Importance of Early Inpatient Geriatric Rehabilitation on Outcomes in Individuals on Dialysis.

Objective: To report short-term functional outcomes of patients incident to dialysis undergoing inpatient rehabilitation within 3 months of dialysis initiation.

Design: Retrospective observation study using prospectively collected data.

Setting: Single-center, hospital-based geriatric dialysis rehabilitation unit.

Prognostic significance of minimal residual disease in high risk B-ALL: a report from Children's Oncology Group study AALL0232.

Minimal residual disease (MRD) is highly prognostic in pediatric B-precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL). In Children's Oncology Group high-risk B-ALL study AALL0232, we investigated MRD in subjects randomized in a 2 × 2 factorial design to receive either high-dose methotrexate (HD-MTX) or Capizzi methotrexate (C-MTX) during interim maintenance (IM) or prednisone or dexamethasone during induction. Subjects with end-induction MRD ≥0.

Increased post-induction intensification improves outcome in children and adolescents with a markedly elevated white blood cell count (≥200 × 10(9) /l) with T cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia but not B cell disease: a report from the Children's Oncology Group.

Children and adolescents presenting with a markedly elevated white blood cell (ME WBC) count (WBC ≥200 × 10(9) /l) comprise a unique subset of high-risk patients with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). We evaluated the outcomes of the 251 patients (12% of the study population) with ME WBC treated on the Children's Cancer Group-1961 protocol. Patients were evaluated for early response to treatment by bone marrow morphology; those with a rapid early response were randomized to treatment regimens testing longer and stronger post-induction therapy.

Patterned enzymatic degradation of poly(ε-caprolactone) by high-affinity microcontact printing and polymer pen lithography.

This paper reports deposition of Candida antarctica Lipase B (CALB) on relatively thick poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) films (300-500 nm) to create well-defined patterns using two different writing techniques: high-affinity microcontact (HA-μCL) and polymer pen (PPL) lithography. For both, an aqueous CALB ink is absorbed onto a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) writing implement (PDMS stamp or a PDMS pen tip), which is transferred to a spun-cast PCL film. HA-μCL experiments demonstrated the importance of applied pressure to obtain high-resolution patterns since uniform contact is needed between raised 20 μm parallel line regions of the PDMS stamp and the surface.

Effect of alternate-week versus continuous dexamethasone scheduling on the risk of osteonecrosis in paediatric patients with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia: results from the CCG-1961 randomised cohort trial.

Background: Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) is curable in more than 80% of children and adolescents who exhibit high-risk features. However, treatments are associated with symptomatic osteonecrosis that disproportionately affects adolescents. Based on the findings from the CCG-1882 trial, the CCG-1961 trial was designed to assess whether dexamethasone dose modification would reduce the risk of osteonecrosis.