Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reply to Cao et al.

We thank Cao et al. [1] for their insightful comments on our manuscript recently published in the European Journal of CardioThoracic Surgery [2]. Cao et al. addressed, in their letter to the editor, two important and controversial aspects of segmentectomy comparing with lobectomy for early stage non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), which we would like to discuss in detail. The first issue emphasized by Cao et al. was the rationality of using combined overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) outcomes to compare the two different surgical procedures. Our study aimed at assessing the survival difference between segmentectomy and lobectomy. We must admit that combining OS and CSS does have some shortcomings such as it may overestimate the adverse survival outcomes of segmentectomy procedures just as Cao et al. pointed out. However, the data we based our study on were divergent, with few providing CSS, whereas most of the published studies use OS to assess the two procedures. The overestimation exists in each published study which selected the patients with limited cardiopulmonary function as candidates for segmentectomy; it is inevitable for us to avoid such overestimation. Besides, a previously published paper also used combined OS and CSS to assess oncological outcomes [3]. It is insufficient to conduct meta-analysis for the comparison of segmentectomy and lobectomy exclusively based on either OS or CSS data and it would be possible in future to conduct such a meta-analysis with subgroups of OS and CSS as new suitable data are published. The other issue proposed by Cao et al. is to differentiate the intentional segmentectomy from the compromised one; recently, several studies also excluded compromised segmentectomy and aimed to compare intentional segmentectomy with lobectomy [4, 5]. Some studies, such as Tsutani et al. [6], reported the use of propensity score analysis. We agree with Cao et al. that these studies would be the future direction. However, as the data are insufficient, it is still meaningful to estimate the oncological effects of segmentectomy including both compromised and intentional procedures. We are also undertaking a prospective study aimed at selecting the optimal candidates for intentional segmentectomy. The issue that segmentectomy, especially the intentional one, or lobectomy, which is suitable for early stage NSCLC, would be long-existing until the future randomized controlled trials such as CALGB 140503 and JCOG 0802. We are grateful to Cao et al. [1] for their kind and insightful comments, and we thank them for taking the time to remark on our work.
Improvement in perioperative and long-term outcome after surgical treatment of hilar cholangiocarcinoma: results of an Italian multicenter analysis of 440 patients.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate improvements in operative and long-term results following surgery for hilar cholangiocarcinoma. DESIGN Retrospective multicenter study including 17 Italian hepatobiliary surgery units. PATIENTS A total of 440 patients who underwent resection for hilar cholangiocarcinoma from January 1, 1992, through December 31, 2007. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Postoperative mortality, morbidity, overall survival, and disease-free survival. RESULTS Postoperative mortality and morbidity after liver resection were 10.1% and 47.6%, respectively. At multivariate logistic regression, extent of resection (right or right extended hepatectomy) and intraoperative blood transfusion were independent predictors of postoperative mortality (P = .03 and P = .006, respectively); in patients with jaundice, mortality was also higher without preoperative biliary drainage than with biliary drainage (14.3% vs 10.7%). During the study period, there was an increasingly aggressive approach, with more frequent caudate lobectomies, vascular resections, and resections for advanced tumors (T stage of 3 or greater and tumors with poor differentiation). Despite the aggressive approach, the blood transfusion rate decreased from 81.0% to 53.2%, and mortality slightly decreased from 13.6% to 10.8%. Median overall survival significantly increased from 16 to 30 months (P = .05). At multivariate analysis, R1 resection, lymph node metastases, and T stage of 3 or greater independently predicted overall and disease-free survival. CONCLUSIONS Surgery for hilar cholangiocarcinoma has improved with decreased operative risk despite a more aggressive surgical policy. Long-term survival after liver resection has also increased, despite the inclusion of cases with more advanced hilar cholangiocarcinoma. Preoperative biliary drainage was a safe strategy before right or right extended hepatectomy in patients with jaundice. Pathologic factors independently predicted overall and disease-free survival at multivariate analysis.
Living-donor lobar lung transplantation provides similar survival to cadaveric lung transplantation even for very ill patients†.

OBJECTIVES Living-donor lobar lung transplantation (LDLLT) has been performed as a life-saving procedure for critically ill patients who are unlikely to survive the long wait for cadaveric lungs. The purpose of this study was to compare the preoperative condition and outcome of LDLLT patients with those of conventional cadaveric lung transplantation (CLT) patients. METHODS A new lung transplant programme was established in 2008 at Kyoto University. Between June 2008 and January 2014, we performed 79 lung transplants, including 42 LDLLTs (10 single, 32 bilateral) and 37 CLTs (22 single, 15 bilateral). Data collected included pre- and perioperative variables and mid-term survival. All data were analysed retrospectively as of January 2014. RESULTS The majority of patients were female (57.1%) in the LDLLT group and male (64.9%) in the CLT group. The average age was similar (36.6 ± 20.7 vs 39.7 ± 12.6 years, P = 0.42) between the two groups. Preoperatively, interstitial lung disease was more common in LDLLT patients than in CLT patients (47.6 vs 24.3%, P = 0.048); prior haematopoietic stem cell transplantation was performed more often in LDLLT patients than in CLT patients (33.3 vs 13.5%, P = 0.040) and there were more steroid-dependent LDLLT patients than CLT patients (64.3 vs 29.7%, P = 0.0022). Based on preoperative criteria of lower body mass index (17.2 ± 4.0 vs 19.3 ± 3.3 kg/m(2), P = 0.013), less ambulatory ability (42.9 vs 86.5%, P = 0.0001) and more ventilator dependence (11.9 vs 2.7%, P = 0.12), LDLLT patients were more debilitated than CLT patients. LDLLT patients required longer postoperative mechanical ventilation than CLT patients (15.6 ± 16.2 vs 8.5 ± 8.1 days, P = 0.025). However, 1- and 3-year survival rates were similar between the two groups (89.7 and 86.1% vs 88.3 and 83.1%, P = 0.55). All living donors returned to their previous lifestyles without restriction. CONCLUSIONS Although LDLLT patients were in a worse preoperative condition than CLT patients, LDLLT patients demonstrated survival rates similar to CLT patients. LDLLT is a viable option for patients too ill to survive a long waiting time for cadaveric donors.
Robotic thymectomy in patients with myasthenia gravis: neurological and surgical outcomes.

OBJECTIVES Thymectomy is frequently used in the treatment of myasthenia gravis (MG). But indication, timing or surgical approach remain controversial. This study reports our experiences with robotic thymectomy and surgical and neurological outcomes in a large cohort of patients with MG. METHODS We retrospectively analysed the outcome of 125 patients with MG who underwent a robotic thymectomy using the da Vinci Surgical System (Intuitive Surgical, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA, USA) between 2004 and 2012. The Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America (MGFA) Classification was used to determine preoperative and postintervention status. RESULTS Ninety-five women and 30 men underwent a robotic thymectomy. One hundred patients had a neurological follow-up of more than 12 months. Preoperative most severe MGFA classification was Stage I in 11 patients (8.8%), Stage IIA in 18 patients (14.4%), Stage IIB in 18 patients (14.4%), Stage IIIA in 7 patients (5.6%), Stage IIIB in 29 patients (23.2%), Stage IVA in 10 patients (8.0%), Stage IVB in 29 patients (23.2%) and Stage V in 3 patients (2.4%). Median surgical procedure time was 123 min (range 45-353 min). There were no major perioperative complications or deaths. The median postoperative hospital stay was 3 days (range 2-24 days). Histological analysis showed thymic remnant tissue in 41 patients (32.8%), follicular hyperplasia in 52 patients (41.6%), thymoma in 31 patients (24%), lipoma in 1 patient (0.8%) and a cyst in 1 patient (0.8%). Patients with thymic remnant tissue were significantly more preoperative steroid users compared with the follicular hyperplasia group (P = 0.02). With a median follow-up of 33 months (range 12-104 months), 77% of the patients showed neurological improvement. Three-year probability remission rate [complete stable remission (CSR) and pharmacological remission] is 28.2%. Patients who were not treated with prednisolone preoperatively showed a significant higher CSR than patients who did take prednisolone (P = 0.014). No significant difference was observed regarding timing of surgery (P = 0.37). CONCLUSIONS Robotic thymectomy in patients with MG is safe and feasible. A neurological benefit and decreased use of steroids can be obtained in the majority of patients. No significant difference in neurological outcome was observed as the result of timing of robot thymectomy after the onset of MG.
Pulmonary sequestration in adult patients: a retrospective study.

OBJECTIVES Pulmonary sequestration (PS) is a rare congenital malformation. This study presents the characteristics of PS in adult patients, including pulmonary function and concurrent infection, which have not been well documented previously. METHODS Patients ≥16 years old with a discharge diagnosis of PS from Peking Union Medical College Hospital between January 1990 and December 2013 were retrospectively analysed. Age, sex, clinical symptoms, chest computed tomography (CT) results, results of pulmonary function tests, diagnostic methods, type and localization of sequestration, origin of arterial supply, complications due to infection and treatment information were retrieved from hospital records and analysed. RESULTS Seventy-two patients were included in this study (mean age 36.6 ± 11.8 years). Clinical symptoms included cough, expectoration, haemoptysis, intermittent fever and chest pain. The most common CT findings were soft tissue opacity, cystic lesion, cavitary lesion and bronchiectasis. Intralobar and extralobar sequestrations were present in 92.8 and 7.2% of the patients, respectively. PS located in the left lower lobe was 2.1 times more frequent than that in the right lower lobe. PS was diagnosed by computed tomography angiography (CTA) in only 37.5% of patients; the remaining patients were undiagnosed before surgery. Obstructive ventilation dysfunction was found in 8.8% of patients. Pulmonary aspergillosis was detected in 9.7% of patients, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa was the leading pathogen (as determined by tissue cultures). PS was resected via thoracotomy in 87.0% of patients and via video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) in 13.0%. CONCLUSIONS PS is a rare disease, and missed diagnosis and misdiagnosis are very common in PS patients. CTA and other angiography techniques should be used when there is suspicion of PS. Some PS patients have mild to moderate derangement of pulmonary ventilation, and PS might be associated with concurrent aspergillosis. VATS and posterolateral thoracotomy are both feasible methods for PS resection.
Differential Effects of Educational Attainment on Chronic Diseases with Age

The purpose of this study was to examine relationships between chronic diseases, age, and education in Korea. Logistic regression techniques were used to analyze data from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing (KLoSA), which is a nationally representative sample of Koreans aged 45 years and older. The findings show that probability of having chronic diseases increased with age up to about 74; however, it was reduced for respondents aged 74 years or older. Associations between age and chronic diseases were also differential by education. Less educated Koreans tended to have chronic diseases earlier in their lifetime; however, they were likely to have chronic diseases later in life less than more educated counterparts. The findings suggest that individuals with fewer years of education are at an increased risk of developing chronic diseases earlier in their lifetimes, thereby, leading to a higher rate of mortality at younger ages.
Brief tool to measure risk-adjusted surgical outcomes in resource-limited hospitals.

OBJECTIVES To develop and validate a risk-adjusted tool with fewer than 10 variables to measure surgical outcomes in resource-limited hospitals. DESIGN All National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) preoperative variables were used to develop models to predict inpatient mortality. The models were built by sequential addition of variables selected based on their area under the receiver operator characteristic curve (AUROC) and externally validated using data based on medical record reviews at 1 hospital outside the data set. SETTING Model development was based on data from the NSQIP from 2005 to 2009. Validation was based on data from 1 nonurban hospital in the United States from 2009 to 2010. PATIENTS A total of 631 449 patients in NSQIP and 239 patients from the validation hospital. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The AUROC value for each model. RESULTS The AUROC values reached higher than 90% after only 3 variables (American Society of Anesthesiologists class, functional status at time of surgery, and age). The AUROC values increased to 91% with 4 variables but did not increase significantly with additional variables. On validation, the model with the highest AUROC was the same 3-variable model (0.9398). CONCLUSIONS Fewer than 6 variables may be necessary to develop a risk-adjusted tool to predict inpatient mortality, reducing the cost of collecting variables by 95%. These variables should be easily collectable in resource-poor settings, including low- and middle-income countries, thus creating the first standardized tool to measure surgical outcomes globally. Research is needed to determine which of these limited-variable models is most appropriate in a variety of clinical settings.
Aorto-bronchial and aorto-pulmonary fistulation after thoracic endovascular aortic repair: an analysis from the European Registry of Endovascular Aortic Repair Complications.

OBJECTIVES To learn upon incidence, underlying mechanisms and effectiveness of treatment strategies in patients with central airway and pulmonary parenchymal aorto-bronchial fistulation after thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR). METHODS Analysis of an international multicentre registry (European Registry of Endovascular Aortic Repair Complications) between 2001 and 2012 with a total caseload of 4680 TEVAR procedures (14 centres). RESULTS Twenty-six patients with a median age of 70 years (interquartile range: 60-77) (35% female) were identified. The incidence of either central airway (aorto-bronchial) or pulmonary parenchymal (aorto-pulmonary) fistulation (ABPF) in the entire cohort after TEVAR in the study period was 0.56% (central airway 58%, peripheral parenchymal 42%). Atherosclerotic aneurysm formation was the leading indication for TEVAR in 15 patients (58%). The incidence of primary endoleaks after initial TEVAR was n = 10 (38%), of these 80% were either type I or type III endoleaks. Fourteen patients (54%) developed central left bronchial tree lesions, 11 patients (42%) pulmonary parenchymal lesions and 1 patient (4%) developed a tracheal lesion. The recognized mechanism of ABPF was external compression of the bronchial tree in 13 patients (50%), the majority being due to endoleak formation, further ischaemia due to extensive coverage of bronchial feeding arteries in 3 patients (12%). Inflammation and graft erosion accounted for 4 patients (30%) each. Cumulative survival during the entire study period was 39%. Among deaths, 71% were attributed to ABPF. There was no difference in survival in patients having either central airway or pulmonary parenchymal ABPF (33 vs 45%, log-rank P = 0.55). Survival with a radical surgical approach was significantly better when compared with any other treatment strategy in terms of overall survival (63 vs 32% and 63 vs 21% at 1 and 2 years, respectively), as well as in terms of fistula-related survival (63 vs 43% and 63 vs 43% at 1 and 2 years, respectively). CONCLUSIONS ABPF is a rare but highly lethal complication after TEVAR. The leading mechanism behind ABPF seems to be a continuing external compression of either the bronchial tree or left upper lobe parenchyma. In this setting, persisting or newly developing endoleak formation seems to play a crucial role. Prognosis does not differ in patients with central airway or pulmonary parenchymal fistulation. Radical bronchial or pulmonary parenchymal repair in combination with stent graft removal and aortic reconstruction seems to be the most durable treatment strategy.
Multicentre double-blind randomized controlled trial of perhexiline as a metabolic modulator to augment myocardial protection in patients with left ventricular hypertrophy undergoing cardiac surgery.

OBJECTIVES Patients undergoing cardiac surgery require adequate myocardial protection. Manipulating myocardial metabolism may improve the extent of myocardial protection. Perhexiline has been shown to be an effective anti-anginal agent due to its metabolic modulation properties by inhibiting the uptake of free fatty acids into the mitochondrion, and thereby promoting a more efficient carbohydrate-driven myocardial metabolism. Metabolic modulation may augment myocardial protection, particularly in patients with left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) known to have a deranged metabolic state and are at risk of poor postoperative outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate the role of perhexiline as an adjunct in myocardial protection in patients with LVH secondary to aortic stenosis (AS), undergoing an aortic valve replacement (AVR). METHODS In a multicentre double-blind randomized controlled trial of patients with AS undergoing AVR ± coronary artery bypass graft surgery, patients were randomized to preoperative oral therapy with either perhexiline or placebo. The primary end point was incidence of inotrope use to improve haemodynamic performance due to a low cardiac output state during the first 6 h of reperfusion, judged by a blinded end points committee. Secondary outcome measures included haemodynamic measurements, electrocardiographic and biochemical markers of new myocardial injury and clinical safety outcome measures. RESULTS The trial was halted early on the advice of the Data Safety and Monitoring Board. Sixty-two patients were randomized to perhexiline and 65 to placebo. Of these, 112 (54 perhexiline and 48 placebo) patients received the intervention, remained in the trial at the time of the operation and were analysed. Of 110 patients who achieved the primary end point, 30 patients (16 perhexiline and 14 placebo) had inotropes started appropriately; there was no difference in the incidence of inotrope usage OR of 1.65 [confidence interval (CI): 0.67-4.06] P = 0.28. There was no difference in myocardial injury as evidenced by electrocardiogram odds ratio (OR) of 0.36 (CI: 0.07-1.97) P = 0.24 or postoperative troponin release. Gross secondary outcome measures were comparable between the groups. CONCLUSIONS Perhexiline as a metabolic modulator to enhance standard myocardial protection does not provide an additional benefit in haemodynamic performance or attenuate myocardial injury in the hypertrophied heart secondary to AS. The role of perhexiline in cardiac surgery is limited.
Psychosocial Maturity, Autonomy, and Transition Readiness among Young Adults with Congenital Heart Disease or a Heart Transplant.

OBJECTIVE The population of young adults with congenital heart disease (CHD) or a heart transplant (HTx) is growing rapidly. These survivors require lifelong cardiology care and must assume self-management responsibilities with respect to their health. Accordingly, we sought to assess psychosocial maturity and validity of the Transition Readiness Assessment Questionnaire (TRAQ) in this population. DESIGN The study was designed as a cross-sectional observational study. SETTING The study was set at tertiary-care pediatric and adult cardiology clinics in Edmonton and Toronto, Canada. PATIENTS The patients were 18- to 25-year-olds with moderate or complex CHD or a HTx in childhood. OUTCOME MEASURES Participants completed validated instruments including the TRAQ, Erickson's Psychosocial Stage Inventory (EPSI), and Kenny's Parental Attachment Questionnaire (PAQ). RESULTS We enrolled 188 participants (41% women), 109 (58%) having moderate CHD, 64 (34%) complex CHD, and 15 (8%) with a HTx. Mean age for those followed in a pediatric clinic was 21.3 ± 2.3 years, compared with 21.8 ± 2.3 years for those attending an adult clinic (P = 0.20). All questionnaire scores were similar among participants with moderate CHD vs. complex CHD vs. an HTx, and among participants followed in a pediatric clinic vs. an adult clinic. EPSI and PAQ scores were similar to those of healthy populations, though perception of maternal overprotection was common. TRAQ scores increased with age. A response of "not needed for my care" to 5 or more of the 29 TRAQ items was provided by 110 (75%) participants. CONCLUSIONS Age, but not disease severity should be a factor when considering the transition needs of young adults with heart disease. The TRAQ has important limitations in the adult CHD/HTx population and a cardiac-specific measure of transition readiness is needed.
Usefulness of Syndromic Data Sources for Investigating Morbidity Resulting From a Severe Weather Event

ABSTRACT Objective: We evaluated emergency department (ED) data, emergency medical services (EMS) data, and public utilities data for describing an outbreak of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning following a windstorm. Methods: Syndromic ED data were matched against previously collected chart abstraction data. We ran detection algorithms on selected time series derived from all 3 data sources to identify health events associated with the CO poisoning outbreak. We used spatial and spatiotemporal scan statistics to identify geographic areas that were most heavily affected by the CO poisoning event. Results: Of the 241 CO cases confirmed by chart review, 190 (78.8%) were identified in the syndromic surveillance data as exact matches. Records from the ED and EMS data detected an increase in CO-consistent syndromes after the storm. The ED data identified significant clusters of CO-consistent syndromes, including zip codes that had widespread power outages. Weak temporal gastrointestinal (GI) signals, possibly resulting from ingestion of food spoiled by lack of refrigeration, were detected in the ED data but not in the EMS data. Spatial clustering of GI-based groupings in the ED data was not detected. Conclusions: Data from this evaluation support the value of ED data for surveillance after natural disasters. Enhanced EMS data may be useful for monitoring a CO poisoning event, if these data are available to the health department promptly. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2011;5:37-45)