Search

© 2015 The Authors.Neuroblastoma is the most common extracranial solid tumor in childhood in high-income countries (HIC), where consistent treatment approaches based on clinical and tumor biological risk stratification have steadily improved outcomes. Howe

Aims. This study was aimed at comparing perceptions of portfolios between student nurses at the early and latter stages of their training and how they compare with their lecturers' perceptions. Background. Portfolios are used widely in nurse education. There has been research into how portfolios are perceived and understood, but there is little evidence into how student nurses and lecturers compare quantitatively in perceptions of portfolio use. Design. Survey. Method. Forty-eight nursing lecturers and 413 nursing students, from a multi-centred School of Nursing in the UK, completed a questionnaire. Data were analysed with exploratory factor analysis, varimax rotation of the factor solution, internal consistency analysis, and analysis of variance. Results. Five factors were extracted, which were labelled: (1) portfolios as a means of skills acquisition, (2) other means of teaching and learning beyond using portfolios, (3) processes of showing the portfolio to others, (4) having favourable attitudes towards portfolios and (5) lecturers' ability to share knowledge about portfolios. Scales developed from these five factors had high levels of internal consistency. Lecturers were the most positive of the three respondent groups in their views of portfolios, whereas third- and fourth-year students were the least positive. There were significant differences between student nurses and their lecturers, concerning how information on portfolios is communicated by the lecturer. Conclusion. There were significant discrepancies between lecturers and student nurses in their views on how portfolios are used. The value of portfolios becomes less salient to student nurses towards the end of their training. Relevance to clinical practice. Lecturers and clinical mentors need to look at students' perceptions and why some nursing students' views on portfolios deteriorate. There could be regular discussions with students to see how and why the students begin to see portfolios as less useful for their education and continual professional development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyclophosphamide-based regimens are front-line treatment for numerous pediatric malignancies; however, current dosing methods result in considerable interpatient variability in tumor response and toxicity. In this pediatric population, the authors' objectives were (1) to quantify and explain the pharmacokinetic variability of cyclophosphamide and 2 of its metabolites, hydroxycyclophosphamide (HCY) and carboxyethylphosphoramide mustard (CEPM), and (2) to apply a population pharmacokinetic model to describe the disposition of cyclophosphamide and these metabolites. A total of 196 blood samples were obtained from 22 children with neuroblastoma receiving intravenous cyclophosphamide (400 mg/m[2]/d) and topotecan. Blood samples were quantitated for concentrations of cyclophosphamide, HCY, and CEPM using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and analyzed using nonlinear mixed-effects modeling with the NONMEM software system. After model building was complete, the area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) was computed using NONMEM. Cyclophosphamide elimination was described by noninducible and inducible routes, with the latter producing HCY. Glomerular filtration rate was a covariate for the fractional elimination of HCY and its conversion to CEPM. Considerable interpatient variability was observed in the AUC of cyclophosphamide, HCY, and CEPM. These results represent a critical first step in developing pharmacokinetic-linked pharmacodynamic studies in children receiving cyclophosphamide to determine the clinical relevance of the pharmacokinetic variability in cyclophosphamide and its metabolites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The historical perspective, value, and process of integrating advocacy, counseling, and family life education (FLE) in a family service agency is described. The integration of these three components of service delivery offers improved service to the community as well as increased opportunity for staff growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A personal narrative is presented which explores the author's experience, as a doctor, of detecting Gitelman syndrome in one of his patient.

A joint partnership between a University and its local hospitals developed and implemented Practice Learning Teams (PLTs) to enhance student nurse learning experiences. In order to achieve this, PLTs arrived at clear aims and purposes, with educators and nurses working collaboratively and being jointly responsible for the quality of students' placement experience. This study occurred after a year of implementation, and a range of stakeholders were interviewed in order to evaluate perceived effectiveness. Findings of this report suggest the majority of respondents thought PLTs should be retained, recognising that they were new, and thus required development. There was a clear difference between effective and ineffective PLTs. Effective teams were considered to support the students' practice-based learning and mentors, while providing a forum for sharing 'good practice', discussion and problem solving. Less effective teams were characterised by having a low attendance or a membership that lacked enthusiasm and/or willingness to participate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A reprint of the article "A Loyal AAUP Member Says 'Down With Tenure!'" by Dabney Park Jr., which appeared in the March 1972 issue of "Change" magazine, is presented. The author presents a hypothetical conversation he has with a lawyer on the purpose of tenure for college professors. Topics covered include the competence of college teachers, employment contracts, and academic freedom.

The cancer stem cell (CSC) hypothesis proposes that CSCs are the root of cancer and cause cancer metastasis and recurrence. In this study, we examined whether Ras signaling is associated with stemness of the CSCs population characterized by the stem cell antigen (Sca-1) phenotype in a 4T1 syngeneic mouse model of breast cancer. The Sca-1(pos) putative CSCs had high levels of activated Ras and phosphorylated MEK (p-MEK), compared with counterparts. The Ras farnesylation inhibitor (FTI-277) suppressed the maintenance and expansion of CSCs. Therefore, selective inhibition of Ras activation may be useful for stem-specific cancer therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Recent shifts in consumer dietary preferences have led to a significant decline in rice consumption in Korea, resulting in surplus rice production. To address this issue, rice flour has been proposed as a substitute for wheat flour. However, the physical, chemical and structural differences between rice and wheat, particularly in grain hardness, pose challenges in using rice flour as an alternative. Understanding the genetic factors that influence rice grain hardness is crucial for improving the milling process and producing high-quality rice flour suitable for wheat flour substitution., Results: In this study, various grain traits, including length, width, thickness, length-to-width ratio and hardness, were measured in a population of brown and milled rice. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis revealed a significant association between grain hardness and thickness, with QTLs for grain hardness mapped on chromosomes 1 and 12 for brown and milled rice, respectively. A total of 20 candidate genes related to grain hardness were identified through QTL analysis. Among them, OsFLOq12 (LOC_Os12g43550) was identified as a key gene influencing grain hardness, which encodes a Ras small GTPase. Phenotypic analysis showed differences in endosperm appearance and particle size between lines with low and high grain hardness., Conclusion: The genetic analysis of OsFLOq12 revealed a single nucleotide polymorphism associated with grain hardness. This study provides valuable insights into the genetic background of grain hardness, offering a foundation for breeding rice varieties optimized for flour production as a viable substitute for wheat flour. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry., (© 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.)

Electrochemical water splitting involving two-half chemical cell reactions is a promising approach to generate hydrogen and oxygen. Although this method is sustainable, the sluggish kinetics of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) occurring at the anode due to a high overpotential is an issue to be addressed. Recently, various chemical and structural engineering approaches have been explored to improve the efficiency of the OER by reducing the overpotential. Among them, incorporating noble metals into the electrodes by doping or creating heterojunctions is an appealing approach to develop efficient OER electrocatalysts. Based on this principle, herein, we synthesized a bismuth-oxide (Bi 2 O 3 ) electrocatalyst incorporated with silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) by a facile one-step hydrothermal method to take advantage of the high conductivity of Ag NPs and the low band gap along with fast redox reaction of Bi 2 O 3 . With the Ag + concentration in the hydrothermal precursor solution, the thickness of hydrothermally formed Bi 2 O 3 nanoplates decreases, resulting in the increased electrochemical surface area (ECSA) from 71 to 300 cm 2 . The optimal electrode, heterojunction-formed Ag-Bi 2 O 3 (denoted H-Ag 1.00 -Bi 2 O 3 ), exhibits the lowest overpotential of 260 mV for the OER at a current density of 10 mA cm -2 with an excellent durability of 77.5% after stability tests for 240 h due to the number of active sites produced by Ag doping (manifesting defects), and heterojunction established between Ag nanoparticles and Bi 2 O 3 nanoplates. The approach explored in this work could be further utilized to produce other effective electrocatalysts for accelerating OER performances.

Background: This study evaluated the safety, pharmacokinetics, and antitumor activity of LY3295668 erbumine as monotherapy and combination therapy in children with relapsed/refractory neuroblastoma., Methods: Patients aged 2-21 years who had relapsed/refractory neuroblastoma were enrolled. LY3295668 erbumine was evaluated at two dose levels (12 and 15 mg/m 2 ) and administered orally twice daily continuously as monotherapy and in combination with intravenous topotecan and cyclophosphamide in 28-day cycles., Results: Twenty-five patients were treated. No dose-limiting toxicity occurred in monotherapy; one patient had dose-limiting toxicities in the combination therapy cohort (grade 3 mucositis and grade 4 neutropenia). The recommended phase 2 dose for both monotherapy and combination therapy was 15 mg/m 2 . Twenty-two patients (88%) had one or more treatment-related adverse event(s) (TRAEs), and 18 (72%) experienced grade ≥3 TRAEs. Myelosuppression was the most common high-grade TRAE observed in the combination therapy cohort. At both dose levels, steady-state plasma concentrations exceeded xenograft 90% inhibitory concentration levels. In the monotherapy cohort, one patient had a minor response, and one patient had stable disease, both continuing for >12 months. In the combination therapy cohort, two patients had a partial response, two had a minor response, and six had stable disease. Overall, the response rate, according to New Approaches to Neuroblastoma Therapy version 2.0 criteria, was 8%, and the disease control rate was 52%., Conclusions: LY3295668 erbumine had a manageable safety profile as monotherapy and in combination therapy. Although proof-of-concept clinical responses were observed, future studies with biomarker-selected populations and/or novel combinations may yield higher response rates with Aurora kinase A inhibition., (© 2025 American Cancer Society.)

Importance: Whether population-based racial and ethnic survival disparities for children with high-risk neuroblastoma persist in the clinical trial setting is unknown., Objective: To investigate racial and ethnic survival disparities among children with high-risk neuroblastoma treated on frontline clinical trials., Design, Setting, and Participants: This retrospective cohort study used data from Children's Oncology Group (COG) high-risk neuroblastoma trials from January 1, 2007, to December 31, 2016, with a data freeze on June 30, 2021. Children with high-risk neuroblastoma were analyzed in 2 cohorts: induction/consolidation trial participants and post-consolidation trial participants. Statistical analyses were performed from September 2, 2021, to December 30, 2024., Exposures: Race and ethnicity were the primary exposures, categorized as Hispanic, non-Hispanic Black, non-Hispanic other (American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander), or non-Hispanic White., Main Outcomes and Measures: Primary outcomes included overall survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS) from time of trial enrollment, estimated by Kaplan-Meier methods. Associations with race and ethnicity were evaluated by log-rank tests and Cox proportional hazards regression models. Secondary outcomes included induction delays, early trial withdrawal, relapse as first event, death as first event, postrelapse OS, and early phase trial enrollment., Results: The induction/consolidation cohort (median follow-up, 8.3 years [IQR, 6.1-9.8 years]) included 696 patients (404 males [58.1%]; 79 Hispanic patients [11.4%], 109 non-Hispanic Black patients [15.7%], 27 patients of non-Hispanic other race [3.9%], and 481 non-Hispanic White patients [69.1%]). The post-consolidation cohort (median follow-up, 7.5 years [IQR, 5.8-9.4 years]) included 935 patients (567 males [60.6%]; 87 Hispanic patients [9.3%], 145 non-Hispanic Black patients [15.5%], 41 patients of non-Hispanic other race [4.4%], and 662 non-Hispanic White patients [70.8%]). In multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models, Hispanic children experienced significantly inferior OS (hazard ratio [HR], 1.78; 95% CI, 1.25-2.53; P = .01) on induction/consolidation studies compared with non-Hispanic White children; EFS did not differ. Non-Hispanic Black (HR, 1.54; 95% CI, 1.13-2.11) and Hispanic children (HR, 1.63; 95% CI, 1.09-2.43) experienced inferior OS on post-consolidation studies compared with non-Hispanic White children (P = .009); Hispanic children in post-consolidation studies experienced inferior EFS (HR, 1.68; 95% CI, 1.14-2.47; P = .02). Death as first event and postrelapse OS also differed by race and ethnicity., Conclusions and Relevance: This study suggests that Black and Hispanic children with high-risk neuroblastoma experienced inferior OS despite uniform planned treatment on frontline COG clinical trials. Investigated mechanisms did not completely explain survival disparities. Future evaluation of disparate treatment-related toxicities and postrelapse care as explanatory mechanisms are key next steps to promote equity.