Contemporary prostate cancer radiation therapy trials may underestimate the risk of biochemical recurrence.

Background: Radiotherapy is often given with androgen deprivation therapy for prostate cancer which causes a reduction in testosterone levels, which when below castrate levels, can cause the prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels to be artificially low.

Aim: To determine if high-level radiotherapy clinical trials are underestimating biochemical recurrence (BCR) rates due to inadequate measurement of testosterone levels.

Methods: The study plans for clinical trials performed by the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG [now NRG]) on clinicaltrials.

Advancing Drug Development in Myelodysplastic Syndromes.

Myelodysplastic syndromes/neoplasms (MDS) are heterogeneous stem cell malignancies characterized by poor prognosis and no curative therapies outside of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Despite some recent approvals by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), (e.g.

Epidemiology of Consumer Product-Related Ocular Injuries in the Incarcerated Population.

Purpose: To characterize the epidemiology of consumer product-related ocular injury in the United States (US) incarcerated population, and identify preventable causes.

Methods: The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) database was queried for cases of eye injury from 2014 to 2023. Incarcerated cases were identified using the keywords "prison", "jail", "inmate", and "incarcerate".

Reoperation Rate Following Thumb Basal Joint Arthroplasty: A Minimum Follow-Up Period of 5 Years.

Purpose: Thumb basal joint arthroplasty (BJA) performed for thumb basal joint arthritis is associated with high patient satisfaction. However, complications requiring reoperation occur, with a previously reported early reoperation rate (within 2 years) of 1.5%.

Quantifying capacity of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery in Zimbabwe.

Objectives: To evaluate the otolaryngology surgical capacity in Harare, Zimbabwe by analyzing procedural volumes across four hospitals, one private and three public, from 2019 to 2022.

Methods: A retrospective review of hand-written surgical case logs was conducted at Harare Eye, Ear, Nose, and Throat Institute (HEENT), Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals (PGH), Sally Mugabe Children's Hospital (SMCH), and Sally Mugabe Adult's Hospital (SMAH). Patient age and surgical intervention for all otolaryngology surgeries performed in the operating room from 2019 to 2022 were recorded.

Identification of CT based radiomic biomarkers for progression free survival in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

This study addresses the limited noninvasive tools for Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC) progression-free survival (PFS) prediction by identifying Computed Tomography (CT)-based biomarkers for predicting prognosis. A retrospective analysis was conducted on data from 203 HNSCC patients. An ensemble feature selection involving correlation analysis, univariate survival analysis, best-subset selection, and the LASSO-Cox algorithm was used to select functional features, which were then used to build final Cox Proportional Hazards models (CPH).

Low-temperature vacuum evaporation as a novel dehydration process for the long-term preservation of transplantable human corneal tissue.

Globally there is a shortage of available donor corneas with only 1 cornea available for every 70 needed. A large limitation to corneal transplant surgery is access to quality donor tissue due to inadequate eye donation services and infrastructure in many countries, compounded by the fact that there are few available long-term storage solutions for effectively preserving spare donor corneas collected in countries with a surplus. In this study, we describe a novel technology termed low-temperature vacuum evaporation (LTVE) that can effectively dry-preserve surplus donor corneal tissue, allowing it to be stored for approximately 5 years, shipped at room temperature, and stored on hospital shelves before rehydration prior to ophthalmic surgery.

Neoadjuvant Nivolumab Plus Ipilimumab Versus Chemotherapy in Resectable Lung Cancer.

Purpose: Neoadjuvant immune checkpoint blockade with nivolumab plus ipilimumab improves overall survival (OS) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC); however, randomized data for resectable lung cancer are limited. We report results from the exploratory concurrently randomized nivolumab plus ipilimumab and chemotherapy arms of the international phase III CheckMate 816 trial.

Methods: Adults with stage IB-IIIA (American Joint Committee on Cancer seventh edition) resectable NSCLC received three cycles of nivolumab once every 2 weeks plus one cycle of ipilimumab or three cycles of chemotherapy (on day 1 or days 1 and 8 of each 3-week cycle) followed by surgery.

Measurable residual disease and posttransplantation gilteritinib maintenance for patients with FLT3-ITD-mutated AML.

BMT CTN 1506 ("MORPHO"; NCT02997202) was a randomized phase 3 study of gilteritinib compared to placebo as maintenance therapy after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) for patients with FLT3-ITD-mutated acute myeloid leukemia (AML). A key secondary endpoint was to determine the impact on survival of pre- and/or post-HCT measurable residual disease (MRD), as determined using a highly sensitive assay for FLT3-ITD mutations. Generally, gilteritinib maintenance therapy was associated with improved relapse-free survival (RFS) for participants with detectable peri-HCT MRD, whereas no benefit was evident for those lacking detectable MRD.

The Use of Retinal Imaging Including Fundoscopy, OCT, and OCTA for Cardiovascular Risk Stratification and the Detection of Subclinical Atherosclerosis.

Purpose Of Review: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of preventable morbidity and mortality globally, and retinal imaging modalities (old and new) are being explored as noninvasive tools to predict latent atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. This review focuses on the emerging promise of fundoscopy, optical coherence tomography (OCT), and optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) in CVD prognostication.

Recent Findings: High-quality studies have established the utility of vessel-based parameters and discrete conditions diagnosable via fundoscopy in subclinical atherosclerosis detection or CVD prediction.

Defining ortholog-specific UHRF1 inhibition by STELLA for cancer therapy.

UHRF1 maintains DNA methylation by recruiting DNA methyltransferases to chromatin. In mouse, these dynamics are potently antagonized by a natural UHRF1 inhibitory protein STELLA, while the comparable effects of its human ortholog are insufficiently characterized, especially in cancer cells. Herein, we demonstrate that human STELLA (hSTELLA) is inadequate, while mouse STELLA (mSTELLA) is fully proficient in inhibiting the abnormal DNA methylation and oncogenic functions of UHRF1 in human cancer cells.

The potential impact of optimal blood pressure treatment intensity to reduce disparities in dementia between Black and White individuals.

Background: Black adults have higher dementia risk than White adults. Whether tighter population-level blood pressure (BP) control reduces this disparity is unknown.

Objective: Estimate the impact of optimal BP treatment intensity on racial disparities in dementia.

Modulation of Monocyte Effector Functions and Gene Expression by Human Cytomegalovirus Infection.

Monocytes are crucial players in innate immunity. The human cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection has significant impacts on monocyte effector functions and gene expression. CMV, a β-herpesvirus, disrupts key monocyte roles, including phagocytosis, antigen presentation, cytokine production, and migration, impairing their ability to combat pathogens and activate adaptive immune responses.

Mesoporous Polydopamine Nano-Bowls Demonstrate a High Entrapment Efficiency and pH-Responsive Release of Paclitaxel for Suppressing A549 Lung Cancer Cell Proliferation In Vitro.

The effectiveness of paclitaxel (PTX) in treating non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) is restricted by its poor pharmacokinetic profile and side effects. This limitation stems from the lack of a suitable delivery vector to efficiently target cancer cells. Therefore, there is a critical need to develop an efficient carrier for the optimised delivery of PTX in NSCLC therapy.

Evaluating the Impact of a Novel Program to Address Acute Food Insecurity Among Cancer Patients.

Introduction: Acute food insecurity (FI) significantly impacts cancer patients' health, exacerbating physical and psychological burdens. While current interventions address chronic FI, acute cases remain undermanaged. Legacy of Hope, a Philadelphia-based non-profit, addresses this gap through its Emergency Patient Support Network (EPSN), offering free bi-weekly groceries to patients facing acute FI.

The Role of microRNA-155 as a Biomarker in Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma.

Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Despite the use of newer agents, such as polatuzumab vedotin, more than one-third of patients have ultimately relapsed or experienced refractory disease. MiRNAs are single-stranded, ~22-nucleotide-long RNAs that interact with their target RNA.

Artificial Intelligence-Based Methodologies for Early Diagnostic Precision and Personalized Therapeutic Strategies in Neuro-Ophthalmic and Neurodegenerative Pathologies.

Advancements in neuroimaging, particularly diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques and molecular imaging with positron emission tomography (PET), have significantly enhanced the early detection of biomarkers in neurodegenerative and neuro-ophthalmic disorders. These include Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, neuromyelitis optica, and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody disease. This review highlights the transformative role of advanced diffusion MRI techniques-Neurite Orientation Dispersion and Density Imaging and Diffusion Kurtosis Imaging-in identifying subtle microstructural changes in the brain and visual pathways that precede clinical symptoms.

Progress Toward Epigenetic Targeted Therapies for Childhood Cancer.

Among the most significant discoveries from cancer genomics efforts has been the critical role of epigenetic dysregulation in cancer development and progression. Studies across diverse cancer types have revealed frequent mutations in genes encoding epigenetic regulators, alterations in DNA methylation and histone modifications, and a dramatic reorganization of chromatin structure. Epigenetic changes are especially relevant to pediatric cancers, which are often characterized by a low rate of genetic mutations.

Complications Following Surgical Management of Zenker Diverticulum: A Comparative Analysis of Endoscopic and Open Approaches.

Objective: We aim to explore the differences in complication rates in endoscopic versus open transcervical treatment of Zenker diverticulum.

Study Design: Retrospective Cohort Study from January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2023.

Setting: Queries of the TriNetX database's United States Collaborative Network.

E-Cigarette switching and financial incentives to promote combustible cigarette cessation among adults accessing shelter services: A pilot study.

Background: Smoking prevalence among U.S. adults experiencing homelessness is ≥70 %.

NECTIN-4 PET FOR OPTIMIZING ENFORTUMAB VEDOTIN DOSE-RESPONSE IN UROTHELIAL CARCINOMA.

The optimization of dosing strategies is critical for maximizing efficacy and minimizing toxicity in drug development, particularly for drugs with narrow therapeutic windows such as antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs). This study demonstrates the utility of Nectin-4-targeted positron emission tomography (PET) imaging using [Ga]AJ647 as a non-invasive tool for real-time assessment of target engagement in enfortumab vedotin (EV) therapy for urothelial carcinoma (UC). By leveraging the specificity of [Ga]AJ647 for Nectin-4, we quantified dynamic changes in target engagement across preclinical models and established its correlation with therapeutic outcomes.

A Vulnerable Subtype of Dopaminergic Neurons Drives Early Motor Deficits in Parkinson's Disease.

In Parkinson's disease, dopaminergic neurons (DANs) in the midbrain gradually degenerate, with ventral substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) DANs exhibiting greater vulnerability. However, it remains unclear whether specific molecular subtypes of ventral SNc DANs are more susceptible to degeneration in PD, and if they contribute to the early motor symptoms associated with the disease. We identified a subtype of + DANs, +, which are selectively lost earlier than other DANs, and with a time course that aligns with the development of motor symptoms in MitoPark mice.

Modern Digital Query Analytics of Patient Education Materials on Acanthosis Nigricans: Systematic Search and Content Analysis.

Background: Online digital materials are integral to patient education and health care outcomes in dermatology. Acanthosis nigricans (AN) is a common condition, often associated with underlying diseases such as insulin resistance. Patients frequently search the internet for information related to this cutaneous finding.