Group Coping Intervention in Patients With Chronic Graft-Versus-Host Disease: A Pilot Randomized Clinical Trial.

Background: More than half the long-term survivors of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation develop chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), a debilitating inflammatory syndrome. Supportive interventions to assist survivors in coping with chronic GVHD are critically needed.

Patients And Methods: We conducted a pilot randomized clinical trial of a multidisciplinary group intervention (Horizons Program; n=39) versus minimally enhanced usual care (n=41) for patients with moderate or severe chronic GVHD.

Clinical Outcomes With Abemaciclib After Prior CDK4/6 Inhibitor Progression in Breast Cancer: A Multicenter Experience.

Background: Inhibitors of cyclin-dependent kinases 4 and 6 (CDK4/6i) are widely used as first-line therapy for hormone receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer (HR+ MBC). Although abemaciclib monotherapy is also FDA-approved for treatment of disease progression on endocrine therapy, there is limited insight into the clinical activity of abemaciclib after progression on prior CDK4/6i.

Patients And Methods: We identified patients with HR+ MBC from 6 cancer centers in the United States who received abemaciclib after disease progression on prior CDK4/6i, and abstracted clinical features, outcomes, toxicity, and predictive biomarkers.

Assessing Village Health Workers' Ability to Perform and Interpret Rapid Diagnostic Tests for Malaria 4 Years after Initial Training: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Village health workers (VHWs) in Bugoye subcounty, Uganda, provide integrated community case management (iCCM) care to children younger than 5 years for malaria, pneumonia, and diarrhea. We assessed the longevity of VHWs' skills in performing and reading malaria rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) 4 years after initial training, comparing VHWs who had completed initial iCCM training 1 year before the study with VHWs who had completed training 4 years before the study. Both groups received quarterly refresher trainings.

What the HEC? Clinician Adherence to Evidence-Based Antiemetic Prophylaxis for Highly Emetogenic Chemotherapy.

Background: Clinician adherence to antiemetic guidelines for preventing chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) caused by highly emetogenic chemotherapy (HEC) remains poorly characterized. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate individual clinician adherence to HEC antiemetic guidelines.

Patients And Methods: A retrospective analysis of patients receiving HEC was conducted using the IBM Watson Explorys Electronic Health Record Database (2012-2018).

Androgen receptor gene expression in primary breast cancer.

We studied androgen receptor (AR) gene expression in primary breast cancer (BC) to determine associations with clinical characteristics and outcomes in the I-SPY 1 study. AR was evaluated in I-SPY 1 ( = 149) using expression microarrays. Associations of AR with clinical and tumor features were determined using the Wilcoxon rank sum test (two-level factors) or the Kruskal-Wallis test (multi-level factors).

Blood-based monitoring identifies acquired and targetable driver mutations in endocrine-resistant metastatic breast cancer.

Plasma genotyping identifies potentially actionable mutations at variable mutant allele frequencies, often admixed with multiple subclonal variants, highlighting the need for their clinical and functional validation. We prospectively monitored plasma genotypes in 143 women with endocrine-resistant metastatic breast cancer (MBC), identifying multiple novel mutations including mutations (8.4%), albeit at different frequencies highlighting clinical heterogeneity.

Digital biomarkers of mood disorders and symptom change.

Current approaches to psychiatric assessment are resource-intensive, requiring time-consuming evaluation by a trained clinician. Development of digital biomarkers holds promise for enabling scalable, time-sensitive, and cost-effective assessment of both psychiatric diagnosis and symptom change. The present study aimed to identify robust digital biomarkers of diagnostic status and changes in symptom severity over ~2 weeks, through re-analysis of public-use actigraphy data collected in patients with major depressive or bipolar disorder and healthy controls.

Are collision athletes at a higher risk of re-dislocation after an open Bristow-Latarjet procedure? A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: The primary aim of the present study was to review, summarize and compare the redislocation risk for collision athletes and noncollision athletes after an open Bristow-Latarjet procedure. Our secondary aim was to summarize return to sport, satisfaction, pain and complications.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review in PubMed and EMBASE of articles until 1 July 2016.

Patient Decision Aids Improve Decision Quality and Patient Experience and Reduce Surgical Rates in Routine Orthopaedic Care: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Background: Patient decision aids are effective in randomized controlled trials, yet little is known about their impact in routine care. The purpose of this study was to examine whether decision aids increase shared decision-making when used in routine care.

Methods: A prospective study was designed to evaluate the impact of a quality improvement project to increase the use of decision aids for patients with hip or knee osteoarthritis, lumbar disc herniation, or lumbar spinal stenosis.

Survey of Emergency Department Chemical Hazard Preparedness in Michigan, USA: A Seven Year Comparison.

Objective: To compare the state of chemical hazard preparedness in emergency departments (EDs) in Michigan, USA between 2005 and 2012.

Methods: This was a longitudinal study involving a 30 question survey sent to ED directors at each hospital listed in the Michigan College of Emergency Physician (MCEP) Directory in 2005 and in 2012. The surveys contained questions relating to chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive events with a focus on hazardous material capabilities.

An evidence-based systematic review of kudzu (Pueraria lobata) by the Natural Standard Research Collaboration.

An evidence-based systematic review of kudzu (Pueraria lobata) by the Natural Standard Research Collaboration consolidates the safety and efficacy data available in the scientific literature using a validated, reproducible grading rationale. This article includes written and statistical analysis of clinical trials, plus a compilation of expert opinion, folkloric precedent, history, pharmacology, kinetics/dynamics, interactions, adverse effects, toxicology, and dosing.

An Evidence-Based Systematic Review of Goji (Lycium spp.) by the Natural Standard Research Collaboration.

An evidence-based systematic review of goji (Lycium spp.) by the Natural Standard Research Collaboration consolidates the safety and efficacy data available in the scientific literature using a validated, reproducible grading rationale. This article includes written and statistical analysis of clinical trials, plus a compilation of expert opinion, folkloric precedent, history, pharmacology, kinetics/dynamics, interactions, adverse effects, toxicology, and dosing.

An evidence-based systematic review of chlorophyll by the Natural Standard Research Collaboration.

An evidence-based systematic review of chlorophyll by the Natural Standard Research Collaboration consolidates the safety and efficacy data available in the scientific literature using a validated, reproducible grading rationale. This article includes written and statistical analysis of clinical trials, plus a compilation of expert opinion, folkloric precedent, history, pharmacology, kinetics/dynamics, interactions, adverse effects, toxicology, and dosing.

Antagonism of EGFR and HER3 enhances the response to inhibitors of the PI3K-Akt pathway in triple-negative breast cancer.

Both abundant epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR or ErbB1) and high activity of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)-Akt pathway are common and therapeutically targeted in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). However, activation of another EGFR family member [human epidermal growth factor receptor 3 (HER3) (or ErbB3)] may limit the antitumor effects of these drugs. We found that TNBC cell lines cultured with the EGFR or HER3 ligand EGF or heregulin, respectively, and treated with either an Akt inhibitor (GDC-0068) or a PI3K inhibitor (GDC-0941) had increased abundance and phosphorylation of HER3.

An evidence-based systematic review of elderberry and elderflower (Sambucus nigra) by the Natural Standard Research Collaboration.

An evidence-based systematic review of elderberry and elderflower (Sambucus nigra) by the Natural Standard Research Collaboration consolidates the safety and efficacy data available in the scientific literature using a validated, reproducible grading rationale. This article includes written and statistical analysis of clinical trials, plus a compilation of expert opinion, folkloric precedent, history, pharmacology, kinetics/dynamics, interactions, adverse effects, toxicology, and dosing.

An evidence-based systematic review of bitter orange (Citrus aurantium) by the Natural Standard Research Collaboration.

An evidence-based systematic review of bitter orange (Citrus aurantium) by the Natural Standard Research Collaboration consolidates the safety and efficacy data available in the scientific literature using a validated, reproducible grading rationale. This article includes written and statistical analysis of clinical trials, plus a compilation of expert opinion, folkloric precedent, history, pharmacology, kinetics/dynamics, interactions, adverse effects, toxicology, and dosing.

mTOR inhibition specifically sensitizes colorectal cancers with KRAS or BRAF mutations to BCL-2/BCL-XL inhibition by suppressing MCL-1.

Colorectal cancers harboring KRAS or BRAF mutations are refractory to current targeted therapies. Using data from a high-throughput drug screen, we have developed a novel therapeutic strategy that targets the apoptotic machinery using the BCL-2 family inhibitor ABT-263 (navitoclax) in combination with a TORC1/2 inhibitor, AZD8055. This combination leads to efficient apoptosis specifically in KRAS- and BRAF-mutant but not wild-type (WT) colorectal cancer cells.

Correlates of body depilation: an exploratory study into the health implications of body hair reduction and removal among college-aged men.

Recent studies suggest that body hair may be of increasing importance in men's overall body image. Body depilation is a relatively new area of clinical and research inquiry among men with much of the documented evidence of the phenomenon split between mass media accounts and descriptive scientific investigations. This study was undertaken to further our understanding of this behavior by examining the relationship between depilation and other dimensions of body image in a nonclinical sample.

Bypass mechanisms of resistance to receptor tyrosine kinase inhibition in lung cancer.

Receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) are activated by somatic genetic alterations in a subset of cancers, and such cancers are often sensitive to specific inhibitors of the activated kinase. Two well-established examples of this paradigm include lung cancers with either EGFR mutations or ALK translocations. In these cancers, inhibition of the corresponding RTK leads to suppression of key downstream signaling pathways, such as the PI3K (phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase)/AKT and MEK (mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase)/ERK (extracellular signal-regulated kinase) pathways, resulting in cell growth arrest and death.

Efficacy of omega-3 for vasomotor symptoms treatment: a randomized controlled trial.

Objective: This study aims to determine the efficacy and tolerability of omega-3 fatty acids in reducing vasomotor symptoms (VMS) frequency and bother in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women.

Methods: This study was a 12-week, three-by-two factorial, randomized controlled trial. Eligible women were randomized to a double-blind comparison of omega-3 (n = 177) or placebo (n = 178) capsules, and simultaneously to yoga (n = 107), aerobic exercise (n = 106), or their usual physical activity (n = 142).

Identifying meaningful outcome measures for the intensive care unit.

Despite important progress in measuring the safety of health care delivery in a variety of health care settings, a comprehensive set of metrics for benchmarking is still lacking, especially for patient outcomes. Even in high-risk settings where similar procedures are performed daily, such as hospital intensive care units (ICUs), these measures largely do not exist. Yet we cannot compare safety or quality across institutions or regions, nor can we track whether safety is improving over time.

Increased hot flash severity and related interference in perimenopausal human immunodeficiency virus-infected women.

Objective: As women with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are living longer, more are entering perimenopause. Prior studies suggest that HIV-infected women are more likely to have hot flashes than non-HIV-infected women. However, little is known regarding hot flash severity and hot flash-related interference with daily function, mood, and quality of life in this population.

Is the diagnosis of ADHD influenced by time of entry to school? An examination of clinical, familial, and functional correlates in children at early and late entry points.

Objective: The authors examined the proposed immaturity hypothesis, which suggests that younger children may have developmental immaturity and not ADHD, using data from a large, clinically referred population of individuals with and without ADHD.

Method: The sample consisted of individuals with and without an ADHD diagnosis, ascertained from ongoing studies in our laboratory, born in August (Younger Cohort N = 562) and born in September (Older Cohort N = 529). The authors compared studywide diagnosis rates of ADHD, ADHD familiality patterns, ADHD symptoms, psychiatric comorbidity, and functional impairments between the two cohorts.