Development and initial clinical testing of a multiplexed circulating tumor cell assay in patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

Although therapeutic options for patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) have increased in the past decade, no biomarkers are yet available for patient stratification or evaluation of therapy resistance. Given the dynamic and heterogeneous nature of clear cell RCC (ccRCC), tumor biopsies provide limited clinical utility, but liquid biopsies could overcome these limitations. Prior liquid biopsy approaches have lacked clinically relevant detection rates for patients with ccRCC.

Avacopan for the Treatment of ANCA-Associated Vasculitis.

Background: The C5a receptor inhibitor avacopan is being studied for the treatment of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis.

Methods: In this randomized, controlled trial, we assigned patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis in a 1:1 ratio to receive oral avacopan at a dose of 30 mg twice daily or oral prednisone on a tapering schedule. All the patients received either cyclophosphamide (followed by azathioprine) or rituximab.

Redundancy in aromatic O-demethylation and ring opening reactions in and their impact in the metabolism of plant derived phenolics.

Lignin is a plant heteropolymer composed of phenolic subunits. Because of its heterogeneity and recalcitrance, the development of efficient methods for its valorization still remains an open challenge. One approach to utilize lignin is its chemical deconstruction into mixtures of monomeric phenolic compounds followed by biological funneling into a single product.

Infection pattern, case fatality rate and spread of Lassa virus in Nigeria.

Background: Lassa fever (LF) is a zoonotic infectious disease of public concern in Nigeria. The infection dynamics of the disease is not well elucidated in Nigeria. This study was carried out to describe the pattern of infection, case fatality rate and spread of lassa virus (LASV) from 2017 to 2020.

Photodegradation mechanisms of reactive blue 19 dye under UV and simulated solar light irradiation.

In this work we performed dye photodegradation experiments in presence of TiO and Cu/Zr modified TiO. The changes in the shape of the spectra of RB19 caused by photocatalysts under the simulated solar or UV light were monitored. Since the predominant photocatalytic mechanism can only be observed in very dilute solution of RB19, UV-Vis absorption spectrometry for higher concentrations and thermal lens spectrometry for lower concentrations have been applied to elucidate the mechanistic details of degradation processes.

Awareness of climate change's impacts and motivation to adapt are not enough to drive action: A look of Puerto Rican farmers after Hurricane Maria.

Understanding how perceptions around motivation, capacity, and climate change's impacts relate to the adoption of adaptation practices in light of experiences with extreme weather events is important in assessing farmers' adaptive capacity. However, very little of this work has occurred in islands, which may have different vulnerabilities and capacities for adaptation. Data of surveyed farmers throughout Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria (n = 405, 87% response rate) were used in a structural equation model to explore the extent to which their adoption of agricultural practices and management strategies was driven by perceptions of motivation, vulnerability, and capacity as a function of their psychological distance of climate change.

Dependence of the heating effect on tissue absorption coefficient during corneal reshaping using different UV lasers: A numerical study.

Corneal reshaping using laser ablation effect is a well-known ophthalmologic operation implemented to correct many vision disorders. UV pulsed lasers are utilized in this surgery due to their high absorption in corneal tissue without affecting the other parts of the eye. Ideally ablation may not be associated with heat transport, since high temperature is the enemy of soft tissues.

Jarosite formation in deep Antarctic ice provides a window into acidic, water-limited weathering on Mars.

Many interpretations have been proposed to explain the presence of jarosite within Martian surficial sediments, including the possibility that it precipitated within paleo-ice deposits owing to englacial weathering of dust. However, until now a similar geochemical process was not observed on Earth nor in other planetary settings. We report a multi-analytical indication of jarosite formation within deep ice.

Impact of transnational land acquisitions on local food security and dietary diversity.

Foreign investors have acquired approximately 90 million hectares of land for agriculture over the past two decades. The effects of these investments on local food security remain unknown. While additional cropland and intensified agriculture could potentially increase crop production, preferential targeting of prime agricultural land and transitions toward export-bound crops might affect local access to nutritious foods.

The Breath Carbon Isotope Ratio Reflects Short-term Added-Sugar Intake in a Dose-Response, Crossover Feeding Study of 12 Healthy Adults.

Background: Objective dietary biomarkers are urgently needed for a wider range of foods and nutrients. The breath carbon isotope ratio (CIR; measured as δ13C values) has potential as a noninvasive measure of short-term added sugar (AS) intake but has not been evaluated in a controlled-feeding study.

Objective: The aim was to evaluate the effect of short-term AS intake on breath CIR in a dose-response, randomized, crossover feeding study.

An integrated platform for genome engineering and gene expression perturbation in Plasmodium falciparum.

Establishing robust genome engineering methods in the malarial parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, has the potential to substantially improve the efficiency with which we gain understanding of this pathogen's biology to propel treatment and elimination efforts. Methods for manipulating gene expression and engineering the P. falciparum genome have been validated.

Comparative Study between Nd-YAG laser, fractional CO2 Laser, and combined Nd-YAG with fractional CO2 Laser in the Management of keloid: clinical and molecular Study.

Background: Fractional CO2 laser and Nd-YAG laser have been reported to have promising results in the management of keloids. So far, there have been no comparative studies between these laser modalities.

Aims: The study aimed to compare the efficacy of fractional CO2, Nd-YAG, and a combination of both in the management of keloids.

Infection: A Single-center 4-year Descriptive Analysis.

Introduction: is an anaerobic or facultative anaerobic Gram-positive rod that is commonly found in the human gastrointestinal tract and vaginal tract. Infections secondary to have not been well illustrated in the literature. The purpose of this study was to describe the clinical courses of patients with infection in our institution.

An incidental finding of Dandy-Walker malformation.

Dandy-Walker malformation is a rare congenital anomaly affecting the posterior fossa, occurring in one in 30,000 births. Its hallmark characteristics include hypoplasia of the vermis, dilation of the fourth ventricle, and an enlarged posterior fossa. This case study describes a finding of Dandy-Walker malformation during a workup of encephalopathy in a patient on veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for acute respiratory distress syndrome.

Improving wear resistance of plasma-sprayed calcia and magnesia-stabilized zirconia mixed coating: roles of phase stability and microstructure.

The phase stability and microstructure of ZrO-5CaO and ZrO-24MgO mixed coating (wt%) by air plasma spraying on 304 stainless steel substrates were investigated. A Ni-5Al (wt%) metallic bond coating was firstly sprayed between the substrate and the ceramic top layer. The results were compared with the individual coatings of ZrO-5CaO and ZrO-24MgO for a better understanding of the correlation between their microstructures and mechanical properties.

Distinct Proteins in Protein Corona of Nanoparticles Represent a Promising Venue for Endogenous Targeting - Part II: In vitro and in vivo Kinetics Study.

Introduction: Nanoparticles (NPs), upon introduction to the biological systems, become wrapped by serum and cellular proteins constituting the protein corona (PC). This PC contributes largely to the NPs' interaction with the biological systems and their subsequent functions. On the one hand, PC can decrease the efficiency of targeting by directing the NPs to the reticuloendothelial system (RES) or by masking the active targeting moieties and decreasing their ability to bind to their target receptors.

Internet-based cognitive behavior therapy for depression, social anxiety disorder, and panic disorder: Effectiveness and predictors of response in a teaching clinic.

Though therapist-guided Internet-based cognitive behavior therapy (ICBT) appears to be efficacious for depression, social anxiety disorder, and panic disorder, relatively little is known about real-world settings and predictors of treatment effects derived from cognitive-behavioral theory. We examined treatment effectiveness and predictors of improvement in a prospective cohort study where patients took part in 10 weeks of ICBT for depression (n = 114), social anxiety disorder (n = 150), or panic disorder (n = 106) at a teaching clinic. Patients self-reported symptoms before, during, and after treatment.

Care Intensity During Transport to the Critical Care Resuscitation Unit: Transport Clinician's Role.

Objective: Patients are often transferred between hospitals for a higher level of care. Critically ill patients require high-intensity care after transfer, but their care intensity during transport is unknown. We studied transport clinicians' management for patients who had time-sensitive or critical illnesses and were transferred to a critical care resuscitation unit (CCRU) at a quaternary academic center.

Shorter drug testing intervals are associated with improved drug misuse rates.

Objective: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend that clinicians prescribing opioids for chronic pain should consider at least annual urine drug testing (UDT). We evaluated whether shorter intervals for repeat UDT are associated with decreased rates of drug misuse.

Design: Retrospective analysis of deidentified serial UDT and matched prescribing data.

Chemical mutagenesis of a GPCR ligand: Detoxifying "inflammo-attraction" to direct therapeutic stem cell migration.

A transplanted stem cell's engagement with a pathologic niche is the first step in its restoring homeostasis to that site. Inflammatory chemokines are constitutively produced in such a niche; their binding to receptors on the stem cell helps direct that cell's "pathotropism." Neural stem cells (NSCs), which express CXCR4, migrate to sites of CNS injury or degeneration in part because astrocytes and vasculature produce the inflammatory chemokine CXCL12.

Targeted Covalent Inhibition of FK506 Binding Protein 35.

FK506-binding protein 35, FKBP35, has been implicated as an essential malarial enzyme. Rapamycin and FK506 exhibit antiplasmodium activity in cultured parasites. However, due to the highly conserved nature of the binding pockets of FKBPs and the immunosuppressive properties of these drugs, there is a need for compounds that selectively inhibit FKBP35 and lack the undesired side effects.

Unmet Needs Among Out of Care and Recently Diagnosed Women of Color With HIV: Opportunities for Focused Interventions.

Objective: Women of color (WoC) have lower retention in care and higher HIV/AIDS-related morbidity, compared with other populations. Barriers to care include lack of family support, inadequate HIV/AIDS services, and stigma, and women may face greater unmet needs for services including housing and employment. This descriptive study explores the unmet needs of WoC participating in the Health Resources and Services Administration's Special Projects of National Significance (SPNS) Program, Dissemination of Evidence Informed Interventions (HRSA/SPNS DEII) Initiative.

Distinct Proteins in Protein Corona of Nanoparticles Represent a Promising Venue for Endogenous Targeting - Part I: In vitro Release and Intracellular Uptake Perspective.

Introduction: Protein corona (PC) deposition on nanoparticles (NPs) in biological systems contributes to a great extent to NPs' fates; their targeting potential, the interaction with different biological systems and the subsequent functions. PC - when properly tuned - can serve as a potential avenue for optimization of NPs' use in cancer therapy.

Methods: Poly-lactic co-glycolic acid (PLGA)-based NPs exhibiting different physicochemical properties were fabricated and characterized.