Superstition in Surgery: A Population-Based Cohort Study to Assess the Association Between Surgery on Friday the 13th and Postoperative Outcomes.

Objective: We sought to examine whether the outcomes of patients who receive a surgical procedure on Friday the 13th differ from patients who receive surgery on flanking Fridays. Background: Numerous studies have demonstrated that increased anxiety from the provider or patient around the time of surgery can lead to worse outcomes. Superstitious patients often express significant concern and anxiety when undergoing a surgical procedure on Friday the 13th. Methods: A retrospective, population-based cohort study of 19,747 adults undergoing 1 of 25 common surgical procedures on Friday the 13th or flanking control Fridays (Friday the 6th and Friday the 20th) between January 1, 2007, and December 31, 2019, with 1 year of follow-up. The main outcomes included death, readmission, and complications at 30 days (short-term), 90 days (intermediate-term), and 1 year (long-term). Results: A total of 7,349 (37.2%) underwent surgery on Friday the 13th, and 12,398 (62.8%) underwent surgery on a flanking Friday during the study period. Patient characteristics were similar between the 2 groups. We found no evidence that patients receiving surgery on Friday the 13th group were more likely to experience the composite primary outcome at 30 days [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.02 (95% CI = 0.94-1.09)], 90 days [aOR = 0.97 (95% CI = 0.90-1.04)], and 1 year [aOR = 0.99 (95% CI = 0.94-1.04)] after surgery. Conclusion: Patients receiving surgery on Friday the 13th do not appear to fare worse than those treated on ordinary Fridays with respect to the composite outcome.

Comparative real-world survival outcomes of metastatic papillary and clear cell renal cell carcinoma treated with immunotherapy, targeted therapy, and combination therapy.

INTRODUCTION: While there are a plethora of studies supporting novel treatment approaches in metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), much of the data used to inform care of patients with metastatic papillary RCC (pRCC) is extrapolated from ccRCC. Several recent phase III trials have supported the use of immunotherapy (IO) and targeted therapy (TT)+IO in ccRCC, without corresponding data for pRCC. Using ccRCC as a comparison group, we sought to describe real-world trends in the utilization of systemic therapy and its impact on overall survival (OS) among patients with metastatic pRCC. METHODS: Using the National Cancer Database (NCDB), we identified cases of metastatic pRCC and ccRCC between 2015 and 2018. Patients were stratified into groups based on histology and first-line treatments (TT, IO, TT + IO). Differences in baseline characteristics were assessed using the Kruskal-Wallis test for continuous variables, and the Chi-square or Fisher's exact test for categorical variables. Survival analysis was performed using Kaplan-Meier estimates and multivariable Cox regression analyses. RESULTS: A total of 6,920 patients with a diagnosis of metastatic RCC were identified: 594 (8.6%) with pRCC and 6,326 (91.4%) with ccRCC. Overall, 4,710 patients received TT (455 pRCC and 4,255 ccRCC), 1,585 received IO (77 pRCC and 1,508 ccRCC), and 625 received TT+IO (62 pRCC and 563 ccRCC). Temporal trend between 2015 and 2018 revealed an increased utilization of IO and TT + IO for pRCC and ccRCC. In patients with metastatic pRCC, neither IO (HR 1.03; 95% CI 0.75-1.42) nor TT+IO (HR 0.90, 95% CI 0.63-1.28) were associated with better OS compared to TT alone. In contrast, both IO and combination TT and IO were associated with significantly better OS than TT for patients with metastatic ccRCC (IO group: hazard ratio [HR] 0.75, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.68-0.82; TT+IO group: HR 0.82, 95% CI 0.72-0.93). Cytoreductive nephrectomy was associated with better OS in both pRCC (HR 0.59, 95% CI 0.46-0.77) and ccRCC (HR 0.54, 95% CI 0.50-0.58). CONCLUSIONS: Although IO and TT + IO were associated with better OS among patients with metastatic ccRCC, this same effect was not observed among patients with pRCC.

Impact of whole-body resistance exercise timing on mitigating hyperglycaemia-induced vascular dysfunction.

NEW FINDINGS: What is the central question of this study? Is the estrous cycle affected during disuse atrophies and if so, how do estrous cycle changes relate to musculoskeletal outcomes? What is the main finding and its importance? Rodent estrous cycles are altered during disuse atrophy, which corresponds to musculoskeletal outcomes. However, the estrous cycle does not appear changed in Lewis Lung Carcinoma, which corresponded to no differences in muscle size compared to healthy controls. These findings suggest a relationship between estrous cycle and muscle size during atrophic pathologies. ABSTRACT: Hyperglycemia can cause disruptions in vascular function, whereas exercise has been shown to restore vascular function. The primary aim of this study is to investigate the effect of performing whole-body resistance exercise, 30-min before, immediately following, or 30- or 60-min after a high carbohydrate meal, on endothelial function, measured by flow-mediated dilation (FMD). Healthy adults will be recruited to this randomized crossover trial to compare the postprandial glycaemic and vascular responses to four different exercise timing conditions and a control: i) C- control, high carbohydrate meal/no exercise, ii) 30Pre- 30 min of resistance exercises (~30% of 1RM [Repetition Maximum]), 30 min before a high carbohydrate meal, iii) IP- 30 min of resistance exercises (~30% of 1RM), immediately following a high carbohydrate meal, iv) 30Post- 30 min of resistance exercises, 30 min after a high carbohydrate meal and v) 60Post- 30 min of resistance exercises, 60 min after a high carbohydrate meal. Measures of metabolic and vascular function will be assessed at baseline and for two hours following the carbohydrate-based breakfast meal.

A Review on Penile Length and Girth Issues in Penile Prosthetic Surgery.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The goal of this paper is to understand the reasons behind penile length and girth issues after penile prosthesis surgery and review the literature for current strategies employed to decrease these issues. RECENT FINDINGS: Measurement inconsistencies triggering further studies have shown there is a real loss of penile length and girth after prosthesis surgery. There have been varying hypotheses of why this happens, and numerous approaches have been proposed to help combat this in the preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative settings. Erectile dysfunction prevalence is expected to increase; therefore it is important for urologists to understand the treatment options, including prosthesis surgery. Numerous techniques have been hypothesized and studied in smaller settings in the preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative settings with regard to prosthetics surgery. However, larger studies are still needed to confirm these findings in order to help to counsel and educate patients preoperatively in addition to employing tactics to help minimize penile shortening.

Does a screening digital rectal exam provide actionable clinical utility in patients with an elevated PSA and positive MRI?

Objective: To define the value of a digital rectal exam (DRE) in the prostate-magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) era. Prostate MRI is increasingly used in men with elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) prior to biopsy. Methods: A retrospective study was performed in men with elevated PSA undergoing MRI followed by MRI fusion with systematic biopsy and men with elevated PSA/active surveillance with negative MRI followed by biopsy. Baseline clinicopathologic characteristics and DRE findings were collected. We examined performance of a positive DRE on sensitivity and specificity of diagnosing clinically significant prostate cancer (CSPC). Results: A total of 339 patients had elevated PSA and positive MRI followed by MRI fusion guided with systematic biopsy. Pre-biopsy DRE was documented in 286/339 patients, who were included in further analysis. About 81.6% positive, 78.7% questionable, and 55.8% negative DRE patients had CSPC. Positive DRE had 21.8% sensitivity and 91.3% specificity for CSPC. Positive or questionable DRE had 42.1% sensitivity and 81.5% specificity. Among 148 men with non-CSPC (GG1)-targeted biopsy, 28 had systematic biopsy with CSPC. About 5/28 had positive DRE and 8/28 had positive or questionable DRE. Twenty-seven patients were included who had elevated PSA/on active surveillance with negative MRI and biopsy done within 2 years. About 77.8% had negative, 7.4% had questionable, and 14.8% men had positive DRE. About 7.4% had CSPC and all had a negative DRE. Conclusions: Our study provides limited evidence for the value of a DRE. However, it does show occasional benefit in detecting GG2 or higher disease and given the lack of cost and side effects, should still be considered.

Anthocyanins attenuate vascular and inflammatory responses to a high fat high energy meal challenge in overweight older adults: A cross-over, randomized, double-blind clinical trial.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Postprandial metabolic imbalances are important indicators of later developing cardiovascular disease (CVD). This study investigated the effects of food anthocyanins on vascular and microvascular function, and CVD associated biomarkers following a high fat high energy (HFHE) meal challenge in overweight older adults. METHODS: Sixteen subjects (13 female, 3 male, mean age 65.9 SD 6.0 and body mass index 30.6 kg/m2 SD 3.9) participated in a crossover, randomized, controlled, double-blind clinical trial (registered under Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, identifier no. ACTRN12620000437965). Participants consumed a HFHE meal with a 250 mL dose of either intervention (anthocyanins-rich Queen Garnet Plum) or control (apricot) juice. Blood samples and blood pressure measures were collected at baseline, 2 h and 4 h following the HFHE meal. Vascular and microvascular function were evaluated at baseline and 2 h after the HFHE meal. RESULTS: Participants had a higher 2 h postprandial flow-mediated dilatation (+1.14%) and a higher microvascular post-occlusive reactive hyperaemia (+0.10 perfusion units per mmHg) when allocated to the anthocyanin compared to the control arm (P = 0.019 and P = 0.049, respectively). C-reactive protein was lower 4 h postprandially in the anthocyanins (1.80 mg/L, IQR 0.90) vs control arm (2.30 mg/L, IQR 1.95) (P = 0.026), accompanied by a trend for lower concentrations of interleukin-6 (P = 0.075). No significant postprandial differences were observed between treatments for blood pressure, triacylglycerol, total cholesterol, serum derivatives of reactive oxidative metabolites, tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin-1 beta, or maximum microvascular perfusion following iontophoresis of acetylcholine. CONCLUSION: Fruit-based anthocyanins attenuated the potential postprandial detrimental effects of a HFHE challenge on parameters of vascular and microvascular function, and inflammatory biomarkers in overweight older adults. Anthocyanins may reduce cardiovascular risk associated with endothelial dysfunction and inflammatory responses to a typical high fat 'Western' meal. Further studies are required to better elucidate the clinical implications of postprandial biomarkers of CVD.

Implantable Drug Reservoir Devices for Inner Ear Delivery of Pharmacotherapeutics.

OBJECTIVE: Cisplatin is a platinum-based chemotherapeutic drug that secondarily induces toxicity in inner ear sensory epithelia, contributing to auditory and vestibular dysfunction. We describe the creation of a drug reservoir device (DRD) to combat this ototoxicity for the duration of chemotherapy. As ototoxic side effects of chemotherapy may limit an oncologist's ability to prescribe first-line agents such as cisplatin, mitigating such devastating effects through prolonged topical therapy would be tremendously valuable. STUDY DESIGN: We investigated (1) the ability of an electrospun polylactic acid DRD to provide prolonged delivery of the posited otoprotectant metformin and (2) the development of an in vitro model utilizing Sh-Sy5y human neuroblastoma cells to assess the efficacy of metformin in reducing cisplatin-induced toxicity. SETTING: Neurophysiology laboratory. METHODS: Basic science experiments were performed to assess DRD properties and metformin's effects on cisplatin toxicity in culture. RESULTS: We found that DRDs with increasing polylactic acid concentrations exhibited metformin release for up to 8 weeks. In modeling elution across the round window in vitro, continued elution of metformin was observed for at least 6 weeks, as quantified by spectrophotometry. Unfortunately, metformin did not exhibit protective efficacy in this model using Sh-Sy5y cells. CONCLUSION: While metformin was not found to be protective in Sh-Sy5y cells, these results suggest that an electrospun DRD can provide a tailorable drug delivery system providing medication for the duration of chemotherapy treatment. This represents a novel drug delivery system and efficacy screening assay with broad clinical applications in personalized delivery of inner ear therapies.

Variability in adherence to guidelines based management of nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer among Society of Urologic Oncology (SUO) members.

PURPOSE: The American Urological Association (AUA) introduced evidence-based guidelines for the management of nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) in 2016. We sought to assess the implementation of these guidelines among members of the Society of Urologic Oncology (SUO) with an aim to identifying addressable gaps. METHODS AND MATERIALS: An SUO approved survey was distributed to 747 members from December 28, 2018 to February 2, 2019. This 14-question online survey (Qualtrics, SAP SE, Germany) consisted of 38 individual items addressing specific statements from the AUA NMIBC guidelines within 3 broad categories - initial diagnosis, surveillance, and imaging/biomarkers. Adherence to guidelines was assessed by dichotomizing responses to each item that was related to recommended action statement within the guidelines. Statistical analysis was applied using Pearson's chi-squared test, where a P-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: A total of 121 (16.2%) members completed the survey. Members reported a mean of 71% guidelines adherence; adherence was higher for the intermediate- and high-risk subgroups (82% and 76%, respectively) compared to low-risk (58%). Specifically, adherence to guideline recommended cystoscopic surveillance intervals for low-risk disease differed based on clinical experience (60.9% [<10 years] vs. 36.8% [≥10 years], P = 0.01) and type of fellowship training (55.2% [urologic oncology] vs. 28.0% [none/other], P = 0.02). CONCLUSION: Adherence to guidelines across risk-categories was higher for intermediate- and high-risk patients. Decreased adherence observed for low-risk patients resulted in higher than recommended use of cytology, imaging, and surveillance cystoscopy. These results identify addressable gaps and provide impetus for targeted interventions to support high-value care, especially for low-risk patients.

Patient-Reported Outcomes Are Associated With Enhanced Recovery Status in Patients With Bladder Cancer Undergoing Radical Cystectomy.

BACKGROUND: Bladder cancer is a disease of the elderly that is associated with high morbidity in those treated with radical cystectomy. In this observational study of patients with bladder cancer undergoing radical cystectomy, we analyzed and compared patient-reported outcomes from those treated with Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) methods versus those who received traditional perioperative care. METHODS: We enrolled patients who underwent radical cystectomy at a high-volume tertiary care referral center from November 2013 to December 2016, when the ERAS concept was being introduced into postoperative care at our institution. Patients reported symptom outcomes using the MD Anderson Symptom Inventory preoperatively and on postoperative days 1 to 5. Mann-Whitney U tests were used to compare symptom burden between the ERAS and traditional-care groups. General linear mixed-effects models were used for longitudinal data; linear regression models were used for multivariable analysis. RESULTS: Patients (N = 383) reported dry mouth, disturbed sleep, drowsiness, fatigue, pain, and lack of appetite as the most severe symptoms. Compared with the traditional-care group, the ERAS group had significantly less pain (est. = -0.98, P = .005), drowsiness (est. = -0.91, P = .009), dry mouth (est. = -1.21, P = .002), disturbed sleep (est. = -0.97, P = .01), and interference with functioning (est. = -0.70, P = .022) (adjusted for age, sex, surgical technique, and neoadjuvant chemotherapy status). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that ERAS practice significantly reduced immediate postoperative symptom burden in bladder cancer patients recovering from radical cystectomy, supporting the use of patient-reported symptom burden as an outcome measure in perioperative care.

Intraoperative Conversion From Partial to Radical Nephrectomy: Incidence, Predictive Factors, and Outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate preoperative and intraoperative predictors of conversion to radical nephrectomy (RN) in a cohort of patients undergoing a planned partial nephrectomy (PN) for renal cell carcinoma (RCC). METHODS: A single-center, retrospective review was conducted using our PN database that includes patients who were scheduled to undergo PN (regardless of the approach) but were converted to RN between August 1990 and December 2016. Reasons for conversion were collected from the operative report. Patient demographics and perioperative variables were compared with the successful PN group. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to assess predictors of conversion. RESULTS: A total of 1857 patients were scheduled to undergo PN. Of these patients, 90 (5%) were converted to RN. The multivariate model showed that larger tumor size (odds ratio [OR] = 1.20, P = .040), higher RENAL nephrometry score (OR = 1.41, P = .001), hilar tumor or renal sinus invasion (OR = 2.80, P = .004), laparoscopic PN (OR = 7.34, P <.001), intraoperative bleeding (OR = 19.62, P <.001), positive surgical margin (OR = 31.85, P <.001), and advanced pathologic tumor-stage (T3 or T4) (OR = 7.29, P <.001) were associated with increased odds of intraoperative conversion to RN. CONCLUSION: The rate of conversion to RN was low in patients who were scheduled to undergo PN in this series. Larger tumor size with increasing complexity, hilar tumor location or renal sinus invasion, locally advanced tumors, laparoscopic PN but not robotic PN, bleeding complication, and positive surgical margin were associated with intraoperative conversion from scheduled PN to RN.

Oncologic outcomes of patients with positive surgical margin after partial nephrectomy: a 25-year single institution experience.

PURPOSE: To evaluate oncologic outcomes and management of patients with microscopic positive surgical margin (PSM) after partial nephrectomy (PN) for renal cell carcinoma (RCC). METHODS: We reviewed our database to identify patients who underwent PN between 1990 and 2015 for RCC and had PSM on final pathology. A 1:3 matching was performed to a negative surgical margin (NSM) cohort. Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test were used to estimate survival and differences in outcomes, respectively. Cox proportional hazards models were conducted to estimate the Hazards ratio. RESULTS: A total of 2297 patients underwent PN at our institution, of which 1863 (81%) had RCC. Microscopic PSM was found in 34 (1.8%) RCC patients who were matched to 100 patients with NSM. Of these 34 patients, local recurrence (n = 4), distant kidney recurrences (n = 4), and metastases (n = 5) developed during a median follow-up of 62 months. Bilateral tumors/tumors in a solitary kidney (n = 12/13, 92%), and multifocal tumors (n = 7/13, 54%) were found in patients who developed recurrence/metastasis. PSM patients were at a higher risk of shorter overall survival (p = 0.001), local recurrence-free survival (p = 0.003), distant recurrence-free survival (p = 0.032) and metastasis-free survival (p = 0.018). There was statistically significant association between PSM and bilateral tumors, prior treated RCC at presentation and higher nephrometry score in multivariable model. CONCLUSIONS: There was a low rate of microscopic PSM in our large cohort of patients undergoing PN despite tumor complexity. Higher nephrometry score, bilateral tumors, and prior treated RCC independently predicted PSM which showed worse survival, recurrence and metastasis compared to patients with NSM.

Adherence to surgical antibiotic prophylaxis remains a challenge despite multifaceted interventions.

BACKGROUND: Adherence to prophylactic antibiotics guidelines is challenging and poorly documented. We hypothesized that a multiphase, multifaceted quality improvement initiative would engage relevant stakeholders, address known barriers to adoption, and improve overall adherence. METHODS: From 2011 to 2014, a series of interventions were introduced in the pediatric operating rooms. After each interventional period, prospective assessments were performed to record the antibiotic type, dose, timing, and redosing according to the guidelines. Perioperative factors that may influence guideline adherence were analyzed. Spearman's rank correlation, analysis of variance, and χ(2) tests were performed. RESULTS: A total of 1,052 operations were observed, and 629 (60%) required prophylactic antibiotics. Adherence to all 4 guideline components remained unchanged (54-55%, P = .38). Redosing significantly improved (7-53%, P = .02), but correct type decreased (98-70%, P < .01). The percentage of cases in which only one antibiotic guideline component was missed remained unchanged (35-34%, P = .46). Adherence to guidelines was not significantly associated with American Society of Anesthesiologists class, surgical specialty, patient weight, anesthesia provider, or surgical wound class. CONCLUSION: Despite multiple interventions to improve antibiotic prophylaxis, overall adherence did not improve. Most interventions were directed at the point of administration in the operating room; future implementation strategies should focus on the perioperative setting.