National survey of financial burden and experience among patients with cancer and autoimmune disease receiving charitable copay assistance.

Background: Little is known about the role that charitable copay assistance (CPA) plays in addressing access to care and financial distress. The study sought to evaluate financial distress and experience with CPA among patients with cancer and autoimmune disease.

Methods: This is a national cross-sectional self-administered anonymous electronic survey conducted among recipients of CPA to cover the costs of a drug for cancer or autoimmune disease.

Novel Anti-Microbial/Anti-Inflammatory Combination Improves Clinical Outcome of Bacillus cereus Endophthalmitis.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the therapeutic potential of the novel combination of Bacillus bacteriophage lysin (PlyB) and a synthetic TLR2/4 inhibitor (oxidized 1-palmitoyl-2-arachidonoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine, OxPAPC) in the treatment of experimental Bacillus cereus endophthalmitis.

Methods: C57BL/6J mice were injected with 100 colony forming units (CFUs) Bacillus cereus to induce endophthalmitis. Two hours postinfection, groups of mice were treated with either PlyB, PlyB with OxPAPC, or the groups were left untreated to serve as a control.

Unlocking Platelet Mechanisms through Multi-Omics Integration: A Brief Review.

Platelets, tiny cell fragments measuring 2-4 μm in diameter without a nucleus, play a crucial role in blood clotting and maintaining vascular integrity. Abnormalities in platelets, whether genetic or acquired, are linked to bleeding disorders, increased risk of blood clots, and cardiovascular diseases. Advanced proteomic techniques offer profound insights into the roles of platelets in hemostasis and their involvement in processes such as inflammation, metastasis, and thrombosis.

Impact of antiparasitic therapy on cardiovascular outcomes in chronic Chagas disease. A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Endemic in more than 20 countries, Chagas disease affects 6.3 million people worldwide, leading to 28,000 new infections and 7700 deaths each year. Previous meta-analyses on antiparasitic treatment need updates to encompass recent studies and to assess key clinically meaningful endpoints.

A library of proton lineal energy spectra spanning the full range of clinically relevant energies.

Purpose: In locations where the proton energy spectrum is broad, lineal energy spectrum-based proton biological effects models may be more accurate than dose-averaged linear energy transfer (LET) based models. However, the development of microdosimetric spectrum-based biological effects models is hampered by the extreme computational difficulty of calculating microdosimetric spectra. Given a precomputed library of lineal energy spectra for monoenergetic protons, a weighted summation can be performed which yields the lineal energy spectrum of an arbitrary polyenergetic beam.

Benchmarking the Efficacy of Salvage Systemic Therapies for Recurrent Meningioma: A RANO Group Systematic Review and Meta-analysis to Guide Clinical Trial Design.

Background: Despite advances in our understanding of the molecular underpinnings of meningioma progression and innovations in systemic and local treatments, recurrent meningiomas remain a substantial therapeutic challenge. The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to provide a historical baseline, contemporary analysis, and propose a "rate of probable interest" to inform future clinical trial design and development on behalf of the RANO meningioma group.

Methods: PubMed, ClinicalTrials.

Interrogation of the Tumor Microenvironment by Nanoparticles.

The tumor microenvironment (TME) plays a pivotal role in cancer progression by fostering intricate multicellular crosstalk among cancer cells, stromal cells, and immune cells. This review explores the emerging paradigm of utilizing nanoparticles to disrupt this crosstalk within the TME as a therapeutic strategy. Nanoparticles are engineered with precise physicochemical properties to target specific cell types and deliver therapeutic payloads, thereby inhibiting critical signaling pathways involved in tumor growth, invasion, and metastasis.

Profiles of transdermal alcohol concentration and their prediction of negative and positive alcohol-related consequences in young adults' natural settings.

Objective: Transdermal alcohol concentration (TAC) sensors provide a multidimensional characterization of drinking events that self-reports cannot. These profiles may differ in their associated day-level alcohol-related consequences, but no research has tested this. We address this using multilevel latent profile analysis.

Cannabis use characteristics and associations with problematic use outcomes, quitting-related factors, and mental health among US young adults.

Objective: Given the changes in trends of cannabis use (e.g., product types), this study examined latent classes of young adult use and associations with use-related outcomes.

Comparative Efficacy and Safety of Tissue Plasminogen Activators (tPA) in Acute Ischemic Stroke: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Background: Intravenous alteplase (ALT) is the standard treatment for acute ischemic stroke (AIS). However, recent trials comparing other tissue plasminogen activators (tPAs) like tenecteplase (TNK) and reteplase with ALT have yielded conflicting results. This necessitated a network meta-analysis to compare the efficacy and safety of various tPAs in AIS patients.

The role of the Mediterranean diet in reducing the risk of cognitive impairement, dementia, and Alzheimer's disease: a meta-analysis.

Age-related cognitive impairment and dementia pose a significant global health, social, and economic challenge. While Alzheimer's disease (AD) has historically been viewed as the leading cause of dementia, recent evidence reveals the considerable impact of vascular cognitive impairment and dementia (VCID), which now accounts for nearly half of all dementia cases. The Mediterranean diet-characterized by high consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish, and olive oil-has been widely recognized for its cardiovascular benefits and may also reduce the risk of cognitive decline and dementia.

Cost Conversations to Mitigate the Effects of Financial Toxicity in Oncology: Current State, Opportunities, and Barriers.

The direct and indirect financial burden of cancer care, from medication costs to lost wages, results in financial toxicity for patients. Despite the growing recognition of financial toxicity as a problem for patients, there are few solutions available at the point of care. Structured cost conversations between oncologists and patients to help identify financial toxicity and intervene early when it is recognized have been posited as a patient facing intervention.

Financial Toxicity in Older Adults With Cancer and Their Caregivers.

With advances in cancer treatment, long-term survival rates have improved in recent decades, resulting in extended life expectancies for many patients. This progress brings substantial challenges, however, particularly in terms of the costs associated with cancer care. The financial burden, often considerable, poses difficulties for older adults with cancer and their caregivers.

Screening for Financial Toxicity in Oncology Research and Practice: A Narrative Review.

Financial toxicity (FT) is now a well-recognized issue affecting many patients with cancer and their families. The field is rapidly moving from a focus on describing this problem to efforts to optimize screening and identify management solutions. There are now multiple validated tools to study FT in the research setting.

Activity of Platinum Chemotherapy in Men With Prostate Cancer With and Without DNA Damage Repair Mutations.

Introduction: Alterations in homologous recombination repair (HRR) genes occur in 20%-30% of men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) which may increase sensitivity to platinum chemotherapy. Specifically, exceptional responses to platinum chemotherapy have been reported among patients with BRCA mutations. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of platinum chemotherapy in patients with mCRPC with and without HRR.

Neoadjuvant or concurrent atezolizumab with chemoradiation for locally advanced cervical cancer: a randomized phase I trial.

Combined immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) and chemoradiation (CRT) is approved in patients with locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC) but optimal sequencing of CRT and ICB is unknown. NRG-GY017 (NCT03738228) was a randomized phase I trial of atezolizumab (anti-PD-L1) neoadjuvant and concurrent with CRT (Arm A) vs. concurrent with CRT (Arm B) in patients with high-risk node-positive LACC.

Examining the use of interoceptive exposure exercises in people with and without a history of chronic physical health problems.

Interoceptive exposure (IE) exercises are underused, especially in people with chronic physical health problems. Secondary data analyses were conducted to examine the use of and acute responses to IE exercises in individuals with and without a history of chronic physical health problem(s). Participants ( = 413; Mage = 38.

Trends and disparities in cardiovascular disease-related mortality among adults with myeloproliferative neoplasms in USA.

Aims: We aimed to perform a retrospective cohort study using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) Wide-Ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (WONDER) database to analyse the trends in cardiovascular disease (CVD)-related mortality in patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) from 1999 to 2020.

Methods And Results: We analysed the death certificate data from the CDC WONDER database from 1999 to 2020 for CVD with co-morbid myeloproliferative disorders in the US population. Age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were computed per 1 million population by standardizing crude mortality rates to the 2000 US census population.

'Applications of machine learning in liposomal formulation and development'.

Machine learning (ML) has emerged as a transformative tool in drug delivery, particularly in the design and optimization of liposomal formulations. This review focuses on the intersection of ML and liposomal technology, highlighting how advanced algorithms are accelerating formulation processes, predicting key parameters, and enabling personalized therapies. ML-driven approaches are restructuring formulation development by optimizing liposome size, stability, and encapsulation efficiency while refining drug release profiles.

Selpercatinib mitigates cancer cachexia independent of anti-tumor activity in the HT1080 tumor model.

Anorexia is a major cause of cancer cachexia and is induced by growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF15), which activates the rearranged during transfection (RET) protein tyrosine kinase in the hindbrain through GDF family receptor α-like (GFRAL), raising the possibility of targeting RET for cancer cachexia treatment. RET-altered cancer patients treated with RET-selective kinase inhibitors gain weight, however, it is unclear whether this results from tumor regression that improves the overall health of patients. Thus, the potential of using a RET inhibitor to address cancer cachexia remains unknown.

Prognostic impact of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP1R) expression on cancer survival and its implications for GLP-1R agonist therapy: an integrative analysis across multiple tumor types.

Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonists, such as exenatide (Byetta, Bydureon), liraglutide (Victoza, Saxenda), albiglutide (Tanzeum), dulaglutide (Trulicity), lixisenatide (Lyxumia, Adlyxin), semaglutide (Ozempic, Rybelsus, Wegovy), and tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound), are widely used for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and obesity. While these agents are well known for their metabolic benefits, there is growing interest in their potential effects on cancer biology. However, the role of GLP-1R agonists in cancer remains complex and not fully understood, particularly across different tumor types.

Cerebromicrovascular mechanisms contributing to long COVID: implications for neurocognitive health.

Long COVID (also known as post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection [PASC] or post-COVID syndrome) is characterized by persistent symptoms that extend beyond the acute phase of SARS-CoV-2 infection, affecting approximately 10% to over 30% of those infected. It presents a significant clinical challenge, notably due to pronounced neurocognitive symptoms such as brain fog. The mechanisms underlying these effects are multifactorial, with mounting evidence pointing to a central role of cerebromicrovascular dysfunction.

Impact of adherence to the Mediterranean diet on stroke risk.

Stroke is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, and dietary patterns have emerged as a significant modifiable factor in stroke prevention. The Mediterranean diet, characterized by high intake of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, olive oil, and fish, has been widely recognized for its cardiovascular benefits. However, its specific impact on stroke risk requires further elucidation.