An integrated approach for understanding the high infection rates of olive viruses in Tunisia

This study was conducted to understand the high incidence of viruses previously reported in Tunisian olive groves. Forty three cultivars, native and introduced, under different cultivation regimes, were sampled in Tunisia, one of the countries with the highest levels of olive viruses. All olive-infecting viruses were tested. Total nucleic acids were extracted from 280 olive trees and their use as template for RT-PCR resulted inseveral non-specific products. Alternatively, dsRNAs were also extracted and 229 sampled trees showed dsRNAs molecules, suggesting the presence of viruses. However, RT-PCR tests using dsRNA as template, allowed to identify viruses in 209 samples. Olive mild mosaic virus (OMMV), Olive latent virus 1 (OLV-1), Olive leaf yellow associated virus (OLYaV) and Tobacco necrosis virus D (TNV-D) were detected. OLYaV was the most prevalent (63.0%), followed by OLV-1 (42.9%), TNV-D (21.80%) and OMMV (9.50%). The highest infection levels were observed in the northwest and centre east regions of Tunisia. Native cultivars presented higher virus incidences, mostly due to the most widespread cultivars in Tunisia: Chemlali (87%), Chetoui (94%), Meski (94%). Among the introduced cultivars, Picholine, Arbequina and Koroneiki presented the highest virus levels (88%, 79% and 64%, respectively). Considerable differences in virus presence were observed in samples from olive trees under different modes of management where levels were significantly (p > 0.05) higher in intensive orchards, regardless of the region and cultivar. To our knowledge, this was the first time that OMMV and TNV-D were detected in Tunisia and that such a complete analysis was performed

A rare complication of chronic subdural hematoma evacuation: brain stem hemorrhage: Case report

Chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH), which commonly affects the elderly, is one of the most frequent, but also benign neurosurgical pathologies. Burr hole drainage is the standard surgical modality for evacuation of a CSDH. This technique is known to be safe, with low morbidity and mortality rates. However, postoperative complications have occasionally been reported. We report the case of a 70-year-old man who presented a fatal brain stem hemorrhage after burr-hole drainage for unilateral chronic subdural hematoma. Asymmetrical and rapid decompression were thought to be leading to vascular disruption or sudden increase in cerebral blood flow, was probably responsible for the secondary brain stem bleeding. Therefore, a slow rate of evacuation of chronic subdural hematomas, as well as rigorous postoperative reanimation, are recommended in order to prevent serious complications

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

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

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

Molecular Detection of the Crown Gall Disease Caused by an Agrobacterium Species in Tunisian Fruit Trees' Nurseries

The importance of the crown gall disease caused by bacteria of the genus Agrobacterium was assessed for 13 isolates and 5 plant tissues belonging to 4 different species. Samples were collected from different growing areas (soil, plants and tumor tissues). The aim of this study was to isolate the bacterium from symptomatic plants, soils and for the first time from asymptomatic plant tissues and to identify new isolates of Agrobacterium sp. by sequence analysis of relevant marker genes. Two primers' pairs were used to test the incidence of crown gall disease in Tunisian nurseries. The first targeted the virulence region within the Ti plasmid and the second the polygalacturonase gene used for the identification of Allorhizobium vitis. Simple PCR and sequencing unambiguously demonstrated the unexpected contamination of the asymptomatic plant tissues by part of the Ti plasmid (virulence region). The samples were clustered according to the BLAST analyses of a sequenced vir gene region and phylogenetic trees allowed the distinction of two main groups, the first group carries vitopine type Ti plasmids, the second group carries nopaline, octopine, type Ti plasmids agropine, mikimopine, cucumopine type Ri plasmid and others Ri plasmid types. The BLAST analyses of a polygalacturonase encoding gene sequence from 6 isolates and 3 strains showed 95-99% identity to the sequences of Allorhizobium vitis previously deposited in NCBI GenBank database

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