University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre

Autologous(auto-) and allogeneic(allo-) hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) are key treatments for relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), although their roles are challenged by CAR-T-cells and other immunotherapies. We examined the transplantation trends and outcomes for DLBCL patients undergoing auto-/allo-HSCT between 1990 and 2021 reported to EBMT. Over this period, 41,148 patients underwent auto-HSCT, peaking at 1911 cases in 2016, while allo-HSCT saw a maximum of 294 cases in 2018. The recent decline in transplants corresponds to increased CAR-T treatments (1117 cases in 2021). Median age for auto-HSCT rose from 42 (1990–1994) to 58 years (2015–2021), with peripheral blood becoming the primary stem cell source post-1994. Allo-HSCT median age increased from 36 (1990–1994) to 54 (2015–2021) years, with mobilized blood as the primary source post-1998 and reduced intensity conditioning post-2000. Unrelated and mismatched allo-HSCT accounted for 50% and 19% of allo-HSCT in 2015–2021. Three-year overall survival (OS) after auto-HSCT improved from 56% (1990–1994) to 70% (2015–2021), p < 0.001, with a decrease in relapse incidence (RI) from 49% to 38%, while non-relapse mortality (NRM) remained unchanged (4%). After allo-HSCT, 3-year-OS increased from 33% (1990–1999) to 46% (2015–2021) (p < 0.001); 3-year RI remained at 39% and 1-year-NRM decreased to 19% (p < 0.001). Our data reflect advancements over 32 years and >40,000 transplants, providing insights for evaluating emerging DLBCL therapies.

Administration of doxorubicin via bolus injection may result in environmental contamination and a risk of nurses becoming exposed. Small spills are frequently observed by nurses when syringes are connected to, and disconnected from, infusion lines. The effect of a closed-system drug transfer device (CSTD) on the release of doxorubicin was studied during administration via bolus injections. 10 administrations with the currently used technique and 10 administrations using the CSTD were compared by analysis of doxorubicin contamination on gauze pads, tissues and gloves. Using the current technique, contamination was found during nine administrations, which was mainly on the gauze pads and, to a lesser extent, on the tissues and gloves, indicating release of doxorubicin during administration. With use of the CSTD, contamination was found only on one pair of gloves. Use of a CSTD significantly decreased the number of spills and level of contamination compared with the currently used technique and, consequently, the use of such devices offers a safer working environment for nurses.

Food handlers have been recognized to play a major role in the transmission of food borne diseases; contributing significantly to the global incidence and burden of diseases. This study assesses nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus among food handlers in the Obafemi Awolowo University eateries. A total of 35 nasal swab samples were collected and analyzed using standard conventional methods of microbial analysis in isolation and identification of S. aureus including catalase, coagulase and DNase tests as well as the antibiotic susceptibility of the isolates. The result showed that the prevalence of nasal carriage of S. aureus in Obafemi Awolowo University eateries was 13 (37.14%). The antibiotic susceptibility shown that all isolates were 100% sensitive to pefloxacin, zinnacel and ciprofloxacin while gentamycin (84.61%), ampiclox (30.77%), amoxicillin (30.77%), rocephin (61.53%), streptomycin (69.23%), septrin (23.07%), and erythromycin (46.18%) respectively. Concerted effort need to be made to educate food handlers and restaurant workers on the importance of personal hygiene and the use of protective gadget like nose masks while handling food products.

Despite the accessibility of the oral cavity to clinical examination, delays in diagnosis of oral and oropharyngeal carcinoma (OOPC) are observed in a large majority of patients, with negative impact on prognosis. Diagnostic aids might help detection and improve early diagnosis, but there remains little robust evidence supporting the use of any particular diagnostic technology at the moment. The aim of the present feasibility first-in-human study was to evaluate the preliminary diagnostic validity of a novel technology platform based on dielectrophoresis (DEP). DEP does not require labeling with antibodies or stains and it is an ideal tool for rapid analysis of cell properties. Cells from OOPC/dysplasia tissue and healthy oral mucosa were collected from 57 study participants via minimally-invasive brush biopsies and tested with a prototype DEP platform using median membrane midpoint frequency as main analysis parameter. Results indicate that the current DEP platform can discriminate between brush biopsy samples from cancerous and healthy oral tissue with a diagnostic sensitivity of 81.6% and a specificity of 81.0%. The present ex vivo results support the potential application of DEP testing for identification of OOPC. This result indicates that DEP has the potential to be developed into a low-cost, rapid platform as an assistive tool for the early identification of oral cancer in primary care; given the rapid, minimally-invasive and non-expensive nature of the test, dielectric characterization represents a promising platform for cost-effective early cancer detection.

This study was done at the University College Hospital Ibadan, Nigeria between January and June, 2006. It was designed to determine the incidence and prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus in conjunctivitis in the Ophthalmology clinic of the hospital as well as the antibiotic sensitivity profile to chloramphenicol. A total of 210 swabs were gram-stained and cultured bacteriologically. 158 were positive for bacterial pathogens while 26 were bacteriologically sterile. A total of 174 bacterial isolate both in pure and mixed culture were isolated and 72 of the isolates were S. aureus. The age group < 1 year had the highest occurrence rate of 44.4%, followed by age group 1 - 5 years (30.6%) while the age group 6 - 10 years had the least (11.1%). More males (63.9%) than females (36.1%) were infected (p < 0.05). Susceptibility test result showed that gentamicin, ciprofloxacin, pefloxacin, erythromycin were active against s. aureus and are therefore, recommended as first line drugs. Chloramphenicol (61.1%) showed moderate activity against the organism. Key words: Prevalence, incidence, staphylococcus aureus, ophthalmology, chloramphenicol.

This study reports the prevalence of malaria caused by plasmodium between genders in Abeokuta, the capital city of Ogun State located in the forest zone of southwestern Nigeria between January 2002 and December 2004. Blood film examination for malaria parasites in 708 patients; 366 males and 342 females. Microscopic examination of thick films techniques was employed for this study. Of the 708 (100%) patients examined, 577 (81.5%) were Plasmodium-positive. A high malaria parasite prevalence rate of 81.5% was noted in this study. Female subjects were more infected (42.4%) than males (41.9%) however, there was no significant difference in the sex of the subjects studied (p=0.05). A high malaria parasite prevalence rate of 86.9% was noted in samples collected in year 2003 than in other years studied. There was significant difference in the years under study (p=0.05). This study shows that a good percentage of people were infested by malaria Plasmodium. This could be attributed to lack of adequate accommodation and poor sanitary conditions in the area under study. Although several efforts have been made to effectively control the high incidence of malaria in Nigeria, these have been largely unsuccessful due to a number of reasons such as irrigated urban agriculture which can be the malaria vector's breeding ground in the city, stagnant gutters and swamps in our environment where mosquitoes breed in millions, and lack of political will and commitment of the government in its disease management program, low awareness of the magnitude of malaria problem, poor health practices by individuals and communities and resistance to drugs. Therefore, future interventions in Nigeria should be directed toward controlling malaria in the context of a moderate transmission setting; thus, large-scale distribution of insecticide-treated nets or widespread use of indoor residual spraying may be less cost-effective than enhanced surveillance with effective case management or focused larval control.

This study evaluated the effectiveness of pyramidal training with direct care staff in group homes. Training focused on teaching staff how to provide opportunities for communication to non-speaking children with developmental disabilities to communicate. Staff were taught through a combination of a workshop, and nondirective consultation following an adult education model. A multiple-probe design across three cohorts of direct care staff was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the training in terms of the number of opportunities provided by staff and the percentage of requests emitted by participating children. Results showed that pyramidal training resulted in more opportunities provided to the children and concurrent increases in children's requesting. Results are discussed in terms of the suitability of pyramidal training for group home settings, and implications for future research.

This paper aims to examine the loss of weight and loss of appetite as 'problems' experienced by patients with advanced cancer and those that care for them. It reports the results of a systematic search of the literature and presents the findings as a narrative review. Research to date has focused upon charting the prevalence and incidence of these symptoms, but little empirical work has been conducted to investigate how patients and carers experience these problems. There is some evidence to suggest that anorexia may be more distressing for those caring for the patient than the person suffering from the symptom itself. Understanding the reason for this anguish requires an appreciation of the meaning of food refusal and constitutes the first step towards informing the development of effective interventions. Such exploratory work is mandatory if health professionals wish to move beyond speculation and deliver interventions that provide meaningful benefits for the cancer patient and their family.