A Cross-Cultural Analysis of the COVID-19 Pandemic's Impact on Antenatal Healthcare-Seeking Behaviors in Ghana and the United States.

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic impacted healthcare systems worldwide. In this study, we conducted qualitative interviews with pregnant women in Ghana and the United States (US) to understand their antenatal care (ANC) experience. Adapting to the virtual nature of the pandemic, social media platforms Facebook and WhatsApp were used to recruit, consent, enroll, and interview women.

Role of cereblon in angiogenesis and in mediating the antiangiogenic activity of immunomodulatory drugs.

Cereblon (CRBN) is a substrate recruiter element of the E3 cullin 4-RING ubiquitin ligase complex, and a binding target of immunomodulatory agents (IMiDs). CRBN is responsible for the pleiotropic effects of IMiDs, yet its function in angiogenesis and in mediating the antiangiogenic effects of IMiDs remains unclear. We investigated the role of CRBN in the angiogenic process and in propagating the antiangiogenic effects of IMiDs in vitro.

Botryllamide G is an ABCG2 inhibitor that improves lapatinib delivery in mouse brain.

: Transporters comprising the blood-brain barrier complicate delivery of many therapeutics to the central nervous system. The present study ascertained whether the natural product botryllamide G is viable for inhibition of ABCG2 using lapatinib as a probe for ABCB1 and ABCG2-mediated efflux from the brain. : Wild-type and (-/-) mice were treated with botryllamide G and lapatinib ("doublet therapy"), and while a separate cohort of wild-type mice was treated with botryllamide, tariquidar and lapatinib ("triplet therapy").

Cereblon gene variants and clinical outcome in multiple myeloma patients treated with lenalidomide.

Carfilzomib-lenalidomide-dexamethasone (KRd) therapy has yielded promising results in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM). Cereblon (CRBN) is the direct molecular target of lenalidomide and genetic polymorphisms in CRBN have been associated with lenalidomide efficacy. In this study, we assessed the correlation of five single nucleotide variants (SNVs) in the CRBN gene with clinical response and outcomes in patients with NDMM administered KRd therapy with lenalidomide maintenance, achieving favorable trial endpoints in a prospective Phase II study (NCT01402284).

Severe Hepatotoxicity of Mithramycin Therapy Caused by Altered Expression of Hepatocellular Bile Transporters.

Mithramycin demonstrates preclinical anticancer activity, but its therapeutic dose is limited by the development of hepatotoxicity that remains poorly characterized. A pharmacogenomics characterization of mithramycin-induced transaminitis revealed that hepatotoxicity is associated with germline variants in genes involved in bile disposition: (multidrug resistance 3) rs2302387 and [bile salt export pump (BSEP)] rs4668115 reduce transporter expression ( < 0.05) and were associated with ≥grade 3 transaminitis developing 24 hours after the third infusion of mithramycin (25 mcg/kg, 6 hours/infusion, every day ×7, every 28 days; < 0.

Preclinical Evaluation of Discorhabdins in Antiangiogenic and Antitumor Models.

Elements of the hypoxia inducible factor (HIF) transcriptional system, a key regulator of the cellular hypoxic response, are up-regulated in a range of cancer cells. HIF is fundamentally involved in tumor angiogenesis, invasion, and energy metabolism. Inhibition of the transcriptional activity of HIF may be of therapeutic benefit to cancer patients.

Molecular drivers of metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer: New roads to resistance.

Numerous growth-inducing signaling pathways have been implicated in the development of metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer, but their cross-talk with androgen receptor functions remains poorly understood. A recent study published in Science Signaling by Chen et al. has identified a novel androgen-mediated signaling axis driven by loss of SPDEF and gain of TGFBI to facilitate metastasis, which may explain the acquisition of resistance to androgen deprivation therapy.