Pembrolizumab ± paricalcitol in metastatic pancreatic cancer postmaximal cytoreduction.

Lessons Learned: Intravenous paricalcitol did not improve the efficacy of pembrolizumab, likely related to the short half-life.

Background: Immunotherapy has limited benefit in the treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer with the tumor microenvironment playing a key role in immune resistance. In preclinical studies, vitamin D receptor (VDR) agonists have been shown to sensitize pancreatic tumors to PD-1 blockade.

Exposed digits increase weight bearing and alter sub-bandage pressures in dogs with forelimb splints.

Objective: The goal of this study was to evaluate the difference in weight bearing in a toes-in splint versus a toes-out forelimb splint and to determine the difference in sub-bandage pressures between the groups. We hypothesized that (1) weight bearing would not be different between the 2 splints and that (2) sub-bandage pressures would be distributed higher on the distal digits in the toes-out splint and pressures would be more evenly distributed across the paw in the toes-in splint.

Methods: In this controlled crossover trial, a random forelimb of 10 healthy dogs was bandaged with a splint that left the digits exposed and again with a splint that encompassed the digits.

BCL6 coordinates muscle mass homeostasis with nutritional states.

Nutritional status is a determining factor for growth during development and homeostatic maintenance in adulthood. In the context of muscle, growth hormone (GH) coordinates growth with nutritional status; however, the detailed mechanisms remain to be fully elucidated. Here, we show that the transcriptional repressor B cell lymphoma 6 (BCL6) maintains muscle mass by sustaining GH action.

Long term health outcomes in people with diabetes 12 months after hospitalisation with COVID-19 in the UK: a prospective cohort study.

Background: People with diabetes are at increased risk of hospitalisation, morbidity, and mortality following SARS-CoV-2 infection. Long-term outcomes for people with diabetes previously hospitalised with COVID-19 are, however, unknown. This study aimed to determine the longer-term physical and mental health effects of COVID-19 in people with and without diabetes.

Methacrylate-based copolymers as tunable hosts for triplet-triplet annihilation upconversion.

The ability to convert light to higher energies through triplet-triplet annihilation upconversion (TTA-UC) is attractive for a range of applications including solar energy harvesting, bioimaging and anti-counterfeiting. Practical applications require integration of the TTA-UC chromophores within a suitable host, which leads to a compromise between the high upconversion efficiencies achievable in liquids and the durability of solids. Herein, we present a series of methacrylate copolymers as TTA-UC hosts, in which the glass transition temperature ( ), and hence upconversion efficiency can be tuned by varying the co-monomer ratios (-hexyl methacrylate (HMA) and 2,2,2-trifluoroethyl methacrylate (TFEMA)).

Multimorbidity clusters and their associations with health-related quality of life in two UK cohorts.

Background: Identifying clusters of multiple long-term conditions (MLTCs), also known as multimorbidity, and their associated burden may facilitate the development of effective and cost-effective targeted healthcare strategies. This study aimed to identify clusters of MLTCs and their associations with long-term health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in two UK population-based cohorts.

Methods: Age-stratified clusters of MLTCs were identified at baseline in UK Biobank (n = 502,363, 54.

Synthesis of Cyclic Oligomers of Polyether Ketone Ketone (PEKK) for Ring-Opening Polymerisation (ROP) Applications.

Entropy-Driven Ring-Opening Polymerisation represents an attractive mechanism to produce high-performance polymeric materials as it can be performed using neat, low-viscosity precursors and without the production of by-products or release of volatiles. Macrocyclic oligomers (MCOs) of polyether ketone ketone (PEKK) were synthesised and investigated as an method of forming this high-performance thermoplastic. Cyclic oligomers were successfully synthesised by pseudo-high dilution methods, and the reaction conditions were optimised through careful addition of starting materials and carbonate base selection.

Barriers and facilitators for female practitioners in orthopaedic training and practice: a scoping review.

Background: Despite advances in medical education and professional opportunities, orthopaedic surgery remains the least gender-diverse medical specialty, with women significantly underrepresented globally. This scoping review aims to synthesize existing literature to provide a comprehensive overview of the barriers and facilitators encountered by females in orthopaedic surgery training and practice.

Methods: A comprehensive search of Medline (OVID), Scopus, Embase, Emcare, and CINAHL was performed from inception to 14 July 2024.

Physical activity guidelines for adults with type 2 Diabetes: Systematic review.

Aims: The aim of this study was to systematically review recommendations on physical activity for adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D).

Methods: Online databases were searched for clinical practice guidelines (CPGs), statements, and recommendations. Two authors screened the guidelines based on eligibility criteria.

Innovative clearance data model for demining operational data collection: Insights from field trials in Zimbabwe.

From September 2023 to March 2024 a field trial on a live manual demining site was conducted to test a new and innovative approach for the collection and analysis of operational data. The approach, titled the Clearance Data Model, involved the collection of sixty-six data attributes for each mine found. For the first time the mine itself would become the accountable unit of demining data, against which an expanded range of relevant attributes particular to that specific mine would be recorded.

Evaluation of the ASPYRE-Lung targeted variant panel: a rapid, low-input solution for non-small cell lung cancer biomarker testing and experience from three independent sites.

Background: Many patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) lack access to highly effective approved targeted therapeutics due to multiple gaps in biomarker testing. Challenges in comprehensive molecular testing include complexities associated with the need to assess the presence of multiple variants, costs of running multiple sequential assays per sample, high assay quality control (QC) failure rates, clinical need for rapid turn-around time (TAT) to initiate therapy, and insufficient tissue samples. The ASPYRE-Lung NSCLC assay addresses gaps in multiplexed testing by simultaneously analyzing DNA and RNA, detecting 114 actionable genomic variants across 11 genes, consistent with current NSCLC treatment guidelines.

The roles of racial discrimination and sleep in the cognitive functioning of racial and ethnic minority youth.

Objectives: Research suggests that chronic stress reduces cognitive functioning; however, studies examining this relationship for race-related stress, such as racial discrimination, are limited and primarily focus on older adults. Moreover, considering the importance of sleep when coping with stress, it is possible that sleep buffers the effect of racial discrimination on cognitive functioning. The present study examined the role of sleep duration and quality in the relationship between racial discrimination and cognitive functioning in early adolescence.

Comparison of laboratory-based and non-laboratory-based cardiovascular risk prediction tools in rural India.

Background: Non-laboratory-based cardiovascular risk prediction tools are feasible alternatives to laboratory-based tools in low- and middle-income countries. However, their effectiveness compared to their laboratory-based counterparts has not been adequately tested.

Aim: We compared estimates from laboratory-based and non-laboratory-based risk prediction tools in a low- and middle-income country setting.

Exploring Therapeutic Relational Connection in Virtual Healthcare: Insights From Nurse Practitioner Practice With Young Adults Living With Chronic Illness.

Aim: To identify the essential characteristics of therapeutic relational connection (TRC) as viewed by nurse practitioners (NPs) in the practice of their virtual visits caring for young adults living with chronic illness.

Design: This is a qualitative descriptive study of data obtained from open-ended items on an online questionnaire.

Methods: The sample was recruited through an electronic listserv sent by the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP) to access a national sample.

Interventions to improve mental health and well-being in care-experienced children and young people aged less than 25: the CHIMES systematic review.

Background: Children and young people with experience of being in care (e.g. foster care, kinship care, residential care or at home with a supervision requirement order) are at higher risk of adverse mental health and well-being outcomes compared to the general population.

Efficacy of colistin-based combinations against pandrug-resistant whole-genome-sequenced Klebsiella pneumoniae isolated from hospitalized patients in Egypt: an in vitro/vivo comparative study.

Background: Colistin resistance significantly constrains available treatment options and results in the emergence of pandrug-resistant (PDR) strains. Treating PDR infections is a major public health issue. A promising solution lies in using colistin-based combinations.

Multilayer films for photon upconversion-driven photoswitching.

Photoswitchable materials are of significant interest for diverse applications from energy and data storage to additive manufacturing and soft robotics. However, the absorption profile is often a limiting factor for practical applications. This can be overcome using indirect excitation complementary photophysical pathways, such as triplet sensitisation or photon upconversion.