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Adverse Events Of Immune Checkpoint Therapy Alone Versus When Combined With Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Inhibitors: A Pooled Meta-Analysis Of 1735 Patients, Iuliia Kovalenko, Wern Lynn Ng, Yimin Geng, Yinghong Wang, Pavlos Msaouel, Shailender Bhatia, Petros Grivas, Raed Benkhadra, Omar Alhalabi

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Combining immune checkpoint therapy (ICT) and vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitors (VEGFi) may result in increased treatment-related and immune-related adverse events (TRAEs and irAEs) compared to ICT alone. This metanalysis was conducted to identify prospective phase II or III clinical studies that evaluated the toxicity profile of ICT + VEGFi compared to ICT alone.

Methods: A systematic search was performed across all cancer types and major databases until August 10, 2022, and screening was done by two independent investigators. Inclusion criteria included phase 2 or 3 studies with at least one arm of patients treated with combination therapy and …

Cd73-Generated Extracellular Adenosine Promotes Resolution Of Neutrophil-Mediated Tissue Injury And Restrains Metaplasia In Pancreatitis, Baylee J O'Brien, Erika Y Faraoni, Lincoln N Strickland, Zhibo Ma, Victoria Mota, Samantha Mota, Xuebo Chen, Tingting Mills, Holger K Eltzschig, Kathleen E Delgiorno, Jennifer M Bailey-Lundberg

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Pancreatitis is currently the leading cause of gastrointestinal hospitalizations in the US. This condition occurs in response to abdominal injury, gallstones, chronic alcohol consumption or, less frequently, the cause remains idiopathic. CD73 is a cell surface ecto‐5′‐nucleotidase that generates extracellular adenosine, which can contribute to resolution of inflammation by binding adenosine receptors on infiltrating immune cells. We hypothesized genetic deletion of CD73 would result in more severe pancreatitis due to decreased generation of extracellular adenosine. CD73 knockout (CD73 −/−) and C57BL/6 (wild type, WT) mice were used to evaluate the progression and response of caerulein‐induced acute and chronic pancreatitis. …

Positron Emission Tomography Derived Metrics In Relapsed Or Refractory Large B-Cell Lymphoma With Residual Disease Before Autologous Stem Cell Transplant, Hua-Jay J Cherng, Guofan Xu, Lei Feng, Raphael Steiner, Luis Fayad, Paolo Strati, Ranjit Nair, Loretta J Nastoupil, Hun Ju Lee, Sattva S Neelapu, Christopher R Flowers, Maria Rodriguez, Michael Wang, Fredrick Hagemeister, Chelsea C Pinnix, Jeremy Ramdial, Samer Srour, Yago Nieto, Katayoun Rezvani, Richard Champlin, Partow Kebriaei, Jason Westin, Homer A Macapinlac, Elizabeth Shpall, Sairah Ahmed

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Salvage chemotherapy followed by high-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) is a potentially curative treatment for patients with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma (rrLBCL) with chemosensitive disease. A18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (PET) scan after salvage chemotherapy is used to assess response and eligibility for ASCT, but metrics for chemosensitivity in patients with residual disease are not well defined. We performed a single-centre retrospective analysis of 92 patients with a partial response or stable disease after salvage chemotherapy for rrLBCL who received ASCT to investigate PET-derived parameters and their prognostic utility. The Deauville 5-point Scale (D-5PS) score, …

The Kynurenine Pathway Presents Multi-Faceted Metabolic Vulnerabilities In Cancer, Ricardo A León-Letelier, Rongzhang Dou, Jody Vykoukal, Ali Hussein Abdel Sater, Edwin Ostrin, Samir Hanash, Johannes F Fahrmann

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The kynurenine pathway (KP) and associated catabolites play key roles in promoting tumor progression and modulating the host anti-tumor immune response. To date, considerable focus has been on the role of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) and its catabolite, kynurenine (Kyn). However, increasing evidence has demonstrated that downstream KP enzymes and their associated metabolite products can also elicit tumor-microenvironment immune suppression. These advancements in our understanding of the tumor promotive role of the KP have led to the conception of novel therapeutic strategies to target the KP pathway for anti-cancer effects and reversal of immune escape. This review aims to 1) …

Impact Of Region-Of-Interest Size On Immune Profiling Using Multiplex Immunofluorescence Tyramide Signal Amplification For Paraffin-Embedded Tumor Tissues, Baohua Sun, Caddie Laberiano-Fernández, Ruth Salazar-Alejo, Jiexin Zhang, Jose Luis Solorzano Rendon, Jack Lee, Luisa Maren Solis Soto, Ignacio Ivan Wistuba, Edwin Roger Parra

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Introduction: Representative regions of interest (ROIs) analysis from the whole slide images (WSI) are currently being used to study immune markers by multiplex immunofluorescence (mIF) and single immunohistochemistry (IHC). However, the amount of area needed to be analyzed to be representative of the entire tumor in a WSI has not been defined.

Methods: We labeled tumor-associated immune cells by mIF and single IHC in separate cohorts of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) samples and we analyzed them as whole tumor area as well as using different number of ROIs to know how much area will be need to represent the …

Exploration Of Cancer Associated Fibroblasts Phenotypes In The Tumor Microenvironment Of Classical And Pleomorphic Invasive Lobular Carcinoma, Harsh Batra, Qingqing Ding, Renganayaki Pandurengan, Heladio Ibarguen, Neus Bota Rabassedas, Aysegul Sahin, Ignacio Wistuba, Edwin Roger Parra, Maria Gabriela Raso

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

UNLABELLED: As the second most common subtype of breast carcinoma, Invasive Lobular Carcinoma (ILC) microenvironment features have not been thoroughly explored. ILC has different histological subtypes and elucidating differences in their microenvironments could lead to a comprehensive development of cancer therapies. We designed a custom-made cancer associated fibroblast (CAFs) panel and used multiplex immunofluorescence to identify the differences in tumor microenvironment between Classic ILC and Pleomorphic ILC.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Multiplex immunofluorescence were performed on formalin fixed paraffin embedded tissues using Opal-7 color kit. The antibodies used for phenotyping CAFs were Pan CK (AE1/AE3), CD45, A-SMA, FAP, S100, Thy-1 with …

From Shops To Bins: A Case Study Of Consumer Attitudes And Behaviours Towards Plastics In A Uk Coastal City, Stephanie Lucy Northen, Laura Karoliina Nieminen, Serena Cunsolo, Steven Kator Iorfa, Keiron Philip Roberts, Stephen Fletcher

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Understanding the use behaviours of plastic items within households is important to enable informed policy development, particularly with the emerging and developing global plastic treaty. A survey of 400 permanent residents in Portsmouth aimed to identify the general trends in single-use plastic product (SUPP) use and disposal, and their personal motivations and barriers to reducing and recycling plastic. This included identifying common influencers of attitudes such as environmental values, situational characteristics, psychological factors and the individual demographic characteristics of residents. Key factors in consumer behaviour were found to be product availability, affordability and convenience. Often, less conveniently recycled plastics more …

Tp53-Pten-Nf1 Depletion In Human Brain Organoids Produces A Glioma Phenotype In Vitro, Sanjay K Singh, Yan Wang, Ahmed Habib, Mamindla Priyadarshini, Chowdari V Kodavali, Apeng Chen, Wencai Ma, Jing Wang, N U Farrukh Hameed, Baoli Hu, Gregory N Fuller, Scott M Kulich, Nduka Amankulor, Rivka R Colen, Lincoln A Edwards, Pascal O Zinn

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Glioblastoma (GBM) is fatal and the study of therapeutic resistance, disease progression, and drug discovery in GBM or glioma stem cells is often hindered by limited resources. This limitation slows down progress in both drug discovery and patient survival. Here we present a genetically engineered human cerebral organoid model with a cancer-like phenotype that could provide a basis for GBM-like models. Specifically, we engineered a doxycycline-inducible vector encoding shRNAs enabling depletion of the TP53, PTEN, and NF1 tumor suppressors in human cerebral organoids. Designated as inducible short hairpin-TP53-PTEN-NF1 (ish-TPN), doxycycline treatment resulted in human cancer-like cerebral organoids that effaced the …

Minimax Estimation For Personalized Federated Learning: An Alternative Between Fedavg And Local Training?, Shuxiao Chen, Qinqing Zheng, Qi Long, Weijie J Su

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

A widely recognized difficulty in federated learning arises from the statistical heterogeneity among clients: local datasets often originate from distinct yet not entirely unrelated probability distributions, and personalization is, therefore, necessary to achieve optimal results from each individual's perspective. In this paper, we show how the excess risks of personalized federated learning using a smooth, strongly convex loss depend on data heterogeneity from a minimax point of view, with a focus on the FedAvg algorithm (McMahan et al., 2017) and pure local training (i.e., clients solve empirical risk minimization problems on their local datasets without any communication). Our main result …

Association Of Cyclooxygenase-2 Expression With Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress And Autophagy In Triple-Negative Breast Cancer, Haechan Lee, Sungwook Jung, Gyungyub Gong, Bora Lim, Hee Jin Lee

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Cyclooxygenase-2 plays a role in oncogenesis and its overexpression is associated with triple-negative breast cancer. However, the mechanisms whereby cyclooxygenase-2 contribute to breast cancer are complex and not well understood. Cyclooxygenase-2 overexpression causes hypoxia, oxidative stress, and endoplasmic reticulum stress. The aim of this study is to investigate the correlations among cyclooxygenase-2 expression, endoplasmic reticulum stress-associated molecules, and autophagy-associated molecules in triple-negative breast cancer. Surgical specimens from two cohorts of triple-negative breast cancer patients without neoadjuvant systemic therapy were analyzed: cohorts 1 and 2 consisted of 218 cases from 2004 to 2006 and 221 cases from 2007 to 2009, respectively. …

Improved Outcomes With “7+3” Induction Chemotherapy For Acute Myeloid Leukemia Over The Past Four Decades: Analysis Of Swog Trial Data, Megan Othus, Guillermo Garcia-Manero, John E Godwin, James K Weick, Frederick R Appelbaum, Harry P Erba, Elihu H Estey

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

We have previously shown that complete response (CR) rates and overall survival of patients with acute myeloid leukemia have improved since the 1980s. However, we have not previously evaluated how the length of first CR (CR1) has changed over this time period. To address this, we analyzed 1,247 patients aged 65 or younger randomized to "7+3" arms from five SWOG studies: S8600 (n=530), S9031 (n=98), S9333 (n=57), S0106 (n=301), and S1203 (n=261). We evaluated length of CR1 and survival after relapse from CR1 over the four decades that these studies represent. Both length of CR1 and survival after relapse from …

Flecainide For Conversion And Maintenance Of Sinus Rhythm After Mitral Valve Replacement In Rheumatic Atrial Fibrillation, Umesh Tripathi, Aditya Kapoor, Surendra Kumar Agarwal, Prabhat Tewari, Shantanu Pande, Bipin Chandra, Ankit Sahu, Roopali Khanna, Sudeep Kumar, Naveen Garg, Satyendra Tewari

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Despite successful mitral valve replacement (MVR), many patients remain in AF. Flecainide can be useful in these patients but has not been used because of underlying structural heart disease.

METHODS: We assessed oral flecainide for conversion and maintenance of SR in 25 patients of chronic rheumatic AF following MVR (age 34.4 yrs, mean AF duration: 3.6 yrs). Non-converters underwent DC cardioversion at 24 h and 4 weeks. Patients received flecainide and bb/diltiazem at discharge.

RESULTS: Single oral dose of Flecainide achieved SR in 6/25 (24%) while 19/25 achieved SR after DCC; at24 h 21/25 (84%) were in SR. With …

Circadian Rhythms Of Risk Factors And Management In Atherosclerotic And Hypertensive Vascular Disease: Modern Chronobiological Perspectives Of An Ancient Disease, Yong-Jian Geng, Michael H Smolensky, Oliver Sum-Ping, Ramon Hermida, Richard J Castriotta

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Atherosclerosis, a chronic inflammatory disease of the arteries that appears to have been as prevalent in ancient as in modern civilizations, is predisposing to life-threatening and life-ending cardiac and vascular complications, such as myocardial and cerebral infarctions. The pathogenesis of atherosclerosis involves intima plaque buildup caused by vascular endothelial dysfunction, cholesterol deposition, smooth muscle proliferation, inflammatory cell infiltration and connective tissue accumulation. Hypertension is an independent and controllable risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD). Conversely, atherosclerosis hardens the arterial wall and raises arterial blood pressure. Many CVD patients experience both atherosclerosis and hypertension and are prescribed medications to concurrently …

Financial Toxicity In Cancer Patients And Subsequent Risk Of Repeat Acute Care Utilization, Julia J Shi, J Alberto Maldonado, Chi-Fang Wu, Susan K Peterson, Ying-Shiuan Chen, Kevin Diao, Robert J Volk, Sharon H Giordano, Ya-Chen T Shih, Kelsey Kaiser, Grace L Smith

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Acute care (AC) visits by cancer patients are costly sources of healthcare resources and can exert a financial burden of oncology care both for individuals with cancer and healthcare systems. We sought to identify whether cancer patients who reported more severe initial financial toxicity (FT) burdens shouldered excess risks for acute care utilization.

METHODS: In 225 adult patients who participated in the Economic Strain and Resilience in Cancer (ENRICh) survey study of individuals receiving ambulatory cancer care between March and September 2019, we measured the baseline FT (a multidimensional score of 0-10 indicating the least to most severe global, …

Fostering A High-Functioning Team In Cancer Care Using The 4r Oncology Model: Assessment In A Large Health System And A Blueprint For Other Institutions, Raymond Liu, Christine B Weldon, Elizabeth Linehan, Nancy Gordon, Thea Abbe, Marti Hennings, Henie James, Jed Katzel, Chun Ng, Megumi Tomita, Jeffrey B Velotta, Stephanie Ossowski, Lori C Sakoda, Sharon Likely Sprague, Anna Dowling, Kimberly Beringer, Arliene Ravelo, Elaine Yu, Julia R Trosman

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

PURPOSE: Delivering cancer care by high-functioning multidisciplinary teams promises to address care fragmentation, which threatens care quality, affects patient outcomes, and strains the oncology workforce. We assessed whether the 4R Oncology model for team-based interdependent care delivery and patient self-management affected team functioning in a large community-based health system.

METHODS: 4R was deployed at four locations in breast and lung cancers and assessed along four characteristics of high-functioning teams: recognition as a team internally and externally; commitment to an explicit shared goal; enablement of interdependent work to achieve the goal; and engagement in regular reflection to adapt objectives and processes. …

Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors Among Middle-Aged And Older Adult Vietnamese American Members Of A Northern California Health Plan, Donna B Haysbert, Joan C Lo, Nirmala D Ramalingam, Nancy P Gordon

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OBJECTIVE: There is increasing recognition that cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors vary by Asian subgroups. We examined CVD risk factor prevalence among Vietnamese adults in a northern California health plan.

METHODS: We used electronic health record data to examine smoking, overweight/obesity (body mass index ≥23.0 kg/m

RESULTS: Current smoking prevalence was 20.3% for middle-aged men, 7.0% for older men, and

CONCLUSIONS: Study results suggest that more research on health conditions, lifestyle, and social factors among Vietnamese American adults is needed to develop culturally competent interventions to reduce CVD risk in this growing ethnic group.

Implementing Stroke Care In A Lower-Middle-Income Country: Results And Recommendations Based On An Implementation Study Within The Nepal Stroke Project, Christine Tunkl, Raju Paudel, Sunanjay Bajaj, Lekhjung Thapa, Patrick Tunkl, Avinash Chandra, Bhupendra Shah, Balgopal Karmacharya, Ashim Subedi, Pankaj Jalan, Pradesh Ghimire, Mahesh Raj Ghimire, Gampo Dorje, Nima Haji Begli, Jessica Golenia, Bikram Prasad Gajurel, Shirsho Shreyan, Nooma Sharma, Alexandra Krauss, Jeyaraj Pandian, Thomas Fischer, Jan Van Der Merwe, Wolfgang Wick, Werner Hacke, Christoph Gumbinger

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Globally, the majority of strokes affect people residing in lower- and lower-middle-income countries (LMICs), but translating evidence-based knowledge into clinical practice in regions with limited healthcare resources remains challenging. As an LMIC in South Asia, stroke care has remained a healthcare problem previously unaddressed at a national scale in Nepal. The Nepal Stroke Project (NSP) aims to improve acute stroke care in the tertiary healthcare sector of Nepal. We hereby describe the methods applied and analyze the barriers and facilitators of the NSP after 18 months.

Methods: The NSP follows a four-tier strategy: (1) quality improvement by training healthcare …

Cancer Care For People With Dementia: Literature Overview And Recommendations For Practice And Research, Laura Ashley, Claire Surr, Rachael Kelley, Mollie Price, Alys Wyn Griffiths, Nicole R Fowler, Dana E Giza, Richard D Neal, Charlene Martin, Jane B Hopkinson, Anita O'Donovan, William Dale, Bogda Koczwara, Katie Spencer, Lynda Wyld

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

As many countries experience population aging, patients with cancer are becoming older and have more preexisting comorbidities, which include prevalent, age-related, chronic conditions such as dementia. People living with dementia (PLWD) are vulnerable to health disparities, and dementia has high potential to complicate and adversely affect care and outcomes across the cancer trajectory. This report offers an overview of dementia and its prevalence among patients with cancer and a summary of the research literature examining cancer care for PLWD. The reviewed research indicates that PLWD are more likely to have cancer diagnosed at an advanced stage, receive no or less …

Pulmonary Manifestations Of Amyloidosis, Nauman A Khan, Bharat S Bhandari, Soma Jyothula, Daniel Ocazionez, Jamie Buryanek, Pushan P Jani

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Amyloidosis is caused by abnormal protein deposition in various tissues, including the lungs. Pulmonary manifestations of amyloidosis may be categorized by areas of involvement, such as parenchymal, large airway and pleural involvement. We describe four distinct manifestations of amyloidosis involving the lung and review their clinical, radiological and pathological features and summarize the evidence for treatment in each of these presentations. We describe alveolar-septal amyloidosis, cystic amyloid lung disease, endobronchial amyloidosis and pleural amyloidosis.

Interventional Gastroenterology In Oncology, Vaibhav Wadhwa, Nicole Patel, Dheera Grover, Faisal S Ali, Nirav Thosani

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Cancer is one of the foremost health problems worldwide and is among the leading causes of death in the United States. Gastrointestinal tract cancers account for almost one third of the cancer-related mortality globally, making it one of the deadliest groups of cancers. Early diagnosis and prompt management are key to preventing cancer-related morbidity and mortality. With advancements in technology and endoscopic techniques, endoscopy has become the core in diagnosis and management of gastrointestinal tract cancers. In this extensive review, the authors discuss the role endoscopy plays in early detection, diagnosis, and management of esophageal, gastric, colorectal, pancreatic, ampullary, biliary …

Clinical Manifestations And Outcome Of Patients With Primary Amoebic Meningoencephalitis In Pakistan. A Single-Center Experience, Shakeel Ur Rehman, Salman Farooq, Muhammad Bilal Tariq, Nosheen Nasir, Mohammad Wasay, Sobia Masood, Musa Karim

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) is a rapidly progressing central nervous system (CNS) infection caused by Naegleria fowleri, a free-living amoeba found in warm freshwater. The disease progression is very rapid, and the outcome is nearly always fatal. We aim to describe the disease course in patients admitted with PAM in a tertiary care center in Karachi, Pakistan between the periods of 2010 to 2021. A total of 39 patients were included in the study, 33 males (84.6%). The median age of the patients was 34 years. The most frequent presenting complaint was fever, which was found in 37 patients (94.9%) …

A Phase 3b Study For Management Of Ocular Side Effects In Patients With Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor-Amplified Glioblastoma Receiving Depatuxizumab Mafodotin, Colin J Vize, Stella K Kim, Tim Matthews, Marian Macsai, Ryan Merrell, Sigmund Hsu, Madan Gopal Kundu, Jennifer Yoon, Emma Kennedy, Madhavi Pai, Earle Bain, Andrew B Lassman, Golnaz Moazami

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

INTRODUCTION: The Understanding New Interventions with GBM ThErapy (UNITE) study was designed to assess the effect of prophylaxis for ocular side effects (OSEs) in patients with glioblastoma receiving the antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) depatuxizumab mafodotin. UNITE (NCT03419403) was a phase 3b, open-label, randomized, exploratory study performed at 18 research sites in 5 countries.

METHODS: The study enrolled adult patients with epidermal growth factor receptor-amplified, histologically confirmed, newly diagnosed supratentorial glioblastoma or grade IV gliosarcoma, and a Karnofsky Performance Status ≥70, receiving depatuxizumab mafodotin. All patients were administered depatuxizumab mafodotin during concurrent radiotherapy and temozolomide and with adjuvant temozolomide. Ninety patients were …

Examining Sociodemographic Correlates Of Opioid Use, Misuse, And Use Disorders In The All Of Us Research Program, Hsueh-Han Yeh, Cathryn Peltz-Rauchman, Christine C Johnson, Pamala A Pawloski, David Chesla, Stephen C Waring, Alan B Stevens, Mara Epstein, Christine Joseph, Lisa R Miller-Matero, Hongsheng Gui, Amy Tang, Eric Boerwinkle, Mine Cicek, Cheryl R Clark, Elizabeth Cohn, Kelly Gebo, Roxana Loperena, Kelsey Mayo, Stephen Mockrin, Lucila Ohno-Machado, Sheri Schully, Andrea H Ramirez, Jun Qian, Brian K Ahmedani

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: The All of Us Research Program enrolls diverse US participants which provide a unique opportunity to better understand the problem of opioid use. This study aims to estimate the prevalence of opioid use and its association with sociodemographic characteristics from survey data and electronic health record (EHR).

Methods: A total of 214,206 participants were included in this study who competed survey modules and shared EHR data. Adjusted logistic regressions were used to explore the associations between sociodemographic characteristics and opioid use.

Results: The lifetime prevalence of street opioids was 4%, and the nonmedical use of prescription opioids was 9%. …

Dual Enhancement In The Radiosensitivity Of Prostate Cancer Through Nanoparticles And Chemotherapeutics, Nolan Jackson, Iona Hill, Abdulaziz Alhussan, Kyle Bromma, Jessica Morgan, Belal Abousaida, Yasmin Zahra, Yuri Mackeyev, Wayne Beckham, Steven Herchko, Sunil Krishnan, Devika Basnagge Chithrani

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Radiotherapy (RT) is an essential component in the treatment regimens for many cancer patients. However, the dose escalation required to improve curative results is hindered due to the normal tissue toxicity that is induced. The introduction of radiosensitizers to RT treatment is an avenue that is currently being explored to overcome this issue. By introducing radiosensitizers into tumor sites, it is possible to preferentially enhance the local dose deposited. Gold nanoparticles (GNPs) are a potential candidate that have shown great promise in increasing the radiosensitivity of cancer cells through an enhancement in DNA damage. Furthermore, docetaxel (DTX) is a …

Radiolabeled Nanomaterial For Cancer Diagnostics And Therapeutics: Principles And Concepts, Muskan Goel, Yuri Mackeyev, Sunil Krishnan

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In the last three decades, radiopharmaceuticals have proven their effectiveness for cancer diagnosis and therapy. In parallel, the advances in nanotechnology have fueled a plethora of applications in biology and medicine. A convergence of these disciplines has emerged more recently with the advent of nanotechnology-aided radiopharmaceuticals. Capitalizing on the unique physical and functional properties of nanoparticles, radiolabeled nanomaterials or nano-radiopharmaceuticals have the potential to enhance imaging and therapy of human diseases. This article provides an overview of various radionuclides used in diagnostic, therapeutic, and theranostic applications, radionuclide production through different techniques, conventional radionuclide delivery systems, and advancements in the delivery …

Proton Therapy With Concurrent Chemotherapy For Thoracic Esophageal Cancer: Toxicity, Disease Control, And Survival Outcomes, Michael S Rutenberg, Bradford S Hoppe, Jason S Starr, Ziad Awad, Mathew Thomas, Christopher G Morris, Perry Johnson, Randal H Henderson, Jeremy C Jones, Bharatsinh Gharia, Steven Bowers, Herbert C Wolfsen, Sunil Krishnan, Stephen J Ko, Hani M Babiker, Romaine C Nichols

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

PURPOSE: When treating esophageal cancer with radiation therapy, it is critical to limit the dose to surrounding structures, such as the lung and/or heart, as much as possible. Proton radiation therapy allows a reduced radiation dose to both the heart and lungs, potentially reducing the risk of cardiopulmonary toxicity. Here, we report disease control, survival, and toxicity outcomes among patients with esophageal cancer treated with proton radiation therapy and concurrent chemotherapy (chemoradiation therapy; CRT) with or without surgery.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: We enrolled 17 patients with thoracic esophageal carcinoma on a prospective registry between 2010 and 2021. Patients received proton …

Editorial: Modulation Of Microglia Reactivity And Plasticity In Cns Injury, Zhenyan He, Hailiang Tang, Jiping Tang, Xuying He, Ningbo Xu, Devin W Mcbride

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No abstract provided.

Challenges And Promise Of Targeting Mirrna In Rheumatic Diseases: A Computational Approach To Identify Mirna Association With Cell Types, Cytokines, And Disease Mechanisms, Farheen S Shaikh, Ruby J Siegel, Aayush Srivastava, David A Fox, Salahuddin Ahmed

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MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that alter the expression of target genes at the post-transcriptional level, influencing diverse outcomes in metabolism, cell differentiation, proliferation, cell survival, and cell death. Dysregulated miRNA expression is implicated in various rheumatic conditions, including ankylosing spondylitis (AS), gout, juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), osteoarthritis (OA), psoriatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), Sjogren's syndrome, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and systemic sclerosis. For this review, we used an open-source programming language- PowerShell, to scan the massive number of existing primary research publications on PubMed on miRNAs in these nine diseases to identify and count unique co-occurrences of individual …

In Utero Ethanol Exposure Induces Mitochondrial Dna Damage And Inhibits Mtdna Repair In Developing Brain, Nune Darbinian, Armine Darbinyan, Nana Merabova, Myrna Kassem, Gabriel Tatevosian, Shohreh Amini, Laura Goetzl, Michael E Selzer

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Introduction

Mitochondrial dysfunction is postulated to be a central event in fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). People with the most severe form of FASD, fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) are estimated to live only 34 years (95% confidence interval, 31 to 37 years), and adults who were born with any form of FASD often develop early aging. Mitochondrial dysfunction and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) damage, hallmarks of aging, are postulated central events in FASD. Ethanol (EtOH) can cause mtDNA damage, consequent increased oxidative stress, and changes in the mtDNA repair protein 8-oxoguanine DNA glycosylase-1 (OGG1). Studies of molecular mechanisms are limited by …

Dna Release From Plant Tissue Using Focused Ultrasound Extraction (Fuse), Alexia Stettinius, Hal Holmes, Qian Zhang, Isabelle Mehochko, Misa Winters, Ruby Hutchison, Adam Maxwell, Jason Holliday, Eli Vlaisavljevich

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

PREMISE: Sample preparation in genomics is a critical step that is often overlooked in molecular workflows and impacts the success of downstream genetic applications. This study explores the use of a recently developed focused ultrasound extraction (FUSE) technique to enable the rapid release of DNA from plant tissues for genetic analysis.

METHODS: FUSE generates a dense acoustic cavitation bubble cloud that pulverizes targeted tissue into acellular debris. This technique was applied to leaf samples of American chestnut (

RESULTS: We observed that FUSE can extract high quantities of DNA in 9-15 min, compared to the 30 min required for control …