Medical Anatomy Commons^™

Opa1 Modulates Mitochondrial Ca 2+ Uptake Through Er-Mitochondria Coupling, Benjamín Cartes-Saavedra, Josefa Macuada, Daniel Lagos, Duxan Arancibia, María E Andrés, Patrick Yu-Wai-Man, György Hajnóczky, Verónica Eisner

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

Autosomal Dominant Optic Atrophy (ADOA), a disease that causes blindness and other neurological disorders, is linked to OPA1 mutations. OPA1, dependent on its GTPase and GED domains, governs inner mitochondrial membrane (IMM) fusion and cristae organization, which are central to oxidative metabolism. Mitochondrial dynamics and IMM organization have also been implicated in Ca2+ homeostasis and signaling but the specific involvements of OPA1 in Ca2+ dynamics remain to be established. Here we studied the possible outcomes of OPA1 and its ADOA-linked mutations in Ca2+ homeostasis using rescue and overexpression strategies in Opa1-deficient and wild-type murine embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs), respectively and in …

Extracellular Matrix Guidance Of Autophagy: A Mechanism Regulating Cancer Growth, Carolyn Chen, Renato V. Iozzo

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

The extracellular matrix (ECM) exists as a dynamic network of biophysical and biochemical factors that maintain tissue homeostasis. Given its sensitivity to changes in the intra- and extracellular space, the plasticity of the ECM can be pathological in driving disease through aberrant matrix remodelling. In particular, cancer uses the matrix for its proliferation, angiogenesis, cellular reprogramming and metastatic spread. An emerging field of matrix biology focuses on proteoglycans that regulate autophagy, an intracellular process that plays both critical and contextual roles in cancer. Here, we review the most prominent autophagic modulators from the matrix and the current understanding of the …

Uveitis-Mediated Immune Cell Invasion Through The Extracellular Matrix Of The Lens Capsule, Jodirae Dedreu, Sonali Pal-Ghosh, Mary J Mattapallil, Rachel R Caspi, Mary Ann Stepp, A Sue Menko

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

While the eye is considered an immune privileged site, its privilege is abrogated when immune cells are recruited from the surrounding vasculature in response to trauma, infection, aging, and autoimmune diseases like uveitis. Here, we investigate whether in uveitis immune cells become associated with the lens capsule and compromise its privilege in studies of C57BL/6J mice with experimental autoimmune uveitis. These studies show that at D14, the peak of uveitis in these mice, T cells, macrophages, and Ly6G/Ly6C+ immune cells associate with the lens basement membrane capsule, burrow into the capsule matrix, and remain integrated with the capsule as immune …

Interferon Gamma Release Assay Mitogen Responses In Covid-19, Dagan Coppock, Claire E. Zurlo, Jenna M. Meloni, Sara L. Goss, John J. Zurlo, Matthew A. Pettengill

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

Background

Elevated cytokine release and T cell exhaustion have been associated with COVID-19 disease severity. T cell activity may be indirectly measured through interferon gamma release assays (IGRAs), which use mitogen stimulation of T lymphocytes as a positive control. In our institution, an unexpectedly high rate of indeterminate IGRAs was noted in COVID-19–positive patients. We aimed to evaluate the clinical characteristics associated with indeterminate IGRA results and the difference in mitogen responses between COVID-19–positive and COVID-19–negative patients.

Methods

We reviewed all patients, regardless of COVID status, who were admitted between March 1, 2020, and May 31, 2020, and for whom …

Dysregulation Of Mir-21-Associated Mirna Regulatory Networks By Chronic Ethanol Consumption Impairs Liver Regeneration., Austin Parrish, Ankita Srivastava, Egle Juskeviciute, Jan B Hoek, Rajanikanth Vadigepalli

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

Impaired liver regeneration has been considered as a hallmark of progression of alcohol-associated liver disease. Our previous studies demonstrated that in vivo inhibition of the microRNA (miRNA) miR21 can restore regenerative capacity of the liver in chronic ethanol-fed animals. The present study focuses on the role of microRNA regulatory networks that are likely to mediate the miR-21 action. Rats were chronically fed an ethanol-enriched diet along with pair-fed control animals and treated with AM21 (anti-miR-21), a locked nucleic acid antisense to miR-21. Partial hepatectomy (PHx) was performed and miRNA expression profiling over the course of liver regeneration was assessed. Our …

Stem Signatures Associating Sox2 Antibody Helps To Define Diagnosis And Prognosis Prediction With Esophageal Cancer, Zi-Yang Peng, Qing-Shi Wang, Kai Li, Si-Si Chen, Xiang Li, Guo-Dong Xiao, Shou-Ching Tang, Hong Ren, Zhe Wang, Xin Sun

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

Background: esophageal cancer is one of the deadliest diseases worldwide. Due to the ineffectual screening methods referring to early diagnosis, most people have lost their chance of radical resection when diagnosed with esophageal cancer. This aim of this study was designed to evaluate the latent values of the stem signatures-associated autoantibodies (AABS) in predicting the early diagnosis, and particularly seeking the precise predictive outcomes with sensitive SOX2. We also studied the potential immunotherapeutic targets and prospective long-term prognosis predicators of esophageal cancer.

Methods: The serum concentrations of selective antibodies were quantitated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and a total of …

The Role Of Decorin And Biglycan Signaling In Tumorigenesis, Valentina Diehl, Lisa Sophie Huber, Jonel Trebicka, Malgorzata Wygrecka, Renato V. Iozzo, Liliana Schaefer

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

The complex and adaptive nature of malignant neoplasm constitute a major challenge for the development of effective anti-oncogenic therapies. Emerging evidence has uncovered the pivotal functions exerted by the small leucine-rich proteoglycans, decorin and biglycan, in affecting tumor growth and progression. In their soluble forms, decorin and biglycan act as powerful signaling molecules. By receptor-mediated signal transduction, both proteoglycans modulate key processes vital for tumor initiation and progression, such as autophagy, inflammation, cell-cycle, apoptosis, and angiogenesis. Despite of their structural homology, these two proteoglycans interact with distinct cell surface receptors and thus modulate distinct signaling pathways that ultimately affect cancer …

A Spatial Model Of Hepatic Calcium Signaling And Glucose Metabolism Under Autonomic Control Reveals Functional Consequences Of Varying Liver Innervation Patterns Across Species, Aalap Verma, Alexandra Manchel, Rahul Narayanan, Jan B. Hoek, Babatunde A Ogunnaike, Rajanikanth Vadigepalli

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

Rapid breakdown of hepatic glycogen stores into glucose plays an important role during intense physical exercise to maintain systemic euglycemia. Hepatic glycogenolysis is governed by several different liver-intrinsic and systemic factors such as hepatic zonation, circulating catecholamines, hepatocellular calcium signaling, hepatic neuroanatomy, and the central nervous system (CNS). Of the factors regulating hepatic glycogenolysis, the extent of lobular innervation varies significantly between humans and rodents. While rodents display very few autonomic nerve terminals in the liver, nearly every hepatic layer in the human liver receives neural input. In the present study, we developed a multi-scale, multi-organ model of hepatic metabolism …

Metabolic Adaptation To The Chronic Loss Of Ca 2+ Signaling Induced By Ko Of Ip 3 Receptors Or The Mitochondrial Ca 2+ Uniporter, Michael P. Young, Zachary T Schug, David M. Booth, David I Yule, Katsuhiko Mikoshiba, György Hajnóczky, Suresh K Joseph

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

Calcium signaling is essential for regulating many biological processes. Endoplasmic reticulum inositol trisphosphate receptors (IP3Rs) and the mitochondrial Ca2+ uniporter (MCU) are key proteins that regulate intracellular Ca2+ concentration. Mitochondrial Ca2+ accumulation activates Ca2+-sensitive dehydrogenases of the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle that maintain the biosynthetic and bioenergetic needs of both normal and cancer cells. However, the interplay between calcium signaling and metabolism is not well understood. In this study, we used human cancer cell lines (HEK293 and HeLa) with stable KOs of all three IP3R isoforms (triple KO [TKO]) or MCU to examine metabolic and bioenergetic responses to the chronic …

Mirna-30e Downregulation Increases Cancer Cell Proliferation, Invasion And Tumor Growth Through Targeting Rps6kb1, Lin Wang, Xiang-Bo Ji, Li-Hong Wang, Zhong-Kun Xia, Yun-Xia Xie, Wen-Jing Liu, Jian-Ge Qiu, Bing-Hua Jiang, Ling-Zhi Liu

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

Human esophagus carcinoma (EC) is one of the most common malignant tumors, especially in Africa and Asia including China. In EC initiation and progression, genetic and epigenetic aberrations have been reported to play a major role, but the underlying molecular mechanisms are largely unknown. In this study, the miR-30e levels were analyzed in human EC tissues and TCGA databases, and the results demonstrated that miR-30e expression in EC tissues was significantly decreased compared to adjacent normal tissues. To further investigate the role of miR-30e in cancer cells, we found that forced expression of miR-30e dramatically inhibited cell proliferation, invasion, tube …

Simultaneous Brain And Intramedullary Spinal Abscesses In A Patient With Streptococcus Intermedius Infection, David P. Friedman, Joseph Desimone Jr, Aaron Christensen, Matthew Pettengill

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

A male patient in his thirties presented to the hospital with meningismus and altered mental status. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis confirmed meningitis, but no microorganisms were identified. Head imaging (MRI) revealed multiple brain abscesses. Surgically-collected brain specimens revealed Gram-positive cocci and subsequently grew Streptococcus intermedius. MRI of the thoracic spine subsequently also identified an intramedullary spinal abscess. While brain abscesses and spinal abscesses caused by S. intermedius have been previously reported, the extent of disseminated disease in the patient was noteworthy.

Retinoic Acid Fluctuation Activates An Uneven, Direction-Dependent Network-Wide Robustness Response In Early Embryogenesis, Madhur Parihar, Liat Bendelac-Kapon, Michal Gur, Tali Abbou, Abha Belorkar, Sirisha Achanta, Keren Kinberg, Rajanikanth Vadigepalli, Abraham Fainsod

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

Robustness is a feature of regulatory pathways to ensure signal consistency in light of environmental changes or genetic polymorphisms. The retinoic acid (RA) pathway, is a central developmental and tissue homeostasis regulatory signal, strongly dependent on nutritional sources of retinoids and affected by environmental chemicals. This pathway is characterized by multiple proteins or enzymes capable of performing each step and their integration into a self-regulating network. We studied RA network robustness by transient physiological RA signaling disturbances followed by kinetic transcriptomic analysis of the recovery during embryogenesis. The RA metabolic network was identified as the main regulated module to achieve …

M6a Associated Tsuc7 Inhibition Contributed To Erlotinib Resistance In Lung Adenocarcinoma Through A Notch Signaling Activation Dependent Way, Kai Li, Zi-Yang Peng, Shan Gao, Qing-Shi Wang, Rui Wang, Xiang Li, Guo-Dong Xiao, Jing Zhang, Hong Ren, Shou-Ching Tang, Xin Sun

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

Background: The small tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) subversively altered the lung cancer treatments, but patients will inevitably face the therapy resistance and disease recurrence. We aim to explore the potential roles of non-coding RNAs in sensitizing the TKIs effects.

Methods: Multiple cellular and molecular detections were applied to confirm the mechanistic regulations and intracellular connections.

Results: We explored the specific gene features of candidates in association with resistance, and found that m6A controlled the stemness of EMT features through METTL3 and YTHDF2. The miR-146a/Notch signaling was sustained highly activated in a m6A dependent manner, and the m6A regulator of YTHDF2 …

A Rare Fatal Case Of Adenovirus Serotype 4 Associated Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis In An Adult: A Case Report, Zahra Qamar, Catherine Tucker, Lawrence C. Kenyon, Tricia. Royer

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) is an autoimmune demyelinating disease directed against the myelin sheath of the central nervous system that typically presents 1–4 weeks after an infection or vaccination, most commonly in children. We describe a case of a young female who presented with rapidly progressive mental deterioration and died secondary to ADEM following an adenovirus upper respiratory tract infection.

Immune Cells In Lens Injury Repair And Fibrosis, Janice L Walker, A. Sue Menko

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

Immune cells, both tissue resident immune cells and those immune cells recruited in response to wounding or degenerative conditions, are essential to both the maintenance and restoration of homeostasis in most tissues. These cells are typically provided to tissues by their closely associated vasculatures. However, the lens, like many of the tissues in the eye, are considered immune privileged sites because they have no associated vasculature. Such absence of immune cells was thought to protect the lens from inflammatory responses that would bring with them the danger of causing vision impairing opacities. However, it has now been shown, as occurs …

Mapping The Little Brain At The Heart By An Interdisciplinary Systems Biology Team., Rajanikanth Vadigepalli, James S. Schwaber

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

No abstract provided.

Dabigatran Reduces Thrombin-Induced Neuroinflammation And Ad Markers In Vitro: Therapeutic Relevance For Alzheimer's Disease, Syed Waseem Bihaqi, Haripriya Vittal Rao, Abhik Sen, Paula Grammas

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

Background: Vascular risk factors such as atherosclerosis, diabetes, and elevated homocysteine levels are strongly correlated with onset of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Emerging evidence indicates that blood coagulation protein thrombin is associated with vascular and non-vascular risk factors of AD. Here, we examined the effect of thrombin and its direct inhibitor dabigatran on key mediators of neuro-inflammation and AD pathology in the retinoic acid (RA)-differentiated human neuroblastoma cell line SH-SY5Y. Methods: SH-SY5Y cells exposed to thrombin concentrations (10–100 nM) +/- 250 nM dabigatran for 24 h were analyzed for protein and gene expression. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) was used to …

Impaired 26s Proteasome Assembly Precedes Neuronal Loss In Mutant Ubqln2 Rats., Wenjuan Zhang, Bo Huang, Limo Gao, Cao Huang

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

Proteasomal dysfunction is known to be associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal degeneration (ALS/FTD). Our previous reports have shown that a mutant form of ubiquilin-2 (UBQLN2) linked to ALS/FTD leads to neurodegeneration accompanied by accumulations of the proteasome subunit Rpt1 in transgenic rats, but the precise pathogenic mechanisms of how this mutation impairs the proteasome remains to be elucidated. Here, we reveal that this UBQLN2 mutation in rats disrupted the proteasome integrity prior to neurodegeneration, that it dissociated the 26S proteasome in vitro, and that its depletion did not affect 26S proteasome assembly. During both disease progression and in …

Resident Immune Cells Of The Avascular Lens: Mediators Of The Injury And Fibrotic Response Of The Lens., A. Menko, Jodirae Dedreu, Caitlin M. Logan, Heather Paulson, Alex V Levin, Janice L Walker

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

Tissues typically harbor subpopulations of resident immune cells that function as rapid responders to injury and whose activation leads to induction of an adaptive immune response, playing important roles in repair and protection. Since the lens is an avascular tissue, it was presumed that it was absent of resident immune cells. Our studies now show that resident immune cells are a shared feature of the human, mouse, and chicken lens epithelium. These resident immune cells function as immediate responders to injury and rapidly populate the wound edge following mock cataract surgery to function as leader cells. Many of these resident …

Characterization And Clinical Significance Of Eif1ax Mutations And Co-Mutations In Cytologically Indeterminate Thyroid Nodules: A 5-Year Retrospective Analysis., Stacey Gargano, Nitika Badjatia, Yanina Nikolaus, Stephen C Peiper, Zi-Xuan Wang, Phd

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

OBJECTIVE: Mutations in the EIF1AX gene have been recently detected in a small percentage of benign and malignant thyroid lesions. We sought to investigate the prevalence and clinical significance of EIF1AX mutations and co-mutations in cytologically indeterminate thyroid nodules at our institution.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A 5-year retrospective analysis was performed on thyroid nodules with a cytologic diagnosis of Bethesda category III or IV, which had undergone testing by our in-house next generation sequencing panel. Surgically resected nodules with EIF1AX mutations were identified, and mutation type and presence of co-mutations were correlated with histopathologic diagnosis.

RESULTS: 41/904 (4.5%) cases overall …

Clinical Performance Of The Point-Of-Care Cobas Liat For Detection Of Sars-Cov-2 In 20 Minutes: A Multicenter Study., Glen Hansen, Jamie Marino, Zi-Xuan Wang, Kathleen G Beavis, John Rodrigo, Kylie Labog, Lars F Westblade, Run Jin, Nedra Love, Karen Ding, Sachin Garg, Alan Huang, Joanna Sickler, Nam K Tran

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

Highly accurate testing for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) at the point of care (POC) is an unmet diagnostic need in emergency care and time-sensitive outpatient care settings. Reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) technology is the gold standard for SARS-CoV-2 diagnostics. We performed a multisite U.S. study comparing the clinical performance of the first U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-authorized POC RT-PCR for detection of SARS-CoV-2 in 20 min, the cobas Liat SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A/B nucleic acid test, to the most widely used RT-PCR laboratory test, the cobas 68/8800 SARS-CoV-2 test. Clinical nasopharyngeal swab specimens from 444 patients with …

Educational Case: A Case Of Transfusion-Transmitted Babesiosis: Diagnostic Perspectives Across The Clinical Laboratory., Kaitlyn Dykes, Alexis R. Peedin

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

The following fictional case is intended as a learning tool within the Pathology Competencies for Medical Education (PCME), a set of national standards for teaching pathology. These are divided into three basic competencies: Disease Mechanisms and Processes, Organ System Pathology, and Diagnostic Medicine and Therapeutic Pathology.

Diurnal Patterns Of Gene Expression In The Dorsal Vagal Complex And The Central Nucleus Of The Amygdala - Non-Rhythm-Generating Brain Regions, Mary M Staehle, Sean O'Sullivan, Rajanikanth Vadigepalli, Kate F Kernan, Gregory E Gonye, Babatunde A Ogunnaike, James S. Schwaber

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

Genes that establish the circadian clock have differential expression with respect to solar time in central and peripheral tissues. Here, we find circadian-time-induced differential expression in a large number of genes not associated with circadian rhythms in two brain regions lacking overt circadian function: the dorsal vagal complex (DVC) and the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA). These regions primarily engage in autonomic, homeostatic, and emotional regulation. However, we find striking diurnal shifts in gene expression in these regions of male Sprague Dawley rats with no obvious patterns that could be attributed to function or region. These findings have implications …

Catabolic Degradation Of Endothelial Vegfa Via Autophagy, Thomas Neill, Carolyn Chen, Simone Buraschi, Renato V. Iozzo

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

Extracellular matrix-evoked angiostasis and autophagy within the tumor microenvironment represent two critical, but unconnected, functions of the small leucine-rich proteoglycan, decorin. Acting as a partial agonist of vascular endothelial growth factor 2 (VEGFR2), soluble decorin signals via the energy sensing protein, AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), in the autophagic degradation of intracellular vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA). Here, we discovered that soluble decorin evokes intracellular catabolism of endothelial VEGFA that is mechanistically independent of mTOR, but requires an autophagic regulator, paternally expressed gene 3 (PEG3). We found that administration of autophagic inhibitors such as chloroquine or bafilomycin A1, or depletion …

Clinico-Pathological Features And Pd-1/Pd-L1 Expression In Primary Mediastinal Large B Cell Lymphoma, Lydia Glick, Geetha Jagannathan, Md, Guldeep Uppal, Md

Department of Pathology Honors Program Student Research Symposium

Primary Mediastinal Large B Cell Lymphoma (PMBCL) is a distinct subtype of Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL) that has been historically reported to have a worse prognosis than DLBCL. Occasional studies have reported PD-L1 expression in PMBCL, which can emerge as an important target for immune-check point therapy. This study aimed to evaluate clinico-pathological features and characterize the expression of PD-1 and PD-L1 in a single cohort of 15 patients with PMBCL.

A total of 15 cases of PMBCL were retrieved from records of the department of Pathology; eleven of these had tissue available for additional immunohistochemistry, specifically, PD-L1 …

Metastatic Lobular Breast Carcinoma In A Meningioma: A Case Study, Sara Chapin, Msii, Lawrence C. Kenyon, Md, Phd

Department of Pathology Honors Program Student Research Symposium

Hormonal relationships between breast carcinoma and meningioma have long been reported in the literature. This association may be related to the widespread expression of progesterone receptors in meningiomas. Indeed, meningiomas are more common in women and may demonstrate increased growth during pregnancy. Women have an increased risk of meningioma following breast carcinoma diagnosis and vice versa. However, much more uncommon is a tumor to tumor metastases of breast carcinoma into a meningioma. We report a case of a 56 year old female with a past medical history of breast cancer, found to have a right sphenoorbital meningioma with metastatic lobular …

Primary Cns Small Mature B-Cell Lymphoma With Plasmacytic Differentiation Presenting As An Amyloidoma: A Case Report And Review Of Literature, Andrew Lynch, Geetha Jagannathan, Md

Department of Pathology Honors Program Student Research Symposium

Primary central nervous system lymphomas (PCNSL) without systemic involvement are rare and account for only 2-3% of all brain tumors and <1% of all non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL). Close to 40% of PCNSL are associated with immunosuppression, however, the incidence of primary central nervous system (CNS) lymphomas has shown an increasing trend in immunocompetent patients in recent decades due to better control of HIV and drug-induced immunosuppression [2]. Here, we describe a case of a primary CNS non-Hodgkin’s small mature B-cell lymphoma with plasmacytic differentiation in an immunocompetent individual. A previously healthy 87-year-old Caucasian woman presented to the neurology clinic with complaints of slowly progressing left sided weakness, predominantly in the left arm and leg over the last 6 months. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain revealed a large, confluent white matter T2-hyperintensity in the right frontal lobe with multifocal nodular enhancement involving the left cerebral hemisphere, cerebellum, and leptomeninges, consistent morphologically with lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma. A bone marrow biopsy showed normal trilineage hematopoiesis with no evidence of lymphoma, myeloma or amyloidosis. Our patient was treated with Rituximab but developed an ischemic infarct of the left frontal white matter. She and her family decided to forego further treatment and switch to hospice care.

The Comparison Of Spectral Domain Optical Coherence Tomography (Sd-Oct) To Histopathology In A Patient With Diffuse Macular Drusen, Harold Salmons, Ralph Eagle, Md

Department of Pathology Honors Program Student Research Symposium

Background: Spectral Domain Optical Coherence Tomography (SD-OCT) has become a gold standard technique in ophthalmologic practice, and has revolutionized the diagnosis and treatment of retinal disease. As SD-OCT uses low interference interferometry and mathematical algorithms to produce detailed theoretical cross-sectional images of the retina, it is crucial to examine correlations between SD-OCT images and their corresponding histopathologic slides.

Methods: In the present study, careful correlative light microscopy was performed on the eye that was enucleated from an elderly patient who had a uveal melanoma and early agerelated macular degeneration evident clinically as soft drusen. SD-OCT was performed prior to enucleation …

Atypical Presentation Of Upshaw Schulman Syndrome: A Case Report, Goutham Ravipati, Bs, David Strayer, Md, Phd, Douglas Drelich, Md

Department of Pathology Honors Program Student Research Symposium

Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is a rare coagulation disorder with a typical clinical presentation of low platelets and excessive clotting. Mortality for this disorder may be high if untreated and therefore necessitates a high clinical suspicion. Here we describe a 46-year-old African American woman with a past medical history of multiple cerebrovascular accidents presenting to hematology after a suspected diagnosis of TTP. Presumptive diagnosis of acquired TTP called for treatment with IVIg, but a diagnosis of congenital TTP (Upshaw Schulman syndrome) was made after testing showed a lack of ADAMTS13 antibodies. Treatment with fresh frozen plasma (FFP) showed increase in …

The Use Of Liquid Biopsy In The Fight Against Cancer, Chamaka Kalutota, Emanual Rubin, Md

Department of Pathology Honors Program Student Research Symposium

In recent years, liquid biopsy has emerged as a potential alternative/adjunct to standard tissue biopsy in the diagnosis of malignancies. Current use of this technique, which tracks distinctive molecules released from neoplastic cells including circulating tumor cells (CTCs), exosomes, circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), cell-free DNA (cfDNA) and miRNA, has generally been limited to determining therapies in lung cancer based on detectable mutations (EFGR, EML4-ALK). However, recent studies have demonstrated the possibility for using these molecules as more efficient prognostic and diagnostic biomarkers in breast, colon, rectum, lung, liver, and pancreatic cancer. Due to the need for standardization in sampled material …