Breast cancer bone metastasis is a major cause of mortality in patients with advanced breast cancer. Although decreased mineral density is a known risk factor for bone metastasis, the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood because studying the isolated effect of bone mineral density on tumor heterogeneity is challenging with conventional approaches. Moreover, mineralized biomaterials are commonly utilized for clinical bone defect repair, but how mineralized biomaterials affect the foreign body response and wound healing is unclear.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn the era of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI), managing non-oncogene driven non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with brain metastases (BM) is challenging, especially when brain involvement is the initial sign. Patients with newly diagnosed brain metastatic NSCLC without epidermal growth factor receptor (EFGR) nor anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) alterations were retrospectively included. Twenty-five patients were analyzed; 15 (60%) had symptomatic BM as the first sign (group 1), while 10 (40%) had BM discovered during complementary examinations (group 2).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUse of normothermic regional perfusion (NRP) to enable organ reconditioning and assessment in donation after circulatory determination of death is controversial. We conducted a scoping review of peer-reviewed articles, news media, legal literature, and professional society position statements addressing ethical and/or legal issues in use of NRP in controlled donation after circulatory determination of death from January 1, 2005, to January 5, 2024. Thematic analysis, assessing the 4 principles of bioethics (autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice) and subthemes identified within each, was conducted for the 112 publications meeting inclusion criteria.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIncreasing rates of chronic diseases and an aging population have placed palliative care at the forefront of public health efforts. The major goal of palliative care is to achieve the best possible quality of life for patients and their families or caregivers. To reduce barriers and improve palliative care, the From Advance Care Planning Toward Palliative Care coalition was first formed in South Dakota in 2017.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOur understanding of how adipocytes influence metabolic signaling, immune function, and cancer progression remains limited as the culture of primary adipocytes is challenging. Here, we present a protocol to fabricate elastomer microwells for three-dimensional culture of collagen-embedded adipocytes. We describe steps to cure and functionalize elastomer microwells and to isolate and embed primary adipocytes.
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