Religion and Spirituality in Lifestyle Medicine.

Decades of research now support the positive relationship of religion/spirituality (R/S) with physical health, mental health, morbidity, and mortality. While lifestyle medicine (LM) practitioners often recognize R/S as important, they can face common challenges of how to integrate R/S into their holistic, patient-centered care. To help, this article presents a faith-practice framework, as a starting point for considering incorporating R/S into LM practice-in light of common concerns and challenges, as a guide for patient-centered care through adjusting lifestyle prescriptions to accommodate individualized R/S beliefs and practices for improved health behavior and outcomes, and as an encouragement to stimulate openness for positive, thoughtful discussion into the future of R/S in LM practice and research.

Selective Sentinel Node Dissection in Melanoma with Trends and Future Directions.

Starting with its earliest descriptions, melanoma has been recognized as a tumor with a predilection for metastasis to regional lymph nodes. This tendency led to initial recommendations for very aggressive early surgical management of the regional nodal basin. However, those recommendations were the source of much controversy over nearly a century, until the minimally invasive surgical technique of sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy was developed by Morton, Cochran and colleagues.

Tumor lysate particle only vaccine (TLPO) vs. Tumor lysate particle-loaded, dendritic cell vaccine (TLPLDC) to prevent recurrence in resected stage III/IV melanoma patients: Results of a phase I/IIa trial.

Background: The autologous tumor lysate, particle-loaded, dendritic cell (TLPLDC) vaccine is produced from dendritic cells (DC) loaded ex vivo with autologous tumor lysate (TL). TLPLDC has been shown to decrease recurrence in resected Stage III/IV melanoma patients in a Phase IIb trial. The TL particle only (TLPO) vaccine is produced by loading of yeast cell wall particles with autologous TL and direct injection allowing for in vivo DC loading.

Acute and Repeated Ashwagandha Supplementation Improves Markers of Cognitive Function and Mood.

Background: Ashwagandha has been reported to reduce stress and attenuate cognitive decline associated with inflammation and neurodegeneration in clinical populations. However, the effects as a potential nootropic nutrient in younger populations are unclear. This study examined the effects of liposomal ashwagandha supplementation on cognitive function, mood, and markers of health and safety in healthy young men and women.

Supporting Sustainable Health Behavior Change: The Whole is Greater Than the Sum of Its Parts.

Behavior change is the foundation for effective lifestyle prescriptions, yet such change is individualized, nonlinear and typically requires ongoing support. Health and wellness coaching (HWC) is a behavior change intervention with rapidly accruing evidence of positive impact on health behaviors such as exercise, nutrition and stress management. Furthermore, HWC enhances prevention and mitigates exacerbation of chronic lifestyle diseases, at least in the short-term (up to 6 months post intervention).

Paraxanthine provides greater improvement in cognitive function than caffeine after performing a 10-km run.

Rationale: Intense exercise promotes fatigue and can impair cognitive function, particularly toward the end of competition when decision-making is often critical for success. For this reason, athletes often ingest caffeinated energy drinks prior to or during exercise to help them maintain focus, reaction time, and cognitive function during competition. However, caffeine habituation and genetic sensitivity to caffeine (CA) limit efficacy.

Smoking Status and Survival in Patients With Early-Stage Primary Cutaneous Melanoma.

Importance: While smoking is associated with a decreased incidence of cutaneous melanoma, the association of smoking with melanoma progression and death is not well defined.

Objective: To determine the association of smoking with survival in patients with early-stage primary cutaneous melanoma.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This cohort study performed a post hoc analysis of data derived from the randomized, multinational first and second Multicenter Selective Lymphadenectomy Trials (MSLT-I and MSLT-II).

Individualised neoantigen therapy mRNA-4157 (V940) plus pembrolizumab versus pembrolizumab monotherapy in resected melanoma (KEYNOTE-942): a randomised, phase 2b study.

Background: Checkpoint inhibitors are standard adjuvant treatment for stage IIB-IV resected melanoma, but many patients recur. Our study aimed to evaluate whether mRNA-4157 (V940), a novel mRNA-based individualised neoantigen therapy, combined with pembrolizumab, improved recurrence-free survival and distant metastasis-free survival versus pembrolizumab monotherapy in resected high-risk melanoma.

Methods: We did an open-label, randomised, phase 2b, adjuvant study of mRNA-4157 plus pembrolizumab versus pembrolizumab monotherapy in patients, enrolled from sites in the USA and Australia, with completely resected high-risk cutaneous melanoma.

Sentinel lymph nodes in melanoma: necessary as ever for optimal treatment.

Lymphatic metastasis is the dominant route of initial spread for most solid tumors. For many such malignancies, including melanomas, surgical treatment previously included removal of all potentially draining regional lymph nodes (elective node dissection). The advent of lymphatic mapping and sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy allowed accurate pathologic assessment of the metastatic status of regional nodes and spared patients full dissection if their SLN was clear.

Prospective, randomized, double-blind phase 2B trial of the TLPO and TLPLDC vaccines to prevent recurrence of resected stage III/IV melanoma: a prespecified 36-month analysis.

Background: The tumor lysate, particle-loaded, dendritic cell (TLPLDC) vaccine is made by ex vivo priming matured autologous dendritic cells (DCs) with yeast cell wall particles (YCWPs) loaded with autologous tumor lysate (TL). The tumor lysate, particle only (TLPO) vaccine uses autologous TL-loaded YCWPs coated with silicate for in vivo DC loading. Here we report the 36-month prespecified analyses of this prospective, randomized, double-blind trial investigating the ability of the TLPO and TLPLDC (±granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF)) vaccines to prevent melanoma recurrence in high-risk patients.

Expectations from a Home Cooking Program: Qualitative Analyses of Perceptions from Participants in "Action" and "Contemplation" Stages of Change, before Entering a Bi-Center Randomized Controlled Trial.

Home cooking is an emerging strategy to improve nutrition; however, the literature lacks reports about patient expectations from culinary interventions. Personalized medicine utilizes knowledge about a person's genes; yet, behavioral factors, such as participant "readiness" to make a change, may also impact treatment preferences and outcomes. The purpose is to explore the expectations of participants in different stages of change from a home cooking intervention.

Debating Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy for Melanoma in the Modern Adjuvant Era.

With the activity of adjuvant immunotherapy, is sentinel lymph node biopsy still needed in melanoma?

Effects of Dietary Supplementation of a Microalgae Extract Containing Fucoxanthin Combined with Guarana on Cognitive Function and Gaming Performance.

Background: Esports competitive gaming requires selective visual attention, memory, quick judgment, and an ability to sustain psychomotor performance over time. Fucoxanthin is a carotenoid, found in specific microalgae varieties such as (), that has been purported to possess nootropic and neuroprotective effects through its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. This study evaluated whether acute and 30-day supplementation of an extract of from microalgae combined with guarana (a natural source of caffeine) affects cognitive function in gamers.

Intratumoral oncolytic virus V937 plus ipilimumab in patients with advanced melanoma: the phase 1b MITCI study.

Background: Intratumoral administration of V937, a bioselected, genetically unmodified coxsackievirus A21, has previously demonstrated antitumor activity in patients with advanced melanoma as monotherapy and in combination with the programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) antibody pembrolizumab. We report results from an open-label, single-arm, phase 1b study (NCT02307149) evaluating V937 plus the cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4 inhibitor ipilimumab in patients with advanced melanoma.

Methods: Adult patients (aged ≥18 years) with histologically confirmed metastatic or unresectable stage IIIB/C or IV melanoma received intratumoral V937 on days 1, 3, 5, 8, and 22 and every 3 weeks (Q3W) thereafter for up to 19 sets of injections plus intravenous ipilimumab 3 mg/kg Q3W administered for four doses starting on day 22.

Effects of Acute Ashwagandha Ingestion on Cognitive Function.

Background: Ashwagandha () has been reported to decrease perceptions of stress, enhance mood, and improve cognitive function. However, it is currently unknown whether acute ashwagandha supplementation affects memory and cognitive function. This study evaluated the effects of acute ashwagandha extract ingestion on executive function.

Sentinel lymph node biopsy in patients with T1a cutaneous malignant melanoma: A multicenter cohort study.

Background: Sentinel lymph node biopsy is not routinely recommended for T1a cutaneous melanoma due to the overall low risk of positivity. Prognostic factors for positive sentinel lymph node (SLN) in this population are poorly characterized.

Objective: To determine factors associated with SLN in patients with T1a melanoma.