Effects of time to treatment initiation on outcomes for soft tissue sarcomas.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Few studies have investigated the effects of time to treatment initiation (TTI) for soft tissue sarcomas (STS). Our objective was to investigate the risk factors for prolonged TTI and the effects of prolonged TTI on local recurrence free survival (LRFS), distant metastasis free survival (DMFS), and disease specific survival (DSS). METHOD: Patients diagnosed with high-grade STS of the extremities and trunk from 2011 to 2020 were included. TTI was grouped into two groups (treatment provided in less than vs. more than or equal to 30 days). Two-year and 5-year survival probabilities were calculated for LRFS, DMFS, and DSS. Cox regression and Kruskal-Wallis tests in univariate analysis were conducted to find risk factors affecting TTI and the survival outcomes. RESULTS: In the univariate analysis, diagnosis in the later 5-year period of the study, tumor size, and treatment modality were associated with prolonged TTI. TTI ≥30 days was associated with higher DMFS but no association was found with LRFS or DSS. Tumor size, surgical margins, and provision of surgery were associated with DSS. CONCLUSION: Despite the delay in treatment for STS patients caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, our study showed TTI of more than 30 days does not negatively impact patients.

The impact of pain on function after spinal cord injury.

AIM: Pain is a common complication of spinal cord injuries (SCI). Our objective was to quantify those who had pain on discharge from rehabilitation, and the level of interference it had on their functionality. METHOD: This study used data collected prospectively from 2018 to 2019 via the New Zealand Spinal Cord Injury Registry (NZSCIR). Questionnaires completed by patients on discharge provided the necessary data. Primary outcomes were the number of patients reporting pain, and the level of interference with their activities of daily living (ADLs), mood and sleep. Level of interference was quantified via a score from zero to 10. Scores of seven and above were considered "severe" interference. RESULTS: Seventy-six-point six percent of patients in this study group reported having pain on discharge. The median scores for interference with functionality were all three out of 10. Twenty-three-point eight percent of patients reported severe interference with sleep, 16.7% with ADLs and 16.2% with mood. CONCLUSION: The number of patients being discharged with pain from SCI rehabilitation units in New Zealand is similar to figures from other literature. Although significant functional impairments were not found overall, focus remains to optimise management for patients who do report "severe" interference.

Recent Advancement in Boron-Based Efficient and Pure Blue Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence Materials for Organic Light-Emitting Diodes.

In the last few years, electron-deficient materials have been actively researched for application in organic light-emitting diode (OLED) as dopant and electron-transporting materials. The boron-containing materials are interesting as they give good emissive properties in solid state with an electron-accepting character. Recently, many boron-containing materials are used as emissive materials for thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) OLED applications. In this review, boron acceptor-based push-pull small molecules used for application in blue TADF OLEDs are reviewed, covering their different types of acceptor, molecular design, structure-property relation, material properties, and device properties. Also, the importance of boron acceptors to address the key issue of blue TADF OLEDs is discussed.