Microboost in Localized Prostate Cancer: Analysis of a Statewide Quality Consortium.

Purpose: Prospective trials have reported isotoxicity and improved oncologic outcomes with external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) microboost to a dominant intraprostatic lesion. There is often variability in the rate of adoption of new treatments, and current microboost practice patterns are unknown. We leveraged prospectively collected data from the multicenter Michigan Radiation Oncology Quality Consortium to understand the current state of microboost usage for localized prostate cancer.

Structure and rational engineering of the PglX methyltransferase and specificity factor for BREX phage defence.

Bacteria have evolved a broad range of systems that provide defence against their viral predators, bacteriophages. Bacteriophage Exclusion (BREX) systems recognise and methylate 6 bp non-palindromic motifs within the host genome, and prevent replication of non-methylated phage DNA that encodes these same motifs. How BREX recognises cognate motifs has not been fully understood.

Generation of tools for expression and purification of the phage-encoded Type I restriction enzyme inhibitor, Ocr.

DNA manipulation is an essential tool in molecular microbiology research that is dependent on the ability of bacteria to take up and preserve foreign DNA by horizontal gene transfer. This process can be significantly impaired by the activity of bacterial restriction modification systems; bacterial operons comprising paired enzymatic activities that protectively methylate host DNA, while cleaving incoming unmodified foreign DNA. Ocr is a phage-encoded protein that inhibits Type I restriction modification systems, the addition of which significantly improves bacterial transformation efficiency.

Nurse Care Management for Opioid Use Disorder Treatment: The PROUD Cluster Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Few primary care (PC) practices treat patients with medications for opioid use disorder (OUD) despite availability of effective treatments.

Objective: To assess whether implementation of the Massachusetts model of nurse care management for OUD in PC increases OUD treatment with buprenorphine or extended-release injectable naltrexone and secondarily decreases acute care utilization.

Design, Setting, And Participants: The Primary Care Opioid Use Disorders Treatment (PROUD) trial was a mixed-methods, implementation-effectiveness cluster randomized clinical trial conducted in 6 diverse health systems across 5 US states (New York, Florida, Michigan, Texas, and Washington).

Knowledge-Based Quality Assurance and Model Maintenance in Lung Cancer Radiation Therapy in a Statewide Quality Consortium of Academic and Community Practice Centers.

Purpose: Locally advanced lung cancer (LALC) treatment planning is often complex due to challenging tradeoffs related to large targets near organs at risk, making the judgment of plan quality difficult. The purpose of this work was to update and maintain a multi-institutional knowledge-based planning (KBP) model developed by a statewide consortium of academic and community practices for use as a plan quality assurance (QA) tool.

Methods And Materials: Sixty LALC volumetric-modulated arc therapy plans from 2021 were collected from 24 institutions.

Evaluation of Dose Accuracy in the Near-Surface Region for Whole Breast Irradiation Techniques in a Multi-institutional Consortium.

Purpose: To assess the accuracy of dose calculations in the near-surface region for different treatment planning systems (TPSs), treatment techniques, and energies to improve clinical decisions for patients receiving whole breast irradiation (WBI).

Methods And Materials: A portable custom breast phantom was designed for dose measurements in the near-surface regions. Treatment plans of varying complexities were created at 8 institutions using 4 different TPSs on an anonymized patient data set (50 Gy in 25 fractions) and peer reviewed by participants.

The phage defence island of a multidrug resistant plasmid uses both BREX and type IV restriction for complementary protection from viruses.

Bacteria have evolved a multitude of systems to prevent invasion by bacteriophages and other mobile genetic elements. Comparative genomics suggests that genes encoding bacterial defence mechanisms are often clustered in 'defence islands', providing a concerted level of protection against a wider range of attackers. However, there is a comparative paucity of information on functional interplay between multiple defence systems.

Influence of Silver as a Catalyst on the Growth of β-GaO Nanowires on GaAs.

A simple and inexpensive thermal oxidation process was performed to synthesize gallium oxide (GaO) nanowires using Ag thin film as a catalyst at 800 °C and 1000 °C to understand the effect of the silver catalyst on the nanowire growth. The effect of doping and orientation of the substrates on the growth of GaO nanowires on single-crystal gallium arsenide (GaAs) wafers in atmosphere were investigated. A comprehensive study of the oxide film and nanowire growth was performed using various characterization techniques including XRD, SEM, EDS, focused ion beam (FIB), XPS and STEM.

Structural basis of transcription inhibition by the DNA mimic protein Ocr of bacteriophage T7.

Bacteriophage T7 infects and evades the host restriction/modification system. The Ocr protein of T7 was shown to exist as a dimer mimicking DNA and to bind to host restriction enzymes, thus preventing the degradation of the viral genome by the host. Here we report that Ocr can also inhibit host transcription by directly binding to bacterial RNA polymerase (RNAP) and competing with the recruitment of RNAP by sigma factors.

A Novel CO2-Based Insect Sampling Device and Associated Field Method Evaluated in a Strawberry Agroecosystem.

There is high demand for accurate insect sampling methods to inform integrated pest management strategies. Despite widespread application, existing sampling methods, such as portable aspirating and sweep netting, can result in overrepresentation of prominent pests, underrepresentation of natural enemies, and damage to plants. In this study, we test a novel device for insect sampling via anesthetization.

A model for the evolution of prokaryotic DNA restriction-modification systems based upon the structural malleability of Type I restriction-modification enzymes.

Restriction Modification (RM) systems prevent the invasion of foreign genetic material into bacterial cells by restriction and protect the host's genetic material by methylation. They are therefore important in maintaining the integrity of the host genome. RM systems are currently classified into four types (I to IV) on the basis of differences in composition, target recognition, cofactors and the manner in which they cleave DNA.

Recent Time Trends and Predictors of Heart Dose From Breast Radiation Therapy in a Large Quality Consortium of Radiation Oncology Practices.

Purpose: Limited data exist regarding the range of heart doses received in routine practice with radiation therapy (RT) for breast cancer in the United States today and the potential effect of the continual assessment of the cardiac dose on practice patterns.

Methods And Materials: From 2012 to 2015, 4688 patients with breast cancer treated with whole breast RT at 20 sites participating in a state-wide consortium were enrolled into a registry. The importance of limiting the cardiac dose has been emphasized in the consortium since 2012, and the mean heart dose (MHD) has been reported by each institution since 2014.

Grey literature in systematic reviews: a cross-sectional study of the contribution of non-English reports, unpublished studies and dissertations to the results of meta-analyses in child-relevant reviews.

Background: Systematic reviews (SRs) are an important source of information about healthcare interventions. A key component of a well-conducted SR is a comprehensive literature search. There is limited evidence on the contribution of non-English reports, unpublished studies, and dissertations and their impact on results of meta-analyses.

DNA target recognition domains in the Type I restriction and modification systems of Staphylococcus aureus.

Staphylococcus aureus displays a clonal population structure in which horizontal gene transfer between different lineages is extremely rare. This is due, in part, to the presence of a Type I DNA restriction-modification (RM) system given the generic name of Sau1, which maintains different patterns of methylation on specific target sequences on the genomes of different lineages. We have determined the target sequences recognized by the Sau1 Type I RM systems present in a wide range of the most prevalent S.

How Safe Are Common Analgesics for the Treatment of Acute Pain for Children? A Systematic Review.

. Fear of adverse events and occurrence of side effects are commonly cited by families and physicians as obstructive to appropriate use of pain medication in children. We examined evidence comparing the safety profiles of three groups of oral medications, acetaminophen, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and opioids, to manage acute nonsurgical pain in children (<18 years) treated in ambulatory settings.

Nanowire formation is preceded by nanotube growth in templated electrodeposition of cobalt hybrid nanostructures.

Cobalt fluted nanowires, novel nanostructures with a diameter of 200 nm consisting of a solid nanowire base and a thin, nanotubular flute shape, were grown in track-etched polycarbonate membranes via templated electrodeposition. The structures were characterized electrochemically via cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometry, and charge stripping, and structurally via  scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and focused ion beam cross-sectioning. Electrochemical and structural analysis reveals details of their deposition kinetics, structure, and morphology, and indicate possible mechanisms for their formation and control.

The contribution of databases to the results of systematic reviews: a cross-sectional study.

Background: One of the best sources for high quality information about healthcare interventions is a systematic review. A well-conducted systematic review includes a comprehensive literature search. There is limited empiric evidence to guide the extent of searching, in particular the number of electronic databases that should be searched.

The Type I Restriction Enzymes as Barriers to Horizontal Gene Transfer: Determination of the DNA Target Sequences Recognised by Livestock-Associated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Clonal Complexes 133/ST771 and 398.

The Type I DNA restriction-modification (RM) systems of Staphylococcus aureus are known to act as a significant barrier to horizontal gene transfer between S. aureus strains belonging to different clonal complexes. The livestock-associated clonal complexes CC133/771 and CC398 contain Type I RM systems not found in human MRSA strains as yet but at some point transfer will occur.

Template-based syntheses for shape controlled nanostructures.

A variety of nanostructured materials are produced through template-based synthesis methods, including zero-dimensional, one-dimensional, and two-dimensional structures. These span different forms such as nanoparticles, nanowires, nanotubes, nanoflakes, and nanosheets. Many physical characteristics of these materials such as the shape and size can be finely controlled through template selection and as a result, their properties as well.

The evolutionary pathway from a biologically inactive polypeptide sequence to a folded, active structural mimic of DNA.

The protein Ocr (overcome classical restriction) from bacteriophage T7 acts as a mimic of DNA and inhibits all Type I restriction/modification (RM) enzymes. Ocr is a homodimer of 116 amino acids and adopts an elongated structure that resembles the shape of a bent 24 bp DNA molecule. Each monomer includes 34 acidic residues and only six basic residues.

Behavioral Programs for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis.

Background: Behavioral programs may improve outcomes for individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus, but there is a large diversity of behavioral interventions and uncertainty about how to optimize the effectiveness of these programs.

Purpose: To identify factors moderating the effectiveness of behavioral programs for adults with type 2 diabetes.

Data Sources: 6 databases (1993 to January 2015), conference proceedings (2011 to 2014), and reference lists.

Behavioral Programs for Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Background: Whether behavioral approaches for self-management programs benefit individuals with type 1 diabetes mellitus is unclear.

Purpose: To determine the effects of behavioral programs for patients with type 1 diabetes on behavioral, clinical, and health outcomes and to investigate factors that might moderate effect.

Data Sources: 6 electronic databases (1993 to June 2015), trial registries and conference proceedings (2011 to 2014), and reference lists.

Morbidly Adherent Placenta: Ultrasound Assessment and Supplemental Role of Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

Morbidly adherent placenta or placenta accreta is being increasingly encountered in obstetrical practice mainly owing to the increasing rates of cesarean delivery. This condition is associated with increased maternal morbidity and mortality resulting from postpartum hemorrhage. When unsuspected, outcomes can be catastrophic to the pregnant woman.