bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Antibiotic Lock Technique for Prevention of Cuffed Tunnel Catheter Associated Bacteremia
Authors: Pervez A. , Ahmed M. , Ram S. , Torres C. , Work J. , Zaman F. , Abreo K. 
Published: January 2018

Background Central venous cuffed tunnel catheters are commonly used for short term or long term hemodialysis access. However, catheter-associated bacteremia is a common complication. It has been suggested that the addition of antibiotics to the catheter during the interdialytic interval results in a decrease in bacterial colonization and thereby a decrease in catheter associated infections. To test this hypothesis, a prospective, randomized study was performed comparing a gentamicin citrate mixture to standard heparin as the catheter lock. The effect of covering the catheter hub in a sterile bag on the infection rate was additionally tested. Methods From January 1999 to April 2000, all patients who underwent tunnel catheter placement or change (55 catheters) in the Nephrology Interventional Laboratory at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in Shreveport, were prospectively randomized as follows: group 1 (n=14): Antibiotic lock with tricitrasol (46.7%), gentamicin (40 mg/ml) and saline in a ratio of 1:5:5 and catheter hub covered with a sterile plastic bag after cleaning with a 10% povidone iodine solution; group 2 (n=22): Heparin lock and sterile plastic bag over catheter hub after cleaning with povidone iodine; and group 3 (n=19): Heparin lock alone. The primary end points of the study were catheter-associated bacteremia and thrombosis. Catheter loss due to access maturation, transplant or transfer were censored. Results There were a total of 4,805 at risk patient-days. The total number of catheter associated bacteremias were one in group 1, four in group 2 and four in group 3. The number of catheter associated bacteremias per 1000 patient-days in each group was 0.62, 3.05, and 2.11 respectively. The sixty day percent survival of catheters in each group was 74 ± 12, 55 ± 12 and 59 ± 11 respectively. Conclusions 1) Tricitrasol and gentamicin as an antibiotic lock reduced the incidence of catheter associated bacteremia; 2) Covering the catheter hub with a sterile bag did not provide an additional advantage; 3) The antibiotic lock improved overall survival of catheters.
Vascular Rupture during Angioplasty of Hemodialysis Graft-Related Stenoses
Authors: Pappas J.N. , Vesely T.M. 
Published: January 2018

Purpose To retrospectively determine the incidence and outcome of angioplasty-induced ruptures that occurred during treatment of hemodialysis graft-related stenoses. Materials and Methods During a five year period 1222 patients with dysfunctional or thrombosed polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) hemodialysis grafts underwent angioplasty procedures at our institution. Angioplasty-induced vascular ruptures occurred in 24 (2.0%) patients. The locations of these ruptures were: basilic vein (10), venous anastomosis (7), cephalic vein (5), brachial vein (1) and intragraft (1). The mean length of the treated stenoses was 2.4 centimeters. Results Manual compression was used to treat the vascular rupture in ten patients. One patient was treated with endovascular balloon tamponade and one patient underwent stenting of the rupture site. Despite the rupture, 15 patients had completion of the angioplasty procedure. In nine patients the procedure was abandoned due to persistent stenosis at the rupture site. There were no major complications as a result of these ruptures. Follow-up was available in ten of these patients. All ten underwent at least one successful hemodialysis treatment. In five of these patients the hemodialysis graft failed within 30 days after the rupture. The mean primary patency following rupture in the ten patients with follow-up was 87.5 days (range 5 – 225 days). Conclusion The incidence of angioplasty-induced vascular rupture of hemodialysis-related stenoses is low and despite the injury, the majority (62%) of procedures can be completed. However, in our experience the long-term patency of the vascular access was suboptimal.
Levels of Anxiety and Pain during Chemotherapy with Peripheral versus Central Vascular Access: An Experimental Evaluation
Authors: Silvestri V. , Nerini L. , Missio G. , Masini M. , Faggi S. , Gori A. , Panella M. 
Published: January 2018

Purpose The purpose of this research was to evaluate pain and anxiety levels in patients undergoing chemotherapy via central venous catheter (CVC) and peripheral venous access (PVA). Method The sample consisted of 56 cancer patients undergoing at least one chemotherapy treatment cycle. They were divided into two groups based on the administration method of the chemotherapeutic drug: the experimental group (patients with CVC) and the control group (patients with PVA). The instruments used were the following: for multidimensional pain evaluation the Italian Pain Questionnaire (QUID, devised by De Benedettis et al), and the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) Chart of Pain. To evaluate the state and anxiety traits, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI questionnaire, by D. Spielberg) was used, and we used structured interviews for the statistical survey. Results Analyzing the data from the STAI questionnaire, it appeared that the state-trait anxiety levels of the experimental group and the control group were not significantly different (analysis of the mean difference made using the Student's t-test). The average scores of the STAI questionnaire for both groups fell within the normal range. This indicated that the anxiety level was unaffected by the introduction of the device (the CVC). The data collected with the QUID questionnaire and subsequent statistical analysis demonstrated that the difference between the means (Student's t-test) of the experimental group and the control group was significantly lower, as regards perception of the sensorial and evaluative quality of pain (p=0.05) in the experimental group. From the evaluation of the VAS method, it appeared that the difference between the means was not significant in either group, although the distribution of frequency tended towards lower values in the experimental group with respect to the control group. This confirms previous QUID research where a lower pain level is recorded. Conclusions Analysis of the data collected via the structured interview revealed that most of the CVC sample did not respond to catheter insertion as a sign of a worsening of their illness.
Vacutainer® filling time through subcutaneous venous access devices
Authors: Goossens G.A. , Vrebos M. , De Wever I. , Stas M. 
Published: January 2018

Introduction The functionality of subcutaneous venous access devices is evaluated at least every time the device is accessed. This evaluation is subjective and actions are only undertaken when blood withdrawal and/or fluid injection become problematic. The function of these devices has rarely been evaluated objectively. The present study tried to find an objective and standardized way to evaluate the withdrawal speed of a newly inserted port. Methods Between October 2001 and December 2002, a prospective randomized study of 3 types of ports was carried out. The ability to infuse heparinized normal saline and to withdraw blood was evaluated by recording the filling time of a 10 ml Vacutainer® tube in 876 newly inserted central venous ports at the end of the surgical procedure. Results The patient groups were comparable in age, gender and insertion procedure characteristics (vein used, position of the port on the body and length of the catheter). The median time needed to fill a 10 ml Vacutainer® tube in all ports was 17.00 sec (range 11.43–63.62 sec). The median filling time for BardPort™ was 16.36 sec (range 13.48–39.00 sec), for Celsite® 18.35 sec (range 12.03–40.00 sec) and for Port-a-cath® 16.43 sec (range 11.43–63–62 sec). A significant difference in filling time was found between the large bore catheters (BardPort™, Port-a-cath®) and the small bore catheter (Celsite®) of 2 seconds median value. Conclusion Measurement of withdrawal speed provides an objective criterion for the quality description of blood withdrawal immediately after insertion. A value of more than 20 seconds for filling a 10 ml Vacutainer® tube could therefore be suggested a useful trigger for further investigation.
Safety of Percutaneous Internal Jugular Catheterization in Cancer Patients: Prospective Observational Study
Authors: Gambotti L. , Pérol D. , Frering B. , Kaemmerlen P. , Coronel B. , Sebban H. , Bulso V. , Bachelot V. , Chauvin F. , Bachmann P. 
Published: January 2018

Purpose To determine predictors for failure and early complications of percutaneous internal jugular catheterization (IJC) in cancer patients. Methods Six hundred and thirty consecutive cancer patients who required central venous catheterization were included in a prospective observational study. The rates of failure (defined as the intervention of a second physician and/or failure at initial insertion site) and of early complications were prospectively ascertained. Logistic regression analysis estimated odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for independent predictors for failure and early complications of percutaneous IJC. Results The failure rate was 6.7%, and the early complication rate was 6.7%. In multivariate analysis, left-side initial catheterization (p<0.01), prior catheterization at the same site (p=0.001) and physician inexperience (p<0.0001) were independently associated with failure. Placement requiring more than one needle pass (p<0.01 for two and p<0.0001 for three and more) and absence of fluoroscopy (p<0.0001) were independently associated with early complications. Conclusions Percutaneous IJC is a valid option in the central venous catheterization of cancer patients due to its reliability and safety. Skilled physicians must manage difficult placements. If placement requires more than one needle pass or is made without fluoroscopy, patients must be carefully followed for potential complications.
A new technique for autogenous brachiobasilic upper arm transposition for vascular access for hemodialysis
Authors: Weyde W. , Krajewska M. , Letachowicz W. , Kusztal M. , Penar J. , Klinger M. 
Published: January 2018

Purpose Conventional brachiobasilic fistula creation consists of the mobilization and preparation of the brachial part of the basilic vein along its whole length, the vein transposition on the anterior surface of the arm and anastomosis using the brachial artery. In case of late thrombosis, the reparation of such a fistula is almost impossible. Methods To avoid total vein clotting in the case of thrombosis we decided to prepare only a short part of the vein in our method and not to mobilize the other part of the vein. The brachiobasilic fistula with our modification was performed as a two-stage procedure in 18 patients (8 females and 10 males), aged from 37–78 yrs (60 ± 13.6 yrs). Results In two patients early thrombosis occurred. The reparation procedure was not performed in two patients (the first patient died due to pneumonia; the second patient did not give his permission for further intervention). In 16 patients brachiobasilic fistula creation was successful. Late thrombotic complications occurred in three patients (in the 3rd, 8th and 12th months). A new successful fistula, a few centimeters proximally to the original one, was performed in 2 patients 24hr and in 1 patient 48hr after fistula clotting. On the following day after the procedure the fistula was ready to be used. The primary, assisted primary and cumulative secondary patency rates after 12 months of follow-up were 74, 89 and 100%, respectively. Conclusion In comparison with standard brachiobasilic techniques our method offers the possibility of a reparation procedure in the case of late thrombosis, which could improve the long-term patency of brachiobasilic fistulas. However, a prospective controlled study is necessary to establish if this new technique is superior to the traditional surgical procedure.
The role of mineral metabolism and inflammation on dialysis vascular access failure
Authors: Morena M. , Bosc J.Y. , Jaussent I. , Dupuy A.M. , Terrier N. , Leray-Moragues H. , Flavier J.L. , Maurice F. , Delcourt C. , Cristol J.P. , Canaud B. 
Published: January 2018

Thrombosis of arteriovenous fistula (AVF) is the leading cause of vascular access (VA) loss usually due to silent stenosis. Therefore, assessment of relevant risk factors of VA monitoring may provide insight into potential therapeutic targets for stenosis and thrombosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of cardiovascular risk factors (including inflammation and mineral metabolism dysfunctions) on the failure of internal AVF in HD patients. 128 HD patients with internal AVF were included in the study and followed up for two years. At baseline, VA morphology and function were followed by Doppler ultrasonography and serum albumin, prealbumine, C-reactive protein, orosomucoid, calcium, phosphorus, parathyroid hormone, bone-type alkaline phosphatase, osteoprotegerin and receptor activator of nuclear factor κB ligand were measured. At baseline, 50 stenoses were detected but none of them required any intervention. Age and biological parameters did not significantly differ between patients with or without VA stenosis. Over the two year- follow up, VA thrombosis occurred in 19 patients. Preexisting stenosis of VA was present in 9/19 patients (47.3% of cases) (chi-square = 3.708, p = 0.0538). Despite the low rate of events, phosphorus [1.75 (0.95–2.77) vs 1.42 (0.47–3.22) mmol/L, p = 0.0416], Calcium x Phosphorus product [4.00 (2.00–5.90) vs 3.40 (1.10–6.80) mmol2/L2, p = 0.0676] and parathyroid hormone [165.00 (1.00–944.00) vs 79.50 (1.00–846.60) ng/L, p = 0.0814) levels were higher in the 19 thrombotic patients whereas all other biological parameters did not significantly differ. These results, which confirm that VA thrombosis occurs more frequently upon preexisting stenosis, also demonstrate that mineral metabolism disorders, compared to inflammation, may contribute to VA dysfunction leading to thrombosis.
Delivery of intravenous treprostinil at low infusion rates using a miniaturized infusion pump in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension
Authors: Tapson V.F. , Mclaughlin V.V. , Gomberg-Maitland M. , Widlitz A.C. , Krichman A.D. , Laliberte K.J. , Zaccardelli D.S. , Barst R.J. 
Published: January 2018

Purpose Treprostinil is approved for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) via continuous intravenous (IV) infusion. Treprostinil's anti-platelet aggregation characteristics and stability at room temperature may allow for low infusion rates (0.1–0.2 mL/hr) using a miniaturized infusion pump. Methods A 12-week, multi-center, open-label study in 12 adult PAH patients, evaluated the feasibility and safety of low-flow IV treprostinil administration via the 407C miniaturized pump. Patients receiving IV treprostinil at a stable dose were transitioned from their current CADD-Legacy pump to the 407C and were assessed for adverse events including catheter occlusions, pump alarms, and efficacy (six minute walk distance (6MWD), Borg Dyspnea Score (BDS), NYHA functional class, and PAH signs/symptoms). All patients were also maintained on therapeutic doses of warfarin, heparin or low molecular weight heparin throughout the study. Results Baseline mean (±SD) 6MWD was 477 ± 76 m (n = 9) with mean BDS of 2.1 ± 1.2 (n = 9). Week 12 mean 6MWD and BDS were 500 ± 92 m and 2.3 ± 1.7, respectively (n = 9). Four patients discontinued the study prematurely (3 AEs and 1 consent withdrawn). Adverse events included headache, flushing, and nausea. Pump complications occurred in 5 of 12 patients, and although no catheter occlusions occurred in any patient during the 12-week study, further study is needed regarding pump complications. Conclusion This study demonstrates that treprostinil can be administered intravenously at infusion rates as low as 0.1 mL/hr for 12 weeks without catheter occlusions. Further studies are warranted because the potential for adverse events is of some concern.
Serum HER-2 Extracellular Domain: Relationship with Clinicobiological Presentation and Prognostic Value before and after Primary Treatment in 701 Breast Cancer Patients
Authors: Saghatchian M. , Guepratte S. , Hacene K. , Neumann R. , Floiras J.-L. , Pichon M.-F. 
Published: January 2018

Purpose To determine the clinical correlations and prognostic value of serum HER-2 (sHER-2) before and after primary breast cancer treatment. Methods sHER-2 from 701 consecutive patients with stage I-III tumors (median follow-up 7.7 years) was assayed by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (Immuno 1, Bayer Diagnostics). Results The median pretreatment sHER-2 concentration was 8.30 ng/mL (range 3.15–82.00 ng/mL). Forty-seven patients (6.7%) had sHER-2 concentrations >12 ng/mL (cutoff level). Pretreatment sHER-2 correlated positively with CA 15.3 (p=0.0169), pathological tumor size (p=0.0082), number of invaded lymph nodes (pN, p=0.0160) and histological grading (p=0.0086). Kaplan-Meier analyses indicated that pretreatment sHER-2 was of prognostic value for contralateral breast cancer (p=0.0018), metastasis-free survival (MFS) (p=0.0008) – particularly lung (p=0.0082) and liver metastases (p=0.0035) – and overall disease-specific survival (DSS) (p=0.0020). According to pN status, pretreatment sHER-2 was of prognostic value only for pN-positive patients (p=0.0017). When combined with estradiol or progesterone receptor status, patients with elevated sHER-2 and receptor-negative tumors had a significantly shorter DSS (p<0.0001 for both receptors). Post-treatment sHER-2 also had individual prognostic value for MFS (p=0.0144) and DSS (p=0.0212). In multivariate analysis, only sHER-2 after primary treatment was an independent prognostic variable for MFS and DSS (p=0.0078 and p=0.0058, respectively). Conclusion sHER-2 elevation in early breast cancer correlates with the principal criteria of tumor aggressiveness, thus permitting selection of patients with a high risk of visceral metastases and contralateral breast tumors. Post-treatment sHER-2 is an independent prognostic factor enabling to identify patients likely to benefit from aggressive adjuvant treatments.
Can IL-2R Alpha be a Valuable Marker along with Ca 19–9 in the Diagnosis of Chronic Pancreatitis and Pancreatic Cancer?
Authors: Kayhan B. , Kayhan B. , Akdoğ;an M. 
Published: January 2018

Background Pancreatic cancer is characterized initially by non-specific abdominal symptoms followed by rapid tumor progression. Although chronic pancreatitis is a benign disorder, it can be one of the causative factors of pancreatic cancer. The level of the tumor marker carbohydrate antigen 19–9 (CA 19–9) in pancreatic cancer does not correlate with the stage of the neoplasm. Soluble interleukin 2 receptor (sIL-2R) is a cytokine that shows increased levels during some inflammatory processes and malignant disorders. Aim Our aim in this study was to investigate whether sIL-2Rα levels can be used in association with CA 19–9 in the early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer and chronic pancreatitis. Patients Serum samples were obtained from the blood of 21 pancreatic cancer patients without distant metastasis who were deemed inoperable, 16 chronic pancreatitis patients and 20 normal volunteers. Results We did not find any significant differences in CA 19–9 levels between normal controls and patients with chronic pancreatitis. There was a significant difference in the levels between the control group and the pancreatic cancer group (p=0.003) and between patients with chronic pancreatitis and those with pancreatic cancer (p=0.004). Although there was no significant difference in sIL-2Rα levels between the control group and the patient groups, we found a slight correlation between sIL-2Rα and CA 19–9 levels in the pancreatic cancer group (p=0.003, r=0.623) and a more marked correlation in the chronic pancreatitis group (p<0.01, r=0.751). Conclusion According to our results, sIL-2Rα alone is not a good candidate marker in the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer; it can, however, be used in association with CA 19–9 for this purpose.
Circulating Levels of Vegf-A, VEGF-D and soluble VEGF-A Receptor (sFlt-1) in Human Breast Cancer
Authors: Hoar F.J. , Lip G.Y.H. , Belgore F. , Stonelake P.S. 
Published: January 2018

As circulating levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF-A) are raised in malignancy, the aim of this study was to investigate whether similar changes occur in two related factors, VEGF-D and the soluble VEGF-A receptor Flt-1 (sFlt-1). Circulating levels of VEGF-A, VEGF-D and sFlt-1 were determined by ELISA in 51 patients with primary breast cancer and matched healthy controls. Results were correlated with clinicopathological data. Whilst there was a difference in VEGF-A levels between patient and control groups (p=0.03), no such difference was observed for sFlt-1 or VEGF-D levels and there was no association between individual factors and the clinicopathological variables examined. However, there was a positive correlation between VEGF-A and sFlt-1 levels in both patient and control groups (p<0.0001). In addition, the ratio of sFlt-1 to VEGF-A was significantly different between patients and controls (p<0.0001) and was also associated with tumour size (p=0.01) within the patient group. During tumour progression there is a change in the relative amounts of sFlt-1 and VEGF-A in the circulation. Measuring the sFlt-1:VEGF-A ratio may have more significance than VEGF-A alone and further studies are needed to determine whether the ratio is of use as a prognostic marker or as a means of monitoring response to anti-angiogenic therapy in cancer.
Membranous Levels of C-Erbb-2 Oncoprotein in Gastric Cancer: Their Relationship with Clinicopathological Parameters and Their Prognostic Significance
Authors: Vizoso F.J. , Corte M.D. , Alvarez A. , García I. , del Casar J.M. , Bongera M. , Gonzílez L.O. , García-Muñiz J.L. , Allende M.T. 
Published: January 2018

Background The protein encoded by the c-erbB-2 gene is a membrane receptor expressed in a variety of solid human cancers and directly related to poor prognosis. The objective of this work was to evaluate the clinical value of the quantification of membranous oncoprotein levels in gastric cancer. Materials and methods Membranous c-erbB-2 levels were examined by means of a sandwich immunoenzymatic assay in 82 patients with gastric cancer. The median follow-up period for these patients was 16 months. In addition, c-erbB-2 expression was analyzed by immunohistochemistry in 57 gastric carcinomas. Results Membranous c-erbB-2 levels ranged widely in the studied tumors (44–112,000 NHU/mg protein). Median c-erbB-2 content was significantly higher in intestinal-type tumors than in diffuse-type tumors (p=0.01). In addition, high levels of c-erbB-2 were significantly associated with shorter relapse-free survival and overall survival in patients with resectable gastric carcinomas (p=0.01 and p=0.04, respectively). However, the correlation between immunohistochemistry and ELISA determinations did not reach statistical significance. Conclusion Our results suggest a potential prognostic value of membranous c-erbB-2 quantification by immunoenzymatic assay in gastric cancer. However, its possible role in the selection of patients with a view to the possible introduction of Herceptin as a novel drug against gastric cancer is at present uncertain.