Patient reported quality of life in young adults with sarcoma receiving care at a sarcoma center.

Background: Sarcomas are a diverse group of neoplasms that vary greatly in clinical presentation and responsiveness to treatment. Given the differences in the sites of involvement, rarity, and treatment modality, a multidisciplinary approach is required. Previous literature suggests patients with sarcoma suffer from poorer quality of life (QoL) especially physical and functional wellbeing.

Associated comorbidities, healthcare utilization & mortality in hospitalized patients with haemophilia in the United States: Contemporary nationally representative estimates.

Introduction: Current in-hospital burden and healthcare utilization patterns for persons with haemophilia (PWH) A and B, including both children (ages < 18 years) and adults (ages ≥ 18 years), in the United States (US) are lacking.

Aim: To evaluate healthcare utilization, the prevalence of comorbidities, and mortality in hospitalized paediatric and adult PWH using a contemporary nationally representative cohort.

Methods: Hospitalizations of PWH either as the primary reason for admission (principal diagnosis) or one of all listed diagnoses were identified using ICD-10 codes from the 2017 Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS), the largest publicly available all-payer inpatient discharge database in the US.

Perspectives on Follicular Lymphoma Treatment From New and Experienced Clinicians: New, Old, & Old Is New.

Jonathan R. Day, MD, PharmD, and Brian K. Link, MD, give their perspective on emerging treatments for follicular lymphoma.

Epidemiology of Hospitalized Patients with Babesiosis, United States, 2010-2016.

Babesia spp. are tickborne parasites that cause the clinical infection babesiosis, which has an increasing incidence in the United States. We performed an analysis of hospitalizations in the United States during 2010-2016 in which babesiosis was listed as a diagnosis.

Rationale, design, and methods of a randomized, controlled, open-label clinical trial with open-label extension to investigate the safety of vosoritide in infants, and young children with achondroplasia at risk of requiring cervicomedullary decompression surgery.

Achondroplasia causes narrowing of the foramen magnum and the spinal canal leading to increased mortality due to cervicomedullary compression in infants and significant morbidity due to spinal stenosis later in adulthood. Vosoritide is a C-natriuretic peptide analogue that has been shown to improve endochondral ossification in children with achondroplasia. The objective of this trial is to evaluate the safety of vosoritide and whether vosoritide can improve the growth of the foramen magnum and spinal canal in children that may require decompression surgery.

Patient-centered care as value-added service by compounding pharmacists.

The term "value-added" is widely used to describe business and professional services that complement a product or service or that differentiate it from competing products and services. The objective of this study was to determine compounding pharmacists' self-perceptions of the value-added services they provide. A web-based survey method was used.

Effect of cangrelor on periprocedural outcomes in percutaneous coronary interventions: a pooled analysis of patient-level data.

Background: Cangrelor is a potent, rapid-acting, reversible intravenous platelet inhibitor that was tested for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in three large, double-blind, randomised trials. We did a pooled analysis of data from three trials that assessed the effectiveness of cangrelor against either clopidogrel or placebo in PCI.

Methods: This prespecified, pooled analysis of patient-level data from three trials (CHAMPION-PCI, CHAMPION-PLATFORM, and CHAMPION-PHOENIX) compared cangrelor with control (clopidogrel or placebo) for prevention of thrombotic complications during and after PCI.

Advanced laboratory techniques for sample processing and immunolabeling using microwave radiation.

A better understanding of improved microwave technology has increased the benefits and versatility of the technique as it applies to all aspects of immunohistochemistry. The role of continuous magnetron power output (wattage) combined with precise control of sample heating demonstrated their significance to complex labeling protocols. Here, we present results for microwave-assisted formaldehyde fixation and its effect on GFP expression in transfected HeLa cells.

Effect of aprotinin and recombinant variants on platelet protease-activated receptor 1 activation.

Background: Thrombin generated during cardiopulmonary bypass activates the high-affinity thrombin receptor, protease-activated receptor 1 (PAR1), causing platelet dysfunction and excessive bleeding. The serine protease inhibitor aprotinin protects platelets against thrombin-mediated PAR1 activation in vitro and in vivo. Here we have investigated three novel recombinant aprotinin variants with specific modifications to the active site lysine at amino acid position 15 (arginine-15, arginine-15-alanine-17, and valine-15-leucine-17) for their effect on PAR1-mediated platelet aggregation in vitro.

Aprotinin inhibits proinflammatory activation of endothelial cells by thrombin through the protease-activated receptor 1.

Objective: Thrombin is generated in significant quantities during cardiopulmonary bypass and mediates adverse events, such as platelet aggregation and proinflammatory responses, through activation of the high-affinity thrombin receptor protease-activated receptor 1, which is expressed on platelets and endothelium. Thus antagonism of protease-activated receptor 1 might have broad therapeutic significance. Aprotinin, used clinically to reduce transfusion requirements and the inflammatory response to bypass, has been shown to inhibit protease-activated receptor 1 on platelets in vitro and in vivo.

Microwave-assisted immunostaining: a new approach yields fast and consistent results.

Advances in microwave technology permitted the development of new antigen labeling techniques. The recent microwave development of a true variable wattage unit designed for laboratory use and an apparatus for dampening standing wave radiation patterns have allowed investigators to better control the conditions within a microwave cavity. Thus, operating limits thought to be endemic to microwave-assisted protocols could be effectively mitigated.

Seven cDNAs enriched following hippocampal lesion: possible roles in neuronal responses to injury.

Synaptic plasticity is important for formation of long-term memories and in re-establishment of function following injury. Seven cDNAs enriched following lesion in the hippocampus of the rat have been isolated using a PCR-based cDNA suppression subtraction hybridization. Sequence analysis resulted in the identification of two genes with known roles in synaptic development and neuronal activities: astrotactin and calcineurin.

Castleman's disease associated with myasthenia gravis.

Castleman's disease presents as a peculiar type of lymph node hyperplasia. Traditionally, the disease has been classified on clinical grounds (solitary or multicentric) and by histologic appearance (hyaline vascular pattern, plasma cell predominance, or mixed lesions). It is now increasingly clear that there are different etiologies for each of these different subtypes.

Gene expression of transferrin and transferrin receptor in brains of control vs. iron-deficient rats.

The mechanism of the regulation of transferrin (Tf) and transferrin receptor (TfR) levels in rat brain by dietary iron status is not fully elucidated. We examined Tf and TfR protein and mRNA contents in various brain regions affected by dietary iron deficiency, and analyzed the relationships between protein and mRNA contents in brains of control vs. iron-deficient rats.

Heparin-induced hyperkalemia after cardiac surgery.

Surgeons are increasingly faced with patients suffering from complicated pathology in multiple organ systems, to which multiple therapeutic agents with complex adverse effects are often prescribed. We face a daily challenge in maintaining an up-to-date knowledge of these complications. Heparin is widely used in surgical practice, yet our awareness of its adverse effects, other than bleeding and thrombocytopenia, remains poor.

H and L ferritin subunit mRNA expression differs in brains of control and iron-deficient rats.

The mRNA expression of ferritin subunits has not been studied thoroughly in the brain regions of iron-deficient rats. Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 26; 21 d old) were randomly assigned to an iron-deficient (3.5 mg Fe/kg diet) or a control diet (35 mg Fe/kg diet) for 6 wk.