Eliminat-ing Transportation Barriers to Outpatient Therapy for Underserved Patients with Cancer

Abstract Background: The cancer patients of Bellevue Hospital (BH) and Woodhull Hospital (WH) represent an underserved community, and are referred to New York University Clinical Cancer Center (NYUCCC) for outpatient radiotherapy (RT). Commuting to NYUCCC poses a financial burden hindering treatment compliance

How do physical activity and health vary among younger, middle-aged, and older adults with and without disability?

Physical activity (PA) and health were compared in younger (YA; 18-44 years), middle-aged (MA; 45-64 years), and older (OA; ≥65 years) adults with disability (PWD), functional limitation (PFL), or without disability (PWoD). Disability occurred in YA (PWD: 2.3%; PFL: 14.3%), MA (PWD: 8.5%; PFL: 23.8%), and OA (PWD: 14.9%; PFL: 26.6%). Not meeting aerobic/musclestrengthening PA recommendations was frequent in YA (PWD: 50.7%; PFL: 42.5%; PWoD: 35.8%), MA (PWD: 56.7%; PFL: 44.0%; PWoD: 35.6%), and OA (PWD: 57.8%; PFL: 44.1%; PWoD: 33.1%). Among PWD, YA and MA met muscle, strengthening recommendations more frequently than did OA; PFL did more aerobic PA than PWD. The presence of chronic diseases, female gender, White race, lower education, and less income were associated with being PWD or PFL. Those with greater PA were less likely to be PWD or PFL. Results suggest increasing public health efforts to promote healthy lifestyles in MA and OA

BRIEF REPORT: β-Blocker Use Among Veterans with Systolic Heart Failure

Numerical results for kinetic and thermal energy dissipation rates in bubbly Rayleigh-Bénard convection are reported. Bubbles have a twofold effect on the flow: on the one hand, they absorb or release heat to the surrounding liquid phase, thus tending to decrease the temperature differences responsible for the convective motion; but on the other hand, the absorbed heat causes the bubbles to grow, thus increasing their buoyancy and enhancing turbulence (or, more properly, pseudoturbulence) by generating velocity fluctuations. This enhancement depends on the ratio of the sensible heat to the latent heat of the phase change, given by the Jakob number, which determines the dynamics of the bubble growth

Matrix metalloproteinase-2 Conditions Human Dendritic Cells to Prime Inflammatory T(H)2 Cells via an IL-12- And OX40L-dependent Pathway

International audienceMatrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) is a proteolytic enzyme degrading the extracellular matrix and overexpressed by many tumors. Here, we documented the presence of MMP-2-specific CD4(+) T cells in tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) from melanoma patients. Strikingly, MMP-2-specific CD4(+) T cells displayed an inflammatory T(H)2 profile, i.e., mainly secreting TNF-α, IL-4, and IL-13 and expressing GATA-3. Furthermore, MMP-2-conditioned dendritic cells (DCs) primed naïve CD4(+) T cells to differentiate into an inflammatory T(H)2 phenotype through OX40L expression and inhibition of IL-12p70 production. MMP-2 degrades the type I IFN receptor, thereby preventing STAT1 phosphorylation, which is necessary for IL-12p35 production. Active MMP-2, therefore, acts as an endogenous type 2 "conditioner" and may play a role in the observed prevalence of detrimental type 2 responses in melanoma

Rationale, study design and implementation of the LUCINDA Trial: Leuprolide plus Cholinesterase Inhibition to reduce Neurologic Decline in Alzheimer's

The LUCINDA Trial (Leuprolide plus Cholinesterase Inhibition to reduce Neurologic Decline in Alzheimer's) is a 52 week, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of leuprolide acetate (Eligard) in women with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Leupmlide acetate is a gonadotmpin analogue commonly used for hormone-sensitive conditions such as prostate cancer and endometriosis. This repurposed drug demonstrated efficacy in a previous Phase II clinical trial in those women with AD who also received a stable dose of the acetylcholinesterase inhibitor donepezil (Bowen et al., 2015). Basic biological, epidemiological and clinical trial data suggest leuprolide acetate mediates improvement and stabilization of neuropathology and cognitive performance via the modulation of gonadotropin and/or gonadotropin-releasing hormone signaling. LUCINDA will enroll 150 women with mild-moderate AD who are receiving a stable dose of donepezil from three study sites in the United States. Cognition and function are the primary outcome measures as assessed by the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive Subscale. Blood and MRI biomarkers are also measured to assess hormonal, inflammatory and AD biomarker changes. We present the protocol for LUCINDA and discuss trial innovations and challenges including changes necessitated by the covid-19 pandemic and study drug procurement issues