Introduction: Analysis of quality of life (QOL) outcomes is an important aspect of lymphedema treatment since this disease can substantially impact QOL in affected individuals. There are a growing number of studies reporting patient-reported outcomes (PROMs) for patients with lymphedema. The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review of outcomes and utilization of PROMs following surgical treatment of lymphedema. Methods: A literature search of four databases was performed up to and including March, 2019. Studies included reported on QOL outcomes after physiologic procedures, defined as either lymphovenous bypass (LVB) or vascularized lymph node transplant (VLNT), to treat upper and/or lower extremity primary or secondary lymphedema. Results: In total, 850 studies were screened—of which, 32 studies were included in this review. Lymphovenous bypass was the surgical intervention in 16 studies, VLNT in 11 studies, and both in 5 studies. Of the 32 total studies, 16 used validated survey tools. The most commonly used PROM was the lymph quality of life measure for limb lymphedema (LYMQOL) (12 studies). In the remaining four studies, the upper limb lymphedema 27 scale (ULL27), the short form 36 questionnaire (SF-36), the lymphedema functioning, disability and health questionnaire (Lymph-ICF), and lymphedema life impact scale (LLIS) were each used once. QOL improvement following surgical treatment was noted in all studies. Conclusions: Physiologic surgical treatment of lymphedema results in improved QOL outcomes in most patients. The use of validated PROM tools is increasing but there is no current consensus on use. Future research to evaluate the psychometric properties of PROMs in lymphedema is needed to guide the development and use of lymphedema-specific tools.
Context: Pancreatic cancer (PDAC) is one of the most challenging cancers to treat with modest recent improvements in survival from new systemic therapies. There is growing interest in individualized therapy underpinned by somatic and germline genomic alterations. Objective: A systematic review of data on therapies targeting somatic and germline alterations, and their downstream pathways in PDAC. Method: A systematic literature search was conducted using PRISMA guidelines to include relevant results published after January 1, 2008. Results: A total of 71 relevant studies were included. We identified 36 studies targeting the KRAS-pathway, the most common being with MEK-inhibitor therapy. Twenty-two studies were identified that evaluated platinum-based chemotherapy and PARP inhibitors in patients with deleterious mutations in DNA damage repair genes and have shown encouraging results.
From February 1 to February 5, 2016, The New York Academy of Medicine Library launched #ColorOurCollections, a social media campaign that invited libraries, museums, and other cultural institutions to share images from their collections for users to color and repost on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. The current popularity of adult coloring books inspired the idea. Large print runs and parallel sales of adult coloring books by Joanna Basford, Dover’s Creative Haven line, and others demonstrate a surge of interest in adult coloring, a format that encourages participatory art-making. In 2015, coloring books dominated the trade paperback bestseller list, accounting for “13.5% of the total [list] positions.” Recently, librarians have responded to the trend, forming library coloring clubs and adult coloring therapy programs.3 In this article, we discuss the goals of #ColorOurCollections, its successes and challenges, and offer recommendations for special collections in libraries interested in embarking on social media campaigns.
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