Firearm Injuries in Young Children: Surgical Resource Utilization and Implications for Prevention.

INTRODUCTION: Pediatric firearm injury prevention research in younger age groups is limited. This study evaluated a large multicenter cohort of younger children with firearm injuries, focusing on injury patterns and surgical resource utilization. METHODS: Children ≤15 y old sustaining firearm injuries between 2016 and 2021 and treated at 10 pediatric trauma centers in Florida were included. Individual cases were reviewed for demographics, shooting details, injury patterns, resource utilization, and outcomes. Patients were grouped by age into preschool (0-5 y), elementary school (6-10 y), middle school (11-13 y), and early high school (14-15 y). Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify predictors of death and critical resource utilization. RESULTS: A total of 489 children (80 preschool, 76 elementary school, 92 middle school, and 241 early high school) met inclusion criteria. Demographics, injury patterns, and resource utilization were similar across age groups. Assault and self-harm increased with age. Self-harm was implicated in 5% of cases but accounted for 18% of deaths. Hand surgery (i.e., below-elbow) procedures were common at 8%. Overall mortality was 10%, but markedly higher for self-harm injuries (47%). On multivariable regression, age and demographics were not predictive of death or critical resource utilization, but self-harm intent was a strong independent risk factor for both. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that given the age distribution and disproportionately high impact of self-harm injuries, behavioral health resources should be available to children at the middle school level or earlier. Hand surgery may represent an overlooked but frequently utilized resource to mitigate injury impact and optimize long-term function.

Golf cart injuries have similar severity to all-terrain vehicle injuries in children: a multicenter comparison over a 5-year period.

Background: Golf carts (GCs) and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) are popular forms of personal transport. Although ATVs are considered adventurous and dangerous, GCs are perceived to be safer. Anecdotal experience suggests increasing numbers of both GC and ATV injuries, as well as high severity of GC injuries in children. This multicenter study examined GC and ATV injuries and compared their injury patterns, resource utilization, and outcomes. Methods: Pediatric trauma centers in Florida submitted trauma registry patients age <16 years from January 2016 to June 2021. Patients with GC or ATV mechanisms were identified. Temporal trends were evaluated. Injury patterns, resource utilization, and outcomes for GCs and ATVs were compared. Intensive care unit admission and immediate surgery needs were compared using multivariable logistic regression. Results: We identified 179 GC and 496 ATV injuries from 10 trauma centers. GC and ATV injuries both increased during the study period (R2 0.4286, 0.5946, respectively). GC patients were younger (median 11 vs 12 years, p=0.003) and had more intracranial injuries (34% vs 19%, p<0.0001). Overall Injury Severity Score (5 vs 5, p=0.27), intensive care unit (ICU) admission (20% vs 16%, p=0.24), immediate surgery (11% vs 11%, p=0.96), and mortality (1.7% vs 1.4%, p=0.72) were similar for GCs and ATVs, respectively. The risk of ICU admission (OR 1.19, 95% CI 0.74 to 1.93, p=0.47) and immediate surgery (OR 1.04, 95% CI 0.58 to 1.84, p=0.90) remained similar on multivariable logistic regression. Conclusions: During the study period, GC and ATV injuries increased. Despite their innocuous perception, GCs had a similar injury burden to ATVs. Heightened safety measures for GCs should be considered. Level of evidence: III, prognostic/epidemiological.

Social determinants of health in pediatric trauma: Associations with injury mechanisms and outcomes in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Relationships between social determinants of health and pediatric trauma mechanisms and outcomes are unclear in context of COVID-19. METHODS: Children <16 years old injured between 2016 and 2021 from ten pediatric trauma centers in Florida were included. Patients were stratified by high vs. low Social Vulnerability Index (SVI). Injury mechanisms studied were child abuse, ATV/golf carts, and firearms. Mechanism incidence trends and mortality were evaluated by interrupted time series and multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS: Of 19,319 children, 68% and 32% had high and low SVI, respectively. Child abuse increased across SVI strata and did not change with COVID. ATV/golf cart injuries increased after COVID among children with low SVI. Firearm injuries increased after COVID among children with high SVI. Mortality was predicted by injury mechanism, but was not independently associated with SVI, race, or COVID. CONCLUSION: Social vulnerability influences pediatric trauma mechanisms and COVID effects. Child abuse and firearm injuries should be targeted for prevention.

Prolonged In-hospital Time to Appendectomy is Associated With Increased Complicated Appendicitis in Children.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between prolonged in-hospital time to appendectomy (TTA) and the risk of complicated appendicitis. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: Historically, acute appendicitis was treated with emergency appendectomy. More recently, practice patterns have shifted to urgent appendectomy, with acceptable in-hospital delays of up to 24 hours. However, the consequences of prolonged TTA remain poorly understood. Herein, we present the largest individual analysis to date of outcomes associated with prolonged in-hospital delay before appendectomy in children. METHODS: Data from patients who underwent appendectomy within 24 hours of hospital presentation were obtained from the American College of Surgeons Pediatric National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Procedure Targeted Appendectomy database from 2016 to 2018. Appendectomy within 16 hours of presentation was considered early, whereas those between 16 to 24 hours were defined as late. The primary outcome was operative findings of complicated appendicitis. Secondary outcomes included 30-day complications and resource utilization. RESULTS: This study consisted of 18,927 patients, with 20.6% undergoing late appendectomy. The rate of complicated appendicitis was significantly higher in the late group (Early: 26.3%, Late: 30.3%, P < 0.05). Additionally, the late group had longer operative times, increased need for postoperative percutaneous drainage, antibiotics at discharge, parenteral nutrition, and an extended hospital length of stay (P < 0.05). On multivariate analysis, late appendectomy remained a predictor of complicated disease (odds ratio 1.17 [95% confidence interval, 1.08-1.27]). CONCLUSIONS: A significant proportion of pediatric patients with acute appendicitis experience prolonged in-hospital delays before appendectomy, which are associated with modestly increased rates of complicated appendicitis. Although this does not indicate appendectomy needs to be done emergently, prolonged in-hospital TTA should be avoided whenever possible.

Pediatric traumatic abdominal wall hernia as a component of the seatbelt syndrome: a case series and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: Blunt impact-induced traumatic abdominal wall hernia (TAWH) is an uncommon pediatric surgical problem classically associated with handlebar injury but increasingly seen with seatbelt use in motor vehicle collisions (MVC). Herein we describe the largest case series of pediatric TAWH to date and review the literature to establish the unique syndromic characteristics of MVC-associated TAWH. METHODS: In this single-institution series, we discuss four pediatric patients, all with seatbelt-associated TAWH after high-speed MVC characterized by full-thickness disruption of the lateral abdominal wall. We then performed a review of the literature to identify additional pediatric MVC-associated TAWH and define the characteristics of patients who sustained this unique injury. RESULTS: In addition to the four patients in our case series, five additional pediatric patients presenting with TAWH after restrained MVC were identified in the literature. Of these nine patients, eight (89%) presented with an obvious seatbelt sign (bruising/laceration to the abdominal wall). Six (67%) had associated injuries typical of the seatbelt syndrome, including four spinal flexion injuries (44%) and five bowel injuries requiring repair or resection (56%). Overall, 56% of seatbelt-associated TAWH occurred in children with a BMI percentile > 95%. CONCLUSIONS: In this case series and literature review, we note a high rate of seatbelt syndrome injuries in pediatric patients presenting with TAWH after restrained MVC. Suspicion for TAWH should be high in children presenting with a seatbelt sign and should trigger a low threshold for pursuing additional axial imaging. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV; case series.

Socioeconomic and health care coverage disparities in children, adolescents, and young adults with sarcoma.

BACKGROUND: Socioeconomic and health care coverage disparities are established as poor prognostic markers in adults with sarcoma, but few studies examine these differences among pediatric, adolescents and young adults (AYA). This study examines the association between socioeconomic status (SES), insurance status, and disease presentation among children and AYA patients with sarcoma. METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study of patients aged 0-25 years with bone or soft tissue sarcoma from the National Cancer Database. SES assignments were based on estimated median income and education level. Patient demographics and clinical factors were compared by SES and insurance status. Multivariate logistic regression models were fitted to determine adjusted odds ratios of SES and insurance status on metastatic disease or tumor size ≥5 cm at time of presentation. RESULTS: In a cohort of 9112 patients, 2932 (32.1%) had low, 2084 (22.8%) middle, and 4096 (44.9%) high SES. For insurance status, 5864 (64.3%) had private, 2737 (30.0%) public, and 511 (5.6%) were uninsured. Compared to high SES, patients with low SES were more likely to have metastatic disease (OR = 1.16, P = .03) and tumors ≥5 cm (OR = 1.29, P < .01). Compared to private insurance, public and no insurance were associated with metastatic disease (OR = 1.35, P < .01 and OR = 1.32, P = .02) and increased tumors ≥5 cm (OR = 1.28, P < .01 and OR = 1.67, P < .01). CONCLUSIONS: SES disparities exist among children and AYA patients with sarcoma. Low SES and public or no insurance are associated with advanced disease at presentation. Further studies are needed to identify interventions to improve earlier detection of sarcomas in at-risk children and young adults.

Dual-layer everted saphenous vein patch for pediatric femoral artery repair following ECMO decannulation.

Decannulation from pediatric veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) involves the removal of large arterial perfusion cannulas from relatively small lower extremity arteries. While these challenging repairs are frequently performed by general pediatric surgeons, there is little standardization with regard to vascular techniques within the pediatric surgery training paradigm, resulting in variability in the repair of these arteriotomies and potential future consequences for lower extremity perfusion and growth. Herein we present a technique for repair of large common femoral arteriotomies following removal of ECMO perfusion cannulas utilizing a dual-layer patch of ipsilateral saphenous vein harvested via the arterial cutdown incision. This vein segment is everted to maximize endothelial surface area of the patch and dual layered to provide additional support against aneurysmal degeneration. The described technique is an effective repair of arteriotomy following VA-ECMO decannulation, which minimizes vascular complications and is an accessible technique to those without advanced vascular surgical training. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV; operative technique description with small case series.

Extracorporeal Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (ECPR) in Infants and Children: A Single-Center Retrospective Study.

BACKGROUND: Extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) is increasingly used to rescue patients with cardiac arrest refractory to conventional therapy, necessitating evaluation of factors that may affect outcomes. METHODS: A single-center retrospective review of pediatric patients (<21 years old) who underwent ECPR from January 2010 to November 2017. Comparisons between nonsurvivors and survivors, to decannulation and discharge, were made. Factors associated with survival and rate of complications were examined. RESULTS: Seventy patients were supported with ECPR. Forty-nine (70%) patients survived to decannulation and 38 (54%) patients to discharge. There was no statistical difference between baseline characteristics of survivors and nonsurvivors, including age at cannulation, weight (kg), time to cannulation (minutes), and total time on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (hours). Survivors to discharge had significantly higher pH prior to cannulation compared to nonsurvivors (7.11 ± 0.24 vs 6.97 ± 0.21, P = .01). Of all, 23.2% of patients received renal replacement therapy (RRT), 39.4% had significant bleeding, 22.5% had thrombotic complications, and 68.8% had neurologic injury on imaging studies. A greater number of nonsurvivors received RRT compared to survivors to discharge (35.5% vs 10.8%, P = .02). There were no differences in bleeding or thrombotic complications or radiographically established neurologic injury. CONCLUSIONS: Although ECPR effectively increases overall survival, a better characterization of long-term outcomes is needed.

Increasing Opportunity for Lung Transplant in Interstitial Lung Disease With Pulmonary Hypertension.

BACKGROUND: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) as a bridge to lung transplantation for end-stage interstitial lung disease (ILD) and pulmonary hypertension (PH) has varying results based on ECMO configuration. We compare our experience using venovenous (VV) and venoarterial (VA) ECMO bridge to transplantation for ILD with PH on survival to successful transplantation. METHODS: A single-center retrospective review was done of patients with ILD and secondary PH who were placed on either VV or VA ECMO as bridge to transplantation from 2010 to 2016. Comparisons for factors associated with survival to transplantation between VV and VA ECMO strategies were made using Cox proportional hazards model. Subgroup analysis included comparisons of VV ECMO patients who remained on VV or were converted to VA ECMO. RESULTS: A total of 50 patients with ILD and PH were treated initially with either VV (n = 19) or VA (n = 31) ECMO as bridge to lung transplantation. Initial VA ECMO had a significantly higher survival to transplantation compared with initial VV ECMO (p = 0.03). Cox proportional hazards modeling showed a 59% reduction in risk of death for VA compared with VV ECMO (hazard reduction 0.41, 95% confidence interval: 0.18 to 0.92, p = 0.03). Patients converted from VV to VA ECMO had significantly longer survival awaiting transplant than patients who remained on VV ECMO (p = 0.03). Ambulation on ECMO before transplantation was associated with an 80% reduction in the risk of death (hazard reduction 0.20, 95% confidence interval: 0.08 to 0.48, p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Venoarterial ECMO upper body configuration for patients with end stage ILD and PH significantly improves overall survival to transplantation.

Weight loss after bariatric surgery in obese adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Of adolescents in the United States, 20% have obesity and current treatment options prioritize intensive lifestyle interventions that are largely ineffective. Bariatric surgery is increasingly being offered to obese adolescent patients; however, large-scale effectiveness data is lacking. We used MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane databases, and a manual search of references to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis on overall weight loss after gastric band, gastric sleeve, and gastric bypass in obese adolescent patients (age ≤19) and young adults (age ≤21) in separate analyses. We provided estimates of absolute change in body mass index (BMI, kg/m2) and percent excess weight loss across 4 postoperative time points (6, 12, 24, and 36 mo) for each surgical subgroup. Study quality was assessed using a 10 category scoring system. Data were extracted from 24 studies with 4 having multiple surgical subgroups (1 with 3, and 3 with 2 subgroups), totaling 29 surgical subgroup populations (gastric band: 16, gastric sleeve: 5, gastric bypass: 8), and 1928 patients (gastric band: 1010, gastric sleeve: 139, gastric bypass: 779). Mean preoperative BMI (kg/m2) was 45.5 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 44.7, 46.3) in gastric band, 48.8 (95%CI: 44.9, 52.8) in gastric sleeve, and 53.3 (95%CI: 50.2, 56.4) in gastric bypass patients. The short-term weight loss, measured as mean (95%CI) absolute change in BMI (kg/m2) at 6 months, was -5.4 (-3.0, -7.8) after gastric band, -11.5 (-8.8, -14.2) after gastric sleeve, and -18.8 (-10.9, -26.6) after gastric bypass. Weight loss at 36 months, measured as mean (95%CI) absolute change in BMI (kg/m2) was -10.3 (-7.0, -13.7) after gastric band, -13.0 (-11.0, -15.0) after gastric sleeve, and -15.0 (-13.5, -16.5) after gastric bypass. Bariatric surgery in obese adolescent patients is effective in achieving short-term and sustained weight loss at 36 months; however, long-term data remains necessary to better understand its long-term efficacy.

Long-Term Antipsychotic Use and Major Cardiovascular Events: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

OBJECTIVE: Chronic treatment with antipsychotics may result in both metabolic side effects and cardiovascular disease. Our aim was to evaluate the effect of antipsychotic medications categorized by their metabolic side effect profiles as low, intermediate, or high risk on major cardiovascular events. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted in adult outpatients aged 30 years or older initiating antipsychotic treatment from 2002 to 2007. Antipsychotic medications were divided into 3 groups (low-, intermediate-, and high-risk) according to the severity of their side-effect profiles in developing metabolic abnormalities associated with cardiovascular disease. The primary outcome measure was the time to the composite of acute myocardial infarction, acute coronary syndrome, ischemic stroke, peripheral artery disease, or a new revascularization procedure. Inverse probability weighting of a marginal structural Cox model was used to adjust for confounding. RESULTS: A total of 1,008 patients were included (mean age = 72.4 years, median follow-up = 36.5 months), and 19.6% of patients experienced the primary outcome. The adjusted hazard ratios of a major cardiovascular event for patients in the high- or intermediate-risk medication groups compared to the low-risk group were 2.82 (95% CI, 1.57-5.05) and 2.57 (95% CI, 1.43-4.63), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Older adult patients under antipsychotic regimens with high or intermediate risk of metabolic side effects may face a higher incidence of major cardiovascular events than those under a low-risk regimen during long-term follow-up.

Bicycle Use and Cyclist Safety Following Boston's Bicycle Infrastructure Expansion, 2009-2012.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate changes in bicycle use and cyclist safety in Boston, Massachusetts, following the rapid expansion of its bicycle infrastructure between 2007 and 2014. METHODS: We measured bicycle lane mileage, a surrogate for bicycle infrastructure expansion, and quantified total estimated number of commuters. In addition, we calculated the number of reported bicycle accidents from 2009 to 2012. Bicycle accident and injury trends over time were assessed via generalized linear models. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine factors associated with bicycle injuries. RESULTS: Boston increased its total bicycle lane mileage from 0.034 miles in 2007 to 92.2 miles in 2014 (P < .001). The percentage of bicycle commuters increased from 0.9% in 2005 to 2.4% in 2014 (P = .002) and the total percentage of bicycle accidents involving injuries diminished significantly, from 82.7% in 2009 to 74.6% in 2012. The multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that for every 1-year increase in time from 2009 to 2012, there was a 14% reduction in the odds of being injured in an accident. CONCLUSIONS: The expansion of Boston's bicycle infrastructure was associated with increases in both bicycle use and cyclist safety.

Laparoscopic vertical sleeve gastrectomy significantly improves short term weight loss as compared to laparoscopic adjustable gastric band placement in morbidly obese adolescent patients.

BACKGROUND: Bariatric surgery has shown to be an effective weight loss treatment in morbidly obese adolescents. We compared outcomes of laparoscopic adjustable gastric band (LAGB) to laparoscopic vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG). METHODS: A single institution, retrospective evaluation of a prospectively collected database of LAGB and VSG patients. RESULTS: 174 morbidly obese patients underwent bariatric surgery at our institution between 2006 and 2013. 137 patients underwent LAGB and 37 underwent VSG. There were no significant differences between LAGB vs. VSG groups on day of surgery for age, gender, ethnicity, weight, and BMI. At 24-month follow up, patients who underwent VSG vs. LAGB displayed significantly greater percent excess weight loss (70.9±20.7 vs. 35.5±28.6, P=0.004) and percent preoperative BMI loss (32.3±11.0 vs. 16.4±12.7, P=0.004). Both VSG and LAGB significantly improved levels of HDL, HgA1c, and fasting glucose. LAGB patients had more complications than VSG patients. CONCLUSION: Bariatric surgery is an effective treatment strategy in morbidly obese adolescents who have failed medical management. VSG results in greater short term weight and BMI loss when compared to LAGB. Longer follow up with more patients will be required to confirm the long term safety and efficacy of VSG in adolescent patients.

Influence of treatment modality in outcomes for different stages of resectable esophageal adenocarcinomas.

BACKGROUND: There is no consensus on the most effective modality for the treatment of resectable esophageal adenocarcinomas (EAC). We theorized that treatment modality may influence survival differently depending on the stage of disease. METHODS: A single-institution, retrospective examination of resectable EAC between 2000 and 2008 was performed. Resectable EAC were stratified into early disease (stage 2a or less) and late disease (stage 2b or more) based on pretreatment endoscopic ultrasound (EUS). Patients with T4, >N2, and/or distant disease were excluded. RESULTS: A total of 156 patients were included in this study. Most patients were white (97 %), male (83 %), and over 60 years of age (51 %). Patients with early disease on pretreatment EUS exhibited improved overall survival compared to patients with late disease (P < 0.001). Irrespective of treatment modality, there were no significant differences in overall 5-year survival for patients with early or late disease. Early and late disease patients whose disease responded to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) had significantly improved overall survival compared to nonresponsive disease (P < 0.05). The only negative independent predictors of overall 5-year survival were late stage disease on pretreatment EUS (hazard ratio 2.402, 95 % confidence interval 1.24-4.67, P = 0.01) and late stage disease on final pathological stage (hazard ratio 2.29, 95 % confidence interval 1.22-4.31, P = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Our data lack statistical power but reveal no difference in survival with the addition of neoadjuvant therapies to surgery for early or late resectable EAC. However, patients with disease that responded to NAC had improved outcomes at 5 years for both groups. Therefore, the prognosis for patients undergoing NAC may be optimized by immediate surgical resection if neoadjuvant therapies do not result in a dramatic clinical response.

Is resection equivalent to transplantation for early cirrhotic patients with hepatocellular carcinoma? A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Whether liver resection or liver transplantation is optimal therapy for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains undefined. A meta-analysis was conducted to answer this question. STUDY DESIGN: This study performed a systematic review of the published literature between January 2000 and April 2012. RESULTS: Nine retrospective studies, totaling 2,279 patients (989 resected and 1,290 transplanted), met the selection criteria. Older patients with larger tumors and less severe cirrhosis were identified in the resection group. At 1 year, resection demonstrated significantly higher overall [odds ratio (OR) = 1.54; 95 % confidence interval (CI), 1.19-1.98; p = 0.001], but equivalent disease-free survival (OR = 0.93; 95 % CI, 0.53-1.63; p = 0.80). At 5 years, there was no difference in overall survival (OR = 0.86; 95 % CI, 0.61-1.21; p = 0.38), but a higher disease-free survival in transplanted patients was observed (OR = 0.39; 95 % CI, 0.24-0.63; p < 0.001). When limiting our analysis to studies conducted in an intent-to-treat fashion, there was no difference in 5 year overall survival (OR = 1.18; 95 % CI, 0.92-1.51; p = 0.19), but a significantly higher disease-free survival (OR = 0.76; 95 % CI, 0.57-1.00; p = 0.05) in transplanted patients. At 10 years, transplantation had higher overall and disease-free survival rates. CONCLUSION: Liver transplantation in patients with HCC results in increased late disease-free and overall survival when compared with liver resection. Nonetheless, the benefit of liver transplantation is offset by higher short-term mortality, donor organ availability, and long transplant wait times associated with more patient deaths. Understanding these differences in survival is helpful in guiding treatment. However, a properly controlled prospective trial is needed to define how best to treat HCC patients who are candidates for either therapy.

Does neoadjuvant chemotherapy improve outcomes for patients with gastric cancer?

BACKGROUND: The role of neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapy for gastric cancer remains undefined. We compared the outcomes for patients treated with surgery alone or with the addition of adjuvant or neaodjuvant treatment. METHODS: A single-institution, retrospective evaluation of a prospective database of gastric cancer patients treated from 2000 to 2008 was performed. RESULTS: Overall, 173 patients with gastric cancer underwent surgical extirpation. Of the 173 patients, 43% had early-stage disease (less than stage 2) and 57% had late-stage disease (stage 2 or greater; American Joint Committee on Cancer, 2010). The median survival from the date of diagnosis for those treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) (n = 35), adjuvant chemotherapy (n = 21), adjuvant chemoradiotherapy (n = 18), both NAC and adjuvant chemotherapy (n = 11), or surgery alone (n = 88) was 26.3, 17.3, greater than 60, greater than 60, and 50.3 months, respectively. The addition of NAC to surgery was detrimental to survival in those with early-stage disease (P = 0.002) and did not improve survival in those with late-stage disease (P = 0.687). For those with late-stage disease, surgery with adjuvant chemoradiotherapy exhibited the best overall survival compared with surgery alone (P = 0.021) or surgery with adjuvant chemotherapy (P = 0.01). Patients treated with NAC had a greater rate of R0 resection compared with surgery alone (P = 0.049). CONCLUSIONS: NAC for patients with gastric cancer does not significantly improve the overall outcomes for those with late-stage disease and could be detrimental to survival for those with early-stage disease. However, treatment with NAC resulted in an improved rate of R0 resection.

Inflammation, organomegaly, and muscle wasting despite hyperphagia in a mouse model of burn cachexia.

BACKGROUND: Burn injury results in a chronic inflammatory, hypermetabolic, and hypercatabolic state persisting long after initial injury and wound healing. Burn survivors experience a profound and prolonged loss of lean body mass, fat mass, and bone mineral density, associated with significant morbidity and reduced quality of life. Understanding the mechanisms responsible is essential for developing therapies. A complete characterization of the pathophysiology of burn cachexia in a reproducible mouse model was lacking. METHODS: Young adult (12-16 weeks of age) male C57BL/6J mice were given full thickness burns using heated brass plates or sham injury. Food and water intake, organ and muscle weights, and muscle fiber diameters were measured. Body composition was determined by Piximus. Plasma analyte levels were determined by bead array assay. RESULTS: Survival and weight loss were dependent upon burn size. The body weight nadir in burned mice was 14 days, at which time we observed reductions in total body mass, lean carcass mass, individual muscle weights, and muscle fiber cross-sectional area. Muscle loss was associated with increased expression of the muscle ubiquitin ligase, MuRF1. Burned mice also exhibited reduced fat mass and bone mineral density, concomitant with increased liver, spleen, and heart mass. Recovery of initial body weight occurred at 35 days; however, burned mice exhibited hyperphagia and polydipsia out to 80 days. Burned mice had significant increases in serum cytokine, chemokine, and acute phase proteins, consistent with findings in human burn subjects. CONCLUSIONS: This study describes a mouse model that largely mimics human pathophysiology following severe burn injury. These baseline data provide a framework for mouse-based pharmacological and genetic investigation of burn-injury-associated cachexia.

Has the survival rate for surgically resected gastric gastrointestinal stromal tumors improved in the tyrosine kinase inhibitor era?

BACKGROUND: Tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy for patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) has been shown to improve overall outcomes. It remains unclear whether TKIs are delaying tumor recurrence or actually affecting cure rates. We sought to determine whether changes in overall and disease-specific survival (OS and DSS, respectively) for patients with surgically resected gastric GISTs have been observed after the introduction of TKI therapies by using population-based data. METHODS: The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database was queried for patients with resected gastric mesenchymal tumors before the introduction of TKIs (pre-TKI: 1990­1994) and after their inception (post-TKI: 2002­2003). RESULTS: Overall, 594 patients with gastric mesenchymal tumors were identified, and 189 and 405 underwent resection in the pre- and post-TKI eras, respectively. Between groups, there were no significant differences in patient demographics. The 1- and 6-year OS improved from 84 and 36 to 93 and 71%, respectively. The 1- and 6-year DSS improved from 92 and 62 to 96 and 90%, respectively. Through 6 years, OS and DSS significantly improved for all stages, tumor sizes, and extent of operation. By using multivariate analysis, undergoing treatment in the pre-TKI era was an independent negative predictor of OS, hazard ratio (HR, 2.98) and DSS (HR, 3.81). CONCLUSIONS: The TKI era is associated with dramatic improvements in OS and DSS for patients with surgically resected gastric GISTs, irrespective of stage, tumor size, and extent of operation through 6 years of follow-up. It remains unclear, however, whether this survival advantage is a change in cure rate or simply a delay in disease progression.

Salivary protein and solCD44 levels as a potential screening tool for early detection of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a devastating disease usually diagnosed at a late stage when cure rates are 40%. We examined a simple and inexpensive molecular tool that may aid HNSCC detection. METHODS: Building on prior findings that total protein levels are elevated in 102 HNSCC cases versus 84 control subjects, we further analyzed these levels with respect to important risk and demographic variables and compared the results to soluble CD44 (solCD44). Using multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARSs)-logit modeling and logistic regression, we determined whether total protein, solCD44, or the combination best identifies HNSCC. RESULTS: Combined higher levels of solCD44 and protein were significantly associated with HNSCC (odds ratio [OR] = 24.90; 95% confidence interval [CI], 9.04-68.57; area under the curve [AUC] = 0.786). A model including protein plus solCD44 resulted in a better area (AUC 0.796) than either marker alone. CONCLUSION: Oral rinse levels of solCD44 and protein seem to hold promise for detection of HNSCC.

Primary gastrointestinal tract lymphoma in the pediatric patient: review of 265 patients from the SEER registry.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to determine outcomes of pediatric patients with primary gastrointestinal tract lymphoma (PGTL) and the impact of surgery or radiation on survival. METHODS: The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Result database was queried from 1973 to 2006 for patients younger than 20 years with PGTL. RESULTS: 265 patients with PGTL were identified. Overall 5- and 10-year survivals were 84% and 83%, respectively. Tumors of the stomach (9%) and rectum/anus (2%) had the worst and best 10-year survivals, respectively (59% vs 100%, P = .023). There was no significant difference in 10-year survival for patients younger than 10 years of age who had surgical extirpation (83% vs 85% no surgery, P = .958) or radiotherapy (76% vs 85% no radiotherapy, P = .532). However, there was a significantly decreased 10-year survival in patients 10 years or older who had surgical extirpation (79% vs 100% no surgery, P = .013) or radiotherapy (49% vs 87% no radiotherapy, P = .001). Under multivariate analysis, tumor location was an independent predictor of improved survival (small bowel, HR 0.21, P = .002; large bowel, HR 0.23, P = .004). CONCLUSION: We found no significant survival advantage for surgical extirpation or radiotherapy in patients younger than 10 years with PGTL, whereas either treatment modality was associated with lower survival in patients 10 years or older.