Reducing no-show visits and disparities in access: The impact of telemedicine.

BACKGROUND: No-show visits have serious consequences for patients, providers, and healthcare systems as they lead to delays in care, increased costs, and reduced access to services. Telemedicine has emerged as a promising alternative to in-person visits by reducing travel barriers, but risks exacerbating the digital divide. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of telemedicine (video and phone) at a tertiary care academic center on no-show visits compared to in-person visits. METHODS: A retrospective cohort analysis of all weekday clinic visits among in-state adult patients at a single tertiary care center in the southeast from January 2020 to April 2023 was performed. Rates of no-show visits for patients who were seen via phone and video were compared with those who were seen in-person. Demographic and clinical characteristics of these groups were also compared, including age, sex, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and visit type. The primary outcome was the rate of no-show visits for each visit type. RESULTS: Our analysis included 3,105,382 scheduled appointments, of which 81.2% were in-person, 13.4% via video, and 5.4% via phone calls. Compared to in-person visits, phone calls and video visits reduced the odds of no-show visits by 50% (aOR 0.5, CI 0.49-0.51) and 15% (aOR 0.85, CI 0.84-0.86), respectively. Older patients, Black patients, patients furthest from clinic, and patients from counties with the greatest degree of vulnerability and disparities in digital access were more likely to use phone visits. No-shows were more common among non-white, male, and younger patients from counties with lower socioeconomic status. CONCLUSION: Telemedicine effectively reduced no-show visits. However, limiting telemedicine to video-based visits only exacerbated disparities in access. Phone calls allow historically underserved patients from lower socioeconomic backgrounds to access healthcare and should be included within the definition of telemedicine.

Effectiveness of Training Programs for Reducing Adverse Psychological Outcomes in Parents of Children with Acquired Brain Injury: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Parental stress following critical illness in their child has the potential to impact functional outcomes and quality of life for the child and whole family. Parent emotional functioning may also be an important clinical target to optimize child outcomes. This study assessed the effectiveness of training programs for parents aimed at reducing adverse psychological outcomes in parents of children with acute brain injury (ABI). METHODS: We conducted searches of Embase, PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library to November 13, 2020. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared parent training programs with usual care, or an active comparator, and assessed psychological outcomes (depression, anxiety, stress) in parents of children with ABI were included. Two reviewers independently extracted data on study characteristics, participants, interventions, outcome measures, and results before and after intervention. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool. RESULTS: Four RCTs involving 318 parents of children with ABI were eligible for review. Compared with usual care or active comparator, parent training was associated with significant reduction in parent stress (four RCTs; standardized mean difference [SMD], - 0.32 on a numerical rating scale [95% CI, - 0.60, - 0.05]; I-squared = 7.5%, p = 0.356); significant reduction in parent depression (three RCTs; SMD, - 0.43 [95% CI, - 0.72, - 0.14]; I-squared = 0.0%, p = 0.393); and significant reduction in parent anxiety (two RCTs; SMD, - 0.63 [95% CI, - 1.05, - 0.21]; I-squared = 0.0%, p = 0.629). Overall risk of bias was high for randomization process (one RCT), missing outcome data (three RCTs), measurement of the outcome (three RCTs), and selection of reported result (two RCTs). Heterogeneity between studies by country of study origin was not significant. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with usual care or an active comparator, parent training was associated with short-term reduction in stress, depression, and anxiety in parents of children with ABI. Future clinical trials of parent interventions are needed as there may be some short-term beneficial effects.

PIM447 inhibits oncogenesis and potentiates cisplatin effects in hepatoblastoma.

BACKGROUND: Novel therapies are needed for patients with hepatoblastoma because of an increasing incidence of disease and poor prognosis for advanced, refractory, and recurrent disease. PIM kinases promote tumorigenesis in hepatoblastoma. A novel PIM inhibitor, PIM447, has shown promise in inhibiting oncogenesis in hematologic and lymphoid malignancies. We hypothesized that PIM inhibition with PIM447 would result in decreased tumorigenesis in hepatoblastoma. METHODS: The effects of PIM447 on hepatoblastoma viability, proliferation, motility, apoptosis, and tumor cell stemness were assessed in HuH6, a human hepatoblastoma cell line, and COA67, a human hepatoblastoma patient-derived xenograft. RESULTS: PIM447 significantly decreased the viability, proliferation, and motility of HuH6 and COA67 cells. Apoptosis significantly increased following PIM447 treatment. PIM447 had a significant impact on tumor cell stemness as evidenced by decreased expression of CD133 and reduced ability of HuH6 and COA67 cells to form tumorspheres. Furthermore, combining PIM447 with cisplatin resulted in a significant decrease in cell viability compared to either treatment alone. CONCLUSION: We showed that PIM447 inhibits oncogenesis and potentiates the effects of cisplatin in hepatoblastoma and, therefore, warrants further investigation as a potential therapeutic agent for hepatoblastoma.

Novel second-generation rexinoid induces growth arrest and reduces cancer cell stemness in human neuroblastoma patient-derived xenografts.

INTRODUCTION: The poor therapeutic efficacy seen with current treatments for neuroblastoma may be attributed to stem cell-like cancer cells (SCLCCs), a subpopulation of cancer cells associated with poor prognosis and disease recurrence. Retinoic acid (RA) is a differentiating agent used as maintenance therapy for high-risk neuroblastoma but nearly half of children treated with RA relapse. We hypothesized that 6-Methyl-UAB30 (6-Me), a second-generation rexinoid recently developed with a favorable toxicity profile compared to RA, would reduce cancer cell stemness in human neuroblastoma patient-derived xenografts (PDXs). METHODS: Cells from three neuroblastoma PDXs were treated with 6-Me and proliferation, viability, motility, and cell-cycle progression were assessed. CD133 expression, sphere formation, and mRNA abundance of stemness and differentiation markers were evaluated using flow cytometry, in vitro extreme limiting dilution analysis, and real-time PCR, respectively. RESULTS: Treatment with 6-Me decreased proliferation, viability, and motility, and induced cell-cycle arrest and differentiation in all three neuroblastoma PDXs. In addition, 6-Me treatment led to decreased CD133 expression, decreased sphere-forming ability, and decreased mRNA abundance of Oct4, Nanog, and Sox2, indicating decreased cancer cell stemness. CONCLUSIONS: 6-Me decreased oncogenicity and reduced cancer cell stemness of neuroblastoma PDXs, warranting further exploration of 6-Me as potential novel therapy for neuroblastoma.

EZH2 inhibition decreases neuroblastoma proliferation and in vivo tumor growth.

Investigation of the mechanisms responsible for aggressive neuroblastoma and its poor prognosis is critical to identify novel therapeutic targets and improve survival. Enhancer of Zeste Homolog 2 (EZH2) is known to play a key role in supporting the malignant phenotype in several cancer types and knockdown of EZH2 has been shown to decrease tumorigenesis in neuroblastoma cells. We hypothesized that the EZH2 inhibitor, GSK343, would affect cell proliferation and viability in human neuroblastoma. We utilized four long-term passage neuroblastoma cell lines and two patient-derived xenolines (PDX) to investigate the effects of the EZH2 inhibitor, GSK343, on viability, motility, stemness and in vivo tumor growth. Immunoblotting confirmed target knockdown. Treatment with GSK343 led to significantly decreased neuroblastoma cell viability, migration and invasion, and stemness. GSK343 treatment of mice bearing SK-N-BE(2) neuroblastoma tumors resulted in a significant decrease in tumor growth compared to vehicle-treated animals. GSK343 decreased viability, and motility in long-term passage neuroblastoma cell lines and decreased stemness in neuroblastoma PDX cells. These data demonstrate that further investigation into the mechanisms responsible for the anti-tumor effects seen with EZH2 inhibitors in neuroblastoma cells is warranted.

A case of adrenocortical oncocytic carcinoma arising in ectopic adrenal tissue: a multidisciplinary diagnostic challenge.

Adrenocortical oncocytic neoplasm arising in ectopic adrenal tissue is a rare finding and presents as a unique diagnostic challenge. We report a case of a 26-year-old female who presented with vague left-sided abdominal pain and a large left retroperitoneal mass. She underwent exploratory laparotomy and resection of the mass and was diagnosed with extra-adrenal adrenocortical oncocytic carcinoma.

Uncommon cause of fever in a child with steroid-dependent nephrotic syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Children with nephrotic syndrome are vulnerable to developing infections due to a state of relative immunodeficiency, malnourishment, and use of immunosuppression. Case characteristics: We herein report the case of a 3-year-old child with steroid-dependent nephrotic syndrome who presented to us with fever of unknown origin. OBSERVATION: The child was found to have an atypical mixed infection with mycoplasma and cytomegalovirus. OUTCOME: The infection completely resolved with appropriate treatment and lowering of immunosuppression. Message: Persistently febrile pediatric patients, especially in the setting of recent immunosuppression and absence of otherwise-identified infectious pathogens, should be screened for atypical mixed infections.

Overuse of Neo-adjuvant Chemotherapy for Primary Breast Cancer.

In recent years, there has been a wider use of chemotherapy in the pre-operative setting for breast cancer (i.e., as neo-adjuvant chemotherapy). Most clinicians would agree that neo-adjuvant chemotherapy is justified for patients with inflammatory breast cancer, locally advanced breast cancer, or patients with large tumors and small breasts who are keen to undergo breast-conserving surgery. However, in the USA and many other western countries, neo-adjuvant chemotherapy is now used for greater numbers of breast cancer patients who do not fall within these categories. Yet, randomized trials have consistently shown that there are no differences in overall survival (OS) between breast cancer patients treated with neo-adjuvant chemotherapy versus adjuvant chemotherapy. However, neo-adjuvant chemotherapy may increase the risk of loco-regional recurrence after breast-conserving surgery, perhaps because of an increased risk of leaving behind residual tumor foci. Moreover, the effects of neo-adjuvant chemotherapy on the primary tumor does not appear to be a suitable way for assessing the potential overall benefits of systemic therapy regimens on distant micrometastases and risk of death. Yet, based on the results of the KATHERINE and CREATE-X trials, one might argue that neo-adjuvant chemotherapy should be recommended for patients with HER-2-positive and triple-negative tumors to identify the subsets of patients who do not achieve pathologic complete response (PCR). Patients with HER-2-positive tumors who do not achieve PCR may benefit from additional treatment with T-DM1, and those with triple-negative tumors who do not achieve PCR may benefit from additional treatment with capecitabine.

Fluid Overload in Critically Ill Children.

Background: A common practice in the management of critically ill patients is fluid resuscitation. An excessive administration of fluids can lead to an imbalance in fluid homeostasis and cause fluid overload (FO). In pediatric critical care patients, FO can lead to a multitude of adverse effects and increased risk of morbidity. Objectives: To review the literature highlighting impact of FO on a multitude of outcomes in critically-ill children, causative vs. associative relationship of FO with critical illness and current pediatric fluid management guidelines. Data Sources: A literature search was conducted using PubMed/Medline and Embase databases from the earliest available date until June 2017. Data Extraction: Two authors independently reviewed the titles and abstracts of all articles which were assessed for inclusion. The manuscripts of studies deemed relevant to the objectives of this review were then retrieved and associated reference lists hand-searched. Data Synthesis: Articles were segregated into various categories namely pathophysiology and sequelae of fluid overload, assessment techniques, epidemiology and fluid management. Each author reviewed the selected articles in categories assigned to them. All authors participated in the final review process. Conclusions: Recent evidence has purported a relationship between mortality and FO, which can be validated by prospective RCTs (randomized controlled trials). The current literature demonstrates that "clinically significant" degree of FO could be below 10%. The lack of a standardized method to assess FB (fluid balance) and a universal definition of FO are issues that need to be addressed. To date, the impact of early goal directed therapy and utility of hemodynamic parameters in predicting fluid responsiveness remains underexplored in pediatric resuscitation.

Primary retroperitoneal filariasis: a common disease of tropics with uncommon presentation and review of literature.

Lymphatic filariasis is caused by nematode filariae Wuchereria bancrofti, Brugia malayi or Brugia timori. It is commonly seen in tropical and subtropical regions of the world and affects the lymphatic system of humans, who are the definitive host while mosquito is the intermediate host. The most common manifestation of the disease is hydrocele followed by lower limb lymphoedema and elephantiasis. Although filariasis is much more common entity in north India, its presentation as retroperitoneal cyst is very rare with reported incidence rate of 1/105 000. We present a case of primary retroperitoneal filariasis in a 52-year-old man, without any classic signsandsymptoms, diagnosed postoperatively after surgical resection following diagnostic uncertaintyandfailure of other medical therapies.

Recurrent dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans: challenging a surgeon's dexterity for the 'tricky' margins.

Soft tissue tumours represent 0.2%-1% of all breast malignancies. [Al Tarakji M, Toro A, and Di Carlo I, et al (2015) Unusual presentation of dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans in a male patient's breast: a case report and review of the literatureWorld J Surg Oncol13 158 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12957-015-0562-1]. Out of those, Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP) of the breast is extremely rare, especially in men with only six cases, including this case, reported so far. We report a case of recurrent DFSP in a 35-year-old male after a latency of 8 years in the region of previous surgical scar. It was managed by a wide local excision followed by reconstruction using latissimus dorsi flap. It is important to carefully manage recurrent cases because the post-operative margin status is an important determinant of recurrence, and therefore, requires vigilant resection of the tumour without causing extensive morbidity to the patient.

Spontaneous gall bladder perforation with ischaemic bowel disease: a rare cause of acute abdomen with pneumoperitoneum in elderly.

Perforation of the gall bladder can occur due to a complication of acute (in 3%-10%) or chronic cholecystitis, presenting with or without gallstones. Other causes include trauma, neoplasms, steroid therapy or vascular compromise. In 1934, Niemeier classified the condition into three types: type I, acute perforation into the free peritoneal cavity; type II, subacute perforation with abscess formation; and type III, chronic perforation with fistula formation between the gall bladder and another viscus with type I experiencing the highest mortality rate. In particular, there are very few cases of gall bladder perforation associated with ischaemic bowel disease. We present a case of type I gall bladder perforation in a 70-year-old woman, without any apparent comorbidities, presenting with acute abdomen consistent with perforated duodenal ulcer with pneumoperitoneum on a plain abdominal radiograph and contrast-enhanced CT with eventual discovery of fundal perforation and ischaemic small bowel at laparotomy.

Localised perforation of locally advanced transverse colon cancer with spontaneous colocutaneous fistula formation: a clinical challenge.

Colon cancer can present with complications such as obstruction, perforation and bleeding. The clinical presentation has been recognised as an independent prognostic factor for morbidity and mortality. 1 We present a rare case of localised perforation of a locally advanced colon cancer arising from mid-transverse colon in an elderly woman in the absence of widely metastatic disease with eventual cutaneous involvement of the overlying skin by direct extension, resulting in formation of colocutaneous fistula. The management of such cases is complex as usually tailored to the situation encountered. 2 This case was a clinical challenge to choose between initial palliative resection and curative R0 resection following neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Spontaneous rupture of seminoma in undescended testis with hemoperitoneum: a rare presentation.

Cryptorchidism is associated with increased risk of malignancy and infertility. We present a case of a 30-year-old man who presented to the Emergency Department of our tertiary care hospital with spontaneous intra-abdominal rupture of the seminoma in undescended testis with hemoperitoneum. This is a rare presentation of seminoma and emphasises the importance of scrotal examination in young men presenting with acute abdomen. Surgical management is the definitive treatment and should be instituted as soon as possible, after appropriate resuscitation.

Heparin free dialysis in critically sick children using sustained low efficiency dialysis (SLEDD-f): A new hybrid therapy for dialysis in developing world.

BACKGROUND: In critically sick adults, sustained low efficiency dialysis [SLED] appears to be better tolerated hemodynamically and outcomes seem to be comparable to CRRT. However, there is paucity of data in critically sick children. In children, two recent studies from Taiwan (n = 11) and India (n = 68) showed benefits of SLED in critically sick children. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: The objective of the study was to look at the feasibility and tolerability of sustained low efficiency daily dialysis-filtration [SLEDD-f] in critically sick pediatric patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Design: Retrospective study Inclusion criteria: All pediatric patients who had undergone heparin free SLEDD-f from January 2012 to October 2017. Measurements: Data collected included demographic details, vital signs, PRISM III at admission, ventilator parameters (where applicable), number of inotropes, blood gas and electrolytes before, during, and on conclusion of SLED therapy. Technical information was gathered regarding SLEDD-f prescription and complications. RESULTS: Between 2012-2017, a total of 242 sessions of SLEDD-f were performed on 70 patients, out of which 40 children survived. The median age of patients in years was 12 (range 0.8-17 years), and the median weight was 39 kg (range 8.5-66 kg). The mean PRISM score at admission was 8.77±7.22. SLEDD-f sessions were well tolerated, with marked improvement in fluid status and acidosis. Premature terminations had to be done in 23 (9.5%) of the sessions. There were 21 sessions (8.6%) terminated due to hypotension and 2 sessions (0.8%) terminated due to circuit clotting. Post- SLEDD-f hypocalcemia occurred in 15 sessions (6.2%), post- SLEDD-f hypophosphatemia occurred in 1 session (0.4%), and post- SLEDD-f hypokalemia occurred in 17 sessions (7.0%). CONCLUSIONS: This study is the largest compiled data on pediatric SLEDD-f use in critically ill patients. Our study confirms the feasibility of heparin free SLEDD-f in a larger pediatric population, and even in children weighing <20 kg on inotropic support.

Pediatric ABO-incompatible kidney transplantation: Evolving with the advancing apheresis technology: A single-center experience.

Recent literature has endorsed favorable outcomes following ABOi kidney transplantation in pediatric population. Nevertheless, reluctance to pursue an ABOi still remains pervasive. This could be ascribed to various legitimate reasons, namely less extensive pediatric ABOi data, technical difficulties encountered during PP, cost restraints, and concerns regarding higher rates of antibody-mediated rejection, infectious complications, and post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder as compared to adults. However, given the similar excellent outcomes of both ABOi and ABOc kidney transplantation, clinicians should consider this option sooner if a compatible donor or swap is not available. Here, we describe the outcomes of three pediatric ABOi performed at our institute in India (from 2014 till now), wherein distinct apheresis modalities had been employed in each desensitization protocol, and our techniques evolved with advancing science in apheresis. This case series includes India's first published pediatric ABO-incompatible transplant (Case 2) and the youngest child to undergo ABO-incompatible renal transplant in SAARC nations (Case 3).