Synthesis and Structural Optimization of ATG4B Inhibitors for the Attenuation of Autophagy in Glioblastoma.

Glioblastoma, a prevalent malignant CNS tumor, presents a therapeutic challenge because of resistance to standard treatments, including radiation therapy and temozolomide. Both modalities induce autophagy, thereby paradoxically promoting tumor survival. The cysteine protease ATG4B is implicated in this cellular process, which highlights the enzyme as a viable therapeutic target for glioblastoma.

A Potential Role for the Receptor for Advanced Glycation End-Products (RAGE) in the Development of Secondhand Smoke-Induced Chronic Sinusitis.

Chronic sinusitis (CS) is characterized by sinonasal inflammation, mucus overproduction, and edematous mucosal tissue. CS impacts one in seven adults and estimates suggest up to 15% of the general U.S.

Interdependent security games in a unidirectional network.

We consider directed tree networks with a single source, where there exists a positive probability of a disruptive event at any node. Such networks model security considerations in pipelines as well as in unidirectional digital networks. If a disruptive event occurs at a certain node, that node and its downstream nodes incur economic losses.

Investigating sonic injustice: A review of published research.

Sound has been researched as either an environmental pollutant (noise) with detrimental health effects or an environmental resource with beneficial outcomes for well-being. We define sonic injustice as unjust inequalities in both noise exposure and access to high-quality, beneficial sound environments. We performed a comparative analysis of 34 peer-reviewed studies on sonic injustice.

The informed consent form navigator: a tool for producing readable and compliant consent documents.

Background/objective: Informed consent forms (ICFs) and practices vary widely across institutions. This project expands on previous work at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Center for Health Literacy to develop a plain language ICF template. Our interdisciplinary team of researchers, comprised of biomedical informaticists, health literacy experts, and stakeholders in the Institutional Review Board (IRB) process, has developed the ICF Navigator, a novel tool to facilitate the creation of plain language ICFs that comply with all relevant regulatory requirements.

Synthesis of vacancy-rich titania particles suitable for the additive manufacturing of ceramics.

In the last decades, titania (or TiO) particles played a crucial role in the development of photo-catalysis and better environmentally-friendly energy-harvesting techniques. In this work, we engineer a new generation of TiO particles rich in oxygen vacancies using a modified sol-gel synthesis. By design, these vacancy-rich particles efficiently absorb visible light to allow carefully-controlled light-induced conversion to the anatase or rutile crystalline phases.

Inflammation and Invasion in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cells Exposed to Electronic Cigarette Vapor Extract.

Electronic cigarettes (eCig) represent a new avenue of tobacco exposure that involves heating oil-based liquids and the delivery of aerosolized flavors with or without nicotine, yet little is known about their overall health impact. The oral cavity is an anatomic gateway for exposure that can be compromised by activating myriad of signaling networks. Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSSC) is a common malignancy affecting 30,000 people in the United States each year.

Hybrid Synthetic and Computational Study of an Optimized, Solvent-Free Approach to Curcuminoids.

A green and optimized protocol has been developed for the preparation of symmetric 1,7-bis(aryl)-1,6-heptadiene-3,5-diones and asymmetric 2-aryl-6-arylidenecyclohexanones with modified substrate scope and good functional group tolerance. Syntheses proceed smoothly under solvent-free conditions, providing moderate to excellent product yields with a minimal workup procedure. Control experiments, spectroscopic, and computational studies support a mechanism involving the boron-assisted in situ generation of imine intermediates.

Comparison of Road Noise Policies across Australia, Europe, and North America.

Developing innovative noise policies that build on international best practices is difficult when policies around the world differ along many dimensions, ranging from different sources covered to different levels of governance involved. This is particularly critical in the context of road traffic, identified as one of the main culprits leading to noise-associated complaints and health issues. In this article, we document the wide range of specifications observed in road traffic policies and propose a methodology to compare noise limits across noise policies.

A Tale of Three Misters: The Effect of Water Features on Soundscape Assessments in a Montreal Public Space.

The acoustic environments of small, central urban parks are often dominated by traffic sounds. Water sounds can be used to mitigate the negative impacts of unwanted sounds through masking. Studies comparing the effects of different water sounds are typically conducted using recordings in laboratory settings where ecological validity is limited.

Health Literacy's Impact On Health Law & Policy.

Law and policy are an integral part of any health system, in the U.S. and abroad.

Documentation in the Patient's Medical Record by Clinical Pharmacists in a Canadian University Teaching Hospital.

Background: In many studies on documentation, the data are self-reported, which makes it difficult to know the actual level of documentation by pharmacists in patients' medical records. The literature assessing documentation by clinical pharmacists in health care centres is limited.

Objective: To assess the level of documentation in patients' medical records by clinical pharmacists at one large urban hospital.

A Developmental Milestones Map of Type 1 Diabetes Self-Management Transition From Parents to Adolescents.

Transitional diabetes self-management (DSM) for children and their families is complicated. This article was undertaken to provide an exemplar of DSM strategies used by one family that were based on developmental milestones from preschool through college age. Two brothers who were both diagnosed with type 1 diabetes before the age of 2 years reflected on how their parents began a DSM navigation process during their early preschool years.

Contactless In Situ Electrical Characterization Method of Printed Electronic Devices with Terahertz Spectroscopy.

Printed electronic devices are attracting significant interest due to their versatility and low cost; however, quality control during manufacturing is a significant challenge, preventing the widespread adoption of this promising technology. We show that terahertz (THz) radiation can be used for the in situ inspection of printed electronic devices, as confirmed through a comparison with conventional electrical conductivity methods. Our in situ method consists of printing a simple test pattern exhibiting a distinct signature in the THz range that enables the precise characterization of the static electrical conductivities of the printed ink.

Improving readability of informed consents for research at an academic medical institution.

Introduction: The final rule for the protection of human subjects requires that informed consent be "in language understandable to the subject" and mandates that "the informed consent must be organized in such a way that facilitates comprehension." This study assessed the readability of Institutional Review Board-approved informed consent forms at our institution, implemented an intervention to improve the readability of consent forms, and measured the first year impact of the intervention.

Methods: Readability assessment was conducted on a sample of 217 Institutional Review Board-approved informed consents from 2013 to 2015.

Thermal Dynamics Effects using Pulse-Shaping Laser Sintering of Printed Silver Inks.

In recent years, additive manufacturing has been evolving towards flexible substrates for the fabrication of printable electronic devices and circuits. Generally polymer-based, these emerging substrates suffer from their heat sensitivity and low glass-transition temperatures. As such they require new highly-localized sintering processes to treat the electronic inks without damaging the polymer-based substrate.

Electrostatic Deposition of Large-Surface Graphene.

This work describes a method for electrostatic deposition of graphene over a large area using controlled electrostatic exfoliation from a Highly Ordered Pyrolytic Graphite (HOPG) block. Deposition over 130 × 130 µm² with 96% coverage is achieved, which contrasts with sporadic micro-scale depositions of graphene with little control from previous works on electrostatic deposition. The deposition results are studied by Raman micro-spectroscopy and hyperspectral analysis using large fields of view to allow for the characterization of the whole deposition area.

Readability of Human Subjects Training Materials for Research.

Institutions are required to ensure that persons involved in human subjects research receive appropriate human subjects protections training and education. Several organizations use the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) program to fulfill training requirements. Most researchers find the CITI program too complex for community members who collaborate with researchers.

Graphene dispersions in alkanes: toward fast drying conducting inks.

Graphene inks are becoming widely popular. However the vast majority of these inks are formulated in polar solvents with high-boiling points. Their slow evaporation is a bottleneck factor in roll-to-roll printing processes.

Lack of a pharmacokinetic interaction between trastuzumab and carboplatin in the presence of docetaxel: results from a phase Ib study in patients with HER2-positive metastatic or locally advanced inoperable solid tumors.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential for a pharmacokinetic (PK) drug-drug interaction (DDI) between trastuzumab and carboplatin and to evaluate the potential effect of trastuzumab on the electrocardiogram QT interval. Here, we report the results of the PK DDI assessment and an interim safety analysis. Patients with metastatic or locally advanced, inoperable, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive cancer received docetaxel and carboplatin on cycle 1, day 1 and then on day 1 of each subsequent 3-weekly treatment cycle.

Using dynamic N-mixture models to test cavity limitation on northern flying squirrel demographic parameters using experimental nest box supplementation.

Dynamic N-mixture models have been recently developed to estimate demographic parameters of unmarked individuals while accounting for imperfect detection. We propose an application of the Dail and Madsen (2011: Biometrics, 67, 577-587) dynamic N-mixture model in a manipulative experiment using a before-after control-impact design (BACI). Specifically, we tested the hypothesis of cavity limitation of a cavity specialist species, the northern flying squirrel, using nest box supplementation on half of 56 trapping sites.

Trastuzumab, in combination with carboplatin and docetaxel, does not prolong the QT interval of patients with HER2-positive metastatic or locally advanced inoperable solid tumors: results from a phase Ib study.

Purpose: This study evaluated the potential effect of trastuzumab on the electrocardiogram (ECG) QT interval and assessed the potential pharmacokinetic interaction between trastuzumab and carboplatin. Here, we report the QT and safety results.

Methods: Patients with metastatic or inoperable HER2-positive solid tumors received docetaxel and carboplatin on Day 1 of each 3-week (q3w) cycle.

Specific inhalation challenge with flour induced release of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in nasal fluid.

Background: Neurotrophins may play a role in the pathophysiology of allergic occupational rhinitis (OR). We sought to investigate whether an immediate allergic reaction that induces nasal inflammation is also able to induce changes in levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in nasal lavage (NAL) fluid from patients with allergic OR.

Methods: Ten patients sensitized to flour underwent control and active specific inhalation challenge (SIC) on consecutive days.