Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a patient-specific immobilization and positioning device in prostate radiotherapy. Methods: Eighty patients were immobilized and positioned by a patient-specific device. Pro...Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a patient-specific immobilization and positioning device in prostate radiotherapy. Methods: Eighty patients were immobilized and positioned by a patient-specific device. Prostate translations and rotations were estimated from daily cone beam computed tomography scans using a contour-based approach assisted by auto-registration and quantified by the group mean GM, systematic Σ and random σ' errors. Dosimetric impacts of residual prostate rotations where the translation errors were corrected were evaluated by robustness plan analysis. Results: Using the patient-specific immobilization alone without online image-guidance, the GM, Σ and σ' of the prostate translations were 0.8, 1.7, and 1.5 mm (left-right;LR), 0.8, 2.1, and 1.9 mm (superior-inferior;SI), and 0.5, 1.7 and 1.5 mm (anterior-posterior;AP), while for the prostate rotations they were 0.0°, 0.6°, and 0.7°(pitch), 0.2°, 0.5°, and 0.6°(roll), and 0.2°, 0.5°, and 0.6°(yaw). The resulting van Herk’s margin was 5.8 (LR), 7.3 (SI) and 5.8 (AP) mm. With adaptive online image-guidance based on estimates from the first 5 fractions, Σ were reduced by 0.7 - 1.2 mm for the prostate translations, resulting in a margin reduction by 2 - 3.5 mm. Changes of Σ and σ' in the prostate rotations were insignificant regardless of translation corrections. Dosimetric impacts of residual rotation errors were negligible if a 2 mm margin was applied. Conclusions: Our patient-specific immobilization system can effectively limit the prostate translations and rotations, which is important without 6D treatment couches or using ultrasound image-guidance without rotational corrections.展开更多
Right ventricular outflow tract(RVOT)obstruction is present in a variety of congenital heart disease states including tetralogy of Fallot,pulmonary atresia/stenosis and other conotruncal abnormalities etc.After surgic...Right ventricular outflow tract(RVOT)obstruction is present in a variety of congenital heart disease states including tetralogy of Fallot,pulmonary atresia/stenosis and other conotruncal abnormalities etc.After surgical repair,these patients develop RVOT residual abnormalities of pulmonic stenosis and/or insufficiency of their native outflow tract or right ventricle to pulmonary artery conduit.There are also sequelae of other surgeries like the Ross operation for aortic valve disease that lead to right ventricle to pulmonary artery conduit dysfunction.Surgical pulmonic valve replacement(SPVR)has been the mainstay for these patients and is considered standard of care.Transcatheter pulmonic valve implantation(TPVI)was first reported in 2000 and has made strides as a comparable alternative to SPVR,being approved in the United States in 2010.We provide a comprehensive review in this space–indications for TPVI,detailed procedural facets and up-to-date review of the literature regarding outcomes of TPVI.TPVI has been shown to have favorable medium-term outcomes free of reinterventions especially after the adoption of the practice of pre-stenting the RVOT.Procedural mortality and complications are uncommon.With more experience,recognition of risk of dreaded outcomes like coronary compression has improved.Also,conduit rupture is increasingly being managed with transcatheter tools.Questions over endocarditis risk still prevail in the TPVI population.Head-to-head comparisons to SPVR are still limited but available data suggests equivalence.We also discuss newer valve technologies that have limited data currently and may have more applicability for treatment of native dysfunctional RVOT substrates.展开更多
Given the pressures and constraints of assessment of learning in today＇s environment consistent with accreditation requirements, this paper presents the utilization of a course embedded assessment. That is, instead o...Given the pressures and constraints of assessment of learning in today＇s environment consistent with accreditation requirements, this paper presents the utilization of a course embedded assessment. That is, instead of creating an extra assessment outside the normal activities of the course, this paper examines an assessment that is part of the course. Additionally, not only is the course embedded assessment part of the course, it measures 100% of assessments employed in the course, instead of only a sample of the assessments. This paper presents background information regarding the utilization of a course embedded assessment, including The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International [AACSB] requirements for fulfilling assessment of learning outcomes. Discussion of course embedded assessments takes place. The dialogue then illustrates an approach that can be used for the data organization and analysis stages of assessment. It is hoped that the use of such an approach may save instructors time and effort in their assessment endeavors, while providing a superior quality assessment encompassing the entire course instead of merely a sample. This occurs by transferring the objective nature of the assessments into a computerized format.展开更多
BACKGROUND Treatment of congenitally corrected transposition of great arteries(cc-TGA)with anatomic repair strategy has been considered superior due to restoration of the morphologic left ventricle in the systemic cir...BACKGROUND Treatment of congenitally corrected transposition of great arteries(cc-TGA)with anatomic repair strategy has been considered superior due to restoration of the morphologic left ventricle in the systemic circulation.However,data on long term outcomes are limited to single center reports and include small sample sizes.AIM To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis for observational studies reporting outcomes on anatomic repair for cc-TGA.METHODS MEDLINE and Scopus databases were queried using predefined criteria for reports published till December 31,2017.Studies reporting anatomic repair of minimum 5 cc-TGA patients with at least a 2 year follow up were included.Metaanalysis was performed using Comprehensive meta-analysis v3.0 software.RESULTS Eight hundred and ninety-five patients underwent anatomic repair with a pooled follow-up of 5457.2 patient-years(PY).Pooled estimate for operative mortality was 8.3%[95%confidence interval(CI):6.0%-11.4%].0.2%(CI:0.1%-0.4%)patients required mechanical circulatory support postoperatively and 1.7%(CI:1.1%-2.4%)developed post-operative atrioventricular block requiring a pacemaker.Patients surviving initial surgery had a transplant free survival of 92.5%(CI:89.5%-95.4%)per 100 PY and a low rate of need for pacemaker(0.3/100 PY;CI:0.1-0.4).84.7%patients(CI:79.6%-89.9%)were found to be in New York Heart Association(NYHA)functional class I or II after 100 PY follow up.Total re-intervention rate was 5.3 per 100 PY(CI:3.8-6.8).CONCLUSION Operative mortality with anatomic repair strategy for cc-TGA is high.Despite that,transplant free survival after anatomic repair for cc-TGA patients is highly favorable.Majority of patients maintain NYHA I/II functional class.However,monitoring for burden of re-interventions specific for operation type is very essential.展开更多
Police emergency commitment powers for detention of persons in the community perceived to be seriously mentally ill for further specialist examination in a designated facility have always raised interest in medical an...Police emergency commitment powers for detention of persons in the community perceived to be seriously mentally ill for further specialist examination in a designated facility have always raised interest in medical and legal circles on both sides of the Atlantic. The objective of this article is to detail the police commitment procedure in England and Wales, as dictated by the mental health act of 1983 (MHA 1983) amended in 2007 (MHA 2007);and compare this with similar legal provisions as prevails under current state mental health statutes in the United States of America (USA). The comparative review of the commitment processes in England and Wales to that of the USA reveals that the process in England and Wales seeks to primarily ensure that persons with mental disorder (PWMD) in crisis are directed to a specialist hospital for evaluation and appropriate specialist care. In the USA such persons in a good number of cases may end up in the criminal justice system due to application of the “dangerousness” standard. Additionally whereas in England and Wales the commitment law is uniform in law and application, the federal system in the USA is such that the commitment law may have minor variations depending on the individual states. The minor variation in state commitment laws may engender a situation where the commitment law in England and Wales may seem relatively equitable and just towards PWMD in crisis, compared to the state commitment laws in the USA.展开更多
文摘Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a patient-specific immobilization and positioning device in prostate radiotherapy. Methods: Eighty patients were immobilized and positioned by a patient-specific device. Prostate translations and rotations were estimated from daily cone beam computed tomography scans using a contour-based approach assisted by auto-registration and quantified by the group mean GM, systematic Σ and random σ' errors. Dosimetric impacts of residual prostate rotations where the translation errors were corrected were evaluated by robustness plan analysis. Results: Using the patient-specific immobilization alone without online image-guidance, the GM, Σ and σ' of the prostate translations were 0.8, 1.7, and 1.5 mm (left-right;LR), 0.8, 2.1, and 1.9 mm (superior-inferior;SI), and 0.5, 1.7 and 1.5 mm (anterior-posterior;AP), while for the prostate rotations they were 0.0°, 0.6°, and 0.7°(pitch), 0.2°, 0.5°, and 0.6°(roll), and 0.2°, 0.5°, and 0.6°(yaw). The resulting van Herk’s margin was 5.8 (LR), 7.3 (SI) and 5.8 (AP) mm. With adaptive online image-guidance based on estimates from the first 5 fractions, Σ were reduced by 0.7 - 1.2 mm for the prostate translations, resulting in a margin reduction by 2 - 3.5 mm. Changes of Σ and σ' in the prostate rotations were insignificant regardless of translation corrections. Dosimetric impacts of residual rotation errors were negligible if a 2 mm margin was applied. Conclusions: Our patient-specific immobilization system can effectively limit the prostate translations and rotations, which is important without 6D treatment couches or using ultrasound image-guidance without rotational corrections.
文摘Right ventricular outflow tract(RVOT)obstruction is present in a variety of congenital heart disease states including tetralogy of Fallot,pulmonary atresia/stenosis and other conotruncal abnormalities etc.After surgical repair,these patients develop RVOT residual abnormalities of pulmonic stenosis and/or insufficiency of their native outflow tract or right ventricle to pulmonary artery conduit.There are also sequelae of other surgeries like the Ross operation for aortic valve disease that lead to right ventricle to pulmonary artery conduit dysfunction.Surgical pulmonic valve replacement(SPVR)has been the mainstay for these patients and is considered standard of care.Transcatheter pulmonic valve implantation(TPVI)was first reported in 2000 and has made strides as a comparable alternative to SPVR,being approved in the United States in 2010.We provide a comprehensive review in this space–indications for TPVI,detailed procedural facets and up-to-date review of the literature regarding outcomes of TPVI.TPVI has been shown to have favorable medium-term outcomes free of reinterventions especially after the adoption of the practice of pre-stenting the RVOT.Procedural mortality and complications are uncommon.With more experience,recognition of risk of dreaded outcomes like coronary compression has improved.Also,conduit rupture is increasingly being managed with transcatheter tools.Questions over endocarditis risk still prevail in the TPVI population.Head-to-head comparisons to SPVR are still limited but available data suggests equivalence.We also discuss newer valve technologies that have limited data currently and may have more applicability for treatment of native dysfunctional RVOT substrates.
文摘Given the pressures and constraints of assessment of learning in today＇s environment consistent with accreditation requirements, this paper presents the utilization of a course embedded assessment. That is, instead of creating an extra assessment outside the normal activities of the course, this paper examines an assessment that is part of the course. Additionally, not only is the course embedded assessment part of the course, it measures 100% of assessments employed in the course, instead of only a sample of the assessments. This paper presents background information regarding the utilization of a course embedded assessment, including The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International [AACSB] requirements for fulfilling assessment of learning outcomes. Discussion of course embedded assessments takes place. The dialogue then illustrates an approach that can be used for the data organization and analysis stages of assessment. It is hoped that the use of such an approach may save instructors time and effort in their assessment endeavors, while providing a superior quality assessment encompassing the entire course instead of merely a sample. This occurs by transferring the objective nature of the assessments into a computerized format.
文摘BACKGROUND Treatment of congenitally corrected transposition of great arteries(cc-TGA)with anatomic repair strategy has been considered superior due to restoration of the morphologic left ventricle in the systemic circulation.However,data on long term outcomes are limited to single center reports and include small sample sizes.AIM To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis for observational studies reporting outcomes on anatomic repair for cc-TGA.METHODS MEDLINE and Scopus databases were queried using predefined criteria for reports published till December 31,2017.Studies reporting anatomic repair of minimum 5 cc-TGA patients with at least a 2 year follow up were included.Metaanalysis was performed using Comprehensive meta-analysis v3.0 software.RESULTS Eight hundred and ninety-five patients underwent anatomic repair with a pooled follow-up of 5457.2 patient-years(PY).Pooled estimate for operative mortality was 8.3%[95%confidence interval(CI):6.0%-11.4%].0.2%(CI:0.1%-0.4%)patients required mechanical circulatory support postoperatively and 1.7%(CI:1.1%-2.4%)developed post-operative atrioventricular block requiring a pacemaker.Patients surviving initial surgery had a transplant free survival of 92.5%(CI:89.5%-95.4%)per 100 PY and a low rate of need for pacemaker(0.3/100 PY;CI:0.1-0.4).84.7%patients(CI:79.6%-89.9%)were found to be in New York Heart Association(NYHA)functional class I or II after 100 PY follow up.Total re-intervention rate was 5.3 per 100 PY(CI:3.8-6.8).CONCLUSION Operative mortality with anatomic repair strategy for cc-TGA is high.Despite that,transplant free survival after anatomic repair for cc-TGA patients is highly favorable.Majority of patients maintain NYHA I/II functional class.However,monitoring for burden of re-interventions specific for operation type is very essential.
文摘Police emergency commitment powers for detention of persons in the community perceived to be seriously mentally ill for further specialist examination in a designated facility have always raised interest in medical and legal circles on both sides of the Atlantic. The objective of this article is to detail the police commitment procedure in England and Wales, as dictated by the mental health act of 1983 (MHA 1983) amended in 2007 (MHA 2007);and compare this with similar legal provisions as prevails under current state mental health statutes in the United States of America (USA). The comparative review of the commitment processes in England and Wales to that of the USA reveals that the process in England and Wales seeks to primarily ensure that persons with mental disorder (PWMD) in crisis are directed to a specialist hospital for evaluation and appropriate specialist care. In the USA such persons in a good number of cases may end up in the criminal justice system due to application of the “dangerousness” standard. Additionally whereas in England and Wales the commitment law is uniform in law and application, the federal system in the USA is such that the commitment law may have minor variations depending on the individual states. The minor variation in state commitment laws may engender a situation where the commitment law in England and Wales may seem relatively equitable and just towards PWMD in crisis, compared to the state commitment laws in the USA.
