Characteristics Associated With Positive Social Determinants of Health Screening in Patients Admitted to Pediatric Hospital Medicine.

Background And Objective: There is limited research on screening for social determinants of health (SDOH) in hospitalized pediatric patients. In this article, we describe patient characteristics related to SDOH screening in the hospital setting and examine relationships with acute care metrics.

Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study.

A qualitative study to understand the barriers and facilitators in smoking cessation practices among oncology health care practitioners in one health system.

Introduction: Despite the benefits of quitting smoking for those who have cancer, including improved health outcomes and reduced therapeutic toxicities, it is unclear how many people are supported in quit attempts during this time. Variations in the availability and provision of smoking cessation (SC) services are reported, with little understanding of the challenges and solutions. This co-designed study aimed to understand the perspectives of health care professionals (HCPs) working in oncology settings to engage in SC practices and identify recommendations for developing an SC pathway.

Smoking Cessation Support: A Marathon, Not a Sprint; The Perspectives of Cancer Patients Who Smoke.

Objectives: Despite the unfavorable outcomes associated with continued smoking, a substantial proportion of patients with cancer continue to smoke after diagnosis. However, limited use of smoking cessation (SC) interventions has been reported. This study explored the perceptions of patients with cancer who continue to smoke/recently quit regarding SC.

P53 and TLR4 expression are prognostic markers informing progression free survival of advanced stage high grade serous ovarian cancer.

Objective: New prognostic biomarkers, and bio-signatures, are urgently needed to facilitate a precision medicine-based approach to more effectively treat patients with high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSC). In this study, we analysed the expression patterns of a series of candidate protein biomarkers.

Methods: The panel of markers which included MyD88, TLR4, MAD2, PR, OR, WT1, p53, p16, CD10 and Ki67 was assessed using immunohistochemistry in a tissue microarray (TMA) cohort of n = 80 patients, composed of stage 3-4 HGSCs.

Specialist cancer hospital-based smoking cessation service provision in Ireland.

Background: While much progress has been made in reducing tobacco use in many countries, both active and passive smoking remain challenges. The benefits of smoking cessation are universally recognized, and the hospital setting is an ideal setting where smokers can access smoking cessation services as hospital admission can be a cue to action. Consistent delivery of good quality smoking cessation care across health services is an important focus for reducing the harm of tobacco use, especially among continued smokers.

Has the National Fall in Smoking Rates in Ireland Been Replicated in Cancer Patients? A 5-Year Report.

Smoking among cancer patients leads to poorer outcomes, yet many patients continue smoking. As part of a feasibility study of smoking cessation for cancer patients in Ireland, smoking rates were reviewed. Hospital Inpatient Enquiry (HIPE) data on the smoking status of discharges with a cancer diagnosis (overall, breast, lung, cervical and head and neck cancer) were used (2014-2018).

Verbalisation of attention regulation strategies and background music enhance extinction learning and retention.

Relapse and return of fear are common following exposure-based treatments which aim to decrease anxiety by reducing danger expectancies and negative stimulus evaluations. Using Pavlovian conditioning and extinction procedures, recent studies found that verbalising catchphrases to prompt attention to, and memory of, stimulus contingencies during extinction prevented US expectancy generalisation to safe stimuli and reduced anxiety ratings. Verbalizations did not improve negative evaluations of conditional stimuli.

Comparative gene expression study highlights molecular similarities between triple negative breast cancer tumours and feline mammary carcinomas.

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a rare, highly metastatic subtype of breast cancer that typically develops tumours of a high histological grade. As TNBC is negative for the oestrogen, progesterone and HER2 receptors it is also not eligible for targeted hormonal therapies. Therefore, those diagnosed with TNBC are faced with a very poor prognosis.

The potential role of cofilin-1 in promoting triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) metastasis via the extracellular vesicles (EVs).

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive cancer, particularly prone to metastasis and is associated with poor survival outcomes. The key to unravelling the aggressiveness of TNBC lies in decoding the mechanism by which it metastasises. Cofilin-1 is a well-studied member of the cofilin family, involved in actin depolymerisation.

"Could you give us an idea on what we are all doing here?" the Patient Voice in Cancer Research (PVCR) starting the journey of involvement in Ireland.

Background: Involving patients and their carers in research has become more common, as funders demand evidence of involvement. The 'Patient Voice in Cancer Research' (PVCR) is an initiative led by University College Dublin (UCD) in Ireland. It encourages and enables people affected by cancer, and their families to become involved in shaping and informing the future of cancer research across the island of Ireland.

5-AZA-dC induces epigenetic changes associated with modified glycosylation of secreted glycoproteins and increased EMT and migration in chemo-sensitive cancer cells.

Background: Glycosylation, one of the most fundamental post-translational modifications, is altered in cancer and is subject in part, to epigenetic regulation. As there are many epigenetic-targeted therapies currently in clinical trials for the treatment of a variety of cancers, it is important to understand the impact epi-therapeutics have on glycosylation.

Results: Ovarian and triple negative breast cancer cells were treated with the DNA methyltransferase inhibitor, 5-AZA-2-deoxycytidine (5-AZA-dC).

Research Strategies for Low-Survival Cancers.

While substantial progress has been made to improve the diagnosis, prognosis, and survivorship of patients with cancer, certain cancer types, along with metastatic and refractory disease, remain clinical challenges. To improve patient outcomes, ultimately, the cancer research community must meet and overcome these challenges, leading to improved approaches to treat the most difficult cancers. Here, we discuss research progress aimed at gaining a better understanding of the molecular and cellular changes in tumor cells and the surrounding stroma, presented at the 56th Irish Association for Cancer Research (IACR) Annual Conference.

The role of the MAD2-TLR4-MyD88 axis in paclitaxel resistance in ovarian cancer.

Despite the use of front-line anticancer drugs such as paclitaxel for ovarian cancer treatment, mortality rates have remained almost unchanged for the past three decades and the majority of patients will develop recurrent chemoresistant disease which remains largely untreatable. Overcoming chemoresistance or preventing its onset in the first instance remains one of the major challenges for ovarian cancer research. In this study, we demonstrate a key link between senescence and inflammation and how this complex network involving the biomarkers MAD2, TLR4 and MyD88 drives paclitaxel resistance in ovarian cancer.

Circulating Melanoma-Derived Extracellular Vesicles: Impact on Melanoma Diagnosis, Progression Monitoring, and Treatment Response.

Malignant melanoma, one of the most aggressive human malignancies, is responsible for 80% of skin cancer deaths. Whilst early detection of disease progression or metastasis can improve patient survival, this remains a challenge due to the lack of reliable biomarkers. Importantly, these clinical challenges are not unique to humans, as melanoma affects many other species, including companion animals, such as the dog and horse.

N-Linked glycosylation profiles of therapeutic induced senescent (TIS) triple negative breast cancer cells (TNBC) and their extracellular vesicle (EV) progeny.

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) has poor clinical outcomes and limited treatment options. Chemotherapy, while killing some cancer cells, can result in therapeutic-induced-senescent (TIS) cells. Senescent cells release significantly more extracellular vesicles (EVs) than non-senescent cells.

HDAC6 Degradation Inhibits the Growth of High-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer Cells.

Histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) is a unique histone deacetylating enzyme that resides in the cell cytoplasm and is linked to the modulation of several key cancer related responses, including cell proliferation and migration. The promising anti-cancer response of the first-generation HDAC6 catalytic inhibitors continues to be assessed in clinical trials, although its role in high grade serous ovarian cancer is unclear. This study investigated HDAC6 tumor expression by immunohistochemistry in high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) tissue samples and a meta-analysis of HDAC6 gene expression in ovarian cancer from publicly available data.

Exosomes as Biomarkers of Human and Feline Mammary Tumours; A Comparative Medicine Approach to Unravelling the Aggressiveness of TNBC.

Comparative oncology is defined as the discipline that integrates naturally occurring cancers seen in veterinary medicine, into more general studies of cancer biology and therapy in humans, including the study of cancer-pathogenesis and new cancer treatments. While experimental studies in mice and rodents offer several advantages, including a wealth of genetic information, reduced variation and short generation intervals, their relevance in cancer biology is somewhat limited. Toward this end, as the biomedical research community works to make the promise of precision medicine a reality, more efficient animal cohort studies are critical.

Hypoxia Alters Epigenetic and -Glycosylation Profiles of Ovarian and Breast Cancer Cell Lines .

Glycosylation is one of the most fundamental post-translational modifications. Importantly, glycosylation is altered in many cancers. These alterations have been proven to impact on tumor progression and to promote tumor cell survival.

Exosomes in triple negative breast cancer: Garbage disposals or Trojan horses?

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a breast cancer subtype which is particularly aggressive and invasive. The treatment of TNBC has been limited due to the lack of well-defined molecular targets. Exosomes are nano-sized extracellular vesicles that are released from virtually all cell types into the extracellular space.