Evaluating Clinical and Sociodemographic Risk for Symptom Burden Associated Interference With Daily Functioning in the Primary Brain Tumor Patient Population.

Introduction: Symptom burden associated with interference in daily functioning is worse in those with progression or higher-grade glial tumors. This exploratory study aims to identify factors associated with its severity in a diverse cross-sectional cohort of 566 brain tumor patients enrolled in a natural history study (NCT03251989, PI: T.S.

Social Determinants of Health Predict Sleep-Wake Disturbances Among Patients Living With Primary Brain Tumors: A Cross-Sectional Analysis.

Introduction: Sleep disturbance (SD) and sleep-related impairment (SRI) significantly impact the lives of primary brain tumor (PBT) patients. We aimed to describe the prevalence of SD and SRI in this population, determine the reliability of the PROMIS-SD and PROMIS-SRI instruments, and identify predictive factors to support the development of targeted interventions for at-risk individuals.

Methods: This cross-sectional study evaluated SD and SRI in PBT patients enrolled in a Natural History Study who completed 1-year follow-up questionnaires (N = 229).

The COVID-19 pandemic experience for patients with central nervous system tumors: Differences in patient-reported outcomes and practice recommendations.

Background: This study explored differences in patient-reported outcomes (PROs) for patients with central nervous system (CNS) tumors during COVID, compared to pre-pandemic assessments, in light of impacted access to in-person care.

Methods: Patient-reported outcomes (PROMIS-Anxiety and Depression Short-Forms, EQ-5D-3L, MDASI-BT/Spine, NeuroQoL-Perceived Cognitive Functioning) were collected from 149 participants on the Neuro-Oncology Branch Natural History Study seen during the first year of COVID between March 2020 and February 2021, which were compared to assessments collected pre-COVID. Paired sample -tests and proportion tests (-tests) were used to compare PROs with effect sizes reported using Hedges and Cohen's .

Prospective validation and revision of predictive models for post-ERCP pancreatitis: focus on procedure-related factors and a novel risk stratification approach.

Introduction: Post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography pancreatitis (PEP) is the most common serious adverse event after endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). Although retrospective models to predict PEP have shown promise, their real-world applicability remains uncertain. Thus, we used prospectively derived cohort data to validate current prediction models.

Quantification of Automatic Speech Recognition System Performance on d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing Speech.

Objective: To evaluate the performance of commercial automatic speech recognition (ASR) systems on d/Deaf and hard-of-hearing (d/Dhh) speech.

Methods: A corpus containing 850 audio files of d/Dhh and normal hearing (NH) speech from the University of Memphis Speech Perception Assessment Laboratory was tested on four speech-to-text application program interfaces (APIs): Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Google Chirp, and OpenAI Whisper. We quantified the Word Error Rate (WER) of API transcriptions for 24 d/Dhh and nine NH participants and performed subgroup analysis by speech intelligibility classification (SIC), hearing loss (HL) onset, and primary communication mode.

Aptamers and Nanobodies as New Bioprobes for SARS-CoV-2 Diagnostic and Therapeutic System Applications.

The global challenges posed by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic have underscored the critical importance of innovative and efficient control systems for addressing future pandemics. The most effective way to control the pandemic is to rapidly suppress the spread of the virus through early detection using a rapid, accurate, and easy-to-use diagnostic platform. In biosensors that use bioprobes, the binding affinity of molecular recognition elements (MREs) is the primary factor determining the dynamic range of the sensing platform.

Fluorometric and Colorimetric Method for SARS-CoV-2 Detection Using Designed Aptamer Display Particles.

SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, has spurred the urgent need for practical diagnostics with high sensitivity and selectivity. Although advanced diagnostic tools have emerged to efficiently control pandemics, they still have costly limitations owing to their reliance on antibodies or enzymes and require high-tech equipment. Therefore, there is still a need to develop rapid and low-cost diagnostics with high sensitivity and selectivity.

Long-term survivors of glioblastoma: Tumor molecular, clinical, and imaging findings.

Background: Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most aggressive primary brain malignancy with <45% living a year beyond diagnosis. Previously published investigations of long-term survivors (LTS) provided clinical data but rarely incorporated a comprehensive clinical and molecular analysis. Herein, we identify clinical, imaging, molecular, and outcome features for 23 GBM-LTS patients and compare them with a matched cohort of short-term survivors (STS).

Convolutional neural network model for automatic recognition and classification of pancreatic cancer cell based on analysis of lipid droplet on unlabeled sample by 3D optical diffraction tomography.

Introduction: Pancreatic cancer cells generally accumulate large numbers of lipid droplets (LDs), which regulate lipid storage. To promote rapid diagnosis, an automatic pancreatic cancer cell recognition system based on a deep convolutional neural network was proposed in this study using quantitative images of LDs from stain-free cytologic samples by optical diffraction tomography.

Methods: We retrieved 3D refractive index tomograms and reconstructed 37 optical images of one cell.

Retroperitoneal spindle cell tumor: a case report.

Spindle cell tumors exhibit a relatively low occurrence rate and can manifest in various locations within the human body, including soft tissues and bones. The process of making a diagnosis is supported by conducting pathological and immunohistochemical tests. A 50-year-old female patient visited the hospital with abdominal pain that lasted about a week.

Childhood emotional abuse and alcohol use disorders in a national Nepali women sample: The mediating role of borderline personality traits.

While many studies have found an association between childhood emotional abuse and alcohol use disorders (AUD) during adulthood, underlying psychological mechanisms linking the two remain inadequately understood. Drawing on the developmental psychopathology perspective, this study examined the relationship between childhood emotional abuse and AUD during adulthood with a national sample of women in Nepal ( = 1,100, age = 37.73), focusing on the mediating role of borderline personality traits.

An evaluation of a digital financial education program and the impact of COVID-19 on financial well-being among college students.

Objectives: To study the impact of a financial education program on financial well-being among college students.

Participants: 162 students at a university.

Methods: We designed a digital educational intervention to improve money management practices and financial well-being among college students, where we delivered weekly nudges for three months via mobile phone and email to review and complete activities from the online platform CashCourse.

Ultra-sensitive label-free SERS biosensor with high-throughput screened DNA aptamer for universal detection of SARS-CoV-2 variants from clinical samples.

COVID-19, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has caused an ongoing global pandemic with economic and social disruption. Moreover, the virus has persistently and rapidly evolved into novel lineages with mutations. The most effective strategy to control the pandemic is suppressing virus spread through early detection of infections.

Feasibility of a virtual reality intervention targeting distress and anxiety symptoms in patients with primary brain tumors: Interim analysis of a phase 2 clinical trial.

Purpose: Cancer patients experience distress and anxiety when undergoing imaging studies to monitor disease status, yet these symptoms are not always appropriately identified or well-managed. This interim analysis of a phase 2 clinical trial explored feasibility and acceptability of a virtual reality relaxation (VR) intervention for primary brain tumor (PBT) patients at the time of clinical evaluation.

Methods: English speaking, adult PBT patients with previous reports of distress and upcoming neuroimaging were recruited between March of 2021 and March 2022.

Evaluation of the key geriatric assessment constructs in primary brain tumor population - a descriptive study.

Introduction: Despite an increasing aging population, older adults (≥ 65 years) with primary brain tumors (PBTs) are not routinely assessed for geriatric vulnerabilities. Recent reports of geriatric assessment (GA) in patients with glioblastomas demonstrated that GA may serve as a sensitive prognosticator of overall survival. Yet, current practice does not include routine evaluation of geriatric vulnerabilities and the relevance of GA has not been previously evaluated in broader cohorts of PBT patients.

Race and Ethnicity Differences in Walking and Associations with Neighborhood Perceptions among Older Adults in California.

This paper estimates differences in walking and associations of walking with neighborhood perceptions among older adults in California. We analyzed the restricted-use California Health Interview Survey data merged with the American Community Survey data. Walking at least 10 minutes for leisure in the last 7 days and number of minutes walked were regressed on perceived neighborhood social cohesion scale (PNSCS) and neighborhood socioeconomic characteristics.