Potential for managing pool levels in a flood-control reservoir to increase nitrate-nitrogen load reductions.

Few strategies are available to reduce nitrate-nitrogen (NO3 -N) loads at larger landscape scales, but flood control reservoirs are known to reduce riverine loads. In this study, we evaluated the potential to increase nitrogen (N) loss at Lake Red Rock, a large reservoir located in central Iowa, by evaluating the inundation of sediments deposited at the reservoir inflow. Sediment samples were collected at 51 locations in the lower delta region and analyzed for particle size and nutrient content. Nitrogen loss rates in delta sediments were determined from laboratory assays, and satellite imagery was used to develop a rating curve to quantify land area inundated within the delta. The daily mass of NO3 -N reduced with delta inundation was estimated by applying the mean N 24-h loss rate (0.66 g N m2 day-1 ) by the area of inundation (m2 ). Results indicated that raising pool elevations to inundate more of the delta would result in greater N losses, ranging from 2 to 377 Mg per year. Potential N loss of 102 Mg achieved by increasing pool stage by 0.5 m would be equivalent to installing nearly 650 edge-of-field practices in the watershed. Although more work is needed to integrate with an existing environmental pool management plan, study results indicate that reservoir management could achieve N reductions at a novel landscape scale.

Focal low dose-rate brachytherapy for low to intermediate risk prostate cancer: preliminary experience at an Australian institution.

BACKGROUND: Focal treatment for prostate cancer (PCa) is a hybrid approach combining ablative treatment of the involved prostate gland and continued active surveillance (AS) of the unaffected gland. Low dose-rate (LDR) brachytherapy can be used as a lesion-targeted focal therapy, however, further studies are required to support its use. The aim of this study is to evaluate the dosimetry, toxicity and oncological outcomes of men receiving lesion-targeted focal LDR brachytherapy for low to intermediate risk PCa. METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study of 26 men with unifocal, low to intermediate grade PCa diagnosed on a combination of multiparametric-magnetic resonance imaging (mp-MRI) and targeted plus template transperineal (TP) biopsy, who received focal LDR brachytherapy at a single institution. Brachytherapy involved a single monotherapy implant using iodine-125 seeds to deliver a prescribed dose of 145 Gy to the index lesion. RESULTS: The mean focal planning target volume (F-PTV) as a percentage of the prostate volume was 24.5%. The percentage of the focal gross tumour volume (F-GTV) receiving 100% of the prescription dose was 100% for 12 patients and ≥98% for 18 patients. The median follow-up for toxicity and biochemical control outcomes was 23.1 [interquartile range (IQR) 19.1-31.3] and 24.2 (IQR 17.9-30.0) months, respectively. Grade 2 urinary and erectile toxicities were reported by 29.2% and 45.8% of patients, respectively, with resolution of urinary symptoms to baseline by last follow-up. There were no grade ≥3 urinary or erectile toxicities or grade ≥2 rectal toxicity. All 21 patients who underwent a repeat mp-MRI and TP biopsy at 12-24 months post-treatment were negative for clinically significant disease and 25 (96.2%) patients were free from biochemical failure (FFBF). CONCLUSIONS: Focal LDR brachytherapy is associated with a favourable toxicity profile and a high rate of control of significant PCa at 12-18 months post-treatment. We have commenced the LIBERATE prospective registry in focal LDR brachytherapy based on the highly encouraging outcomes of this initial experience.

An unusual case of vaginal mass - subpubic cartilaginous cyst.

Subpubic cartilaginous cyst is a rare form of ganglion cyst that arises on the inferior surface of the pubis symphysis. The pathophysiology is poorly understood but has been hypothesised to be secondary to mucinous degeneration of the pubic supporting ligaments with cartilaginous metaplasia. We report a case of subpubic cartilaginous cyst in a 58-year-old woman who presented with an unusual symptomatic vaginal mass, that she described as 'growing a penis'. The patient proceeded to surgical excision of the lesion and is symptom and recurrence free following 2.5 years of follow up.

Optimal surgical margin for penile-sparing surgery in management of penile cancer-Is 2 cm really necessary?

Introduction: Classical teaching of a 2 cm macroscopic surgical margin for surgical treatment of primary penile cancer is overly aggressive. Contemporary evidence suggests narrow but clear margins have similar survival outcomes for localized disease. This study aims to determine the oncological outcome of using a risk-adapted algorithm to selection of macroscopic surgical margin based on biopsy grade of disease: 5 mm margin for grade 1, 10 mm margin for grade 2, and 20 mm margin for grade 3. Methods: This is a retrospective case series of patients who underwent penile-sparing surgery for biopsy-proven penile SCC by a single surgeon from May 2010 through to January 2019. Clinicopathological data were extracted from medical records. Primary outcome was the positive margin rate. Secondary outcomes were overall survival (OS), cancer-specific survival (CSS), metastasis-free survival (MFS), and local recurrence-free survival (RFS). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used to determine survival outcomes. Results: A total of 21 patients were included in this study. The median age was 65. Pre-operative biopsy grade was grade 1 in 19.1% of patients, grade 2 in 47.6%, and grade 3 in 33.3%. The median size of tumor on examination was 20 mm. Using a grade-stratified algorithm for macroscopic surgical margin, only one patient (4.8%) had a positive margin. This patient had G1T3 disease and proceeded to have a total penectomy for oncological clearance. The median margin clearance was 7 mm. The 12-month OS, CSS, MFS, and local RFS were 94.6%, 94.6%, 81.0%, and 92.3%, respectively. Conclusion: This study suggests that using a grade-stratified approach to aim for a narrower macroscopic surgical margin does not appear to significantly alter the oncological outcome, with a negative margin rate of 95.2% in our this series. This enables more men to be eligible for organ preserving surgery and thereby improve their quality of life in the urinary function and sexual function domain. Larger prospective studies are warranted to confirm these findings.

Subinguinal orchiectomy-A minimally invasive approach to open surgery.

Objectives: To determine the rate of morbidity and assess the oncological outcomes for the subinguinal orchidectomy technique. Background: Radical inguinal orchiectomy is the definitive management for a testicular mass suspicious for malignancy. The standard approach involves the division of the spermatic cord at the internal inguinal ring. In addition to the morbidity of a significant incision through skin and fascia, a known complication is damage to the nerves within the canal leading to local hypoesthesia or persistent inguinal and scrotal neuralgia. The subinguinal orchiectomy technique avoids opening the inguinal canal by excising the spermatic cord at the external inguinal ring. Methods: Patient data from three urologists who routinely perform subinguinal orchiectomies for suspected testicular malignancy was collected. A retrospective analysis between March 2011 and March 2019 was undertaken evaluating demographic, clinical, and histological data points. Descriptive analysis of oncological and surgical outcomes of subinguinal orchiectomy for testicular mass was performed. Descriptive analysis of oncological and surgical outcomes of subinguinal orchiectomy for testicular mass was performed. Results: About 42 orchiectomies performed via the subinguinal approach were identified. The median age was 38 years (range 22-72) and mean follow-up time was 18.4 months (range 0.59-61). Of the 38 patients with testicular cancer, histopathology showed 26 with pT1, 9 with pT2, and 3 with pT3 disease. Three patients had involvement of the cord, with one patient having a positive surgical margin secondary to venous invasion. No patients experienced neuropathic complications, hernia, or wound break down. Conclusion: These data suggest that subinguinal orchiectomy provides acceptable oncological outcomes, comparable to a traditional technique, and may decrease the risk of neuropathic injury and incisional/inguinal hernia. Further investigation with a larger, prospective series is required.

Transperineal vs. transrectal biopsy in MRI targeting.

Prostate biopsy is typically performed via either the transrectal or transperineal approach. MRI-targeted biopsy, whether using any of the three options of cognitive fusion, MRI-ultrasound fusion software, or in-bore MRI-guided biopsy, can also be performed via either transrectal or transperineal approaches. As an extension of traditional random prostate biopsy, the transrectal approach is far more commonly used for MRI-targeted biopsy due to its convenience. However, in the context of today's increasing multi-drug resistance of rectal flora, the transperineal approach is being used more often due to its lack of septic complications. In addition, only a first-generation cephalosporin, not a fluoroquinolone, is required as antibiotic prophylaxis. Evidence shows excellent detection rates of significant prostate cancer using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-targeted and/or systematic transperineal biopsy (TPB). However, there are no head-to-head studies comparing the different MRI-targeted methods within TPB. To provide truly patient-centred care, the biopsy technique using the safest method with the highest detection rate of significant cancer should be used. Depending on healthcare context and hospital resource utilization, MRI-targeted TPB is an excellent option and should be performed wherever available and feasible. Whilst building capacity for TPB in one's practice, the routine use of rectal culture swabs prior to any transrectal biopsies is strongly encouraged. Independent of biopsy route, the addition of systematic cores needs to be discussed with the patient weighing maximal detection of significant cancer against increased detection of insignificant lesions.

Risk factors for infection following prostate biopsy - a case control study.

BACKGROUND: Infection is a complication of TRUS prostate biopsy, despite the use of antimicrobial prophylaxis. Worryingly the rate of infectious complications following TRUS biopsy has been shown to be increasing. We aimed to determine the rate, severity, risk factors, standard patterns of care and microbiology resistance profiles associated with TRUS biopsy sepsis. METHODS: A retrospective case-control study was conducted. Using electronic coding all patients who presented to Cabrini Hospital with sepsis following a TRUS biopsy from 2009 to 2013 were identified. Validated cases were matched to controls in a ratio of 1:3. Eligible controls were required to have undergone a TRUS biopsy at the same surgical institution as the case and in the closest period of time. Demographic, procedural and patient related data-points were recorded for all patients using hospital and urologist records. Univariate logistic regression models were constructed and used to determine risk factors associated with infection. RESULTS: 71 cases developed sepsis following TRUS biopsy and were matched to 213 controls. The average rate of sepsis over the 5-year study period was 1.5 %. A SOFA score ≥ 2 was identified in 28 % of cases. We found a high prevalence of antimicrobial resistant E. coli, with 61 % of blood culture isolates classified as Multidrug resistant organisms. Eight different prophylactic antimicrobial regimens were identified with 33 % of cases receiving ineffective antimicrobial prophylaxis. Statistically significant risk factors included previous antimicrobial use and prior international travel within the six months prior to biopsy. CONCLUSIONS: TRUS biopsy is an elective procedure and as such needs to be associated with minimal morbidity. The patterns of care surrounding periprocedural variables for TRUS biopsies were non-uniform and diverse. A wide variety of different prophylaxis regimens and bowel preparation routines were recorded. Patients with risk factors for sepsis may represent a better target population for intervention with alternative preventative strategies. Alternative preventative options include augmented prophylaxis, tailored prophylaxis or the TP biopsy approach either as a first line biopsy modality or based on epidemiological risk factors.

Neoadjuvant bevacizumab, oxaliplatin, 5-fluorouracil, and radiation for rectal cancer.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the feasibility and pathologic complete response rate of induction bevacizumab + modified infusional fluorouracil, leucovorin, and oxaliplatin (FOLFOX) 6 regimen followed by concurrent bevacizumab, oxaliplatin, continuous infusion 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), and radiation for patients with rectal cancer. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Eligible patients received 1 month of induction bevacizumab and mFOLFOX6. Patients then received 50.4 Gy of radiation and concurrent bevacizumab (5 mg/kg on Days 1, 15, and 29), oxaliplatin (50 mg/m(2)/week for 6 weeks), and continuous infusion 5-FU (200 mg/m(2)/day). Because of gastrointestinal toxicity, the oxaliplatin dose was reduced to 40 mg/m(2)/week. Resection was performed 4-8 weeks after the completion of chemoradiation. RESULTS: The trial was terminated early because of toxicity after 26 eligible patients were treated. Only 1 patient had significant toxicity (arrhythmia) during induction treatment and was removed from the study. During chemoradiation, Grade 3/4 toxicity was experienced by 19 of 25 patients (76%). The most common Grade 3/4 toxicities were diarrhea, neutropenia, and pain. Five of 25 patients (20%) had a complete pathologic response. Nine of 25 patients (36%) developed postoperative complications including infection (n = 4), delayed healing (n = 3), leak/abscess (n = 2), sterile fluid collection (n = 2), ischemic colonic reservoir (n = 1), and fistula (n = 1). CONCLUSIONS: Concurrent oxaliplatin, bevacizumab, continuous infusion 5-FU, and radiation causes significant gastrointestinal toxicity. The pathologic complete response rate of this regimen was similar to other fluorouracil chemoradiation regimens. The high incidence of postoperative wound complications is concerning and consistent with other reports utilizing bevacizumab with chemoradiation before major surgical resections.

Lapatinib and gemcitabine for metastatic pancreatic cancer. A phase II study.

PURPOSE: To determine the overall survival for patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer treated with lapatinib and gemcitabine. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer received lapatinib, 1,500 mg/d, and Gemcitabine, 1 g/m(2)/wk for 3 weeks followed by 1 week off, until disease progression. This multicenter phase II study was planned to enter 125 patients to evaluate whether the treatment regimen could achieve a 1-year survival of 30% and a median survival of 7 months. An additional subset of 20 patients were to receive 2 months of single agent lapatinib followed by lapatinib and gemcitabine. RESULTS: At a planned 6 month analysis, the Brown University Oncology Group Data Safety Monitoring Board terminated accrual after 29 patients because of futility analysis. The median survival was 4 months (95% confidence interval, 3.0-5.0 months). Three of the 29 (10%) patients had a partial response. The 4 patients who received single agent lapatinib all progressed at 1 month. CONCLUSION: Lapatinib is not effective in pancreatic cancer. Evaluation of HER2 inhibitors in pancreatic cancer is not warranted.