Disparities in utilization of novel cancer therapies in advanced stage III and IV melanoma and variance in outcomes.

Introduction: Significant gains in advanced melanoma have been made through immunotherapy trials. Factors influencing equitable access and survival impact of these novel therapies are not well-defined.

Method: Retrospective analysis using National Cancer Database of patients with advanced stage III and IV melanoma from 2004 to 2021.

Influence of positive consequences on subsequent incentive ratings and drinking quantity.

Alcohol use is prevalent among young adults, with significant rates of binge drinking and frequent reports of both positive and negative consequences. The current study investigates how positive drinking consequences influence subsequent incentives ratings and drinking behavior. Utilizing mobile daily diary data from 104 young adults over two weeks (event N = 507), we assessed the impact of event-specific positive consequences on future incentive ratings and drinking quantity.

An Examination of predictors of prospective changes in self-reported drinker identity and changes in drinker identity as a predictor of changes in alcohol use and associated consequences.

Purpose: Self-reported drinker identity, the extent to which one views oneself as a drinker, is associated with alcohol consumption and related harms in young adults. The current study examined changes in self-reported drinker identity, theoretically relevant factors associated with drinker identity development, and drinker identity's association with changes in drinking and alcohol-related consequences. We hypothesized that drinker identity would increase over time; theoretically relevant factors would be significantly and positively associated with that increase, and increases in drinking identity would be associated with elevated drinking and related consequences.

Phase angle between dim light melatonin onset and sleep timing during residential treatment prospectively predicts obsessive-compulsive symptoms.

The relation between obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and circadian rhythm disturbance has been increasingly acknowledged in recent years. While prior clinical studies have utilized patients' self-reported sleep behaviors, there is a need to also explore the measurable, biological aspects of circadian rhythms. The current study has two aims: first, to describe the biological circadian rhythms of individuals with OCD seeking intensive residential treatment, including their relationship with self-reported measures of sleep and OCD symptoms; and second, to examine longitudinal associations between biological circadian rhythms and OCD symptom severity during the course of residential treatment.

Development and Evaluation of a Presenter Coaching Program at an Academic Surgical Conference.

Objective: Presenting at academic conferences is an important means of disseminating research, networking, and building a professional reputation, but the quality of presentations at conferences is often suboptimal. This project describes the design, implementation, and evaluation of a presentation coaching program offered by an academic surgical society to presenters at its annual meeting.

Design: Oral presenters were paired with a coach and encouraged to meet independently, yet coaching was unstructured.

Developing emergency medical care policy across Kenya: A framework for policy development.

Background And Objectives: The Kenya Emergency Medical Care (EMC) Policy 2020-2030 was created to guide the advancement of EMC throughout Kenya. This report describes and maps the ongoing EMC policy development process across Kenya's 47 counties, serving as a real-world example of EMC policy development within a decentralized healthcare system in a low-or middle-income country (LMIC).

Methods: This report evaluates the development of county-specific EMC policies using the Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis (KIPPRA) six stages for policy development: 1) problem identification, 2) agenda setting, 3) policy design, 4) approval, 5) implementation, and 6) monitoring and evaluation.

Early Identification of Poorly Performing Implants in Michigan With the Example of the Vanguard XP.

Background: Arthroplasty registries play a critical role in improving the quality of care and performing post-market surveillance of medical devices. We report the Michigan Arthroplasty Registry Collaborative Quality Initiative (MARCQI) findings specific to the Biomet Vanguard XP bicruciate-retaining total knee implant.

Methods: Data were collected from MARCQI's 2019 report (February 15, 2012, through December 31, 2018).

Neuroendocrine prostate cancer drivers SOX2 and BRN2 confer differential responses to imipridones ONC201, ONC206, and ONC212 in prostate cancer cell lines.

Objectives: Prostate cancer (PCa) is a leading cause of cancer death in men worldwide. Approximately 30% of castrate-resistant PCa becomes refractory to therapy due to neuroendocrine differentiation (NED) that is present in <1% of de-novo tumors. First-in-class imipridone ONC201/TIC10 therapy has shown clinical activity against midline gliomas, neuroendocrine tumors, and PCa.

The Atlas of Protein-Protein Interactions in Cancer (APPIC)-a webtool to visualize and analyze cancer subtypes.

Cancer is a complex disease with heterogeneous mutational and gene expression patterns. Subgroups of patients who share a phenotype might share a specific genetic architecture including protein-protein interactions (PPIs). We developed the Atlas of Protein-Protein Interactions in Cancer (APPIC), an interactive webtool that provides PPI subnetworks of 10 cancer types and their subtypes shared by cohorts of patients.

Highly Efficient Compositional and Compound Specific Isotopic Analysis of Volatile Primary Amines and Ammonia in the Murchison Meteorite Using SPME On-Fiber Derivatization: Optimization for Bennu Sample Analyses.

Rationale: Extraterrestrial amines and ammonia are critical ingredients for the formation of astrobiologically important compounds such as amino acids and nucleobases. However, conventional methods for analyzing the composition and isotopic ratios of volatile amines suffer from lengthy derivatization and purification procedures, high sample mass consumption, and chromatographic interferences from derivatization reagents and non-target compounds.

Methods: Here we demonstrate a highly efficient method to analyze the composition and compound specific isotopic ratios of C to C amines as well as ammonia based on solid phase micro-extraction (SPME) on-fiber derivatization.

A Du Boisian Sociological Imagination: The Black Radical Tradition, Marxism and Du Boisian Sociology.

W. E. B.

Psychosocial Support Needs and Preferences Among Family Caregivers of ICU Patients with Severe Acute Brain Injury: A Qualitative Thematic Analysis.

Background: Family caregivers of patients with severe acute brain injury (SABI) are at risk for clinically significant chronic emotional distress, including depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress. Existing psychosocial interventions for caregivers of intensive care unit (ICU) patients are not tailored to the unique needs of caregivers of patients with SABI, do not demonstrate long-term efficacy, and may increase caregiver burden. In this study, we explored the needs and preferences for psychosocial services among SABI caregivers to inform the development and adaptation of interventions to reduce their emotional distress during and after their relative's ICU admission.

Neural Variability and Cognitive Control in Individuals With Opioid Use Disorder.

Importance: Opioid use disorder (OUD) impacts millions of people worldwide. Prior studies investigating its underpinning neural mechanisms have not often considered how brain signals evolve over time, so it remains unclear whether brain dynamics are altered in OUD and have subsequent behavioral implications.

Objective: To characterize brain dynamic alterations and their association with cognitive control in individuals with OUD.

Trajectories of HIV Visit Engagement During the Perinatal Period among Women in Lilongwe, Malawi.

Longitudinal patterns of engagement in care among women living with HIV (WHIV) during the perinatal period are poorly understood. We employed group-based trajectory modeling to (1) describe trajectories of HIV visit engagement; and (2) identify predictors of membership in suboptimal care trajectories. Data came from a prospective cohort study across five urban clinics in Lilongwe, Malawi conducted between February 2020 and August 2022.

Representation Quotients to Examine Diversity in Ophthalmology Residency Applicants and Matriculants.

Importance: A diverse ophthalmic workforce is key to equitable care, and identifying areas of underrepresentation is important in tackling vision care disparities.

Objective: To evaluate the diversity of applicants and matriculants in ophthalmology residency programs relative to medical school graduates and analyze the intersection of race and gender within this pathway.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This retrospective cross-sectional study conducted from 2022 to 2024 used representation quotients (RQs) using reports from the Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology and San Francisco Match, along with demographic data from the Association of American Medical Colleges from 2008 to 2021.

Expanded Naloxone Distribution by Opioid Overdose Prevention Programs to High-Need Populations and Neighborhoods in New York City.

From 2014 to 2017, the drug overdose death rate per 100,000 in New York City (NYC) increased by 81%, with 57% of overdoses in 2017 involving the opioid fentanyl. In response, overdose education and naloxone dispensing (OEND) efforts were expanded in NYC, informed by neighborhood-level and population-level opioid overdose fatality rates. We describe the demographic and geographical distribution of naloxone by NYC opioid overdose prevention programs (OOPPs; the primary distributor of naloxone to laypersons in NYC) as OEND was expanded in NYC.

Skin cancer treatment environment and survivorship resources among sexual and gender minority patients: results of the OUT National Cancer Survey.

Sexual and gender minority (SGM) cancer survivors face unmet care needs in accessing cancer health information and social support despite high satisfaction with treatment. SGM patients often delay care due to concerns of discrimination in healthcare settings, though the care experiences of SGM skin cancer survivors are less known. SGM individuals, particularly sexual minority men, report higher skin cancer prevalence and related risk behaviors than heterosexual men.

Growth of Private Equity and Hospital Consolidation in Primary Care and Price Implications.

Importance: Consolidation of physician practices by hospitals and private equity (PE) firms has increased rapidly. This trend is of particular importance within primary care. Despite its significance, there is no systematic evidence on the emerging trends in ownership affiliation of primary care physicians (PCPs) and its association with prices paid for physician services.

Trial of Labor After Cesarean Delivery in Individuals With Twin Pregnancies and Two Prior Cesarean Deliveries.

Objective: To investigate short-term maternal and neonatal outcomes in individuals with twin pregnancies and two prior cesarean deliveries who underwent trial of labor after cesarean (TOLAC).

Methods: A cross-sectional study of live-birth data was conducted between 2014 and 2021 in the United States. Individuals with more than two prior cesarean deliveries and multiple gestations higher than twins were excluded.

Consolidation in an Era of Population Health and Value-Based Care: Implications For Effectiveness, Costs, and Equity.

Consolidation of health care providers, and vertical integration of physicians with hospitals and/or payers has accelerated over the past 15 years. Although there is potential for consolidation to improve patient care, efficiencies and reduce overhead costs, participants in our conference identified that almost all research on consolidation has shown increased cost without improvement in outcomes or the experience of care. To provide a framework for considering the impact of consolidation, future research and analysis we offer 4 themes: (1) to move forward, we need to look back at historical drivers, value creation, and unintended consequences; (2) not all consolidation is created equally; (3) real-time, continuous evaluation is critical for improvement; and (4) a policy blueprint is desperately needed.

Real-world outcomes of first-line maintenance niraparib monotherapy in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer.

Aims: To assess real-world progression-free survival (rwPFS) and time to next treatment (rwTTNT) among patients with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) who received first-line maintenance (1LM) niraparib monotherapy.

Patients & Methods: In this US-nationwide, electronic health record-derived, deidentified database study, eligible patients with EOC initiated 1LM niraparib monotherapy (1 January 2017-1 December 2022) following first-line platinum-based chemotherapy. Median rwPFS and rwTTNT were estimated with Kaplan-Meier methodology overall and in a homologous recombination-deficient (HRd) subgroup (further stratified as wild-type [wt] or -mutated [m]).

Improved healthcare utilization and economic outcomes of chronic subdural hematoma treatment with middle meningeal artery embolization compared to conventional surgical drainage.

Background: Middle meningeal artery embolization (MMAE) emerges as an alternative to conventional surgical drainage (CSD) for chronic subdural hematomas (cSDH). Several studies have suggested that MMAE improves the cost efficacy of cSDH treatment. However, further comprehensive analyses of the outcomes and healthcare costs of MMAE are necessary.

Photoelectron Imaging and Photodetachment Spectroscopy for the Cryogenically Cooled Cyanocyclopentadienide Anion.

The cyano-cyclopentadiene molecule (CN-CH) has attracted significant interest since its detection in the interstellar medium, but the radical (CN-CH) and anionic (CN-CH) forms of cyano-cyclopentadiene have not been studied. The cyano-cyclopentadienyl radical (CN-Cp) has a strong dipole moment, rendering it an ideal system for vibrational and rotational spectroscopy. We report an investigation of the cryogenically cooled cyano-cyclopentadienide anion (CN-Cp) using high-resolution photoelectron imaging, photodetachment spectroscopy, and resonant photoelectron imaging.