The effect of antibiotic prophylaxis duration on infection rates and outcomes after head and neck reconstruction with bony free flaps and hardware.

Background: Although the literature supports a shorter course of 24 h of prophylaxis after head and neck free flap reconstruction, studies supporting this duration do not differentiate between flap types. There is a paucity of evidence on the optimal duration of prophylaxis for osteocutaneous free flaps with hardware, which may have higher rates of post-operative complications compared to other free flaps. This study aimed to examine the effect of different lengths of antibiotic prophylaxis on surgical site infection (SSI) rates after head and neck reconstruction with osteocutaneous free flaps and hardware.

SMYD3 represses tumor-intrinsic interferon response in HPV-negative squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.

Cancers often display immune escape, but the mechanisms are incompletely understood. Herein, we identify SMYD3 as a mediator of immune escape in human papilloma virus (HPV)-negative head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), an aggressive disease with poor response to immunotherapy with pembrolizumab. SMYD3 depletion induces upregulation of multiple type I interferon (IFN) response and antigen presentation machinery genes in HNSCC cells.

Cancer disparities related to poverty and rurality for 22 top cancers in Florida.

We aimed to examine poverty and rurality as potential predictors of cancer health disparities. This cross-sectional study used data from the Florida Cancer Data System on all cancer diagnoses in the years 2014-2018 to determine age-adjusted incidence and mortality (per 100,000 population) for the 22 most common cancer sites within rural and urban counties, and high poverty and low poverty communities. Rural/urban and high/low poverty related cancer disparities were tested for statistical significance using the Rate Ratio statistical test.

Cancer cells depend on environmental lipids for proliferation when electron acceptors are limited.

Production of oxidized biomass, which requires regeneration of the cofactor NAD, can be a proliferation bottleneck that is influenced by environmental conditions. However, a comprehensive quantitative understanding of metabolic processes that may be affected by NAD deficiency is currently missing. Here, we show that de novo lipid biosynthesis can impose a substantial NAD consumption cost in proliferating cancer cells.

A Socio-Ecological Framework for Cancer Prevention in Low and Middle-Income Countries.

Cancer incidence and mortality rates continue to rise globally, a trend mostly driven by preventable cancers occurring in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs). There is growing concern that many LMICs are ill-equipped to cope with markedly increased burden of cancer due to lack of comprehensive cancer control programs that incorporate primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention strategies. Notably, few countries have allocated budgets to implement such programs.

Activity of Sorafenib Plus Capecitabine in Previously Treated Metastatic Colorectal Cancer.

Lessons Learned: Treatment for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) typically involves multiple lines of therapy with eventual development of treatment resistance. In this single-arm, phase II study involving heavily pretreated patients, the combination of sorafenib and capecitabine yielded a clinically meaningful progression-free survival of 6.2 months with an acceptable toxicity profile.

Evaluating learning curves and competence in colorectal EMR among advanced endoscopy fellows: a pilot multicenter prospective trial using cumulative sum analysis.

Background And Aims: Data on colorectal EMR (C-EMR) training are lacking. We aimed to evaluate C-EMR training among advanced endoscopy fellows (AEFs) by using a standardized assessment tool (STAT).

Methods: This multicenter prospective study used a STAT to grade AEF training in C-EMR during their 12-month fellowship.

A Qualitative Study of the Communication Process for Medical Acupuncture in Family Medicine.

Background And Objectives: As evidence establishes the efficacy of medical acupuncture, more family physicians and family medicine residents may receive medical acupuncture training and need to know how to effectively communicate about the treatment option with patients. By identifying how physicians talk about acupuncture treatment with their patients, we aimed to develop a model for physician training that could enhance their ability to integrate and practice medical acupuncture in conventional clinical settings.

Methods: To capture the communication process that family physicians engage in when integrating acupuncture treatment into a clinical environment, we sought both physicians' and patients' perspectives.

CENP-B protects centromere chromatin integrity by facilitating histone deposition via the H3.3-specific chaperone Daxx.

Background: The main chromatin unit, the nucleosome, can be modulated by the incorporation of histone variants that, in combination with posttranslational histones modifications, determine epigenetics properties of chromatin. Understanding the mechanism that creates a histone variants landscape at different genomic elements is expected to elevate our comprehension of chromatin assembly and function. The Daxx chaperone deposits transcription-associated histone H3.

The histone chaperone DAXX maintains the structural organization of heterochromatin domains.

Background: The death domain-associated protein (DAXX) collaborates with accessory proteins to deposit the histone variant H3.3 into mouse telomeric and pericentromeric repeat DNA. Pericentromeric repeats are the main genetic contributor to spatially discrete, compact, constitutive heterochromatic structures called chromocentres.