Early experience with targeted therapy as a first-line adjuvant treatment for pediatric low-grade glioma.

Objective: Pediatric low-grade gliomas (pLGGs) frequently exhibit dysregulation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway. Targeted therapies, including mutant BRAF inhibitors (dabrafenib) and MEK inhibitors (trametinib), have shown promise in patients in whom conventional chemotherapy has failed. However, few studies have investigated the use of targeted therapy as a first-line treatment for pLGG.

Rate of craniometric change following suture release in patients with metopic and sagittal craniosynostosis.

Objective: Craniosynostosis is a congenital disorder resulting from the premature fusion of cranial sutures in the infant skull. This condition results in significant cosmetic deformity and can impede neurodevelopment, if left untreated. Currently, rates of craniometric change following minimally invasive surgery have only been examined for sagittal craniosynostosis.

Predictors of Telemedicine Utilization in a Pediatric Neurosurgical Population During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Objective: In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, telemedicine has become rapidly adopted by the neurosurgical community; however, few studies have examined predictors of telemedicine utilization. Here, we analyze patient variables associated with the acceptance of a telemedicine encounter by a pediatric neurosurgical population during the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: All patients seen in a single institution's outpatient pediatric neurosurgery clinic between April 1, 2020 and July 31, 2020 were retrospectively reviewed.

Neurosurgical Operative Videos: An Analysis of an Increasingly Popular Educational Resource.

Objective: Surgical education has increasingly relied on electronic learning. In particular, online operative videos have become a core resource within neurosurgery. We analyze the forums for neurosurgical operative videos.

TQuest, A Web-Based Platform to Enable Precision Medicine by Linking a Tumor's Genetic Defects to Therapeutic Options.

Purpose: Currently, there are only a few software tools designed to assist physicians to translate molecular abnormalities in the cancer genome into potential treatment options. There is a pressing need to develop software to reliably identify known targeted therapies and experimental treatments for patients on the basis of the results of tumor DNA sequencing.

Methods: The TQuest platform includes a data layer, data acquisition layer, search engine, and user interface.

Effect of Loading Method on a Peptide Substrate Reporter in Intact Cells.

Studies of live cells often require loading of exogenous molecules through the cell membrane; however, effects of loading method on experimental results are poorly understood. Therefore, in this work, we compared three methods for loading a fluorescently labeled peptide into cells of the model organism Dictyostelium discoideum. We optimized loading by pinocytosis, electroporation, and myristoylation to maximize cell viability and characterized loading efficiency, localization, and uniformity.

Synthetic Strategies Employed for the Construction of Fostriecin and Related Natural Products.

Fostriecin and related natural products present a significant challenge for synthetic chemists due to their structural complexity and chemical sensitivity. This review will chronicle the successful efforts of synthetic chemists in the construction of these biologically active molecules. Key carbon-carbon bond forming reactions will be highlighted, as well as the methods used to install the numerous stereocenters present in this class of compounds.

Mutation based treatment recommendations from next generation sequencing data: a comparison of web tools.

Interpretation of complex cancer genome data, generated by tumor target profiling platforms, is key for the success of personalized cancer therapy. How to draw therapeutic conclusions from tumor profiling results is not standardized and may vary among commercial and academically-affiliated recommendation tools. We performed targeted sequencing of 315 genes from 75 metastatic breast cancer biopsies using the FoundationOne assay.