Efficacy of a Standardized Regimen of Therapeutic Plasma Exchange and IVIG for Treatment of Antibody-Mediated Rejection in Lung Transplant Recipients.

Antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) in lung transplantation has been associated with poor long-term clinical course and is a risk factor for chronic lung allograft dysfunction and graft loss. Appropriate management of AMR is necessary to improve graft survival in lung transplant recipients. There is currently no standardized approach to the treatment of lung AMR, and practices vary by institution.

ACSS2 regulates ferroptosis in an E2F1-dependent manner in breast cancer brain metastatic cells.

Brain metastasis diagnosis in breast cancer patients is considered an end-stage event. The median survival after diagnosis is measured in months, thus there is an urgent need to develop novel treatment strategies. Breast cancers that metastasize to the brain must adapt to the unique brain environment and are highly dependent on acetate metabolism for growth and survival.

S6K1 Controls DNA Damage Signaling Modulated by the MRN Complex to Induce Radioresistance in Lung Cancer.

Radiation is a mainstay of lung cancer treatment; however, resistance frequently develops. Identifying novel therapeutic targets to increase radiation sensitivity is crucial. S6K1 is a serine/threonine kinase known to regulate protein translation which is associated with radioresistance, but the mechanisms involved are unknown.

Plasma Adsorption with the MTx.100 Column in Critically Ill COVID-19 Patients: A Prospective Study and Propensity Score Analysis.

Background: Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, patients with severe disease admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) had a high incidence of mortality. We aimed to investigate whether plasma adsorption with the MTx.100 Column could improve survival.

Machine learning predicts conventional imaging metastasis-free survival (MFS) for oligometastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer (omCSPC) using prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) PET radiomics.

Purpose: This study investigated imaging biomarkers derived from PSMA-PET acquired pre- and post-metastasis-directed therapy (MDT) to predict 2-year metastasis-free survival (MFS), which provides valuable early response assessment to improve patient outcomes.

Materials/methods: An international cohort of 117 oligometastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer (omCSPC) patients, comprising 34 from John Hopkins Hospital (JHH) and 83 from Baskent University (BU), were treated with stereotactic ablative radiation therapy (SABR) MDT with both pre- and post-MDT PSMA-PET/CT scans acquired. PET radiomic features were analyzed from a CT-PET fusion defined gross tumor volume ((GTV) or zone 1), and a 5 mm expansion ring area outside the GTV (zone 2).

Baseline single institutional retrospective review of body mass index (BMI) as a prognostic indicator in patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma (GBM).

Purpose: Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common primary brain cancer in adults with a very poor prognosis. Metabolic drivers of tumorigenesis are highly relevant within the central nervous system, where glucose is the critical source of energy. The impact of obesity on survival outcomes in patients with GBM is not well established.

Outcomes of therapeutic plasma exchange for the treatment of patients with multiple myeloma cast nephropathy.

Current treatment guidelines of myeloma cast nephropathy (MCN) recommend the institution of plasma cell-directed therapy and consideration of therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE), with the goal of rapid reduction of the serum free light chain (sFLC). However, the role of TPE continues to remain a subject of debate. The goal of this retrospective bi-institutional study was to evaluate the clinical outcomes of TPE in combination with systemic therapy.

Selective and brain-penetrant ACSS2 inhibitors target breast cancer brain metastatic cells.

Breast cancer brain metastasis (BCBM) typically results in an end-stage diagnosis and is hindered by a lack of brain-penetrant drugs. Tumors in the brain rely on the conversion of acetate to acetyl-CoA by the enzyme acetyl-CoA synthetase 2 (ACSS2), a key regulator of fatty acid synthesis and protein acetylation. Here, we used a computational pipeline to identify novel brain-penetrant ACSS2 inhibitors combining pharmacophore-based shape screen methodology with absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) property predictions.

A lower fibrinogen threshold does not lead to increased bleeding risk in patients receiving therapeutic plasma exchange: A prospective single-center analysis.

Background: Plasma exchange (PLEX) therapy is indicated for several disorders. The 5% albumin is often used as a sole replacement fluid during most PLEX. However, each 1.

Prospective Trial of Functional Lung Avoidance Radiation Therapy for Lung Cancer: Quality of Life Report.

Purpose: A novel form of lung function imaging has been developed that uses 4-dimensional computed tomography (4DCT) data to generate lung ventilation images (4DCT-ventilation). Functional avoidance uses 4DCT-ventilation to reduce doses to functional lung with the aim of reducing pulmonary side effects. A phase 2, multicenter 4DCT-ventilation functional avoidance clinical trial was completed.

Temporal Considerations in Brain Metastases Radiation Therapy: The Intersection of Chronobiology and Patient Profiles.

The circadian system, a vital temporal regulator influencing physiological processes, has implications for cancer development and treatment response. Our study assessed circadian timing's impact on whole-brain radiotherapy outcomes in brain metastases for personalized cancer therapy insights. The aim of the study was to evaluate circadian influence on radiation treatment timing and its correlation with clinical outcomes and to identify patient populations benefiting from interventions synchronizing circadian rhythms, considering subgroup differences and potential disparities.

Novel Functional Radiomics for Prediction of Cardiac Positron Emission Tomography Avidity in Lung Cancer Radiotherapy.

Purpose: Traditional methods of evaluating cardiotoxicity focus on radiation doses to the heart. Functional imaging has the potential to provide improved prediction for cardiotoxicity for patients with lung cancer. Fluorine-18 (F) fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) imaging is routinely obtained in a standard cancer staging workup.

ELK1/MTOR/S6K1 Pathway Contributes to Acquired Resistance to Gefitinib in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

The development of acquired resistance to small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) targeting epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling has hindered their efficacy in treating non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. Our previous study showed that constitutive activation of the 70 kDa ribosomal protein S6 kinase 1 (S6K1) contributes to the acquired resistance to EGFR-TKIs in NSCLC cell lines and xenograft tumors in nude mice. However, the regulatory mechanisms underlying S6K1 constitutive activation in TKI-resistant cancer cells have not yet been explored.

Discovery of novel brain permeable human ACSS2 inhibitors for blocking breast cancer brain metastatic growth.

Breast-cancer brain metastasis (BCBM) poses a significant clinical challenge, resulting in an end-stage diagnosis and hindered by limited therapeutic options. The blood-brain barrier (BBB) acts as an anatomical and physiological hurdle for therapeutic compounds, restricting the effective delivery of therapies to the brain. In order to grow and survive in a nutrient-poor environment, tumors in the brain must adapt to their metabolic needs, becoming highly dependent on acetate.

A Proof-of-Concept Pilot Test of a Behavioral Intervention to Improve Adherence to Dietary Recommendations for Cancer Prevention.

Objectives: Prevention programs that can help adults improve the quality of their diets to reduce cancer risk are needed. This Phase IIa study prospectively tested a mHealth intervention designed to improve adherence to dietary quality guidelines for cancer prevention.

Methods: All participants (N = 62) received nutrition education and a self-regulation skills curriculum, with a primary target of changing grocery shopping behavior.

TP53 structure-function relationships in metastatic castrate-sensitive prostate cancer and the impact of APR-246 treatment.

Purpose: Despite well-informed work in several malignancies, the phenotypic effects of TP53 mutations in metastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer (mCSPC) progression and metastasis are not clear. We characterized the structure-function and clinical impact of TP53 mutations in mCSPC.

Patients And Methods: We performed an international retrospective review of men with mCSPC who underwent next-generation sequencing and were stratified according to TP53 mutational status and metastatic burden.

A novel method for measuring the burden of breast cancer in neighborhoods.

Community-based breast cancer prevention efforts often focus on women who live in the same neighborhoods, as they tend to have similar demographic characteristics, health behaviors, and environmental exposures; yet little research describes methods of selecting neighborhoods of focus for community-based cancer prevention interventions. Studies frequently use demographics from census data, or single breast cancer outcomes (e.g.

Gender Composition in Biomedical Research Grant Submissions and Grant Review Panels Before Versus During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

This study examined the gender composition of career development award applicants and grant review panels during the pandemic compared with that beforehand. Data were collected from 14 Health Research Alliance (HRA) organizations, which fund biomedical research and training. HRA members provided the gender of grant applicants and grant reviewers during the pandemic (April 1, 2020, to February 28, 2021) and prepandemic (April 1, 2019, to February 29, 2020).