Intracranial Nanogel Pellets Carrying Temozolomide and Paclitaxel for Adjuvant Brain Cancer Therapy.

Glioblastoma multiforme is the most frequently diagnosed primary malignant brain tumor. Despite multimodal therapy with surgical resection, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy, recurrence of the tumor is almost always guaranteed due to the infiltrative nature of the disease. Moreover, the blood brain barrier imparts an additional layer of complexity by impeding the delivery of therapeutic agents to the tumor, hence limiting the efficacy of systemically delivered drugs.

Cardiovascular disease in adults with osteogenesis imperfecta: Clinical characteristics, care recommendations and research priorities identified using a modified Delphi technique.

Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is a multisystem disorder most often caused by pathogenic variants in genes that encode type I collagen. Type I collagen is abundant not only in bone but also in multiple tissues including skin, tendons, cornea, blood vessels and heart. Thus, OI can be expected to affect cardiovascular system, and there are numerous reports of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in people with OI.

Complications of Middle Meningeal Artery Embolization: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Middle meningeal artery embolization (MMAE) is an established treatment option for chronic subdural hematoma. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to establish estimates of the pooled incidence for complications following MMAE.

Methods: PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane were searched for studies reporting complications following MMAE through January 2023.

Pediatric Prescribers' Knowledge of the Ew Meds List and Taste Masking.

Objective: The primary objective of this study was to determine pediatric prescribers' knowledge and confidence in identifying bad tasting liquid medications. The secondary objective examined the techniques used to mask the taste of liquid medications and whether any of the masking techniques recommended by prescribers were reported to be effective in children.

Methods: Nationally, health care prescribers were invited to participate in an online survey about medication tastes and masking practices.

Comparison of Adverse Effect Profiles of Nafcillin and Oxacillin in Pediatric Patients.

Objective: Data comparing the safety profiles of nafcillin and oxacillin are limited in the pediatric patient setting. This study was conducted to compare adverse effect profiles of nafcillin and oxacillin.

Methods: This was a single center retrospective study including patients admitted to a children's hospital who received either nafcillin or oxacillin.

MIBiG 4.0: advancing biosynthetic gene cluster curation through global collaboration.

Specialized or secondary metabolites are small molecules of biological origin, often showing potent biological activities with applications in agriculture, engineering and medicine. Usually, the biosynthesis of these natural products is governed by sets of co-regulated and physically clustered genes known as biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs). To share information about BGCs in a standardized and machine-readable way, the Minimum Information about a Biosynthetic Gene cluster (MIBiG) data standard and repository was initiated in 2015.

Older adult and caregiver needs for patient-centered outcomes research training in medication optimization.

Background: Improved health outcomes and lower costs have been reported with pharmacist-led patient-centered approaches to medication optimization in older adults, but heterogeneity in studies has complicated assessments of how well these approaches have worked. Among the challenges in advancing care from patient-centered research is uncertainty in how well research questions have matched patients' care needs. One strategy is to engage patients, ideally as equal partners, in the preparation, execution, and dissemination of research.

Microfluidics-generated PLA nanoparticles: impact of purification method on macrophage interactions, anti-inflammatory effects, biodistribution, and protein corona formation.

Polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) are traditionally formulated using batch methodologies that are poorly scalable and require time consuming, hands-on purification procedures. Here, we prepared poly(lactic acid) (PLA)-based polymeric NPs using a scalable microfluidics-based method and systematically investigated the impact of purification method (centrifugation tangential flow filtration (TFF)) to remove poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) on macrophage uptake, anti-inflammatory effects, biodistribution, and protein corona formation. TFF purification demonstrated significantly higher recovery of NPs compared to the centrifugation method, with little-to-no aggregation observed.

Dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine versus sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine for intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy: a systematic review and individual participant data meta-analysis.

Background: High-grade resistance to sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine in East and Southern Africa has prompted numerous trials evaluating intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy (IPTp) with dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine as an alternative to sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine.

Methods: We conducted individual participant data meta-analyses of randomised trials comparing IPTp with dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine to sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine on maternal, birth, and infant outcomes. We searched the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform, ClinicalTrials.

Student pharmacist counseling performance after hands-on continuous glucose monitoring education: A multi-institutional pragmatic randomized study.

Objective: To assess the impact of wearing a continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) device on student pharmacist counseling ability (primary), knowledge, confidence, and empathy (secondary).

Methods: Students from two institutions were randomized to wear a CGM device (intervention) vs not (control). All received CGM education via lecture and live demonstration.

Identification of an Intrinsically Disordered Region (IDR) in Arginyltransferase 1 (ATE1).

Arginyltransferase 1 (ATE1) catalyzes arginylation, an important posttranslational modification (PTM) in eukaryotes that plays a critical role in cellular homeostasis. The disruption of ATE1 function is implicated in mammalian neurodegenerative disorders and cardiovascular maldevelopment, while posttranslational arginylation has also been linked to the activities of several important human viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 and HIV. Despite the known significance of ATE1 in mammalian cellular function, past biophysical studies of this enzyme have mainly focused on yeast ATE1, leaving the mechanism of arginylation in mammalian cells unclear.

Applying the Andersen behavioral model to the medication therapy management program: an approach for improving medication safety in older adults.

Medication therapy problems (MTPs) are common among older adults and are associated with considerable morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs. The Medicare Part D Medication Therapy Management (MTM) program, which includes Comprehensive Medication Reviews (CMRs), Targeted Medication Reviews (TMRs), and guidance on safe medication disposal, is designed to optimize therapeutic outcomes and reduce adverse events by addressing MTPs. Although this program has demonstrated success in reducing MTPs, its utilization remains low, with ongoing concerns about service access disparities, patient satisfaction, and long-term health outcomes.

Modeling Ligand Binding Site Water Networks with Site Identification by Ligand Competitive Saturation: Impact on Ligand Binding Orientations and Relative Binding Affinities.

Appropriate treatment of water contributions to protein-ligand interactions is a very challenging problem in the context of adequately determining the number of waters to investigate and undertaking conformational sampling of the ligands, the waters, and the surrounding protein. In the present study, an extension of the Site Identification by Ligand Competitive Saturation-Monte Carlo (SILCS-MC) docking approach is presented that enables the determination of the location of water molecules in the binding pocket and their impact on the predicted ligand binding orientation and affinities. The approach, termed SILCS-WATER, involves MC sampling of the ligand along with explicit water molecules in a binding site followed by selection of a subset of waters within specified energetic and distance cutoffs that contribute to ligand binding and orientation.

Isolation of phytoconstituents from an extract of with cytotoxicity and antioxidant activities and evaluation of their potential to bind to aldose reductase (AKR1B1).

The study on (Orange Jasmine) stem bark extract found it to have antioxidant and cytotoxic proper-ties. The structures of the isolated phytoconstituents were determined using NMR spectroscopy. Compounds were evaluated for their potential to be aldose reductase inhibitors using molecular docking and dynamics (MD) simulations.

Best Practices for Delivering Neoadjuvant Therapy in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma.

Importance: Neoadjuvant therapy (NT) is an increasingly used treatment strategy for patients with localized pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Little research has been conducted on cancer care delivery during NT, and the standards for optimal delivery of NT have not been defined.

Objective: To develop consensus best practices for delivering NT to patients with localized PDAC.

The protective role of anti-parkinsonian drugs in pancreatic cancer risk: A comprehensive case-control study in Taiwan.

Pancreatic cancer is among the deadliest cancers, with a grim prognosis despite advances in treatment. We conducted a population-based case-control study from Taiwan, linking Health and Welfare Data Science Center data to the Taiwan Cancer Registry, which offers a promising strategy for its treatment through drug repurposing. The study aims to identify the association of anti-parkinsonian drugs with pancreatic cancer risk across different age groups.