Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Upregulation Of Cd36, A Fatty Acid Translocase, Promotes Colorectal Cancer Metastasis By Increasing Mmp28 And Decreasing E-Cadherin Expression, James Drury, Piotr G. Rychahou, Courtney O. Kelson, Mariah E. Geisen, Yuanyuan Wu, Daheng He, Chi Wang, Eun Y. Lee, B. Mark Evers, Yekaterina Y. Zaytseva

Surgery Faculty Publications

Altered fatty acid metabolism continues to be an attractive target for therapeutic intervention in cancer. We previously found that colorectal cancer (CRC) cells with a higher metastatic potential express a higher level of fatty acid translocase (CD36). However, the role of CD36 in CRC metastasis has not been studied. Here, we demonstrate that high expression of CD36 promotes invasion of CRC cells. Consistently, CD36 promoted lung metastasis in the tail vein model and GI metastasis in the cecum injection model. RNA-Seq analysis of CRC cells with altered expression of CD36 revealed an association between high expression of CD36 and upregulation …

Neurotensin Regulates Proliferation And Stem Cell Function In The Small Intestine In A Nutrient-Dependent Manner, Stephanie A. Rock, Kai Jiang, Yuanyuan Wu, Yajuan Liu, Jing Li, Heidi L. Weiss, Chi Wang, Jianhang Jia, Tianyan Gao, B. Mark Evers

Surgery Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Intestinal stem cells (ISCs) are sensitive to dietary alterations and nutrient availability. Neurotensin (NT), a gut peptide localized predominantly to the small bowel and released by fat ingestion, stimulates the growth of intestinal mucosa under basal conditions and during periods of nutrient deprivation, suggesting a possible role for NT on ISC function.

METHODS: Leucine-rich repeat-containing G-protein coupled receptor 5-Enhanced Green Fluorescent Protein (Lgr5-EGFP) NT wild type (Nt^+/+) and Lgr5-EGFP NT knockout (Nt^-/-) mice were fed ad libitum or fasted for 48 hours. Small intestine tissue and crypts were examined by gene …

Association Between Obesity And Histological Tumor Budding In Patients With Nonmetastatic Colon Cancer, Tong Gan, Kurt B. Schaberg, Daheng He, Akila Mansour, Harit Kapoor, Chi Wang, B. Mark Evers, Therese J. Bocklage

Surgery Faculty Publications

Importance: Obesity is associated with increased risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) and a more aggressive disease course. Tumor budding (TB) is an important prognostic factor for CRC, but its association with obesity is unknown.

Objective: To evaluate the association of TB with obesity and other prognostic factors in colon cancer.

Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study involved a histological review of colon cancer specimens obtained during 7 years (January 2008 to December 2015) at the University of Kentucky Medical Center; data analysis was conducted from February 2020 to January 2021. Specimens came from 200 patients with stage I to …

Impact Of The Affordable Care Act On Colorectal Cancer Screening, Incidence, And Survival In Kentucky, Tong Gan, Heather F. Sinner, Samuel C. Walling, Quan Chen, Bin Huang, Thomas C. Tucker, Jitesh A. Patel, B. Mark Evers, Avinash S. Bhakta

Surgery Faculty Publications

Background

Kentucky ranks first in the US in cancer incidence and mortality. Compounded by high poverty levels and a high rate of medically uninsured, cancer rates are even worse in Appalachian Kentucky. Being one of the first states to adopt the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Medicaid expansion, insurance coverage markedly increased for Kentucky residents. The purpose of our study was to determine the impact of Medicaid expansion on colorectal cancer (CRC) screening, diagnosis, and survival in Kentucky.

Study Design

The Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services and the Kentucky Cancer Registry were queried for individuals (≥20 years) undergoing CRC …

Targeting Wnt/Β-Catenin Pathway In Hepatocellular Carcinoma Treatment, Valery Vilchez, Lilia M. Turcios, Francesc Marti, Roberto Gedaly

Surgery Faculty Publications

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common causes of cancer-related death worldwide. Liver cancer is generally related to hepatitis B or C infection and cirrhosis. Usually, patients with HCC are asymptomatic and are diagnosed at late stages when surgical treatment is no longer suitable. Limited treatment options for patients with advanced HCC are a major concern. Therefore, there is an urge for finding novel therapies to treat HCC. Liver cancer is highly heterogeneous and involved deregulation of several signaling pathways. Wnt/β-catenin pathway is frequently upregulated in HCC and it is implicated in maintenance of tumor initiating cells, drug …