Association of post-operative ctDNA detection with outcomes of patients with early breast cancers.

Background: In early breast cancer (EBC) patients, we aimed to determine whether circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) analysis following primary surgery, before systemic therapy, identified molecular residual disease and was associated with risk of relapse and relapse-free survival (RFS).

Methods: Plasma was collected, retrospectively, before surgery, 1-14 weeks post-operatively, and before adjuvant therapy, and in a subset of patients after adjuvant therapy. A personalized, tumor-informed, multiplex PCR next generation sequencing assay (Signatera™) was used for ctDNA detection and quantification.

Unexplored microbial diversity from 2,500 food metagenomes and links with the human microbiome.

Complex microbiomes are part of the food we eat and influence our own microbiome, but their diversity remains largely unexplored. Here, we generated the open access curatedFoodMetagenomicData (cFMD) resource by integrating 1,950 newly sequenced and 583 public food metagenomes. We produced 10,899 metagenome-assembled genomes spanning 1,036 prokaryotic and 108 eukaryotic species-level genome bins (SGBs), including 320 previously undescribed taxa.

COPD Self-Management: A Patient-Physician Perspective.

This article is co-authored by five patients living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and a primary care physician who has over 30 years of clinical experience and is involved in educating healthcare professionals. The first section of this article is authored by the patients, who describe their experiences of living with COPD. The section that follows is authored by the physician, who discusses the management of COPD in the context of the patients' experiences.

Analysis of the milk kefir pan-metagenome reveals four community types, core species, and associated metabolic pathways.

A comprehensive metagenomics-based investigation of the microorganisms present within milk kefir communities from across the globe was carried out with a view to defining the milk kefir pan-metagenome, including details relating to core and non-core components. Milk kefir samples, generated by inoculating full fat, pasteurized cow's milk with 64 kefir grains sourced from 25 different countries, were analyzed. We identified core features, including a consistent pattern of domination by representatives from the species or the sub-species subsp, subsp or subsp in each kefir.

Modulation of the gut microbiome with nisin.

Nisin is a broad spectrum bacteriocin used extensively as a food preservative that was identified in Lactococcus lactis nearly a century ago. We show that orally-ingested nisin survives transit through the porcine gastrointestinal tract intact (as evidenced by activity and molecular weight determination) where it impacts both the composition and functioning of the microbiota. Specifically, nisin treatment caused a reversible decrease in Gram positive bacteria, resulting in a reshaping of the Firmicutes and a corresponding relative increase in Gram negative Proteobacteria.

Bioinformatic approaches for studying the microbiome of fermented food.

High-throughput DNA sequencing-based approaches continue to revolutionise our understanding of microbial ecosystems, including those associated with fermented foods. Metagenomic and metatranscriptomic approaches are state-of-the-art biological profiling methods and are employed to investigate a wide variety of characteristics of microbial communities, such as taxonomic membership, gene content and the range and level at which these genes are expressed. Individual groups and consortia of researchers are utilising these approaches to produce increasingly large and complex datasets, representing vast populations of microorganisms.

Impact of timing of adjuvant chemothapy for early breast cancer: the Royal Marsden Hospital experience.

Background: The optimal time to deliver adjuvant chemotherapy has not been defined.

Methods: A retrospective study of consecutive patients receiving adjuvant anthracycline and/or taxane 1993-2010. Primary endpoint included 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) in patients commencing chemotherapy <31 versus ≥31 days after surgery.

Survival following allogeneic transplant in patients with myelofibrosis.

Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is the only curative therapy for myelofibrosis (MF). In this large multicenter retrospective study, overall survival (OS) in MF patients treated with allogeneic HCT (551 patients) and without HCT (non-HCT) (1377 patients) was analyzed with Cox proportional hazards model. Survival analysis stratified by the Dynamic International Prognostic Scoring System (DIPSS) revealed that the first year of treatment arm assignment, due to upfront risk of transplant-related mortality (TRM), HCT was associated with inferior OS compared with non-HCT (non-HCT vs HCT: DIPSS intermediate 1 [Int-1]: hazard ratio [HR] = 0.

Molecular Residual Disease and Adjuvant Trial Design in Solid Tumors.

Advances in diagnosis and treatment have resulted in a high rate of survival for many patients with early-stage cancers. However, identifying who is at ongoing risk of relapse remains of high priority to direct subsequent adjuvant therapy. Multiple recent retrospective studies have shown that detection of tumor-derived materials in blood, in particular with circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) analysis, can identify patients with residual disease before clinical or radiological evidence of metastatic disease, anticipating relapse with relatively high sensitivity and high specificity.

Teamwork Among Medicine House Staff During Work Rounds: Development of a Direct Observation Tool.

Objective: Teamwork is integral to effective health care but difficult to evaluate. Few tools have been tested outside of classroom or medical simulation settings. Accordingly, we aimed to develop and pilot test an easy-to-use direct observation instrument for measuring teamwork among medical house staff.

APC 678 Reduces Shedding of the Pathogen in a Murine Model.

is a common cause of health-care acquired diarrhea, resulting in a spectrum of disease from mild diarrhea to life-threatening illness. Sixty strains were screened for anti- activity using a co-culture method. Based on their ability to inhibit , APC 678 and DPC 6111 were selected for study in a murine model of infection.

Comparison of the Utility of Transesophageal Echocardiography in Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke and Transient Ischemic Attack Stratified by Age Group (<60, 60 to 80, ≥80 Years).

The objective was to study the utility of transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) in affecting acute ischemic stroke treatment of older adults (age ≥80 years). Patients hospitalized in January 2010 and February 2015 were included who had TEE ordered as part of their diagnostic workup at a tertiary medical center. We studied 515 hospitalized patients with acute stroke or transient ischemic attack who underwent TEE.

Dietary Conjugated Linoleic Acid-Enriched Cheeses Influence the Levels of Circulating n-3 Highly Unsaturated Fatty Acids in Humans.

n-3 highly unsaturated fatty acids (n-3 HUFA) directly and indirectly regulate lipid metabolism, energy balance and the inflammatory response. We investigated changes to the n-3 HUFA score of healthy adults, induced by different types and amounts of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA)-enriched (ENCH) cheeses consumed for different periods of time, compared to dietary fish oil (FO) pills (500 mg, each containing 100 mg of eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids—EPA+DHA) or α-linolenic acid (ALA)-rich linseed oil (4 g, containing 2 g of ALA). A significant increase in the n-3 HUFA score was observed, in a dose-dependent manner, after administration of the FO supplement.

3D Printing in the Laboratory: Maximize Time and Funds with Customized and Open-Source Labware.

3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, is the computer-guided process of fabricating physical objects by depositing successive layers of material. It has transformed manufacturing across virtually every industry, bringing about incredible advances in research and medicine. The rapidly growing consumer market now includes convenient and affordable "desktop" 3D printers.

Extramedullary Cardiac Multiple Myeloma-A Case Report and Contemporary Review of the Literature.

Multiple myeloma (MM) is characterized by a clonal proliferation of plasma cells. Although the bone marrow is the usual site of involvement, extramedullary plasmacytomas (EMPs) also occur, affecting any tissue. Cardiac and pericardial involvement, although described, have been rare occurrences.

The NIH 3D Print Exchange: A Public Resource for Bioscientific and Biomedical 3D Prints.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has launched the NIH 3D Print Exchange, an online portal for discovering and creating bioscientifically relevant 3D models suitable for 3D printing, to provide both researchers and educators with a trusted source to discover accurate and informative models. There are a number of online resources for 3D prints, but there is a paucity of scientific models, and the expertise required to generate and validate such models remains a barrier. The NIH 3D Print Exchange fills this gap by providing novel, web-based tools that empower users with the ability to create ready-to-print 3D files from molecular structure data, microscopy image stacks, and computed tomography scan data.

Unlocking the Power of Big Data at the National Institutes of Health.

The era of "big data" presents immense opportunities for scientific discovery and technological progress, with the potential to have enormous impact on research and development in the public sector. In order to capitalize on these benefits, there are significant challenges to overcome in data analytics. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases held a symposium entitled "Data Science: Unlocking the Power of Big Data" to create a forum for big data experts to present and share some of the creative and innovative methods to gleaning valuable knowledge from an overwhelming flood of biological data.