Search

Glioblastoma is a highly aggressive neoplasm and the most common primary malignant brain tumor. Endothelial tissue plays a critical role in glioblastoma growth and progression, facilitating angiogenesis, cellular communication, and tumorigenesis. In this review, we present an up-to-date and comprehensive summary of the role of endothelial cells in glioblastomas, along with an overview of recent developments in glioblastoma therapies and tumor endothelial marker identification.

BackgroundHeart transplant selection committee meetings have transitioned from in-person to remote video meetings during the COVID-19 pandemic, but how this impacts committee members and patient outcomes is unknown.ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to determine the perceived impact of remote video transplant selection meetings on usability and patient care and to measure patient selection outcomes during the transition period from in-person to virtual meetings.MethodsA 35-item anonymous survey was developed and distributed electronically to the heart transplant selection committee. We reviewed medical records to compare the outcomes of patients presented at in-person meetings (January-March 2020) to those presented during video meetings (March-June 2020).ResultsAmong 83 committee members queried, 50 were regular attendees. Of the 50 regular attendees, 24 (48%) were physicians and 26 (52%) were nonphysicians, including nurses, social workers, and coordinators; 46 responses were received, 23 (50%) from physicians and 23 (50%) from nonphysicians, with 41 responses fully completed. Overall, respondents were satisfied with the videoconference format and felt that video meetings did not impact patient care and were an acceptable alternative to in-person meetings. However, 54% (22/41) preferred in-person meetings, with 71% (15/21) of nonphysicians preferring in-person meetings compared to only 35% (7/20) of physicians (P=.02). Of the 46 new patient evaluations presented, there was a statistically nonsignificant trend toward fewer patients initially declined at video meetings compared with in-person meetings (6/24, 25% compared to 10/22, 45%; P=.32).ConclusionsThe transition from in-person to video heart transplant selection committee meetings was well-received and did not appear to affect committee members' perceived ability to deliver patient care. Patient selection outcomes were similar between meeting modalities.

Background Social media is an effective channel for the advancement of women physicians; however, its use by women in cardiology has not been systematically studied. Our study seeks to characterize the current Women in Cardiology Twitter network. Methods and Results Six women-specific cardiology Twitter hashtags were analyzed: #ACCWIC (American College of Cardiology Women in Cardiology), #AHAWIC (American Heart Association Women in Cardiology), #ilooklikeacardiologist, #SCAIWIN (Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions Women in Innovations), #WomeninCardiology, and #WomeninEP (Women in Electrophysiology). Twitter data from 2016 to 2019 were obtained from Symplur Signals. Quantitative and descriptive content analyses were performed. The Women in Cardiology Twitter network generated 48 236 tweets, 266 180 903 impressions, and 12 485 users. Tweets increased by 706% (from 2083 to 16 780), impressions by 207% (from 26 755 476 to 82 080 472), and users by 440% (from 796 to 4300), including a 471% user increase internationally. The network generated 6530 (13%) original tweets and 43 103 (86%) amplification tweets. Most original and amplification tweets were authored by women (81% and 62%, respectively) and women physicians (76% and 52%, respectively), with an increase in original and amplification tweets authored by academic women physicians (98% and 109%, respectively) and trainees (390% and 249%, respectively) over time. Community building, professional development, and gender advocacy were the most common tweet contents over the study period. Community building was the most common tweet category for #ACCWIC, #AHAWIC, #ilooklikeacardiologist, #SCAIWIN, and #WomeninCardiology, whereas professional development was most common for #WomeninEP. Conclusions The Women in Cardiology Twitter network has grown immensely from 2016 to 2019, with women physicians as the driving contributors. This network has become an important channel for community building, professional development, and gender advocacy discussions in an effort to advance women in cardiology.

Clinical reasoning is the complex cognitive analysis employed by physicians during the medical decision making process. This is first introduced in the problem-based learning (PBL) course in the preclinical medical school curriculum with the PBL facilitator playing a critical role in meeting these educational goals. However, factors, such as the instructor's clinical experience and teaching style, will have an impact the group's engagement in the clinical reasoning process. Thus, the clinical reasoning tool was developed to address this variability, with the goal of strengthening small group engagement in clinical reasoning during PBL. The clinical reasoning tool (CRT) is an online educational application, which provides a framework for the process of developing and analyzing the differential diagnosis for a clinical case. It was assigned as a self-directed learning assignment to one student per small group for selected second-year PBL cases during one academic quarter. There was a >70% CRT implementation rate across the seven selected cases with a total of 86 CRT look-ups produced. Overall, students felt the tool provided a useful framework for developing and analyzing a clinical case, however 68% were dissatisfied with the tool, citing concerns about suboptimal implementation and tool functionality, and only 18% felt it offered educational value. In contrast, 57% of faculty facilitators found the CRT to be a useful educational resource, though in need of a modified implementation approach. The CRT has the potential to serve as a valuable educational tool. However, its role within the medical school curriculum must be optimized. Consequently, there are several areas for improvement and innovation in the CRT, including tool design, curricular implementation, and educational outcomes evaluation. Overall, this project allowed educators to explore new teaching modalities at the level of undergraduate medical education.

Necroptosis is a form of necrotic cell death that requires the activity of the death domain-containing kinase RIP1 and its family member RIP3. Necroptosis occurs when RIP1 is deubiquitinated to form a complex with RIP3 in cells deficient in the death receptor adapter molecule FADD or caspase-8. Necroptosis may play a role in host defense during viral infection as viruses like vaccinia can induce necroptosis while murine cytomegalovirus encodes a viral inhibitor of necroptosis. To see how general the interplay between viruses and necroptosis is, we surveyed seven different viruses. We found that two of the viruses tested, Sendai virus (SeV) and murine gammaherpesvirus-68 (MHV68), are capable of inducing dramatic necroptosis in the fibrosarcoma L929 cell line. We show that MHV68-induced cell death occurs through the cytosolic STING sensor pathway in a TNF-dependent manner. In contrast, SeV-induced death is mostly independent of TNF. Knockdown of the RNA sensing molecule RIG-I or the RIP1 deubiquitin protein, CYLD, but not STING, rescued cells from SeV-induced necroptosis. Accompanying necroptosis, we also find that wild type but not mutant SeV lacking the viral proteins Y1 and Y2 result in the non-ubiquitinated form of RIP1. Expression of Y1 or Y2 alone can suppress RIP1 ubiquitination but CYLD is dispensable for this process. Instead, we found that Y1 and Y2 can inhibit cIAP1-mediated RIP1 ubiquitination. Interestingly, we also found that SeV infection of B6 RIP3-/- mice results in increased inflammation in the lung and elevated SeV-specific T cells. Collectively, these data identify viruses and pathways that can trigger necroptosis and highlight the dynamic interplay between pathogen-recognition receptors and cell death induction.

Summary: The production of bioethanol by cyanobacteria can become economically sustainable if other valuable commercial products, such as exopolysaccharides (EPS), are produced simultaneously. This study investigates the feasibility of producing bioethanol and the commercially important EPS from a non‐nitrogen fixing marine cyanobacterium, Synechococcus elongatus BDU 10144 in a novel low‐cost seawater‐fertilizer medium for the development of a biorefinery strategy. Herein, agricultural fertilizer diammonium phosphate (DAP) (nitrogen source), magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) and potassium were optimized by the central composite design to produce maximum biomass and carbohydrate accretion. The optimal physical conditions for attaining maximum growth and carbohydrate accumulation were determined to be pH 10, 50 μmol m−2 s−1 (light intensity) and 25°C. Further, different concentrations of seawater were mixed with the optimized fertilizer‐salts, and it was observed that 70% of seawater mixed with the optimized fertilizer‐salts (hereafter FSW medium) was an optimum condition for growing the test cyanobacterium, which ultimately reduced the cost of the medium by >40 times compared to the standard artificial seawater nutrient (ASN‐III) medium. Under the optimal conditions, the maximum biomass (1.79 g/L) and carbohydrate (702.4 mg/L) yield obtained were ~1.7 and 2.2 times higher than the ASN‐III. The yield of bioethanol was noted to be 318.1 mg/L, which was ~2.3 times greater than ASN‐III. The commercially important EPS was obtained from the discarded supernatant (0.28 g/L), which was ~1.6 times higher in the FSW medium. Thus, the present investigation paves a way forward for mass cultivation of the S. elongatus BDU 1044 in the novel FSW medium for the cost‐efficient and sustainable development of a biorefinery concept. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A pilot study has been performed using BMI machine (Marketed) in terminal cancer patients to analyze the progress of disease and to estimate its prognosis using concept of Panchabotikatattva. The five primary constituents of body with the concept of Panchatattva philosophy is an ancient method of analyzing the condition of a human body. This is conceptual research method mentioned in ancient ayurveda books, consists of two major outcome of human body which are PRITHVITATTVA and APATATTVA. The concept of analyzing the major contents in human body constituents in the form of weight and water. The study was performed using manual calculation of Body Mass Index (BMI) analyzer which depends on percentile of water percentage and calories percentage of the total body weight. The static evidence given by the study in relation of BMI with the patient's conditions for treatment and prognosis has suggested as an alternative way of finding the conditions of the patient and to anticipate the outcome of the treatment. Context: Classical textbooks of Ayurveda have explained about identifying the prognosis by the signs &symptoms of Panchbotikatattva present or exhibited in human body to the best of our knowledge. No study has been conducted with the clinical approach to assess the same till date. Aim: To revalidate the Panchbotikatattva using Body Mass Index (BMI) Materials & Methods: Cancer patients with terminal stage were selected for establishing the panchbotikatattva concept and analyzed by using BMI. A formula has been established and predominance of panchbotikatattva concept applied to know the good or poor prognosis and response against the treatment. Results: Among 10 patients studied, 3 had Vayuveeyatattvaa predominantly and patients had poor prognosis &died at an average of 20 days. 7 patients had mild symptomatic improvement due to relatively balanced tattvaa ( more inclined towards aap) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]