Matters of Trust: A Comparison of Patient-Provider Trust in Colorectal Cancer Survivors Using the Trust in Oncologist Scale

Objective: Trust is a vital component of the patient-provider relationship. Higher trust is associated with increased adherence to treatment and improved outcomes. The purpose of this study was to compare colorectal cancer (CRC) survivors\u27 reported trust toward their primary care physician (PCP) and oncologist (ONC). Methods: CRC survivors (n=62) were surveyed using the Trust in Oncologist (TiOS) instrument that assessed five domains (honesty, fidelity, caring, competence, and global/overall) using a 5-point Likert scale. Social and demographic variables were analyzed using nonparametric tests. Results: Mean trust was higher toward the ONC compared to the PCP across all TiOS domains (P=0.001-0.023). Trust was lowest in the competence and caring domains for both ONC and PCP. Younger age was associated with lower trust compared to older age (P=.0002, P=0.018). Higher cancer stage was associated with significantly lower trust toward PCP (P=0.074). Conclusion: Results confirm the importance of trust between cancer patients and physicians. Although CRC survivors report high overall trust toward their oncologist, they do not always believe their oncologist is competent to treat their disease. We propose the novel concept of Forced Attachment Theory to explain the phenomenon of an obligated sense of attachment from CRC patients toward their treating physicians

Neoadjuvant treatment of Dermatofibrosarcoma Protuberans of pancreas with Imatinib: case report and systematic review of literature

Abstract Dermatofibrosarcoma Protuberans (DFSP) is a rare skin tumor, characterized by frequent local recurrence but is seldom metastatic. It is histologically characterized by storiform arrangement of spindle cells. Cytogenetically, most tumors are characterized by translocation 17:22 leading to overexpression of tyrosine kinase PDGFB which can be targeted with tyrosine kinase inhibitor, Imatinib. We describe the first case of unresectable pancreatic metastases from DFSP treated with neoadjuvant Imatinib and subsequently R0 metastectomy. Additionally, a comprehensive systematic review of DFSP pancreatic metastases and the current published data on the use of Imatinib in DFSP is summarized.Peer Reviewe

Accumbens Cholinergic Interneurons Mediate Cue-Induced Nicotine Seeking and Associated Glutamatergic Plasticity

Nicotine, the primary addictive substance in tobacco, is widely abused. Relapse to cues associated with nicotine results in increased glutamate release within nucleus accumbens core (NAcore), modifying synaptic plasticity of medium spiny neurons (MSNs), which contributes to reinstatement of nicotine seeking. However, the role of cholinergic interneurons (ChIs) within the NAcore in mediating these neurobehavioral processes is unknown. ChIs represent less than 1% of the accumbens neuronal population and are activated during drug seeking and reward-predicting events. Thus, we hypothesized that ChIs may play a significant role in mediating glutamatergic plasticity that underlies nicotine-seeking behavior. Using chemogenetics in transgenic rats expressing Cre under the control of the choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) promoter, ChIs were bidirectionally manipulated before cue-induced reinstatement. Following nicotine self-administration and extinction, ChIs were activated or inhibited before a cue reinstatement session. Following reinstatement, whole-cell electrophysiology from NAcore MSNs was used to assess changes in plasticity, measured via AMPA/NMDA (A/N) ratios. Chemogenetic inhibition of ChIs inhibited cued nicotine seeking and resulted in decreased A/N, relative to control animals, whereas activation of ChIs was unaltered, demonstrating that ChI inhibition may modulate plasticity underlying cue-induced nicotine seeking. These results demonstrate that ChI neurons play an important role in mediating cue-induced nicotine reinstatement and underlying synaptic plasticity within the NAcore

Draft genome sequences of two Bulgarian Bacillus anthracis strains

Bacillus anthracis strains previously isolated from Bulgaria form a unique subcluster within the A1.a cluster that is typical for isolates from southeastern Europe. Here, we report the draft genome sequences of two Bulgarian B. anthracis strains belonging to the A branch (A.Br.) 008/009 canonical single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) group of the major A branch

Exploring Barriers and Promoters of CRC Screening Use Among Agricultural Operators: A Pilot Study of an Application of Concept Mapping

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of the study was to identify barriers and facilitators of colorectal cancer (CRC) screening use among agricultural operators in Nebraska, US. METHODS: The concept mapping approach was used to engage participants and enhance the generation of ideas and opinions regarding CRC screening. Two focus groups (seven women and seven men) were conducted. RESULTS: Among women, the cost domain was most agreed upon as important, followed by experiencing symptoms, awareness, and family. Among men, the important concepts related to CRC screening were family and friend support, feeling too young to get CRC, family or personal history of CRC, and lack of awareness of the need to be screened. Some gender differences regarding barriers were observed, such as women were more concerned about the cost of screening while men were far more concerned about the embarrassment associated with CRC screening. CONCLUSION: These findings will be crucial to developing educational materials to increase knowledge of risk factors for CRC and of CRC screening in the agricultural population

Accounting for variability when resurrecting dormant propagules substantiates their use in eco-evolutionary studies

There has been a steady rise in the use of dormant propagules to study biotic responses to environmental change over time. This is particularly important for organisms that strongly mediate ecosystem processes, as changes in their traits over time can provide a unique snapshot into the structure and function of ecosystems from decades to millennia in the past. Understanding sources of bias and variation is a challenge in the field of resurrection ecology, including those that arise because often-used measurements like seed germination success are imperfect indicators of propagule viability. Using a Bayesian statistical framework, we evaluated sources of variability and tested for zero-inflation and overdispersion in data from 13 germination trials of soil-stored seeds of Schoenoplectus americanus, an ecosystem engineer in coastal salt marshes in the Chesapeake Bay. We hypothesized that these two model structures align with an ecological understanding of dormancy and revival: zero-inflation could arise due to failed germinations resulting from inviability or failed attempts to break dormancy, and overdispersion could arise by failing to measure important seed traits. A model that accounted for overdispersion, but not zero-inflation, was the best fit to our data. Tetrazolium viability tests corroborated this result: most seeds that failed to germinate did so because they were inviable, not because experimental methods failed to break their dormancy. Seed viability declined exponentially with seed age and was mediated by seed provenance and experimental conditions. Our results provide a framework for accounting for and explaining variability when estimating propagule viability from soil-stored natural archives which is a key aspect of using dormant propagules in eco-evolutionary studies

Noncovalent Functionalization of Graphene and Graphene Oxide for Energy Materials, Biosensing, Catalytic, and Biomedical Applications

This Review focuses on noncovalent functionalization of graphene and graphene oxide with various species involving biomolecules, polymers, drugs, metals and metal oxide-based nanoparticles, quantum dots, magnetic nanostructures, other carbon allotropes (fullerenes, nanodiamonds, and carbon nanotubes), and graphene analogues (MoS2, WS2). A brief description of pi-pi interactions, van der Waals forces, ionic interactions, and hydrogen bonding allowing noncovalent modification of graphene and graphene oxide is first given. The main part of this Review is devoted, to tailored functionalization for applications in drug delivery, energy materials, solar cells, water splitting, biosensing, bioimaging, environmental, catalytic, photocatalytic, and biomedical technologies. A significant part of this Review explores the possibilities of graphene/graphene oxide-based 3D superstructures and their use in lithium-ion batteries. This Review ends with a look at challenges and future prospects of noncovalently modified graphene and graphene oxideope

A Microbe Associated with Sleep Revealed by a Novel Systems Genetic Analysis of the Microbiome in Collaborative Cross Mice.

The microbiome influences health and disease through complex networks of host genetics, genomics, microbes, and environment. Identifying the mechanisms of these interactions has remained challenging. Systems genetics in laboratory mice (Mus musculus) enables data-driven discovery of biological network components and mechanisms of host-microbial interactions underlying disease phenotypes. To examine the interplay among the whole host genome, transcriptome, and microbiome, we mapped QTL and correlated the abundance of cecal messenger RNA, luminal microflora, physiology, and behavior in a highly diverse Collaborative Cross breeding population. One such relationship, regulated by a variant on chromosome 7, was the association of Odoribacter (Bacteroidales) abundance and sleep phenotypes. In a test of this association in the BKS.Cg-Dock7m +/+ Leprdb/J mouse model of obesity and diabetes, known to have abnormal sleep and colonization by Odoribacter, treatment with antibiotics altered sleep in a genotype-dependent fashion. The many other relationships extracted from this study can be used to interrogate other diseases, microbes, and mechanisms

The Impact of HAART on the Respiratory Complications of HIV Infection: Longitudinal Trends in the MACS and WIHS Cohorts

Objective: To review the incidence of respiratory conditions and their effect on mortality in HIV-infected and uninfected individuals prior to and during the era of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Design: Two large observational cohorts of HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected men (Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study [MACS]) and women (Women's Interagency HIV Study [WIHS]), followed since 1984 and 1994, respectively. Methods: Adjusted odds or hazards ratios for incident respiratory infections or non-infectious respiratory diagnoses, respectively, in HIV-infected compared to HIV-uninfected individuals in both the pre-HAART (MACS only) and HAART eras; and adjusted Cox proportional hazard ratios for mortality in HIV-infected persons with lung disease during the HAART era. Results: Compared to HIV-uninfected participants, HIV-infected individuals had more incident respiratory infections both pre-HAART (MACS, odds ratio [adjusted-OR], 2.4; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.2-2.7; p<0.001) and after HAART availability (MACS, adjusted-OR, 1.5; 95%CI 1.3-1.7; p<0.001; WIHS adjusted-OR, 2.2; 95%CI 1.8-2.7; p<0.001). Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was more common in MACS HIV-infected vs. HIV-uninfected participants pre-HAART (hazard ratio [adjusted-HR] 2.9; 95%CI, 1.02-8.4; p = 0.046). After HAART availability, non-infectious lung diseases were not significantly more common in HIV-infected participants in either MACS or WIHS participants. HIV-infected participants in the HAART era with respiratory infections had an increased risk of death compared to those without infections (MACS adjusted-HR, 1.5; 95%CI, 1.3-1.7; p<0.001; WIHS adjusted-HR, 1.9; 95%CI, 1.5-2.4; p<0.001). Conclusion: HIV infection remained a significant risk for infectious respiratory diseases after the introduction of HAART, and infectious respiratory diseases were associated with an increased risk of mortality. © 2013 Gingo et al

High-resolution μCT of a mouse embryo using a compact laser-driven X-ray betatron source

High-resolution microcomputed tomography with benchtop X-ray sources requires long scan times because of the heat load limitation on the anode. We present an alternative, high-brightness plasma-based X-ray source that does not suffer from this restriction. A demonstration of tomography of a centimeter-scale complex organism achieves equivalent quality to a commercial scanner. We will soon be able to record such scans in minutes, rather than the hours required by conventional X-ray tubes