Tumor-Associated Microbiome: Where Do We Stand?

The study of the human microbiome in oncology is a growing and rapidly evolving field. In the past few years, there has been an exponential increase in the number of studies investigating associations of microbiome and cancer, from oncogenesis and cancer progression to resistance or sensitivity to specific anticancer therapies. The gut microbiome is now known to play a significant role in antitumor immune responses and in predicting the efficacy of immune-checkpoint inhibitors in cancer patients. Beyond the gut, the tumor-associated microbiome-microbe communities located either in the tumor or within its body compartment-seems to interact with the local microenvironment and the tumor immune contexture, ultimately impacting cancer progression and treatment outcome. However, pre-clinical research focusing on causality and mechanistic pathways as well as proof-of-concept studies are still needed to fully understand the potential clinical utility of microbiome in cancer patients. Moreover, there is a need for the standardization of methodology and the implementation of quality control across microbiome studies to allow for a better interpretation and greater comparability of the results reported between them. This review summarizes the accumulating evidence in the field and discusses the current and upcoming challenges of microbiome studies.

Impacto de la implementación de medidas de gestión hospitalaria para aumentar la eficiencia en la gestión de camas y disminuir la saturación del servicio de urgencias / Impact of hospital management measures on improving the efficiency of bed allocation and reducing emergency department overcrowding

Objetivo: Analizar el impacto de la implementación de medidas para reducir el número de pacientes ubicados en urgencias en es pera de cama de hospitalización. Método: Tipo de estudio: comparativo con un análisis retrospectivo. Se compararon dos periodos: periodo 1 (nov 06-oct 07) y periodo 2 (nov 07-oct 08). Ámbito: Hospitalde Sant Boi, hospital general de 126 camas, en Sant Boi de Llobregat (Barcelona). Medidas implementadas: disminución de la estancia prequirúrgica, incremento de la cirugía mayor ambulatoria (CMA) y potenciación del ingreso en una unidad de corta estancia médica (UCE). Variables estudiadas: admisiones en el SUH, ingresos hospitalarios, ingresos de CMA, el número de días en que hay al menos 1 paciente pendiente de cama hospitalaria en el SUH a las 8:00 horas, estancia promedio hospitalaria, actividad y estancia promedio en la UCE. Resultados: El total de admisiones en el SUH fue de 57.140 en el periodo 1, y 71.280 en el periodo 2, con 4.840 (8,4%) y 5.385 (7,5%) ingresos, respectivamente. La estancia media de hospitalización disminuyó de 5,2 días a 4,5 días (p < 0,001). En 86 días del periodo 1, uno o más pacientes permanecían en el SUH pendientes de cama (307 pacientes/año), frente a 11 días en el período 2 (26 pacientes/año). Conclusiones: En nuestra experiencia, las medidas de gestión aplicadas fueron eficaces en la disminución del número de pacientes pendientes de cama en urgencias (AU)

Objective: To analyze the impact of hospital management measures to reduce the number of patients held in an emergency department while awaiting admission. Methods: Type of study: retrospective, comparing 2 periods, November 2006 to October 2007 and November 2007 to October 2008. Setting: Hospital de Sant Boi, a 126-bed general hospital in Sant Boi de Llobregat in the province of Barcelona. Management measures: decreased presurgical stay, increased use of ambulatory surgical procedures, and increased use of a medical short-stay unit. Variables studied: emergency department admissions, hospital ward admissions, admissions for ambulatory surgical procedures, number of days in which at least 1 patient was in the emergency department at 8 A.M. while waiting for a bed, mean hospital stay, and admissions and average time spent in the short-stay unit. Results: A total of 57140 patients were admitted to the emergency department in the first period and 71280 in the second period; 4840 (8.4%) were admitted to hospital in the first period and 5385 (7.5%) in the second. The average length of stay was 5.19 days in the first period and 4.54 days in the second (P<.001). At least 1 patient was waiting in the emergency department for a hospital bed to become available on 86 days in the first period (307 patients/year) and11 days in the second period (26 patients/year). Conclusions: The management measures applied in this case were effective in reducing the number of patients held in the emergency department while waiting for admission (AU)