Cancer survival for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians: a national study of survival rates and excess mortality.

PubMed

Condon, John R; Zhang, Xiaohua; Baade, Peter; Griffiths, Kalinda; Cunningham, Joan; Roder, David M; Coory, Michael; Jelfs, Paul L; Threlfall, Tim

2014-01-31

National cancer survival statistics are available for the total Australian population but not Indigenous Australians, although their cancer mortality rates are known to be higher than those of other Australians. We aimed to validate analysis methods and report cancer survival rates for Indigenous Australians as the basis for regular national reporting. We used national cancer registrations data to calculate all-cancer and site-specific relative survival for Indigenous Australians (compared with non-Indigenous Australians) diagnosed in 2001-2005. Because of limited availability of Indigenous life tables, we validated and used cause-specific survival (rather than relative survival) for proportional hazards regression to analyze time trends and regional variation in all-cancer survival between 1991 and 2005. Survival was lower for Indigenous than non-Indigenous Australians for all cancers combined and for many cancer sites. The excess mortality of Indigenous people with cancer was restricted to the first three years after diagnosis, and greatest in the first year. Survival was lower for rural and remote than urban residents; this disparity was much greater for Indigenous people. Survival improved between 1991 and 2005 for non-Indigenous people (mortality decreased by 28%), but to a much lesser extent for Indigenous people (11%) and only for those in remote areas; cancer survival did not improve for urban Indigenous residents. Cancer survival is lower for Indigenous than other Australians, for all cancers combined and many individual cancer sites, although more accurate recording of Indigenous status by cancer registers is required before the extent of this disadvantage can be known with certainty. Cancer care for Indigenous Australians needs to be considerably improved; cancer diagnosis, treatment, and support services need to be redesigned specifically to be accessible and acceptable to Indigenous people.

Survival After Rate-Responsive Programming in Patients With Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy-Defibrillator Implants Is Associated With a Novel Parameter: The Heart Rate Score.

PubMed

Olshansky, Brian; Richards, Mark; Sharma, Arjun; Wold, Nicholas; Jones, Paul; Perschbacher, David; Wilkoff, Bruce L

2016-08-01

Rate-responsive pacing (DDDR) versus nonrate-responsive pacing (DDD) has shown no survival benefit for patients undergoing cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator (CRT-D) implants. The heart rate score (HRSc), an indicator of heart rate variation, may predict survival. We hypothesized that high-risk HRSc CRT-D patients will have improved survival with DDDR versus DDD alone. All CRT-D patients in LATITUDE remote monitoring (2006-2011), programmed DDD, had HRSc calculated at first data upload after implant (median 1.4 months). Patients subsequently reprogrammed to DDDR 7.6 median months later were compared with a propensity-matched DDD group and followed for 21.4 median months by remote monitoring. Data were adjusted for age, sex, lower rate limit, percent atrial pacing, percent biventricular pacing, and implant year. The social security death index was used to identify deaths. Remote monitoring provided programming and histogram data. DDDR programming in CRT-D patients was associated with improved survival (adjusted hazard ratio =0.77; P<0.001). However, only those with baseline HRSc ≥70% (2308/6164) had improved HRSc with DDDR (from 88±9% to 78±15%; P<0.001) and improved survival (hazard ratio =0.74; P<0.001). Patients with a high baseline HRSc and significant improvement over time were more likely to survive (hazard ratio =0.63; P=0.006). For patients with HRSc <70%, DDDR reprogramming increased the HRSc from 46±11% to 50±15% (P<0.001); survival did not change. The HRSc did not change with DDD pacing over time. In CRT-D patients with HRSc ≥70%, DDDR reprogramming improved the HRSc and was associated with survival. Patients with lower HRSc had no change in survival with DDDR programming. © 2016 American Heart Association, Inc.

Rectal cancer. Treatment advances that reduce recurrence rates and lengthen survival.

PubMed

Sexe, R; Miedema, B W

1993-07-01

The risk of malignant disease arising in rectal mucosa is high. Surgery is the most effective form of treatment but results in cure in only 50% of patients. Adjuvant preoperative radiation therapy reduces the likelihood of local recurrence but does not improve survival rates. Fluorouracil is the most effective agent for adjuvant chemotherapy and slightly improves survival when given after surgery. Combining radiation therapy with chemotherapy appears to have a synergistic effect, and recent studies show that providing this combination after surgery improves survival. Future trends in the treatment of rectal cancer are expected to include expanded use of local excision to preserve anal sphincter function, preoperative use of a combination of radiation therapy and chemotherapy, perioperative use of chemotherapy combined with immunostimulating therapy, and use of tumor antibodies for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.

Improved survival among older acute myeloid leukemia patients - a population-based study.

PubMed

Shah, Binay Kumar; Ghimire, Krishna Bilas

2014-07-01

Survival in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) has improved in younger patients over the last decade. This study was conducted to evaluate the relative survival rates in older AML patients over two decades in the US. We analyzed Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) registry database to evaluate relative survival rate in older (≥ 75 years) AML population diagnosed during 1992-2009. We selected AML patients from 13 registries of SEER 18 database to compare RS during 1992-2000 and 2001-2009. The relative survival rates improved significantly during 2001-2009 compared to 1992-2000 for all age groups and sex. For young elderly patients (75-84 years) RS increased from 13.1 ± 0.8% to 17.4 ± 0.9% at one year Z-value = 3.98, p < 0.0001 and from 2.0 ± 0.4 to 2.6 ± 0.5%, Z-value = 3.61, p < 0.0005 at five years. Similarly, for very elderly (≥ 85 years) patients RS increased from 5.3 ± 1.0% to 8.0 ± 1.0%, Z-value = 3.03, p < 0.005 at one year, but no improvement seen at five years. The relative survival in elderly AML has increased significantly during 2001-2009 compared to 1992-2000.

Temporal trends in long-term survival and cure rates in esophageal cancer: a SEER database analysis.

PubMed

Dubecz, Attila; Gall, Isabell; Solymosi, Norbert; Schweigert, Michael; Peters, Jeffrey H; Feith, Marcus; Stein, Hubert J

2012-02-01

To assess long-term temporal trends in population-based survival and cure rates in patients with esophageal cancer and compare them over the last 3 decades in the United States. We identified 62,523 patients with cancer of the esophagus and the gastric cardia diagnosed between 1973 and 2007 from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. Long-term cancer-related survival and cure rates were calculated. Stage-by-stage disease-related survival curves of patients diagnosed in different decades were compared. Influence of available variables on survival and cure was analyzed with logistic regression. Ten-year survival was 14% in all patients. Disease-related survival of esophageal cancer improved significantly since 1973. Median survival in Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results stages in local, regional, and metastatic cancers improved from 11, 10, and 4 months in the 1970s to 35, 15, and 6 months after 2000. Early stage, age 45 to 65 years at diagnosis and undergoing surgical therapy were independent predictors of 10-year survival. Cure rate improved in all stages during the study period and were 73%, 37%, 12%, and 2% in stages 0, 1, 2, and 4, respectively, after the year 2000. Percentage of patients undergoing surgery improved from 55% in the 1970s to 64% between 2000 and 2007. Proportion of patients diagnosed with in situ and local cancer remains below 30%. Long-term survival with esophageal cancer is poor but survival of local esophageal cancer improved dramatically over the decades. Complete cure of nonmetastatic esophageal cancer seems possible in a growing number of patients. Early diagnosis and treatment are crucial.

Linking reproduction and survival can improve model estimates of vital rates derived from limited time-series counts of pinnipeds and other species.

PubMed

Battaile, Brian C; Trites, Andrew W

2013-01-01

We propose a method to model the physiological link between somatic survival and reproductive output that reduces the number of parameters that need to be estimated by models designed to determine combinations of birth and death rates that produce historic counts of animal populations. We applied our Reproduction and Somatic Survival Linked (RSSL) method to the population counts of three species of North Pacific pinnipeds (harbor seals, Phoca vitulina richardii (Gray, 1864); northern fur seals, Callorhinus ursinus (L., 1758); and Steller sea lions, Eumetopias jubatus (Schreber, 1776))--and found our model outperformed traditional models when fitting vital rates to common types of limited datasets, such as those from counts of pups and adults. However, our model did not perform as well when these basic counts of animals were augmented with additional observations of ratios of juveniles to total non-pups. In this case, the failure of the ratios to improve model performance may indicate that the relationship between survival and reproduction is redefined or disassociated as populations change over time or that the ratio of juveniles to total non-pups is not a meaningful index of vital rates. Overall, our RSSL models show advantages to linking survival and reproduction within models to estimate the vital rates of pinnipeds and other species that have limited time-series of counts.

Survival rates of birds of tropical and temperate forests: will the dogma survive?

USGS Publications Warehouse

Karr, J.R.; Nichols, J.D.; Klimkiewicz, M.K.; Brawn, J.D.

1990-01-01

Survival rates of tropical forest birds are widely assumed to be high relative to the survival rates of temperate forest birds. Much life-history theory is based on this assumption despite the lack of empirical data to support it. We provide the first detailed comparison of survival rates of tropical and temperate forest birds based on extensive data bases and modern capture-recapture models. We find no support for the conventional wisdom. Because clutch size is only one component of reproductive rate, the frequently assumed, simple association between clutch size and adult survival rates should not necessarily be expected. Our results emphasize the need to consider components of fecundity in addition to clutch size when comparing the life histories of tropical and temperate birds and suggest similar considerations in the development of vertebrate life-history theory.

Improved survival in HIV treatment programs in Asia

PubMed Central

De La Mata, Nicole L; Kumarasamy, Nagalingeswaran; Khol, Vohith; Ng, Oon Tek; Van Nguyen, Kinh; Merati, Tuti Parwati; Pham, Thuy Thanh; Lee, Man Po; Durier, Nicolas; Law, Matthew

2016-01-01

Background Antiretroviral treatment (ART) for HIV-positive patients has expanded rapidly in Asia over the last ten years. Our study aimed to describe the time trends and risk factors for overall survival in patients receiving first-line ART in Asia. Methods We included HIV-positive adult patients who initiated ART between 2003–2013 (n=16 546), from seven sites across six Asia-Pacific countries. Patient follow-up was to May 2014. We compared survival for each country and overall by time period of ART initiation using Kaplan-Meier curves. Factors associated with mortality were assessed using Cox regression, stratified by site. We also summarized first-line ART regimens, CD4 count at ART initiation, and CD4 and HIV viral load testing frequencies. Results There were 880 deaths observed over 54 532 person-years of follow-up, a crude rate of 1.61 (1.51, 1.72) per 100 person-years. Survival significantly improved in more recent years of ART initiation. The survival probabilities at 4 years follow-up for those initiating ART in 2003–05 was 92.1%, 2006–09 was 94.3% and 2010–2013 was 94.5% (p<0.001). Factors associated with higher mortality risk included initiating ART in earlier time periods, older age, male sex, injecting drug use as HIV exposure and lower pre-ART CD4 count. Concurrent with improved survival was increased tenofovir use, ART initiation at higher CD4 counts, and greater monitoring of CD4 and HIV viral load. Conclusions Our results suggest that HIV-positive patients from Asia have improved survival in more recent years of ART initiation. This is likely a consequence of improvements in treatment and, patient management and monitoring over time. PMID:26961354

Changing Survival Rate of Infants Born Before 26 Gestational Weeks

PubMed Central

Rahman, Asad; Abdellatif, Mohamed; Sharef, Sharef W.; Fazalullah, Muhammad; Al-Senaidi, Khalfan; Khan, Ashfaq A.; Ahmad, Masood; Kripail, Mathew; Abuanza, Mazen; Bataclan, Flordeliza

2015-01-01

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the changing survival rate and morbidities among infants born before 26 gestational weeks at the Sultan Qaboos University Hospital (SQUH) in Muscat, Oman. Methods: This retrospective study assessed the mortality and morbidities of all premature infants born alive at 23–26 gestational weeks at SQUH between June 2006 and May 2013. Infants referred to SQUH within 72 hours of birth during this period were also included. Electronic records were reviewed for gestational age, gender, birth weight, maternal age, mode and place of delivery, antenatal steroid administration, morbidity and outcome. The survival rate was calculated and findings were then compared with those of a previous study conducted in the same hospital from 1991 to 1998. Rates of major morbidities were also calculated. Results: A total of 81 infants between 23–26 gestational weeks were admitted to the neonatal unit during the study period. Of these, 58.0% were male and 42.0% were female. Median gestational age was 25 weeks and mean birth weight was 770 ± 150 g. Of the 81 infants, 49 survived. The overall survival rate was 60.5% compared to 41% reported in the previous study. Respiratory distress syndrome (100.0%), retinopathy of prematurity (51.9%), bronchopulmonary dysplasia (34.6%), intraventricular haemorrhage (30.9%) and patent ductus arteriosus (28.4%) were the most common morbidities. Conclusion: The overall survival rate of infants between 23–26 gestational weeks during the study period had significantly improved in comparison to that found at the same hospital from 1991 to 1998. There is a need for the long-term neurodevelopmental follow-up of premature infants. PMID:26357555

[Effect of Fuzheng Huayu capsules on survival rate of patients with liver cirrhosis].

PubMed

Ge, X J; Zhao, C Q; Xu, L M

2017-11-20

capsules and had a median survival time of 195.9 weeks and a 5-year survival rate of 44%, and 149 took Fuzheng Huayu capsules and had a median survival time of 336.9 weeks and a 5-year survival rate of 59%; there was a significant difference in survival rate between the two groups ( P = 0.038). Among 117 patients who did not have hepatitis B, 68 did not take Fuzheng Huayu capsules and had a median survival time of 78.1 weeks and a 5-year survival rate of 32%, and 49 took Fuzheng Huayu capsules and had a median survival time of 277.4 weeks and a 5-year survival rate of 53%; there was a significant difference in survival rate between the two groups ( P = 0.013). Among 92 patients with compensated liver cirrhosis, 47 did not take Fuzheng Huayu capsules and had a 5-year survival rate of 65%, and 45 took Fuzheng Huayu capsules and had a 5-year survival rate of 82%; both groups of patients had a median survival of 440 weeks; there was a significant difference in survival rate between the two groups ( P = 0.027). Among 338 patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis, 185 did not take Fuzheng Huayu capsules and had a median survival time of 60.3 weeks and a 5-year survival rate of 33%, and 153 took Fuzheng Huayu capsules and had a median survival time of 267.7 weeks and a 5-year survival rate of 51%; there was a significant difference in survival rate between the two groups ( P = 0.001). Conclusion: Fuzheng Huayu capsules can improve the prognosis of patients with liver cirrhosis and increase their survival rates and have good long-term efficacy.

Interdisciplinary ICU Cardiac Arrest Debriefing Improves Survival Outcomes

PubMed Central

Wolfe, Heather; Zebuhr, Carleen; Topjian, Alexis A.; Nishisaki, Akira; Niles, Dana E.; Meaney, Peter A.; Boyle, Lori; Giordano, Rita T.; Davis, Daniela; Priestley, Margaret; Apkon, Michael; Berg, Robert A.; Nadkarni, Vinay M.; Sutton, Robert M.

2014-01-01

Objective In-hospital cardiac arrest is an important public health problem. High-quality resuscitation improves survival but is difficult to achieve. Our objective is to evaluate the effectiveness of a novel, interdisciplinary, postevent quantitative debriefing program to improve survival outcomes after in-hospital pediatric chest compression events. Design, Setting, and Patients Single-center prospective interventional study of children who received chest compressions between December 2008 and June 2012 in the ICU. Interventions Structured, quantitative, audiovisual, interdisciplinary debriefing of chest compression events with front-line providers. Measurements and Main Results Primary outcome was survival to hospital discharge. Secondary outcomes included survival of event (return of spontaneous circulation for ≥ 20 min) and favorable neurologic outcome. Primary resuscitation quality outcome was a composite variable, termed “excellent cardiopulmonary resuscitation,” prospectively defined as a chest compression depth ≥ 38 mm, rate ≥ 100/min, ≤ 10% of chest compressions with leaning, and a chest compression fraction > 90% during a given 30-second epoch. Quantitative data were available only for patients who are 8 years old or older. There were 119 chest compression events (60 control and 59 interventional). The intervention was associated with a trend toward improved survival to hospital discharge on both univariate analysis (52% vs 33%, p = 0.054) and after controlling for confounders (adjusted odds ratio, 2.5; 95% CI, 0.91–6.8; p = 0.075), and it significantly increased survival with favorable neurologic outcome on both univariate (50% vs 29%, p = 0.036) and multivariable analyses (adjusted odds ratio, 2.75; 95% CI, 1.01–7.5; p = 0.047). Cardiopulmonary resuscitation epochs for patients who are 8 years old or older during the debriefing period were 5.6 times more likely to meet targets of excellent cardiopulmonary resuscitation (95% CI, 2.9–10

Improved survival time: what can survival cure models tell us about population-based survival improvements in late-stage colorectal, ovarian, and testicular cancer?

PubMed

Huang, Lan; Cronin, Kathleen A; Johnson, Karen A; Mariotto, Angela B; Feuer, Eric J

2008-05-15

The objective of the current study was to investigate the long-term impact of treatment advances on the survival of patients with late-stage ovarian, colorectal (American Joint Committee on Cancer stage III, men), and testicular cancers by estimating the increase in the percentage cured from their disease and the change in survival time of uncured patients. Cause-specific survival data from 1973 to 2000 were obtained from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program. Survival cure models were fit and were used to estimate the gain in life expectancy (GLE) attributed to an increase in the fraction of cured patients and to prolonged survival among noncured patients. Treatment improvement for ovarian cancer resulted in a total GLE of 2 years, and 80% of that GLE was because of an extension of survival time in uncured patients (from 0.9 years to 2.1 years) rather than an increased cure fraction (from 12% to 14%). In contrast, the cure rate rose from 29% to 47% for colorectal cancer, representing 82% of a 2.8-year GLE, and from 23% to 81% for testicular cancer, representing 100% of a 24-year GLE. The current results suggested that treatment benefits for testicular and colorectal cancer in men with late-stage disease primarily are the result of increases in cure fraction, whereas survival gains for ovarian cancer occur despite persisting disease. Cure models, in combination with population-level data, provide insight into how treatment advances are changing survival and ultimately impacting mortality. Survival patterns reflect the underlying biology of response to cancer treatment and suggest promising directions for future research.

Association between a Hospital’s Rate of Cardiac Arrest Incidence and Cardiac Arrest Survival

PubMed Central

Chen, Lena M.; Nallamothu, Brahmajee K.; Spertus, John A.; Li, Yan; Chan, Paul S.

2014-01-01

Context National efforts to measure hospital performance for cardiac arrest have focused on case survival, with the hope of improving survival after cardiac arrest. However, it is plausible that hospitals with high case-survival rates do a poor job of preventing cardiac arrests in the first place. Objective To describe the association between inpatient cardiac arrest incidence and survival rates. Design, Setting, and Patients Within a large, national registry, we identified hospitals with at least 50 adult in-hospital cardiac arrest cases between January 1, 2000 and November 30, 2009. We used multivariable hierarchical regression to evaluate the correlation between a hospital’s cardiac arrest incidence rate and its case-survival rate after adjusting for patient and hospital characteristics. Main Outcome Measure The correlation between a hospital’s incidence rate and case-survival rate for cardiac arrest. Results Of 102,153 cases at 358 hospitals, the median hospital cardiac arrest incidence rate was 4.02 per 1000 admissions (IQR: 2.95 to 5.65 per 1000 admissions), and the median hospital case-survival rate was 18.8% (IQR: 14.5% to 22.6%). In crude analyses, hospitals with higher case-survival rates also had lower cardiac arrest incidence (correlation of -0.16; P=0.003). This relationship persisted after adjusting for patient characteristics (correlation of -0.15; P=0.004). After adjusting for potential mediators of this relationship (i.e., hospital characteristics), the relationship between incidence and case-survival was attenuated (correlation of -0.07; P=0.18). The one modifiable hospital factor that most attenuated this relationship was a hospital’s nurse-to-bed ratio (correlation of -0.12; P=0.03). Conclusions Hospitals with exceptional rates of survival for in-hospital cardiac arrest are also better at preventing cardiac arrests, even after adjusting for patient case-mix. This relationship is partially mediated by measured hospital attributes

Survival and recovery rates of American woodcock banded in Michigan

USGS Publications Warehouse

Krementz, David G.; Hines, James E.; Luukkonen, David R.

2003-01-01

American woodcock (Scolopax minor) population indices have declined since U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) monitoring began in 1968. Management to stop and/or reverse this population trend has been hampered by the lack of recent information on woodcock population parameters. Without recent information on survival rate trends, managers have had to assume that the recent declines in recruitment indices are the only parameter driving woodcock declines. Using program MARK, we estimated annual survival and recovery rates of adult and juvenile American woodcock, and estimated summer survival of local (young incapable of sustained flight) woodcock banded in Michigan between 1978 and 1998. We constructed a set of candidate models from a global model with age (local, juvenile, adult) and time (year)-dependent survival and recovery rates to no age or time-dependent survival and recovery rates. Five models were supported by the data, with all models suggesting that survival rates differed among age classes, and 4 models had survival rates that were constant over time. The fifth model suggested that juvenile and adult survival rates were linear on a logit scale over time. Survival rates averaged over likelihood-weighted model results were 0.8784 +/- 0.1048 (SE) for locals, 0.2646 +/- 0.0423 (SE) for juveniles, and 0.4898 +/- 0.0329 (SE) for adults. Weighted average recovery rates were 0.0326 +/- 0.0053 (SE) for juveniles and 0.0313 +/- 0.0047 (SE) for adults. Estimated differences between our survival estimates and those from prior years were small, and our confidence around those differences was variable and uncertain. juvenile survival rates were low.

Sources of variation in waterfowl survival rates

USGS Publications Warehouse

Krementz, D.G.; Barker, R.J.; Nichols, J.D.

1997-01-01

Because of the need to manage hunted populations of waterfowl (Anatidae), biologists have studied many demographic traits of waterfowl by analyzing band recoveries. These analyses have produced the most extensive and best estimates of survival available for any group of birds. Using these data, we examined several factors that might explain variation among annual survival rates to explore large-scale patterns that might be useful in understanding waterfowl population dynamics. We found that geography, body mass, and tribe (i.e. phylogeny) were important in explaining variation in average waterfowl survival rates.

How can survival processing improve memory encoding?

PubMed

Luo, Meng; Geng, Haiyan

2013-11-01

We investigated the psychological mechanism of survival processing advantage from the perspective of false memory in two experiments. Using a DRM paradigm in combination with analysis based on signal detection theory, we were able to separately examine participants' utilization of verbatim representation and gist representation. Specifically, in Experiment 1, participants rated semantically related words in a survival scenario for a survival condition but rated pleasantness of words in the same DRM lists for a non-survival control condition. The results showed that participants demonstrated more gist processing in the survival condition than in the pleasantness condition; however, the degree of item-specific processing in the two encoding conditions did not significantly differ. In Experiment 2, the control task was changed to a category rating task, in which participants were asked to make category ratings of words in the category lists. We found that the survival condition involved more item-specific processing than did the category condition, but we found no significant difference between the two encoding conditions at the level of gist processing. Overall, our study demonstrates that survival processing can simultaneously promote gist and item-specific representations. When the control tasks only promoted either item-specific representation or gist representation, memory advantages of survival processing occurred.

Survival Rate of Limb Replantation in Different Age Groups.

PubMed

Tatebe, Masahiro; Urata, Shiro; Tanaka, Kenji; Kurahashi, Toshikazu; Takeda, Shinsuke; Hirata, Hitoshi

2017-08-01

Revascularization of damaged limbs/digits is technically feasible, but indications for surgical replantation remain controversial. The authors analyzed the survival rate of upper limb amputations and the associated factors in different age groups. They grouped 371 limb/digit amputees (average age, 44 years; range, 2-85 years) treated in their hospital during the past 10 years into three groups based on age (young, ≤ 15 years, n  = 12; adult, 16-64 years, n  = 302; elderly, ≥ 65 years, n  = 57) and analyzed their injury type (extent of injury and stump status), operation method, presence of medical complications (Charlson comorbidity index), and survival rate. There were 168 replantations, and the overall replantation survival rate was 93%. The Charlson comorbidity index of the replantation patients was 0 in 124 cases; 1 in 32; 2 in 9; and 3 in 3, but it did not show any significant difference in survival rate after replantation. Eight elderly patients (14%) did not opt for replantation. Younger patients tended to undergo replantation, but they had lower success rates due to their severe injury status. The results of this study show that the survival rate of replantation in elderly patients is equal to that in adults. Stump evaluation is important for survival, but the presence of medical complications is not associated with the overall survival rate.

Contribution of surgical specialization to improved colorectal cancer survival.

PubMed

Oliphant, R; Nicholson, G A; Horgan, P G; Molloy, R G; McMillan, D C; Morrison, D S

2013-09-01

Reorganization of colorectal cancer services has led to surgery being increasingly, but not exclusively, delivered by specialist surgeons. Outcomes from colorectal cancer surgery have improved, but the exact determinants remain unclear. This study explored the determinants of outcome after colorectal cancer surgery over time. Postoperative mortality (within 30 days of surgery) and 5-year relative survival rates for patients in the West of Scotland undergoing surgery for colorectal cancer between 1991 and 1994 were compared with rates for those having surgery between 2001 and 2004. The 1823 patients who had surgery in 2001-2004 were more likely to have had stage I or III tumours, and to have undergone surgery with curative intent than the 1715 patients operated on in 1991-1994. The proportion of patients presenting electively who received surgery by a specialist surgeon increased over time (from 14·9 to 72·8 per cent; P < 0·001). Postoperative mortality increased among patients treated by non-specialists over time (from 7·4 to 10·3 per cent; P = 0·026). Non-specialist surgery was associated with an increased risk of postoperative death (adjusted odds ratio 1·72, 95 per cent confidence interval (c.i.) 1·17 to 2·55; P = 0·006) compared with specialist surgery. The 5-year relative survival rate increased over time and was higher among those treated by specialist compared with non-specialist surgeons (62·1 versus 53·0 per cent; P < 0·001). Compared with the earlier period, the adjusted relative excess risk ratio for the later period was 0·69 (95 per cent c.i. 0·61 to 0·79; P < 0·001). Increased surgical specialization accounted for 18·9 per cent of the observed survival improvement. Increased surgical specialization contributed significantly to the observed improvement in longer-term survival following colorectal cancer surgery. © 2013 British Journal of Surgery Society Ltd. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Are Global and Regional Improvements in Life Expectancy and in Child, Adult and Senior Survival Slowing?

PubMed Central

Hum, Ryan J.; Verguet, Stéphane; Cheng, Yu-Ling; McGahan, Anita M.; Jha, Prabhat

2015-01-01

Improvements in life expectancy have been considerable over the past hundred years. Forecasters have taken to applying historical trends under an assumption of continuing improvements in life expectancy in the future. A linear mixed effects model was used to estimate the trends in global and regional rates of improvements in life expectancy, child, adult, and senior survival, in 166 countries between 1950 and 2010. Global improvements in life expectancy, including both child and adult survival rates, decelerated significantly over the study period. Overall life expectancy gains were estimated to have declined from 5.9 to 4.0 months per year for a mean deceleration of -0.07 months/year2; annual child survival gains declined from 4.4 to 1.6 deaths averted per 1000 for a mean deceleration of -0.06 deaths/1000/year2; adult survival gains were estimated to decline from 4.8 to 3.7 deaths averted per 1000 per year for a mean deceleration of -0.08 deaths/1000/year2. Senior survival gains however increased from 2.4 to 4.2 deaths averted per 1000 per year for an acceleration of 0.03 deaths/1000/year2. Regional variation in the four measures was substantial. The rates of global improvements in life expectancy, child survival, and adult survival have declined since 1950 despite an increase in the rate of improvements among seniors. We postulate that low-cost innovation, related to the last half-century progress in health–primarily devoted to children and middle age, is reaping diminishing returns on its investments. Trends are uneven across regions and measures, which may be due in part to the state of epidemiological transition between countries and regions and disparities in the diffusion of innovation, accessible only in high-income countries where life expectancy is already highest. PMID:25992949

Histone deacetylase inhibitors: Isoform selectivity improves survival in a hemorrhagic shock model.

PubMed

Chang, Panpan; Weykamp, Michael; Dennahy, Isabel S; Williams, Aaron M; Bhatti, Umar F; Liu, Baoling; Nikolian, Vahagn C; Li, Yongqing; Alam, Hasan B

2018-05-01

Hemorrhage is a leading preventable cause of death. Nonselective histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACIs), such as valproic acid (VPA), have been shown to improve outcomes in hemorrhagic shock (HS). The HDACs can be divided into four functional classes (I, IIa/IIb, III, and IV). Classes I, IIa/IIb, and III have previously been implicated in the pathophysiology of HS. This study aimed to determine which HDAC class, or classes, are responsible for the survival benefit observed with nonselective HDACIs. Survival study: Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to lethal HS (50% hemorrhage) and randomized to the following groups (n = 8): (1) no treatment, (2) normal saline vehicle, (3) cyclodextrin vehicle, (4) MS275 (class I HDACI), (5) VPA (class I/IIa HDACI), (6) MC1568 (class IIa HDACI), (7) ACY1083 (class IIb HDACI), and (8) EX527 (class III HDACI). Survival was monitored for 24 hours. Mechanistic study: Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to sublethal HS (40% hemorrhage) and randomized to the same groups (n = 3), excluding EX527, based on results of the survival study. Tissues were harvested at 3 hours posttreatment, and expression of phosphorylated-AKT, β-catenin, acetylated histones H3 and H4, and acetylated α-tubulin were analyzed in myocardial tissue. Survival rate was 12.5% in the untreated group, and did not improve with vehicle or MS275 treatment. EX527 improved survival to 50%, although this did not achieve statistical significance (p = 0.082). However, treatment with VPA, MC1568, and ACY1083 improved survival rates to 87.5%, 75%, and 75%, respectively (p < 0.05). The VPA-induced acetylation of both histones H3 and H4, while MC1568 and ACY1083 increased acetylation of histone H4. ACY1083 also induced acetylation of α-tubulin. All treatment groups, except MS275, increased phosphorylated-AKT, and β-catenin. Inhibition of HDAC classes IIa or IIb, but not class I, activates prosurvival pathways, which may be responsible for the improved outcomes in rodent models

Survival rate and prognostic factors of conventional osteosarcoma in Northern Thailand: A series from Chiang Mai University Hospital.

PubMed

Pruksakorn, Dumnoensun; Phanphaisarn, Areerak; Arpornchayanon, Olarn; Uttamo, Nantawat; Leerapun, Taninnit; Settakorn, Jongkolnee

2015-12-01

Osteosarcoma is a common and aggressive primary malignant bone tumor occurring in children and adolescents. It is one of the most aggressive human cancers and the most common cause of cancer-associated limb loss. As treatment in Thailand has produced a lower survival rate than in developed countries; therefore, this study identified survival rate and the poor prognostic factors of osteosarcoma in Northern Thailand. The retrospective cases of osteosarcoma, diagnosis between 1 January 1996 and 31 December 2013, were evaluated. Five and ten year overall survival rates were analyzed using time-to-event analysis. Potential prognostic factors were identified by multivariate regression analysis. There were 208 newly diagnosed osteosarcomas during that period, and 144 cases met the criteria for analysis. The majority of the osteosarcoma cases (78.5%) were aged 0-24 years. The overall 5- and 10-year survival rates were 37.9% and 33.6%, respectively. Presence of metastasis at initial examination, delayed and against treatment co-operation, and axial skeletal location were identified as independent prognostic factors for survival, with hazard ratios of 4.3, 2.5 and 3.8, and 3.1, respectively. This osteosarcoma cohort had a relatively poor overall survival rate. The prognostic factors identified would play a critical role in modifying survival rates of osteosarcoma patients; as rapid disease recognition, a better treatment counselling, as well as improving of chemotherapeutic regimens were found to be important in improving the overall survival rate in Thailand. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Renal Salvage with Renal Artery Stenting Improves Long-term Survival.

PubMed

Modrall, J Gregory; Trimmer, Clayton; Tsai, Shirling; Kirkwood, Melissa L; Ali, Mujtaba; Rectenwald, John E; Timaran, Carlos H; Rosero, Eric B

2017-11-01

The Cardiovascular Outcomes in Renal Atherosclerotic Lesions (CORAL) Trial cast doubt on the benefits of renal artery stenting (RAS). However, the outcomes for patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) were not analyzed separately in the CORAL Trial. We hypothesized that patients who experienced a significant improvement in renal function after RAS would have improved long-term survival, compared with patients whose renal function was not improved by stenting. This single-center retrospective study included 60 patients with stage 3 or worse CKD and renal artery occlusive disease who were treated with RAS for renal salvage. Patients were categorized as "responders" or "nonresponders" based on postoperative changes in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) after RAS. "Responders" were those patients with an improvement of at least 20% in eGFR over baseline; all others were categorized as "nonresponders." Survival was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to identify predictors of long-term survival. The median age of the cohort was 66 years (interquartile range [IQR], 60-73). Median preoperative eGFR was 34 mL/min/1.73 m 2 (IQR, 24-45). At late follow-up (median 35 months, IQR, 22-97 months), 16 of 60 patients (26.7%) were categorized as "responders" with a median increase in postoperative eGFR of 40% (IQR, 21-67). Long-term survival was superior for responders, compared with nonresponders (P = 0.046 by log-rank test). Cox proportional hazards regression identified improved renal function after RAS as the only significant predictor of increased long-term survival (hazard ratio = 0.235, 95% confidence interval = 0.075-0.733; P = 0.0126 for improved versus worsened renal function after RAS). Successful salvage of renal function by RAS is associated with improved long-term survival. These data provide an important counter argument to the prior negative clinical trials that found no benefit to RAS

Self-rated health as a predictor of survival among patients with advanced cancer.

PubMed

Shadbolt, Bruce; Barresi, Jane; Craft, Paul

2002-05-15

Evidence is emerging about the strong predictive relationship between self-rated health (SRH) and survival, although there is little evidence on palliative populations where an accurate prediction of survival is valuable. Thus, the relative importance of SRH in predicting the survival of ambulatory patients with advanced cancer was examined. SRH was compared to clinical assessments of performance status, as well as to quality-of-life measures. By use of a prospective cohort design, 181 patients (76% response rate) with advanced cancer were recruited into the study, resurveyed at 18 weeks, and observed to record deaths. The average age of patients was 62 years (SD = 12). The median survival time was 10 months. SRH was the strongest predictor of survival from baseline. Also, a Cox regression comparing changes in SRH over time yielded hazard ratios suggesting the relative risk (RR) of dying was greater for fair ratings at 18 weeks (approximately 3 times) compared with consistent good or better ratings; the RR was even greater (4.2 and 6.2 times) for poor ratings, especially when ratings were poor at baseline and 18 weeks (31 times). Improvement in SRH over time yielded the lowest RR. SRH is valid, reliable, and responsive to change as a predictor of survival of advanced cancer. These qualities suggest that SRH should be considered as an additional tool by oncologists to assess patients. Similarly, health managers could use SRH as an indicator of disease severity in palliative care case mix. Finally, SRH could provide a key to help us understand the human side of disease and its relationship with medicine.

Improvements in implant dentistry over the last decade: comparison of survival and complication rates in older and newer publications.

PubMed

Pjetursson, Bjarni E; Asgeirsson, Asgeir G; Zwahlen, Marcel; Sailer, Irena

2014-01-01

The objective of this systematic review was to assess and compare the survival and complication rates of implant-supported prostheses reported in studies published in the year 2000 and before, to those reported in studies published after the year 2000. Three electronic searches complemented by manual searching were conducted to identify 139 prospective and retrospective studies on implant-supported prostheses. The included studies were divided in two groups: a group of 31 older studies published in the year 2000 or before, and a group of 108 newer studies published after the year 2000. Survival and complication rates were calculated using Poisson regression models, and multivariable robust Poisson regression was used to formally compare the outcomes of older and newer studies. The 5-year survival rate of implant-supported prostheses was significantly increased in newer studies compared with older studies. The overall survival rate increased from 93.5% to 97.1%. The survival rate for cemented prostheses increased from 95.2% to 97.9%; for screw-retained reconstruction, from 77.6% to 96.8%; for implant-supported single crowns, from 92.6% to 97.2%; and for implant-supported fixed dental prostheses (FDPs), from 93.5% to 96.4%. The incidence of esthetic complications decreased in more recent studies compared with older ones, but the incidence of biologic complications was similar. The results for technical complications were inconsistent. There was a significant reduction in abutment or screw loosening by implant-supported FDPs. On the other hand, the total number of technical complications and the incidence of fracture of the veneering material was significantly increased in the newer studies. To explain the increased rate of complications, minor complications are probably reported in more detail in the newer publications. The results of the present systematic review demonstrated a positive learning curve in implant dentistry, represented in higher survival rates and

Home visit program improves technique survival in peritoneal dialysis.

PubMed

Martino, Francesca; Adıbelli, Z; Mason, G; Nayak, A; Ariyanon, W; Rettore, E; Crepaldi, Carlo; Rodighiero, Mariapia; Ronco, Claudio

2014-01-01

Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is a home therapy, and technique survival is related to the adherence to PD prescription at home. The presence of a home visit program could improve PD outcomes. We evaluated its effects on clinical outcome during 1 year of follow-up. This was a case-control study. The case group included all 96 patients who performed PD in our center on January 1, 2013, and who attended a home visit program; the control group included all 92 patients who performed PD on January 1, 2008. The home visit program consisted of several additional visits to reinforce patients' confidence in PD management in their own environment. Outcomes were defined as technique failure, peritonitis episode, and hospitalization. Clinical and dialysis features were evaluated for each patient. The case group was significantly older (p = 0.048), with a lower grade of autonomy (p = 0.033), but a better hemoglobin level (p = 0.02) than the control group. During the observational period, we had 11 episodes of technique failure. We found a significant reduction in the rate of technique failure in the case group (p = 0.004). Furthermore, survival analysis showed a significant extension of PD treatment in the patients supported by the home visit program (52 vs. 48.8 weeks, p = 0.018). We did not find any difference between the two groups in terms of peritonitis and hospitalization rate; however, trends toward a reduction of Gram-positive peritonitis rates as well as prevalence and duration of hospitalization related to PD problems were identified in the case group. The retrospective nature of the analysis was a limitation of this study. The home visit program improves the survival of PD patients and could reduce the rate of Gram-positive peritonitis and hospitalization. Video Journal Club "Cappuccino with Claudio Ronco" at http://www.karger.com/?doi=365168.

Modified Cisplatin/Interferon α-2b/Doxorubicin/Fluorouracil (PIAF) chemotherapy in patients with no hepatitis or cirrhosis is associated with improved response rate, resectability and survival of initially unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma

PubMed Central

Kaseb, Ahmed O.; Shindoh, Junichi; Patt, Yehuda Z.; Roses, Robert E.; Zimmitti, Giuseppe; Lozano, Richard D.; Hassan, Manal M.; Hassabo, Hesham M.; Curley, Steven A.; Aloia, Thomas A.; Abbruzzese, James L.; Vauthey, Jean-Nicolas

2013-01-01

Purpose The purposes of this study was to evaluate the factors associated with response rate, resectability, and survival after cisplatin/interferon α-2b/doxorubicin/5-flurouracil (PIAF) combination therapy in patients with initially unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Patients and Methods The study included two groups of patients treated with conventional high-dose PIAF (n=84) between 1994 and 2003 and those without hepatitis or cirrhosis treated with modified PIAF (n=33) between 2003 and 2012. Tolerance of chemotherapy, best radiographic response, rate of conversion to curative surgery, and overall survival were analyzed and compared between the two groups, and multivariate and logistic regression analyses were applied to identify predictors of response and survival. Results The modified PIAF group had a higher median number of PIAF cycles (4 vs. 2, P = .049), higher objective response rate (36% vs. 15%, P = .013), higher rate of conversion to curative surgery (33% vs. 10%, P = .004), and longer median overall survival (21.3 vs. 10.6 months, P = .002). Multivariate analyses confirmed that positive hepatitis B serology (hazard ratio [HR], 1.68; 95% CI, 1.08 to 2.59) and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status ≥2 (HR, 1.75; 95% CI 1.04 to 2.93) were associated with worse survival while curative surgical resection after PIAF treatment (HR, 0.15; 95% CI, 0.07 to 0.35) was associated with improved survival. Conclusions In patients with initially unresectable HCC, the modified PIAF regimen in patients with no hepatitis or cirrhosis is associated with improved response, resectability, and survival. PMID:23821538

Survival and recovery rates of mottled ducks banded in Texas and Louisiana

USGS Publications Warehouse

Haukos, David A.

2015-01-01

The Western Gulf Coast population of the mottled duck (Anas fulvigula) is dependent on the Gulf coastal marsh to complete its entire life cycle. Band recovery data can be used to monitor mottled duck populations by estimating annual survival, indexing harvest rate, and assessing movements. Band returns from hunting seasons 1997–2013 were used to evaluate factors influencing annual survival, recovery rates, and movements of mottled ducks in Texas and Louisiana. For banding years of 1997–2013, 58,349 normal, wild mottled ducks were banded and released in Texas and Louisiana. Since 2002, 86% of mottled duck bandings have occurred on the Chenier Plain of Texas and Louisiana. Hunters shot, recovered, and reported 7,061birds with bands during this period. Direct recovery rates were greater for juveniles than adults but changed little since the 1970s. Estimates of annual survival did not differ between Texas and Louisiana, but did among years and between sex and age classes. Adult male and juvenile female mottled ducks had the greatest and lowest annual survival rates, respectively. Recovery of birds banded on the Chenier Plain was four times greater for birds banded in Texas and harvested in Louisiana than banded in Louisiana and harvested in Texas. Much of the current inference of results from banding mottled ducks is limited to the Chenier Plain. To monitor the entire Western Gulf Coast population of mottled ducks, managers can consider expanding operational banding operations with annual quotas, which would improve survival and recovery estimates and allow for inference beyond the Chenier Plain region.

Improvement of the Measure of the Network Survival Rate and its Application to a Japanese Business Relations Network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kawamoto, Hirokazu; Takayasu, Hideki; Takayasu, Misako

We analyze the typical characteristics of the percolation transition of a large-scale complex network, a Japanese business relation network consisting of approximately 600,000 nodes and 4,000,000 links. By utilizing percolation characteristics, we revise the definition of network survival rate that we previously proposed. The new network survival rate has a strong correlation with the old one. The calculation cost is also much smaller and the number of trials decreases from 100,000 to 1,000. Finally, we discuss the identification of robust and fragile regions using this index.

Portal vein embolization improves rate of resection of extensive colorectal liver metastases without worsening survival.

PubMed

Shindoh, J; Tzeng, C-W D; Aloia, T A; Curley, S A; Zimmitti, G; Wei, S H; Huang, S Y; Gupta, S; Wallace, M J; Vauthey, J-N

2013-12-01

Most patients requiring an extended right hepatectomy (ERH) have an inadequate standardized future liver remnant (sFLR) and need preoperative portal vein embolization (PVE). However, the clinical and oncological impact of PVE in such patients remains unclear. All consecutive patients presenting at the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center with colorectal liver metastases (CLM) requiring ERH at presentation from 1995 to 2012 were studied. Surgical and oncological outcomes were compared between patients with adequate and inadequate sFLRs at presentation. Of the 265 patients requiring ERH, 126 (47·5 per cent) had an adequate sFLR at presentation, of whom 123 underwent a curative resection. Of the 139 patients (52·5 per cent) who had an inadequate sFLR and underwent PVE, 87 (62·6 per cent) had a curative resection. Thus, the curative resection rate was increased from 46·4 per cent (123 of 265) at baseline to 79·2 per cent (210 of 265) following PVE. Among patients who underwent ERH, major complication and 90-day mortality rates were similar in the no-PVE and PVE groups (22·0 and 4·1 per cent versus 31 and 7 per cent respectively); overall and disease-free survival rates were also similar in these two groups. Of patients with an inadequate sFLR at presentation, those who underwent ERH had a significantly better median overall survival (50·2 months) than patients who had non-curative surgery (21·3 months) or did not undergo surgery (24·7 months) (P = 0·002). PVE enabled curative resection in two-thirds of patients with CLM who had an inadequate sFLR and were unable to tolerate ERH at presentation. Patients who underwent curative resection after PVE had overall and disease-free survival rates equivalent to those of patients who did not need PVE. © 2013 British Journal of Surgery Society Ltd. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Modified cisplatin/interferon α-2b/doxorubicin/5-fluorouracil (PIAF) chemotherapy in patients with no hepatitis or cirrhosis is associated with improved response rate, resectability, and survival of initially unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma.

PubMed

Kaseb, Ahmed O; Shindoh, Junichi; Patt, Yehuda Z; Roses, Robert E; Zimmitti, Giuseppe; Lozano, Richard D; Hassan, Manal M; Hassabo, Hesham M; Curley, Steven A; Aloia, Thomas A; Abbruzzese, James L; Vauthey, Jean-Nicolas

2013-09-15

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the factors associated with response rate, resectability, and survival after cisplatin/interferon α-2b/doxorubicin/5-fluorouracil (PIAF) combination therapy in patients with initially unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma. The study included 2 groups of patients treated with conventional high-dose PIAF (n = 84) between 1994 and 2003 and those without hepatitis or cirrhosis treated with modified PIAF (n = 33) between 2003 and 2012. Tolerance of chemotherapy, best radiographic response, rate of conversion to curative surgery, and overall survival were analyzed and compared between the 2 groups, and multivariate and logistic regression analyses were applied to identify predictors of response and survival. The modified PIAF group had a higher median number of PIAF cycles (4 versus 2, P = .049), higher objective response rate (36% versus 15%, P = .013), higher rate of conversion to curative surgery (33% versus 10%, P = .004), and longer median overall survival (21.3 versus 10.6 months, P = .002). Multivariate analyses confirmed that positive hepatitis B serology (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.68; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.08-2.59) and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status ≥ 2 (HR = 1.75; 95% CI = 1.04-2.93) were associated with worse survival whereas curative surgical resection after PIAF treatment (HR = 0.15; 95% CI = 0.07-0.35) was associated with improved survival. In patients with initially unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma, the modified PIAF regimen in patients with no hepatitis or cirrhosis is associated with improved response, resectability, and survival. © 2013 American Cancer Society.

Effects of habitat disturbance on survival rates of softshell turtles (Apalone spinifera) in an urban stream

USGS Publications Warehouse

Plummer, M.V.; Krementz, D.G.; Powell, L.A.; Mills, N.E.

2008-01-01

We monitored Spiny Softshell Turtles (Apalone spinifera) using mark-recapture during 1994-2005 in Gin Creek, Searcy, Arkansas. In 1997-2000 the creek bed and riparian zone were bulldozed in an effort to remove debris and improve water flow. This disturbance appeared to reduce the quantity and quality of turtle habitat. We tested for the potential effect of this habitat disturbance on the survival rates of marked turtles. We estimated annual survival rates for the population using models that allowed for variation in survival by state of maturation, year, and effects of the disturbance; we evaluated two different models of the disturbance impact. The first disturbance model incorporated a single change in survival rates, following the disturbance, whereas the second disturbance model incorporated three survival rates: pre- and postdisturbance, as well as a short-term decline during the disturbance. We used a state-transition model for our mark-recapture analysis, as softshells transition from juveniles to adults in a variable period of time. Our analysis indicated that survival varied by maturation state and was independent of a time trend or the disturbance. Annual survival rates were lower for juveniles (S?? = 0.717, SE = 0.039) than for adults (S?? = 0.836, SE = 0.025). Despite the dramatic habitat disturbance, we found no negative effects on survival rates. Our results demonstrate that, like a few other freshwater turtle species known to thrive in urban environments, populations of A. spinifera are resilient and can persist in urban environments despite periodic habitat disturbances. Copyright 2008 Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles.

Comment on 'Are survival rates for northern spotted owls biased?'

USGS Publications Warehouse

Franklin, A.B.; Nichols, J.D.; Anthony, R.G.; Burnham, K.P.; White, Gary C.; Forsman, E.D.; Anderson, D.R.

2006-01-01

Loehle et al. recently estimated survival rates from radio-telemetered northern spotted owls (Strix occidentalis caurina (Merriam, 1898)) and suggested that survival rates estimated for this species from capture-recapture studies were negatively biased, which subsequently resulted in the negatively biased estimates of rates of population change (lambda) reported by Anthony et al. (Wildl. Monogr. No. 163, pp. 1-47 (2006)). We argue that their survival estimates were inappropriate for comparison with capture-recapture estimates because (i) the manner in which they censored radio-telemetered individuals had the potential to positively bias their survival estimates, (ii) their estimates of survival were not valid for evaluating bias, and (iii) the size and distribution of their radiotelemetry study areas were sufficiently different from capture-recapture study areas to preclude comparisons. In addition, their inferences of negative bias in rates of population change estimated by Anthony et al. were incorrect and reflected a misunderstanding about those estimators.

Estimating survival rates with time series of standing age‐structure data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Udevitz, Mark S.; Gogan, Peter J.

2012-01-01

It has long been recognized that age‐structure data contain useful information for assessing the status and dynamics of wildlife populations. For example, age‐specific survival rates can be estimated with just a single sample from the age distribution of a stable, stationary population. For a population that is not stable, age‐specific survival rates can be estimated using techniques such as inverse methods that combine time series of age‐structure data with other demographic data. However, estimation of survival rates using these methods typically requires numerical optimization, a relatively long time series of data, and smoothing or other constraints to provide useful estimates. We developed general models for possibly unstable populations that combine time series of age‐structure data with other demographic data to provide explicit maximum likelihood estimators of age‐specific survival rates with as few as two years of data. As an example, we applied these methods to estimate survival rates for female bison (Bison bison) in Yellowstone National Park, USA. This approach provides a simple tool for monitoring survival rates based on age‐structure data.

Changing Survival Rate of Infants Born Before 26 Gestational Weeks: Single-centre study.

PubMed

Rahman, Asad; Abdellatif, Mohamed; Sharef, Sharef W; Fazalullah, Muhammad; Al-Senaidi, Khalfan; Khan, Ashfaq A; Ahmad, Masood; Kripail, Mathew; Abuanza, Mazen; Bataclan, Flordeliza

2015-08-01

This study aimed to evaluate the changing survival rate and morbidities among infants born before 26 gestational weeks at the Sultan Qaboos University Hospital (SQUH) in Muscat, Oman. This retrospective study assessed the mortality and morbidities of all premature infants born alive at 23-26 gestational weeks at SQUH between June 2006 and May 2013. Infants referred to SQUH within 72 hours of birth during this period were also included. Electronic records were reviewed for gestational age, gender, birth weight, maternal age, mode and place of delivery, antenatal steroid administration, morbidity and outcome. The survival rate was calculated and findings were then compared with those of a previous study conducted in the same hospital from 1991 to 1998. Rates of major morbidities were also calculated. A total of 81 infants between 23-26 gestational weeks were admitted to the neonatal unit during the study period. Of these, 58.0% were male and 42.0% were female. Median gestational age was 25 weeks and mean birth weight was 770 ± 150 g. Of the 81 infants, 49 survived. The overall survival rate was 60.5% compared to 41% reported in the previous study. Respiratory distress syndrome (100.0%), retinopathy of prematurity (51.9%), bronchopulmonary dysplasia (34.6%), intraventricular haemorrhage (30.9%) and patent ductus arteriosus (28.4%) were the most common morbidities. The overall survival rate of infants between 23-26 gestational weeks during the study period had significantly improved in comparison to that found at the same hospital from 1991 to 1998. There is a need for the long-term neurodevelopmental follow-up of premature infants.

Single gene and gene interaction effects on fertilization and embryonic survival rates in cattle.

PubMed

Khatib, H; Huang, W; Wang, X; Tran, A H; Bindrim, A B; Schutzkus, V; Monson, R L; Yandell, B S

2009-05-01

Decrease in fertility and conception rates is a major cause of economic loss and cow culling in dairy herds. Conception rate is the product of fertilization rate and embryonic survival rate. Identification of genetic factors that cause the death of embryos is the first step in eliminating this problem from the population and thereby increasing reproductive efficiency. A candidate pathway approach was used to identify candidate genes affecting fertilization and embryo survival rates using an in vitro fertilization experimental system. A total of 7,413 in vitro fertilizations were performed using oocytes from 504 ovaries and semen samples from 10 different bulls. Fertilization rate was calculated as the number of cleaved embryos 48 h postfertilization out of the total number of oocytes exposed to sperm. Survival rate of embryos was calculated as the number of blastocysts on d 7 of development out of the number of total embryos cultured. All ovaries were genotyped for 8 genes in the POU1F1 signaling pathway. Single-gene analysis revealed significant associations of GHR, PRLR, STAT5A, and UTMP with survival rate and of POU1F1, GHR, STAT5A, and OPN with fertilization rate. To further characterize the contribution of the entire integrated POU1F1 pathway to fertilization and early embryonic survival, a model selection procedure was applied. Comparisons among the different models showed that interactions between adjacent genes in the pathway revealed a significant contribution to the variation in fertility traits compared with other models that analyzed only bull information or only genes without interactions. Moreover, some genes that were not significant in the single-gene analysis showed significant effects in the interaction analysis. Thus, we propose that single genes as well as an entire pathway can be used in selection programs to improve reproduction performance in dairy cattle.

Solid organ allograft survival improvement in the United States: the long-term does not mirror the dramatic short-term success.

PubMed

Lodhi, S A; Lamb, K E; Meier-Kriesche, H U

2011-06-01

Organ survival in the short-term period post-transplant has improved dramatically over the past few decades. Whether this has translated to a long-term survival benefit remains unclear. This study quantifies the progression of nonrenal solid organ transplant outcomes from 1989 to 2009 in liver, lung, heart, intestine and pancreas transplants. Long-term graft survival was analyzed using data on adult solid organ transplant recipients from the UNOS/SRTR database and is reported as organ half-life and yearly attrition rates. Liver, lung, heart, intestine and pancreas half-lives have improved from 5.8 to 8.5, 1.7 to 5.2, 8.8 to 11, 2.1 to 3.6 and 10.5 to 16.7 years, respectively. Long-term attrition rates have not shown the same consistent improvement, with the yearly attrition rate 5-10 years post-transplant for liver, lung, heart and pancreas changing from 4.7 to 4.3, 10.9 to 10.1, 6.4 to 5.1 and 3.3 to 4.2, respectively. Attrition rates for intestine and pancreas transplantation alone display more variability due to smaller sample size but exhibit similar trends of improved first-year attrition and relatively stagnant long-term attrition rates. With first-year survival and attrition rates almost at a pinnacle, further progress in long-term survival will come from targeting endpoints beyond first-year rejection and survival rates. ©2011 The Authors Journal compilation©2011 The American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons.

Survival improvement in patients with non-small cell lung cancer between 1983 and 2012: Analysis of the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database.

PubMed

Wang, Shuncong; Sun, Tiantian; Sun, Huanhuan; Li, Xiaobo; Li, Jie; Zheng, Xiaobin; Mallampati, Saradhi; Sun, Hongliu; Zhou, Xiuling; Zhou, Cuiling; Zhang, Hongyu; Cheng, Zhibin; Ma, Haiqing

2017-05-01

Non-small cell lung cancer is the most common malignancy in males; it constitutes the majority of lung cancer cases and requires massive medical resources. Despite improvements in managing non-small cell lung cancer, long-term survival remains very low. This study evaluated survival improvement in patients with non-small cell lung cancer in each decade between 1983 and 2012 to determine the impact of race, sex, age, and socioeconomic status on the survival rates in these patients. We extracted data on non-small cell lung cancer cases in each decade between 1983 and 2012 from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registries. In total, 573,987 patients with non-small cell lung cancer were identified in 18 Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registry regions during this period. The 12-month relative survival rates improved slightly across three decades, from 39.7% to 40.9% to 45.5%, with larger improvement in the last two decades. However, the 5-year-relative survival rates were very low, with 14.3%, 15.5%, and 18.4%, respectively, in three decades, indicating the urgency for novel comprehensive cancer care. In addition, our data demonstrated superiority in survival time among non-small cell lung cancer patients of lower socioeconomic status and White race. Although survival rates of non-small cell lung cancer patients have improved across the three decades, the 5-year-relative survival rates remain very poor. In addition, widening survival disparities among the race, the sex, and various socioeconomic status groups were confirmed. This study will help in predicting future tendencies of incidence and survival of non-small cell lung cancer, will contribute to better clinical trials by balancing survival disparities, and will eventually improve the clinical management of non-small cell lung cancer.

An Aggressive Surgical Approach Leads to Improved Survival in Patients With Gallbladder Cancer

PubMed Central

Dixon, Elijah; Vollmer, Charles M.; Sahajpal, Ajay; Cattral, Mark; Grant, David; Doig, Christopher; Hemming, Al; Taylor, Bryce; Langer, Bernard; Greig, Paul; Gallinger, Steven

2005-01-01

Objective: To determine if an aggressive surgical approach, with an increase in R0 resections, has resulted in improved survival for patients with gallbladder cancer. Summary Background Data: Many physicians express a relatively nihilistic approach to the treatment of gallbladder cancer; consensus among surgeons regarding the indications for a radical surgical approach has not been reached. Methods: A retrospective review of all patients with gallbladder cancer admitted during the past 12 years was conducted. Ninety-nine patients were identified. Cases treated during the 12-year period 1990 to 2002 were divided into 2 time-period (TP) cohorts, those treated in the first 6 years (TP1, N = 35) and those treated in the last 6 years (TP2, N = 64). Results: Disease stratification by stage and other demographic features were similar in the 2 time periods. An operation with curative intent was performed on 38 patients. Nine (26%) R0 resections were performed in TP1 and 24 (38%) in TP2. The number of liver resections, as well as the frequency of extrahepatic biliary resections, was greater in TP2 (P < 0.04). In both time periods, an R0 resection was associated with improved survival (P < 0.02 TP1, P < 0.0001 TP2). Overall survival of all patients in TP2 was significantly greater than in TP1 (P < 0.03), with a median survival of 9 months in TP1 and 17 months in TP2. The median 5-year survival in TP1 was 7%, and 35% in TP2. The surgical mortality rate for the entire cohort was 2%, with a 49% morbidity rate. Conclusions: A margin-negative, R0 resection leads to improved survival in patients with gallbladder cancer. PMID:15729060

Improved Survival in Male Melanoma Patients in the Era of Sentinel Node Biopsy.

PubMed

Koskivuo, I; Vihinen, P; Mäki, M; Talve, L; Vahlberg, T; Suominen, E

2017-03-01

Sentinel node biopsy is a standard method for nodal staging in patients with clinically localized cutaneous melanoma, but the survival advantage of sentinel node biopsy remains unsolved. The aim of this case-control study was to investigate the survival benefit of sentinel node biopsy. A total of 305 prospective melanoma patients undergoing sentinel node biopsy were compared with 616 retrospective control patients with clinically localized melanoma whom have not undergone sentinel node biopsy. Survival differences were calculated with the median follow-up time of 71 months in sentinel node biopsy patients and 74 months in control patients. Analyses were calculated overall and separately in males and females. Overall, there were no differences in relapse-free survival or cancer-specific survival between sentinel node biopsy patients and control patients. Male sentinel node biopsy patients had significantly higher relapse-free survival ( P = 0.021) and cancer-specific survival ( P = 0.024) than control patients. In females, no differences were found. Cancer-specific survival rates at 5 years were 87.8% in sentinel node biopsy patients and 85.2% in controls overall with 88.3% in male sentinel node biopsy patients and 80.6% in male controls and 87.3% in female sentinel node biopsy patients and 89.8% in female controls. Sentinel node biopsy did not improve survival in melanoma patients overall. While females had no differences in survival, males had significantly improved relapse-free survival and cancer-specific survival following sentinel node biopsy.

Spatiotemporal variation in survival rates: implications for population dynamics of yellow-bellied marmots.

PubMed

Ozgul, Arpat; Armitage, Kenneth B; Blumstein, Daniel T; Oli, Madan K

2006-04-01

Spatiotemporal variation in age-specific survival rates can profoundly influence population dynamics, but few studies of vertebrates have thoroughly investigated both spatial and temporal variability in age-specific survival rates. We used 28 years (1976-2003) of capture-mark-recapture (CMR) data from 17 locations to parameterize an age-structured Cormack-Jolly-Seber model, and investigated spatial and temporal variation in age-specific annual survival rates of yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventris). Survival rates varied both spatially and temporally, with survival of younger animals exhibiting the highest degree of variation. Juvenile survival rates varied from 0.52 +/- 0.05 to 0.78 +/- 0.10 among sites and from 0.15 +/- 0.14 to 0.89 +/- 0.06 over time. Adult survival rates varied from 0.62 +/- 0.09 to 0.80 +/- 0.03 among sites, but did not vary significantly over time. We used reverse-time CMR models to estimate the realized population growth rate (lamda), and to investigate the influence of the observed variation in age-specific survival rates on lamda. The realized growth rate of the population closely covaried with, and was significantly influenced by, spatiotemporal variation in juvenile survival rate. High variability in juvenile survival rates over space and time clearly influenced the dynamics of our study population and is also likely to be an important determinant of the spatiotemporal variation in the population dynamics of other mammals with similar life history characteristics.

The addition of gemtuzumab ozogamicin to low-dose Ara-C improves remission rate but does not significantly prolong survival in older patients with acute myeloid leukaemia: results from the LRF AML14 and NCRI AML16 pick-a-winner comparison.

PubMed

Burnett, A K; Hills, R K; Hunter, A E; Milligan, D; Kell, W J; Wheatley, K; Yin, J; McMullin, M F; Dignum, H; Bowen, D; Russell, N H

2013-01-01

The treatment of older patients with acute myeloid leukaemia, who are not considered suitable for conventional intensive therapy, is unsatisfactory. Low-dose Ara-C(LDAC) has been established as superior to best supportive care, but only benefits the few patients who enter complete remission. Alternative or additional treatments are required to improve the situation. This randomised trial compared the addition of the immunoconjugate, gemtuzumab ozogamicin (GO), at a dose of 5 mg on day 1 of each course of LDAC, with the intention of improving the remission rate and consequently survival. Between June 2004 and June 2010, 495 patients entered the randomisation. The addition of GO significantly improved the remission rate (30% vs 17%; odds ratio(OR) 0.48 (0.32-0.73); P=0.006), but not the 12 month overall survival (25% vs 27%). The reason for the induction benefit failing to improve OS was two-fold: survival of patients in the LDAC arm who did not enter remission and survival after relapse were both superior in the LDAC arm. Although the addition of GO to LDAC doubled the remission rate it did not improve overall survival. Maintaining remission in older patients remains elusive.

Monitoring survival rates of Swainson's Thrush Catharus ustulatus at multiple spatial scales

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rosenberg, D.K.; DeSante, D.F.; McKelvey, K.S.; Hines, J.E.

1999-01-01

We estimated survival rates of Swainson's Thrush, a common, neotropical, migratory landbird, at multiple spatial scales, using data collected in the western USA from the Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship Programme. We evaluated statistical power to detect spatially heterogeneous survival rates and exponentially declining survival rates among spatial scales with simulated populations parameterized from results of the Swainson's Thrush analyses. Models describing survival rates as constant across large spatial scales did not fit the data. The model we chose as most appropriate to describe survival rates of Swainson's Thrush allowed survival rates to vary among Physiographic Provinces, included a separate parameter for the probability that a newly captured bird is a resident individual in the study population, and constrained capture probability to be constant across all stations. Estimated annual survival rates under this model varied from 0.42 to 0.75 among Provinces. The coefficient of variation of survival estimates ranged from 5.8 to 20% among Physiographic Provinces. Statistical power to detect exponentially declining trends was fairly low for small spatial scales, although large annual declines (3% of previous year's rate) were likely to be detected when monitoring was conducted for long periods of time (e.g. 20 years). Although our simulations and field results are based on only four years of data from a limited number and distribution of stations, it is likely that they illustrate genuine difficulties inherent to broadscale efforts to monitor survival rates of territorial landbirds. In particular, our results suggest that more attention needs to be paid to sampling schemes of monitoring programmes, particularly regarding the trade-off between precision and potential bias of parameter estimates at varying spatial scales.

Monitoring survival rates of Swainson's Thrush Catharus ustulatus at multiple spatial scales

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rosenberg, D.K.; DeSante, D.F.; McKelvey, K.S.; Hines, J.E.

1999-01-01

We estimated survival rates of Swainson's Thrush, a common, neotropical, migratory landbird, at multiple spatial scales, using data collected in the western USA from the Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship Programme. We evaluated statistical power to detect spatially heterogeneous survival rates and exponentially declining survival rates among spatial scales with simulated populations parameterized from results of the Swainson's Thrush analyses. Models describing survival rates as constant across large spatial scales did not fit the data. The model we chose as most appropriate to describe survival rates of Swainson's Thrush allowed survival rates to vary among Physiographic Provinces, included a separate parameter for the probability that a newly captured bird is a resident individual in the study population, and constrained capture probability to be constant across all stations. Estimated annual survival rates under this model varied from 0.42 to 0.75 among Provinces. The coefficient of variation of survival estimates ranged from 5.8 to 20% among Physiographic Provinces. Statistical power to detect exponentially declining trends was fairly low for small spatial scales, although large annual declines (3% of previous year's rate) were likely to be detected when monitoring was conducted for long periods of time (e.g. 20 years). Although our simulations and field results are based on only four years of date from a limited number and distribution of stations, it is likely that they illustrate genuine difficulties inherent to broadscale efforts to monitor survival rates of territorial landbirds. In particular, our results suggest that more attention needs to be paid to sampling schemes of monitoring programmes particularly regarding the trade-off between precison and potential bias o parameter estimates at varying spatial scales.

Temporal variation in survival and recovery rates of lesser scaup

USGS Publications Warehouse

Arnold, Todd W.; Afton, Alan D.; Anteau, Michael J.; Koons, David N.; Nicolai, Chris

2016-01-01

Management of lesser scaup (Aythya affinis) has been hindered by access to reliable data on population trajectories and vital rates. We conducted a Bayesian analysis of historical (1951–2011) band-recovery data throughout North America to estimate annual survival and recovery rates for juvenile and adult male and female lesser scaup to determine if increasing harvest or declining survival rates have contributed to population changes and to determine if harvest has been primarily additive or compensatory. Annual recovery rates were low, ranging from 1% to 4% for adults and 2% to 10% for juveniles during most years, with trend models indicating that recovery rates have declined through time for all age–sex classes. Annual survival (mid-Aug to mid-Aug) averaged 0.402 (σ ̂ 0.043) for juvenile males, 0.416 (σ ̂ 0.067) for juvenile females, 0.689 (σ ̂ 0.109) for adult males, and 0.602 (σ ̂ 0.115) for adult females, where σ ̂ represents an estimate of annual process variation in each survival rate. Annual survival rates exhibited no evidence of long-term declines or negative correlations with annual recovery rates (i.e., an index of harvest intensity) for any age–sex class, suggesting that declining fecundity was the most likely explanation for population declines during 1975–2005. We conclude that hunting mortality played a minor role in affecting population dynamics of lesser scaup and waterfowl managers could take a less cautious approach in managing harvest, especially if recruiting or maintaining waterfowl hunters are viewed as important management objectives.

Gutuo Jiejiu decoction improves survival of patients with severe alcoholic hepatitis: A retrospective cohort study.

PubMed

Mou, Hong-Yuan; Nie, Hong-Ming; Hu, Xiao-Yu

2017-04-28

To verify the value of Gutuo Jiejiu decoction in improving the survival of patients with severe alcoholic hepatitis (SAH). We performed a retrospective cohort study in consecutive patients diagnosed with SAH at the Teaching Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Shuguang Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. The traditional Chinese medicine formula Gutuo Jiejiu decoction was employed as an exposure factor. Patients from the Teaching Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine who had been treated with Gutuo Jiejiu decoction + prednisone were assigned to an observation group, and patients from Shuguang Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine who had been treated with prednisone alone were selected as a control group. A retrospective analysis was performed by comparing age, alcohol intake, and clinical parameters of liver injury before and after treatment. Additionally, the 3- and 12-mo survival rates and the occurrence of complications were analyzed. One hundred and twenty-eight eligible patients were selected from 175 cases with SAH, of which 68 were assigned to the observation group and the other 60 to the control group. No significant difference was found in the patients' baseline characteristics ( P > 0.05). However, significant improvements of 90-d survival rate [56/68 (82.4%) vs 27/60 (45.0%), P = 0.0000] and 365-d survival rate [48/68 (70.6%) vs 13/60 (21.7%), P = 00000] were observed in the observation group after treatment. After the first 3 mo of treatment, more improvements in the clinical parameters and scoring systems related to liver injury occurred in the observation group than in the control group ( P < 0.05). After treatment for 12 mo, the differences in the clinical parameters and scoring systems related to liver injury between the two groups were more significant ( P < 0.05). No significant differences in complications and adverse effects were found

Chest compression rates and survival following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

PubMed

Idris, Ahamed H; Guffey, Danielle; Pepe, Paul E; Brown, Siobhan P; Brooks, Steven C; Callaway, Clifton W; Christenson, Jim; Davis, Daniel P; Daya, Mohamud R; Gray, Randal; Kudenchuk, Peter J; Larsen, Jonathan; Lin, Steve; Menegazzi, James J; Sheehan, Kellie; Sopko, George; Stiell, Ian; Nichol, Graham; Aufderheide, Tom P

2015-04-01

Guidelines for cardiopulmonary resuscitation recommend a chest compression rate of at least 100 compressions/min. A recent clinical study reported optimal return of spontaneous circulation with rates between 100 and 120/min during cardiopulmonary resuscitation for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. However, the relationship between compression rate and survival is still undetermined. Prospective, observational study. Data is from the Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium Prehospital Resuscitation IMpedance threshold device and Early versus Delayed analysis clinical trial. Adults with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest treated by emergency medical service providers. None. Data were abstracted from monitor-defibrillator recordings for the first five minutes of emergency medical service cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Multiple logistic regression assessed odds ratio for survival by compression rate categories (<80, 80-99, 100-119, 120-139, ≥140), both unadjusted and adjusted for sex, age, witnessed status, attempted bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation, location of arrest, chest compression fraction and depth, first rhythm, and study site. Compression rate data were available for 10,371 patients; 6,399 also had chest compression fraction and depth data. Age (mean±SD) was 67±16 years. Chest compression rate was 111±19 per minute, compression fraction was 0.70±0.17, and compression depth was 42±12 mm. Circulation was restored in 34%; 9% survived to hospital discharge. After adjustment for covariates without chest compression depth and fraction (n=10,371), a global test found no significant relationship between compression rate and survival (p=0.19). However, after adjustment for covariates including chest compression depth and fraction (n=6,399), the global test found a significant relationship between compression rate and survival (p=0.02), with the reference group (100-119 compressions/min) having the greatest likelihood for survival. After adjustment for chest

Low Survival Rates of Oral and Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

PubMed Central

da Silva Júnior, Francisco Feliciano; dos Santos, Karine de Cássia Batista; Ferreira, Stefania Jeronimo

2017-01-01

Aim To assess the epidemiological and clinical factors that influence the prognosis of oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Methods One hundred and twenty-one cases of oral and oropharyngeal SCC were selected. The survival curves for each variable were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. The Cox regression model was applied to assess the effect of the variables on survival. Results Cancers at an advanced stage were observed in 103 patients (85.1%). Cancers on the tongue were more frequent (23.1%). The survival analysis was 59.9% in one year, 40.7% in two years, and 27.8% in 5 years. There was a significant low survival rate linked to alcohol intake (p = 0.038), advanced cancer staging (p = 0.003), and procedures without surgery (p < 0.001). When these variables were included in the Cox regression model only surgery procedures (p = 0.005) demonstrated a significant effect on survival. Conclusion The findings suggest that patients who underwent surgery had a greater survival rate compared with those that did not. The low survival rates and the high percentage of patients diagnosed at advanced stages demonstrate that oral and oropharyngeal cancer patients should receive more attention. PMID:28638410

Improved survival with vemurafenib in melanoma with BRAF V600E mutation.

PubMed

Chapman, Paul B; Hauschild, Axel; Robert, Caroline; Haanen, John B; Ascierto, Paolo; Larkin, James; Dummer, Reinhard; Garbe, Claus; Testori, Alessandro; Maio, Michele; Hogg, David; Lorigan, Paul; Lebbe, Celeste; Jouary, Thomas; Schadendorf, Dirk; Ribas, Antoni; O'Day, Steven J; Sosman, Jeffrey A; Kirkwood, John M; Eggermont, Alexander M M; Dreno, Brigitte; Nolop, Keith; Li, Jiang; Nelson, Betty; Hou, Jeannie; Lee, Richard J; Flaherty, Keith T; McArthur, Grant A

2011-06-30

Phase 1 and 2 clinical trials of the BRAF kinase inhibitor vemurafenib (PLX4032) have shown response rates of more than 50% in patients with metastatic melanoma with the BRAF V600E mutation. We conducted a phase 3 randomized clinical trial comparing vemurafenib with dacarbazine in 675 patients with previously untreated, metastatic melanoma with the BRAF V600E mutation. Patients were randomly assigned to receive either vemurafenib (960 mg orally twice daily) or dacarbazine (1000 mg per square meter of body-surface area intravenously every 3 weeks). Coprimary end points were rates of overall and progression-free survival. Secondary end points included the response rate, response duration, and safety. A final analysis was planned after 196 deaths and an interim analysis after 98 deaths. At 6 months, overall survival was 84% (95% confidence interval [CI], 78 to 89) in the vemurafenib group and 64% (95% CI, 56 to 73) in the dacarbazine group. In the interim analysis for overall survival and final analysis for progression-free survival, vemurafenib was associated with a relative reduction of 63% in the risk of death and of 74% in the risk of either death or disease progression, as compared with dacarbazine (P<0.001 for both comparisons). After review of the interim analysis by an independent data and safety monitoring board, crossover from dacarbazine to vemurafenib was recommended. Response rates were 48% for vemurafenib and 5% for dacarbazine. Common adverse events associated with vemurafenib were arthralgia, rash, fatigue, alopecia, keratoacanthoma or squamous-cell carcinoma, photosensitivity, nausea, and diarrhea; 38% of patients required dose modification because of toxic effects. Vemurafenib produced improved rates of overall and progression-free survival in patients with previously untreated melanoma with the BRAF V600E mutation. (Funded by Hoffmann-La Roche; BRIM-3 ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01006980.).

[Survival rate for breast cancer in Rabat (Morocco) 2005-2008].

PubMed

Mechita, Nada Bennani; Tazi, Mohammed Adnane; Er-Raki, Abdelouahed; Mrabet, Mustapha; Saadi, Asma; Benjaafar, Noureddine; Razine, Rachid

2016-01-01

Breast cancer is a public health problem in Morocco. This study aims to estimate the survival rate for patients with breast cancer living in Rabat. We conducted a prognostic study of female patients with breast cancer diagnosed during 2005-2008, living in Rabat and whose data were recorded in the Rabat Cancer Registry. The date of inclusion in this study corresponded with the date on which cancer was histologically confirmed. Survival rate was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method and the comparison between the different classes of a variable was made using the log rank test. The study of factors associated with survival was performed using the Cox model. During the study period 628 cases of breast cancer were collected. Mortality rate was 19.9%. Overall 1-year survival rate was 97.1%, 89.2% at 3 years and 80.6% at 5 years. In multivariate analysis, breast cancer survival was statistically lower in patients over 70 years of age (p <0.001) with large tumor size (p < 0.001), advanced-stage adenopathies (p = 0.007), metastases (p < 0.001) and not using hormone therapy (p = 0.002). Large tumor size and metastases are poor prognostic factors in breast cancer, hence the need to strengthen screening programs.

Survival rates in dysvascular lower limb amputees.

PubMed

Kulkarni, J; Pande, S; Morris, J

2006-01-01

To assess the 5-year and 10-year survival rates of major (above ankle disarticulation level) dysvascular lower limb amputees attending a sub-regional Disablement Services Centre (DSC) specialising in amputee rehabilitation. Also to investigate the association between survival rates, cause of dysvascularity, level of amputation, smoking status and occupational status. The study was undertaken in sub-regional DSC for amputee rehabilitation covering a base population of about 3.5million people. Over 80% of lower limb amputations were done for dysvascularity (peripheral vascular disease, diabetic or combination). All these patients were followed up in the DSC for their prosthetic/amputee rehabilitation. Modular case records of 201 consecutive patients from 1994 to 1995 who had diagnosis of dysvascularity as the cause of major lower limb amputations, were scrutinised regarding their 10-year survival; demographic details, level of lower limb amputations, Above Knee (AK=Transfemoral), Below Knee (BK=Transtibial), smoking status, occupational status, healing of the stump at first assessment, cause of amputation and association of these factors with survival rates. Of 201 individuals with either AK or BK amputations, 60% (121) had AK amputations and 67% (134) were males, the mean age was 69years of age. Sixty-seven percent (97) had history of smoking, either current 43% (62) or prior 24% (35) smoking, and 59% (68) were skilled or non-skilled manual workers. Fifty-one percent (99) had diagnosis of peripheral vascular disease, whilst 34% (65) had combination of peripheral vascular disease and diabetes, diabetes on its own in 4% (7). In 12% (23) other causes were noted such as embolism, acute ischaemia, venous ulcers, etc. Regarding stumps healing at first assessment, healing was noted in 54% (109) whilst stump was unhealed in 46% (92). The median survival was 48months. Using Cox proportional hazards regression to identify association with survival, the hazard ratio (HR) was

Probiotics improve survival of septic rats by suppressing conditioned pathogens in ascites

PubMed Central

Liu, Da-Quan; Gao, Qiao-Ying; Liu, Hong-Bin; Li, Dong-Hua; Wu, Shang-Wei

2013-01-01

AIM: To investigate the benefits of probiotics treatment in septic rats. METHODS: The septic rats were induced by cecal ligation and puncture. The animals of control, septic model and probiotics treated groups were treated with vehicle and mixed probiotics, respectively. The mixture of probiotics included Bifidobacterium longum, Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus. We observed the survival of septic rats using different amounts of mixed probiotics. We also detected the bacterial population in ascites and blood of experimental sepsis using cultivation and real-time polymerase chain reaction. The severity of mucosal inflammation in colonic tissues was determined. RESULTS: Probiotics treatment improved survival of the rats significantly and this effect was dose dependent. The survival rate was 30% for vehicle-treated septic model group. However, 1 and 1/4 doses of probiotics treatment increased survival rate significantly compared with septic model group (80% and 55% vs 30%, P < 0.05). The total viable counts of bacteria in ascites decreased significantly in probiotics treated group compared with septic model group (5.20 ± 0.57 vs 9.81 ± 0.67, P < 0.05). The total positive rate of hemoculture decreased significantly in probiotics treated group compared with septic model group (33.3% vs 100.0%, P < 0.05). The population of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus in ascites of probiotics treated group were decreased significantly compared with that of septic model group (3.93 ± 0.73 vs 8.80 ± 0.83, P < 0.05; 2.80 ± 1.04 vs 5.39 ± 1.21, P < 0.05). With probiotics treatment, there was a decrease in the scores of inflammatory cell infiltration into the intestinal mucosa in septic animals (1.50 ± 0.25 vs 2.88 ± 0.14, P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus may be primary pathogens in septic rats. Probiotics improve survival of septic rats by suppressing these conditioned pathogens. PMID:23840152

Platelet-rich plasma reduces skin flap inflammatory cells infiltration and improves survival rates through induction of angiogenesis: An experiment in rabbits.

PubMed

Wang, Biao; Geng, Qiuhua; Hu, Junling; Shao, Jianchuan; Ruan, Jing; Zheng, Jiansheng

2016-08-01

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) on flap survival in an experimental rabbit model. Symmetrical rectangular dorsal cutaneous flaps (8 × 2 cm) were elevated in 15 rabbits. The rabbits were randomly divided into a 3-day group (n = 5), a 7-day group (n = 5), and a 14-day group (n = 5). Either side of the dorsum was selected for injection of PRP into the flap basal surface, while the other side received an equal volume of saline as a control. The flaps were immediately sutured back, after which the flap survival was measured and histology specimens were collected at 3, 7, and 14 days. Platelet-rich plasma significantly improved flap survival rates of the PRP side flaps relative to the control in the 3-day (74.4% ± 4.7% vs 65.8% ± 6.8%; p < 0.05), 7-day (72.4% ± 7.5% vs 58.5% ± 7.0%; p < 0.05), and 14-day (74.5% ± 5.0% vs 65.0% ± 5.4%; p < 0.05) groups. Histological analysis revealed significantly fewer inflammatory cells and an increased blood vessel density in the platelet-rich plasma side flap vs the blank control side flap. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) promotes the survival of random rabbit flaps and, therefore, represents a promising treatment to prevent skin flap necrosis in reconstructive and plastic surgery.

Lack of significant improvements in long-term allograft survival in pediatric solid organ transplantation: A US national registry analysis.

PubMed

Dharnidharka, Vikas R; Lamb, Kenneth E; Zheng, Jie; Schechtman, Kenneth B; Meier-Kriesche, Herwig-Ulf

2015-08-01

Improvements across many facets of transplantation have led to better 1-yr outcomes of transplanted organs. In this study, we assessed whether longer-term attrition rates improved in pediatric kidney (KI), liver (LI), heart (HR) and lung (LU) transplant (TX) survival. We analyzed data between 1989 and 2008 from 5747 KI, 7348 LI, 5103 HR, and 715 LU TXs (under 18 yr of age at transplant, first solitary transplant only), from the National Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients database in the USA. Kaplan-Meier (K-M) or ordinary least square (OLS) estimates were used to calculate median and projected survival half-lives. Attrition rates, defined as percent failing within a given time period, were stratified by year of TX. Median half-lives from 1989 TX year to 2005 TX year have shown a major improvement only in LI TX, remaining unchanged in HR and KI TX, or remaining very low in LU TX. All four organ TX types have shown a dramatic drop in first-year attrition rates from 1989 to 2008. However, longer-term attrition rates (1-3, 3-5, 5-10 yr) have remained largely unchanged for all four organ TX types. Further progress in long-term survival will need targeting end-points beyond first-year rejection and survival rates. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Intestine-specific overexpression of IL-10 improves survival in polymicrobial sepsis.

PubMed

Rajan, Saju; Vyas, Dinesh; Clark, Andrew T; Woolsey, Cheryl A; Clark, Jessica A; Hotchkiss, Richard S; Buchman, Timothy G; Coopersmith, Craig M

2008-04-01

Targeted IL-10 therapy improves survival in preclinical models of critical illness, and intestine-specific IL-10 decreases inflammation in models of chronic Inflammatory disease. We therefore sought to determine whether intestine-specific overexpression of IL-10 would improve survival in sepsis. Transgenic mice that overexpress IL-10 in their gut epithelium (Fabpi-IL-10 mice) and wild-type (WT) littermates (n = 127) were subjected to cecal ligation and puncture with a 27-gauge needle. The 7-day survival rate was 45% in transgenic animals and 30% in WT animals (P < or = 0.05). Systemic levels of IL-10 were undetectable in both groups of animals under basal conditions and were elevated to a similar degree in septic animals regardless of whether they expressed the transgene. Local parameter of injury, including gut epithelial apoptosis, intestinal permeability, peritoneal lavage cytokines, and stimulated cytokines from intraepithelial lymphocytes, were similar between transgenic and WT mice. However, in stimulated splenocytes, proinflammatory cytokines monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (189 +/- 43 vs. 40 +/- 8 pg/mL) and IL-6 (116 +/- 28 vs. 34 +/- 9 pg/mL) were lower in Fabpi-IL-10 mice than WT littermates despite the intestine-specific nature of the transgene (P < 0.05). Cytokine levels were similar in blood and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid between the 2 groups, as were circulating LPS levels. Transgenic mice also had lower white blood cell counts associated with lower absolute neutrophil counts (0.5 +/- 0.1 vs. 1.0 +/- 0.2 10(3)/mm3; P < 0.05). These results indicate that gut-specific overexpression of IL-10 improves survival in a murine model of sepsis, and interactions between the intestinal epithelium and the systemic immune system may play a role in conferring this survival advantage.

Neonatal survival rates in 860 singleton live births at 24 and 25 weeks gestational age. A Canadian multicentre study.

PubMed

Effer, Sidney B; Moutquin, Jean-Marie; Farine, Dan; Saigal, Saroj; Nimrod, Carl; Kelly, Edmond; Niyonsenga, Theophile

2002-07-01

To determine the current survival rate of singleton living newborns born at gestational age of 24 and 25 weeks, using obstetric factors available to the physician before birth. Retrospective study of all live births in 13 of 17 Canadian tertiary centres. Population All singleton live births without congenital abnormalities. During the years 1991-1996, data were abstracted from clinical databases and charts of 860 live births, in 13 of the 17 tertiary centres in Canada, all with major neonatal intensive care units. Newborn survival was defined as alive at discharge from neonatal intensive care unit. Abstracted elements included gestational age, maternal antenatal corticosteroid treatment, birthweight, gender, fetal presentation and mode of delivery. Average survival rates increased from 56.1% at 24 weeks (n = 406) to 68.0% at 25 weeks (n = 454). Survival rates ranged from 53.1% at day 168 to 81.6% at day 181 (r = 0.802, P < 0.05). Steroid administration improved the survival rates at 24 and 25 weeks compared with that of unexposed fetuses, respectively (58.9% vs 41.8%; OR 1.70; 95% CI 1.03-2.08 and 74.2% vs 56.8%; OR 2.19; 95% CI 1.41-3.38). Caesarean delivery for breech presentation improved survival compared with vaginal delivery, both at 24 and 25 weeks (56.1% vs 36.0%; OR 2.19; 95% CI 1.10-4.34, and 68.7% vs 55.2% OR 1.78; 95% CI 0.093-3.43). Female neonates displayed better survival rates (59.6% vs 52.1% OR 1.36; 95% CI 0.92-2.01, and 72.6% vs 63.1% OR 1.51; 95% CI 1.02-2.25) at 24 and 25 weeks, respectively. Explanatory regression model confirmed these factors as prognostic variables associated with survival. This extensive collaborative study confirms that several prognostic factors, known before birth, including gestational age in days, steroid treatment, mode of presentation and fetal sex may help obstetricians, neonatologists and parents in their decision-making process at 24 and 25 weeks of pregnancy.

A hemodynamic-directed approach to pediatric cardiopulmonary resuscitation (HD-CPR) improves survival.

PubMed

Morgan, Ryan W; Kilbaugh, Todd J; Shoap, Wesley; Bratinov, George; Lin, Yuxi; Hsieh, Ting-Chang; Nadkarni, Vinay M; Berg, Robert A; Sutton, Robert M

2017-02-01

Most pediatric in-hospital cardiac arrests (IHCAs) occur in ICUs where invasive hemodynamic monitoring is frequently available. Titrating cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to the hemodynamic response of the individual improves survival in preclinical models of adult cardiac arrest. The objective of this study was to determine if titrating CPR to systolic blood pressure (SBP) and coronary perfusion pressure (CoPP) in a pediatric porcine model of asphyxia-associated ventricular fibrillation (VF) IHCA would improve survival as compared to traditional CPR. After 7min of asphyxia followed by VF, 4-week-old piglets received either hemodynamic-directed CPR (HD-CPR; compression depth titrated to SBP of 90mmHg and vasopressor administration to maintain CoPP ≥20mmHg); or Standard Care (compression depth 1/3 of the anterior-posterior chest diameter and epinephrine every 4min). All animals received CPR for 10min prior to the first defibrillation attempt. CPR was continued for a maximum of 20min. Protocolized intensive care was provided to all surviving animals for 4h. The primary outcome was 4-h survival. Survival rate was greater with HD-CPR (12/12) than Standard Care (6/10; p=0.03). CoPP during HD-CPR was higher compared to Standard Care (point estimate +8.1mmHg, CI 95 : 0.5-15.8mmHg; p=0.04). Chest compression depth was lower with HD-CPR than Standard Care (point estimate -14.0mm, CI95: -9.6 to -18.4mm; p<0.01). Prior to the first defibrillation attempt, more vasopressor doses were administered with HD-CPR vs. Standard Care (median 5 vs. 2; p<0.01). Hemodynamic-directed CPR improves short-term survival compared to standard depth-targeted CPR in a porcine model of pediatric asphyxia-associated VF IHCA. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Hemodynamic-Directed Approach to Pediatric Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (HD-CPR) Improves Survival

PubMed Central

Morgan, Ryan W.; Kilbaugh, Todd J.; Shoap, Wesley; Bratinov, George; Lin, Yuxi; Hsieh, Ting-Chang; Nadkarni, Vinay M.; Berg, Robert A.; Sutton, Robert M.

2016-01-01

Aim Most pediatric in-hositalcardiac arrests(IHCAs) occur in ICUs where invasive hemodynamic monitoring is frequently available. Titrating cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to the hemodynamic response of the individual improves survival in preclinical models of adult cardiac arrest. The objective of this study was to determine if titrating CPR to systolic blood pressure (SBP) and coronary perfusion pressure (CoPP) in a pediatric porcine model of asphyxia-associated ventricular fibrillation (VF) IHCA would improve survival as compared to traditional CPR. Methods After 7 minutes of asphyxia followed by VF, 4-week-old piglets received either Hemodynamic-Directed CPR (HD-CPR; compression depth titrated to SBP of 90mmHg and vasopressor administration to maintain CoPP ≥20mmHg); or Standard Care (compression depth 1/3 of the anterior-posterior chest diameter and epinephrine every 4 minutes). All animals received CPR for 10 minutes prior to the first defibrillation attempt. CPR was continued for a maximum of 20 minutes. Protocolized intensive care was provided to all surviving animals for 4 hours. The primary outcome was 4-hour survival. Results Survival rate was greater with HD-CPR (12/12) than Standard Care (6/10; p=0.03). CoPP during HD-CPR was higher compared to Standard Care (point estimate +8.1mmHg, CI95: 0.5–15.8mmHg; p=0.04). Chest compression depth was lower with HD-CPR than Standard Care (point estimate 14.0mm, CI95: 9.6–18.4mm; p<0.01). Prior to the first defibrillation attempt, more vasopressor doses were administered with HD-CPR versus Standard Care (median 5 versus 2; p<0.01). Conclusions Hemodynamic-directed CPR improves short-term survival compared to standard depth-targeted CPR in a porcine model of pediatric asphyxia-associated VF IHCA. PMID:27923692

Incorporating movement patterns to improve survival estimates for juvenile bull trout

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bowerman, Tracy; Budy, Phaedra

2012-01-01

Populations of many fish species are sensitive to changes in vital rates during early life stages, but our understanding of the factors affecting growth, survival, and movement patterns is often extremely limited for juvenile fish. These critical information gaps are particularly evident for bull trout Salvelinus confluentus, a threatened Pacific Northwest char. We combined several active and passive mark–recapture and resight techniques to assess migration rates and estimate survival for juvenile bull trout (70–170 mm total length). We evaluated the relative performance of multiple survival estimation techniques by comparing results from a common Cormack–Jolly–Seber (CJS) model, the less widely used Barker model, and a simple return rate (an index of survival). Juvenile bull trout of all sizes emigrated from their natal habitat throughout the year, and thereafter migrated up to 50 km downstream. With the CJS model, high emigration rates led to an extreme underestimate of apparent survival, a combined estimate of site fidelity and survival. In contrast, the Barker model, which allows survival and emigration to be modeled as separate parameters, produced estimates of survival that were much less biased than the return rate. Estimates of age-class-specific annual survival from the Barker model based on all available data were 0.218±0.028 (estimate±SE) for age-1 bull trout and 0.231±0.065 for age-2 bull trout. This research demonstrates the importance of incorporating movement patterns into survival analyses, and we provide one of the first field-based estimates of juvenile bull trout annual survival in relatively pristine rearing conditions. These estimates can provide a baseline for comparison with future studies in more impacted systems and will help managers develop reliable stage-structured population models to evaluate future recovery strategies.

Unchanged Pediatric Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Incidence and Survival Rates with Regional Variation in North America

PubMed Central

Fink, Ericka L.; Prince, David K.; Kaltman, Jonathan R.; Atkins, Dianne L.; Austin, Michael; Warden, Craig; Hutchison, Jamie; Daya, Mohamud; Goldberg, Scott; Herren, Heather; Tijssen, Janice A.; Christenson, James; Vaillancourt, Christian; Miller, Ronna; Schmicker, Robert H.; Callaway, Clifton W.

2016-01-01

Aim Outcomes for pediatric out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) are poor. Our objective was to determine temporal trends in incidence and mortality for pediatric OHCA. Methods Adjusted incidence and hospital mortality rates of pediatric non-traumatic OHCA patients from 2007-2012 were analyzed using the 9 region Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium - Epidemiological Registry (ROC-Epistry) database. Children were divided into 4 age groups: perinatal (< 3 days), infants (3 days - 1 year), children (1 - 11 years), and adolescents (12 - 19 years). ROC regions were analyzed post-hoc. Results We studied 1,738 children with OHCA. The age- and sex-adjusted incidence rate of OHCA was 8.3 per 100,000 person-years (75.3 for infants vs. 3.7 for children and 6.3 for adolescents, per 100,000 person-years, p<0.001). Incidence rates differed by year (p<0.001) without overall linear trend. Annual survival rates ranged from 6.7-10.2%. Survival was highest in the perinatal (25%) and adolescent (17.3%) groups. Stratified by age group, survival rates over time were unchanged (all p>0.05) but there was a non-significant linear trend (1.3% increase) in infants. In the multivariable logistic regression analysis, infants, unwitnessed event, initial rhythm of asystole, and region were associated with worse survival, all p<0.001. Survival by region ranged from 2.6-14.7%. Regions with the highest survival had more cases of EMS-witnessed OHCA, bystander CPR, and increased EMS-defibrillation (all p<0.05). Conclusions Overall incidence and survival of children with OHCA in ROC regions did not significantly change over a recent 5 year period. Regional variation represents an opportunity for further study to improve outcomes. PMID:27565862

Colonoscopic surveillance improves survival after colorectal cancer diagnosis in inflammatory bowel disease.

PubMed

Lutgens, M W M D; Oldenburg, B; Siersema, P D; van Bodegraven, A A; Dijkstra, G; Hommes, D W; de Jong, D J; Stokkers, P C F; van der Woude, C J; Vleggaar, F P

2009-11-17

Colonoscopic surveillance provides the best practical means for preventing colorectal cancer (CRC) in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients. Strong evidence for improved survival from surveillance programmes is sparse. The aim of this study was to compare tumour stage and survival of IBD patients with CRC who were a part of a surveillance programme with those who were not. A nationwide pathology database (PALGA (pathologisch anatomisch landelijk geautomatiseerd archief)) was consulted to identify IBD patients with CRC treated in all eight university hospitals in The Netherlands over a period of 15 years. Patients were assigned to the surveillance group when they had undergone one or more surveillance colonoscopies before a diagnosis of CRC. Patients who had not undergone surveillance served as controls. Tumour stage and survival were compared between the two groups. A total of 149 patients with IBD-associated CRC were identified. Twenty-three had had colonoscopic surveillance before CRC was discovered. The 5-year CRC-related survival rate of patients in the surveillance group was 100% compared with 74% in the non-surveillance group (P=0.042). In the surveillance group, only one patient died as a consequence of CRC compared with 29 patients in the control group (P=0.047). In addition, more early tumour stages were found in the surveillance group (P=0.004). These results provide evidence for improved survival from colonoscopic surveillance in IBD patients by detecting CRC at a more favourable tumour stage.

Effects of pressure and temperature on the survival rate of adherent A-172 cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yasuhara, Ryo; Kushida, Ryo; Ishii, Shiwori; Yamanoha, Banri; Shimizu, Akio

2013-06-01

Preservation of cells under high pressure is an important alternative to cryopreservation. We studied the effect of temperature (4, 25, 37°C) and pressure (0.1-350 MPa) on the survival rate of A-172 glioblastoma cells. The survival rate was not changed by brief (10 min) pressurization of up to 150 MPa, but the survival rate began to decrease from 150 MPa, and most of the A-172 cells died when treated with over 200 MPa. Lengthy pressurization (4 days) at lower pressure (upto 20.1 MPa) without medium exchange showed complex results. The survival rate of cells preserved at 25°C showed two maxima at 1.6 and 20.1 MPa. After preservation, cells adhered and proliferated in the same way as normal cells when cultured at 37°C in a CO2 incubator. The other two temperatures, 4° and 37°C, showed no maximum survival rate. Therefore, a high survival rate can be maintained with high pressure treatment.

Application of neural networks and sensitivity analysis to improved prediction of trauma survival.

PubMed

Hunter, A; Kennedy, L; Henry, J; Ferguson, I

2000-05-01

The performance of trauma departments is widely audited by applying predictive models that assess probability of survival, and examining the rate of unexpected survivals and deaths. Although the TRISS methodology, a logistic regression modelling technique, is still the de facto standard, it is known that neural network models perform better. A key issue when applying neural network models is the selection of input variables. This paper proposes a novel form of sensitivity analysis, which is simpler to apply than existing techniques, and can be used for both numeric and nominal input variables. The technique is applied to the audit survival problem, and used to analyse the TRISS variables. The conclusions discuss the implications for the design of further improved scoring schemes and predictive models.

Survival Model for Foot and Leg High Rate Axial Impact Injury Data.

PubMed

Bailey, Ann M; McMurry, Timothy L; Poplin, Gerald S; Salzar, Robert S; Crandall, Jeff R

2015-01-01

Understanding how lower extremity injuries from automotive intrusion and underbody blast (UBB) differ is of key importance when determining whether automotive injury criteria can be applied to blast rate scenarios. This article provides a review of existing injury risk analyses and outlines an approach to improve injury prediction for an expanded range of loading rates. This analysis will address issues with existing injury risk functions including inaccuracies due to inertial and potential viscous resistance at higher loading rates. This survival analysis attempts to minimize these errors by considering injury location statistics and a predictor variable selection process dependent upon failure mechanisms of bone. Distribution of foot/ankle/leg injuries induced by axial impact loading at rates characteristic of UBB as well as automotive intrusion was studied and calcaneus injuries were found to be the most common injury; thus, footplate force was chosen as the main predictor variable because of its proximity to injury location to prevent inaccuracies associated with inertial differences due to loading rate. A survival analysis was then performed with age, sex, dorsiflexion angle, and mass as covariates. This statistical analysis uses data from previous axial postmortem human surrogate (PMHS) component leg tests to provide perspectives on how proximal boundary conditions and loading rate affect injury probability in the foot/ankle/leg (n = 82). Tibia force-at-fracture proved to be up to 20% inaccurate in previous analyses because of viscous resistance and inertial effects within the data set used, suggesting that previous injury criteria are accurate only for specific rates of loading and boundary conditions. The statistical model presented in this article predicts 50% probability of injury for a plantar force of 10.2 kN for a 50th percentile male with a neutral ankle position. Force rate was found to be an insignificant covariate because of the limited range of

Improvement in survival of patients with oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma: An international collaborative study.

PubMed

Amit, Moran; Yen, Tzu-Chen; Liao, Chun-Ta; Chaturvedi, Pankaj; Agarwal, Jai Prakash; Kowalski, Luiz P; Ebrahimi, Ardalan; Clark, Jonathan R; Kreppel, Matthias; Zöller, Joachim; Fridman, Eran; Bolzoni, Villaret A; Shah, Jatin P; Binenbaum, Yoav; Patel, Snehal G; Gil, Ziv

2013-12-15

An association between the survival of patients with oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC) and advancements in diagnosis and therapy has not been established. This was a retrospective, longitudinal, international, population-based study of 2738 patients who underwent resection of OCSCC during 2 different decades. Characteristics of patients from 7 international cancer centers who received treatment between 1990 and 2000 (group A; n = 735) were compared with patients who received treatment between 2001 and 2011 (group B; n = 2003). Patients in group B had more advanced tumors and tended to develop distant metastases more frequently than patients in group A (P = .005). More group B patients underwent selective neck dissection and received adjuvant radiotherapy (P < .001). Outcome analysis revealed a significant improvement in 5-year overall survival, from 59% for group A to 70% for group B (P < .001). There was also a significant improvement in disease-specific survival associated with operations performed before and after 2000 (from 69% to 81%, respectively; P < .001). Surgery after 2000, negative margins, adjuvant treatment, and early stage disease were independent predictors of a better outcome in multivariate analysis. The decade of treatment was an independent prognostic factor for cancer-specific mortality (hazard ratio, 0.42; 95% confidence interval, 0.3-0.6). The survival rate of patients with OCSCC improved significantly during the past 2 decades despite older age, more advanced disease stage, and a higher rate of distant metastases. The current results suggest that the prognosis for patients with OCSCC has improved over time, presumably because of advances in imaging and therapy. © 2013 American Cancer Society.

Has prenatal screening influenced the prevalence of comorbidities associated with Down syndrome and subsequent survival rates?

PubMed

Halliday, Jane; Collins, Veronica; Riley, Merilyn; Youssef, Danielle; Muggli, Evelyne

2009-01-01

With this study we aimed to compare survival rates for children with Down syndrome in 2 time periods, 1 before prenatal screening (1988-1990) and 1 contemporaneous with screening (1998-2000), and to examine the frequency of comorbidities and their influence on survival rates. Record-linkage was performed between the population-based Victorian Birth Defects Register and records of deaths in children up to 15 years of age collected under the auspice of the Consultative Council on Obstetric and Pediatric Mortality and Morbidity. Cases of Down syndrome were coded according to the presence or absence of comorbidities by using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision classification of birth defects. Kaplan-Meier survival functions and log rank tests for equality of survival distributions were performed. Of infants liveborn with Down syndrome in 1998-2000, 90% survived to 5 years of age, compared with 86% in the earlier cohort. With fetal deaths excluded, the proportion of isolated Down syndrome cases in the earlier cohort was 48.7% compared with 46.1% in the most recent cohort. In 1988-1990 there was at least 1 cardiac defect in 41.1% of cases and in 45.4% in 1998-2000. There was significant variation in survival rates for the different comorbidity groupings in the 1988-1990 cohort, but this was not so evident in the 1998-2000 cohort. Survival of children with Down syndrome continues to improve, and there is an overall survival figure of 90% to at least 5 years of age. It is clear from this study that prenatal screening technologies are not differentially ascertaining fetuses with Down syndrome and additional defects, because there has been no proportional increase in births of isolated cases with Down syndrome.

Relation of Mitral Valve Surgery Volume to Repair Rate, Durability, and Survival.

PubMed

Chikwe, Joanna; Toyoda, Nana; Anyanwu, Anelechi C; Itagaki, Shinobu; Egorova, Natalia N; Boateng, Percy; El-Eshmawi, Ahmed; Adams, David H

2017-04-24

Degenerative mitral valve repair rates remain highly variable, despite established benefits of repair over replacement. The contribution of surgeon-specific factors is poorly defined. This study evaluated the influence of surgeon case volume on degenerative mitral valve repair rates and outcomes. A mandatory New York State database was queried and 5,475 patients were identified with degenerative mitral disease who underwent mitral valve operations between 2002 and 2013. Mitral repair rates, mitral reoperations within 12 months of repair, and survival were analyzed using multivariable Cox modeling and restricted cubic spline function. Median annual surgeon volume of any mitral operations was 10 (range 1 to 230), with a mean repair rate of 55% (n = 20,797 of 38,128). In the subgroup of patients with degenerative disease, the mean repair rate was 67% (n = 3,660 of 5,475), with a range of 0% to 100%. Mean repair rates ranged from 48% (n = 179 of 370) for surgeons with total annual volumes of ≤10 mitral operations to 77% (n = 1,710 of 2,216) for surgeons with total annual volumes of >50 mitral operations (p < 0.001). Higher total annual surgeon volume was associated with increased repair rates of degenerative mitral valve disease (adjusted odds ratio [OR]: 1.13 for every additional 10 mitral operations; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.10 to 1.17; p < 0.001); a steady decrease in reoperation risk until 25 total mitral operations annually; and improved 1-year survival (adjusted hazard ratio: 0.95 for every additional 10 operations; 95% CI: 0.92 to 0.98; p = 0.001). For surgeons with a total annual volume of ≤25 mitral operations, repair rates were higher (63.8%; n = 180 of 282) if they operated in the same institution as a surgeon with total annual mitral volumes of >50 and degenerative mitral valve repair rates of >70%, compared with surgeons operating in the other institutions (51.3%; n = 580 of 1,130) (adjusted OR: 1.79; 95% CI: 1.24 to 2.60; p

Improvement in initial survival of spinal injuries: a 10-year audit.

PubMed

Tan, H B; Sloan, J P; Barlow, I F

2005-08-01

A 10-year retrospective study of all spinal injuries presenting to the Leeds Teaching Hospitals between 1991 and 2001. The hospitals provide secondary care to a population of 750,000 and tertiary care to a population of 2-3 million. In total 1119 spinal injuries were studied. The overall survival rate was 89%. The commonest age group for presentation was 25-29 years with a secondary peak in the seventh decade, a mean overall of 43 years. 66% of injuries occurred in males. The commonest cause was a fall from a height (44%), with road traffic accidents (RTA) causing 43%. Pedestrians were most at risk within the road traffic group, making up 63% of cases. Isolated cervical spine injuries made up 37% of all cases. Cervical fractures were most associated with neurological injury (50%). Immediate survival has increased over the decade from 83% in 1991 to 93% in 2001. The probability of survival was significant at P = 0.006 and actual survival at P = 0.012 (Pearson correlation). The causal analysis has not been carried out but it is thought likely that improved quality of care is responsible.

Better Rooting Procedure to Enhance Survival Rate of Field Grown Malaysian Eksotika Papaya Transformed with 1-Aminocyclopropane-1-Carboxylic Acid Oxidase Gene

PubMed Central

Sekeli, Rogayah; Abdullah, Janna Ong; Namasivayam, Parameswari; Muda, Pauziah; Abu Bakar, Umi Kalsom

2013-01-01

A high survival rate for transformed papaya plants when transferred to the field is useful in the quest for improving the commercial quality traits. We report in this paper an improved rooting method for the production of transformed Malaysian Eksotika papaya with high survival rate when transferred to the field. Shoots were regenerated from embryogenic calli transformed with antisense and RNAi constructs of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid oxidase (ACO) genes using the Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation method. Regenerated transformed shoots, each measuring approximately 3-4 cm in height, were cultured in liquid half-strength Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium or sterile distilled water, and with either perlite or vermiculite supplementation. All the culturing processes were conducted either under sterile or nonsterile condition. The results showed that rooting under sterile condition was better. Shoots cultured in half-strength MS medium supplemented with vermiculite exhibited a 92.5% rooting efficiency while perlite showed 77.5%. The survival rate of the vermiculite-grown transformed papaya plantlets after transfer into soil, contained in polybags, was 94%, and the rate after transfer into the ground was 92%. Morpho-histological analyses revealed that the tap roots were more compact, which might have contributed to the high survival rates of the plantlets. PMID:25969786

Better rooting procedure to enhance survival rate of field grown malaysian eksotika papaya transformed with 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic Acid oxidase gene.

PubMed

Sekeli, Rogayah; Abdullah, Janna Ong; Namasivayam, Parameswari; Muda, Pauziah; Abu Bakar, Umi Kalsom

2013-01-01

A high survival rate for transformed papaya plants when transferred to the field is useful in the quest for improving the commercial quality traits. We report in this paper an improved rooting method for the production of transformed Malaysian Eksotika papaya with high survival rate when transferred to the field. Shoots were regenerated from embryogenic calli transformed with antisense and RNAi constructs of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid oxidase (ACO) genes using the Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation method. Regenerated transformed shoots, each measuring approximately 3-4 cm in height, were cultured in liquid half-strength Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium or sterile distilled water, and with either perlite or vermiculite supplementation. All the culturing processes were conducted either under sterile or nonsterile condition. The results showed that rooting under sterile condition was better. Shoots cultured in half-strength MS medium supplemented with vermiculite exhibited a 92.5% rooting efficiency while perlite showed 77.5%. The survival rate of the vermiculite-grown transformed papaya plantlets after transfer into soil, contained in polybags, was 94%, and the rate after transfer into the ground was 92%. Morpho-histological analyses revealed that the tap roots were more compact, which might have contributed to the high survival rates of the plantlets.

Witnessed arrest, but not delayed bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation improves prehospital cardiac arrest survival.

PubMed

Vukmir, R B

2004-05-01

This study correlated the effect of witnessing a cardiac arrest and instituting bystander CPR (ByCPR), as a secondary end point in a study evaluating the effect of bicarbonate on survival. This prospective, randomised, double blinded clinical intervention trial enrolled 874 prehospital cardiopulmonary arrest patients encountered in a prehospital urban, suburban, and rural regional emergency medical service (EMS) area. This group underwent conventional advanced cardiac life support intervention followed by empiric early administration of sodium bicarbonate (1 mEq/l), monitoring conventional resuscitation parameters. Survival was measured as presence of vital signs on emergency department (ED) arrival. Data were analysed using chi(2) with Pearson correlation and odds ratio where appropriate. The overall survival rate was 13.9% (110 of 792) of prehospital cardiac arrest patients. The mean (SD) time until provision of bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ByCPR) by laymen was 2.08 (2.77) minutes, and basic life support (BLS) by emergency medical technicians was 6.62 (5.73) minutes. There was improved survival noted with witnessed cardiac arrest-a 2.2-fold increase in survival, 18.9% (76 of 402) versus 8.6% (27 of 315) compared with unwitnessed arrests (p<0.001) with a decreased risk ratio of mortality of 0.4534 (95% CI, 0.0857 to 0.1891). The presence of ByCPR occurred in 32% (228 of 716) of patients, but interestingly did not correlate with survival. The survival rate was 18.2% (33 of 181) if ByCPR was performed within two minutes and 12.8% (6 of 47), if performed >two minutes (p = 0.3752). Survival after prehospital cardiac arrest is more likely when witnessed, but not necessarily when ByCPR was performed by laymen.

Estimation of survival rates from band recoveries of mule deer in Colorado

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

White, G.C.; Bartmann, R.M.

1983-01-01

An attempt has been made to determine the survival rate of mule deer in the White River drainage basin in northwestern Colorado. During five winters, 1972-76, 1923 mule deer were trapped and marked. Survival rates were determined at yearly intervals. A FORTRAN program was used to perform the analysis.

Characteristics, survival and incidence rates and trends of primary cardiac malignancies in the United States.

PubMed

Saad, Anas M; Abushouk, Abdelrahman Ibrahim; Al-Husseini, Muneer J; Salahia, Sami; Alrefai, Anas; Afifi, Ahmed M; Abdel-Daim, Mohamed M

The available literature on the incidence, management and prognosis of primary malignant cardiac tumors [PMCTs] is limited to single-center studies, prone to small sample size and referral bias. We used data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results [SEER]-18 registry (between 2000 and 2014) to investigate the distribution, incidence trends and the survival rates of PMCTs. We used SEER*Stat (version 8.3.4) and the National Cancer Institute's Joinpoint Regression software (version 4.5.0.1) to calculate the incidence rates and annual percentage changes [APC] of PMCTs, respectively. We later used SPSS software (version 23) to perform Kaplan-Meier survival tests and covariate-adjusted Cox models. We identified 497 patients with PMCTs, including angiosarcomas (27.3%) and Non-Hodgkin's lymphomas [NHL] (26.9%). Unlike the incidence rate of NHL (0.108 per 10 6 person-years) that increased significantly (APC=3.56%, 95% CI, [1.445 to 5.725], P=.003) over the study period, we detected no significant change (APC=1.73%, 95% CI [-3.354 to 7.081], P=.483) in the incidence of cardiac angiosarcomas (0.107 per 10 6 person-years). Moreover, our analysis showed that the overall survival of NHL is significantly better than angiosarcomas (P<.001). In addition, surgical treatment was associated with a significant improvement (P=.027) in the overall survival of PMCTs. Our analysis showed a significant increase in the incidence of cardiac-NHL over the past 14 years with a significantly better survival than angiosarcomas. To further characterize these rare tumors, future studies should report data on the medical history and diagnostic and treatment modalities in these patients. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Low survival rates of Swan Geese (Anser cygnoides) estimated from neck-collar resighting and telemetry

USGS Publications Warehouse

Choi, Chang-Yong; Lee, Ki-Sup; Poyarkov, Nikolay D.; Park, Jin-Young; Lee, Hansoo; Takekawa, John Y.; Smith, Lacy M.; Ely, Craig R.; Wang, Xin; Cao, Lei; Fox, Anthony D.; Goroshko, Oleg; Batbayar, Nyambayar; Prosser, Diann J.; Xiao, Xiangming

2016-01-01

Waterbird survival rates are a key component of demographic modeling used for effective conservation of long-lived threatened species. The Swan Goose (Anser cygnoides) is globally threatened and the most vulnerable goose species endemic to East Asia due to its small and rapidly declining population. To address a current knowledge gap in demographic parameters of the Swan Goose, available datasets were compiled from neck-collar resighting and telemetry studies, and two different models were used to estimate their survival rates. Results of a mark-resighting model using 15 years of neck-collar data (2001–2015) provided age-dependent survival rates and season-dependent encounter rates with a constant neck-collar retention rate. Annual survival rate was 0.638 (95% CI: 0.378–0.803) for adults and 0.122 (95% CI: 0.028–0.286) for first-year juveniles. Known-fate models were applied to the single season of telemetry data (autumn 2014) and estimated a mean annual survival rate of 0.408 (95% CI: 0.152–0.670) with higher but non-significant differences for adults (0.477) vs. juveniles (0.306). Our findings indicate that Swan Goose survival rates are comparable to the lowest rates reported for European or North American goose species. Poor survival may be a key demographic parameter contributing to their declining trend. Quantitative threat assessments and associated conservation measures, such as restricting hunting, may be a key step to mitigate for their low survival rates and maintain or enhance their population.

Survival rates, mortality causes, and habitats of Pennsylvania white-tailed deer fawns

USGS Publications Warehouse

Vreeland, J.K.; Diefenbach, D.R.; Wallingford, B.D.

2004-01-01

Estimates of survival and cause-specific mortality of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) fawns are important to population management. We quantified cause-specific mortality, survival rates, and habitat characteristics related to fawn survival in a forested landscape and an agricultural landscape in central Pennsylvania. We captured and radiocollared neonatal (0.05). Predation accounted for 46.2% (95% Cl = 37.6-56.7%) of 106 mortalities through 34 weeks. We attributed 32.7% (95% Cl = 21.9-48.6%) and 36.7% (95% Cl = 25.5-52.9%) of 49 predation events to black bears (Ursus americanus) and coyotes (Canis latrans], respectively. Natural causes, excluding predation, accounted for 27.4% (95% Cl = 20.1-37.3) of mortalities. Fawn survival in Pennsylvania was comparable to reported survival in forested and agricultural regions in northern portions of the white-tailed deer range. We have no evidence to suggest that the fawn survival rates we observed were preventing population growth. Because white-tailed deer are habitat generalists, home-range-scale habitat characteristics may be unrelated to fawn survival; therefore, future studies should consider landscape-related characteristics on fawn survival.

Analysis of Survival Rates Following Primary Surgery of 178 Consecutive Patients with Oral Cancer in a Large District General Hospital.

PubMed

Stathopoulos, Panagiotis; Smith, William P

2017-06-01

The aim of this study is to present the survival rates in patients treated for oral cancer with primary surgery in a large district general hospital. We discuss the influence of the most significant prognostic factors on survival and compare our results with larger centres specializing in the management of oral cancer. All patients diagnosed with oral cancer from 1995 to 2006 and were treated in the Department had their details entered prospectively onto a computerized database. Demographic details of patients, type of treatment, pathological stage of tumor (TNM), local and regional recurrence rate, overall survival, disease specific survival and incidence of involved margins were recorded and calculated. Of the 178 patients, 96 (54 %) were alive and free of oral cancer 5 years after surgery. Forty-four patients died of oral cancer (24.7 %) but 38 (21.3 %) died of other causes. The overall survival rate after primary surgery in relation to stage was: I 84 %, II 71 %, III 36 % and IV 28 %. As almost half of our patients presented with advanced cancer and had discouraging survival rates, we emphasize the need for early recognition of the disease. Advanced disease signifies difficulty in obtaining clear margins which actually indicates a higher recurrence rate. 25 % of our patients died of oral cancer within 5 years of surgery which highlights the poor prognosis that recurrence carries after treatment. Effective educational campaign with purpose to raise oral cancer awareness and earlier referral may result in improvement of survival.

Recent trends in survival of adult patients with acute leukemia: overall improvements, but persistent and partly increasing disparity in survival of patients from minority groups

PubMed Central

Pulte, Dianne; Redaniel, Maria Theresa; Jansen, Lina; Brenner, Hermann; Jeffreys, Mona

2013-01-01

The survival of younger patients with acute leukemia has improved in the early 21st century, but it is unknown whether people of all ethnic and racial backgrounds have benefited equally. Using cancer registry data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Program, we assessed trends in 5-year relative survival for patients aged 15 years or more with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and acute myeloblastic leukemia divided by racial and ethnic group, including non-Hispanic whites, African-Americans, Hispanics, and Asian-Pacific Islanders in the 1990s and the early 21st century. Modeled period analysis was used to obtain the most up-to-date estimates of survival. Overall, the 5-year survival increased from 31.6% in 1997-2002 to 39.0% in 2003-2008 for patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and from 15.5% in 1991-1996 to 22.5% in 2003-2008 for those with acute myeloblastic leukemia. Nevertheless, among patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, age-adjusted 5-year relative survival rates remained lower for African-Americans and Hispanics than for non-Hispanic whites. Among patients with acute myeloblastic leukemia, the increase in survival was greatest (from 32.6% in 1991-1996 to 47.1% in 2003-2008) for younger patients (15-54 years), and was more pronounced for non-Hispanic whites (+16.4% units) than for other patients (+10.8% units). Increases in survival are observed in all ethnic or racial groups. Nevertheless, among patients with acute leukemias, disparities in survival persist between non-Hispanic white people and people of other ethnic or racial groups. Disparities are increasing in younger patients with acute myeloblastic leukemia. Improvements in access to treatment, especially for minority patients, may improve outcomes. PMID:22929974

Method of freezing living cells and tissues with improved subsequent survival

DOEpatents

Senkan, Selim M.; Hirsch, Gerald P.

1980-01-01

This invention relates to an improved method for freezing red blood cells, ther living cells, or tissues with improved subsequent survival, wherein constant-volume freezing is utilized that results in significantly improved survival compared with constant-pressure freezing; optimization is attainable through the use of different vessel geometries, cooling baths and warming baths, and sample concentrations.

Annual survival rates of adult and immature eastern population tundra swans

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nichols, J.D.; Bart, J.; Limpert, R.J.; Sladen, William J. L.; Hines, J.E.

1992-01-01

Tundra swans (Cygnus columbianus ) of the eastern population were neckbanded in Maryland, North Carolina, and Alaska from 1966 through 1990. These swans were resighted and recaptured during autumn, winter, and spring, 1966-1990. Although the original motivation for this study involved swan movements, we wanted to use the resulting data to test hypotheses about sources of variation in swan survival rates. Recaptures of legbanded and neckbanded swans permitted us to estimate neckband loss rates, which were found to vary with age and sex of swans, and number of years since initial application. Estimates of annual neckband retention rate ranged from about 0.50 for adult male swans greater than or equal to 2 years after initial neckbanding to > 0.96 for immature swans and adult females the first year following neckbanding. This variation in neckband loss rates prevented the simple correction of survival estimates to account for such loss. Consequently, we developed a series of multinomial models parameterized with survival, sighting, and neckband retention probabilities for use with the recapture and resighting data.

Shade improves survival rate of outplanted 2-0 red fir seedlings

Treesearch

Donald T. Gordon

1970-01-01

Effect of shade on 2-0 red fir seedlings outplanted on the Tahoe National Forest, central California, was studied by comparing five treatments: no shade, low shade for 1 year and for 2 years, and high shade for 1 year and for 2 years. Seedlings benefited from shading-even under apparently excellent survival conditions in the first season. The extra cost of artificial...

[Estimation of survival rates: technics used (author's transl)].

PubMed

Rodary, C; Laplanche, A; Comnougue, C; Flamant, R

1979-01-01

The direct method and life-table methods (actuarial and Kaplan-Meier) for estimating survival rates are described here. The difference between direct method and lifetable method is the use of information about the patients who are still alive. Practical examples of calculation are given with recommandations for graphical displays.

Survival behavior in the cyclic Lotka-Volterra model with a randomly switching reaction rate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

West, Robert; Mobilia, Mauro; Rucklidge, Alastair M.

2018-02-01

We study the influence of a randomly switching reproduction-predation rate on the survival behavior of the nonspatial cyclic Lotka-Volterra model, also known as the zero-sum rock-paper-scissors game, used to metaphorically describe the cyclic competition between three species. In large and finite populations, demographic fluctuations (internal noise) drive two species to extinction in a finite time, while the species with the smallest reproduction-predation rate is the most likely to be the surviving one (law of the weakest). Here we model environmental (external) noise by assuming that the reproduction-predation rate of the strongest species (the fastest to reproduce and predate) in a given static environment randomly switches between two values corresponding to more and less favorable external conditions. We study the joint effect of environmental and demographic noise on the species survival probabilities and on the mean extinction time. In particular, we investigate whether the survival probabilities follow the law of the weakest and analyze their dependence on the external noise intensity and switching rate. Remarkably, when, on average, there is a finite number of switches prior to extinction, the survival probability of the predator of the species whose reaction rate switches typically varies nonmonotonically with the external noise intensity (with optimal survival about a critical noise strength). We also outline the relationship with the case where all reaction rates switch on markedly different time scales.

Nitrite therapy improves survival postexposure to chlorine gas.

PubMed

Honavar, Jaideep; Doran, Stephen; Oh, Joo-Yeun; Steele, Chad; Matalon, Sadis; Patel, Rakesh P

2014-12-01

Exposure to relatively high levels of chlorine (Cl₂) gas can occur in mass-casualty scenarios associated with accidental or intentional release. Recent studies have shown a significant postexposure injury phase to the airways, pulmonary, and systemic vasculatures mediated in part by oxidative stress, inflammation, and dysfunction in endogenous nitric oxide homeostasis pathways. However, there is a need for therapeutics that are amenable to rapid and easy administration in the field and that display efficacy toward toxicity after chlorine exposure. In this study, we tested whether nitric oxide repletion using nitrite, by intramuscular injection after Cl₂ exposure, could prevent Cl₂ gas toxicity. C57bl/6 male mice were exposed to 600 parts per million Cl₂ gas for 45 min, and 24-h survival was determined with or without postexposure intramuscular nitrite injection. A single injection of nitrite (10 mg/kg) administered either 30 or 60 min postexposure significantly improved 24-h survival (from ∼20% to 50%). Survival was associated with decreased neutrophil accumulation in the airways. Rendering mice neutropenic before Cl₂ exposure improved survival and resulted in loss of nitrite-dependent survival protection. Interestingly, female mice were more sensitive to Cl₂-induced toxicity compared with males and were also less responsive to postexposure nitrite therapy. These data provide evidence for efficacy and define therapeutic parameters for a single intramuscular injection of nitrite as a therapeutic after Cl₂ gas exposure that is amenable to administration in mass-casualty scenarios. Copyright © 2014 the American Physiological Society.

Portal vein embolization improves rate of resection of extensive colorectal liver metastases without worsening survival outcomes

PubMed Central

Shindoh, Junichi; Tzeng, Ching-Wei D.; Aloia, Thomas A.; Curley, Steven A.; Zimmitti, Giuseppe; Wei, Steven H.; Huang, Steven Y.; Gupta, Sanjay; Wallace, Michael J.; Vauthey, Jean-Nicolas

2017-01-01

Background Most patients requiring an extended right hepatectomy (ERH) have an inadequate standardized future liver remnant (sFLR) and need preoperative portal vein embolization (PVE). However, the clinical and oncologic impact of PVE in such patients remains unclear. Methods All consecutive patients from MD Anderson Cancer Center with colorectal liver metastases (CLM) requiring ERH at presentation from 1995 through 2012. The surgical and oncologic outcomes were compared between patients with adequate and inadequate sFLRs at presentation. Results Of the 265 patients requiring ERH, 126 (47.5%) had an adequate sFLR at presentation, and 123 of them underwent curative resection. Of the 139 patients (52.5%) who had an inadequate sFLR and underwent PVE, 87 (62.6% PVE) underwent curative resection. Thus, PVE increased the curative resection rate from 123/265 (46.4%) at baseline to 210/265 (79.2%). Among patients who underwent ERH, rates of major complications and 90-day mortality were similar in the non-PVE and PVE groups (22.0% and 4.1% vs. 31% and 7%, respectively); overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were also similar in these 2 groups. Among patients with an inadequate sFLR at presentation, patients who underwent ERH had significantly better median OS (50.2 months) than patients who underwent noncurative surgery (21.3 months) or did not undergo surgery (24.7 months) (p=0.002). Conclusions PVE enables curative resection in two-thirds of patients with CLM who have an inadequate sFLR to tolerate ERH at presentation. Patients who undergo curative resection after PVE have OS and DFS equivalent to that of patients who never needed PVE. PMID:24227364

Trends in Survival After In-Hospital Cardiac Arrest

PubMed Central

Girotra, Saket; Nallamothu, Brahmajee K.; Spertus, John A.; Li, Yan; Krumholz, Harlan M.; Chan, Paul S.

2012-01-01

BACKGROUND Despite numerous advances in resuscitation care in recent years, it remains unknown whether survival and neurological function after in-hospital cardiac arrest has improved over time. METHODS We identified all adults with an index in-hospital cardiac arrest at 374 hospitals in the Get With The Guidelines-Resuscitation registry between 2000 and 2009. Using multivariable regression, we examined temporal trends in risk-adjusted rates of survival to discharge. Additional analyses explored whether trends: (1) were due to improved survival during the acute resuscitation or post-resuscitation care and (2) occurred at the expense of greater neurological disability among survivors. RESULTS Among 84,625 hospitalized patients with cardiac arrest, 67,135 (79.3%) had an initial rhythm of asystole or pulseless electrical activity while 17,490 (20.7%) had ventricular fibrillation or pulseless ventricular tachycardia. The proportion of cardiac arrests due to asystole or pulseless electrical activity increased over time (P for trend <0.001). Risk-adjusted rates of survival to discharge in the overall cohort increased from 13.7% in 2000 to 22.4% in 2009 (adjusted rate-ratio per 1-year: 1.04, 95% CI [1.02–1.05]; P for trend <0.001). Survival improvement was similar in both rhythm groups and largely due to improved survival from the acute resuscitation (risk-adjusted rates: 42.7% in 2000, 54.1% in 2009; adjusted rate-ratio per 1-year: 1.03, 95% CI [1.02–1.04]; P for trend <0.001). Importantly, rates of neurological disability among survivors decreased over time (risk-adjusted rates: 32.9% in 2000, 28.1% in 2009; P for trend=0.02). CONCLUSIONS Both survival and neurological outcomes after in-hospital cardiac arrest have improved over the past decade. PMID:23150959

Aircrew Survival Equipmentman 3 & 2; Naval Training Command Rate Training Manual.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Naval Training Command, Pensacola, FL.

The training manual is one of a series prepared for enlisted personnel of the Regular Navy and the Naval Reserve who are training for performance proficiency and studying for advancement in the Aircrew Survival Equipmentman (PR) rating. The illustrated and indexed manual focuses on the personnel parachute and other related survival equipment.…

Improved Survival for Children and Adolescents With Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Between 1990 and 2005: A Report From the Children's Oncology Group

PubMed Central

Hunger, Stephen P.; Lu, Xiaomin; Devidas, Meenakshi; Camitta, Bruce M.; Gaynon, Paul S.; Winick, Naomi J.; Reaman, Gregory H.; Carroll, William L.

2012-01-01

Purpose To examine population-based improvements in survival and the impact of clinical covariates on outcome among children and adolescents with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) enrolled onto Children's Oncology Group (COG) clinical trials between 1990 and 2005. Patients and Methods In total, 21,626 persons age 0 to 22 years were enrolled onto COG ALL clinical trials from 1990 to 2005, representing 55.8% of ALL cases estimated to occur among US persons younger than age 20 years during this period. This period was divided into three eras (1990-1994, 1995-1999, and 2000-2005) that included similar patient numbers to examine changes in 5- and 10-year survival over time and the relationship of those changes in survival to clinical covariates, with additional analyses of cause of death. Results Five-year survival rates increased from 83.7% in 1990-1994 to 90.4% in 2000-2005 (P < .001). Survival improved significantly in all subgroups (except for infants age ≤ 1 year), including males and females; those age 1 to 9 years, 10+ years, or 15+ years; in whites, blacks, and other races; in Hispanics, non-Hispanics, and patients of unknown ethnicity; in those with B-cell or T-cell immunophenotype; and in those with National Cancer Institute (NCI) standard- or high-risk clinical features. Survival rates for infants changed little, but death following relapse/disease progression decreased and death related to toxicity increased. Conclusion This study documents ongoing survival improvements for children and adolescents with ALL. Thirty-six percent of deaths occurred among children with NCI standard-risk features emphasizing that efforts to further improve survival must be directed at both high-risk subsets and at those children predicted to have an excellent chance for cure. PMID:22412151

Improving Survival and Promoting Respiratory Motor Function after Cervical Spinal Cord Injury

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-09-01

AWARD NUMBER: W81XWH-15-1-0378 TITLE: Improving Survival and Promoting Respiratory Motor Function after Cervical Spinal Cord Injury PRINCIPAL...Aug 2015 - 14 Aug 2016 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE CordCorInjury 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER Improvi g Survival and Promoting Respiratory Motor Function After... respiratory complications. This application proposes to help improve survival, decrease early dependence on mechanical ventilation, and restore breathing

Stadium IB - IIA cervical cancer patient’s survival rate after receiving definitive radiation and radical operation therapy followed by adjuvant radiation therapy along with analysis of factors affecting the patient’s survival rate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruslim, S. K.; Purwoto, G.; Widyahening, I. S.; Ramli, I.

2017-08-01

To evaluate the characteristics and overall survival rates of early stage cervical cancer (FIGO IB-IIA) patients who receive definitive radiation therapy and those who are prescribed adjuvant postoperative radiation and to conduct a factors analysis of the variables that affect the overall survival rates in both groups of therapy. The medical records of 85 patients with cervical cancer FIGO stages IB-IIA who were treated at the Department of Radiotherapy of Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital were reviewed and analyzed to determine their overall survival and the factors that affected it between a definitive radiation group and an adjuvant postoperative radiation group. There were 25 patients in the definitive radiation and 60 patients in the adjuvant radiation group. The overall survival rates in the adjuvant radiation group at years one, two, and three were 96.7%, 95%, and 93.3%, respectively. Negative lymph node metastasis had an average association with overall survival (p < 0.2). In the definitive radiation group, overall survival at years one, two, and three were 96%, 92%, and 92%, respectively. A hemoglobin (Hb) level >12 g/dl was a factor with an average association with the overall survival (p < 0.2). The differences between both groups of therapy were not statistically significant (92% vs. 93.3%; p = 0.138). This study did not show any statistically significant overall survival for cervical cancer FIGO stage IB-IIA patients who received definitive radiation or adjuvant postoperative radiation. Negative lymph node metastasis had an effect on the overall survival rate in the adjuvant postoperative radiation group, while a preradiation Hb level >12 g/dl tended to affect the overall survival in the definitive radiation group patients.

Nitrite therapy improves survival postexposure to chlorine gas

PubMed Central

Honavar, Jaideep; Doran, Stephen; Oh, Joo-Yeun; Steele, Chad; Matalon, Sadis

2014-01-01

Exposure to relatively high levels of chlorine (Cl2) gas can occur in mass-casualty scenarios associated with accidental or intentional release. Recent studies have shown a significant postexposure injury phase to the airways, pulmonary, and systemic vasculatures mediated in part by oxidative stress, inflammation, and dysfunction in endogenous nitric oxide homeostasis pathways. However, there is a need for therapeutics that are amenable to rapid and easy administration in the field and that display efficacy toward toxicity after chlorine exposure. In this study, we tested whether nitric oxide repletion using nitrite, by intramuscular injection after Cl2 exposure, could prevent Cl2 gas toxicity. C57bl/6 male mice were exposed to 600 parts per million Cl2 gas for 45 min, and 24-h survival was determined with or without postexposure intramuscular nitrite injection. A single injection of nitrite (10 mg/kg) administered either 30 or 60 min postexposure significantly improved 24-h survival (from ∼20% to 50%). Survival was associated with decreased neutrophil accumulation in the airways. Rendering mice neutropenic before Cl2 exposure improved survival and resulted in loss of nitrite-dependent survival protection. Interestingly, female mice were more sensitive to Cl2-induced toxicity compared with males and were also less responsive to postexposure nitrite therapy. These data provide evidence for efficacy and define therapeutic parameters for a single intramuscular injection of nitrite as a therapeutic after Cl2 gas exposure that is amenable to administration in mass-casualty scenarios. PMID:25326579

Effect of vitrification solutions on survival rate of cryopreserved Epinephelus moara embryos.

PubMed

Tian, Y S; Zhang, J J; Li, Z T; Tang, J; Cheng, M L; Wu, Y P; Ma, W H; Pang, Z F; Li, W S; Zhai, J M; Li, B

2018-06-01

Embryo cryopreservation is important for long-term preservation of germplasm and assisted reproduction. However, it is still very difficult to obtain viable embryos from cryopreserved fish embryos. In this study, embryos of Epinephelus moara were used to investigate the effects of various cryopreservation methods. Embryos in stages 10 pairs somite (10S), 18 pairs somite (18S), 22 pairs somite (22S), tail-bud (TB), embryo twitching (ET) and pre-hatch (PH) were treated with five-step equilibrium penetration in 40% PMG3T vitrification solution, which contained 15.75% 1,2-propylene glycol, 10.50% Methanol, 8.75% Glycerol and 5.00% Trehalose. We found that 18S, 22S, TB and ET stage embryos had higher survival rates and were more tolerant to the vitrification solution. Five-step equilibrium treatments on the embryos at the tail-bud stage were performed using two vitrification solutions: 40% PMG3T and 40% PMG3S, which consisted of 15.75% 1,2-propylene glycol, 10.50% Methanol, 8.75% Glycerol and 5.00% Sucrose. The embryonic survival rate under PMG3S treatment (63.36%) was significantly higher than PMG3T treatment (43.93%) (P < 0.05). PMG3S and PMG3T with concentrations of 35%, 40% and 45% were tested on tail-bud stage embryos. Higher concentration of the vitrification solution led to significantly lower embryonic survival rate (P < 0.05). The survival rate was 36.79-72.05% in PMG3S, and 37.11-55.18% in PMG3T, and there were non-significant differences in embryonic development and malformation rates among the groups treated with different concentrations. The embryonic normal development rates in PMG3S and PMG3T were 21.27% and 11.04%, and the malformation rates were 36.13% and 31.04%, respectively. The optimum treatment condition was 40 min using 40% PMG3S on embryos at the tail-bud stage. Both PMG3S and PMG3T were used for cryopreserving embryos at 16 pairs somite, tail-bud and ET stage in liquid nitrogen, where we obtained 190 surviving embryos, and 44 fishes

Advanced techniques for modeling avian nest survival

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dinsmore, S.J.; White, Gary C.; Knopf, F.L.

2002-01-01

Estimation of avian nest survival has traditionally involved simple measures of apparent nest survival or Mayfield constant-nest-survival models. However, these methods do not allow researchers to build models that rigorously assess the importance of a wide range of biological factors that affect nest survival. Models that incorporate greater detail, such as temporal variation in nest survival and covariates representative of individual nests represent a substantial improvement over traditional estimation methods. In an attempt to improve nest survival estimation procedures, we introduce the nest survival model now available in the program MARK and demonstrate its use on a nesting study of Mountain Plovers (Charadrius montanus Townsend) in Montana, USA. We modeled the daily survival of Mountain Plover nests as a function of the sex of the incubating adult, nest age, year, linear and quadratic time trends, and two weather covariates (maximum daily temperature and daily precipitation) during a six-year study (1995–2000). We found no evidence for yearly differences or an effect of maximum daily temperature on the daily nest survival of Mountain Plovers. Survival rates of nests tended by female and male plovers differed (female rate = 0.33; male rate = 0.49). The estimate of the additive effect for males on nest survival rate was 0.37 (95% confidence limits were 0.03, 0.71) on a logit scale. Daily survival rates of nests increased with nest age; the estimate of daily nest-age change in survival in the best model was 0.06 (95% confidence limits were 0.04, 0.09) on a logit scale. Daily precipitation decreased the probability that the nest would survive to the next day; the estimate of the additive effect of daily precipitation on the nest survival rate was −1.08 (95% confidence limits were −2.12, −0.13) on a logit scale. Our approach to modeling daily nest-survival rates allowed several biological factors of interest to be easily included in nest survival models

Interact to Survive: Phyllobacterium brassicacearum Improves Arabidopsis Tolerance to Severe Water Deficit and Growth Recovery

PubMed Central

Bresson, Justine; Vasseur, François; Dauzat, Myriam; Labadie, Marc; Varoquaux, Fabrice; Touraine, Bruno; Vile, Denis

2014-01-01

Mutualistic bacteria can alter plant phenotypes and confer new abilities to plants. Some plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are known to improve both plant growth and tolerance to multiple stresses, including drought, but reports on their effects on plant survival under severe water deficits are scarce. We investigated the effect of Phyllobacterium brassicacearum STM196 strain, a PGPR isolated from the rhizosphere of oilseed rape, on survival, growth and physiological responses of Arabidopsis thaliana to severe water deficits combining destructive and non-destructive high-throughput phenotyping. Soil inoculation with STM196 greatly increased the survival rate of A. thaliana under several scenarios of severe water deficit. Photosystem II efficiency, assessed at the whole-plant level by high-throughput fluorescence imaging (F v/F m), was related to the probability of survival and revealed that STM196 delayed plant mortality. Inoculated surviving plants tolerated more damages to the photosynthetic tissues through a delayed dehydration and a better tolerance to low water status. Importantly, STM196 allowed a better recovery of plant growth after rewatering and stressed plants reached a similar biomass at flowering than non-stressed plants. Our results highlight the importance of plant-bacteria interactions in plant responses to severe drought and provide a new avenue of investigations to improve drought tolerance in agriculture. PMID:25226036

Disparities in survival improvement for metastatic colorectal cancer by race/ethnicity and age in the United States.

PubMed

Sineshaw, Helmneh M; Robbins, Anthony S; Jemal, Ahmedin

2014-04-01

Previous studies documented significant increase in overall survival for metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) since the late 1990s coinciding with the introduction and dissemination of new treatments. We examined whether this survival increase differed across major racial/ethnic populations and age groups. We identified patients diagnosed with primary metastatic colorectal cancer during 1992-2009 from 13 population-based cancer registries of the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program, which cover about 14 % of the US population. The 5-year cause-specific survival rates were calculated using SEER*Stat software. From 1992-1997 to 2004-2009, 5-year cause-specific survival rates increased significantly from 9.8 % (95 % CI 9.2-10.4) to 15.7 % (95 % CI 14.7-16.6) in non-Hispanic whites and from 11.4 % (95 % CI 9.4-13.6) to 17.7 % (95 % CI 15.1-20.5) in non-Hispanic Asians, but not in non-Hispanic blacks [from 8.6 % (95 % CI 7.2-10.1) to 9.8 % (95 % CI 8.1-11.8)] or Hispanics [from 14.0 % (95 % CI 11.8-16.3) to 16.4 % (95 % CI 14.0-19.0)]. By age group, survival rates increased significantly for the 20-64-year age group and 65 years or older age group in non-Hispanic whites, although the improvement in the older non-Hispanic whites was substantially smaller. Rates also increased in non-Hispanic Asians for the 20-64-year age group although marginally nonsignificant. In contrast, survival rates did not show significant increases in both younger and older age groups in non-Hispanic blacks and Hispanics. Non-Hispanic blacks, Hispanics, and older patients diagnosed with metastatic CRC have not equally benefitted from the introduction and dissemination of new treatments.

Summer Fallowinng Improves Survival and Growth of Cottonwood on Old Fields

Treesearch

James B. Baker; B. G. Blackmon

1973-01-01

Fallowing an old-field site during the summer prior to planting and applying a herbicide in September improved survival and growth of eastern cottonwood cuttings. Summer fallowing without applying herbicide also improved height growth of cottonwood through age 2. Deep plowing and cover cropping, alone or in combination, did not influence growth or survival during the...

Dying scenarios improve recall as much as survival scenarios.

PubMed

Burns, Daniel J; Hart, Joshua; Kramer, Melanie E

2014-01-01

Merely contemplating one's death improves retention for entirely unrelated material learned subsequently. This "dying to remember" effect seems conceptually related to the survival processing effect, whereby processing items for their relevance to being stranded in the grasslands leads to recall superior to that of other deep processing control conditions. The present experiments directly compared survival processing scenarios with "death processing" scenarios. Results showed that when the survival and dying scenarios are closely matched on key dimensions, and possible congruency effects are controlled, the dying and survival scenarios produced equivalently high recall levels. We conclude that the available evidence (cf. Bell, Roer, & Buchner, 2013; Klein, 2012), while not definitive, is consistent with the possibility of overlapping mechanisms.

Management of maternal-offspring behavior to improve lamb survival in easy care sheep systems.

PubMed

Everett-Hincks, J M; Dodds, K G

2008-04-01

This paper examines the environmental and management factors affecting lamb survival on high-performing sheep farms in New Zealand. Improved lambing percentage is the biggest contributor to higher profits on New Zealand sheep farms. Many sheep breeders have selected and bred ewes for increased fecundity over the last 4 decades. The increased proportion of ewes having triplets is of concern to farmers and to industry because neonatal lamb mortality is highest in triplets. The majority of lamb deaths occur in the first 3 d after birth and range from 5 to 30% for individual sheep flocks. The ability of a lamb to survive to weaning is determined by genetics, behavior, physiology, and the environment, including on-farm management practices. We investigated the effects of dam body condition in pregnancy, weather during lambing, lamb birth weight, and maternal behavior on single, twin, and triplet lamb viability at birth, lamb death risks from dystocia, and starvation exposure and survival through to weaning for 20 industry flocks from 2003 to 2004 (15,821 lambs). Ewes with higher body condition scores in mid pregnancy had heavier lambs at birth (P < 0.01). Lambs weighing 5.5 to 6 kg at birth (P < 0.01) were more likely to be viable at birth and survive to weaning than heavier or lighter lambs. Weather conditions during late pregnancy (P < 0.05) proved more important than conditions during lambing (P < 0.05) in determining lamb viability and survival through to weaning. Older ewes and ewes with triplets require considerably more attention for farmers to realize their production potential. This information can help formulate appropriate management programs to improve lamb survival rates under easy care farming systems.

Modeling the effect of toe clipping on treefrog survival: Beyond the return rate

USGS Publications Warehouse

Waddle, J.H.; Rice, K.G.; Mazzotti, F.J.; Percival, H.F.

2008-01-01

Some studies have described a negative effect of toe clipping on return rates of marked anurans, but the return rate is limited in that it does not account for heterogeneity of capture probabilities. We used open population mark-recapture models to estimate both apparent survival (ϕ) and the recapture probability (p) of two treefrog species individually marked by clipping 2–4 toes. We used information-theoretic model selection to examine the effect of toe clipping on survival while accounting for variation in capture probability. The model selection results indicate strong support for an effect of toe clipping on survival of Green Treefrogs (Hyla cinerea) and only limited support for an effect of toe clipping on capture probability. We estimate there was a mean absolute decrease in survival of 5.02% and 11.16% for Green Treefrogs with three and four toes removed, respectively, compared to individuals with just two toes removed. Results for Squirrel Treefrogs (Hyla squirella) indicate little support for an effect of toe clipping on survival but may indicate some support for a negative effect on capture probability. We believe that the return rate alone should not be used to examine survival of marked animals because constant capture probability must be assumed, and our examples demonstrate how capture probability may vary over time and among groups. Mark-recapture models provide a method for estimating the effect of toe clipping on anuran survival in situations where unique marks are applied.

The Effect of Augmenting OPTN Data With External Death Data on Calculating Patient Survival Rates After Organ Transplantation.

PubMed

Wilk, Amber R; Edwards, Leah B; Edwards, Erick B

2017-04-01

Although the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) database contains a rich set of data on United States transplant recipients, follow-up data may be incomplete. It was of interest to determine if augmenting OPTN data with external death data altered patient survival estimates. Solitary kidney, liver, heart, and lung transplants performed between January 1, 2011, and January 31, 2013, were queried from the OPTN database. Unadjusted Kaplan-Meier 3-year patient survival rates were computed using 4 nonmutually exclusive augmented datasets: OPTN only, OPTN + verified external deaths, OPTN + verified + unverified external deaths (OPTN + all), and an additional source extending recipient survival time if no death was found in OPTN + all (OPTN + all [Assumed Alive]). Pairwise comparisons were made using unadjusted Cox Proportional Hazards analyses applying Bonferroni adjustments. Although differences in patient survival rates across data sources were small (≤1 percentage point), OPTN only data often yielded slightly higher patient survival rates than sources including external death data. No significant differences were found, including comparing OPTN + verified (hazard ratio [HR], 1.05; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 1.00-1.10); P = 0.0356), OPTN + all (HR, 1.06; 95% CI, 1.01-1.11; P = 0.0243), and OPTN + all (Assumed Alive) (HR, 1.00; 95% CI, 0.96-1.05; P = 0.8587) versus OPTN only, or OPTN + verified (HR, 1.05; 95% CI, 1.00-1.10; P = 0.0511), and OPTN + all (HR, 1.05; 95% CI, 1.00-1.10; P = 0.0353) versus OPTN + all (Assumed Alive). Patient survival rates varied minimally with augmented data sources, although using external death data without extending the survival time of recipients not identified in these sources results in a biased estimate. It remains important for transplant centers to maintain contact with transplant recipients and obtain necessary follow-up information, because this information can improve the transplantation process for

Volatile Anesthetics Improve Survival after Cecal Ligation and Puncture

PubMed Central

Herrmann, Inge K.; Castellon, Maricela; Schwartz, David E.; Hasler, Melanie; Urner, Martin; Hu, Guochang; Minshall, Richard D.; Beck-Schimmer, Beatrice

2016-01-01

Background Sepsis remains a leading cause of death in intensive care units. There is growing evidence that volatile anesthetics have beneficial immunomodulatory effects on complex inflammation-mediated conditions. The authors investigated the effect of volatile anesthetics on the overall survival of mice in a sepsis model of cecal ligation and puncture (CLP). Methods Mice (N = 12 per treatment group) were exposed to anesthetic concentrations of desflurane, isoflurane, and sevoflurane either during induction of sepsis or when the mice showed pronounced symptoms of inflammation. Overall survival, as well as organ function and inflammation was compared with the CLP group without intervention. Results With desflurane and sevoflurane conditioning (1.2 minimal alveolar concentration for 2 h immediately after induction of CLP) overall survival was improved to 58% and 83%, respectively, compared with 17% in the untreated CLP group. Isoflurane did not significantly affect outcome. Application of sevoflurane 24 h after sepsis induction significantly improved overall survival to 66%. Conclusions Administration of the volatile anesthetics desflurane and sevoflurane reduced CLP-induced mortality. Anesthesia may be a critical confounder when comparing study data where different anesthesia protocols were used. PMID:23867232

Improved survival with an innovative approach to the treatment of severely burned patients: development of a burn treatment manual.

PubMed

Morisada, S; Nosaka, N; Tsukahara, K; Ugawa, T; Sato, K; Ujike, Y

2015-09-30

The management of severely burned patients remains a major issue worldwide as indicated by the high incidence of permanent debilitating complications and poor survival rates. In April 2012, the Advanced Emergency & Critical Care Medical Center of the Okayama University Hospital began implementing guidelines for severely burned patients, distributed as a standard burn treatment manual. The protocol, developed in-house, was validated by comparing the outcomes of patients with severe extensive burns (SEB) treated before and after implementation of these new guidelines at this institution. The patients included in this study had a burn index (BI) ≥30 or a prognostic burn index (PBI = BI + patient's age) ≥100. The survival rate of the patients with BI ≥30 was 65.2% with the traditional treatment and 100% with the new guidelines. Likewise, the survival rate of the patients with PBI ≥100 was 61.1% with the traditional treatment compared to 100% with the new guidelines. Together, these data demonstrate that the new treatment guidelines dramatically improved the treatment outcome and survival of SEB patients.

Intravenous N-acetylcysteine improves transplant-free survival in early stage non-acetaminophen acute liver failure.

PubMed

Lee, William M; Hynan, Linda S; Rossaro, Lorenzo; Fontana, Robert J; Stravitz, R Todd; Larson, Anne M; Davern, Timothy J; Murray, Natalie G; McCashland, Timothy; Reisch, Joan S; Robuck, Patricia R

2009-09-01

N-acetylcysteine (NAC), an antidote for acetaminophen poisoning, might benefit patients with non-acetaminophen-related acute liver failure. In a prospective, double-blind trial, acute liver failure patients without clinical or historical evidence of acetaminophen overdose were stratified by site and coma grade and assigned randomly to groups that were given NAC or placebo (dextrose) infusion for 72 hours. The primary outcome was overall survival at 3 weeks. Secondary outcomes included transplant-free survival and rate of transplantation. A total of 173 patients received NAC (n = 81) or placebo (n = 92). Overall survival at 3 weeks was 70% for patients given NAC and 66% for patients given placebo (1-sided P = .283). Transplant-free survival was significantly better for NAC patients (40%) than for those given placebo (27%; 1-sided P = .043). The benefits of transplant-free survival were confined to the 114 patients with coma grades I-II who received NAC (52% compared with 30% for placebo; 1-sided P = .010); transplant-free survival for the 59 patients with coma grades III-IV was 9% in those given NAC and 22% in those given placebo (1-sided P = .912). The transplantation rate was lower in the NAC group but was not significantly different between groups (32% vs 45%; P = .093). Intravenous NAC generally was well tolerated; only nausea and vomiting occurred significantly more frequently in the NAC group (14% vs 4%; P = .031). Intravenous NAC improves transplant-free survival in patients with early stage non-acetaminophen-related acute liver failure. Patients with advanced coma grades do not benefit from NAC and typically require emergency liver transplantation.

Association of surgical approach with complication rate, progression-free survival time, and disease-specific survival time in cats with mammary adenocarcinoma: 107 cases (1991-2014).

PubMed

Gemignani, Francesco; Mayhew, Philipp D; Giuffrida, Michelle A; Palaigos, Jason; Runge, Jeffrey J; Holt, David E; Robertson, Nicholas A; Seguin, Bernard; Walker, Meaghan; Singh, Ameet; Liptak, Julius M; Romanelli, Giorgio; Martano, Marina; Boston, Sarah E; Lux, Cassie; Busetto, Roberto; Culp, William T N; Skorupski, Katherine A; Burton, Jenna H

2018-06-01

OBJECTIVE To evaluate potential associations between surgical approach and complication rate, progression-free survival time, and disease-specific survival time in cats with mammary adenocarcinoma. DESIGN Retrospective case series. ANIMALS 107 client-owned cats. PROCEDURES Medical records of cats that underwent surgical excision of mammary adenocarcinoma by means of a unilateral or bilateral (staged or single-session) mastectomy at 9 hospitals between 1991 and 2014 were reviewed. Relevant clinicopathologic data and details of surgical and adjuvant treatments were recorded. Outcome data were obtained, including postoperative complications, progression-free survival time, and disease-specific survival time. RESULTS Complications occurred in 12 of 61 (19.7%) cats treated with unilateral mastectomy, 5 of 14 (35.7%) cats treated with staged bilateral mastectomy, and 13 of 32 (40.6%) cats treated with single-session bilateral mastectomy. Complications were significantly more likely to occur in cats undergoing bilateral versus unilateral mastectomy. Median progression-free survival time was longer for cats treated with bilateral mastectomy (542 days) than for cats treated with unilateral mastectomy (289 days). Significant risk factors for disease progression included unilateral mastectomy, tumor ulceration, lymph node metastasis, and tumors arising in the fourth mammary gland. Significant risk factors for disease-specific death included lymph node metastasis and development of regional or distant metastasis. Among cats that did not develop metastasis, unilateral mastectomy was a significant risk factor for disease-specific death. Treatment with chemotherapy was associated with a significantly decreased risk of disease-specific death. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Results supported bilateral mastectomy for the treatment of mammary adenocarcinoma in cats to improve progression-free and disease-specific survival time. Performing bilateral mastectomy in a staged fashion

Adult survival and population growth rate in Colorado big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus)

USGS Publications Warehouse

O'Shea, T.J.; Ellison, L.E.; Stanley, T.R.

2011-01-01

We studied adult survival and population growth at multiple maternity colonies of big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) in Fort Collins, Colorado. We investigated hypotheses about survival using information-theoretic methods and mark-recapture analyses based on passive detection of adult females tagged with passive integrated transponders. We constructed a 3-stage life-history matrix model to estimate population growth rate (??) and assessed the relative importance of adult survival and other life-history parameters to population growth through elasticity and sensitivity analysis. Annual adult survival at 5 maternity colonies monitored from 2001 to 2005 was estimated at 0.79 (95% confidence interval [95% CI] = 0.77-0.82). Adult survival varied by year and roost, with low survival during an extreme drought year, a finding with negative implications for bat populations because of the likelihood of increasing drought in western North America due to global climate change. Adult survival during winter was higher than in summer, and mean life expectancies calculated from survival estimates were lower than maximum longevity records. We modeled adult survival with recruitment parameter estimates from the same population. The study population was growing (?? = 1.096; 95% CI = 1.057-1.135). Adult survival was the most important demographic parameter for population growth. Growth clearly had the highest elasticity to adult survival, followed by juvenile survival and adult fecundity (approximately equivalent in rank). Elasticity was lowest for fecundity of yearlings. The relative importances of the various life-history parameters for population growth rate are similar to those of large mammals. ?? 2011 American Society of Mammalogists.

Pink salmon ( Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) marine survival rates reflect early marine carbon source dependency

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kline, Thomas C., Jr.; Boldt, Jennifer L.; Farley, Edward V., Jr.; Haldorson, Lewis J.; Helle, John H.

2008-05-01

Marine survival rate (the number of adult salmon returning divided by the number of salmon fry released) of pink salmon runs propagated by Prince William Sound, Alaska (PWS) salmon hatcheries is highly variable resulting in large year-to-year run size variation, which ranged from ∼20 to ∼50 million during 1998-2004. Marine survival rate was hypothesized to be determined during their early marine life stage, a time period corresponding to the first growing season after entering the marine environment while they are still in coastal waters. Based on the predictable relationships of 13C/ 12C ratios in food webs and the existence of regional 13C/ 12C gradients in organic carbon, 13C/ 12C ratios of early marine pink salmon were measured to test whether marine survival rate was related to food web processes. Year-to-year variation in marine survival rate was inversely correlated to 13C/ 12C ratios of early marine pink salmon, but with differences among hatcheries. The weakest relationship was for pink salmon from the hatchery without historic co-variation of marine survival rate with other PWS hatcheries or wild stocks. Year-to-year variation in 13C/ 12C ratio of early marine stage pink salmon in combination with regional spatial gradients of 13C/ 12C ratio measured in zooplankton suggested that marine survival was driven by carbon subsidies of oceanic origin (i.e., oceanic zooplankton). The 2001 pink salmon cohort had 13C/ 12C ratios that were very similar to those found for PWS carbon, i.e., when oceanic subsidies were inferred to be nil, and had the lowest marine survival rate (2.6%). Conversely, the 2002 cohort had the highest marine survival (9.7%) and the lowest mean 13C/ 12C ratio. These isotope patterns are consistent with hypotheses that oceanic zooplankton subsidies benefit salmon as food subsidies, or as alternate prey for salmon predators. Oceanic subsidies are manifestations of significant exchange of material between PWS and the Gulf of Alaska. Given

Naringin improves random skin flap survival in rats.

PubMed

Cheng, Liang; Chen, Tingxiang; Tu, Qiming; Li, Hang; Feng, Zhenghua; Li, Zhijie; Lin, Dingsheng

2017-11-07

Random-pattern flap transfer is commonly used to treat soft-tissue defects. However, flap necrosis remains a serious problem. Naringin accelerates angiogenesis by activating the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). In the present study, we investigated whether naringin improves the survival of random skin flaps. Compared with controls, the naringin-treated groups exhibited significantly larger mean areas of flap survival, significantly increased SOD activity and VEGF expression, and significantly reduced MDA level. Hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining revealed that naringin promoted angiogenesis and inhibited inflammation. "McFarlane flap" models were established in 90 male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats divided into three groups: a 40 mg/kg control group (0.5 % sodium carboxymethylcellulose), a 40 mg/kg naringin-treated group, and an 80 mg/kg naringin-treated group. The extent of necrosis was measured 7 days later, and tissue samples were subjected to histological analysis. Angiogenesis was evaluated via lead oxide-gelatin angiography, immunohistochemistry, and laser Doppler imaging. Inflammation was evaluated by measurement of serum TNF-α (tumor necrosis factor-α) and IL-6 (interleukin-6) levels. Oxidative stress was assessed by measuring superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and the malondialdehyde (MDA) level. Naringin improved random skin flap survival.

One year Survival Rate of Ketac Molar versus Vitro Molar for Occlusoproximal ART Restorations: a RCT.

PubMed

Anna Luisa de Brito, Pacheco; Isabel Cristina, Olegário; Clarissa Calil, Bonifácio; Ana Flávia Bissoto, Calvo; José Carlos Pettorossi, Imparato; Daniela Prócida, Raggio

2017-11-06

Good survival rates for single-surface Atraumatic Restorative Treatment (ART) restorations have been reported, while multi-surface ART restorations have not shown similar results. The aim of this study was to evaluate the survival rate of occluso-proximal ART restorations using two different filling materials: Ketac Molar EasyMix (3M ESPE) and Vitro Molar (DFL). A total of 117 primary molars with occluso-proximal caries lesions were selected in 4 to 8 years old children in Barueri city, Brazil. Only one tooth was selected per child. The subjetcs were randomly allocated in two groups according to the filling material. All treatments were performed following the ART premises and all restorations were evaluated after 2, 6 and 12 months. Restoration survival was evaluated using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and Log-rank test, while Cox regression analysis was used for testing association with clinical factors (α = 5%). There was no difference in survival rate between the materials tested, (HR = 1.60, CI = 0.98-2.62, p = 0.058). The overall survival rate of restorations was 42.74% and the survival rate per group was Ketac Molar = 50,8% and Vitro Molar G2 = 34.5%). Cox regression test showed no association between the analyzed clinical variables and the success of the restorations. After 12 months evaluation, no difference in the survival rate of ART occluso-proximal restorations was found between tested materials.

Polyamines and fatty acids in sucrose precultured banana meristems and correlation with survival rate after cryopreservation.

PubMed

Ramon, Mathew; Geuns, Jan M C; Swennen, Rony; Pannis, Bart

2002-01-01

Polyamines and fatty acids were studied in proliferating meristem cultures of 3 banana cultivars with high (Cachaco), medium (Williams Bronze free) and low (Mbwazirume) survival rates after cryopreservation. A 2-week preculture on medium containing 0.4 M sucrose which is essential to obtain survival after cryopreservation resulted in increased polyamine levels, especially putrescine. This increase in putrescine content was positively correlated with the survival rate after simple freezing or after vitrification. The total fatty acid content also increased after a 0.4 M sucrose pretreatment. However, only the ratio of unsaturated/saturated fatty acids correlated positively with the survival rate after cryopreservation. This is the first report showing a correlation of both putrescine increase and level of unsaturation of membrane lipids after sucrose treatment with survival rate after cryopreservation.

Variable developmental rate and survival of navel orangeworm (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) on pistachio.

PubMed

Siegel, Joel P; Bas Kuenen, L P S

2011-04-01

A series of laboratory and field studies were conducted using two lines of navel orangeworm, reared on different stages of new crop and mummy pistachios, Pistacia vera L. This study demonstrated the potential importance of malformed pistachios (pea splits) to the population dynamics of navel orangeworm, because these nuts, which are available as early as two months before mature nuts, supported navel orangeworm development and survival. Overall, the developmental rate on new crop pistachios is fastest on mature nuts, 422.3 +/- 123 degree-days (DD, degrees C), but other factors such as exposure to insecticide residue also sped development, although survival decreased. Development took the longest on unharvested nuts (mummies) dried at 90 degrees C for 24 h, 2664.7 +/- 131.4 DD. In most trials development was variable and two generations could develop at the fastest rate before the slowest individual completed development, which in turn calls into question the concept of discrete generations. Generally, survival was highest on mature pistachios and other stages of new crop nut and lowest on mummies collected in May. Survival was also higher on the new varieties 'Lost Hills' and 'Golden Hills' (24.7 and 32.0%, respectively) than on the most extensively planted variety 'Kerman' (13.3%). In our trials, both the rate of development and survival were dependent on nut stage, age, variety, and quality, indicating that pistachios, like almonds, Prunus dulcis (Mill.) D. A. Webb, are a dynamic rather than a static nutrient source for navel orangeworm.

Data on empirically estimated corporate survival rate in Russia.

PubMed

Kuzmin, Evgeny A

2018-02-01

The article presents data on the corporate survival rate in Russia in 1991-2014. The empirical survey was based on a random sample with the average number of non-repeated observations (number of companies) for the survey each year equal to 75,958 (24,236 minimum and 126,953 maximum). The actual limiting mean error ∆ p was 2.24% with 99% integrity. The survey methodology was based on a cross joining of various formal periods in the corporate life cycles (legal and business), which makes it possible to talk about a conventionally active time life of companies' existence with a number of assumptions. The empirical survey values were grouped by Russian regions and industries according to the classifier and consolidated into a single database for analysing the corporate life cycle and their survival rate and searching for deviation dependencies in calculated parameters. Preliminary and incomplete figures were available in the paper entitled "Survival Rate and Lifecycle in Terms of Uncertainty: Review of Companies from Russia and Eastern Europe" (Kuzmin and Guseva, 2016) [3]. The further survey led to filtered processed data with clerical errors excluded. These particular values are available in the article. The survey intended to fill a fact-based gap in various fundamental surveys that involved matters of the corporate life cycle in Russia within the insufficient statistical framework. The data are of interest for an analysis of Russian entrepreneurship, assessment of the market development and incorporation risks in the current business environment. A further heuristic potential is achievable through an ability of forecasted changes in business demography and model building based on the representative data set.

The superoxide dismutase (SOD)-mimic manganese-deferoxamine (Mn-DFO) improves survival following hemorrhagic and endotoxic shock

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

de Garavilla, L.; Chermak, T.; Valentine, H.L.

1990-02-26

The novel, low-molecular weight, organo-metallic complex Mn-DFO functions in vitro as an SOD-mimic effectively dismutating the superoxide radical. Oxygen-derived free radicals appear to be involved in the pathology of both endotoxic (ENDO) and hemorrhagic (HEM) shock whereby treatment with SOD is associated with improvements in survival. Therefore, the following models were utilized to evaluate the in vivo activity of Mn-DFO. Male rats (350-450g) were anesthetized with ketamine (100mg/kg, ip) and subjected to HEM hypotension by withdrawing approximately 40% of the animals' blood volume over a 10 minute period. MABP was maintained constant at 40mmHg for 60 minutes, followed by completemore » autoreinfusion. Survival was reduced to 20% in the control group at 24 hour post-reinfusion. A single post-shock dose of Mn-DFO (10mg/kg, iv) more than doubled the survival rate for up to 24 hour post-reinfusion as compared to control. Female mice (CFmal and-1, 20-25g) were challenged with 500ug of ENDO and 0.8ug of actinomycin/animal and dosed 1 hour pre and post with Mn-DFO (30mg/kg/dose, iv). Survival improved from 60% in the control group to 100% in the Mn-DFO group at 18 hours post ENDO challenge. Using a multiple dosing regimen, Mn-DFO significantly improved survival for up to 48 hours post-ENDO. Thus, unlike other SOD-mimics, Mn-DFO appears to exhibit in vivo activity.« less

Psychologic Intervention Improves Survival for Breast Cancer Patients

PubMed Central

Andersen, Barbara L.; Yang, Hae-Chung; Farrar, William B.; Golden-Kreutz, Deanna M.; Emery, Charles F.; Thornton, Lisa M.; Young, Donn C.; Carson, William E.

2009-01-01

BACKGROUND The question of whether stress poses a risk for cancer progression has been difficult to answer. A randomized clinical trial tested the hypothesis that cancer patients coping with their recent diagnosis but receiving a psychologic intervention would have improved survival compared with patients who were only assessed. METHODS A total of 227 patients who were surgically treated for regional breast cancer participated. Before beginning adjuvant cancer therapies, patients were assessed with psychologic and behavioral measures and had a health evaluation, and a 60-mL blood sample was drawn. Patients were randomized to Psychologic Intervention plus assessment or Assessment only study arms. The intervention was psychologist led; conducted in small groups; and included strategies to reduce stress, improve mood, alter health behaviors, and maintain adherence to cancer treatment and care. Earlier articles demonstrated that, compared with the Assessment arm, the Intervention arm improved across all of the latter secondary outcomes. Immunity was also enhanced. RESULTS After a median of 11 years of follow-up, disease recurrence was reported to occur in 62 of 212 (29%) women and death was reported for 54 of 227 (24%) women. Using Cox proportional hazards analysis, multivariate comparison of survival was conducted. As predicted, patients in the Intervention arm were found to have a reduced risk of breast cancer recurrence (hazards ratio [HR] of 0.55; P=.034) and death from breast cancer (HR of 0.44; P=.016) compared with patients in the Assessment only arm. Follow-up analyses also demonstrated that Intervention patients had a reduced risk of death from all causes (HR of 0.51; P=.028). CONCLUSIONS Psychologic interventions as delivered and studied here can improve survival. PMID:19016270

Aircrew Survival Equipmentman 1 and C. NAVPERS 10360-D. Rate Training Manual.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bureau of Naval Personnel, Washington, DC.

A guide for advancement and training in the Aircrew Survival Equipmentman rating for enlisted personnel of the Regular Navy and the Naval Reserve is provided in this training manual. The chapters outline the qualifications necessary and the responsibilities of Aircrew Survival Equipmentmen involved in blueprint reading and the development of…

[Technical advancement improves survival in patients with locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (LA-NSCLC) receiving definitive radiotherapy].

PubMed

Wang, J B; Jiang, W; Ji, Z; Cao, J Z; Liu, L P; Men, Y; Xu, C; Wang, X Z; Hui, Z G; Liang, J; Lyu, J M; Zhou, Z M; Xiao, Z F; Feng, Q F; Chen, D F; Zhang, H X; Yin, W B; Wang, L H

2016-08-01

This study aimed to evaluate the impact of technical advancement of radiation therapy in patients with LA-NSCLC receiving definitive radiotherapy (RT). Patients treated with definitive RT (≥50 Gy) between 2000 and 2010 were retrospectively reviewed. Overall survival (OS), cancer specific survival (CSS), locoregional progression-free survival (LRPFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were calculated and compared among patients irradiated with different techniques. Radiation-induced lung injury (RILI) and esophageal injury (RIEI) were assessed according to the National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events 3.0 (NCI-CTCAE 3.0). A total of 946 patients were eligible for analysis, including 288 treated with two-dimensional radiotherapy (2D-RT), 209 with three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3D-CRT) and 449 with intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) respectively. The median follow-up time for the whole population was 84.1 months. The median OS of 2D-RT, 3D-CRT and IMRT groups were 15.8, 19.7 and 23.3 months, respectively, with the corresponding 5-year survival rate of 8.7%, 13.0% and 18.8%, respectively (P<0.001). The univariate analysis demonstrated significantly inferior OS, LRPFS, DMFS and PFS of 2D-RT than those provided by 3D-CRT or IMRT. The univariate analysis also revealed that the IMRT group had significantly loger LRPFS and a trend toward better OS and DMFS compared with 3D-CRT. Multivariate analysis showed that TNM stage, RT technique and KPS were independent factors correlated with all survival indexes. Compared with 2D-RT, the utilization of IMRT was associated with significantly improved OS, LRPFS, DMFS as well as PFS. Compared with 3D-CRT, IMRT provided superior DMFS (P=0.035), a trend approaching significance with regard to LRPFS (P=0.073) but no statistically significant improvement on OS, CSS and PFS in multivariate analysis. The incidence rates of RILI were

Erythropoietin improves the survival of fat tissue after its transplantation in nude mice.

PubMed

Hamed, Saher; Egozi, Dana; Kruchevsky, Danny; Teot, Luc; Gilhar, Amos; Ullmann, Yehuda

2010-11-15

Autologous transplanted fat has a high resorption rate, providing a clinical challenge for the means to reduce it. Erythropoietin (EPO) has non-hematopoietic targets, and we hypothesized that EPO may improve long-term fat graft survival because it has both pro-angiogenic and anti-apoptotic properties. We aimed to determine the effect of EPO on the survival of human fat tissue after its transplantation in nude mice. Human fat tissue was injected subcutaneously into immunologically-compromised nude mice, and the grafts were then treated with either 20 IU or 100 IU EPO. At the end of the 15-week study period, the extent of angiogenesis, apoptosis, and histology were assessed in the fat grafts. The results were compared to vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-treated and phosphate-buffered saline (PBS)-treated fat grafts. The weight and volume of the EPO-treated grafts were higher than those of the PBS-treated grafts, whose weights and volumes were not different from those of the VEGF-treated grafts. EPO treatment also increased the expression of angiogenic factors and microvascular density, and reduced inflammation and apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner in the fat grafts. Our data suggest that stimulation of angiogenesis by a cluster of angiogenic factors and decreased fat cell apoptosis account for potential mechanisms that underlie the improved long-term survival of fat transplants following EPO treatment.

Three-year survival rates for all consecutive heart-only and lung-only transplants performed in Eurotransplant, 1997-1999.

PubMed

Smits, Jacqueline M A; Vanhaecke, Johan; Haverich, Axel; de Vries, Erwin; Smith, Mike; Rutgrink, Ellis; Ramsoebhag, Annemarie; Hop, Alinde; Persijn, Guido; Laufer, Gunther

2003-01-01

The definition of proper patient selection criteria remains a prominent item in constant need of attention. While the concept of gathering evidence in order to determine practice continues to be hopelessly ambiguous, it can never be emphasized too much that these univariate results are just a first foray into analysing predictors of survival; all following results should be regarded and interpreted in this perspective. HEART TRANSPLANT SURVIVAL: The 3-year survival rate for heart transplant recipients under age 16 was 83% versus 72% for adult recipients. Acutely retransplanted adult heart recipients had a 3-year survival rate of 36% compared with 72% for recipients of a first heart allograft. Patients suffering from DCM had the best survival rates at 3 years (74%) compared with patients suffering from CAD (70%) or from another end-stage heart disease (67%). With advancing age of the adult recipient, the mortality risk increased. Patients aged 16-40 had a 3-year survival rate of 77%, compared with 74%, 70% and 61% for transplant recipients aged 41-55, 56-65 and over age 65, respectively. The 3-year survival rates for adult recipients transplanted with an heart allograft from a donor aged under 16 or between 16-44 were 78% and 74%, compared with 66% and 63% for donors aged 45-55 and over 55, respectively. The 3-year survival rates for recipients of hearts with cold ischemic times under 2 hours, 2-3, 3-4, 4-5, 5-6 and more than 6 hours were 74%, 75%, 70%, 65%, 54% and 40%, respectively. Transplanting a female donor heart into a male recipient was associated with the worst prognosis: the 3-year survival rates were 73%, 71%, 66% and 76%, respectively, for the donor/recipient groups male/male, male/female, female/male and female/female, respectively. When the donor-to-recipient body weight ratio was below 0.8, the 3-year survival rate was 64%, compared to 72% for weight-matched pairs and 74% for patients who received a heart from an oversized donor (p=0.004). Better

Individualized Radiation Dose Escalation Based on the Decrease in Tumor FDG Uptake and Normal Tissue Constraints Improve Survival in Patients With Esophageal Carcinoma.

PubMed

Ma, Jinbo; Wang, Zhaoyang; Wang, Chengde; Chen, Ercheng; Dong, Yaozong; Song, Yipeng; Wang, Wei; You, Dong; Jiang, Wei; Zang, Rukun

2017-02-01

To determine whether individualized radiation dose escalation after planned chemoradiation based on the decrease in tumor and normal tissue constraints can improve survival in patients with esophageal carcinoma. From August 2005 to December 2010, 112 patients with squamous esophageal carcinoma were treated with radical concurrent chemoradiation. Patients received positron emission tomography-computer tomography scan twice, before radiation and after radiation dose of 50.4 Gy. All patients were noncomplete metabolic response groups according to the Response Evaluation Criteria in solid tumors. Only 52 patients with noncomplete metabolic response received individualized dose escalation based on tumor and normal tissue constraints. Survival and treatment failure were observed and analyzed using SPSS (13.0). The rate of complete metabolic response for patients with noncomplete metabolic response after dose escalation reached 17.3% (9 of 52). The 2-year overall survival rates for patients with noncomplete metabolic response in the conventional and dose-escalation groups were 20.5% and 42.8%, respectively( P = .001). The 2-year local control rates for patients were 35.7% and 76.2%, respectively ( P = .002). When patients were classified into partial metabolic response and no metabolic response, 2-year overall survival rates for patients with partial metabolic response were significantly different in conventional and dose-escalation groups (33.8% vs 78.4%; P = .000). The 2-year overall survival rates for patients with no metabolic response in two groups (8.6% vs 15.1%) did not significantly differ ( P = .917). Individualized radiation dose escalation has the potential to improve survival in patients with esophageal carcinoma according to increased rate of complete metabolic response. However, further trials are needed to confirm this and to identify patients who may benefit from dose escalation.

Survival rate of AIDS disease and mortality in HIV-infected patients: a meta-analysis.

PubMed

Poorolajal, J; Hooshmand, E; Mahjub, H; Esmailnasab, N; Jenabi, E

2016-10-01

The life expectancy of patients with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) reported by several epidemiological studies is inconsistent. This meta-analysis was conducted to estimate the survival rate from HIV diagnosis to AIDS onset and from AIDS onset to death. The electronic databases PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus were searched to February 2016. In addition, the reference lists of included studies were checked to identify further references, and the database of the International AIDS Society was also searched. Cohort studies addressing the survival rate in patients diagnosed with HIV/AIDS were included in this meta-analysis. The outcomes of interest were the survival rate of patients diagnosed with HIV progressing to AIDS, and the survival rate of patients with AIDS dying from AIDS-related causes with or without highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). The survival rate (P) was estimated with 95% confidence intervals based on random-effects models. In total, 27,862 references were identified, and 57 studies involving 294,662 participants were included in this meta-analysis. Two, 4-, 6-, 8-, 10- and 12-year survival probabilities of progression from HIV diagnosis to AIDS onset were estimated to be 82%, 72%, 64%, 57%, 26% and 19%, respectively. Two, 4-, 6-, 8- and 10-year survival probabilities of progression from AIDS onset to AIDS-related death in patients who received HAART were estimated to be 87%, 86%, 78%, 78%, and 61%, respectively, and 2-, 4- and 6-year survival probabilities of progression from AIDS onset to AIDS-related death in patients who did not receive HAART were estimated to be 48%, 26% and 18%, respectively. Evidence of considerable heterogeneity was found. The majority of the studies had a moderate to high risk of bias. The majority of HIV-positive patients progress to AIDS within the first decade of diagnosis. Most patients who receive HAART will survive for >10 years after the onset of AIDS, whereas

Auto-SCT improves survival in systemic light chain amyloidosis: a retrospective analysis with 14-year follow-up.

PubMed

Parmar, S; Kongtim, P; Champlin, R; Dinh, Y; Elgharably, Y; Wang, M; Bashir, Q; Shah, J J; Shah, N; Popat, U; Giralt, S A; Orlowski, R Z; Qazilbash, M H

2014-08-01

Optimal treatment approach continues to remain a challenge for systemic light chain amyloidosis (AL). So far, Auto-SCT is the only modality associated with long-term survival. However, failure to show survival benefit in randomized study raises questions regarding its efficacy. We present a comparative outcome analysis of Auto-SCT to conventional therapies (CTR) in AL patients treated over a 14-year period at our institution. Out of the 145 AL amyloidosis patients, Auto-SCT was performed in 80 patients with 1-year non-relapse mortality rate of 12.5%. Novel agents were used as part of induction therapy in 56% of transplant recipients vs 46% of CTR patients. Hematological and organ responses were seen in 74.6% and 39% in the Auto-SCT arm vs 53% and 12% in the CTR arm, respectively. The projected 5-year survival for Auto-SCT vs CTR was 63% vs 38%, respectively. Landmark analysis of patients alive at 1-year after diagnosis showed improved 5-year OS of 72% with Auto-SCT vs 65% in the CTR arm. In the multivariate analysis, age <60 years, induction therapy with novel agents, kidney only involvement and Auto-SCT were associated with improved survival. In conclusion, Auto-SCT is associated with long-term survival for patients with AL amyloidosis.

Steroidal and nonsteroidal antiinflammatory medications can improve photoreceptor survival after laser retinal photocoagulation.

PubMed

Brown, Jeremiah; Hacker, Henry; Schuschereba, Steven T; Zwick, Harry; Lund, David J; Stuck, Bruce E

2007-10-01

To determine whether methylprednisolone or indomethacin can enhance photoreceptor survival after laser retinal injury in an animal model. Experimental study. Twenty rhesus monkeys. Twenty rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) received a grid of argon green (514.5 nm, 10 ms) laser lesions in the macula of the right eye and a grid of neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Nd:YAG; 1064 nm, 10 ns) lesions in the macula of the left eye, followed by randomization to 2 weeks of treatment in 1 of 4 treatment groups: high-dose methylprednisolone, moderate-dose methylprednisolone, indomethacin, or control. The lesions were assessed at day 1, day 14, 2 months, and 4 months. The authors were masked to the treatment group. This report discusses the histologic results of ocular tissue harvested at 4 months. The number of surviving photoreceptor cell nuclei within each lesion was compared with the number of photoreceptor nuclei in surrounding unaffected retina. The proportion of surviving photoreceptor nuclei was compared between each treatment group. Argon retinal lesions in the high-dose steroid treatment group and the indomethacin treatment group demonstrated improved photoreceptor survival compared with the control group (P = 0.004). Hemorrhagic Nd:YAG lesions demonstrated improved survivability with indomethacin treatment compared with controls (P = 0.003). In nonhemorrhagic Nd:YAG laser retinal lesions, the lesions treated with moderate-dose steroids demonstrated improved photoreceptor survival compared with the control group (P = 0.004). Based on histologic samples of retinal laser lesions 4 months after injury, treatment with indomethacin resulted in improved photoreceptor survival in argon laser lesions and hemorrhagic Nd:YAG laser lesions. Treatment with systemic methylprednisolone demonstrated improved photoreceptor survival in argon retinal lesions and in nonhemorrhagic Nd:YAG lesions.

Esophageal cancer: 5-year survival rate at south-east of Caspian sea of northern Iran.

PubMed

Taziki, Mohammad Hussin; Rajaee, Siamak; Behnampour, Naser; Tadrisee, Massoud; Mansourian, Azad Reza

2011-01-01

Locating at southern margin of Caspian sea and Asian esophagus cancer cordon Golestan state is one of the most common sites of this cancer. This study designed to evaluate the 5-years survival rate of esophagus cancer. 55 patients with esophagus cancer diagnosed by pathologic examination, age, gender, type of tumor, clinical manifestation on the time of tumor metastases, treatment and patient survival time studied. The collecting data were analyzed by SPSS 11.5, and life table and Kaplan Meier methods were applied. 55 patients studied included 11 females and 44 males respectively with average survival life time of 12.8 months for the 5-year survival rate for patients diagnosed at early stage was 0.025, patients with systemic symptoms such as weight loss was 0.00. Far metastases adverse effect on highest survivals was observed among patients who underwent surgery; the survival rate for such patients was about 0.014. Esophageal cancer is high in southern margin of Caspian Sea, it is suggested to design studies to find the probable risk factors and the screening tests for on-time diagnosis.

Investigating Rates of Hunting and Survival in Declining European Lapwing Populations

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Understanding effects of harvest on population dynamics is of major interest, especially for declining species. European lapwing Vanellus vanellus populations increased from the 1960s until the 1980s and declined strongly thereafter. About 400,000 lapwings are harvested annually and it is thus of high conservation relevance to assess whether hunting was a main cause for the observed changes in lapwing population trends. We developed a multi-event cause-specific mortality model which we applied to a long-term ring-recovery data set (1960–2010) of > 360,000 records to estimate survival and cause-specific mortalities. We found no temporal change in survival over the last 50 years for first-year (FY) and older birds (after first-year; AFY) originating from different ringing areas. Mean survival was high, around 0.60 and 0.80 for FY and AFY individuals, respectively. The proportion of total mortality due to hunting was <0.10 over the study period and the estimated proportion of harvested individuals (kill rate) was <0.05 in each year. Our result of constant survival indicates that demographic processes other than survival were responsible for the pronounced change in lapwing population trends in the 1980s. Our findings lend support to the hypothesis that hunting was not a significant contributor to the large-scale decline of lapwing populations. To halt the ongoing decline of European lapwing populations management should focus on life history stages other than survival (e.g. productivity). Further analyses are required to investigate the contribution of other demographic rates to the decline of lapwings and to identify the most efficient conservation actions. PMID:27685660

Daily survival rate and habitat characteristics of nests of Wilson's Plover

USGS Publications Warehouse

Zinsser, Elizabeth; Sanders, Felicia J.; Gerard, Patrick D.; Jodice, Patrick G.R.

2017-01-01

We assessed habitat characteristics and measured daily survival rate of 72 nests of Charadrius wilsonia (Wilson's Plover) during 2012 and 2013 on South Island and Sand Island on the central coast of South Carolina. At both study areas, nest sites were located at slightly higher elevations (i.e., small platforms of sand) relative to randomly selected nearby unused sites, and nests at each study area also appeared to be situated to enhance crypsis and/or vigilance. Daily survival rate (DSR) of nests ranged from 0.969 to 0.988 among study sites and years, and the probability of nest survival ranged from 0.405 to 0.764. Flooding and predation were the most common causes of nest failure at both sites. At South Island, DSR was most strongly related to maximum tide height, which suggests that flooding and overwash may be common causes of nest loss for Wilson's Plovers at these study sites. The difference in model results between the 2 nearby study sites may be partially due to more-frequent flooding at Sand Island because of some underlying yet unmeasured physiographic feature. Remaining data gaps for the species include regional assessments of nest and chick survival and habitat requirements during chick rearing.

Naringin improves random skin flap survival in rats

PubMed Central

Cheng, Liang; Chen, Tingxiang; Tu, Qiming; Li, Hang; Feng, Zhenghua; Li, Zhijie; Lin, Dingsheng

2017-01-01

Background Random-pattern flap transfer is commonly used to treat soft-tissue defects. However, flap necrosis remains a serious problem. Naringin accelerates angiogenesis by activating the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). In the present study, we investigated whether naringin improves the survival of random skin flaps. Results Compared with controls, the naringin-treated groups exhibited significantly larger mean areas of flap survival, significantly increased SOD activity and VEGF expression, and significantly reduced MDA level. Hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining revealed that naringin promoted angiogenesis and inhibited inflammation. Materials and Methods “McFarlane flap” models were established in 90 male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats divided into three groups: a 40 mg/kg control group (0.5 % sodium carboxymethylcellulose), a 40 mg/kg naringin-treated group, and an 80 mg/kg naringin-treated group. The extent of necrosis was measured 7 days later, and tissue samples were subjected to histological analysis. Angiogenesis was evaluated via lead oxide–gelatin angiography, immunohistochemistry, and laser Doppler imaging. Inflammation was evaluated by measurement of serum TNF-α (tumor necrosis factor-α) and IL-6 (interleukin-6) levels. Oxidative stress was assessed by measuring superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and the malondialdehyde (MDA) level. Conclusion Naringin improved random skin flap survival. PMID:29212216

Population ecology of the mallard VIII: Winter distribution patterns and survival rates of winter-banded mallards

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nichols, James D.; Hines, James E.

1987-01-01

In the present report we address questions about winter distribution patterns and survival rates of North American mallards Anas platyrhynchos. Inferences are based on analyses of banding and recovery data from both winter and preseason banding period. The primary wintering range of the mallard was dividded into 45 minor reference areas and 15 major reference areas which were used to summarize winter banding data. Descriptive tables and figures on the recovery distributions of winter-banded mallards are presented. Using winter recoveries of preseason-banded mallards, we found apparent differences between recovery distribution of young versus adult birds from the same breeding ground reference areas. However, we found no sex-specific differences in winter recovery distribution patterns. Winter recovery distributions of preseason-banded birds also provided evidence that mallards exhibited some degree of year-to-year variation in wintering ground location. The age- and sex-specificity of such variation was tested using winter recoveries of winter-banded birds, and results indicated that subadult (first year) birds were less likely to return to the same wintering grounds the following year than adults. Winter recovery distributions of preseason-banded mallards during 1950-58 differed from distributions in 1966-76. These differences could have resulted from either true distributional shifts or geographic changes in hunting pressure. Survival and recovery rates were estimated from winter banding data. We found no evidence of differences in survival or recovery rates between subadult and adult mallards. Thus, the substantial difference between survival rates of preseason-banded young and adult mallards must result almost entirely from higher mortality of young birds during the approximate period, August-January. Male mallards showed higher survival than females, corroborating inferences based on preseason data. Tests with winter banding and band recovery data indicated

Irradiated patients and survival rate of dental implants: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Smith Nobrega, Adhara; Santiago, Joel Ferreira; de Faria Almeida, Daniel Augusto; Dos Santos, Daniela Micheline; Pellizzer, Eduardo Piza; Goiato, Marcelo Coelho

2016-12-01

Radiotherapy has been considered a contraindication for rehabilitation with dental implants because it can change the survival rate of implants. Nevertheless, the installation of implants in irradiated patients has been used with varying success. The purpose of this systematic review was to compare the success rate of implants placed in irradiated human bone tissue with that of implants placed in nonirradiated areas. Searches were performed in the EMBASE, Cochrane, and PubMed/Medline databases up to December 2013 to identify clinical trials addressing the subject. This systematic review was conducted according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The relative risks of implant failure and survival curves were calculated considering a confidence interval of 95%. Heterogeneity was analyzed by using a funnel chart. A total of 40 studies involving 2220 participants and 9231 dental implants were selected. The survival curve of the studies indicated a survival rate of 84.3% for implants installed in irradiated bone tissue. The meta-analysis indicated statistically significant differences (P<.001) between item success rates of implants placed in irradiated areas and those of implants placed in nonirradiated areas. Dental implants installed in the irradiated area of an oral cavity have a high survival rate, but strict monitoring is needed to prevent complications, thereby reducing possible failures. Copyright © 2016 Editorial Council for the Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Environmental and ecological conditions at Arctic breeding sites have limited effects on true survival rates of adult shorebirds

USGS Publications Warehouse

Weiser, Emily L.; Lanctot, Richard B.; Brown, Stephen C.; Gates, H. River; Bentzen, Rebecca L.; Bêty, Joël; Boldenow, Megan L.; English, Willow B.; Franks, Samantha E.; Koloski, Laura; Kwon, Eunbi; Lamarre, Jean-Francois; Lank, David B.; Liebezeit, Joseph R.; McKinnon, Laura; Nol, Erica; Rausch, Jennie; Saalfeld, Sarah T.; Senner, Nathan R.; Ward, David H.; Woodard, Paul F.; Sandercock, Brett K.

2018-01-01

Many Arctic shorebird populations are declining, and quantifying adult survival and the effects of anthropogenic factors is a crucial step toward a better understanding of population dynamics. We used a recently developed, spatially explicit Cormack–Jolly–Seber model in a Bayesian framework to obtain broad-scale estimates of true annual survival rates for 6 species of shorebirds at 9 breeding sites across the North American Arctic in 2010–2014. We tested for effects of environmental and ecological variables, study site, nest fate, and sex on annual survival rates of each species in the spatially explicit framework, which allowed us to distinguish between effects of variables on site fidelity versus true survival. Our spatially explicit analysis produced estimates of true survival rates that were substantially higher than previously published estimates of apparent survival for most species, ranging from S = 0.72 to 0.98 across 5 species. However, survival was lower for the arcticolasubspecies of Dunlin (Calidris alpina arcticola; S = 0.54), our only study taxon that migrates through the East Asian–Australasian Flyway. Like other species that use that flyway, arcticola Dunlin could be experiencing unsustainably low survival rates as a result of loss of migratory stopover habitat. Survival rates of our study species were not affected by timing of snowmelt or summer temperature, and only 2 species showed minor variation among study sites. Furthermore, although previous reproductive success, predator abundance, and the availability of alternative prey each affected survival of one species, no factors broadly affected survival across species. Overall, our findings of few effects of environmental or ecological variables suggest that annual survival rates of adult shorebirds are generally robust to conditions at Arctic breeding sites. Instead, conditions at migratory stopovers or overwintering sites might be driving adult survival rates and should be the

Evaluation of Overall Response Rate and Progression-Free Survival as Potential Surrogate Endpoints for Overall Survival in Immunotherapy Trials.

PubMed

Mushti, Sirisha L; Mulkey, Flora; Sridhara, Rajeshwari

2018-05-15

Purpose: With the approval of immunotherapies for a variety of indications, methods to assess treatment benefit addressing the response patterns observed are important. We evaluated RECIST criteria-based overall response rate (ORR) and progression-free survival (PFS) as potential surrogate endpoints of overall survival (OS), and explored a modified definition of PFS by altering the threshold percentage determining disease progression to assess the association with survival benefit in immunotherapy trials. Experimental Design: Thirteen randomized, multicenter, active-control trials containing immunotherapeutic agents submitted to the FDA were analyzed. Associations between treatment effects of ORR, PFS, modified PFS, and OS were evaluated at individual and trial levels. Patient-level responder analysis was performed for PFS and OS. Results: The coefficient of determination ( R ²) measured the strength of associations, where values near 1 imply surrogacy and values close to 0 suggest no association. At the trial level, the association between hazard ratios (HR) of PFS and OS was R 2 = 0.1303, and between the odds ratio (OR) of ORR and HR of OS was R 2 = 0.1277. At the individual level, the Spearman rank correlation coefficient between PFS and OS was 0.61. Trial-level associations between modified PFS and OS ranged between 0.07 and 0.1, and individual-level correlations were approximately 0.6. HRs of PFS and OS for responders versus nonresponders were 0.129 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.11-0.15] and 0.118 (95% CI, 0.11-0.13), respectively. Conclusions: Although responders exhibited longer survival and PFS than nonresponders, the trial-level and individual-level associations were weak between PFS/ORR and OS. Modifications to PFS did not improve associations. Clin Cancer Res; 24(10); 2268-75. ©2018 AACR See related commentary by Korn and Freidlin, p. 2239 . ©2018 American Association for Cancer Research.

Annual survival rate estimate of satellite transmitter–marked eastern population greater sandhill cranes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fronczak, David L.; Andersen, David E.; Hanna, Everett E.; Cooper, Thomas R.

2015-01-01

Several surveys have documented the increasing population size and geographic distribution of Eastern Population greater sandhill cranes Grus canadensis tabida since the 1960s. Sport hunting of this population of sandhill cranes started in 2012 following the provisions of the Eastern Population Sandhill Crane Management Plan. However, there are currently no published estimates of Eastern Population sandhill crane survival rate that can be used to inform harvest management. As part of two studies of Eastern Population sandhill crane migration, we deployed solar-powered global positioning system platform transmitting terminals on Eastern Population sandhill cranes (n  =  42) at key concentration areas from 2009 to 2012. We estimated an annual survival rate for Eastern Population sandhill cranes from data resulting from monitoring these cranes by using the known-fates model in the MARK program. Estimated annual survival rate for adult Eastern Population sandhill cranes was 0.950 (95% confidence interval  =  0.885–0.979) during December 2009–August 2014. All fatalities (n  =  5) occurred after spring migration in late spring and early summer. We were unable to determine cause of death for crane fatalities in our study. Our survival rate estimate will be useful when combined with other population parameters such as the population index derived from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service fall survey, harvest, and recruitment rates to assess the effects of harvest on population size and trend and evaluate the effectiveness of management strategies.

Temporal variation in survival and recovery rates of lesser scaup: A response

USGS Publications Warehouse

Arnold, Todd W.; Afton, Alan D.; Anteau, Michael J.; Koons, David N.; Nicolai, Chris A.

2017-01-01

We recently analyzed long-term (1951–2011) continental band-recovery data from lesser scaup (Aythya affinis) and demonstrated that harvest rates declined through time, but annual survival rates exhibited no such trends; moreover, annual harvest and survival rates were uncorrelated for all age-sex classes. We therefore concluded that declining fecundity was most likely responsible for recent population declines, rather than changes in harvest or survival. Lindberg et al. (2017) critiqued our conclusions, arguing that we did little more than fail to reject a null hypothesis of compensatory mortality, postulated ecologically unrealistic changes in fecundity, and failed to give sufficient consideration to additive harvest mortality. Herein, we re-summarize our original evidence indicating that harvest has been compensatory, or at most weakly additive, and demonstrate that our analysis had sufficient power to detect strongly additive mortality if it occurred. We further demonstrate that our conclusions were not confounded by population size, band loss, or individual heterogeneity, as suggested by Lindberg et al. (2017), and we provide additional support for our conjecture that low fecundity played a major role in declining scaup populations during 1983–2006. We therefore reiterate our original management recommendations: given low harvest rates and lack of demonstrable effect on scaup survival, harvest regulations could return to more liberal frameworks, and waterfowl biologists should work together to continue banding lesser scaup and use these data to explore alternative hypotheses to identify the true ecological causes of population change, given that it is unlikely to be excessive harvest. 

Examining mortality risk and rate of ageing among Polish Olympic athletes: a survival follow-up from 1924 to 2012

PubMed Central

Lin, Yuhui; Gajewski, Antoni; Poznańska, Anna

2016-01-01

Objectives Population-based studies have shown that an active lifestyle reduces mortality risk. Therefore, it has been a longstanding belief that individuals who engage in frequent exercise will experience a slower rate of ageing. It is uncertain whether this widely-accepted assumption holds for intense wear-and-tear. Here, using the 88 years survival follow-up data of Polish Olympic athletes, we report for the first time on whether frequent exercise alters the rate of ageing. Design Longitudinal survival data of male elite Polish athletes who participated in the Olympic Games from year 1924 to 2010 were used. Deaths occurring before the end of World War II were excluded for reliable estimates. Setting and participants Recruited male elite athletes N=1273 were preassigned to two categorical birth cohorts—Cohort I 1890–1919; Cohort II 1920–1959—and a parametric frailty survival analysis was conducted. An event-history analysis was also conducted to adjust for medical improvements from year 1920 onwards: Cohort II. Results Our findings suggest (1) in Cohort I, for every threefold reduction in mortality risk, the rate of ageing decelerates by 1%; (2) socioeconomic transitions and interventions contribute to a reduction in mortality risk of 29% for the general population and 50% for Olympic athletes; (3) an optimum benefit gained for reducing the rate of ageing from competitive sports (Cohort I 0.086 (95% CI 0.047 to 0.157) and Cohort II 0.085 (95% CI 0.050 to 0.144)). Conclusions This study further suggests that intensive physical training during youth should be considered as a factor to improve ageing and mortality risk parameters. PMID:27091824

Survival rates of teeth, implants, and double crown-retained removable dental prostheses: a systematic literature review.

PubMed

Koller, Beatrice; Att, Wael; Strub, Jorg-Rudolf

2011-01-01

The aim of this systematic literature review was to investigate the survival rates of teeth, implants, and double crown-retained removable dental prostheses (RDPs). A systematic review of the literature published from January 1973 through May 2010 was conducted using electronic databases and hand-searching to assess the clinical outcomes of teeth, implants, and double crown-retained RDPs. This review yielded 512 articles, which were narrowed down to 11. The included studies demonstrated tooth survival rates between 60.6% and 95.3% after an observation period of 4 to 10 years. The survival rates of RDPs supported by teeth ranged between 90.0% and 95.1% after 4 and 5.3 years, respectively. The survival rates of implants supporting prostheses in the mandible were between 97% and 100% after an observation period between 3 and 10.4 years. The survival rates of implant-retained RDPs in the mandible ranged between 95% and 100% after 9 and 10.4 years. Teeth and implants supporting prostheses in the maxilla, as well as the RDPs themselves, demonstrated a survival rate of 100% after 3.2 years. The current literature does not provide sufficient information regarding the long-term outcome of double crown-retained RDPs. Further studies based on a higher level of evidence are needed to validate the outcomes of this treatment modality.

Early marine growth in relation to marine-stage survival rates for Alaska sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Farley, Edward V.; Murphy, J.M.; Adkison, Milo D.; Eisner, Lisa B.; Helle, J.H.; Moss, J.H.; Nielsen, Jennifer L.

2007-01-01

We tested the hypothesis that larger juvenile sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) in Bristol Bay, Alaska, have higher marine-stage survival rates than smaller juvenile salmon. We used scales from returning adults (33 years of data) and trawl samples of juveniles (n= 3572) collected along the eastern Bering Sea shelf during August through September 2000−02. The size of juvenile sockeye salmon mirrored indices of their marine-stage survival rate (e.g., smaller fish had lower indices of marine-stage survival rate). However, there was no relationship between the size of sockeye salmon after their first year at sea, as estimated from archived scales, and brood-year survival size was relatively uniform over the time series, possibly indicating size-selective mortality on smaller individuals during their marine residence. Variation in size, relative abundance, and marine-stage survival rate of juvenile sockeye salmon is likely related to ocean conditions affecting their early marine migratory pathways along the eastern Bering Sea shelf.

Lung cancer survival in England: trends in non-small-cell lung cancer survival over the duration of the National Lung Cancer Audit

PubMed Central

Khakwani, A; Rich, A L; Powell, H A; Tata, L J; Stanley, R A; Baldwin, D R; Duffy, J P; Hubbard, R B

2013-01-01

Background: In comparison with other European and North American countries, England has poor survival figures for lung cancer. Our aim was to evaluate the changes in survival since the introduction of the National Lung Cancer Audit (NLCA). Methods: We used data from the NLCA to identify people with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and stratified people according to their performance status (PS) and clinical stage. Using Cox regression, we calculated hazard ratios (HRs) for death according to the year of diagnosis from 2004/2005 to 2010; adjusted for patient features including age, sex and co-morbidity. We also assessed whether any changes in survival were explained by the changes in surgical resection rates or histological subtype. Results: In this cohort of 120 745 patients, the overall median survival did not change; but there was a 1% annual improvement in survival over the study period (adjusted HR 0.99, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.98–0.99). Survival improvement was only seen in patients with good PS and early stage (adjusted HR 0.97, 95% CI 0.95–0.99) and this was partly accounted for by changes in resection rates. Conclusion: Survival has only improved for a limited group of people with NSCLC and increasing surgical resection rates appeared to explain some of this improvement. PMID:24052044

Asfotase Alfa Treatment Improves Survival for Perinatal and Infantile Hypophosphatasia

PubMed Central

Rockman-Greenberg, Cheryl; Ozono, Keiichi; Riese, Richard; Moseley, Scott; Melian, Agustin; Thompson, David D.; Bishop, Nicholas; Hofmann, Christine

2016-01-01

Context: Hypophosphatasia (HPP) is an inborn error of metabolism that, in its most severe perinatal and infantile forms, results in 50–100% mortality, typically from respiratory complications. Objectives: Our objective was to better understand the effect of treatment with asfotase alfa, a first-in-class enzyme replacement therapy, on mortality in neonates and infants with severe HPP. Design/Setting: Data from patients with the perinatal and infantile forms of HPP in two ongoing, multicenter, multinational, open-label, phase 2 interventional studies of asfotase alfa treatment were compared with data from similar patients from a retrospective natural history study. Patients: Thirty-seven treated patients (median treatment duration, 2.7 years) and 48 historical controls of similar chronological age and HPP characteristics. Interventions: Treated patients received asfotase alfa as sc injections either 1 mg/kg six times per week or 2 mg/kg thrice weekly. Main Outcome Measures: Survival, skeletal health quantified radiographically on treatment, and ventilatory status were the main outcome measures for this study. Results: Asfotase alfa was associated with improved survival in treated patients vs historical controls: 95% vs 42% at age 1 year and 84% vs 27% at age 5 years, respectively (P < .0001, Kaplan-Meier log-rank test). Whereas 5% (1/20) of the historical controls who required ventilatory assistance survived, 76% (16/21) of the ventilated and treated patients survived, among whom 75% (12/16) were weaned from ventilatory support. This better respiratory outcome accompanied radiographic improvements in skeletal mineralization and health. Conclusions: Asfotase alfa mineralizes the HPP skeleton, including the ribs, and improves respiratory function and survival in life-threatening perinatal and infantile HPP. PMID:26529632

Estimating the personal cure rate of cancer patients using population-based grouped cancer survival data.

PubMed

Binbing Yu; Tiwari, Ram C; Feuer, Eric J

2011-06-01

Cancer patients are subject to multiple competing risks of death and may die from causes other than the cancer diagnosed. The probability of not dying from the cancer diagnosed, which is one of the patients' main concerns, is sometimes called the 'personal cure' rate. Two approaches of modelling competing-risk survival data, namely the cause-specific hazards approach and the mixture model approach, have been used to model competing-risk survival data. In this article, we first show the connection and differences between crude cause-specific survival in the presence of other causes and net survival in the absence of other causes. The mixture survival model is extended to population-based grouped survival data to estimate the personal cure rate. Using the colorectal cancer survival data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Programme, we estimate the probabilities of dying from colorectal cancer, heart disease, and other causes by age at diagnosis, race and American Joint Committee on Cancer stage.

Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles improve the survival of transplanted fat grafts

PubMed Central

Huang, He; Feng, Shaoqing; Zhang, Wenjie; Li, Wei; Xu, Peng; Wang, Xiangsheng; Ai, Ai

2017-01-01

Autologous fat grafting is a promising surgical technique for soft tissue augmentation, reconstruction and rejuvenation. However, it is limited by the low survival rate of the transplanted fat, due to the slow revascularization of such grafts. Previous studies have demonstrated that bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles (BMSC-EVs) are proangiogenic. The present study aimed to investigate whether BMSC-EVs could improve the survival of transplanted fat grafts. Extracellular vesicles were isolated from the supernatant of cultured rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells, and characterized by flow cytometry and scanning electron microscopy. Their proangiogenic potential was measured in vitro using tube formation and cell migration assays. Subsequently, human fat tissue grafts, alongside various concentrations of BMSC-EVs, were subcutaneously injected into nude mice. A total of 12 weeks following transplantation, the mice were sacrificed and the grafts were harvested. The grafts from the experimental group had a higher survival rate and an increased number of vessels compared with grafts from the control group, as demonstrated by tissue volume, weight and histological analyses. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis indicated that the expression levels of proangiogenic factors were increased in the experimental group compared with in the control group, thus suggesting that BMSC-EVs may promote neovascularization by stimulating the secretion of proangiogenic factors. The present study is the first, to the best of our knowledge, to demonstrate that supplementation of fat grafts with BMSC-EVs improves the long-term retention and quality of transplanted fat. PMID:28713978

The Dominance of Warming Rate Over Cooling Rate in the Survival of Mouse Oocytes Subjected to a Vitrification Procedure✰

PubMed Central

Seki, Shinsuke; Mazur, Peter

2009-01-01

The formation of more than trace amounts of ice in cells is lethal. The two contrasting routes to avoiding it are slow equilibrium freezing and vitrification. The cryopreservation of mammalian oocytes by either method continues to be difficult, but there seems a slowly emerging consensus that vitrification procedures are somewhat better for mouse and human oocytes. The approach in these latter procedures is to load cells with high concentrations of glass-inducing solutes and cool them at rates high enough to induce the glassy state. Several devices have been developed to achieve very high cooling rates. Our study has been concerned with the relative influences of warming rate and cooling rate on the survival of mouse oocytes subjected to a vitrification procedure. Oocytes suspended in an ethylene glycol-acetamide-Ficoll-sucrose solution were cooled to −196°C at rates ranging from 37°C/min to 1827°C/min between 20°C and −120°C, and for each cooling rate, warmed at rates ranging from 139°C/min to 2950°C/min between −70°C and −35°C. The results are unambiguous. If the samples were warmed at the highest rate, survivals were >80% over cooling rates of 187°C/min to 1827°C/min. If the samples were warmed at the lowest rate, survivals were near 0% regardless of the cooling rate. We interpret the lethality of slow warming to be a consequence of it allowing time for the growth of small intracellular ice crystals by recrystallization. PMID:19427303

Evolving Therapeutic Strategies in Mucosal Melanoma Have Not Improved Survival Over Five Decades

PubMed Central

KIRCHOFF, DANIEL D.; DEUTSCH, GARY B.; FOSHAG, LELAND J.; LEE, JI HEY; SIM, MYUNG-SHIN; FARIES, MARK B.

2016-01-01

Mucosal melanoma represents a distinct minority of disease sites and portends a worse outcome. The ideal treatment and role of adjuvant therapy remains unknown at this time. We hypothesized that a combination of neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapies would improve survival in these aggressive melanomas. Our large, prospectively maintained melanoma database was queried for all patients diagnosed with mucosal melanoma. Over the past five decades, 227 patients were treated for mucosal melanoma. There were 82 patients with anorectal, 75 with sinonasal, and 70 with urogenital melanoma. Five-year overall survival and melanoma-specific survival for the entire cohort were 32.8 and 37.5 per cent, respectively, with median overall survival of 38.7 months. One hundred forty-two patients (63.8%) underwent adjuvant therapy and 15 were treated neoadjuvantly (6.6%). There was no survival difference by therapy type or timing, disease site, or decade of diagnosis. There was improved survival in patients undergoing multiple surgeries (Hazard Ratio [HR] 0.55, P = 0.0005). Patients receiving neoadjuvant therapy had significantly worse survival outcomes (HR 2.49, P = 0.013). Over the past five decades, improvements have not been seen in outcomes for mucosal melanoma. Although multiple surgical interventions portend a better outcome in patients with mucosal melanoma, adjuvant treatment decisions must be individualized. PMID:26802836

Evolving Therapeutic Strategies in Mucosal Melanoma Have Not Improved Survival Over Five Decades.

PubMed

Kirchoff, Daniel D; Deutsch, Gary B; Foshag, Leland J; Lee, Ji Hey; Sim, Myung-Shin; Faries, Mark B

2016-01-01

Mucosal melanoma represents a distinct minority of disease sites and portends a worse outcome. The ideal treatment and role of adjuvant therapy remains unknown at this time. We hypothesized that a combination of neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapies would improve survival in these aggressive melanomas. Our large, prospectively maintained melanoma database was queried for all patients diagnosed with mucosal melanoma. Over the past five decades, 227 patients were treated for mucosal melanoma. There were 82 patients with anorectal, 75 with sinonasal, and 70 with urogenital melanoma. Five-year overall survival and melanoma-specific survival for the entire cohort were 32.8 and 37.5 per cent, respectively, with median overall survival of 38.7 months. One hundred forty-two patients (63.8%) underwent adjuvant therapy and 15 were treated neoadjuvantly (6.6%). There was no survival difference by therapy type or timing, disease site, or decade of diagnosis. There was improved survival in patients undergoing multiple surgeries (Hazard Ratio [HR] 0.55, P = 0.0005). Patients receiving neoadjuvant therapy had significantly worse survival outcomes (HR 2.49, P = 0.013). Over the past five decades, improvements have not been seen in outcomes for mucosal melanoma. Although multiple surgical interventions portend a better outcome in patients with mucosal melanoma, adjuvant treatment decisions must be individualized.

Brachytherapy Improves Survival in Stage III Endometrial Cancer With Cervical Involvement

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bingham, Brian; Orton, Andrew; Boothe, Dustin

Purpose: To evaluate the survival benefit of adding vaginal brachytherapy (BT) to pelvic external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) in women with stage III endometrial cancer. Methods and Materials: The National Cancer Data Base was used to identify patients with stage III endometrial cancer from 2004 to 2013. Only women who received adjuvant EBRT were analyzed. Women were grouped according to receipt of BT. Logistic regression modeling was used to identify predictors of receiving BT. Log–rank statistics were used to compare survival outcomes. Cox proportional hazards modeling was used to evaluate the effect of BT on survival. A propensity score–matched analysismore » was also conducted among women with cervical involvement. Results: We evaluated 12,988 patients with stage III endometrial carcinoma, 39% of whom received EBRT plus BT. Women who received BT were more likely to have endocervical or cervical stromal involvement (odds ratios 2.03 and 1.77; P<.01, respectively). For patients receiving EBRT alone, the 5-year survival was 66% versus 69% with the addition of BT at 5 years (P<.01). Brachytherapy remained significantly predictive of decreased risk of death (hazard ratio 0.86; P<.01) on multivariate Cox regression. The addition of BT to EBRT did not affect survival among women without cervical involvement (P=.84). For women with endocervical or cervical stromal invasion, the addition of BT significantly improved survival (log–rank P<.01). Receipt of EBRT plus BT was associated with improved survival in women with positive and negative surgical margins, and receiving chemotherapy did not alter the benefit of BT. Propensity score–matched analysis results confirmed the benefit of BT among women with cervical involvement (hazard ratio 0.80; P=.01). Conclusions: In this population of women with stage III endometrial cancer the addition of BT to EBRT was associated with an improvement in survival for women with endocervical or cervical stromal invasion.« less

Breast cancer survival rates among Seventh-day Adventists and non-Seventh-day Adventists.

PubMed

Zollinger, T W; Phillips, R L; Kuzma, J W

1984-04-01

Survival rates were compared among 282 Seventh-day Adventists and 1675 other white female cancer cases following diagnosis during the 30-year period, 1946 to 1976, at two California hospitals owned and operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The Adventist women had a more favorable 5-year relative survival pattern than the other women (69.7% vs. 62.9%) as well as a higher probability of not dying of breast cancer. The differences, however, were no longer significant when stage at diagnosis was taken into account. It seems likely that the lower breast cancer death rates reported among Seventh-day Adventist women as compared with the general population result in part from better survival patterns due to earlier diagnosis and treatment.

Erythropoietin Improves the Survival of Fat Tissue after Its Transplantation in Nude Mice

PubMed Central

Hamed, Saher; Egozi, Dana; Kruchevsky, Danny; Teot, Luc; Gilhar, Amos; Ullmann, Yehuda

2010-01-01

Background Autologous transplanted fat has a high resorption rate, providing a clinical challenge for the means to reduce it. Erythropoietin (EPO) has non-hematopoietic targets, and we hypothesized that EPO may improve long-term fat graft survival because it has both pro-angiogenic and anti-apoptotic properties. We aimed to determine the effect of EPO on the survival of human fat tissue after its transplantation in nude mice. Methodology/Principal Findings Human fat tissue was injected subcutaneously into immunologically-compromised nude mice, and the grafts were then treated with either 20 IU or 100 IU EPO. At the end of the 15-week study period, the extent of angiogenesis, apoptosis, and histology were assessed in the fat grafts. The results were compared to vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-treated and phosphate-buffered saline (PBS)-treated fat grafts. The weight and volume of the EPO-treated grafts were higher than those of the PBS-treated grafts, whose weights and volumes were not different from those of the VEGF-treated grafts. EPO treatment also increased the expression of angiogenic factors and microvascular density, and reduced inflammation and apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner in the fat grafts. Conclusions/Significance Our data suggest that stimulation of angiogenesis by a cluster of angiogenic factors and decreased fat cell apoptosis account for potential mechanisms that underlie the improved long-term survival of fat transplants following EPO treatment. PMID:21085572

Monitoring survival rates of landbirds at varying spatial scales: An application of the MAPS Program

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rosenberg, D.K.; DeSante, D.F.; Hines, J.E.; Bonney, Rick; Pashley, David N.; Cooper, Robert; Niles, Larry

2000-01-01

Survivorship is a primary demographic parameter affecting population dynamics, and thus trends in species abundance. The Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS) program is a cooperative effort designed to monitor landbird demographic parameters. A principle goal of MAPS is to estimate annual survivorship and identify spatial patterns and temporal trends in these rates. We evaluated hypotheses of spatial patterns in survival rates among a collection of neighboring sampling sites, such as within national forests, among biogeographic provinces, and between breeding populations that winter in either Central or South America, and compared these geographic-specific models to a model of a common survival rate among all sampling sites. We used data collected during 1992-1995 from Swainson's Thrush (Cathorus ustulatus) populations in the western region of the United States. We evaluated the ability to detect spatial and temporal patterns of survivorship with simulated data. We found weak evidence of spatial differences in survival rates at the local scale of 'location,' which typically contained 3 mist-netting stations. There was little evidence of differences in survival rates among biogeographic provinces or between populations that winter in either Central or South America. When data were pooled for a regional estimate of survivorship, the percent relative bias due to pooling 'locations' was 12 years of monitoring. Detection of spatial patterns and temporal trends in survival rates from local to regional scales will provide important information for management and future research directed toward conservation of landbirds.

Improving survival of probiotic bacteria using bacterial poly-γ-glutamic acid.

PubMed

Bhat, A R; Irorere, V U; Bartlett, T; Hill, D; Kedia, G; Charalampopoulos, D; Nualkaekul, S; Radecka, I

2015-03-02

A major hurdle in producing a useful probiotic food product is bacterial survival during storage and ingestion. The aim of this study was to test the effect of γ-PGA immobilisation on the survival of probiotic bacteria when stored in acidic fruit juice. Fruit juices provide an alternative means of probiotic delivery, especially to lactose intolerant individuals. In addition, the survival of γ-PGA-immobilised cells in simulated gastric juice was also assessed. Bifidobacteria strains (Bifidobacteria longum, Bifidobacteria breve), immobilised on 2.5% γ-PGA, survived significantly better (P<0.05) in orange and pomegranate juice for 39 and 11 days respectively, compared to free cells. However, cells survived significantly better (P<0.05) when stored in orange juice compared to pomegranate juice. Moreover, both strains, when protected with 2.5% γ-PGA, survived in simulated gastric juice (pH2.0) with a marginal reduction (<0.47 log CFU/ml) or no significant reduction in viable cells after 4h, whereas free cells died within 2h. In conclusion, this research indicates that γ-PGA can be used to protect Bifidobacteria cells in fruit juice, and could also help improve the survival of cells as they pass through the harsh conditions of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT). Following our previous report on the use of γ-PGA as a cryoprotectant for probiotic bacteria, this research further suggests that γ-PGA could be used to improve probiotic survival during the various stages of preparation, storage and ingestion of probiotic cells. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

VEGF improves survival of mesenchymal stem cells in infarcted hearts

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pons, Jennifer; Huang Yu; Arakawa-Hoyt, Janice

2008-11-14

Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) are a promising source for cell-based treatment of myocardial infarction (MI), but existing strategies are restricted by low cell survival and engraftment. We examined whether vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) improve MSC viability in infracted hearts. We found long-term culture increased MSC-cellular stress: expressing more cell cycle inhibitors, p16{sup INK}, p21 and p19{sup ARF}. VEGF treatment reduced cellular stress, increased pro-survival factors, phosphorylated-Akt and Bcl-xL expression and cell proliferation. Co-injection of MSCs with VEGF to MI hearts increased cell engraftment and resulted in better improvement of cardiac function than that injected with MSCs ormore » VEGF alone. In conclusion, VEGF protects MSCs from culture-induce cellular stress and improves their viability in ischemic myocardium, which results in improvements of their therapeutic effect for the treatment of MI.« less

Can metamorphosis survival during larval development in spiny lobster Sagmariasus verreauxi be improved through quantitative genetic inheritance?

PubMed

Nguyen, Nguyen H; Fitzgibbon, Quinn P; Quinn, Jane; Smith, Greg; Battaglene, Stephen; Knibb, Wayne

2018-05-04

One of the major impediments to spiny lobster aquaculture is the high cost of hatchery production due to the long and complex larval cycle and poor survival during the many moult stages, especially at metamorphosis. We examined if the key trait of larval survival can be improved through selection by determining if genetic variance exists for this trait. Specifically, we report, for the first time, genetic parameters (heritability and correlations) for early survival rates recorded at five larval phases; early-phyllosoma stages (instars 1-6; S1), mid-phyllosoma stages (instars; 7-12; S2), late-phyllosoma stages (instars 13-17; S3), metamorphosis (S4) and puerulus stage (S5) in hatchery-reared spiny lobster Sagmariasus verreauxi. The data were collected from a total of 235,060 larvae produced from 18 sires and 30 dams over nine years (2006 to 2014). Parentage of the offspring and full-sib families was verified using ten microsatellite markers. Analysis of variance components showed that the estimates of heritability for all the five phases of larval survival obtained from linear mixed model were generally similar to those obtained from threshold logistic generalised models (0.03-0.47 vs. 0.01-0.50). The heritability estimates for survival traits recorded in the early larval phases (S1 and S2) were higher than those estimated in later phases (S3, S4 and S5). The existence of the additive genetic component in larval survival traits indicate that they could be improved through selection. Both phenotypic and genetic correlations among the five survival measures studied were moderate to high and positive. The genetic associations between successive rearing periods were stronger than those that are further apart. Our estimates of heritability and genetic correlations reported here in a spiny lobster species indicate that improvement in the early survival especially during metamorphosis can be achieved through genetic selection in this highly economic value species.

Eribulin Improves Survival of Women with Metastatic Breast Cancer

Cancer.gov

Treatment with eribulin (Halaven™) improved overall survival in women with metastatic breast cancer whose disease progressed despite multiple rounds of prior chemotherapy, according to the results of a phase III clinical trial called EMBRACE.

SU-E-T-352: Why Is the Survival Rate Low in Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma?

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Huang, Z; Feng, Y; Rasmussen, K

2014-06-01

Purpose: Tumors are composed of a large number of clonogens that have the capability of indefinite reproduction. Even when there is complete clinical or radiographic regression of the gross tumor mass after treatment, tumor recurrence can occur if the clonogens are not completely eradicated by radiotherapy. This study was to investigate the colonogen number and its association with the tumor control probability (TCP) in oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OSCCA). Methods: A literature search was conducted to collect clinical information of patients with OSCCA, including the prescription dose, tumor volume and survival rate. The linear-quadratic (LQ) model was incorporated into TCPmore » model for clinical data analysis. The total dose ranged from 60 to 70 Gy and tumor volume ranged from 10 to 50 cc. The TCP was calculated for each group according to tumor size and dose. The least χ{sup 2} method was used to fit the TCP calculation to clinical data while other LQ model parameters (α, β) were adopted from the literature, due to the limited patient data. Results: A total of 190 patients with T2–T4 OSCCA were included. The association with HPV was not available for all the patients. The 3-year survival rate was about 82% for T2 squamous cell carcinoma and 40% for advanced tumors. Fitting the TCP model to the survival data, the average clonogen number was 1.56×10{sup 12}. For the prescription dose of 70 Gy, the calculated TCP ranged from 40% to 90% when the tumor volume varied from 10 to 50 cc. Conclusion: Our data suggests variation between the clonogen number and TCP in OSCCA. Tumors with larger colonogen number tend to have lower TCP and therefore dose escalation above 70 Gy may be indicated in order to improve the TCP and survival rate. Our result will require future confirmation with a large number of patients.« less

Improving rotorcraft survivability to RPG attack using inverse methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anderson, D.; Thomson, D. G.

2009-09-01

This paper presents the results of a preliminary investigation of optimal threat evasion strategies for improving the survivability of rotorcraft under attack by rocket propelled grenades (RPGs). The basis of this approach is the application of inverse simulation techniques pioneered for simulation of aggressive helicopter manoeuvres to the RPG engagement problem. In this research, improvements in survivability are achieved by computing effective evasive manoeuvres. The first step in this process uses the missile approach warning system camera (MAWS) on the aircraft to provide angular information of the threat. Estimates of the RPG trajectory and impact point are then estimated. For the current flight state an appropriate evasion response is selected then realised via inverse simulation of the platform dynamics. Results are presented for several representative engagements showing the efficacy of the approach.

Egg Hatch Rate and Nymphal Survival of the Bed Bug (Hemiptera: Cimicidae) After Exposure to Insecticide Sprays.

PubMed

Hinson, K R; Benson, E P; Zungoli, P A; Bridges, W C; Ellis, B R

2016-12-01

Few studies have addressed the efficacy of insecticides used against eggs and first-instar nymphs of the bed bug, Cimex lectularius L. (Hemiptera: Cimicidae). Insect eggs are often resistant to insecticides; therefore, information on which products are effective is important. We evaluated the efficacy of four commonly used insecticide sprays applied directly to bed bug eggs. We also evaluated the efficacy of these insecticides to first-instar nymphs exposed to residuals resulting from directly spraying eggs. Temprid SC (beta-cyfluthrin, imidacloprid) was the most effective insecticide at preventing egg hatch (13% hatch rate) for pyrethroid-resistant, field-strain (Jersey City) bed bugs compared with a control (water [99% hatch rate]), Bedlam (MGK-264, sumithrin [84% hatch rate]), Demand CS (lambda-cyhalothrin [91% hatch rate]), and Phantom SC (chlorfenapyr [95% hatch rate]). Demand CS and Temprid SC were most effective at preventing egg hatch (0%) for an insecticide-susceptible (Harold Harlan) strain, followed by Bedlam (28%). Phantom SC produced a hatch rate similar to the control (97% and 96%, respectively). Harold Harlan-strain nymphs showed 100% survival for the control but 0% survival for Bedlam and Phantom SC. Jersey City-strain nymphs showed 100% survival for the control, 99% survival for Bedlam, 0% survival for Demand CS, 4% survival for Phantom SC, and 38% survival for Temprid SC. Demand CS was less effective at preventing hatch (91% hatch rate) of Jersey City-strain nymphs but was the only product to kill all nymphs (0% survival). One of the least effective products for preventing Jersey City-strain egg hatch (Phantom SC, 95% hatch rate) was the second most effective at killing nymphs, leaving only six of 141 alive. These findings indicate that survival of directly sprayed eggs and residually exposed, first-instar nymphs varies by strain, life stage, and product used. © The Authors 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological

Reduction of diffusion barriers in isolated rat islets improves survival, but not insulin secretion or transplantation outcome

PubMed Central

Janette Williams, S; Huang, Han-Hung; Kover, Karen; Moore, Wayne; Berkland, Cory; Singh, Milind; Smirnova, Irina V; MacGregor, Ronal

2010-01-01

For people with type 1 diabetes and severe hypoglycemic unawareness, islet transplants offer hope for improving the quality of life. However, islet cell death occurs quickly during or after transplantation, requiring large quantities of islets per transplant. The purpose of this study was to determine whether poor function demonstrated in large islets was a result of diffusion barriers and if removing those barriers could improve function and transplantation outcomes. Islets were isolated from male DA rats and measured for cell viability, islet survival, glucose diffusion and insulin secretion. Modeling of diffusion barriers was completed using dynamic partial differential equations for a sphere. Core cell death occurred in 100% of the large islets (diameter >150 µm), resulting in poor survival within 7 days after isolation. In contrast, small islets (diameter <100 µm) exhibited good survival rates in culture (91%). Glucose diffusion into islets was tracked with 2-NBDG; 4.2 µm/min in small islets and 2.8 µm/min in large islets. 2-NBDG never permeated to the core cells of islets larger than 150 µm diameter. Reducing the diffusion barrier in large islets improved their immediate and long-term viability in culture. However, reduction of the diffusion barrier in large islets failed to improve their inferior in vitro insulin secretion compared to small islets, and did not return glucose control to diabetic animals following transplantation. Thus, diffusion barriers lead to low viability and poor survival for large islets, but are not solely responsible for the inferior insulin secretion or poor transplantation outcomes of large versus small islets. PMID:20885858

Survival of Chinese Hamster Ovary Cells Following Ultrahigh Dose Rate Electron and Bremsstrahlung Radiation

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-04-01

and a stepped lead flattening filter. The electron energy used for these studies was 13 MeV. Dosimetry was performed by the Health Physics Division...VolI LJSAFSAPA-TR-90-4 AD-A222 722 SURVIVAL OF CHINESE HAMSTER OVARY CELLS FOLLOWING ULTRAHIGH DOSE RATE ELECTRON AND BREMISSTRAHLUNG RADIATION...Include Security ;a!. iatcn) Survival of Chinese Hamster Ovary Cells Following Ultrahigh Dose Rate Electron and Bremsstrahlung Radiation 12 PERSONAL

Modest overall survival improvements from 1998 to 2009 in metastatic gastric cancer patients: a population-based SEER analysis.

PubMed

Ebinger, Sabrina M; Warschkow, René; Tarantino, Ignazio; Schmied, Bruno M; Güller, Ulrich; Schiesser, Marc

2016-07-01

An increasing fraction of gastric cancer patients present with distant metastases at diagnosis. The objective of the present 11-year population-based trend analysis was to assess the survival rates in patients who underwent and in patients who did not undergo palliative gastrectomy. Patients with metastatic gastric cancer were identified from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database between 1998 and 2009. Time trend and impact of palliative gastrectomy on survival were assessed by both a multivariate Cox proportional hazards model and propensity score matching. We identified 8249 patients with stage IV gastric cancer. The rate of metastatic disease increased from 31.0 % in 1998 to 37.5 % in 2009 (P < 0.001). The palliative gastrectomy rate dropped from 18.8 to 10.2 % (P = 0.004). The median survival for patients who underwent palliative gastrectomy (N = 1445, 17.4 %) and for patients who did not undergo palliative gastrectomy (N = 6804, 82.4 %) was 7 and 3 months, respectively. There was an increase in median overall survival from 2 months (1998) to 3 months (2009) in the no-gastrectomy group, and from 6.5 to 8 months in the gastrectomy group. The 3-year cancer-specific survival rates were 2.1 % (95 % confidence interval 1.7-2.5 %) for patients who did not undergo palliative gastrectomy and 9.4 % (95 % confidence interval 7.8-11.2 %) for patients who underwent palliative gastrectomy (P < 0.001). Palliative gastrectomy was associated with an increased cancer-specific survival in propensity-score-adjusted Cox regression analyses (hazard ratio 0.50, 95 % confidence interval 0.46-0.55, P < 0.001). On a population-based level, only modest improvements in prognosis for metastatic gastric cancer were observed in patients who underwent and in patients who did not undergo palliative gastrectomy. Considering the low rate of midterm survivors in both groups, only a small subgroup of patients benefits from palliative

Improved long-term survival after major resection for hepatocellular carcinoma: a multicenter analysis based on a new definition of major hepatectomy.

PubMed

Andreou, Andreas; Vauthey, Jean-Nicolas; Cherqui, Daniel; Zimmitti, Giuseppe; Ribero, Dario; Truty, Mark J; Wei, Steven H; Curley, Steven A; Laurent, Alexis; Poon, Ronnie T; Belghiti, Jacques; Nagorney, David M; Aloia, Thomas A

2013-01-01

Advances in the surgical management of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have expanded the indications for curative hepatectomy, including more extensive liver resections. The purpose of this study was to examine long-term survival trends for patients treated with major hepatectomy for HCC. Clinicopathologic data for 1,115 patients with HCC who underwent hepatectomy between 1981 and 2008 at five hepatobiliary centers in France, China, and the USA were assessed. In addition to other performance metrics, outcomes were evaluated using resection of ≥4 liver segments as a novel definition of major hepatectomy. Major hepatectomy was performed in 539 patients. In the major hepatectomy group, median tumor size was 10 cm (range: 1-27 cm) and 22 % of the patients had bilateral lesions. The TNM Stage distribution included 29 % Stage I, 31 % Stage II, 38 % Stage III, and 2 % Stage IV. The postoperative histologic examination indicated that chronic liver disease was present in 35 % of the patients and tumor microvascular invasion was identified in 60 % of the patients. The 90-day postoperative mortality rate was 4 %. After a median follow-up time of 63 months, the 5-year overall survival rate was 40 %. Patients treated with right hepatectomy (n = 332) and those requiring extended hepatectomy (n = 207) had similar 90-day postoperative mortality rates (4 % and 4 %, respectively, p = 0.976) and 5-year overall survival rates (42 % and 36 %, respectively, p = 0.523). Postoperative mortality and overall survival rates after major hepatectomy were similar among the participating countries (p > 0.1) and improved over time with 5-year survival rates of 30 %, 40 %, and 51 % for the years 1981-1989, 1990-1999, and the most recent era of 2000-2008, respectively (p = 0.004). In multivariate analysis, factors that were significantly associated with worse survivals included AFP level >1,000 ng/mL, tumor size >5 cm, presence of major vascular

Survival rates among Seventh Day Adventists compared with the general population in Poland.

PubMed

Jedrychowski, W; Tobiasz-Adamczyk, B; Olma, A; Gradzikiewicz, P

1985-01-01

The purpose of the work was to test the hypothesis that the survival rate is higher among the Seventh Day Adventists (SDA) than in the general population of Poland, because of the strictly respected customs adhered to by members of this church community, such as abstinence from smoking and from alcohol. The data on life expectancy in the SDA community covered a total of 236 members of this denomination in Kraków (86 males and 150 females). The survival probability rates were estimated by the life table method, for both men and women separately, and were subsequently compared with the corresponding parameters of the Polish Life Tables. Over a period of 10 years, in which these data were studied, there were 11 deaths in males and 24 deaths in females. Mean age at death was 71.9 years among men and 75.1 among women. The survival curves traced over the age groups of both sexes of SDA members were fairly similar, but they were markedly higher than in the general population of Poland. In the general population the survival rates for people over 40 years old were higher in females than in males, whereas no corresponding sex differences in rates concerning SDA members were observed. The greater benefit in life expectancy is gained in the SDA group in comparison with men in the general population. This is attributable to their abstinence from very harmful habits, otherwise more widespread in this sex group.

The cardiac regenerative potential of myoblasts remains limited despite improving their survival via antioxidant treatment.

PubMed

Beckman, Sarah A; Sekiya, Naosumi; Chen, William C W; Mlakar, Logan; Tobita, Kimimassa; Huard, Johnny

2014-01-01

Since myoblasts have been limited by poor cell survival after cellular myoplasty, the major goal of the current study was to determine whether improving myoblast survival with an antioxidant could improve cardiac function after the transplantation of the myoblasts into an acute myocardial infarction. We previously demonstrated that early myogenic progenitors such as muscle-derived stem cells (MDSCs) exhibited superior cell survival and improved cardiac repair after transplantation into infarcted hearts compared to myoblasts, which we partially attributed to MDSC's higher antioxidant levels. To determine if antioxidant treatment could increase myoblast survival, subsequently improving cardiac function after myoblast transplantation into infarcted hearts. Myoblasts were pre-treated with the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC) or the glutathione depleter, diethyl maleate (DEM), and injected into infarcted murine hearts. Regenerative potential was monitored by cell survival and cardiac function. At early time points, hearts injected with NAC-treated myoblasts exhibited increased donor cell survival, greater cell proliferation, and decreased cellular apoptosis, compared to untreated myoblasts. NAC-treated myoblasts significantly improved cardiac contractility, reduced fibrosis, and increased vascular density compared to DEM-treated myoblasts, but compared to untreated myoblasts, no difference was noted. While early survival of myoblasts transplanted into infarcted hearts was augmented by NAC pre-treatment, cardiac function remained unchanged compared to non-treated myoblasts. Despite improving cell survival with NAC treated myoblast transplantation in a MI heart, cardiac function remained similar to untreated myoblasts. These results suggest that the reduced cardiac regenerative potential of myoblasts, when compared to MDSCs, is not only attributable to cell survival but is probably also related to the secretion of paracrine factors by the MDSCs.

Lung Cancer in a Rural Area of China: Rapid Rise in Incidence and Poor Improvement in Survival.

PubMed

Yang, Juan; Zhu, Jian; Zhang, Yong-Hui; Chen, Yong-Sheng; Ding, Lu-Lu; Kensler, Thomas W; Chen, Jian-Guo

2015-01-01

Lung cancer has been a major health problem in developed countries for several decades, and has emerged recently as the leading cause of cancer death in many developing countries. The incidence of lung cancer appears to be increasing more rapidly in rural than in urban areas of China. This paper presents the trends of lung cancer incidence and survival derived from a 40-year population-based cancer monitoring program in a rural area, Qidong, China. The Qidong cancer registration data of 1972- 2011 were used to calculate the crude rate, age-standardized rate by Chinese population (CASR) and by world population (WASR), birth cohort rates, and other descriptive features. Active and passive methods were used to construct the data set, with a deadline of the latest follow-up of April 30, 2012. The total number of lung cancer cases was 15,340, accounting for 16.5% of all sites combined. The crude incidence rate, CASR and WASR of this cancer were 34.1, 15.7 and 25.4 per 100,000, respectively. Males had higher crude rates than females (49.7 vs 19.0). Rapidly increasing trends were found in annual percent change resulting in lung cancer being a number one cancer site after year 2010 in Qidong. Birth cohort analysis showed incidence rates have increased for all age groups over 24 years old. The 5 year observed survival rates were 3.55% in 1973-1977, 3.92 in 1983-1987, 3.69% in 1993-1997, and 6.32% in 2003-2007. Males experienced poorer survival than did females. Lung cancer has become a major cancer-related health problem in this rural area. The rapid increases in incidence likely result from an increased cigarette smoking rate and evolving environmental risk factors. Lung cancer survival, while showing some improvement in prognosis, still remains well below that observed in the developed areas of the world.

On the relationship between tumour growth rate and survival in non-small cell lung cancer.

PubMed

Mistry, Hitesh B

2017-01-01

A recurrent question within oncology drug development is predicting phase III outcome for a new treatment using early clinical data. One approach to tackle this problem has been to derive metrics from mathematical models that describe tumour size dynamics termed re-growth rate and time to tumour re-growth. They have shown to be strong predictors of overall survival in numerous studies but there is debate about how these metrics are derived and if they are more predictive than empirical end-points. This work explores the issues raised in using model-derived metric as predictors for survival analyses. Re-growth rate and time to tumour re-growth were calculated for three large clinical studies by forward and reverse alignment. The latter involves re-aligning patients to their time of progression. Hence, it accounts for the time taken to estimate re-growth rate and time to tumour re-growth but also assesses if these predictors correlate to survival from the time of progression. I found that neither re-growth rate nor time to tumour re-growth correlated to survival using reverse alignment. This suggests that the dynamics of tumours up until disease progression has no relationship to survival post progression. For prediction of a phase III trial I found the metrics performed no better than empirical end-points. These results highlight that care must be taken when relating dynamics of tumour imaging to survival and that bench-marking new approaches to existing ones is essential.

Human Hepatocyte Growth Factor (hHGF)-Modified Hepatic Oval Cells Improve Liver Transplant Survival

PubMed Central

Li, Li; Ran, Jiang-Hua; Li, Xue-Hua; Liu, Zhi-Heng; Liu, Gui-Jie; Gao, Yan-Chao; Zhang, Xue-Li; Sun, Hiu-Dong

2012-01-01

Despite progress in the field of immunosuppression, acute rejection is still a common postoperative complication following liver transplantation. This study aims to investigate the capacity of the human hepatocyte growth factor (hHGF) in modifying hepatic oval cells (HOCs) administered simultaneously with orthotopic liver transplantation as a means of improving graft survival. HOCs were activated and isolated using a modified 2-acetylaminofluorene/partial hepatectomy (2-AAF/PH) model in male Lewis rats. A HOC line stably expressing the HGF gene was established following stable transfection of the pBLAST2-hHGF plasmid. Our results demonstrated that hHGF-modified HOCs could efficiently differentiate into hepatocytes and bile duct epithelial cells in vitro. Administration of HOCs at the time of liver transplantation induced a wider distribution of SRY-positive donor cells in liver tissues. Administration of hHGF-HOC at the time of transplantation remarkably prolonged the median survival time and improved liver function for recipients compared to these parameters in the other treatment groups (P<0.05). Moreover, hHGF-HOC administration at the time of liver transplantation significantly suppressed elevation of interleukin-2 (IL-2), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) levels while increasing the production of IL-10 and TGF-β1 (P<0.05). HOC or hHGF-HOC administration promoted cell proliferation, reduced cell apoptosis, and decreased liver allograft rejection rates. Furthermore, hHGF-modified HOCs more efficiently reduced acute allograft rejection (P<0.05 versus HOC transplantation only). Our results indicate that the combination of hHGF-modified HOCs with liver transplantation decreased host anti-graft immune responses resulting in a reduction of allograft rejection rates and prolonging graft survival in recipient rats. This suggests that HOC-based cell transplantation therapies can be developed as a means of treating severe liver injuries. PMID

Examining mortality risk and rate of ageing among Polish Olympic athletes: a survival follow-up from 1924 to 2012.

PubMed

Lin, Yuhui; Gajewski, Antoni; Poznańska, Anna

2016-04-18

Population-based studies have shown that an active lifestyle reduces mortality risk. Therefore, it has been a longstanding belief that individuals who engage in frequent exercise will experience a slower rate of ageing. It is uncertain whether this widely-accepted assumption holds for intense wear-and-tear. Here, using the 88 years survival follow-up data of Polish Olympic athletes, we report for the first time on whether frequent exercise alters the rate of ageing. Longitudinal survival data of male elite Polish athletes who participated in the Olympic Games from year 1924 to 2010 were used. Deaths occurring before the end of World War II were excluded for reliable estimates. Recruited male elite athletes N=1273 were preassigned to two categorical birth cohorts--Cohort I 1890-1919; Cohort II 1920-1959--and a parametric frailty survival analysis was conducted. An event-history analysis was also conducted to adjust for medical improvements from year 1920 onwards: Cohort II. Our findings suggest (1) in Cohort I, for every threefold reduction in mortality risk, the rate of ageing decelerates by 1%; (2) socioeconomic transitions and interventions contribute to a reduction in mortality risk of 29% for the general population and 50% for Olympic athletes; (3) an optimum benefit gained for reducing the rate of ageing from competitive sports (Cohort I 0.086 (95% CI 0.047 to 0.157) and Cohort II 0.085 (95% CI 0.050 to 0.144)). This study further suggests that intensive physical training during youth should be considered as a factor to improve ageing and mortality risk parameters. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

High survival rates and associated factors among ebola virus disease patients hospitalized at donka national hospital, conakry, Guinea.

PubMed

Qureshi, Adnan I; Chughtai, Morad; Bah, Elhadj Ibrahima; Barry, Moumié; Béavogui, Kézély; Loua, Tokpagnan Oscar; Malik, Ahmed A

2015-02-01

Anecdotal reports suggesting that survival rates among hospitalized patients with Ebola virus disease in Guinea are higher than the 29.2% rate observed in the current epidemic in West Africa. Survival after symptom onset was determined using Kaplan Meier survival methods among patients with confirmed Ebola virus disease treated in Conakry, Guinea from March 25, 2014, to August 5, 2014. We analyzed the relationship between survival and patient factors, including demographics and clinical features. Of the 70 patients analyzed [mean age ± standard deviation (SD), 34 ± 14.1; 44 were men], 42 were discharged alive with a survival rate among hospitalized patients of 60% (95% confidence interval, 41.5-78.5%). The survival rate was 28 (71.8%) among 39 patients under 34 years of age, and 14 (46.7%) among 30 patients aged 35 years or greater (p = 0.034). The rates of myalgia (3 of 42 versus 7 of 28, p = 0.036) and hiccups (1 of 42 versus 5 of 28, p = 0.023) were significantly lower among patients who survived. Our results provide insights into a cohort of hospitalized patients with Ebola virus disease in whom survival is prominently higher than seen in other cohorts of hospitalized patients.

High Survival Rates and Associated Factors Among Ebola Virus Disease Patients Hospitalized at Donka National Hospital, Conakry, Guinea

PubMed Central

Qureshi, Adnan I.; Chughtai, Morad; Bah, Elhadj Ibrahima; Barry, Moumié; Béavogui, Kézély; Loua, Tokpagnan Oscar; Malik, Ahmed A.

2015-01-01

Background Anecdotal reports suggesting that survival rates among hospitalized patients with Ebola virus disease in Guinea are higher than the 29.2% rate observed in the current epidemic in West Africa. Methods Survival after symptom onset was determined using Kaplan Meier survival methods among patients with confirmed Ebola virus disease treated in Conakry, Guinea from March 25, 2014, to August 5, 2014. We analyzed the relationship between survival and patient factors, including demographics and clinical features. Results Of the 70 patients analyzed [mean age ± standard deviation (SD), 34 ± 14.1; 44 were men], 42 were discharged alive with a survival rate among hospitalized patients of 60% (95% confidence interval, 41.5–78.5%). The survival rate was 28 (71.8%) among 39 patients under 34 years of age, and 14 (46.7%) among 30 patients aged 35 years or greater (p = 0.034). The rates of myalgia (3 of 42 versus 7 of 28, p = 0.036) and hiccups (1 of 42 versus 5 of 28, p = 0.023) were significantly lower among patients who survived. Conclusions Our results provide insights into a cohort of hospitalized patients with Ebola virus disease in whom survival is prominently higher than seen in other cohorts of hospitalized patients. PMID:25992182

Exogenous carbon monoxide suppresses Escherichia coli vitality and improves survival in an Escherichia coli-induced murine sepsis model.

PubMed

Shen, Wei-chang; Wang, Xu; Qin, Wei-ting; Qiu, Xue-feng; Sun, Bing-wei

2014-12-01

Endogenous carbon monoxide (CO) has been shown to modulate inflammation and inhibit cytokine production both in vivo and in vitro. The aim of this study was to examine whether exogenous carbon monoxide could suppress the vitality of Escherichia coli (E coli) and improve the survival rate in an E coli-induced murine sepsis model. ICR mice were infected with E coli, and immediately injected intravenously with carbon monoxide releasing molecule-2 (CORM-2, 8 mg/kg) or inactive CORM-2 (8 mg/kg). The survival rate was monitored 6 times daily for up to 36 h. The blood samples, liver and lung tissues were collected at 6 h after the infection. Bacteria in peritoneal lavage fluid, blood and tissues were enumerated following culture. Tissue iNOS mRNA expression was detected using RT-PCR. NF-κB expression was detected with Western blotting. Addition of CORM-2 (200 and 400 μmol/L) into culture medium concentration-dependently suppressed the growth of E coli and decreased the colony numbers, but inactive CORM-2 had no effect. Treatment of the infected mice with CORM-2 significantly increased the survival rate to 55%, while all the infected mice treated with inactive CORM-2 died within 36 h. E coli infection caused severe pathological changes in liver and lungs, and significantly increased serum transaminases, lipopolysaccharide, TNF-α and IL-1β levels, as well as myeloperoxidase activity, TNF-α and IL-1β levels in the major organs. Meanwhile, E coli infection significantly increased the number of colonies and the expression of iNOS mRNA and NF-κB in the major organs. All these abnormalities were significantly attenuated by CORM-2 treatment, while inactive CORM-2 was ineffective. In addition directly suppressing E coli, CORM-2 protects the liver and lungs against E coli-induced sepsis in mice, thus improving their survival.

Combining Gene Signatures Improves Prediction of Breast Cancer Survival

PubMed Central

Zhao, Xi; Naume, Bjørn; Langerød, Anita; Frigessi, Arnoldo; Kristensen, Vessela N.; Børresen-Dale, Anne-Lise; Lingjærde, Ole Christian

2011-01-01

Background Several gene sets for prediction of breast cancer survival have been derived from whole-genome mRNA expression profiles. Here, we develop a statistical framework to explore whether combination of the information from such sets may improve prediction of recurrence and breast cancer specific death in early-stage breast cancers. Microarray data from two clinically similar cohorts of breast cancer patients are used as training (n = 123) and test set (n = 81), respectively. Gene sets from eleven previously published gene signatures are included in the study. Principal Findings To investigate the relationship between breast cancer survival and gene expression on a particular gene set, a Cox proportional hazards model is applied using partial likelihood regression with an L2 penalty to avoid overfitting and using cross-validation to determine the penalty weight. The fitted models are applied to an independent test set to obtain a predicted risk for each individual and each gene set. Hierarchical clustering of the test individuals on the basis of the vector of predicted risks results in two clusters with distinct clinical characteristics in terms of the distribution of molecular subtypes, ER, PR status, TP53 mutation status and histological grade category, and associated with significantly different survival probabilities (recurrence: p = 0.005; breast cancer death: p = 0.014). Finally, principal components analysis of the gene signatures is used to derive combined predictors used to fit a new Cox model. This model classifies test individuals into two risk groups with distinct survival characteristics (recurrence: p = 0.003; breast cancer death: p = 0.001). The latter classifier outperforms all the individual gene signatures, as well as Cox models based on traditional clinical parameters and the Adjuvant! Online for survival prediction. Conclusion Combining the predictive strength of multiple gene signatures improves prediction of breast

Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy versus Chemoradiation Prior to Esophagectomy: Impact on Rate of Complete Pathologic Response and Survival in Esophageal Cancer Patients.

PubMed

Samson, Pamela; Robinson, Clifford; Bradley, Jeffrey; Lockhart, A Craig; Puri, Varun; Broderick, Stephen; Kreisel, Daniel; Krupnick, A Sasha; Patterson, G Alexander; Meyers, Bryan; Crabtree, Traves

2016-12-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate differences in pathologic complete response (pCR) rates and overall survival among patients receiving either neoadjuvant chemotherapy or chemoradiation before esophagectomy for locally advanced esophageal cancer. Patients with esophageal cancer receiving either neoadjuvant chemotherapy or chemoradiation before esophagectomy were identified using the National Cancer Database. Univariate analysis compared patient, tumor, and postoperative outcome characteristics. Logistic regression was performed to identify variables associated with achieving pCR. Kaplan-Meier analysis was performed to compare overall median survival by neoadjuvant therapy type and pCR status. Finally, a Cox proportional hazards model was fitted to identify variables associated with increased mortality hazard. From 2006 to 2012, a total of 916 of 7338 of patients (12.5%) received neoadjuvant chemotherapy whereas 6422 (87.5%) received neoadjuvant chemoradiation. Patients who received neoadjuvant chemoradiation were more likely to achieve a pCR (17.2% versus 6.4%, p < 0.001) and less likely to have positive margins (5.6% versus 11.5%, p < 0.001) than were patients who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy, with no difference in 30- or 90-day mortality. Achieving a pCR was associated with improved overall median survival (59.5 ± 4.0 months versus 30.1 ± 0.76 months for those with persistent disease, p < 0.001). On logistic regression, neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy was independently associated with achieving a pCR (OR = 2.75, 95% confidence interval: 2.01-3.77, p < 0.001). Despite improvement in the pCR rate with neoadjuvant chemoradiation, neoadjuvant therapy type was not independently associated with long-term survival (hazard ratio = 1.12; 95% confidence interval: 0.97-1.30, p = 0.12). Although neoadjuvant chemoradiation is more successful in downstaging esophageal cancer before esophagectomy, it was not independently prognostic for improved long

Survival Analysis of US Air Force Officer Retention Rate

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-03-23

Air Force Institute of Technology AFIT Scholar Theses and Dissertations 3-23-2017 Survival Analysis of US Air Force Officer Retention Rate Courtney N...AIR UNIVERSITY AIR FORCE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT A. APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE...to the Faculty Department of Operational Sciences Graduate School of Engineering and Management Air Force Institute of Technology Air University

Improving Survival and Promoting Respiratory Motor Function After Cervical Spinal Cord Injury

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-09-01

ventilator in order to survive. Use of the ventilator severely limits the quality of life of those injured and dramatically increases the demand for health...care for cervical SCI patients so as to lead to an improved quality of life , better-quality health care management, and improved functional outcomes...mechanical ventilator in order to survive. Use of the ventilator severely limits the quality of life of those injured and dramatically increases the

The cardiac regenerative potential of myoblasts remains limited despite improving their survival via antioxidant treatment

PubMed Central

Beckman, Sarah A.; Sekiya, Naosumi; Chen, William C.W.; Mlakar, Logan; Tobita, Kimimassa; Huard, Johnny

2017-01-01

Introduction Since myoblasts have been limited by poor cell survival after cellular myoplasty, the major goal of the current study was to determine whether improving myoblast survival with an antioxidant could improve cardiac function after the transplantation of the myoblasts into an acute myocardial infarction. Background We previously demonstrated that early myogenic progenitors such as muscle-derived stem cells (MDSCs) exhibited superior cell survival and improved cardiac repair after transplantation into infarcted hearts compared to myoblasts, which we partially attributed to MDSC’s higher antioxidant levels. Aim To determine if antioxidant treatment could increase myoblast survival, subsequently improving cardiac function after myoblast transplantation into infarcted hearts. Materials and Methods Myoblasts were pre-treated with the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC) or the glutathione depleter, diethyl maleate (DEM), and injected into infarcted murine hearts. Regenerative potential was monitored by cell survival and cardiac function. Results At early time points, hearts injected with NAC-treated myoblasts exhibited increased donor cell survival, greater cell proliferation, and decreased cellular apoptosis, compared to untreated myoblasts. NAC-treated myoblasts significantly improved cardiac contractility, reduced fibrosis, and increased vascular density compared to DEM-treated myoblasts, but compared to untreated myoblasts, no difference was noted. Discussion While early survival of myoblasts transplanted into infarcted hearts was augmented by NAC pre-treatment, cardiac function remained unchanged compared to non-treated myoblasts. Conclusion Despite improving cell survival with NAC treated myoblast transplantation in a MI heart, cardiac function remained similar to untreated myoblasts. These results suggest that the reduced cardiac regenerative potential of myoblasts, when compared to MDSCs, is not only attributable to cell survival but is probably also

Tidal and seasonal effects on survival rates of the endangered California clapper rail: Does invasive Spartina facilitate greater survival in a dynamic environment?

USGS Publications Warehouse

Overton, Cory T.; Casazza, Michael L.; Takekawa, John Y.; Strong, Donald R.; Holyoak, Marcel

2014-01-01

Invasive species frequently degrade habitats, disturb ecosystem processes, and can increase the likelihood of extinction of imperiled populations. However, novel or enhanced functions provided by invading species may reduce the impact of processes that limit populations. It is important to recognize how invasive species benefit endangered species to determine overall effects on sensitive ecosystems. For example, since the 1990s, hybrid Spartina (Spartina foliosa × alterniflora) has expanded throughout South San Francisco Bay, USA, supplanting native vegetation and invading mudflats. The endangered California clapper rail (Rallus longirostris obsoletus) uses the tall, dense hybrid Spartina for cover and nesting, but the effects of hybrid Spartina on clapper rail survival was unknown. We estimated survival rates of 108 radio-marked California clapper rails in South San Francisco Bay from January 2007 to March 2010, a period of extensive hybrid Spartina eradication, with Kaplan–Meier product limit estimators. Clapper rail survival patterns were consistent with hybrid Spartina providing increased refuge cover from predators during tidal extremes which flood native vegetation, particularly during the winter when the vegetation senesces. Model averaged annual survival rates within hybrid Spartina dominated marshes before eradication (Ŝ = 0.466) were greater than the same marshes posttreatment (Ŝ = 0.275) and a marsh dominated by native vegetation (Ŝ = 0.272). However, models with and without marsh treatment as explanatory factor for survival rates had nearly equivalent support in the observed data, lending ambiguity as to whether hybrid Spartina facilitated greater survival rates than native marshland. Conservation actions to aid in recovery of this endangered species should recognize the importance of available of high tide refugia, particularly in light of invasive species eradication programs and projections of future sea-level rise.

Epidemiological Data and Survival Rate of Removable Partial Dentures

PubMed Central

Moreno, Amália; Haddad, Marcela Filié; Rocha, Eduardo Passos; Assunção, Wirley Gonçalves; Filho, Humberto Gennari; Santos, Emerson Gomes Dos; Sonego, Mariana Vilela; Santos, Daniela Micheline Dos

2016-01-01

Introduction The use of removable partial denture (RPD) is considered as low-cost and common treatment option to rehabilitate edentulous areas. Aim This study aimed to investigate the epidemiological data of patients rehabilitated with removable partial denture (RPD) in order to assess treatment survival rate and failures. Materials and Methods Epidemiological data and medical records of patients treated with RPD between 2007 and 2012 at the RPD discipline of a Brazilian University (Aracatuba Dental School- UNESP) were evaluated as well as dental records of patients who underwent RPD treatments (fabrication or repairs) between 2000 and 2010. Factors such as gender, age, presence of systemic disease, main complaint, edentulous arch, period and cause of denture replacement and the prosthesis characteristics were recorded. The chi-square test was used to assess the differences between the variables and the Kaplan Meyer to assess the survival of the RPDs evaluated. Results A total of 324 maxillary RPD and 432 mandibular RPD were fabricated. Most of the patients were women aging 41 to 60-year-old. The number of mandibular RPD Kennedy class I (26%) was statistically higher for the maxillary arch (p<.05). There was no association between main complaint to gender or the presence of systemic disease. The lingual plate was the most common major connector used in the mandible (32%). The main reason for altering the design of replaced RPDs were changes during treatment plan. Conclusion The number of patients who require RPD is large; most of RPDs are Kennedy Class I. A good treatment plan is very important for achieving a positive treatment outcome, and it is strictly related to the survival rate. PMID:27437367

A retrospective study on related factors affecting the survival rate of dental implants

PubMed Central

Kang, Jeong-Kyung; Lee, Ki; Lee, Yong-Sang; Park, Pil-Kyoo

2011-01-01

PURPOSE The aim of this retrospective study is to analyze the relationship between local factors and survival rate of dental implant which had been installed and restored in Seoul Veterans Hospital dental center for past 10 years. And when the relationship is found out, it could be helpful to predict the prognosis of dental implants. MATERIALS AND METHODS A retrospective study of patients receiving root-shaped screw-type dental implants placed from January 2000 to December 2009 was conducted. 6385 implants were placed in 3755 patients. The following data were collected from the dental records and radiographs: patient's age, gender, implant type and surface, length, diameter, location of implant placement, bone quality, prosthesis type. The correlations between these data and survival rate were analyzed. Statistical analysis was performed with the use of Kaplan-Meier analysis, Chi-square test and odds ratio. RESULTS In all, 6385 implants were placed in 3755 patients (3120 male, 635 female; mean age 65 ± 10.58 years). 108 implants failed and the cumulative survival rate was 96.33%. There were significant differences in age, implant type and surface, length, location and prosthesis type (P<.05). No significant differences were found in relation to the following factors: gender, diameter and bone quality (P>.05). CONCLUSION Related factors such as age, implant type, length, location and prosthesis type had a significant effect on the implant survival. PMID:22259704

Nonparametric change point estimation for survival distributions with a partially constant hazard rate.

PubMed

Brazzale, Alessandra R; Küchenhoff, Helmut; Krügel, Stefanie; Schiergens, Tobias S; Trentzsch, Heiko; Hartl, Wolfgang

2018-04-05

We present a new method for estimating a change point in the hazard function of a survival distribution assuming a constant hazard rate after the change point and a decreasing hazard rate before the change point. Our method is based on fitting a stump regression to p values for testing hazard rates in small time intervals. We present three real data examples describing survival patterns of severely ill patients, whose excess mortality rates are known to persist far beyond hospital discharge. For designing survival studies in these patients and for the definition of hospital performance metrics (e.g. mortality), it is essential to define adequate and objective end points. The reliable estimation of a change point will help researchers to identify such end points. By precisely knowing this change point, clinicians can distinguish between the acute phase with high hazard (time elapsed after admission and before the change point was reached), and the chronic phase (time elapsed after the change point) in which hazard is fairly constant. We show in an extensive simulation study that maximum likelihood estimation is not robust in this setting, and we evaluate our new estimation strategy including bootstrap confidence intervals and finite sample bias correction.

A performance improvement-based resuscitation programme reduces arrest incidence and increases survival from in-hospital cardiac arrest.

PubMed

Davis, Daniel P; Graham, Patricia G; Husa, Ruchika D; Lawrence, Brenna; Minokadeh, Anushirvan; Altieri, Katherine; Sell, Rebecca E

2015-07-01

Traditional resuscitation training models are inadequate to achieving and maintaining resuscitation competency. This analysis evaluates the effectiveness of a novel, performance improvement-based inpatient resuscitation programme. This was a prospective, before-and-after study conducted in an urban, university-affiliated hospital system. All inpatient adult cardiac arrest victims without an active Do Not Attempt Resuscitation order from July 2005 to June 2012 were included. The advanced resuscitation training (ART) programme was implemented in Spring 2007 and included a unique treatment algorithm constructed around the capabilities of our providers and resuscitation equipment, a training programme with flexible format and content including early recognition concepts, and a comprehensive approach to performance improvement feeding directly back into training. Our inpatient resuscitation registry and electronic patient care record were used to quantify arrest rates and survival-to-hospital discharge before and after ART programme implementation. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to adjust for age, gender, location of arrest, initial rhythm, and time of day. A total of 556 cardiac arrest victims were included (182 pre- and 374 post-ART). Arrest incidence decreased from 2.7 to 1.2 per 1000 patient discharges in non-ICU inpatient units, with no change in ICU arrest rate. An increase in survival-to-hospital discharge from 21 to 45% (p < 0.01) was observed following ART programme implementation. Adjusted odds ratios for survival-to-discharge (OR 2.2, 95% CI 1.4-3.4) and good neurological outcomes (OR 3.0, 95% CI 1.7-5.3) reflected similar improvements. Arrest-related deaths decreased from 2.1 to 0.5 deaths per 1000 patient discharges in non-ICU areas and from 1.5 to 1.3 deaths per 1000 patient discharges in ICU areas, and overall hospital mortality decreased from 2.2% to 1.8%. Implementation of a novel, performance improvement-based inpatient resuscitation

Tobacco Cessation May Improve Lung Cancer Patient Survival.

PubMed

Dobson Amato, Katharine A; Hyland, Andrew; Reed, Robert; Mahoney, Martin C; Marshall, James; Giovino, Gary; Bansal-Travers, Maansi; Ochs-Balcom, Heather M; Zevon, Michael A; Cummings, K Michael; Nwogu, Chukwumere; Singh, Anurag K; Chen, Hongbin; Warren, Graham W; Reid, Mary

2015-07-01

This study characterizes tobacco cessation patterns and the association of cessation with survival among lung cancer patients at Roswell Park Cancer Institute: an NCI Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center. Lung cancer patients presenting at this institution were screened with a standardized tobacco assessment, and those who had used tobacco within the past 30 days were automatically referred to a telephone-based cessation service. Demographic, clinical information, and self-reported tobacco use at last contact were obtained via electronic medical records and the Roswell Park Cancer Institute tumor registry for all lung cancer patients referred to the service between October 2010 and October 2012. Descriptive statistics and Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess whether tobacco cessation and other factors were associated with lung cancer survival through May 2014. Calls were attempted to 313 of 388 lung cancer patients referred to the cessation service. Eighty percent of patients (250 of 313) were successfully contacted and participated in at least one telephone-based cessation call; 40.8% (102 of 250) of persons contacted reported having quit at the last contact. After controlling for age, pack year history, sex, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status, time between diagnosis and last contact, tumor histology, and clinical stage, a statistically significant increase in survival was associated with quitting compared with continued tobacco use at last contact (HR = 1.79; 95% confidence interval: 1.14-2.82) with a median 9 month improvement in overall survival. Tobacco cessation among lung cancer patients after diagnosis may increase overall survival.

Tobacco Cessation May Improve Lung Cancer Patient Survival

PubMed Central

Dobson Amato, Katharine A.; Hyland, Andrew; Reed, Robert; Mahoney, Martin C.; Marshall, James; Giovino, Gary; Bansal-Travers, Maansi; Ochs-Balcom, Heather M.; Zevon, Michael A.; Cummings, K. Michael; Nwogu, Chukwumere; Singh, Anurag K.; Chen, Hongbin; Warren, Graham W.; Reid, Mary

2015-01-01

Introduction This study characterizes tobacco cessation patterns and the association of cessation with survival among lung cancer patients at Roswell Park Cancer Institute: an NCI Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center. Methods Lung cancer patients presenting at this institution were screened with a standardized tobacco assessment, and those who had used tobacco within the past 30 days were automatically referred to a telephone-based cessation service. Demographic, clinical information and self-reported tobacco use at last contact were obtained via electronic medical records and the RPCI tumor registry for all lung cancer patients referred to the service between October 2010 and October 2012. Descriptive statistics and Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess whether tobacco cessation and other factors were associated with lung cancer survival through May 2014. Results Calls were attempted to 313 of 388 lung cancer patients referred to the cessation service. Eighty percent of patients (250/313) were successfully contacted and participated in at least one telephone-based cessation call; 40.8% (102/250) of persons contacted reported having quit at the last contact. After controlling for age, pack year history, sex, ECOG performance status, time between diagnosis and last contact, tumor histology, and clinical stage, a statistically significant increase in survival was associated with quitting compared to continued tobacco use at last contact (HR=1.79; 95% CI: 1.14-2.82) with a median 9 month improvement in overall survival. Conclusions Tobacco cessation among lung cancer patients after diagnosis may increase overall survival. PMID:26102442

Survival Rate of Dental Implants in Patients with History of Periodontal Disease: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

PubMed

Correia, Francisco; Gouveia, Sónia; Felino, António Campos; Costa, Ana Lemos; Almeida, Ricardo Faria

To evaluate the differences between the survival rates of implants placed in patients with no history of periodontal disease (NP) and in patients with a history of chronic periodontal disease (CP). A retrospective cohort study was conducted in which all consenting patients treated with dental implants in a private clinic in Oporto, Portugal, from November 2, 2002 through February 11, 2011 were included. All patients were treated consecutively by the same experimental operator. This study aimed to analyze how the primary outcomes (presence of disease, time of placement, and time of loading) and the secondary outcomes (severity-generalized periodontitis, brand, implant length, prosthesis type, prosthesis metal-ceramic extension) influence the survival rate of dental implants. The survival analysis was performed through the Kaplan-Meier method, and the equality of survival distributions for all groups was tested with the log-rank test with a significance level of .05 for all comparisons. The sample consisted of 202 patients (47% NP and 53% CP) and 689 implants (31% NP and 69% CP). The survival rate in the NP and CP groups showed no statistically significant differences (95.8% versus 93.1%; P ≥ .05). Implants were lost before loading in 54.9% of the cases. The majority of the implants were lost in the first year and stabilized after the second year. Survival rates in the NP and CP patients showed no statistically significant differences when comparing the following factors: subclassification of the disease, implant brands, implant length (short/standard), type of prosthesis, extension of the prosthesis metal-ceramic, and time of placement and loading (P ≥ .05). This work disclosed no statistically significant differences in terms of survival rates when compared with the control group. Placing implants in patients with a history of periodontal disease appears to be viable and safe.

Retrospective study of reasons for improved survival in patients with breast cancer in east Anglia: earlier diagnosis or better treatment.

PubMed Central

Stockton, D.; Davies, T.; Day, N.; McCann, J.

1997-01-01

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the recent fall in mortality from breast cancer in England and Wales, and to determine the relative contributions of improvements in treatment and earlier detection of tumours. DESIGN: Retrospective study of all women with breast cancer registered by the East Anglian cancer registry and diagnosed between 1982 and 1989. SUBJECTS: 3965 patients diagnosed 1982-5 compared with 4665 patients diagnosed 1986-9, in three age groups 0-49, 50-64, > or = 65 years, with information on stage at diagnosis and survival. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Three year relative survival rates by time period, age group, and stage; relative hazard ratios for each time period and age group derived from Cox's proportional hazards model, adjusted for single year of age and stage. RESULTS: Survival improved in the later time period, although there was little stage specific improvement. The proportion of early stage tumours increased especially in the 50-64 year age group, and adjustment for stage accounted for over half of the improvement in survival in women aged under 65 years. CONCLUSION: Over half of the drop in mortality in women aged under 65 years seems to be attributable to earlier detection of tumours, which has been observed since the mid-1980s. This could have resulted from an increase in breast awareness predating the start of the breast screening programme. PMID:9056796

Multi-hospital Community NICU Quality Improvement Improves Survival of ELBW Infants.

PubMed

Owens, Jack D; Soltau, Thomas; McCaughn, Danny; Miller, Jason; O'Mara, Patrick; Robbins, Kenny; Temple, David M; Wender, David F

2015-08-01

Quality improvement or high reliability in medicine is an evolving science where we seek to integrate evidence-based medicine, structural resources, process management, leadership models, culture, and education. Newborn Associates is a community-based neonatology practice that staffs and manages neonatal intensive care units (NICU's) at Central Mississippi Medical Center, Mississippi Baptist Medical Center, River Oaks Hospital, St Dominic's Hospital and Woman's Hospital within the Jackson, Mississippi, metropolitan area. These hospitals participate in the Vermont-Oxford Neonatal Network (VON), which is a voluntary national network of about 1000 NICU groups that submit data allowing them to benchmark their patient outcome. This network currently holds data on 1.5 million infants. Participation may also include the Newborn Improvement Quality Collaborative (NICQ) which is an intensive quality improvement program where 40-60 of the almost 1000 VON centers participate each year or the iNICQ, which is an internet-based collaborative involving about 150 centers per year. From 2008-2009, our group concentrated efforts on quality improvement which included consolidating resources of three corporately managed hospitals to allow focused care of babies under 800-1000 grams at a single center, expanding participation in the VON NICQ to include all physicians and centers, and establishing a group QI focused committee aimed at sharing practice bundles and adopting quality improvement methodology. The goal of this article is to report the impact of these QI activities on survival of the smallest preterm infants who weigh less than 1500 grams at birth. Two epochs were compared: 2006-2009, and 2010-2013. 551 VLBW (< 1 500 grams) infants from epoch I were compared to 583 VLBW infants from epoch 2. Mortality in this group decreased from 18% to 11.1% (OR 0.62,95% CI 0.44-0.88). Mortality in the 501-750 grams birth weight category decreased from 45.7% to 18% (OR 0.39,95% CI 0

Radiotherapy improves survival in unresected stage I-III bronchoalveolar carcinoma.

PubMed

Urban, Damien; Mishra, Mark; Onn, Amir; Dicker, Adam P; Symon, Zvi; Pfeffer, M Raphael; Lawrence, Yaacov Richard

2012-11-01

To test the hypothesis that radiotherapy (RT) improves the outcome of patients with unresected, nonmetastatic bronchoalveolar carcinoma (BAC) by performing a population-based analysis within the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) registry. Inclusion criteria were as follows: patients diagnosed with BAC, Stage I-III, between 2001 and 2007. Exclusion criteria included unknown stage, unknown primary treatment modality, Stage IV disease, and those diagnosed at autopsy. Demographic data, treatment details, and overall survival were retrieved from the SEER database. Survival was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test. A total of 6933 patients with Stage I-III BAC were included in the analysis. The median age at diagnosis was 70 years (range, 10-101 years). The majority of patients were diagnosed with Stage I (74.4%); 968 patients (14%) did not undergo surgical resection. Unresected patients were more likely to be older (p < 0.0001), male (p = 0.001), black (p < 0.0001), and Stage III (p < 0.0001). Within the cohort of unresected patients, 300 (31%) were treated with RT. The estimated 2-year overall survival for patients with unresected, nonmetastatic BAC was 58%, 44%, and 27% in Stage I, II, and III, respectively. Factors associated with improved survival included female sex, earlier stage at diagnosis, and use of RT. Median survival in those not receiving RT vs. receiving RT was as follows: Stage I, 28 months vs. 33 months (n = 364, p = 0.06); Stage II, 18 months vs. not reached (n = 31, nonsignificant); Stage III, 10 months vs. 17 months (n = 517, p < 0.003). The use of RT is associated with improved prognosis in unresected Stage I-III BAC. Less than a third of patients who could have potentially benefited from RT received it, suggesting that the medical specialists involved in the care of these patients underappreciate the importance of RT. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Radiotherapy Improves Survival in Unresected Stage I-III Bronchoalveolar Carcinoma

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Urban, Damien; Mishra, Mark; Onn, Amir

2012-11-01

Purpose: To test the hypothesis that radiotherapy (RT) improves the outcome of patients with unresected, nonmetastatic bronchoalveolar carcinoma (BAC) by performing a population-based analysis within the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) registry. Methods and Materials: Inclusion criteria were as follows: patients diagnosed with BAC, Stage I-III, between 2001 and 2007. Exclusion criteria included unknown stage, unknown primary treatment modality, Stage IV disease, and those diagnosed at autopsy. Demographic data, treatment details, and overall survival were retrieved from the SEER database. Survival was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test. Results: A total of 6933 patients with Stage I-IIImore » BAC were included in the analysis. The median age at diagnosis was 70 years (range, 10-101 years). The majority of patients were diagnosed with Stage I (74.4%); 968 patients (14%) did not undergo surgical resection. Unresected patients were more likely to be older (p < 0.0001), male (p = 0.001), black (p < 0.0001), and Stage III (p < 0.0001). Within the cohort of unresected patients, 300 (31%) were treated with RT. The estimated 2-year overall survival for patients with unresected, nonmetastatic BAC was 58%, 44%, and 27% in Stage I, II, and III, respectively. Factors associated with improved survival included female sex, earlier stage at diagnosis, and use of RT. Median survival in those not receiving RT vs. receiving RT was as follows: Stage I, 28 months vs. 33 months (n = 364, p = 0.06); Stage II, 18 months vs. not reached (n = 31, nonsignificant); Stage III, 10 months vs. 17 months (n = 517, p < 0.003). Conclusions: The use of RT is associated with improved prognosis in unresected Stage I-III BAC. Less than a third of patients who could have potentially benefited from RT received it, suggesting that the medical specialists involved in the care of these patients underappreciate the importance of RT.« less

Hepatocellular Carcinoma Screening Associated with Early Tumor Detection and Improved Survival Among Patients with Cirrhosis in the US.

PubMed

Singal, Amit G; Mittal, Sahil; Yerokun, Olutola A; Ahn, Chul; Marrero, Jorge A; Yopp, Adam C; Parikh, Neehar D; Scaglione, Steve J

2017-09-01

Professional societies recommend hepatocellular carcinoma screening in patients with cirrhosis, but high-quality data evaluating its effectiveness to improve early tumor detection and survival in "real world" clinical practice are needed. We aim to characterize the association between hepatocellular carcinoma screening and early tumor detection, curative treatment, and overall survival among patients with cirrhosis. We performed a retrospective cohort study of patients diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma between June 2012 and May 2013 at 4 health systems in the US. Patients were categorized in the screening group if hepatocellular carcinoma was detected by imaging performed for screening purposes. Generalized linear models and multivariate Cox regression with frailty adjustment were used to compare early detection, curative treatment, and survival between screen-detected and non-screen-detected patients. Among 374 hepatocellular carcinoma patients, 42% (n = 157) were detected by screening. Screen-detected patients had a significantly higher proportion of early tumors (Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage A 63.1% vs 36.4%, P <.001) and were more likely to undergo curative treatment (31% vs 13%, P = .02). Hepatocellular carcinoma screening was significantly associated with improved survival in multivariate analysis (hazards ratio 0.41; 95% confidence interval, 0.26-0.65) after adjusting for patient demographics, Child-Pugh class, and performance status. Median survival of screen-detected patients was 14.6 months, compared with 6.0 months for non-screen-detected patients, with the difference remaining significant after adjusting for lead-time bias (hazards ratio 0.59, 95% confidence interval, 0.37-0.93). Hepatocellular carcinoma screening is associated with increased early tumor detection and improved survival; however, a minority of hepatocellular carcinoma patients are detected by screening. Interventions to increase screening use in patients with cirrhosis may

Sulforaphane Reduces HMGB1-Mediated Septic Responses and Improves Survival Rate in Septic Mice.

PubMed

Lee, In-Chul; Kim, Dae Yong; Bae, Jong-Sup

2017-01-01

Sulforaphane (SFN), a natural isothiocyanate present in cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli and cabbage, is effective in preventing carcinogenesis, diabetes, and inflammatory responses. Inhibition of high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) and restoration of endothelial integrity is emerging as an attractive therapeutic strategy in the management of severe sepsis or septic shock. In this study, we examined the effects of SFN on HMGB1-mediated septic responses and survival rate in a mouse sepsis model. The anti-inflammatory activities of SFN were monitored based on its effects on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)- or cecal ligation and puncture (CLP)-mediated release of HMGB1. The antiseptic activities of SFN were determined by measuring permeability, leukocyte adhesion and migration, and the activation of pro-inflammatory proteins in HMGB1-activated human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and mice. SFN inhibited the release of HMGB1 and downregulated HMGB1-dependent inflammatory responses in human endothelial cells. SFN also inhibited HMGB1-mediated hyperpermeability and leukocyte migration in mice. In addition, treatment with SFN reduced CLP-induced release of HMGB1 and sepsis-related mortality and pulmonary injury in vivo. Our results indicate that SFN is a possible therapeutic agent that can be used to treat various severe vascular inflammatory diseases via the inhibition of the HMGB1 signaling pathway.

Delayed treatment with recombinant human tissue factor pathway inhibitor improves survival in rabbits with gram-negative peritonitis.

PubMed

Camerota, A J; Creasey, A A; Patla, V; Larkin, V A; Fink, M P

1998-03-01

To determine whether treatment with recombinant human tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI), an inhibitor of the extrinsic coagulation pathway, can improve survival in a clinically relevant model of gram-negative sepsis, rabbits were given an intraperitoneal inoculation of a suspension containing hemoglobin (40 microg/mL), porcine mucin (150 microg/mL), and viable Escherichia coli O18:K1 (1.0 +/- 0.5 x 10(5) cfu/kg). Treatment with gentamicin (5 mg/kg every 12 h for five doses) was instituted 4 h after induction of peritonitis. At the same time point, rabbits were randomized to receive a 24-h infusion of vehicle or one of three different doses of TFPI. Treatment groups, 7-day survival rates, and significance versus control were as follows: control, 1 of 20; TFPI(LOW DOSE) (0.1 mg/kg, then 1 microg/kg/min), 3 of 12 (P = .14); TFPI(MID DOSE), (0.5 mg/kg, then 5 microg/kg/min), 7 of 12 (P = .002); TFPI(HIGH DOSE) (10 mg/kg, then 10 microg/kg/min), 4 of 13 (P = .04). Thus, delayed treatment with TFPI improves survival in septic rabbits.

Effects of warming rate, temperature, and antifreeze proteins on the survival of mouse spermatozoa frozen at an optimal rate.

PubMed

Koshimoto, Chihiro; Mazur, Peter

2002-08-01

We have recently reported that the survival of mouse spermatozoa is decreased when they are warmed at a suboptimal rate after being frozen at an optimal rate. We proposed that this drop in survival is caused by physical damage derived from the recrystallization of extracellular ice during slow warming. The first purpose of the present study was to determine the temperatures over which the decline in survival occurs during slow warming and the kinetics of the decline at fixed subzero temperatures. The second purpose was to examine the effects of antifreeze proteins (AFP) on the survival of slowly warmed mouse spermatozoa, the rationale being that AFP have the property of inhibiting ice recrystallization. With respect to the first point, a substantial loss in motility occurred when slow warming was continued to higher than -50 degrees C and the survival of the sperm decreased with an increase in the temperature at which slow warming was terminated. In contrast, the motility of sperm that were warmed rapidly to these temperatures remained high initially but dropped with increased holding time. At -30 degrees C, most of the drop occurred in 5 min. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that damage develops as a consequence of the recrystallization of the external ice. AFP ought to inhibit such recrystallization, but we found that the addition of AFP-I, AFP-III, and an antifreeze glycoprotein at concentrations of 1-100 microg/ml did not protect the frozen-thawed cells; rather it led to a decrease in survival that was proportional to the concentration. There was no decrease in survival from exposure to the AFP in the absence of freezing. AFP are known to produce changes in the structure and habit of ice crystals, and some have reported deleterious consequences associated with those structural changes. We suggest that such changes may be the basis of the adverse effects of AFP on the survival of the sperm, especially since mouse sperm are exquisitely sensitive

The effect of chemical weapons incineration on the survival rates of Red-tailed Tropicbirds

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schreiber, E.A.; Schenk, G.A.; Doherty, P.F.

2001-01-01

In 1992, the Johnston Atoll Chemical Agent Disposal System (JACADS) began incinerating U.S. chemical weapons stockpiles on Johnston Atoll (Pacific Ocean) where about 500,000 seabirds breed, including Red-tailed Tropicbirds (Phaethon rubricauda). We hypothesized that survival rates of birds were lower in those nesting downwind of the incinerator smokestack compared to those upwind, and that birds might move away from the area. From 1992 - 2000 we monitored survival and movements between areas upwind and downwind from the JACADS facility. We used a multi-strata mark recapture approach to model survival, probability of recapture and movement. Probability of recapture was significantly higher for birds in downwind areas (owing to greater recapture effort) and thus was an important 'nuisance' parameter to take into account in modeling. We found no differences in survival between birds nesting upwind ( 0.8588) and downwind (0.8550). There was no consistent difference in movement rates between upwind or downwind areas from year to year: differences found may be attributed to differing vegetation growth and human activities between the areas. Our results suggest that JACADS has had no documentable influence on the survival and year to year movement of Red-tailed Tropicbirds.

Improved Survival in Pediatric Heart Transplant Recipients: Have White, Black and Hispanic Children Benefited Equally?

PubMed Central

Singh, T. P.; Almond, C. S.; Gauvreau, K.

2014-01-01

We assessed whether the improvement in post-transplant survival in pediatric heart transplant (HT) recipients during the last 2 decades has benefited the major racial groups in the US equally. We analyzed all children <18 years of age who underwent their first HT in the US during 1987–2008. We compared trends in graft loss (death or re-transplant) in white, black and Hispanic children in 5 successive cohorts (1987–1992, 1993–1996, 1997–2000, 2001–2004, 2005–2008). The primary endpoint was early graft loss within 6 months post-transplant. Longer-term survival was assessed in recipients who survived the first 6 months. The improvement in early post-transplant survival was similar (hazard ratio [HR] for successive eras 0.80, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.7, 0.9, P=0.24 for black-era interaction, P=0.22 for Hispanic-era interaction) in adjusted analysis. Longer-term survival was worse in black children (HR 2.2, CI 1.9, 2.5) and did not improve in any group with time (HR 1.0 for successive eras, CI 0.9, 1.1, P=0.57; P=0.19 for black-era interaction, P=0.21 for Hispanic-era interaction). Thus, the improvement in early post-HT survival during the last 2 decades has benefited white, black and Hispanic children equally. Disparities in longer-term survival have not narrowed with time; the survival remains worse in black recipients. PMID:21199352

Simultaneous use of mark-recapture and radiotelemetry to estimate survival, movement, and capture rates

USGS Publications Warehouse

Powell, L.A.; Conroy, M.J.; Hines, J.E.; Nichols, J.D.; Krementz, D.G.

2000-01-01

Biologists often estimate separate survival and movement rates from radio-telemetry and mark-recapture data from the same study population. We describe a method for combining these data types in a single model to obtain joint, potentially less biased estimates of survival and movement that use all available data. We furnish an example using wood thrushes (Hylocichla mustelina) captured at the Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge in central Georgia in 1996. The model structure allows estimation of survival and capture probabilities, as well as estimation of movements away from and into the study area. In addition, the model structure provides many possibilities for hypothesis testing. Using the combined model structure, we estimated that wood thrush weekly survival was 0.989 ? 0.007 ( ?SE). Survival rates of banded and radio-marked individuals were not different (alpha hat [S_radioed, ~ S_banded]=log [S hat _radioed/ S hat _banded]=0.0239 ? 0.0435). Fidelity rates (weekly probability of remaining in a stratum) did not differ between geographic strata (psi hat=0.911 ? 0.020; alpha hat [psi11, psi22]=0.0161 ? 0.047), and recapture rates ( = 0.097 ? 0.016) banded and radio-marked individuals were not different (alpha hat [p_radioed, p_banded]=0.145 ? 0.655). Combining these data types in a common model resulted in more precise estimates of movement and recapture rates than separate estimation, but ability to detect stratum or mark-specific differences in parameters was week. We conducted simulation trials to investigate the effects of varying study designs on parameter accuracy and statistical power to detect important differences. Parameter accuracy was high (relative bias [RBIAS] <2 %) and confidence interval coverage close to nominal, except for survival estimates of banded birds for the 'off study area' stratum, which were negatively biased (RBIAS -7 to -15%) when sample sizes were small (5-10 banded or radioed animals 'released' per time interval). To provide

Preconditioning crush increases the survival rate of motor neurons after spinal root avulsion

PubMed Central

Li, Lin; Zuo, Yizhi; He, Jianwen

2014-01-01

In a previous study, heat shock protein 27 was persistently upregulated in ventral motor neurons following nerve root avulsion or crush. Here, we examined whether the upregulation of heat shock protein 27 would increase the survival rate of motor neurons. Rats were divided into two groups: an avulsion-only group (avulsion of the L4 lumbar nerve root only) and a crush-avulsion group (the L4 lumbar nerve root was crushed 1 week prior to the avulsion). Immunofluorescent staining revealed that the survival rate of motor neurons was significantly greater in the crush-avulsion group than in the avulsion-only group, and this difference remained for at least 5 weeks after avulsion. The higher neuronal survival rate may be explained by the upregulation of heat shock protein 27 expression in motor neurons in the crush-avulsion group. Furthermore, preconditioning crush greatly attenuated the expression of nitric oxide synthase in the motor neurons. Our findings indicate that the neuroprotective action of preconditioning crush is mediated through the upregulation of heat shock protein 27 expression and the attenuation of neuronal nitric oxide synthase upregulation following avulsion. PMID:25206852

Survival outcomes following salvage surgery for oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma: systematic review.

PubMed

Kao, S S; Ooi, E H

2018-04-01

Recurrent oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma causes great morbidity and mortality. This systematic review analyses survival outcomes following salvage surgery for recurrent oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. A comprehensive search of various electronic databases was conducted. Studies included patients with recurrent or residual oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma treated with salvage surgery. Primary outcomes were survival rates following salvage surgery. Secondary outcomes included time to recurrence, staging at time of recurrence, post-operative complications, and factors associated with mortality and recurrence. Methodological appraisal and data extraction were conducted as per Joanna Briggs Institute methodology. Eighteen articles were included. The two- and five-year survival rates of the patients were 52 per cent and 30 per cent respectively. Improvements in treatment modalities for recurrent oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma were associated with improvements in two-year overall survival rates, with minimal change to five-year overall survival rates. Various factors were identified as being associated with long-term overall survival, thus assisting clinicians in patient counselling and selection for salvage surgery.

Association between neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and survival rate patient hemodialysis in Adam Malik general hospital in 2016

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sibarani, H.; Muzasti, R. A.; Lubis, H. R.

2018-03-01

Hemodialysis patients’ survival rate is influenced by many factors. Some study showed anassociation between theneutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR)with anincidentof CKD and the progression to ESRD. The aim of this study was to find the role of Neutrophil-to- Lymphocyte ratio in hemodialysis patients’ survival rate. It was a cohort retrospective with survival analysis to all patients undergoing dialysis in HAM hospital in January 2016. Patients were followed until December 2016 to find out whether they are dead or alive. Survival rate was as the time when theblood samplewas from January 2016 until the patients die or the study stopped. The patients were mostly male (58%) with amean ageof 48 ± 13 yo, mean dialysis was 9.6 ± 3.7 months. Patients who were still alive until the study stopped were 68 persons (61%). There was an association between NLR and patients’ survival rate with a p-value of 0.001, HR: 1.168, 95%CI: 1.092-1.249.

Contrasting patterns of nest survival and postfledging survival in ovenbirds and Acadian flycatchers in Missouri forest fragments

Treesearch

Julianna M. A. Jenkins; Frank R. Thompson; John Faaborg

2016-01-01

We can improve our ability to assess population viability and forecast population growth under different scenarios by understanding factors that limit population parameters in each stage of the annual cycle. Postfledging mortality rates may be as variable as nest survival across regions and fragmentation gradients, although factors that negatively impact nest survival...

Intestine-specific overexpression of IL-10 improves survival in polymicrobial sepsis

PubMed Central

Rajan, Saju; Vyas, Dinesh; Clark, Andrew T; Woolsey, Cheryl A; Clark, Jessica A; Hotchkiss, Richard S; Buchman, Timothy G; Coopersmith, Craig M

2007-01-01

Targeted Interleukin (IL)-10 therapy improves survival in preclinical models of critical illness, and intestine-specific IL-10 decreases inflammation in models of chronic inflammatory disease. We therefore sought to determine whether intestine-specific overexpression of IL-10 would improve survival in sepsis. Transgenic mice that overexpress IL-10 in their gut epithelium (Fabpi-IL-10 mice) and wild type (WT) littermates (n=127) were subjected to cecal ligation and puncture with a 27-gauge needle. Seven-day survival was 45% in transgenic animals and 30% in WT animals (p≤0.05). Systemic levels of IL-10 were undetectable in both groups of animals under basal conditions and were elevated to a similar degree in septic animals, regardless of whether they expressed the transgene. Local parameters of injury including gut epithelial apoptosis, intestinal permeability, peritoneal lavage cytokines and stimulated cytokines from intraepithelial lymphocytes were similar between transgenic and wildtype mice. However, in stimulated splenocytes, pro-inflammatory cytokines MCP-1 (189 ± 43 pg/ml vs. 40 ± 8 pg/ml) and IL-6 (116 ± 28 pg/ml vs. 34 ± 9 pg/ml) were lower in Fabpi-IL-10 mice than WT littermates despite the intestine-specific nature of the transgene (p<0.05). Cytokine levels were similar in blood and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid between the two groups as were circulating LPS levels. Transgenic mice also had lower white blood cell counts, associated with lower absolute neutrophil counts (0.5 ± 0.1 103/mm3 vs. 1.0 ± 0.2 103/mm3, p<0.05). These results indicate that gut-specific overexpression of IL-10 improves survival in a murine model of sepsis, and interactions between the intestinal epithelium and the systemic immune system may play a role in conferring this survival advantage. PMID:17998890

Retrospective Evaluation of the Effect of Heart Rate on Survival in Dogs with Atrial Fibrillation.

PubMed

Pedro, B; Dukes-McEwan, J; Oyama, M A; Kraus, M S; Gelzer, A R

2018-01-01

Atrial fibrillation (AF) usually is associated with a rapid ventricular rate. The optimal heart rate (HR) during AF is unknown. Heart rate affects survival in dogs with chronic AF. Forty-six dogs with AF and 24-hour ambulatory recordings were evaluated. Retrospective study. Holter-derived HR variables were analyzed as follows: mean HR (meanHR, 24-hour average), minimum HR (minHR, 1-minute average), maximum HR (maxHR, 1-minute average). Survival times were recorded from the time of presumed adequate rate control. The primary endpoint was all-cause mortality. Cox proportional hazards analysis identified variables independently associated with survival; Kaplan-Meier survival analysis estimated the median survival time of dogs with meanHR <125 bpm versus ≥125 bpm. All 46 dogs had structural heart disease; 31 of 46 had congestive heart failure (CHF), 44 of 46 received antiarrhythmic drugs. Of 15 dogs with cardiac death, 14 had CHF. Median time to all-cause death was 524 days (Interquartile range (IQR), 76-1,037 days). MeanHR was 125 bpm (range, 62-203 bpm), minHR was 82 bpm (range, 37-163 bpm), maxHR was 217 bpm (range, 126-307 bpm). These were significantly correlated with all-cause and cardiac-related mortality. For every 10 bpm increase in meanHR, the risk of all-cause mortality increased by 35% (hazard ratio, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.17-1.55; P < 0.001). Median survival time of dogs with meanHR<125 bpm (n = 23) was significantly longer (1,037 days; range, 524-open) than meanHR ≥125 bpm (n = 23; 105 days; range, 67-267 days; P = 0.0012). Mean HR was independently associated with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality (P < 0.003). Holter-derived meanHR affects survival in dogs with AF. Dogs with meanHR <125 bpm lived longer than those with meanHR ≥ 125 bpm. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.

Females increase reproductive investment in response to helper-mediated improvements in allo-feeding, nest survival, nestling provisioning and post-fledging survival in the Karoo scrub-robin Cercotrichas coryphaeus

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lloyd, P.; Andrew, Taylor W.; du Plessis, Morné A.; Martin, T.E.

2009-01-01

In many cooperatively-breeding species, the presence of one or more helpers improves the reproductive performance of the breeding pair receiving help. Helper contributions can take many different forms, including allo-feeding, offspring provisioning, and offspring guarding or defence. Yet, most studies have focussed on single forms of helper contribution, particularly offspring provisioning, and few have evaluated the relative importance of a broader range of helper contributions to group reproductive performance. We examined helper contributions to multiple components of breeding performance in the Karoo scrub-robin Cercotrichas coryphaeus, a facultative cooperative breeder. We also tested a prediction of increased female investment in reproduction when helpers improve conditions for rearing young. Helpers assisted the breeding male in allo-feeding the incubating female, increasing allo-feeding rates. Greater allo-feeding correlated with greater female nest attentiveness during incubation. Nest predation was substantially lower among pairs breeding with a helper, resulting in a 74% increase in the probability of nest survival. Helper contributions to offspring provisioning increased nestling feeding rates, resulting in a reduced incidence of nestling starvation and increased nestling mass. Nestling mass had a strong, positive effect on post-fledging survival. Controlling for female age and habitat effects, annual production of fledged young was 130% greater among pairs breeding with a helper, and was influenced most strongly by helper correlates with nest survival, despite important helper effects on offspring provisioning. Females breeding with a helper increased clutch size, supporting the prediction of increased female investment in reproduction in response to helper benefits. ?? 2009 J. Avian Biol.

Embryo survival and birth rate after minimum volume vitrification or slow freezing of in vivo and in vitro produced ovine embryos.

PubMed

Dos Santos-Neto, P C; Cuadro, F; Barrera, N; Crispo, M; Menchaca, A

2017-10-01

The objective was to evaluate pregnancy outcomes and birth rate of in vivo derived vs. in vitro produced ovine embryos submitted to different cryopreservation methods. A total of 197 in vivo and 240 in vitro produced embryos were cryopreserved either by conventional freezing, or by vitrification with Cryotop or Spatula MVD methods on Day 6 after insemination/fertilization. After thawing/warming and transfer, embryo survival rate on Day 30 of gestation was affected by the source of the embryos (in vivo 53.3%, in vitro 20.8%; P < 0.05) and by the method of cryopreservation (conventional freezing 26.5%, Cryotop 52.0%, Spatula MVD 22.2%; P < 0.05). For in vivo derived embryos, survival rate after embryo transfer was 45.6% for conventional freezing, 67.1% for Cryotop, and 40.4% for Spatula MVD. For in vitro produced embryos, survival rate was 7.3% for conventional freezing, 38.7% for Cryotop, and 11.4% for Spatula MVD. Fetal loss from Day 30 to birth showed a tendency to be greater for in vitro (15.0%) rather than for in vivo produced embryos (5.7%), and was not affected by the cryopreservation method. Gestation length, weight at birth and lamb survival rate after birth were not affected by the source of the embryo, the cryopreservation method or stage of development (average: 150.5 ± 1.8 days; 4232.8 ± 102.8 g; 85.4%; respectively). This study demonstrates that embryo survival and birth rate of both in vivo and in vitro produced ovine embryos are improved by vitrification with the minimum volume Cryotop method. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Thrombopoietin Receptor Agonist Mitigates Hematopoietic Radiation Syndrome and Improves Survival after Whole-Body Ionizing Irradiation Followed by Wound Trauma

PubMed Central

Zhai, Min; Liao, Pei-Jun; Elliott, Thomas B.

2017-01-01

Ionizing radiation combined with trauma tissue injury (combined injury, CI) results in greater mortality and H-ARS than radiation alone (radiation injury, RI), which includes thrombocytopenia. The aim of this study was to determine whether increases in numbers of thrombocytes would improve survival and mitigate H-ARS after CI. We observed in mice that WBC and platelets remained very low in surviving RI animals that were given 9.5 Gy 60Co-γ-photon radiation, whereas only lymphocytes and basophils remained low in surviving CI mice that were irradiated and then given skin wounds. Numbers of RBC and platelets, hemoglobin concentrations, and hematocrit values remained low in surviving RI and CI mice. CI induced 30-day mortality higher than RI. Radiation delayed wound healing by approximately 14 days. Treatment with a thrombopoietin receptor agonist, Alxn4100TPO, after CI improved survival, mitigated body-weight loss, and reduced water consumption. Though this therapy delayed wound-healing rate more than in vehicle groups, it greatly increased numbers of platelets in sham, wounded, RI, and CI mice; it significantly mitigated decreases in WBC, spleen weights, and splenocytes in CI mice and decreases in RBC, hemoglobin, hematocrit values, and splenocytes and splenomegaly in RI mice. The results suggest that Alxn4100TPO is effective in mitigating CI. PMID:28408792

Modeling the effect of temperature on survival rate of Listeria monocytogenes in yogurt.

PubMed

Szczawiński, J; Szczawińska, M E; Łobacz, A; Jackowska-Tracz, A

2016-01-01

The aim of the study was to (i) evaluate the behavior of Listeria monocytogenes in a commercially produced yogurt, (ii) determine the survival/inactivation rates of L. monocytogenes during cold storage of yogurt and (iii) to generate primary and secondary mathematical models to predict the behavior of these bacteria during storage at different temperatures. The samples of yogurt were inoculated with the mixture of three L. monocytogenes strains and stored at 3, 6, 9, 12 and 15°C for 16 days. The number of listeriae was determined after 0, 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 12, 14 and 16 days of storage. From each sample a series of decimal dilutions were prepared and plated onto ALOA agar (agar for Listeria according to Ottaviani and Agosti). It was found that applied temperature and storage time significantly influenced the survival rate of listeriae (p<0.01). The number of L. monocytogenes in all the samples decreased linearly with storage time. The slowest decrease in the number of the bacteria was found in the samples stored at 6°C (D-10 value = 243.9 h), whereas the highest reduction in the number of the bacteria was observed in the samples stored at 15°C (D-10 value = 87.0 h). The number of L. monocytogenes was correlated with the pH value of the samples (p<0.01). The natural logarithm of the mean survival/inactivation rates of L. monocytogenes calculated from the primary model was fitted to two secondary models, namely linear and polynomial. Mathematical equations obtained from both secondary models can be applied as a tool for the prediction of the survival/inactivation rate of L. monocytogenes in yogurt stored under temperature range from 3 to 15°C, however, the polynomial model gave a better fit to the experimental data.

Survival in pediatric medulloblastoma: a population-based observational study to improve prognostication.

PubMed

Weil, Alexander G; Wang, Anthony C; Westwick, Harrison J; Ibrahim, George M; Ariani, Rojine T; Crevier, Louis; Perreault, Sebastien; Davidson, Tom; Tseng, Chi-Hong; Fallah, Aria

2017-03-01

Medulloblastoma is the most common form of brain malignancy of childhood. The mainstay of epidemiological data regarding childhood medulloblastoma is derived from case series, hence population-based studies are warranted to improve the accuracy of survival estimates. To utilize a big-data approach to update survival estimates in a contemporary cohort of children with medulloblastoma. We performed a population-based retrospective observational cohort study utilizing the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program database that captures all children, less than 20 years of age, between 1973 and 2012 in 18 geographical regions representing 28% of the US population. We included all participants with a presumed or histologically diagnosis of medulloblastoma. The main outcome of interest is survivors at 1, 5 and 10 years following diagnosis. A cohort of 1735 children with a median (interquartile range) age at diagnosis of 7 (4-11) years, with a diagnosis of medulloblastoma were identified. The incidence and prevalence of pediatric medulloblastoma has remained stable over the past 4 decades. There is a critical time point at 1990 when the overall survival has drastically improved. In the contemporary cohort (1990 onwards), the percentage of participants alive was 86, 70 and 63% at 1, 5 and 10 years, respectively. Multivariate Cox-Regression model demonstrated Radiation (HR 0.37; 95% CI 0.30-0.46, p < 0.001) and Surgery (HR 0.42; 95% CI 0.30-0.58, p < 0.001) independently predict survival. The probability of mortality from a neurological cause is <5% in patients who are alive 8 years following diagnosis. The SEER cohort analysis demonstrates significant improvements in pediatric medulloblastoma survival. In contrast to previous reports, the majority of patients survive in the modern era, and those alive 8 years following initial diagnosis are likely a long-term survivor. The importance of minimizing treatment-related toxicity is increasingly apparent given

Integrating acoustic telemetry into mark-recapture models to improve the precision of apparent survival and abundance estimates.

PubMed

Dudgeon, Christine L; Pollock, Kenneth H; Braccini, J Matias; Semmens, Jayson M; Barnett, Adam

2015-07-01

Capture-mark-recapture models are useful tools for estimating demographic parameters but often result in low precision when recapture rates are low. Low recapture rates are typical in many study systems including fishing-based studies. Incorporating auxiliary data into the models can improve precision and in some cases enable parameter estimation. Here, we present a novel application of acoustic telemetry for the estimation of apparent survival and abundance within capture-mark-recapture analysis using open population models. Our case study is based on simultaneously collecting longline fishing and acoustic telemetry data for a large mobile apex predator, the broadnose sevengill shark (Notorhynchus cepedianus), at a coastal site in Tasmania, Australia. Cormack-Jolly-Seber models showed that longline data alone had very low recapture rates while acoustic telemetry data for the same time period resulted in at least tenfold higher recapture rates. The apparent survival estimates were similar for the two datasets but the acoustic telemetry data showed much greater precision and enabled apparent survival parameter estimation for one dataset, which was inestimable using fishing data alone. Combined acoustic telemetry and longline data were incorporated into Jolly-Seber models using a Monte Carlo simulation approach. Abundance estimates were comparable to those with longline data only; however, the inclusion of acoustic telemetry data increased precision in the estimates. We conclude that acoustic telemetry is a useful tool for incorporating in capture-mark-recapture studies in the marine environment. Future studies should consider the application of acoustic telemetry within this framework when setting up the study design and sampling program.

Treatment at high-volume facilities and academic centers is independently associated with improved survival in patients with locally advanced head and neck cancer.

PubMed

David, John M; Ho, Allen S; Luu, Michael; Yoshida, Emi J; Kim, Sungjin; Mita, Alain C; Scher, Kevin S; Shiao, Stephen L; Tighiouart, Mourad; Zumsteg, Zachary S

2017-10-15

The treatment of head and neck cancers is complex and associated with significant morbidity, requiring multidisciplinary care and physician expertise. Thus, facility characteristics, such as clinical volume and academic status, may influence outcomes. The current study included 46,567 patients taken from the National Cancer Data Base who were diagnosed with locally advanced invasive squamous cell carcinomas of the oropharynx, larynx, and hypopharynx and were undergoing definitive radiotherapy. High-volume facilities (HVFs) were defined as the top 1% of centers by the number of patients treated from 2004 through 2012. Multivariable Cox regression and propensity score matching were performed to account for imbalances in covariates. The median follow-up was 55.1 months. Treatment at a HVF (hazard ratio, 0.798; 95% confidence interval, 0.753-0.845 [P<.001]) and treatment at an academic facility (hazard ratio, 0.897; 95% confidence interval, 0.871-0.923 [P<.001]) were found to be independently associated with improved overall survival in multivariable analysis. In propensity score-matched cohorts, the 5-year overall survival rate was 61.6% versus 55.5% for patients treated at an HVF versus lower-volume facilities, respectively (P<.001). Similarly, the 5-year overall survival rate was 52.3% versus 49.7% for patients treated at academic versus nonacademic facilities (P<.001). Analysis of facility volume as a continuous variable demonstrated continual improvement in survival with an increased number of patients treated. The impact of facility volume and academic designation on survival was observed when using a variety of thresholds to define HVF, and across the vast majority of subgroups, including both oropharyngeal and nonoropharyngeal subsites. Patients with locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma who are undergoing curative radiotherapy at HVFs and academic centers appear to have improved survival. Cancer 2017;123:3933-42. © 2017 American Cancer

Longevity of anterior resin-bonded bridges: survival rates of two tooth preparation designs.

PubMed

Abuzar, M; Locke, J; Burt, G; Clausen, G; Escobar, K

2018-04-16

Significant developments have occurred in the design of resin-bonded bridges (RBB) over the past two decades. They are commonly used as an alternative treatment option for a single missing tooth. The longevity of these bridges needs to be further investigated to evaluate long-term outcomes for this option to remain relevant. A cohort of patients who received anterior resin-bonded bridges (ARBB) over two decades was studied retrospectively. Longevity of 206 ARBB was assessed using Kaplan-Meier probability estimates. The two modified tooth preparation designs investigated were: (A) mesial and distal vertical grooves only; and (B) one proximal groove adjacent to the pontic and two palatal grooves. Age and gender of the patient cohort were also recorded. Overall survival rate of ARBB was 98% at 5 years, 97.2% at 10 years, and 95.1% from 12 years till 21 years. Survival curves showed minor differences when compared for the two designs, age groups and gender of ARBB recipients. Differences in the proportion of surviving bridges for design A (95.96%) and design B (98.13%) were not statistically significant (Fisher's exact test). Anterior RBB with described tooth preparation designs demonstrate a high survival rate. © 2018 Australian Dental Association.

A Hyaluronan-Based Injectable Hydrogel Improves the Survival and Integration of Stem Cell Progeny following Transplantation.

PubMed

Ballios, Brian G; Cooke, Michael J; Donaldson, Laura; Coles, Brenda L K; Morshead, Cindi M; van der Kooy, Derek; Shoichet, Molly S

2015-06-09

The utility of stem cells and their progeny in adult transplantation models has been limited by poor survival and integration. We designed an injectable and bioresorbable hydrogel blend of hyaluronan and methylcellulose (HAMC) and tested it with two cell types in two animal models, thereby gaining an understanding of its general applicability for enhanced cell distribution, survival, integration, and functional repair relative to conventional cell delivery in saline. HAMC improves cell survival and integration of retinal stem cell (RSC)-derived rods in the retina. The pro-survival mechanism of HAMC is ascribed to the interaction of the CD44 receptor with HA. Transient disruption of the retinal outer limiting membrane, combined with HAMC delivery, results in significantly improved rod survival and visual function. HAMC also improves the distribution, viability, and functional repair of neural stem and progenitor cells (NSCs). The HAMC delivery system improves cell transplantation efficacy in two CNS models, suggesting broad applicability. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Hospital variation in survival trends for in-hospital cardiac arrest.

PubMed

Girotra, Saket; Cram, Peter; Spertus, John A; Nallamothu, Brahmajee K; Li, Yan; Jones, Philip G; Chan, Paul S

2014-06-10

During the past decade, survival after in-hospital cardiac arrest has improved markedly. It remains unknown whether the improvement in survival has occurred uniformly at all hospitals or was driven by large improvements at only a few hospitals. We identified 93 342 adults with an in-hospital cardiac arrest at 231 hospitals in the Get With The Guidelines(®)-Resuscitation registry during 2000-2010. Using hierarchical regression models, we evaluated hospital-level trends in survival to discharge. Mean age was 66 years, 59% were men, and 21% were black. Between 2000 and 2010, there was a significant decrease in age, prevalence of heart failure and myocardial infarction, and cardiac arrests due to shockable rhythms (P<0.001 for all) and an increase in prevalence of sepsis, respiratory insufficiency, renal insufficiency, intensive care unit location, and mechanical ventilation before arrest (P<0.001 for all). After adjustment for temporal trends in baseline characteristics, hospital rates of in-hospital cardiac arrest survival improved by 7% per year (odds ratio [OR] 1.07, 95% CI 1.06 to 1.08, P<0.001). Improvement in survival varied markedly and ranged from 3% in the bottom hospital quartile to 11% in the top hospital quartile. Compared with minor teaching hospitals (OR 1.04, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.06), hospital rate of survival improvement was greater at major teaching (OR 1.08, 95% CI 1.06 to 1.10) and nonteaching hospitals (OR 1.07, 95% CI 1.05 to 1.09, P value for interaction=0.03). Although in-hospital cardiac arrest survival has improved during the past decade, the magnitude of improvement varied across hospitals. Future studies are needed to identify hospital processes that have led to the largest improvement in survival. © 2014 The Authors. Published on behalf of the American Heart Association, Inc., by Wiley Blackwell.

Hospital Variation in Survival Trends for In‐hospital Cardiac Arrest

PubMed Central

Girotra, Saket; Cram, Peter; Spertus, John A.; Nallamothu, Brahmajee K.; Li, Yan; Jones, Philip G.; Chan, Paul S.

2014-01-01

Background During the past decade, survival after in‐hospital cardiac arrest has improved markedly. It remains unknown whether the improvement in survival has occurred uniformly at all hospitals or was driven by large improvements at only a few hospitals. Methods and Results We identified 93 342 adults with an in‐hospital cardiac arrest at 231 hospitals in the Get With The Guidelines®‐Resuscitation registry during 2000–2010. Using hierarchical regression models, we evaluated hospital‐level trends in survival to discharge. Mean age was 66 years, 59% were men, and 21% were black. Between 2000 and 2010, there was a significant decrease in age, prevalence of heart failure and myocardial infarction, and cardiac arrests due to shockable rhythms (P<0.001 for all) and an increase in prevalence of sepsis, respiratory insufficiency, renal insufficiency, intensive care unit location, and mechanical ventilation before arrest (P<0.001 for all). After adjustment for temporal trends in baseline characteristics, hospital rates of in‐hospital cardiac arrest survival improved by 7% per year (odds ratio [OR] 1.07, 95% CI 1.06 to 1.08, P<0.001). Improvement in survival varied markedly and ranged from 3% in the bottom hospital quartile to 11% in the top hospital quartile. Compared with minor teaching hospitals (OR 1.04, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.06), hospital rate of survival improvement was greater at major teaching (OR 1.08, 95% CI 1.06 to 1.10) and nonteaching hospitals (OR 1.07, 95% CI 1.05 to 1.09, P value for interaction=0.03). Conclusion Although in‐hospital cardiac arrest survival has improved during the past decade, the magnitude of improvement varied across hospitals. Future studies are needed to identify hospital processes that have led to the largest improvement in survival. PMID:24922627

Effects of protectant and rehydration conditions on the survival rate and malolactic fermentation efficiency of freeze-dried Lactobacillus plantarum JH287.

PubMed

Lee, Sae-Byuk; Kim, Dong-Hwan; Park, Heui-Dong

2016-09-01

In this study, Lactobacillus plantarum JH287 was used as a malolactic fermentation starter in Campbell Early wine production. L. plantarum JH287 was first lyophilized, and the malolactic fermentation potential of freeze-dried L. plantarum JH287 was investigated. Different protective media and rehydration conditions were tested to improve the survival rate of freeze-dried L. plantarum JH287. Optimal protective medium contained 10 % sorbitol and 10 % skim milk. The optimal rehydration condition was a 1-h rehydration time conducted in the same protective media, and the combination of these two methods produced a survival rate of 86.37 %. In addition, a 77.71 % survival rate was achieved using freeze-dried samples that were stored at 4 °C for 2 months. Freeze-dried L. plantarum JH287 and Saccharomyces cerevisiae Fermivin were used to inoculate the Campbell Early grape must to decrease its malic acid content. Using this mixed-fermentation method, wine showed a decrease in malic acid content after 9 days of fermentation. GC-MS analysis detected 15 volatile ester compounds in the wine. A sensory evaluation showed that the taste and aroma of mix-fermented wine were better than those of the control that had not been inoculated with L. plantarum JH287.

Size-sex variation in survival rates and abundance of pig frogs, Rana grylio, in northern Florida wetlands

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wood, K.V.; Nichols, J.D.; Percival, H.F.; Hines, J.E.

1998-01-01

During 1991-1993, we conducted capture-recapture studies on pig frogs, Rana grylio, in seven study locations in northcentral Florida. Resulting data were used to test hypotheses about variation in survival probability over different size-sex classes of pig frogs. We developed multistate capture-recapture models for the resulting data and used them to estimate survival rates and frog abundance. Tests provided strong evidence of survival differences among size-sex classes, with adult females showing the highest survival probabilities. Adult males and juvenile frogs had lower survival rates that were similar to each other. Adult females were more abundant than adult males in most locations at most sampling occasions. We recommended probabilistic capture-recapture models in general, and multistate models in particular, for robust estimation of demographic parameters in amphibian populations.

Age Specific Survival Rates of Steller Sea Lions at Rookeries with Divergent Population Trends in the Russian Far East

PubMed Central

Altukhov, Alexey V.; Andrews, Russel D.; Calkins, Donald G.; Gelatt, Thomas S.; Gurarie, Eliezer D.; Loughlin, Thomas R.; Mamaev, Evgeny G.; Nikulin, Victor S.; Permyakov, Peter A.; Ryazanov, Sergey D.; Vertyankin, Vladimir V.; Burkanov, Vladimir N.

2015-01-01

After a dramatic population decline, Steller sea lions have begun to recover throughout most of their range. However, Steller sea lions in the Western Aleutians and Commander Islands are continuing to decline. Comparing survival rates between regions with different population trends may provide insights into the factors driving the dynamics, but published data on vital rates have been extremely scarce, especially in regions where the populations are still declining. Fortunately, an unprecedented dataset of marked Steller sea lions at rookeries in the Russian Far East is available, allowing us to determine age and sex specific survival in sea lions up to 22 years old. We focused on survival rates in three areas in the Russian range with differing population trends: the Commander Islands (Medny Island rookery), Eastern Kamchatka (Kozlov Cape rookery) and the Kuril Islands (four rookeries). Survival rates differed between these three regions, though not necessarily as predicted by population trends. Pup survival was higher where the populations were declining (Medny Island) or not recovering (Kozlov Cape) than in all Kuril Island rookeries. The lowest adult (> 3 years old) female survival was found on Medny Island and this may be responsible for the continued population decline there. However, the highest adult survival was found at Kozlov Cape, not in the Kuril Islands where the population is increasing, so we suggest that differences in birth rates might be an important driver of these divergent population trends. High pup survival on the Commander Islands and Kamchatka Coast may be a consequence of less frequent (e.g. biennial) reproduction there, which may permit females that skip birth years to invest more in their offspring, leading to higher pup survival, but this hypothesis awaits measurement of birth rates in these areas. PMID:26016772

Therapeutic effect of apatinib on overall survival is mediated by prolonged progression-free survival in advanced gastric cancer patients

PubMed Central

Shen, Sipeng; Shi, Qianwen; Bai, Jianling; Li, Jin; Qin, Shukui; Yu, Hao; Chen, Feng

2017-01-01

Apatinib is reported to significantly improve the overall survival (OS) of patients with advanced gastric cancer who have previously failed second-line chemotherapy. However, it is not well understood whether apatinib acts by improving progression or by prolonging post-progression survival. Here, based on phase III clinical trial data, the mediating effect of apatinib on patient overall survival was systematically quantified, through progression-free survival (PFS), post-progression survival (PPS), and the disease control rate (DCR). PFS was the primary mediator of the association between apatinib treatment and OS, with an indirect-effect mean survival time ratio of 1.63 (95%CI 1.35-1.97), which mediated 93.5% of the treatment effect. The DCR was also a significant mediator among secondary efficacy endpoints, and had an indirect-effect mean survival time ratio of 1.47 (95%CI 1.20-1.79, 50.9% mediated). Both primary and other targets of the DCR had similar results. The results indicated that apatinib treatment prolongs progression-free survival rather than post-progression survival, and in turn, leads to improved overall survival. Additionally, our study highlights the value of mediation analysis in clinical trials in providing additional information to build upon traditional primary analysis. PMID:27793017

Therapeutic effect of apatinib on overall survival is mediated by prolonged progression-free survival in advanced gastric cancer patients.

PubMed

Huang, Lihong; Wei, Yongyue; Shen, Sipeng; Shi, Qianwen; Bai, Jianling; Li, Jin; Qin, Shukui; Yu, Hao; Chen, Feng

2017-04-25

Apatinib is reported to significantly improve the overall survival (OS) of patients with advanced gastric cancer who have previously failed second-line chemotherapy. However, it is not well understood whether apatinib acts by improving progression or by prolonging post-progression survival. Here, based on phase III clinical trial data, the mediating effect of apatinib on patient overall survival was systematically quantified, through progression-free survival (PFS), post-progression survival (PPS), and the disease control rate (DCR). PFS was the primary mediator of the association between apatinib treatment and OS, with an indirect-effect mean survival time ratio of 1.63 (95%CI 1.35-1.97), which mediated 93.5% of the treatment effect. The DCR was also a significant mediator among secondary efficacy endpoints, and had an indirect-effect mean survival time ratio of 1.47 (95%CI 1.20-1.79, 50.9% mediated). Both primary and other targets of the DCR had similar results. The results indicated that apatinib treatment prolongs progression-free survival rather than post-progression survival, and in turn, leads to improved overall survival. Additionally, our study highlights the value of mediation analysis in clinical trials in providing additional information to build upon traditional primary analysis.

Survival rates of invasive breast cancer among ethnic Chinese women born in East Asia and the United States.

PubMed

Chuang, Shu-Chun; Chen, Wenping; Hashibe, Mia; Li, Gang; Zhang, Zuo-Feng

2006-01-01

Few studies have compared the breast cancer survival rates of US born ethnic Chinese women and the survival rates of Chinese immigrants. The main purpose of this study is to explore the difference of breast cancer survival rates between the two populations and compare the survival rates to those of Caucasians born in the US. Between 1973 and 2002, 365,215 women who had been diagnosed with primary invasive breast cancer (ICD-O-2 C500:C509) were recorded in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) registries. Of the 316,881 breast cancer patients who were white, 180,835 (57%) were born in the United States, 20,983 (7%) were born elsewhere, and 115,063 (36%) had unknown birthplaces. Among the 3,634 breast cancer patients who were ethnically Chinese, 952 (26%) patients were born in the US, 1,356 (37%) were born in East Asia, 146 (4%) were born elsewhere, and 1,180 (33%) had unknown birthplaces. We compared the survival rates and estimated the risk ratios (RRs) by the Kaplan-Meier estimates and the Cox proportional hazards models. A lower 5-year overall survival rate of breast cancer was observed among Chinese women born in East Asia (0.74, 95% CI=0.72-0.77) than those born in the U.S. (0.79, 95% CI=0.76-0.81), with an adjusted hazards ratio of 1.22 (95% CI=1.06-1.40). The 5-year survival rates for SEER stage were higher among Chinese women born in the U.S. (localized: 0.90, 95% CI=0.87-0.93; regional: 0.71, 95% CI=66-0.77; distant: 0.16, 95% CI=0.06-0.25) than that among Chinese women born in East Asia (localized: 0.86, 95% CI=0.83-0.89; regional: 0.68, 95% CI=0.63-0.73; distant: 0.16, 95% CI=0.07-0.25). Higher 5-year survival rates among Chinese women born in the U.S. in comparison to Chinese women born in East Asia were also observed in different calendar years (1973-1980, 1981-1990, 1991-2002), in surgery and radiation therapy. Our analysis showed that among the Chinese breast cancer patients, women born in East Asia had lower 5-year survival rates

Survival Trends in Pediatric In-Hospital Cardiac Arrests: An Analysis from Get With The Guidelines-Resuscitation

PubMed Central

Girotra, Saket; Spertus, John A.; Li, Yan; Berg, Robert A.; Nadkarni, Vinay M.; Chan, Paul S.

2013-01-01

BACKGROUND Despite ongoing efforts to improve the quality of pediatric resuscitation, it remains unknown whether survival in children with in-hospital cardiac arrest has improved. METHODS & RESULTS Between 2000 and 2009, we identified children (<18 years) with an in-hospital cardiac arrest at hospitals with ≥ 3 years of participation and ≥ 5 cases annually within the national Get With The Guidelines-Resuscitation registry. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine temporal trends in survival to discharge. We also explored whether trends in survival were due to improvement in acute resuscitation or post-resuscitation care and examined trends in neurological disability among survivors. Among 1031 children at 12 hospitals, the initial cardiac arrest rhythm was asystole and pulseless electrical activity in 874 children (84.8%) and ventricular fibrillation and pulseless ventricular tachycardia in 157 children (15.2%), with an increase in cardiac arrests due to asystole and pulseless electrical activity over time (P for trend <0.001). Risk-adjusted rates of survival to discharge increased from 14.3% in 2000 to 43.4% in 2009 (adjusted rate ratio per 1-year 1.08; 95% CI [1.01,1.16]; P for trend 0.02). Improvement in survival was largely driven by an improvement in acute resuscitation survival (risk adjusted rates: 42.9% in 2000, 81.2% in 2009; adjusted rate ratio per 1-year: 1.04; 95% CI [1.01,1.08]; P for trend 0.006). Moreover, survival trends were not accompanied by higher rates of neurological disability among survivors over time (unadjusted P for trend 0.32), suggesting an overall increase in the number of survivors without neurological disability over time. CONCLUSION Rates of survival to hospital discharge in children with in-hospital cardiac arrests have improved over the past decade without higher rates of neurological disability among survivors. PMID:23250980

Patient-centric blood pressure-targeted cardiopulmonary resuscitation improves survival from cardiac arrest.

PubMed

Sutton, Robert M; Friess, Stuart H; Naim, Maryam Y; Lampe, Joshua W; Bratinov, George; Weiland, Theodore R; Garuccio, Mia; Nadkarni, Vinay M; Becker, Lance B; Berg, Robert A

2014-12-01

Although current resuscitation guidelines are rescuer focused, the opportunity exists to develop patient-centered resuscitation strategies that optimize the hemodynamic response of the individual in the hopes to improve survival. To determine if titrating cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to blood pressure would improve 24-hour survival compared with traditional CPR in a porcine model of asphyxia-associated ventricular fibrillation (VF). After 7 minutes of asphyxia, followed by VF, 20 female 3-month-old swine randomly received either blood pressure-targeted care consisting of titration of compression depth to a systolic blood pressure of 100 mm Hg and vasopressors to a coronary perfusion pressure greater than 20 mm Hg (BP care); or optimal American Heart Association Guideline care consisting of depth of 51 mm with standard advanced cardiac life support epinephrine dosing (Guideline care). All animals received manual CPR for 10 minutes before first shock. Primary outcome was 24-hour survival. The 24-hour survival was higher in the BP care group (8 of 10) compared with Guideline care (0 of 10); P = 0.001. Coronary perfusion pressure was higher in the BP care group (point estimate +8.5 mm Hg; 95% confidence interval, 3.9-13.0 mm Hg; P < 0.01); however, depth was higher in Guideline care (point estimate +9.3 mm; 95% confidence interval, 6.0-12.5 mm; P < 0.01). Number of vasopressor doses before first shock was higher in the BP care group versus Guideline care (median, 3 [range, 0-3] vs. 2 [range, 2-2]; P = 0.003). Blood pressure-targeted CPR improves 24-hour survival compared with optimal American Heart Association care in a porcine model of asphyxia-associated VF cardiac arrest.

Effect of pathologist's dedication on lymph node detection rate and postoperative survival in colorectal cancer.

PubMed

Unger, L W; Muckenhuber, M; Riss, S; Argeny, S; Stift, J; Mesteri, I; Stift, A

2018-04-28

As adjuvant chemotherapy in colorectal cancer relies on the identification of lymph node metastases, the pathologist's dedication may have a considerable influence on postoperative survival. The aim of this retrospective study was to assess the impact of the pathologist's dedication on lymph node detection rate and postoperative survival in patients operated on by a single experienced colorectal surgeon within a 5-year period. We assessed 229 patients undergoing total mesorectal excision or complete mesocolic excision by the senior author between 1 January 2009 and 31 December 2013. Pathologists were grouped as 'general pathologist' or 'dedicated pathologist' depending on their dedication/specialization. Dedicated pathologists found statistically significantly more lymph nodes in colorectal specimens than general pathologists [23 (interquartile range 24) vs 14 (interquartile range 11), respectively; P < 0.001]. The detection rate of ≥ 12 lymph nodes per specimen was significantly higher in the dedicated pathologist group [65/74 (87.8%) vs 105/155 (67.7%); P = 0.016]. However, postoperative survival did not differ in the respective subgroups. In the multivariable analysis by Cox proportional hazard model, International Union against Cancer Stage IV was the only factor associated with decreased disease-specific survival (hazard ratio 28.257; 95% CI 3.850-207.386; P = 0.001). In our centre, the pathologist's dedication has an impact on lymph node detection rate but does not influence postoperative disease-specific survival. Colorectal Disease © 2018 The Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland.

Assessment of survival rates and reproductive success of captive bred milky stork released at Kuala Gula Bird Sanctuary, Perak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Faiq, H.; Safie, M. Y.; Shukor, M. N.

2016-11-01

A release programme of captive bred Milky Storks was initiated to increase population size in the wild. Population size depends on the survival rate and breeding success of individuals in the population. Among factors that affect survival rate and breeding success are population age class and sex ratio. The main objective of this study was to estimate the survival rate of Mycteria cinerea that has been released in Kuala Gula Bird Sanctuary since 2007. The estimation of the survival rate was done across gender and age class. This study was conducted in 2012 at Kuala Gula Bird Sanctuary. The presence of M. cinerea individuals were recorded at the sanctuary and identified to background information, such as date of birth, gender and date of release. Females of M. cinerea were estimated to have a higher survival rate (30.0%) than male (16.7%). Across gender, each individual was assigned into 4 different age classes, namely less than 1 year, between 1 and 2 years, between 2 and 3 years, and more than 3 years. The survival rate of individuals less than 1 year was about 50%, between 1 and 2 years was 25%, between 2 and 3 years was 9.1%, and more than 3 years was 0%. This study was intended to facilitate future release programmeme on which gender and age class to emphasize.

[Medulloblastoma: improved survival in recent decades. Unicentric experience].

PubMed

Igual Estellés, Lucía; Berlanga Charriel, Pablo; Cañete Nieto, Adela

2017-01-01

The aim of the study is to analyse variations in the treatment of medulloblastoma, the most common childhood brain tumour, and its impact on survival over the past two decades, as well as its clinical and pathological features. Survival analysis of all patients under 14 years old diagnosed with medulloblastoma between January 1990 and December 2013 in a Paediatric Oncology Unit. Sixty-three patients were diagnosed and treated for medulloblastoma, with a median follow-up of 5.1 years (range 0.65-21.7 years). The overall survival (OS) at 3 and 5 years was 66±13% and 55±14%, respectively. The OS at 5 years was 44%±25% in patients diagnosed in the 1990's, showing an increase to 70%±23% (p=0.032) since 2000. Clinical prognosis factors were included in the logistic regression model: age (p=0.008), presence of metastases and/or residual tumour (p=0.007), and receiving chemotherapy with radiotherapy after surgery (p=0.008). Statistically significant differences were observed for all of them. In our institution there has been a significant increase in medulloblastoma survival in the last decades. Multivariate analysis showed that this improvement was not related to the date of diagnosis, but with the introduction of chemotherapy in adjuvant treatment. This study confirmed that clinical factors significantly associated with worse outcome were age and presence of metastases at diagnosis. Copyright © 2016 Asociación Española de Pediatría. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Peripherally administered orexin improves survival of mice with endotoxin shock

PubMed Central

Ogawa, Yasuhiro; Irukayama-Tomobe, Yoko; Murakoshi, Nobuyuki; Kiyama, Maiko; Ishikawa, Yui; Hosokawa, Naoto; Tominaga, Hiromu; Uchida, Shuntaro; Kimura, Saki; Kanuka, Mika; Morita, Miho; Hamada, Michito; Takahashi, Satoru; Hayashi, Yu; Yanagisawa, Masashi

2016-01-01

Sepsis is a systemic inflammatory response to infection, accounting for the most common cause of death in intensive care units. Here, we report that peripheral administration of the hypothalamic neuropeptide orexin improves the survival of mice with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced endotoxin shock, a well-studied septic shock model. The effect is accompanied by a suppression of excessive cytokine production and an increase of catecholamines and corticosterone. We found that peripherally administered orexin penetrates the blood-brain barrier under endotoxin shock, and that central administration of orexin also suppresses the cytokine production and improves the survival, indicating orexin’s direct action in the central nervous system (CNS). Orexin helps restore body temperature and potentiates cardiovascular function in LPS-injected mice. Pleiotropic modulation of inflammatory response by orexin through the CNS may constitute a novel therapeutic approach for septic shock. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.21055.001 PMID:28035899

Low-dose radiation pretreatment improves survival of human ceiling culture-derived proliferative adipocytes (ccdPAs) under hypoxia via HIF-1 alpha and MMP-2 induction

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Adachi, Naoki; Kubota, Yoshitaka, E-mail: kubota-cbu@umin.ac.jp; Kosaka, Kentarou

2015-08-07

Poor survival is a major problem of adipocyte transplantation. We previously reported that VEGF and MMPs secreted from transplanted adipocytes are essential for angiogenesis and adipogenesis. Pretreatment with low-dose (5 Gy) radiation (LDR) increased VEGF, MMP-2, and HIF-1 alpha mRNA expression in human ceiling culture-derived proliferative adipocytes (hccdPAs). Gene expression after LDR differed between adipose-derived stem cells (hASCs) and hccdPAs. Pretreatment with LDR improved the survival of hccdPAs under hypoxia, which is inevitable in the early stages after transplantation. Upregulation of VEGF and MMP-2 after LDR in hccdPAs is mediated by HIF-1 alpha expression. Our results suggest that pretreatment with LDRmore » may improve adipocyte graft survival in a clinical setting through upregulation of VEGF and MMP-2 via HIF-1 alpha. - Highlights: • Ceiling culture-derived proliferative adipocytes (ccdPAs) react to radiation. • Low-dose radiation (LDR) pretreatment improves survival of ccdPAs under hypoxia. • Gene expression after LDR differs between ccdPAs and adipose-derived stem cells. • LDR-induced increase in MMP-2 and VEGF is dependent on HIF-1 alpha induction. • LDR pretreatment may improve the adipocyte graft survival rate in clinical settings.« less

[Clinical characteristics, complications and mortality in 506 patients with infective endocarditis and determinants of survival rate at 10 years].

PubMed

Oyonarte, Miguel; Montagna, Rodrigo; Braun, Sandra; Rojo, Pamela; Jara, José L; Cereceda, Mauricio; Morales, Marcelo; Nazzal, Carolina; Nazal, Carolina; Alonso, Faustino

2012-12-01

Rates of morbidity and mortality in Infective Endocarditis (IE) remain high and prognosis in this disease is still difficult and uncertain. To study IE in Chile in its active phase during inpatient hospital stay and long term survival rates. Observational prospective national cohort study of 506 consecutive patients included between June 1,1998 and July 31, 2008, from 37 Chilean hospitals (secondary and tertiary centers) nationwide. The main findings were the presence of Rheumatic valve disease in 22.1 % of patients, a history of intravenous drug abuse (IVDA) only in 0.7%, the presence of Staphylococcus aureus in 29.2% of blood cultures, negative blood cultures in 33.2%, heart failure in 51.7% and native valve involvement in 86% of patients. Echocardiographic diagnosis was achieved in 94% of patients. Hospital mortality was 26.1% and its prognostics factors were persisting infection (Odds ratio (OR) 6.43, Confidence Interval (CI) 1.45-28.33%), failure of medical treatment and no surgical intervention (OR 48.8; CI 6.67-349.9). Five and 10 years survival rates were 75.6 and 48.6%, respectively. The significant prognostic factors for long term mortality, determined by multivariate analysis were the presence of diabetes, Staphylococcus aureus infection, sepsis, heart failure, renal failure and lack of surgical treatment during the IE episode. The microbiologic diagnosis of IE must be urgently improved in Chile. Mortality rates are still high (26.1%) partly because of a high incidence of negative blood cultures and the need for more surgical valve interventions during in-hospital period. Long term prognostic factors for mortality should be identified early to improve outcome.

Stochastic variation in avian survival rates: Life-history predictions, population consequences, and the potential responses to human perturbations and climate change

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schmutz, Joel A.; Thomson, David L.; Cooch, Evan G.; Conroy, Michael J.

2009-01-01

Stochastic variation in survival rates is expected to decrease long-term population growth rates. This expectation influences both life-history theory and the conservation of species. From this expectation, Pfister (1998) developed the important life-history prediction that natural selection will have minimized variability in those elements of the annual life cycle (such as adult survival rate) with high sensitivity. This prediction has not been rigorously evaluated for bird populations, in part due to statistical difficulties related to variance estimation. I here overcome these difficulties, and in an analysis of 62 populations, I confirm her prediction by showing a negative relationship between the proportional sensitivity (elasticity) of adult survival and the proportional variance (CV) of adult survival. However, several species deviated significantly from this expectation, with more process variance in survival than predicted. For instance, projecting the magnitude of process variance in annual survival for American redstarts (Setophaga ruticilla) for 25 years resulted in a 44% decline in abundance without assuming any change in mean survival rate. For most of these species with high process variance, recent changes in harvest, habitats, or changes in climate patterns are the likely sources of environmental variability causing this variability in survival. Because of climate change, environmental variability is increasing on regional and global scales, which is expected to increase stochasticity in vital rates of species. Increased stochasticity in survival will depress population growth rates, and this result will magnify the conservation challenges we face.

Improved survival and complete response rates in patients with advanced melanoma treated with concurrent ipilimumab and radiotherapy versus ipilimumab alone.

PubMed

Koller, Kristian M; Mackley, Heath B; Liu, Jason; Wagner, Henry; Talamo, Giampaolo; Schell, Todd D; Pameijer, Colette; Neves, Rogerio I; Anderson, Bryan; Kokolus, Kathleen M; Mallon, Carol A; Drabick, Joseph J

2017-01-02

There is a growing body of evidence supporting the synergistic roles of radiotherapy and immunotherapy in the treatment of malignancy. Published case studies of the abscopal effect have been reported with the use of ipilimumab and radiotherapy in metastatic melanoma, but evidence supporting the routine use of this combination of therapy is limited. We conducted a retrospective analysis to evaluate patients treated with ipilimumab for advanced melanoma at a single institution from May 2011 to June 2015. Patients were grouped into those who had received concurrent radiotherapy while on ipilimumab (Ipi-RT), and those who did not. We then evaluated the treatment response following completion of ipilimumab. A total of 101 patients received ipilimumab in the prespecified time frame. 70 received Ipi-RT and 31 received ipilimumab without concurrent radiotherapy. Median overall survival (OS) was significantly increased in the concurrent Ipi-RT arm at 19 months vs. 10 months for ipilimumab alone (p = 0.01). Median progression free survival (PFS) was marginally increased in the Ipi-RT group compare with the ipilimumab alone group (5 months vs. 3 months, p = 0.20). Rates of complete response (CR) were significantly increased in the Ipi-RT group vs. ipilimumab alone (25.7% vs. 6.5%; p = 0.04), and rates of overall response (OR) in the groups were 37.1% vs. 19.4% (p = 0.11). No increase in toxicities was observed in the Ipi-RT group compare with ipilimumab alone. Prospective trials are needed to further clarify the role of radiotherapy with ipilimumab, but these encouraging preliminary observations suggest that this combination can induce more durable responses to immunotherapy.

Improved survival and complete response rates in patients with advanced melanoma treated with concurrent ipilimumab and radiotherapy versus ipilimumab alone

PubMed Central

Koller, Kristian M.; Mackley, Heath B.; Liu, Jason; Wagner, Henry; Talamo, Giampaolo; Schell, Todd D.; Pameijer, Colette; Neves, Rogerio I.; Anderson, Bryan; Kokolus, Kathleen M.; Mallon, Carol A.; Drabick, Joseph J.

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT There is a growing body of evidence supporting the synergistic roles of radiotherapy and immunotherapy in the treatment of malignancy. Published case studies of the abscopal effect have been reported with the use of ipilimumab and radiotherapy in metastatic melanoma, but evidence supporting the routine use of this combination of therapy is limited. We conducted a retrospective analysis to evaluate patients treated with ipilimumab for advanced melanoma at a single institution from May 2011 to June 2015. Patients were grouped into those who had received concurrent radiotherapy while on ipilimumab (Ipi-RT), and those who did not. We then evaluated the treatment response following completion of ipilimumab. A total of 101 patients received ipilimumab in the prespecified time frame. 70 received Ipi-RT and 31 received ipilimumab without concurrent radiotherapy. Median overall survival (OS) was significantly increased in the concurrent Ipi-RT arm at 19 months vs. 10 months for ipilimumab alone (p = 0.01). Median progression free survival (PFS) was marginally increased in the Ipi-RT group compare with the ipilimumab alone group (5 months vs. 3 months, p = 0.20). Rates of complete response (CR) were significantly increased in the Ipi-RT group vs. ipilimumab alone (25.7% vs. 6.5%; p = 0.04), and rates of overall response (OR) in the groups were 37.1% vs. 19.4% (p = 0.11). No increase in toxicities was observed in the Ipi-RT group compare with ipilimumab alone. Prospective trials are needed to further clarify the role of radiotherapy with ipilimumab, but these encouraging preliminary observations suggest that this combination can induce more durable responses to immunotherapy. PMID:27905824

Patient-centric Blood Pressure–targeted Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Improves Survival from Cardiac Arrest

PubMed Central

Friess, Stuart H.; Naim, Maryam Y.; Lampe, Joshua W.; Bratinov, George; Weiland, Theodore R.; Garuccio, Mia; Nadkarni, Vinay M.; Becker, Lance B.; Berg, Robert A.

2014-01-01

Rationale: Although current resuscitation guidelines are rescuer focused, the opportunity exists to develop patient-centered resuscitation strategies that optimize the hemodynamic response of the individual in the hopes to improve survival. Objectives: To determine if titrating cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to blood pressure would improve 24-hour survival compared with traditional CPR in a porcine model of asphyxia-associated ventricular fibrillation (VF). Methods: After 7 minutes of asphyxia, followed by VF, 20 female 3-month-old swine randomly received either blood pressure–targeted care consisting of titration of compression depth to a systolic blood pressure of 100 mm Hg and vasopressors to a coronary perfusion pressure greater than 20 mm Hg (BP care); or optimal American Heart Association Guideline care consisting of depth of 51 mm with standard advanced cardiac life support epinephrine dosing (Guideline care). All animals received manual CPR for 10 minutes before first shock. Primary outcome was 24-hour survival. Measurements and Main Results: The 24-hour survival was higher in the BP care group (8 of 10) compared with Guideline care (0 of 10); P = 0.001. Coronary perfusion pressure was higher in the BP care group (point estimate +8.5 mm Hg; 95% confidence interval, 3.9–13.0 mm Hg; P < 0.01); however, depth was higher in Guideline care (point estimate +9.3 mm; 95% confidence interval, 6.0–12.5 mm; P < 0.01). Number of vasopressor doses before first shock was higher in the BP care group versus Guideline care (median, 3 [range, 0–3] vs. 2 [range, 2–2]; P = 0.003). Conclusions: Blood pressure–targeted CPR improves 24-hour survival compared with optimal American Heart Association care in a porcine model of asphyxia-associated VF cardiac arrest. PMID:25321490

Intensive Hemodialysis Associates with Improved Survival Compared with Conventional Hemodialysis

PubMed Central

Lindsay, Robert M.; Cuerden, Meaghan S.; Garg, Amit X.; Port, Friedrich; Austin, Peter C.; Moist, Louise M.; Pierratos, Andreas; Chan, Christopher T.; Zimmerman, Deborah; Lockridge, Robert S.; Couchoud, Cécile; Chazot, Charles; Ofsthun, Norma; Levin, Adeera; Copland, Michael; Courtney, Mark; Steele, Andrew; McFarlane, Philip A.; Geary, Denis F.; Pauly, Robert P.; Komenda, Paul; Suri, Rita S.

2012-01-01

Patients undergoing conventional maintenance hemodialysis typically receive three sessions per week, each lasting 2.5–5.5 hours. Recently, the use of more intensive hemodialysis (>5.5 hours, three to seven times per week) has increased, but the effects of these regimens on survival are uncertain. We conducted a retrospective cohort study to examine whether intensive hemodialysis associates with better survival than conventional hemodialysis. We identified 420 patients in the International Quotidian Dialysis Registry who received intensive home hemodialysis in France, the United States, and Canada between January 2000 and August 2010. We matched 338 of these patients to 1388 patients in the Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study who received in-center conventional hemodialysis during the same time period by country, ESRD duration, and propensity score. The intensive hemodialysis group received a mean (SD) 4.8 (1.1) sessions per week with a mean treatment time of 7.4 (0.87) hours per session; the conventional group received three sessions per week with a mean treatment time of 3.9 (0.32) hours per session. During 3008 patient-years of follow-up, 45 (13%) of 338 patients receiving intensive hemodialysis died compared with 293 (21%) of 1388 patients receiving conventional hemodialysis (6.1 versus 10.5 deaths per 100 person-years; hazard ratio, 0.55 [95% confidence interval, 0.34–0.87]). The strength and direction of the observed association between intensive hemodialysis and improved survival were consistent across all prespecified subgroups and sensitivity analyses. In conclusion, there is a strong association between intensive home hemodialysis and improved survival, but whether this relationship is causal remains unknown. PMID:22362910

Improved long-term survival with subdural drains following evacuation of chronic subdural haematoma.

PubMed

Guilfoyle, Mathew R; Hutchinson, Peter J A; Santarius, Thomas

2017-05-01

Chronic subdural haematoma (CSDH) is a common condition that is effectively managed by burrhole drainage but requires repeat surgery in a significant minority of patients. The Cambridge Chronic Subdural Haematoma Trial (CCSHT) was a randomised controlled study that showed placement of subdural drains for 48 h following burrhole evacuation significantly reduces the incidence of reoperation and improves survival at 6 months. The present study examined the long-term survival of the patients in the trial. In the original trial patients at a single neurosurgical centre from 2004-2007 were randomly assigned to receive a drain (n = 108) or no drain (n = 107) following burrhole drainage of CSDH. We ascertained whether the trial patients were alive in February 2016-a minimum of 8 years following enrollment-via the UK NHS tracing service. Survival was compared between the trial groups and against expected survival for the UK general population matched for age and sex. At 5 years following surgery the drain group continued to have significantly better survival than the no drain patients (p = 0.027), but this was no longer apparent at 10 years. Survival of patients in the drain group did not differ significantly from that of the general population whereas patients who did not receive a drain had significantly lower survival than expected (p = 0.0006). Subdural drains following CSDH evacuation are associated with improved long-term survival, which appears similar to that expected for the general population of the same age and sex. All patients having burrhole CSDH evacuation should receive a drain as standard practice unless specifically contraindicated.

Single Agent Polysaccharopeptide Delays Metastases and Improves Survival in Naturally Occurring Hemangiosarcoma

PubMed Central

Brown, Dorothy Cimino; Reetz, Jennifer

2012-01-01

The 2008 World Health Organization World Cancer Report describes global cancer incidence soaring with many patients living in countries that lack resources for cancer control. Alternative treatment strategies that can reduce the global disease burden at manageable costs must be developed. Polysaccharopeptide (PSP) is the bioactive agent from the mushroom Coriolus versicolor. Studies indicate PSP has in vitro antitumor activities and inhibits the growth of induced tumors in animal models. Clear evidence of clinically relevant benefits of PSP in cancer patients, however, is lacking. The investment of resources required to complete large-scale, randomized controlled trials of PSP in cancer patients is more easily justified if antitumor and survival benefits are documented in a complex animal model of a naturally occurring cancer that parallels human disease. Because of its high metastatic rate and vascular origin, canine hemangiosarcoma is used for investigations in antimetastatic and antiangiogenic therapies. In this double-blind randomized multidose pilot study, high-dose PSP significantly delayed the progression of metastases and afforded the longest survival times reported in canine hemangiosarcoma. These data suggest that, for those cancer patients for whom advanced treatments are not accessible, PSP as a single agent might offer significant improvements in morbidity and mortality. PMID:22988473

Daily nest survival rates of Gunnison Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus minimus): assessing local- and landscape-scale drivers

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stanley, Thomas R.; Aldridge, Cameron L.; Joanne Saher,; Theresa Childers,

2015-01-01

The Gunnison Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus minimus) is a species of conservation concern and is a candidate for listing under the U.S. Endangered Species Act because of substantial declines in populations from historic levels. It is thought that loss, fragmentation, and deterioration of sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) habitat have contributed to the decline and isolation of this species into seven geographically distinct subpopulations. Nest survival is known to be a primary driver of demography of Greater Sage-Grouse (C. urophasianus), but no unbiased estimates of daily nest survival rates (hereafter nest survival) exist for Gunnison Sage-Grouse or published studies identifying factors that influence nest survival. We estimated nest survival of Gunnison Sage-Grouse for the western portion of Colorado's Gunnison Basin subpopulation, and assessed the effects and relative importance of local- and landscape-scale habitat characteristics on nest survival. Our top performing model was one that allowed variation in nest survival among areas, suggesting a larger landscape-area effect. Overall nest success during a 38-day nesting period (egg-laying plus incubation) was 50% (daily survival rate; SE  =  0.982 [0.003]), which is higher than previous estimates for Gunnison Sage-Grouse and generally higher than published for the closely related Greater Sage-Grouse. We did not find strong evidence that local-scale habitat variables were better predictors of nest survival than landscape-scale predictors, nor did we find strong evidence that any of the habitat variables we measured were good predictors of nest survival. Nest success of Gunnison Sage-Grouse in the western portion of the Gunnison Basin was higher than previously believed.

Nutrition and Hydration Status of Aircrew Members Consuming The Food Packet, Survival, General Purpose, Improved During A Simulated Survival Scenario

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-11-01

AD-A25 8 744 AD Tl-93 REPORT NO NUTRITION AND HYDRATION STATUS OF AIRCREW MEMBERS CONSUMING THE FOOD PACKET, SURVIVAL, GENERAL PURPOSE, IMPROVED...TYPE AND DATES COVERED INovember 1992 IFinal: June 1991 - November 1992 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Nutrition and hydration status of aircrew ’- 5. FUNDING...Distribution is unlimited.. 13. ABSTRACT (Maximtum 200 words) Adequate nutrition and hydration can be crucial to the survival of downed aircrews. To determine

[Multi-disciplinary treatment increases the survival rate of late stage pharyngeal, laryngeal or cervical esophageal cancers treated by free jejunal flap reconstruction after cancer resection].

PubMed

Zhu, Y M; Zhang, H; Ni, S; Wang, J; Li, D Z; Liu, S Y

2016-05-23

To investigate the survival status of patients with pharyngeal, laryngeal or cervical esophageal cancers, who received free jejunal flap (FJF) to repair the defects following tumor resection, and to analyze the effect of multi-disciplinary treatment on their survival. Fifty-eight patients with pharyngeal, laryngeal or cervical esophageal cancer underwent free jejunal flap (FJF) reconstruction after cancer resection between 2010 and 2013. All their clinical records were reviewed and analyzed. The success rate of flap transplantation was 91.4% (53/58). The 2-year overall survival rates (OSR) of cervical esophageal cancer and hypopharyngeal cancer patients were 67.5% and 49.3%, respectively, both were significantly better than that of laryngeal cancer. The main causes of death were local recurrence and distant metastases. The group with no short-term complications had a better two-year OSR (59.0%) than the group with short-term complications (46.6%), however, the difference between them was not significant (P=0.103). The 2-year survival rate of the initial treatment group was 65.0%, better than that of the salvage treatment group (49.4%), but the difference was not significant (P=0.051). For the stage III and IV patients, the multi-disciplinary treatment group had a significantly better 2-year OSR (64.7%) than the single or sequential treatment group (37.0%, P=0.016). Free jejunal flap reconstruction is an ideal option for repairing the cervical digestive tract circumferential defects caused by tumor resection with a high success rate and a low mortality. Compared with the single or sequential treatment, multi-disciplinary treatment can significantly improve the survival rate of late-stage hypopharyngeal and cervical esophageal cancer patients.

Zinc supplementation leads to immune modulation and improved survival in a juvenile model of murine sepsis.

PubMed

Ganatra, Hammad A; Varisco, Brian M; Harmon, Kelli; Lahni, Patrick; Opoka, Amy; Wong, Hector R

2017-01-01

Children with severe sepsis are known to have altered zinc homeostasis and decreased circulating zinc levels, suggesting a role for zinc supplementation to improve outcomes. We tested the hypothesis that zinc supplementation would improve survival in a juvenile model of polymicrobial sepsis. Juvenile (13-14-d-old) C57BL/6 mice were treated with 10 mg/kg of zinc via i.p. injections (or vehicle) for 3 d prior to induction of polymicrobial sepsis via i.p. cecal slurry injections. Survival after sepsis was followed for 3 d, and bacterial clearance, ex vivo phagocytosis, systemic inflammatory markers and neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) formation were quantified. We found a significant survival benefit and decreased bacterial burden among zinc supplemented mice when compared with the control group. Zinc supplementation also resulted in enhanced phagocytic activity, greater neutrophil recruitment in the peritoneal cavity and NET formation, suggesting a possible mechanism for improved bacterial clearance and survival. We also noted decreased serum cytokine levels and decreased myeloperoxidase activity in lung tissue following zinc supplementation, suggesting attenuation of the systemic inflammatory response. In conclusion, zinc supplementation improves bacterial clearance, and hence survival, in juvenile mice with polymicrobial sepsis.

Caffeine improves the ability of serotonin-deficient (Pet-1−/−) mice to survive episodic asphyxia

PubMed Central

Cummings, Kevin J.; Commons, Kathryn G.; Trachtenberg, Felicia L.; Li, Aihua; Kinney, Hannah C.; Nattie, Eugene E.

2015-01-01

Background In neonatal rodents, serotonin (5-HT) neurons are critical for successful autoresuscitation. We hypothesized that caffeine, a respiratory stimulant, would hasten the onset of gasping and improve autoresuscitation in 5-HT-deficient, Pet-1−/− mice. Methods Using a head-out system and electrocardiogram, we measured respiratory and heart rate (HR) responses of Pet-1−/− rodents and their littermates during episodic asphyxia at postnatal days 8–9 (P8–9). After a baseline recording, we injected either vehicle or caffeine (i.p.) at doses of 1, 5, or 10 mg/ kg. We then induced 10 brief (~30 s) episodes of asphyxia, each interspersed with 5 min of room air to allow autoresuscitation. In addition to measuring survival, we measured the duration of hypoxic apnea (time to initiate gasping) and time to recover eupnea and HR. Results Caffeine had a dose-dependent effect of hastening the onset of gasping, recovery of breathing, and restoration of HR in Pet-1−/−(but not in wild-type) rodents, thereby improving survival across asphyxic episodes. Increased survival was strongly correlated with hastened onset of gasping. Conclusion Our data suggest that caffeine reduces mortality relating to asphyxia and 5-HT deficiency. These findings may be relevant for efforts to reduce the incidence of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), given that SIDS is associated with failed autoresuscitation and reduced brainstem 5-HT. PMID:23095976

Retrospective analysis of survival rates and marginal bone loss on short implants in the mandible.

PubMed

Draenert, Florian G; Sagheb, Keyvan; Baumgardt, Katharina; Kämmerer, Peer W

2012-09-01

Short implants have become an interesting alternative to bone augmentation in dental implantology. Design of shorter implants and longer surveillance times are a current research issue. The goal of this study was to show the survival rates of short implants below 9 mm in the partly edentulous mandibular premolar and molar regions with fixed prosthetics. Marginal vertical and 2D bone loss was evaluated additionally. Different implant designs are orientationally evaluated. A total of 247 dental implants with fixed prosthetics (crowns and bridges) in the premolar and molar region of the mandible were evaluated; 47 implants were 9 mm or shorter. Patient data were evaluated to acquire implant survival rates, implant diameter, gender and age. Panoramic X-rays were analysed for marginal bone loss. Average surveillance time was 1327 days. Cumulative survival rate (CSR) of short implants was 98% (1 implants lost) compared to 94% in the longer implants group without significance. Thirty-five of the short implants were Astratech (0 losses) and 12 were Camlog Screw Line Promote Plus (1 loss). Early vertical and two-dimensional marginal bone loss was not significantly different in short and regular length implant group with an average of 0.6 mm and 0.7 mm(2) in short implants over the observation period. Within the limitations of this study, we conclude that short implants with a length of 9 mm or less have equal survival rates compared with longer implants over the observation period of 1-3 years. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

Inter-alpha inhibitor protein administration improves survival from neonatal sepsis in mice.

PubMed

Singh, Kultar; Zhang, Ling Xiu; Bendelja, Kreso; Heath, Ryan; Murphy, Shaun; Sharma, Surendra; Padbury, James F; Lim, Yow-Pin

2010-09-01

Inter-alpha inhibitor proteins (IaIp) are serine proteases inhibitors that modulate endogenous protease activity and have been shown to improve survival in adult models of sepsis. We evaluated the effect of IaIp on survival and systemic responses to sepsis in neonatal mice. Sepsis was induced in 2-d-old mice with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), Escherichia coli, and group B Streptococci. Sepsis was associated with 75% mortality. IaIp, given by i.p. administration at doses between 15 and 45 mg/kg from 1 to 6 h after the onset of sepsis, improved survival to approximately 90% (p = 0.0159) in both LPS-induced sepsis and with live bacterial infections. The greatest effect was on reversal of hemorrhagic pneumonitis. The effects were dose and time dependent. Systemic cytokine profile and tissue histology were examined. Survival was compared in IL-10 knock out animals. Systemic cytokine levels including TNF-[alpha] and IL-10 were increased after induction of sepsis and modulated significantly after IaIp administration. Because the effect of IaIp was still demonstrable in IL-10 deficient mice, we conclude the beneficial effects of IaIp is because of suppression of proinflammatory cytokines such as TNF-[alpha] rather than augmentation of IL-10. IaIp may offer significant benefits as a therapeutic

Mesenchymal stromal (stem) cells suppress pro-inflammatory cytokine production but fail to improve survival in experimental staphylococcal toxic shock syndrome.

PubMed

Kim, Hani; Darwish, Ilyse; Monroy, Maria-Fernanda; Prockop, Darwin J; Liles, W Conrad; Kain, Kevin C

2014-01-14

Toxic shock syndrome (TSS) is caused by an overwhelming host-mediated response to bacterial superantigens produced mainly by Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes. TSS is characterized by aberrant activation of T cells and excessive release of pro-inflammatory cytokines ultimately resulting in capillary leak, septic shock, multiple organ dysfunction and high mortality rates. No therapeutic or vaccine has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for TSS, and novel therapeutic strategies to improve clinical outcome are needed. Mesenchymal stromal (stem) cells (MSCs) are stromal cells capable of self-renewal and differentiation. Moreover, MSCs have immunomodulatory properties, including profound effects on activities of T cells and macrophages in specific contexts. Based on the critical role of host-derived immune mediators in TSS, we hypothesized that MSCs could modulate the host-derived proinflammatory response triggered by Staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) and improve survival in experimental TSS. Effects of MSCs on proinflammatory cytokines in peripheral blood were measured in wild-type C57BL/6 mice injected with 50 μg of SEB. Effects of MSCs on survival were monitored in fatal experimental TSS induced by consecutive doses of D-galactosamine (10 mg) and SEB (10 μg) in HLA-DR4 transgenic mice. Despite significantly decreasing serum levels of IL-2, IL-6 and TNF induced by SEB in wild-type mice, human MSCs failed to improve survival in experimental TSS in HLA-DR4 transgenic mice. Similarly, a previously described downstream mediator of human MSCs, TNF-stimulated gene 6 (TSG-6), did not significantly improve survival in experimental TSS. Furthermore, murine MSCs, whether unstimulated or pre-treated with IFNγ, failed to improve survival in experimental TSS. Our results suggest that the immunomodulatory effects of MSCs are insufficient to rescue mice from experimental TSS, and that mediators other than IL-2, IL-6 and TNF are likely to play

Has patient survival following renal transplantation improved in the era of modern immunosuppression?

PubMed

Hernández, Domingo; Moreso, Francesc

2013-01-01

Renal transplantation (TX) is the treatment of choice in the majority of patients with chronic kidney disease. But, these patients have a high mortality rate with respect to the general population despite new immunosuppression treatments and improved clinical management. This justifies that the excellent results obtained in the short terms do not have a parallel clinical benefit in the long term. This worrying situation is probably due to a high prevalence of cardiovascular conditions and infectious and neoplastic entities amongst this population against a backdrop of immunosuppression treatment. Furthermore, there is interaction between these processes, which share causal factors and common pathogenic mechanisms. Mortality thus increases. Therefore, identifying the causes of death and the risk factors, applying morbidity and mortality predictive models and intervening in causal factors could constitute some of the strategies for improving renal transplantation results in terms of survival. This review analyses some of the evidence conditioning this high mortality rate following TX, as well and the therapeutic and prognostic aspects associated with co-morbidity: 1) Magnitude of the problem and causes of death among sufferers; 2) Identification of mortality risk factors; 3) Therapeutic strategies for decrease post-TX mortality and; 4) Prediction of mortality and ischaemic heart disease.

Improving estimates of tree mortality probability using potential growth rate

USGS Publications Warehouse

Das, Adrian J.; Stephenson, Nathan L.

2015-01-01

Tree growth rate is frequently used to estimate mortality probability. Yet, growth metrics can vary in form, and the justification for using one over another is rarely clear. We tested whether a growth index (GI) that scales the realized diameter growth rate against the potential diameter growth rate (PDGR) would give better estimates of mortality probability than other measures. We also tested whether PDGR, being a function of tree size, might better correlate with the baseline mortality probability than direct measurements of size such as diameter or basal area. Using a long-term dataset from the Sierra Nevada, California, U.S.A., as well as existing species-specific estimates of PDGR, we developed growth–mortality models for four common species. For three of the four species, models that included GI, PDGR, or a combination of GI and PDGR were substantially better than models without them. For the fourth species, the models including GI and PDGR performed roughly as well as a model that included only the diameter growth rate. Our results suggest that using PDGR can improve our ability to estimate tree survival probability. However, in the absence of PDGR estimates, the diameter growth rate was the best empirical predictor of mortality, in contrast to assumptions often made in the literature.

Survival and reproductive rate of mites in relation to resistance of their barn swallow hosts.

PubMed

Møller, A P

2000-08-01

Parasite resistance may act via a number of different mechanisms that regulate or control the survival and the reproductive rate of parasites. Observations and experiments were used to test for effects of host resistance on parasite survival and rate of reproduction. Natural levels of infestation of barn swallow Hirundo rustica nests by the tropical fowl mite Ornithonyssus bursa were positively related to brood size, inversely related to the length of the outermost tail feathers of male nest owners (a secondary sexual character) and affected by time of reproduction by the host. A mite inoculation experiment, in which 50 adult mites were introduced into nests during the laying period of the host, was used to test for differential survival and reproduction of mites as a function of host resistance. The relationship between survival and reproduction of parasites, male tail length and host resistance was investigated. There was a negative relationship between mite numbers per nest after fledging of nestlings and male tail length. This relationship was mainly caused by a reduction in the number of mites in the first and second nymph stage with increasing tail length of male hosts, implying a reduction in rate of reproduction of mites. The proportion of mites that had recently fed was inversely related to tail length of male hosts. The proportion of nymph stages was positively related to the proportion of mites that had recently had a blood meal. Parasite resistance of barn swallows to the tropical fowl mite thus appeared to act through increased mortality rate of adult and nymph stages of mites, and through reduced reproductive rates of mites on resistant hosts. This is the first study demonstating a direct relationship between fitness components of a parasite and the expression of a secondary sexual character of a host.

Survival rates of radio-collared female polar bears and their dependent young

USGS Publications Warehouse

Amstrup, Steven C.; Durner, George M.

1995-01-01

Polar bears are hunted throughout most of their range. In addition to hunting, polar bears of the Beaufort Sea region are exposed to mineral and hydrocarbon extraction and related human activities such as shipping, road building, and seismic testing. As human populations increase and demands for polar bears and other arctic resources escalate, reliable estimates of survivorship of polar bears are needed to predict and manage the impacts of those activities. We used the Kaplan-Meier model to estimate annual survival (with 95% confidence intervals) for radio-collared female polar bears and their dependent young that were followed during a 12-year study in the Alaskan Beaufort Sea. Survival of adult female polar bears was higher than had been previously thought: S = 0.969 (range 0.952-0.983). If human-caused mortalities were deleted, the computed survival rate was 0.996 (0.990-1.002). Survival of young from den exit to weaning was 0.676 (0.634-0.701). Survival during the second year of life, 0.860 (0.751-0.903), was substantially higher than during the first year, 0.651 (0.610-0.675). Shooting by local hunters accounted for 85% of the documented deaths of adult female polar bears. Conversely, 90% of documented losses of young were independent of litter size (P = 0.36), indicating that parental investment in single cubs was not different from investment in litters of two or more. Precise estimates of the survival of independent juveniles and adult males still need to be developed.

Survival rates of short (6 mm) micro-rough surface implants: a review of literature and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Srinivasan, Murali; Vazquez, Lydia; Rieder, Philippe; Moraguez, Osvaldo; Bernard, Jean-Pierre; Belser, Urs C

2014-05-01

The aim of this review was to test the hypothesis that 6 mm micro-rough short Straumann(®) implants provide predictable survival rates and verify that most failures occurring are early failures. A PubMed and hand search was performed to identify studies involving micro-rough 6-mm-short implants published between January 1987 and August 2011. Studies were included that (i) involve Straumann(®) 6 mm implants placed in the human jaws, (ii) provide data on the survival rate, (iii) mention the time of failure, and (iv) report a minimum follow-up period of 12 months following placement. A meta-analysis was performed on the extracted data. From a total of 842 publications that were screened, 12 methodologically sound articles qualified to be included for the statistical evaluation based on our inclusion criteria. A total of 690 Straumann(®) 6-mm-short implants were evaluated in the reviewed studies (Total: placed-690, failed-25; maxilla: placed-266, failed-14; mandible: placed-364, failed-5; follow-up period: 1-8 years). A meta-analysis was performed on the calculated early cumulative survival rates (CSR%). The pooled early CSR% calculated in this meta-analysis was 93.7%, whereas the overall survival rates in the maxilla and mandible were 94.7% and 98.6% respectively. Implant failures observed were predominantly early failures (76%). This meta-analysis provides robust evidence that micro-rough 6-mm-short dental implants are a predictable treatment option, providing favorable survival rates. The failures encountered with 6-mm-short implants were predominantly early and their survival in the mandible was slightly superior. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Survival trends among patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma in the United States.

PubMed

Shah, Binay Kumar; Ghimire, Krishna Bilas

2015-01-01

Since the approval of sorafenib in December 2005, several targeted therapeutic agents have been approved by the FDA for the treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC). This study was conducted to find out whether the improvements in survival of advanced RCC patients with targeted agents have translated into a survival benefit in a population-based cohort. We analyzed the SEER 18 (Surveillance, Epidemiology and End RESULTS) registry database to calculate the relative survival rates for advanced RCC patients during 2001-2009, 2001-2005, 2006-2007 and 2008-2009. We also evaluated the survival rates by age (<65 and ≥65 years) and sex. The total number of advanced RCC patients during 2001-2009, 2001-2005, 2006-2007 and 2008-2009 were 7,047, 4,059, 1,548 and 1,440, respectively. During 2001-2009, the 1- and 3-year relative survival rates were 26.7±0.6 and 10.0±0.4%, respectively. There was no significant difference in 1-year relative survival rates for patients diagnosed during 2006-2007 and 2008-2009 compared to those diagnosed during 2001-2005. Similarly, the 3-year survival rates for patients diagnosed during 2006-2007 were similar to those diagnosed during 2001-2005. This population-based study showed that there was no significant improvement in relative survival rates among advanced RCC patients in the era of targeted agents. © 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Metastatic neuroblastoma in infants: are survival rates excellent only within the stringent framework of clinical trials?

PubMed

Di Cataldo, A; Agodi, A; Balaguer, J; Garaventa, A; Barchitta, M; Segura, V; Bianchi, M; Castel, V; Castellano, A; Cesaro, S; Couselo, J M; Cruz, O; D'Angelo, P; De Bernardi, B; Donat, J; de Andoin, N G; Hernandez, M I; La Spina, M; Lillo, M; Lopez-Almaraz, R; Luksch, R; Mastrangelo, S; Mateos, E; Molina, J; Moscheo, C; Mura, R; Porta, F; Russo, G; Tondo, A; Torrent, M; Vetrella, S; Villegas, J A; Viscardi, E; Zanazzo, G A; Cañete, A

2017-01-01

SIOPEN INES protocol yielded excellent 5-year survival rates for MYCN-non-amplified metastatic neuroblastoma. Patients deemed ineligible due to lack or delay of MYCN status or late registration were treated, but not included in the study. Our goal was to analyse survival at 10 years among the whole population. Italian and Spanish metastatic INES patients' data are reported. SPSS 20.0 was used for statistical analysis. Among 98 infants, 27 had events and 19 died, while 79 were disease free. Five- and 10-year event-free survival (EFS) were 73 and 70 %, and overall survival (OS) was 81 and 74 %, respectively. MYCN status was significant for EFS, but not for OS in multivariate analysis. The survival rates of patients who complied with all the inclusion criteria for INES trials are higher compared to those that included also not registered patients. Five-year EFS and OS for INES 99.2 were 87.8 and 95.7 %, while our stage 4s population obtained 78 and 87 %. Concerning 99.3, 5-year EFS and OS were 86.7 and 95.6 %, while for stage 4 we registered 61 and 68 %. MYCN amplification had a strong impact on prognosis and therefore we consider it unacceptable that many patients were not studied for MYCN and probably inadequately treated. Ten-year survival rates were shown to decrease: EFS from 73 to 70 % and OS from 81 to 74 %, indicating a risk of late events, particularly in stage 4s. Population-based registries like European ENCCA WP 11-task 11 will possibly clarify these data.

Familiarity with breeding habitat improves daily survival in colonial cliff swallows

PubMed Central

BROWN, CHARLES R.; BROWN, MARY BOMBERGER; BRAZEAL, KATHLEEN R.

2008-01-01

One probable cost of dispersing to a new breeding habitat is unfamiliarity with local conditions such as the whereabouts of food or the habits of local predators, and consequently immigrants may have lower probabilities of survival than more experienced residents. Within a breeding season, estimated daily survival probabilities of cliff swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) at colonies in southwestern Nebraska were highest for birds that had always nested at the same site, followed by those for birds that had nested there in some (but not all) past years. Daily survival probabilities were lowest for birds that were naïve immigrants to a colony site and for yearling birds that were nesting for the first time. Birds with past experience at a colony site had monthly survival 8.6% greater than that of naïve immigrants. All colonies where experienced residents did better than immigrants were smaller than 750 nests in size, and in colonies greater than 750 nests, naïve immigrants paid no survival costs relative to experienced residents. Removal of nest ectoparasites by fumigation resulted in higher survival probabilities for all birds, on average, and diminished the differences between immigrants and past residents, probably by improving bird condition to the extent that effects of past experience were relatively less important and harder to detect. The greater survival of experienced residents could not be explained by condition or territory quality, suggesting that familiarity with a local area confers survival advantages during the breeding season for cliff swallows. Colonial nesting may help to moderate the cost of unfamiliarity with an area, likely through social transfer of information about food sources and enhanced vigilance in large groups. PMID:19802326

Carfilzomib significantly improves the progression-free survival of high-risk patients in multiple myeloma.

PubMed

Avet-Loiseau, Hervé; Fonseca, Rafael; Siegel, David; Dimopoulos, Meletios A; Špička, Ivan; Masszi, Tamás; Hájek, Roman; Rosiñol, Laura; Goranova-Marinova, Vesselina; Mihaylov, Georgi; Maisnar, Vladimír; Mateos, Maria-Victoria; Wang, Michael; Niesvizky, Ruben; Oriol, Albert; Jakubowiak, Andrzej; Minarik, Jiri; Palumbo, Antonio; Bensinger, William; Kukreti, Vishal; Ben-Yehuda, Dina; Stewart, A Keith; Obreja, Mihaela; Moreau, Philippe

2016-09-01

The presence of certain high-risk cytogenetic abnormalities, such as translocations (4;14) and (14;16) and deletion (17p), are known to have a negative impact on survival in multiple myeloma (MM). The phase 3 study ASPIRE (N = 792) demonstrated that progression-free survival (PFS) was significantly improved with carfilzomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone (KRd), compared with lenalidomide and dexamethasone (Rd) in relapsed MM. This preplanned subgroup analysis of ASPIRE was conducted to evaluate KRd vs Rd by baseline cytogenetics according to fluorescence in situ hybridization. Of 417 patients with known cytogenetic risk status, 100 patients (24%) were categorized with high-risk cytogenetics (KRd, n = 48; Rd, n = 52) and 317 (76%) were categorized with standard-risk cytogenetics (KRd, n = 147; Rd, n = 170). For patients with high-risk cytogenetics, treatment with KRd resulted in a median PFS of 23.1 months, a 9-month improvement relative to treatment with Rd. For patients with standard-risk cytogenetics, treatment with KRd led to a 10-month improvement in median PFS vs Rd. The overall response rates for KRd vs Rd were 79.2% vs 59.6% (high-risk cytogenetics) and 91.2% vs 73.5% (standard-risk cytogenetics); approximately fivefold as many patients with high- or standard-risk cytogenetics achieved a complete response or better with KRd vs Rd (29.2% vs 5.8% and 38.1% vs 6.5%, respectively). KRd improved but did not abrogate the poor prognosis associated with high-risk cytogenetics. This regimen had a favorable benefit-risk profile in patients with relapsed MM, irrespective of cytogenetic risk status, and should be considered a standard of care in these patients. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT01080391. © 2016 by The American Society of Hematology.

Carfilzomib significantly improves the progression-free survival of high-risk patients in multiple myeloma

PubMed Central

Fonseca, Rafael; Siegel, David; Dimopoulos, Meletios A.; Špička, Ivan; Masszi, Tamás; Hájek, Roman; Rosiñol, Laura; Goranova-Marinova, Vesselina; Mihaylov, Georgi; Maisnar, Vladimír; Mateos, Maria-Victoria; Wang, Michael; Niesvizky, Ruben; Oriol, Albert; Jakubowiak, Andrzej; Minarik, Jiri; Palumbo, Antonio; Bensinger, William; Kukreti, Vishal; Ben-Yehuda, Dina; Stewart, A. Keith; Obreja, Mihaela; Moreau, Philippe

2016-01-01

The presence of certain high-risk cytogenetic abnormalities, such as translocations (4;14) and (14;16) and deletion (17p), are known to have a negative impact on survival in multiple myeloma (MM). The phase 3 study ASPIRE (N = 792) demonstrated that progression-free survival (PFS) was significantly improved with carfilzomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone (KRd), compared with lenalidomide and dexamethasone (Rd) in relapsed MM. This preplanned subgroup analysis of ASPIRE was conducted to evaluate KRd vs Rd by baseline cytogenetics according to fluorescence in situ hybridization. Of 417 patients with known cytogenetic risk status, 100 patients (24%) were categorized with high-risk cytogenetics (KRd, n = 48; Rd, n = 52) and 317 (76%) were categorized with standard-risk cytogenetics (KRd, n = 147; Rd, n = 170). For patients with high-risk cytogenetics, treatment with KRd resulted in a median PFS of 23.1 months, a 9-month improvement relative to treatment with Rd. For patients with standard-risk cytogenetics, treatment with KRd led to a 10-month improvement in median PFS vs Rd. The overall response rates for KRd vs Rd were 79.2% vs 59.6% (high-risk cytogenetics) and 91.2% vs 73.5% (standard-risk cytogenetics); approximately fivefold as many patients with high- or standard-risk cytogenetics achieved a complete response or better with KRd vs Rd (29.2% vs 5.8% and 38.1% vs 6.5%, respectively). KRd improved but did not abrogate the poor prognosis associated with high-risk cytogenetics. This regimen had a favorable benefit-risk profile in patients with relapsed MM, irrespective of cytogenetic risk status, and should be considered a standard of care in these patients. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT01080391. PMID:27439911

Adjunctive traditional Chinese medicine therapy improves survival of liver cancer patients.

PubMed

Liao, Yueh-Hsiang; Lin, Cheng-Chieh; Lai, Hsueh-Chou; Chiang, Jen-Huai; Lin, Jaung-Geng; Li, Tsai-Chung

2015-12-01

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative treatment for cancer with its effect by stimulating host immune response for cytotoxic activity against liver cancer. No studies evaluated TCM treatment on survival of liver cancer patients. This study determined whether the combination of TCM and conventional cancer treatment affects the survival of liver cancer patients. A retrospective cohort study was conducted in 127 237 newly diagnosed liver cancer patients from 2000 to 2009 in the National Health Insurance Program database. Among these patients, 30 992 (24.36%) used TCM for liver cancer care. All patients were followed up until 2011. The mean follow-up was 5.67 years (SD 1.47) for TCM users and 5.49 years (SD 3.64) for non-TCM users. Compared with patients without TCM use, patients with TCM use were significantly associated with a decreased risk of death [hazard ratio (HR) = 0.65, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.64-0.66] with multivariate adjustment. A similar significant protective effect of TCM use across various subgroups of chronic liver diseases was also observed. Jia Wei Xiao Yao San (HR = 0.89, 95% CI = 0.81-0.96) and Chai Hu Shu Gan Tang (HR = 0.86, 95% CI = 0.78-0.95) were the most effective TCM agents that improved survival. This cohort study provided information that adjunctive therapy with TCM may improve the survival in liver cancer patients. Further studies are needed to confirm the potential role of TCM in HCC. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Improved survival in cystic fibrosis patients diagnosed by newborn screening compared to a historical cohort from the same centre.

PubMed

Dijk, F Nicole; McKay, Karen; Barzi, Federica; Gaskin, Kevin J; Fitzgerald, Dominic A

2011-12-01

Newborn screening (NBS) for cystic fibrosis (CF) is associated with improved early nutritional outcomes and improved spirometry in children. The aim of this study was to determine whether early diagnosis and treatment of CF with NBS in New South Wales in 1981 led to better clinical outcomes and survival into early adulthood. Retrospective observational study comprising two original cohorts born in the 3 years before ('non-screened cohort', n=57) and after ('screened'; n=60) the introduction of NBS. Patient records were assessed at transfer from paediatric to adult care by age 19 years and survival was documented to age 25 years. Non-screened patients (n=38) when compared with screened patients (n=41) had a higher rate and lower age of Pseudomonas aeruginosa acquisition at age 18 years (p ≤ 0.01). Height, weight and body mass index (BMI) z scores (all p<0.01) and forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV(1))% were better in the screened group (n=41) (difference: 16.7 ± 6.4%; p=0.01) compared to non-screened (n=38) subjects on transfer to adult care. Each 1% increase in FEV(1)% was associated with a 3% (95% CI 1% to 5%; p=0.001) decrease in risk of death and each 1.0 kg/m(2) increase in BMI contributed to a 44% (95% CI 31% to 55%; p<0.001) decrease in risk of death. This accumulated in a significant survival difference at age 25 years (25 vs 13 deaths or lung transplants; p=0.01). NBS for CF leads to better lung function, nutritional status and improved survival in screened patients in early adulthood.

38 CFR 3.10 - Dependency and indemnity compensation rate for a surviving spouse.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 38 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief 1 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Dependency and indemnity... OF VETERANS AFFAIRS ADJUDICATION Pension, Compensation, and Dependency and Indemnity Compensation General § 3.10 Dependency and indemnity compensation rate for a surviving spouse. (a) General...

38 CFR 3.10 - Dependency and indemnity compensation rate for a surviving spouse.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 38 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief 1 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Dependency and indemnity... OF VETERANS AFFAIRS ADJUDICATION Pension, Compensation, and Dependency and Indemnity Compensation General § 3.10 Dependency and indemnity compensation rate for a surviving spouse. (a) General...

38 CFR 3.10 - Dependency and indemnity compensation rate for a surviving spouse.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 38 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief 1 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Dependency and indemnity... OF VETERANS AFFAIRS ADJUDICATION Pension, Compensation, and Dependency and Indemnity Compensation General § 3.10 Dependency and indemnity compensation rate for a surviving spouse. (a) General...

38 CFR 3.10 - Dependency and indemnity compensation rate for a surviving spouse.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 38 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief 1 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Dependency and indemnity... OF VETERANS AFFAIRS ADJUDICATION Pension, Compensation, and Dependency and Indemnity Compensation General § 3.10 Dependency and indemnity compensation rate for a surviving spouse. (a) General...

38 CFR 3.10 - Dependency and indemnity compensation rate for a surviving spouse.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 38 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Dependency and indemnity... OF VETERANS AFFAIRS ADJUDICATION Pension, Compensation, and Dependency and Indemnity Compensation General § 3.10 Dependency and indemnity compensation rate for a surviving spouse. (a) General...

Changes in fertility patterns can improve child survival in Southeast Asia.

PubMed

Greenspan, A

1993-12-01

This analysis of 1988 Philippine Demographic Survey data provides information on the direct and indirect effects of several major determinants of childhood mortality in the Philippines. Data are compared to rates in Indonesia and Thailand. The odds of infant mortality in the Philippines are reduced by 39% by spacing children more than two years apart. This finding is significant because infant mortality rates have not declined over the past 20 years. Child survival is related to the number of children in the family, the spacing of the children, the mother's age and education, and the risks of malnutrition and infection. Directs effects on child survival are related to infant survival status of the preceding child and the length of the preceding birth interval, while key indirect or background variables are maternal age and education, birth order, and place of residence. The two-stage causation model is tested with data on 13,716 ever married women aged 15-49 years and 20,015 index children born between January 1977 and February 1987. Results in the Philippine confirm that maternal age, birth order, mortality of the previous child, and maternal education are directly related to birth interval, while mortality of the previous child, birth order, and maternal educational status are directly related to infant mortality. Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines all show similar explanatory factors that directly influence infant mortality. The survival status of the preceding child is the most important predictor in all three countries and is particularly strong in Thailand. This factor acts through the limited time interval for rejuvenation of mother's body, nutritional deficiencies, and transmission of infectious disease among siblings. The conclusion is that poor environmental conditions increase vulnerability to illness and death. There are 133% greater odds of having a short birth interval among young urban women than among older rural women. There is a 29% increase

Improving patient survival with the colorectal cancer multi-disciplinary team.

PubMed

MacDermid, E; Hooton, G; MacDonald, M; McKay, G; Grose, D; Mohammed, N; Porteous, C

2009-03-01

There is little information on the impact of the colorectal multi-disciplinary team (MDT) in the United Kingdom. Our single operator presented his patients before and after the inception of an MDT meeting in June 2002. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of this on his patients' survival, and trends in the use of adjuvant chemotherapy. Data were collected on all patients (n = 310) undergoing colectomy for colorectal cancer by one surgeon. Excluding patients with Dukes A stage, the pre-MDT cohort from January 1997 to May 2002 was 176 and the post-MDT cohort from June 2002 to December 2005 was 134. Three-year survival rates were calculated using Kaplan-Meier life table analysis. Prognostic factors were analysed using Cox-proportional hazard regression, and chemotherapy data analysed using the chi-squared test. Independent prognostic indicators of chemotherapy prescription were examined using binary logistic testing. MDT status was shown to be an independent predictor of survival on hazard regression analysis (P = 0.044). A significantly greater number of patients were prescribed adjuvant chemotherapy in the post-MDT cohort (P = 0.0002). MDT status was shown to be a significant prognostic indicator of chemotherapy prescription (P < 0.0001). Three-year survival for Dukes C patients was 58% in the pre-MDT group, and 66% in the post-MDT group (P = 0.023). There was a significant increase in patients undergoing adjuvant postoperative chemotherapy after the inception of the MDT. This was associated with a significant survival benefit in patients with Dukes C disease. The data suggest that the MDT process has resulted in an increase in the prescription of adjuvant chemotherapy, with 3-year survival being greater after its inception.

Association of ITPA Genotype with Event-Free Survival and Relapse Rates in Children with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Undergoing Maintenance Therapy

PubMed Central

Smid, Alenka; Karas-Kuzelicki, Natasa; Milek, Miha; Jazbec, Janez; Mlinaric-Rascan, Irena

2014-01-01

Although the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) has improved significantly over recent decades, failure due to treatment-related toxicities and relapse of the disease still occur in about 20% of patients. This retrospective study included 308 pediatric ALL patients undergoing maintenance therapy and investigated the effects of genetic variants of enzymes involved in the 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP) metabolism and folate pathway on survival and relapse rates. The presence of at least one of the non-functional ITPA alleles (94C>A and/or IVS2+21A>C variant) was associated with longer event-free survival compared to patients with the wild-type ITPA genotype (p = 0.033). Furthermore, patients carrying at least one non-functional ITPA allele were shown to be at a lower risk of suffering early (p = 0.003) and/or bone marrow relapse (p = 0.017). In conclusion, the ITPA genotype may serve as a genetic marker for the improvement of risk stratification and therapy individualization for patients with ALL. PMID:25303517

Long-Term Pancreas Allograft Survival in Simultaneous Pancreas-Kidney Transplantation by Era

PubMed Central

Waki, Kayo; Terasaki, Paul I.; Kadowaki, Takashi

2010-01-01

OBJECTIVE To determine whether short-term improvement in pancreas graft survival with simultaneous pancreas-kidney (SPK) transplants translated into improved long-term survival, then to examine the implications of that determination. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We analyzed data for 14,311 diabetic patients who received a first SPK transplant between October 1987 and November 2007, using Kaplan-Meier analysis for graft survival rates and Cox regression analysis for year-of-transplant effect. RESULTS Overall, from 1995 to 2004, 5-year pancreas graft survival stayed about the same (70–71%). Limiting analysis to grafts that survived more than 1 year, 5-year survival from 1987 to 2004 ranged from 80 to 84%. With 1987–1989 as reference, the adjusted hazard ratio for graft failure by year of transplant increased to 1.49 (95% CI 0.97–2.30) in 2000–2004. CONCLUSIONS Long-term pancreas graft survival has remained unchanged despite the dramatic decreases in technical failures and early acute rejection rates that have contributed to prolonged SPK graft survival. PMID:20460444

Two-year survival rates of proximal atraumatic restorative treatment restorations in relation to glass ionomer cements and Postrestoration meals consumed.

PubMed

Kemoli, Arthur Musakulu; Opinya, Gladys N; van Amerongen, Willem Evert; Mwalili, Samuel M

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of 3 glass ionomer cement (GIC) brands and the postrestoration meal consumed on the survival rate of proximal atraumatic restorative treatment (ART) restorations. A total of 804 proximal restorations were placed in primary molars by trained operators and assistants using 3 GIC brands. The materials' mixing/placement times, the room temperature and the postrestoration meal consumed by the subjects were documented. The restorations were evaluated soon after placement and after 2 years by trained and calibrated evaluators. After 2 years, approximately 31% of the restorations had survived. There were no statistically significant differences in the survival rate of the restorations in relation to the GIC brands. The postrestoration meal consumed, which was of "hard consistency," was associated with significantly lower survival rate of the restorations. The survival rate of the proximal restorations was not significantly affected by the glass ionomer cement brands used, but was significantly influenced by the consistency of the next meal consumed by each child.

Impacts of Bokashi on survival and growth rates of Pinus pseudostrobus in community reforestation projects.

PubMed

Jaramillo-López, P F; Ramírez, M I; Pérez-Salicrup, D R

2015-03-01

Community-based small-scale reforestation practices have been proposed as an alternative to low-efficiency massive reforestations conducted by external agents. These latter conventional reforestations are often carried out in soils that have been seriously degraded and this has indirectly contributed to the introduction of non-native species and/or acceptance of very low seedling survival rates. Bokashi is a fermented soil organic amendment that can be made from almost any available agricultural byproduct, and its beneficial effects in agriculture have been reported in various contexts. Here, we report the results of a community-based small-scale experimental reforestation where the provenance of pine seedlings (local and commercial) and the use of Bokashi as a soil amendment were evaluated. Bokashi was prepared locally by members of a small rural community in central Mexico. Almost two years after the establishment of the trial, survival rates for the unamended and amended local trees were 97-100% while survival of the commercial trees from unamended and amended treatments were 87-93%. Consistently through time, local and commercial seedlings planted in Bokashi-amended soils were significantly taller (x̅ = 152 cm) than those planted in unamended soils (̅x = 86 cm). An unplanned infection by Cronartium quercuum in the first year of the experiment was considered as a covariable. Infected seedlings showed malformations but this did not affect survival and growth rates. Bokashi amendment seems as an inexpensive, locally viable technology to increase seedling survival and growth and to help recover deforested areas where soils have been degraded. This allows local stakeholders to see more rapid results while helping them to maintain their interest in conservation activities. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hurthle cell carcinoma: an update on survival over the last 35 years.

PubMed

Nagar, Sapna; Aschebrook-Kilfoy, Briseis; Kaplan, Edwin L; Angelos, Peter; Grogan, Raymon H

2013-12-01

Hurthle cell carcinoma (HCC) of the thyroid is a variant of follicular cell carcinoma (FCC). A low incidence and lack of long-term follow-up data have caused controversy regarding the survival characteristics of HCC. We aimed to clarify this controversy by analyzing HCC survival over a 35-year period using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. Cases of HCC and FCC were extracted from the SEER-9 database (1975-2009). Five- and 10-year survival rates were calculated. We compared changes in survival over time by grouping cases into 5-year intervals. We identified 1,416 cases of HCC and 4,973 cases of FCC. For cases diagnosed from 1975 to 1979, HCC showed a worse survival compared with FCC (5 years, 75%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 60.2-85) versus 88.7% (95% CI, 86-90.8; 10 years, 66.7% [95% CI, 51.5-78.1] vs. 79.7% [95% CI, 76.5-82.6]). For cases diagnosed from 2000 to 2004 we found no difference in 5-year survival between HCC and FCC (91.1% [95% CI, 87.6-93.7] vs. 89.1% [95% CI, 86.5-91.2]). For cases diagnosed from 1995 to 1999, there was no difference in 10-year survival between HCC and FCC (80.9% [95% CI, 75.6-85.2] vs. 83.9% [95% CI, 80.8-86.6]). HCC survival improved over the study period while FCC survival rates remained stable (increase in survival at 5 years, 21.7% vs. 0.4%; at 10 years, 21.3% vs. 5.2%). Improvement in HCC survival was observed for both genders, in age ≥45 years, in local and regional disease, for tumors >4 cm, and with white race. HCC survival has improved dramatically over time such that HCC and FCC survival rates are now the same. These findings explain how studies over the last 4 decades have shown conflicting results regarding HCC survival; however, our data do not explain why HCC survival has improved. Copyright © 2013 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Lung cancer: Incidence and survival in Rabat, Morocco.

PubMed

Lachgar, A; Tazi, M A; Afif, M; Er-Raki, A; Kebdani, T; Benjaafar, N

2016-12-01

Lung cancer is the most common cancer worldwide, but epidemiologic data from developing countries are lacking. This article reports lung cancer incidence and survival in Rabat, the capital of Morocco. All lung cancer cases diagnosed between 2005 and 2008 were analyzed using data provided by the Rabat Cancer Registry. The standardized rate was reported using age adjustment with respect to the world standard population, and the observed survival rates were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Three hundred fifty-one cases were registered (314 males and 37 females), aged 27-90 years (median, 59 years). The most common pathological type was adenocarcinoma (40.2%) followed by squamous cell carcinoma (31.9%); the majority of cases were diagnosed at stage IV (52%). The age-standardized incidence rate was 25.1 and 2.7 per 100,000 for males and females, respectively, and the overall observed survival rates at 1 and 5 years were 31.7% and 3.4%, respectively. The clinical stage of disease was the only independent predictor of survival. The survival rate of lung cancer in Rabat is very poor. This finding explains the need for measures to reduce the prevalence of tobacco and to improve diagnostic and therapeutic facilities for lung cancer. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.

Prolonged Elevated Heart Rate and 90-Day Survival in Acutely Ill Patients: Data From the MIMIC-III Database.

PubMed

Sandfort, Veit; Johnson, Alistair E W; Kunz, Lauren M; Vargas, Jose D; Rosing, Douglas R

2018-01-01

We sought to evaluate the association of prolonged elevated heart rate (peHR) with survival in acutely ill patients. We used a large observational intensive care unit (ICU) database (Multiparameter Intelligent Monitoring in Intensive Care III [MIMIC-III]), where frequent heart rate measurements were available. The peHR was defined as a heart rate >100 beats/min in 11 of 12 consecutive hours. The outcome was survival status at 90 days. We collected heart rates, disease severity (simplified acute physiology scores [SAPS II]), comorbidities (Charlson scores), and International Classification of Diseases (ICD) diagnosis information in 31 513 patients from the MIMIC-III ICU database. Propensity score (PS) methods followed by inverse probability weighting based on the PS was used to balance the 2 groups (the presence/absence of peHR). Multivariable weighted logistic regression was used to assess for association of peHR with the outcome survival at 90 days adjusting for additional covariates. The mean age was 64 years, and the most frequent main disease category was circulatory disease (41%). The mean SAPS II score was 35, and the mean Charlson comorbidity score was 2.3. Overall survival of the cohort at 90 days was 82%. Adjusted logistic regression showed a significantly increased risk of death within 90 days in patients with an episode of peHR ( P < .001; odds ratio for death 1.79; confidence interval, 1.69-1.88). This finding was independent of median heart rate. We found a significant association of peHR with decreased survival in a large and heterogenous cohort of ICU patients.

Supplementation with apple enriched with L-arginine may improve metabolic control and survival rate in alloxan-induced diabetic rats.

PubMed

Escudero, Andrea; Petzold, Guillermo; Moreno, Jorge; Gonzalez, Marcelo; Junod, Julio; Aguayo, Claudio; Acurio, Jesenia; Escudero, Carlos

2013-01-01

Supplementation with L-arginine or fresh food with high content of this amino acid is associated with favorable effects in the metabolic control of diabetes. We aimed to determine whether supplementation with apples enriched with L-arginine offer additional benefits compared to L-arginine by itself in a preclinical study of diabetes. This study combines food-engineer technologies with in vivo and in vitro analysis. In vitro experiments show that cells derived from non-diabetic animals and exposed to high glucose (25 mM, 12 H) and cells isolated from alloxan-induced diabetic animals exhibited a reduction (∼50%) in the L-arginine uptake. This effect was reverted by L-arginine pretreatment (12 H) in both the normal and diabetes-derived cells. In preclinical studies, normoglycemic (n = 25) and diabetic groups (n = 50) were divided into subgroups that received either L-arginine (375 mg/kg per 10 days) or apple enriched with L-arginine or vehicle (control). In a preliminary analysis, supplementation with L-arginine by itself (50%) or apple enriched with L-arginine (100%) improve survival rate in the diabetic group compared to control (0%) at the end of the follow up (17 days). This phenomenon was associated with a partial but sustained high plasma level of L-arginine, as well as plasma concentration of nitrites and insulin in the L-arginine or apple + L-arginine groups after supplementation. Apple + L-arginine supplementation in diabetic animals induced the highest and longest effects in the level of these three markers among the studied groups. Therefore, apple enriched by L-arginine offers more benefits than L-arginine by itself in this preclinical study. Copyright © 2013 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Addition of Androgens Improves Survival in Elderly Patients With Acute Myeloid Leukemia: A GOELAMS Study.

PubMed

Pigneux, Arnaud; Béné, Marie C; Guardiola, Philippe; Recher, Christian; Hamel, Jean-Francois; Sauvezie, Mathieu; Harousseau, Jean-Luc; Tournilhac, Olivier; Witz, Francis; Berthou, Christian; Escoffre-Barbe, Martine; Guyotat, Denis; Fegueux, Nathalie; Himberlin, Chantal; Hunault, Mathilde; Delain, Martine; Lioure, Bruno; Jourdan, Eric; Bauduer, Frederic; Dreyfus, Francois; Cahn, Jean-Yves; Sotto, Jean-Jacques; Ifrah, Norbert

2017-02-01

Purpose Elderly patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) have a poor prognosis, and innovative maintenance therapy could improve their outcomes. Androgens, used in the treatment of aplastic anemia, have been reported to block proliferation of and initiate differentiation in AML cells. We report the results of a multicenter, phase III, randomized open-label trial exploring the benefit of adding androgens to maintenance therapy in patients 60 years of age or older. Patients and Methods A total of 330 patients with AML de novo or secondary to chemotherapy or radiotherapy were enrolled in the study. Induction therapy included idarubicin 8 mg/m 2 on days 1 to 5, cytarabine 100 mg/m 2 on days 1 to 7, and lomustine 200 mg/m 2 on day 1. Patients in complete remission or partial remission received six reinduction courses, alternating idarubicin 8 mg/m 2 on day 1, cytarabine 100 mg/m 2 on days 1 to 5, and a regimen of methotrexate and mercaptopurine. Patients were randomly assigned to receive norethandrolone 10 or 20 mg/day, according to body weight, or no norethandrolone for a 2-year maintenance therapy regimen. The primary end point was disease-free survival by intention to treat. Secondary end points were event-free survival, overall survival, and safety. This trial was registered at www.ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT00700544. Results Random assignment allotted 165 patients to each arm; arm A received norethandrolone, and arm B did not receive norethandrolone. Complete remission or partial remission was achieved in 247 patients (76%). The Schoenfeld time-dependent model showed that norethandrolone significantly improved survival for patients still in remission at 1 year after induction. In arms A and B, respectively, 5-year disease-free survival was 31.2% and 16.2%, event-free survival was 21.5% and 12.9%, and overall survival was 26.3% and 17.2%. Norethandrolone improved outcomes irrelevant to all prognosis factors. Only patients with baseline leukocytes > 30 × 10

Interleukin-7 Ameliorates Immune Dysfunction and Improves Survival in a 2-Hit Model of Fungal Sepsis

PubMed Central

Unsinger, Jacqueline; Burnham, Carey-Ann D.; McDonough, Jacquelyn; Morre, Michel; Prakash, Priya S.; Caldwell, Charles C.; Dunne, W. Michael; Hotchkiss, Richard S.

2012-01-01

Background. Secondary hospital-acquired fungal infections are common in critically-ill patients and mortality remains high despite antimicrobial therapy. Interleukin-7 (IL-7) is a potent immunotherapeutic agent that improves host immunity and has shown efficacy in bacterial and viral models of infection. This study examined the ability of IL-7, which is currently in multiple clinical trials (including hepatitis and human immunodeficiency virus), to improve survival in a clinically relevant 2-hit model of fungal sepsis. Methods. Mice underwent cecal ligation and puncture to induce peritonitis. Four days later, surviving mice had intravenous injection with Candida albicans. Following Candida infection, mice were treated with IL-7 or saline control. The effect of IL-7 on host immunity and survival was recorded. Results. IL-7 ameliorated the loss of immune effector cells and increased lymphocyte functions, including activation, proliferation, expression of adhesion molecules, and interferon-γ production. These beneficial effects of IL-7 were associated with an increase in global immunity as reflected by an enhanced delayed type hypersensitivity response and a 1.7-fold improvement in survival. Conclusions. The present findings showing that IL-7 improves survival in fungal sepsis, together with its previously reported efficacy in bacterial and viral infectious models, further supports its use as a novel immunotherapeutic in sepsis. PMID:22693226

Improvements in logistics could increase survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in Sweden.

PubMed

Strömsöe, A; Afzelius, S; Axelsson, C; Södersved Källestedt, M L; Enlund, M; Svensson, L; Herlitz, J

2013-06-01

In a review based on estimations and assumptions, to report the estimated number of survivors after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) in whom cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was started and to speculate about possible future improvements in Sweden. An observational study. All ambulance organisations in Sweden. Patients included in the Swedish Cardiac Arrest Registry who suffered an OHCA between January 1, 2008 and December 31, 2010. Approximately 80% of OHCA cases in Sweden in which CPR was started are included. None In 11 005 patients, the 1-month survival rate was 9.4%. There are approximately 5000 OHCA cases annually in which CPR is started and 30-day survival is achieved in up to 500 patients yearly (6 per 100 000 inhabitants). Based on findings on survival in relation to the time to calling for the Emergency Medical Service (EMS) and the start of CPR and defibrillation, it was estimated that, if the delay from collapse to (i) calling EMS, (ii) the start of CPR, and (iii) the time to defibrillation were reduced to <2 min, <2 min, and <8 min, respectively, 300-400 additional lives could be saved. Based on findings relating to the delay to calling for the EMS and the start of CPR and defibrillation, we speculate that 300-400 additional OHCA patients yearly (4 per 100 000 inhabitants) could be saved in Sweden. © 2013 The Association for the Publication of the Journal of Internal Medicine.

Reintroduction of the highly endangered mollusk Patella ferruginea Gmelin, 1791 in an MPA: A novel approach to achieve high survival rates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zarrouk, Anis; Romdhane, Mohamed Salah; Espinosa, Free

2018-03-01

Patella ferruginea is the most endangered marine invertebrate of western Mediterranean rocky shores. After a study of one of its most important populations in the Zembra Archipelago National Park (Tunisia), a new protocol for the translocation of the species (size: 4-8 cm) was adopted. The first translocation was made in June 2014 in the same archipelago, where 94 specimens were moved from Zembretta to Zembra Island and marked (62 protected by cages, 20 with no cages and 60 as controls). The second translocation was performed in August 2014 (110 specimens) from Zembra to La Galite Island (185 km away). High mortality was registered during transport. The remaining individuals (39) were marked and placed in cages on the rocky shores of Galite Island, then monitored until November 2015. Growth and survival rates were measured in both translocated and control populations. The highest mortality rates were observed during the initial three days after translocation, especially for individuals with no cage protection. After a 697-day survey on Zembra Island, survival rates of 58%, 25% and 85% were observed for cage, no-cage and control populations, respectively. After a 457-day survey on La Galite Island, the survival rate was 18%. Limpets>6 cm in size had the highest survival rate among Zembra-translocated populations, whereas translocated limpets of 4-6 cm in size showed the highest survival rate in La Galite. The growth rates for both translocated populations were higher than the rate observed for controls. Our translocation experiment shows the importance of cage protection and initial limpet size for survival.

The influence of disturbance events on survival and dispersal rates of Florida box turtles

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dodd, C.K.; Ozgul, A.; Oli, M.K.

2006-01-01

Disturbances have the potential to cause long-term effects to ecosystem structure and function, and they may affect individual species in different ways. Long-lived vertebrates such as turtles may be at risk from such events, inasmuch as their life histories preclude rapid recovery should extensive mortality occur. We applied capture–mark–recapture models to assess disturbance effects on a population of Florida box turtles (Terrapene carolina bauri) on Egmont Key, Florida, USA. Near the midpoint of the study, a series of physical disturbances affected the island, from salt water overwash associated with several tropical storms to extensive removal of nonindigenous vegetation. These disturbances allowed us to examine demographic responses of the turtle population and to determine if they affected dispersal throughout the island. Adult survival rates did not vary significantly either between sexes or among years of the study. Survival rates did not vary significantly between juvenile and adult turtles, or among years of the study. Furthermore, neither adult nor juvenile survival rates differed significantly between pre- and post-disturbance. However, dispersal rates varied significantly among the four major study sites, and dispersal rates were higher during the pre-disturbance sampling periods compared to post-disturbance. Our results suggest few long-term effects on the demography of the turtle population. Florida box turtles responded to tropical storms and vegetation control by moving to favorable habitats minimally affected by the disturbances and remaining there. As long as turtles and perhaps other long-lived vertebrates can disperse to non-disturbed habitat, and high levels of mortality do not occur in a population, a long life span may allow them to wait out the impact of disturbance with potentially little effect on long-term population processes.

A systematic review of the survival and complication rates of inlay-retained fixed dental prostheses.

PubMed

Chen, Junyu; Cai, He; Suo, Lai; Xue, Yiyuan; Wang, Jian; Wan, Qianbing

2017-04-01

The aim of this systematic review was to investigate the survival and complication rates of inlay-retainer fixed dental prostheses (IRFDPs). A systematic search was conducted in the PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases in English and time filters (articles published from 1960) were used. Randomized controlled trails (RCTs), controlled clinical trials (CCTs) and prospective cohort studies on IRFDPs with a mean follow-up period of at least 2 years were included. Among 501 screened articles, one RCT and ten prospective cohort studies were included in this study. Of the included studies, information on failure and complications was independently extracted by two reviewers in duplicate. The failure and complication rates of IRFDPs were pooled with a random effect model and Poisson regression was applied to further investigate the influence of framework materials. The estimated 3- and 5-year survival rates of IRFDPs were 92.6% (95% CI: 85.8-97.6%) and 87.9% (95% CI: 77.4-96.1%), respectively. Debonding, fracture, dentine hypersensitivity and secondary caries were primary complications. The estimated 5-year rates of debonding, veneer fracture and secondary caries were 5.3%, 15.2% and 2.7%, respectively. Additionally, fiber-reinforced composite IRFDPs exhibited a lower incidence of debonding and caries with a higher rate of veneer fracture compared with metal-based and all-ceramic IRFDPs (p<0.05). Compared with conventional fixed dental prostheses (FDPs) and implant-supported single crowns (ISCs), IRFDPs exhibited an acceptable 3-year survival rate but higher complication rates of debonding and veneer fracture. IRFDPs can be recommended as viable short- or middle-term minimally invasive alternatives to short-span conventional FDPs and ISCs, while the clinical outcome of IRFDPs as long-term definitive restorations still calls for further research. The indications of IRFDPs should be strictly controlled and monitored. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights

Panax ginseng improves survival and sperm quality in guinea pigs exposed to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo- p-dioxin.

PubMed

Hwang, Seock-Yeon; Kim, Wun-Jae; Wee, Jae-Joon; Choi, Jong-Soon; Kim, Si-Kwan

2004-09-01

To further assess the effect of Panax ginseng on survival and sperm quality of guinea pigs exposed to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD). Eighty male guinea pigs were divided into eight equal groups. The normal control (NC) group received vehicle and saline; one dose of 1 micro g/kg body weight TCDD was injected intraperitoneally into the single TCDD-treated (TT) and test groups (P100, P200, C100, C200); G and NC groups received vehicle instead of TCDD. P. ginseng water extract (PG-WE) was injected intraperitoneally at daily doses of 100 (G100, P100, C100) or 200 mg/kg body weight (G200, P200, C200). The PG-WE was administered to the P and G groups for 12 weeks from 1 week before TCDD exposure, and to the C groups for 10 weeks from 1 week after TCDD exposure. After a 4-week discontinuation of PG-WE treatment after the 13th week the surviving males were then tested for fertility by mating them with females. The litter size, death rate, male/female birth ratio and physical abnormalities of the progeny were investigated. After confirming delivery of the offspring, the parent males were killed at 40 weeks, their testes weighed and sperm quality assessed. All TT animals died within 18 days after TCDD exposure, but 40-70% of the PG-WE-treated groups, depending on the group, survived until death at 40 weeks. All the surviving males were fertile regardless of TCDD exposure; there was no difference in litter size between the NC and test groups. Notably the death rate of progeny born to PG-WE-treated groups was lower than that of progeny born to the NC group. The progeny born to TCDD-exposed groups (P200 and C groups) had a preponderance of females. G Group animals had higher sperm quality than that of NCs even long after discontinuing PG-WE. P. ginseng improves the survival rate and sperm quality in guinea pigs exposed to TCDD.

Resolution of severe hyponatraemia is associated with improved survival in patients with cancer.

PubMed

Balachandran, Kirsty; Okines, Alicia; Gunapala, Ranga; Morganstein, Daniel; Popat, Sanjay

2015-03-22

Hyponatraemia is a common finding in patients with cancer, and has been shown to be associated with poor prognosis in different settings. We have analysed the impact of severe hyponatraemia in patients with cancer. A retrospective review of all patients admitted to a specialist cancer hospital with a plasma sodium of less than 115 mmol/l and a diagnosis of malignancy was undertaken. Patient and tumour characteristics were analysed as well as impact of hyponatraemia management on overall survival and number of lines of cancer treatment received. 57 patients were identified. 84% had advanced Stage 3 or 4 cancer and approximately 85% with data available had symptoms attributable to hyponatraemia. Mean length of hospital stay was 12 days, and overall survival (OS) was 5.1 months. Plasma sodium level corrected in 56% of patients and here OS was 13.6 months compared to 16 days in those whose sodium did not correct (p < 0.001). Those whose sodium corrected were more likely to receive further lines of anti-cancer treatment. Severe hyponatraemia in cancer is associated with very poor survival, but correction of the sodium level leads to additional treatment and significantly greater overall survival (although it is not possible to determine if this is due to specific therapy of the hyponatraemia or the resolving hyponatraemia reflects an improvement in the clinical condition). Aggressive treatment of hyponatraemia may allow more anti-cancer treatment and improve survival.

Behavioral Hypervolumes of Predator Groups and Predator-Predator Interactions Shape Prey Survival Rates and Selection on Prey Behavior

PubMed Central

Pruitt, Jonathan N.; Howell, Kimberly A.; Gladney, Shaniqua J.; Yang, Yusan; Lichtenstein, James L. L.; Spicer, Michelle Elise; Echeverri, Sebastian A.; Pinter-Wollman, Noa

2017-01-01

Predator-prey interactions often vary on the basis of the traits of the individual predators and prey involved. Here we examine whether the multidimensional behavioral diversity of predator groups shapes prey mortality rates and selection on prey behavior. We ran individual sea stars (Pisaster ochraceus) through three behavioral assays to characterize individuals’ behavioral phenotype along three axes. We then created groups that varied in the volume of behavioral space that they occupied. We further manipulated the ability of predators to interact with one another physically via the addition of barriers. Prey snails (Chlorostome funebralis) were also run through an assay to evaluate their predator avoidance behavior before their use in mesocosm experiments. We then subjected pools of prey to predator groups and recorded the number of prey consumed and their behavioral phenotypes. We found that predator-predator interactions changed survival selection on prey traits: when predators were prevented from interacting, more fearful snails had higher survival rates, whereas prey fearfulness had no effect on survival when predators were free to interact. We also found that groups of predators that occupied a larger volume in behavioral trait space consumed 35% more prey snails than homogeneous predator groups. Finally, we found that behavioral hypervolumes were better predictors of prey survival rates than single behavioral traits or other multivariate statistics (i.e., principal component analysis). Taken together, predator-predator interactions and multidimensional behavioral diversity determine prey survival rates and selection on prey traits in this system. PMID:28221831

Behavioral Hypervolumes of Predator Groups and Predator-Predator Interactions Shape Prey Survival Rates and Selection on Prey Behavior.

PubMed

Pruitt, Jonathan N; Howell, Kimberly A; Gladney, Shaniqua J; Yang, Yusan; Lichtenstein, James L L; Spicer, Michelle Elise; Echeverri, Sebastian A; Pinter-Wollman, Noa

2017-03-01

Predator-prey interactions often vary on the basis of the traits of the individual predators and prey involved. Here we examine whether the multidimensional behavioral diversity of predator groups shapes prey mortality rates and selection on prey behavior. We ran individual sea stars (Pisaster ochraceus) through three behavioral assays to characterize individuals' behavioral phenotype along three axes. We then created groups that varied in the volume of behavioral space that they occupied. We further manipulated the ability of predators to interact with one another physically via the addition of barriers. Prey snails (Chlorostome funebralis) were also run through an assay to evaluate their predator avoidance behavior before their use in mesocosm experiments. We then subjected pools of prey to predator groups and recorded the number of prey consumed and their behavioral phenotypes. We found that predator-predator interactions changed survival selection on prey traits: when predators were prevented from interacting, more fearful snails had higher survival rates, whereas prey fearfulness had no effect on survival when predators were free to interact. We also found that groups of predators that occupied a larger volume in behavioral trait space consumed 35% more prey snails than homogeneous predator groups. Finally, we found that behavioral hypervolumes were better predictors of prey survival rates than single behavioral traits or other multivariate statistics (i.e., principal component analysis). Taken together, predator-predator interactions and multidimensional behavioral diversity determine prey survival rates and selection on prey traits in this system.

Thoracic radiation therapy improves the overall survival of patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer with distant metastasis.

PubMed

Zhu, Hui; Zhou, Zongmei; Wang, Yan; Bi, Nan; Feng, Qinfu; Li, Junling; Lv, Jima; Chen, Dongfu; Shi, Yuankai; Wang, Luhua

2011-12-01

The authors conducted a retrospective study to evaluate the effects of thoracic radiation therapy (TRT) for patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ED-SCLC). Between January 2003 and December 2006, the records of 119 patients who were diagnosed with ED-SCLC (all with distant metastasis [M1]) were included in the study. Sixty patients received chemotherapy (ChT) and TRT (ChT/TRT), and 59 patients received ChT alone. The ChT regimens consisted of either carboplatin and etoposide (CE) or cisplatin and etoposide (PE). The total dose of TRT ranged from 40 to 60 grays (Gy) at 1.8 to 2.0 Gy per fraction. For the entire group, the median survival was 13 months, and the 2-year and 5-year overall survival (OS) rates were 26.1% and 6.5%, respectively. The median survival and the 2-year and 5-year OS rates were 17 months, 35%, and 7.1%, respectively, in the ChT/TRT group and 9.3 months, 17%, and 5.1%, respectively, in the ChT group (P = .014). However, this improvement was achieved at the expense of low toxicity. Multivariate analysis revealed that receiving ≥4 cycles of ChT (P = .032) and TRT (P = .005) were favorable prognostic factors for OS. Of all toxicities, only high-grade leucopenia (grade >3) was more frequent in the ChT/TRT group. The addition of TRT to ChT improved the OS of patients with ED-SCLC. Furthermore, receiving ≥4 cycles of ChT and TRT were independent, favorable prognostic factors for OS. Copyright © 2011 American Cancer Society.

Current Trends in the Incidence and Survival Rate of Urological Cancers in Korea.

PubMed

Joung, Jae Young; Lim, Jiwon; Oh, Chang-Mo; Jung, Kyu-Won; Cho, Hyunsoon; Kim, Sung Han; Seo, Ho Kyung; Park, Weon Seo; Chung, Jinsoo; Lee, Kang Hyun; Won, Young-Joo

2017-07-01

This descriptive study assessed the current trends in the incidence of urological cancers and patient survival in Korea. In this nationwide retrospective observational study based on the data from the Korea National Cancer Incidence Database (KNCIDB), this study analyzed the age-standardized incidence rates (ASRs) and annual percentage changes (APCs) of kidney, bladder, prostate, testicular, and penile cancers as well as cancer of the renal pelvis and ureter between 1999 and 2012. The relative survival rates (RSRs) were calculated for urological cancer patients diagnosed between 1993 and 2012 from the KNCIDB data. Prostate cancer was diagnosed in 66,812 individuals followed by bladder (41,549) and kidney (36,836) cancers. The overall ASR (18.26 per 100,000) increased with age because of the higher ASRs of bladder and prostate cancers in the elderly. The ASR for kidney cancer was highest in the 40-59-year-old group, whereas testicular cancer occurred most frequently before the age of 40. The incidence of most urological cancers increased (overall APC, 6.39%; p < 0.001), except for penile (APC, -2.01%; p=0.05) and bladder (APC, -0.40%; p=0.25) cancers. The overall survival increased steadily (5-year RSR, 66.4% in 1993-1995 vs. 84.2% in 2008-2012; p < 0.001), particularly for prostate (by 34.10%) and kidney (by 16.30%) cancers, but not for renal pelvis and ureter cancers (-7.20%). The most common urological cancer in Korea was prostate cancer followed by bladder and kidney cancers. The incidence of most urological cancers, except for penile and bladder cancers, increased. Survival also increased, particularly for prostate and kidney cancers.

Dying to remember, remembering to survive: mortality salience and survival processing.

PubMed

Burns, Daniel J; Hart, Joshua; Kramer, Melanie E; Burns, Amy D

2014-01-01

Processing items for their relevance to survival improves recall for those items relative to numerous other deep processing encoding techniques. Perhaps related, placing individuals in a mortality salient state has also been shown to enhance retention of items encoded after the morality salience manipulation (e.g., in a pleasantness rating task), a phenomenon we dubbed the "dying-to-remember" (DTR) effect. The experiments reported here further explored the effect and tested the possibility that the DTR effect is related to survival processing. Experiment 1 replicated the effect using different encoding tasks, demonstrating that the effect is not dependent on the pleasantness task. In Experiment 2 the DTR effect was associated with increases in item-specific processing, not relational processing, according to several indices. Experiment 3 replicated the main results of Experiment 2, and tested the effects of mortality salience and survival processing within the same experiment. The DTR effect and its associated difference in item-specific processing were completely eliminated when the encoding task required survival processing. These results are consistent with the interpretation that the mechanisms responsible for survival processing and DTR effects are overlapping.

Survival Rate of Resin and Ceramic Inlays, Onlays, and Overlays: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

PubMed

Morimoto, S; Rebello de Sampaio, F B W; Braga, M M; Sesma, N; Özcan, M

2016-08-01

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the survival rate of ceramic and resin inlays, onlays, and overlays and to identify the complication types associated with the main clinical outcomes. Two reviewers searched PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials for articles published between 1983 through April 2015, conforming to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines for systematic reviews. Clinical studies meeting the following criteria were included: 1) studies related to resin and ceramic inlays, onlays, and overlays; 2) prospective, retrospective, or randomized controlled trials conducted in humans; 3) studies with a dropout rate of less than 30%; and 4) studies with a follow-up longer than 5 y. Of 1,389 articles, 14 met the inclusion criteria. The meta-regression indicated that the type of ceramic material (feldspathic porcelain vs. glass-ceramic), study design (retrospective vs. prospective), follow-up time (5 vs. 10 y), and study setting (university vs. private clinic) did not affect the survival rate. Estimated survival rates for glass-ceramics and feldspathic porcelain were between 92% and 95% at 5 y (n = 5,811 restorations) and were 91% at 10 y (n = 2,154 restorations). Failures were related to fractures/chipping (4%), followed by endodontic complications (3%), secondary caries (1%), debonding (1%), and severe marginal staining (0%). Odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) were 0.19 (0.04 to 0.96) and 0.54 (0.17 to 1.69) for pulp vitality and type of tooth involved (premolars vs. molars), respectively. Ceramic inlays, onlays, and overlays showed high survival rates at 5 y and 10 y, and fractures were the most frequent cause of failure. © International & American Associations for Dental Research 2016.

Efficacy of Liposuction as a Delay Method for Improving Flap Survival.

PubMed

Orhan, Erkan; Erol, Yağmur Reyyan; Deren, Orgun; Altun, Serdar; Erdoğan, Bülent

2016-12-01

Flaps are often used in repairing tissue defects and partial or full flap loss is still an important morbidity cause. Several techniques have been tried to increase flap circulation but none of these could replace the delay technique. Our goal in this study is to show the efficacy of liposuction in delay of dorsal rat cutaneous flaps and improvement in flap survival. Twenty-four Wistar rats were used. The rats in group 1 received 9 × 3-sized caudally-based random pattern skin flaps. In group 2, liposuction was done under the tissue island spotted as the flap and after 14 days, standard flap surgery was done. In group 3, surgical delay was done and after 14 days, standard flap surgery was done. In group 4, liposuction was done under the tissue island spotted as the flap and standard flap surgery was done right after the liposuction. The rate of necrotic tissue in group 3 (surgical delay; mean % 13.7) was less than the rate in group 2 (liposuction delay; mean % 15.1), although the difference was not statistically significant. The necrosis rates in group 3 (surgical delay) and group 2 (liposuction delay) were less than the rates in both group 1 (only flap; mean % 41.5) and group 4 (liposuction flap; mean % 40.0) and this difference was statistically significant (p < 0.0001). Liposuction can be an alternative to surgical delay as a less invasive method in the clinic. This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

Influence of Referral Pathway on Ebola Virus Disease Case-Fatality Rate and Effect of Survival Selection Bias.

PubMed

Rudolf, Frauke; Damkjær, Mads; Lunding, Suzanne; Dornonville de la Cour, Kenn; Young, Alyssa; Brooks, Tim; Sesay, Tom; Salam, Alex P; Mishra, Sharmistha; Storgaard, Merete

2017-04-01

Case-fatality rates in Ebola treatment centers (ETCs) varied widely during the Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in West Africa. We assessed the influence of referral pathway on ETC case-fatality rates with a retrospective cohort of 126 patients treated at the Mathaska ETC in Port Loko, Sierra Leone. The patients consisted of persons who had confirmed EVD when transferred to the ETC or who had been diagnosed onsite. The case-fatality rate for transferred patients was 46% versus 67% for patients diagnosed onsite (p = 0.02). The difference was mediated by Ebola viral load at diagnosis, suggesting a survival selection bias. Comparisons of case-fatality rates across ETCs and clinical management strategies should account for potential survival selection bias.

Influence of Referral Pathway on Ebola Virus Disease Case-Fatality Rate and Effect of Survival Selection Bias

PubMed Central

Damkjær, Mads; Lunding, Suzanne; Dornonville de la Cour, Kenn; Young, Alyssa; Brooks, Tim; Sesay, Tom; Salam, Alex P.; Mishra, Sharmistha; Storgaard, Merete

2017-01-01

Case-fatality rates in Ebola treatment centers (ETCs) varied widely during the Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in West Africa. We assessed the influence of referral pathway on ETC case-fatality rates with a retrospective cohort of 126 patients treated at the Mathaska ETC in Port Loko, Sierra Leone. The patients consisted of persons who had confirmed EVD when transferred to the ETC or who had been diagnosed onsite. The case-fatality rate for transferred patients was 46% versus 67% for patients diagnosed onsite (p = 0.02). The difference was mediated by Ebola viral load at diagnosis, suggesting a survival selection bias. Comparisons of case-fatality rates across ETCs and clinical management strategies should account for potential survival selection bias. PMID:28322693

Dietary Antioxidants Protect Hematopoietic Cells and Improve Animal Survival after Total-Body Irradiation

PubMed Central

Wambi, Chris; Sanzari, Jenine; Wan, X. Steven; Nuth, Manunya; Davis, James; Ko, Ying-Hui; Sayers, Carly M.; Baran, Matthew; Ware, Jeffrey H.; Kennedy, Ann R.

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine whether a dietary supplement consisting of L-selenomethionine, vitamin C, vitamin E succinate, α-lipoic acid and N-acetyl cysteine could improve the survival of mice after total-body irradiation. Antioxidants significantly increased the 30-day survival of mice after exposure to a potentially lethal dose of X rays when given prior to or after animal irradiation. Pretreatment of animals with antioxidants resulted in significantly higher total white blood cell and neutrophil counts in peripheral blood at 4 and 24 h after 1 Gy and 8 Gy. Antioxidants were effective in preventing peripheral lymphopenia only after low-dose irradiation. Antioxidant supplementation was also associated with increased bone marrow cell counts after irradiation. Supplementation with antioxidants was associated with increased Bcl2 and decreased Bax, caspase 9 and TGF-β1 mRNA expression in the bone marrow after irradiation. Maintenance of the antioxidant diet was associated with improved recovery of the bone marrow after sublethal or potentially lethal irradiation. Taken together, oral supplementation with antioxidants appears to be an effective approach for radioprotection of hematopoietic cells and improvement of animal survival, and modulation of apoptosis is implicated as a mechanism for the radioprotection of the hematopoietic system by antioxidants. PMID:18363433

Hepatic retransplantation in New England--a regional experience and survival model.

PubMed

Powelson, J A; Cosimi, A B; Lewis, W D; Rohrer, R J; Freeman, R B; Vacanti, J P; Jonas, M; Lorber, M I; Marks, W H; Bradley, J

1993-04-01

Hepatic retransplantation (reTx) offers the only alternative to death for patients who have failed primary hepatic transplantation (PTx). Assuming a finite number of donor organs, reTx also denies the chance of survival for some patients awaiting PTx. The impact of reTx on overall survival (i.e., the survival of all candidates for transplantation) must therefore be clarified. Between 1983 and 1991, 651 patients from the New England Organ Bank underwent liver transplantation, and 73 reTx were performed in 71 patients (11% reTx rate). The 1-year actuarial survival for reTx (48%) was significantly less than for PTx (70%, P < 0.05). This survival varied, dependent on the interval of time following PTx in which the reTx was performed (0-3 days, 57% survival; 4-30 days, 24%; 30-365 days, 54%; and > 365 days, 83%). Patients on the regional waiting list had an 18% mortality rate while awaiting transplantation. These results were incorporated into a mathematical model describing survival as a function of reTx rate, assuming a limited supply of donor livers. ReTx improves the 1-year survival rate for patients undergoing PTx but decreases overall survival (survival of all candidates) for liver transplantation. In the current era of persistently insufficient donor numbers, strategies based on minimizing the use of reTx, especially in the case of patients in whom chances of success are minimal, will result in the best overall rate of patient survival.

Improved survival in patients enrolled promptly into remote monitoring following cardiac implantable electronic device implantation.

PubMed

Mittal, Suneet; Piccini, Jonathan P; Snell, Jeff; Prillinger, Julie B; Dalal, Nirav; Varma, Niraj

2016-08-01

Guidelines advocate remote monitoring (RM) in patients with a cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED). However, it is not known when RM should be initiated. We hypothesized that prompt initiation of RM (within 91 days of implant) is associated with improved survival compared to delayed initiation. This retrospective, national, observational cohort study evaluated patients receiving new implants of market-released St. Jude Medical™ pacemakers (PM), implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD), and cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) devices. Patients were assigned to one of two groups: an "RM Prompt" group, in which RM was initiated within 91 days of implant; and an "RM Delayed" group, in which RM was initiated >91 days but ≤365 days of implant. The primary endpoint was all-cause mortality. The cohort included 106,027 patients followed for a mean of 2.6 ± 0.9 years. Overall, 47,014 (44 %) patients had a PM, 31,889 (30 %) patients had an ICD, 24,005 (23 %) patients had a CRT-D, and 3119 (3 %) patients had a CRT-P. Remote monitoring was initiated promptly (median 4 weeks [IQR 2, 8 weeks]) in 66,070 (62 %) patients; in the other 39,957 (38 %) patients, RM initiation was delayed (median 24 weeks [IQR 18, 34 weeks]). In comparison to delayed initiation, prompt initiation of RM was associated with a lower mortality rate (4023 vs. 4679 per 100,000 patient-years, p < 0.001) and greater adjusted survival (HR 1.18 [95 % CI 1.13-1.22], p < 0.001). Our data, for the first time, show improved survival in patients enrolled promptly into RM following CIED implantation. This advantage was observed across all CIED device types.

Going the Extra Mile: Improved Survival for Pancreatic Cancer Patients Traveling to High-volume Centers.

PubMed

Lidsky, Michael E; Sun, Zhifei; Nussbaum, Daniel P; Adam, Mohamed A; Speicher, Paul J; Blazer, Dan G

2017-08-01

This study compares outcomes following pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) for patients treated at local, low-volume centers and those traveling to high-volume centers. Although outcomes for PD are superior at high-volume institutions, not all patients live in proximity to major medical centers. Theoretical advantages for undergoing surgery locally exist. The 1998 to 2012 National Cancer Data Base was queried for T1-3N0-1M0 pancreatic adenocarcinoma patients who underwent PD. Travel distances to treatment centers were calculated. Overlaying the upper and lower quartiles of travel distance with institutional volume established short travel/low-volume (ST/LV) and long travel/high-volume (LT/HV) cohorts. Overall survival was evaluated. Of 7086 patients, 773 ST/LV patients traveled ≤6.3 (median 3.2) miles to centers performing ≤3.3 PDs yearly, and 758 LT/HV patients traveled ≥45 (median 97.3) miles to centers performing ≥16 PDs yearly. LT/HV patients had higher stage disease (P < 0.001), but lower margin positivity (20.5% vs 25.9%, P = 0.01) and improved lymphadenectomy (16 vs 11 nodes, P < 0.01). Moreover, LT/HV patients had shorter hospitalizations (9 vs 12 days, P < 0.01) and lower 30-day mortality (2.0% vs 6.3%, P < 0.01) with similar 30-day readmission rates (10.1% vs 9.8%, P = 0.83). Despite more advanced disease, LT/HV patients had superior unadjusted survival (20.3 vs 15.7 months). After adjustment, travel to a high-volume center remained associated with reduced long-term mortality (hazard ratio 0.75, P < 0.01). Despite an increased travel burden, patients treated at high-volume centers had improved perioperative outcomes, short-term mortality, and overall survival. These data support ongoing efforts to centralize care for patients undergoing PD.

First-year survival and growth of fertilized slash pine in south Alabama

Treesearch

Rebecca Barlow; Luben Dimov; Kris Connor; Mark Smith

2013-01-01

Early survival and growth rates are critical to the successful establishment of pine stands. Landowners need options to improve first-year growth on pine stands that will help them meet their land management objectives. One way to improve early stand survival and growth is through fertilization. In January 2008, approximately 5 acres of slash pine (Pinus...

Adjuvant radiation for salivary gland malignancies is associated with improved survival: A National Cancer Database analysis.

PubMed

Bakst, Richard L; Su, William; Ozbek, Umut; Knoll, Miriam A; Miles, Brett A; Gupta, Vishal; Rhome, Ryan

2017-01-01

There are no randomized data to support the use of postoperative radiation for salivary gland malignancies. This study uses the National Cancer Database (NCDB) to describe the epidemiology of salivary gland cancer patients and to investigate whether treatment with adjuvant radiation improves overall survival. A total of 8243 patients diagnosed with a major salivary gland cancer were identified from the NCDB. All patients received primary surgical resection of their malignancy. Patients were risk-stratified by adverse features, and overall survival rates were determined. Patients were considered high risk if they had extracapsular extension and/or positive margin after resection. Patients were considered intermediate risk if they did not meet the criteria for high risk but had pT3-T4 disease, pN+ disease, lymphovascular space invasion, adenoid cystic histology, or grade 2-3 disease. Patients who did not meet criteria for high or intermediate risk were considered low risk. Overall patient demographics, disease characteristics, treatment factors, and outcomes were summarized with descriptive statistics and analyzed with STATA. Median follow-up in this cohort was 42.4 months, with the median age of 58 years. Patients in the high-risk group had greater survival (hazard ratio [HR], 0.76; P = .002; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.64-0.91) if they received adjuvant radiation therapy. In contrast, patients in the intermediate- (HR, 1.01; P = .904; 95% CI, 0.85-1.20) and low-risk groups (HR, 0.85; P  = .427; 95% CI, 0.57-1.26) did not experience a survival benefit with adjuvant radiation therapy. This large analysis compared survival outcomes between observation and adjuvant radiation alone in risk-stratified patients after resection of major salivary glands using a national database. The use of adjuvant radiation for high-risk major salivary gland cancers appears to offer a survival benefit. Although an overall survival benefit was not seen in low- and intermediate

Comparison of survival rates between 3D conformal radiotherapy and intensity-modulated radiotherapy in patients with stage III non-small cell lung cancer.

PubMed

Kong, Moonkyoo; Hong, Seong Eon

2016-01-01

Randomized trials showing a clear survival benefit of intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) over 3-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT) in the treatment of lung cancer are lacking. This study compared the survival rates of patients with stage III non-small cell lung cancer who were treated with either 3D-CRT or IMRT and analyzed the prognostic factors for survival. From January 2008 to July 2015, 19 patients were treated with IMRT and 30 were treated with 3D-CRT in our institution. The choice between 3D-CRT and IMRT was determined by the physician based on tumor extent and general condition of the patients. The primary endpoint of this study was overall survival. The secondary endpoints were loco-regional recurrence-free survival, distant metastasis-free survival, and the incidence of radiation-induced lung and esophageal toxicities. The 1- and 2-year overall survival rates were 94.7% and 77.1% in the IMRT group and 76.7% and 52.5% in the 3D-CRT group, respectively. The overall survival rates of the IMRT group were higher than those of the 3D-CRT group; however, these differences were not statistically significant ( P =0.072). Gross tumor volume was significantly associated with the overall survival rate. The 1- and 2-year loco-regional recurrence-free survival rates were 63.2% and 51% in the IMRT group and 67.5% and 48.1% in the 3D-CRT group ( P =0.897), respectively. The 1- and 2-year distant metastasis-free survival rates were 78.9% and 68.4% in the IMRT group and 62.6% and 40.9% in the 3D-CRT group ( P =0.120), respectively. Chemotherapy and treatment interruption were significantly associated with distant metastasis-free survival. IMRT showed comparable or better overall survival compared with 3D-CRT in patients with stage III non-small cell lung cancer. To confirm the results of this study, further randomized prospective trials comparing IMRT with 3D-CRT are warranted.

Addition of immunosuppressive treatment to hemoperfusion is associated with improved survival after paraquat poisoning: a nationwide study.

PubMed

Wu, Wen-Pyng; Lai, Ming-Nan; Lin, Ching-Heng; Li, Yu-Fen; Lin, Ching-Yuang; Wu, Ming-Ju

2014-01-01

Paraquat poisoning associates very high mortality rate. Early treatment with hemoperfusion is strongly suggested by animal and human studies. Although the survival benefit of additional immunosuppressive treatment (IST) in combination with hemoperfusion is also reported since 1971, the large-scale randomized control trials to confirm the effects of IST is difficult to be executed. Therefore, we designed this nationwide large-scale population-based retrospective cohort study to investigate the outcome of paraquat poisoning with hemoperfusion and the additional effects of IST combined with hemoperfusion. This nationwide retrospective cohort study utilized data retrieved from the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) of Taiwan. A total of 1811 hospitalized patients with a diagnosis of paraquat poisoning who received hemoperfusion between 1997 and 2009 were enrolled. The mean age of all 1811 study subjects was 47.3 years. 70% was male. The overall survival rate was only 26.4%. Respiratory failure and renal failure were diagnosed in 56.2% and 36% patients. The average frequency of hemoperfusion was twice. IST was added in 42.2% patients. IST significantly increases survival rate (from 24.3% to 29.3%, P<0.001). The combined IST with methylprednisolone, cyclophosphamide and dexamethasone associates with the highest survival rate (48%, P<0.001). Moreover, patients younger than 45 years of age in the IST group had the best survival (41.0% vs. 33.7%, p<0.001). Our results support the use of IST with hemoperfusion for paraquat-poisoned patients. The best survival effect of IST is the combination of methylprednisolone, cyclophosphamide and daily dexamethasone, especially in patients with younger age.

Rapamycin Promotes the Survival and Adipogenesis of Ischemia-Challenged Adipose Derived Stem Cells by Improving Autophagy.

PubMed

Li, Chichi; Ye, Lechi; Yang, Li; Yu, Xiaofang; He, Yucang; Chen, Zhuojie; Li, Liqun; Zhang, Dan

2017-01-01

Ischemia is one of the main causes of the high rate of absorption of transplanted autologous fat. Autophagy allows cells to survive by providing energy under starvation. Rapamycin has been found to play a role in promoting autophagy. In this study, we investigated whether rapamycin participates in the survival and adipogenesis of ischemia-challenged adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) by regulating autophagy. Before the cells were exposed to oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD), a simulated ischemic microenvironment, the level of autophagy was reduced or increased by lentiviral transfection with short hairpin RNA targeting microtubule-associated protein 1-light chain 3 gene (shRNA-LC3) or treatment with rapamycin, respectively. The level of autophagy was assessed by western blotting, transmission electron microscopythen the apoptosis ratio was determined through terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) and flow cytometry. Adipogenesis was further evaluated by oil red O staining and the expressions level of some specific proteins for adipocytes. shRNA-LC3 and rapamycin treatment effectively decreased and improved the level of autophagy in cells with or without OGD challenge, respectively. In addition, autophagy inhibition increased the apoptosis rate and activated caspase-3 expression level in response to OGD, and these were markedly inhibited by rapamycin preconditioning. During adipogenesis, autophagy inhibition decreased not only oil droplet accumulation but also lipoprotein lipase (LPL) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) expression in cells with or without OGD challenge. However, autophagy promotion by rapamycin increased oil droplet accumulation and LPL and PPARγ expression. Rapamycin may promote the survival and adipogenesis of ischemia-challenged ADSCs by upregulating autophagy. © 2017 The Author(s). Published by S. Karger AG, Basel.

Lymphadenectomy and Adjuvant Therapy Improve Survival with Uterine Carcinosarcoma: A Large Retrospective Cohort Study.

PubMed

Versluis, Marco A C; Pielsticker, Cindy; van der Aa, Maaike A; de Bruyn, Marco; Hollema, Harry; Nijman, Hans W

2018-05-23

Uterine carcinosarcoma is a rare, aggressive subtype of endometrial cancer. Treatment consists of hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, and lymphadenectomy (LND). The survival benefit of LND in relation to adjuvant radio- and/or chemotherapy is unclear. We evaluated the impact of LND on survival in relation to adjuvant therapy in uterine carcinosarcoma. Retrospective data on 1,140 cases were combined from the Netherlands Cancer Registry (NCR) and the nationwide network and registry of histo- and cytopathology in the Netherlands (PALGA). LND was defined as the removal of any nodes. Additionally, cases where 10 nodes or less (LND ≤10) or more than 10 nodes (LND > 10) were removed were analyzed separately. Adjuvant therapy was evaluated as radiotherapy, chemotherapy, or radiochemotherapy. Associations were analyzed by χ2 test, log-rank test, and Cox regression analysis. Overall survival (OS) had improved after total abdominal hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy with LND > 10 (HR 0.62, 95% CI 0.47-0.83). Adjuvant therapy was related to OS with an HR of 0.64 (95% CI 0.54-0.75) for radiotherapy, an HR of 0.65 (95% CI 0.48-0.88) for chemotherapy, and an HR of 0.25 (95% CI 0.13-0.46) for radiochemotherapy. Additionally, adjuvant treatment was related to OS when lymph nodes were positive (HR 0.22, 95% CI 0.11-0.42), but not when they were negative. LND is related to improved survival when more than 10 nodes are removed. Adjuvant therapy improves survival when LND is omitted, or when nodes are positive. © 2018 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Hypoxia-activated prodrug TH-302 decreased survival rate of canine lymphoma cells under hypoxic condition.

PubMed

Yamazaki, Hiroki; Lai, Yu-Chang; Tateno, Morihiro; Setoguchi, Asuka; Goto-Koshino, Yuko; Endo, Yasuyuki; Nakaichi, Munekazu; Tsujimoto, Hajime; Miura, Naoki

2017-01-01

We tested the hypotheses that hypoxic stimulation enhances growth potentials of canine lymphoma cells by activating hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α), and that the hypoxia-activated prodrug (TH-302) inhibits growth potentials in the cells. We investigated how hypoxic culture affects the growth rate, chemoresistance, and invasiveness of canine lymphoma cells and doxorubicin (DOX)-resistant lymphoma cells, and influences of TH-302 on survival rate of the cells under hypoxic conditions. Our results demonstrated that hypoxic culture upregulated the expression of HIF-1α and its target genes, including ATP-binding cassette transporter B1 (ABCB1), ATP-binding cassette transporter G2 (ABCG2), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and survivin, and enhanced the growth rate, DOX resistance, and invasiveness of the cells. Additionally, TH-302 decreased the survival rate of the cells under hypoxic condition. Our studies suggest that hypoxic stimulation may advance the tumorigenicity of canine lymphoma cells, favoring malignant transformation. Therefore, the data presented may contribute to the development of TH-302-based hypoxia-targeting therapies for canine lymphoma.

Henslow's sparrow winter-survival estimates and response to prescribed burning

USGS Publications Warehouse

Thatcher, B.S.; Krementz, D.G.; Woodrey, M.S.

2006-01-01

Wintering Henslow's sparrow (Ammodramus henslowii) populations rely on lands managed with prescribed burning, but the effects of various burn regimes on their overwinter survival are unknown. We studied wintering Henslow's sparrows in coastal pine savannas at the Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge, Jackson County, Mississippi, USA, during January and February 2001 and 2002. We used the known-fate modeling procedure in program MARK to evaluate the effects of burn age (1 or 2 growing seasons elapsed), burn season (growing, dormant), and calendar year on the survival rates of 83 radiomarked Henslow's sparrows. We found strong evidence that Henslow's sparrow survival rates differed by burn age (with higher survival in recently burned sites) and by year (with lower survival rates in 2001 likely because of drought conditions). We found some evidence that survival rates also differed by bum season (with higher survival in growing-season sites), although the effects of burn season were only apparent in recently burned sites. Avian predation was the suspected major cause of mortality (causing 6 of 14 deaths) with 1 confirmed loggerhead shrike (Lanius ludovicianus) depredation. Our results indicated that recently burned savannas provide high-quality wintering habitats and suggested that managers can improve conditions for wintering Henslow's sparrows by burning a large percentage of savannas each year.

Longitudinal follow-up of fibrosing interstitial pneumonia: relationship between physiologic testing, computed tomography changes, and survival rate.

PubMed

Hwang, Jeong-Hwa; Misumi, Shigeki; Curran-Everett, Douglas; Brown, Kevin K; Sahin, Hakan; Lynch, David A

2011-08-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic implications of computed tomography (CT) and physiologic variables at baseline and on sequential evaluation in patients with fibrosing interstitial pneumonia. We identified 72 patients with fibrosing interstitial pneumonia (42 with idiopathic disease, 30 with collagen vascular disease). Pulmonary function tests and CT were performed at the time of diagnosis and at a median follow-up of 12 months, respectively. Two chest radiologists scored the extent of specific abnormalities and overall disease on baseline and follow-up CT. Rate of survival was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Three Cox proportional hazards models were constructed to evaluate the relationship between CT and physiologic variables and rate of survival: model 1 included only baseline variables, model 2 included only serial change variables, and model 3 included both baseline and serial change variables. On follow-up CT, the extent of mixed ground-glass and reticular opacities (P<0.001), pure reticular opacity (P=0.04), honeycombing (P=0.02), and overall extent of disease (P<0.001) was increased in the idiopathic group, whereas these variables remained unchanged in the collagen vascular disease group. Patients with idiopathic disease had a shorter rate of survival than those with collagen vascular disease (P=0.03). In model 1, the extent of honeycombing on baseline CT was the only independent predictor of mortality (P=0.02). In model 2, progression in honeycombing was the only predictor of mortality (P=0.005). In model 3, baseline extent of honeycombing and progression of honeycombing were the only independent predictors of mortality (P=0.001 and 0.002, respectively). Neither baseline nor serial change physiologic variables, nor the presence of collagen vascular disease, was predictive of rate of survival. The extent of honeycombing at baseline and its progression on follow-up CT are important determinants of rate of survival in patients

Use of the impedance threshold device improves survival rate and neurological outcome in a swine model of asphyxial cardiac arrest*.

PubMed

Pantazopoulos, Ioannis N; Xanthos, Theodoros T; Vlachos, Ioannis; Troupis, Georgios; Kotsiomitis, Evangelos; Johnson, Elisabeth; Papalois, Apostolos; Skandalakis, Panagiotis

2012-03-01

To assess whether intermittent impedance of inspiratory gas exchange improves hemodynamic parameters, 48-hr survival, and neurologic outcome in a swine model of asphyxial cardiac arrest treated with active compression-decompression cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Prospective, randomized, double-blind study. Laboratory investigation. Thirty healthy Landrace/Large-White piglets of both sexes, aged 10 to 15 wks, whose average weight was 19 ± 2 kg. At approximately 7 mins following endotracheal tube clamping, ventricular fibrillation was induced and remained untreated for another 8 mins. Before initiation of cardiopulmonary resuscitation, animals were randomly assigned to either receive active compression-decompression cardiopulmonary resuscitation plus a sham impedance threshold device (control group, n = 15), or active compression-decompression cardiopulmonary resuscitation plus an active impedance threshold device (experimental group, n = 15). Electrical defibrillation was attempted every 2 mins until return of spontaneous circulation or asystole. Return of spontaneous circulation was observed in six (40%) animals treated with the sham valve and 14 (93.3%) animals treated with the active valve (p = .005, odds ratio 21.0, 95% confidence interval 2.16-204.6). Neuron-specific enolase and S-100 levels increased in the ensuing 4 hrs post resuscitation in both groups, but they were significantly elevated in animals treated with the sham valve (p < .01). At 48 hrs, neurologic alertness score was significantly better in animals treated with the active valve (79.1 ± 18.7 vs. 50 ± 10, p < .05) and was strongly negatively correlated with 1- and 4-hr postresuscitation neuron-specific enolase (r = -.86, p < .001 and r = -.87, p < .001, respectively) and S-100 (r = -.77, p < .001 and r = -0.8, p = .001) values. In this model of asphyxial cardiac arrest, intermittent airway occlusion with the impedance threshold device during the decompression phase of active compression

Improved survival with HPV among African Americans with oropharyngeal cancer.

PubMed

Worsham, Maria J; Stephen, Josena K; Chen, Kang Mei; Mahan, Meredith; Schweitzer, Vanessa; Havard, Shaleta; Divine, George

2013-05-01

A major limitation of studies reporting a lower prevalence rate of human papilloma virus (HPV) in African American patients with oropharyngeal squamous cell cancer (OPSCC) than Caucasian Americans, with corresponding worse outcomes, was adequate representation of HPV-positive African American patients. This study examined survival outcomes in HPV-positive and HPV-negative African Americans with OPSCC. The study cohort of 121 patients with primary OPSCC had 42% African Americans. Variables of interest included age, race, gender, HPV status, stage, marital status, smoking, treatment, and date of diagnosis. Caucasian Americans are more likely to be HPV positive (OR = 3.28; P = 0.035), as are younger age (age < 50 OR = 7.14; P = 0.023 compared with age > 65) or being married (OR = 3.44; P = 0.016). HPV positivity and being unmarried were associated with being late stage (OR = 3.10; P = 0.047 and OR = 3.23; P = 0.038, respectively). HPV-negative patients had 2.7 times the risk of death as HPV-positive patients (P = 0.004). Overall, the HPV-race groups differed (log-rank P < 0.001), with significantly worse survival for HPV-negative African Americans versus (i) HPV-positive African Americans (HR = 3.44; P = 0.0012); (ii) HPV-positive Caucasian Americans (HR = 3.11; P = < 0.049); and (iii) HPV-negative Caucasian Americans (HR = 2.21; P = 0.049). HPV has a substantial impact on overall survival in African American patients with OPSCC. Among African American patients with OPSCC, HPV-positive patients had better survival than HPV negative. HPV-negative African Americans also did worse than both HPV-positive Caucasian Americans and HPV-negative Caucasian Americans. This study adds to the mounting evidence of HPV as a racially linked sexual behavior life style risk factor impacting survival outcomes for both African American and Caucasian American patients with OPSCC. ©2013 AACR.

Very Early Salvage Radiotherapy Improves Distant Metastasis-Free Survival.

PubMed

Abugharib, Ahmed; Jackson, William C; Tumati, Vasu; Dess, Robert T; Lee, Jae Y; Zhao, Shuang G; Soliman, Moaaz; Zumsteg, Zachary S; Mehra, Rohit; Feng, Felix Y; Morgan, Todd M; Desai, Neil; Spratt, Daniel E

2017-03-01

Early salvage radiotherapy following radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer is commonly advocated in place of adjuvant radiotherapy. We aimed to determine the optimal definition of early salvage radiotherapy. We performed a multi-institutional retrospective study of 657 men who underwent salvage radiotherapy between 1986 and 2013. Two comparisons were made to determine the optimal definition of early salvage radiotherapy, including 1) the time from radical prostatectomy to salvage radiotherapy (less than 9, 9 to 21, 22 to 47 or greater than 48 months) and 2) the level of detectable pre-salvage radiotherapy prostate specific antigen (0.01 to 0.2, greater than 0.2 to 0.5 or greater than 0.5 ng/ml). Outcomes included freedom from salvage androgen deprivation therapy, and biochemical relapse-free, distant metastases-free and prostate cancer specific survival. Median followup was 9.8 years. Time from radical prostatectomy to salvage radiotherapy did not correlate with 10-year biochemical relapse-free survival rates (R 2 = 0.18). Increasing pre-salvage radiotherapy prostate specific antigen strongly correlated with biochemical relapse-free survival (R 2 = 0.91). Increasing detectable pre-salvage radiotherapy prostate specific antigen (0.01 to 0.2, greater than 0.2 to 0.5 and greater than 0.5 ng/ml) predicted worse 10-year biochemical relapse-free survival (62%, 44% and 27%), freedom from salvage androgen deprivation therapy (77%, 66% and 49%), distant metastases-free survival (86%, 79% and 66%, each p <0.001) and prostate cancer specific survival (93%, 89% and 80%, respectively, p = 0.001). On multivariable analysis early salvage radiotherapy (prostate specific antigen greater than 0.2 to 0.5 ng/ml) was associated with a twofold increase in biochemical failure, use of salvage androgen deprivation therapy and distant metastases compared to very early salvage radiotherapy (prostate specific antigen 0.01 to 0.2 ng/ml). The duration from radical prostatectomy to salvage

The influence of printing parameters on cell survival rate and printability in microextrusion-based 3D cell printing technology.

PubMed

Zhao, Yu; Li, Yang; Mao, Shuangshuang; Sun, Wei; Yao, Rui

2015-11-02

Three-dimensional (3D) cell printing technology has provided a versatile methodology to fabricate cell-laden tissue-like constructs and in vitro tissue/pathological models for tissue engineering, drug testing and screening applications. However, it still remains a challenge to print bioinks with high viscoelasticity to achieve long-term stable structure and maintain high cell survival rate after printing at the same time. In this study, we systematically investigated the influence of 3D cell printing parameters, i.e. composition and concentration of bioink, holding temperature and holding time, on the printability and cell survival rate in microextrusion-based 3D cell printing technology. Rheological measurements were utilized to characterize the viscoelasticity of gelatin-based bioinks. Results demonstrated that the bioink viscoelasticity was increased when increasing the bioink concentration, increasing holding time and decreasing holding temperature below gelation temperature. The decline of cell survival rate after 3D cell printing process was observed when increasing the viscoelasticity of the gelatin-based bioinks. However, different process parameter combinations would result in the similar rheological characteristics and thus showed similar cell survival rate after 3D bioprinting process. On the other hand, bioink viscoelasticity should also reach a certain point to ensure good printability and shape fidelity. At last, we proposed a protocol for 3D bioprinting of temperature-sensitive gelatin-based hydrogel bioinks with both high cell survival rate and good printability. This research would be useful for biofabrication researchers to adjust the 3D bioprinting process parameters quickly and as a referable template for designing new bioinks.

Program CONTRAST--A general program for the analysis of several survival or recovery rate estimates

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hines, J.E.; Sauer, J.R.

1989-01-01

This manual describes the use of program CONTRAST, which implements a generalized procedure for the comparison of several rate estimates. This method can be used to test both simple and composite hypotheses about rate estimates, and we discuss its application to multiple comparisons of survival rate estimates. Several examples of the use of program CONTRAST are presented. Program CONTRAST will run on IBM-cimpatible computers, and requires estimates of the rates to be tested, along with associated variance and covariance estimates.

Traditional Chinese medicine therapy improves the survival of systemic lupus erythematosus patients.

PubMed

Ma, Yi-Chun; Lin, Cheng-Chieh; Li, Chia-Ing; Chiang, Jen-Huai; Li, Tsai-Chung; Lin, Jaung-Geng

2016-04-01

No previous studies have evaluated the effect of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) treatment on the survival of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Hence, in this study, we determined whether TCM treatment affects the survival of SLE patients. This nationwide population-based retrospective cohort study assessed 23,084 patients newly diagnosed with SLE between 1999 and 2009, using the database of the Taiwan National Health Insurance program. Among these patients, 9267 (40.15%) used TCM for SLE treatment and exhibited a significantly decreased risk of death [hazard ratio (HR) = 0.73; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.68-0.78], with multivariate adjustment, compared with those without TCM use. A similar significant protective effect of TCM use was found across various subgroups of comorbidities. TCM use 1 year before diagnosis also reduced the risk of death. Our study findings indicated that Zhi Bo Di Huang Wan (HR = 0.54; 95% CI: 0.32-0.91), Jia Wei Xiao Yao San (HR = 0.35; 95% CI: 0.16-0.73), Liu Wei Di Huang Wan (HR = 0.51; 95% CI: 0.28-0.93), Gan Lu Yin (HR = 0.40; 95% CI: 0.17-0.96), and Yin Qiao San (HR = 0.22; 95% CI: 0.05-0.86) were the most effective TCM agents that improved survival. This nationwide retrospective cohort study provided information that combined therapy with TCM may improve the survival in SLE patients. This study also suggests that TCM may be used as an integral element of effective therapy for SLE. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Inter-Alpha Inhibitor Protein (IAIP) Administration Improves Survival From Neonatal Sepsis In Mice

PubMed Central

Singh, Kultar; Zhang, Ling Xiu; Bendelja, Kreso; Heath, Ryan; Murphy, Shaun; Sharma, Surendra; Padbury, James F.; Lim, Yow-Pin

2010-01-01

Inter-alpha Inhibitor proteins (IaIp) are serine proteases inhibitors which modulate endogenous protease activity and have been shown to improve survival in adult models of sepsis. We evaluated the effect of IaIp on survival and systemic responses to sepsis in neonatal mice. Sepsis was induced in 2-day-old mice with LPS, E. coli and Group B Streptococci. Sepsis was associated with 75% mortality. IaIp, given by intraperitoneal administration at doses between 15–45 mg/kg from 1–6 hours following the onset of sepsis improved survival to nearly 90% (p = 0.0159) in both LPS induced sepsis and with live bacterial infections. The greatest effect was on reversal of hemorrhagic pneumonitis. The effects were dose and time dependent. Systemic cytokine profile and tissue histology were examined. Survival was compared in interleukin 10 knock out animals. Systemic cytokine levels, including TNF-α and IL-10 were increased following induction of sepsis and modulated significantly following IaIp administration. Because the effect of IaIp was still demonstrable in IL-10 deficient mice, we conclude the beneficial effect(s) of IaIp is due to suppression of pro-inflammatory cytokines like TNF-α rather than augmentation of IL-10. IaIp may offer significant benefits as a therapeutic adjunct to treatment of sepsis in neonates and adults. PMID:20520583

Nationwide Population-Based Incidence and Survival Rates of Malignant Central Nervous System Germ Cell Tumors in Korea, 2005-2012.

PubMed

Lee, Seung Hoon; Jung, Kyu-Won; Ha, Johyun; Oh, Chang-Mo; Kim, Hyeseon; Park, Hyeon Jin; Yoo, Heon; Won, Young-Joo

2017-04-01

Malignant central nervous system (CNS) germ cell tumors (GCTs), although rare, are thought to occur more frequently among Asians. However, a recent population-based study revealed no differences in GCT incidence between Asians and Caucasians. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the incidence and survival rates of CNS GCTs using the national cancer incidence database, and to compare these rates to those in the United States and Japan. We extracted CNS GCT patients diagnosed between 2005 and 2012 from the Korea Central Cancer Registry database. Age-standardized rates (ASRs), annual percentage change, and the male-female incidence rate ratios (IRRs) were calculated. To estimate the survival rate, we used data for patients diagnosed between 2005 and 2010 and followed their cases until December 31, 2013. The ASR for CNS GCT between 2005 and 2012 was 0.179 per 100,000 (95% confidence interval, 0.166 to 0.193), with an overall male-to-female (M:F) IRR of 2.95:1. However, when stratified by site, the M:F IRR was 13.62:1 for tumors of the pineal region and 1.87:1 for those located in nonpineal regions. The most frequent histologic type was germinoma (76.0%), and the most frequent location was the suprasellar region (48.5%). The 5-year survival rate of germinoma patients was 95.3%. The incidence rate of CNS GCTs in Korea during 2005-2012 was 0.179 per 100,000, which was similar to that of the Asian/Pacific Islander subpopulation in the United States. Moreover, the CNS GCT survival rate in Korea was similar to rates in Japan and the United States.

Estimation of age- and stage-specific Catalan breast cancer survival functions using US and Catalan survival data

PubMed Central

2009-01-01

Background During the last part of the 1990s the chance of surviving breast cancer increased. Changes in survival functions reflect a mixture of effects. Both, the introduction of adjuvant treatments and early screening with mammography played a role in the decline in mortality. Evaluating the contribution of these interventions using mathematical models requires survival functions before and after their introduction. Furthermore, required survival functions may be different by age groups and are related to disease stage at diagnosis. Sometimes detailed information is not available, as was the case for the region of Catalonia (Spain). Then one may derive the functions using information from other geographical areas. This work presents the methodology used to estimate age- and stage-specific Catalan breast cancer survival functions from scarce Catalan survival data by adapting the age- and stage-specific US functions. Methods Cubic splines were used to smooth data and obtain continuous hazard rate functions. After, we fitted a Poisson model to derive hazard ratios. The model included time as a covariate. Then the hazard ratios were applied to US survival functions detailed by age and stage to obtain Catalan estimations. Results We started estimating the hazard ratios for Catalonia versus the USA before and after the introduction of screening. The hazard ratios were then multiplied by the age- and stage-specific breast cancer hazard rates from the USA to obtain the Catalan hazard rates. We also compared breast cancer survival in Catalonia and the USA in two time periods, before cancer control interventions (USA 1975–79, Catalonia 1980–89) and after (USA and Catalonia 1990–2001). Survival in Catalonia in the 1980–89 period was worse than in the USA during 1975–79, but the differences disappeared in 1990–2001. Conclusion Our results suggest that access to better treatments and quality of care contributed to large improvements in survival in Catalonia. On

Racial disparity in survival from early breast cancer in the department of defense healthcare system.

PubMed

Rizzo, Julie A; Sherman, William E; Arciero, Cletus A

2015-06-01

Racial disparity is often identified as a factor in survival from breast cancer in the United States. Current data regarding survival in patients treated in the Department of Defense Military Healthcare System is lacking. The Department of Defense Automated Central Tumor Registry (ACTUR) was queried for all women diagnosed with Stage I or II breast cancer from January 1, 1996 through December 31, 2008. Statistical analyses evaluated demographics, surgical treatment, tumor stage, and survival rates. There were 8,890 patients meeting inclusion criteria. Patients who were younger, Asian American (versus white or black), lower T and/or N stage had significantly improved survival rates. Interestingly, white and black patients demonstrated similar survival in this study. Patients with a longer period of time between diagnosis and treatment had no decrement in survival. As would be expected, patients with a longer recurrence free period enjoyed longer survival. Survival from early stage breast cancer is equivalent between white and black patients in the Department of Defense Healthcare System. This finding is contrary to reports from our civilian counterparts and may be indicative of improved access to care and overall improved cancer surveillance. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Chronic consequences of acute injuries: worse survival after discharge.

PubMed

Shafi, Shahid; Renfro, Lindsay A; Barnes, Sunni; Rayan, Nadine; Gentilello, Larry M; Fleming, Neil; Ballard, David

2012-09-01

The Trauma Quality Improvement Program uses inhospital mortality to measure quality of care, which assumes patients who survive injury are not likely to suffer higher mortality after discharge. We hypothesized that survival rates in trauma patients who survive to discharge remain stable afterward. Patients treated at an urban Level I trauma center (2006-2008) were linked with the Social Security Administration Death Master File. Survival rates were measured at 30, 90, and 180 days and 1 and 2 years from injury among two groups of trauma patients who survived to discharge: major trauma (Abbreviated Injury Scale score ≥ 3 injuries, n = 2,238) and minor trauma (Abbreviated Injury Scale score ≤ 2 injuries, n = 1,171). Control groups matched to each trauma group by age and sex were simulated from the US general population using annual survival probabilities from census data. Kaplan-Meier and log-rank analyses conditional upon survival to each time point were used to determine changes in risk of mortality after discharge. Cox proportional hazards models with left truncation at the time of discharge were used to determine independent predictors of mortality after discharge. The survival rate in trauma patients with major injuries was 92% at 30 days posttrauma and declined to 84% by 3 years (p > 0.05 compared with general population). Minor trauma patients experienced a survival rate similar to the general population. Age and injury severity were the only independent predictors of long-term mortality given survival to discharge. Log-rank tests conditional on survival to each time point showed that mortality risk in patients with major injuries remained significantly higher than the general population for up to 6 months after injury. The survival rate of trauma patients with major injuries remains significantly lower than survival for minor trauma patients and the general population for several months postdischarge. Surveillance for early identification and treatment of

Improved Overall Survival with Aggressive Primary Tumor Radiotherapy for Patients with Metastatic Esophageal Cancer.

PubMed

Guttmann, David M; Mitra, Nandita; Bekelman, Justin; Metz, James M; Plastaras, John; Feng, Weiwei; Swisher-McClure, Samuel

2017-07-01

The aim of this study was to characterize utilization and survival outcomes associated with primary tumor-directed radiotherapy (PTDRT) in patients with newly diagnosed metastatic esophageal cancer. We conducted an observational cohort study using the National Cancer Data Base to evaluate patients with newly diagnosed metastatic esophageal cancer between 2004 and 2012. Overall survival outcomes after treatment with chemotherapy plus conventional palliative dose radiotherapy (<5040 cGy), chemotherapy plus definitive dose radiotherapy (≥5040 cGy), or chemotherapy alone were compared by using Cox proportional hazards models with inverse probability of treatment weighting using the propensity score. Potential unmeasured confounding was assessed through sensitivity analyses. The final cohort consisted of 12,683 patients: 57% were treated with chemotherapy alone, 24% were treated with chemotherapy plus palliative dose radiotherapy, and 19% were treated with chemotherapy plus definitive dose radiotherapy. Compared with chemotherapy alone, chemotherapy plus definitive dose radiotherapy was associated with improved survival (median overall survival of 8.3 versus 11.3 months [hazard ratio = 0.72, 95% confidence interval: 0.70-0.74, p ≤ 0.001]), whereas chemotherapy plus palliative dose radiotherapy was associated with slightly inferior outcomes (median overall survival of 8.3 months versus 7.5 months (hazard ratio = 1.10, 95% confidence interval 1.07-1.13, p ≤ 0.001). These findings were robust to potential unmeasured confounding in sensitivity analyses. Additionally, landmark analyses confirmed these findings in patients surviving 12 months or longer. Definitive dose, but not conventional palliative dose, PTDRT is associated with improved overall survival in metastatic esophageal cancer, suggesting that local control may be important to prognosis. These findings support integrating PTDRT into future clinical trials aimed at refining personalized treatment for

Addition of Immunosuppressive Treatment to Hemoperfusion Is Associated with Improved Survival after Paraquat Poisoning: A Nationwide Study

PubMed Central

Wu, Wen-Pyng; Lai, Ming-Nan; Lin, Ching-Heng; Li, Yu-Fen

2014-01-01

Paraquat poisoning associates very high mortality rate. Early treatment with hemoperfusion is strongly suggested by animal and human studies. Although the survival benefit of additional immunosuppressive treatment (IST) in combination with hemoperfusion is also reported since 1971, the large-scale randomized control trials to confirm the effects of IST is difficult to be executed. Therefore, we designed this nationwide large-scale population-based retrospective cohort study to investigate the outcome of paraquat poisoning with hemoperfusion and the additional effects of IST combined with hemoperfusion. This nationwide retrospective cohort study utilized data retrieved from the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) of Taiwan. A total of 1811 hospitalized patients with a diagnosis of paraquat poisoning who received hemoperfusion between 1997 and 2009 were enrolled. The mean age of all 1811 study subjects was 47.3 years. 70% was male. The overall survival rate was only 26.4%. Respiratory failure and renal failure were diagnosed in 56.2% and 36% patients. The average frequency of hemoperfusion was twice. IST was added in 42.2% patients. IST significantly increases survival rate (from 24.3% to 29.3%, P<0.001). The combined IST with methylprednisolone, cyclophosphamide and dexamethasone associates with the highest survival rate (48%, P<0.001). Moreover, patients younger than 45 years of age in the IST group had the best survival (41.0% vs. 33.7%, p<0.001). Our results support the use of IST with hemoperfusion for paraquat-poisoned patients. The best survival effect of IST is the combination of methylprednisolone, cyclophosphamide and daily dexamethasone, especially in patients with younger age. PMID:24475310

Has the survival of the graft improved after renal transplantation in the era of modern immunosuppression?

PubMed

Moreso, Francesc; Hernández, Domingo

2013-01-18

The introduction of new immunosuppressant drugs in recent years has allowed for a reduction in acute rejection rates along with highly significant improvements in short-term kidney transplantation results. Nonetheless, this improvement has not translated into such significant changes in long-term results. In this manner, late graft failure continues to be a frequent cause of readmission onto dialysis programmes and re-entry onto the waiting list. Multiple entities of immunological and non-immunological origin act together and lead to chronic allograft dysfunction. The characteristics of the transplanted organ are a greater determinant of graft survival, and although various algorithms have been designed as a way of understanding the risk of the transplant organ and assigning the most adequate recipient accordingly. They are applied in the clinical setting only under exceptional circumstances. Characterising, for each patient, the immune factors (clinical and subclinical rejection, reactivation of dormant viral infections, adherence to treatment) and non-immune factors (hypertension, diabetes, anaemia, dyslipidaemia) that contribute to chronic allograft dysfunction could allow us to intervene more effectively as a way of delaying the progress of such processes. Therefore, identifying the causes of graft failure and its risk factors, applying predictive models, and intervening in causal factors could constitute strategies for improving kidney transplantation results in terms of survival. This review analyses some of the evidences conditioning graft failure as well as related therapeutic and prognostic aspects: 1) magnitude of the problem and causes of graft failure; 2) identification of graft failure risk factors; 3) therapeutic strategies for reducing graft failure, and; 4) graft failure prediction.

Application of a Non-Mixture Cure Rate Model for Analyzing Survival of Patients with Breast Cancer.

PubMed

Baghestani, Ahmad Reza; Moghaddam, Sahar Saeedi; Majd, Hamid Alavi; Akbari, Mohammad Esmaeil; Nafissi, Nahid; Gohari, Kimiya

2015-01-01

As a result of significant progress made in treatment of many types of cancers during the last few decades, there have been an increased number of patients who do not experience mortality. We refer to these observations as cure or immune and models for survival data which include cure fraction are known as cure rate models or long-term survival models. In this study we used the data collected from 438 female patients with breast cancer registered in the Cancer Research Center in Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. The patients had been diagnosed from 1992 to 2012 and were followed up until October 2014. We had to exclude some because of incomplete information. Phone calls were made to confirm whether the patients were still alive or not. Deaths due to breast cancer were regarded as failure. To identify clinical, pathological, and biological characteristics of patients that might have had an effect on survival of the patients we used a non-mixture cure rate model; in addition, a Weibull distribution was proposed for the survival time. Analyses were performed using STATA version 14. The significance level was set at P ≤ 0.05. A total of 75 patients (17.1%) died due to breast cancer during the study, up to the last follow-up. Numbers of metastatic lymph nodes and histologic grade were significant factors. The cure fraction was estimated to be 58%. When a cure fraction is not available, the analysis will be changed to standard approaches of survival analysis; however when the data indicate that the cure fraction is available, we suggest analysis of survival data via cure models.

Dose escalation using conformal high-dose-rate brachytherapy improves outcome in unfavorable prostate cancer.

PubMed

Martinez, Alvaro A; Gustafson, Gary; Gonzalez, José; Armour, Elwood; Mitchell, Chris; Edmundson, Gregory; Spencer, William; Stromberg, Jannifer; Huang, Raywin; Vicini, Frank

2002-06-01

To overcome radioresistance for patients with unfavorable prostate cancer, a prospective trial of pelvic external beam irradiation (EBRT) interdigitated with dose-escalating conformal high-dose-rate (HDR) prostate brachytherapy was performed. Between November 1991 and August 2000, 207 patients were treated with 46 Gy pelvic EBRT and increasing HDR brachytherapy boost doses (5.50-11.5 Gy/fraction) during 5 weeks. The eligibility criteria were pretreatment prostate-specific antigen level >or=10.0 ng/mL, Gleason score >or=7, or clinical Stage T2b or higher. Patients were divided into 2 dose levels, low-dose biologically effective dose <93 Gy (58 patients) and high-dose biologically effective dose >93 Gy (149 patients). No patient received hormones. We used the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology definition for biochemical failure. The median age was 69 years. The mean follow-up for the group was 4.4 years, and for the low and high-dose levels, it was 7.0 and 3.4 years, respectively. The actuarial 5-year biochemical control rate was 74%, and the overall, cause-specific, and disease-free survival rate was 92%, 98%, and 68%, respectively. The 5-year biochemical control rate for the low-dose group was 52%; the rate for the high-dose group was 87% (p <0.001). Improvement occurred in the cause-specific survival in favor of the brachytherapy high-dose level (p = 0.014). On multivariate analysis, a low-dose level, higher Gleason score, and higher nadir value were associated with increased biochemical failure. The Radiation Therapy Oncology Group Grade 3 gastrointestinal/genitourinary complications ranged from 0.5% to 9%. The actuarial 5-year impotency rate was 51%. Pelvic EBRT interdigitated with transrectal ultrasound-guided real-time conformal HDR prostate brachytherapy boost is both a precise dose delivery system and a very effective treatment for unfavorable prostate cancer. We demonstrated an incremental beneficial effect on biochemical control and

Five-year survival rates for treatment-naive patients with advanced melanoma who received ipilimumab plus dacarbazine in a phase III trial.

PubMed

Maio, Michele; Grob, Jean-Jacques; Aamdal, Steinar; Bondarenko, Igor; Robert, Caroline; Thomas, Luc; Garbe, Claus; Chiarion-Sileni, Vanna; Testori, Alessandro; Chen, Tai-Tsang; Tschaika, Marina; Wolchok, Jedd D

2015-04-01

There is evidence from nonrandomized studies that a proportion of ipilimumab-treated patients with advanced melanoma experience long-term survival. To demonstrate a long-term survival benefit with ipilimumab, we evaluated the 5-year survival rates of patients treated in a randomized, controlled phase III trial. A milestone survival analysis was conducted to capture the 5-year survival rate of treatment-naive patients with advanced melanoma who received ipilimumab in a phase III trial. Patients were randomly assigned 1:1 to receive ipilimumab at 10 mg/kg plus dacarbazine (n = 250) or placebo plus dacarbazine (n = 252) at weeks 1, 4, 7, and 10 followed by dacarbazine alone every 3 weeks through week 22. Eligible patients could receive maintenance ipilimumab or placebo every 12 weeks beginning at week 24. A safety analysis was conducted on patients who survived at least 5 years and continued to receive ipilimumab as maintenance therapy. The 5-year survival rate was 18.2% (95% CI, 13.6% to 23.4%) for patients treated with ipilimumab plus dacarbazine versus 8.8% (95% CI, 5.7% to 12.8%) for patients treated with placebo plus dacarbazine (P = .002). A plateau in the survival curve began at approximately 3 years. In patients who survived at least 5 years and continued to receive ipilimumab, grade 3 or 4 immune-related adverse events were observed exclusively in the skin. The additional survival benefit of ipilimumab plus dacarbazine is maintained with twice as many patients alive at 5 years compared with those who initially received placebo plus dacarbazine. These results demonstrate a durable survival benefit with ipilimumab in advanced melanoma. © 2015 by American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Five-Year Survival Rates for Treatment-Naive Patients With Advanced Melanoma Who Received Ipilimumab Plus Dacarbazine in a Phase III Trial

PubMed Central

Maio, Michele; Grob, Jean-Jacques; Aamdal, Steinar; Bondarenko, Igor; Robert, Caroline; Thomas, Luc; Garbe, Claus; Chiarion-Sileni, Vanna; Testori, Alessandro; Chen, Tai-Tsang; Tschaika, Marina; Wolchok, Jedd D.

2015-01-01

Purpose There is evidence from nonrandomized studies that a proportion of ipilimumab-treated patients with advanced melanoma experience long-term survival. To demonstrate a long-term survival benefit with ipilimumab, we evaluated the 5-year survival rates of patients treated in a randomized, controlled phase III trial. Patients and Methods A milestone survival analysis was conducted to capture the 5-year survival rate of treatment-naive patients with advanced melanoma who received ipilimumab in a phase III trial. Patients were randomly assigned 1:1 to receive ipilimumab at 10 mg/kg plus dacarbazine (n = 250) or placebo plus dacarbazine (n = 252) at weeks 1, 4, 7, and 10 followed by dacarbazine alone every 3 weeks through week 22. Eligible patients could receive maintenance ipilimumab or placebo every 12 weeks beginning at week 24. A safety analysis was conducted on patients who survived at least 5 years and continued to receive ipilimumab as maintenance therapy. Results The 5-year survival rate was 18.2% (95% CI, 13.6% to 23.4%) for patients treated with ipilimumab plus dacarbazine versus 8.8% (95% CI, 5.7% to 12.8%) for patients treated with placebo plus dacarbazine (P = .002). A plateau in the survival curve began at approximately 3 years. In patients who survived at least 5 years and continued to receive ipilimumab, grade 3 or 4 immune-related adverse events were observed exclusively in the skin. Conclusion The additional survival benefit of ipilimumab plus dacarbazine is maintained with twice as many patients alive at 5 years compared with those who initially received placebo plus dacarbazine. These results demonstrate a durable survival benefit with ipilimumab in advanced melanoma. PMID:25713437

PPARγ Agonists Improve Survival and Neurocognitive Outcomes in Experimental Cerebral Malaria and Induce Neuroprotective Pathways in Human Malaria

PubMed Central

Serghides, Lena; Friedel, Miriam; Cui, Cheryl; Ho, Keith T.; Mount, Howard T. J.; Sled, John G.; Kain, Kevin C.

2014-01-01

Cerebral malaria (CM) is associated with a high mortality rate, and long-term neurocognitive impairment in approximately one third of survivors. Adjunctive therapies that modify the pathophysiological processes involved in CM may improve outcome over anti-malarial therapy alone. PPARγ agonists have been reported to have immunomodulatory effects in a variety of disease models. Here we report that adjunctive therapy with PPARγ agonists improved survival and long-term neurocognitive outcomes in the Plasmodium berghei ANKA experimental model of CM. Compared to anti-malarial therapy alone, PPARγ adjunctive therapy administered to mice at the onset of CM signs, was associated with reduced endothelial activation, and enhanced expression of the anti-oxidant enzymes SOD-1 and catalase and the neurotrophic factors brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and nerve growth factor (NGF) in the brains of infected mice. Two months following infection, mice that were treated with anti-malarials alone demonstrated cognitive dysfunction, while mice that received PPARγ adjunctive therapy were completely protected from neurocognitive impairment and from PbA-infection induced brain atrophy. In humans with P. falciparum malaria, PPARγ therapy was associated with reduced endothelial activation and with induction of neuroprotective pathways, such as BDNF. These findings provide insight into mechanisms conferring improved survival and preventing neurocognitive injury in CM, and support the evaluation of PPARγ agonists in human CM. PMID:24603727

Acute Myeloid Leukemia: analysis of epidemiological profile and survival rate.

PubMed

de Lima, Mariana Cardoso; da Silva, Denise Bousfield; Freund, Ana Paula Ferreira; Dacoregio, Juliana Shmitz; Costa, Tatiana El Jaick Bonifácio; Costa, Imaruí; Faraco, Daniel; Silva, Maurício Laerte

2016-01-01

To describe the epidemiological profile and the survival rate of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in a state reference pediatric hospital. Clinical-epidemiological, observational, retrospective, descriptive study. The study included new cases of patients with AML, diagnosed between 2004 and 2012, younger than 15 years. Of the 51 patients studied, 84% were white; 45% were females and 55%, males. Regarding age, 8% were younger than 1 year, 47% were aged between 1 and 10 years, and 45% were older than 10 years. The main signs/symptoms were fever (41.1%), asthenia/lack of appetite (35.2%), and hemorrhagic manifestations (27.4%). The most affected extra-medullary site was the central nervous system (14%). In 47% of patients, the white blood cell (WBC) count was below 10,000/mm(3) at diagnosis. The minimal residual disease (MRD) was less than 0.1%, on the 15th day of treatment in 16% of the sample. Medullary relapse occurred in 14% of cases. When comparing the bone marrow MRD with the vital status, it was observed that 71.42% of the patients with type M3 AML were alive, as were 54.05% of those with non-M3 AML. The death rate was 43% and the main proximate cause was septic shock (63.6%). In this study, the majority of patients were male, white, and older than 1 year. Most patients with WBC count <10,000/mm(3) at diagnosis lived. Overall survival was higher in patients with MRD <0.1%. The prognosis was better in patients with AML-M3. Copyright © 2016 Sociedade Brasileira de Pediatria. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

Aggregation effects on anhydrobiotic survival in the tardigrade Richtersius coronifer.

PubMed

Ivarsson, Helen; Jönsson, K Ingemar

2004-02-01

For anhydrobiotic metazoans the rate of desiccation is an important factor influencing the probability of survival in a dry anhydrobiotic state. Formation of animal aggregations, in which the exposed body surface area of individual animals is reduced, represents one way to reduce the rate of evaporation. Such aggregations have earlier been documented in e.g., nematodes. We experimentally evaluate the effect of aggregation size (number of animals in a group of desiccating animals) on anhydrobiotic survival in the eutardigrade Richtersius coronifer. The experiment shows that aggregation provides a clear improvement on anhydrobiotic survival. The most likely explanation for this is that aggregated animals were exposed to a lower rate of desiccation. Although the empirical evidence of aggregation in tardigrades is scarce, our study suggests that aggregation could potentially be an important survival factor for tardigrades living in environments characterized by periods of rapid desiccation. Copyright 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Effect of a Shortened Duration of FOLFOX Chemotherapy on the Survival Rate of Patients with Stage II and III Colon Cancer.

PubMed

Ji, Woong Bae; Hong, Kwang Dae; Kim, Jung-Sik; Joung, Sung-Yup; Um, Jun Won; Min, Byung-Wook

2018-01-01

FOLFOX chemotherapy is widely used as an adjuvant treatment for advanced colon cancer. The duration of adjuvant chemotherapy is usually set to 6 months, which is based on a former study of 5-fluorouracil/leucovorin chemotherapy. However, the FOLFOX regimen is known to have complications, such as peripheral neuropathy. The aim of this study was to compare the survival rates and complications experienced by patients receiving either 4 or 6 months of FOLFOX chemotherapy. Retrospective data analysis was performed for stage II and III patients who underwent radical resection of colon cancer. We compared the 5-year survival rates and the occurrence of complications in patients who completed only 8 cycles of FOLFOX chemotherapy with patients who completed 12 cycles of chemotherapy. Among 188 patients who underwent adjuvant FOLFOX chemotherapy for stage II or III colon cancer, 83 (44.1%) completed 6 months of FOLFOX chemotherapy and 64 (34.0%) patients discontinued after 4 months of chemotherapy. The 5-year overall survival and disease-free survival rates did not show a significant difference. Patients in the 6-month group had peripheral neuropathy more frequently (p = 0.028). Five-year overall and disease-free survival were not significantly different between the 2 groups. Large-scale prospective studies are necessary for the analysis of complications and survival rates. © 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel.

High hospital research participation and improved colorectal cancer survival outcomes: a population-based study

PubMed Central

Corrigan, Neil; Sebag-Montefiore, David; Finan, Paul J; Thomas, James D; Chapman, Michael; Hamilton, Russell; Campbell, Helen; Cameron, David; Kaplan, Richard; Parmar, Mahesh; Stephens, Richard; Seymour, Matt; Gregory, Walter; Selby, Peter

2017-01-01

Objective In 2001, the National Institute for Health Research Cancer Research Network (NCRN) was established, leading to a rapid increase in clinical research activity across the English NHS. Using colorectal cancer (CRC) as an example, we test the hypothesis that high, sustained hospital-level participation in interventional clinical trials improves outcomes for all patients with CRC managed in those research-intensive hospitals. Design Data for patients diagnosed with CRC in England in 2001–2008 (n=209 968) were linked with data on accrual to NCRN CRC studies (n=30 998). Hospital Trusts were categorised by the proportion of patients accrued to interventional studies annually. Multivariable models investigated the relationship between 30-day postoperative mortality and 5-year survival and the level and duration of study participation. Results Most of the Trusts achieving high participation were district general hospitals and the effects were not limited to cancer ‘centres of excellence’, although such centres do make substantial contributions. Patients treated in Trusts with high research participation (≥16%) in their year of diagnosis had lower postoperative mortality (p<0.001) and improved survival (p<0.001) after adjustment for casemix and hospital-level variables. The effects increased with sustained research participation, with a reduction in postoperative mortality of 1.5% (6.5%–5%, p<2.2×10−6) and an improvement in survival (p<10−19; 5-year difference: 3.8% (41.0%–44.8%)) comparing high participation for ≥4 years with 0 years. Conclusions There is a strong independent association between survival and participation in interventional clinical studies for all patients with CRC treated in the hospital study participants. Improvement precedes and increases with the level and years of sustained participation. PMID:27797935

Increased body mass index is associated with improved overall survival in extranodal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma, nasal type.

PubMed

Li, Ya-Jun; Yi, Ping-Yong; Li, Ji-Wei; Liu, Xian-Ling; Liu, Xi-Yu; Zhou, Fang; OuYang, Zhou; Sun, Zhong-Yi; Huang, Li-Jun; He, Jun-Qiao; Yao, Yuan; Fan, Zhou; Tang, Tian; Jiang, Wen-Qi

2017-01-17

The role of body mass index (BMI) in lymphoma survival outcomes is controversial. The prognostic significance of BMI in extranodal natural killer (NK)/T-cell lymphoma (ENKTL) is unclear. We evaluated the prognostic role of BMI in patients with ENKTL. We retrospectively analyzed 742 patients with newly diagnosed ENKTL. The prognostic value of BMI was compared between patients with low BMIs (< 20.0 kg/m2) and patients with high BMIs (≥ 20.0 kg/m2). The prognostic value of the International Prognostic Index (IPI) and the Korean Prognostic Index (KPI) was also evaluated and compared with that of the BMI classification. Patients with low BMIs tended to exhibit higher Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (ECOG PS) scores (≥ 2) (P = 0.001), more frequent B symptoms (P < 0.001), lower albumin levels (P < 0.001), higher KPI scores (P = 0.03), and lower rates of complete remission (P < 0.001) than patients with high BMIs, as well as inferior progression-free survival (PFS, P = 0.003), and inferior overall survival (OS, P = 0.001). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that age > 60 years, mass > 5 cm, stage III/IV, elevated LDH levels, albumin levels < 35 g/L and low BMIs were independent adverse predictors of OS. The BMI classification was found to be superior to the IPI with respect to predicting patient outcomes among low-risk patients and the KPI with respect to distinguishing between intermediate-low- and high-intermediate-risk patients. Higher BMI at the time of diagnosis is associated with improved overall survival in ENKTL. Using the BMI classification may improve the IPI and KPI prognostic models.

Increased body mass index is associated with improved overall survival in extranodal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma, nasal type

PubMed Central

Li, Ya-Jun; Yi, Ping-Yong; Li, Ji-Wei; Liu, Xian-Ling; Liu, Xi-Yu; Zhou, Fang; OuYang, Zhou; Sun, Zhong-Yi; Huang, Li-Jun; He, Jun-Qiao; Yao, Yuan; Fan, Zhou; Tang, Tian; Jiang, Wen-Qi

2017-01-01

Objectives: The role of body mass index (BMI) in lymphoma survival outcomes is controversial. The prognostic significance of BMI in extranodal natural killer (NK)/T-cell lymphoma (ENKTL) is unclear. We evaluated the prognostic role of BMI in patients with ENKTL. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 742 patients with newly diagnosed ENKTL. The prognostic value of BMI was compared between patients with low BMIs (< 20.0 kg/m2) and patients with high BMIs (≥ 20.0 kg/m2). The prognostic value of the International Prognostic Index (IPI) and the Korean Prognostic Index (KPI) was also evaluated and compared with that of the BMI classification. Results: Patients with low BMIs tended to exhibit higher Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (ECOG PS) scores (≥ 2) (P = 0.001), more frequent B symptoms (P < 0.001), lower albumin levels (P < 0.001), higher KPI scores (P = 0.03), and lower rates of complete remission (P < 0.001) than patients with high BMIs, as well as inferior progression-free survival (PFS, P = 0.003), and inferior overall survival (OS, P = 0.001). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that age > 60 years, mass > 5 cm, stage III/IV, elevated LDH levels, albumin levels < 35 g/L and low BMIs were independent adverse predictors of OS. The BMI classification was found to be superior to the IPI with respect to predicting patient outcomes among low-risk patients and the KPI with respect to distinguishing between intermediate-low- and high-intermediate-risk patients. Conclusions: Higher BMI at the time of diagnosis is associated with improved overall survival in ENKTL. Using the BMI classification may improve the IPI and KPI prognostic models. PMID:28002803

Changes in survival patterns in urban Chinese patients with liver cancer

PubMed Central

Hao, Xi-Shan; Chen, Ke-Xin; Wang, Peizhong Peter; Rohan, Tom

2003-01-01

AIM: To examine the survival patterns and determinants of primary liver cancer in a geographically defined Chinese population. METHODS: Primary liver cancer cases (n = 13685) diagnosed between 1981 and 2000 were identified by the Tianjin Cancer Registry. Age-adjusted and age-specific incidence rates were examined in both males and females. Proportional hazards (Cox) regression was utilized to explore the effects of time of diagnosis, sex, age, occupation, residence, and hospital of diagnosis on survival. RESULTS: Crude and age-adjusted incidence rates in the study period were: 27.4/100000 and 26.3/100000 in males; and 11.5/100000 and 10.4/100000 in females, respectively. Cox regression analyses indicated that there was a significant improvement in survival rates over time. Industrial workers and older people had relatively poor survival rates. The hospital in which the liver cancer was diagnosed was a statistically significant predictor of survival; patients diagnosed in city hospitals were more likely to have better survival than those diagnosed in community/district hospitals. CONCLUSION: Patients diagnosed in recent years appeared to have a better outcome than those diagnosed in early times. There were also significant survival disparities with respect to occupation and hospital of diagnosis, which suggest that socioeconomic status may play an important role in determining prognosis. PMID:12800226

How the probability of presentation to a primary care clinician correlates with cancer survival rates: a European survey using vignettes.

PubMed

Harris, Michael; Frey, Peter; Esteva, Magdalena; Gašparović Babić, Svjetlana; Marzo-Castillejo, Mercè; Petek, Davorina; Petek Ster, Marija; Thulesius, Hans

2017-03-01

European cancer survival rates vary widely. System factors, including whether or not primary care physicians (PCPs) are gatekeepers, may account for some of these differences. This study explores where patients who may have cancer are likely to present for medical care in different European countries, and how probability of presentation to a primary care clinician correlates with cancer survival rates. Seventy-eight PCPs in a range of European countries assessed four vignettes representing patients who might have cancer, and consensus groups agreed how likely those patients were to present to different clinicians in their own countries. These data were compared with national cancer survival rates. A total of 14 countries. Consensus groups of PCPs. Probability of initial presentation to a PCP for four clinical vignettes. There was no significant correlation between overall national 1-year relative cancer survival rates and the probability of initial presentation to a PCP (r  = -0.16, 95% CI -0.39 to 0.08). Within that there was large variation depending on the type of cancer, with a significantly poorer lung cancer survival in countries where patients were more likely to initially consult a PCP (lung r = -0.57, 95% CI -0.83 to -0.12; ovary: r = -0.13, 95% CI -0.57 to 0.38; breast r = 0.14, 95% CI -0.36 to 0.58; bowel: r = 0.20, 95% CI -0.31 to 0.62). There were wide variations in the degree of gatekeeping between countries, with no simple binary model as to whether or not a country has a "PCP-as-gatekeeper" system. While there was case-by-case variation, there was no overall evidence of a link between a higher probability of initial consultation with a PCP and poorer cancer survival. KEY POINTS European cancer survival rates vary widely, and health system factors may account for some of these differences. The data from 14 European countries show a wide variation in the probability of initial presentation to a PCP. The degree to

Mice receiving infrared irradiation have a higher survival rate under forced swimming in cold.

PubMed

Tsai, Jui-Feng

2009-10-01

To explore the effect of infrared (IR) irradiation on the survival rates of mice under forced swimming in cold conditions. IR irradiation has been found to be beneficial for wound healing, tumor reduction, pain relief, and even against depression. However, whether the antidepressant effect of IR irradiation came from heat has remained unanswered. The goals of the study were originally aimed at using an animal model for depression to understand the relationship between the antidepressant effect of IR irradiation and hyperthermia as well as seasonality. Forty-four mice were housed in cages in a room subject to the outdoor temperature, and randomly assigned to the IR-treated group (n = 15), the heat-treated group (n = 14), and the control group (n = 15) during winter. The mice of the IR-treated group received whole-body IR irradiation for 60 min daily, while the heat-treated group received heat diffusion to reach the same temperature level. The control group received neither IR nor heat. All groups of mice underwent a forced swimming test weekly. Incidentally, two episodes of cold current occurred during the study period, and some mice died. The survival rates were compared pairwise against the control. The IR-treated group had a significantly reduced relative risk (p = 0.013) when compared with the control group, while the heat-treated group did not show any significant reduction (p = 0.087). There was no significant difference in body temperatures of the three groups before and after the irradiation. IR irradiation resulted in a significantly higher survival rate for mice that were concurrently subjected to cold and a forced swimming test. This result may be beyond the thermal effect.

Smolt Monitoring Program Comparative Survival Rate Study (CSS); Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Annual Report 2001-2002.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jonasson, Brian; Carmichael, Richard

2003-05-01

We PIT-tagged juvenile spring chinook salmon reared at Lookingglass Hatchery in October 2001 as part of the Comparative Survival Rate Study (CSS) for migratory year (MY) 2002. We tagged 20,998 Imnaha stock spring chinook salmon, and after mortality and tag loss, we allowed the remaining 20,920 fish to leave the acclimation pond at our Imnaha River satellite facility beginning 21 March 2002 to begin their seaward migration. The fish remaining in the pond were forced out on 17 April 2002. We tagged 20,973 Catherine Creek stock captive brood progeny spring chinook salmon, and after mortality and tag loss, we allowedmore » the remaining 20,796 fish to leave the acclimation ponds at our Catherine Creek satellite facility beginning 1 April 2001 to begin their seaward migration. The fish remaining in the ponds were forced out on 15 April 2001. We estimated survival rates, from release to Lower Granite Dam in MY 2002, for three stocks of hatchery spring chinook salmon tagged at Lookingglass Hatchery to determine their relative migration performance. Imnaha River stock and Lostine River stock survival rates were similar and were higher than the survival rate of Catherine Creek stock. We PIT-tagged 20,950 BY 2001 Imnaha River stock and 20,820 BY 2001 Catherine Creek stock captive brood progeny in October 2002 as part of the CSS for MY 2003. At the time the fish were transferred from Lookingglass Hatchery to the acclimation site, the rates of mortality and tag loss for Imnaha River stock were 0.14% and 0.06%, respectively. Catherine Creek stock, during the same period, had rates of mortality and tag loss of 0.57% and 0.31%, respectively. There was slightly elevated mortality, primarily from BKD, in one raceway of Catherine Creek stock at Lookingglass Hatchery for BY 2001.« less

Combined treatment with atorvastatin and imipenem improves survival and vascular functions in mouse model of sepsis.

PubMed

Choudhury, Soumen; Kannan, Kandasamy; Pule Addison, M; Darzi, Sazad A; Singh, Vishakha; Singh, Thakur Uttam; Thangamalai, Ramasamy; Dash, Jeevan Ranjan; Parida, Subhashree; Debroy, Biplab; Paul, Avishek; Mishra, Santosh Kumar

2015-08-01

We have recently reported that pre-treatment, but not the post-treatment with atorvastatin showed survival benefit and improved hemodynamic functions in cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) model of sepsis in mice. Here we examined whether combined treatment with atorvastatin and imipenem after onset of sepsis can prolong survival and improve vascular functions. At 6 and 18h after sepsis induction, treatment with atorvastatin plus imipenem, atorvastatin or imipenem alone or placebo was initiated. Ex vivo experiments were done on mouse aorta to examine the vascular reactivity to nor-adrenaline and acetylcholine and mRNA expressions of α1D AR, GRK2 and eNOS. Atorvastatin plus imipenem extended the survival time to 56.00±4.62h from 20.00±1.66h observed in CLP mice. The survival time with atorvastatin or imipenem alone was 20.50±1.89h and 27.00±4.09h, respectively. The combined treatment reversed the hyporeactivity to nor-adrenaline through preservation of α1D AR mRNA/protein expression and reversal of α1D AR desensitization mediated by GRK2/Gβγ pathway. The treatment also restored endothelium-dependent relaxation to ACh through restoration of aortic eNOS mRNA expression and NO availability. In conclusion, combined treatment with atorvastatin and imipenem exhibited survival benefit and improved vascular functions in septic mice. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Depression and Liver Transplant Survival.

PubMed

Meller, William; Welle, Nicole; Sutley, Kristen; Thurber, Steven

Patients who underwent liver transplantation and experienced clinical depression have heretofore evinced lower survival rates when compared to nondepressed counterparts. To investigate the hypothesis that transplant patients who seek and obtain medical treatment for depression would circumvent the prior reduced survival findings. A total of 765 patients with liver transplants were scrutinized for complications following transplantation. Further, 104 patients experienced posttransplant depression as manifested by diagnosis and treatment by medical personnel. Survival analyses were conducted comparing hazard and survival curves for these selected individuals and the remainder of transplant patients. Contrary to prior data and consistent with the aforementioned hypothesis, median survival durations, survival curves, and hazard functions (controlling for age and prolonged posttransplant survival for the depressed patients were better. The improved survival for the depressed patients may simply be related to an amelioration of depressed symptoms via antidepressant medications. However, this interpretation would only be congruent with reduced hazard, not elevated survival, beyond the norm (median) for other transplant participants. Assuming the reliability and generalization of our findings, perhaps a reasonable and compelling interpretation is that combined with the effectiveness of antidepressant medications, the seeking and receiving treatment for depression is a type of proxy measure of a more global pattern of adherence to recommended posttransplant medical regimens. Copyright © 2017 The Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Toll-Like Receptor 4 Stimulation before or after Streptococcus pneumoniae Induced Sepsis Improves Survival and Is Dependent on T-Cells

PubMed Central

Martin, Edward N.; Scheld, W. Michael

2014-01-01

Introduction Endotoxin tolerance improves outcomes from gram negative sepsis but the underlying mechanism is not known. We determined if endotoxin tolerance before or after pneumococcal sepsis improved survival and the role of lymphocytes in this protection. Methods Mice received lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or vehicle before or after a lethal dose of Streptococcus pneumoniae. Survival, quantitative bacteriology, liver function, and cytokine concentrations were measured. We confirmed the necessity of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) for endotoxin tolerance using C3H/HeN (TLR4 replete) and C3H/HeJ (TLR4 deficient) mice. The role of complement was investigated through A/J mice deficient in C5 complement. CBA/CaHN-Btkxid//J mice with dysfunctional B cells and Rag-1 knockout (KO) mice deficient in T and B cells delineated the role of lymphocytes. Results Endotoxin tolerance improved survival from pneumococcal sepsis in mice with TLR4 that received LPS pretreatment or posttreatment. Survival was associated with reduced bacterial burden and serum cytokine concentrations. Death was associated with abnormal liver function and blood glucose concentrations. Endotoxin tolerance improved survival in A/J and CBA/CaHN-Btkxid//J mice but not Rag-1 KO mice. Conclusions TLR4 stimulation before or after S. pneumoniae infection improved survival and was dependent on T-cells but did not require an intact complement cascade or functional B cells. PMID:24465843

Hemodynamic directed CPR improves short-term survival from asphyxia-associated cardiac arrest.

PubMed

Sutton, Robert M; Friess, Stuart H; Bhalala, Utpal; Maltese, Matthew R; Naim, Maryam Y; Bratinov, George; Niles, Dana; Nadkarni, Vinay M; Becker, Lance B; Berg, Robert A

2013-05-01

Adequate coronary perfusion pressure (CPP) during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is essential for establishing return of spontaneous circulation. The objective of this study was to compare short-term survival using a hemodynamic directed resuscitation strategy versus an absolute depth-guided approach in a porcine model of asphyxia-associated cardiac arrest. We hypothesized that a hemodynamic directed approach would improve short-term survival compared to depth-guided care. After 7 min of asphyxia, followed by induction of ventricular fibrillation, 19 female 3-month old swine (31±0.4 kg) were randomized to receive one of three resuscitation strategies: (1) hemodynamic directed care (CPP-20): chest compressions (CCs) with depth titrated to a target systolic blood pressure of 100 mmHg and titration of vasopressors to maintain CPP>20 mmHg; (2) depth 33 mm (D33): target CC depth of 33 mm with standard American Heart Association (AHA) epinephrine dosing; or (3) depth 51 mm (D51): target CC depth of 51 mm with standard AHA epinephrine dosing. All animals received manual CPR guided by audiovisual feedback for 10 min before first shock. 45-Min survival was higher in the CPP-20 group (6/6) compared to D33 (1/7) or D51 (1/6) groups; p=0.002. Coronary perfusion pressures were higher in the CPP-20 group compared to D33 (p=0.011) and D51 (p=0.04), and in survivors compared to non-survivors (p<0.01). Total number of vasopressor doses administered and defibrillation attempts were not different. Hemodynamic directed care targeting CPPs>20 mmHg improves short-term survival in an intensive care unit porcine model of asphyxia-associated cardiac arrest. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Early enhanced local neutrophil recruitment in peritonitis-induced sepsis improves bacterial clearance and survival.

PubMed

Craciun, Florin L; Schuller, Elizabeth R; Remick, Daniel G

2010-12-01

Neutrophils are critical for the rapid eradication of bacterial pathogens, but they also contribute to the development of multiple organ failure in sepsis. We hypothesized that increasing early recruitment of neutrophils to the focus of infection will increase bacterial clearance and improve survival. Sepsis was induced in mice, using cecal ligation and puncture (CLP); blood samples were collected at 6 and 24 h; and survival was followed for 28 d. In separate experiments, peritoneal bacteria and inflammatory cells were measured. Septic mice predicted to die based on IL-6 levels (Die-P) had higher concentrations of CXCL1 and CXCL2 in the peritoneum and plasma compared with those predicted to live (Live-P). At 6 h, Live-P and Die-P had equivalent numbers of peritoneal neutrophils and bacteria. In Die-P mice the number of peritoneal bacteria increased between 6 and 24 h post-CLP, whereas in Live-P it decreased. The i.p. injection of CXCL1 and CXCL2 in naive mice resulted in local neutrophil recruitment. When given immediately after CLP, CXC chemokines increased peritoneal neutrophil recruitment at 6 h after CLP. This early increase in neutrophils induced by exogenous chemokines resulted in significantly fewer peritoneal bacteria by 24 h [CFU (log) = 6.04 versus 4.99 for vehicle versus chemokine treatment; p < 0.05]. Chemokine treatment significantly improved survival at both 5 d (40 versus 72%) and 28 d (27 versus 52%; p < 0.02 vehicle versus chemokines). These data demonstrate that early, local treatment with CXC chemokines enhances neutrophil recruitment and clearance of bacteria as well as improves survival in the CLP model of sepsis.

Improved oil-off survivability of tapered roller bearings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kreider, Gary E.; Lee, Peter W.

1987-01-01

The aim of this program is to improve the oil-off survivability of a tapered roller bearing when applied to a helicopter transmission, since the tapered bearing has shown a performance advantage in this application. However, the critical roller end-rib conjunction is vulnerable to damage in an oil-off condition. Three powdered metal materials were selected to use as the rib material for oil-off evaluation. These were: M2 steel to a 65% density, CBS 1000M 65% density, and CBS 1000M 75% density. The bearing styles tested were ribbed cone (inner race) and ribbed cup (outer race). Carburized solid CBS 600 was also used as a ribbed material for comparison of oil-off results. The tests were conducted at six speeds from 4000 rpm (0.26 million DN) through 37000 rpm (2.4 million DN).The ribbed cup style bearing achieved longer lives than the ribbed cone style. A standard bearing lasted only 10 minutes at 4000 rpm; however, the 30-min oil-off goal was achieved through 11000 rpm using the survivable ribbed cup bearing. The oil-off lives at 37000 rpm were less than 10 seconds. The grinding of the powder metal materials and surface preparation to achieve an open porosity is extremely critical to the oil-off performance of the powder metal component.

Implementation of Extensive Cytoreduction Resulted in Improved Survival Outcomes for Patients with Newly Diagnosed Advanced-Stage Ovarian, Tubal, and Peritoneal Cancers.

PubMed

Raspagliesi, Francesco; Bogani, Giorgio; Ditto, Antonino; Martinelli, Fabio; Chiappa, Valentina; Borghi, Chiara; Scaffa, Cono; Morano, Federica; Maltese, Giuseppa; Lorusso, Domenica

2017-10-01

Residual disease (RD) after primary debulking surgery (PDS) is one of the main factors driving ovarian cancer prognosis. The primary end point of this study was assessment of the impact that surgery had on survival outcomes for patients with advanced ovarian cancer. Data on the effect of newly diagnosed advanced-stage ovarian, tubal, and peritoneal cancers were analyzed during two study periods (T1: 2001-2006 and T2: 2007-2012), in which the concepts of optimal and complete cytoreduction were introduced and implemented. In this study, 260 patients (36%) had surgery during T1 and 462 patients (64%) had surgery during T2. The rate of PDS increased, from 55.4% (144/260) during T1 to 85.5% (395/462) during T2 (p < 0.001). At the time of PDS, complete resection (RD0) was achieved for 45.1% of the patients during T1 and 76.7% of the patients during T2 (p < 0.001), whereas optimal resection (RD < 1 cm) was achieved for 60.4% of the patients during T1 and 85.3% of the patients during T2 (p < 0.001). Disease-free survival improved during the study periods (p = 0.006). Overall survival was similar in T1 and T2 (p = 0.18). The preoperative CA125 level, disease stage, and RD remained independently associated with disease-free survival (p ≤ 0.05). The performance of interval debulking surgery (IDS) instead of PDS correlated with worse survival outcomes (hazard ratio [HR] 1.47; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.24-1.92; p = 0.02), whereas achievement of RD0 and RD < 1 cm independently improved overall survival (HR 0.45; 95% CI 0.22-0.91; p = 0.02 for RD0 and HR 0.47; 95% CI 0.23-0.96; p = 0.03 for RD0). The implementation of extensive cytoreduction allows improvement of patient outcomes. Further studies are needed to assess the risk-to-benefit ratio between PDS and IDS and to identify patients who benefit much more from one treatment method than from another.

Overexpression of Gremlin1 in Mesenchymal Stem Cells Improves Hindlimb Ischemia in Mice by Enhancing Cell Survival.

PubMed

Xiang, Qiuling; Hong, Dongxi; Liao, Yan; Cao, Yong; Liu, Muyun; Pang, Jun; Zhou, Junjie; Wang, Guang; Yang, Renhao; Wang, Maosheng; Xiang, Andy Peng

2017-05-01

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are a promising cell resource for the treatment of ischemic diseases, partially through paracrine effects. One of the major obstacles of MSC treatment is the poor survival rate and low efficiency of transplanted stem cells due to ischemic or inflammatory environments. Gremlin1 (GREM1), a regulator of growth, differentiation and development, has been identified as a novel proangiogenic factor. However, the role and mechanism of GREM1 in MSCs remains unclear. Therefore, we assessed the putative beneficial effects of GREM1 on MSC-based therapy for hindlimb ischemia. The lentiviral vector, EF1a-GREM1, was constructed using the Multisite Gateway System and used to transduce MSCs. In vitro studies demonstrated increased survival of GREM1-MSCs exposed to H 2 O 2 , which is consistent with the activation of caspase-3. Conditional medium from GREM1-MSCs (GREM1-MSC-CM) increased the anti-apoptotic effects of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), and this effect was attenuated by treatment with the PI3K/Akt pathway inhibitor LY294002. MSCs modified with GREM1 could significantly increase blood perfusion of the ischemic hindlimb in vivo in a mouse model, which was correlated to improved MSC survival. This study demonstrates that overexpression of GREM1 in MSCs have greater therapeutic effects against ischemia compared with wild-type MSCs by enhancing the survival of MSCs and ECs, which may provide new tools for studies investigating the treatment of ischemic diseases. J. Cell. Physiol. 232: 996-1007, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Effect of silver nanoparticles on the metabolic rate, hematological response, and survival of juvenile white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei.

PubMed

Juarez-Moreno, Karla; Mejía-Ruiz, Claudio Humberto; Díaz, Fernando; Reyna-Verdugo, Horacio; Re, Ana Denisse; Vazquez-Felix, Edgar F; Sánchez-Castrejón, Edna; Mota-Morales, Josué D; Pestryakov, Alexey; Bogdanchikova, Nina

2017-02-01

White spot syndrome virus (WSSV) is highly lethal and contagious in shrimps; its outbreaks causes an economic crisis for aquaculture. Several attempts have been made to treat this disease; however, to date, there is no effective cure. Because of their antimicrobial activities, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are the most studied nanomaterial. Although the antiviral properties of AgNPs have been studied, their antiviral effect against viral infection in aquaculture has not been reported. The AgNPs tested herein are coated with polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and possess multiple international certifications for their use in veterinary and human applications. The aim of this work was to evaluate the survival rate of juvenile white shrimps (Litopenaeus vannamei) after the intramuscular administration of AgNPs. For this, different concentrations of metallic AgNPs and PVP alone were injected into the organisms. After 96 h of administration, shrimp survival was more than 90% for all treatments. The oxygen consumption routine rate and total hemocyte count remained unaltered after AgNP injection, reflecting no stress caused. We evaluated whether AgNPs had an antiviral effect in shrimps infected with WSSV. The results revealed that the survival rate of WSSV-infected shrimps after AgNP administration was 80%, whereas the survival rate of untreated organisms was only 10% 96 h after infection. These results open up the possibility to explore the potential use of AgNPs as antiviral agents for the treatment of diseases in aquaculture organisms, particularly the WSSV in shrimp culture. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Incidence and survival time trends for Spanish children and adolescents with leukaemia from 1983 to 2007.

PubMed

Marcos-Gragera, R; Galceran, J; Martos, C; de Munain, A L; Vicente-Raneda, M; Navarro, C; Quirós-Garcia, J R; Sánchez, M-J; Ardanaz, E; Ramos, M; Mateos, A; Salmerón, D; Felipe, S; Peris-Bonet, R

2017-03-01

We have analysed incidence and survival trends of children and adolescents with leukaemia registered in Spanish population-based cancer registries during the period 1983-2007. Childhood and adolescent leukaemia cases were drawn from the 11 Spanish population-based cancer registries. For survival, registries with data for the period 1991-2005 and follow-up until 31-12-2010 were included. Overall incidence trends were evaluated using joinpoint analysis. Observed survival rates were estimated using Kaplan-Meier, and trends were tested using the log-rank test. Based on 2606 cases (2274 children and 332 adolescents), the overall age-adjusted incidence rate (ASRw) of leukaemia was 47.9 cases per million child-years in children and 23.8 in adolescents. The ASRw of leukaemia increased with an annual percentage change of 9.6 % (95 % CI: 2.2-17.6) until 1990 followed by a stabilisation of rates. In adolescents, incidence did not increase. Five-year survival increased from 66 % in 1991-1995 to 76 % in 2001-2005. By age, survival was dramatically lower in infants (0) and adolescents (15-19) than in the other age groups and no improvement was observed. In both children and adolescents, differences in 5-year survival rates among major subgroups of leukaemias were significant. The increasing incidence trends observed in childhood leukaemias during the study period were confined to the beginning of the period. Remarkable improvements in survival have been observed in Spanish children with leukaemias. However, this improvement was not observed in infants and adolescents.

Higher Donor Apheresis Blood Volumes Are Associated with Reduced Relapse Risk and Improved Survival in Reduced-Intensity Allogeneic Transplantations with Unrelated Donors.

PubMed

Crisalli, Lisa M; Hinkle, Joanne T; Walling, Christopher C; Sell, Mary; Frey, Noelle V; Hexner, Elizabeth O; Loren, Alison W; Luger, Selina M; Stadtmauer, Edward A; Porter, David L; Reshef, Ran

2018-06-01

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) with reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC) offers a curative option for patients with hematologic malignancies who are unable to undergo myeloablative conditioning, but its success is limited by high rates of relapse. Several studies have suggested a role for T cell doses in peripheral blood stem cell grafts in RIC HSCT. Because T cell dose is typically not known until after the collection, and apheresis blood volume is easily modifiable, we hypothesized that higher donor apheresis blood volumes would improve transplantation outcomes through an effect on graft composition. Thus, we analyzed the relationships between apheresis volume, graft composition, and transplantation outcomes in 142 consecutive patients undergoing unrelated donor allogeneic RIC HSCT. We found that apheresis volume ≥15 L was associated with a significantly decreased risk of relapse (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], .48; 95% confidence interval [CI], .28 to .84]; P = .01) and improved relapse-free survival (aHR, .56; 95% CI, .35 to .89; P = .02) and overall survival (aHR, .55; 95% CI, .34 to .91; P = .02). A high apheresis volume was not associated with increased rates of acute or chronic graft-versus-host disease. These results demonstrate that an apheresis volume of at least 15 L is independently predictive of improved transplantation outcomes after RIC allogeneic HSCT. Copyright © 2018 The American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Long-term survival based on pathologic response to neoadjuvant therapy in esophageal cancer.

PubMed

Tiesi, Gregory; Park, Wungki; Gunder, Meredith; Rubio, Gustavo; Berger, Michael; Ardalan, Bach; Livingstone, Alan; Franceschi, Dido

2017-08-01

Neoadjuvant treatment is standard for locally advanced esophageal cancer. However, whether the addition of radiation to neoadjuvant regimen improves survival remains unclear. The aim of this study was to compare survival in locally advanced esophageal cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy versus chemoradiation. A prospectively maintained database of esophagectomies (1999-2012) was analyzed. We identified 297 patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer that underwent either neoadjuvant chemotherapy (n = 231) or chemoradiation (n = 66) followed by esophagectomy. Pretreatment and pathologic staging were compared to assess response. Overall survival was recorded. Most patients in the chemotherapy and chemoradiation groups had pretreatment stage III disease (66.7% versus 65.2%; P = 0.44). Median follow-up was 79.3 and 64.9 mo for chemotherapy and chemoradiation cohorts, respectively. Complete response rate was higher in chemoradiation than chemotherapy groups (30.3% versus 13.8%; P < 0.001). Overall survival was similar between complete responders in both groups (median not reached versus 121.1 mo; chemotherapy versus chemoradiation). However, partial responders in the chemotherapy cohort had improved median survival (147.2 mo) versus those in the chemoradiation cohort (83.7 mo, P < 0.03). Within the chemotherapy-only group, partial responders had improved survival compared with nonresponders (P = 0.041); however, there was no difference in survival between partial and complete responders (P = 0.36). In patients undergoing esophagectomy for locally advanced esophageal cancer, neoadjuvant chemotherapy was associated with an equivalent overall survival, when compared with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy. Adding neoadjuvant radiation may enhance complete response rates but does not appear to be associated with improved survival. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

How the probability of presentation to a primary care clinician correlates with cancer survival rates: a European survey using vignettes

PubMed Central

Harris, Michael; Frey, Peter; Esteva, Magdalena; Gašparović Babić, Svjetlana; Marzo-Castillejo, Mercè; Petek, Davorina; Petek Ster, Marija; Thulesius, Hans

2017-01-01

Objective European cancer survival rates vary widely. System factors, including whether or not primary care physicians (PCPs) are gatekeepers, may account for some of these differences. This study explores where patients who may have cancer are likely to present for medical care in different European countries, and how probability of presentation to a primary care clinician correlates with cancer survival rates. Design Seventy-eight PCPs in a range of European countries assessed four vignettes representing patients who might have cancer, and consensus groups agreed how likely those patients were to present to different clinicians in their own countries. These data were compared with national cancer survival rates. Setting A total of 14 countries. Subjects Consensus groups of PCPs. Main outcome measures Probability of initial presentation to a PCP for four clinical vignettes. Results There was no significant correlation between overall national 1-year relative cancer survival rates and the probability of initial presentation to a PCP (r  = −0.16, 95% CI −0.39 to 0.08). Within that there was large variation depending on the type of cancer, with a significantly poorer lung cancer survival in countries where patients were more likely to initially consult a PCP (lung r = −0.57, 95% CI −0.83 to −0.12; ovary: r = −0.13, 95% CI −0.57 to 0.38; breast r = 0.14, 95% CI −0.36 to 0.58; bowel: r = 0.20, 95% CI −0.31 to 0.62). Conclusions There were wide variations in the degree of gatekeeping between countries, with no simple binary model as to whether or not a country has a “PCP-as-gatekeeper” system. While there was case-by-case variation, there was no overall evidence of a link between a higher probability of initial consultation with a PCP and poorer cancer survival. Key points European cancer survival rates vary widely, and health system factors may account for some of these differences. The data from 14 European

High hospital research participation and improved colorectal cancer survival outcomes: a population-based study.

PubMed

Downing, Amy; Morris, Eva Ja; Corrigan, Neil; Sebag-Montefiore, David; Finan, Paul J; Thomas, James D; Chapman, Michael; Hamilton, Russell; Campbell, Helen; Cameron, David; Kaplan, Richard; Parmar, Mahesh; Stephens, Richard; Seymour, Matt; Gregory, Walter; Selby, Peter

2017-01-01

In 2001, the National Institute for Health Research Cancer Research Network (NCRN) was established, leading to a rapid increase in clinical research activity across the English NHS. Using colorectal cancer (CRC) as an example, we test the hypothesis that high, sustained hospital-level participation in interventional clinical trials improves outcomes for all patients with CRC managed in those research-intensive hospitals. Data for patients diagnosed with CRC in England in 2001-2008 (n=209 968) were linked with data on accrual to NCRN CRC studies (n=30 998). Hospital Trusts were categorised by the proportion of patients accrued to interventional studies annually. Multivariable models investigated the relationship between 30-day postoperative mortality and 5-year survival and the level and duration of study participation. Most of the Trusts achieving high participation were district general hospitals and the effects were not limited to cancer 'centres of excellence', although such centres do make substantial contributions. Patients treated in Trusts with high research participation (≥16%) in their year of diagnosis had lower postoperative mortality (p<0.001) and improved survival (p<0.001) after adjustment for casemix and hospital-level variables. The effects increased with sustained research participation, with a reduction in postoperative mortality of 1.5% (6.5%-5%, p<2.2×10 -6 ) and an improvement in survival (p<10 -19 ; 5-year difference: 3.8% (41.0%-44.8%)) comparing high participation for ≥4 years with 0 years. There is a strong independent association between survival and participation in interventional clinical studies for all patients with CRC treated in the hospital study participants. Improvement precedes and increases with the level and years of sustained participation. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

Survival rate of eukaryotic cells following electrophoretic nanoinjection.

PubMed

Simonis, Matthias; Hübner, Wolfgang; Wilking, Alice; Huser, Thomas; Hennig, Simon

2017-01-25

Insertion of foreign molecules such as functionalized fluorescent probes, antibodies, or plasmid DNA to living cells requires overcoming the plasma membrane barrier without harming the cell during the staining process. Many techniques such as electroporation, lipofection or microinjection have been developed to overcome the cellular plasma membrane, but they all result in reduced cell viability. A novel approach is the injection of cells with a nanopipette and using electrophoretic forces for the delivery of molecules. The tip size of these pipettes is approximately ten times smaller than typical microinjection pipettes and rather than pressure pulses as delivery method, moderate DC electric fields are used to drive charged molecules out of the tip. Here, we show that this approach leads to a significantly higher survival rate of nanoinjected cells and that injection with nanopipettes has a significantly lower impact on the proliferation behavior of injected cells. Thus, we propose that injection with nanopipettes using electrophoretic delivery is an excellent alternative when working with valuable and rare living cells, such as primary cells or stem cells.

Survival rate of eukaryotic cells following electrophoretic nanoinjection

PubMed Central

Simonis, Matthias; Hübner, Wolfgang; Wilking, Alice; Huser, Thomas; Hennig, Simon

2017-01-01

Insertion of foreign molecules such as functionalized fluorescent probes, antibodies, or plasmid DNA to living cells requires overcoming the plasma membrane barrier without harming the cell during the staining process. Many techniques such as electroporation, lipofection or microinjection have been developed to overcome the cellular plasma membrane, but they all result in reduced cell viability. A novel approach is the injection of cells with a nanopipette and using electrophoretic forces for the delivery of molecules. The tip size of these pipettes is approximately ten times smaller than typical microinjection pipettes and rather than pressure pulses as delivery method, moderate DC electric fields are used to drive charged molecules out of the tip. Here, we show that this approach leads to a significantly higher survival rate of nanoinjected cells and that injection with nanopipettes has a significantly lower impact on the proliferation behavior of injected cells. Thus, we propose that injection with nanopipettes using electrophoretic delivery is an excellent alternative when working with valuable and rare living cells, such as primary cells or stem cells. PMID:28120926

Cardiovascular Risk Reduction is Important for Improving Patient and Graft Survival After Ligation and Bypass Surgery for Popliteal Artery Aneurysm.

PubMed

Dattani, N; Ali, M; Aber, A; Kannan, R Yap; Choke, E C; Bown, M J; Sayers, R D; Davies, R S

2017-07-01

To report outcomes following ligation and bypass (LGB) surgery for popliteal artery aneurysm (PAA) and study factors influencing patient and graft survival. A retrospective review of patients undergoing LGB surgery for PAA between September 1999 and August 2012 at a tertiary referral vascular unit was performed. Primary graft patency (PGP), primary-assisted graft patency (PAGP), and secondary graft patency (SGP) rates were calculated using survival analyses. Patient, graft aneurysm-free survival (GAFS), aneurysm reperfusion-free survival (ARFS), and amputation-free survival (AFS) rates were also calculated. Log-rank testing and Cox proportional hazards modeling were used to perform univariate and multivariate analysis of influencing factors, respectively. Eighty-four LGB repairs in 69 patients (mean age 71.3 years, 68 males) were available for study. The 5-year PGP, PAGP, SGP, and patient survival rates were 58.1%, 84.4%, 85.2%, and 81.1%, respectively. On multivariate analysis, the principal determinants of PGP were urgency of operation ( P = .009) and smoking status ( P = .019). The principal determinants of PAGP were hyperlipidemia status ( P = .048) and of SGP were hyperlipidemia ( P = .042) and cerebrovascular disease (CVD) status ( P = .045). The principal determinants of patient survival were previous myocardial infarction ( P = .004) and CVD ( P = .001). The 5-year GAFS, ARFS, and AFS rates were 87.9%, 91.6%, and 96.1%, respectively. This study has shown that traditional cardiovascular risk factors, such as a smoking and ischemic heart disease, are the most important predictors of early graft failure and patient death following LGB surgery for PAA.