Significance of Physical Status and Liver Function Reserve for Outcome of Patients with Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma Receiving Lenvatinib Treatment.

Background: Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) remain the primary therapeutic option for patients with advanced-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the selection of a suitable TKI is an issue in real-world clinical practice. Thus, this study aimed to identify patients most likely to benefit from lenvatinib treatment. Methods: A retrospective review of 143 patients with unresectable advanced-stage HCC treated with lenvatinib between January 2020 and December 2021 was performed. Outcomes related to lenvatinib treatment were measured, and the clinical parameters affecting prognosis were analyzed. Results: Overall, the median time of progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 7.1 months and 17.7 months, respectively. Prognostic analyses found that Child-Pugh score > 5 (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.43, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.55-3.80, p = 0.001) was a significant factor affecting the PFS of HCC after lenvatinib treatment. Child-Pugh score > 5 (HR = 2.12, 95% CI = 1.20-3.74, p = 0.009), body weight ≥ 60 kg (HR = 0.54, 95% CI = 0.32-0.90, p = 0.020), and additional trans-arterial chemoembolization (TACE) treatment (HR = 0.38, 95% CI = 0.21-0.70, p = 0.003) were significant prognostic factors for OS. However, early α-fetoprotein reduction was not significantly correlated with patient outcomes. Additionally, patients with pre-treatment neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio > 4.07 showed a significant worse PFS and OS than other patients. Conclusion: The outcome of patients with advanced-stage HCC remains poor. However, the host condition, including good physical status and better functional liver preservation, largely affected the outcome of patients receiving lenvatinib treatment. Moreover, additional locoregional therapy for intrahepatic HCC, other than TKI treatment, can be considered in certain patients to achieve a favorable outcome.

Palliative Family Conference Reduces the Risk of Death in Intensive Care Units and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation at End of Life.

Background: Palliative family conference (PFC) was included in the reimbursement of National Health Insurance to promote palliative care in Taiwan in 2012. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of PFC on death in intensive care unit (ICU) and receiving cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) within three days before death. Design: This is a cross-sectional study. Subjects: All patients who died in a public hospital and were admitted to ICU within 30 days before death, from 2013 to 2018, were included. Measurements: The medical records were analyzed to identify information on causes of death, receiving PFC, receiving palliative care consultation, death in ICU, and receiving CPR within three days before death. Multivariate logistic regression was used to assess the independent effects of receiving PFC on the risk of death in ICU and receiving CPR within three days before death. Results: For patients who died and those who did not die in ICU, the proportion of receiving PFC was 45.8% (1818/3973) and 55.0% (808/1468), respectively. For patients who received and those who did not receive CPR within three days before death, the proportion of receiving PFC was 23.9% (140/585) and 51.2% (2486/4856), respectively. PFC was associated with a reduced risk of death in ICU (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 0.842; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.717-0.988) and a reduced risk of receiving CPR within three days before death (AOR: 0.361; 95% CI: 0.286-0.456). Conclusion: PFC reduces the risk of receiving nonbeneficial aggressive intervention and may improve the quality of end-of-life care.

Application of mentorship program for another aspect of surgical residency training: The importance of academia in surgical training.

ABSTRACT: Traditionally, surgical residency training is more focused on obtaining surgical skills through a well-established coaching system worldwide. However, constant advances in medical science require surgeons to learn not only surgical skills but also the ability of scientific research to improve clinical practice and future professional development. The study aims to emphasize that professional education in terms of scientific research is also significant for surgical residency training.All residents who had been recruited in a medical center for the surgery residency program between years 2006 and 2015 were evaluated in the study. Generally, every resident is assigned to a mentor since the first year of residency. Then, the mentor would help the resident qualify a 2-step evaluation in terms of scientific research during the residency training program.A total of 193 residents were evaluated in the study. All of them had completed the first step regarding oral presentation of their designated research, and the majority of residents obtained 80 to 90 points that were rated by referees. Overall, 102 residents (52.8%) had completed the second step with the publication of a research manuscript. The percentage of residents who had fulfilled the criteria of this 2-step assessment ranged from 35.3% to 81.8% by year.The continuing education for surgical residents should not be limited in coaching clinical practice. Scientific research is also essential for current surgical residency training, and a formal mentorship program may be beneficial for the future professional development of surgical residents. However, the success of the 2-step evaluation could possibly depend on the career choices of the residents instead of the mentorship program.

Trends of Utilization of Palliative Care and Aggressive End-of-Life Care for Patients Who Died of Cancers and Those Who Died of Noncancer Diseases in Hospitals.

CONTEXT: Patients who died of cancers and those who died of noncancer diseases may receive different end-of-life care. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate the trends of utilization of palliative care and aggressive end-of-life care for patients who died of cancers and those who died of noncancer diseases in hospitals. METHODS: The medical records of patients who died in a public hospital because of cancer or other diseases were reviewed. The proportion of those who received palliative care, admitted to intensive care unit (ICU) within 30 days of death, died in ICU, and received cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) within three days of death in 2013-2014, 2015-2016, and 2017-2018, respectively, was investigated. Multivariate logistic regression was applied to evaluate the independent effects of various factors on the risk of receiving aggressive end-of-life care. RESULTS: Significant trends of increase in receiving palliative care were found. The proportion of patients who died of noncancer diseases and received palliative care was lower than that of those who died of cancers. Palliative care was associated with a reduced risk of ICU admission within 30 days of death (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 0.361), death in ICU (AOR 0.208), and receiving CPR within three days of death (AOR 0.057). Patients who died of noncancer diseases had a higher risk of ICU admission within 30 days of death (AOR 5.016), death in ICU (AOR 5.086), and receiving CPR within three days of death (AOR 3.274). CONCLUSION: Utilization of palliative care is increasing. Patients who died of noncancer diseases received less palliative care but more aggressive end-of-life care than those who died of cancers.

Difference in frequency and outcome of geriatric emergency department utilization between urban and rural areas.

BACKGROUND: Elderly people are susceptible to develop multiple chronic diseases and are thus likely to utilize the emergency department (ED). Access to health care and health outcomes may differ between rural and urban areas. This study aims to compare the frequency and outcome of geriatric ED utilization between urban and rural areas. METHODS: This population-based study obtained information from the health insurance database. The frequency and outcome of ED utilization in 2013 were compared among people aged ≥65 years living in urban and rural areas. The independent effect of various characteristics on the frequency and outcome of ED utilization was evaluated using multivariate logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Of the 6695 people living in urban areas, 1879 (28.07%) utilized the ED and accounted for 3859 ED visits. Meanwhile, 908 (29.75%) of the 3052 people living in rural areas utilized the ED and accounted for 1820 ED visits. No difference in the prevalence of ED utilization was found between the urban and rural areas. Urbanization did not affect the risk of frequent ED utilization among ED users. People living in rural areas had an increased risk of ED visits with a high acuity (adjusted odds ratio: 1.40, 95% CI: 1.12-1.75). Urbanization did not affect the risk of hospitalization or immediate death after ED visits. CONCLUSION: The frequency of ED utilization showed no urban-rural difference. Elderly people living in rural areas had an increased risk of visiting the ED with a high acuity.

Factors predicting a home death among home palliative care recipients.

Awareness of factors affecting the place of death could improve communication between healthcare providers and patients and their families regarding patient preferences and the feasibility of dying in the preferred place.This study aimed to evaluate factors predicting home death among home palliative care recipients.This is a population-based study using a national representative sample retrieved from the National Health Insurance Research Database. Subjects receiving home palliative care, from 2010 to 2012, were analyzed to evaluate the association between a home death and various characteristics related to illness, individual, and health care utilization. A multiple-logistic regression model was used to assess the independent effect of various characteristics on the likelihood of a home death.The overall rate of a home death for home palliative care recipients was 43.6%. Age; gender; urbanization of the area where the patients lived; illness; the total number of home visits by all health care professionals; the number of home visits by nurses; utilization of nasogastric tube, endotracheal tube, or indwelling urinary catheter; the number of emergency department visits; and admission to intensive care unit in previous 1 year were not significantly associated with the risk of a home death. Physician home visits increased the likelihood of a home death. Compared with subjects without physician home visits (31.4%) those with 1 physician home visit (53.0%, adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 3.23, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.93-5.42) and those with ≥2 physician home visits (43.9%, AOR: 2.23, 95% CI: 1.06-4.70) had higher likelihood of a home death. Compared with subjects with hospitalization 0 to 6 times in previous 1 year, those with hospitalization ≥7 times in previous 1 year (AOR: 0.57, 95% CI: 0.34-0.95) had lower likelihood of a home death.Among home palliative care recipients, physician home visits increased the likelihood of a home death. Hospitalizations ≥7 times in previous 1 year decreased the likelihood of a home death.

Effects of EFL Individual Learner Variables on Foreign Language Reading Anxiety and Metacognitive Reading Strategy Use.

Past research has shown an association between foreign language reading anxiety and reading strategy. However, individual variables tend to affect foreign language anxiety and strategy use. The present study examined a hypothesized model that specified direct and indirect effects among English and foreign languages readers' distinct variables, including academic level; self-perceived English level; and satisfaction with reading proficiency, reading anxiety, and metacognitive awareness of reading strategies. A total of 523 volunteer Taiwanese college students provided 372 valid responses to a written questionnaire (281 women and 91 men; M age = 19.7 years, SD = 1.1) containing the translated versions of Foreign Language Reading Anxiety Scale, Survey of Reading Strategies Inventory, and self-assessment background questionnaire. The results showed that self-evaluation of reading proficiency did not correlate with academic level and readers' perceptions. Satisfaction had a direct effect on foreign language reading anxiety but not on metacognitive awareness of reading strategies. Results of path analysis demonstrated that the perception learners who had their own reading proficiency predicted their foreign language reading anxiety and was a mediating variable for metacognitive reading strategy use.