Publications by authors named "Bang A"

Data synthesis can address important data availability challenges in biomedical informatics. Quantitative evaluation of generative models may help understand their applications to synthesizing biomedical data. This poster paper examines state-of-the-art generative models used in medical imaging, such as StyleGAN and DDPM models, and evaluates their performance in learning data manifolds and in the visible features of generated samples.

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  • Therapeutic research on Alzheimer's disease (AD) has shifted towards drug repositioning, specifically looking at FDA-approved medications like efavirenz as potential AD treatments.
  • At low doses, efavirenz activates the enzyme CYP46A1 which helps reduce excess brain cholesterol and improve memory deficits in AD models, showing promising effects without the neurotoxic risks associated with higher doses used for HIV treatment.
  • The review highlights the need for further studies on efavirenz's properties, safety, and effectiveness to evaluate its potential as a candidate for AD drug development.
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Introduction: Accelerated hypofractionated radiotherapy has gained increasing interest for locally advanced NSCLC, as it can potentially increase radiobiologically effective dose and reduce health care resource utilization. Nevertheless, there is sparse prospective evidence supporting routine use of accelerated hypofractionation with or without concurrent chemotherapy. For this reason, the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer Advanced Radiation Technology Subcommittee conducted a systematic review of prospective studies of accelerated hypofractionation for locally advanced NSCLC.

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Biodiversity is declining at alarming rates, with some negative impacts caused by activities that are necessary for meeting basic human needs and others which should be avoided to prevent ecological collapse. Avoidance of biodiversity impacts is costly; these costs must be distributed fairly. Principles of fair allocation - which are grounded in longstanding theories of justice and are mathematically operationalizable - are rarely used in biodiversity decision-making but can help to deliver procedural and distributive justice alongside biodiversity outcomes.

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In future decarbonised energy systems, residual carbon emissions require strategic planning and management. In environmental management, an evaluation of carbon removal considering local geographic frameworks is needed. This paper introduces a scalable and adaptable model for evaluating the economics and geography of future carbon capture and storage (CCS) configurations across geographical scales, covering capture, transport, and storage of carbon.

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Background: By encouraging treatment adherence and lowering mortality, dietary supplements can serve as adjuvant therapy for the success of medical interventions. We determined the effect of locally accessible food supplements on treatment outcomes, and health-related quality of life in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis initiating anti-tuberculosis treatment (ATT) in Odisha, India.

Method: Between September 2017 and December 2018, implementation research in patients with newly diagnosed sputum smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis initiating ATT in five districts of the tribal belt of Odisha, offered food supplements along with ATT in a phased manner.

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Intracellular electrophysiology, a vital and versatile technique in cellular neuroscience, is typically conducted using the patch-clamp method. Despite its effectiveness, this method poses challenges due to its complexity and low throughput. The pursuit of multi-channel parallel neural intracellular recording has been a long-standing goal, yet achieving reliable and consistent scaling has been elusive because of several technological barriers.

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Over 95% of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas (PDAC) harbor oncogenic mutations in K-Ras. Upon treatment with K-Ras inhibitors, PDAC cancer cells undergo metabolic reprogramming towards an oxidative phosphorylation-dependent, drug-resistant state. However, direct inhibition of complex I is poorly tolerated in patients due to on-target induction of peripheral neuropathy.

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  • This study validated the Chemotherapy-Induced Alopecia Distress Scale (CADS) for its effectiveness in measuring the psychosocial impact of hair loss on breast cancer patients in English-speaking populations.
  • It involved a cohort of 256 patients, who completed the CADS questionnaire at different stages of treatment, showing good reliability and responsiveness.
  • The results indicated that the CADS is a reliable and valid tool for assessing the distress caused by hair loss due to chemotherapy and endocrine therapy.
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Introduction: Cutaneous adverse reactions to epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors (EGFRi) are some of the most common side effects that patients experience. However, cutaneous adverse reactions that cause dyspigmentation in patients have been rarely reported. Erythema dyschromicum perstans (EDP) is a rare pigmentary condition that causes ashy-grey hyperpigmented macules and patches, with a few cases reported from EGFRi in the literature.

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  • Immune-related cutaneous adverse events (ircAEs) affect over 50% of patients on checkpoint inhibitors, yet their mechanisms remain unclear.
  • A study examined 200 patients (139 with ircAEs and 61 controls) to identify clinical presentations and cytokine responses, leading to the discovery of eight different ircAE phenotypes, such as pruritus and eczema, each involving immune cell infiltration.
  • Analysis showed unique cytokine profiles related to specific phenotypes, revealing potential treatment strategies that could involve targeted therapies or corticosteroids for effective management of these adverse events.
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Objective: Our aim was to refine the essential newborn care practices by employing the multidisciplinary peer team-led quality improvement (QI) projects.

Design: In 2017, concerning the same, the department focused on early initiation of breast feeding, prevention of hypothermia within an hour of life and rational usage of antibiotics among babies admitted to neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Baseline data reported the rate of initiation of breast feeding, hypothermia and antibiotic exposure rate as 35%, 78% and 75%, respectively.

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  • The study explores how body composition, particularly body mass index (BMI), affects the pituitary-testis axis in men, which is important for understanding testosterone levels.
  • Findings show that higher BMI is linked to lower basal levels of luteinizing hormone (LH) and testosterone, indicating potential hormonal dysfunction in men with obesity.
  • However, responses to dynamic hormone stimulation tests were less affected by BMI, suggesting that while basal hormone levels are significantly impacted by obesity, the body's ability to produce hormones in response to stimulation remains relatively stable.
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Background: Constitutive inflammation and hemostatic activation have been identified as key contributors to the pathophysiology of sickle cell disease (SCD), leading to clinical consequences such as vaso-occlusive crises and stroke. Patients with hemoglobin SS (HbSS) and hemoglobin SC (HbSC) genotypes are reported to have different symptoms, as do patients in steady-state and crisis situations. Differences among these groups remain unclear in pediatric patients.

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  • - The study evaluated the effectiveness and safety of a 5-fraction, high-conformal ultrafractionated radiation therapy for primary tumors in patients with metastatic breast cancer who didn't have surgery planned.
  • - Out of 27 patients treated with this method, results showed an 82% response rate and a 77% two-year local control rate, with mild skin toxicity experienced by only 15% of patients.
  • - Findings suggest that while this approach is promising, especially for patients with fewer previous treatments, more research is needed to determine the best dose and treatment role in these scenarios.
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Standardised terminology in science is important for clarity of interpretation and communication. In invasion science - a dynamic and rapidly evolving discipline - the proliferation of technical terminology has lacked a standardised framework for its development. The result is a convoluted and inconsistent usage of terminology, with various discrepancies in descriptions of damage and interventions.

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Background: Radiotherapy delivery regimens can vary between a single fraction (SF) and multiple fractions (MF) given daily for up to several weeks depending on the location of the cancer or metastases. With limited evidence comparing fractionation regimens for oligometastases, there is support to explore toxicity levels to nearby organs at risk as a primary outcome while using SF and MF stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) as well as explore differences in patient-reported quality of life and experience.

Methods: This study will randomize 598 patients in a 1:1 ratio between the standard arm (MF SABR) and the experimental arm (SF SABR).

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Aims: Most patients experience stable quality of life (QoL) after stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) treatment for oligometastases. However, a subset of patients experience clinically relevant declines in QoL on post-treatment follow-up. This study aimed to identify risk factors for QoL decline.

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Urbanization is an important driver of global change associated with a set of environmental modifications that affect the introduction and distribution of invasive non-native species (species with populations transported by humans beyond their natural biogeographic range that established and are spreading in their introduced range; hereafter, invasive species). These species are recognized as a cause of large ecological and economic losses. Nevertheless, the economic impacts of these species in urban areas are still poorly understood.

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The yellow crazy ant, or the long-legged ant, (formerly ) - named so for its meandering movements when disturbed, possibly owing to its long legs and antennae - is globallywidespread and currently classified as one of '100 of the world's worst invasive species' (Lowe 2000). This status is assigned to species that are non-native in a region and cause significant negative ecological and/or socioeconomic impacts, including declines in native biodiversity, changes in native ecosystem structure and function, and the breakdown of native biogeographic realms. Possibly, themost devastating and multipronged impacts of have been observed on island ecosystems, such as on Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean, where it impacted the entire island ecosystem by reducing arthropod, reptile, bird, and mammalian diversity on the forest floor and canopy, causing an 'invasional meltdown' (O'Dowd 2003).

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  • This study investigates vitiligo-like skin lesions in patients undergoing treatment with CDK4/6 inhibitors for metastatic breast cancer, noting their prevalence and impact on quality of life.* -
  • A retrospective review involved ten patients from five institutions, revealing that the median age was 55 and that lesions primarily developed on sun-exposed areas after about 10 months of treatment.* -
  • Although multiple treatments were trialed with limited success, ruxolitinib cream showed slight repigmentation in one patient, emphasizing the need for collaboration between oncologists and dermatologists for better management.*
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  • The study aims to determine the best timing for administering systemic therapy in patients with oligometastatic cancer who received Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy (SABR) in the SABR-5 trial.
  • Among the 319 patients analyzed, those who received upfront systemic treatment had a longer progression-free survival (PFS) compared to those who delayed treatment, but both groups had similar overall survival (OS) rates.
  • Delaying systemic treatment reduced the risk of severe SABR-related toxicity, suggesting a potential strategy to minimize side effects while managing oligometastatic cancer.
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