tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Efficacy of lumen-apposing metal stents or self-expandable metal stents for endoscopic ultrasound-guided choledochoduodenostomy: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Arnaldo Amato, Emanuele Sinagra, Ciro Celsa, Marco Enea, Andrea Buda, Filippo Vieceli, Lucia Scaramella, Paul Belletrutti, Alessandro Fugazza, Calogero Cammà, Franco Radaelli, Alessandro Repici, Andrea Anderloni
Journal: Endoscopy (2020)

Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided biliary drainage is becoming an option for palliation of malignant biliary obstruction. Lumen-apposing metal stents (LAMS) are replacing self-expandable metal stents (SEMS). The aim of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of LAMS and SEMS for EUS-guided choledochoduodenostomy (EUS-CDS).A meta-analysis was performed using PRISMA protocols. Electronic databases were searched for studies on EUS-CDS. The primary outcome was clinical success. Secondary outcomes were technical success, reintervention, and adverse events. We used the random effects model with the DerSimonian-Laird estimation, and the results were depicted using forest plots. Subgroup analyses were also performed with data stratified by selected variable.Overall, 31 studies (820 patients) were included. The pooled rates of clinical and technical success were 93.6 % (95 % confidence interval [CI] 88.6 %-96.5 %) and 94.8 % (95 %CI 90.2 %-97.3 %) for LAMS, and 91.7 % (95 %CI 88.1 %-94.2 %) and 92.7 % (95 %CI 89.9 %-94.9 %) for SEMS, respectively. The pooled rates of adverse events were 17.1 % (95 %CI 12.5 %-22.8 %) for LAMS and 18.3 % (95 %CI 14.3 %-23.0 %) for SEMS. The pooled rates of reintervention were 10.9 % (95 %CI 7.7 %-15.3 %) for LAMS and 13.9 % (95 %CI 9.6 %-19.7 %) for SEMS. Subgroup analyses confirmed these results.This meta-analysis showed that LAMS and SEMS are comparable in terms of efficacy for EUS-CDS. Clinical and technical success, post-procedure adverse events, and reintervention rates were similar between LAMS and SEMS use; however, adverse events require further investigation.
12797 Safety of long-term proactive management with fixed-dose combination calcipotriene 0.005% and betamethasone dipropionate 0.064% foam in patients with psoriasis vulgaris: Results of a phase III, multicenter, randomized, 52-week, vehicle-controlled trial
Authors: Mark Lebwohl, Jean Philippe Lacour, Monika Liljedahl, Charles Lynde, Marie Mørch, Anja Snel-Prentø, Diamant Thaci, Richard B. Warren
Journal: Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology (2020)
Enhancing Risk Prediction With PET Coronary Flow Reserve: Can It Be Clinically Useful?⁎⁎Editorials published in JACC: Cardiovascular Imaging reflect the views of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of JACC: Cardiovascular Imaging or the American College of Cardiology.
Authors: Tej Sheth, Salim Yusuf
Journal: JACC. Cardiovascular imaging (2012)
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ Interim Recommendation for Allocating Initial Supplies of COVID-19 Vaccine — United States, 2020
Authors: Kathleen Dooling, Nancy McClung, Mary Chamberland, Mona Marin,, Megan Wallace, Beth P. Bell, Grace M. Lee, H. Keipp Talbot, José R. Romero, Sara E. Oliver
Journal: MMWR Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (2020)

The emergence of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has led to a global pandemic that has disrupted all sectors of society. Less than 1 year after the SARS-CoV-2 genome was first sequenced, an application* for Emergency Use Authorization for a candidate vaccine has been filed with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). However, even if one or more vaccine candidates receive authorization for emergency use, demand for COVID-19 vaccine is expected to exceed supply during the first months of the national vaccination program. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) advises CDC on population groups and circumstances for vaccine use.† ACIP convened on December 1, 2020, in advance of the completion of FDA's review of the Emergency Use Authorization application, to provide interim guidance to federal, state, and local jurisdictions on allocation of initial doses of COVID-19 vaccine. ACIP recommended that, when a COVID-19 vaccine is authorized by FDA and recommended by ACIP, both 1) health care personnel§ and 2) residents of long-term care facilities (LTCFs)¶ be offered vaccination in the initial phase of the COVID-19 vaccination program (Phase 1a**).†† In its deliberations, ACIP considered scientific evidence of SARS-CoV-2 epidemiology, vaccination program implementation, and ethical principles.§§ The interim recommendation might be updated over the coming weeks based on additional safety and efficacy data from phase III clinical trials and conditions of FDA Emergency Use Authorization.
Abstract 14736: Aria Regulates Ischemia-Induced Angiogenesis and Vasculogenesis Through Modulating the Pi3k/akt/enos Signaling Pathway
Authors: Masahiro Koide, Koji Ikeda, Yohei Kitamura, Yoshiki Akakabe, Yusuke Nakagawa, Hiroaki Matsubara
Journal: Circulation (2010)
乳癌患者におけるアルギニン一酸化窒素代謝産物と心機能不全【Powered by NICT】
Authors: S Finkelman Brian, Putt Mary, Wang Teresa, Wang Le, Narayan Hari, Domchek Susan, DeMichele Angela, Fox Kevin, Matro Jennifer, Shah Payal, Clark Amy, Bradbury Angela, Narayan Vivek, R Carver Joseph, Tang W.H. Wilson, Ky Bonnie
Journal: Journal of the American College of Cardiology (2017)
48MO Ribociclib (RIB) + letrozole (LET) in Asian patients (pts) with hormone receptor-positive (HR+), human epidermal growth factor receptor-2–negative (HER2−) advanced breast cancer (ABC): Subgroup analysis of the phase IIIb CompLEEment-1 trial
Authors: S. Chatterjee, M. Md Yusof, T. Dejthevaporn, W-P. Chung, C.G. Galvez, P. Sunpaweravong, A. Cheng, M.L.T. Abesamis-Tiambeng, S.O.Y. Michelle, L. Menon-Singh, J. Wu, K. Zhou, H. Azim
Journal: Annals of Oncology (2020)
“Super-Spreaders” and Person-to-Person Transmission of Andes Virus in Argentina
Authors: Valeria P. Martínez, Nicholas Di Paola, Daniel O. Alonso, Unai Pérez-Sautu, Carla M. Bellomo, Ayelén A. Iglesias, Rocio M. Coelho, Beatriz López, Natalia Periolo, Peter A. Larson, Elyse R. Nagle, Joseph A. Chitty, Catherine B. Pratt, Jorge Díaz, Daniel Cisterna, Josefina Campos, Heema Sharma, Bonnie Dighero-Kemp, Emiliano Biondo, Lorena Lewis, Constanza Anselmo, Camila P. Olivera, Fernanda Pontoriero, Enzo Lavarra, Jens H. Kuhn, Teresa Strella, Alexis Edelstein, Miriam I. Burgos, Mario Kaler, Adolfo Rubinstein, Jeffrey R. Kugelman, Mariano Sanchez-Lockhart, Claudia Perandones, Gustavo Palacios
Journal: New England Journal of Medicine (2020)

From November 2018 through February 2019, person-to-person transmission of Andes virus (ANDV) hantavirus pulmonary syndrome occurred in Chubut Province, Argentina, and resulted in 34 confirmed infections and 11 deaths. Understanding the genomic, epidemiologic, and clinical characteristics of person-to-person transmission of ANDV is crucial to designing effective interventions.Clinical and epidemiologic information was obtained by means of patient report and from public health centers. Serologic testing, contact-tracing, and next-generation sequencing were used to identify ANDV infection as the cause of this outbreak of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome and to reconstruct person-to-person transmission events.After a single introduction of ANDV from a rodent reservoir into the human population, transmission was driven by 3 symptomatic persons who attended crowded social events. After 18 cases were confirmed, public health officials enforced isolation of persons with confirmed cases and self-quarantine of possible contacts; these measures most likely curtailed further spread. The median reproductive number (the number of secondary cases caused by an infected person during the infectious period) was 2.12 before the control measures were enforced and decreased to 0.96 after the measures were implemented. Full genome sequencing of the ANDV strain involved in this outbreak was performed with specimens from 27 patients and showed that the strain that was present (Epuyén/18-19) was similar to the causative strain (Epilink/96) in the first known person-to-person transmission of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome caused by ANDV, which occurred in El Bolsón, Argentina, in 1996. Clinical investigations involving patients with ANDV hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in this outbreak revealed that patients with a high viral load and liver injury were more likely than other patients to spread infection. Disease severity, genomic diversity, age, and time spent in the hospital had no clear association with secondary transmission.Among patients with ANDV hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, high viral titers in combination with attendance at massive social gatherings or extensive contact among persons were associated with a higher likelihood of transmission. (Funded by the Ministerio de Salud y Desarrollo Social de la Nación Argentina and others.).
Restless sleep in children: A systematic review
Authors: Lourdes M. DelRosso, Daniel L. Picchietti, Karen Spruyt, Oliviero Bruni, Diego Garcia-Borreguero, Suresh Kotagal, Judith A. Owens, Narong Simakajornboon, Raffaele Ferri
Journal: Sleep Medicine Reviews (2020)

This systematic review assessed the prevalence of restless sleep in children, documented the association of restless sleep with other conditions, and summarized the existing evidence regarding whether restless sleep should be considered a distinct sleep disorder. A comprehensive search of electronic databases was performed using the broad search term "restless sleep" in all fields. Of the 266 articles retrieved, 107 were retained for inclusion in this review. The majority (n = 93) were observational studies. The studies were grouped under several pathologic/condition categories: sleep-disordered breathing (n = 19); adenotonsillectomy (n = 7); respiratory disorders, otitis media, and smoke exposure (n = 12); sleep-related movement disorders and restless sleep disorder (n = 11); neurologic or psychiatric disorders (n = 7); Down syndrome/other neurodevelopmental disorders (n = 10); sleep-related bruxism and other sleep disorders (n = 7); and restless sleep in the general population/mixed clinical samples (n = 18). A high prevalence of restless sleep was found in children with many of these underlying conditions, likely related to associated inherent sleep disruption and frequent awakenings (e.g., apnea and periodic limb movements), pain, sleep instability, and caregiver perception. The majority of studies identified restless sleep as reported by the caregiver, only 34 studies attempted to define restless sleep further. Four studies provided supportive evidence for designating restless sleep as an independent sleep disorder, restless sleep disorder (RSD). This review highlights the fact that the prevalence, etiology and sequelae (including daytime impairments) of restless sleep in children are important topics deserving of further research and that clinical definitions based on empirical evidence need to be developed. The designation of "primary" versus "secondary" restless sleep may be a useful construct, especially with regard to developing clinical trials and treatment algorithms.
293P Prolonged release (PR) oxycodone/naloxone (OXN) for cancer pain (CP) &amp; its impact on bowel function, safety &amp; quality of life (QoL): Systematic review
Authors: S.H. Ahmedzai, A. Covarrubias-Gómez, G. De Simone, M. Green, L. Langenhoven, B. Le, K-H. Lee, H. Lu, P. Neo, C. Rodriguez, K.R.R. Subi, H. Yaakup, S.K.T. Yu, C. Minnaert, Y. Hadjiat
Journal: Annals of Oncology (2020)
Early Feasibility Studies for Cardiovascular Devices in the United States
Authors: David R. Holmes, Andrew A. Farb, Robert “Chip” Hance, Martin B. Leon, Pamela Goldberg, Bram D. Zuckerman, Aaron V. Kaplan, Liliana Rincon-Gonzalez, Jon Hunt, Jaime Walkowiak, Michael J. Mack
Journal: Journal of the American College of Cardiology (2020)
15309 ARQ-151, roflumilast cream, improved psoriasis in phase 2a study
Authors: Kim A. Papp, Melinda Gooderham, Michael Droege, Charlotte Merritt, David W. Osborne, David R. Berk, Archie W. Thurston, Valerie H. Smith, Howard Welgus
Journal: Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology (2020)
Metabolomics: Seeking a Unique Biomarker Signature for Coronary Artery Syndromes⁎⁎Editorials published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology reflect the views of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of JACC or the American College of Cardiology.
Authors: Ronald W. Millard, Paul R. Rosevear
Journal: Journal of the American College of Cardiology (2012)
46O Neratinib + capecitabine (N+C) vs lapatinib + capecitabine (L+C) in Asians with HER2+ metastatic breast cancer (MBC) previously treated with two or more HER2-directed regimens: A Pan-Asian analysis of the phase III NALA trial
Authors: M.S. Dai, Y.H. Feng, S.W. Chen, N. Masuda, T. Sangai, T. Yau, A. Kwong, R. Ngan, Y.S. Yap, P.C.S. Ang, S. Ow, K.S. Lee, S.B. Kim, H.C. Chung, K. Keyvanjah, J. Bebchuk, M-C.J. Chen
Journal: Annals of Oncology (2020)
Risk Factors for SARS-CoV-2 in a Statewide Correctional System
Authors: Byron S. Kennedy, Robert P. Richeson, Amy J. Houde
Journal: New England Journal of Medicine (2020)

SARS-CoV-2 in a State Correctional System In the Connecticut correctional system, 13% of the male population tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection from March through June 2020. Infection risks w...
Abstract 11071: Sustaining Quality of Life of the Aged: Transplant or Mechanical Support: Baseline Caregiver Quality of Life
Authors: Kathleen L Grady, Ike Okwuosa, Michael Petty, Hubert Adam, Laura Pollan, Adin-Cristian Andrei, Andrew Kao, Duc Thinh Pham, Clyde Yancy, Mary Amanda Dew, Robert Kormos, Eileen Hsich, William Cotts, Shane LaRue, Salpy V Pamboukian, Francis D Pagani, Brent Lampert, Maryl Johnson, Margaret Murray, Koji Tekeda, Melana Yuzefpolskaya, John Spertus, James K Kirklin, Stephen C Collum, Allen S Anderson
Journal: Circulation (2018)

Introduction: Caregivers are vital to supporting patients (pts) with advanced heart failure (HF). Understanding health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among caregivers may inform support needs. We ...
120MO A phase II study of trifluridine/tipiracil and ramucirumab in patients with unresectable advanced or recurrent gastric cancer
Authors: T. Ando, A. Kawazoe, H. Hosaka, J. Fujita, K. Koeda, K. Nishikawa, K. Amagai, K. Fujitani, K. Ogata, Y. Yamamoto, K. Shitara
Journal: Annals of Oncology (2020)
THU0629-HPR COULD THE ASAS HEALTH INDEX BE A USEFUL INSTRUMENT IN ASSESSING PATIENTS WITH PSORIATIC ARTHRITIS?
Authors: I. Morante Bolado, E. Aurrecoechea, I. Villa-Blanco, M. Santos Gómez, L. Riancho-Zarrabeitia, J. L. Martín-Varillas, R. Queiró Silva
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2020)

Background: At present, there is a growing tendency to use instruments that capture, in the best possible way, the impact that the spondyloarthritides (SpA) generate on patients´ lives. For that purpose, tools such as the Psoriatic Arthritis Impact of Disease (PsAID), for psoriatic arthritis (PsA), and the Assessment of SpondyloArthritis international Society-Health Index (ASAS-HI), for SpA, have been recently developed and validated. However, the performance of the ASAS-HI to assess the impact of disease in psoriatic arthritis is barely known. Objectives: To determine the possible application of ASAS HI to assess PsA by comparing its results to other PsA measurement tools. Methods: In this observational, cross-sectional study, 89 consecutive patients with PsA (CASPAR criteria) were included. The convergent validity of ASAS-HI (Spearman’s rho) and its discriminative validity (ROC curves) was analyzed against other PsA measures (DAPSA and PsAID). Results: ASAS HI showed a high convergent validity both against DAPSA (rho 0.78, p &lt;0.0001) and PsAID (rho 0.80, p &lt;0.0001). PsAID and DAPSA also showed high convergent validity (rho 0.79, p &lt;0.0001). ASAS HI showed a high discriminative capacity for both DAPSA remission [optimal criterion ≤ 2, area under the ROC curve 0.92 (95%CI: 0.85-0.97), sensitivity 73%, specificity 94%, p &lt; 0.0001] (fig 1) and DAPSA low activity state [optimal criterion ≤ 10.6, area under the ROC curve 0.87 (95%CI: 5-10.6), sensitivity 93%, specificity 61%, p &lt; 0.0001]. PsAID also demonstrated a high discriminative capacity for DAPSA remission [optimal criterion ≤ 0.8, area under the ROC curve 0.94 (95%CI: 0.55-0.95), sensitivity 76%, specificity 100%, p &lt; 0.0001] and DAPSA low activity [optimal criteria ≤ 4.9, area under the ROC curve 0.83 (95%CI: 3.4-5.2), sensitivity 92%, specificity 61%, p &lt; 0.0001]. Figure 1. ROC curve analysis between DAPSA remission and ASAS HI Conclusion: ASAS HI could be used as an appropriate tool in the assessment of patients with PsA. Disclosure of Interests: Isla Morante Bolado: None declared, Elena Aurrecoechea: None declared, Ignacio Villa-Blanco Consultant of: UCB, Speakers bureau: Novartis, MSD, Lilly, Montserrat Santos Gómez: None declared, Leyre Riancho-Zarrabeitia Grant/research support from: Yes, Speakers bureau: Yes, José Luis Martín-Varillas Grant/research support from: AbbVie, Pfizer, Janssen and Celgene, Speakers bureau: Pfizer and Lilly, Rubén Queiró Silva: None declared
Annular Velocities in Constrictive Pericarditis: Annulus and Beyond⁎⁎Editorials published in JACC: Cardiovascular Imaging reflect the views of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of JACC: Cardiovascular Imaging or the American College of Cardiology.
Authors: Allan L. Klein, Arun Dahiya
Journal: JACC. Cardiovascular imaging (2011)
Painful nasal and oral lesions
Authors: Pin-Hsuan Chiang, Chi-Hui Wang, Chun-Bing Chen
Journal: BMJ (2020)

A man in his 60s presented with painful erythematous plaques and vesicles on the right side of his nose and palate that had appeared three days earlier. Before he noticed the skin lesions, he had a stinging and itchy sensation for two days on the external aspect of his nose. Cutaneous examination showed scattered erythematous plaques and crusted blisters on the right side of his nose, midface (fig 1a), upper eyelid, and forehead (fig 1b), extending to the anterior scalp. Intraoral inspection showed multiple ulcerations overlying whitish slough on the right side of the hard palate, gingiva, and oral mucosa (fig 1c).



Fig 1 
Cutaneous and mucosal lesions



Nasopharyngoscopy to evaluate the intranasal lesions showed a pre-existing perforation of the nasal septum. Lesions were present …
15308 Frequency of gastrointestinal-related serious adverse events among guselkumab-treated patients with moderate to severe psoriasis: A pooled analysis of Voyage 1 and Voyage 2 through 3 years
Authors: Peter Foley, Kristian Reich, Andrew Blauvelt, Jerry Bagel, Richard Langley, Michael Song, Paraneedharan Ramachandran, Yaung-Kaung Shen, Yin You, Mark Lebwohl, Christopher E.M. Griffiths
Journal: Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology (2020)
Infection fatality risk for SARS-CoV-2 in community dwelling population of Spain: nationwide seroepidemiological study
Authors: Roberto Pastor-Barriuso, Beatriz Pérez-Gómez, Miguel A Hernán, Mayte Pérez-Olmeda, Raquel Yotti, Jesús Oteo-Iglesias, Jose L Sanmartín, Inmaculada León-Gómez, Aurora Fernández-García, Pablo Fernández-Navarro, Israel Cruz, Mariano Martín, Concepción Delgado-Sanz, Nerea Fernández de Larrea, Jose León Paniagua, Juan F Muñoz-Montalvo, Faustino Blanco, Amparo Larrauri, Marina Pollán
Journal: BMJ (2020)

To estimate the infection fatality risk for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), based on deaths with confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (covid-19) and excess deaths from all causes.
Targeting Platelet Nitric Oxide Resistance With Ramipril: Unraveling Mechanisms of Atherothrombotic Risk Reduction With Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors⁎⁎Editorials published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology reflect the views of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of JACC or the American College of Cardiology.
Authors: Dominick J. Angiolillo, Davide Capodanno
Journal: Journal of the American College of Cardiology (2012)
Combined Immune Score of Lymphocyte to Monocyte Ratio and Immunoglobulin Levels Predicts Progression-Free Survival of Myeloma Patients after Autologous Transplant
Authors: Karen Sweiss, Jonathan Lee, Annie L. Oh, Gregory Sampang Calip, Nadim Mahmud, Damiano Rondelli, Pritesh Patel
Journal: Blood (2017)
Rapid lateral flow immunoassay for the fluorescence detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA
Authors: Daming Wang, Shaogui He, Xiaohui Wang, Youqin Yan, Jianzhong Liu, Shimin Wu, Shiguo Liu, Yang Lei, Min Chen, Li Li, Jieli Zhang, Liwei Zhang, Xiao Hu, Xinhui Zheng, Jiawei Bai, Yulong Zhang, Yitong Zhang, Mingxuan Song, Yuguo Tang
Journal: Nature Biomedical Engineering (2020)
Performance of Three Inherited Risk Measures for Predicting Prostate Cancer Incidence and Mortality: A Population-based Prospective Analysis
Authors: Zhuqing Shi, Elizabeth A. Platz, Jun Wei, Rong Na, Richard J. Fantus, Chi-Hsiung Wang, Scott E. Eggener, Peter J. Hulick, David Duggan, S. Lilly Zheng, Kathleen A. Cooney, William B. Isaacs, Brian T. Helfand, Jianfeng Xu
Journal: European Urology (2020)
Abstract 17152: B-arrestin 2 Is Critical For Maintaining Normal Cardiac Function In Aged Mice
Authors: Paola C Rosas, Andrielle Capote, Shamin A Chowdhury, Yocelin B Bello, R John Solaro, Beata M Wolska
Journal: Circulation (2019)

Background/hypothesis: As of 2019, 6.2 million Americans are afflicted with heart failure (HF). The prevalence of HF is expected to increase due to the older population continuously growing. HF pro...
ODQ, an inhibitor of soluble guanylyl cyclase (nitric oxide-activated enzyme), enhances the pro-apoptotic effects of cisplatin in human mesothelioma cells
Authors: Ronald Fiscus, Madhavi Bathina, Mary Johlfs, Sunil Sharma, Nicholas Vogelzang
Journal: Cancer Research (2007)

LB-43  Previously, we showed that soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC), via its ability to synthesize cGMP which in turn stimulates protein kinase G (PKG) activity, plays a critical role in reducing spontaneous apoptosis in neuroblastoma cells and human ovarian cancer cells. In the ovarian cancer cells, we found that basal activation of the sGC/cGMP/PKG signaling pathway caused anti-apoptotic/cytoprotective effects that were mediated, in part, by suppression of p53 accumulation, assessed by p53 siRNA gene-knockdown. The data suggested that basal sGC/cGMP/PKG activation in certain cancer cells may counteract the pro-apoptotic/therapeutic effects of chemotherapeutic agents (often involving p53 accumulation), potentially resulting in reduced effectiveness of the chemotherapy. The present study determines if a human mesothelioma cell line, NCI-H2452 cells, expresses PKG and if the inhibition of the upstream enzyme sGC (and subsequent depletion of cGMP) affects the induction of apoptosis caused by cisplatin. Using Western blot analysis, NCI-H2452 mesothelioma cells were found to express PKG, predominately the PKG-Ialpha isoform. Apoptosis was quantified using an ELISA that measures the levels of cytosolic histone-associated apoptotic DNA fragments. ODQ, a selective sGC inhibitor, was used at concentrations (10, 30 and 50 micromolar) that have been shown in previous studies to effectively suppress the sGC enzymatic activity in cancer cells and cause depletion of cGMP levels down to approximately 75%, 55% and 35%, respectively, of the control basal levels. At 30 and 50 micromolar, ODQ alone caused significant induction of apoptosis in the NCI-H2452 cells, elevating apoptotic levels by 12 fold and 15 fold, respectively, above control (non-ODQ) levels. At 10 micromolar, a concentration below the threshold for induction of apoptosis by ODQ alone, ODQ in combination with cisplatin enhanced (in fact, doubled) the pro-apoptotic effects of cisplatin at 1 micromolar. These results have uncovered a novel signaling pathway (sGC/cGMP/PKG) in mesothelioma cells that regulates apoptosis and the susceptibility of these cells to cisplatin-induced apoptotic cell death. This new information may be useful for developing new therapeutic agents that can sensitize mesothelioma cells to the cancer-killing effects of conventional chemotherapeutic agents.