Effectiveness of a Breast Cancer Educational Conference Targeting Healthcare Workers in Honduras.

Previous studies have demonstrated that many healthcare workers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) lack the appropriate training and knowledge to recognize and diagnose breast cancer at an early stage. As a result, women in LMICs are frequently diagnosed with late-stage breast cancer (Stage III/IV) with a poor prognosis. We hosted a 1-day breast cancer educational conference directed towards healthcare workers in Honduras.

Advancing mechanical testing of biological tissues and hydrogels: A buoy-based approach.

Quantifying the material properties of tissues and hydrogels aids in the development of biomedical applications through better understanding of the mechanics and mechanobiological principles at play. This study introduces a mechanical testing platform designed to address challenges in measuring mm-scale tissue and hydrogel material properties. Using a floating buoy design, the platform enables horizontal submerged tensile testing with non-submersible load cells.

C-H Activation and Hydrogen Isotope Exchange of Aryl Carbamates Using Iridium(I) Complexes Bearing Chelating NHC-Phosphine Ligands.

Hydrogen isotope exchange (HIE) via C-H activation constitutes an efficient method for the synthesis of isotopically-enriched compounds, which are crucial components of the drug discovery process and are extensively employed in mechanistic studies. A series of iridium(I) complexes, bearing a chelating phosphine-N-heterocyclic carbene ligand, was designed and synthesized for application in the catalytic HIE of challenging N- and O-aryl carbamates. A broad range of substrates were labeled efficiently, and applicability to biologically-relevant systems was demonstrated by labeling an ʟ-tyrosine-derived carbamate with excellent levels of deuterium incorporation.

ANI neural network potentials for small molecule p prediction.

The p value of a molecule is of interest to chemists across a broad spectrum of fields including pharmacology, environmental chemistry and theoretical chemistry. Determination of p values can be accomplished through several experimental methods such as NMR techniques and titration together with computational techniques such as DFT calculations. However, all of these methods remain time consuming and computationally expensive.

Adjuvant Therapy Use for Patients With Inadequately Resected T1b-T3 Gallbladder Cancer.

Introduction: Up to 90% of patients undergo inadequate resection for incidentally diagnosed T1b-T3 gallbladder cancer (GBC). We evaluated whether adjuvant therapies (ATs) are associated with prolonged overall survival (OS) for patients undergoing inadequate resection of T1b-T3 GBC.

Methods: Patients who underwent inadequate resection, defined as simple cholecystectomy, for T1b-T3, Nx-N2, and M0 GBC were identified from the National Cancer Database (2004-2016).

Clipping the Positive Lymph Node in Patients with Clinically Node Positive Breast Cancer Treated with Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy: Impact on Axillary Surgery in the ISPY-2 Clinical Trial.

Background: For patients with clinically node-positive (cN+) breast cancer undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC), retrieving previously clipped, biopsy-proven positive lymph nodes during sentinel lymph node biopsy [i.e., targeted axillary dissection (TAD)] may reduce false negative rates.

An active machine learning discovery platform for membrane-disrupting and pore-forming peptides.

Membrane-disrupting and pore-forming peptides (PFPs) play a substantial role in bionanotechnology and can determine the life and death of cells. The control of chemical and ion transport through cell membranes is essential to maintaining concentration gradients. Likewise, the delivery of drugs and intracellular proteins aided by pore-forming agents is of interest in treating malfunctioning cells.

Mathematical and computational modeling of fats and triacylglycerides.

Fats and oils are found in many food products; however, their macroscopic properties are difficult to predict, especially when blending different fats or oils together. With difficulties in sourcing specific fats or oils, whether due to availability or pricing, food companies may be required to find alternative sources for these ingredients, with possible differences in ingredient performance. Mathematical and computational modeling of these ingredients can provide a quick way to predict their properties, avoiding costly trials or manufacturing problems, while, most importantly, keeping the consumers happy.

Omission of axillary lymph node dissection for breast cancer patients with three or more positive sentinel lymph nodes.

Purpose: The ACOSOG Z0011 (Z11) trial assessed the benefit of axillary dissection (ALND) for breast cancer patients with sentinel lymph node (SLN) metastases; however, Z11 excluded patients with ≥ 3 positive SLNs. We analyzed trends in ALND omission in patients with ≥ 3 positive SLNs.

Methods: Women with ≥ 3 positive SLNs who underwent breast-conserving surgery (BCS) or mastectomy between 2018 and 2020 in the National Cancer Database were included using SLN codes initiated in 2018.

Martinoid: the peptoid martini force field.

Many exciting innovations have been made in the development of assembling peptoid materials. Typically, these have utilised large oligomeric sequences, though elsewhere the study of peptide self-assembly has yielded numerous examples of assemblers below 6-8 residues in length, evidencing that minimal peptoid assemblers are not only feasible but expected. A productive means of discovering such materials is through the application of screening methods, which often benefit from the use of coarse-grained molecular dynamics (CG-MD) simulations.

Development of an International Virtual Multidisciplinary Tumor Board for Breast Cancer in Mongolia.

Introduction: Breast cancer is the most diagnosed cancer among Mongolian women and mortality rates are high. We describe a virtual multi-institutional and multidisciplinary tumor board (MTB) for breast cancer created to assist the National Cancer Center of Mongolia.

Materials And Methods: A virtual MTB for breast cancer was conducted with participation of two United States and 1 Mongolian cancer centers.

Primary Pancreatic Liposarcoma: An Unexpected Cause of a Pancreatic Mass.

Liposarcoma is the most common type of soft-tissue sarcoma and typically occurs in the extremities or retroperitoneum. Primary liposarcoma of the pancreas is exceedingly rare, with only 10 cases reported since 1979. We present a patient who was incidentally discovered to have a pancreatic mass on imaging, which was ultimately diagnosed as dedifferentiated pancreatic liposarcoma.

A nationwide analysis of disparities in guideline-concordant care in American Indians and Alaska Natives with stage I non-small cell lung cancer.

Background: Several studies have shown racial disparities in lung cancer care in the United States in the Black and Hispanic populations but not many have included American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) patients. We retrospectively evaluated the factors associated with receipt of guideline-concordant care in AI/AN and non-Hispanic White (NHW) patients with stage I non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and describe the relationship between guideline-concordant care and survival outcomes in these populations.

Methods: Using the National Cancer Database, we identified NHW and AI/AN patients diagnosed with stage I NSCLC between 2004 and 2017.

Minimal Peptoid Dynamics Inform Self-Assembly Propensity.

Peptoids are structural isomers of natural peptides, with side chain attachment at the amide nitrogen, conferring this class of compounds with the ability to access both and ω torsions as well as an increased diversity of ψ/φ states with respect to peptides. Sampling within these dimensions is controlled through side chain selection, and an expansive set of viable peptoid residues exists. It has been shown recently that "minimal" di- and tripeptoids with aromatic side chains can self-assemble into highly ordered structures, with size and morphological definition varying as a function of sequence pattern (e.

Predicting Lipid Eutectics Using Coarse-Grained Molecular Dynamics.

Binary triacylglyceride (TAG) systems are known to exhibit nonlinear/eutectic behavior, and predicting this is not straightforward unless the thermodynamic properties of the constituent TAGs are known. While this kind of behavior has been shown previously using molecular dynamics, this was carried out using an atomistic force field and fully saturated symmetric TAGs. In this study, we simulate the changing melting point of binary unsaturated asymmetric TAG systems using a coarse-grained force field.

Disparities in Postmastectomy Reconstruction Use among American Indian and Alaska Native Women.

Background: American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) breast cancer patients undergo postmastectomy reconstruction (PMR) infrequently relative to non-Hispanic White (NHW) patients. Factors associated with low PMR rates among AI/AN women are poorly understood. The authors sought to describe factors associated with this disparity in surgical care.

Evaluating Disparities in Colon Cancer Survival in American Indian/Alaskan Native Patients Using the National Cancer Database.

Background: Studies demonstrate higher mortality rates from colon cancer in American Indian/Alaskan Native (AI/AN) patients compared to non-Hispanic White (nHW). We aim to identify factors that contribute to survival disparities.

Methods: We used the National Cancer Database to identify AI/AN (n = 2127) and nHW (n = 527,045) patients with stage I-IV colon cancer from 2004 to 2016.

[3+2]-Cycloaddition Reactions of gem-Difluorocyclopropenes with Azomethine Ylides - Access to Novel Fluorinated Scaffolds.

The introduction of fluorinated moieties into drugs as well as the increase of their overall three-dimensionality have become key strategies amongst medicinal chemists to generate sets of compounds with favorable drug-like properties. However, the introduction of fluorinated cyclopropane ring systems which combines both strategies is not widely exploited to date. This paper reports synthetic strategies exploiting the reactivity of gem-difluorocyclopropenes in dipolar cycloaddition reactions with azomethine ylides to afford sets of new fluorine-containing 3-azabicyclo[3.

Effects of swelling and anatomical location on the viscoelastic behavior of the porcine urinary bladder wall.

The ability of the urinary bladder to perform its physiological function depends largely on its mechanical characteristics. Understanding the mechanics of this tissue is crucial to the development of accurate models of not just this specific organ, but of the pelvic floor overall. In this study, we tested porcine bladder to identify variations in the tissue's viscoelastic characteristics associated with anatomical locations and swelling.