Perceptions of PGY-2 Oncology Programs on Financial Toxicity Education and Preparedness.

Cancer patients experience a rising monetary burden due to increased direct and in-direct costs associated with cancer treatment. This as a result has an adverse effect on the financial well-being of a cancer patient, also known as financial toxicity. Currently, there is a lack of literature surrounding the implementation of financial toxicity in post-graduate oncology residency training for pharmacists.

HIV-1 Infection, Injecting Drug Use, and Neuroendocrine Response to Psychological Stress.

Background: Previous studies have suggested that HIV-1 infection is associated with neuroendocrine abnormalities including alterations in autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity. The norepinephrine (NE) response to cold pressor stress, an α-adrenergic challenge, is blunted in HIV-1 infection. Given the relation of ANS activity to the function of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and its role in cognitive functioning, changes in response to stress may be a factor in HIV-related cognitive dysfunction.

Marked reduction in serotonergic activity in a sexually aggressive adolescent male.

Serotonergic dysfunctions are implicated in conduct disorder, impulsivity, and aggression. Early adverse experiences increase the risk for these behaviors in adolescents. The authors investigated serotonergic activity in one adolescent male who experienced maternal abandonment and childhood abuse and exhibited severely aggressive sexual offenses.

Human immunodeficiency virus infection in the CNS and decreased dopamine availability: relationship with neuropsychological performance.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) infection in the central nervous system (CNS) is associated with a wide range of neurological, cognitive, and behavioral problems. HIV-1 enters the brain soon after the initial infection and is distributed in varying concentrations in different regions with specific affinity to the subcortical regions, particularly the basal ganglia, causing neurodegeneration of dopaminergic regions and resulting in the decreased availability of dopamine (DA) in the CNS. Although there are numerous reports on HIV-1-associated neuropsychological (NP) impairment, there is a paucity of studies showing a direct relationship between the decreased availability of dopamine in different regions of postmortem brains of HIV-1-infected individuals and the level of performance in different NP functions during life.

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha levels in HIV-1 seropositive injecting drug users.

TNF-alpha is a highly pleiotropic cytokine and plays an important role in regulating HIV-1 replication. It may compromise the integrity of the blood-brain-barrier and, thus, may contribute to the neurotoxicity of HIV-1-infection. Both intravenous drug abuse (IDU) and HIV infection can increase TNF-alpha activity, but little information is available on the effects of a combination of these factors on TNF-alpha.

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 RNA Levels in different regions of human brain: quantification using real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction.

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) enters the central nervous system shortly after the infection and becomes localized in different regions of the brain, leading to various neurological abnormalities including motor disorders and neurocognitive deficits. Although HIV-1-associated functional abnormalities of the central nervous system (CNS) can be evaluated during life by using various test batteries, HIV-1 virus concentration in different brain regions can be measured only after death. The tissues obtained at autopsy provide a valuable source for determining the role of various factors, including that of HIV-1 viral load in the CNS, that may contribute to the regional CNS neuropathogenesis.