Socioeconomic and environmental factors associated with glaucoma in an African Ancestry Population: findings from the Primary Open-Angle African American Glaucoma Genetics (POAAGG) study.

Background/objectives: Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness, disproportionately affecting individuals of African ancestry. Limited research has examined the impact of neighbourhood quality and socioeconomic factors on primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) risk in this population. This study aims to address these gaps by evaluating associations between ocular health and neighbourhood characteristics using geospatial data.

Robustness Assessment of Oncology Dose-Finding Trials Using the Modified Fragility Index.

Objectives: The sample sizes of phase I trials are typically small; some designs may lead to inaccurate estimation of the maximum tolerated dose (MTD). The objective of this study was to propose a metric assessing whether the MTD decision is sensitive to enrolling a few additional subjects in a phase I dose-finding trial.

Methods: Numerous model-based and model-assisted designs have been proposed to improve the efficiency and accuracy of finding the MTD.

Outcomes of Trabeculectomy and Predictors of Success in Patients of African Ancestry With Primary Open Angle Glaucoma.

Prcis: Trabeculectomy in African ancestry individuals with primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) shows a 46% success rate and frequent complications, indicating that younger age and family history are significant predictors of surgical failure in this high-risk population.

Objective: To investigate outcomes of trabeculectomy ab externo in African ancestry POAG patients and to analyze the impact of demographic and phenotypic factors on surgical success and complication rates.

Patients And Methods: A retrospective case-control study enrolled 63 eyes of 55 POAG cases who underwent trabeculectomy ab externo.

Heat shock protein 72 supports extracellular matrix production in metastatic mammary tumors.

This study identified tumorigenic processes most dependent on murine heat shock protein 72 (HSP72) in the mouse mammary tumor virus-PyMT mammary tumor model, which give rise to spontaneous mammary tumors that exhibit HSP72-dependent metastasis to the lung. RNA-seq expression profiling of Hspa1a/Hspa1b (Hsp72) WT and Hsp72 primary mammary tumors discovered significantly lower expression of genes encoding components of the extracellular matrix (ECM) in Hsp72 knockout mammary tumors compared to WT controls. In vitro studies found that genetic or chemical inhibition of HSP72 activity in cultured collagen-expressing human or murine cells also reduces mRNA and protein levels of COL1A1 and several other ECM-encoding genes.

Bayesian meta-analysis using SAS PROC BGLIMM.

Meta-analysis is commonly used to compare two treatments. Network meta-analysis (NMA) is a powerful extension for comparing and contrasting multiple treatments simultaneously in a systematic review of multiple clinical trials. Although the practical utility of meta-analysis is apparent, it is not always straightforward to implement, especially for those interested in a Bayesian approach.

Validation and psychometrics for the Health Skills Profile.

Introduction: Few measures can comprehensively explore the extent to which individuals are able to effectively identify areas of concern, create a personalized health action plan and target these areas for improvement. Thus, the aim of this paper was to validate the Health Skills Profile (HSP©) as a measure for assessing health-related skills and explore the relationship between the HSP skills with existing validated measures.

Method: Participants completed a battery of self-report measures (including validated measures and visual analogue scales [VAS] that relate to each of the health-related skills) and the HSP measure online.