Germline and Somatic Genetic Variants in the p53 Pathway Interact to Affect Cancer Risk, Progression, and Drug Response.

Insights into oncogenesis derived from cancer susceptibility loci (SNP) hold the potential to facilitate better cancer management and treatment through precision oncology. However, therapeutic insights have thus far been limited by our current lack of understanding regarding both interactions of these loci with somatic cancer driver mutations and their influence on tumorigenesis. For example, although both germline and somatic genetic variation to the p53 tumor suppressor pathway are known to promote tumorigenesis, little is known about the extent to which such variants cooperate to alter pathway activity.

Tocilizumab as a Therapeutic Agent for Critically Ill Patients Infected with SARS-CoV-2.

Tocilizumab is an IL-6 receptor antagonist with the ability to suppress the cytokine storm in critically ill patients infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). We evaluated patients treated with tocilizumab for a SARS-CoV-2 infection who were admitted between March 13, 2020, and April 16, 2020. This was a multicenter study with data collected by chart review both retrospectively and concurrently.

Heritable genetic variants in key cancer genes link cancer risk with anthropometric traits.

Background: Height and other anthropometric measures are consistently found to associate with differential cancer risk. However, both genetic and mechanistic insights into these epidemiological associations are notably lacking. Conversely, inherited genetic variants in tumour suppressors and oncogenes increase cancer risk, but little is known about their influence on anthropometric traits.

Translational study identifies XPF and MUS81 as predictive biomarkers for oxaliplatin-based peri-operative chemotherapy in patients with esophageal adenocarcinoma.

Oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy is used to treat patients with esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC), but no biomarkers are currently available for patient selection. We performed a prospective, clinical trial to identify potential biomarkers associated with clinical outcomes. Tumor tissue was obtained from 38 patients with resectable EAC before and after 2 cycles of oxaliplatin-fluorouracil chemotherapy.

Analgesic efficacy of bilateral superficial cervical plexus block for thyroid surgery: meta-analysis and systematic review.

Background: Thyroid surgery is moderately painful, but is increasingly being considered as a day-case procedure. Bilateral superficial cervical plexus block (BSCPB) provides an adjuvant technique to facilitate this approach, but there is great evidential heterogeneity in randomised controlled trials (RCTs) about its use.

Methods: A systematic search, critical appraisal, and analysis of RCTs was performed.