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Interleukin-17 Limits Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1Α And Development Of Hypoxic Granulomas During Tuberculosis, Racquel Domingo-Gonzalez, Shibali Das, Kristin L. Griffiths, Mushtaq Ahmed, Monika Bambouskova, Suhas Gondi, Noor Al-Hammadi, Reid Townsend, Maxim N. Artyomov, Shabaana A. Khader, Et Al.

Open Access Publications

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is a global health threat, compounded by the emergence of drug-resistant strains. A hallmark of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) is the formation of hypoxic necrotic granulomas, which upon disintegration, release infectious Mtb. Furthermore, hypoxic necrotic granulomas are associated with increased disease severity and provide a niche for drug-resistant Mtb. However, the host immune responses that promote the development of hypoxic TB granulomas are not well described. Using a necrotic Mtb mouse model, we show that loss of Mtb virulence factors, such as phenolic glycolipids, decreases the production of the proinflammatory cytokine IL-17 (also referred to as IL-17A). IL-17 …

African American Prostate Cancer Survivorship: Exploring The Role Of Social Support In Quality Of Life After Radical Prostatectomy, Kellie R Imm, Faustine Williams, Ashley J Housten, Graham A Colditz, Bettina F Drake, Keon L Gilbert, Lin Yang

Open Access Publications

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to explore the African American prostate cancer survivorship experience following radical prostatectomy and factors contributing to quality of life during survival.

DESIGN: African American men who were part of a larger prostate cancer cohort were invited to participate in a focus group. Eighteen open-ended questions were designed by the study team and an experienced moderator to elicit participants' survivorship experiences.

RESULTS: Twelve men consented to participate in the study. Emergent themes included views of prostate cancer in the African American community, perceptions of normalcy, emotional side effects following radical prostatectomy, and social support …

Early Detection Of Gastric Cancer Using Global, Genome-Wide And Irf4, Elmo1, Clip4 And Msc Dna Methylation In Endoscopic Biopsies, Francesca Pirini, Douglas E. Berg, Et Al

Open Access Publications

Clinically useful molecular tools to triage gastric cancer patients are not currently available. We aimed to develop a molecular tool to predict gastric cancer risk in endoscopy-driven biopsies obtained from high-risk gastric cancer clinics in low resource settings.We discovered and validated a DNA methylation biomarker panel in endoscopic samples obtained from 362 patients seen between 2004 and 2009 in three high-risk gastric cancer clinics in Lima, Perú, and validated it in 306 samples from the Cancer Genome Atlas project ("TCGA"). Global, epigenome wide and gene-specific DNA methylation analyses were used in a Phase I Biomarker Development Trial to identify a …

Investigator And Independent Review Committee Exploratory Assessment And Verification Of Tumor Response In A Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Study, Robert R Ford, Robert W Ford, Michael O'Neal, Brad S Kahl, Ling Chen, Mihaela Munteanu, Bruce D Cheson

Open Access Publications

Interpretation of endpoints (e.g. overall response rate) in clinical trials depends on the accurate and reliable measurement and identification of tumors. Regulatory agencies recommend blinded reviews of imaging data by independent review committees (IRCs). Differences in response outcomes that arise between IRCs and site investigators raise regulatory/sponsor concerns. Here, we evaluate discrepant tumor response assessments by the IRC and unblinded investigators (complete versus partial response, respectively) occurring in 52 (13% of 393 IRC-assessed responders) of 447 enrolled patients with treatment-naïve non-Hodgkin lymphoma from a randomized study. The IRC and investigators were 'likely correct' in 73% and 25% of cases, respectively …

Combination Epigenetic Therapy In Metastatic Colorectal Cancer (Mcrc) With Subcutaneous 5-Azacitidine And Entinostat: A Phase 2 Consortium/Stand Up 2 Cancer Study, Nilofer S. Azad, Douglas Adkins, Joel Picus, Richard Piekarz, Et Al

Open Access Publications

PURPOSE: Therapy with demethylating agent 5-azacitidine and histone deacetylase inhibitor entinostat shows synergistic re-expression of tumor-suppressor genes and growth inhibition in colorectal (CRC) cell lines and in vivo studies.

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: We conducted a phase II, multi-institutional study of the combination in metastatic CRC patients. Subcutaneous azacitidine was administered at 40 mg/m2 days 1-5 and 8-10 and entinostat was given 7 mg orally on days 3 and 10. An interim analysis indicated toxicity crossed the pre-specified safety boundary but was secondary to disease. A 2nd cohort with added eligibility restrictions was accrued: prior therapies were limited to no more than …