Effects of convolution filter with beam hardening correction on computed tomography image quality.

Purpose: To quantify the effects of convolution filters (FC) with beam hardening correction (BHC) compared to FC without BHC on the computed tomography (CT) image quality.

Methods: This study was conducted on a Canon® Aquilion Lightning scanner. The exposure protocol includes acquisitions at 120 and 100 kVp.

Calcium plus vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy reduces postpartum fat mass in adolescents: A randomized trial.

Background: Pregnancy during adolescence may increase the risk of overweight/obesity. There is evidence that increasing calcium intake, alone or vitamin D-combined, may favor loss of weight and/or fat mass.

Objectives: We hypothesized that calcium supplementation during pregnancy reduces excessive fat accumulation during postpartum period.

Deficient in a Breast Cancer Model Predicts Sensitivity to PARP Inhibitors.

Background: Breast and ovarian tumors with pathogenic variants in or genes are more sensitive to poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors (PARPi) treatment than wildtype tumors. Pathogenic variants in non- homologous recombination repair genes (HRR) also concede sensitivity to PARPi treatment. participates in the Mre11--Nbn (MRN) complex of the HRR pathway and plays an important role in DNA repair.

Estimating Global Friction Periods for Economic Evaluation: A Case Study of Selected OECD Member Countries.

Background: The friction cost approach (FCA) offers an alternative to the dominant human capital approach to value productivity losses. Application of the FCA in practice is limited largely due to data availability. Recent attempts have tried to standardise the estimation of friction periods across Europe, but to date, this has not been attempted elsewhere.

Addressing the unmet needs of patients with BRAF-mutated melanoma in Latin America: Expert perspective.

Melanoma represents an increasing public health burden with extensive unmet needs in Latin America (LA). A mutation in the gene is present in approximately 50% of all melanomas in White populations and is a target of precision medicine, with the potential to dramatically improve patient outcomes. Thus, increased access to testing and therapy is LA must be explored.

Iroquois Family Genes in Gastric Carcinogenesis: A Comprehensive Review.

Gastric cancer (GC) is the fifth leading cause of cancer-associated death worldwide, accounting for 768,793 related deaths and 1,089,103 new cases in 2020. Despite diagnostic advances, GC is often detected in late stages. Through a systematic literature search, this study focuses on the associations between the Iroquois gene family and GC.

gene methylation and cortisol levels in preterm and healthy full-term infants in the first 3 months of life.

To describe exon-1 methylation and cortisol levels in newborns. Preterm ≤1500 g and full-term infants were included. Samples were collected at birth and at days 5, 30 and 90 (or at discharge).

Tissue-specific metabolic profile drives iNKT cell function during obesity and liver injury.

Invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells are a distinct population of lymphocytes characterized by their reactivity to glycolipids presented by CD1d. iNKT cells are found throughout the body, and little is known about their tissue-specific metabolic regulation. Here, we show that splenic and hepatic iNKT cells are metabolically comparable and rely on glycolytic metabolism to support their activation.

Patterns of Birth Cohort‒Specific Smoking Histories in Brazil.

Introduction: Smoking prevalence has decreased considerably in Brazil from 34.8% in 1989 to 12.6% in 2019 owing to the implementation of strong tobacco control policies.

Clinical and pharmacological factors associated with mortality in patients with COVID-19 in a high complexity hospital in Manaus: A retrospective study.

COVID-19 is a contagious infection caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, responsible for more than 5 million deaths worldwide, and has been a significant challenge for healthcare systems worldwide. Characterized by multiple manifestations, the most common symptoms are fever, cough, anosmia, ageusia, and myalgia. However, several organs can be affected in more severe cases, causing encephalitis, myocarditis, respiratory distress, hypercoagulable state, pulmonary embolism, and stroke.

Minor Salivary Gland Cancer of the Head and Neck: A Review of Epidemiologic Aspects, Prognostic Factors, and Outcomes.

Purpose Of Review: Minor salivary gland carcinomas (MiSGC) of the head and neck are a group of rare cancers with significant heterogeneity in histological types and with variable clinical behavior. This study aims to clarify the incidence, epidemiology, predictive factors, and outcome-based survival in a large cohort of patients treated at the Brazilian National Cancer Institute (BNCI) over a 20-year period by comparing and associating the results of current articles on the world stage.

Recent Findings: The difficulty in developing an algorithm of treatment is due to the low number of cases when evaluated in a single institution and the variety of histological subtypes that have different behaviors and different treatments according to each anatomical location.

Systemic therapy for advanced cervical cancer: Leveraging the historical threshold of overall survival.

Cervical cancer (CC) is a worldwide problem, especially in low- and middle-income countries, where patients are often diagnosed with locally advanced disease. Until recently, all chemotherapy drugs achieved low ORR and 12-month overall survival (12- month OS) for advanced CC after failure for platinum compounds. Advances in systemic therapy with immunotherapy, targeted therapy, and antibody-drug conjugates (ADC) have leveraged the 12-month OS limit.

Aberrant N-glycosylation in cancer: MGAT5 and β1,6-GlcNAc branched N-glycans as critical regulators of tumor development and progression.

Background: Changes in protein glycosylation are widely observed in tumor cells. N-glycan branching through adding β1,6-linked N-acetylglucosamine (β1,6-GlcNAc) to an α1,6-linked mannose, which is catalyzed by the N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase V (MGAT5 or GnT-V), is one of the most frequently observed tumor-associated glycan structure formed. Increased levels of this branching structure play a pro-tumoral role in various ways, for example, through the stabilization of growth factor receptors, the destabilization of intercellular adhesion, or the acquisition of a migratory phenotype.

Trends in the incidence of malignant central nervous system tumors in Brazil, 2000-2015.

Background: In Brazil, 5870 new cases of malignant central nervous system tumors (MCNST) were estimated for men and 5220 for women for each year of the 2020-2022 triennium. The objective of this study was to analyze incidence rate trends and compare demographic characteristics of new MCNST cases according to tumor topographies in Brazil from 2000 to 2015.

Methods: This study comprises an analytical cross-sectional assessment of secondary databases extracted from the Brazilian National Cancer Institute (INCA) website.

Preclinical development of kinetin as a safe error-prone SARS-CoV-2 antiviral able to attenuate virus-induced inflammation.

Orally available antivirals against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are necessary because of the continuous circulation of new variants that challenge immunized individuals. Because severe COVID-19 is a virus-triggered immune and inflammatory dysfunction, molecules endowed with both antiviral and anti-inflammatory activity are highly desirable. We identified here that kinetin (MB-905) inhibits the in vitro replication of SARS-CoV-2 in human hepatic and pulmonary cell lines.

Mechanisms of radioresistance and the underlying signaling pathways in colorectal cancer cells.

Radiotherapy is one of the most common modalities for the treatment of a wide range of tumors, including colorectal cancer (CRC); however, radioresistance of cancer cells remains a major limitation for this treatment. Following radiotherapy, the activities of various cellular mechanisms and cell signaling pathways are altered, resulting in the development of radioresistance, which leads to therapeutic failure and poor prognosis in patients with cancer. Furthermore, even though several inhibitors have been developed to target tumor resistance, these molecules can induce side effects in nontumor cells due to low specificity and efficiency.

and toxicity assessment of the senotherapeutic Peptide 14.

Senotherapeutic molecules decrease cellular senescence burden, constituting promising approaches to combat the accumulation of senescent cells observed in chronological aging and age-related diseases. Numerous molecules have displayed senotherapeutic potential, but toxicity has been frequently observed. Recently, a new senotherapeutic compound, Peptide 14, was developed to modulate cellular senescence in the skin.

Oral Lichen Planus and Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma share key oncogenic signatures.

To investigate similarities in the gene profile of Oral Lichen Planus and Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma that may justify a carcinogenic potential, we analyzed the gene expression signatures of Oral Lichen Planus and Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma in early and advanced stages. Based on gene expression data from public databases, we used a bioinformatics approach to compare expression profiles, estimate immune infiltrate composition, identify differentially and co-expressed genes, and propose putative therapeutic targets and associated drugs. Our results revealed gene expression patterns related to processes of keratinization, keratinocyte differentiation, cell proliferation and immune response in common between Oral Lichen Planus and early and advanced Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma, with the cornified envelope formation and antigen processing cross-presentation pathways in common between Oral Lichen Planus and early Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma.