Functional differences between rodent and human PD-1 linked to evolutionary divergence.

Mechanistic understanding of the inhibitory immunoreceptor PD-1 is largely based on mouse models, but human and mouse PD-1 share only 59.6% amino acid identity. Here, we found that human PD-1 is more inhibitory than mouse PD-1, owing to stronger interactions with the ligands PD-L1 and PD-L2 and more efficient recruitment of the effector phosphatase Shp2.

Evolutionary fingerprint in rodent PD1 confers weakened activity and enhanced tumor immunity compared to human PD1.

Mechanistic understanding of the immune checkpoint receptor PD1 is largely based on mouse models, but human and mouse PD1 orthologs exhibit only 59.6% identity in amino acid sequences. Here we show that human PD1 is more inhibitory than mouse PD1 due to stronger interactions with the ligands PDL1 and PDL2 and with the effector phosphatase Shp2.

Reducing Radiation Dermatitis for PBS Proton Therapy Breast Cancer Patients Using SpotDelete.

Purpose: The purpose of this work was to reduce the severity of radiation dermatitis for breast cancer patients receiving pencil beam scanning proton therapy. The hypothesis was that eliminating proton spots (SpotDelete) in the 0.5 cm skin rind would reduce the potentially higher relative biological effectiveness (RBE) known to occur at the Bragg Peak.

Perceptions of organizational culture among mental health providers at a Veterans Affairs hospital.

A mixed method approach was utilized to assess the organizational culture of the mental health service line at a large Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital. The goals of the study were to assess the organizational culture, identify how employees differ in perceptions of organizational culture, and identify areas of strength and challenges. Two hundred thirteen participants returned a questionnaire assessing perceptions of organizational culture using the Organizational Culture Assessment Questionnaire (Sashkin & Rosenbach, 2013).