tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Biocompliant Composite Au/pHEMA Plasmonic Scaffolds for 3D Cell Culture and Noninvasive Sensing of Cellular Metabolites
Authors: Sean E. Lehman, Joselle M. McCracken, Lou Ann Miller, Sanjaya Jayalath, Ralph G. Nuzzo
Journal: Advanced Healthcare Materials (2020)

The field of 3D printing is an area of active research, with a substantial focus given to the design and construction of customized tools for applications in technology. There exists a particular need in these developing areas of opportunity for new multi-functional soft materials that are biologically compatible for the growth and directed culturing of cells. Herein, a composite material consisting of gold nanoparticles with useful plasmonic properties embedded within a highly hydrophilic poly-2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate matrix is described and characterized. This composite material serves dual functions as both host framework scaffold for cell lines such as pre-osteoblasts as well as a plasmonic biosensor for in situ measurements of living cells. The plasmonic properties of this system are characterized as a function of the material properties and related to compositional features of the material through a proposed light-directed mechanism. This chemistry provides a tunable, 3D printable plasmonic composite material of encapsulated gold nanoparticles in a biologically-compliant, acrylate-based hydrogel matrix. Surface-enhanced Raman scattering studies of 3D-microcultures supported by the scaffolds are carried out and the strong influence of perm-selective molecular diffusion in its analytical responses is established. Most notably, specific, largely hydrophilic, cellular metabolites are detected within the supported live cultures.
Effect of dapagliflozin as an adjunct to insulin over 52 weeks in individuals with type 1 diabetes: post-hoc renal analysis of the DEPICT randomised controlled trials
Authors: Per-Henrik Groop, Paresh Dandona, Moshe Phillip, Pieter Gillard, Steven Edelman, Johan Jendle, John Xu, Markus F Scheerer, Fredrik Thoren, Nayyar Iqbal, Enrico Repetto, Chantal Mathieu
Journal: The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology (2020)
Covid 19: Science must come first with vaccine, says former CDC chief
Authors: Janice Hopkins Tanne
Journal: BMJ (2020)

A former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has called for science and trustworthy information to be at the forefront of the development and approval of vaccines against covid-19.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly said that a vaccine could be approved before the 3 November election,1 though many Americans have expressed distrust of a vaccine. Tom Frieden, who is now head of Resolve to Save Lives, a global organisation that works with governments on evidence based health strategies. was speaking on 15 September at a briefing organised by the Infectious Diseases Society of America. 

He said, “For a vaccine to work, it not only has to be safe, effective, and available, but also trusted . . . A vaccine is the single …
Validation of Psychometric Properties of the Itch Numeric Rating Scale for Pruritus Associated With Prurigo Nodularis
Authors: Miriam Kimel, Claudia Zeidler, Paul Kwon, Dennis Revicki, Sonja Ständer
Journal: JAMA Dermatology (2020)

There is an unmet need for psychometrically sound instruments to measure pruritus associated with prurigo nodularis (PN).To evaluate the psychometric properties of the itch numeric rating scale (itch NRS), both the Worst Itch Numeric Rating Scale (WI-NRS) and the Average Itch Numeric Rating Scale (AI-NRS).This secondary analysis is based on a secondary end point of a phase 2 randomized clinical trial of serlopitant for treatment of pruritus associated with PN. This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was conducted at 15 sites in Germany. Eligible patients were aged 18 to 80 years and had generalized PN for more than 6 weeks that was refractory to previous antipruritic therapies. Patients were required to have a visual analog scale itch score of 7 or higher at screening. Data were collected from July 2014 to June 2016 and analyzed from June 2016 to January 2017.The itch NRS (AI-NRS and WI-NRS) was correlated together with the following measures: the electronic verbal rating scale (eVRS) for itch self-categorization, average itch visual analog scale (AI-VAS), worst itch visual analog scale (WI-VAS), the pruritus-specific quality-of-life rating instrument ItchyQoL, Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), and Prurigo Activity and Severity Score (items 7b and 7a: percentage healed prurigo lesions and percentage of prurigo lesions with excoriations).There were 123 participants in this study; the mean (SD) age of participants was 57.3 (11.58) years, and 58 (47.2%) were male. Strong associations (r ≥ 0.5) were observed between itch NRS items (WI-NRS and AI-NRS) and AI-VAS (24 hours) at weeks 2, 4, and 8 (r = 0.72-0.90; P < .001). Similar strong associations were also observed between itch NRS items and WI-VAS (24 hours) and eVRS for itch severity across weeks 2, 4, and 8 (r = 0.65-0.92; all P < .001). Strong correlations were seen between change scores for WI-NRS and WI-VAS and AI-VAS (r = 0.76 and 0.70, respectively; both P < .001). Similar findings were seen for AI-NRS, where correlations between change scores for WI-VAS and AI-VAS were 0.71 and 0.72, respectively (both P < .001). Analyses for the itch NRS items also showed that test-retest reliability was acceptable and provided evidence of acceptable convergent validity based on the eVRS and visit verbal rating score for itch self-categorization, ItchyQoL, and DLQI.Results from this secondary analysis show that the itch NRS items WI-NRS and AI-NRS have good psychometric properties for pruritus associated with PN and should be considered acceptable tools for assessing pruritus in future clinical trials of PN.ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02196324.
Paediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome temporally associated with SARS-CoV-2 (PIMS-TS): what does the future hold?
Authors: Murugan Sudhakar, Pandiarajan Vignesh
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2020)

We read with great interest the recent article by Pouletty et al, 1 a multicentre cohort from Paris, which reported an increased incidence of Kawasaki disease (KD) like presentation in association with severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection (Kawa-COVID-19) in children. It is considered as a part of (Paediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome temporally associated (PIMS-TS) with SARS-CoV-2). The varied manifestations of PIMS-TS include KD-like illness, toxic shock syndrome and multisystem failure.2–4 There is a significant difference in epidemiology and diagnostic criteria used to identify this entity compared to the usual KD (non-COVID-19 related).2–4

The annual incidence of KD in Asian populations like Japan, and Pacific Islander descent was 260 per 100 000, but in the USA, it was 25 per 100 000 children.5 Though the initial epidemic of SARS-CoV-2 infection was prevalent in Asian countries like China and South Korea, no cases of PIMS-TS or Kawa-COVID-19 were reported from these countries to date. Pouletty et al ,1 in his report of 16 children with Kawa-COVID-19 illness, found that no child was from the Asian race1 (with 1.7% of …
Leading oncologist faces GMC allegations of inappropriate treatment of dying patients
Authors: Clare Dyer
Journal: BMJ (2020)

A UK oncologist with a world reputation is facing allegations by the General Medical Council that he provided medication inappropriately in an attempt to keep terminally ill patients alive.

Justin Stebbing, professor of cancer medicine and oncology at Imperial College London, who has a private practice in Harley Street, faces allegations at a medical practitioners tribunal of failing to provide good clinical care to 11 patients between March 2014 and March 2017.

Stebbing, 49, who specialises in immunotherapy for breast, lung, and gastrointestinal cancers, has been consulted by patients from around the world who were …
Ultrastable Near‐Infrared Nonlinear Organic Chromophore Nanoparticles with Intramolecular Charge Transfer for Dually Photoinduced Tumor Ablation
Authors: Yi Zhang, Mengke Shi, Zhangren Yan, Shao Zhang, Mengya Wang, Han Xu, Hongyu Li, Yuchen Ying, Shihong Qiu, Jialei Liu, Hong Yang, Huabing Chen, Hui He, Zhengqing Guo
Journal: Advanced Healthcare Materials (2020)

Abstract Near‐infrared (NIR) light‐responsive nanoparticles (NPs) of organic photosensitizers (PS) hold great promise as phototherapeutic agents for precision photoinduced cancer therapy. However, highly photostable PS nanoparticles with extraordinary photoconversion capacities are urgently desired to fully realize potent phototherapy. Here, NIR nonlinear organic chromophore nanoparticles (NOC‐NPs) are shown as single‐component PS for dually cooperative phototherapy. Upon 785 nm irradiation, excited NOC‐NPs pass through intrinsic intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) channel to generate both abundant singlet oxygen and local hyperthermia, affording synergistic photodynamic therapy (PDT) and photothermal therapy (PTT) for tumor ablation. Furthermore, NOC‐NPs exhibit dramatic photostability, enhanced cellular uptake, effective cytoplasmic translocation, as well as preferable tumor accumulation, further ensuring favorable in vivo singlet oxygen generation and hyperthermia for photoinduced tumor ablation. Thus, NOC‐NPs may represent novel high‐performance PS for synergistic photoinduced cancer therapy, providing new insights into the development of potent PS for clinical translation.
Covid-19: the humanities and social sciences have much to contribute to beating this pandemic and the next
Authors: Stephen T Green, Lorenzo Cladi
Journal: BMJ (2020)

The potential for the humanities and social sciences to contribute greatly to tackling covid-19 merits consideration.1 This could be where the most important academic advances arise, as better understanding of human and societal behaviour is essential if robust strategies to maximise human safety are to be identified and implemented effectively.234

Phenomena such as the …
Survival in Patients With Brain Metastases: Summary Report on the Updated Diagnosis-Specific Graded Prognostic Assessment and Definition of the Eligibility Quotient
Authors: Paul W. Sperduto, Shane Mesko, Jing Li, Daniel Cagney, Ayal Aizer, Nancy U. Lin, Eric Nesbit, Tim J. Kruser, Jason Chan, Steve Braunstein, Jessica Lee, John P. Kirkpatrick, Will Breen, Paul D. Brown, Diana Shi, Helen A. Shih, Hany Soliman, Arjun Sahgal, Ryan Shanley, William A. Sperduto, Emil Lou, Ashlyn Everett, Drexell H. Boggs, Laura Masucci, David Roberge, Jill Remick, Kristin Plichta, John M. Buatti, Supriya Jain, Laurie E. Gaspar, Cheng-Chia Wu, Tony J.C. Wang, John Bryant, Michael Chuong, Yi An, Veronica Chiang, Toshimichi Nakano, Hidefumi Aoyama, Minesh P. Mehta
Journal: Journal of Clinical Oncology (2020)

Conventional wisdom has rendered patients with brain metastases ineligible for clinical trials for fear that poor survival could mask the benefit of otherwise promising treatments. Our group previously published the diagnosis-specific Graded Prognostic Assessment (GPA). Updates with larger contemporary cohorts using molecular markers and newly identified prognostic factors have been published. The purposes of this work are to present all the updated indices in a single report to guide treatment choice, stratify research, and define an eligibility quotient to expand eligibility.
Effect of Peer Mentors in Diabetes Self-management vs Usual Care on Outcomes in US Veterans With Type 2 Diabetes
Authors: Judith A. Long, Valerie S. Ganetsky, Anne Canamucio, Tanisha N. Dicks, Michele Heisler, Steven C. Marcus
Journal: JAMA Network Open (2020)

<h3>Importance</h3> Diabetes is a substantial public health issue. Peer mentoring is a low-cost intervention for improving glycemic control in patients with diabetes. However, long-term effects of peer mentoring and creation of sustainable models are not well studied. <h3>Objective</h3> Assess the effects of a peer support intervention for improving glycemic control in patients with diabetes and evaluate a model in which former mentees serve as mentors. <h3>Design, Setting, and Participants</h3> A randomized clinical trial was conducted from September 27, 2012, to March 21, 2018, at the Corporal Michael J. Crescenz Medical Center. US veterans with type 2 diabetes aged 30 to 75 years with hemoglobin A<sub>1C</sub>(HbA<sub>1c</sub>) greater than 8% received support over 6 months from peers with prior poor glycemic control but who had achieved HbA<sub>1c</sub>less than or equal to 7.5% (phase 1). Phase 1 mentees were then randomized to become a mentor or not to new randomly assigned participants in phase 2. Outcomes were assessed at 6 and 12 months. Data were analyzed from October 5, 2016, to September 4, 2018. <h3>Interventions</h3> Mentors who received an initial training session and monthly reinforcement training were assigned 1 mentee and given $20 for each month they contacted their mentee at least weekly. <h3>Main Outcomes and Measures</h3> Primary outcome was HbA<sub>1c</sub>change at 6 months. Secondary outcomes included HbA<sub>1c</sub>change at 12 months and change in low-density lipoprotein, blood pressure, diabetes quality of life, and depression symptoms at 6 and 12 months. <h3>Results</h3> The study enrolled 365 participants into phase 1 and 122 participants into phase 2. Most participants were Black (341 [66%]) and male (454 [96%]), with a mean (SD) age of 60 (7.5) years. Mean phase 1 HbA<sub>1c</sub>change at 6 months for usual care was −0.20% (95% CI, −0.46% to 0.06%) vs −0.52% (95% CI, −0.76% to −0.29%) for mentees (<i>P</i> = .06). Mean phase 2 HbA<sub>1c</sub>change at 6 months for usual care was −0.46% (95% CI, −1.02% to 0.10%) vs 0.08% (95% CI, −0.42% to 0.57%) for mentees (<i>P</i> = .16). There were no differences in secondary outcomes or HbA<sub>1c</sub>levels at 12 months. There was no benefit to past mentees who became mentors. <h3>Conclusions and Relevance</h3> In this randomized clinical trial, a peer mentor intervention did not improve 6-month HbA<sub>1c</sub>levels and did not have sustained benefits. <h3>Trial Registration</h3> ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:NCT01651117
James Partridge: founder of the UK charity Changing Faces
Authors: Rebecca Wallersteiner
Journal: BMJ (2020)

partridge110920.f1 

Credit: Paul Chambers Photography

James Partridge, founder of the charity Changing Faces, the UK’s leading charity supporting people with disfigurements, has died from a sudden infection while receiving treatment for cancer, at the age of 67.

Born in Chipping Sodbury, Gloucestershire, James Partridge was educated at Clifton College, Bristol. A car accident at age 18 left him with 40% burns, including severe ones to his face that changed his life forever. After a period in intensive care, he spent five months in hospital having reconstructive surgery before going up to University College Oxford as planned. He underwent extensive plastic surgery throughout the next five years, including every vacation, before graduating in politics, philosophy, and economics in 1975. He then studied for a master of science in medical demography at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and became a health economist in the NHS at St Thomas’ Hospital and at Guy’s Hospital, London.

He married Caroline Schofield in 1978, and the couple moved to Guernsey, where she had been born and brought up. Partridge left health economics for dairy farming and, later, a part time post teaching A level economics. Early every morning, between milking the cows, he wrote his first book Changing Faces: The Challenge of Facial Disfigurement , published by Penguin in 1990. He had written it to provide psychosocial help to others having to adjust to a …
Covid-19: Universal screening is likely to miss infected people, review finds
Authors: Gareth Iacobucci
Journal: BMJ (2020)

Covid-19: Universal screening is likely to miss infected people, review finds Gareth IacobucciOne time screening for SARS-CoV-2 in apparently healthy people is likely to miss those who are infected, a systematic review has concluded. 1 The rapid review by the Cochrane Library examined 22 studies published up to May 2020 and reported weak evidence in favour of screening.Meera Viswanathan, the lead author from RTI International in North Carolina, USA, said, "We are unsure whether combined screenings, repeated symptom assessment, or rapid laboratory tests are useful.Because screening can miss people who are infected, public health measures such as face coverings, physical distancing, and quarantine for those who may have contact with an infected person continue to be very important."The UK government has faced criticism from scientists over its Operation Moonshot programme to move to mass population testing, amid concerns that the plan, first revealed by The BMJ, could yield huge numbers of false positive results. 2 3The Cochrane reviewers assessed two modelling studies that reported on the effectiveness of universal screening, as well as 20 studies (17 cohort studies, three modelling studies) that reported on screening test accuracy.The studies were conducted in the US, Europe, and Asia.
Safety and efficacy of galcanezumab in patients for whom previous migraine preventive medication from two to four categories had failed (CONQUER): a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3b trial
Authors: Wim M Mulleners, Byung-Kun Kim, Miguel J A Láinez, Michel Lanteri-Minet, Patricia Pozo-Rosich, Shufang Wang, Antje Tockhorn-Heidenreich, Sheena K Aurora, Russell M Nichols, Laura Yunes-Medina, Holland C Detke
Journal: The Lancet Neurology (2020)
Haploidentical vs matched unrelated donor transplantation for acute myeloid leukemia in remission: A prospective comparative study
Authors: Byung‐Sik Cho, Gi‐June Min, Silvia Park, Sung‐Soo Park, Seung‐Hwan Shin, Seung‐Ah Yahng, Young‐Woo Jeon, Jae‐Ho Yoon, Sung‐Eun Lee, Ki‐Seong Eom, Yoo‐Jin Kim, Seok Lee, Chang‐Ki Min, Seok‐Goo Cho, Dong‐Wook Kim, Jong Wook Lee, Myungshin Kim, Yonggoo Kim, Hee‐Je Kim
Journal: American Journal of Hematology (2020)

Despite comparable outcomes of haploidentical transplants (Haplo-HSCT) with HLA-matched unrelated transplants (MUD-HSCT) in retrospective comparisons, few studies have prospectively compared Haplo-HSCT with MUD-HSCT in AML. Here, we prospectively compared the outcomes of Haplo-HSCT with MUD-HSCT for AML in remission (n = 110) to prove non-inferiority of overall survival in Haplo-HSCT. Both groups were well balanced in factors related to biological features of AML and measurable residual disease (MRD) status by Wilms' tumor gene 1 (WT1) assay. A unique, reduced-toxicity preparative regimen was used for Haplo-HSCT, whereas mostly-myeloablative regimen was for MUD-HSCT. Both groups showed similar patterns of neutrophil and platelet recovery, whereas delayed T-cell reconstitution in Haplo-HSCT was found compared with MUD-HSCT. No significant differences were found in acute or chronic graft-vs-host-disease (GVHD) and post-transplant infectious events with an exception of EBV or CMV infection, which occurred more frequently in Haplo-HSCT. After a median follow-up of 47 months, no significant differences in overall survival (65% vs 54%, P = .146), disease-free survival (67% vs 53%, P = .142), relapse (20% vs 21%, P = .858), non-relapse mortality (14% vs 26%, P = .103), or GVHD-free/relapse-free survival (54% vs 41%, P = .138) were observed for Haplo-HSCT vs MUD-HSCT. In multivariate analysis, WT1 expression before transplantation independently predicted relapse, resulting in inferior survival. Separate analysis of unenrolled patients (n = 110) who were excluded or refused to participate in this study showed consistent results with enrolled patients. This prospective study demonstrated the non-inferiority of Haplo-HSCT to MUD-HSCT for AML in remission, and validated the role of WT1 quantification as an MRD marker (ClinicalTrial.gov identifier: NCT01751997).
Abstract PO-009: Cancer-related distress among multiple myeloma patients during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Nathan W. Sweeney, Jenny Ahlstrom
Journal: Clinical Cancer Research (2020)

Abstract Background: The rapid outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has led to the delay of non-urgent or routine medical appointments, placing tremendous burden on cancer patients. Meanwhile, the emotional effect of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) on high-risk groups, such as multiple myeloma (MM) patients, remains unclear. The purpose of this project was to understand psychosocial distress and unmet needs among patients with active MM during the acute phase of social distancing and COVID-19 impact in the United States. Methods: We utilized HealthTree (healthtree.org) and invited patients with active MM cancer or precursor conditions to participate in an online survey curated through a partnership with the Cancer Support Community (CSC). Participants were asked to rate their level of concern (Not at All to Very Seriously) on 12 items assessing psychosocial, practical, and physical needs (selected from CSC’s CancerSupportSource® distress screening tool) during the COVID-19 pandemic. De-identified responses were aggregated and reviewed. The survey was determined to be exempt by the Western Institutional Review Board. Results: 1,079 MM pts participated in the survey between April 15, 2020 and June 8, 2020. The percentages of patients responding moderately to very seriously concerned are reported here. Eating and nutrition (71%), sleep problems (49%), pain and/or physical discomfort (46%), and feeling too tired to do the things you need or want to do (44%) made up the physical/health concerns. Psychosocial/emotional concerns included worrying about the future and what lies ahead (46%), worry about family, children, and/or friends (44%), feeling irritable (37%), feeling sad or depressed (30%), feeling nervous or afraid (25%), feeling lonely or isolated (20%), and relationship problems with your spouse/partner (11%). Finally, 32% reported insurance or money concerns. Conclusions: Respondents to our survey were most concerned with eating and nutrition, sleep problems, pain and/or physical discomfort, and worrying about the future. Informing patients and medical professionals of physical and psychosocial distress experienced by patients could create a unified approach to decreasing distress levels and increase patient overall health, even during a pandemic or when care is delayed. Patient-reported surveys via an online portal, like HealthTree, can help investigators assess the patient community and result in hypothesis-generating research questions to enhance patient outcomes. Citation Format: Nathan W. Sweeney, Jenny Ahlstrom. Cancer-related distress among multiple myeloma patients during the COVID-19 pandemic [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Virtual Meeting: COVID-19 and Cancer; 2020 Jul 20-22. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2020;26(18_Suppl):Abstract nr PO-009.