A Prospective Randomized Controlled Trial Using Virtual Reality in Pediatric Pre-intervention Echocardiograms to Decrease Child Anxiety and Fear.

Virtual reality (VR) as a distraction tool decreases anxiety and fear in children undergoing procedures, but its use has not been studied during transthoracic echocardiograms (TTEs). We hypothesized that VR in children undergoing pre-intervention TTEs decreases anxiety and fear and increases TTE study comprehensiveness and diagnostic accuracy when compared with standard distractors (television, mobile devices). Patients (6-18 years old) scheduled for pre-intervention TTEs at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital in 2021 and 2022 were prospectively enrolled and randomized to VR and non-VR groups.

Quantitative and functional characterisation of extracellular vesicles after passive loading with hydrophobic or cholesterol-tagged small molecules.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are nanosized intercellular messengers that bear enormous application potential as biological drug delivery vehicles. Much progress has been made for loading or decorating EVs with proteins, peptides or RNAs using genetically engineered donor cells, but post-isolation loading with synthetic drugs and using EVs from natural sources remains challenging. In particular, quantitative and unambiguous data assessing whether and how small molecules associate with EVs versus other components in the samples are still lacking.

Discovery of Novel Quinoline-Based Proteasome Inhibitors for Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT).

Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) is a vector-borne disease caused by kinetoplastid parasites of the genus. The disease proceeds in two stages, with a hemolymphatic blood stage and a meningo-encephalic brain stage. In the latter stage, the parasite causes irreversible damage to the brain leading to sleep cycle disruption and is fatal if untreated.

Discovery and Characterization of Clinical Candidate LXE408 as a Kinetoplastid-Selective Proteasome Inhibitor for the Treatment of Leishmaniases.

Visceral leishmaniasis is responsible for up to 30,000 deaths every year. Current treatments have shortcomings that include toxicity and variable efficacy across endemic regions. Previously, we reported the discovery of GNF6702, a selective inhibitor of the kinetoplastid proteasome, which cleared parasites in murine models of leishmaniasis, Chagas disease, and human African trypanosomiasis.

Evaluation of the Novel Antimicrobial BCP3 in a Coating for Endotracheal Tubes.

Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is a highly common hospital-acquired infection affecting people that require mechanical ventilation. The endotracheal tube (ETT) used during the ventilation process provides a surface that can allow bacterial colonization and biofilm formation, which can lead to VAP. Although various approaches, including ETT design and material selection, as well as antimicrobial coatings have been employed to minimize adverse events, VAP remains a significant unresolved clinical issue.