Graft-versus-host disease prophylaxis shapes T cell biology and immune reconstitution after hematopoietic cell transplant.

Successful hematopoietic cell transplant requires immunosuppression to prevent graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), a lethal, T-cell-mediated post-transplant complication. The phase 3 BMT CTN 1703 trial demonstrated superior GVHD-free/relapse-free survival for post-transplant cyclophosphamide (PT-Cy)-based GVHD prophylaxis versus tacrolimus/methotrexate (Tac/MTX), but did not improve overall survival. To compare T-cell biology between GVHD prophylaxis regimens, 324 patients were co-enrolled onto BMT CTN 1801 ( NCT03959241 ).

A circadian and app-based personalized lighting intervention for the reduction of cancer-related fatigue.

Lighting interventions can mitigate fatigue by promoting circadian rhythmicity. We test whether individualized, wearable-based lighting interventions delivered via a mobile app reduce cancer-related fatigue in a randomized controlled trial with 138 breast cancer, prostate cancer, and hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients. Participants are randomized to tailored lighting intervention or control.

Communication Interventions for Families with Parental Cancer With Dependents: Findings from a Scoping Review.

Background: Since 2019, invasive cancer diagnoses in people younger than 50 years old have increased by 12.8%, which impacts people of childbearing age. Currently, family interventions for parents with cancer primarily focus on the impacted parent communicating the initial cancer diagnosis or at end-of-life messages with their dependents through in-person interventions.

Improving Outcomes for Care Partners of Individuals With Traumatic Brain Injury: Results for a mHealth Randomized Control Trial of the CareQOL App.

Objective: To test the efficacy of a randomized control trial low-touch mobile health intervention designed to promote care partner self-awareness and self-care.

Design: This randomized controlled trial included a baseline assessment of self-report surveys of health-related quality of life (HRQOL), care partner-specific outcomes, and the functional/mental status of the person with traumatic brain injury (TBI), as well as a 6-month home monitoring period that included 3 daily questions about HRQOL, monthly assessments of 12 HRQOL domains, and the use of a Fitbit to continuously monitor physical activity and sleep. HRQOL surveys were repeated at 3 and 6 months post-home monitoring.

Trends in Mental Health Outcomes of College Students Amid the Pandemic (Roadmap mHealth App): Longitudinal Observational Study.

Background: The mental health crisis among college students intensified amid the COVID-19 pandemic, suggesting an urgent need for innovative solutions to support them. Previous efforts to address mental health concerns have been constrained, often due to the underuse or shortage of services. Mobile health (mHealth) technology holds significant potential for providing resilience-building support and enhancing access to mental health care.

Pediatric Transplant and Cellular Therapy Consortium RESILIENT Conference on Pediatric Chronic Graft-Versus-Host Disease Survivorship After Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation: Part IV. Patient Important Outcomes.

Chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) occurs in approximately 1 in 5 pediatric allogeneic HCT patients and is a leading cause of late morbidity and mortality. Late effects of hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) may lead to long-term chronic health conditions and shortened life expectancy. In addition to direct physiologic challenges from cGVHD and other late effects, numerous patient-important outcomes impact the quality of life (QOL) of patients and their families.

"Share the Fear": Communication Concerns of Parents With Cancer With Dependents and Coparents: A Qualitative Needs Assessment Study.

Background: The estimated 1.6 million adults in the United States with cancer who also have dependents face unique challenges given the profound impact of cancer on their families, such as increased psychological distress, decreased quality of life, and altered family functioning. Unfortunately, little is known about the mutual cancer-related communication concerns from the perspectives of the parents with cancer or the coparents.

A Digital Biomarker Dataset in Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation: A Longitudinal Study of Caregiver-Patient Dyads (dHCT).

Background: Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) is a potentially life-saving therapy for individuals with blood diseases, but involves a challenging recovery process that requires dedicated caregivers. The complex interplay between emotional distress, care partner (or unpaid caregiver) burden, and treatment outcomes necessitates comprehensive physiological and psychological measurements to fully understand these dynamics.

Findings: We collected longitudinal data from 166 HCT caregiver-patient dyads over 120 days post-transplant as part of a randomized controlled trial ( NCT04094844 ).

Donepezil improves skeletal muscle insulin resistance in obese mice via the AMPK/FGF21-mediated suppression of inflammation and ferroptosis.

Donepezil has traditionally been used in Alzheimer's disease treatment and is known for its ability to alleviate neural inflammation and apoptosis. However, its impact on insulin signaling remains unexplored. This study sought to elucidate the novel role of donepezil in mitigating skeletal muscle insulin resistance under hyperlipidemic conditions.

Transcriptome and RNA sequencing analysis of H9C2 cells exposed to diesel particulate matter.

Although air pollution has been classified as a risk factor for heart disease, the underlying mechanisms remain nebulous. Therefore, this study investigated the effect of diesel particulate matter (DPM) exposure on cardiomyocytes and identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs) induced by DPM. DPM treatment decreased H9C2 cell viability and increased cytotoxicity.

Serum Cholesterol Level Changes during Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone-Agonist Therapy in Premenopausal Female Patients with Breast Cancer.

Objectives: To investigate the changes in cholesterol levels during medical ovarian suppression.

Methods: We reviewed the medical records and blood test results of 187 female patients with breast cancer who underwent gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH)-agonist therapy for > 24 weeks at our hospital between 1 January 2018 and 31 December 2020. The study excluded patients in this cohort who had previously been diagnosed with dyslipidemia, diabetes, or had recently received lipid-lowering agents, resulting in a final sample size of 152 participants.

Comparing 2-day vs 3-day flu-CY lymphodepleting regimens for CD19 CAR T-cell therapy in patients with non-hodgkin's lymphoma.

Introduction: Lymphodepleting chemotherapy (LDC) is critical to CAR T-cell expansion and efficacy. Despite this, there is not a consensus in the literature regarding the optimal LDC regimen, including dose and frequency.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed consecutive patients at a single institution that received LDC prior to treatment with the CD19 directed CAR T-cell products axicabtagene ciloleucel and tisagenlecleucel.

Cognitive performance and mortality among patients receiving autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant.

Objectives: Patients undergoing autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HCT) are at risk for death and remain understudied relative to those undergoing allogeneic HCT. Cognitive functioning may be a useful indicator of mortality risk. We examined cognition among patients who underwent autologous HCT and its relationship to mortality.

AMPK/autophagy-mediated alleviation of tendinopathy by IL-38: A novel strategy for the treatment of obesity-related tendinopathy.

The effect of interleukin-38 (IL-38), a recently identified member of the IL-1 family with potential applications in various inflammation-related conditions, on ER stress has not been explored. Furthermore, its role in obesity-associated tendinopathy has not been investigated. In this study, human primary tenocytes were treated with palmitate (200 or 400 μM) and palmitate plus IL-38 (0-50 ng/mL) for 24 h.

Data Preprocessing Techniques for AI and Machine Learning Readiness: Scoping Review of Wearable Sensor Data in Cancer Care.

Background: Wearable sensors are increasingly being explored in health care, including in cancer care, for their potential in continuously monitoring patients. Despite their growing adoption, significant challenges remain in the quality and consistency of data collected from wearable sensors. Moreover, preprocessing pipelines to clean, transform, normalize, and standardize raw data have not yet been fully optimized.

The Adverse Event Landscape of Stem Cell Transplant: Evidence for AGVHD Driving Early Transplant Associated Toxicities.

Although unrelated-donor (URD) hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is associated with many toxicities, a detailed analysis of adverse events, as defined by the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE), has not previously been curated. This represents a major unmet need, especially as it relates to assessing the safety of novel agents. We analyzed a detailed AE database from the "ABA2" randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial of abatacept for acute graft-versus-host disease (AGVHD) prevention, for which the FDA mandated a detailed AE assessment through Day +180, and weekly neutrophil and platelet counts through Day +100.

"Better at home": Mixed methods report of intricacies in pediatric febrile neutropenia management.

Introduction: Many febrile neutropenia (FN) episodes are low risk (LR) for severe outcomes and can safely receive less aggressive management and early hospital discharge. Validated risk tools are recommended by the Children's Oncology Group to identify LR FN episodes. However, the complex dynamics of early hospital discharge and burdens faced by caregivers associated with the FN episode have been inadequately described.

Caregiver self-efficacy providing nutritional support for pediatric patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplant is associated with psychosocial factors.

Introduction: Caregiver self-efficacy in providing nutritional support to pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) patients has been little studied despite the increased risk of these children potentially being over- or under-nourished after HSCT, and nutritional status could possibly affect treatment outcomes. The current study aimed to describe caregiver dietary self-efficacy and its associated psychosocial factors and barriers to following dietary recommendations.

Methods: Caregivers completed questionnaires pre-HSCT and 30 days, 100 days, and one year post-HSCT.

Overlap chronic GVHD is associated with adverse survival outcomes compared to classic chronic GVHD.

Chronic graft-versus-host-disease (cGVHD) is divided into two subtypes: classic (absence of acute GVHD features) and overlap cGVHD ('ocGVHD'), in which both chronic and acute GVHD clinical features are present simultaneously. While worse outcomes with ocGVHD have been reported, there are few recent analyses. We performed a secondary analysis of data from the ABA2 trial (N = 185), in which detailed GVHD data were collected prospectively and systematically adjudicated.

Return to school practices after hematopoietic cell transplantation: a survey of transplant centers in the United States.

To understand transplant center recommendations on return-to-school timing and related support for hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) survivors, we conducted a two-phase, cross-sectional, web-based survey: In Phase I, medical directors of pediatric HCT centers from the National Marrow Donor Program/ Be The Match Registry were asked regarding the availability of a return to school standardized operating procedure (SOP). In Phase II, HCT physician members of the Pediatric Transplantation and Cellular Therapy Consortium were approached to study inter-physician practice variability regarding return to school post-HCT, factors affecting their decision-making, and support provided by HCT centers for return to school. Out of 46 respondents in Phase I (55% response rate), 28 (61%) reported having a SOP.

Timing of treatment for opioid use disorder among birthing people.

Background: The number of pregnant women with opioid use disorder (OUD) has increased over time. Although effective treatment options exist, little is known about the extent to which women receive treatment during pregnancy and at what stage of pregnancy care is initiated.

Methods: Using a national private health insurance claims database, we identified women aged 13-49 who gave birth in 2006-2019 and had an OUD or nonfatal opioid overdose (NFOO) diagnosis during the year prior to or at delivery.

Dyadic and Individual Variation in 24-Hour Heart Rates of Cancer Patients and Their Caregivers.

Background: Twenty-four-hour heart rate (HR) integrates multiple physiological and psychological systems related to health and well-being, and can be continuously monitored in high temporal resolution over several days with wearable HR monitors. Using HR data from two independent datasets of cancer patients and their caregivers, we aimed to identify dyadic and individual patterns of 24 h HR variation and assess their relationship to demographic, environmental, psychological, and clinical variables of interest.

Methods: a novel regularized approach to high-dimensional canonical correlation analysis (CCA) was used to identify factors reflecting dyadic and individual variation in the 24 h (circadian) HR trajectories of 430 people in 215 dyads, then regression analysis was used to relate these patterns to explanatory variables.