Survival times and resistance to sea snake (Aipysurus laevis) venom by five species of prey fish

Background: Malignant ureteric obstruction occurs in a variety of cancers and has been typically associated with a poor prognosis. Percutaneous nephrostomy (PCN) can potentially help increase patient longevity by establishing urinary drainage and treating renal failure. Our aim was to look at the outcomes of PCN in patients with advanced cancer and the impact on the patients’ lifespan and quality of life. Materials and Methods: A literature review was carried out for articles from 2000 to 2020 on PCN in patients with advanced malignancies, using MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, clinicaltrials.gov, and Google Scholar. All English-language articles reporting on a minimum of 20 patients who underwent PCN for malignancy-associated ureteric obstruction were included. Results: A total of 21 articles (1674 patients) met the inclusion criteria with a mean of 60.2 years (range: 21–102 years). PCN was performed for ureteric obstruction secondary to urological malignancies (n = −633, 37.8%), gynaecological malignancies (n = 437, 26.1%), colorectal and GI malignancies (n = 216, 12.9%), and other specified malignancies (n = 205, 12.2%). The reported mean survival times varied from 2 to 8.5 months post PCN insertion, with an average survival time of 5.6 months, which depended on the cancer type, stage, and previous treatment. Conclusions: Patients with advanced malignancies who need PCN tend to have a survival rate under 12 months and spend a large proportion of this time in the hospital. Although the advent of newer chemotherapy and immunotherapy options has changed the landscape of managing advanced cancer, decisions on nephrostomy must be balanced with their survival and quality of life, which must be discussed with the patient.

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Risk scoring by CHADS2 and CHA2DS2-VASc as predictors for long-term outcomes after surgical ablation for atrial fibrillation

European Heart Journal ◽

10.1093/ehjci/ehaa946.0620 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 41 (Supplement_2) ◽

Author(s):

D Lauritzen ◽

H.J Vodstrup ◽

T.D Christensen ◽

M Onat ◽

R Christensen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Atrial Fibrillation ◽

Cardiac Surgery ◽

Isolation Procedure ◽

Survival Times ◽

Long Term Outcomes ◽

Surgical Ablation ◽

Follow Up Study ◽

Risk Scoring

Abstract Background Following catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF), CHADS2 and CHA2DS2-VASc have utility in predicting long-term outcomes. However, it is currently unknown if the same holds for patients undergoing surgical ablation. Purpose To determine whether CHADS2 and CHA2DS2-VASc predict long-term outcomes after surgical ablation in concomitance with other cardiac surgery. Methods In this prospective, follow-up study, we included patients who underwent biatrial ablation - or pulmonary vein isolation procedure concomitantly with other cardiac surgery between 2004 and 2018. CHADS2 and CHA2DS2-VASc scores were assessed prior to surgery and categorized in groups as 0–1, 2–4 or ≥5. Outcomes were death, AF, and AF-related death. Follow-up was ended in April 2019. Results A total of 587 patients with a mean age of 68.7±0.4 years were included. Both CHADS2 and CHA2DS2-VASc scores were predictors of survival p=0.005 and p<0.001, respectively (Figure). For CHADS2, mean survival times were 5.9±3.7 years for scores 0–1, 5.0±3.0 years for scores 2–4 and 4.3±2.6 years for scores ≥5. For CHA2DS2-VASc mean survival times were 7.3±4.0 years for scores 0–1, 5.6±2.9 years for scores 2–4 and 4.8±2.1 years for scores ≥5. The incidence of death was 20.1% for CHADS2 0–1, 24.8% for CHADS2 2–4, and 35.3% for CHADS2 ≥5, p=0.186. The incidence of AF was 50.2% for CHADS2 0–1, 47.9% for CHADS2 2–4, and 76.5% for CHADS2 ≥5, p=0.073. The incidence of AF related death was 13.0% for CHADS2 0–1, 16.8% for CHADS2 2–4, and 35.3% for CHADS2 ≥5, p=0.031. The incidence of death was 16.8% for CHA2DS2-VASc 0–1, 26.2% for CHA2DS2-VASc 2–4, and 45.0% for CHA2DS2-VASc ≥5, p=0.001. The incidence of AF was 49.6% for CHA2DS2-VASc 0–1, 52.5% for CHA2DS2-VASc 2–4, and 72.5% for CHA2DS2-VASc ≥5, p=0.035. The incidence of AF related death was 12.2% for CHA2DS2-VASc 0–1, 16.0% for CHA2DS2-VASc 2–4, and 42.5% for CHA2DS2-VASc ≥5, p<0.001. Conclusion Both CHADS2 and CHA2DS2-VASc scores predict long-term outcomes after surgical ablation for AF. However, CHA2DS2-VASc was superior in predicting death, AF, and AF-related death. Survival curves Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: None

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Isolation and Characterization of the Toxic Component of Enhydrina schistosa (Common Sea Snake) Venom

Journal of Biological Chemistry ◽

10.1016/s0021-9258(18)62424-x ◽

1971 ◽

Vol 246 (4) ◽

pp. 1012-1016

Author(s):

Anthony T. Tu ◽

Paul M. Toom

Keyword(s):

Snake Venom ◽

Sea Snake ◽

Toxic Component ◽

Isolation And Characterization

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A Joint Model for Longitudinal Outcomes with Potential Floor or Ceiling Effects and Survival Times, with Applications to Analysis of Quality of Life Data from a Cancer Clinical Trial

Stat ◽

10.1002/sta4.412 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Zhanfeng Wang ◽

Honghong Xu ◽

Haijiao Liu ◽

Hui Song ◽

Dongsheng Tu

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Clinical Trial ◽

Joint Model ◽

Cancer Clinical Trial ◽

Survival Times ◽

Longitudinal Outcomes ◽

Life Data ◽

Ceiling Effects

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Common pathways and functional profiles reveal underlying patterns in Breast, Kidney and Lung cancers

Biology Direct ◽

10.1186/s13062-021-00293-8 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Sergio Romera-Giner ◽

Zoraida Andreu Martínez ◽

Francisco García-García ◽

Marta R. Hidalgo

Keyword(s):

Molecular Mechanisms ◽

Machine Learning Techniques ◽

Alternative Activation ◽

Survival Times ◽

Major Health Problem ◽

Lung Cancers ◽

Cancer Data ◽

Cell Functions ◽

Cancer Pathogenesis ◽

Tissue Of Origin

Abstract Background Cancer is a major health problem which presents a high heterogeneity. In this work we explore omics data from Breast, Kidney and Lung cancers at different levels as signalling pathways, functions and miRNAs, as part of the CAMDA 2019 Hi-Res Cancer Data Integration Challenge. Our goal is to find common functional patterns which give rise to the generic microenvironment in these cancers and contribute to a better understanding of cancer pathogenesis and a possible clinical translation down further studies. Results After a tumor versus normal tissue comparison of the signaling pathways and cell functions, we found 828 subpathways, 912 Gene Ontology terms and 91 Uniprot keywords commonly significant to the three studied tumors. Such features interestingly show the power to classify tumor samples into subgroups with different survival times, and predict tumor state and tissue of origin through machine learning techniques. We also found cancer-specific alternative activation subpathways, such as the ones activating STAT5A in ErbB signaling pathway. miRNAs evaluation show the role of miRNAs, such as mir-184 and mir-206, as regulators of many cancer pathways and their value in prognoses. Conclusions The study of the common functional and pathway activities of different cancers is an interesting approach to understand molecular mechanisms of the tumoral process regardless of their tissue of origin. The existence of platforms as the CAMDA challenges provide the opportunity to share knowledge and improve future scientific research and clinical practice.

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