Predictive modeling of hypoxic head and neck cancers during fractionated radiotherapy with gold nanoparticle radiosensitization.

Purpose: Intrinsic radioresistance and increased proliferation rates in head and neck cancers (HNCs) are associated with negative radiotherapy (RT) treatment responses. The use of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) as radiosensitizers could enable total radiation dose reduction and lowered radiation toxicity. AuNP radiosensitization may overcome hypoxia-induced radioresistance and treatment-induced accelerated repopulation of cancer cells in HNCs, improving radiotherapy outcomes.

Characteristics and Predictors of Radiographic Local Failure in Patients With Spinal Metastases Treated With Palliative Conventional Radiation Therapy.

Purpose: Although local control is an important issue for longer-term survivors of spinal metastases treated with conventional external beam radiation therapy (EBRT), the literature on radiographic local failure (LF) in these patients is sparse. To inform clinical decision-making, we evaluated rates, consequences, and predictors of radiographic LF in patients with spinal metastases managed with palliative conventional EBRT alone.

Methods And Materials: We retrospectively reviewed 296 patients with spinal metastases who received palliative EBRT at a single institution (2006-2013).

Burden of oral anticoagulation in embolic stroke of undetermined source without atrial fibrillation.

Objective: Prevention of recurrent stroke in patients with embolic stroke of undetermined source (ESUS) is challenging. The advent of safer anticoagulation in the form of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) has prompted exploration of prophylactic anticoagulation for all ESUS patients, rather than anticoagulating just those with documented atrial fibrillation (AF). However, recent trials have failed to demonstrate a clinical benefit, while observing increased bleeding.

Parental Burnout Around the Globe: a 42-Country Study.

Unlabelled: High levels of stress in the parenting domain can lead to , a condition that has severe consequences for both parents and children It is not yet clear, however, whether parental burnout varies by culture, and if so, why it might do so. In this study, we examined the prevalence of parental burnout in 42 countries (17,409 parents; 71% mothers; M = 39.20) and showed that the prevalence of parental burnout varies dramatically across countries.

A Randomized Controlled Trial of a Modified Cystoscopy Technique using the Peak-End Rule in order to Improve Pain and Anxiety.

Objective: To determine if a modified cystoscopy technique utilizing the peak-end rule cognitive bias decreases pain and anxiety during flexible cystoscopy in patients who undergo cystoscopy.

Methods: A total of 85 participants undergoing their first diagnostic cystoscopy were enrolled in a blinded single-center, prospective, randomized controlled trial. Patients with lower urinary tract abnormalities, prior radiation and chronic pelvic pain were excluded.

Scavenger Receptor A1 Mediates the Uptake of Carboxylated and Pristine Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes Coated with Bovine Serum Albumin.

Previously, we noted that carboxylated multi-walled carbon nanotubes (cMWNTs) coated with Pluronic F-108 (PF108) bound to and were accumulated by macrophages, but that pristine multi-walled carbon nanotubes (pMWNTs) coated with PF108 were not (Wang et al., , , 677). Subsequent studies with Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells that overexpressed scavenger receptor A1 (SR-A1) and with macrophages derived from mice knocked out for SR-A1 provided evidence that SR-A1 was a receptor of PF108-cMWNTs (Wang et al.

Outcomes of Management of Recurrent Dupuytren Contracture: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Background: With numerous treatment modalities available, it is unclear whether the treatment of recurrent Dupuytren disease is as effective as its initial treatment. We aimed to investigate the outcomes of management of recurrent Dupuytren contracture.

Methods: Adhering to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, CINAHL, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched from their inception to April 2020.

Positioning of nucleosomes containing γ-H2AX precedes active DNA demethylation and transcription initiation.

In addition to nucleosomes, chromatin contains non-histone chromatin-associated proteins, of which the high-mobility group proteins are the most abundant. Chromatin-mediated regulation of transcription involves DNA methylation and histone modifications. However, the order of events and the precise function of high-mobility group proteins during transcription initiation remain unclear.

Dorsal-Ventral Differences in Retinal Structure in the Pigmented Royal College of Surgeons Model of Retinal Degeneration.

Retinitis pigmentosa is a family of inherited retinal degenerations associated with gradual loss of photoreceptors, that ultimately leads to irreversible vision loss. The Royal College of Surgeon's (RCS) rat carries a recessive mutation affecting mer proto-oncogene tyrosine kinase (merTK), that models autosomal recessive disease. The aim of this study was to understand the glial, microglial, and photoreceptor changes that occur in different retinal locations with advancing disease.

Short-Term Western Diet Intake Promotes IL-23‒Mediated Skin and Joint Inflammation Accompanied by Changes to the Gut Microbiota in Mice.

We previously showed that exposure to a high-sugar and moderate-fat diet (i.e., Western diet [WD]) in mice induces appreciable skin inflammation and enhances the susceptibility to imiquimod-induced psoriasiform dermatitis, suggesting that dietary components may render the skin susceptible to psoriatic inflammation.

Patterns of Specialty Palliative Care Utilization Among Patients Receiving Palliative Radiation Therapy.

Context: Palliative radiation therapy (RT) is frequently used to ameliorate cancer-associated symptoms and improve quality of life.

Objectives: To examine how palliative care (PC) as a specialty is integrated at the time of RT consultation for patients with advanced cancer.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 162 patients with metastatic cancer who received palliative RT at our institution (7/2017-2/2018).

Promoting P450 BM3 heme domain dimerization with a tris(5-iodoacetamido-1,10-phenanthroline)Ru(II) complex.

Protein dimerization often occurs in many biological systems as to provide structural and functional advantages. A tris(5-iodoacetamido-1,10-phenanthroline)Ruthenium(II) complex was shown to promote the covalent dimerization of a P450 BM3 heme domain mutant containing a surface exposed non-native single cysteine residue. The formation of homodimeric species was confirmed by protein gel electrophoresis, mass spectrometry and UV-Vis spectroscopy.

Nucleosome Dynamics during Transcription Elongation.

The nucleosome is the basic packing unit of the eukaryotic genome. Dynamic interactions between DNA and histones in the nucleosome are the molecular basis of gene accessibility regulation that governs the kinetics of various DNA-templated processes such as transcription elongation by RNA Polymerase II (Pol II). On the basis of single-molecule FRET measurements with chemically modified histones, we investigated the nucleosome dynamics during transcription elongation and how it is affected by histone acetylation at H3 K56 and the histone chaperone Nap1, both of which can affect DNA-histone interactions.

Enhancing Communication With Family Members in the Intensive Care Unit: A Mixed-Methods Study.

Background: Nurses in the intensive care unit are central to clinical care delivery and are often the staff members most accessible to family members for communication. Family members' ratings of satisfaction with the intensive care unit admission are affected more by communication quality than by the level of care for the patient. Family members may feel that communication in the intensive care unit is inconsistent.

modeling of cellular probabilistic nanoparticle radiosensitization in head and neck cancers.

The use of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) as radiosensitizers may offer a new approach in the treatment of head and neck cancers; minimizing treatment-associated toxicities and improving patient outcomes. AuNPs promote localized dose deposition; permitting improved local control and/or dose reduction. This work aimed to address the theoretical optimization of radiation doses, fractionation and nanoparticle injection schedules to maximize therapeutic benefits.

Structural abnormalities of chromosome 8 and fetoplacental discrepancy: A second case report and review of fetal phenotype of 8p inverted duplication deletion syndrome.

We described a new second case of fetoplacental discrepancy involving first trimester prenatal detection of mosaic isochromosome i (8) (q10). A 32-year-old woman underwent chorionic villous sampling because of increased fetal nuchal translucency. Analysis of direct chromosome preparations was performed by R-banding and FISH using subtelomeric, centromeric and whole chromosome painting probes for chromosome 8 showing the presence of an isochromosome 8q with a complex, female mosaic karyotype: mos 46,XX,i (8) (q10)[13]/46,XX,del (8) (p23)[10].

COVID-19 Outbreak - New York City, February 29-June 1, 2020.

New York City (NYC) was an epicenter of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in the United States during spring 2020 (1). During March-May 2020, approximately 203,000 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases were reported to the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH). To obtain more complete data, DOHMH used supplementary information sources and relied on direct data importation and matching of patient identifiers for data on hospitalization status, the occurrence of death, race/ethnicity, and presence of underlying medical conditions.

Quantitative-qualitative analyses of patient-reported pain response after palliative radiation therapy.

Purpose: While the 0-10 pain scale is often used to assess treatment response, it may not accurately reflect change in pain over time. The purpose of this study is to correlate pain improvement using the 0-10 pain scale to patients' perceived improvement in pain following palliative radiation therapy (RT), and to qualitatively characterize themes of pain assessment.

Methods: Patients age ≥ 20 receiving RT for spinal metastases were enrolled.

Estimating the infection-fatality risk of SARS-CoV-2 in New York City during the spring 2020 pandemic wave: a model-based analysis.

Background: As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to unfold, the infection-fatality risk (ie, risk of death among all infected individuals including those with asymptomatic and mild infections) is crucial for gauging the burden of death due to COVID-19 in the coming months or years. Here, we estimate the infection-fatality risk of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in New York City, NY, USA, the first epidemic centre in the USA, where the infection-fatality risk remains unclear.

Methods: In this model-based analysis, we developed a meta-population network model-inference system to estimate the underlying SARS-CoV-2 infection rate in New York City during the 2020 spring pandemic wave using available case, mortality, and mobility data.

Erroneous Reporting of Deaths Attributed to Pneumonia and Influenza at 2 New York City Teaching Hospitals, 2013-2014.

Objectives: Cause-of-death information, reported by frontline clinicians after a patient's death, is an irreplaceable source of public health data. However, systematic bias in cause-of-death reporting can lead to over- or underestimation of deaths attributable to different causes. New York City consistently reports higher rates of deaths attributable to pneumonia and influenza than many other US cities and the country.

Spotlight on Photoinduced Aryl Migration Reactions.

Rearrangement reactions are certainly one of the most useful approaches towards complex structures in organic chemistry. With efficient conditions, it is indeed possible to convert simple substrates into highly functionalized products. Moreover, combining this approach with an attractive initiation process, such as visible-light catalysis, makes these reactions particularly powerful.

The Importance of Evaluating the Lot-to-Lot Batch Consistency of Commercial Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube Products.

The biological response of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) is related to their physicochemical properties and a thorough MWNT characterization should accompany an assessment of their biological activity, including their potential toxicity. Beyond characterizing the physicochemical properties of MWNTs from different sources or manufacturers, it is also important to characterize different production lots of the same MWNT product from the same vendor (i.e.

Patient factors predict complications after partial nephrectomy: validation and calibration of the Preoperative Risk Evaluation for Partial Nephrectomy (PREP) score.

Objectives: To develop and validate the Preoperative Risk Evaluation for Partial Nephrectomy (PREP) score to predict the probability of major postoperative complications after partial nephrectomy (PN) based on patient comorbidities.

Patients And Methods: The Premier Healthcare Database was used to identify patients who had undergone elective PN. Through review of International Classification of Diseases ninth revision codes, we identified patient comorbidities and major surgical complications (Clavien-Dindo Grade III-V).