Gdańsk Medical University

About: Gdańsk Medical University is a education organization based out in Gdańsk, Poland. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Cancer. The organization has 4893 authors who have published 11216 publications receiving 260523 citations.

The spread of medical fake news in social media – The pilot quantitative study

Abstract: Objectives Fake news: misinformation and falsehood of health news in social media constitute a potential threat to the public health, but the scope of this issue remains unclear. Our pilot study is an initial attempt to measure a number of the top shared health misinformation stories in the Polish language social media. Methods Using the BuzzSumo Application, a range of the top shared health web links in the Polish language social media was assessed during the period between 2012 and 2017. We used the following keywords which were related to the most common diseases and causes of death: cancer, neoplasm, heart attack, stroke, hypertension, diabetes, vaccinations, HIV, and AIDS. Each link was checked for the presence of fake news. Results 40% of the most frequently shared links contained text we classified as fake news. These were shared more than 450,000 times. The most fallacious content concerned vaccines, while news about cardiovascular diseases was, in general, well sourced and informative. More than 20% of dangerous links from our material was generated by one source. Conclusions Analyzing social media top shared news could contribute to identification of leading fake medical information miseducating the society. It might also encourage authorities to take actions such as put warnings on biased domains or scientifically evaluate those generating fake health news.

Risk Criteria and Prognostic Factors for Predicting Recurrences After Resection of Primary Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor

Abstract: Background The introduction of adjuvant imatinib in gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) raised debate over the accuracy of National Institutes of Health risk criteria and the significance of other prognostic factors in GIST

Liver transplantation for hepatoblastoma: Results from the International Society of Pediatric Oncology (SIOP) study SIOPEL‐1 and review of the world experience

Abstract: BACKGROUND: For hepatoblastoma (HB) that remains unresectable by partial hepatectomy after chemotherapy, total hepatectomy with orthotopic liver transplantation (LTX) has been advocated as the best treatment option. The role of LTX in the overall management of HB is still, however, unclear. PROCEDURE: The results of LTX from the first study of HB by the International Society of Pediatric Oncology, SIOPEL-1, were analyzed. In addition, the world experience of LTX for HB was extensively reviewed. Twelve patients in the SIOPEL-1 study underwent a LTX. Median (range) follow-up at Dec. 31, 2001 was 117 months (52-125) since LTX. RESULTS: Overall survival at 10 years post-LTX was 85% for the seven children who received a "primary LTX" and 40% for the 5 children who underwent a "rescue LTX" after previous partial hepatectomy. In the world experience (147 cases), the overall survival rate at 6 year post-LTX was 82% for 106 patients who received a "primary LTX" and 30% for 41 patients who underwent a "rescue LTX." Multivariate analysis of patients undergoing primary LTX showed that only macroscopic venous invasion had a significant impact (P-value: 0.045 with a hazard ratio of 2.96) on overall survival. CONCLUSIONS: Orthotopic LTX has added a new dimension to the treatment of HB unresectable by partial hepatectomy. Because of the rarity of the disease and to optimize results, children with extensive HB should be treated in centers with surgical expertise in pediatric major liver resection and LTX, in close collaboration with pediatric oncologists, radiologists, and histopathologists.

A global analysis of Y-chromosomal haplotype diversity for 23 STR loci

Abstract: In a worldwide collaborative effort, 19,630 Y-chromosomes were sampled from 129 different populations in 51 countries. These chromosomes were typed for 23 short-tandem repeat (STR) loci (DYS19, DYS389I, DYS389II, DYS390, DYS391, DYS392, DYS393, DYS385ab, DYS437, DYS438, DYS439, DYS448, DYS456, DYS458, DYS635, GATAH4, DYS481, DYS533, DYS549, DYS570, DYS576, and DYS643) and using the PowerPlex Y23 System (PPY23, Promega Corporation, Madison, WI). Locus-specific allelic spectra of these markers were determined and a consistently high level of allelic diversity was observed. A considerable number of null, duplicate and off-ladder alleles were revealed. Standard single-locus and haplotype-based parameters were calculated and compared between subsets of Y-STR markers established for forensic casework. The PPY23 marker set provides substantially stronger discriminatory power than other available kits but at the same time reveals the same general patterns of population structure as other marker sets. A strong correlation was observed between the number of Y-STRs included in a marker set and some of the forensic parameters under study. Interestingly a weak but consistent trend toward smaller genetic distances resulting from larger numbers of markers became apparent.