Publications by authors named "Bernard B"

Purpose: Nausea is a common symptom in patients irradiated for benign brain tumors. The dorsal vagal complex (DVC) located in the brainstem (BS) has been identified as the center of nausea and vomiting. The objective of our study was to determine an association between mean dose to the DVC and nausea.

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Article Synopsis
  • - CRISPR-engineered CAR T cells show promise in cancer treatments but have been linked to chromosomal issues due to the CRISPR process.
  • - The study reveals that increased T cell activation and faster proliferation lead to larger DNA deletions, while non-activated T cells have a lower risk but are less effective for gene editing.
  • - A small molecule called pifithrin-α can reduce chromosomal damage while preserving the functionality of CRISPR-engineered T cells, making it a viable strategy for improving genomic safety.
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The uniqueness in each person's cancer cells and variation in immune infiltrates means that each tumor represents a unique problem, but therapeutic targets can be found among their shared features. Radiation therapy alters the interaction between the cancer cells and the stroma through release of innate adjuvants. The extranuclear DNA that can result from radiation damage of cells can result in production of the second messenger cyclic guanosine monophosphate-adenosine monophosphate (cGAMP) by cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS).

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While the World Health Organization has declared the end of the SARS-CoV-2 public health emergency, studies related to corona viruses are still under course. As of 2024, the severity of COVID-19 has diminished with current treatments and vaccinations. However, individuals can still face severe complications, highlighting the importance of ongoing research into innovative treatments for current and future coronavirus-related diseases.

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SET and MYND-domain containing protein 3 (SMYD3) mediates epigenetic repression of type I IFN response genes in human papillomavirus (HPV)-negative HNSCC cells, and Smyd3 depletion using anti-sense oligonucleotides (ASOs) increases the sensitivity of syngeneic mouse oral carcinoma (MOC1) models to anti-PD-1 therapy. In this study, we utilized single-cell RNA-seq of MOC1 tumors treated with Smyd3 ASOs and found enrichment of type I IFN response pathways in cancer cells, a shift of CD8 T-cells toward an activated/memory phenotype, and a shift of neutrophils toward an anti-tumorigenic phenotype. Mechanisms of resistance to the Smyd3 ASO and anti-PD-1 combination were derived from cancer cells, macrophages, and CD8 T-cells, including neutrophil enrichment through the upregulation of , repression of and defective antigen presentation.

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Background: A larger percentage of social housing tenants have poorer physical and mental health outcomes compared to private renters and homeowners. They are also at a greater risk of respiratory conditions, cardiovascular disease, communicable disease transmission and mortality. One approach that aims to reduce health inequalities is to create research partnerships with underserved local communities.

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Objectives: To present a case report of sinonasal glomangiopericytoma (GPC) in a female patient in her thirties and to highlight the importance of collecting pathology specimens even in routine sinus surgery cases.

Methods: A case report detailing the diagnosis of GPC in a female in her thirties, including her initial presentation, treatment, and follow-up, along with a brief review of the literature.

Results: Pathology of the collected specimen revealed sinonasal GPC along with chronic rhinosinusitis.

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Patients presenting with stage 4 ovarian carcinoma, including low-grade serous disease, have a poor prognosis. Although platinum-based therapies can offer some response, these therapies are associated with many side effects, and treatment resistance often develops. Toxic side effects along with disease progression render patients unable to receive additional lines of treatment and limit their options to hospice or palliative care.

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Background: Indirect calorimetry (IC) is the gold standard to monitor energy expenditure in critically ill patients. In several intensive care units (ICUs), nurses are responsible for carrying out the measurements.

Aim: The aim of this study was to assess nurses' perception of their involvement in IC.

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Coral reefs are iconic ecosystems that support diverse, productive communities in both shallow and deep waters. However, our incomplete knowledge of cold-water coral (CWC) niche space limits our understanding of their distribution and precludes a complete accounting of the ecosystem services they provide. Here, we present the results of recent surveys of the CWC mound province on the Blake Plateau off the U.

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Cancers often display immune escape, but the mechanisms are incompletely understood. Herein, we identify SMYD3 as a mediator of immune escape in human papilloma virus (HPV)-negative head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), an aggressive disease with poor response to immunotherapy with pembrolizumab. SMYD3 depletion induces upregulation of multiple type I interferon (IFN) response and antigen presentation machinery genes in HNSCC cells.

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Objectives: We characterize functional outcomes in head and neck cancer of unknown primary (CUP) based on primary site identification.

Methods: In this retrospective study, CUP cases were categorized as known primaries (KP) if a tumor was localized after diagnostic workup or persisting unknown primaries (UP). Age, sex, HPV status, diagnostic methods, and treatments regimens were collected.

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Chemoimmunotherapy with anti-programmed cell death 1/ligand 1 and cytotoxic chemotherapy is a promising therapeutic modality for women with triple-negative breast cancer, but questions remain regarding optimal chemotherapy backbone and biomarkers for patient selection. We report final outcomes from a phase Ib trial evaluating pembrolizumab (200 mg IV every 3 weeks) with either weekly paclitaxel (80 mg/m weekly) or flat-dose capecitabine (2000 mg orally twice daily for 7 days of every 14-day cycle) in the 1st/2nd line setting. The primary endpoint is safety (receipt of 2 cycles without grade III/IV toxicities requiring discontinuation or ≥21-day delays).

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Low-grade serous ovarian cancer (LGSOC) typically responds poorly to standard platinum-based chemotherapy and new therapeutic approaches are needed. We describe a remarkable response to targeted therapy in a patient with platinum-resistant, advanced LGSOC who had failed standard-of-care chemotherapy and two surgeries. The patient was in rapid decline and entering hospice care on home intravenous (i.

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Endovascular treatment for dural sinus thrombosis is typically reserved for a small subset of patients who fail medical management. Conventional neurovascular aspiration catheters are suboptimal for use in dural sinus thrombosis given their relatively small caliber with respect to the large dural sinuses and risk of significant blood loss if continuous suction is applied through the catheter as it traverses patent portions of the large veins. We present a case where the Penumbra Lightning aspiration system, currently approved for thrombectomy in the peripheral and pulmonary vasculature, was successfully used for dural sinus thrombectomy with rapid clinical improvement of the patient.

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Radical new possibilities of improved treatment of cancer are on offer from an advanced medical technology already demonstrating its significance: next-generation sequencing (NGS). This refined testing provides unprecedentedly precise diagnoses and permits the use of focused and highly personalized treatments. However, across regions globally, many cancer patients will continue to be denied the benefits of NGS as long as some of the yawning gaps in its implementation remain unattended.

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Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (IMT) of the uterus is a rare mesenchymal tumor with largely benign behavior; however, a small subset demonstrate aggressive behavior. While clinicopathologic features have been previously associated with aggressive behavior, these reports are based on small series, and these features are imperfect predictors of clinical behavior. IMTs are most commonly driven by ALK fusions, with additional pathogenic molecular alterations being reported only in rare examples of extrauterine IMTs.

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Objective: A preliminary comparison of the program experience and costs associated with the virtual interview season during the 2020-2021 COVID-19 pandemic against the traditional in-person interview process during the 2019-2020 interview season.

Study Design: Cross-sectional survey.

Setting: Our institutional program launched an online survey via REDCap to otolaryngology programs across the country.

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Interruptions in the continuum of care for HIV can inadvertently increase a patient’s risk of poor health outcomes such as uncontrolled viral load and a greater likelihood of developing drug resistance. Retention of people living with HIV (PLHIV) in care and determinants of attrition, such as adherence to treatment, are among the most critical links strengthening the continuum of care, reducing the risk of treatment failure, and assuring viral load suppression. Objective: To analyze the variation in, and factors associated with, retention of patients enrolled in HIV services at outpatient clinics in the provinces of Kinshasa and Haut-Katanga, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

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Recent studies have reported up to 1.9 × 10 bacterial endospores in the upper kilometre of deep subseafloor marine sediments, however, little is understood about their origin and dispersal. In cold ocean environments, the presence of thermospores (endospores produced by thermophilic bacteria) suggests that distribution is governed by passive migration from warm anoxic sources possibly facilitated by geofluid flow, such as advective hydrocarbon seepage sourced from petroleum deposits deeper in the subsurface.

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Unlabelled: The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Project Genomics Evidence Neoplasia Information Exchange (GENIE) is an international pan-cancer registry with the goal to inform cancer research and clinical care worldwide. Founded in late 2015, the milestone GENIE 9.1-public release contains data from >110,000 tumors from >100,000 people treated at 19 cancer centers from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, and Spain.

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CD4+ Th cells play a key role in orchestrating immune responses, but the identity of the CD4+ Th cells involved in the antitumor immune response remains to be defined. We analyzed the immune cell infiltrates of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and colorectal cancers and identified a subset of CD4+ Th cells distinct from FOXP3+ Tregs that coexpressed programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) and ICOS. These tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte CD4+ Th cells (CD4+ Th TILs) had a tissue-resident memory phenotype, were present in MHC class II-rich areas, and proliferated in the tumor, suggesting local antigen recognition.

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Tumor-infiltrating neoantigen-reactive T cells can mediate regression of metastatic gastrointestinal cancers yet remain poorly characterized. We performed immunological screening against personalized neoantigens in combination with single-cell RNA sequencing on tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes from bile duct and pancreatic cancer patients to characterize the transcriptomic landscape of neoantigen-reactive T cells. We found that most neoantigen-reactive CD8 T cells displayed an exhausted state with significant CXCL13 and GZMA co-expression compared with non-neoantigen-reactive bystander cells.

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