In this needs assessment, gathered patient perceptions on how telemedicine video visits might influence their care. Patients in this study (n = 13) were all diagnosed with end-stage cancer and were receiving palliative care at an urban academic medical center. Interview themes addressed: 1. impact on patient's health management, 2. user experience, 3. technical issues and 4. cost and time. Ultimately, despite concerns over truncated physical exams and prescription limits, the majority of patients favored having the opportunity for telemedicine video visits, felt that the doctor-patient relationship would not suffer, had confidence in their or their surrogate's technical abilities to navigate the video visit, had privacy concerns on par with other technologies, had few cost concerns, and believed a video alternative to an in-person visit might increase access, save time as well as increase comfort and safety by avoiding a trip to the office. These results suggest potential for acceptance of video-based telemedicine by an urban population of oncology patients receiving palliative care.

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BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Use of cannabis is increasing in a variety of populations in the United States; however, few investigations about how and for what reasons cannabis is used in older populations exist. DESIGN: Anonymous survey. SETTING: Geriatrics clinic. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 568 adults 65 years and older. INTERVENTION: Not applicable. MEASUREMENTS: Survey assessing characteristics of cannabis use. RESULTS: Approximately 15% (N = 83) of survey responders reported using cannabis within the past 3 years. Half (53%) reported using cannabis regularly on a daily or weekly basis, and reported using cannabidiol-only products (46%). The majority (78%) used cannabis for medical purposes only, with the most common targeted conditions/symptoms being pain/arthritis (73%), sleep disturbance (29%), anxiety (24%), and depression (17%). Just over three-quarters reported cannabis "somewhat" or "extremely" helpful in managing one of these conditions, with few adverse effects. Just over half obtained cannabis via a dispensary, and lotions (35%), tinctures (35%), and smoking (30%) were the most common administration forms. Most indicated family members (94%) knew about their cannabis use, about half reported their friends knew, and 41% reported their healthcare provider knowing. Sixty-one percent used cannabis for the first time as older adults (aged ≥61 years), and these users overall engaged in less risky use patterns (e.g., more likely to use for medical purposes, less likely to consume via smoking). CONCLUSION: Most older adults in the sample initiated cannabis use after the age of 60 years and used it primarily for medical purposes to treat pain, sleep disturbance, anxiety, and/or depression. Cannabis use by older adults is likely to increase due to medical need, favorable legalization, and attitudes.

Phenylboronic acids are a class of compounds that bind glucose and other sugars. When polymerized into hydrogels, they provide a convenient nonenzymatic means for sensing glucose concentration, provided competing sugars are present at negligible concentrations. In this paper we provide a comprehensive study of swelling of hydrogels containing methacrylamidophenylboronic acid (MPBA), as a function of pH and concentration of either glucose or fructose. In one set of hydrogels, MPBA is substituted at 20 mol· % in a polyacrylamide hydrogel [p(MPBA-co-AAm)], while in a second set of hydrogels, 20 mol· % MPBA is supplemented with 20 mol· % of N-3-(dimethylaminopropyl methacrylamide) [p(MPBA-co-DMP-co-AAm)]. Swelling curves are markedly different for fructose and glucose, and for the two sets of hydrogels. While fructose alters swelling by binding and contributing to the ionization of MPBA, glucose does the same, but it also can form crosslinking bridges between separate chains, leading to hydrogel shrinkage. While the [p(MPBA-co-AAm)] hydrogels behaved as polyacids, swelling monotonically with increasing pH, the [p(MPBA-co-DMP-co-AAm)] hydrogels exhibited polyampholyte behavior, with swelling minima at intermediate pH values.

Acute myeloid leukemias (AMLs) with the NUP98-NSD1 or mixed lineage leukemia (MLL) rearrangement (MLL-r) share transcriptomic profiles associated with stemness-related gene signatures and display poor prognosis. The molecular underpinnings of AML aggressiveness and stemness remain far from clear. Studies with EZH2 enzymatic inhibitors show that polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) is crucial for tumorigenicity in NUP98-NSD1+ AML, whereas transcriptomic analysis reveal that Kdm5b, a lysine demethylase gene carrying “bivalent” chromatin domains, is directly repressed by PRC2. While ectopic expression of Kdm5b suppressed AML growth, its depletion not only promoted tumorigenicity but also attenuated anti-AML effects of PRC2 inhibitors, demonstrating a PRC2–|Kdm5b axis for AML oncogenesis. Integrated RNA sequencing (RNA-seq), chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by sequencing (ChIP-seq), and Cleavage Under Targets & Release Using Nuclease (CUT&RUN) profiling also showed that Kdm5b directly binds and represses AML stemness genes. The anti-AML effect of Kdm5b relies on its chromatin association and/or scaffold functions rather than its demethylase activity. Collectively, this study describes a molecular axis that involves histone modifiers (PRC2–|Kdm5b) for sustaining AML oncogenesis.