Self-Expandable Metal Stent for Palliation of Dysphagia in Cancer Esophagus at a Tertiary Care Center of North-East India: A Prospective Study.

Esophageal cancer is the sixth most common cancer in India with a incidence of around 4.5%. Dysphagia is the primary manifestation of advanced esophageal cancer in 80%-90% of patients.

Level V Metastases in Node-Positive Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Beyond Level IIA and III.

Introduction: Surgical management of level V in clinically node positive (cN+) oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCCs) is controversial. The objectives of the study were to identify predictors of level V metastases in cN+ OSCC.

Methods: This retrospective study is based on institutional data of operated cN+ OSCC between April 2018 and December 2022.

Assessment of circulating tumor DNA in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer treated with neoadjuvant therapy.

Post-neoadjuvant therapy (post-NAT) and post-surgical circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) risk stratification may enhance the management of patients with locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). In this study, we assessed the prognostic value of ctDNA-based MRD detection in LARC patients using a personalized, tumor-informed ctDNA assay. Plasma samples from LARC patients (N = 30) were analyzed retrospectively using the Signatera™ assay.

Clinical Utility of a Novel Triplex Digital PCR Assay for Clone Monitoring in Sequential and Relapsed Pediatric B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Patients.

Introduction: Digital polymerase chain reaction (PCR) studies for clonal disease monitoring in B-acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients are currently limited due to the heterogeneous nature of mutations, which limit cost-effective assay designs.

Materials And Methods: In this study, 70 samples (14 relapse and 56 sequential therapy samples) were tested for 13 recurrent mutations identified on deep sequencing in our published cohort (KRAS, NRAS, NT5C2, PMS2, UHRF1, KMT2D, and TP53 genes) via a novel triplex digital PCR assay.

Results And Discussion: A total of seven major clones of NRAS [five] and NT5C2 [two] were noted in six out of 14 (43%) relapse patients, accounting for 44% of early relapses.

Circulating tumor DNA status and dynamics predict recurrence in patients with resected extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.

Background & Aims: Surgery is the only curative therapeutic option for resectable extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, but recurrence is common, and prognosis is poor. There is an unmet clinical need for improved decision-making regarding adjuvant chemotherapy (ACT). Herein, we evaluated the usefulness of monitoring longitudinal circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) for molecular residual disease (MRD) in patients from the STAMP trial, which compares the efficacy of adjuvant capecitabine (CAP) vs.

Star-polymer unimolecular micelle nanoparticles to deliver a payload across the blood-brain barrier.

Nanocarrier-mediated therapeutic delivery to brain tissue is impeded by tightly controlled transportation across the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Herein, we report a well-defined core-shell star-shaped unimolecular micelle (star-UMM; a single polymer entity) as an efficient BBB-breaching nanoparticle for brain-specific administration of the fluorescent anticancer drug doxorubicin and mapping of brain tissues by the near-infrared biomarker IR780 in mice. The star-UMM was engineered by precisely programming the polymer topology having hydrophobic and hydrophilic polycaprolactone blocks and in-built with lysosomal enzyme-biodegradation stimuli to deliver the payloads at intracellular compartments.

Achieving negative superficial resection margins with NBI and white light in carcinoma oral cavity: Could it be a norm?

Introduction: In India, oral cavity cancer rates are the highest, largely due to tobacco and areca nut use. The primary goal of oncologic surgery is complete tumor resection with adequate margins, yet no accepted guidelines exist margin identification. NBI enhances mucosal lesion detection and may improve margin assessment in OSCC.

Diagnostic Accuracy of Artificial Intelligence Compared to Biopsy in Detecting Early Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Systematic Review and Meta Analysis.

Objective: To summarize and compare the existing evidence on diagnostic accuracy of artificial intelligence (AI) models in detecting early oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC).

Method: Review was performed in accordance to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis - Diagnostic Test Accuracy (PRISMA- DTA) checklist and the review protocol is registered under PROSPERO(CRD42023456355). PubMed, Google Scholar, EBSCOhost were searched from January 2000 to November 2023 to identify the diagnostic potential of AI based tools and models.

Varying the hydrophobic core composition of polymeric nanoparticles affects NLRP3 inflammasome activation.

Understanding the interactions of nanoparticle carriers with innate immune cells is crucial for informing the design and efficacy of future nano-immunotherapies. An intriguing aspect of their interaction with the immune system has recently emerged, , their ability to activate the NLRP3 inflammasome, a key component of the innate immune response. While the effect of the surface properties of nanoparticles has been extensively investigated in the context of nanoparticle-immune cell interactions, the influence of core composition remains largely unexplored, particularly regarding its impact on inflammasome activation.

Efficacy and safety of insomnia treatment with lemborexant in older adults: analyses from three clinical trials.

Background: Insomnia is more common as people age. Several common hypnotics used to treat insomnia often do not adequately alleviate sleep issues in older adults and may be associated with negative residual effects such as an increased risk of falls, cognitive impairment, automobile accidents, and lack of response to auditory stimuli. The objective of these analyses of three clinical studies was to investigate the efficacy and safety of the dual orexin-receptor antagonist lemborexant (LEM) in older adults.

Primary cilia signaling in astrocytes mediates development and regional-specific functional specification.

Astrocyte diversity is greatly influenced by local environmental modulation. Here we report that the majority of astrocytes across the mouse brain possess a singular primary cilium localized to the cell soma. Comparative single-cell transcriptomics reveals that primary cilia mediate canonical SHH signaling to modulate astrocyte subtype-specific core features in synaptic regulation, intracellular transport, energy and metabolism.

Association of personalized and tumor-informed ctDNA with patient survival outcomes in pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

Introduction: Personalized and tumor-informed circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) testing is feasible and allows for molecular residual disease (MRD) identification in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).

Methods: In this retrospective analysis of commercial cases from multiple US institutions, personalized, tumor-informed, whole-exome sequenced, and germline-controlled ctDNA levels were quantified and analyzed in patients with PDAC. Plasma samples (n = 1329) from 298 clinically validated patients were collected at diagnosis, perioperatively (MRD-window; within 2-12 weeks after surgery, before therapy), and during surveillance (>12 weeks post-surgery if no ACT or starting 4 weeks post-ACT) from November 2019 to March 2023.

Admission prioritization of heart failure patients with multiple comorbidities.

The primary objective of this study was to enhance the operational efficiency of the current healthcare system by proposing a quicker and more effective approach for healthcare providers to deliver services to individuals facing acute heart failure (HF) and concurrent medical conditions. The aim was to support healthcare staff in providing urgent services more efficiently by developing an automated decision-support Patient Prioritization (PP) Tool that utilizes a tailored machine learning (ML) model to prioritize HF patients with chronic heart conditions and concurrent comorbidities during Urgent Care Unit admission. The study applies key ML models to the PhysioNet dataset, encompassing hospital admissions and mortality records of heart failure patients at Zigong Fourth People's Hospital in Sichuan, China, between 2016 and 2019.

Association of Tumor-informed Circulating Tumor DNA Detectability Before and After Radical Cystectomy with Disease-free Survival in Patients with Bladder Cancer.

Background And Objective: Despite curative-intent radical cystectomy (RC), patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) are at high risk of recurrence. Biomarkers are urgently needed to refine prognostication and selection of appropriate perioperative systemic therapies. Our aim was to evaluate the prognostic and predictive value of tumor-informed circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) results in a multicenter cohort of patients with bladder cancer who underwent RC.

Convergence of inflammatory response: Salivary cytokine dynamics in coronavirus disease 2019 and periodontal disease.

Background: Periodontal disease is associated with immune dysregulation, and cytokines released can add on to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-associated cytokine storm, further worsening the related adverse outcomes. Specific studies investigating cytokine levels in COVID-19 patients with periodontal disease are lacking. Examining the correlation between these conditions could aid in categorizing risk categories, determining referrals, and strengthening oral hygiene protocols.

Efficacy of Lemborexant in Adults ≥ 65 Years of Age with Insomnia Disorder.

Background: Pharmacologic treatments are available to treat insomnia, a common and burdensome sleep disorder, but may be contraindicated in older adults who are prone to side effects from sleep-promoting drugs. These analyses of sleep diary data from Study E2006-G000-303 (Study 303) investigated the benefits of lemborexant 5 mg (LEM5) and 10 mg (LEM10) in the subgroup age ≥ 65 years with insomnia.

Method: Study 303, a 12-month, double-blind study of LEM5 and LEM10 in adults (age ≥ 18 years) with insomnia disorder (sleep onset and/or maintenance difficulties) assessed subject-reported (subjective) sleep-onset latency (sSOL), sleep efficiency (sSE), wake after sleep onset (sWASO), and total sleep time (sTST).

Targeting KRAS Oncogene for Patients With Colorectal Cancer: A New Step Toward Precision Medicine.

mutations are common driver oncogenes associated with the development of several solid tumors. oncogene has been considered a highly challenging target for drug development because of structural features, including the lack of deep groove on its catalytic unit. However, by leveraging cysteine residues, covalent KRAS inhibitors irreversibly trap KRAS G12C mutants in their inactive GDP-bound state.

Perampanel as monotherapy or first adjunctive therapy in pediatric and adult patients with epilepsy: the first United States-based phase IV open-label ELEVATE study.

ELEVATE (Study 410; NCT03288129) is the first prospective, multicenter, open-label, Phase IV study of perampanel as monotherapy or first adjunctive therapy in patients aged ≥ 4 years with focal-onset seizures or generalized tonic-clonic seizures in the United States. The study included Screening, Titration (≤ 13 weeks), Maintenance (39 weeks), and Follow-up (4 weeks) Periods. During Titration, perampanel was initiated at 2 mg/day and up-titrated to 4 mg/day at Week 3.

Otoendoscopy as a better preoperative predictor than pure tone audiometry for ossicular erosion in mucosal chronic otitis media.

Objective: To compare the diagnostic accuracy of angled otoendoscopy with pure tone audiometry in predicting ossicular discontinuity in patients of mucosal chronic otitis media.

Methods: Ninety-four patients were included in this prospective study. A 2.