Brain tumor patients and COVID-19 vaccines: results of an international survey.

Background: As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to unfold, the advent of multiple approved vaccines has led to a milestone in the fight against the virus. While vaccination rates and side effects are well established in the general population, these are largely unknown in patients with brain tumors. The purpose of this study was to determine if brain tumor patients and their caregivers have received a COVID-19 vaccine, and explore their thoughts and opinions on these vaccines.

Repeated porphyrin lipoprotein-based photodynamic therapy controls distant disease in mouse mesothelioma via the abscopal effect.

While photodynamic therapy (PDT) can induce acute inflammation in the irradiated tumor site, a sustained systemic, adaptive immune response is desirable, as it may control the growth of nonirradiated distant disease. Previously, we developed porphyrin lipoprotein (PLP), a ∼20 nm nanoparticle photosensitizer, and observed that it not only efficiently eradicated irradiated primary VX2 buccal carcinomas in rabbits, but also induced regression of nonirradiated metastases in a draining lymph node. We hypothesized that PLP-mediated PDT can induce an abscopal effect and we sought to investigate the immune mechanism underlying such a response in a highly aggressive, dual subcutaneous AE17-OVA+ mesothelioma model in C57BL/6 mice.

Brain tumors and COVID-19: the patient and caregiver experience.

Background: Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, thousands of medical procedures and appointments have been canceled or delayed. The long-term effects of these drastic measures on brain tumor patients and caregivers are unknown. The purpose of this study is to better understand how COVID-19 has affected this vulnerable population on a global scale.

Timing of diagnosis of gestational diabetes and pregnancy outcomes: A retrospective cohort.

Background: Recent guidelines suggest screening high-risk women in early pregnancy for gestational diabetes (GDM); however, there is little evidence to support this.

Aims: To compare pregnancy outcomes associated with diabetes for women with risk factors for GDM according to gestation of diagnosis. Early GDM was defined as a positive test before 20 weeks gestation, late GDM as a positive test at 20 or more weeks and no GDM when both tests were negative.

Genetic modification of mouse effector and helper T lymphocytes expressing a chimeric antigen receptor.

Genetic modification of primary mouse T cells with chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) has emerged as an important tool for optimizing adoptive T cell immunotherapy strategies. However, limitations in current protocols for generating highly pure and sufficient numbers of enriched effector and helper CAR(+) T cell subsets remain problematic. Here, we describe a new retroviral transduction protocol for successfully generating transduced CD8(+) and CD4(+) T lymphocytes for in vitro and in vivo characterization.