Doniesienia z American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2021

Opracowanie zawiera podsumowanie najciekawszych prezentacji nowych badań klinicznych, które pojawiły się podczas sesji naukowych Amerykańskiego Towarzystwa Kardiologicznego. Przedmiotem dyskusji w badaniu AVATAR była szybsza operacyjna wymiana zastawki aortalnej. Cardiothoracic Surgical Trials Network poświęcony był zagadnieniu operacji zastawki mitralnej oraz trójdzielnej. Badanie CRAVE było istotnym zagadnieniem dla miłośników kawy. Temat zastosowania empagliflozyny w HF omówiono w badaniach EMPULSE oraz EMPEROR-Preserved. Analiza dotycząca doustnego inhibitora PCSK-9 jest wstępem do pełnej oceny efektywności tego leku. Odwrócenie działania tikagreloru zaprezentowano w badaniu REVERSE-IT

Assessment of prognostic significance of cytoplasmic survivin expression in advanced oesophageal cancer.

Survivin is a member of the family of proteins, which inhibit apoptosis (inhibitor of apoptosis proteins - IAP). Expression of survivin was found in colorectal cancer, neuroblastoma, bladder cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, and breast cancer. There is some recent data indicating the correlation of poor prognosis and worse response to chemotherapy in patients with oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) expressing survivin. The aim of the present study was to assess survivin expression in cancerous tissue of patients with advanced OSCC and to test the potential correlation between survivin expression and clinicopathological data. Forty two patients (mean age 58.36+/-8.97 yrs), who were oesophagectomised due to squamous cell carcinoma of the thoracic oesophagus between 1998 and 2000, were retrospectively analysed. Cytoplasmic survivin expression, examined immunohistochemically, was found in 35 (83.33%) cases. No statistically significant correlation between survivin expression in the tumour and patients' gender, TNM stage, or vascular involvement was noted. The mean survival of patients with cytoplasmic survivin expression (17.81+/-5.51 months) was not statistically different to those with negative survivin staining (16+/-6.28 months) as assessed by Mantel-Cox test (p=0.49). Univariate regression analysis revealed UICC staging as the only predictor of survival in the analysed group (

Children’s residential exposure to selected allergens and microbial indicators: endotoxins and (1→3)-β-D-glucans

Objectives: The study was aimed at assessment of exposure to endotoxins, (1→3)-β-D-glucans and mite, cockroach, cat, dog allergens present in settled dust in premises of children as agents which may be significantly correlated with the occurrence of allergic symptoms and diseases in children. Materials and Methods: The study covered 50 homes of one- or two-year-old children in Poland. Samples of settled dust were taken from the floor and the child's bed. The levels of (1→3)-β-D-glucans (floor), endotoxins (floor) and allergens of mite, cat, dog and cockroach (floor and bed) were analyzed. Results: Average geometric concentrations (geometric standard deviation) of endotoxins, (1→3)-β-D-glucans, Der p1, Fel d1, Can f1 and Bla g1 in children homes were on the floor 42 166.0 EU/g (3.2), 20 478.4 ng/g (2.38), 93.9 ng/g (6.58), 119.8 ng/g (13.0), 288.9 ng/g (3.4), 0.72 U/g (4.4) and in their beds (only allergens) 597.8 ng/g (14.2), 54.1 ng/g (4.4), 158.6 ng/g (3.1) 0.6 U/g (2.9), respectively. When the floor was covered with the carpet, higher concentrations of endotoxins, (1→3)-β-D-glucans and allergens (each type) were found in the settled dust (p < 0.05). The trend was opposite in case of allergens (except dog) analyzed from bed dust and significantly higher concentrations were found in the rooms with smooth floor (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Among the analyzed factors only the type of floor significantly modified both the level of biological indicators and allergens. The results of this study could be the base for verifying a hypothesis that carpeting may have a protective role against high levels of cockroach, dog and cat allergens

A report from the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2021

The present report summarizes the most interesting new clinical studies that were reported during the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2021. The AVATAR study evaluated earlier surgical aortic valve replacement. A study by Cardiothoracic Surgical Trials Network focused on concomitant mitral and tricuspid valve surgery. The CRAVE study provided important data for coffee lovers. Use of empagliflozin in heart failure was evaluated in the EMPULSE and EMPEROR-Preserved trials. A study of an oral PCSK9 inhibitor is an initial step towards full evaluation of the efficacy of this drug. Reversal of ticagrelor action was reported in the REVERSE-IT study

Node assignment problem in Bayesian networks

This paper deals with the problem of searching for the best assignments of random variables to nodes in a Bayesian network (BN) with a given topology. Likelihood functions for the studied BNs are formulated, methods for their maximization are described and, finally, the results of a study concerning the reliability of revealing BNs’ roles are reported. The results of BN node assignments can be applied to problems of the analysis of gene expression profiles

Histological subtype of lung cancer affects acceptance of illness, severity of pain, and quality of life

Jacek Polański,1 Mariusz Chabowski,2,3 Beata Jankowska-Polańska,4 Dariusz Janczak,2,3 Joanna Rosińczuk5,6 1Lower Silesian Oncology Center, Home Hospice, Wroclaw, Poland; 2Division of Surgical Procedures, Department of Clinical Nursing, Faculty of Health Science, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland; 3Department of Surgery, 4th Military Teaching Hospital, Wroclaw, Poland; 4Department of Clinical Nursing, Faculty of Health Science, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland; 5Department of Nervous System Diseases, Faculty of Health Science, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland; 6Department of Clinical Nursing, Faculty of Health Science, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland Introduction: Histologic classification of lung cancer plays an important role in clinical practice. Two main histological subtype of lung cancer: small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) and nonsmall-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) differ in terms of invasiveness, response to treatment, and risk factors, among others.Aims: To evaluate differences in acceptance of illness, level of perceived pain, and quality of life (QoL) between patients with SCLC and NSCLC.Materials and methods: Two hundred and fifty-seven lung cancer patients, who were treated in 2015, completed Acceptance of Illness Scale, Visual Analog Scale for pain, and European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer 30-item Core Quality of Life Questionnaire and European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer 13-item Lung Cancer specific Quality of Life Questionnaire. Clinical and sociodemographic data were collected. For statistical analysis, the Student t-test and the Mann&ndash;Whitney U test were used. For comparisons among three or more groups, analysis of variance was employed.Results: Patients with SCLC had significantly worse health as measured with the presence of metastases, parameters of lung function, comorbidities, and number of previous hospitalizations. The Acceptance of Illness Scale score and Visual Analog Scale score were significantly worse in patients with SCLC than in those with NSCLC (24.58&plusmn;8.73 vs 27.05&plusmn;9.06; p=0.046 and 4.81&plusmn;2.01 vs 4.17&plusmn;1.97; p=0.003). Patients with SCLC achieved worse scores of all aspects of QoL than patients with NSCLC. Comparison with the reference values showed that all dimensions of functioning are impaired in patients with lung cancer regardless of its type; only the role functioning in patients with NSCLC remains unaffected.Conclusion: Monitoring of QoL, personalized approach to treatment, and interventions for symptom management should be conducted in a tailored manner. Socioeconomic status in lung cancer patients, especially those suffering from SCLC, needs to be addressed. Keywords: Acceptance of Illness Scale, Visual Analog Scale for pain, lung cancer, quality of life, QLQ-C30 and QLQ-LC1