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У статті подані методичні рекомендації з лікування дисбіозу кишечника. Приділено увагу використанню пробіотика-біоентеросептика Ентерожерміна в комплексному лікуванні даної категорії пацієнтів.

Aim: The study was done to determine malaria prevention and treatment practices among care-givers of under-fives in urban slums South-East Nigeria. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study involving 145 care-givers of under-fives recruited via multistage sampling method using a semi-structured questionnaire in selected urban slums of Enugu north LGA of Enugu state. Results: The prevalence of Malaria prevention and treatment practice was 19.3% and 17% respectively. Association between the age group of the under-five and the malaria prevention practice was (p=0.034) while the associations between the age of care-givers’ spouse, educational level of caregivers’ spouse and malaria treatment practice in under five was also statistically significant with p-values of 0.003 and 0.047 respectively. Conclusion: Malaria prevention and treatment practice among care-givers of the under-fives was low. Hence, the need for the government, non-governmental organizations and health care workers to collaborate so as to improve malaria outcome in the Nigeria society.

Background Ankle sprains are common musculoskeletal injuries. Until the 1990s, ankle ligament injuries were often treated operatively. The aim of this registry study was to determine how the change in treatment practice has affected the number of acute and elective ankle ligament surgeries in Finland. Material The data of ankle ligament injury patients operated between 1 January 1986 and 31 December 2018 was collected from the Finnish National Hospital Discharge Register. Results A total of 33,770 ankle ligament injuries were repaired. The incidence of acute ankle ligament injury repair surgery has decreased nearly 80% over the last three decades. No increase in the number of late-stage ankle ligament injury repairs was found. Conclusion The number of acute and elective ankle ligament surgeries has remained low in the 2000s. This suggests that the occurrence of clinical instability after ankle sprains has not increased, even though acute-phase treatment has become conservative.

Background: The oral presentation of studies at conferences may impact treatment practice even before the publication or regulatory approval. Methodological aspects and reporting patterns are evolving, and an assessment of these features may help understand the current landscape and the way forward. Methods: We analyzed the characteristics of primary analyses of phase 3 trials from oral sessions presented at ASCO, ESMO and SABCS 2017-19 and the timing of their subsequent publications. We excluded non-inferiority trials and duplicate presentations within the period. Results: Of 36 unique trials, 19/10/7 had a first author from Europe/United States/Asia or elsewhere, and 21/15 were in the (neo)adjuvant/palliative settings. All but one trial had 2 arms. The number of patients enrolled ranged from 226 to 4884 (median, 646). All but 2 trials were on systemic therapy, with 16 dedicated exclusively to hormone-receptor+, 8 to HER2+ and 6 to triple-negative disease. According to the authors, 23 (63.9%, 95% CI, 46.2 to 79.2%) trials were positive, and 13 were negative. For only 2 of the negative trials was the conclusion not entirely consistent with results. When sponsor information was available, 18/21 industry vs 4/14 academic trials were positive (P=0.002). Paradoxically, negative trials were larger than positive trials (medians of 2639 and 585 patients; P=0.002), perhaps because all but one of 13 negative trials were in the (neo)adjuvant setting, vs 9/23 among positive trials (P=0.004). The time to publication was significantly shorter for positive than negative trials (medians of 215 vs 785 days; HR=0.32; P=0.013). Of 30 trials with time-to-event endpoints, the ratio between observed:expected HR could be computed for 24: the mean was 0.88 for 15 positive and 1.43 for 9 negative trials (P=0.004; 1.09 overall). Conclusion: In recent phase 3 trials in breast cancer, positive trials are more likely than negative trials to be industry-sponsored, to assess the metastatic setting, and to be published earlier. These results also suggest that the treatment effect has been underestimated in positive trials. Research is ongoing to elucidate potential determinants of the latter hypothesis. Citation Format: Gustavo Oliveira Bretas, José Bines, Everardo Delforge Saad. Current landscape in phase 3 trials in breast cancer at major oncology conferences [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2020 San Antonio Breast Cancer Virtual Symposium; 2020 Dec 8-11; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(4 Suppl):Abstract nr PS11-23.

Introduction/objectives Multiple modes of administration are available for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) treatments. This study examined patient and physician characteristics associated with the choice of weekly subcutaneous (SC) injection or monthly intravenous (IV) infusion for an unspecified SLE treatment. Methods This was a cross-sectional, US web-based survey using a direct elicitation, stated-preference methodology (HO-16-16706). Two hundred patients and 200 physicians were asked to choose between IV or SC administration in a hypothetical scenario. Pairwise and multivariate analyses estimated the odds ratio (OR) for the likelihood of choosing SC over IV for respondent characteristics. Results Among patients, taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs increased the likelihood of choosing SC injection (OR 3.884), whilst having SLE-related skin problems, a fear of needles or self-injection, and never needing help around the house decreased the likelihood (OR 0.28, 0.13, 0.12, respectively; all p ≤ 0.05). Among physicians, > 95% recommended SC injection for patients who live or work far from an infusion center, prefer SC administration, and never or rarely miss medication doses. Physician characteristics including age and treatment practice also influenced choice. Conclusions Patient and physician characteristics influence choice of SC versus IV therapy for SLE. These findings might inform shared decision-making, which could lead to improved patient outcomes. Key Points• Data regarding patient and physician preference for different modes of administration of SLE therapy are sparse.• This cross-sectional, US web-based study showed that patient and physician characteristics influence choice of SC versus IV therapy for SLE.• A degree of disconnect exists between how factors influence patients’ choice and how those characteristics influence physicians’ choice of SLE treatment mode of administration.• The findings from this study might inform shared decision-making, which could improve alignment between treatment choice and patient preferences, treatment satisfaction, adherence, and improved patient outcomes.

This study investigated treatment characteristics of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) in a real-world setting between 2000 and 2019. We analyzed clinical improvement between nadir and last follow-up in patients with severe GBS (defined as having a GBS disability scale > 2 at nadir) and aimed to detect clinical factors associated with multiple treatments. We included 121 patients (74 male; median age 48 [IQR 35–60]) with sensorimotor (63%), pure motor (15%), pure sensory (10%) and localized GBS (6%) as well as Miller Fisher syndrome (6%). 44% of patients were severely affected. All but one patient received at least one immunomodulatory treatment with initially either intravenous immunoglobulins (88%), plasma exchange (10%) or corticosteroids (1%), and 25% of patients received more than one treatment. Severe GBS but not age, sex, GBS subtype or date of diagnosis was associated with higher odds to receive more than one treatment (OR 4.22; 95%CI 1.36–13.10; p = 0.01). Receiving multiple treatments had no adjusted effect (OR 1.30, 95%CI 0.31–5.40, p = 0.72) on clinical improvement between nadir and last follow-up in patients with severe GBS. This treatment practice did not change over the last 20 years.

In his timely and insightful article London (2021) criticizes professional codes of ethics as they encourage diversity in treatment practice without sufficiently promoting the kind of research whic...

Recent regulatory approval of midostaurin, a FLT3 targeting small molecular inhibitor, will likely lead to increased use of midostaurin in combination with intensive chemotherapy for patients with FLT3-mutant AML. Translation of clinical trial results into everyday practice has its challenges. This study compared the relevance of the trial population and practices studied in the midostaurin registration study (RATIFY) with real-world practice in terms of patient factors, chemotherapy, mutation-specific frequencies and clinical outcomes among patients with FLT3-mutant AML in the pre-midostaurin era (2010-2015) in Australia. We observed substantial diversity of chemotherapy regimens used in the community and limitations of the generalizability of eligibility criteria used in RATIFY (such as age and hyperleukocytosis). This study provides real-world historical data that may be used for comparison with future trial cohorts incorporating FLT3 inhibitors into the management of FLT3-mutant AML and highlights the inherent difficulties in translating clinical trial data into routine practice.

This study aims to find out and describe the treatment practice of Ruq'yah Syirkiyyah towards witchcraft in Bandar Setia Village, Percut Sei Tuan Sub-district, Deli Serdang District. This study is qualitative research with an ethnographic approach. The techniques of collecting data are in-depth observations and interviews. The informants in the study are two people as experts in treatment and seven witnesses and patients. Based on the results of the study obtained in the field that the treatment of ruqyah syikiyyah is a treatment that combines the verses of the Qur'an, and local beliefs in the treatment practice towards witchcraft. The method used in the treatment is the four-point concept of nature as a media caller khodam with dhikr, seven mosques water, ape tiger flowers, and Minya bunibawasa to revoke magical objects that exist on the patient's body and in the process of healing, the patient must perform another special ritual such as feeding orphans and making a salvation event as a symbol of gratitude by the patient's family. The conclusion is that the treatment of ruqyah shirkiyyah is a religious treatment that mixes the local belief system, and in performing the treatment of witchcraft that is doing the dreamy stage, pull out magical objects, and the patient's family performs a ritual of salvation as a symbol of gratitude.

The article discusses main issues relating to abnormal taste and smell, which may an oncologist come across in the treatment practice. It also describes mechanisms of dysgeusia and disosmia development, as well as their relationship with nutritional deficiency. Authors review approaches to assess sensory disorders before treatment, at all the stages and after radiation therapy and chemotherapy. They present the world experience in managing patients with the abnormalities and their possible correction.

The integrated Model of health care for patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is based on the creation of specialized centers where multidisciplinary teams provide patient-centered care. Recent studies showed that the introduction of such approach into the IBD treatment practice led to faster diagnosis, an increase in the proportion of patients with mild forms of IBD and, as a result, the reduction of medical costs. The present study aims to assess the economic consequences of the proposed IBD healthcare optimization in the Republic of Tatarstan. Materials and methods. A budget impact model was created to compare two scenarios: the basic case when IBD patients are treated according to the current practice based on the existing network of clinics versus the simulated scenario when IBD patients receive medical care within a specialized IBD center, organised in accordance with the integrated multidisciplinary approach. The study hypothesis implies that the proportion of patients with severe IBD is gradually decreasing due to the change in the treatment model and the improved diagnostic procedure. The direct medical costs included the cost of visits to doctors, ambulance calls, diagnostic tests, outpatient medications, and the day-time and 24-hour in-patient care. One-way sensitivity analysis of all model inputs was performed. Results. As a result of the modified practice in the Republic of Tatarstan, the cost of medical care for IBD patients will decrease by 120 million rubles over 5 years. The sensitivity analysis shows the results are robust and not sensitive to fluctuations in the variables. However, the results are shown to be most sensitive to fluctuations in the distribution of patients by IBD severity. Conclusion. The introduction of the integrated healthcare for patients with IBD will result in lower costs of this service.

Background: Community Acquired Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) rates have been increasing worldwide and contribute to a growing “global health security threat” as reported by the WHO. Our group previously reported an overall rate of 7% in CA-MRSA upper extremity infections between 2004–2009 at the Auckland Regional Hand Unit. This fell below the Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommendation for empiric antimicrobial cover once local rates exceed 10–15%. We examined prevalence and characteristics of CA-MRSA upper extremity infections in our region over a subsequent 5-year period. Methods: One thousand two hundred and fifty-two patients with upper extremity infections requiring operative management between 2011 and 2015 inclusive were included in this study. Associated clinical characteristics were recorded including ethnicity, cultured organisms, antibiotic sensitivities, infection rate, and treatment practice. Results: One hundred and fifty (12%) of patients had culture positive CA-MRSA upper extremity infections. There was an increasing annual trend. Of note, rates of CA-MRSA in the Maori and Pacific Island ethnic subpopulations exceeded 15% in 2014 and 2015. Susceptibilities, associated factors and patient demographics are reported. Conclusions: Our unit enjoys significantly lower rates of CA-MRSA upper extremity infections than has been reported internationally. However, trends are increasing relative to our prior 6-year report, and the threshold for empiric treatment has been met within the Maori and Pacific Island ethnic subpopulations. This evolving threat is also highlighted by increasing cases of multi-drug resistant CA-MRSA. Evolving regional guidelines for empiric coverage of CA-MRSA among high-risk ethnic subpopulations identified by this study are underway.

Background There are numerous non-biologic and biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Typical sequences of bDMARDs are not clear. Future treatment policies and trials should be informed by quantitative estimates of current treatment practice. Methods We used data from Corrona, a large real-world RA registry, to develop a method for quantifying sequential patterns in treatment with bDMARDs. As a proof of concept, we study patients who eventually use tocilizumab monotherapy (TCZm), an IL-6 antagonist with similar benefits used as monotherapy or in combination. Patients starting a bDMARD were included and were followed using a discrete-state Markov model, observing changes in treatments every 6 months and determining whether they used TCZm. A supervised machine learning algorithm was then employed to determine longitudinal patient factors associated with TCZm use. Results 7300 patients starting a bDMARD were followed for up to 5 years. Their median age was 58 years, 78% were female, median disease duration was 5 years, and 57% were seropositive. During follow-up, 287 (3.9%) reported use of TCZm with median time until use of 25.6 (11.5, 56.0) months. Eighty-two percent of TCZm use began within 3 years of starting any bDMARD. Ninety-three percent of TCZm users switched from TCZ combination, a TNF inhibitor, or another bDMARD. Very few patients are given TCZm as their first DMARD (0.6%). Variables associated with the use of TCZm included prior use of TCZ combination therapy, older age, longer disease duration, seronegative, higher disease activity, and no prior use of a TNF inhibitor. Conclusions Improved understanding of treatment sequences in RA may help personalize care. These methods may help optimize treatment decisions using large-scale real-world data.

Chirality is a fundamental property in many biological systems. Motivated by previous observations of helical aortic blood flow, aortic tissue fibers, and propagation of aortic dissections, we introduce methods to characterize helical morphology of aortic dissections. After validation on computer-generated phantoms, the methods were applied to patients with type B dissection. For this cohort, there was a distinct bimodal distribution of helical propagation of the dissection with either achiral or exclusively right-handed chirality, with no intermediate cases or left-handed cases. This clear grouping indicates that dissection propagation favors these two modes, which is potentially due to the right-handedness of helical aortic blood flow and cell orientation. The characterization of dissection chirality and quantification of helical morphology advances our understanding of dissection pathology and lays a foundation for applications in clinical research and treatment practice. For example, the chirality and magnitude of helical metrics of dissections may indicate risk of dissection progression, help define treatment and surveillance strategies, and enable development of novel devices that account for various helical morphologies.

Background. Due to the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, non-emergency services like botulinum toxin A (BoNT) injections were temporarily discontinued. Objective. We aimed to create standard practices that optimize the management of patients needing BoNT injections while ensuring both patients' and healthcare professionals' safety. Methods. We evaluated published guidelines and best practices to determine their applicability for BoNT injection during this pandemic. We then devised a decision tree algorithm for use in our hospital. Results. A decision tree algorithm has been formulated based on patient evaluation and risk stratification, triaging, the urgency of the procedure, and proper precautions on personal protective wear as appropriate for the procedure’s risk stratification. Conclusion. The algorithm is in place to ensure the safety of both the patient and healthcare professional. It can be adopted and revised by other centers to suit their clinic needs.

Background: Recent studies cast doubt on the net effect of antipsychotics for delirium. Aim: To investigate the influence of these studies and other factors on clinicians’ delirium treatment practice and practice change in palliative care and other specialties using the Theoretical Domains Framework. Design: Australia-wide online survey of relevant clinicians. Setting/participants: Registered nurses (72%), doctors (16%), nurse practitioners (6%) and pharmacists (5%) who cared for patients with delirium in diverse settings, recruited through health professionals’ organisations. Results: Most of the sample ( n = 475): worked in geriatrics/aged (31%) or palliative care (30%); in hospitals (64%); and saw a new patient with delirium at least weekly (61%). More (59%) reported delirium practice change since 2016, mostly by increased non-pharmacological interventions (53%). Fifty-five percent reported current antipsychotic use for delirium, primarily for patient distress (79%) and unsafe behaviour (67%). Common Theoretical Domains Framework categories of influences on respondents’ delirium practice were: emotion (54%); knowledge (53%) and physical (43%) and social (21%) opportunities. Palliative care respondents more often reported: awareness of any named key study of antipsychotics for delirium (73% vs 39%, p Conclusion: Clinicians’ use of antipsychotic during delirium remains common and is primarily motivated by distress and safety concerns for the patient and others nearby. Supporting clinicians to achieve evidence-based delirium practice requires further work.

Since their discovery, relevant efforts have been made to optimize the detection approaches to EGFR mutations as well as the clinical management of EGFR-mutated NSCLC. The recent shift from single gene testing to novel comprehensive detection platforms along with the development of new generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors, targeting both common and uncommon EGFR-mutations, is leading to a progressive increase in the number of patients who may benefit from targeted approaches, with subsequent impact on their long-term survival and quality of life. However, a prompt and adequate implementation of the most recent diagnostic and treatment advances in the routine practice often remains critical to be specifically addressed. In this review we provide a complete and updated overview of the different detection platforms and therapeutic options currently available for the clinical management of advanced EGFR-positive NSCLC, summarizing scientific evidence and describing molecular testing as well as treatment practice in the real-word scenario.

Background Improved water sources are not equally available in all geographical regions. Populations dependent on unsafe water sources are recommended to treat their water at point-of-use using adequate methods to reduce associated health problems. In Ethiopia, the spatial distribution of households using unimproved water sources have been incomplete or ignored in most of the studies. Moreover, evidence on the point-of-use water treatment practice of households dependent on such water sources is scarce. Therefore, the current study is intended to analyse the spatial distribution of unimproved water sources by wealth quintiles at country level and point-of-use treatment practices using nationally representative data. Method: The data of 2016 Ethiopian Demographic and health survey (EDHS) conducted on 16650 households from 643 clusters were used for the analysis. For spatial analysis, the raw and spatially smoothed coverage data was joined to the geographic coordinates based on DHS cluster identification code. Global spatial autocorrelation was performed to analyse whether the pattern of unimproved water coverage is clustered, dispersed, or random across the study areas. Once a positive global autocorrelation was confirmed, a local spatial autocorrelation analysis was applied to detect local clusters. The point-of-use water treatment is analysed based on reported use of either boiling, bleach, filtration or SODIS. Result There were 5005 households using unimproved water sources for drinking purpose. Spatial variation of unimproved water coverage was observed with high coverage observed at Amhara, Afar, Southern Nations Nationalities and People and Somalia regions. Disparity in unimproved water coverage between wealth quintiles was also observed. The reported point-of-use water treatment practices among these households is only 6.24%. The odds of point-of-use water treatment among household heads with higher education status is 2.5 times high (95%CI = 1.43–4.36) compared to those who did not attend education. Conclusion An apparent clustering trend with high unimproved water coverage was observed between regions and among wealth quintiles hence indicates priority areas for future resource allocation and the need for regional and national policies to address the issue. Promoting households to treat water prior to drinking is essential to reduce health problems.

In the original publication, under section, BRVO treatment practice pattern, the sentence in p. 369 was published as.

During the outbreak of novel coronavirus pneumonia (NCP) in Wuhan, public hospitals have played an important role in intensive care, case guidance and scheme optimization. At the same time, it also faces unprecedented challenges and tests. Based on the treatment of severe patients in Wuhan, combined with the treatment practice in Tongji Hospital affiliated to Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, this paper puts forward the urgency of further strengthening the construction of public hospitals, discusses the feasible path for promoting the development of public hospitals, so as to meet the growing medical needs of the people, improve the ability to respond to major public health emergencies, and effectively guarantee the safety of people's lives and the promotion of a healthy China construction.

Prostate cancer (PCa) is a heterogeneous disease. PCa is stratified into risk groups based on clinical factors such as T-stage, Gleason score, and baseline prostate-specific antigen. Treatments are selected based on these risk groups. However, we hypothesize that non-clinical factors such as the radiation therapy (RT) center may also impact treatment selection, and we investigate the impact of these factors on treatment selection practice and their adherence to recommended guidelines from the national comprehensive cancer network (NCCN). A total of 552 patients with intermediate or high-risk localized PCa related data was collected from 34 radiation therapy centers of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), who were treated with definitive RT and with or without Androgen Deprivation Therapy (ADT) between 2010 and 2017. Patients’ clinical information is extracted by manually reviewing their medical charts. We also extracted treatment intended and treatment administered information from consult and end-of-treatment notes, respectively. The random forest classification algorithm was used to identify the impact of clinical and non-clinical factors in treatment selection, their adherence to the treatment guidelines, and treatment alteration (i.e., change in intended and administered treatments). We created models for predicting treatment intended as well as treatment administered. Our results demonstrated that non-clinical (i.e., treatment center) factors, along with clinical factors, are significant for predicting the adherence of treatment intended to the NCCN guidelines. Furthermore, the center served as an important factor for prescribing ADT; however, it is not associated with the duration of ADT and is weakly associated with treatment alterations. This presence of center-bias in treatment selection warrants further investigation on details of center-specific barriers for NCCN guideline adherence, and as well as the impact of center-bias on oncological outcomes.

Background and purposeDifferences in the treatment practice of female and male physicians have been shown in several medical subspecialties. It is currently not known whether this also applies to endovascular stroke treatment. The purpose of this study was to explore whether there are differences in endovascular treatment decisions made by female and male stroke physicians and neurointerventionalists.MethodsIn an international survey, stroke physicians and neurointerventionalists were randomly assigned 10 case scenarios and asked how they would treat the patient: (A) assuming there were no external constraints and (B) given their local working conditions. Descriptive statistics were used to describe baseline demographics, and the adjusted OR for physician gender as a predictor of endovascular treatment decision was calculated using logistic regression.Results607 physicians (97 women, 508 men, 2 who did not wish to declare) participated in this survey. Physician gender was neither a significant predictor for endovascular treatment decision under assumed ideal conditions (endovascular therapy was favored by 77.0% of female and 79.3% of male physicians, adjusted OR 1.03, P=0.806) nor under current local resources (endovascular therapy was favored by 69.1% of female and 76.9% of male physicians, adjusted OR 1.03, P=0.814).ConclusionEndovascular therapy decision making between male and female physicians did not differ under assumed ideal conditions or under current local resources.

Landfill leachate contains extremely diverse mixtures of pollutants and thus requires appropriate treatment before discharge. Co-treatment of landfill leachate with sewage in wastewater treatment plants is a common approach because of low cost and convenience. However, some recalcitrant organic compounds in leachate can escape biological treatment processes, lower the UV transmittance of waste streams due to their UV-quenching properties, and interfere with the associated disinfection efficacy. Thus, the leachate UV quenching substances (UVQS) must be removed or reduced to a level that UV disinfection is not strongly affected. UVQS consist of three major fractions, humic acids, fulvic acids and hydrophilics, each of which has distinct characteristics and behaviors during treatment. The purpose of this review is to provide a synthesis of the state of the science regarding UVQS and possible treatment approaches. In general, chemical, electrochemical, and physical treatments are more effective than biological treatments, but also costlier. Integration of multiple treatment methods to target the removal of different fractions of UVQS can aid in optimizing treatment. The importance of UVQS effects on wastewater treatment should be better recognized and understood with implemented regulations and improved research and treatment practice.

We are delighted to dedicate an edition of the Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine to the topic of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). ADHD accounts for the majority of clinical presentations to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, both in terms of new assessments and ongoing attendances. Papers presented in this edition reflect on the evolving construct of ADHD, drawing from science, clinical practice and public opinion. Current and evidenced-based assessment and treatment practice guidelines are reviewed. International longitudinal studies allow us to understand the personal and societal cost, which can persist for many years post-diagnosis. Despite continuation to adulthood in many young people, follow on adult services are lacking. It is fitting that submissions, by way of personal reflections and opinion pieces, are also included from adult colleagues as they reflect on their experiences in this area. Given the recent development of a national clinical programme in ADHD in Ireland, coupled with a growing evidence for effective interventions, it is hoped that this special edition will highlight the need for appropriate and accessible ADHD treatments across the lifespan.

Despite the increasing use of ventricular assist devices (VADs), gender differences in indications, hemodynamics, and outcome are not well understood. We examined gender differences and gender-specific predictors for perioperative outcome in patients on ventricular support.Multicenter data of 966 patients (median age 55 years, 151 women) from the European Registry for Patients with Mechanical Circulatory Support (EUROMACS) were analyzed. Median follow-up was 1.26 years.At the time of VAD implantation, women were more often in an unstable condition (Interagency Registry for Mechanically Assisted Circulatory Support [INTERMACS] profile 1 and 2) (51.7% vs 41.6% in men), experiencing significantly more often major bleeding (p = 0.0012), arrhythmias (p = 0.022), and right ventricular (RV) failure (p0.001) with need for additional RV support. The survival of women on isolated LVAD support was significantly worse (1-year survival 75.5% vs 83.2% in men). Age-adjusted Cox regression analyses showed significant associations with mortality for preoperative inotropic therapy, percutaneous mechanical support, INTERMACS profile 1 and 2, RV dysfunction, major bleeding, cerebral bleeding, ischemic stroke, and RV failure. In women, pump thrombosis was more strongly related with mortality compared to men, while the direction of the association of renal dysfunction with mortality was different for women and men (p-value interaction 0.028 and 0.023, respectively).Women and men differ in perioperative hemodynamics, adverse events, and mortality after VAD implantation. A gender-dependent association of pump thrombosis with mortality was seen. The impact on treatment practice needs to be shown.

Background & Aims Intestinal microbiota-host interactions play a major role in health and disease. This has been documented at the microbiota level ("dysbiosis" in chronic immune-mediated diseases) and through the study of specific bacteria-host interactions but rarely at the level of intestinal ecosystem dynamics. However, understanding the behavior of this ecosystem may be key to the successful treatment of disease. We recently postulated that health and disease represent alternative stable states of the intestinal ecosystem (different configurations that can exist under identical external conditions), which would require adapted strategies in disease treatment. Here, we examine if alternative stable states indeed exist in this ecosystem and if they could affect remission from ulcerative colitis (UC). Methods We analyzed data from a study on pediatric UC. The data reflect current treatment practice following the recruitment of treatment-naive patients with new-onset disease. Patients received personalized anti-inflammatory treatments over a period of 1 year. Stool samples at 0, 4, 12, and 52 weeks allowed an estimation of microbiota status (through 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing) and host inflammatory status (through the measurement of fecal calprotectin levels). Results We identify 4 microbiota states and 4 host states. Longitudinal data show that the improvement of inflammatory status is accompanied by an improvement of microbiota status. However, they also provide strong indications that both improvements are retarded or blocked by alternative states barriers. Conclusions Our observations strongly suggest that inflammation suppression should be combined with microbiota management where possible to improve the efficacy of UC treatment.

Introduction: Clinical availability of highly effective novel agents (including Bruton tyrosine kinase [BTK] and B-cell lymphoma 2 [BCL-2] inhibitors) is rapidly altering the therapeutic landscape of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) necessitating a review of treatment guidelines. However, there is limited real-world data to validate if the availability of these novel agents has translated to a true shift in treatment paradigm for patients treated in the community. As the majority of CLL patients are treated in non-academic community-based settings, we investigated the clinical adoption trends of commercially available FDA approved novel agents for treatment of CLL patients. In addition, given that the COVID-19 pandemic led to major alteration in clinical oncology practices, we further studied if this contributed to an alteration in the selection of therapeutic agents resulting in changes of CLL treatment patterns and the utilization of novel agents in the real-world setting. Thus, the objectives of this study were to examine the utilization pattern of various CLL therapies, as well as evaluate the pattern of adoption of novel agents for treatment and the impact of COVID. Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted using the Flatiron Health database that comprised EHR-derived de-identified data. Adult patients (≥18 years) with newly diagnosed CLL from January 2014 to May 2021, with no prior treatment and who were continuously enrolled for at least 6 months before and 3 months after the index date, defined as the first date of CLL/SLL diagnosis were included. Treatment regimens were classified into seven mutually exclusive categories: bendamustine-based chemotherapy, other chemotherapy, anti-CD20-based therapy, ibrutinib, idelalisib, acalabrutinib and venetoclax. Further treatment categorization included chemotherapy vs. targeted therapy, and traditional IV vs. novel oral agents. The impact of the pandemic was examined by comparing the pre- and post-COVID cohorts (defined as 15 months pre- and post- of March 1, 2021). Descriptive analyses were conducted to examine the frequency of use of treatment regimens by quarter in each year, line of therapy and between different age, gender, US geographical region, insurance status, and race/ethnicity subgroups. Multivariable regression was conducted to examine factors associated with the likelihood of adoption of novel and oral agents. Statistical significance was determined at a p-value of less than 0.05. Results: A total of 3,037 newly diagnosed CLL patients (median age =73) were included in the study. Over half were male (62.3%), white (74.6%) and commercially-insured (54.1%). Patients were primarily treated in community practices (92%). Overall, a significant trend in adoption of novel agents was observed throughout the years following their approval (Figure 1A). Across the evaluation period, a significant decrease in chemotherapy use was observed from 61.3% (quarter 1, 2014) to 20% (quarter 2, 2021) in favor of targeted therapy as first-line therapy (Figure 1B). In contrast, the utilization of novel oral agents (vs. traditional IV agents) for first-line therapy increased from 9.5% to 70.9% for the same period (Figure 1C). Similar trends were observed for second-line and third-line therapies. Encouragingly, this change in treatment patterns was adopted comparably in all sociodemographic subgroups with no evidence of disparity. While there was no statistically significant difference between the pre- and post-COVID treatment landscape, the adoption of target and novel oral agents has been more pronounced with the COVID pandemic. Conclusions: Results from real-world data suggest that there is a clear shift towards the adoption of novel therapies with preference given to targeted agents and oral therapies in the US since 2014. Further research examining real-world outcomes associated with treatment regimens are needed to inform decision makers. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Chanan-Khan: Cellectar: Current equity holder in publicly-traded company; Alpha2 Pharmaceuticals, NonoDev, Starton: Current holder of stock options in a privately-held company; Ascentage: Research Funding; Alpha2 Pharmaceuticals: Patents & Royalties: Tabi; Ascentage, Starton, Cellectar, NonoDev, Alpha2 Pharmaceuticals: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; BeiGene, Jansen, Ascentage: Honoraria; BieGene, Jansen, Ascentage: Consultancy. Yang: BeiGene, Ltd.: Current Employment. Liu: BeiGene, Ltd.: Current Employment. Zimmerman: BeiGene, Ltd.: Current Employment. Tang: BeiGene, Ltd.: Current Employment. Ailawadhi: Karyopharm: Consultancy; AbbVie: Consultancy; Genentech: Consultancy; Takeda: Consultancy; GSK: Consultancy, Research Funding; Xencor: Research Funding; Cellectar: Research Funding; Medimmune: Research Funding; Ascentage: Research Funding; Pharmacyclics: Consultancy, Research Funding; Amgen: Consultancy, Research Funding; Janssen: Consultancy, Research Funding; Bristol Myers Squibb: Consultancy, Research Funding; BeiGene, Ltd.: Consultancy; Sanofi: Consultancy; Oncopeptides: Consultancy.

The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the evaluation process to select the Aerosol Suction Machine (ASM) design to be implemented in a dental treatment practice to prevent the spread of COVID-19. There are two designs evaluated, the movable ASM and the fixed mounting ASM. The evaluation process involved four evaluation criteria: flexibility, safety level, manufacturability, and maintenance. The evaluation is conducted based on a specific requirement of a small dental clinic located in Surakarta, Indonesia. The evaluation results show that the fixed mounting is more suitable for implementing in a small dental clinic with many natural ventilation openings.