1. ILIVE Project Volunteer study. Developing international consensus for a European Core Curriculum for hospital end-of-life-care volunteer services, to train volunteers to support patients in the last weeks of life : a Delphi studyTamsin McGlinchey, Stephen Mason, Ruthmarijke Smeding, Anne Goosensen, Inmaculada Ruiz-Torreras, Dagny Renata Faksvåg Haugen, Miša Bakan, John Ellershaw, 2022, original scientific article Abstract: Background: Volunteers make a huge contribution to the health and wellbeing of the population and can improve satisfaction with care especially in the hospice setting. However, palliative and end-of-life-care volunteer services in the hospital setting are relatively uncommon. The iLIVE Volunteer Study, one of eight work-packages within the iLIVE Project, was tasked with developing a European Core Curriculum for End-of-Life-Care Volunteers in hospital. Aim: Establish an international consensus on the content of a European Core Curriculum for hospital end-of-life-care volunteer services which support patients in the last weeks of life. Design: Delphi Process comprising the following three stages: 1. Scoping review of literature into palliative care volunteers. 2. Two rounds of Delphi Questionnaire. 3. Nominal Group Meeting. Setting/participants: Sixty-six participants completed the Round 1 Delphi questionnaire; 75% (50/66) took part in Round 2. Seventeen participants attended the Nominal Group Meeting representing an international and multi-professional group including, clinicians, researchers and volunteer coordinators from the participating countries. Results: The scoping review identified 88 items for the Delphi questionnaire. Items encompassed organisational issues for implementation and topics for volunteer training. Three items were combined and one item added in Round 2. Following the Nominal Group Meeting 53/87 items reached consensus. Conclusion: Key items for volunteer training were agreed alongside items for implementation to embed the end-of-life-care volunteer service within the hospital. Recommendations for further research included in-depth assessment of the implementation and experiences of end-of-life-care volunteer services. The developed European Core Curriculum can be adapted to fit local cultural and organisational contexts.
Keywords: palliative care, death, volunteers, hospitals, consensus, Delphi technique, end-of-life care, Delphi study, iLIVE project
Published in DiRROS: 13.09.2022; Views: 436; Downloads: 156
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2. Histology basics and cell death detection in honeybee tissueMaja Ivana Smodiš Škerl, original scientific article Abstract: Honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) inside the hive (nurse workers and other hive bees)
and outside the hive (foragers) are exposed to climate and weather changes, various
pesticides, pathogens, and malnutrition, mainly entering through the mouth and
primarily affecting the digestive tracts of adult bees. To understand and prevent the
effects of such external and internal stressors on honeybees, one useful research
method is the immunohistochemical method. A basic protocol is described to prepare
the midgut (ventriculus) and hypopharyngeal glands (HPGs) of adult bees for
histological analysis. A detailed methodology is described to assess the level of cell
damage and distinguish necrosis from programmed cell death (apoptosis) as a natural
process of tissue regeneration. The results of adult honeybee treatment with oxalic
acid and pesticides (insecticide and acaricide) and the determination of cell death in
the ventriculus and HPGs are presented. The pros and cons of the methodology are
also discussed.
Keywords: cell death, honeybee, histology, environment
Published in DiRROS: 08.07.2022; Views: 533; Downloads: 299
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3. Prognostic impact of PD-1 and PD-L1 expression in malignant pleural mesothelioma : an international multicenter studyLuka Brčić, Thomas Klikovits, Zsolt Megyesfalvi, Berta Mosleh, Katharina Sinn, Richard Hritcu, Viktoria Laszlo, Tanja Čufer, Aleš Rozman, Izidor Kern, Katja Mohorčič, 2021, original scientific article Abstract: Background: Programmed cell death 1/programmed death ligand 1 (PD-1/PD-L1) immune-checkpoint blockade is a promising new therapeutic strategy in cancer. However, expression patterns and prognostic significance of PD-L1 and PD-1 are still controversial in human malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). Methods: Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tumor samples from 203 MPM patients receiving standard treatment without immunotherapy were collected from 5 European centers. PD-L1 and PD-1 expression of tumor cells (TCs) and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) were measured by immunohistochemistry and correlated with clinical parameters and long-term outcome. Results: High (>10%) PD-L1 TC and PD-1 TILs expressions were found in 18 (8%) and 39 (24%) patients, respectively. PD-L1 was rarely expressed by TILs [>/=1%, n=13 (8%); >10%, n=1]. No significant associations were found between the PD-L1 or PD-1 expression of TCs or TILs and clinicopathological parameters such as stage or histological subtype. Notably, patients with high (>10%) TC-specific PD-L1 expression exhibited significantly worse median overall survival (OS) (6.3 vs. 15.1 months of those with low TC PD-L1 expression; HR: 2.51, P<0.001). In multivariate cox regression analysis adjusted for clinical parameters, high TC PD-L1 expression (>10%) proved to be an independent negative prognostic factor for OS (HR: 2.486, P=0.005). There was no significant correlation between PD-L1 or PD-1 expression of TILs and OS. Conclusions: In this multicenter cohort study, we demonstrate that high (>10%) PD-L1 expression of TCs independently predicts worse OS in MPM. Further studies are warranted to investigate the value of PD-L1/PD-1 expression as a marker for treatment response in MPM patients receiving immunotherapy.
Keywords: mesothelioma - anatomy and histology - analysis, 1malignant pleural mesothelioma, programmed death-ligand 1, programmed cell death 1, PD-L1
Published in DiRROS: 31.03.2021; Views: 1235; Downloads: 529
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