Association Between Delayed/Forgone Medical Care and Resource Utilization Among Women with Breast Cancer in the United States.

Background: Although high treatment costs of breast cancer care are well documented, the relationship between delayed/forgone (D/F) care and resource utilization among patients with breast cancer is unknown. This study sought to investigate the relationship between D/F care, resource use, and healthcare expenditures among patients with breast cancer.

Methods: Data on adult female patients with breast cancer were obtained from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey to assess resource utilization and expenditures in the United States from 2007 to 2017.

Amorphous Carbon Film as a Corrosion Mitigation Strategy for Stainless Steel in Molten Carbonate Salts for Thermal Energy Storage Applications.

Ternary carbonate salts (LiCO-NaCO-KCO) are promising heat transfer fluids to increase the efficiency of the electric power in concentrated solar power (CSP) technology. However, the corrosion produced at high operating temperatures is a key challenge to tackle for employing cost-effective steels as construction materials in CSP. In this work, the use of stainless steels with amorphous carbon was investigated, for the first time, as a surface modification method to mitigate the corrosion of structural CSP materials by molten salts.

HLA-E and NKG2A Mediate Resistance to BCG Immunotherapy in Non-Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer.

Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) is the primary treatment for non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC), known to stimulate inflammatory cytokines, notably interferon (IFN)-γ. We observed that prolonged IFN-γ exposure fosters adaptive resistance in recurrent tumors, aiding immune evasion and tumor proliferation. We identify HLA-E and NKG2A, part of a novel NK and T cell checkpoint pathway, as key mediators of resistance in BCG-unresponsive NMIBC.

Differences urban versus non-urban trends in mortality from ischemic heart disease and diabetes in Italy and Spain, 2003-2019.

Background And Aims: In recent years, mortality from ischemic heart disease and diabetes has decreased. There is an inequality in mortality reduction between urban and non-urban areas. This study aims to estimate the trend in mortality from ischemic heart disease and diabetes mellitus in urban and non-urban areas in Italy and Spain, throughout the first two decades of the 21st century.