Requests For Information Research Articles

Rejection of Fecal Immunochemical Tests Within the Lower Gastrointestinal Diagnostic Pathway: A Cohort Study.

The fecal immunochemical test (FIT) helps triage primary care patients at risk of colorectal cancer (CRC). Improving FIT returns has received recent attention, however uncertainty exists regarding the accurate completion of samples provided for laboratory analysis. This study aims to identify the rejection rate of returned FIT samples and determine rejection causes. FIT samples from symptomatic patients within South Yorkshire, Bassetlaw, and North Derbyshire are processed at a central laboratory. Tests requests are made from 225 GP practices, which serve an estimated 2 million population. This study describes a retrospective review of FIT samples received in the central laboratory between 01/09/19 and 31/12/22. Locally held data was interrogated in March 2023 to determine the number of FIT samples received and rejected during the study period. Documented reasons for rejection were explored to identify common themes. Total FIT specimens received during the study period was 126 422. Of these, 5190 (4.1%) were rejected. Monthly rejection rates fell from 17.4% in September 2019 to 1.3% in December 2022 (P < .001). Sampling errors were the most frequent cause for FIT rejection (2151/5190), with other causes including: expired specimen; no sample collection date/ time, no request form, incomplete patient information and illegible handwriting. This is the first study exploring FIT rejection rates in symptomatic primary care patients, which shows improvements in rejection rates over time. Targeted interventions could improve rejection rates further, thereby reducing NHS resource use and costs and diagnostic delays.

Cysts of the jaws and how to make their diagnoses under a microscope: a need for a better communication between clinicians and pathologists

Introduction: Cysts of the jaws constitute an heterogenous group of lesions occurring in the maxillofacial region. Their diagnosis is challenging and necessitating a meticulous correlation of clinical, radiological, and pathological features. Pathologists often face numerous difficulties stemming from inadequate clinical and radiological information, along with limited samples. Nevertheless, clinicians are not always aware of the pathologist's concerns, making difficult to know exactly which pertinent clinical information they should deliver in their request form. The objective of this article is to illustrate the microscopic diagnostic pitfalls associated with cystic lesions of the jaws and enhance communication between oral surgeons and oral pathologist. Corpus: This section starts by examining the essential clinical and radiological data necessary for a precise pathological diagnosis. Subsequently, we discuss about the differential diagnosis of jaw cystic lesions, categorizing them into five distinct subsets based on their microscopic features, particularly their histological lining. For each subset, we engage in a detailed discussion concerning the primary diagnostic challenges and their implications for treatment decisions. Conclusion: Pathologist and clinicians are not irreconcilables: improved communication, rooted in a mutual understanding of each other's concerns, leads to optimizing the diagnosis and subsequently the treatment of jaw cysts.

Forecasting a Summer of Extremes: Building Stakeholder Response Capacity to Marine Heatwaves

Forecasts of an El Niño in 2023/2024 raised concern among Australian marine stakeholders regarding its potential impacts on marine industries and systems. National level seafood-focused climate briefings were requested by the fisheries sector for the first time, driven by various state and regional level meetings and information requests. To respond to stakeholder needs, six virtual national marine climate briefings were undertaken through the austral 2023/2024 summer, underpinned by new subseasonal to seasonal marine heatwave forecast capabilities. These briefings were developed in collaboration with multiple science organizations and were targeted to industry and management authorities across the Australian seafood sector. As a result, targeted information products, additional regional and sector-specific briefings, and state response plans were developed. Collectively, these briefings were a catalyst for positive and rapid action in policy, management, industry, and research arenas. This experience showed that the combination of seasonal forecasting capability, inter-agency coordination, strong stakeholder engagement, and effective science communication plays a critical role in improving the understanding of, planning for, and responses to extreme events.

Feasibility of Freedom of Information Requests for Amputee Epidemiology in the United Kingdom.

While each of the 44 National Health Service commissioned artificial limb clinics in the United Kingdom record information about their own prosthetic limb users, these are not collated to give a national picture of amputee epidemiology. The requirement to respond to Freedom of Information (FoI) requests within 20 working days offers another way of extracting data from all centres, and this study describes a first attempt to use this method to update national epidemiological data. Questions were sent to the FoI email addresses of all 44 centres, requesting numbers of adult unilateral below-knee amputees, adult unilateral above or through-knee amputees and child unilateral above or through-knee amputees (all of K2 level mobility), numbers of people consistently using a prosthesis with a single axis myoelectric hand, and access to an occupational therapist with skills to teach someone to use a myoelectric hand. A FoI request was sent to NHS England seeking release of data that they collect every month from all the prosthetic services which they commission in England. All but one of the UK centres responded, the great majority within 31 days. Incomplete results were generally due to centres finding the questions ambiguous and many did not record mobility levels consistently. While 33 centres had access to skilled occupational therapy, only 4 reported more than 10 patients who constantly used a single axis myoelectric hand. Eighteen centres were unable to provide complete data, and the remainder reported a ranges of 5 to 992 below-knee amputees, 7 to 574 adult above-knee amputees and 0 to 137 child above-knee amputees, suggesting different approaches to managing missing mobility level data. Freedom of Information requests are an inexpensive way of gathering data from NHS prosthetic clinics, which can identify age, sex, level of amputation but not activity levels or use of a prosthesis and hence only gives limited demographic information of the amputee cohort.

USE ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORKS TO IDENTIFY FAKE PROFILES X_0005

we use machine learning, namely an artificial neural network to determine what are the chances that Facebook friend request is authentic or not. We also outline the classes and libraries involved. Furthermore, we discuss the sigmoid function and how the weights are determined and used. Finally, we consider the parameters of the social network page which are utmost important in the provided solution. The other dangers of personal data being obtained for fraudulent purposes is the presence of bots and fake profiles. Bots are programs that can gather information about the user without the user even knowing. This process is known as web scraping. What is worse, is that this action is legal. Bots can be hidden or come in the form of a fake friend request on a social network site to gain access to private information. In 2017 Facebook reached a total population of 2.46 billion users making it the most popular choice of social media [1]. Social media networks make revenues from the data provided by users. The average user does not know that their rights are given up the moment they use the social media network's service. Social media companies have a lot to gain at the expense of the user. Every time a user shares a new location, new photos, likes, dislikes, and tag other users in content posted, Facebook makes revenue via advertisements and data. More specifically, the average American user generates about $26.76 per quarter [2]. That number adds up quickly when millions of users are involved. In today's digital age, the ever-increasing dependency on computer technology has left the average citizen vulnerable to crimes such as data breaches and possible identity theft. These attacks can occur without notice and often without notification to the victims of a data breach. At this time, there is little incentive for social networks to improve their data security. These breaches often target social media networks such as Facebook and Twitter. They can also target banks and other financial institutions.

КОНЦЕПТУАЛИЗАЦИЯ ПРОЦЕССОВ ПАМЯТИ В ЕСТЕСТВЕННОМ ЯЗЫКЕ: ЗАБЫВАТЬ И ПОМНИТЬ

The paper focuses on representation of memory in Russian, exploring, specifically, its spatial interpretation and semantic types of predicates objectifying mnemonic processes in relation to the time axis: actions, processes and states are distinguished. Special emphasis is on the semantics of the verb помнить (pomnit’) which is interpreted as fundamentally different from its derivatives and its antonymous verb забывать (zabyvat’) . The study is based on the hypothesis-deduction research procedure, an integral part of which is a semantic experiment conducted either in the form of surveys of native speaking respondents or in its online version, namely, in the form of Yandex and Google search requests for word combinations. In the latter case the search engines function as a “collective respondent”. As part of the research methodology, the authors used the explanatory potential of imperative forms to indicate the presence or absence of control feature in the semantics of the action verb, and established restrictions on its realization associated with aspectual opposition in the predicate system. The research allowed for constructing a matrix based on the interaction of semantic features manifested on different levels (taxonomy characteristics as action and state predicates), as well as specifying the status of the verb помнить (pomnit’) as existential-resultative in contrast to its previous linguistic interpretation as a state predicate. The results also include identifying lexical features that refer to the interaction between subjects and the memory space, and tracing the systemic metaphor-based shifts to denoting speech act in a number of memory verbs.

The Perils of Partnership: Interactions Between Public Health England, Drinkaware, and the Portman Group Surrounding the Drink Free Days Campaign.

There is growing evidence that the alcohol industry seeks to obstruct public health policies that might affect future alcohol sales. In parallel, the alcohol industry funds organisations that engage in "responsible drinking" campaigns. Evidence is growing that the content and delivery of such campaigns serves industry, rather than public health interests, yet these organizations continue to be the subject of partnerships with government health departments. This study aimed to examine the nature and potential impacts of such partnerships by analysing the practices of the alcohol industry-funded charity Drinkaware during the establishment of the Drink Free Days campaign. A case study based on an inductive analysis of documents revealed by freedom of information (FoI) request regarding communications between Drinkaware, Public Health England (PHE), and the Portman Group, in the years running up to, and during, the Drink Free Days campaign, a partnership between alcohol industry-funded charity Drinkware, and PHE. This study reveals a range of less visible, system-level effects of such partnerships for government departments and civil society. The tensions observed, as exhibited by discrepancies between internal and external communications, the emphasis on managing and mitigating the perception of negative consequences, and the links to wider alcohol industry initiatives and bodies, suggest the need for wider considerations of organizational conflicts of interest, and of possible indirect, harmful consequences to policy-making. These include the marginalization of other civil society voices, the displacing of more effective policy options, and strategic alignment with other industry lobbying activities. The findings have implications for how public health practitioners and health organisations might better weigh the potential trade-offs of partnership in the context of health promotion campaigns.

Request for Information—Secure 2.0 Section. 319—Effectiveness of Reporting and Disclosure Requirements

Request for Information—Secure 2.0 Section. 319—Effectiveness of Reporting and Disclosure Requirements

Response to U.S. Department of Treasury Request for Information on Financial Inclusion

Response to U.S. Department of Treasury Request for Information on Financial Inclusion

Clinicopathological Study of Mucormycosis in COVID-19: A Cross-sectional Study from a Tertiary Care Centre in North Kerala, India

Introduction: Mucormycosis is an angioinvasive disease associated with high morbidity and mortality caused by fungi of the order Mucorales. The rise in the incidence of mucormycosis, along with the surge of Coronavirus Disease- 2019 (COVID-19), justifies reassessment of associated risk factors and the susceptible population. The present study aims to highlight the specific clinicopathological features and risk factors of mucormycosis in COVID-19 patients. Aim: To investigate the histopathological features, key clinical findings in mucormycosis, and the predisposing factors associated with mucormycosis in post-COVID-19 patients. Materials and Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at the Department of Pathology, Government Medical College, Manjeri, Malappuram, Kerala, India, in the Department of Pathology. It included all histopathologically proven Mucormycosis specimens from confirmed COVID-19 positive and post-COVID-19 cases in this Medical College from January 1, 2021, to December 31, 2021, amounting to a total of 30 cases. The type of tissue reaction, fungal hyphae, angioinvasion, necrosis, and fungal co-infections were assessed. Histopathologic analysis was performed using routine Haematoxylin and Eosin (H&amp;E) slides, followed by special stains such as Periodic Acid Schiff (PAS) and Grocott Methenamine Silver (GMS). Data was collected using a proforma, and the clinical details were obtained from the request form received along with the biopsy specimen and case sheets. Age, gender, site of involvement, and risk factors were assessed and subjected to descriptive tabulation and analysis. Results: The mean age was 49.5 years with a male-to-female ratio of 1.30:1. The major risk factors observed in the present study were Diabetes Mellitus (DM) and steroid therapy, 30 all cases (100%), along with others such as chronic kidney disease 2 cases (6.67%) immune disorders, and renal transplantation 1 case each (3.33%). The most commonly involved site was sinuses 27 cases (90.00%). Multiple sinuses were affected in 22 cases (73.33%), with the ethmoid sinus being the most common site 24 cases (80.00%), followed by the maxillary sinus 21 cases (70.00%). The most common reaction pattern observed was acute inflammation 15 cases (50.00%). Angioinvasion was noticed in 19 cases (63.33%) and necrosis was present in 28 cases (93.33%). Co-infection with fungal pathogens was observed in 8 cases (26.67%), with aspergillus being the most common co-infection in all except one of the eight cases. Fungal hyphae were visible on H&amp;E slides in 28 cases (93.33%), while the remaining cases were identified only through special stains (PAS and GMS). Conclusion: Mucormycosis infection is strongly associated with DM and steroid therapy. A more even distribution between males and females was noted, deviating from the male predominance described in most studies. The histopathological appearance of angioinvasion was less frequent compared to most studies, consistent with previous studies on the Indian population. Higher rates of co-infection and the presence of granulomatous inflammation were observed. Further studies are needed to explore the relationship between host immunity, morphological patterns, and their influence on prognosis.

International Experience with Glomus Tumours: An Algorithm to Improve Diagnostic Accuracy

Background Glomus tumours are benign tumours which most frequently affect the upper extremities, often the subungual regions of the digits. The classic triad of presenting symptoms include cold hypersensitivity, point tenderness and paroxysmal pain. The absence of a visible lesion or a lack of a complete triad of symptoms, renders these lesions notoriously difficult to diagnose. The aim of this study is to analyse the referral pathways and misdiagnosis rates in relation to management of upper limb glomus tumours at our institution and compare this to the international experience. Methods We conducted a retrospective review of all glomus tumours treated at our institution over a twenty year period. Medical records, radiological imaging and histopathology reports were reviewed to identify patient, disease and treatment-related factors. A literature review of published case series of upper limb glomus tumours was performed to assess referral pathways, management and misdiagnosis rates. Results Twenty three upper limb glomus tumours were treated at our institution between 2000 and 2022. The mean age of diagnosis was 52.56 years (27-63 years) with a male preponderance 17/23 (74%). The overall rate of misdiagnosis was 70% based upon histological request forms at the time of surgery. The lowest rates of misdiagnosis were associated with management by hand surgery specialists. Eight published case series were identified in the literature with misdiagnosis a common phenomenon. Referral to hand surgeons appears to improves diagnostic accuracy. We present an evidence-based algorithm to recommend optimal management which may guide clinicians and improve patient outcomes.

Analysis of Trends in Dengue Infection among Patients Attending a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital: A Retrospective Observational Study

Introduction: Dengue, a common mosquito-borne arboviral infection in tropical countries, presents cyclical epidemics and seasonal variations with diverse clinical outcomes. Over the past three decades, it has become endemic in India, leading to a rising mortality trend, primarily due to its severity and antibody-dependent enhancement in secondary dengue cases. Therefore, understanding the trend of dengue infection in specific geographical areas is crucial for more efficient prophylaxis. Aim: To provide a comprehensive overview of the seroprevalence of dengue virus infection in Surat district, including the trends in gender, age distribution, and seasonal variations of dengue infection from 2014 to 2021. Materials and Methods: The present retrospective observational analysis was conducted in the Department of Microbiology, Government Medical College (tertiary care teaching New Civil Hospital), Surat, Gujarat, India. A total of 31,683 blood samples were received from patients with clinical suspicion of dengue-like illness from January 2014 to December 2021. Data collection took place from March 2022 to May 2022, and the analysis was conducted in June and July 2022. All samples underwent dengue infection detection using the Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) method by Non structural 1 (NS1) antigen detection and Immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibody detection by Mac capture ELISA. Demographic and clinical details were obtained and recorded from laboratory request forms using a structured data sheet in using Microsoft Excel software version 2013. The data were entered and analysed using EpiInfo software version 3.5.1. Results: Among the 31,683 blood samples tested, 5,994 (18.91%) cases were confirmed for dengue infection through ELISA testing. The highest number of positive cases (33.6%) was observed in the 20-29 years age group, with males outnumbering females in terms of dengue positivity at a ratio of 1.37:1. The maximum number of dengue cases occurred during the postmonsoon and early winter periods, with 96.5% of cases reported from Surat district, India. Conclusion: The rising trend of dengue infection in different age groups over the years underscores the need for continued implementation of surveillance and preventive strategies before the monsoon, aiming to reduce severe dengue infections in the future.

A Retrospective Analysis of Concordance Between Clinical and Histopathologic Diagnoses and Completeness of Oral Biopsy Forms at a Tertiary Dental Hospital in Eastern Nepal.

Introduction: Histopathological diagnosis remains the gold standard tool for the diagnosis, yet accurate and detailed clinical descriptions are necessary to facilitate the final diagnosis. Histopathologists believe that clinicians are unaware of how histopathology departments operate, partly because of the less information on requisition forms. The objective of the present study is to assess the concordance of clinical and histological diagnoses of all oral and maxillofacial biopsy samples, along with the completion of the requisition form provided with the biopsy sample. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted at the Department of Oral Pathology. The biopsy request forms of year 2018-2019 were retrieved from the archive of the department and were analyzed for clinicopathological concordance. Descriptive and analytical statistics were performed using SPSS. Results: Of 338 forms, 243 (71.89%) forms had total concordance between clinical and histopathologic diagnosis; 20 forms (5.92%) had concordance with the histopathological diagnosis, but only after the clinical diagnosis had been refined. Of all the forms analyzed, 36 (10.65%) forms lack habit history in cases suspected of oral cancer and oral potentially malignant disorder, and 24 (7.10%) cases lack radiographic details. The categories of clinicohistopathological concordance and the different clinical information groups showed a statistically significant relationship. We also found that the sign-out time for histopathological reports depend on the extent of clinical information provided which was statistically significant too. Conclusions: The current study concluded a sufficient level of concordance between clinical and histopathological diagnosis. A high completion rate of biopsy forms indicated that the clinicians/operating surgeons perceive the significance of clinical information in histopathological diagnosis. We also recommend, irrespective of the type of suspected oral lesions, submitted for biopsy, a detailed clinical information is the backbone for accurate and timely reporting of the histopathological diagnosis.

Process improvement in automated blood cultures: Our road to better patient care

BackgroundBlood cultures (BC) are a complex multistep process susceptible to errors at multiple levels. Our study was conducted to monitor the compliance to standard operating procedures, design an intervention plan for improvement and monitor the impact of the intervention. The study design focuses on the intervention. MethodsA hospital-based prospective interventional study was carried out, monitoring various pre-analytical, analytical, and post-analytical factors in two phases. Our interventions focused on communication and training for the deficiencies noted in completeness of test request form, contamination rates, and sample loading interval. ResultsComparison between both phases showed a statistically significant improvement (p < 0.05, Chi square test) following our interventions in the completeness of test request form, contamination rates and sample loading interval. There was an improvement in the intimation of critical Gram stain from positive flagged bottles, which was not statistically significant. ConclusionOur study highlights how educational interventions can influence quality of BC. Continuous monitoring and interventions are key for quality improvement in BC processes.

SMRTSS

Are extra-judicial killings always murder? Can equality ever be progressed through violence? In this work of philosophical short story fiction, a military intelligence officer with a family history of military service goes to personally drop off the results of a Freedom of Information Request made by Fierce Lee Human (“F. Lee”), a café radical, and communist sympathizing college professor. However, things don’t go quite as planned as the government document being requested turns out to be proof that F. Lee worked with communist spies during the Vietnam War to assist in the shooting down of a helicopter containing the intelligence officer’s father. After a brief debate about communism, the narrator takes matters into his own had and shoot F. Lee, killing him.

Requesting conflicts of interest declarations from the European Medicines Agency: 3-year follow-up status.

We have previously described the European Medicines Agency's (EMA) and the US Food and Drug Administration's guidelines, each for a specific psychiatric indication, on how to design pivotal drug trials used in new drug applications. Here, we report on our efforts over 3years to retrieve conflicts of interest declarations from EMA. We wanted to assess potential internal industry influence judged as the proportion of guideline committee members with industry conflicts of interest. We submitted Freedom of Information requests in February 2020 to access EMA's lists of committee members (and their declared conflicts of interest) involved in drafting the 13 'Clinical efficacy and safety' guidelines available on EMA's website pertaining to psychiatric indications. In our request, we did not specify the exact EMA committees. Here, we describe the received documents and report the proportion of members with industry interests (i.e.defined as any financial industry relationship). It is a follow-up paper to our first report (http://doi.org/10.1017/S2045796021000147). After 2years and 9months (November 2022), the EMA sent us member lists and corresponding conflicts of interest declarations from the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human use (CHMP) from 2012, 2013 and 2017. These member lists pertained to 3 of the 13 requested guidelines (schizophrenia, depression and autism spectrum disorder). The 10 remaining guidelines were published before 2011 and EMA stated that they needed to require permission from their expert members (with unknown retrieval rate) and foresaw excessive workload and long wait. Therefore, we withdrew our request. The CHMPs from 2012, 2013 and 2017 had from 34 to 36 members; 39%-44% declared any interests and we judged 14%-18% as having industry interests. For the schizophrenia guideline, we identified two members with industry interests to companies who submitted feedback on the guideline. We did not receive declarations from the Central Nervous System (CNS) Working Party, the CHMP appointed expert group responsible for drafting and incorporating feedback into the guidelines. After almost 3years, we received information, which only partly addressed our request. We recommend EMA to improve transparency by publishing the author names and their corresponding conflicts of interest declarations directly in the 'Clinical efficacy and safety' guidelines and to not remove conflicts of interest declarations after 1year from their website to reduce the risk of stealth corporate influence during the development of these influential guidelines.

Supporting health and wellbeing in health care employees: a documentary review of organizational policies, strategies and frameworks.

Health care workers are crucial for a productive and thriving health care system, yet the health and lifestyle behaviour of key groups within this workforce (for example nurses and healthcare assistants/support workers) is typically poor. The extent of health and wellbeing documents that guide action towards improving their health and wellbeing is unknown. Using one health care system, NHS Scotland, as an example, the aim of this study was to assess the number of NHS health boards with workplace documents focused on health and wellbeing of employees, the quality of these documents and the extent to which they reference lifestyle behaviours, namely physical activity. Documentary analysis was undertaken on employee health and wellbeing policies (and wider documents). These were sourced through online searches on Google search engine and Freedom of Information Requests sent to all 14 Scottish NHS Health Boards. Titles and content were assessed for relevance to employee health and wellbeing. Content analysis was used to analyse the included documents against eight predefined codes. Thirteen documents were retrieved with 11 of the 14 Health Boards having at least one relevant document. The content varied greatly between documents with regards to how many reported the eight codes and the quality of content within these. Nine documents mentioned physical activity but mainly in relation to current activities rather than in the context of a future healthy workforce. Despite the importance of a healthy, health care workforce, more work is needed to ensure high level documents are able to support these efforts, especially with reference to lifestyle behaviours.

РОЛЬ ИНВЕСТИЦИОННОГО ПАСПОРТА В ИНФОРМИРОВАНИИ БИЗНЕСА О ТЕРРИТОРИИ (НА ПРИМЕРЕ РЕГИОНОВ СИБИРСКОГО ФЕДЕРАЛЬНОГО ОКРУГА)

The article is devoted to the problem of a lack of a comprehensive source of information about the territory for investors. The possibilities of the investment passport in informing businesses about the territory are evaluated. The information requests of investors about the territory are determined on the basis of research by scientists-economists and business experts. The experience of existing investment passports in ten regions of the Siberian Federal District and the complex investment project "Yenisei Siberia" was analyzed. The list of quantitative and non-quantitative indicators of investment passports is compiled. The opportunities and weaknesses of statistical accounting in informing investors about the territory are shown. It is noted that in the regional statistics there are no indicators for the sections: natural resources, energy infrastructure, foreign economic activity, and existing investment projects and proposals. The article defines the composition of indicators of information about the territory that are necessary for the business community to make managerial decisions regarding the activities in the territory. It is proposed to include these indicators in the system of integrated reporting of the territory as a comprehensive source of information for different categories of users. Information for investors is classified by the territory's capitals: human, socio-infrastructural, natural, production and financial. The allocation of the territory's capitals is based on the International Fundamentals of Integrated Reporting. Reliable multifaceted information about the territory as part of integrated reporting will allow for long-term relations with investors.

Adequacy of histopathology request forms and pathological reports of breast cancer surgical specimens in Benin

Breast cancer requires multidisciplinary management. Pathologists and physicians communicate using the histopathology request form and the pathology report. There are some minimal criteria that both should respect. We assessed the adequacy of histopathology request forms and pathology reports in the management of female breast cancer specimens in Southern Benin. This was a cross-sectional, descriptive and analytical study, with retrospective data collection over 57 months (4 years and 9 months). The adequacy of the histopathology request forms and pathology reports was assessed on the basis of the recommendations of the Haute Autorité de Santé (HAS) of France. Data processing was done using SPSS software. We checked frequencies with the Chi2 test, with a significance level set at 5%. 31.3% of histopathology request forms complied with HAS recommendations. Pathology reports were presented in a narrative way in 92.7% of cases and 68.8% met the minimal criteria. The presence of vascular embolus, of hormone receptors and the HER2 status were all reported in only 29.2% of the reports. The draft of histopathology request forms and pathology reports did not comply to the required minimal criteria. This situation could mainly be explained by the inexistence of consensus between physicians and pathologists and by the lack of immunohistochemistry. Editing national referentials and using synoptic reports would give better results.

Bone Scintigraphy and Initial Stagging of Prostate Cancer in Burkina Faso: Preliminary Study of 71 Cases

Introduction: Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most common cancer in men, behind lung cancer. Bone scintigraphy (BS) is available, accessible and easy to perform, making it the test of choice for the detection of bone metastases for all cancers. We proposed to clarify the contribution of SO in the initial expansion report of the PCa in Burkina Faso. Materials and Method: We carried out a retrospective single-center descriptive cross-sectional study over the period from January 1, 2018 to January 1, 2021. It included the files of patients with CaP confirmed on histology and scored according to the Gleason score in whom an OS was performed. Demographic and histological variables were entered on the scintigraphic examination request forms. The descriptive study consisted of calculating frequencies for qualitative variables and means for quantitative variables. The comparison of variables was made using the Chi-Square contingency or Fisher tests depending on their conditions of applicability. The test was significant if p ≤0.05. Results: We collected 71 patient files, all with histologically confirmed prostate adenocarcinoma and initial BS. Their average age is 68.81 ± 8.70 years. The extreme ages were 50 and 88 years. Patients aged 60 to 70 were the most represented (38%). The PSA level ranged from 4.8 to 1030 with a mean PSA level of 304.94 ± 332.70 ng/ml. 34 patients had a Gleason score ≤ 6 (47.88%): Group A; 35 patients had a Gleason score between 6 and 8 (49.29%): Group B; 02 patients had a Gleason score greater than 8 (2.81%): Group C. BS+ were 46 (64.78%) patients compared to 25 BS- (35.21%). All patients with a Gleason score 6 are classified BS-. Among the 35 patients with a Gleason score = 6, 48.57% had BS+ and 51.42% had BS–. Among the 35 patients with a Gleason score between 7 and 8; 80% had an BS+ and 20% an BS-. The only patient with a Gleason score between 9 and 10 had BS+. Conclusion: Our study shows that OS+ is associated with an age greater than ....