Publications by authors named "J Childs"
Objectives: Laser-based endoscopic procedures present special challenges to deliver energy for ablation or coagulation of target tissues. When optical fiber-target quasi-contact (< 0.5 mm distance) cannot be maintained or is undesirable, the creation of intervening vapor bubbles and channels provide for the necessary transmission of laser energy to the target.
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- Roots play a crucial role in agricultural productivity and soil carbon inputs, but measuring them can be complicated when samples are too large for a single scan.
- This study introduces and validates two approaches for standardizing root measurements across multiple scans: image concatenation and statistical aggregation, using custom Python and R scripts.
- The comparison of these methods on various plant species indicated that most root metrics were similar, except for median diameter, which is better measured through concatenation, thus benefiting the root biology community.
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- Denileukin diftitox (ONTAK) is a fusion protein that can deplete regulatory T cells, which are linked to poor outcomes in ovarian cancer, and this study aimed to assess its safety and effects when given directly into the abdomen of patients with advanced ovarian cancer.
- A phase I trial included 10 patients who received ONTAK at escalating doses, revealing a maximum tolerated dose of 15 μg/kg with mostly mild side effects, though one patient experienced a severe reaction at the highest dose.
- While some patients showed a decrease in CA-125 levels (a marker for ovarian cancer), there were no significant changes in the overall cancer response, although ONTAK successfully reduced regulatory T cells in both blood and
Rats are major reservoirs for pathogenic , the bacteria causing leptospirosis, particularly in urban informal settlements. However, the impact of variation in rat abundance and pathogen shedding rates on spillover transmission to humans remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate how spatial variation in reservoir abundance and pathogen pressure affect spillover transmission to humans in a Brazilian urban informal settlement.
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