BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Oligodendrogliomas are primary brain tumors classified as isocitrate deshydrogenase-mutant and 1p19q codeleted in the 2021 World Health Organization Classification of central nervous system tumors. Surgical resection, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy are well-established management options for these tumors. Few studies have evaluated the efficacy of stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) for oligodendroglioma. As these tumors are less infiltrative than astrocytomas and typically recur locally, focal therapy such as SRS is an appealing option. METHODS: This study was performed through the International Radiosurgery Research Foundation. The objective was to collect retrospective multicenter data on tumor control, clinical response, and morbidity after SRS for oligodendroglioma. Inclusion criteria were age of 18 years or more, single-fraction SRS, and histological confirmation of grade 2 or 3 oligodendroglioma. The primary end points were progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival from SRS. Secondary end points included clinical evolution and occurrence of adverse radiation events or other complications. Descriptive statistics, Kaplan-Meier analyses, and univariate and multivariate analyses were performed. RESULTS: Eight institutions submitted data for a total of 55 patients. The median follow-up time was 24 months. The median age at SRS was 46 years, and the median Karnofsky Performance Status was 90%. The median marginal dose used was 15 Gy. The median PFS was 17 months, with actuarial rates of 60% at 1 year, 31% at 2 years, and 24% at 5 years after SRS. Factors significantly associated with worsened PFS were World Health Organization grade 3, previous radiotherapy and chemotherapy, and higher marginal dose. The median overall survival post-SRS was 58 months, with actuarial rates of 92% at 1 year, 83% at 2 years, and 49% at 5 years. Karnofsky Performance Status remained stable post-SRS in 51% and worsened in 47% of patients, most often because of tumor progression (73%). Radiation-induced changes occurred in 30% of patients, of which only 4 were symptomatic. CONCLUSION: SRS is a reasonable management option for patients with oligodendroglioma.
- MeSH
- Progression-Free Survival MeSH
- Adult MeSH
- Middle Aged MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Young Adult MeSH
- Brain Neoplasms * surgery MeSH
- Oligodendroglioma * surgery pathology MeSH
- Radiosurgery * methods MeSH
- Retrospective Studies MeSH
- Aged MeSH
- Neoplasm Grading MeSH
- World Health Organization * MeSH
- Treatment Outcome MeSH
- Check Tag
- Adult MeSH
- Middle Aged MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Young Adult MeSH
- Male MeSH
- Aged MeSH
- Female MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Multicenter Study MeSH
Traditionally, lithic artefacts have served as the principal proxy for the definition of archaeological cultures in the Upper Paleolithic. However, the culture-historical framework in use, constructed unsystematically and shaped by regional research traditions, features a number of widely acknowledged drawbacks. Here we use personal ornaments to explore the nature of Early Upper Paleolithic cultural entities and establish to what extent they represent distinct or evolving cultural adaptations. We present an analysis of an updated georeferenced dataset composed of personal ornaments coming from two key successive Upper Paleolithic technocomplexes, the Aurignacian (42-34,000 years ago) and the Gravettian (34-24,000 years ago). Using a range of multivariate statistics, we demonstrate that, at both European and regional scales, people belonging to these technocomplexes wore similar personal ornaments, though fully-shaped personal ornaments appear more different between technocomplexes. We additionally show that the variability of the Aurignacian ornaments suggests more fragmented cultural clusters compared to the Gravettian, implying more extensive symbolic networks in the latter. Despite a long-standing consensus based on other archaeological proxies, which emphasises the dissimilarity between these cultural entities, our results demonstrate the complex nature of Upper Paleolithic cultures which are characterised by discontinuities in economic and technical systems and continuity in the culturalisation of the body.
- MeSH
- Archaeology * MeSH
- History, Ancient MeSH
- Culture * MeSH
- Cultural Evolution * MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Multivariate Analysis MeSH
- Check Tag
- History, Ancient MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Historical Article MeSH
BACKGROUND: The optimal first-line therapy for metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) remains uncertain, despite recent advancements in immune-based combinations. This retrospective study compares the effectiveness of pembrolizumab plus axitinib (PA) and nivolumab plus cabozantinib (NC) as first-line treatments for mRCC in a real-world setting. METHODS: Patient data were collected from 55 centers across 16 countries, encompassing individuals diagnosed with mRCC receiving first-line treatment with PA or NC between January 2016 and October 2023. Clinical and tumor features and treatment responses were recorded. The primary endpoints were overall response rate (ORR), overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and time to second progression. Statistical analyses included Kaplan-Meier survival estimates, Cox proportional hazard models, and chi-square tests. RESULTS: A total of 760 patients with a median age of 64 years (range, 29-88) were included. Of them, 607 received PA, and only 153 NC. In the overall study population, ORR was 59% for and 49% for PA. Median OS was 55.7 months and not reached (NR) for PA and NC, respectively (P = .51), while median PFS was longer with NC (27.6 months) than for PA (16.2 months, P = .003). Subgroup analysis suggested a PFS benefits for NC in male, younger patients, intermediate risk group, clear cell histology, and lung involvement, as well as ORR favored NC in good risk patients. Multivariate analysis identified first-line therapy as a significant factor associated with PFS. CONCLUSIONS: In this certainly biased retrospective comparison, NC demonstrated superior ORR and longer PFS compared to PA in mRCC. These findings underscore the importance of considering individual patient characteristics and risk profiles when selecting first-line therapy for mRCC.
- MeSH
- Anilides * therapeutic use pharmacology administration & dosage MeSH
- Axitinib * therapeutic use pharmacology administration & dosage MeSH
- Adult MeSH
- Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized * therapeutic use pharmacology administration & dosage MeSH
- Carcinoma, Renal Cell * drug therapy mortality pathology MeSH
- Middle Aged MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Kidney Neoplasms * drug therapy pathology mortality MeSH
- Nivolumab * therapeutic use pharmacology administration & dosage MeSH
- Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols * therapeutic use MeSH
- Pyridines therapeutic use MeSH
- Retrospective Studies MeSH
- Aged, 80 and over MeSH
- Aged MeSH
- Check Tag
- Adult MeSH
- Middle Aged MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Male MeSH
- Aged, 80 and over MeSH
- Aged MeSH
- Female MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Multicenter Study MeSH
- Comparative Study MeSH
BACKGROUND: Plant-based diets are gaining popularity due to their well-documented cardiometabolic benefits and environmental sustainability. However, these diets are often lower in specific micronutrients such as iodine, raising concerns about their potential impact on thyroid health. Therefore, we examined the associations between plant-based diets and the risk of hypothyroidism. METHODS: We analysed data from the UK (United Kingdom) Biobank cohort. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for incident hypothyroidism across vegans, vegetarians, pescatarians, poultry-eaters, low meat-eaters, and high meat-eaters aged 40-69 years. Ancillary to this, we carried out logistic regression analyses to evaluate associations between the diet groups and prevalent hypothyroidism according to International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes at baseline. RESULTS: We included 466,362 individuals from the UK Biobank, of which 220,514 followed a high meat, 221,554 a low meat, 5242 a poultry-based, 10,598 a pescatarian, 8057 a vegetarian, and 397 a vegan diet. During a median SD (Standard Deviation) follow-up of 12.7 (± 3.2) years, 10,831 participants developed hypothyroidism. In multivariable Cox regression models without adjustment for body mass index (BMI), none of the diets were significantly associated with the risk of hypothyroidism. However, there was a tendency for a higher risk of hypothyroidism among vegetarians compared to people following a high meat diet (HR = 1.13, 95% CI 0.98-1.30). After controlling for BMI, a potential collider, the association for vegetarians (HR = 1.23, 95% CI 1.07-1.42) became stronger and statistically significant. Furthermore, we observed a positive association between low meat-eaters (OR = 1.05, 95% CI 1.03-1.08), poultry-eaters (OR = 1.15, 95% CI 1.04-1.28), pescatarians (OR = 1.10, 95% CI 1.01-1.19) and vegetarian (OR = 1.26, 95% CI 1.15-1.38) with hypothyroidism prevalence. CONCLUSIONS: In the present study, we found a moderately higher risk of hypothyroidism among vegetarians, after controlling for BMI, a potential collider. This slightly higher risk of hypothyroidism among vegetarians requires further investigation, taking iodine status and thyroid hormone levels into account.
- MeSH
- Diet, Vegetarian * adverse effects MeSH
- Diet * adverse effects MeSH
- Adult MeSH
- Hypothyroidism * epidemiology etiology MeSH
- Middle Aged MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Meat * MeSH
- Proportional Hazards Models MeSH
- Prospective Studies MeSH
- Risk Factors MeSH
- Aged MeSH
- Vegetarians * statistics & numerical data MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Check Tag
- Adult MeSH
- Middle Aged MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Male MeSH
- Aged MeSH
- Female MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Geographicals
- United Kingdom MeSH
INTRODUCTION: The provision of optimal care for older adults with complex chronic conditions (CCCs) poses significant challenges due to the interplay of multiple medical, pharmacological, functional and psychosocial factors. To address these challenges, the I-CARE4OLD project, funded by the EU-Horizon 2020 programme, developed an advanced clinical decision support tool-the iCARE tool-leveraging large longitudinal data from millions of home care and nursing home recipients across eight countries. The tool uses machine learning techniques applied to data from interRAI assessments, enriched with registry data, to predict health trajectories and evaluate pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions. This study aims to pilot the iCARE tool and assess its feasibility, usability and impact on clinical decision-making among healthcare professionals. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A minimum of 20 participants from each of the seven countries (Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Poland, Finland, Czechia and the USA) participated in the study. Participants were general practitioners, geriatricians and other medical specialists, nurses, physiotherapists and other healthcare providers involved in the care of older adults with CCC. The study design involved pre-surveys and post-surveys, tool testing with hypothetical patient cases and evaluations of predictions and treatment recommendations. Two pilot modalities-decision loop and non-decision loop-were implemented to assess the effect of the iCARE tool on clinical decisions. Descriptive statistics and bivariate and multivariate analysis will be conducted. All notes and text field data will be translated into English, and a thematic analysis will be performed. The pilot testing started in September 2024, and data collection ended in January 2025. At the time this protocol was submitted for publication, data collection was complete but data analysis had not yet begun. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approvals were granted in each participating country before the start of the pilot. All participants gave informed consent to participate in the study. The results of the study will be published in peer-reviewed journals and disseminated during national and international scientific and professional conferences and meetings. Stakeholders will also be informed via the project website and social media, and through targeted methods such as webinars, factsheets and (feedback) workshops. The I-CARE4OLD consortium will strive to publish as much as possible open access, including analytical scripts. Databases will not become publicly available, but the data sets used and/or analysed as part of the project can be made available on reasonable request and with the permission of the I-CARE4OLD consortium.
- MeSH
- Chronic Disease therapy MeSH
- Clinical Decision-Making * methods MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Pilot Projects MeSH
- Prognosis MeSH
- Aged MeSH
- Machine Learning * MeSH
- Decision Support Systems, Clinical * MeSH
- Check Tag
- Humans MeSH
- Aged MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
BACKGROUND/AIM: New generation androgen receptor-targeting agents (ARTA) have been in the spotlight for their efficacy in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) represents one of the most commonly used serum cancer biomarkers worldwide. The present retrospective study focused on the prognostic role of serum PSA isoforms and their early dynamics in mCRPC patients treated with abiraterone acetate (ABI) or enzalutamide (ENZ). PATIENTS AND METHODS: The association between outcomes of 334 mCRPC patients treated with ABI or ENZ and the levels of serum total PSA (tPSA), free PSA (fPSA), [-2]proPSA and the Prostate Health Index (PHI) at baseline and one month after treatment initiation was analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS: In the multivariable Cox proportional hazards models, baseline tPSA>50 μg/l (p<0.001), and [-2]proPSA>300 ng/l (p=0.017) remained independent significant factors associated with inferior OS, while baseline fPSA>1.75 μg/l (p=0.050) and Δ [-2]proPSA >-50% approached statistical significance (p=0.062). The results of ROC analyses assessing the ability of baseline tPSA, fPSA, and [-2]proPSA to predict mortality within two years showed area under the curve (AUC) values of 0.709, 0.685, and 0.740, respectively. Among the subgroup with baseline tPSA≤20.0 μg/l, the results of ROC analyses for baseline tPSA, fPSA and [-2]proPSA showed AUC values of 0.441, 0.682, and 0.688, respectively. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest a significant correlation between pretreatment serum levels of tPSA and [-2]proPSA with OS in mCRPC patients receiving ARTA.
- MeSH
- Abiraterone Acetate therapeutic use administration & dosage MeSH
- Receptors, Androgen * blood metabolism MeSH
- Androgen Receptor Antagonists therapeutic use MeSH
- Middle Aged MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Neoplasm Metastasis MeSH
- Biomarkers, Tumor blood MeSH
- Prostatic Neoplasms, Castration-Resistant * drug therapy blood pathology mortality MeSH
- Prognosis MeSH
- Prostate-Specific Antigen * blood MeSH
- Protein Isoforms * blood MeSH
- Retrospective Studies MeSH
- Aged, 80 and over MeSH
- Aged MeSH
- Treatment Outcome MeSH
- Check Tag
- Middle Aged MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Male MeSH
- Aged, 80 and over MeSH
- Aged MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
OBJECTIVES: We examined how the proportion of adolescents who engaged in early sexual intercourse (before the age of 14) changed between 2002 and 2022 across 37 countries. METHODS: Data of 15-year-old adolescents participating in the 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, and 2022 survey rounds of the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study were analysed (N = 312,702). We used uni- and multivariate multilevel binary logistic regression models to test whether rates of early sexual initiation changed over time. Country, gender, family affluence, parental support and the clustering effect of school were incorporated in the statistical models; linearity was tested by cubic and quadratic terms in the multivariate models. RESULTS: A significant but very small decline over time was found in early sexual initiation across survey years. Girls and less affluent adolescents had lower odds of early initiation. Parental support (and its interaction with time) also had a significant but small protective role. CONCLUSION: Despite a small decrease over time, still 4% of participants reported early sexual initiation in 2022. Concerted and sustained efforts are needed to support adolescent sexual health.
OBJECTIVE: The outcome of patients with COVID-19 improved over the pandemic, including patients with systemic rheumatic diseases. However, data on patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) are lacking. This study aimed to assess the outcome of patients with both SSc and COVID-19 over several waves. METHODS: Patients with both SSc and COVID-19 who were registered in the European Scleroderma Trials and Research group (EUSTAR) were collected between April 2020 and April 2021. Patients were assigned to waves 1, 2, or 3 depending on the date of their COVID-19 diagnosis. Primary endpoints were death, intensive care unit stay, or ventilatory support (severe outcome). Subgroup analyses of patients who were hospitalized or died were conducted. General and SSc-specific characteristics and treatment were compared over the waves. Descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regression were applied. RESULTS: A total of 333 patients were included; 57 patients (17%) had a severe outcome, and 30 patients (9%) died. Compared to wave 1, significantly fewer patients with SSc suffered from severe COVID-19 in waves 2 and 3 (28.2% vs 9.8% and 12.7%; P < 0.001), fewer patients required hospitalization (46.7% vs 19.6% and 25.5%; P < 0.001) or ventilatory support (24.0% vs 8.7% and 10.9%; P = 0.001), and fewer patients died (15.7% vs 5.0% and 7.5%; P = 0.011). Patients were significantly younger, more often men, had less frequent arterial hypertension, and less SSc cardiac involvement over waves 1 to 3. Patients received significantly less medium to high doses of corticosteroids as they did SSc treatment. CONCLUSION: The outcome of patients with both SSc and COVID-19 improved significantly over time because of intrinsic and extrinsic factors.
- MeSH
- COVID-19 * MeSH
- Hypertension * MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Scleroderma, Localized * MeSH
- Scleroderma, Systemic * complications diagnosis epidemiology MeSH
- COVID-19 Testing MeSH
- Check Tag
- Humans MeSH
- Male MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
BACKGROUND: To date there remains much ambiguity in the literature regarding the immunological interplay between SARS-CoV-2 and HIV and the true risk posed to coinfected individuals. There has been little conclusive data regarding the use of CD4 cell count and HIV viral load stratification as predictors of COVID-19 severity in this cohort. METHODS: We performed a retrospective, observational cohort study on people living with HIV (PLWH) who contracted COVID-19 in central and eastern Europe. We enrolled 536 patients from 16 countries using an online survey. We evaluated patient demographics, HIV characteristics and COVID-19 presentation and outcomes. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 20.1. RESULTS: The majority of the study cohort were male (76.4%) and 152 (28.3%) had a significant medical comorbidity. Median CD4 cell count at COVID-19 diagnosis was 605 cells/μL [interquartile range (IQR) 409-824]. The majority of patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART) were virally suppressed (92%). In univariate analysis, CD4 cell count <350 cells/μL was associated with higher rates of hospitalization (p < 0.0001) and respiratory failure (p < 0.0001). Univariate and multivariate analyses found that an undetectable HIV VL was associated with a lower rate of hospitalization (p < 0.0001), respiratory failure (p < 0.0001), ICU admission or death (p < 0.0001), and with a higher chance of full recovery (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: We can conclude that detectable HIV viral load was an independent risk factor for severe COVID-19 illness and can be used as a prognostic indicator in this cohort.
- MeSH
- COVID-19 * epidemiology complications MeSH
- HIV Infections * complications drug therapy epidemiology MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- CD4 Lymphocyte Count MeSH
- Respiratory Insufficiency * MeSH
- Retrospective Studies MeSH
- SARS-CoV-2 MeSH
- COVID-19 Testing MeSH
- Viral Load MeSH
- Check Tag
- Humans MeSH
- Male MeSH
- Female MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Observational Study MeSH
- Geographicals
- Europe, Eastern MeSH
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Risk stratification of sudden cardiac death after myocardial infarction and prevention by defibrillator rely on left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). Improved risk stratification across the whole LVEF range is required for decision-making on defibrillator implantation. METHODS: The analysis pooled 20 data sets with 140 204 post-myocardial infarction patients containing information on demographics, medical history, clinical characteristics, biomarkers, electrocardiography, echocardiography, and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. Separate analyses were performed in patients (i) carrying a primary prevention cardioverter-defibrillator with LVEF ≤ 35% [implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) patients], (ii) without cardioverter-defibrillator with LVEF ≤ 35% (non-ICD patients ≤ 35%), and (iii) without cardioverter-defibrillator with LVEF > 35% (non-ICD patients >35%). Primary outcome was sudden cardiac death or, in defibrillator carriers, appropriate defibrillator therapy. Using a competing risk framework and systematic internal-external cross-validation, a model using LVEF only, a multivariable flexible parametric survival model, and a multivariable random forest survival model were developed and externally validated. Predictive performance was assessed by random effect meta-analysis. RESULTS: There were 1326 primary outcomes in 7543 ICD patients, 1193 in 25 058 non-ICD patients ≤35%, and 1567 in 107 603 non-ICD patients >35% during mean follow-up of 30.0, 46.5, and 57.6 months, respectively. In these three subgroups, LVEF poorly predicted sudden cardiac death (c-statistics between 0.50 and 0.56). Considering additional parameters did not improve calibration and discrimination, and model generalizability was poor. CONCLUSIONS: More accurate risk stratification for sudden cardiac death and identification of low-risk individuals with severely reduced LVEF or of high-risk individuals with preserved LVEF was not feasible, neither using LVEF nor using other predictors.
- MeSH
- Defibrillators, Implantable * MeSH
- Electrocardiography MeSH
- Risk Assessment methods MeSH
- Myocardial Infarction * mortality complications MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Death, Sudden, Cardiac * prevention & control epidemiology etiology MeSH
- Stroke Volume * physiology MeSH
- Check Tag
- Humans MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Meta-Analysis MeSH
