Recombinant Newcastle Disease Virus Immunotherapy Drives Oncolytic Effects and Durable Systemic Antitumor Immunity.

A recombinant Newcastle Disease Virus (NDV), encoding either a human (NDVhuGM-CSF, MEDI5395) or murine (NDVmuGM-CSF) GM-CSF transgene, combined broad oncolytic activity with the ability to significantly modulate genes related to immune functionality in human tumor cells. Replication in murine tumor lines was significantly diminished relative to human tumor cells. Nonetheless, intratumoral injection of NDVmuGM-CSF conferred antitumor effects in three syngeneic models ; with efficacy further augmented by concomitant treatment with anti-PD-1/PD-L1 or T-cell agonists.

Avocado Consumption, Abdominal Adiposity, and Oral Glucose Tolerance Among Persons with Overweight and Obesity.

Background: Although intake of Hass avocado has been cross-sectionally linked to lower abdominal obesity, knowledge of the effects of avocado consumption on abdominal adiposity and glycemic outcomes remains limited.

Objective: The effects of avocado consumption on abdominal adiposity, insulin resistance, oral-glucose-tolerance test (OGTT), and estimated β-cell function were evaluated.

Methods: A total of 105 adults aged 25-45 y (61% female) with BMI ≥25 kg/m2 were randomly assigned to an intervention (N = 53) that received a daily meal with 1 fresh Hass avocado or a control (N = 52) that received an isocaloric meal with similar ingredients without avocado for 12 wk.

α-CGRP disrupts amylin fibrillization and regulates insulin secretion: implications on diabetes and migraine.

Despite being relatively benign and not an indicative signature of toxicity, fibril formation and fibrillar structures continue to be key factors in assessing the structure-function relationship in protein aggregation diseases. The inability to capture molecular cross-talk among key players at the tissue level before fibril formation greatly accounts for the missing link toward the development of an efficacious therapeutic intervention for Type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM). We show that human α-calcitonin gene-related peptide (α-CGRP) remodeled amylin fibrillization.

The effects of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy and an in-hospital exercise training programme on physical fitness and quality of life in locally advanced rectal cancer patients: a randomised controlled trial (The EMPOWER Trial).

Background: The EMPOWER trial aimed to assess the effects of a 9-week exercise prehabilitation programme on physical fitness compared with a usual care control group. Secondary aims were to investigate the effect of (1) the exercise prehabilitation programme on psychological health; and (2) neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NCRT) on physical fitness and psychological health.

Methods: Between October 2013 and December 2016, adults with locally advanced rectal cancer undergoing standardised NCRT and surgery were recruited to a multi-centre trial.

Implementation of telehealth antimicrobial stewardship through partnership of an academic medical center and a community hospital.

Purpose: Small community hospitals often lack the human, financial, and technological resources necessary to implement and maintain successful antimicrobial stewardship programs now required by national regulatory and accrediting bodies. Creative solutions are needed to address this problem.

Summary: A 3-stage, quasi-experimental study including patients receiving antibiotics for pneumonia, skin and soft tissue infections, and urinary tract infections at a community hospital in Wisconsin from June 2013 to December 2015 was conducted.

Factors and Growth Trends Associated With the Need for Gastrostomy Tube in Neonates With Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia.

Objectives: A third of infants with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) require a gastrostomy tube (GT) for nutritional support. We compared CDH infants who are GT-dependent to those able to meet their nutritional needs orally, to identify factors associated with requiring a GT and evaluate their long-term growth.

Methods: Patients with CDH repaired at a single institution between 2012 and 2020 were included.

Preventing school-based arrest and recidivism through prearrest diversion: Outcomes of the Philadelphia police school diversion program.

Objectives: Created to combat the school-to-prison pipeline, the Philadelphia Police School Diversion Program offers voluntary community-based services to eligible youth accused of minor school-based offeses in lieu of arrest. This study evaluated program effectiveness in accomplishing goals related to reductions in school-based arrests, serious behavioral incidents, and recidivism.

Hypotheses: We expected the annual number of school-based arrests in Philadelphia schools to decrease over the program's first 5 years and predicted that the annual number of serious behavioral incidents would not increase.

Exploring Canadian Children's Social Media Use, Digital Literacy, and Quality of Life: Pilot Cross-sectional Survey Study.

Background: Understanding social media use and digital literacy among young Canadian children is an increasing area of concern, given the importance of digital inclusion for full and informed participation in evolving educational, civic, corporate, social, and economic spaces.

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore internet and social media knowledge as well as social media use among Canadian children aged between 6 and 10 years.

Methods: We conducted interview surveys with 42 children aged between 6 and 10 years who participated in an after-school health promotion program in an urban community in Southwestern Ontario to understand their digital literacy skills and social media use.

The Neuroanatomy of Transgender Identity: Mega-Analytic Findings From the ENIGMA Transgender Persons Working Group.

Background: In contrast to cisgender persons, transgender persons identify with a different gender than the one assigned at birth. Although research on the underlying neurobiology of transgender persons has been accumulating over the years, neuroimaging studies in this relatively rare population are often based on very small samples resulting in discrepant findings.

Aim: To examine the neurobiology of transgender persons in a large sample.

"I didn't want to do it on my own": A qualitative study of women's perceptions of facilitating and risk factors for weight control on a UK commercial community program.

Overweight and obesity remain serious public health concerns. Outcomes from community based commercial weight management programmes vary, relapse is common and drop out is high. Outcomes could be improved by better understanding experiences on these programmes.

Spectrum Degradation of Hippocampal LFP During Euthanasia.

The hippocampal local field potential (LFP) exhibits a strong correlation with behavior. During rest, the theta rhythm is not prominent, but during active behavior, there are strong rhythms in the theta, theta harmonics, and gamma ranges. With increasing running velocity, theta, theta harmonics and gamma increase in power and in cross-frequency coupling, suggesting that neural entrainment is a direct consequence of the total excitatory input.

Use of the SIGN IM nail system to stabilize tibiotalocalcaneal arthrodesis in two African hospital settings.

Objectives: To determine the effectiveness and describe the technique of using the Surgical Implant Generation Network (SIGN) nail to augment tibiotalocalcaneal (TTC) arthrodesis in the developing world.

Design: Retrospective review of the SIGN database and description of surgical technique.

Setting: Two centers in rural Kenya, East Africa.

Implementing Integrated Care in Practice - Learning from MDTs Driving the Integrated Care Programme for Older Persons in Ireland.

The importance of multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) as critical implementation drivers emerged from this case study conducted with three pioneer sites implementing integrated care for older persons in Ireland as part of the Integrated Care Programme for Older Persons (ICPOP). We describe the practices of MDTs learning to deliver integrated care in service delivery settings, including the framework, resourcing, strategies, challenges and barriers they encounter. The study was conducted by a team of researchers in collaboration with ICPOP at both national programme and pioneer site levels.

Role of Mineralocorticoid and Angiotensin Type 1 Receptors in the Paraventricular Nucleus in Angiotensin-Induced Hypertension.

The hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) is an important site where an interaction between circulating angiotensin (Ang) and mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) activity may modify sympathetic nerve activity (SNA) to influence long-term elevation of blood pressure. We examined in conscious Ang II-treated rabbits, the effects on blood pressure and tonic and reflex renal SNA (RSNA) of microinjecting into the PVN either RU28318 to block MR, losartan to block Ang (AT) receptors or muscimol to inhibit GABA receptor agonist actions. Male rabbits received a moderate dose of Ang II (24 ng/kg/min subcutaneously) for 3 months ( = 13) or sham treatment ( = 13).

Implementation Adherence and Perspectives of the Childcare PhysicaL ActivitY (PLAY) Policy: A Process Evaluation.

The Childcare PhysicaL ActivitY (PLAY) policy was an evidence-informed, eight-item institutional-level policy document targeting children's physical activity, outdoor play, and sedentary time. Nine childcare centers in London, Ontario, participated in this cluster, randomized controlled trial. Early Childhood Educators allocated to the experimental group, from five childcare centers in London, Ontario, implemented the policy for young children (18 months to 4 years) for 8 weeks and documented adherence to each policy item (i.

A dose-escalating toxicology study of the candidate biologic ELP-VEGF.

Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF), a key mediator of angiogenesis and vascular repair, is reduced in chronic ischemic renal diseases, leading to microvascular rarefaction and deterioration of renal function. We developed a chimeric fusion of human VEGF-A with the carrier protein Elastin-like Polypeptide (ELP-VEGF) to induce therapeutic angiogenesis via targeted renal VEGF therapy. We previously showed that ELP-VEGF improves renal vascular density, renal fibrosis, and renal function in swine models of chronic renal diseases.

Health system foundations for Sláintecare implementation in 2020 and beyond - co-producing a Sláintecare Living Implementation Framework with Evaluation: Learning from the Irish health system's response to COVID-19. A mixed-methods study protocol.

All over the world, health systems are responding to the major shock of the COVID-19 pandemic. The virus is causing urgent and fast-paced change in the delivery of health and social care as well as highlighting pre-existing deficiencies and inequalities in the health system and broader society. In Ireland, COVID-19 is occurring during the second full year of Sláintecare's implementation - Ireland's 10-year plan for health reform to deliver universal access to timely, integrated care.

Not so sweet dreams: adults' quantity, quality, and disruptions of sleep during the initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate Ontario adults' reported sleep quantity, quality, and disturbances during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic (April-July 2020).

Methods: As part of a larger, chronic disease-focused, and ongoing longitudinal study designed to explore Ontario adults' health and wellness-related behaviors during the pandemic, participants completed an online survey that included demographic information and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The PSQI consists of 19 items, one of which is open-ended, designed to assess an individual's quantity, quality, and patterns of sleep on seven domains (ie, subjective sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep duration, habitual sleep efficiency, sleep disturbances, use of sleep medication, and daytime dysfunction over the last month).

Emerging electronic cigarette policies in European member states, Canada, and the United States.

Background: Increased electronic cigarette (ECIG) use has motivated new regulations to address the changing landscape of tobacco use and promote public health.

Method: This policy scan compares ECIG prevalence and regulations in the European Union (EU), Canada, and the United States (US) at the federal- and local-level to foster a policy dialogue around modern tobacco prevention and control regulations.

Results: Among young adults, 40 % in the US, 29 % in Canada, and 28 % in the EU report ever using an ECIG.

Training may enhance early childhood educators' self-efficacy to lead physical activity in childcare.

Background: Early childhood educators (ECEs) play a critical role in promoting physical activity (PA) among preschoolers in childcare; thus, PA-related training for ECEs is essential. The Supporting PA in the Childcare Environment (SPACE) intervention incorporated: 1. shorter, more frequent outdoor play sessions; 2.

Rodent mnemonic similarity task performance requires the prefrontal cortex.

Mnemonic similarity task performance, in which a known target stimulus must be distinguished from similar lures, is supported by the hippocampus and perirhinal cortex. Impairments on this task are known to manifest with advancing age. Interestingly, disrupting hippocampal activity leads to mnemonic discrimination impairments when lures are novel, but not when they are familiar.

Floating ideas on theta waves.

This special issue on the theta rhythm highlights recent experiments aimed at understanding the relationship between this slow, large amplitude oscillation and plasticity, fast oscillations, cellular activity and disease in both animals and humans. The articles in this issue of Behavioral Neuroscience use a number of approaches across different model systems and behavioral paradigms to provide an up-to-date account of recent progress in understanding how the theta rhythm coordinates neural activity in the service of cognition. Prominent themes that emerge are how theta is tightly related to movement in humans and rodents and how this rhythm could be leveraged as a biomarker for understanding and testing therapeutic approaches to treat psychiatric and neurological diseases.

Genetic counselor approaches to BRCA1/2 direct-to-consumer genetic testing results.

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network recommends clinical-grade genetic testing to confirm commercial results from direct-to-consumer genetic testing (DTC-GT) companies and third-party interpretation (TPI) services; however, the type of confirmatory testing that genetic counselors (GCs) recommend remains uncharacterized. Therefore, we aimed to describe GCs testing strategies for patients who have already obtained DTC-GT results (23andMe) or TPI data (Promethease) that reported a BRCA1/2 pathogenic variant. We invited GCs specializing in clinical cancer genetics to complete an online survey distributed to members of the National Society of Genetic Counselors.