The rates of second lung cancers and the survival of surgically-resected second primary lung cancers in patients undergoing resection of an initial primary lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: The Lung Cancer Screening Trial demonstrated improved overall survival (OS) and lung cancer specific survival (LCSS), likely due to finding early-stage NSCLC. The purpose of our investigation is to evaluate whether long-term surveillance strategies (4+ years after surgical resection of the initial lung cancer(1LC)) would be beneficial in NSCLC patients by assessing the rates of second lung cancers(2LC) and the OS/LCSS in patients undergoing definitive surgery in 1LC as compared to 2LC (>48 months after 1LC) populations. METHODS: SEER13/18 database was reviewed for patients during 1998-2013. Log-rank tests were used to determine the OS/LCSS differences between the 1LC and 2LC in the entire surgical group(EG) and in those having an early-stage resectable tumors (ESR, tumors <4 cm, node negative). Joinpoint analysis was used to determine rates of second cancers 4-10 year after 1LC using SEER-9 during years 1985-2014. RESULTS: The rate of 2LCs was significantly less than all other second cancers until 2001 when the incidence of 2LCs increased sharply and became significantly greater than all other second cancers in females starting in year 2005 and in men starting in year 2010. OS/LCSS, adjusted for propensity score by using inverse probability weighting, demonstrated similar OS, but worse LCSS for 2LCs in the EG, but similar OS/LCSSs in the ESR group. CONCLUSION: Because the rate of 2LCs are increasing and because the OS/LCSS of the 1LC and 2LC are similar in early-stage lesions, we feel that continued surveillance of patients in order to find early-stage disease may be beneficial.

Relations among questionnaire and laboratory measures of rhinovirus infection.

Due to high incidence and quality-of-life impact, upper respiratory infection substantially impacts on population health. To test or compare treatment effectiveness, a well-designed and validated illness-specific quality-of-life instrument is needed. Data reported in the current study were obtained from a trial testing echinacea for induced rhinovirus infection. Laboratory-assessed biomarkers included interleukin (IL)-8, nasal neutrophil count (polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN)), mucus weight, viral titre and seroconversion. The questionnaires used included the general health short form (SF)-8 (24-h recall version), the eight-item Jackson cold scale, and the 44-item Wisconsin Upper Respiratory Symptom Survey (WURSS). In total, 399 participants were inoculated with rhinovirus and monitored over 2,088 person-days. Statistically significant associations were found among nearly all variables. Between-questionnaire correlations were: WURSS-Jackson = 0.81; WURSS-SF-8 = 0.62; and Jackson-SF-8 = 0.60. Correlations with laboratory values were as follows: WURSS-mucus weight = 0.53; Jackson-mucus weight = 0.55; WURSS-viral titre = 0.37; Jackson-viral titre = 0.46; WURSS-IL-8 = 0.31; Jackson-IL-8 = 0.36; WURSS-PMN = 0.31; and Jackson-PMN = 0.28. Neither WURSS nor Jackson yielded satisfactory cut-off scores for diagnosis of infection. Symptomatic and biological outcomes of upper respiratory infection are highly variable, with only modest associations. While Wisconsin Upper Respiratory Symptom Survey and Jackson questionnaires both correlate with biomarkers, neither is a good predictor of induced infection. The inclusion of functional and quality-of-life items in the Wisconsin Upper Respiratory Symptom Survey does not significantly decrease the strength of association with laboratory-assessed biomarkers.

Evaluation of Sampling Strategies for Determining Incidence of Cranberry Fruit Rot and Fruit Rot Fungi.

Two sampling strategies were compared and sources of variability in the sampling protocols analyzed to optimize sampling methods for studies of cranberry fruit rot that occurs in the field (i.e., field rot). For the first method, fruit were dry picked by hand from randomly assigned quadrats; for the second method, fruit were scooped from harvest floodwaters. Rot incidence, which ranged from 1.8 to 9.7%, did not differ significantly between upland and lowland sites or, in general, between dry-picked and wet-harvested samples. There were no consistent differences between upland and lowland sites in the frequency of isolation of any fungus from either rotten or sound fruit. The incidence of certain saprophytic and soilborne fungi was greater in wet-harvested compared with dry-picked fruit. In general, rot incidence and incidence of various fungal taxa isolated from fruit varied more among samples within sites than among sites. Site type (i.e., upland or lowland) was never a major source of variability. These findings suggest that if the goal were to assess the occurrence of cranberry fruit rot within a region, intensive within-site sampling would be necessary, but site type would not be an important consideration, at least in Wisconsin, where this study was conducted.

Infection of Cranberry Flowers by Monilinia oxycocci and Evaluation of Cultivars for Resistance to Cottonball.

ABSTRACT Infection of cranberry flowers by conidia of Monilinia oxycocci, the cottonball pathogen, was investigated using a squash-mount histological method. Conidia germinated on anthers, nectaries, petals, and stigmata, but not styles. The stigma was the only flower part penetrated by the fungus, but no specialized infection structures were noted. Both fungal and pollen germ tubes grew through the stylar canal and made contact with ovules and nucellar tissue by 72 h after inoculation and pollination. Cottonball incidence was greatest when stigmata were inoculated; the low level of cottonball that resulted from inoculation of other flower parts and in noninoculated flowers was attributed to contamination of stigmata. In greenhouse tests, cottonball incidence was 25, 28, 31, and 38% for cvs. Searles, Pilgrim, Ben Lear, and Stevens, respectively, and was greater for M. oxycocci isolate 593 than isolate 591. We conclude that the stigma is the sole floral infection court for conidia of M. oxycocci and that the most popular cranberry cultivars in Wisconsin do not differ in inherent resistance to cottonball. The relevance of these findings to the long-term management of cottonball is discussed.

Sensitivity of Monilinia oxycocci to Fenbuconazole and Propiconazole in vitro and Control of Cranberry Cottonball in the Field.

The efficacy of fungicides in controlling cottonball disease of cranberry was tested during 1996 to 1998 at three locations in Wisconsin. For some fungicides, the efficacy of four applications, two each during shoot elongation and bloom, was compared with two applications during bloom only. Spraying twice during bloom was as effective in controlling secondary infection as spraying twice during shoot elongation plus twice during bloom. Azoxystrobin, cyprodinil, and propiconazole were equally effective. None of the treatments affected yield, fruit retention, or berry weight compared with the controls. Sensitivity of M. oxycocci, the cottonball pathogen, to fenbuconazole and propiconazole was tested in vitro by comparing the distributions of ED50 values of populations collected from three sites that differed in previous exposure to fungicides. Median ED50 values for fenbuconazole were significantly greater at sites where sterol demethylation inhibitor fungicides had been used compared with a site where fungicides had never been used, but median ED50 values for propiconazole did not differ among sites. There was no correlation between the sensitivities to fenbuconazole and propiconazole. The data will form the basis of recommendations aimed at delaying the onset of fungicide resistance and will provide a baseline for monitoring resistance to fenbuconazole and propiconazole in populations of M. oxycocci in the future.