Safety and efficacy of pembrolizumab, radiation therapy, and surgery versus radiation therapy and surgery for stage III soft tissue sarcoma of the extremity (SU2C-SARC032): an open-label, randomised clinical trial.

Background: Approximately half of patients with localised, high-risk soft tissue sarcoma of the extremity develop metastases. We aimed to assess whether the addition of pembrolizumab to preoperative radiotherapy and surgery would improve disease-free survival.

Methods: We completed an open-label, randomised clinical trial in patients with grade 2 or 3, stage III undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma or dedifferentiated or pleomorphic liposarcoma of the extremity and limb girdle.

An Introductory Course on Geriatric Oncology.

Introduction: The need to train oncologists to address the complexities of the aging population has been a focus of educational initiatives and strategies since the 1980s. However, large gaps in the dissemination and implementation of geriatric oncology curricula are still present. Currently, few resources exist for oncology training programs to implement a formal geriatric oncology curriculum.

Senior-Focused Primary Care Organizations Increase Access For Medicare Advantage Members, Especially Underserved Groups.

Population-based payment in Medicare Advantage (MA) can foster innovation in care delivery by giving risk-bearing providers flexibility and strong incentives to enhance care and engage patients. This may particularly benefit historically underserved groups for whom payments often exceed costs. In this study, using data from Humana MA plans, we examined "senior-focused" primary care organizations that are supported predominantly by population-based payments in contracts with MA plans.

Training in Public Health Informatics and Technology Leveraging a Multi-institutional Partnership Model and Emphasizing Experiential Learning.

Background And Objective:  Though public health is an information-intense profession, there is a paucity of workforce with Public Health Informatics and Technology (PHIT) skills, which was evident during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This need is addressed through the PHIT workforce program (2021-2025) by the Office of the National Coordinator for training and to increase racial and ethnic diversity in the PHIT workforce. The objective is to share details on the Training in Informatics for Underrepresented Minorities in Public Health (TRIUMPH) consortium, funded by the PHIT workforce program.

Leveraging real-world data to predict cancer cachexia stage, quality of life, and survival in a racially and ethnically diverse multi-institutional cohort of treatment-naïve patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

Introduction: Cancer-associated cachexia (CC) is a progressive syndrome characterized by unintentional weight loss, muscle atrophy, fatigue, and poor outcomes that affects most patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). The ability to identify and classify CC stage along its continuum early in the disease process is challenging but critical for management.

Objectives: The main objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of CC stage overall and by sex and race and ethnicity among treatment-naïve PDAC cases using clinical, nutritional, and functional criteria.

Reduced Cost Sharing and Medication Management Services for COPD: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: High out-of-pocket costs and improper use of maintenance inhalers contribute to poor outcomes among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). There is limited evidence for how addressing these barriers could improve adherence and affect COPD exacerbations, spending, or racial disparities in these outcomes.

Objective: To examine the effect of a national program to reduce beneficiary cost sharing for COPD maintenance inhalers and provide medication management services that included education on proper technique for inhaler use.

Observations from a decade of oligonucleotide bioanalysis by LC-MS.

There is a growing need for efficient bioanalysis of oligonucleotide therapeutics. This broad class of molecules presents numerous challenges relative to traditional small molecule therapeutics. Methodologies including ligand-binding assays or polymerase chain reaction may be fit-for-purpose in many instances, but liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (LC-MS) often delivers the best balance of sensitivity and selectivity.

Initial Experience Using Laparoscopic HIPEC for Gastric Cancer with Peritoneal Metastasis: Safety and Outcomes.

Background: Peritoneal metastases (PM) develop in approximately 20% of patients with gastric cancer (GC). For selected patients, treatment of PM with cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) has shown promising results. This report aims to describe the safety and perioperative outcomes of laparoscopic HIPEC for GC/PM.

SWOG 1609 cohort 48: anti-CTLA-4 and anti-PD-1 for advanced gallbladder cancer.

Introduction: Most patients with advanced gallbladder cancer are treated with multiagent chemotherapy. Immune checkpoint inhibitors offer the possibility of a durable response with less toxicity. This prospective, multicenter, open-label study was designed to evaluate the anticancer activity of nivolumab plus ipilimumab in patients with advanced gallbladder cancer.

Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS ) Society abdominal and thoracic surgery recommendations: A systematic review and comparison of guidelines for perioperative and pharmacotherapy core items.

Introduction: Worldwide, ERAS Society guidelines have ushered in a new era of perioperative care. The purpose of this systematic review is to compare published core elements and pharmacotherapy recommendations embedded within ERAS Society abdominal and thoracic surgery (ATS) guidelines. Determining whether a consensus exists for pharmacological core items would make future guideline preparation for similar surgeries more standardized and could improve patient care by reducing unnecessary protocol variations.

Integrating 4 methods to evaluate physical function in patients with cancer (In4M): protocol for a prospective cohort study.

Introduction: Accurate, patient-centred evaluation of physical function in patients with cancer can provide important information on the functional impacts experienced by patients both from the disease and its treatment. Increasingly, digital health technology is facilitating and providing new ways to measure symptoms and function. There is a need to characterise the longitudinal measurement characteristics of physical function assessments, including clinician-reported outcome, patient-reported ported outcome (PRO), performance outcome tests and wearable data, to inform regulatory and clinical decision-making in cancer clinical trials and oncology practice.

Genomic analysis across 53 canine cancer types reveals novel mutations and high clinical actionability potential.

A genomic understanding of the oncogenic processes and individual variability of human cancer has steadily fueled improvement in patient outcomes over the past 20 years. Mutations within tumour tissues are routinely assessed through clinical genomic diagnostic assays by academic and commercial laboratories to facilitate diagnosis, prognosis and effective treatment stratification. The application of genomics has unveiled a wealth of mutation-based biomarkers in canine cancers, suggesting that the transformative principles that have revolutionized human cancer medicine can be brought to bear in veterinary oncology.

A semiconductor 96-microplate platform for electrical-imaging based high-throughput phenotypic screening.

High-content imaging for compound and genetic profiling is popular for drug discovery but limited to endpoint images of fixed cells. Conversely, electronic-based devices offer label-free, live cell functional information but suffer from limited spatial resolution or throughput. Here, we introduce a semiconductor 96-microplate platform for high-resolution, real-time impedance imaging.

Anti-Nogo-A Antibody Therapy Improves Functional Outcome Following Traumatic Brain Injury.

Background: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) can cause sensorimotor deficits, and recovery is slow and incomplete. There are no effective pharmacological treatments for recovery from TBI, but research indicates potential for anti-Nogo-A antibody (Ab) therapy. This Ab neutralizes Nogo-A, an endogenous transmembrane protein that inhibits neuronal plasticity and regeneration.

Assessing the impact of industrial glove use on perceived hand dexterity, function, and strength.

Prevention of musculoskeletal occupational hazards is an important topic in extractive industries. This study quantifies the impact of three styles of industrial metacarpal gloves on dexterity, gripping, pinching, and torquing tasks. Results indicated that wearing metacarpal gloves duplicated the time to complete a dexterity task from an average of 57 s for bare hands to 127 s for gloved hands.