Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Concurrent Challenges: New-Onset Type 2 Diabetes And Invasive Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma: A Case Report, Abhishekh Pokhrel, Alexa Lissete Zarate, Sobia Hassan Memon, Everardo Cobos

Research Colloquium

Background: Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is a highly aggressive cancer with a five-year survival rate of about 10%, and is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. Approximately 53% of patients are diagnosed at stage IV, characterized by distant metastasis to common sites such as the liver and lungs. Liver metastases occur in 60-70% of metastatic cases, while lung metastases are seen in 10-15% of patients. The median survival for stage IV patients is typically around 3 to 6 months, with current treatments primarily focused on palliation. Advances in chemotherapy offer modest survival benefits, but early detection and …

Potential Involvement Of Srb1 In Type 1 Diabetes Associated Dyslipidemia: Characterizing Srb1 Antisense, Sowmya Duddu, Masami Shimizu-Albergine, Karin E. Bornfedlt

Research Colloquium

Background: One of the main complications of type 1 diabetes is cardiovascular disease associated with dyslipidemia, characterized by abnormally high levels of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins in the bloodstream. This imbalance could eventually lead to complications such as atherosclerosis. Liver Scavenger Receptor Class B Type 1 (SRB1) is currently being investigated for its role in type 1 diabetes induced dyslipidemia. We aim to characterize the effects of using a liver specific SRB1 antisense (GalNAc-SRB1 ASO) in non-diabetic and diabetic mice. We hypothesize that triglyceride and cholesterol levels will increase to a greater extent in diabetic mice injected with GalNAc-SRB1 ASO than in …

Assessing The Impact Of A Comprehensive Care Model On Reducing A1c Levels Compared To Primary Care Alone: A Comprehensive Study, Hector Trejo, Lizette Ingle, Karla Soberanis

Research Colloquium

Introduction: Diabetes significantly challenges the Rio Grande Valley (RGV), especially in low-income rural areas where prevalence and mortality rates are higher than in urban regions. Limited access to routine healthcare and specialists exacerbates these issues, delaying medical attention and reducing diagnostic testing and management adherence. Early diagnosis and lifestyle modification interventions show promise, but objective evaluation of these models by local organizations in the RGV. Further analysis is needed to assess their effectiveness in reducing diabetes prevalence and improving health outcomes in the RGV.

Methods: This retrospective study aims to evaluate the Comprehensive Care Model (CCM) on Improved Health Outcomes …

A Case Of Chorea-Hemiballism In The Presence Of Labile Glucose Levels, Bhargavi Akkineni, Karina Torres

Research Colloquium

Introduction: Uncontrolled blood glucose is notorious for inflicting multi-organ pathologies. One such pathology, chorea-hemiballism, has been reported in individuals who exhibited either hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia, and although rare, it is debilitating and calls for active management.

Case Description: A 50-year-old female, with a past medical history of anemia, chronic kidney disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and hypertension, presented to the emergency room with acute onset chorea-hemiballism. Patient reported experiencing abnormal movements for two weeks prior to her ER visit, but otherwise denied prior episodes of movement disorders. On physical examination, patient displayed generalized jerky choreiform movements of upper and …

Tuberculosis In Elderly Hispanics: Bcg Vaccination At Birth Is Protective Whereas Diabetes Is Not A Risk Factor, Julia M. Scordo, Genesis P. Aguillón-Durán, Doris Ayala, Ana P. Quirino-Cerrillo, Eminé Rodriguez-Reyna, Francisco Mora-Guzmán, Jose A. Caso, Eder Ledezma-Campos, Larry Schlesinger, Jordi B. Torrelles, Joanne Turner, Blanca I. Restrepo

Research Symposium

Background. Aging increases the risk of tuberculosis (TB) and its adverse outcomes, but most studies are based on secondary analyses, and few are in Hispanics. Diabetes is a risk factor for TB in adults, but its contribution in the elderly is unknown. We aimed to identify the role of diabetes and other risk factors for TB in elderly Hispanics.

Methods. Cross-sectional study among newly-diagnosed TB patients, recent contacts (ReC), or community controls (CoC) totaling 646 participants, including 183 elderly (>60 years; 43 TB, 80 ReC, 60 CoC) and 463 adults (18 to 50 years; 80 TB, 301 …

Enhancing Appropriate Statin Therapy In Type 2 Diabetic Patients Aged Between 40-75 Years At Graduate Medical Education (Gme) Internal Medicine Clinic, Adriana Betancourth Alvarenga, Ans Albustamy, Ayesha Khan, Steffi Sathiyaraj, Nghia Nguyen, Martha Solis, Rodolfo Garza-Morales, Oscar Lopez, Yilen Karen Ng-Wong, Hector Arredondo, Andres R. Suarez Parraga

Research Symposium

Background: The prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is significantly higher in Rio Grande Valley than the rest of the United States. T2DM patients have an elevated risk of Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), and clinical trials have demonstrated the beneficial effects of statin therapy on ASCVD. A quality-improvement project was implemented in the GME Internal Medicine (IM) Clinic at Doctors Hospital at Renaissance to improve statin therapy appropriateness.

Methods: T2DM patients aged 40-75 were selected from the GME IM Clinic visits from July 2021 to October 2021 for baseline data and from January 2022 to April 2022 after implementing …