Full term broad ligament pregnancy: a case report

A broad ligament pregnancy is extremely rare form of ectopic pregnancy with high maternal and perinatal mortality. The eventuality of such pregnancies reaching full term is even rarer. Although ultrasonography is helpful in making diagnosis, but it is mostly established during laparotomy. Our patient is an unbooked case, G2P1 reported to us at 39 weeks of pregnancy with abdominal pain. Ultrasonography showed viable foetus with severe intrauterine growth restriction (estimated fetal weight of 1.98 kg), transverse lie, severe oligohydramnios with complete placenta praevia. Patient was taken for caesarean section. Intraoperative diagnosis of left broad ligament pregnancy was made, foetus was removed alive and broad ligament along with placenta, left fallopian tube and ovary was excised. Post-operative period was uneventful

Enhancing viscosity control in antibody formulations : a framework for the biophysical screening of mutations targeting solvent-accessible hydrophobic and electrostatic patches

The formulation of high-concentration monoclonal antibody (mAb) solutions in low dose volumes for autoinjector devices poses challenges in manufacturability and patient administration due to elevated solution viscosity. In the current study, we present a systematic experimental framework for the computational screening of molecular descriptors to guide the design of mutants with modified viscosity profiles accompanied by experimental evaluation. Our observations using a model anti-IL8 antibody reveal that the reduction in viscosity is influenced by the location of hydrophobic interactions, while targeting positively charged patches in mAb1 leads to the most significant viscosity increase compared to the wild-type mAb. We conclude that existing in silico predictions of physicochemical properties exhibit poor correlation with experimental parameters for antibodies with suboptimal developability characteristics, emphasizing the necessity for comprehensive case-by-case evaluations of mAbs. This approach aids in the rational design of mAbs with tailored solution viscosities, ensuring improved manufacturability and patient convenience in self-administration scenarios

The United States COVID-19 Forecast Hub dataset

Academic researchers, government agencies, industry groups, and individuals have produced forecasts at an unprecedented scale during the COVID-19 pandemic. To leverage these forecasts, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) partnered with an academic research lab at the University of Massachusetts Amherst to create the US COVID-19 Forecast Hub. Launched in April 2020, the Forecast Hub is a dataset with point and probabilistic forecasts of incident cases, incident hospitalizations, incident deaths, and cumulative deaths due to COVID-19 at county, state, and national, levels in the United States. Included forecasts represent a variety of modeling approaches, data sources, and assumptions regarding the spread of COVID-19. The goal of this dataset is to establish a standardized and comparable set of short-term forecasts from modeling teams. These data can be used to develop ensemble models, communicate forecasts to the public, create visualizations, compare models, and inform policies regarding COVID-19 mitigation. These open-source data are available via download from GitHub, through an online API, and through R packages

Combinatorial polymeric conjugated micelles with dual cytotoxic and antiangiogenic effects for the treatment of ovarian cancer

Emerging treatment paradigms like targeting the tumor microenvironment and/or dosing as part of a metronomic regimen are anticipated to produce better outcomes in ovarian cancer, but current drug delivery systems are lacking. We have designed and evaluated paclitaxel (PTX) and rapamycin (RAP) micellar systems that can be tailored for various dosing regimens and target tumor microenvironment. Individual and mixed PTX/RAP (MIX-M) micelles are prepared by conjugating drugs to a poly­(ethylene glycol)-<i>block</i>-poly­(β-benzyl l-aspartate) using a pH-sensitive linker. The micelles release the drug(s) at pH 5.5 indicating preferential release in the acidic endosomal/lysosomal environment. Micelles exhibit antiproliferative effects in ovarian cell cancer lines (SKOV-3 (human caucasian ovarian adenocarcinoma) and ES2 (human ovarian clear cell carcinoma)) and an endothelial cell line (HUVEC; human umbilical vein endothelial cells) with the MIX-M being synergistic. The micelles also inhibited endothelial migration and tube formation. In healthy mice, micelles at 60 mg/kg/drug demonstrated no acute toxicity over 21 days. ES2 xenograft model efficacy studies at 20 mg/kg/drug dosed every 4 days and evaluated at 21 days indicate that the individual micelles exhibit antiangiogenic effects, while the MIX-M exhibited both antiangiogenic and apoptotic induction that results in significant tumor volume reduction. On the basis of our results, MIX-M micelles can be utilized to achieve synergistic apoptotic and antiangiogenic effects when treated at frequent low doses

The United States COVID-19 Forecast Hub dataset

Academic researchers, government agencies, industry groups, and individuals have produced forecasts at an unprecedented scale during the COVID-19 pandemic. To leverage these forecasts, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) partnered with an academic research lab at the University of Massachusetts Amherst to create the US COVID-19 Forecast Hub. Launched in April 2020, the Forecast Hub is a dataset with point and probabilistic forecasts of incident cases, incident hospitalizations, incident deaths, and cumulative deaths due to COVID-19 at county, state, and national, levels in the United States. Included forecasts represent a variety of modeling approaches, data sources, and assumptions regarding the spread of COVID-19. The goal of this dataset is to establish a standardized and comparable set of short-term forecasts from modeling teams. These data can be used to develop ensemble models, communicate forecasts to the public, create visualizations, compare models, and inform policies regarding COVID-19 mitigation. These open-source data are available via download from GitHub, through an online API, and through R packages

Erythroplasia of Queyrat treated by laser and light modalities: a systematic review

Erythroplasia of Queyrat (EOQ) is a squamous cell carcinoma in situ most commonly located on the glans penis or prepuce. EOQ accounts for roughly 10 % of all penile malignancies and may lead to invasive squamous cell carcinoma. Standard therapy includes local excision, partial or total penectomy, cryotherapy, and topical cytotoxic agents. Treatment of EOQ has proven to be challenging due to low response rates and recurrence. In addition, radical procedures can significantly affect sexual function and quality of life. Alternative laser treatments and photodynamic therapy (PDT) offer promising results for treating EOQ. A systemic review of the literature was performed for articles discussing laser and light therapy for EOQ. Among the patients treated with the CO laser, 81.4 % of cases had complete remission after one session of treatment. Patients treated with PDT presented with more variable results, where 62.5 % of those treated with methyl aminolevulinate photodynamic therapy (MAL-PDT) achieved complete remission. Aminolevulinic acid (ALA-PDT) treatment showed a similar rate of remission at 58.3 %. One study utilized the Nd:YAG laser, which resulted in a recurrence of the lesion in four of the five patients treated. Of the methods reviewed, the CO laser offered the most promising results with a cosmetically excellent prognosis. Further studies with larger power and longer follow-up times are needed to determine the optimal treatment regimen for this penile malignancy