tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Issue 3—The occupational burden of respiratory diseases, an update
Authors: N. Murgia, M. Akgun, P.D. Blanc, J.T. Costa, S. Moitra, X. Muñoz, K. Toren, A.J. Ferreira
Journal: Pulmonology (2024)

Workplace exposures are widely known to cause specific occupational diseases such as silicosis and asbestosis, but they also can contribute substantially to causation of common respiratory diseases. In 2019, the American Thoracic Society (ATS) and the European Respiratory Society (ERS) published a joint statement on the occupational burden of respiratory diseases. Our aim on this narrative review is to summarise the most recent evidence published after the ATS/ERS statement as well as to provide information on traditional occupational lung diseases that can be useful for clinicians and researchers. Newer publications confirm the findings of the ATS/ERS statement on the role of workplace exposure in contributing to the aetiology of the respiratory diseases considered in this review (asthma, COPD, chronic bronchitis, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, infectious pneumonia). Except for COPD, chronic bronchitis and infectious pneumonia, the number of publications in the last 5 years for the other diseases is limited. For traditional occupational lung diseases such as silicosis and asbestosis, there are old as well as novel sources of exposure and their burden continues to be relevant, especially in developing countries. Occupational exposure remains an important risk factor for airways and interstitial lung diseases, causing occupational lung diseases and contributing substantially in the aetiology of common respiratory diseases. This information is critical for public health professionals formulating effective preventive strategies but also for clinicians in patient care. Effective action requires shared knowledge among clinicians, researchers, public health professionals, and policy makers.
Mixing on- and off-field measures for biodiversity conservation
Authors: Teja Tscharntke, Péter Batáry, Ingo Grass
Journal: Trends in Ecology & Evolution (2024)

The continuing biodiversity losses through agricultural expansion and intensification are dramatic. We argue that a mix of on- and off-field measures is needed, overcoming the false dichotomy of the land sharing-sparing debate. Protected land is essential for global biodiversity, while spillover between farmed and natural land is key to reducing species extinctions. This is particularly effective in landscapes with small and diversified fields. Focusing only on protected land fails to conserve a wealth of species, which often provide major ecosystem services such as pest control, pollination, and cultural benefits. On-field measures must minimise yield losses to prevent increased demand for food imports from biodiversity-rich regions, requiring enforcement of high social–ecological land-use standards to ensure a good life for all.
Lipid-associated macrophages between aggravation and alleviation of metabolic diseases
Authors: Ruonan Xu, Nemanja Vujić, Valentina Bianco, Isabel Reinisch, Dagmar Kratky, Jelena Krstic, Andreas Prokesch
Journal: Trends in Endocrinology and Metabolism (2024)

Lipid-associated macrophages (LAMs) are phagocytic cells with lipid-handling capacity identified in various metabolic derangements. During disease development, they locate to atherosclerotic plaques, adipose tissue (AT) of individuals with obesity, liver lesions in steatosis and steatohepatitis, and the intestinal lamina propria. LAMs can also emerge in the metabolically demanding microenvironment of certain tumors. In this review, we discuss major questions regarding LAM recruitment, differentiation, and self-renewal, and, ultimately, their acute and chronic functional impact on the development of metabolic diseases. Further studies need to clarify whether and under which circumstances LAMs drive disease progression or resolution and how their phenotype can be modulated to ameliorate metabolic disorders.
The coevolutionary consequences of biodiversity change
Authors: Anna-Liisa Laine, Jason M. Tylianakis
Journal: Trends in Ecology & Evolution (2024)

Coevolutionary selection is a powerful process shaping species interactions and biodiversity. Anthropogenic global environmental change is reshaping planetary biodiversity, including by altering the structure and intensity of interspecific interactions. However, remarkably little is understood of how coevolutionary selection is changing in the process. Here, we outline three interrelated pathways – change in evolutionary potential, change in community composition, and shifts in interaction trait distributions – that are expected to redirect coevolutionary selection under biodiversity change. Assessing how both ecological and evolutionary rules governing species interactions are disrupted under anthropogenic global change is of paramount importance to understand the past, present, and future of Earth's biodiversity.
Evolution of community outreach and engagement at National Cancer Institute‐Designated Cancer Centers, an evolving journey
Authors: Sarah A. Pohl, Barry A. Nelson, Tanjeena R. Patwary, Salina Amanuel, Edward J. Benz, Christopher S. Lathan
Journal: CA A Cancer Journal for Clinicians (2024)

Abstract Cancer mortality rates have declined during the last 28 years, but that process is not equitably shared. Disparities in cancer outcomes by race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation and gender identity, and geographic location persist across the cancer care continuum. Consequently, community outreach and engagement (COE) efforts within National Cancer Institute‐Designated Cancer Center (NCI‐DCC) catchment areas have intensified during the last 10 years as has the emphasis on COE and catchment areas in NCI's Cancer Center Support Grant applications. This review article attempts to provide a historic perspective of COE within NCI‐DCCs. Improving COE has long been an important initiative for the NCI, but it was not until 2012 and 2016 that NCI‐DCCs were required to define their catchment areas rigorously and to provide specific descriptions of COE interventions, respectively. NCI‐DCCs had previously lacked adequate focus on the inclusion of historically marginalized patients in cancer innovation efforts. Integrating COE efforts throughout the research and operational aspects of the cancer centers, at both the patient and community levels, will expand the footprint of COE efforts within NCI‐DCCs. Achieving this change requires sustained commitment by the centers to adjust their activities and improve access and outcomes for historically marginalized communities.
Precision medicine for pancreatic cancer: Characterizing the clinico-genomic landscape and outcomes of <i>KRAS</i> G12C-mutated disease
Authors: Fergus Keane, Joanne F Chou, Henry Walch, Joshua Schoenfeld, Anupriya Singhal, Darren Cowzer, Emily Harrold, Catherine A O’Connor, Wungki Park, Anna Varghese, Imane El Dika, Fiyinfolu Balogun, Kenneth H Yu, Marinela Capanu, Nikolaus Schultz, Rona Yaeger, Eileen M O’Reilly
Journal: JNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute (2024)

Mutated Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (KRAS) is the most common oncogene alteration in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, and KRAS glycine to cystine substitution at codon 12 (G12C) mutations (KRAS G12Cmut) are observed in 1%-2%. Several inhibitors of KRAS G12C have recently demonstrated promise in solid tumors, including pancreatic cancer. Little is known regarding clinical, genomics, and outcome data of this population.
3D-printed, citrate-based bioresorbable vascular scaffolds for coronary artery angioplasty
Authors: Yonghui Ding, Liam Warlick, Mian Chen, Eden Taddese, Caralyn Collins, Rao Fu, Chongwen Duan, Xinlong Wang, Henry Ware, Cheng Sun, Guillermo Ameer
Journal: Bioactive Materials (2024)

Fully bioresorbable vascular scaffolds (BVSs) aim to overcome the limitations of metallic drug-eluting stents (DESs). However, polymer-based BVSs, such as Abbott's Absorb, the only US FDA-approved BVS, have had limited use due to increased strut thickness (157 μm for Absorb), exacerbated tissue inflammation, and increased risk of major cardiac events leading to inferior clinical performance when compared to metallic DESs. Herein we report the development of a drug-eluting BVS (DE-BVS) through the innovative use of a photopolymerizable, citrate-based biomaterial and a high-precision additive manufacturing process. BVS with a clinically relevant strut thickness of 62 μm can be produced in a high-throughput manner, i.e. one BVS per minute, and controlled release of the anti-restenosis drug everolimus can be achieved by engineering the structure of polymer coatings to fabricate drug-eluting BVS. We achieved the successful deployment of BVSs and DE-BVSs in swine coronary arteries using a custom-built balloon catheter and BVS delivery system and confirmed BVS safety and efficacy regarding maintenance of vessel patency for 28 days, observing an inflammation profile for BVS and DE-BVS that was comparable to the commercial XIENCE™ DES (Abbott Vascular).
Outcomes of Children Admitted to a Pediatric Observation Unit With a Psychiatric Comanagement Model
Authors: Rachel G. Kasdin, Mary Rojas, William Bonadio, Manuella Zisu, Barbara Barnett, Yvette Calderon, Czer Anthoney E. Lim
Journal: JAMA Pediatrics (2024)

This cohort study describes outcomes of children requiring admission for mental health emergencies who receive psychiatric cotreatment in a pediatric observation unit.
Video versus Direct Laryngoscopy for Urgent Intubation of Newborn Infants
Authors: Lucy E Geraghty, Emma A Dunne, Caitríona M Ní Chathasaigh, Akke Vellinga, Niamh C Adams, Eoin M O'Currain, Lisa K McCarthy, Colm P F O'Donnell
Journal: New England Journal of Medicine (2024)

BackgroundRepeated attempts at endotracheal intubation are associated with increased adverse events in neonates. When clinicians view the airway directly with a laryngoscope, fewer than half of first attempts are successful. The use of a video laryngoscope, which has a camera at the tip of the blade that displays a view of the airway on a screen, has been associated with a greater percentage of successful intubations on the first attempt than the use of direct laryngoscopy in adults and children. The effect of video laryngoscopy among neonates is uncertain.MethodsIn this single-center trial, we randomly assigned neonates of any gestational age who were undergoing intubation in the delivery room or neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) to the video-laryngoscopy group or the direct-laryngoscopy group. Randomization was stratified according to gestational age (<32 weeks or ≥32 weeks). The primary outcome was successful intubation on the first attempt, as determined by exhaled carbon dioxide detection.ResultsData were analyzed for 214 of the 226 neonates who were enrolled in the trial, 63 (29%) of whom were intubated in the delivery room and 151 (71%) in the NICU. Successful intubation on the first attempt occurred in 79 of the 107 patients (74%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 66 to 82) in the video-laryngoscopy group and in 48 of the 107 patients (45%; 95% CI, 35 to 54) in the direct-laryngoscopy group (P<0.001). The median number of attempts to achieve successful intubation was 1 (95% CI, 1 to 1) in the video-laryngoscopy group and 2 (95% CI, 1 to 2) in the direct-laryngoscopy group. The median lowest oxygen saturation during intubation was 74% (95% CI, 65 to 78) in the video-laryngoscopy group and 68% (95% CI, 62 to 74) in the direct-laryngoscopy group; the lowest heart rate was 153 beats per minute (95% CI, 148 to 158) and 148 (95% CI, 140 to 156), respectively.ConclusionsAmong neonates undergoing urgent endotracheal intubation, video laryngoscopy resulted in a greater number of successful intubations on the first attempt than direct laryngoscopy. (Funded by the National Maternity Hospital Foundation; VODE ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT04994652.)
Engineering peptide drug therapeutics through chemical conjugation and implication in clinics
Authors: Syed Faheem Askari Rizvi, Haixia Zhang, Quan Fang
Journal: Medicinal Research Reviews (2024)

The development of peptide drugs has made tremendous progress in the past few decades because of the advancements in modification chemistry and analytical technologies. The novel-designed peptide drugs have been modified through various biochemical methods with improved diagnostic, therapeutic, and drug-delivery strategies. Researchers found it a helping hand to overcome the inherent limitations of peptides and bring continued advancements in their applications. Furthermore, the emergence of peptide-drug conjugates (PDCs)-utilizes target-oriented peptide moieties as a vehicle for cytotoxic payloads via conjugation with cleavable chemical agents, resulting in the key foundation of the new era of targeted peptide drugs. This review summarizes the various classifications of peptide drugs, suitable chemical modification strategies to improve the ADME (adsorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion) features of peptide drugs, and recent (2015-early 2024) progress/achievements in peptide-based drug delivery systems as well as their fruitful implication in preclinical and clinical studies. Furthermore, we also summarized the brief description of other types of PDCs, including peptide-MOF conjugates and peptide-UCNP conjugates. The principal aim is to provide scattered and diversified knowledge in one place and to help researchers understand the pinching knots in the science of PDC development and progress toward a bright future of novel peptide drugs.
Large scale investigation of the effect of gender on mu rhythm suppression in motor imagery brain-computer interfaces
Authors: Valentina Gamboa von Groll, Nikki Leeuwis, Sébastien Rimbert, Aline Roc, Léa Pillette, Fabien Lotte, Maryam Alimardani
Journal: Brain-Computer Interfaces (2024)

The utmost issue in Motor Imagery Brain-Computer Interfaces (MI-BCI) is the BCI poor performance known as 'BCI inefficiency'. Although past research has attempted to find a solution by investigating factors influencing users' MI-BCI performance, the issue persists. One of the factors that has been studied in relation to MI-BCI performance is gender. Research regarding the influence of gender on a user's ability to control MI-BCIs remains inconclusive, mainly due to the small sample size and unbalanced gender distribution in past studies. To address these issues and obtain reliable results, this study combined four MI-BCI datasets into one large dataset with 248 subjects and equal gender distribution. The datasets included EEG signals from healthy subjects from both gender groups who had executed a right- vs. left-hand motor imagery task following the Graz protocol. The analysis consisted of extracting the Mu Suppression Index from C3 and C4 electrodes and comparing the values between female and male participants. Unlike some of the previous findings which reported an advantage for female BCI users in modulating mu rhythm activity, our results did not show any significant difference between the Mu Suppression Index of both groups, indicating that gender may not be a predictive factor for BCI performance.
A Self‐Delivery Nanodrug Simultaneously Inhibits COX‐2/PGE<sub>2</sub> Mediated Inflammation and Downregulates PD‐L1 to Boost Photoimmunotherapy
Authors: Jin‐Mei Lai, Pei‐Ling Chen, Qun‐Ying Shi, Yong‐Qi Xie, GuliJiayina Jiaerheng, Li‐Han Liu
Journal: Advanced Healthcare Materials (2024)

Abstract Phototherapy promotes anti‐tumor immunity by inducing immunogenic cell death (ICD), However, the accompanying inflammatory responses also trigger immunosuppression, attenuating the efficacy of photo‐immunotherapy. Herein, they co‐assembled a cell‐membrane targeting chimeric peptide C16‐Cypate‐RRKK‐PEG 8 ‐COOH (CCP) and anti‐inflammatory diclofenac (DA) to develop a nanodrug (CCP@DA) that both enhances the immune effect of phototherapy and weakens the inflammation‐mediated immunosuppression. CCP@DA achieves cell membrane‐targeting photodynamic and photothermal synergistic therapies to damage programmed death ligand 1 (PD‐L1) and induce a strong ICD to activate anti‐tumor response. Simultaneously, the released DA inhibits the cycoperoxidase‐2 (COX‐2)/prostaglandin E2 (PGE 2 ) pathway in tumor cells to inhibit pro‐tumor inflammation and further down‐regulate PD‐L1 expression to relieve the immunosuppressive microenvironment. CCP@DA significantly inhibited tumor growth and inflammation both in vitro and in vivo, while maintaining a potent anti‐tumor immune response. Additionally, it exhibits excellent anti‐metastatic capabilities and prolongs mouse survival time with a single dose and low levels of near‐infrared (NIR) light exposure. This work provides a valuable strategy to control the therapy‐induced inflammation for high‐efficiency photoimmunotherapy.
Half-life extension via ABD-fusion leads to higher tumor uptake of an affibody-drug conjugate compared to PAS- and XTENylation.
Authors: Jie Zhang, Vitalina Bodenko, Maria Larkina, Ekaterina Bezverkhniaia, Tianqi Xu, Yunqi Liao, Ayman Abouzayed, Evgenii Plotnikov, Maria Tretyakova, Feruza Yuldasheva, Mikhail V. Belousov, Anna Orlova, Vladimir Tolmachev, Torbjörn Gräslund, Anzhelika Vorobyeva
Journal: Journal of Controlled Release (2024)

A critical parameter during the development of protein therapeutics is to endow them with suitable pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties. Small protein drugs are quickly eliminated by kidney filtration, and in vivo half-life extension is therefore often desired. Here, different half-life extension technologies were studied where PAS polypeptides (PAS300, PAS600), XTEN polypeptides (XTEN288, XTEN576), and an albumin binding domain (ABD) were compared for half-life extension of an anti-human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) affibody-drug conjugate. The results showed that extension with the PAS or XTEN polypeptides or the addition of the ABD lowered the affinity for HER2 to some extent but did not negatively affect the cytotoxic potential. The half-lives in mice ranged from 7.3 h for the construct including PAS300 to 11.6 h for the construct including PAS600. The highest absolute tumor uptake was found for the construct including the ABD, which was 60 to 160% higher than the PASylated or XTENylated constructs, even though it did not have the longest half-life (9.0 h). A comparison of the tumor-to-normal-organ ratios showed the best overall performance of the ABD-fused construct. In conclusion, PASylation, XTENylation, and the addition of an ABD are viable strategies for half-life extension of affibody-drug conjugates, with the best performance observed for the construct including the ABD.
Right ventricular outflow tract diameter change with exercise: a prospective exercise echocardiography and invasive CPET study
Authors: Ahmed El Shaer, Mariana Garcia-Arango, Claudia Korcarz, Aimee Teo Broman, Christopher G Lechuga, Naomi C Chesler, Farhan Raza
Journal:  (2024)

Abstract While cardiac output reserve with exercise predicts outcomes in cardiac and pulmonary vascular disease, precise quantification of exercise cardiac output requires invasive cardiopulmonary testing (iCPET). To improve the accuracy of cardiac output reserve estimation with transthoracic echocardiography (TTE), this prospective study aims to define changes in right ventricular outflow tract diameter (RVOTd) with exercise and its relationship with invasively measured haemodynamics. Twenty subjects underwent simultaneous TTE and iCPET, with data collected at rest, leg-raise, 25 W, 50 W (n = 16), 75 W (n = 14), and 100 W (n = 6). This was followed by a second exercise study with real-time RV pressure–volume loops at similar stages (except leg-raise). The overall cohort included heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (n = 12), pulmonary arterial hypertension (n = 5), and non-cardiac dyspnoea (n = 3). RVOTd was reverse engineered from the TTE-derived RVOT velocity time integral (VTI) and iCPET-derived stroke volume, using the formula: Fick stroke volume = RVOT VTI × RVOT area (wherein RVOT area = π × [RVOTd/2]2). RVOTd increased by nearly 3–4% at every 25 W increment. Using linear regression models, where each subject is treated as a categorical variable and adjusting for subject intercept, RVOTd was correlated with haemodynamic variables (cardiac output, heart rate, pulmonary artery and RV pressures). Of all the predictor haemodynamic variables, cardiac output had the highest r2 model fit (adjusted r2 = 0.68), with a unit increase in cardiac output associated with a 0.0678 increase in RVOTd (P &amp;lt; 0.001). Our findings indicate that RVOTd increases by 3–4% with every 25 W increment, predominantly correlated with cardiac output augmentation. These results can improve the accuracy of cardiac output reserve estimation by adjusting for RVOTd with graded exercise during non-invasive CPET and echocardiogram. However, future studies are needed to define these relationships for left ventricular outflow tract diameter.
An ultrasound-activated nanoplatform remodels tumor microenvironment through diverse cell death induction for improved immunotherapy
Authors: Jingbo Ma, Haitao Yuan, Jingjing Zhang, Xin Sun, Letai Yi, Weihua Li, Zhifen Li, Chunjin Fu, Liuhai Zheng, Xiaolong Xu, Xiaoxian Wang, Fujing Wang, Da Yin, Jimin Yuan, Chengchao Xu, Zhijie Li, Xin Peng, Jigang Wang
Journal: Journal of Controlled Release (2024)
Ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3-related (ATR) inhibitor camonsertib dose optimization in patients with biomarker-selected advanced solid tumors (TRESR study)
Authors: Elisa Fontana, Ezra Rosen, Elizabeth K Lee, Martin Højgaard, Niharika B Mettu, Stephanie Lheureux, Benedito A Carneiro, Gregory M Cote, Louise Carter, Ruth Plummer, Devalingam Mahalingam, Adrian J Fretland, Joseph D Schonhoft, Ian M Silverman, Marisa Wainszelbaum, Yi Xu, Danielle Ulanet, Maria Koehler, Timothy A Yap
Journal: JNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute (2024)

Camonsertib is a selective oral inhibitor of ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3-related (ATR) kinase with demonstrated efficacy in tumors with DNA damage response gene deficiencies. On-target anemia is the main drug-related toxicity typically manifesting after the period of dose-limiting toxicity evaluation. Thus, dose and schedule optimization requires extended follow-up to assess prolonged treatment effects.