Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Rapid Synaptic Vesicle Endocytosis In Cone Photoreceptors Of Salamander Retina., Matthew J. Van Hook, Wallace B. Thoreson

Journal Articles: Ophthalmology

Following synaptic vesicle exocytosis, neurons retrieve the fused membrane by a process of endocytosis to provide a supply of vesicles for subsequent release and maintain the presynaptic active zone. Rod and cone photoreceptors use a specialized structure called the synaptic ribbon that enables them to sustain high rates of neurotransmitter release. They must also employ mechanisms of synaptic vesicle endocytosis capable of keeping up with release. While much is known about endocytosis at another retinal ribbon synapse, that of the goldfish Mb1 bipolar cell, less is known about endocytosis in photoreceptors. We used capacitance recording techniques to measure vesicle membrane …

Retinal Optical Coherence Tomography Manifestations Of Intraocular Lymphoma., Tin Yan Alvin Liu, Mohamed Ibrahim, Millena Bittencourt, Yasir J. Sepah, Diana V. Do, Quan Dong Nguyen

Journal Articles: Ophthalmology

PURPOSE: Primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) is a rare disease. The index report describes a patient with intraocular lymphoma secondary to recurrent PCNSL and corresponding retinal findings on spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT).

METHODS: Case report.

RESULTS: OCT changes were documented and correlated with the clinical course of intraocular lymphoma progression in the index patient. The OCT changes, manifested as hyperreflective material accumulation in the intraretinal and subretinal pigment epithelial spaces, were caused by lymphomatous infiltration.

CONCLUSION: SD-OCT can be useful in diagnosing and monitoring the progression or regression of intraocular lymphoma with retinal involvement.

Evaluation Of Very High- And Very Low-Dose Intravitreal Aflibercept In Patients With Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration., Quan Dong Nguyen, Peter A. Campochiaro, Syed Mahmood Shah, David J. Browning, Henry L. Hudson, Peter L. Sonkin, Seenu M. Hariprasad, Peter K. Kaiser, Jason Slakter, Julia A. Haller, Diana V. Do, William Mieler, Karen Chu, Avner Ingerman, Robert Vitti, Alyson J. Berliner, Jesse Cedarbaum, Clear-It 1 Investigators

Journal Articles: Ophthalmology

PURPOSE: To determine bioactivity and duration of effect of intravitreal aflibercept injection (also known as vascular endothelial growth factor Trap-Eye) for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

METHODS: In this double-masked, phase 1 study, 28 patients with lesions ≤12 disc areas, ≥50% active choroidal neovascularization (CNV), and best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) ≤20/40 were randomized 1:1 to a single intravitreal injection of aflibercept 0.15 or 4 mg. The primary end point was the change from baseline in central retinal/lesion thickness (CR/LT) at week-8. Secondary outcomes were the change from baseline BCVA, the change in CNV lesion size and area of leakage, …

Ccpa Regulates Arginine Biosynthesis In Staphylococcus Aureus Through Repression Of Proline Catabolism., Austin S. Nuxoll, Steven M. Halouska, Marat Sadykov, Mark L. Hanke, Kenneth W. Bayles, Tammy Kielian, Robert Powers, Paul D. Fey

Journal Articles: Pathology and Microbiology

Staphylococcus aureus is a leading cause of community-associated and nosocomial infections. Imperative to the success of S. aureus is the ability to adapt and utilize nutrients that are readily available. Genomic sequencing suggests that S. aureus has the genes required for synthesis of all twenty amino acids. However, in vitro experimentation demonstrates that staphylococci have multiple amino acid auxotrophies, including arginine. Although S. aureus possesses the highly conserved anabolic pathway that synthesizes arginine via glutamate, we demonstrate here that inactivation of ccpA facilitates the synthesis of arginine via the urea cycle utilizing proline as a substrate. Mutations within putA, rocD, …

Transforming Growth Factor Alpha (Tgfα) Regulates Granulosa Cell Tumor (Gct) Cell Proliferation And Migration Through Activation Of Multiple Pathways., Cheng Wang, Xiangmin Lv, Chao Jiang, Crystal M. Cordes, Lan Fu, Subodh M. Lele, John S. Davis

Journal Articles: Obstetrics & Gynecology

Granulosa cell tumors (GCTs) are the most common ovarian estrogen producing tumors, leading to symptoms of excessive estrogen such as endometrial hyperplasia and endometrial adenocarcinoma. These tumors have malignant potential and often recur. The etiology of GCT is unknown. TGFα is a potent mitogen for many different cells. However, its function in GCT initiation, progression and metastasis has not been determined. The present study aims to determine whether TGFα plays a role in the growth of GCT cells. KGN cells, which are derived from an invasive GCT and have many features of normal granulosa cells, were used as the cellular …

Breast Cancer Incidence In Black And White Women Stratified By Estrogen And Progesterone Receptor Statuses., Michael X. Gleason, Tengiz Mdzinarishvili, Simon Sherman

Journal Articles: Eppley Institute

BACKGROUND: There is increasing evidence that breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease presented by different phenotypes and that white women have a higher breast cancer incidence rate, whereas black women have a higher mortality rate. It is also well known that white women have lower incidence rates than black women until approximately age 40, when rate curves cross over and white women have higher rates. The goal of this study was to validate the risk of white and black women to breast cancer phenotypes, stratified by statuses of the estrogen (ER) and progesterone (PR) receptors.

METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: SEER17 data were …

Nucleic Acid And Non-Nucleic Acid-Based Reprogramming Of Adult Limbal Progenitors To Pluripotency, Sowmya Parameswaran, Sudha Balasubramanian, Norbert Babai, Carolina B. Deldebbio, Donald W. Harms, Channabasavaiah B. Gurumurthy, Mahendra S. Rao, J. Graham Sharp, Iqbal Ahmad

Journal Articles: Ophthalmology

Reprogramming somatic cells to a pluripotent state by nucleic acid based (NAB) approaches, involving the ectopic expression of transcription factors, has emerged as a standard method. We recently demonstrated that limbal progenitors that regenerate cornea are reprogrammable to pluripotency by a non-NAB approach through simple manipulation of microenvironment thus extending the possible therapeutic use of these readily accessible cells beyond the proven treatment of corneal diseases and injury. Therefore, to determine the validity and robustness of non-cell autonomous reprogramming of limbal progenitors for a wider clinical use, here, we have compared their reprogramming by non-NAB and NAB approaches. We observed …

Choroidal Neovascularization Regression On Fluorescein Angiography After Vegf Blockade., Diana V. Do, Lark Greenwald, Mohamed Ibrahim, Yasir J. Sepah, Quan Dong Nguyen

Journal Articles: Ophthalmology

BACKGROUND: Intravitreal vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) inhibitors stabilize vision in a majority of patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and can improve vision in almost 40% of patients. However, some individuals who respond to anti-VEGF treatment still lose vision due to the formation of geographic atrophy (GA). While optical coherence tomography is often the primary imaging modality used, fluorescein angiography (FA) can provide useful information on GA development after choroidal neovascularization (CNV) regression.

METHODS: A retrospective chart review was conducted to evaluate the changes seen on FA over a 47-month period for 3 patients with neovascular AMD treated …

Characterization Of Macular Lesions In Punctate Inner Choroidopathy With Spectral Domain Optical Coherence Tomography., Roomasa Channa, Mohamed Ibrahim, Yasir J. Sepah, Peykan Turkcuoglu, Jeong Hee Lee, Afsheen Khwaja, Elham Hatef, Millena Bittencourt, Jangwon Heo, Diana V. Do, Quan Dong Nguyen

Journal Articles: Ophthalmology

PURPOSE: Punctate inner choroidopathy (PIC) is an ocular inflammatory disease. Spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) allows detailed visualization of retinal and choroidal structures. We aimed to describe the retinal changes on SD-OCT associated with PIC lesions localized in the macula.

METHODS: Retrospective case series: PIC lesions not associated with choroidal neovascularization (CNV) and captured by macular SD-OCT scans were identified and characterized.

RESULTS: Twenty-seven PIC lesions from seven patients (eight eyes) were identified and classified into four categories according to disease activity and temporal changes. Among clinically inactive patients, two main patterns were noted on OCT: (1) retinal pigment …

Isolated Endogenous Nocardia Endophthalmitis After Immunosuppression., Lisa Y. Chen, Muge R. Kesen, Abdalhossein Ghafourian, Quan Dong Nguyen, Charles G. Eberhart, Diana V. Do

Journal Articles: Ophthalmology

PURPOSE: This study is aimed to report a case of endogenous Nocardia endophthalmitis in the setting of immunosuppression from chronic steroid use.

METHODS: A case report was conducted.

RESULTS: A 79-year-old woman presented with decreased vision with floaters in the left eye. Ophthalmic examination revealed severe inflammation in the anterior chamber, vitreous opacities, and retinal detachment. Vitreous cultures grew Nocardia farcinica without any systemic foci of infection found during further workup. The patient was treated with intravitreal amikacin and oral trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, and her retinal detachment was later repaired in the operating room. The patient has since remained stable with no …

Low Levels Of Β-Lactam Antibiotics Induce Extracellular Dna Release And Biofilm Formation In Staphylococcus Aureus., Jeffrey B. Kaplan, Era A. Izano, Prerna Gopal, Michael T. Karwacki, Sangho Kim, Jeffrey L. Bose, Kenneth W. Bayles, Alexander R. Horswill

Journal Articles: Pathology and Microbiology

UNLABELLED: Subminimal inhibitory concentrations of antibiotics have been shown to induce bacterial biofilm formation. Few studies have investigated antibiotic-induced biofilm formation in Staphylococcus aureus, an important human pathogen. Our goal was to measure S. aureus biofilm formation in the presence of low levels of β-lactam antibiotics. Fifteen phylogenetically diverse methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA) strains were employed. Methicillin, ampicillin, amoxicillin, and cloxacillin were added to cultures at concentrations ranging from 0× to 1× MIC. Biofilm formation was measured in 96-well microtiter plates using a crystal violet binding assay. Autoaggregation was measured using a visual test tube …

Contribution Of The Staphylococcus Aureus Atl Am And Gl Murein Hydrolase Activities In Cell Division, Autolysis, And Biofilm Formation., Jeffrey L. Bose, Mckenzie K. Lehman, Paul D. Fey, Kenneth W. Bayles

Journal Articles: Pathology and Microbiology

The most prominent murein hydrolase of Staphylococcus aureus, AtlA, is a bifunctional enzyme that undergoes proteolytic cleavage to yield two catalytically active proteins, an amidase (AM) and a glucosaminidase (GL). Although the bifunctional nature of AtlA has long been recognized, most studies have focused on the combined functions of this protein in cell wall metabolism and biofilm development. In this study, we generated mutant derivatives of the clinical S. aureus isolate, UAMS-1, in which one or both of the AM and GL domains of AtlA have been deleted. Examination of these strains revealed that each mutant exhibited growth rates comparable …

The Importance Of Amino Acid Composition In Natural Amps: An Evolutional, Structural, And Functional Perspective., Biswajit Mishra, Guangshun Wang

Journal Articles: Pathology and Microbiology

No abstract provided.

Landmark Optimization Using Local Curvature For Point-Based Nonlinear Rodent Brain Image Registration., Yutong Liu, Balasrinivasa R. Sajja, Mariano Uberti, Howard Gendelman, Tammy Kielian, Michael D. Boska

Journal Articles: Radiology

Purpose. To develop a technique to automate landmark selection for point-based interpolating transformations for nonlinear medical image registration. Materials and Methods. Interpolating transformations were calculated from homologous point landmarks on the source (image to be transformed) and target (reference image). Point landmarks are placed at regular intervals on contours of anatomical features, and their positions are optimized along the contour surface by a function composed of curvature similarity and displacements of the homologous landmarks. The method was evaluated in two cases (n = 5 each). In one, MRI was registered to histological sections; in the second, geometric distortions in EPI …

Alcohol Exposure Alters Mouse Lung Inflammation In Response To Inhaled Dust., Michael L. Mccaskill, Debra J. Romberger, Jane M. Devasure, Jessica Boten, Joseph H. Sisson, Kristina L. Bailey, Jill A. Poole, Todd A. Wyatt

Journal Articles: Pulmonary & Critical Care Med

Alcohol exposure is associated with increased lung infections and decreased mucociliary clearance. Occupational workers exposed to dusts from concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) are at risk for developing chronic inflammatory lung diseases. Agricultural worker co-exposure to alcohol and organic dust has been established, although little research has been conducted on the combination effects of alcohol and organic dusts on the lung. Previously, we have shown in a mouse model that exposure to hog dust extract (HDE) collected from a CAFO results in the activation of protein kinase C (PKC), elevated lavage fluid cytokines/chemokines including interleukin-6 (IL-6), and the development of …

Inter-Study Reproducibility Of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Myocardial Feature Tracking., Geraint Morton, Andreas Schuster, Roy Jogiya, Shelby Kutty, Philipp Beerbaum, Eike Nagel

Journal Articles: Pediatrics

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular magnetic resonance myocardial feature tracking (CMR-FT) is a recently described method of post processing routine cine acquisitions which aims to provide quantitative measurements of circumferentially and radially directed ventricular wall strain. Inter-study reproducibility is important for serial assessments however has not been defined for CMR-FT.

METHODS: 16 healthy volunteers were imaged 3 times within a single day. The first examination was performed at 0900 after fasting and was immediately followed by the second. The third, non-fasting scan, was performed at 1400.CMR-FT measures of segmental and global strain parameters were calculated. Left ventricular (LV) circumferential and radial strain were …

Non-Typeable Haemophilus Influenzae Decreases Cilia Beating Via Protein Kinase Cε., Kristina L. Bailey, Tricia D. Levan, Daniel A. Yanov, Jacqueline A. Pavlik, Jane M. Devasure, Joseph H. Sisson, Todd A. Wyatt

Journal Articles: Pulmonary & Critical Care Med

BACKGROUND: Haemophilus influenzae infection of the nasal epithelium has long been associated with observations of decreased nasal ciliary beat frequency (CBF) and injury to the ciliated epithelium. Previously, we have reported that several agents that slow CBF also have the effect of activating protein kinase C epsilon (PKCε) activity in bronchial epithelial cells. The subsequent auto-downregulation of PKCε or the direct inhibition of PKCε leads to the specific detachment of the ciliated cells.

METHODS: Primary cultures of ciliated bovine bronchial epithelial cells were exposed to filtered conditioned media supernatants from non-typeable H. influenzae (NTHi) cultures. CBF and motile points were …

Differential Effects Of Interleukin-17 Receptor Signaling On Innate And Adaptive Immunity During Central Nervous System Bacterial Infection., Debbie Vidlak, Tammy Kielian

Journal Articles: Pathology and Microbiology

Although IL-17A (commonly referred to as IL-17) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of central nervous system (CNS) autoimmune disease, its role during CNS bacterial infections remains unclear. To evaluate the broader impact of IL-17 family members in the context of CNS infection, we utilized IL-17 receptor (IL-17R) knockout (KO) mice that lack the ability to respond to IL-17, IL-17F and IL-17E (IL-25). In this article, we demonstrate that IL-17R signaling regulates bacterial clearance as well as natural killer T (NKT) cell and gamma-delta (γδ) T cell infiltrates during Staphylococcus aureus-induced brain abscess formation. Specifically, when compared with wild-type (WT) …

Transforming Growth Factor-Β Suppresses Metastasis In A Subset Of Human Colon Carcinoma Cells., Neka A.K. Simms, Ashwani Rajput, Elizabeth A. Sharratt, Melanie Ongchin, Carol A. Teggart, J. Wang, Michael G. Brattain

Journal Articles: Eppley Institute

BACKGROUND: TGFβ signaling has typically been associated with suppression of tumor initiation while the role it plays in metastasis is generally associated with progression of malignancy. However, we present evidence here for an anti-metastatic role of TGFβ signaling.

METHODS: To test the importance of TGFβ signaling to cell survival and metastasis we compared human colon carcinoma cell lines that are either non-tumorigenic with TGFβ response (FET), or tumorigenic with TGFβ response (FETα) or tumorigenic with abrogated TGFβ response via introduction of dominant negative TGFβRII (FETα/DN) and their ability to metastasize. Metastatic competency was assessed by orthotopic transplantation. Metastatic colony formation …

Macular Sensitivity And Fixation Patterns In Normal Eyes And Eyes With Uveitis With And Without Macular Edema., Yasir J. Sepah, Elham Hatef, Elizabeth Colantuoni, Jianmin Wang, Mathew Shulman, Fatima I. Adhi, Abeer Akhtar, Mohamed Ibrahim, Afsheen Khwaja, Roomasa Channa, Raafay Sophie, Millena Bittencourt, Jangwon Heo, Diana V Do, Quan Dong Nguyen

Journal Articles: Ophthalmology

PURPOSE: This study aims to investigate the relationship between macular sensitivity and thickness in eyes with uveitic macular edema (UME).

DESIGN: This study is a prospective observational case series.

METHODS: The setting for this study was clinical practice. The study included 59 (28 with UME, 31 without UME) eyes of 26 patients with uveitis and 19 eyes of 10 normal subjects. The procedure followed was fundus-related perimetry and retinal thickness map with an automated fundus perimetry/tomography system. Main outcome measures included quantification of macular sensitivity, fixation pattern, and relationship between macular sensitivity and thickness.

RESULTS: Fixation stability revealed that 56 …

Hospitalized Cardiovascular Events In Patients With Diabetic Macular Edema., Bao-Anh Nguyen-Khoa, Earl L. Goehring, Winifred Werther, Anne E. Fung, Diana V. Do, Rajendra S. Apte, Judith K. Jones

Journal Articles: Ophthalmology

BACKGROUND: Microvascular and macrovascular complications in diabetes stem from chronic hyperglycemia and are thought to have overlapping pathophysiology. The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence rate of hospitalized myocardial infarctions (MI) and cerebrovascular accidents (CVA) in patients with diabetic macular edema (DME) compared with diabetic patients without retinal diseases.

METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study of a commercially insured population in an administrative claims database. DME subjects (n = 3519) and diabetes controls without retinal disease (n = 10557) were matched by age and gender. Healthcare claims were analyzed for the study period from 1 January …

Deciphering Mechanisms Of Staphylococcal Biofilm Evasion Of Host Immunity., Mark L. Hanke, Tammy Kielian

Journal Articles: Pathology and Microbiology

Biofilms are adherent communities of bacteria contained within a complex matrix. Although host immune responses to planktonic staphylococcal species have been relatively well-characterized, less is known regarding immunity to staphylococcal biofilms and how they modulate anti-bacterial effector mechanisms when organized in this protective milieu. Previously, staphylococcal biofilms were thought to escape immune recognition on the basis of their chronic and indolent nature. Instead, we have proposed that staphylococcal biofilms skew the host immune response away from a proinflammatory bactericidal phenotype toward an anti-inflammatory, pro-fibrotic response that favors bacterial persistence. This possibility is supported by recent studies from our laboratory using …

Ron - The Con In Colorectal Carcinoma, Shikha Tarang, J. Wang

Journal Articles: Eppley Institute

The recepteur d’origine nantais (RON) is a member of MET family of receptor tyrosine kinase (RTKs), an overexpression of which has been observed in several cancers. The expression of RON gene is required during embryonic development and also plays critical roles in regulating macrophage inflammatory response. In CRC, the overexpression of moderate RON activity contributes to their oncogenic potential by regulating several key processes such as proliferation, motility and resistance to apoptosis. Interestingly, an aberrant RON expression is often associated with the generation of several splice variants with unique transforming activities. The targeting of RON signaling pathway by the use …

Il-1ri (Interleukin-1 Receptor Type I) Signalling Is Essential For Host Defence And Hemichannel Activity During Acute Central Nervous System Bacterial Infection., Juan Xiong, Maria Burkovetskaya, Nikolay Karpuk, Tammy Kielian

Journal Articles: Pathology and Microbiology

Staphylococcus aureus is a common aetiological agent of bacterial brain abscesses. We have previously established that a considerable IL-1 (interleukin-1) response is elicited immediately following S. aureus infection, where the cytokine can exert pleiotropic effects on glial activation and blood-brain barrier permeability. To assess the combined actions of IL-1α and IL-1β during CNS (central nervous system) infection, host defence responses were evaluated in IL-1RI (IL-1 receptor type I) KO (knockout) animals. IL-1RI KO mice were exquisitely sensitive to intracerebral S. aureus infection, as demonstrated by enhanced mortality rates and bacterial burdens within the first 24 h following pathogen exposure compared …

Adjunct Primer For The Use Of National Comprehensive Cancer Network Guidelines For The Surgical Management Of Cutaneous Malignant Melanoma Patients., Edibaldo Silva

Journal Articles: Oncology and Hematology

Recently, a Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) survey of melanoma patterns of care by the Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale showed remarkable deviations from best practice patterns throughout the country. The study, which analyzed the SEER records of 35,126 stage I to III cutaneous malignant melanoma patients treated from 2004 to 2006, showed that adherence to National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) therapeutic resection margins occurred in less than 36% of patients. Similarly, considerable variation in the quality of melanoma care in the United States when assessed using 26 quality indicators drawn by a panel of melanoma experts was independently reported. These …

A Heuristic Solution Of The Identifiability Problem Of The Age-Period-Cohort Analysis Of Cancer Occurrence: Lung Cancer Example., Tengiz Mdzinarishvili, Simon Sherman

Journal Articles: Eppley Institute

BACKGROUND: The Age-Period-Cohort (APC) analysis is aimed at estimating the following effects on disease incidence: (i) the age of the subject at the time of disease diagnosis; (ii) the time period, when the disease occurred; and (iii) the date of birth of the subject. These effects can help in evaluating the biological events leading to the disease, in estimating the influence of distinct risk factors on disease occurrence, and in the development of new strategies for disease prevention and treatment.

METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We developed a novel approach for estimating the APC effects on disease incidence rates in the frame of …

Onset Of Alcohol Or Substance Use Disorders Following Treatment For Adolescent Depression., John Curry, Susan Silva, Paul Rohde, Golda Ginsburg, Betsy Kennard, Christopher Kratochvil, Anne Simons, Jerry Kirchner, Diane May, Taryn Mayes, Norah Feeny, Anne Marie Albano, Sarah Lavanier, Mark Reinecke, Rachel Jacobs, Emily Becker-Weidman, Elizabeth Weller, Graham Emslie, John Walkup, Elizabeth Kastelic, Barbara Burns, Karen Wells, John March

Journal Articles: Psychiatry

OBJECTIVE: This study tested whether positive response to short-term treatment for adolescent major depressive disorder (MDD) would have the secondary benefit of preventing subsequent alcohol use disorders (AUD) or substance use disorders (SUD).

METHOD: For 5 years, we followed 192 adolescents (56.2% female; 20.8% minority) who had participated in the Treatment for Adolescents with Depression Study (TADS; TADS Team, 2004) and who had no prior diagnoses of AUD or SUD. TADS initial treatments were cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), fluoxetine alone (FLX), the combination of CBT and FLX (COMB), or clinical management with pill placebo (PBO). We used both the original …

The Evidence-Based Pharmacological Treatment Of Paediatric Adhd., Brigette S. Vaughan, John S. March, Christopher J. Kratochvil

Journal Articles: Psychiatry

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is common in children, adolescents, and adults, with extensive research establishing it as a valid neurobiological disorder. Without intervention, ADHD can result in significant impairment throughout the lifespan for the individuals it afflicts. Fortunately, multiple evidence-based options are available for the treatment of ADHD, including several efficacious pharmacotherapies. The role of medication, including stimulants as well as non-stimulants, is well-documented by an extensive body of literature. Although there may be less enthusiasm for behavioural and other psychosocial interventions as stand-alone treatments for moderate to severe ADHD, they are recommended as first-line treatment for ADHD management …

Microbubble Mediated Thrombus Dissolution With Diagnostic Ultrasound For The Treatment Of Chronic Venous Thrombi., Shelby Kutty, Juefei Wu, James M. Hammel, Feng Xie, Shunji Gao, Lucas K. Drvol, John Lof, Stanley J. Radio, Stacey L. Therrien, David A. Danford, Thomas R. Porter

Journal Articles: Pediatrics

BACKGROUND: Central venous catheter (CVC) thrombi result in significant morbidity in children, and currently available treatments are associated with significant risk. We sought to investigate the therapeutic efficacy of microbubble (MB) enhanced sonothrombolysis for aged CVC associated thrombi in vivo.

METHODS AND RESULTS: A model of chronic indwelling CVC in the low superior vena cava with thrombus in situ was established after feasibility and safety testing in 7 pigs; and subsequently applied for repeated, sonothrombolytic treatments in 9 pigs (total 24 treatments). Baseline intracardiac echocardiography (ICE, 10.5F, Siemens), fluoroscopy and saline flushing confirmed the absence of any pre-existing CVC thrombus. …

Differential Expression Of Metabolic Genes In Tumor And Stromal Components Of Primary And Metastatic Loci In Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma., Nina V. Chaika, Fang Yu, Vinee Purohit, Kamiya Mehla, Audrey J. Lazenby, Dominick J. Dimaio, Judy M. Anderson, Jen Jen Yeh, Keith R. Johnson, Michael A. Hollingsworth, Pankaj K. Singh

Journal Articles: Eppley Institute

BACKGROUND: Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer related deaths in the United States with a five-year survival rate of 6%. It is characterized by extremely aggressive tumor growth rate and high incidence of metastasis. One of the most common and profound biochemical phenotypes of animal and human cancer cells is their ability to metabolize glucose at high rates, even under aerobic conditions. However, the contribution of metabolic interrelationships between tumor cells and cells of the surrounding microenvironment to the progression of cancer is not well understood. We evaluated differential expression of metabolic genes and, hence, metabolic pathways …