Winning margins in British Thoroughbred racehorses

In human sporting events the difference between finishing first and second is often less than 1%. For each sporting discipline it is important to know how large an enhancement of performance needs to be before it makes a difference to the medal winning prospects of that athlete. In contrast to the known winning margins in many human sporting disciplines, the winning margins in horse racing are unknown. The winning margins for group 1, 2 and 3 flat and national hunt races over a 5 year period were calculated. For flat races 3 categories were included: (1) flat races of 6 furlongs; (2) 1 mile; or (3) 1 mile 4 furlongs1. For national hunt 2 categories were included: (1) hurdle races over 2 miles; or (2) chase races over 3 miles. Race times from a total of 416 races were included (275 flat races and 141 national hunt races). Overall the percentage difference between first place and second place was only 0.32%, the difference between coming first and third was 0.75% and between first and fourth was 1.15%. Overall, the winning margins between first place and second place were closer for flat races than for national hunt races. When a 1% improvement was applied to the fourth placed horse this would result in the winning time in 76% of flat races and 50% of national hunt races. This study shows the very small margins between winning and placing in horseracing. These results are similar to those of elite human sporting disciplines. This suggests that training strategies and veterinary interventions that result in a small percentage improvement in performance may translate to a meaningful difference in terms of winning/placing.

Abstract P3-13-08: A prospective, single-arm, multi-site, clinical evaluation of the SAVI SCOUT® surgical guidance system for the location of non-palpable breast lesions during excision

Background and Objectives: The standard preoperative technique for localizing non-palpable breast lesions is wire localization (WL). Radioactive seed localization (RSL) is an alternative approach that addresses a number of clear disadvantages associated with WL but, the adoption of RSL has been impacted by considerable regulatory requirements for the handling of radioactive materials. To advance the progress made with RSL and eliminate issues associated with radioactive components, the SAVI SCOUT® surgical guidance system was developed. SAVI SCOUT is an FDA-cleared medical device that utilizes non-radioactive electromagnetic wave technology to provide real-time guidance during excisional breast procedures. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the performance of SAVI SCOUT in guiding the removal of non-palpable breast lesions.

Methods: Following a 50 patient pilot study that showed SAVI SCOUT to be safe and effective, IRB approval was granted for this prospective, single-arm, multi-site study for women with a non-palpable breast lesion. Pts underwent localization and excision with the SAVI SCOUT system, which consists of an electromagnetic wave reflective device (reflector), handpiece and console. Using mammographic or ultrasound guidance, the reflector was implanted into the target tissue. Before making an incision, the surgeon used the handpiece, which emits electromagnetic waves and infrared light, to detect the location of the reflector and subsequently plan the surgical incision. During the procedure, the surgeon used the handpiece to guide the localization and removal of the reflector along with the surrounding breast tissue. The console provides audible feedback of reflector proximity to the handpiece. Successful reflector placement, localization and retrieval were the primary endpoints.

Results: A total of 61 pts have participated in the study to date, along with 7 surgeons and 9 radiologists across 6 institutions. The reflectors were successfully placed in all pts, including 27 under mammographic guidance and 34 under ultrasound guidance. In 28 cases, the reflectors were placed on the same day as surgery. Otherwise, the reflectors were placed up to 7 days (average 2.9 days) before surgery. Thirteen pts underwent excisional biopsy and 48 pts had a lumpectomy. The intended lesion and reflector were successfully removed in all pts. Reflector migration did not occur and no adverse events occurred. Final pathology is currently available for 52 pts: 8/10 excisional biopsy pts had no invasive or in situ carcinoma identified. For pts with cancer and complete data, 39/39 had clear margins, but one patient was recommended for re-excision due to a close margin (1 mm) for DCIS.

Conclusions: The preliminary data from this prospective, multi-site study show that real-time surgical guidance with SAVI SCOUT is an accurate technique for directing the removal of non-palpable breast lesions and is reproducible at multiple clinical sites. At present, the study has yielded 100% surgical success with a re-excision rate of 3.0%. Ongoing accrual to this clinical evaluation study will validate these findings with planned enrollment of 150 pts at up to 15 total sites.

Citation Format: Cox CE, Prati R, Blumencranz P, Allen K, Banull C, Cline M, Howard T, Portillo M, Whitworth P, Funk K, Police A, Lin E, Combs F, Anglin B, King J, Shivers SC. A prospective, single-arm, multi-site, clinical evaluation of the SAVI SCOUT® surgical guidance system for the location of non-palpable breast lesions during excision. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Eighth Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2015 Dec 8-12; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P3-13-08.

Disparities in osteoporosis treatments

Osteoporosis treatment rates within 2 years following an index event (fragility fracture, osteoporotic bone mineral density (BMD) T-score, or osteoporosis ICD-9 codes) were determined from 2005 to 2011. Most patients were not treated. Fracture patients had the lowest treatment rate. Low treatment rates also occurred in patients that were male, black, or had non-commercial insurance.

INTRODUCTION

Clinical recognition of osteoporosis (osteoporotic BMD, assignment of an ICD-9 code, or the occurrence of fragility fractures) provides opportunities to treat patients at risk for future fracture.

METHODS

A cohort of 36,965 patients was identified from 2005 to 2011 in the Indiana Health Information Exchange, with index events after age 50 of either non-traumatic fractures, an osteoporosis ICD-9 code, or a BMD T-score ≤ -2.5. Patients with osteoporosis treatment in the preceding year were excluded. Medication records during the ensuing 2 years were extracted to identify osteoporosis treatments, demographics, comorbidities, and co-medications. Predictors of treatment were evaluated in a multivariable logistic regression model.

RESULTS

The cohort was 78 % female, 11 % black, 91 % urban-dwelling, and 53 % commercially insured. The index events were as follows: osteoporosis diagnosis (47 % of patients), fragility fracture (44 %), and osteoporotic T-scores (9 %). Within 2 years after the index event, 23.3 % received osteoporosis medications (of which, 82.2 % were oral bisphosphonates). Treatment rates were higher after osteoporosis diagnosis codes (29.3 %) or osteoporotic T-score (53.9 %) than after fracture index events (10.5 %) (p < 0.001). Age had an inverted U-shaped effect for women with highest odds around 60-65 years. Women (OR 1.86) and non-black patients (OR 1.52) were more likely to be treated (p < 0.001). Patients with public (versus commercial) insurance (OR 0.86, p < 0.001) or chronic comorbidities (ORs about 0.7-0.9, p < 0.001) were less likely to be treated.

CONCLUSION

Most osteoporosis treatment candidates remained untreated. Men, black patients, and patients with fracture or chronic comorbidities were less likely to receive treatment, representing disparity in the recognition and treatment of osteoporosis.

Taking hospital treatments home: a mixed methods case study looking at the barriers and success factors for home dialysis treatment and the influence of a target on uptake rates

Background

Despite healthcare policies and evidence which promote home dialysis, uptake rates have been falling for over 10 years in England. A target introduced by commissioners in the West Midlands provided a unique opportunity to study how hospitals can increase home-based treatment for a group of patients with complex life-threatening conditions.

Methods

Quantitative changes in home treatment uptake rates in seven hospitals in the West Midlands were compared with the rest of England for 3 years pre and post the introduction of the target in 2010, using a logistic regression model. Qualitative interviews in four hospitals with 96 clinical and managerial staff and 93 dialysis patients explored the barriers and facilitators to increasing the uptake of home treatment and the impact of the target.

Results

Home treatment uptake rates increased significantly in the seven study hospitals compared with the 3 years prior to the introduction of the target and compared with the rest of England where rates remained static. The four main factors facilitating increased uptake were as follows: the commissioner’s target, linked to financial penalties; additional funding for specialist staff and equipment; committed, visible clinical champions and good systems for patient training and ongoing healthcare support at home. The three main barriers were as follows: lack of training for non-specialist staff, poorly developed patient education and considerable unrecognised and unmet emotional and psychological patient needs.

Conclusions

This study shows the impact of using targets with financial penalties to achieve change and how hospitals can increase significantly the uptake of home-based self-care for a group of patients with complex medical needs. It provides useful pointers to the main barriers and facilitators, which are likely to be relevant to other groups of patients who could be treated at home. It also highlights two neglected areas which need to improve if patients with life-threatening long-term conditions are to be encouraged to take up home treatment: individualised patient education which allows exploration of the impacts of treatment options and the provision of ongoing emotional support.

Screening and referral of oral mucosal pathology: a check-up of Australian dentists

BACKGROUND

Oral squamous cell carcinomas and potentially malignant oral disorders can be detected early by visually inspecting the oral soft tissues. This study aimed to determine Australian dentists' opinions and practices regarding oral mucosal screening, referral and oral cancer prevention.

METHODS

Nine hundred and ninety-nine randomly selected general dentists were mailed a questionnaire. The questionnaire queried practitioners' opinions and perceptions of oral mucosal screening, their referral practices and their beliefs regarding detection and prevention of oral cancer.

RESULTS

A total of n=640 individuals responded, yielding a response rate of 70.2%. Most Australian dentists reported to routinely perform oral mucosal screening. Lack of training, confidence, time and financial incentives were seen as barriers to performing mucosal screening to at least some degree by participants in this study. Most dentists manage referrals for oral mucosal pathology appropriately; however, only about half believe in following up with referred patients. Only half of dentists surveyed believed that they could influence a patient to quit smoking.

CONCLUSIONS

Australian dentists place importance on oral mucosal screening. Some changes to dental education and training could be made to further improve confidence and ability of dentists in detecting and referring oral mucosal pathology.

Oral mucosal screening and referral attitudes of Australian oral health therapists and dental hygienists in Queensland

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to describe oral mucosal screening and referral attitudes of Australian oral health therapists (OHTs) and dental hygienists (DHs).

METHODS

Questionnaires were distributed to participants who attended dental hygiene courses run in both regional and metropolitan Queensland.

RESULTS

One hundred and two participants comprised 58 OHTs and 44 DHs, with a mean of 8.9 years since graduation. Thirty-four participants worked in regional locations, while 68 were from metropolitan areas. 97% of participants agreed that mucosal screening should be performed for all new and recall patients, while a minority (5%) agreed that patients will detect an oral mucosal change themselves. The majority (77%) agreed that oral cancer would be encountered in their practising career. Most participants (81%) felt comfortable discussing the presence of a suspicious lesion with patients and 88% agreed that it was their role to screen. In terms of barriers to oral cancer screening, lack of training was seen as the most prevalent barrier (56%) followed by lack of confidence (51%). Lack of time was seen as the third most prevalent barrier (40%), and lack of financial incentives was the least prevalent barrier (16%).

CONCLUSIONS

Oral health therapists and DHs understand the importance of oral mucosal screening and are likely to be alert to oral mucosal changes. While lack of time and financial incentives was perceived to be impediments to mucosal screening, lack of confidence and training was the most prevalent barriers. This issue should be addressed through implementation of effective continuing education courses targeting oral cancer screening and referral practices.