Characteristics and survival outcomes in pediatric patients with spinal chordomas: insights from the National Cancer Database and review of the literature.

Purpose: Spinal chordomas are aggressive tumors that rarely occur in the pediatric population. Demographics and post-treatment outcomes in this select group of patients is poorly studied. We hence aimed to analyze the clinical characteristics, demographics, and survival outcomes of pediatric patients with spinal chordomas, in contrast to the adult population.

Exploring adaptive health technology assessment for evaluating 10 cancer interventions: insights and lessons from a pilot study in India.

Background: Health technology assessment (HTA) is a valuable tool for informing the efficient allocation of resources in healthcare. However, the resource-intensive nature of HTA can limit its application, especially in low-resource settings. Adapting HTA processes by assessing the available international evidence offers a pragmatic approach to provide evidence for decision-making where resources are constrained.

Profiling protease cleavage patterns in plasma for pancreatic cancer detection.

Proteases are promising biomarkers for cancer early detection. Their enzymatic activity against peptide substrates allows for their straightforward detection using low-cost tests. However, the complexity of the human proteome makes it challenging to develop sensitive and selective tests against a specific protease biomarker.

In Vitro and In-Silico Assessment of Gaussian Curvature-driven Internalization Kinetics of Nanoparticles.

Nanoparticles have been of significant interest in various biomedical domains such as drug delivery, gene delivery, cytotoxicity analysis, and imaging. Despite the synthesis of a variety of nanoparticles, their cellular uptake efficiency remains a substantial obstacle, with only a small fraction of delivered nanoparticles (NPs) have been reported to traverse the cell membrane within 24 h. Consequently, higher doses are often necessitated, leading to increased toxicity concerns.

The Role of Fetuin-A in Tumor Cell Growth, Prognosis, and Dissemination.

Fetuin-A, also known as alpha-2-Heremans-Schmid-glycoprotein (Ahsg), is a multifunctional molecule with diverse roles in biological processes such as mineralization, tumor growth, and inflammation. This review explores the involvement of Ahsg in various cancers, including liver, breast, prostate, colorectal, brain, osteosarcoma, and lung cancers. In many cancer types, Ahsg promotes tumor growth, invasion, and metastasis through various mechanisms, including cellular adhesion, spreading, chemotaxis, and modulation of cell-growth signaling pathways.

Expansion of the Structure-Activity Relationship Profile of Triaminopyrimidines as Inhibitors of Caspase-1.

Caspase-1 is a sought-after therapeutic target for inflammatory conditions due to its role in activation and release of pro-inflammatory cytokines, but there has been little success getting drugs into the clinic. We have previously shown triaminopyrimidines such as CK-1-41 are potent, reversible small molecule inhibitors of caspase-1, likely binding in an allosteric site within the enzyme. A series of analogs of CK-1-41 were synthesized and tested against caspase-1 to develop a more robust structure-activity relationship profile.

Template-based modeling of insect odorant receptors outperforms AlphaFold3 for ligand binding predictions.

Insects rely on odorant receptors (ORs) to detect and respond to volatile environmental cues, so the ORs are attracting increasing interest as potential targets for pest control. However, experimental analysis of their structures and functions faces significant challenges. Computational methods such as template-based modeling (TBM) and AlphaFold3 (AF3) could facilitate the structural characterisation of ORs.

Cross-tissue, age-specific flow cytometry reference for immune cells in airway and blood of children.

Background: Respiratory diseases are a common cause of morbidity and hospitalization for children. Despite this, treatment options are limited and are often ineffective. The development of curative or disease-modifying treatments for children relies on a better understanding of underlying immunity in the early airway.

Autologous Epstein-Barr virus-specific adoptive T-cell therapy in a patient with lupus nephritis.

Objectives: Dysregulation of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-specific cellular immunity has been hypothesised as one of the contributing factors in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Lupus nephritis is a major risk factor for overall morbidity in SLE. Immune-based strategies directed to EBV have been proposed as potential therapeutic strategy for SLE and lupus nephritis.

Failure of Ventricular Fibrillation Sensing During Subcutaneous Implantable Defibrillator Testing: A Twitchy Situation.

Oversensing of extra-cardiac noise may inhibit delivery of subcutaneous cardiac implantable defibrillator (S-ICD) therapy. We report a case of diaphragmatic tetany resulting in the inhibition of S-ICD therapy at the time of defibrillator testing without the use of muscle relaxants. Clinicians should be aware of this phenomenon.

Pregnancy in women on dialysis - A case series - Challenges in achieving evidence-based care.

Background: Pregnancies in women on dialysis remain rare but are increasing in numbers.

Methods: Retrospective observational audit of seven cases from 1977 to 2022 of all women who conceived prior to dialysis or conceived whilst on dialysis.

Results: Of a total of seven women, three were referred from regional centres in Australia, between the 6 and 20 weeks of gestation, generally without any opportunity for pre-conception counselling.

The impact of adjuvant radiotherapy on overall survival in spinal low-grade gliomas: a propensity score-matched analysis.

Introduction: Spinal low-grade gliomas (sLGGs) are a group of tumors that arise from glial cells in the spinal cord. Current evidence supporting the use of adjuvant radiotherapy for the management of sLGG is lacking. We hence aimed to compare overall survival rates in patients receiving surgery alone with those receiving surgery with adjuvant radiotherapy.

Are chest compression quality metrics different in children with and without congenital heart disease? A report from the pediatric resuscitation quality collaborative.

Objective: To evaluate the association of CPR quality metrics with survival outcomes in children with and without congenital heart disease experiencing in-hospital cardiac arrest.

Design: Retrospective cohort study of data from the Pediatric Resuscitation Quality (pediRES-Q) Collaborative.

Setting: 28 participating sites.

Urea-Loaded PLGA Microspheres as Chemotaxis Stimulants for Helicobacter pylori.

Helicobacter pylori cells undergo chemotaxis toward several small molecules, called chemo-attractants, including urea produced by the epithelial cells of the stomach. The biophysical mechanisms of chemotaxis are not well understood in H. pylori.

Rest the brain to learn new gait patterns after stroke.

Background: The ability to relearn a lost skill is critical to motor recovery after a stroke. Previous studies indicate that stroke typically affects the processes underlying motor control and execution but not the learning of those skills. However, these studies could be confounded by the presence of significant motor impairments.