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Abstract: The aim of our study was to evaluate the quality of surgery of Slovenian breast cancer screening program (DORA) using the requested EU standards. Furthermore, we investigated whether regular quality control over the 3-year period improved the quality of surgical management. Patients and methods. Patients who required surgical management within DORA between January 1st, 2016 and December 31st, 2018 were included in the retrospective study. Quality indicators (QIs) were adjusted mainly according to European Society of Breast Cancer Specialists (EUSOMA) and European Breast Cancer Network (EBCN) recommendations. Five QIs for therapeutic and two for diagnostic surgeries were selected. Additionally, variability in achieving the requested QIs among surgeons was analysed. Results. Between 2016 and 2018, 14 surgeons performed 1421 breast procedures in 1398 women. There were 1197 therapeutical (for proven breast cancer) and 224 diagnostic surgical interventions respectively. Overall, the minimal standard was met in two QIs for therapeutic and none for diagnostic procedures. A statistically significant improvement in three QIs for therapeutic and in one QI for diagnostic procedures was observed however, indicating that regular quality control improves the quality of surgery. A high variability in achieving the requested QIs was observed among surgeons, which remained high throughout the study period. Conclusions. Adherence to all selected surgical QIs in patients from screening program is difficult to achieve, especially to those specifically defined for screen-detected lesions. Regular quality control may improve results over time. Reducing the number of surgeons dedicated to breast pathology may reduce variability of management inside the institution.
Keywords: breast surgery, mammography, screening program, quality control
Published in DiRROS: 12.07.2024; Views: 246; Downloads: 94
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Abstract: A large proportion of the insects which have invaded new regions and countries are emerging species, being found for the first time outside their native range. Being able to detect such species upon arrival at ports of entry before they establish in non-native countries is an urgent challenge. The deployment of traps baited with broad-spectrum semiochemical lures at ports-of-entry and other high-risk sites could be one such early detection tool. Rapid progress in the identification of semiochemicals for cerambycid beetles during the last 15 years has revealed that aggregation-sex pheromones and sex pheromones are often conserved at global levels for genera, tribes or subfamilies of the Cerambycidae. This possibly allows the development of generic attractants which attract multiple species simultaneously, especially when such pheromones are combined into blends. Here, we present the results of a worldwide field trial programme conducted during 2018–2021, using traps baited with a standardised 8-pheromone blend, usually complemented with plant volatiles. A total of 1308 traps were deployed at 302 sites covering simultaneously or sequentially 13 European countries, 10 Chinese provinces and some regions of the USA, Canada, Australia, Russia (Siberia) and the Caribbean (Martinique). We intended to test the following hypotheses: 1) if a species is regularly trapped in significant numbers by the blend on a continent, it increases the probability that it can be detected when it arrives in other countries/continents and 2) if the blend exerts an effective, generic attraction to multiple species, it is likely that previously unknown and unexpected species can be captured due to the high degree of conservation of pheromone structures within related taxa. A total of 78,321 longhorned beetles were trapped, representing 376 species from eight subfamilies, with 84 species captured in numbers greater than 50 individuals. Captures comprised 60 tribes, with 10 tribes including more than nine species trapped on different continents. Some invasive species were captured in both the native and invaded continents. This demonstrates the potential of multipheromone lures as effective tools for the detection of ‘unexpected’ cerambycid invaders, accidentally translocated outside their native ranges. Adding new pheromones with analogous well-conserved motifs is discussed, as well as the limitations of using such blends, especially for some cerambycid taxa which may be more attracted by the trap colour or other characteristics rather than to the chemical blend.
Keywords: pheromone trapping, invasion, early detection, Holarctic, multi-pheromone blend
Published in DiRROS: 12.07.2024; Views: 289; Downloads: 291
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Abstract: . Electrochemotherapy (ECT) is a local cancer treatment based on electroporation where the electric field is used to enhance cell membrane permeability and thereby facilitating the transition of chemotherapeutic agents into the cell. For the treatment of non-melanoma skin cancer, a standard dosage of 15,000 IU/m2 bleomycin (BLM) is used. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the long-term ECT response in the group of elderly patients with non-melanoma skin cancer treated with a reduced dose of BLM in comparison to the outcome in the patients treated with the standard dose of BLM. Patients and methods. Twenty-eight patients older than 65 years, with a total of 52 non-melanoma skin lesions were included in the study. Twelve patients (24 lesions) in the experimental group received a reduced dose of BLM (10,000 IU/m2), 16 patients (28 lesions) were treated with a standard dose of BLM (15,000 IU/m2). Results. No statistically significant difference in tumor control was observed between both groups. In the experimental group, tumors recurred in 39.0% of treated lesions in a median follow-up time of 28 months. In the control group, the recurrence rate of treated lesions was 15.4% in a median follow-up time of 40 months. Conclusions. ECT with a reduced dose of BLM is a feasible treatment option for elderly patients with equal efficacy to standard dose treatment and should be considered as a treatment modality in advanced aged patients with comorbidities, where overall life expectancy is poor
Keywords: electrochemotherapy, bleomycin, non-melanoma skin cancer
Published in DiRROS: 12.07.2024; Views: 333; Downloads: 79
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Keywords: prostate translocation, prostate distortion, gland deformation, bladder volume, magnetic resonance imaging, radiation therapy planning
Published in DiRROS: 12.07.2024; Views: 293; Downloads: 116
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Abstract: High-throughput sequencing (HTS), more specifically RNA sequencing of plant tissues, has become an indispensable tool for plant virologists to detect and identify plant viruses. During the data analysis step, plant virologists typically compare the obtained sequences to reference virus databases. In this way, they are neglecting sequences without homologies to viruses, which usually represent the majority of sequencing reads. We hypothesized that traces of other pathogens might be detected in this unused sequence data. In the present study, our goal was to investigate whether total RNA-seq data, as generated for plant virus detection, is also suitable for the detection of other plant pathogens and pests. As proof of concept, we first analyzed RNA-seq datasets of plant materials with confirmed infections by cellular pathogens in order to check whether these non-viral pathogens could be easily detected in the data. Next, we set up a community effort to re-analyze existing Illumina RNA-seq datasets used for virus detection to check for the potential presence of non-viral pathogens or pests. In total, 101 datasets from 15 participants derived from 51 different plant species were re-analyzed, of which 37 were selected for subsequent in-depth analyses. In 29 of the 37 selected samples (78%), we found convincing traces of non-viral plant pathogens or pests. The organisms most frequently detected in this way were fungi (15/37 datasets), followed by insects (13/37) and mites (9/37). The presence of some of the detected pathogens was confirmed by independent (q)PCRs analyses. After communicating the results, 6 out of the 15 participants indicated that they were unaware of the possible presence of these pathogens in their sample(s). All participants indicated that they would broaden the scope of their bioinformatic analyses in future studies and thus check for the presence of non-viral pathogens. In conclusion, we show that it is possible to detect non-viral pathogens or pests from total RNA-seq datasets, in this case primarily fungi, insects, and mites. With this study, we hope to raise awareness among plant virologists that their data might be useful for fellow plant pathologists in other disciplines (mycology, entomology, bacteriology) as well.
Keywords: plant viruses, plant virus detection, plant virology, high-throughput sequencing, RNA sequencing, plant tissues, plant pathogen, diagnostics, high-throughput sequencing, metagenomics, metatranscriptomics
Published in DiRROS: 12.07.2024; Views: 356; Downloads: 166
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