Measuring Patient Participation Burden in Clinical Outcome Assessments for Clinical Trials.

Background: Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS), in collaboration with ZS and Tufts CSDD, recently conducted a detailed evaluation of participation burden associated with clinical outcome assessments, including patient reported outcomes.

Methods: A mixed-methods approach was used including an online global survey followed by in-depth interviews with patients and investigative sites to understand underlying causes of participation burden.

Results: 258 patients completed the online survey, 12 interviews were conducted among patients, and 12 interviews were conducted among investigative site personnel.

Unveiling Targeted Approaches to Combat Drug Resistance in Cancer Chemotherapy.

Despite significant advancements in medical science, cancer continues to be a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. A key factor contributing to this persistent burden is the emergence of resistance to conventional therapeutic modalities, including chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery. This phenomenon of drug resistance significantly hampers the efficacy of these treatments, leading to therapeutic failure and poor clinical outcomes.

Anomalous Origin of the Left Coronary Artery From the Right Pulmonary Artery (ALCARPA): A Case Report.

Although the congenitally anomalous left coronary artery (LCA) is a rare condition, it can give rise to a most rare case, which is an anomalous LCA from the right pulmonary artery (RPA) (ALCARPA). If left untreated, ALCARPA results in myocardial territories receiving low-pressure, oxygen-poor blood. A male infant aged eight months exhibited signs of respiratory distress, poor feeding, and precordial activity.

TRIM29 upregulation contributes to chemoresistance in triple negative breast cancer via modulating S100P-β-catenin axis.

Triple negative breast cancer, an inherently aggressive disease, is further impaired by the limited therapeutic options and chemotherapy-resistance; hence, elucidating the signaling nodes underlying chemotherapy resistance is of major interest. Focusing on the differentially expressed genes in recurrent TNBC, we identified TRIM29, a ubiquitin ligase belonging to TRIM family, as a uniquely enriched protein in chemoresistant TNBC. Here, we demonstrate that chemoresistant TNBC cells are inherently aggressive, exhibiting elevated growth and migration potential compared to chemosensitive cells, and in particular, they possess higher TRIM29 expression whose expression level modulation results in altered chemosensitivity.

Electrochemical microfluidic biosensors for the detection of cancer biomarker miRNAs.

Cancer is a formidable adversary in contemporary healthcare. Routine screening and early diagnosis are crucial for favourable therapeutic outcomes. Publications, clinical trials, and patent landscape analysis suggest miRNA as promising biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis of various cancers.

The Impact of TRPM8 on Prostate Cancer Transcriptomic Dynamics.

Prostate cancer (PC) remains a significant health challenge, with androgen receptor (AR) signaling playing a pivotal role in its progression. This study investigates the expression and functional implications of the transient receptor potential melastatin 8 (TRPM8) channel in PC, focusing on its interaction with AR and its impact on oncogenic pathways. We analyzed mRNA expression levels of TRPM8 and AR in PC tissues, revealing that TRPM8 is upregulated in benign and early-stage tumors but significantly downregulated in metastatic samples.

Health needs of a large cohort of newly arrived Afghan evacuee children following arrival in the United States.

Objective: In 2021, approximately 82,000 Afghan civilians were emergently evacuated to the United States (US). Almost half of them were children. This study describes the healthcare needs of all evacuee children referred for urgent or emergent care in two large health systems in the months following the evacuation, highlighting important considerations for emergency response in pediatric evacuee populations.

Predictive modelling of knee osteoporosis.

Objective: The objective of this research was to develop a machine learning-based predictive model for osteoporosis screening using demographic and clinical data, including T-scores derived from calcaneus Quantitative Ultrasound (QUS). The study aimed to offer a cost-effective and accessible alternative to Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA) scans, especially in resource-constrained settings.

Results: The model achieved a classification accuracy of 88%, outperforming traditional decision trees by 10%.

Analysis of resurgeries following primary glaucoma surgical intervention in a tertiary care center.

Purpose: To analyze the demographic characteristics, causes, risk factors, and outcomes of resurgeries following primary glaucoma surgery.

Methods: This retrospective observational study analyzed medical records of patients who underwent resurgeries following primary glaucoma surgeries conducted from January 1, 2018, to December 31, 2020. The investigation included an assessment of preoperative risk factors, reasons prompting resurgery (such as complications or failure), types of interventions, and their respective outcomes.

Safety and efficacy of micropulse in pediatric eyes with refractory glaucoma.

Purpose: To analyze the safety and efficacy of micropulse transscleral cyclophotocoagulation (MP-TSCPC) in pediatric eyes with refractory glaucoma.

Design: Hospital-based prospective interventional study.

Methods: Patients less than 18 years of age, receiving MP-TSCPC between December 1, 2022 and May 31, 2023 with at least three follow-ups within 6 months period, were included in the study.

Chemical degradation as an enabling pathway to polymersome functionalization.

Readiness and the ability to functionalize are the fundamental features of natural living systems. Understanding the chemical roots of functionalization is a basic quest for the generation of new materials in the laboratory and chemistry-based natural-life-mimicking artificial or synthetic living systems. Using polymerization-induced self-assembly (PISA) and starting from a homogeneous aqueous blend of a few strictly non-biochemical compounds, it is possible to create amphiphiles that can self-boot into submicron supramolecular objects (micelles).

Ready, set, yellow! color preference of Indian free-ranging dogs.

Most of the research on color vision related behaviors in dogs has involved training the dogs to perform visual discrimination tasks. We investigated the importance of color to untrained Indian free-ranging dogs (FRDs). Using one-time multi-option choice tests for color preference in 134 adult dogs, we found the dogs to prefer yellow objects over blue or gray ones while there was no preference between blue and gray.

Impact of an institutional antifungal stewardship program on antifungal usage and outcomes in patients with invasive fungal infections.

Therapeutic and prophylactic use of antifungals is rising continuously. However, inadequate awareness of diagnostic and treatment guidelines and limited laboratory modalities lead to inappropriate use. This study assessed the impact of an institutional antifungal stewardship program on antifungal use practices and patient outcomes.

Optimizing costs and sustainability for gamma knife radiosurgery: A cost and breakeven analysis at India's largest neurosurgery centre.

Background: Establishing and maintaining gamma knife facility incurs significant costs, mandating healthcare institutions to meticulously assess financial implications for sustainability.

Methods: This study explores the financial implications of setting up and operating a Gamma Knife facility, with an aim to ascertain user charges for achieving breakeven. The study was conducted from January to June 2019 at the largest neurosurgery centre of an Institute of National Importance (INI), in Delhi, India.

Audit for antifungal treatment usage in adults with invasive fungal infection: A prospective observational study.

Objective: The antifungal audit aimed to evaluate antifungal usage in a tertiary care center. It focused on patient profiles, the appropriateness of antifungal use, associated adverse drug reactions, reasons for suboptimal usage, and the economic burden caused by prolonged non-optimal antifungal use.

Methodology: Conducted at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India from January 2019 to December 2020, the study evaluated systemic antifungal use in 100 hospitalized adults with invasive fungal infections.

LUCAT1-Mediated Competing Endogenous RNA (ceRNA) Network in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.

Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease comprising multiple molecularly distinct subtypes with varied prevalence, prognostics, and treatment strategies. Among them, triple-negative breast cancer, though the least prevalent, is the most aggressive subtype, with limited therapeutic options. Recent emergence of competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) networks has highlighted how long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), microRNAs (miRs), and mRNA orchestrate a complex interplay meticulously modulating mRNA functionality.

Sailing Through Choppy Waters: Management of Medical Oxygen Emergencies During the Second Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic in India.

During the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic, an increasing number of patients experienced breathlessness, which progressed to acute respiratory distress syndrome, leading to the need for supplemental oxygen therapy and mechanical ventilation. With each passing day, the need for medical oxygen increased and simultaneously medical oxygen reserves in the country were getting depleted. Government agencies deployed multipronged strategies to ensure that the hospitals had an adequate supply of medical oxygen.

Double Trouble No More: A Case Report of En-bloc Resection and Total Hip Replacement for Secondary Hip Osteoarthritis Due to Femur Neck Osteochondroma.

Introduction: Osteochondroma is a long bone benign tumor presenting at the metaphysis. Most of the occurrences are isolated lesions with very rare intra-articular extensions. Some occur as part of multiple hereditary exostoses.

Non-Biochemical Gradient Sequence-Controlled Polymers with Tuned Kinetics and Self-Assembled Morphologies.

Two key challenges in the multidisciplinary field of sequence-controlled polymers are their efficient synthesis and the establishment of correlation with polymer properties. In this context, in this paper, gradient architecture in the hydrophobic tail of an amphiphile is implemented and synthesized for a fixed hydrophilic unit (polyethylene glycol, PEG), by means of two monomers (2-hydroxypropyl methacrylate, HPMA, and diacetone acrylamide, DAAM) of contrasting reactivities. The resulting non-biochemical gradient sequence-controlled polymers are generated from a one-pot, homogeneous mixture through a PET-RAFT-PISA (photoinduced electron/energy transfer-reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer-polymerization-induced self-assembly) method.

Bidirectional microwave-optical transduction based on integration of high-overtone bulk acoustic resonators and photonic circuits.

Coherent interconversion between microwave and optical frequencies can serve as both classical and quantum interfaces for computing, communication, and sensing. Here, we present a compact microwave-optical transducer based on monolithic integration of piezoelectric actuators on silicon nitride photonic circuits. Such an actuator couples microwave signals to a high-overtone bulk acoustic resonator defined by the silica cladding of the optical waveguide core, suspended to enhance electromechanical and optomechanical couplings.