Spanish-language bariatric surgery patient education materials fail to meet healthcare literacy standards of readability.

BACKGROUND: The Hispanic population is the fastest growing ethnic minority in the United States, contributing to nearly half of the population growth over the last decade. Unfortunately, this population suffers from lower-than-average health literacy rates, leading to poorer health outcomes. Per the American Medical Association and National Institutes of Health, patient education materials (PEMs) should be written at no higher than a 6th grade reading level. Given that US Hispanic adults have the second-highest obesity prevalence, this study aims to analyze the readability of Spanish-language PEMs regarding bariatric surgery available in US-based academic and medical centers. METHODS: A total of 50 PEMs were found via the query ""cirugía de pérdida de peso" site: (edu OR.org)" on the Google search engine. Thirty-nine sources met the inclusion criteria of belonging to a US-based academic or medical center and containing information regarding the indications for bariatric surgery, descriptions of the types of bariatric surgery, what to expect before and after surgery, or the risks and benefits of bariatric surgery. The excerpts were analyzed according to three readability formulas designed specifically for the Spanish language and evaluated for their reading grade level. RESULTS: All 39 sources were at the college reading level per the Fry graph corrected for Spanish. Per the Spaulding formula, 37 sources were "Grade 12 + " and two sources were "Grade 8-10." Per the Fernandez-Huerta formula, 16 sources were at the 8th/9th grade reading level, 22 sources were at the 7th grade reading level, and one was at the 6th grade reading level. CONCLUSION: The Spanish-language bariatric surgery PEMs available online from US-based academic and medical centers are generally above the recommended 6th grade reading level. Failure to meet the recommended sixth-grade reading level decreases health care literacy for Spanish-speaking patients within the United States seeking bariatric surgery.

nPEP protocol implementation and evaluation at a local US Crisis Center.

Non-occupational Post-Exposure Prophylaxis for HIV (nPEP) is recommended by the CDC for isolated exposures that pose "substantial risk" for HIV transmission. To combat multiple barriers to nPEP utilization, a comprehensive program was developed through the local community sexual assault provider. The purpose of this study was to evaluate nPEP protocol implementation. A retrospective chart review was conducted of all sexual assault victims seen during a six-month period, and all patients who accepted nPEP were selected for follow-up phone interviews. 157 patients presented during the study period. Mean time to care was 32.4hrs, with 126/157 (80%) presenting ≤72hrs. 114/157 (73%) patients were offered nPEP by providers. 67/114 (59%) patients accepted, with the most common reason for declining being needing more time to decide. 10/13 (77%) patients able to be contacted reported completing nPEP, with side-effects cited as the most common noncompletion reason. 9 reported side effects and 4 received recommended follow-up HIV testing. 83/99 (84%) patients clearly eligible by chart review were offered nPEP, suggesting good adherence to CDC guidelines. Most patients contacted completed nPEP despite side-effects, suggesting good adherence. Our findings demonstrated multiple points status post-sexual assault to potentially improve the nPEP process.

Outcomes of Gastric Resection in the Establishment of a Comprehensive Oncologic Robotic Program.

BACKGROUND: Robotic-assisted gastrectomy is increasingly utilized for the treatment of gastric malignancies. However, the benefits of robotic surgery have been questioned. This study describes short-term outcomes in the establishment of a comprehensive robotic program for gastric malignancies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients who underwent robotic-assisted gastric resections between 2013 and 2018 were studied. Preoperative measures and surgical outcomes were analyzed. Finally we studied and analyzed robotic and open gastrectomy for the management of gastric adenocarcinoma (GC) at the same institution between 2000 and 2018 for quality benchmarking. RESULTS: Forty six patients (pts.) underwent robotic-assisted gastric resections. 26 (56.5%) were male, with a median age of 62 y (range: 29-87). Pathology included GC, gastrointestinal stromal tumors, neuroendocrine tumors, metastatic lesions, and benign processes. 19 pts. underwent total gastrectomy, 16 distal gastrectomy, four subtotal gastrectomy, and seven wedge resection. Pts. undergoing distal gastrectomy and wedge resection experienced shorter operative times and length of stay than total gastrectomy (P < 0.01; P < 0.01). Four operations (8.8%) were converted to open and 13 pts (28.3%) had postoperative complications, including an 8.7% readmission rate. Median lymph nodes retrieved during total, subtotal, and distal gastrectomy were 20 (13-46), 12.5 (0-26), and 16.5 (0-34), respectively. All pts. underwent margin negative resection. Median follow-up for GC was 21 mo, and 60% of pts. received adjuvant therapy at a median of 59d (range: 23-106). CONCLUSIONS: Robotic gastrectomy is a feasible alternative to open gastrectomy. Our results will help establish benchmarks to improve perioperative outcomes, especially length of stay and time to initiation of therapy.

Concordance between decision analysis and matching systematic review of randomized controlled trials in assessment of treatment comparisons: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Systematic review (SR) of randomized controlled trials (RCT) is the gold standard for informing treatment choice. Decision analyses (DA) also play an important role in informing health care decisions. It is unknown how often the results of DA and matching SR of RCTs are in concordance. We assessed whether the results of DA are in concordance with SR of RCTs matched on patient population, intervention, control, and outcomes. METHODS: We searched PubMed up to 2008 for DAs comparing at least two interventions followed by matching SRs of RCTs. Data were extracted on patient population, intervention, control, and outcomes from DAs and matching SRs of RCTs. Data extraction from DAs was done by one reviewer and from SR of RCTs by two independent reviewers. RESULTS: We identified 28 DAs representing 37 comparisons for which we found matching SR of RCTs. Results of the DAs and SRs of RCTs were in concordance in 73% (27/37) of cases. The sensitivity analyses conducted in either DA or SR of RCTs did not impact the concordance. Use of single (4/37) versus multiple data source (33/37) in design of DA model was statistically significantly associated with concordance between DA and SR of RCTs. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings illustrate the high concordance of current DA models compared with SR of RCTs. It is shown previously that there is 50% concordance between DA and matching single RCT. Our study showing the concordance of 73% between DA and matching SR of RCTs underlines the importance of totality of evidence (i.e. SR of RCTs) in the design of DA models and in general medical decision-making.

Calcium and vitamin D intake in allergic versus non-allergic children and corresponding parental attitudes towards dairy products.

BACKGROUND: It is hypothesized that parents of children with allergic conditions believe dairy products are potentially harmful to their child. OBJECTIVES: This study compares the calcium and vitamin D intake of allergic versus non-allergic children and parental beliefs about milk and dairy products. METHODS: A survey and food-frequency-questionnaire were administered to parents of children between 3 and 13 years, 110 with allergic disease (allergic rhinitis, asthma, food allergy, and/or atopic dermatitis) versus 110 without allergic disease. Calcium and vitamin D intake was calculated from the food-frequency-questionnaire and compared to National Institutes of Health recommendations. Associations between atopy, calcium and vitamin D intake, and beliefs were investigated using Chi-square test (α = 0.05). Distribution across subjects was investigated using Mann-Whitney-U test (α = 0.05). RESULTS: Fewer allergic (51.8%) versus non-allergic children (77.3%) met the recommended calcium intake (p < 0.001). Both had similar rates of insufficient vitamin D intake: 12.7% allergic and 17.3% non-allergic (p = 0.345). 81.7% of parents of allergic versus 94.0% of non-allergic children believe intake of dairy is important (p = 0.009). 23.7% of parents of allergic versus 8.0% of non-allergic children believe dairy negatively impacts their child (p = 0.003). 19.1% of parents of allergic children (excluding 3 with documented milk allergy) versus 2.0% of non-allergic believe their child is allergic or intolerant to dairy (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Children are at risk of insufficient calcium and vitamin D intake. Atopic children may be at increased risk for insufficient intake, due in part to parent's negative beliefs regarding dairy products. Physicians should counsel on the importance of micronutrient intake and how allergic conditions do or do not entail dietary restrictions.

Anesthetic and analgesic methods for gynecologic brachytherapy: A meta-analysis and systematic review.

Gynecologic brachytherapy procedures require targeted procedural and anesthetic needs including optimization of intra- and post-procedure analgesia, low rate of complications, and appropriate and timely transitions of care. It is uncertain whether neuraxial or general anesthesia is superior for these and other anesthetic outcomes. After a targeted search of the recent literature for anesthesia and analgesia studies for gynecologic brachytherapy, twenty studies were identified and appraised for potential review. Meta-analysis showed a decreased frequency in rescue analgesic administration in patients who underwent neuraxial anesthesia compared with general anesthesia for the procedure and literature review showed a comparable rate of anesthesia-related complications. Neuraxial anesthesia may be considered for gynecologic brachytherapy because of improved pain control, decreased opioid consumption, and similar rate of anesthesia complications.

High metabolic tumor volume is associated with decreased efficacy of axicabtagene ciloleucel in large B-cell lymphoma.

High metabolic tumor volume (MTV) predicts worse outcomes in lymphoma treated with chemotherapy. However, it is unknown if this holds for patients treated with axicabtagene ciloleucel (axi-cel), an anti-CD19 targeted chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy. The primary objective of this retrospective study was to investigate the relationship between MTV and survival (overall survival [OS] and progression-free survival [PFS]) in patients with relapsed/refractory large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL) treated with axi-cel. Secondary objectives included finding the association of MTV with response rates and toxicity. The MTV values on baseline positron emission tomography of 96 patients were calculated via manual methodology using commercial software. Based on a median MTV cutoff value of 147.5 mL in the first cohort (n = 48), patients were divided into high and low MTV groups. Median follow-up for survivors was 24.98 months (range, 10.59-51.02 months). Patients with low MTV had significantly superior OS (hazard ratio [HR], 0.25; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.10-0.66) and PFS (HR, 0.40; 95% CI, 0.18-0.89). Results were successfully validated in a second cohort of 48 patients with a median follow-up for survivors of 12.03 months (range, 0.89-25.74 months). Patients with low MTV were found to have superior OS (HR, 0.14; 95% CI, 0.05-0.42) and PFS (HR, 0.29; 95% CI, 0.12-0.69). In conclusion, baseline MTV is associated with OS and PFS in axi-cel recipients with LBCL.

Impact of spinal needle type on postdural puncture headache among women undergoing Cesarean section surgery under spinal anesthesia: A meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Spinal anesthesia is the most frequently performed anesthesia for cesarean section. The American Society of Anesthesiology recommends using pencil-point spinal needles (SNs) over cutting-bevel SNs to reduce postdural puncture headache (PDPH) in their practice guidelines for obstetric anesthesia. However, there is no meta-analysis addressing the impact of the type of SNs on PDPH among women undergoing Cesarean section surgery. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis including randomized controlled trials comparing the incidence of PDPH of pencil-point SNs with cutting-bevel SNs in patients undergoing Cesarean section with spinal anesthesia. A comprehensive search of PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, and CINAHL without using any language and time restrictions were performed. RESULTS: A total of 4936 patients from 20 studies (31 comparisons) were included. Pencil-point SN leads to reduced PDPH (risk ratio [RR] 0.33, 95% confidence intervals [CI] 0.25 to 0.45) and reduced requirement of epidural blood patch (RR = 0.21, 95% CI 0.09 to 0.51) compared to cutting-bevel SN. The incidence of anesthesia failure, non-PDPH, backache, and other adverse effects was not statistically significantly difference between the two SNs. Overall quality of evidence was moderate to low. CONCLUSIONS: Using pencil-point SN appears to be beneficial for preventing PDPH in patients undergoing Cesarean section without increasing any potential adverse effects. Further research addressing the specific gauge of pencil-point SNs, which might further reduce the incidence of PDPH is highly desired.

The Effects of Preoperative Embolization on Carotid Body Paraganglioma Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: There is no definitive consensus on the impact of preoperative embolization on carotid body paraganglioma management. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of preoperative embolization on carotid body paraganglioma excision. DATA SOURCES: A systematic search was conducted without limits, and it included studies published on or before July 2013 from PubMed, CINAHL, Web of Knowledge, and the Cochrane Library. Relevant synonyms for the search terms "paraganglioma,""carotid body tumor," and "embolization" were applied. REVIEW METHODS: Studies evaluating patients undergoing surgical intervention with embolization for carotid body tumors were included. Two reviewers independently assessed the titles and abstracts for inclusion and extracted the data. The guidelines set forth by the Cochrane Collaboration were followed in the process of data extraction. Data were pooled with a fixed effects model, and standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) are reported. RESULTS: A total of 22 studies (15 nonrandomized studies with a comparator, 7 single-arm studies) were included, enrolling 578 patients with 607 tumors. Patients undergoing preoperative embolization had significantly less estimated blood loss compared with those of surgical excision only (12 studies; 295 tumors; SMD: -0.52; 95% CI: -0.77, -0.28). Patients undergoing preoperative embolization had less operative time compared with that of surgical excision only (6 studies; 174 tumors; SMD: -0.46; 95% CI: -0.77, -0.14). CONCLUSION: Surgical excision with preoperative embolization appears to decrease estimated blood loss and operative time when compared with that without preoperative embolization for carotid body paragangliomas.

Assessment of risk factors of helicobacter pylori infection and peptic ulcer disease.

BACKGROUND: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is a risk factor for peptic ulcer. There have been no studies addressing environmental and dietary risk factors in western India. We conducted a case control study enrolling peptic ulcer patients in Pune, India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Risk factors for peptic ulcer and H. pylori infection were assessed in a participant interview. H. pylori status was assessed from stool by monoclonal antigen detection. RESULTS: We enrolled 190 peptic ulcer, 35 stomach cancer patients, and 125 controls. Fifty-one percent (180/350) of the participants were infected with H. pylori. Lower socioeconomic status (SES) [odds ratio (OR): 1.10, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.02-1.39], meat consumption (OR: 2.35, 95% CI: 1.30-4.23), smoking (OR: 2.23, 95% CI: 1.24-4.02), eating restaurant food (OR: 3.77, 95% CI: 1.39-10.23), and drinking nonfiltered or nonboiled water (OR: 1.05, 95% CI: 1.01-1.23) were risk factors for H. pylori infection. H. pylori infection (OR: 1.70, 95% CI: 1.03-2.89), meat (OR: 1.10, 95% CI: 1.02-1.75), fish (OR: 1.05, 95% CI: 1.02-1.89) consumption, and a family history of ulcer (OR: 1.20, 95% CI: 1.08-1.60) were risk factors for peptic ulcer. Consumption of chili peppers (OR: 0.20, 95% CI: 0.10-0.37) and parasite infestation (OR: 0.44, 95% CI: 0.24-0.80) were protective against H. pylori infection. CONCLUSION: H. pylori infection is associated with peptic ulcer. Lower SES, consumption of restaurant food, meat, nonfiltered water, and smoking are risk factors for H. pylori. Consumption of meat, fish, and a family history of peptic ulcer are risk factors for peptic ulcer. Consumption of chili peppers and concurrent parasite infestation appear to be protective against H. pylori.