Phase I trial of ATR inhibitor elimusertib with FOLFIRI in advanced or metastatic gastrointestinal malignancies (ETCTN 10406).

Background: ATR is an apical DDR kinase activated at damaged replication forks. Elimusertib is an oral ATR inhibitor and potentiates irinotecan in human colorectal cancer models.

Methods: To establish dose and tolerability of elimusertib with FOLFIRI, a Bayesian Optimal Interval trial design was pursued.

Dose finding, bioavailability, and PK-PD of oral triapine with concurrent chemoradiation for locally advanced cervical cancer and vaginal cancer (ETCTN 9892).

Background: The addition of IV triapine to chemoradiation appeared active in phase I and II studies but drug delivery is cumbersome. We examined PO triapine with cisplatin chemoradiation.

Methods: We implemented a 3 + 3 design for PO triapine dose escalation with expansion, starting at 100 mg, five days a week for five weeks while receiving radiation with weekly IV cisplatin for locally advanced cervical or vaginal cancer.

Application of Indoor Positioning Systems in Nursing Homes: Enhancing Resident Safety and Staff Efficiency.

Providing a safe and secure living environment for residents that is supported by a dedicated healthcare team is one of the core values of nursing homes. Nursing homes must protect residents from the risk of going missing, track quarantined residents and visitors to control the spread of infection, and maintain proactive nursing rounds. However, recruiting and retaining qualified caregivers and medical staff has long been a challenge.

Effectiveness of Voice Therapy on Voice Quality and Function in Individuals with Unilateral Vocal Fold Paralysis: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Unilateral vocal fold paralysis (UVFP), characterized by immobility of one vocal fold, results from injuries of recurrent laryngeal nerves. Voice therapy is a conservative intervention aiming to address these symptoms, but standard protocols are lacking. In this study, we provided an updated review of voice therapy for UVFP over the past 3 years and analyzed the effect of voice therapy from the perspective of voice assessment recommended by the guidelines of the European Laryngological Society and the Union of the European Phoniatricians in 2023.

FAK loss reduces BRAF-induced ERK phosphorylation to promote intestinal stemness and cecal tumor formation.

mutation is a driver mutation in the serrated pathway to colorectal cancers. BRAF drives tumorigenesis through constitutive downstream extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) activation, but high-intensity ERK activation can also trigger tumor suppression. Whether and how oncogenic ERK signaling can be intrinsically adjusted to a 'just-right' level optimal for tumorigenesis remains undetermined.

Associations of Health Care Utilization and Therapeutic Alliance in Patients with Advanced Cancer.

Therapeutic alliance (TA), or the extent to which patients feel a sense of caring and trust with their physician, may have an impact on health care utilization. We sought to determine if TA is associated with: (1) emergency department (ED) visits within 30 days of death and (2) hospice enrollment. This is a secondary analysis of data from a randomized clinical trial.

mutation and DSS treatment synergize to induce cecal tumor formation in mice.

mutation is a driver mutation in colorectal cancer (CRC), and mutation is found in 10-15 % of all CRCs. mutant CRCs in patients are primarily localized in the right colon, including the cecum. However, in the ; mice, adenomas mainly developed in the small intestines of the mice, and no tumor formed in the cecum.

Emerging roles of Aurora-A kinase in cancer therapy resistance.

Aurora kinase A (Aurora-A), a serine/threonine kinase, plays a pivotal role in various cellular processes, including mitotic entry, centrosome maturation and spindle formation. Overexpression or gene-amplification/mutation of Aurora-A kinase occurs in different types of cancer, including lung cancer, colorectal cancer, and breast cancer. Alteration of Aurora-A impacts multiple cancer hallmarks, especially, immortalization, energy metabolism, immune escape and cell death resistance which are involved in cancer progression and resistance.

An Automated Sitting Posture Recognition System Utilizing Pressure Sensors.

Prolonged sitting with poor posture can lead to various health problems, including upper back pain, lower back pain, and cervical pain. Maintaining proper sitting posture is crucial for individuals while working or studying. Existing pressure sensor-based systems have been proposed to recognize sitting postures, but their accuracy ranges from 80% to 90%, leaving room for improvement.

Scutellaria baicalensis enhances 5-fluorouracil-based chemotherapy via inhibition of proliferative signaling pathways.

Fluoropyridine-based chemotherapy remains the most widely used treatment for colorectal cancer (CRC). In this study, we investigated the mechanism by which the natural product Scutellaria baicalensis (Huang Qin; HQ) and one of its main components baicalin enhanced 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) antitumor activity against CRC. Cell proliferation assays, cell cycle analysis, reverse-phase protein array (RPPA) analysis, immunoblot analysis, and qRT-PCR were performed to investigate the mechanism(s) of action of HQ and its active components on growth of CRC cells.

An indoor location-based hospital Porter management system and trace analysis.

Porters play an important role in supporting hospital operations. Their responsibilities include transporting patients and medical equipment between wards and departments. They also need to deliver specimens, drugs, and patients' notes to the correct place at the right time.

Quassinoid analogs exert potent antitumor activity via reversible protein biosynthesis inhibition in human colorectal cancer.

Cellular protein synthesis is accelerated in human colorectal cancer (CRC), and high expression of protein synthesis regulators in CRC patients is associated with poor prognosis. Thus, inhibition of protein synthesis may be an effective therapeutic strategy for CRC. We previously demonstrated that the quassinoid bruceantinol (BOL) had antitumor activity against CRC.

Primary Palliative Care Improves Uptake of Advance Care Planning Among Patients With Advanced Cancers.

Background: Palliative care specialists are experts in conducting advance care planning (ACP) but are a limited resource. Oncology nurses often have special relationships with their patients and thus may be poised to provide primary palliative care. We sought to determine the impact of a nurse-led primary palliative care intervention on ACP uptake among patients with advanced cancer.

A phase 1 study of veliparib (ABT-888) plus weekly carboplatin and paclitaxel in advanced solid malignancies, with an expansion cohort in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) (ETCTN 8620).

Background: Veliparib is a poly-ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitor, and it has clinical activity with every 3 weeks carboplatin and paclitaxel. In breast cancer, weekly paclitaxel is associated with improved overall survival. We aimed to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and recommended phase 2 dose (RP2D) of veliparib with weekly carboplatin and paclitaxel as well as safety, pharmacokinetics, and preliminary clinical activity in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC).

FAK loss reduces BRAF-induced ERK phosphorylation to promote intestinal stemness and cecal tumor formation.

mutation is a driver mutation in the serrated pathway to colorectal cancers. BRAF drives tumorigenesis through constitutive downstream extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) activation, but high-intensity ERK activation can also trigger tumor suppression. Whether and how oncogenic ERK signaling can be intrinsically adjusted to a "just-right" level optimal for tumorigenesis remains undetermined.

Prediction of knee adduction moment using innovative instrumented insole and deep learning neural networks in healthy female individuals.

Background: The knee adduction moment, a biomechanical risk factor of knee osteoarthritis, is typically measured in a gait laboratory with expensive equipment and inverse dynamics modeling software. We aimed to develop a framework for a portable knee adduction moment estimation for healthy female individuals using deep learning neural networks and custom instrumented insole and evaluated its accuracy compared to the standard inverse dynamics approach.

Methods: Feed-forward, convolutional, and recurrent neural networks were applied to the data extracted from five piezo-resistive force sensors attached to the insole of a shoe.

Examining Caregiver Outcomes in the CONNECT Intervention for Patients With Advanced Cancer.

Context: Palliative care offers patient and family centered approaches that may mitigate risk of caregiver burden and poor mood.

Objectives: To determine whether a palliative care intervention (CONNECT) improved burden, mood, and self-efficacy among caregivers of patients with advanced cancer.

Methods: In this cluster randomized trial, patients and their caregivers were recruited from 17 Oncology clinics in Pennsylvania.

Symptom Burden and Shared Care Planning in an Oncology Nurse-Led Primary Palliative Care Intervention (CONNECT) for Patients with Advanced Cancer.

Primary palliative care (PPC) interventions are needed to address unmet symptom needs within standard oncology care. We designed an oncology nurse-led PPC intervention using shared care planning to facilitate patient engagement. This analysis examines the prevalence and severity of symptoms reported by patients and how symptoms were addressed on shared care plans (SCPs).

Burnout Among Oncology Nurses: The Effects of Providing a Primary Palliative Care Intervention Using CONNECT Protocol.

Background: Palliative care clinicians display less burnout than oncology clinicians. Little is known about the impact of providing both oncology care and primary palliative care in the same setting.

Objectives: The aim was to determine whether nurses providing primary palliative care in addition to oncology care would experience less burnout over time than nurses providing oncology care only.

mTOR participates in the formation, maintenance, and function of memory CD8T cells regulated by glycometabolism.

Memory CD8T cells participate in the fight against infection and tumorigenesis as well as in autoimmune disease progression because of their efficient and rapid immune response, long-term survival, and continuous differentiation. At each stage of their formation, maintenance, and function, the cell metabolism must be adjusted to match the functional requirements of the specific stage. Notably, enhanced glycolytic metabolism can generate sufficient levels of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to form memory CD8T cells, countering the view that glycolysis prevents the formation of memory CD8T cells.