Early real-world utilization of avelumab switch maintenance among patients with advanced urothelial carcinoma without progression following treatment with first-line platinum-based chemotherapy.

Background: A standard treatment option for patients with locally advanced/metastatic urothelial carcinoma (la/mUC) is first-line platinum-based chemotherapy (1L PBC) followed by avelumab 1L switch maintenance (1LM) in patients without progression. This study aimed to evaluate the real-world treatment patterns and outcomes in patients with la/mUC in the US treated with 1L PBC and characterize the early adoption of avelumab 1LM following FDA approval in June 2020.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study identified adults diagnosed with la/mUC between January 2017 and September 2021 using electronic health records from the Flatiron Health database.

Noninterventional retrospective study of standard-of-care systemic treatment patterns and outcomes in US patients with advanced urothelial carcinoma.

Background: First-line platinum-based chemotherapy (1L PBC) followed by avelumab 1L maintenance (1LM) in patients without disease progression after 1L PBC is a standard-of-care treatment in locally advanced/metastatic urothelial carcinoma (la/mUC). We examined real-world treatment patterns and outcomes in patients with la/mUC treated in the US and characterized early adoption of avelumab 1LM following US Food and Drug Administration approval in June 2020.

Materials And Methods: This retrospective cohort study identified patients ≥ 18 years diagnosed with la/mUC between January 2015 and July 2021 using electronic health records from the Flatiron Health database.

Adherence to guidelines-recommended diagnostic testing was associated with overall survival in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma after rituximab-based treatment: an observational cohort study.

Purpose: This study assessed the impact of adherence to guidelines-recommended diagnostic testing on treatment selection and overall survival (OS) in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) initiated on rituximab-based first line of treatment (1-LOT).

Methods: This retrospective cohort study used a nationwide electronic health record-derived de-identified database, including diagnostic testing information on immunohistochemistry (IHC), fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and karyotype analysis that were abstracted from pathology reports or clinical visit notes, where available. The study included patients above 18 years old who were diagnosed with DLBCL between January 2011 and December 2019 and initiated on rituximab-based 1-LOT.

Anaplastic lymphoma kinase rearrangement prevalence in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer in the United States: retrospective real world data.

Objective: This study assessed the prevalence of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) rearrangements in US oncology practices.

Materials And Methods: Using a nationwide real-world database, we included adults with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (aNSCLC, stage IIIB- IV) diagnosed January 2015 - May 2019, with documented ALK testing results and smoking status. Rearrangement prevalence was assessed overall and then stratified by patient characteristics.

Understanding Factors Associated With Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase Testing Delays in Patients With Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer in a Large Real-World Oncology Database.

Context.—: With multiple therapeutic options available for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer, the timely ordering and return of results to determine therapy are of critical importance.

Objective.

Comorbidity Trajectories Associated With Alzheimer's Disease: A Matched Case-Control Study in a United States Claims Database.

Trajectories of comorbidities among individuals at risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD) may differ from those aging without AD clinical syndrome. Therefore, characterizing the comorbidity burden and pattern associated with AD risk may facilitate earlier detection, enable timely intervention, and help slow the rate of cognitive and functional decline in AD. This case-control study was performed to compare the prevalence of comorbidities between AD cases and controls during the 5 years prior to diagnosis (or index date for controls); and to identify comorbidities with a differential time-dependent prevalence trajectory during the 5 years prior to AD diagnosis.

Adherence to National Comprehensive Cancer Network ALK Testing Guidelines for Patients with Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer in U.S. Community Medical Centers.

Background: National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines recommend biomarker testing as the first step in the management of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (aNSCLC). We assessed anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) testing rates and factors related to underuse in community medical systems between 2012 and 2019 to understand guideline adoption.

Methods: A retrospective observational study using a nationwide electronic health record (EHR)-derived deidentified database was conducted.

Tracing the Evolutionary History of the CAP Superfamily of Proteins Using Amino Acid Sequence Homology and Conservation of Splice Sites.

Proteins of the CAP superfamily play numerous roles in reproduction, innate immune responses, cancer biology, and venom toxicology. Here we document the breadth of the CAP (Cysteine-RIch Secretory Protein (CRISP), Antigen 5, and Pathogenesis-Related) protein superfamily and trace the major events in its evolution using amino acid sequence homology and the positions of exon/intron borders within their genes. Seldom acknowledged in the literature, we find that many of the CAP subfamilies present in mammals, where they were originally characterized, have distinct homologues in the invertebrate phyla.

Engineered nanoparticles induced brush border disruption in a human model of the intestinal epithelium.

Nanoparticles hold great promise in cell biology and medicine due to the inherent physico-chemical properties when these materials are synthesized on the nanoscale. Moreover, their small size, and the ability to functionalize the outer nanoparticle surface makes them an ideal vector suited to traverse a number of physical barriers in the human body. While nanoparticles hold great promise for applications in cell biology and medicine, their downfall is the toxicity that accompanies exposure to biological systems.