Surgery (St Vincent's) - Research Publications

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    A MXI1-NUTM1 fusion protein with MYC-like activity suggests a novel oncogenic mechanism in a subset ofNUTM1-rearranged tumors
    McEvoy, CR ; Holliday, H ; Thio, N ; Mitchell, C ; Choong, DY ; Yellapu, B ; Leong, HS ; Xu, H ; Lade, S ; Browning, J ; Takano, EA ; Byrne, DJ ; Gill, AJ ; Duong, CP ; Li, J ; Fellowes, AP ; Fox, SB ; Swarbrick, A ; Prall, OWJ (ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC, 2021-01)
    Most NUTM1-rearranged neoplasms (NRNs) have fusions between NUTM1 and BRD (bromodomain-containing) family members and are termed NUT carcinomas (NCs) because they show some squamous differentiation. However, some NRNs are associated with fusions between NUTM1 and members of the MAD (MAX dimerization) gene family of MYC antagonists. Here we describe a small round cell malignancy from the gastro-esophageal junction with a previously unreported fusion between NUTM1 and the MAD family member MXI1. In contrast to NCs, the MXI1-NUTM1 tumor did not show squamous differentiation and did not express MYC, TP63 or SOX2, genes known to be targets of BRD-NUTM1 proteins and critical for NC oncogenesis. Transcriptome analysis showed paradoxical enrichment of MYC target genes in the MXI1-NUTM1 tumor despite the lack of MYC expression. When expressed in vitro MXI1-NUTM1 partially phenocopied MYC, enhancing cell proliferation and cooperating with oncogenic HRAS to produce anchorage-independent cell growth. These data provide evidence that MAD family members, which are normally repressors of MYC activity, can be converted into MYC-like mimics by fusion to NUTM1. The pathological features and novel oncogenic mechanism of the MXI1-NUTM1 tumor show that identification of NUTM1 fusion partners can be important for accurate diagnostic classification of some NRN subtypes, and potentially may guide therapeutic options.
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    Arthroplasty information on the internet
    Davaris, MT ; Dowsey, MM ; Bunzli, S ; Choong, PF (The British Editorial Society of Bone & Joint Surgery, 2020-04)
    Aims: Total joint replacement (TJR) is a high-cost, high-volume procedure that impacts patients’ quality of life. Informed decisions are important for patients facing TJR. The quality of information provided by websites regarding TJR is highly variable. We aimed to measure the quality of TJR information online. Methods: We identified 10,800 websites using 18 TJR-related keywords (conditions and procedures) across the Australian, French, German and Spanish Google search engines. We used the Health on the Net (HON) toolbar to evaluate the first 150 websites downloaded for every keyword in each language. The quality of information on websites was inspected, accounting for differences by language and tertiles. We also undertook an analysis of English websites to explore types of website providers. Results: ‘Total joint replacement’ had the most results returned (150 million websites), and 9% of websites are HON-accredited. Differences in information quality were seen across search terms (p < 0.001) and tertiles (p < 0.001), but not between languages (p = 0.226). A larger proportion of HON-accredited websites were seen from keywords in the condition and arthroplasty categories. The first tertile contained the highest number of HON-accredited websites for the majority of search terms. Government/educational bodies sponsored the majority of websites. Conclusion: Clinicians must consider the shortage of websites providing validated information, with disparities in both number and quality of websites for TJR conditions and procedures. As such, the challenge for clinicians is to lead the design of reliable, accurate and ethical orthopaedic websites online and direct patients to them. This stands to reward both parties greatly.
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    Effect of Disease-Modifying Therapy on Disability in Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis Over 15 Years
    Kalincik, T ; Diouf, I ; Sharmin, S ; Malpas, C ; Spelman, T ; Horakova, D ; Havrdova, EK ; Trojano, M ; Izquierdo, G ; Lugaresi, A ; Prat, A ; Girard, M ; Duquette, P ; Grammond, P ; Jokubaitis, V ; Van der Walt, A ; Grand'Maison, F ; Sola, P ; Ferraro, D ; Shaygannejad, V ; Alroughani, R ; Hupperts, R ; Terzi, M ; Boz, C ; Lechner-Scott, J ; Pucci, E ; Van Pesch, V ; Granella, F ; Bergamaschi, R ; Spitaleri, D ; Slee, M ; Vucic, S ; Ampapa, R ; McCombe, P ; Ramo-Tello, C ; Prevost, J ; Olascoaga, J ; Cristiano, E ; Barnett, M ; Saladino, ML ; Sanchez-Menoyo, JL ; Hodgkinson, S ; Rozsa, C ; Hughes, S ; Moore, F ; Shaw, C ; Butler, E ; Skibina, O ; Gray, O ; Kermode, A ; Csepany, T ; Singhal, B ; Shuey, N ; Piroska, I ; Taylor, B ; Simo, M ; Sirbu, C-A ; Sas, A ; Butzkueven, H (LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS, 2021-02-02)
    OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that immunotherapy prevents long-term disability in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS), we modeled disability outcomes in 14,717 patients. METHODS: We studied patients from MSBase followed for ≥1 year, with ≥3 visits, ≥1 visit per year, and exposed to MS therapy, and a subset of patients with ≥15-year follow-up. Marginal structural models were used to compare the cumulative hazards of 12-month confirmed increase and decrease in disability, Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) step 6, and the incidence of relapses between treated and untreated periods. Marginal structural models were continuously readjusted for patient age, sex, pregnancy, date, disease course, time from first symptom, prior relapse history, disability, and MRI activity. RESULTS: A total of 14,717 patients were studied. During the treated periods, patients were less likely to experience relapses (hazard ratio 0.60, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.43-0.82, p = 0.0016), worsening of disability (0.56, 0.38-0.82, p = 0.0026), and progress to EDSS step 6 (0.33, 0.19-0.59, p = 0.00019). Among 1,085 patients with ≥15-year follow-up, the treated patients were less likely to experience relapses (0.59, 0.50-0.70, p = 10-9) and worsening of disability (0.81, 0.67-0.99, p = 0.043). CONCLUSION: Continued treatment with MS immunotherapies reduces disability accrual by 19%-44% (95% CI 1%-62%), the risk of need of a walking aid by 67% (95% CI 41%-81%), and the frequency of relapses by 40-41% (95% CI 18%-57%) over 15 years. This study provides evidence that disease-modifying therapies are effective in improving disability outcomes in relapsing-remitting MS over the long term. CLASSIFICATION OF EVIDENCE: This study provides Class IV evidence that, for patients with relapsing-remitting MS, long-term exposure to immunotherapy prevents neurologic disability.
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    Gelatin Methacryloyl Hydrogels for the Localized Delivery of Cefazolin
    Vigata, M ; O'Connell, CD ; Cometta, S ; Hutmacher, DW ; Meinert, C ; Bock, N (MDPI, 2021-11)
    The tuneability of hydrogels renders them promising candidates for local drug delivery to prevent and treat local surgical site infection (SSI) while avoiding the systemic side-effects of intravenous antibiotic injections. Here, we present a newly developed gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA)-based hydrogel drug delivery system (GelMA-DDS) to locally deliver the broad-spectrum antibiotic cefazolin for SSI prophylaxis and treatment. Antibiotic doses from 3 µg to 90 µg were loaded in photocrosslinked GelMA hydrogel discs with 5 to 15% w/v polymer concentration and drug encapsulation efficiencies, mechanical properties, crosslinking and release kinetics, as well as bacterial growth inhibition were assessed. Our results demonstrate that all GelMA groups supported excellent drug encapsulation efficiencies of up to 99%. Mechanical properties of the GelMA-DDS were highly tuneable and unaffected by the loading of small to medium doses of cefazolin. The diffusive and the proteolytic in vitro drug delivery of all investigated cefazolin doses was characterized by a burst release, and the delivered cefazolin amount was directly proportional to the encapsulated dose. Accelerated enzymatic degradation of the GelMA-DDS followed zero-order kinetics and was dependent on both the cefazolin dose and GelMA concentration (3-13 h). Finally, we demonstrate that cefazolin delivered from GelMA induced a dose-dependent antibacterial efficacy against S. aureus, in both a broth and a diffusive assay. The cefazolin-loaded GelMA-DDS presented here provides a highly tuneable and easy-to-use local delivery system for the prophylaxis and treatment of SSI.
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    Postoperative outcomes in oesophagectomy with trainee involvement.
    Oesophago-Gastric Anastomosis Study Group (OGAA) on behalf of the West Midlands Research Collaborative, (Oxford University Press (OUP), 2021-11-09)
    BACKGROUND: The complexity of oesophageal surgery and the significant risk of morbidity necessitates that oesophagectomy is predominantly performed by a consultant surgeon, or a senior trainee under their supervision. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of trainee involvement in oesophagectomy on postoperative outcomes in an international multicentre setting. METHODS: Data from the multicentre Oesophago-Gastric Anastomosis Study Group (OGAA) cohort study were analysed, which comprised prospectively collected data from patients undergoing oesophagectomy for oesophageal cancer between April 2018 and December 2018. Procedures were grouped by the level of trainee involvement, and univariable and multivariable analyses were performed to compare patient outcomes across groups. RESULTS: Of 2232 oesophagectomies from 137 centres in 41 countries, trainees were involved in 29.1 per cent of them (n = 650), performing only the abdominal phase in 230, only the chest and/or neck phases in 130, and all phases in 315 procedures. For procedures with a chest anastomosis, those with trainee involvement had similar 90-day mortality, complication and reoperation rates to consultant-performed oesophagectomies (P = 0.451, P = 0.318, and P = 0.382, respectively), while anastomotic leak rates were significantly lower in the trainee groups (P = 0.030). Procedures with a neck anastomosis had equivalent complication, anastomotic leak, and reoperation rates (P = 0.150, P = 0.430, and P = 0.632, respectively) in trainee-involved versus consultant-performed oesophagectomies, with significantly lower 90-day mortality in the trainee groups (P = 0.005). CONCLUSION: Trainee involvement was not found to be associated with significantly inferior postoperative outcomes for selected patients undergoing oesophagectomy. The results support continued supervised trainee involvement in oesophageal cancer surgery.
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    Comparison of short-term outcomes from the International Oesophago-Gastric Anastomosis Audit (OGAA), the Esophagectomy Complications Consensus Group (ECCG), and the Dutch Upper Gastrointestinal Cancer Audit (DUCA).
    Oesophago-Gastric Anastomosis Study Group on behalf of the West Midlands Research Collaborative, (Oxford University Press (OUP), 2021-05-07)
    BACKGROUND: The Esophagectomy Complications Consensus Group (ECCG) and the Dutch Upper Gastrointestinal Cancer Audit (DUCA) have set standards in reporting outcomes after oesophagectomy. Reporting outcomes from selected high-volume centres or centralized national cancer programmes may not, however, be reflective of the true global prevalence of complications. This study aimed to compare complication rates after oesophagectomy from these existing sources with those of an unselected international cohort from the Oesophago-Gastric Anastomosis Audit (OGAA). METHODS: The OGAA was a prospective multicentre cohort study coordinated by the West Midlands Research Collaborative, and included patients undergoing oesophagectomy for oesophageal cancer between April and December 2018, with 90 days of follow-up. RESULTS: The OGAA study included 2247 oesophagectomies across 137 hospitals in 41 countries. Comparisons with the ECCG and DUCA found differences in baseline demographics between the three cohorts, including age, ASA grade, and rates of chronic pulmonary disease. The OGAA had the lowest rates of neoadjuvant treatment (OGAA 75.1 per cent, ECCG 78.9 per cent, DUCA 93.5 per cent; P < 0.001). DUCA exhibited the highest rates of minimally invasive surgery (OGAA 57.2 per cent, ECCG 47.9 per cent, DUCA 85.8 per cent; P < 0.001). Overall complication rates were similar in the three cohorts (OGAA 63.6 per cent, ECCG 59.0 per cent, DUCA 62.2 per cent), with no statistically significant difference in Clavien-Dindo grades (P = 0.752). However, a significant difference in 30-day mortality was observed, with DUCA reporting the lowest rate (OGAA 3.2 per cent, ECCG 2.4 per cent, DUCA 1.7 per cent; P = 0.013). CONCLUSION: Despite differences in rates of co-morbidities, oncological treatment strategies, and access to minimal-access surgery, overall complication rates were similar in the three cohorts.
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    Iatrogenic traumatic pontine injury from nasogastric tube insertion in a patient with an occult clival chordoma
    Shafik, CG ; Buck, ML ; de Faria Freitas, AJ ; Dixon, BJ ; Dhillon, R (WILEY, 2021-09)
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    Musculoskeletal Responses to Exercise Plus Nutrition in Men with Prostate Cancer on Androgen Deprivation: A 12-Month RCT
    Dalla Via, J ; Owen, PJ ; Daly, RM ; Mundell, NL ; Livingston, PM ; Rantalainen, T ; Foulkes, SJ ; Millar, JL ; Murphy, DG ; Fraser, SF (LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS, 2021-10)
    PURPOSE: Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) for prostate cancer has multiple adverse effects on musculoskeletal health. This 12-month randomized controlled trial aimed to assess the effects of multicomponent exercise training combined with whey protein, calcium and vitamin D supplementation on bone mineral density (BMD), structure and strength, body composition, muscle strength, and physical function in ADT-treated men. METHODS: Seventy ADT-treated men were randomized to exercise plus supplementation (Ex + Suppl; n = 34) or usual care (control; n = 36). Ex + Suppl involved thrice weekly progressive resistance training plus weight-bearing impact exercise with daily multinutrient supplementation. Primary outcomes were DXA hip and spine areal BMD. Secondary outcomes included the following: tibia and radius pQCT volumetric BMD, bone structure and strength, DXA body composition, pQCT muscle and fat cross-sectional area and muscle density, and muscle strength and physical function. RESULTS: Sixty men (86%) completed the study. Mean exercise and supplement adherence were 56% and 77%, respectively. There were no effects of the intervention on bone or body composition outcomes. Ex + Suppl improved leg muscle strength (net difference, (95% confidence interval, or CI), 14.5% (-0.2 to 29.2); P = 0.007) and dynamic mobility (four-square-step test time, -9.3% (-17.3 to -1.3), P = 0.014) relative to controls. Per-protocol analysis of adherent participants (≥66% exercise, ≥80% supplement) showed Ex + Suppl preserved femoral neck aBMD (1.9% (0.1 to 3.8), P = 0.026) and improved total body lean mass (1.0 kg (-0.23 to 2.22), P = 0.044) relative to controls. CONCLUSIONS: Exercise training combined with multinutrient supplementation had a limited effect on ameliorating the adverse musculoskeletal consequences of ADT, likely related to the modest intervention adherence.
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    Athletic Trainers' Confidence and Knowledge to Manage Patellofemoral Pain.
    Zambarano, EK ; Bazett-Jones, DM ; de Oliveira Silva, D ; Barton, CJ ; Glaviano, NR (Journal of Athletic Training/NATA, 2021-07-19)
    CONTEXT: Patellofemoral pain (PFP) is prevalent and challenging to manage. Most people with PFP are unsatisfied with their knee function 6-months following treatment, and report ongoing pain up to 16-years after diagnosis. Confidence and knowledge to provide evidence-based care to people with PFP amongst Athletic Trainers (ATs) is currently unknown. OBJECTIVE: Investigate confidence and knowledge of ATs for the treatment, diagnosis, risk factors, and prognosis with current evidence for PFP. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Online survey. Patient or Other Participants: A random sample of 3000 ATs were invited to participate; 261 completed the survey (10% participation rate, 88% completion rate). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES(S): AT demographics, confidence in PFP management, and knowledge related to diagnosis, risk factors, prognosis and treatment were surveyed. Chi-squared analyses assessed responses related to confidence and knowledge to manage PFP. ATs beliefs about evidence was compared to current evidence available (i.e. consensus statements, position statements, systematic reviews). RESULTS: 91% of ATs surveyed were confident that their management of PFP aligns with current evidence, but only 59% were confident in identifying risk factors for PFP development. 91-92% of ATs responded that quadriceps and hip muscle weakness were risk factor for PFP, which aligns with current evidence for quadriceps but not hip muscle weakness. 93-97% of AT responses related to therapeutic exercise aligned with current evidence. However, 35-48% of responses supported the use of passive treatments, such as electrophysical agents and ultrasound, which do not align with current evidence. CONCLUSION: Most ATs are aware of supporting evidence for therapeutic exercise in PFP management and are confident providing it, providing a strong foundation for evidence-based care. However, varying awareness of evidence related to risk factors and passive treatments for PFP highlights a need for professional development initiatives to better align AT knowledge with current evidence.
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    Inverted papilloma of the temporal bone: Recent experience and a systematic review of management
    McLean, T ; Dhillon, K ; Lyons, B ; Briggs, R (AME Publishing Company, 2021-06-01)