Quantitation of Cabozantinib in Human Plasma by LC-MS/MS.

To support a phase III randomized trial of the multi-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor cabozantinib in neuroendocrine tumors, we developed a high-performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry method to quantitate cabozantinib in 50 μL of human plasma. After acetonitrile protein precipitation, chromatographic separation was achieved with a Phenomenex synergy polar reverse phase (4 μm, 2 × 50 mm) column and a gradient of 0.1% formic acid in acetonitrile and 0.

Resident and circulating memory T cells persist for years in melanoma patients with durable responses to immunotherapy.

While T-cell responses to cancer immunotherapy have been avidly studied, long-lived memory has been poorly characterized. In a cohort of metastatic melanoma survivors with exceptional responses to immunotherapy, we probed memory CD8 T-cell responses across tissues, and across several years. Single-cell RNA sequencing revealed three subsets of resident memory T (T) cells shared between tumors and distant vitiligo-affected skin.

A guide to setting up and managing a lab at a research-intensive institution.

Postdocs who land faculty jobs at research-intensive institutions need to juggle several new large-scale tasks: identifying space and equipment needs for their lab, negotiating the hiring package, outfitting the lab with supplies, building a team, and learning to manage time in ways that can promote productivity and happiness. Here we share tips to help new hires think clearly about each of these tasks.

A comparison of SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid and spike antibody detection using three commercially available automated immunoassays.

Introduction: Commercially available serological assays for SARS-CoV-2 detect antibodies to either the nucleocapsid or spike protein. Here we compare the performance of the Beckman-Coulter SARS-CoV-2 spike IgG assay to that of the Abbott SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid IgG and Roche Anti-SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid total antibody assays. In addition, we document the trend in nucleocapsid and spike antibodies in sequential samples collected from convalescent plasma donors.

Breast Cancer Risk and Screening in Transgender Persons: A Call for Inclusive Care.

The Society of Surgical Oncology is committed to reducing health disparities adversely affecting sexual and gender minorities. Transgender persons represent a socially disadvantaged group who frequently experience discrimination and receive disparate care, resulting in suboptimal cancer outcomes. The rate of breast cancer development in transgender individuals differs from rates observed in their cisgender counterparts, however there is little evidence to quantify these differences and guide evidence-based screening and prevention.

AACC Guidance Document on Laboratory Testing for the Assessment of Preterm Delivery.

Identifying women with preterm labor who will go on to deliver prematurely is crucial to improving outcomes for mother and baby and for saving healthcare resources. Even among those with symptoms, the number of women who deliver preterm is low, and thus the low positive predictive value (PPV) and high negative predictive value (NPV) associated with available biomarkers does not substantially reduce the uncertainty of the clinical diagnosis. While there is some promise in the use of fetal fibronectin (fFN), interleukin 6 (IL-6), or placental alpha microglobulin 1 (PAMG-1) for predicting preterm birth (PTB), their use is unlikely to provide considerable clinical value in populations with a low prevalence.

Orthopaedic Surgeon Physiological Indicators of Strain as Measured by a Wearable Fitness Device.

Introduction: Symptoms of stress, depression, and burnout are prevalent in medicine, adversely affecting physician performance. We investigated real-time measurements of physiological strain in orthopaedic resident and faculty surgeon volunteers and identified potential daily stressors.

Methods: We performed a prospective blinded cohort pilot study in our academic orthopaedic department.

Large intraperitoneal lipoleiomyoma in a pre-menopausal woman: a case report.

Background: Lipoleiomyoma is a rare, benign variant of the commonplace uterine leiomyoma. Unlike leiomyoma, these tumors are composed of smooth muscle cells admixed with mature adipose tissue. While rare, they are most frequently identified in the uterus, but even more infrequently have been described in extrauterine locations.

Overutilization of surgical resection for benign colorectal polyps: analysis from a tertiary care center.

Adequate removal of precancerous polyps is an independent factor in colorectal cancer prevention. Despite advances in polypectomy techniques, there is an increasing rate of surgery for benign polyps. We assessed whether surgical resection is properly utilized for benign colorectal polyps.

DNA damage response in vascular endothelial senescence: Implication for radiation-induced cardiovascular diseases.

A post-exposure cohort study in Hiroshima and Nagasaki reported that low-dose exposure to radiation heightened the risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD), such as stroke and myocardial infarction, by 14-18% per Gy. Moreover, the risk of atherosclerosis in the coronary arteries reportedly increases with radiation therapy of the chest, including breast and lung cancer treatment. Cellular senescence of vascular endothelial cells (ECs) is believed to play an important role in radiation-induced CVDs.

Infant Feeding Alters the Longitudinal Impact of Birth Mode on the Development of the Gut Microbiota in the First Year of Life.

Cesarean-delivered (CD) infants harbor a distinct gut microbiome from vaginally delivered (VD) infants, however, during infancy, the most important driver of infant gut microbial colonization is infant feeding. Earlier studies have shown that breastfeeding is associated with higher levels of health-promoting bacteria such and and via modulation of the immune system, and production of metabolites. As the infant gut matures and solid foods are introduced, it is unclear whether longer duration of breast feeding restore loss of beneficial taxa within the intestinal microbiota of operatively delivered infants.

A Family of Toxoplasma gondii Genes Related to GRA12 Regulate Cyst Burdens and Cyst Reactivation.

causes a chronic infection that renders the immunocompromised human host susceptible to toxoplasmic encephalitis triggered by cyst reactivation in the central nervous system. The dense granule protein GRA12 is a major parasite virulence factor required for parasite survival during acute infection. Here, we characterized the role of four GRA12-related genes in acute and chronic stages of infection.

Surgical Diseases are Common and Complicated for Criminal Justice Involved Populations.

Background: At any given time, almost 2 million individuals are in prisons or jails in the United States. Incarceration status has been associated with disproportionate rates of cancer and infectious diseases. However, little is known about the burden emergency general surgery (EGS) in criminal justice involved (CJI) populations.

Sessile serrated lesion detection rates during average risk screening colonoscopy: A systematic review and meta-analysis of the published literature.

 Sessile serrated lesion (SSL) detection rate has been variably reported and unlike adenoma detection rate (ADR) is not currently a quality indicator for screening colonoscopy. Composite detection rates of SSL in patients undergoing average risk screening colonoscopy are not available.  Electronic database search (Medline, Embase and Cochrane) was conducted for studies reporting detection rates of serrated polyps (SSL, Hyperplastic polyp, traditional serrated adenoma) among average risk subjects undergoing screening colonoscopy.

Expansible residence decentralizes immune homeostasis.

In metazoans, specific tasks are relegated to dedicated organs that are established early in development, occupy discrete locations and typically remain fixed in size. The adult immune system arises from a centralized haematopoietic niche that maintains self-renewing potential, and-upon maturation-becomes distributed throughout the body to monitor environmental perturbations, regulate tissue homeostasis and mediate organism-wide defence. Here we examine how immunity is integrated within adult mouse tissues, and address issues of durability, expansibility and contributions to organ cellularity.

Benefits, limitations, and controversies on patient-based real-time quality control (PBRTQC) and the evidence behind the practice.

Background: In recent years, there has been renewed interest in the "old" average of normals concept, now generally referred to as moving average quality control (MA QC) or patient-based real-time quality control (PBRTQC). However, there are some controversies regarding PBRTQC which this review aims to address while also indicating the current status of PBRTQC.

Content: This review gives the background of certain newly described optimization and validation methods.

Nudging patients and surgeons to change ambulatory surgery pain management: Results from an opioid buyback program.

Background: Optimal postoperative opioid stewardship combines adequate pain medication to control expected discomfort while avoiding abuse and community diversion of unused prescribed opioids. We hypothesized that an opioid buyback program would motivate patients to return unused opioids, and surgeons will use that data to calibrate prescribing.

Methods: Prospective cohort study of postambulatory surgery pain management at a level II Veterans Affairs rural hospital (2017-2019).

BREAST-Q Outcomes before and after Bilateral Reduction Mammaplasty.

Background: The BREAST-Q is the only questionnaire specific to bilateral breast reduction that was developed according to federal and international standards. Many payors mandate minimum resection weights for preapproval, despite lacking supportive evidence for this practice. This study aimed to assess changes in BREAST-Q scores after bilateral breast reduction, and determine whether compliance with Schnur requirements impacts improvement in patient-reported outcomes.

Autologous Fascia Lata for Combined Sacrocolpopexy and Rectopexy.

We present a case series and video of our technique using autologous fascia lata for combined sacrocolpopexy and rectopexy, with or without resection.