Where and with whom does a brief social-belonging intervention promote progress in college?

A promising way to mitigate inequality is by addressing students' worries about belonging. But where and with whom is this social-belonging intervention effective? Here we report a team-science randomized controlled experiment with 26,911 students at 22 diverse institutions. Results showed that the social-belonging intervention, administered online before college (in under 30 minutes), increased the rate at which students completed the first year as full-time students, especially among students in groups that had historically progressed at lower rates.

Extracardiac imaging findings in COVID-19-associated multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children.

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-associated multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) is an emerging syndrome that presents with a Kawasaki-like disease and multiorgan damage in children previously exposed to COVID-19.

Objective: To review the extracardiac radiologic findings of MIS-C in a group of children and young adults with a confirmed diagnosis of MIS-C.

Materials And Methods: In a retrospective study from April 1, 2020, to July 31, 2020, we reviewed the imaging studies of 47 children and adolescents diagnosed with MIS-C, 25 females (53%) and 22 males (47%), with an average age of 8.

Changing Social Contexts to Foster Equity in College Science Courses: An Ecological-Belonging Intervention.

In diverse classrooms, stereotypes are often "in the air," which can interfere with learning and performance among stigmatized students. Two studies designed to foster equity in college science classrooms (s = 1,215 and 607) tested an intervention to establish social norms that make stereotypes irrelevant in the classroom. At the beginning of the term, classrooms assigned to an ecological-belonging intervention engaged in discussion with peers around the message that social and academic adversity is normative and that students generally overcome such adversity.

Am I a Science Person? A Strong Science Identity Bolsters Minority Students' Sense of Belonging and Performance in College.

Identifying as a "science person" is predictive of science success, but the mechanisms involved are not well-understood. We hypothesized that science identity predicts success because it fosters a sense of belonging in science classrooms. Thus, science identity should be particularly important for first-generation and racial-minority students, who may harbor doubts about belonging in science.

Bolstering trust and reducing discipline incidents at a diverse middle school: How self-affirmation affects behavioral conduct during the transition to adolescence.

A three-year field experiment at an ethnically diverse middle school (N = 163) tested the hypothesis that periodic self-affirmation exercises delivered by classroom teachers bolsters students' school trust and improves their behavioral conduct. Students were randomly assigned to either a self-affirmation condition, where they wrote a series of in-class essays about personally important values, or a control condition, where they wrote essays about personally unimportant values. There were no behavioral effects of affirmation at the end of 6th grade, after students had completed four writing exercises.

ORCA: a comprehensive bioinformatics container environment for education and research.

Summary: The ORCA bioinformatics environment is a Docker image that contains hundreds of bioinformatics tools and their dependencies. The ORCA image and accompanying server infrastructure provide a comprehensive bioinformatics environment for education and research. The ORCA environment on a server is implemented using Docker containers, but without requiring users to interact directly with Docker, suitable for novices who may not yet have familiarity with managing containers.

Automated landmark-guided deformable image registration.

The purpose of this work is to develop an automated landmark-guided deformable image registration (LDIR) algorithm between the planning CT and daily cone-beam CT (CBCT) with low image quality. This method uses an automated landmark generation algorithm in conjunction with a local small volume gradient matching search engine to map corresponding landmarks between the CBCT and the planning CT. The landmarks act as stabilizing control points in the following Demons deformable image registration.

Value of gadolinium-enhanced MRI in detection of acute appendicitis in children and adolescents.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine both the value of gadolinium-enhanced MRI in children with suspected acute appendicitis and the best sequences for detecting acute appendicitis, to thereby decrease imaging time.

Materials And Methods: This was a retrospective review of pediatric patients with suspected appendicitis who had undergone MRI at our institution between 2010 and 2011 after an indeterminate ultrasound examination. MRI examinations included T1-weighted unenhanced and contrast-enhanced, T2-weighted, and balanced steady-state free precession (SSFP) sequences in axial and coronal planes.

A retrospective analysis of tumor volumetric responses to five-fraction stereotactic radiotherapy for paragangliomas of the head and neck (glomus tumors).

Background: Skull base paragangliomas (SBP) are locally expansile tumors that can be treated with stereotactic radiotherapy with favorable results. This report describes the results of 31 patients with SBP treated with CyberKnife radiotherapy delivering a total dose of 25 Gray in five fractions.

Methods: All patients treated with five-fraction CyberKnife radiotherapy at a single institution were identified between 2007 and 2013.

Lymph node ratio influence on risk of head and neck cancer locoregional recurrence after initial surgical resection: implications for adjuvant therapy.

Background: The purpose of this study was to determine if lymph node ratio is associated with locoregional recurrence for patients with oral cavity or laryngeal cancer treated with initial surgical management.

Methods: The study included 350 patients with oral cavity (73%) or laryngeal cancer (27%) who underwent initial surgery. All analyses were multivariable, adjusting for primary site, pathologic prognostic factors, and adjuvant therapy.

Ultrasonography/MRI versus CT for diagnosing appendicitis.

Background: Cross-sectional imaging increases accuracy in diagnosing appendicitis. We hypothesized that a radiation-free imaging pathway of ultrasonography selectively followed by MRI would not change clinical end points compared with computed tomography (CT) for diagnosis of acute appendicitis in children.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed children (<18 years old) who had diagnostic imaging for suspected acute appendicitis between November 2008 and October 2012.

Accuracy of computed tomography for predicting pathologic nodal extracapsular extension in patients with head-and-neck cancer undergoing initial surgical resection.

Purpose: Nodal extracapsular extension (ECE) in patients with head-and-neck cancer increases the loco-regional failure risk and is an indication for adjuvant chemoradiation therapy (CRT). To reduce the risk of requiring trimodality therapy, patients with head-and-neck cancer who are surgical candidates are often treated with definitive CRT when preoperative computed tomographic imaging suggests radiographic ECE. The purpose of this study was to assess the accuracy of preoperative CT imaging for predicting pathologic nodal ECE (pECE).

Regulation of glucose homeostasis and lipid metabolism by PPP1R3G-mediated hepatic glycogenesis.

Liver glycogen metabolism plays an important role in glucose homeostasis. Glycogen synthesis is mainly regulated by glycogen synthase that is dephosphorylated and activated by protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) in combination with glycogen-targeting subunits or G subunits. There are seven G subunits (PPP1R3A to G) that control glycogenesis in different organs.

HESI Admission Assessment scores: predicting student success.

This study investigated the value of administering Elsevier's HESI Admission Assessment (A(2)) to associate degree nursing (ADN) school applicants. The relationship of A(2) scores-composite scores and 5 component scores: basic math skills, reading comprehension, grammar, vocabulary & general knowledge, and anatomy & physiology-with final course grades in 3 first-semester nursing courses was investigated. Findings indicated that composite A(2) scores and all 5 component A(2) scores that were administered to the ADN applicants were significantly related (P < .

Breast reconstruction and post-mastectomy radiation practice.

Purpose: The goal of this study was to explore the perspectives and practice of radiation oncologists who treat breast cancer patients who have had breast reconstruction.

Methods: In 2010, an original electronic survey was sent to all physician members of the American Society of Radiation Oncology, National Cancer Research Institute-Breast Cancer Studies Group in the United Kingdom, Thai Society of Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology, Swiss Society of Radiation Oncology, and Turkish Radiation Oncology Society. We identified factors associated with radiation oncologists who treat breast cancer patients with reconstruction performed prior to radiation and obtained information regarding radiation management of the breast reconstruction.

Radiation field design and patterns of locoregional recurrence following definitive radiotherapy for breast cancer.

Purpose: Locoregional control is associated with breast cancer-specific and overall survival in select women with breast cancer. Although several patient, tumor, and treatment characteristics have been shown to contribute to locoregional recurrence (LRR), studies evaluating factors related to radiotherapy (XRT) technique have been limited. We investigated the relationship between LRR location and XRT fields and dose delivered to the primary breast cancer in women experiencing subsequent locoregional relapse.

Isolated primary testicular B lymphoblastic lymphoma: an unusual presentation.

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common cancer in children and adolescents. Clinical presentation often reflects bone marrow involvement and consequences of bone marrow failure. Microscopic involvement of the testis is rare, occurring in about 2% of cases.

Impact of internal metallic ports in temporary tissue expanders on postmastectomy radiation dose distribution.

Purpose: Temporary tissue expanders (TTE) with an internal magnetic metal port (IMP) have been increasingly used for breast reconstruction in post-mastectomy patients who receive radiation therapy (XRT). We evaluated XRT plans of patients with IMP to determine its effect on XRT dose distribution.

Methods And Materials: Original treatment plans with CT simulation scans of 24 consecutive patients who received XRT (ORI), planned without heterogeneity corrections, to a reconstructed breast containing an IMP were used.

Unraveling the biological functions of Smad7 with mouse models.

Smad7 is a key negative regulator of the transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) signaling and plays an important role in modulating a large array of biological processes. The physiological actions of Smad7 have been extensively investigated by using various mouse models. These studies have pinpointed numerous important in vivo functions of Smad7, including its activity in early embryonic development, fibrosis of many organs, skin cell differentiation, regulation of immune response and inflammation, tumorigenesis, and metabolic control.

Radiosensitizing effects of ectopic miR-101 on non-small-cell lung cancer cells depend on the endogenous miR-101 level.

Purpose: Previously, we showed that ectopic miR-101 could sensitize human tumor cells to radiation by targeting ATM and DNA-PK catalytic subunit (DNA-PKcs) to inhibit DNA repair, as the endogenous miR-101 levels are low in tumors in general. However, the heterogeneity of human cancers may result in an exception. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that a few tumor cell lines with a high level of endogenous miR-101 would prove less response to ectopic miR-101.

Patterns of extralaryngeal spread of laryngeal cancer: thyroid cartilage penetration occurs in a minority of patients with extralaryngeal spread of laryngeal squamous cell cancers.

Background: Laryngeal preservation programs for patients with advanced laryngeal squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) have generally excluded patients with T4 disease. The accuracy of preoperative imaging in evaluating thyroid cartilage penetration and extralaryngeal spread (ELS) has previously been questioned. Clinically, SCC spread into noncartilaginous structures may have less of a functional impact when compared with thyroid cartilage penetration.

SUMOylation of DLX3 by SUMO1 promotes its transcriptional activity.

Small ubiquitin-like modifiers (SUMO) are post-translational modifiers that regulate target protein activity in diverse ways. The most common group of SUMO substrates is transcription factors, whose transcriptional activity can be altered positively or negatively as a result of SUMOylation. DLX3 is a homeodomain transcription factor involved in placental development, in the differentiation of structures involving epithelial-mesenchymal interactions, such as hair, teeth and nails, and in bone mineralization.

Molecular consequences of a frameshifted DLX3 mutant leading to Tricho-Dento-Osseous syndrome.

The homeodomain protein Distal-less-3 (Dlx3) plays a crucial role during embryonic development. This transcription factor is known to be essential for placental formation and to be involved in skin and skeletal organogenesis. In humans, a frameshift mutation in the coding sequence of the DLX3 gene results in an ectodermal dysplasia called Tricho-Dento-Osseous syndrome (TDO).

Adult head and neck soft tissue sarcomas.

Purpose: To analyze the outcomes of adult patients with head and neck soft tissue sarcomas.

Methods: Review of 39 patients treated with radiotherapy (RT) alone (6 patients) or combined with surgery (33 patients) with curative intent between December 1966 and February 2003. Follow-up for living patients ranged from 1 to 21 years (median, 8.

The dual ErbB1/ErbB2 inhibitor, lapatinib (GW572016), cooperates with tamoxifen to inhibit both cell proliferation- and estrogen-dependent gene expression in antiestrogen-resistant breast cancer.

Effective treatment of estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancers with tamoxifen is often curtailed by the development of drug resistance. Antiestrogen-resistant breast cancers often show increased expression of the epidermal growth factor receptor family members, ErbB1 and ErbB2. Tamoxifen activates the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor, p27 to mediate G(1) arrest.