In silico inspired design of urea noscapine congeners as anticancer agents: Chemical synthesis and experimental evaluation using breast cancer cells and a xenograft mouse model.

A series of semisynthetic noscapine-urea congeners (7a-7h) as potential tubulin-binding agents are being developed by integrating a urea pharmacophore at the C-9 position of the noscapine scaffold. Their binding affinity to tubulin was predicted through molecular docking, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, and the MM-PBSA approach. These molecules were subsequently chemically synthesized and assessed using breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231) and normal human embryonic kidney cells (HEK).

Risk of Silent Myocardial Infarction in Prediabetic Patients: A Case-Control Study in a Veteran Population.

Objectives: In the management of cardiovascular disease, it is important to identify patients at risk early on, to provide interventions to prevent the disease and its complications. The goal of our study was to investigate the association between glucose levels and silent myocardial infarction (SMI) among patients, who consisted of veterans within the Veterans Affairs clinical system.

Methods: Among the group of patients with an initially normal electrocardiogram, a cohort of patients with a subsequent diagnosis of SMI was selected as the case cohort, whereas 4 patients for each study subject, without evidence of coronary artery disease and normal electrocardiogram within the previous 6 months, were identified and constituted the control cohort.

Response to pegylated interferon in a COVID-19 positive male with metastatic jejunal neuroendocrine tumor treated with everolimus.

A 61-year-old male on everolimus had chronic SARS-CoV-2 infection. Addition of pegylated interferon cleared viral RNA and supports combination therapy with everolimus plus interferon for COVID-19.

Response to pegylated interferon in a COVID-19-positive elderly woman with primary myelofibrosis treated with ruxolitinib.

An 83-year-old female had asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection while taking ruxolitinib. She remained RT-PCR positive for viral RNA for >120 days, and Pegylated interferon for 4 weeks led to viral RNA clearance. The observations support combination therapy of ruxolitinib + interferon for COVID-19.

Trends in Appendicitis Among Pregnant Women, the Risk for Cardiac Arrest, and Maternal-Fetal Mortality.

Background: Appendicitis is the most common extra-uterine surgical emergency requiring immediate intervention during pregnancy. However, risks for mortality and morbidity among pregnant women with appendicitis remain poorly understood. This study was conducted to determine the temporal trends of appendicitis in pregnant women, and to calculate the risk of maternal-fetal mortality and near-miss marker (i.