Rapid systematic review of interventions to improve antenatal screening rates for syphilis, hepatitis B, and HIV in low- and middle-income countries

BACKGROUND

Infectious diseases including syphilis, HIV, and hepatitis B are major contributors to maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality worldwide, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The World Health Organization has prioritized elimination of vertical transmission of these three diseases.

OBJECTIVES

To rapidly assess the impact of interventions designed to improve antenatal screening rates for syphilis, HIV, and hepatitis B in LMICs and to identify areas for future implementation research.

SEARCH STRATEGY

A comprehensive search was conducted across PubMed, Embase, and EconLit, targeting articles published between January 1, 2013, and June 27, 2023.

SELECTION CRITERIA

We included quantitative interventional studies in English, involving pregnant adults (15 years or older) from LMICs. Exclusions were studies based in high-income countries, qualitative studies, or those investigating accuracy of diagnostic methods.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

From an initial 5549 potential studies, 27 were finalized for review after various screening stages. Data extraction covered aspects such as study design, intervention details, and outcomes. Findings were qualitatively synthesized within a systems thinking framework.

MAIN RESULTS

The interventions assessed varied in terms of geographic locations, health care system levels, and modalities. The review highlighted the effectiveness of interventions such as community health interventions, service quality improvements, and financial incentives.

CONCLUSIONS

The study underscores the potential of specific interventions in enhancing antenatal screening rates in LMICs. However, there is a discernible research gap concerning hepatitis B. The findings emphasize the importance of capacity building and health systems strengthening in public health interventions.

Effect of preoperative chemotherapy on the histopathological classification of gastric cancer

BACKGROUND

In the era of individualized gastric cancer (GC) treatment, accurate determination of histological subtype becomes increasingly relevant. As yet, it is unclear whether preoperative chemotherapy may affect the histological subtype. The aim of this study was to assess concordance in histological subtype between pretreatment biopsies and surgical resection specimens before and after the introduction of perioperative treatment.

METHODS

Histological subtype was centrally determined in paired GC biopsies and surgical resection specimens of patients treated with either surgery alone (SA) in the Dutch D1/D2 study or with preoperative chemotherapy (CT) in the CRITICS trial. The histological subtype as determined in the resection specimen was considered the gold standard. Concordance rates and sensitivity and specificity of intestinal, diffuse, mixed, and "other" subtypes of GC were analyzed.

RESULTS

In total, 105 and 515 pairs of GC biopsies and resection specimens of patients treated in the SA and CT cohorts, respectively, were included. Overall concordance in the histological subtype was 72% in the SA and 74% in the CT cohort and substantially higher in the diffuse subtype (83% and 86%) compared to the intestinal (70% and 74%), mixed (21% and 33%) and "other" subtypes (54% and 54%). In the SA cohort, sensitivities and specificities were 0.88 and 0.71 in the intestinal, 0.67 and 0.93 in the diffuse, 0.20 and 0.98 in the mixed, and 0.50 and 0.93 in the "other" subtypes, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Our results suggest that accurate determination of histological subtype on gastric cancer biopsies is suboptimal but that the impact of preoperative chemotherapy on histological subtype is negligible.

Adjuvant chemotherapy is superior to chemoradiation after D2 surgery for gastric cancer in the per-protocol analysis of the randomized CRITICS trial

BACKGROUND

The Intergroup 0116 and the MAGIC trials changed clinical practice for resectable gastric cancer in the Western world. In these trials, overall survival improved with post-operative chemoradiotherapy (CRT) and perioperative chemotherapy (CT). Intention-to-treat analysis in the CRITICS trial of post-operative CT or post-operative CRT did not show a survival difference. The current study reports on the per-protocol (PP) analysis of the CRITICS trial.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The CRITICS trial was a randomized, controlled trial in which 788 patients with stage Ib-Iva resectable gastric or esophagogastric adenocarcinoma were included. Before start of preoperative CT, patients from the Netherlands, Sweden and Denmark were randomly assigned to receive post-operative CT or CRT. For the current analysis, only patients who started their allocated post-operative treatment were included. Since it is uncertain that the two treatment arms are balanced in such PP analysis, adjusted proportional hazards regression analysis and inverse probability weighted analysis were used to minimize the risk of selection bias and to estimate and compare overall and event-free survival.

RESULTS

Of the 788 patients, 478 started post-operative treatment according to protocol, 233 (59%) patients in the CT group and 245 (62%) patients in the CRT group. Patient and tumor characteristics between the groups before start of the post-operative treatment were not different. After a median follow-up of 6.7 years since the start of post-operative treatment, the 5-year overall survival was 57.9% (95% confidence interval: 51.4% to 64.3%) in the CT group versus 45.5% (95% confidence interval: 39.2% to 51.8%) in the CRT group (adjusted hazard ratio CRT versus CT: 1.62 (1.24-2.12), P = 0.0004). Inverse probability weighted analysis resulted in similar hazard ratios.

CONCLUSION

After adjustment for all known confounding factors, the PP analysis of patients who started the allocated post-operative treatment in the CRITICS trial showed that the CT group had a significantly better 5-year overall survival than the CRT group (NCT00407186).

Plattenepithelkarzinom der Schilddrüse ausgehend von einer Ductus thyreoglossus Zyste

Es wird über eine 73jährige Patientin mit dem sehr seltenen Fall eines Karzinoms berichtet, das sich in einer Ductus thyreoglossus-Zyste innerhalb einer Struma diffusa et nodosa entwickelt hatte. Zusätzlich bestand eine Immunthyreopathie Typ Basedow. Sonographische, röntgenologische, szintigraphische und histologische Befunde werden vorgestellt.

3,5,3’-Triiodothyroacetic Acid (TRIAC) Effects on Pituitary Thyroid Regulation and on Peripheral Tissue Parameters

The effects of TRIAC on peripheral thyroid hormones, TSH incretion and peripheral tissue parameters were investigated in 13 mildly obese patients (group I) and 10 volunteers of normal body weight (group II). TRIAC was administered 3x1 mg daily over a period of 8 days to both groups. In group I (on a 400 kcal low caloric diet) bTSH and fT4 decreased significantly whereas TT4 decreased only insignificantly. TT3 and fT3 rose significantly due to the cross-reactivity of the employed antibody. The peripheral tissue parameters cholesterol, ankle jerk and systolic time interval did not reveal any changes suggesting an increase in metabolic rate. The increase in heart frequency was not significant either. The significant rise in sex-hormone binding globulin was most probably associated with the weight reduction of 3.1 ± 1.2 kg per week. In group II (on normal diet) bTSH and fT4 decreased significantly whereas TT4 decreased only insignificantly. As in group I, TT3 and fT3 rose significantly. Also in group II TRIAC did not cause alterations in the peripheral tissue parameters. In contrast to the obese group the volunteers in group II showed no significant rise in sex-hormone binding globulin and no reduction of body weight. Side effects such as nervousness, tremor or palpitations were not observed. Thus, TRIAC does not induce an increase in peripheral metabolic rate, not even under a TSH-suppressive dose as high as 3 x 1 mg per day.

Schilddrüsenvolumina und Jodversorgung 6- bis 17jähriger Schüler

In Österreich wurde 1963 eine gesetzlich vorgeschriebene Speisesalzjodierung mit 10 mg KJ/kg eingeführt. Dennoch zeigten Untersuchungen zur Jodversorgung zwischen 1982 und 84 nach wie vor einen Jodmangel Grad I bis II. Dies führte 1990 zur Anhebung der Speisesalzjodierung auf 20 mg KJ/kg Vollsalz. Ziel der Untersuchung war es, die Jodversorgung und die Schilddrüsenvolumina von Schülern 3 Jahre nach Einführung der erhöhten Jodsalzprophlyaxe zu überprüfen. Durchgeführt wurde eine stichprobenartige Untersuchung an 734 Schülern der 1. bis 12. Schulstufe. Der Mittelwert der Harnjodidausscheidung betrug 121 ug/g Kr; dies bedeutet gebenüber den Voruntersuchungen von 1984 einen deutlichen Anstieg der Jodversorgung. Gegenüber den Vergleichsdaten zeigten die entsprechenden Altersgruppen geringere mittlere Schilddrüsenvolumina.

201TI Myocardial SPECT and ß-Endorphin Levels in Patients with Suspected Silent Ischemia

Today silent myocardial ischemia (SMI) is a well-recognized phenomenon. However, in the absence of clinical signs suggesting coronary artery disease (CAD), a streamlined diagnostic approach for precise clarification has proved to be difficult. Sensitivity and specificity of ergometric results are rather poor in symptom-free patients. Thus the question arises, whether the necessity of coronary angiography can be established more precisely by 201TI myocardial SPECT in these patients. Treadmill exercise according to the Bruce protocol, 201TI myocardial SPECT and coronary angiography were performed in a total of 106 patients with suspected SMI. In group I (high probability of ischemia; n = 46), reversible defects detected by SPECT correlated well with significant stenoses and irreversible defects with subtotal stenoses or complete occlusions. SPECT sensitivity in the detection of ischemia was 91 %, its specificity 96%. In group II (low probability of ischemia; n = 60), SPECT sensitivity was as high as in group I (94%) but due to a high number of false-positive results (e. g. cardiomyopathy) specificity was only 75%. However, SPECT was superior to exercise ECG (sensitivity 70%; specificity 56%) in the detection of SMI. In addition, ß-endorphin levels were determined in 180 healthy subjects, 37 patients with symptomatic CAD and in 34 patients with SMI before and during maximum exercise. Exercise values in patients with SMI were significantly higher than in healthy subjects or in patients with symptomatic CAD.

Preoperative Scintigraphic and Intraoperative Scintimetric Localization of Parathyroid Adenoma with Cationic Tc-99m Complexes and a Hand-Held Gamma-Probe

Aim: The aim of our study was to evaluate the possibility of intraoperative scintimetric detection of parathyroid adenomas with Tc-99m labelled tracers for its usefulness in dystopic or ectopic adenomas. Methods: 12 women with biochemically confirmed hyperparathyroidism were included in our study. After injection of 370 MBq Tc-99m tetrofosmin e.g. sestamibi, preoperative scintigraphy (double phase study and SPECT) was performed and T/NT ratios were evaluated for early, delayed and SPECT images. Surgery was performed using a handheld gamma-probe after preoperative injection of 555-925 MBq Tc-99m tetrofosmin e.g. sestamibi. Count rates (cts/10 sec) were measured and used for calculating in situ - and ex situ - T/NT ratios. Results: In 9 out of 12 patients, adenoma could be detected on static images. Mean T/NT ratios for Tc-99m tetrofosmin were 1.29 for early and 1.23 for delayed images, respectively 1.39 and 1.23 for early and delayed Tc-99m sestamibi scan. Three cases could only be detected with SPECT reconstruction. 11 of 12 parathyroid adenomas could be confirmed intra-operatively. Conclusion: SPECT with Tc-99m labelled cationic complexes showed advantages in detection, precise localization and contrast over static scintigraphy and should therefore be performed at least in cases with poor or no uptake on static images to avoid failures in detection of deeply sited, dislocated glands or adenomas with low uptake. Intraoperative localization and confirmation of parathyroid adenoma with Tc-99m-labelled cationic complexes and a gamma probe is possible and may be useful in case of dys- or ectopic adenoma by influencing surgical approach and operating time.

99mTc-markierte Anti-CEA-Antikörper in der intraoperativen Diagnostik kolorektaler Karzinome

Eine stadiengerechte Therapie kolorektaler Malignóme setzt die exakte Kenntnis des Tumorstadiums voraus. Intraoperativ ist dies für die Beurteilung der Operationsradikalität und die Planung weiterführender adjuvanter oder palliativer Behandlungsmodalitäten unerläßlich. In einer kontrollierten prospektiven Studie, an der 20 Patienten teilnahmen, wurde versucht, den Stellenwert nuklearmedizinischer Untersuchungen unter diesem Aspekt zu evaluieren. Mit 99mTc markierte Antikörper gegen zelluläre CEA-Epitope wurden zur intraoperativen Szintimetrie eingesetzt. Die Meßergebnisse wurden mit jenen der etablierten Verfahren verglichen und histopathologisch überprüft. Die intraoperative Szintimetrie erlaubt die exakte Lokalisation metastatischer Absiedelungen. Die Radikalität der Operation kann zuverlässig festgestellt werden. Die Immunszintimetrie ermöglicht somit eine exakte Stadienzuordnung zu einem frühen und therapeutisch relevanten Zeitpunkt.

Diagnose einer Achalasie durch 99mTc-Pertechnetat-Szintigraphie

Eine 73jährige Patientin zeigte bei der 99mTc-Schilddrüsenszintigraphie eine von der Schilddrüse abgesetzte deutliche fokale Speicherung links kaudal der Schilddrüse. Die weitere diagnostische Abklärung mittels Sonographie, CT, Ösophagoskopie und videoassistiertem Kontrastmittelschluckakt ergab als Ursache der 99mTc-Speicherung eine Achalasie. Die Erklärung einer 99mTc-Speicherung in der Speiseröhre wäre die unspezifische 99mTc-Aufnahme in den Speicheldrüsen mit nachfolgender Tracerelimination über den Speichel. Depotbildungen von Speichel bei Erkrankungen der Speiseröhre, die mit einer Transportstörung des Speichels verbunden sind, können dadurch Schilddrüsengewebe vortäuschen.

Diagnostik der SDAT mittels HMPAO-SPECT und Serumvitamin-B12-Spiegel

Die alleinige klinische Abklärung dementieller Zustandsbilder, so auch der senilen Demenz vom Alzheimertyp (SDAT), ist schwierig. Durch die Kombination von 99mTc-HMPAO-Gehirn-SPECT und Serumvitamin-B12-Bestimmung erwarteten wir eine Beschleunigung und Verbesserung der Diagnostik der SDAT. Von 116 Patienten, die in 4 Gruppen, entsprechend ihrem 99mTc-HMPAO-Verteilungsmuster eingeteilt worden waren, konnten bei 17 klinisch sehr wahrscheinlichen SDAT-Patienten bei 15 Auffälligkeiten mit Hinweis auf SDAT im Gehirn SPECT gefunden werden. Ein Teil der Patienten wies einen niedrig-normalen bzw. pathologisch niedrigen Vitamin-B12-Spiegel auf. Andere Untersuchungen würden durch die Kombination von Gehirn-SPECT und Serumvitamin-B12-Bestimmung nicht überflüssig werden, obwohl beide Untersuchungen Informationen lieferten, die die Zuordnung zur Diagnose SDAT erleichterten. Die zusätzliche Serumvitamin-B12-Bestimmung stellt keinen wesentlichen Mehraufwand dar.

Schilddrüsenhemiagenesie mit Immunthyreopathie

Die Hemiagenesie der Schilddrüse stellt eine seltene angeborene Veränderung dar. Diese angeborene Variante der Schilddrüsenanlage wird in den meisten Fällen durch Auffälligkeiten der Funktion oder der Größe des vorhandenen Schilddrüsenlappens zufällig gefunden. Der Fall einer 57jährigen Frau mit einer Schilddrüsenhemiagenesie in Kombination mit einer Immunthyreopathie Basedow wird vorgestellt. Die Zuweisung der Patientin zur Untersuchung erfolgte wegen einer Schilddrüsenüberfunktion. Die erforderlichen diagnostischen Schritte zur Erstellung dieser beiden Schilddrüsenveränderungen waren ein 99m-Tc-Schilddrüsenszintigramm, Ultraschall und Laborparameter der Schilddrüse (fT4, TT3, bTSH, TAK, TPO, TRAK).

Tc-99m-Tetrofosmin Scintigraphy: An Alternative Scintigraphic Method for Following up Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma

Aim: The usefulness of the myocardial perfusion agent, Tc-99m-tetrofosmin (Myoview®) in the follow-up of differentiated thyroid carcinoma was evaluated in a clinical study of 15 patients, primary treated with thyroidectomy and high-dose I-131-therapy (2960-3700 MBq), 12 with suspected recurrence and metastases and three patients without any suspicion and compared with other non-specific tracers like TI-201 and Tc-99m-sestamibi. Method: Twelve patients with elevated thyroglobulin (Tg) levels of more than 10 ng/ml (group A), four of these had negative I-131 scans, and three patients with Tg levels less than 10 ng/ml (group B) were examined under TSH suppressive L-Thyroxine treatment. Whole body scans were taken with TI-201 (74 MBq; 20 min post injection), Tc-99m-sestamibi (370 MBq; 20-60 min post injection) and Tc-99m-tetrofosmin (370 MBq; 20-60 min post injection). Tumor/background ratios and optional time/activity analyses (up to 150 min post injection) were evaluated using the region of interest approach. Results: Compared with TI-201 (T/BG: 1.59, ± 0.396), Tc-99m-tetrofosmin showed slightly but not significant better T/BG ratios and detection rates (T/BG: 1.76, ± 0.345).Tc-99m-sestamibi (1.51, ± 0.31 p = 0.05) showea significantly lower values than Tc-99m-tetrofosmin. Conclusion: In the light of these results, scintigraphy with Tc-99m-tetrofosmin seems to be a possibly sensitive imaging modality in the follow-up of DTC with possible advantages concerning T/Bg ratio, background clearance, detection rate and dosimetry compared with TI-201 and Tc-99m-sestamibi, especially in patients with elevated Tg level and no iodine uptake , but further investigations are needed to confirm our preliminary results.

Tc-99m-Tetrofosmin Scintimammography: A Prospective Study in Primary Breast Lesions

Despite low specificity routine mammography is the method of choice to screen women for breast cancer. In addition high frequency ultrasonography (US) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can improve breast cancer diagnosis. However there is a lack of conventional imaging to improve the high rate of false positive results that make biopsy or surgery necessary. Aim: The purpose of our study was to evaluate prospectively the sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV of scintimammography with a new cationic complex Tc-99m-tetrofosmin. Methods: Fourtyeight patients in whom mammography and/or high resolution ultrasonography (10MHz) revealed suspicious breast lesions were studied with Tc-99m-tetrofosmin scintimammography. In thirtyfour of them biopsy and/or surgery was performed for histological evaluation. After intravenous injection of 555 MBq Tc-99m-tetrofosmin dynamic images over three minutes (1 frame/10 sec.) planar images in anterior and lateral projections (5 min. p.i.) and SPECT imaging including 3-D-reconstruction (20 min. p.i.) were performed. Scintimammography was evaluated as negative, equivocal (+), probably (++) or definitely (+++) positive. Results: Scintimammography with Tc-99m-tetrofosmin was negative in 18 patients (17 t.n.; 1 f.n.) and positive in 16 patients (10 t.p., 6 f.p.). The false negative scintimammography was observed in a patient with infiltrating ductal carcinoma pT1, the false positive result in a patient with fibrocystic disease; all of the five fibroadenomas were also “false” positive. Sensitivity of Tc-99m-tetrofosmin scintimammography in this prospective study was 91 %, specificity 74%, PPV 63% and NPV 94%. Scintimammographic results in patients with suspicious breast lesion show, that Tc-99m-tetrofosmin accumulates in breast cancer as well as in fibroadenoma. However the high NPV of 94 % excludes breast cancer in suspicious mammographie lesions in a very high degree and therefore reduces the need of biopsy and/or surgery in most of these patients. Conclusion: Our first results show that scintimammography with Tc-99m-tetrofosmin might play a role as further diagnostic step before surgery for women in whom mammography and/or ultrasonography show suspicious lesions.

Tc-99m ciprofloxacin in clinically selected patients suspected for peripherial osteomyelitis, spondylodiscitis and fever of unknown origin: preliminary results

Aim: Retrospective evaluation of Tc-99m ciprofloxacin (infecton) scintigraphy consecutively performed in a series of patients clinically suspected for peripheral osteomyelitis (OM), spondylodiscitis (SD) and fever of unknown origin (FUO). Methods: A total of 20 patients clinically suspected for OM (n = 12), SD (n = 3) and FUO (n = 5) were included in our retrospective analysis. The additional criterion was a positive 3-phase bone scan for OM, or a 2-phase bone scan in case of SD. Planar whole body scans and static acquisitions were performed 1 and 4 h after application of 370 MBq Tc-99m ciprofloxacin. In 10 patients with suspected OM, additional immunoscintigraphy using Tc-99m labelled monoclonal antibodies (Mab BW 250/183) was performed and the correlation of infecton to bloodpool and antigranulocyte scintigraphy was analysed. Results: OM: Bacterial infection was confirmed in 8 of 15 lesions. Infecton demonstrated true positive (TP) results in 7 of 8, true negative (TN) results in 2 of 7, false positive (FP) results in 5 of 7 patients and one false negative (FN) result. A strong correlation could be demonstrated between T/NT ratios of infecton and bloodpool Tc-99m medronate imaging (r = 0.84, 0.88) and between infecton and BW 250/183 (r = 0.92, 0.90). Using a threshold of 2.0 for T/NT ratio, only TP results could be observed whereas a T/NT in the range of 1.0-2.0 could not discriminate between septic and aseptic inflammation. Concordant results with Mab BW 250/183 could only be observed in 5 of 10 patients (4 TP, 1 TN) by showing 4 FP and 1 FN lesions with IF. Conclusion: Non-specific uptake of infecton can be observed in a variety of clinical situations with moderate uptake, by showing a strong correlation with blood-pool imaging. Nevertheless, intense uptake may be specific for septic inflammation.

Results of preoperative ultrasound guided fine needle aspiration biopsy of solitary thyroid nodules as compared with the histology

Aim: The goal of this study was to assess the accuracy and limitations of ultrasound guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy (ug-FNAB) of solitary thyroid nodules. Methods: The ug-FNAB results of 538 patients with solitary thyroid nodules, who afterwards underwent thyroid surgery, were compared retrospectively with the histology. Patients with multinodular goiter were excluded from the study. Ug-FNAB was performed on growing and/or hypoechoic and/or hypofunctional nodules. The ug-FNAB results were grouped as follows: group 1: malignant (n = 44); group 2: malignancy cannot be ruled out (n = 173); group 3: non-malignant (n = 296), group 4: inadequate (n = 25). Results: When the cytological results of group 1 and group 2 were interpreted os being malignant and those of group 3 as being benign, sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of ug-FNAB were 96.7%, 65.8% and 69.5% respectively. The 62 thyroid carcinomas (TO biopsied presented in 59 cases a suspicious or malignant cytology (95.2%). The smallest TC diagnosed by ug-FNAB had a diameter of 0.5cm and 36.4% of all papillary TC ≤ 1 cm displayed stage pT4. The histology verified a TC in 18 cases out of the 173 ug-FNABs in group 2. Non-malignant ug-FNABs were confirmed by histology in 294 patients (99.3%) in group 3. In 4.65% of the ug-FNABs inadequate material was aspirated. Conclusion: Nodules with non-suspicious ug-FNAB results can be safely followed-up by sonography, as the cytological diagnoses were verified in more than 99% by histology. Papillary TC can be diagnosed with ug-FNAB very accurately. As stage pT4 was present in more than one third of patients with papillary TC ≤ T cm, ug-FNAB is also recommended for thyroid nodules 0.5-1 cm in diameter located adjacent to the thyroid capsule. However, microfollicular proliferations remain the limitation of ug-FNAB, as the cytology cannot distinguish between benign adenoma and follicular TC.

Is there a role for scintigraphic imaging of bone manifestations in Gaucher disease?

Gaucher disease is the most prevalent inherited, lysosomal storage disease and is caused by deficient activity of the enzyme β-glucocerebrosidase. Bone and bone marrow alterations are frequent in the most prevalent non-neuronopathic form of Gaucher disease. Imaging of bone manifestations in Gaucher disease is performed by a variety of imaging methods, conventional X-ray and MRI as the most frequently and most important ones. However, different modalities of scintigraphic imaging have also been used. This article gives an overview on scintigraphic imaging with respect to bone manifestations in Gaucher disease discussing the advantages and limitations of scintigraphic imaging in comparison to other imaging methods.

Promoting learning and innovation in organizations through complexity leadership theory

Purpose

Current organizations face a complex competitive landscape driven by globalization and technology that puts them in the course of a new economic age. This complexity stresses learning and innovation as fundamental mechanisms for organizational survival. This paper aims to propose that how learning and innovation emerge and affect organizational performance can be better understood through the complexity leadership theory.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors review literature on complexity leadership theory, learning and innovation in complex bureaucratic environments and then present reflections regarding how learning and innovation can be achieved through the interaction of three complexity leadership functions: adaptive, administrative and enabling. This conceptual framework suggests that individuals are in constant interaction, exchange information, influence each other and collectively produce emergent properties that promote effective learning and innovation.

Findings

We propose that learning and innovation can be better achieved in organizations if the complexity leadership theory is applied as an alternative to centralized forms of influence and control.

Originality/value

This paper presents a reflection on the benefits of the complexity leadership theory as an alternative framework to understand organizational leadership. Furthermore, this paper proposes that the complexity leadership theory is more adequate to generate learning and innovation in complex, fast-changing work environments.

Inhibition of SIV and HIV-2 Replication in Cynomolgus Monkeys by (-)9-[4-Hydroxy-2-(Hydroxymethyl)-Butyl]Guanine (H2G)

The antiherpes compound (-)9-[4-hydroxy-2-(hydroxymethyl)butyl]guanine (H2G) has been found to suppress the multiplication of SIVsm and HIV-2 in cynomolgus monkeys. This was seen as a delay in the appearance of viral antigen in serum during the primary infection at drug concentrations of 3×10 mg kg−1 day−1 and higher, when H2G was given subcutaneously. These effects of H2G on SIVsm and HIV-2 replication in monkeys were similar to those observed using the same dose of 3′-azidothymidine (AZT). A complete prevention of HIV-2 infection was observed in one of four animals treated with 3×10 mg kg−1 day−1 of H2G. The enantiomeric mixture (+)H2G at 3×25 mg kg−1 day−1 also delayed the appearance of SIVsm antigen but the (+)enantiomer of H2G at 3×10 mg kg−1 day−1 had no effect on primary SIVsm infection in monkeys, indicating that only the (−)enantiomer (H2G) was inhibitory and that this effect was not influenced by the presence of the (+)enantiomer. No adverse effects on blood chemistry or haematology were observed in monkeys given 25 mg kg−1 day−1 of H2G for 9 weeks or 3×25 mg kg−1 day−1 for 10 days.

A randomized clinical trial of neoadjuvant chemotherapy versus neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy for cancer of the oesophagus or gastro-oesophageal junction

BACKGROUND

Neoadjuvant therapy improves long-term survival after oesophagectomy, treating oesophageal cancer, but the evidence to date is insufficient to determine which of the two main neoadjuvant therapy types, chemotherapy (nCT) or chemoradiotherapy (nCRT), is more beneficial. We aimed to compare the effects of nCT with those of nCRT.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This multicentre trial, which was conducted in Sweden and Norway, recruited 181 patients with carcinoma of the oesophagus or the gastro-oesophageal junction who were candidates for curative-intended treatment. The primary end point was histological complete response after neoadjuvant treatment, which has been shown to be correlated with increased long-term survival. Study participants were randomized to nCT or nCRT, followed by surgery with two-field lymphadenectomy. Three cycles of platin/5-fluorouracil were administered in both arms, whereas 40 Gy of concomitant radiotherapy was added in the nCRT arm.

RESULTS

The trial met the primary end point, histological complete response being achieved in 28% after nCRT versus 9% after nCT (P = 0.002). Lymph-node metastases were observed in 62% in the nCT group versus 35% in the nCRT group (P = 0.001). The R0 resection rate was 87% after nCRT and 74% after nCT (P = 0.04). There was no difference in overall survival between the treatment arms.

CONCLUSION

The addition of radiotherapy to neoadjuvant chemotherapy results in higher histological complete response rate, higher R0 resection rate, and a lower frequency of lymph-node metastases, without significantly affecting survival.

CLINICALTRIALSGOV

NCT01362127 (https://clinicaltrials.gov; The full study protocol was registered in the Clinical Trials Database).

[Treatment of patients with radioiodine refractory, differentiated thyroid carcinoma. A Consensus Statement]

There is no clear standard therapy for patients with radioactive iodine (131I)-refractory locally advanced or metastatic differentiated thyroid cancer. The therapeutic options for this indication have expanded with the recently approved multiple kinase inhibitor sorafenib. Recommendations for the definition and the management of iodine refractory patients were worked up by an interdisciplinary expert panel, consisting of endocrine surgeons, medical oncologists and nuclear medicine specialists.