Emotional ecosystems: Understanding the relationship between family interactions and anxiety among cancer caregivers.

Objectives: Recent studies have challenged the assumption that families are invariable sources of support for cancer caregivers, noting that relationships with family members can have both positive and negative effects on caregiver well-being. This study expands upon prior literature to examine the relationship between cancer caregivers' perceptions of the quality of their family interactions and their symptoms of anxiety.

Methods: We employed secondary analysis of baseline data from a multisite randomized clinical trial of an intervention for cancer caregivers conducted at 3 large academic palliative care clinics.

Assessment of Attenuation in Pericarotid Fat among Patients with Carotid Plaque and Spontaneous Carotid Dissection.

Background And Purpose: Changes in perivascular fat density (PFD) and its association with inflammation have been topics of interest in both atherosclerotic and nonatherosclerotic vasculopathies. The objective of this study was to assess the PFD in patients with spontaneous internal carotid artery dissection (SICAD) or carotid atherosclerotic plaque, with and without intraplaque hemorrhage (IPH).

Materials And Methods: A cross-sectional retrospective bicentric analysis of 130 patients (30 with SICAD and 100 with carotid atherosclerotic plaque) who underwent CT angiography was performed.

High throughput method for simultaneous screening of membrane permeability and toxicity for discovery of new cryoprotective agents.

Cryoprotective agent (CPA) toxicity is the most limiting factor impeding cryopreservation of critically needed tissues and organs for transplantation and medical research. This limitation is in part due to the challenge of rapidly screening compounds to identify candidate molecules that are highly membrane permeable and non-toxic at high concentrations. Such a combination would facilitate rapid CPA permeation throughout the sample, enabling ice-free cryopreservation with minimal toxicity.

Peritumoral Hyperintense Signal on Post-contrast FLAIR Images Surrounding Vestibular Schwannomas Following Stereotactic Radiosurgery.

Background And Purpose: Prior investigations have noted the presence of peritumoral hyperintense signal (a "halo") around vestibular schwannomas on postcontrast 3D T2 FLAIR images. This study evaluated this phenomenon in a cohort of patients undergoing stereotactic radiosurgery.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective review was completed of consecutive patients with presumed vestibular schwannomas undergoing stereotactic radiosurgery.