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Increasing Use Of Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation In Patients Aged 70 Years And Older In The United States, Lori Muffly, Marcelo C. Pasquini, Michael Martens, Ruta Brazauskas, Xiaochun Zhu, Kehinde Adekola, Mahmoud Aljurf, Karen K. Ballen, Ashish Bajel, Frederic Baron, Minoo Battiwalla, Amer Beitinjaneh, Jean-Yves Cahn, Mathew Carabasi, Yi-Bin Chen, Saurabh Chhabra, Stefan Ciurea, Edward Copelan, Anita D'Souza, John Edwards, James Foran, Cesar O. Freytes, Henry C. Fung, Robert Peter Gale, Sergio Giralt, Shahrukh K. Hashmi, Gerhard C. Hildebrandt, Vincent Ho, Ann Jakubowski, Hillard Lazarus

Internal Medicine Faculty Publications

In this study, we evaluated trends and outcomes of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) in adults ≥ 70 years with hematologic malignancies across the United States. Adults ≥ 70 years with a hematologic malignancy undergoing first allogeneic HCT in the United States between 2000 and 2013 and reported to the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research were eligible. Transplant utilization and transplant outcomes, including overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and transplant-related mortality (TRM) were studied. One thousand one hundred and six patients ≥ 70 years underwent HCT across 103 transplant centers. The number and proportion of allografts …

Demographics, Patterns Of Care, And Survival In Pediatric Medulloblastoma, Emily V. Dressler, Therese A. Dolecek, Meng Liu, John L. Villano

Internal Medicine Faculty Publications

We evaluated the American College of Surgeon’s National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) to describe current hospital-based epidemiologic frequency, survival, and patterns of care of pediatric medulloblastoma. We analyzed NCDB 1998–2011 data on medulloblastoma for children ages 0–19 years using logistic and poisson regression, Kaplan–Meier survival estimates, and Cox proportional hazards models. 3647 cases of medulloblastoma in those aged 0–19 years were identified. Chemotherapy was received by 79 and 74% received radiation, with 65% receiving both therapies. Those who received radiation were more likely to be older than four, while those who received chemotherapy were more likely to be age four …

Spotlight On Blisibimod And Its Potential In The Treatment Of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Evidence To Date, Aleksander Lenert, Timothy B. Niewold, Petar Lenert

Internal Medicine Faculty Publications

B cells in general and BAFF (B cell activating factor of the tumor necrosis factor [TNF] family) in particular have been primary targets of recent clinical trials in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). In 2011, belimumab, a monoclonal antibody against BAFF, became the first biologic agent approved for the treatment of SLE. Follow-up studies have shown excellent long-term safety and tolerability of belimumab. In this review, we critically analyze blisibimod, a novel BAFF-neutralizing agent. In contrast to belimumab that only blocks soluble BAFF trimer but not soluble 60-mer or membrane BAFF, blisibimod blocks with high affinity all three forms of BAFF. …

Retention In Continuous Care And Sustained Viral Suppression: Examining The Association Among Individuals Living With Hiv, Timothy N. Crawford, Alice C. Thornton

Internal Medicine Faculty Publications

Objectives: To examine the relationship between retention in continuous care and sustained viral suppression.

Methods: The authors retrospectively followed 653 persons who were virally suppressed and seeking care at an infectious disease clinic in Kentucky for an average of 6 years to determine the rates of retention in medical care (≥2 visits separated by ≥3 months within a 12-month period) and sustained viral suppression (<400 copies/mL). A generalized linear mixed model was used to determine an association between retention and suppression over time.

Results: Approximately 61% of the study population were retained in continuous care and 75% had sustained viral suppression for all patient-years. Persons retained in care were 3 times the odds of sustaining viral suppression over …