Understanding the Association between Red Blood Cell Transfusion Utilization and Humanistic and Economic Burden in Patients with β-Thalassemia from the Patients' Perspective.

We assessed the humanistic and economic burden of chronic red blood cell (RBC) transfusions on patients with β-thalassemia. This cross-sectional, US-based study included adults (≥18 years) who self-reported a β-thalassemia physician diagnosis and had received ≥1 RBC transfusion in the past 6 months. The outcomes included the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Anemia (FACT-An), Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, and ad hoc questions about treatment experience, side effects, direct/indirect costs, and psychological burden.

Clinical, Diagnostic and Histological Findings Involving Cheek Teeth Hypercementosis in Nine Horses.

Hypercementosis is infrequently reported to affect the cheek teeth of horses and presents as mineral deposits either attached (peripheral) or solitary ovoid (nodular) structures in the tooth bearing region. There is overlap between radiological and histological appearance of hypercementosis, cementoma, and equine odontoclastic tooth resorption and hypercementosis (EOTRH). The clinical presentation, imaging features, surgical management, and histological findings of nine horses that presented for dental lesions and associated hypercementosis of cheek teeth are reported.

Patient and Caregiver Preferences for First-Line Treatments of Metastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Discrete Choice Experiment.

Purpose: The approval of immune checkpoint inhibitors for metastatic non-small-cell lung carcinomas (mNSCLC) treatment has presented more care options. Therefore, it is important to identify the benefit-risk trade-offs patients and caregivers are willing to make among potential treatment options. This study quantified the preferences of patients and caregivers for attributes of mNSCLC treatment.

Platelet function in dogs with chronic liver disease.

Objectives: To assess platelet function, buccal mucosal bleeding time and plasma von Willebrand factor concentration in dogs with chronic inflammatory and/or fibrotic liver disease and to compare results with those obtained in healthy dogs.

Materials And Methods: Preliminary study including 18 dogs with chronic inflammatory and/or fibrotic liver disease undergoing liver biopsy and 18 healthy age-matched control dogs. Platelet function was assessed by measuring closure time with the PFA-100® analyser using adenosine diphosphate (ADP) as an agonist.

Implementation of near-universal hydroxyurea uptake among children with sickle cell anemia: A single-center experience.

Background: Without early initiation of disease-modifying therapy, the acute and chronic complications of sickle cell anemia (SCA) begin early in childhood and progress throughout life. Hydroxyurea is a safe and effective medication that reduces or prevents most SCA-related complications. Despite recommendations to prescribe hydroxyurea for all children with SCA as young as 9 months, utilization remains low.

Extracorporeal shockwave therapy raises mechanical nociceptive threshold in horses with thoracolumbar pain.

Background: Although extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) is a common treatment for horses with back pain, effects on mechanical nociceptive threshold (MNT) and multifidus muscle cross sectional area (CSA) in the spine are unknown.

Objectives: To evaluate effects of ESWT on spinal MNT and multifidus muscle CSA in horses with thoracolumbar pain.

Study Design: Non-randomised trial.

A Case of Segmental Aplasia of the Uterus, Cervix, and Cranial Vagina in a Cat.

This case documents a rare set of congenital anomalies that resulted in an atypical cystic lesion in the cranial vagina of a queen. A discrete cystic lesion was identified in an 8 year old intact female domestic shorthair cat presenting for routine ovariohysterectomy. Morphological, radiographic, and histopathological findings were consistent with segmental aplasia of the uterus, cervix, and vagina resulting in a blind dilation of the cranial vagina.

Interaction of the late endo-lysosomal lipid PI(3,5)P2 with the Vph1 isoform of yeast V-ATPase increases its activity and cellular stress tolerance.

The low-level endo-lysosomal signaling lipid, phosphatidylinositol 3,5-bisphosphate (PI(3,5)P2), is required for full assembly and activity of vacuolar H-ATPases (V-ATPases) containing the vacuolar a-subunit isoform Vph1 in yeast. The cytosolic N-terminal domain of Vph1 is also recruited to membranes in a PI(3,5)P2-dependent manner, but it is not known if its interaction with PI(3,5)P2 is direct. Here, using biochemical characterization of isolated yeast vacuolar vesicles, we demonstrate that addition of exogenous short-chain PI(3,5)P2 to Vph1-containing vacuolar vesicles activates V-ATPase activity and proton pumping.

Prevalence of hyoid injuries in dogs and cats undergoing computed tomography.

Fractures of the hyoid bones have been reported occasionally in dogs, but the prevalence and significance of hyoid injury in dogs and cats are unknown. In human beings, hyoid injury is rare and usually is caused by direct trauma to the greater cornu, which are analogous to the paired canine and feline thyrohyoid bones. The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence and morphology of hyoid bone injury detected in dogs and cats undergoing computed tomography (CT) for unrelated disease.

Long-term Formation of Aggressive Bony Lesions in Dogs with Mid-Diaphyseal Fractures Stabilized with Metallic Plates: Incidence in a Tertiary Referral Hospital Population.

The incidence of complications secondary to fracture stabilization, particularly osteolytic lesions and bony tumor formation, has long been difficult to evaluate. The objective of this study was to describe the long-term incidence of aggressive bony changes developing in dogs with long bone diaphyseal fractures stabilized by metallic bone plates compared to a breed-, sex-, and age-matched control group. The medical records of a tertiary referral center were retrospectively reviewed for dogs that matched each respective criterion.

Canine Butterfly Glioblastomas: A Neuroradiological Review.

In humans, high-grade gliomas may infiltrate across the corpus callosum resulting in bihemispheric lesions that may have symmetrical, winged-like appearances. This particular tumor manifestation has been coined a "butterfly" glioma (BG). While canine and human gliomas share many neuroradiological and pathological features, the BG morphology has not been previously reported in dogs.

Comparison of autogenous cancellous bone grafting and extracorporeal shock wave therapy on osteotomy healing in the tibial tuberosity advancement procedure in dogs. Radiographic densitometric evaluation.

Objectives: To compare optical values in the osteotomy gap created after a tibial tuberosity advancement (TTA) treated with autogenous cancellous bone graft, extracorporeal shock wave therapy, a combination of autogenous cancellous bone graft and extracorporeal shock wave therapy, and absence of both autogenous cancellous bone graft and extracorporeal shock wave therapy using densitometry.

Methods: Dogs that were presented for surgical repair of a cranial cruciate ligament rupture were randomly assigned to one of four groups: TTA with autogenous cancellous bone graft (TTA-G), TTA with autogenous cancellous bone graft and extracorporeal shock wave therapy (TTA-GS), TTA with extracorporeal shock wave therapy (TTA-S), and TTA with no additional therapy (TTA-O). Mediolateral radiographs at zero, four and eight weeks after surgery were evaluated to compare healing of the osteotomy gap via densitometry.

Simvastatin and GGTI-2133, a geranylgeranyl transferase inhibitor, increase erythrocyte deformability but reduce low O(2) tension-induced ATP release.

Statin drugs inhibit 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl CoA reductase, which reduces the synthesis of both cholesterol and isoprenoids (geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate and farnesyl pyrophosphate), with the latter being lipid molecules responsible for the posttranslational modification of small GTP-binding proteins such as Rho. Effects of statins, independent of lowering blood cholesterol levels, are thought to occur by inhibition of Rho/Rho kinase. The Rho kinase inhibitor Y-27632 has been reported to increase both erythrocyte deformability and low O2 tension-induced ATP release.

Distinguishing the chemical moiety of phosphoenolpyruvate that contributes to allostery in muscle pyruvate kinase.

A series of substrate analogues has been used to determine which chemical moieties of the substrate phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) contribute to the allosteric inhibition of rabbit muscle pyruvate kinase by phenylalanine. Replacing the carboxyl group of the substrate with a methyl alcohol or removing the phosphate altogether greatly reduces substrate affinity. However, removal of the carboxyl group is the only modification tested that removes the ability to allosterically reduce the level of Phe binding.

Modified ear canal ablation and lateral bulla osteotomy for management of otitis media in an alpaca.

Objective: To report surgical treatment of severe otitis media in an alpaca by a modification of a subtotal ear canal ablation and lateral bulla osteotomy technique used in dogs.

Study Design: Case report.

Animals: An 11-week-old female alpaca cria.

Inhibition of hsp70 by methylene blue affects signaling protein function and ubiquitination and modulates polyglutamine protein degradation.

The Hsp90/Hsp70-based chaperone machinery regulates the activity and degradation of many signaling proteins. Cycling with Hsp90 stabilizes client proteins, whereas Hsp70 interacts with chaperone-dependent E3 ubiquitin ligases to promote protein degradation. To probe these actions, small molecule inhibitors of Hsp70 would be extremely useful; however, few have been identified.

Cytolethal distending toxin promotes Helicobacter cinaedi-associated typhlocolitis in interleukin-10-deficient mice.

Helicobacter cinaedi colonizes a wide host range, including rodents, and may be an emerging zoonotic agent. Colonization parameters, pathology, serology, and inflammatory responses to wild-type H. cinaedi (WT(Hc)) were evaluated in B6.

Hepatocellular carcinoma associated with liver-gender disruption in male mice.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a male-predominant cancer associated with chronic hepatitis. Like human viral hepatitis, murine Helicobacter hepaticus infection produces inflammation and HCC with a masculine bias. We used this model to identify potential mechanisms of male HCC predisposition.

In focus: (166) Ho-DOTMP in the pretransplant treatment of multiple myeloma.

NeoRx STR 0303: a randomized multicenter study to compare the safety and efficacy of (166) HO-DOTMP plus melphalan to melphalan alone as conditioning for autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplant in subjects with primary refractory multiple myeloma.

Radioimmunotherapy with tositumomab and iodine-131 tositumomab for low-grade non-Hodgkin lymphoma: nursing implications.

Purpose/objectives: To review radioimmunotherapy approaches for low-grade non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) with a focus on tositumomab and iodine-131 tositumomab (Bexxar, Corixa Corporation, Seattle, WA, and GlaxoSmithKline, Philadelphia, PA). Nursing implications for Bexxar therapy are reviewed, including radiation safety, patient education, and the management of therapy-related toxicities.

Data Sources: Journal articles, published research data, and clinical experience.