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Development Of Frataxin Gene Expression Measures For The Evaluation Of Experimental Treatments In Friedreich's Ataxia., Heather L Plasterer, Eric C Deutsch, Matthew Belmonte, Elizabeth Egan, David R Lynch, James R Rusche

Department of Pediatrics Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Friedreich ataxia is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder caused by GAA triplet repeat expansions or point mutations in the FXN gene and, ultimately, a deficiency in the levels of functional frataxin protein. Heterozygous carriers of the expansion express approximately 50% of normal frataxin levels yet manifest no clinical symptoms, suggesting that therapeutic approaches that increase frataxin may be effective even if frataxin is raised only to carrier levels. Small molecule HDAC inhibitor compounds increase frataxin mRNA and protein levels, and have beneficial effects in animal models of FRDA.

METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: To gather data supporting the use of frataxin as a …

Doxorubicin-Induced, Tnf-Α-Mediated Brain Oxidative Stress, Neurochemical Alterations, And Cognitive Decline: Insights Into Mechanisms Of Chemotherapy Induced Cognitive Impairment And Its Prevention, Jeriel T. Keeney

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

The works presented in this dissertation provide insights into the mechanisms of chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment (CICI or “ChemoBrain”) and take steps toward outlining a preventive strategy. CICI is now widely recognized as a complication of cancer chemotherapy experienced by a large percentage of cancer survivors. Approximately fifty percent of existing FDA-approved anti-cancer drugs generate reactive oxygen species (ROS). Doxorubicin (Dox), a prototypical ROS-generating chemotherapeutic agent, produces the reactive superoxide radical anion (O₂^-•) in vivo. Dox treatment results in oxidation of plasma proteins, including ApoA-I, leading to TNF-α-mediated oxidative stress in plasma and brain. TNF-α elevation in brain …

Presence Of Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase In Inflammatory Breast Cancer., Fredika M Robertson, Emanuel F Petricoin Iii, Steven J Van Laere, Francois Bertucci, Khoi Chu, Sandra V Fernandez, Zhaomei Mu, Katherine Alpaugh, Jianming Pei, Rita Circo, Julia Wulfkuhle, Zaiming Ye, Kimberly M Boley, Hui Liu, Ricardo Moraes, Xuejun Zhang, Ruggero Demaria, Sanford H Barsky, Guoxian Sun, Massimo Cristofanilli

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

Although Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC) is recognized as the most metastatic variant of locally advanced breast cancer, the molecular basis for the distinct clinical presentation and accelerated program of metastasis of IBC is unknown. Reverse phase protein arrays revealed activation of the receptor tyrosine kinase, anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) and biochemically-linked downstream signaling molecules including JAK1/STAT3, AKT, mTor, PDK1, and AMPKβ in pre-clinical models of IBC. To evaluate the clinical relevance of ALK in IBC, analysis of 25 IBC patient tumors using the FDA approved diagnostic test for ALK genetic abnormalities was performed. These studies revealed that 20/25 (80%) had …

Dysregulated Methylation At Imprinted Genes In Prostate Tumor Tissue Detected By Methylation Microarray., Daniel I Jacobs, Yingying Mao, Alan Fu, William Kevin Kelly, Yong Zhu

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Imprinting is an important epigenetic regulator of gene expression that is often disrupted in cancer. While loss of imprinting (LOI) has been reported for two genes in prostate cancer (IGF2 and TFPI2), disease-related changes in methylation across all imprinted gene regions has not been investigated.

METHODS: Using an Illumina Infinium Methylation Assay, we analyzed methylation of 396 CpG sites in the promoter regions of 56 genes in a pooled sample of 12 pairs of prostate tumor and adjacent normal tissue. Selected LOI identified from the array was validated using the Sequenom EpiTYPER assay for individual samples and further confirmed …

Ezh2 Knockdown Suppresses The Growth And Invasion Of Human Inflammatory Breast Cancer Cells., Zhaomei Mu, Hua Li, Sandra V Fernandez, Katherine R Alpaugh, Rugang Zhang, Massimo Cristofanilli

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

INTRODUCTION: Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is the most metastatic variant of breast cancer with the poorest survival in all types of breast cancer patients and presently therapeutic targets for IBC are very limited. Enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) is frequently expressed in human IBC and its expression positively correlates with worse clinical outcome. However, the molecular basis for EZH2 promoting IBC has not been explored. Here, we investigated the functional role of EZH2 in IBC cells by examining the effects of its knockdown on the formation of tumor spheroids and invasion of these cells in vitro and in vivo …

The Complex Transcriptional Landscape Of The Anucleate Human Platelet., Paul F. Bray, Steven E. Mckenzie, Leonard Edelstein, Srikanth Nagalla, Kathleen Delgrosso, Adam Ertel, Joan Kupper, Yi Jing, Eric R. Londin, Phillipe Loher, Huang-Wen Chen, Paolo Fortina, Isidore Rigoutsos

Cardeza Foundation for Hematologic Research

BACKGROUND: Human blood platelets are essential to maintaining normal hemostasis, and platelet dysfunction often causes bleeding or thrombosis. Estimates of genome-wide platelet RNA expression using microarrays have provided insights to the platelet transcriptome but were limited by the number of known transcripts. The goal of this effort was to deep-sequence RNA from leukocyte-depleted platelets to capture the complex profile of all expressed transcripts.

RESULTS: From each of four healthy individuals we generated long RNA (≥40 nucleotides) profiles from total and ribosomal-RNA depleted RNA preparations, as well as short RNA (<40 >nucleotides) profiles. Analysis of ~1 billion reads revealed that coding …

Induction Of Early Biomarkers In A Thrombus-Induced Sheep Model Of Ischemic Heart Failure, Aluganti N Chandrakala, Pawel Kwiatkowski, Chittoor B Sai-Sudhakar, Benjamin Sun, Angela Phillips, Sampath Parthasarathy

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

The levels of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) are known to be increased in the sera of subjects with heart failure. Existing models do not account for the biomass of thrombus that occurs in patients undergoing myocardial infarction. In this study, we compared the expressions of sheep-derived genes for BNP, MCP-1, and atrial natriuretic peptide in a new large-animal model of thrombus-induced heart failure. Thrombus of autologous platelets was injected directly into the left circumflex coronary arteries of sheep. Cardiac ischemic injury was evaluated by troponin I levels, and heart failure progression was monitored with the …

Associations Among Family History Of Cancer, Cancer Screening And Lifestyle Behaviors: A Population-Based Study, Georgiana Bostean, Catherine M. Crespi, William J. Mccarthy

Sociology Faculty Articles and Research

Purpose Some cancers are largely preventable through modification of certain behavioral risk factors and preventive screening, even among those with a family history of cancer. This study examined the associations between (1) family cancer history and cancer screening, (2) family history and cancer preventive lifestyle behaviors, and (3) cancer screening and lifestyle behaviors.

Methods Data were from the 2009 California Health Interview Survey (n = 12,603). Outcomes included screening for breast cancer (BC) and colorectal cancer (CRC) and six cancer preventive lifestyle behaviors, based on World Cancer Research Fund recommendations. Multivariate logistic regression analyses, stratified by gender and race–ethnicity, examined …

Relation Between Optimism And Lipids In Midlife, Julia K. Boehm, David R. Williams, Eric B. Rimm, Carol Ryff, Laura D. Kubzansky

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

This research examined optimism’s relationship with total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and triglycerides. The hypothesis that optimism is associated with a healthier lipid profile was tested. Participants were 990 mostly white men and women from the Midlife in the United States study who were on average 55.1 years old. Optimism was assessed by self-report with the Life Orientation Test. A fasting blood sample was used to assess serum lipid levels. Linear and logistic regression models examined the cross-sectional association between optimism and lipids accounting for covariates such as demographic characteristics (e.g., education) and …

Late Developing Mammary Tumors And Hyperplasia Induced By A Low-Oncogenic Variant Of Mouse Mammary Tumor Virus (Mmtv) Express Genes Identical To Those Induced By Canonical Mmtv, Robert D. Bruno

School of Medical Diagnostics & Translational Sciences Publications

Background: The canonical milk-transmitted mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) of C3H mice (C3H-MMTV) rapidly induces tumors in 90% of infected animals by 8 months of age. Pro-viral insertions of C3H-MMTV into genomic DNA results in the overexpression of common core insertion site (CIS) genes, including Wnt1/10b, Rspo2, and Fgf3. Conversely, infection by either the endogenous Mtv-1 virus (in C3Hf) or the exogenous nodule-inducing virus (NIV) (in Balb/c NIV) induces premalignant mammary lesions and tumors with reduced incidence and longer latency than C3H-MMTV. Here, we asked whether Mtv-1/NIV affected the expression of core CIS genes.

Findings: We confirmed the presence of …

The Tip Of The Tail Needle Affects The Rate Of Dna Delivery By Bacteriophage P22., Justin C Leavitt, Lasha Gogokhia, Eddie B Gilcrease, Anshul Bhardwaj, Gino Cingolani, Sherwood R Casjens

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Faculty Papers

The P22-like bacteriophages have short tails. Their virions bind to their polysaccharide receptors through six trimeric tailspike proteins that surround the tail tip. These short tails also have a trimeric needle protein that extends beyond the tailspikes from the center of the tail tip, in a position that suggests that it should make first contact with the host's outer membrane during the infection process. The base of the needle serves as a plug that keeps the DNA in the virion, but role of the needle during adsorption and DNA injection is not well understood. Among the P22-like phages are needle …

Identification Of Phosphorylation Sites In The Cooh-Terminal Tail Of The Μ-Opioid Receptor., Ying-Ju Chen, Sue Oldfield, Adrian J. Butcher, Andrew B. Tobin, Kunal Saxena, Vsevolod V. Gurevich, Jeffrey L. Benovic, Graeme Henderson, Eamonn Kelly

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Faculty Papers

Phosphorylation is considered a key event in the signalling and regulation of the μ opioid receptor (MOPr). Here, we used mass spectroscopy to determine the phosphorylation status of the C-terminal tail of the rat MOPr expressed in human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK-293) cells. Under basal conditions, MOPr is phosphorylated on Ser(363) and Thr(370), while in the presence of morphine or [D-Ala2, NMe-Phe4, Gly-ol5]-enkephalin (DAMGO), the COOH terminus is phosphorylated at three additional residues, Ser(356) , Thr(357) and Ser(375). Using N-terminal glutathione S transferase (GST) fusion proteins of the cytoplasmic, C-terminal tail of MOPr and point mutations of the same, we …

Novel T(5;19) Translocation In A Patient With Pdgfrb Associated Chronic Leukemia: Implications For Treatment Strategy., Joel D Provenzano, J Phillip Kuebler

Oncology Articles

Myeloproliferative disorders are variable disorders, based on the genetic abnormality present and the cell line progenitors that are affected. In this case, we discuss a novel gene translocation in the subset of PDGFRB mutations, first seen with prominent hyperbasophilia. This case demonstrates the possibility for lower therapeutic doses of imatinib mesylate than previously reported, in order to control leukocyte counts and reverse the genetic mutation.

Temporal Trends Of Molecular Markers Associated With Artemether- Lumefantrine Tolerance/Resistance In Bagamoyo District, Tanzania, M. Malmberg, B. Ngasala, P.E. Ferreira, E. Larsson, I. Jovel, A. Hjalmarsson, M. Petzold, Zul Premji, J.P. Gil, A. Bjorkman, A. Martensson

Pathology, East Africa

Background: Development and spread of Plasmodium falciparum resistance to artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) constitutes a major threat to recent global malaria control achievements. Surveillance of molecular markers could act as an early warning system of ACT-resistance before clinical treatment failures are apparent. The aim of this study was to analyse temporal trends of established genotypes associated with artemether-lumefantrine tolerance/resistance before and after its deployment as first-line treatment for uncomplicated malaria in Tanzania 2006.

Methods: Single nucleotide polymorphisms in the P. falciparum multidrug resistance gene 1 (pfmdr1) N86Y, Y184F, D1246Y and P. falciparum chloroquine transporter gene (pfcrt) K76T were analysed from …

Targeted Therapies In The Treatment Of Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma., Zhengyu Wei, Cataldo Doria, Yuan Liu

Department of Surgery Faculty Papers

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common liver cancer and the third leading cause of cancer death. It has been a major worldwide health problem with more new cases being diagnosed each year. The current available therapies for patients with advanced HCC are extremely limited. Therefore, it is of great clinical interests to develop more effective therapies for systemic treatment of advanced HCC. Several promising target-based drugs have been tested in a number of clinical trials. One breakthrough of these efforts is the approved clinical use of sorafenib in patients with advanced HCC. Targeted therapies are becoming an attractive option …

Intronic Non-Cg Dna Hydroxymethylation And Alternative Mrna Splicing In Honey Bees, Pablo Cingolani, Xiaoyi Cao, Radhika S. Khetani, Chieh-Chun Chen, Melissa Coon, Alya'a Sammak, Aliccia Bollig-Fischer, Susan Land, Yun Huang, Matthew E. Hudson, Mark D. Garfinkel, Sheng Zhong, Gene E. Robinson, Douglas M. Ruden

Wayne State University Associated BioMed Central Scholarship

Abstract

Background

Previous whole-genome shotgun bisulfite sequencing experiments showed that DNA cytosine methylation in the honey bee (Apis mellifera) is almost exclusively at CG dinucleotides in exons. However, the most commonly used method, bisulfite sequencing, cannot distinguish 5-methylcytosine from 5-hydroxymethylcytosine, an oxidized form of 5-methylcytosine that is catalyzed by the TET family of dioxygenases. Furthermore, some analysis software programs under-represent non-CG DNA methylation and hydryoxymethylation for a variety of reasons. Therefore, we used an unbiased analysis of bisulfite sequencing data combined with molecular and bioinformatics approaches to distinguish 5-methylcytosine from 5-hydroxymethylcytosine. By doing this, we have performed the first whole …

Quantitative Measures Of Estrogen Receptor Expression In Relation To Breast Cancer-Specific Mortality Risk Among White Women And Black Women, Huiyan Ma, Yani Lu, Polly A. Marchbanks, Suzanne G. Folger, Brian L. Strom, Jill A. Mcdonald, Michael S. Simon, Linda K. Weiss, Kathleen E. Malone, Ronald T. Burkman, Jane Sullivan-Halley, Dennis M. Deapen, Michael F. Press, Leslie Bernstein

Wayne State University Associated BioMed Central Scholarship

Abstract

Introduction

The association of breast cancer patients’ mortality with estrogen receptor (ER) status (ER + versus ER-) has been well studied. However, little attention has been paid to the relationship between the quantitative measures of ER expression and mortality.

Methods

We evaluated the association between semi-quantitative, immunohistochemical staining of ER in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded breast carcinomas and breast cancer-specific mortality risk in an observational cohort of invasive breast cancer in 681 white women and 523 black women ages 35-64 years at first diagnosis of invasive breast cancer, who were followed for a median of 10 years. The quantitative measures of …

The Bca2 And Ampk Paradigm: Unraveling The Cancer Connection, Daniela (Buac) Ventro

Wayne State University Dissertations

THE BCA2 & AMPK PARADIGM: UNRAVELING THE CANCER CONNECTION

By

DANIELA (BUAC) VENTRO

December 2013

Advisor: Dr. Q Ping Dou and Angelika M. Burger (deceased)

Major: Cancer Biology

Degree: Doctor of Philosophy

Adenosine monophosphate-activated kinase (AMPK), a master regulator of cellular energy homeostasis, has emerged as a promising molecular target in the prevention of breast cancer, and phase II and III clinical trials using the FDA-approved, AMPK activating, anti-diabetic drug metformin are promising in this regard, but the question of why metformin is protective for some women but not others still remains. Breast Cancer Associated Gene 2 (BCA2/Rabring7/RNF115), a novel …

Analysis Of Vitamin D Status At Two Academic Medical Centers And A National Reference Laboratory: Result Patterns Vary By Age, Gender, Season, And Patient Location, Jonathan R. Genzen, Jennifer T. Gosselin, Thomas C. Wilson, Emilian Racila, Matthew D. Krasowski

Psychology Faculty Publications

Background: Testing for 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] has increased dramatically in recent years. The present report compares overall utilization and results for 25(OH)D orders at two academic medical centers - one in New York and one in Iowa – in order to characterize the vitamin D status of our inpatient and outpatient populations. Results are also compared to those from a national reference laboratory to determine whether patterns at these two institutions reflect those observed nationally.

Methods: Retrospective data queries of 25(OH)D orders and results were conducted using the laboratory information systems at Weill Cornell Medical College / New York Presbyterian …

The Ticking Of The “Biological Clock”: Worry About Future Fertility In Nulliparous Women, Karen E. Kersting

Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Title: The Ticking of the “Biological Clock”: Worry about Future Fertility in Nulliparous Women

By: Karen Kersting, M.A., M.S.

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Virginia Commonwealth University, 2013.

Major Director: Kathleen M. Ingram, J.D., Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Psychology

Department of Psychology

Modern women are waiting until later in their lives to have children than women of previous generations, a trend influenced by a number of factors including financial stability, dating norms, and career goals and responsibilities. As women age, their fertility may decline …

Is Bisphenol-A Exposure During Pregnancy Associated With Blood Glucose Levels Or Diagnosis Of Gestational Diabetes?, Candace A. Robledo, Jennifer D. Peck, Julie A. Stoner, Hélène Carabin, Linda Cowan, Holger M. Koch, Jean R. Goodman

School of Medicine Publications

Recent epidemiological studies indicate bisphenol A (BPA), an estrogenic chemical used in production of epoxy, polycarbonate, and plastic may increase risk of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Exposure to BPA during pregnancy may contribute to development of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), a precursor to type 2 diabetes in women. This pilot study examined the association between BPA exposure, fasting blood glucose levels (FBG), and GDM diagnosis during pregnancy. Banked urine samples from 22 cases of GDM and 72 controls were analyzed for total (free BPA + conjugates) urinary BPA concentrations (μg/L). FBG levels (mg/dl) were obtained from 1-h 50-g …

Genetic Diversity Of Plasmodium Vivax Clinical Isolates From Southern Pakistan Using Pvcsp And Pvmsp1 Genetic Markers, Afsheen Raza, Najia K. Ghanchi, Ali M. Thaver, Sana Jafri, Mohammad A. Beg

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Background:
Plasmodium vivax is the prevalent malarial species accounting for 70% of malaria burden in Pakistan; however, there is no baseline data on the circulating genotypes. Studies have shown that polymorphic loci of gene encoding antigens pvcsp and pvmsp1 can be used reliably for conducting molecular epidemiological studies. Therefore, this study aimed to bridge the existing knowledge gap on population structure on P. vivax from Pakistan using these two polymorphic genes.
Methods:
During the period January 2008 to May 2009, a total of 250 blood samples were collected from patients tested slide positive for P. vivax, at the Aga Khan …

Pax3 Expression, Protein Modifications And Downstream Target Gene Profiling In Melanocytes And Melanoma Cells, Danielle Bartlett

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

PAX3 is a transcription factor. It plays a major role in the development of melanocytes in the embryo. As a result of alternative splicing, the gene gives rise to eight different transcripts which encode proteins that have differing structures and are therefore likely to activate different downstream target genes. The presence of post-translational modifications has also been shown to alter the functions of the proteins.

PAX3 regulates the maintenance of undifferentiated melanoblasts and mediates pathways involved in proliferation, migration and survival. It has been shown to be expressed in melanoblasts, adult melanocytes, naevi and in most melanoma cells. This implies …

Race/Ethnicity, Subjective And Objective Sleep Quality, Physical And Psychological Symptoms In Breast Cancer Survivors, Pinky H. Budhrani

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Breast cancer is a major health problem and comprises the largest population of cancer survivors in the United States, estimated at 2.9 million women, accounting for 22% of all cancer survivors (National Cancer Institute, 2013). The advances in breast cancer screening, diagnosis and treatment has increased the importance of survivorship needs. A major concern among breast cancer survivors (BCS) is sleep disturbances. This study used an innovative approach to examine ethnic and racial disparities in sleep disturbances present in BCS. In addition, this study also explored sleep disturbances across different races/ethnicities. This study was a secondary data analysis of baseline …

The Translational Machinery As A Target For Radiosensitization, Thomas John Hayman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Current approaches aimed at improving the efficacy of radiation as a cancer treatment modality involve the development and application of molecularly targeted radiosensitizers, a strategy that requires a thorough understanding of the fundamental processes comprising the cellular radioresponse. Recent data indicating that radiation modifies gene expression primarily through translational control rather than transcriptional events suggests that mRNA translation contributes to cell survival after irradiation. The overall goal of this project is to determine whether the regulatory/rate-limiting components of the translational machinery provide targets for tumor cell radiosensitization. The majority of translation in mammalian cells occurs in a cap-dependent manner and …

Interrogation Of Epor Fidelity In Myelodysplastic Syndrome Hematopoiesis And Stabilization By The Immunomodulatory Agent, Lenalidomide, Kathy Lynn Mcgraw

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) include a spectrum of stem cell malignancies characterized by ineffective hematopoiesis and predisposition to acute myeloid leukemia (AML) transformation. Patients are predominantly older (greater than 60 years old), with progressive cytopenias resulting from ineffective and cytologically dysplastic hematopoiesis. MDS subtypes are classified by morphologic features and bone marrow blast percentage, as well as cytogenetic pattern, as is the case for deletion 5q MDS. Interstitial deletion of the long arm of chromosome 5, del(5q), is the most common chromosomal abnormality in patients with MDS, and the 5q- syndrome, represents a distinct subset of del(5q) MDS characterized by an …

Histone Deacetylases As Targets For Melanoma Immunotherapy, David Michael Woods

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Cancer represents the second leading cause of death in the United States. For many malignancies, currently available treatment options offer little long-lasting survival benefits to patients. However, recent studies have shown immunotherapeutic approaches to be an attractive strategy to cancer treatment. While many current immunotherapeutic strategies convey durable responses, such responses are only seen in a minority of patients. An increased understanding of the mechanisms governing tumor immunogenicity and the biology of immune responses is crucial to improving upon the efficacy of current and future cancer immunotherapies. Histone deacetylases (HDACs), enzymes classically associated with regulation of gene expression, have been …

Review Of Kidney Disease Among Indigenous People, Sasha A. Stumpers, Neil J. Thomson

Research outputs 2013

Kidney disease is a significant health problem for all Australians, but severe kidney disease is more common among Indigenous people than among non- Indigenous people. In particular, the prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and the overall levels of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are consistently reported as significantly higher than among other Australians. Information on CKD among Indigenous Australians is available from self-reported survey data, as well as from community-based studies and screening programs [10-20] but the main focus in the literature has been on ESKD. The incidence of ESKD is especially high …

Psychiatric Nursing Care For Patients With Cardiac Disease, Gail Stern Msn, Donna Petruccelli Msn, Crnp, Np-C, Jeanne Manavizadeh Bsn, Rn, Pccn

Patient Care Services / Nursing

No abstract provided.

Inverted Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy And The Fundamental Diagnostic Role Of Echocardiography, Arantza Manzanal, Lara Ruiz, Jose Madrazo, Majesh Makan, Julio Perez

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is characterized by the development of transient focal wall-motion abnormalities that involve the apical and midventricular segments, in the absence of obstructive coronary artery disease. A variant, inverted takotsubo cardiomyopathy, was described in 2010. We report 3 cases in which each patient's transthoracic echocardiogram revealed the characteristic basal and midventricular segmental akinesis of this variant. This pattern is not associated with coronary artery distribution, and it therefore can be differentiated from coronary artery disease with the use of echocardiography, by evaluating the distribution and temporal changes of akinetic areas.