Peripheral T-Cell Lymphoma, not Otherwise Specified (PTCL-NOS).

Peripheral T-cell lymphoma, not otherwise specified (PTCL-NOS) is a World Health Organization (WHO)-defined diagnostic category within the highly heterogeneous group of mature post-thymic T-cell neoplasms. It is the most common subtype of mature post-thymic T-cell neoplasms globally, accounting for up to 35% of PTCL cases in Europe and North America. PTCL-NOS is a diagnosis of exclusion, comprising several disease entities that differ in biology, clinical presentation, and outcome. The diagnosis of PTCL-NOS is made based on the presence of typical histopathological features of lymphoma, an aberrant T-cell immunophenotype, often with a loss of CD5 and CD7, and a clonal T-cell receptor (TCR) gene rearrangement, in the appropriate clinical context. Unlike other types of T-cell lymphoma, recurrent mutations to assist with the diagnosis have not been identified. Patients often present with advanced stage. Prognosis is poor, with a 5-year overall survival (OS) of 20-30%. Anthracycline-based combination chemotherapy remains the most frequently used frontline strategy, with overall response rates (ORR) of 50-60%, and complete response rates (CRR) of 20-30%. Prospective studies with intent-to-treat analyses have shown that consolidation with high-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) results in progression-free survivals (PFS) that compare favorably with historical cohorts and may improve OS in selected patient populations. However, randomized data are still lacking. Over the past decade, therapeutic agents approved in the relapsed and refractory setting have produced response rates of up to 33% and median PFS up to 18 months. Overall, outcomes remain poor and there is a dire need for more effective treatments. This review discusses the latest information on the diagnosis and treatment of PTCL-NOS.

Therapy-related acute myeloid leukemia following radioactive iodine treatment for thyroid cancer.

BACKGROUND: Therapy-related acute myeloid leukemia (t-AML) associated with radioiodine treatment (RAI) is emerging as an important clinical entity with the rise in incidence of thyroid cancer. DESIGN AND METHODS: We conducted an electronic search of MEDLINE and EMBASE, and also searched reference lists of articles and abstracts from conference proceedings for case reports and review articles on t-AML following radioiodine therapy. A total of 37 patients with acute myeloid neoplasms following radioiodine treatment were analyzed. RESULTS: The median RAI dose was 324 mCi, and median age was 47.5 years with M/F ratio of 1:3. Latency period was 1-4 years, and the median time from RAI exposure to diagnosis of t-AML was 2.9 years. FAB M2 and M3 were the two most common t-AML subtypes reported. Seventy-one percent of the cases that reported cytogenetic abnormalities were classified as unfavorable. The most commonly reported abnormalities were del 5q and t(15:17). Survival outcomes were not reported due to lack of patient-level data. CONCLUSIONS: T-AML following radioiodine therapy for thyroid cancer appears to have a shorter latency period than other types of t-AML, which is an important consideration for post-therapy surveillance. Reporting of cases and outcomes will help provide data for further research. Identifying biomarkers that help risk-stratify patients prior to therapy and specific genetic-guided therapies may help improve outcomes.

Use of Varenicline in Smokeless Tobacco Cessation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis on the effectiveness and safety of varenicline in smokeless tobacco (SLT) cessation. METHODS: PubMed, EMBASE, clinicaltrials.gov, and the Cochrane Registry were searched up to February 1, 2014, for randomized clinical trials (RCTs) comparing varenicline to placebo. Random effects Mantel-Haenszel summary relative risks (RRs), risk difference (RD), and 95% CIs were used for analysis and reporting of outcomes. Primary and secondary outcomes were the 7-day point prevalence of SLT abstinence at the end of 12 and 26 weeks, respectively. Adverse events reported include nausea, sleep disturbance, and mood disorders. RESULTS: Three published RCTs involving 744 SLT users with a mean age of 39.7 years, of which greater than 88% were males, were randomized to varenicline (n = 370) and placebo (n = 374). Subjects in the varenicline arm had a significantly higher 7-day point prevalence of SLT abstinence at 12 weeks (48% vs. 33%; RR = 1.45, 95% CI = 1.22-1.72, p < .0001, I2 = 0%; RD = 13%, 95% CI = 4%-23%, p = .008) but not at 26 weeks (49% vs. 39%; RR = 1.38, 95% CI = 0.93-2.03, p = .11, I2 = 51%). There were no statistically significant differences in the incidences of adverse events between the 2 arms but interpretation is limited by high heterogeneity. CONCLUSION: This pooled analysis suggests that varenicline is effective in achieving a 7-day point prevalence of SLT abstinence at 12 weeks but showed that this effect was not sustained at 26 weeks.

Factors Supporting and Inhibiting Adherence to HIV Medication Regimen in Women: A Qualitative Analysis of Patient Interviews.

Adherence to antiretroviral therapy reduces morbidity and mortality; however rates of non-adherence are variable among women for unclear reasons. This study was a single-center qualitative analysis of interviews with 18 female HIV-positive non-adherent patients (defined by virologic failure) to explore psychosocial factors impacting adherence. Factors identified were categorized as promoting, inhibiting or having no effect on adherence. Three themes, characterized as social factors, illness factors and other societal pressures, were identified. Medical systems support, family support and compliance for children were most commonly identified as promoting adherence, while psychiatric comorbidities, lack of medical systems support and side effects were identified most often as inhibitors of adherence. While stigma was frequently identified, it was not seen as a barrier to adherence. Enhancing relationships between patients and their providers as well as their community support systems are critical avenues to pursue in improving compliance. Interventions to promote compliance are important avenues of future research.

Correlation between MMI performance and OSCE performance - a pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: The multiple mini-interview (MMI) has been shown to have a positive correlation with early medical school performance, clerkship evaluations, and national licensing examinations. There is limited data on its predictive validity at the postgraduate level. METHODS: Six hundred and nineteen internship candidates were interviewed using the MMI format by the internal medicine residency program of The Reading Health System, between September 2011 and February 2014. Fifty-two interns were recruited. Each intern participated in an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) 3-4 months after the start of the program. The OSCE score of each intern was used as the independent variable to test the relationship with both the MMI interpersonal score and the MMI overall score. RESULTS: There was a moderate positive correlation between the average MMI interpersonal score and the communication score on the OSCE, r=0.384, n=52, p=0.005, and a negligible relationship between the average MMI overall score and the communication score on the OSCE, r=0.175, n=52, p=0.214. CONCLUSION: The MMI is a useful tool for residency programs to assess interpersonal and communication skills prior to matriculation into residency training. This study provides evidence for its validity in assessing these competencies.

Recurrent aspiration pneumonia after laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding for obesity surgery.

Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) is an increasingly common therapeutic option in the management of obesity and certain obesity-related comorbid conditions. As it gains popularity for its advantages of being minimally invasive and reversible, clinicians should be aware of growing evidence of esophageal and pulmonary complications, which may be irreversible and associated with long-term morbidity. We report a case of esophageal and pulmonary complications in a patient with successful weight loss after lap-band surgery necessitating its removal.

Reliability and acceptability of a five-station multiple mini-interview model for residency program recruitment.

BACKGROUND: Standard interviews are used by most residency programs in the United States for assessment of aptitude of the non-cognitive competencies, but variability of interviewer skill, interviewer bias, interviewer leniency or stringency, and context specificity limit reliability. AIM: To investigate reliability and acceptability of five-station multiple mini-interview (MMI) model for resident selection into an internal medicine residency program in the United States. SETTING: One independent academic medical center. PARTICIPANTS: Two hundred and thirty-seven applicants and 17 faculty interviewers. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: Five, 10-min MMI stations with five different interviewers blinded to the candidate's records and one traditional 20-min interview with the program director. Candidates were rated on two items: interpersonal and communication skills, and overall performance. PROGRAM EVALUATION: Generalizability data showed that the reliability of our process was high (>0.9). The results of anonymous surveys demonstrated that both applicants and interviewers consider the MMI as a fair and more effective tool to evaluate non-cognitive traits, and prefer the MMI to standard interviews. DISCUSSION: The MMI process for residency interviews can generate reliable interview results using only five stations, and it is acceptable and preferred over standard interview modalities by the applicants and faculty members of one US residency program.