Interprofessional "on-call" e-learning for family nurse practitioner students: Preparing for primary care across the life span.

Background And Purpose: Nurse practitioners (NPs) are expected to fill gaps in providing primary care in the United States and need vital skills to meet the growing need for primary care providers. One necessary skill is managing "on-call" clinical questions/concerns by patients across the life span. To date, there are no published studies that address "on-call" simulations for family NP (FNP) students across the life span.

Role of Temozolomide in the Treatment of Cancers Involving the Central Nervous System.

Temozolomide has been available to oncologists for over 30 years. During this time, it has become an integral part of standard therapy in patients with high-grade gliomas. Given its ability to traverse the blood-brain barrier, temozolomide has also been evaluated in other cancers that involve the central nervous system (CNS).

The consistency of neuropathological diagnoses in patients undergoing surgery for suspected recurrence of glioblastoma.

Purpose: Clinical factors and neuro-imaging in patients with glioblastoma who appear to progress following standard chemoradiation are unable to reliably distinguish tumor progression from pseudo-progression. As a result, surgery is commonly recommended to establish a final diagnosis. However, studies evaluating the pathologists' agreement on pathologic diagnoses in this setting have not been previously evaluated.

Re-irradiation for malignant glioma: Toward patient selection and defining treatment parameters for salvage.

Purpose: Reirradiation for recurrent glioma remains controversial without knowledge of optimal patient selection, dose, fractionation, and normal tissue tolerances. We retrospectively evaluated outcomes and toxicity after conventionally fractionated reirradiation for recurrent high-grade glioma, along with the impact of concurrent chemotherapy.

Methods And Materials: We conducted a retrospective review of patients reirradiated for high-grade glioma recurrence between 2007 and 2016 (including patients with initial low-grade glioma).

"Then you raise them with Shirchoy or cookies": Understanding influences on delayed dietary diversity among children in Tajikistan.

Dietary diversity is a key component of infant and young child feeding (IYCF) as well as adult health. In Tajikistan, a predominantly rural, former Soviet country in Central Asia, we conducted formative research to identify barriers to dietary diversity and strategies for nutrition behaviour change. In Spring, 2016, mixed-methods data collection took place across 13 villages in all five regions, collecting collaborative mapping; structured assessments of stores and markets; home visits for dietary recalls; food storage, preparation, and meal observations; focus groups with pregnant women, mothers of young children, fathers, and mothers-in-law; and in-depth expert interviews with local nutrition and health influentials.

Experiences with the first eczema school in the United States.

Patient education programs are beneficial in the treatment of chronic diseases. In Germany, France, and other countries worldwide, educating children, adolescents, and adults plus the parents of children with atopic dermatitis (AD) leads to better coping with the skin disease, as well as to a reduction in the severity of the skin symptoms and signs. The results in Europe led to the idea to also establish an eczema school in the United States.

An intestinal stem cell niche in mutated neoplasia targetable by CtBP inhibition.

C-terminal binding protein 2 (CtBP2) drives intestinal polyposis in the mouse model of human Familial Adenomatous Polyposis. As CtBP2 is targetable by an inhibitor of its dehydrogenase domain, understanding CtBP2's role in adenoma formation is necessary to optimize CtBP-targeted therapies in mutated human neoplasia. Tumor initiating cell (TIC) populations were substantially decreased in intestinal epithelia.

Detecting genome-wide directional effects of transcription factor binding on polygenic disease risk.

Biological interpretation of genome-wide association study data frequently involves assessing whether SNPs linked to a biological process, for example, binding of a transcription factor, show unsigned enrichment for disease signal. However, signed annotations quantifying whether each SNP allele promotes or hinders the biological process can enable stronger statements about disease mechanism. We introduce a method, signed linkage disequilibrium profile regression, for detecting genome-wide directional effects of signed functional annotations on disease risk.

Association between pretreatment lymphocyte count and response to PD1 inhibitors in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas.

Background: Low absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) has previously been established as a marker of poor prognosis in multiple cancer types. There is growing evidence that ALC may also be associated with response to immunotherapy. This study explores whether response to PD1 inhibitors in recurrent and/or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (R/M HNSCC) is associated with pretreatment ALC.

Phase II Study of Iniparib with Concurrent Chemoradiation in Patients with Newly Diagnosed Glioblastoma.

Purpose: Iniparib is a purported prodrug causing cell death through intracellular conversion to nitro radical ions. We assessed the efficacy and safety of iniparib with standard radiotherapy and temozolomide in patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma (GBM).

Patients And Methods: Adults meeting eligibility criteria were enrolled in this prospective, single-arm, open-label multi- institution phase II trial with median overall survival (mOS) compared with a historical control as the primary objective.

Severe Treatment-Related Lymphopenia in Patients with Newly Diagnosed Rectal Cancer.

Background: Although treatment-related lymphopenia (TRL) is common in many cancers no data exists in rectal cancer.

Methods: Serial lymphocyte counts were analyzed retrospectively in patients with newly diagnosed rectal cancer, serial blood counts, and complete records at Johns Hopkins Hospital.

Results: Fifty-seven patients with normal pretreatment lymphocyte counts were studied.

Positional specificity of different transcription factor classes within enhancers.

Gene expression is controlled by sequence-specific transcription factors (TFs), which bind to regulatory sequences in DNA. TF binding occurs in nucleosome-depleted regions of DNA (NDRs), which generally encompass regions with lengths similar to those protected by nucleosomes. However, less is known about where within these regions specific TFs tend to be found.

Systemic depletion of lymphocytes following focal radiation to the brain in a murine model.

Severe radiation-related lymphopenia is common and associated with decreased survival in patients with several solid tumors. As the mechanisms underlying systemic lymphopenia are poorly understood, we developed an animal model to study the effects of brain radiation on lymphocytes and cytokines. C57 BL/6 and BALB/c mice received focal brain irradiation (4 Gy x 10 fractions or 2 Gy x 30 fractions).

Prevalence and characteristics of pharmacies owned and operated by schools of pharmacy in the United States.

Introduction: To identify schools/colleges of pharmacy that own and operate a pharmacy and to gather key details about such pharmacies.

Methods: Schools of pharmacy (n = 134) in the United States were contacted to determine whether they own and operate a pharmacy. Schools identified as having a pharmacy were subsequently sent an online questionnaire to solicit information about school and pharmacy characteristics.

Risky business: is pubic hair removal by women associated with body image and sexual health?

Unlabelled: Background Body hair removal is a behaviour that has become normative among women in Westernised cultures, and is presented by the media as the feminine ideal, despite being painful and a potential cause of infection. Of concern, removal may be part of a more global pattern of appearance dissatisfaction and risky sexual behaviour. The aim of the present study was to examine the relationships among pubic hair removal, body image and sexual health indicators.

Comparison of Emergency Medicine Malpractice Cases Involving Residents to Nonresident Cases.

Background: Data are lacking on how emergency medicine (EM) malpractice cases with resident involvement differs from cases that do not name a resident.

Objectives: The objective was to compare malpractice case characteristics in cases where a resident is involved (resident case) to cases that do not involve a resident (nonresident case) and to determine factors that contribute to malpractice cases utilizing EM as a model for malpractice claims across other medical specialties.

Methods: We used data from the Controlled Risk Insurance Company (CRICO) Strategies' division Comparative Benchmarking System (CBS) to analyze open and closed EM cases asserted from 2009 to 2013.

Concurrent BRAF/MEK Inhibitors in V600-Mutant High-Grade Primary Brain Tumors.

V600 mutations are being identified in patients with primary brain tumors more often as molecular testing becomes widely available. Targeted treatment with BRAF inhibitors has been attempted in individual cases with some responses, whereas others showed no response or developed resistance. Preclinical work suggests that gliomas could be more responsive to the concurrent use of BRAF and MEK inhibition for MAP kinase pathway suppression.

Social Media for Hepatitis B Awareness: Young Adult and Community Leader Perspectives.

Screening for hepatitis B (HBV) among high-risk young adults can help prevent its transmission and lead to earlier treatment and better long-term health outcomes. Yet few interventions have focused on increasing HBV awareness among young adults. Social media (SM) may be an effective method for disseminating information and engaging young adults about HBV.

Liquid chromatography with alkylammonium formate ionic liquid mobile phases and fluorescence detection.

Fluorescence detection of various pharmaceuticals and the amino acid tryptophan (low molecular weight organic compounds) as well as the enzyme lactate dehydrogenase LDH (high molar mass compound) has been studied in aqueous solutions using alkyl ammonium formate ionic liquids as the primary solvent component. It was expected that the high viscosity of such ionic liquid-water mixtures would enhance fluorescence. Pharmaceuticals such as riboflavin and naproxen showed no such enhancement in the presence of ethylammonium formate (EAF) or isopropylammonium formate (IPAF) but the fluorescence of warfarin was substantially enhanced by a factor of 4 with 80% EAF and a factor of 7 with 70% IPAF.

Improving body image and sexual health behaviors among college women.

Objective: To conduct a pilot test to determine if the Body Project, an eating disorder prevention program, was able to reduce risky sexual behaviors.

Participants: Twenty college-age women ages 18-21 (in March, 2015) who endorsed both body image dissatisfaction and previous or current sexual activity.

Methods: Participants were randomized to the Body Project or psychoeducational control group, and completed baseline, post-test, and 6-month follow-up measures assessing body image concerns, eating behaviors, and sexual behaviors and attitudes.

A national survey of young women's beliefs about quitting indoor tanning: implications for health communication messages.

Indoor tanning is a risk factor for melanoma among young white women. Health communications can be an effective way of reaching this population and promoting behavior change. The purpose of this study was (i) to investigate the associations between intention to quit indoor tanning and attitudes, normative pressure, and efficacy about quitting, and (ii) to identify beliefs about quitting indoor tanning that can be used to design effective health communication messages to reduce skin cancer risk.

Phase II study of rituximab given in conjunction with standard chemotherapy in primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL): a trial of the ECOG-ACRIN cancer research group (E1F05).

Background: Therapy of primary CNS lymphoma (PCNSL) has focused on multi-agent chemotherapy designed to cross the blood brain barrier. Rituximab has demonstrated activity in PCNSL. E1F05 is an ECOG-ACRIN multicenter phase 2 prospective trial of rituximab with high-dose methotrexate (HD-MTX)-based chemotherapy similar to the RTOG 93-10 regimen, omitting radiotherapy.

Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors: The GIST of Precision Medicine.

The discovery of activated KIT mutations in gastrointestinal (GI) stromal tumors (GISTs) in 1998 triggered a sea change in our understanding of these tumors and has ushered in a new paradigm for the use of molecular genetic diagnostics to guide targeted therapies. KIT and PDGFRA mutations account for 85-90% of GISTs; subsequent genetic studies have led to the identification of mutation/epimutation of additional genes, including the succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) subunit A, B, C, and D genes. This review focuses on integrating findings from clinicopathologic, genetic, and epigenetic studies, which classify GISTs into two distinct clusters: an SDH-competent group and an SDH-deficient group.