leading to those who are single - whether by choice or circumstances - feeling conscious, discriminated and left-out by society. Contextualised against the backdrop of Singaporean females, this project aims to critique the existing stigmatisation of women who are single. By identifying the negative stereotypes and prejudice faced by single Singaporean females, this project hopes to highlight the underlying discrimination against singles in our modern society - Singlism.Bachelor of Fine Arts in Design Ar

The turntable tribe: a communications campaign to raise awareness about the effects of excessive fast furniture consumption and encourage environmentally sustainable shopping habits among homeowners

The Turntable Tribe is a communications campaign that aims to raise awareness about the effects of excessive fast furniture consumption and encourage environmentally sustainable shopping habits among homeowners. As the least-recycled household item, furniture is the second largest contributor to urban waste, with 12 million tons of furniture being thrown out each year in the US alone. With the furniture industry estimated to grow 18.35% by 2025 in Singapore, more furniture waste is being generated, posing an environmental threat in the long run. While the government implements initiatives to help furniture retailers move towards sustainable processes, it is important that consumers are also made aware of these practices and alternatives. Based on formative research, we found that our target audience are unaware of such alternatives and retailers in Singapore. In a bid to address this gap, The Turntable Tribe used a three-pronged approach: Reinforce, Redefine and Reimagine to outreach to consumers through a hybrid of digital and physical activations. This includes multiple collaborations with industry key players, social media collaterals, PR efforts, and multiple ancillary events. Guided by the Theory of Planned Behaviour, these efforts were targeted to increase Perceived Behavioural Control and Social Norms, in turn increasing behavioural intention. The campaign met all impact objectives and behavioural intention had a significant increase by 24.5%. The Turntable Tribe also received significant traction, with a total of $565,200 in PR Value. This paper presents an analysis of the campaign’s research, strategy, execution and evaluation.Bachelor of Communication Studie

Evidence-based pharmacological treatment of anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder: A revision of the 2005 guidelines from the British Association for Psychopharmacology

This revision of the 2005 British Association for Psychopharmacology guidelines for the evidence-based pharmacological treatment of anxiety disorders provides an update on key steps in diagnosis and clinical management, including recognition, acute treatment, longer-term treatment, combination treatment, and further approaches for patients who have not responded to first-line interventions. A consensus meeting involving international experts in anxiety disorders reviewed the main subject areas and considered the strength of supporting evidence and its clinical implications. The guidelines are based on available evidence, were constructed after extensive feedback from participants, and are presented as recommendations to aid clinical decision-making in primary, secondary and tertiary medical care. They may also serve as a source of information for patients, their carers, and medicines management and formulary committees

Manifesto for a European Anxiety Disorders Research Network

Despite the size, burden and costs of anxiety disorders, many patients remain unrecognised, and the effectiveness of evidence-based interventions in routine clinical practice can be disappointing. The European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP) has established the ECNP Network Initiative (ECNP-NI) to help meet the goal of extending current understanding of the causes of central nervous system disorders, thereby contributing to improvements in clinical outcomes and reducing the associated societal burden. The Anxiety Disorders Research Network (ADRN) has been adopted within the ECNP-NI: this consensus statement summarises its overall aims and objectives. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. and ECNP. All rights reserved