Integrin Targeting and Beyond: Enhancing Cancer Treatment with Dual-Targeting RGD (Arginine-Glycine-Aspartate) Strategies.

Integrins, an important superfamily of cell adhesion receptors, play an essential role in cancer progression, metastasis, and angiogenesis, establishing them as prime targets for both diagnostic and therapeutic applications. Despite their significant potential, integrin-targeted therapies have faced substantial challenges in clinical trials, including variable efficacy and unmet high expectations. Nevertheless, the consistent expression of integrins on tumor and stromal cells underscores their ongoing relevance and potential.

BMP-Binding Polysulfonate Brushes to Control Growth Factor Presentation and Regulate Matrix Remodelling.

Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) are important targets to incorporate in biomaterial scaffolds to orchestrate tissue repair. Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) such as heparin allow the capture of BMPs and their retention at the surface of biomaterials at safe concentrations. Although heparin has strong affinities for BMP2 and BMP4, two important types of growth factors regulating bone and tissue repair, it remains difficult to embed stably at the surface of a broad range of biomaterials and degrades rapidly in vitro and in vivo.

Value of PET ECG gating in a cross-validation study of cardiac function assessment by PET/MR imaging.

Background: This work investigated the impact of different cardiac gating methods on the assessment of cardiac function by FDG-PET in a cross-validation PET/MR study.

Methods And Results: MR- and PET-based left ventricular end-diastolic, end-systolic volumes, and ejection fraction (EDV, ESV, and EF) were delineated in 30 patients with a PET/MR examination. Cardiac PET imaging was performed using three ECG gating methods: fixed number of gates per beat (STD), STD with a beat acceptance window (STD-BR), and fixed gate duration (FW).

In-depth insights into Alzheimer's disease by using explainable machine learning approach.

Alzheimer's disease is still a field of research with lots of open questions. The complexity of the disease prevents the early diagnosis before visible symptoms regarding the individual's cognitive capabilities occur. This research presents an in-depth analysis of a huge data set encompassing medical, cognitive and lifestyle's measurements from more than 12,000 individuals.

Advances in Nursery Production of Hazelnut Plants in Serbia - Successful Grafting of Different L. Cultivars and Clones Onto L. Rootstock.

The latest trends in hazelnut production are moving in the direction of selection and breeding of more productive cultivars, isolation of native clones, and more intensive clonal selection of rootstocks aimed at enhancing the agronomic performance of plants. Serbia stands out in the production of quality planting material by grafting on Turkish filbert ( L.), which does not form shoots and develops in the form of a tree.

PET/MR Technology: Advancement and Challenges.

When this article was written, it coincided with the 11th anniversary of the installation of our PET/MR device in Munich. In fact, this was the first fully integrated device to be in clinical use. During this time, we have observed many interesting behaviors, to put it kindly.

Mapping covariance in brain FDG uptake to structural connectivity.

Purpose: Inter-subject covariance of regional 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET measures (FDG) as proxy of brain connectivity has been gaining an increasing acceptance in the community. Yet, it is still unclear to what extent FDG is underlied by actual structural connectivity via white matter fiber tracts. In this study, we quantified the degree of spatial overlap between FDG and structural connectivity networks.

The added value of PSMA PET/MR radiomics for prostate cancer staging.

Purpose: To evaluate the performance of combined PET and multiparametric MRI (mpMRI) radiomics for the group-wise prediction of postsurgical Gleason scores (psGSs) in primary prostate cancer (PCa) patients.

Methods: Patients with PCa, who underwent [ Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 PET/MRI followed by radical prostatectomy, were included in this retrospective analysis (n = 101). Patients were grouped by psGS in three categories: ISUP grades 1-3, ISUP grade 4, and ISUP grade 5.

Prospective Non-Randomized Study of Intraoperative Assessment of Surgical Resection Margin of Colo-Rectal Liver Metastases.

More than 50% of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) develop liver metastases during the natural course of disease. Surgical resection is currently the most potentially curative method in the treatment of colorectal liver metastases (CRLM). The goal of surgery is to achieve a negative resection margin (RM) of at least 1 mm, which provides the best prognosis for patients.

Almost 10 years of PET/MR attenuation correction: the effect on lesion quantification with PSMA: clinical evaluation on 200 prostate cancer patients.

Purpose: After a decade of PET/MR, the case of attenuation correction (AC) remains open. The initial four-compartment (air, water, fat, soft tissue) Dixon-based AC scheme has since been expanded with several features, the latest being MR field-of-view extension and a bone atlas. As this potentially changes quantification, we evaluated the impact of these features in PET AC in prostate cancer patients.

Comparison between polyphenol profile and bioactive response in blackthorn (Prunus spinosa L.) genotypes from north Serbia-from raw data to PCA analysis.

The aim of this work was to investigate and compare the phenolic profile of 15 wild growing blackthorn (Prunus spinosa L.) genotypes from the slopes of Fruška Gora mountain in north Serbia. Their effect in inhibiting i) α-amylase and α-glucosidase activities and ii) colorectal cancer cell line (HT29) growth was also studied.

Unusual metastasis of esophageal cancer.

Introduction: Carcinoma of the esophagus is in the eighth place by the frequency of malignant diseases and the sixth cause of death from cancer worldwide. It usually metastasizes to regional lymph nodes, liver, lungs, central nervous system, and bones, but metastases can appear to unusual locations such as facial skin and lips.

Case Report: We presented a 56- year-old man who reported to his physician because of upper lip swelling.

Do primary care physicians coordinate ambulatory care for chronic disease patients in Canada?

Background: Adults with chronic disease are the most frequent users of the primary healthcare system. In Manitoba, patients are allowed to seek ambulatory (outpatient) care from the provider of their choosing (primary care physician or specialist), with referrals to specialists preferred but not always required. Some patients receive their routine care from specialists.

Application of alternative medicine in gastrointestinal cancer patients.

Background/aim: [corrected] Alternative medicine is a set of therapeutic procedures which are no part of official practice. At present, the use of alternative medicine among cancer patients is significant and the purpose of this study was to get more information on the methods and products of alternative medicine. Thus, the aim of the study was to determine the frequency of the use of alternative medicine among gastrointestinal cancer patients.

Uncommon metastatic site from breast cancer.

Introduction: Breast cancer is one of the most common malignancies in women and the main leading cause of cancer death. The most frequent sites of metastases from breast cancer are bones, lungs, the central nervous system, the liver and soft tissue. Colonic metastases from breast cancer are rare.

Pediatric primary care services in Manitoba: is the health of the next generation of children at risk?

Objectives: Physician resource planning is an important part of health policy, but to date there are no studies measuring the primary care service needs of a particular population. The aim of this study was to project the expected provision of physician services for the pediatric population of one Canadian province for 2020.

Methods: A novel standardized measure of physician service provision, the equivalent services measure, was developed using mathematical modeling.

Methods to develop and maintain a valid physician registry in evolving information environments.

Unlabelled: WHAT DID WE DO?: As the amount of alternative funding for physician services grows in Canada, the usefulness of fee-for-services (FFS) payment data as a source of population-based information declines. This paper describes methods used to develop and validate an anonymous registry of the physician workforce to support policy-relevant analyses in environments where doctors are increasingly funded through diverse arrangements. WHAT DID WE LEARN?: Among the 8,558 physicians in clinical practice in British Columbia in 2004, 97% could be identified via FFS payment data.

Complex rare-earth aluminum hydrides: mechanochemical preparation, crystal structure and potential for hydrogen storage.

A novel type of complex rare-earth aluminum hydride was prepared by mechanochemical preparation. The crystal structure of the REAlH(6) (with RE = La, Ce, Pr, Nd) compounds was calculated by DFT methods and confirmed by preliminary structure refinements. The trigonal crystal structure consists of isolated [AlH(6)](3-) octahedra bridged via [12] coordinated RE cations.

High temperature metal hydrides as heat storage materials for solar and related applications.

For the continuous production of electricity with solar heat power plants the storage of heat at a temperature level around 400 degrees C is essential. High temperature metal hydrides offer high heat storage capacities around this temperature. Based on Mg-compounds, these hydrides are in principle low-cost materials with excellent cycling stability.

Can the quality of care in family practice be measured using administrative data?

Objective: To explore the feasibility of using administrative data to develop process indicators for measuring quality in primary care.

Data Sources/study Setting: The Population Health Research Data Repository (Repository) housed at the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy which includes physician claims, hospital discharge abstracts, pharmaceutical use (Drug Program Information Network (DPIN)), and the Manitoba Immunization Monitoring Program (MIMS) for all residents of Manitoba, Canada who used the health care system during the 2001/02 fiscal year. Family physicians were identified from the Physician Resource Database.

Dependence of dissociation pressure upon doping level of Ti-doped sodium alanate--a possibility for "thermodynamic tailoring" of the system.

Pressure-concentration isotherms have been recorded for NaAlH(4) with different doping levels of titanium. It is well known that titanium accelerates the hydrogenation and dehydrogenation reactions in this system. Our studies have shown that the titanium doping also significantly alters the thermodynamics of the system, which is demonstrated by the change of the dissociation pressure with doping level.

One-step direct synthesis of a Ti-doped sodium alanate hydrogen storage material.

Titanium-doped NaAlH4 which has among the best reported hydrogen adsorption-desorption rates, has been synthesized in a one-step direct hydrogenation process under ball-milling in a special mill, allowing process parameters such as temperature and pressure to be recorded in situ.

Use of physician services by older adults: 1991/1992 to 2000/2001.

Canadians have expressed concern that access to family physicians (FP) has declined. Anonymized physician services data for 1991/1992 to 2000/2001 were used to evaluate changes in supply and age-specific rates of use of FPs and specialists in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Physician-to-population ratios declined 7.