Immune checkpoint inhibitor toxicity and associated outcomes in older patients with cancer.

Introduction: Increased immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) use in various advanced cancer types has led to a parallel rise in immune-related adverse events (irAEs). Despite widespread use, ICI data in older patients remains limited. We investigate irAE prevalence in older patients receiving ICI and whether irAEs and survival are associated.

Establishing a national strategy for shared research resources in biomedical sciences.

Contemporary science has become increasingly multi-disciplinary and team-based, resulting in unprecedented growth in biomedical innovation and technology over the last several decades. Collaborative research efforts have enabled investigators to respond to the demands of an increasingly complex 21st century landscape, including pressing scientific challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic. A major contributing factor to the success of team science is the mobilization of core facilities and shared research resources (SRRs), the scientific instrumentation and expertise that exist within research organizations that enable widespread access to advanced technologies for trainees, faculty, and staff.

A Review of the Scientific Rigor, Reproducibility, and Transparency Studies Conducted by the ABRF Research Groups.

Shared research resource facilities, also known as core laboratories (Cores), are responsible for generating a significant and growing portion of the research data in academic biomedical research institutions. Cores represent a central repository for institutional knowledge management, with deep expertise in the strengths and limitations of technology and its applications. They inherently support transparency and scientific reproducibility by protecting against cognitive bias in research design and data analysis, and they have institutional responsibility for the conduct of research (research ethics, regulatory compliance, and financial accountability) performed in their Cores.

The Effects of Music-Contingent Gait Training on Cognition and Mood in Parkinson Disease: A Feasibility Study.

In Parkinson disease (PD), gait impairments often coexist with nonmotor symptoms such as anxiety and depression. Biofeedback training may improve gait function in PD, but its effect on nonmotor symptoms remains unclear. This study explored the cognitive and global effects of Ambulosono, a cognitive gait training method utilizing step size to contingently control the real-time play of motivational music.

Heterosexual Self-Presentation and Other Individual- and Community-Based Correlates of HIV testing among Latino Men Who Have Sex With Men.

From 2010 to 2014, HIV diagnoses among Latino men who have sex with other men (LMSM) have increased by 14%, while diagnoses declined by 11% among white, non-Latino MSM. This health disparity is in part due to exposure to other LMSM with undiagnosed HIV infections. To effectively engage LMSM who are unaware of their serostatus, profiles of men differing in theorized determinants of HIV testing must be considered.

Survey on Scientific Shared Resource Rigor and Reproducibility.

Shared scientific resources, also known as core facilities, support a significant portion of the research conducted at biomolecular research institutions. The Association of Biomolecular Resource Facilities (ABRF) established the Committee on Core Rigor and Reproducibility (CCoRRe) to further its mission of integrating advanced technologies, education, and communication in the operations of shared scientific resources in support of reproducible research. In order to first assess the needs of the scientific shared resource community, the CCoRRe solicited feedback from ABRF members a survey.

Microbiota maintain colonic homeostasis by activating TLR2/MyD88/PI3K signaling in IL-10-producing regulatory B cells.

Resident microbiota activate regulatory cells that modulate intestinal inflammation and promote and maintain intestinal homeostasis. IL-10 is a key mediator of immune regulatory function. Our studies described the functional importance and mechanisms by which gut microbiota and specific microbial components influenced the development of intestinal IL-10-producing B cells.

Utility of the Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

Objective: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative condition that primarily affects motor neurons. Cognitive changes are reported in 25%-50% of patients, secondary to frontotemporal involvement. The objective of this study was to evaluate the utility of a screening tool, the Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination (ACE), in ALS patients.

Parkinson's disease mild cognitive impairment classifications and neurobehavioral symptoms.

Background: We apply recently recommended Parkinson's disease mild cognitive impairment (PD-MCI) classification criteria from the movement disorders society (MDS) to PD patients and controls and compare diagnoses to that of short global cognitive scales at baseline and over time. We also examine baseline prevalence of neuropsychiatric symptoms across different definitions of MCI.

Methods: 51 PD patients and 50 controls were classified as cognitively normal, MCI, or demented using MDS criteria (1.

Improving American Healthcare Through "Clinical Lab 2.0": A Project Santa Fe Report.

Project Santa Fe was established both to provide thought leadership and to help develop the evidence base for the valuation of clinical laboratory services in the next era of American healthcare. The participants in Project Santa Fe represent major regional health systems that can operationalize laboratory-driven innovations and test their valuation in diverse regional marketplaces in the United States. We provide recommendations from the inaugural March 2016 meeting of Project Santa Fe.

Policy Measures and Reimbursement for Emergency Medical Imaging in the Era of Payment Reform: Proceedings From a Panel Discussion of the 2015 Academic Emergency Medicine Consensus Conference.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010 is expanding the use of quality measurement and promulgating new payment models that place downward pressure on health care utilization and costs. As emergency department (ED) computed tomography utilization has tripled in the past decade, stakeholders have identified advanced imaging as an area where quality and efficiency measures should expand. On May 12, 2015, Academic Emergency Medicine convened a consensus conference titled "Diagnostic Imaging in the Emergency Department: A Research Agenda to Optimize Utilization.

Host iron status and iron supplementation mediate susceptibility to erythrocytic stage Plasmodium falciparum.

Iron deficiency and malaria have similar global distributions, and frequently co-exist in pregnant women and young children. Where both conditions are prevalent, iron supplementation is complicated by observations that iron deficiency anaemia protects against falciparum malaria, and that iron supplements increase susceptibility to clinically significant malaria, but the mechanisms remain obscure. Here, using an in vitro parasite culture system with erythrocytes from iron-deficient and replete human donors, we demonstrate that Plasmodium falciparum infects iron-deficient erythrocytes less efficiently.

Parasite maturation and host serum iron influence the labile iron pool of erythrocyte stage Plasmodium falciparum.

Iron is a critical and tightly regulated nutrient for both the malaria parasite and its human host. The importance of the relationship between host iron and the parasite has been underscored recently by studies showing that host iron supplementation may increase the risk of falciparum malaria. It is unclear what host iron sources the parasite is able to access.

Evaluation and purchase of an analytical flow cytometer: some of the numerous factors to consider.

When purchasing a flow cytometer, the decision of which brand, model, specifications, and accessories may be challenging. The decisions should initially be guided by the specific applications intended for the instrument. However, many other factors need to be considered, which include hardware, software, quality assurance, support, service, and price and recommendations from colleagues.

The impact of education on provider attitudes toward family-witnessed resuscitation.

Introduction: The majority of acute care facilities have not developed policies or guidelines to facilitate family presence during cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Prior studies have shown that the personal beliefs and attitudes of hospital personnel involved in resuscitation efforts are the primary reasons family presence is not offered.

Methods: This 2-phase, before/after study was conducted in a 388-bed academic trauma center, and in a 143-bed community hospital in eastern Washington State in 2008.

Ventricular dilatation and brain atrophy in patients with Parkinson's disease with incipient dementia.

Age-related ventricular enlargement is accelerated in Alzheimer's disease, but its relationship to cognitive decline in Parkinson's disease is less clear, even though dementia is common in Parkinson's disease. Our goals were to determine if greater enlargement of the ventricles and gray or white matter atrophy occurred in Parkinson's disease patients developing cognitive decline. Older nondemented patients with Parkinson's disease (33) and age- and sex-matched controls (39) were recruited and prospectively assessed for the development of significant cognitive decline over 36 months.

Partnership for Families Program: philanthropy for in vitro fertilization patients.

Objective: To describe our Partnership for Families Program, which was established to provide second in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles for couples who pay for one IVF cycle, do not get pregnant and cannot afford a second IVF cycle. In addition, this program provides funding for fertility-sparing procedures for financially needy cancer patients.

Study Design: Retrospective description of the Partnership for Families' first 5 years of operation.

Ambulatory electronic medical record payback analysis 7 years after implementation in a tertiary care county medical system.

Electronic medical records (EMRs) are gaining increasing prominence in healthcare, however still have low market penetration. EMR implementation cost is a primary perceived barrier. Here we present a payback analysis on an outpatient EMR implementation, showing capital expense recovery (net of operating costs) at 6 years and now generating $6 million yearly in direct savings for our healthcare system.

CD28 costimulation is essential for human T regulatory expansion and function.

The costimulatory requirements required for peripheral blood T regulatory cells (Tregs) are unclear. Using cell-based artificial APCs we found that CD28 but not ICOS, OX40, 4-1BB, CD27, or CD40 ligand costimulation maintained high levels of Foxp3 expression and in vitro suppressive function. Only CD28 costimulation in the presence of rapamycin consistently generated Tregs that consistently suppressed xenogeneic graft-vs-host disease in immunodeficient mice.

Voxel-based morphometry reveals extra-nigral atrophy patterns associated with dopamine refractory cognitive and motor impairment in parkinsonism.

Objectives: To determine overall patterns of brain atrophy associated with memory, executive function (EF) and dopamine non-responsive motor measures in older parkinsonian patients.

Design: Forty-three older PD patients (>or=65 years) and matched controls underwent a neurological examination (Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale, separated into dopamine responsive and dopamine non-responsive signs) and neuropsychological testing (memory: California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT)) and a composite of index of executive function (EF): Stroop Interference, Trail Making Test Part B, and digit ordering. All underwent volumetric MRI scans analyzed using voxel-based morphometry (VBM).

Intraindividual variability in neurocognitive speed: a comparison of Parkinson's disease and normal older adults.

We examined whether intraindividual variability of neurocognitive speed, or inconsistency, is greater in stages of Parkinson's disease (PD) as compared to a matched group of normal older adults. Intraindividual variability was assessed using four reaction time (RT) (simple and complex) tasks. We examined three sets of correlates: executive functioning (Stroop (interference index), Trail Making Test (Part B), and Digit Ordering Test), finger tapping speed, and gait speed.

Age and dementia-associated atrophy predominates in the hippocampal head and amygdala in Parkinson's disease.

The hippocampus (HC) and amygdala (AG) decrease in volume with age and in Parkinson's disease (PD) with (PDD) and without dementia. We compared 44 PD to 44 age, sex and education-matched subjects without PD (non-PD) and 13 PDD subjects. T1-weighted MR images were used to manually segment the head, body and tail of the HC and the AG.

Magnetic resonance spectroscopic evidence for presupplementary motor area neuronal dysfunction in Parkinson's disease.

The anterior cingulate (AC) gyrus and the presupplementary motor area (pre-SMA) show pathological changes in Parkinson's disease (PD). We examined if PD patients show magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) changes in NAA/Cr in the AC, pre-SMA, or posterior cingulate (PC). Forty-four (27 male, 17 female) healthy nondemented PD patients and 38 controls (18 male, 20 female) 65 years of age and older were examined using the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), Mini-Mental State Examination, Frontal Assessment Battery, and Geriatric Depression Scale.

Dendritic cells in germ-free and specific pathogen-free mice have similar phenotypes and in vitro antigen presenting function.

Dendritic cells (DC) can direct downstream T-cell responses. Although bacterial adjuvants are strong activators of DC in vitro, the effects of normal enteric bacteria on DC in vivo are not well defined. We used germ-free (GF) mice to determine whether enteric bacteria alter DC phenotype and ability to stimulate naïve T cells.