Medical Specialties Commons^™

Targeting Pd-L1 In Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Using Car T Cells, Ming Liu, Xu Wang, Wei Li, Xinfang Yu, Pedro Flores-Villanueva, Zijun Y Xu-Monette, Ling Li, Mingzhi Zhang, Ken H Young, Xiaodong Ma, Yong Li

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Antibodies against programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) and its ligand (PD-L1) have dramatically changed the landscape of therapies for non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC); however, the majority of patients do not respond to these agents. In addition, hyperprogressive disease (HPD) develops in a larger portion of NSCLC patients treated with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors than in patients treated with standard chemotherapy. The use of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells has been successful to treat blood cancers but not for solid tumors like NSCLC. In this work, we constructed CAR T cells that target PD-L1 and evaluated their efficacy in NSCLC …

Interplay Of Trna-Derived Fragments And T Cell Activation In Breast Cancer Patient Survival, Nayang Shan, Ningshan Li, Qile Dai, Lin Hou, Xiting Yan, Amei Amei, Lingeng Lu, Zuoheng Wang

Mathematical Sciences Faculty Research

Effector CD8+ T cell activation and its cytotoxic function are positively correlated with improved survival in breast cancer. tRNA-derived fragments (tRFs) have recently been found to be involved in gene regulation in cancer progression. However, it is unclear how interactions between expression of tRFs and T cell activation affect breast cancer patient survival. We used Kaplan–Meier survival and multivariate Cox regression models to evaluate the effect of interactions between expression of tRFs and T cell activation on survival in 1081 breast cancer patients. Spearman correlation analysis and weighted gene co-expression network analysis were conducted to identify genes and pathways that …

Digital Breast Tomosynthesis Versus Additional Diagnostic Mammographic Views For The Evaluation Of Asymmetric Mammographic Densities, Hira Waheed, Imrana Masroor, Shaista Afzal Saeed, Muhammad Ismail Alvi, Syed Jahanzeb

Department of Radiology

Introduction: Many young females present with an advanced stage of breast cancer, which has a negative effect on the prognosis. Digital breast tomosynthesis is a new emerging imaging technique that aids in improving the specificity of mammography with subsequent early detection of breast cancer, especially in women with radiographically dense breasts. Tomosynthesis is subjectively preferred to conventional mammography and may offer superior diagnostic accuracy for the evaluation of breast lesions.
Method: Two breast radiologists retrospectively reviewed asymmetric densities using protocols that were institutional review board-approved in 185 patients aged 18 - 70 years (mean: 48 years) who underwent diagnostic mammography …

Oral Cancer: Clinicopathological Features And Associated Risk Factors In A High Risk Population Presenting To A Major Tertiary Care Center In Pakistan, Namrah Anwar, Shahid Pervez, Qurratulain Chundriger, Mohammad Sohail Awan, Tariq Moatter, Tazeen Saeed Ali

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) has the highest prevalence in head and neck cancers and is the first and second most common cancer in males and females of Pakistan respectively. Major risk factors include peculiar chewing habits like areca nut, betel quid, and tobacco. The majority of OSCC presents at an advanced stage with poor prognosis. On the face of such a high burden of this preventable cancer, there is a relative lack of recent robust data and its association with known risk factors from Pakistan. The aim of this study was to identify the socioeconomic factors and clinicopathological features …

Ewing Sarcoma Family Of Tumors-Derived Small Extracellular Vesicle Proteomics Identify Potential Clinical Biomarkers., Glenson Samuel, Jennifer Crow, Jon B. Klein, Michael L. Merchant, Emily Nissen, Devin C. Koestler, Kris Laurence, Xiaobo Liang, Kathleen Neville, Vincent S. Staggs, Atif Ahmed, Safinur Atay, Andrew K. Godwin

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Purpose: Ewing Sarcoma Family of Tumors (ESFT), the second most common pediatric osseous malignancy, are characterized by the pathognomonic chromosomal EWS-ETS translocation. Outside of tumor biopsy, no clinically relevant ESFT biomarkers exist. Additionally, tumor burden assessment at diagnosis, monitoring of disease responsiveness to therapy, and detection of disease recurrence are limited to radiographic imaging. To identify new, clinically relevant biomarkers we evaluated the proteome of a subset of ESFT-derived small extracellular vesicles (sEVs).

Materials and methods: We performed the first high quality proteomic study of ESFT-derived sEVs from 5 ESFT cell lines representing the most common EWS-ETS fusion types and …

Low Anterior Resection Syndrome, Theresa H Nguyen, Reena V Chokshi

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Low anterior resection syndrome is a highly prevalent condition that can develop after anal sphincter-sparing surgery for rectal cancer and impair quality of life. In this review, we summarize the major features and pathophysiology of this syndrome and discuss treatment approaches.

RECENT FINDINGS: Quality of life correlates significantly with severity of low anterior resection syndrome. Prompt assessment and initiation of therapy are essential to rehabilitating damaged mechanical and neural structures. Anorectal manometry demonstrates a global decrease in sphincteric function postoperatively, though in many patients, function does recover. Transanal irrigation, pelvic floor rehabilitation, and biofeedback are the mainstays …

The Landscape Of Rna Polymerase Ii-Associated Chromatin Interactions In Prostate Cancer, Susmita G Ramanand, Yong Chen, Jiapei Yuan, Kelly Daescu, Maryou Bk Lambros, Kathleen E Houlahan, Suzanne Carreira, Wei Yuan, Guemhee Baek, Adam Sharp, Alec Paschalis, Mohammed Kanchwala, Yunpeng Gao, Adam Aslam, Nida Safdar, Xiaowei Zhan, Ganesh V Raj, Chao Xing, Paul C Boutros, Johann De Bono, Michael Q Zhang, Ram S Mani

College of Science & Mathematics Departmental Research

Transcriptional dysregulation is a hallmark of prostate cancer (PCa). We mapped the RNA polymerase II-associated (RNA Pol II-associated) chromatin interactions in normal prostate cells and PCa cells. We discovered thousands of enhancer-promoter, enhancer-enhancer, as well as promoter-promoter chromatin interactions. These transcriptional hubs operate within the framework set by structural proteins - CTCF and cohesins - and are regulated by the cooperative action of master transcription factors, such as the androgen receptor (AR) and FOXA1. By combining analyses from metastatic castration-resistant PCa (mCRPC) specimens, we show that AR locus amplification contributes to the transcriptional upregulation of the AR gene by increasing …

A Pilot Study Of The Preliminary Efficacy Of Pain Buddy: A Novel Intervention For The Management Of Children’S Cancer-Related Pain, John F. Hunter, Amanda M. Acevedo, Sergio Gago-Masague, Alexandra Kain, Christine Yun, Lilibeth Torno, Brooke N. Jenkins, Michelle A. Fortier

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Objectives

Cancer‐related pain in children is prevalent and undermanaged. Mobile health (mHealth) applications provide a promising avenue to address the gap in pain management in children with cancer. Pain Buddy is a multicomponent mHealth application developed to manage cancer‐related pain in children. The goal of this paper is to present preliminary efficacy data of the impact of Pain Buddy on children's pain severity and frequency.

Methods

In a randomized controlled trial over 60 days, children (N = 48) reported daily pain on a tablet while receiving usual care. Those in the intervention group (N = 20) received remote …

Management And Treatment Of Hepatocellular Carcinoma With Immunotherapy: A Review Of Current And Future Options, Shima Ghavimi, Tehila Apfel, Hamed Azimi, Alana Persaud

Internal Medicine

With mortality rates of liver cancer doubling in the last 20 years, this disease is on the rise and has become the fifth most common cancer in men and the seventh most common cancer in women. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) represents approximately 90% of all primary liver cancers and is a major global health concern. Patients with HCC can be managed curatively with surgical resection or with liver transplantation, if they are diagnosed at an early stage. Unfortunately, most patients with HCC present with advanced stages of the disease and have underlying liver dysfunction, which allows only 15% of patients to …

Sexual Dysfunction After Rectal Cancer Treatment, Sarah M. Popek

Clinical and Translational Science Center Scholarly Output

Introduction: Treatment for rectal cancer results in sexual dysfunction. Sexual function is a component of the HR-QOL (health related quality of life) measures. The incidence of sexual dysfunction following treatment for rectal cancer and its impact on the HR-QOL is not well delineated, particularly on women.

Objectives: To prospectively assess the degree of sexual dysfunction that occurs after treatment for Stage I-III rectal cancer and the corresponding short term (<3 months) and long term (<2 years) effect on the Quality of Life measure for oncology (QOL-30).

Methods: Validated questionnaires will be administered to assess sexual function and quality of life. The International Index of Erectile Dysfunction will be administered to male patients and …

Value Of Achieving A Watertight Dural Closure, And The Use Of Dural Sealants After Supratentorial Cranial Surgery, Ummey Hani, Fatima Aziz, Muhammad Shahzad Shamim

Section of Neurosurgery

Dural closure at the end of cranial surgery is considered an extremely important step to maintain anatomical continuity, separate the intradural space with the extradural one, and to prevent possible complications related to cerebrospinal fluid leak. Wherein its usefulness in posterior fossa craniotomy is established, many surgeons do not perform it routinely in supratentorial craniotomies, citing unnecessary delay and lack of evidence supporting it. Herein, we have reviewed the data to find evidence in support of watertight suture based dural closures compared to other dural closure techniques, in supratentorial craniotomies.

The Great Debate At 'Immunotherapy Bridge', Naples, December 5, 2019., Paolo A Ascierto, Carlo Bifulco, Jerome Galon, Claus Garbe, Samir N Khleif, Jennifer Mcquade, Kunle Odunsi, Hideho Okada, Chrystal M Paulos, Sergio A Quezada, Hussein A Tawbi, John Timmerman, Giorgio Trinchieri, Lisa H Butterfield, Igor Puzanov

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

As part of the 2019 Immunotherapy Bridge congress (December 4-5, Naples, Italy), the Great Debate session featured counterpoint views from leading experts on six topical issues in immunotherapy today. These were the use of chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapy in solid tumors, whether the Immunoscore should be more widely used in clinical practice, whether antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity is important in the mode of action of anticytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 antibodies, whether the brain is immunologically unique or just another organ, the role of microbiome versus nutrition in affecting responses to immunotherapy, and whether chemotherapy is immunostimulatory or immunosuppressive. Discussion …

Epigenetic Targeting Of Mcl-1 Is Synthetically Lethal With Bcl-Xl/Bcl-2 Inhibition In Model Systems Of Glioblastoma, Enyuan Shang, Trang T. T. Nguyen, Chang Shu, Mike-Andrew Westhoff, Georg Karpel-Massler, Markus D. Siegelin

Publications and Research

Apoptotic resistance remains a hallmark of glioblastoma (GBM), the most common primary brain tumor in adults, and a better understanding of this process may result in more efficient treatments. By utilizing chromatin immunoprecipitation with next-generation sequencing (CHIP-seq), we discovered that GBMs harbor a super enhancer around the Mcl-1 locus, a gene that has been known to confer cell death resistance in GBM.We utilized THZ1, a known super-enhancer blocker, and BH3-mimetics, including ABT263, WEHI-539, and ABT199. Combined treatment with BH3-mimetics and THZ1 led to synergistic growth reduction in GBM models. Reduction in cellular viability was accompanied by significant cell death induction …

Guided Imagery And Deep Breathing: Minimizing Anxiety Experienced By Pediatric Cancer Patients, Bethany Grace Aney

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

This particular research study examined the impact of guided imagery and deep breathing as coping tools to reduce the anxiety levels experienced by pediatric cancer patients ages 6-12 years of age at a children’s hospital in Central Pennsylvania. This quantitative study utilized a pretest-posttest design, in addition to utilizing the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children (STAIC™) as the baseline and post-test assessment. The STAIC™ is a questionnaire tool that assesses individuals’ state and trait anxiety through a total of 40 questions. This particular study had a total of five patients, two male and three female that consented to undergoing three …

Clinicopathologic Features Predictive Of Distant Metastasis In Patients Diagnosed With Invasive Breast Cancer, Basim Ali, Fatima Mubarik, Nida Zahid, Abida K. Sattar

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Purpose: National Comprehensive Cancer Network and European Society for Medical Oncology guidelines suggest screening for distant metastasis (M1) in symptomatic patients or those with locally advanced breast cancer. These guidelines are based on studies that often used pathologic staging for analysis. Physician variability in screening for M1 has also resulted in overuse of diagnostic tests. We sought to identify clinicopathologic features at diagnosis that could guide testing for metastatic disease.
Methods: Patients diagnosed with invasive breast cancer between January 2014 and December 2015 were identified from our institutional database. Demographic and clinical variables were collected, including receptor profiles and clinical …

A Retrospective Review Of Outcomes Associated With Treatment Modalities Utilized In The Management Of Diffuse Large B Cell Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, Benjamin Fry, Donna Colabroy Rn, Msn, Ocn, Ccm, Melissa Kratz Rn, Msn, Aocn, Dennis Sopka Md, Savitri Skandan Md

Research Scholars Poster Presentation

No abstract provided.

Identifying Baseline Characteristics For Consideration Of Prophylactic Feeding Tube Placement In Persons Undergoing Chemoradiotherapy For Head And Neck Cancer: A Retrospective Chart Review, Kenna Kita, Janine Gilboy Rd, Cso, Ldn, Erin Levine Rd, Cso, Ldn, Brian J. Patson Md, Jennifer Brennan Ms, Rd, Cso

Research Scholars Poster Presentation

No abstract provided.

Concurrent Hysterectomy And Bilateral Salpingo-Oophorectomy During Cytoreductive Surgery And Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy For Non-Gynecologic Cancers, Mckayla J. Riggs, Miranda Lin, Joseph Kim, Prakash Pandalai, Charles S. Dietrich Iii

Obstetrics and Gynecology Faculty Publications

Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) is a key component of treatment in non-gynecologic peritoneal surface malignancies. As many as 10-15% of patients with a gastrointestinal primary malignancy will present with carcinomatosis. Maximal cytoreductive surgery directly affects the prognosis of patients. The routine inclusion of hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy during these procedures optimizes cytoreduction despite negative pre-operative imaging and findings at the time of surgery. In this case series, we review twenty non-gynecologic cancer patients who underwent cytoreductive surgery with concurrent hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy and HIPEC at our institution.

Chimeric Ad5.F35 Vector Evades Anti-Adenovirus Serotype 5 Neutralization Opposing Gucy2c-Targeted Antitumor Immunity, John C. Flickinger, Jagmohan Singh, Robert D Carlson, Elinor Leong, Trevor R. Baybutt, Joshua Barton, Ellen M. Caparosa, Amanda M. Pattison, Jeff A. Rappaport, Jamin Roh, Tingting Zhan, Babar Bashir, Scott A Waldman, Adam E. Snook

Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Adenovirus serotype 5 (Ad5) is a commonly used viral vector for transient delivery of transgenes, primarily for vaccination against pathogen and tumor antigens. However, endemic infections with Ad5 produce virus-specific neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) that limit transgene delivery and constrain target-directed immunity following exposure to Ad5-based vaccines. Indeed, clinical trials have revealed the limitations that virus-specific NAbs impose on the efficacy of Ad5-based vaccines. In that context, the emerging focus on immunological approaches targeting cancer self-antigens or neoepitopes underscores the unmet therapeutic need for more efficacious vaccine vectors.

METHODS: Here, we evaluated the ability of a chimeric adenoviral vector (Ad5.F35) …

Development Of A Ct Metal Artifact Management Algorithm For Proton Therapy Planning (Ampp) For Head And Neck Cancer Patients, Daniela Branco

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Purpose: Dental amalgams (high Z materials) are common sources of artifacts in Head and Neck (HN) images. Commercial artifact reduction techniques have been offered, but many are impractical, produce inaccurate CT images or are not clinically available, thus not widely implemented. The goal of this work is to use CT gantry tilts to develop and evaluate a stereoscopic HN metal artifact management algorithm and investigate its improvement in proton treatment planning.

Methods: The in-house CT metal artifact management method for proton planning (AMPP) uses two angled CT scans to generate a single image set with no metal artifacts posterior …

Investigating The Metabolic Progression Of Glioblastoma With Hyperpolarized Magnetic Resonance, Travis Salzillo

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Rapid diagnosis and therapeutic monitoring of aggressive diseases such as glioblastoma (GBM) can improve patient survival by providing physicians the time to optimally deliver treatment. This includes early in development, while the tumor is still manageable, or following initial therapy, when alternative treatments should be considered. The main goal of this project was to determine whether metabolic imaging with hyperpolarized magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) could detect changes in tumor progression more rapidly than conventional anatomic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patient-derived GBM murine models. To comprehensively capture the dynamic nature of cancer metabolism, in vivo pyruvate-to-lactate conversion with hyperpolarized MRI, …

Scope Of Artificial Intelligence In Screening And Diagnosis Of Colorectal Cancer, Hemant Goyal Md, Rupinder Mann Md, Zainab Gandhi Mbbs, Abhilash Perisetti Md, Aman Ali Md, Khizar Amani Ali, Neil Sharma Md, Benjamin Tharian Md, Shreyas Saligram, Sumant Inamdar

PCI Publications and Projects

Globally, colorectal cancer is the third most diagnosed malignancy. It causes significant mortality and morbidity, which can be reduced by early diagnosis with an effective screening test. Integrating artificial intelligence (AI) and computer-aided detection (CAD) with screening methods have shown promising results for colorectal cancer screening. AI could provide a “second look” for endoscopists to decrease the rate of missed polyps during a colonoscopy. It can also improve detection and characterization of polyps by integration with colonoscopy, various advanced endoscopic modalities like magnifying narrow-band imaging, endocytoscopy, confocal endomicroscopy, laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy, and magnifying chromoendoscopy. In this review, we have discussed …

Impact Of Immunotherapy Use In Patients With Stage Iv Pancreatic Carcinoma, Achuta K. Guddati, Takefumi Komiya Md, Sunny J. Patel, Neil Sharma Md, Emily Powell

PCI Publications and Projects

Background: Most patients with pancreatic cancer have non-resectable disease at the time of diagnosis and usually die within 6-12 months. Despite indications in other solid tumors, the role of immunotherapy (IO) is unknown for late stage, advanced pancreatic cancer.

Methods: Using the National Cancer Database (NCDB), cases of Stage IV pancreatic cancers diagnosed in the period of 2014-2016 with at least 30-day follow up were retrospectively analyzed. The following clinical demographics were included: age (younger than 70 vs. older than 70), sex (male vs. female), race (whites vs. others), insurance (uninsured vs. insured), type of institution …

Prevalence Of Helicobacter Pylori Positive Non-Cardia Gastric Adenocarcinoma Is Low And Decreasing In A Us Population, Theresa H Nguyen, Niharika Mallepally, Tariq Hammad, Yan Liu, Aaron P Thrift, Hashem B El-Serag, Mimi C Tan

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Helicobacter pylori infection is an established causal factor for non-cardia gastric cancer. H. pylori negative gastric cancer prevalence among US patients is unclear.

METHODS: This retrospective cohort study examined H. pylori prevalence among consecutive patients with incident non-cardia gastric adenocarcinoma at the Houston VA Hospital (11/2007-10/2018). H. pylori positivity was defined by H. pylori on histopathology, positive antibody serology, stool antigen, or urea breath testing. We examined for trends in H. pylori negative gastric cancer based on year of diagnosis. Associations between histopathologic and cancer-related outcomes with H. pylori positivity were determined using regression models.

RESULTS: Of 91 patients …

Post-Registration Experience Of Nivolumab In Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma: An International Study, Petros Fessas, Ahmed Kaseb, Yinghong Wang, Anwaar Saeed, David Szafron, Tomi Jun, Sirish Dharmapuri, Abdul Rafeh Naqash, Mahvish Muzaffar, Musharraf Navaid, Uqba Khan, Chiehju Lee, Anushi Bulumulle, Bo Yu, Sonal Paul, Neil Nimkar, Dominik Bettinger, Francesca Benevento, Hannah Hildebrand, Tiziana Pressiani, Yehia I Abugabal, Nicola Personeni, Yi-Hsiang Huang, Lorenza Rimassa, Celina Ang, Thomas Marron, David J Pinato

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Nivolumab is Food and Drug Administration approved in sorafenib-experienced, advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Post-registration data of treatment in a real-world setting is lacking.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: We performed an international, multicenter observational study to confirm safety and efficacy of nivolumab in 233 patients treated outside clinical trials from eight centers in North America, Europe and Asia.

RESULTS: Patients received nivolumab for Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage C (n=191, 92.0%) and Child-Pugh (CP) A (n=158, 67.8%) or B (n=75, 32.2%) HCC as first (n=85, 36.5%) or second to fourth systemic therapy line …

Case Report On Leiomyosarcoma Of The Vulva: A Rare Pathology, Samantha A. Smith, Nadim Bou Zgheib, Andrea M. Vallejos, Jonathan D. Cuda

Marshall Journal of Medicine

Leiomyosarcoma (LMS) of the vulva is rare. However it is the most common histologic subtype of vulvar sarcoma, accounting for approximately 1% of all vulvar malignancies. ^[1-8] Whether genetics and epigenetics play a role in pathogenesis is unclear. ^[1] The tumor is slow-growing with non-specific symptoms, has high metastatic potential, and follows a bimodal age distribution. ^[1-8] Diagnosis and prognosis are based upon immunohistochemical expression and criteria from early literature. ^[1,3,5-7] The most common therapeutic approach involves radical vulvectomy with lymph node resection. The value of adjuvant chemotherapy and radiation remains unknown. ^[1,3,5-8] Our case describes a 46-year-old Caucasian G2P2 …

Eradication Of Stage Iv Gastric Cancer: Case Report, Ibrahim Mohammed, Cherishma Nagisetty, Arslan Iqbal, Michael Abdelmasseh, Doreen Griswold, Muhammad Omer Jamil, Juan R. Sanabria

Marshall Journal of Medicine

Background. Gastric cancer has a low overall survival rate worldwide, and surgery still remains the intent to cure option on early stages of disease. HER-2 positive cancers may have a survival advantage. We present a patient with stage IV gastric cancer HER-2 positive responsive to Herceptin, free of detectable disease two years after surgery.

Patient Presentation. 70 years old Caucasian male complained of left-sided chest pain. Upon evaluation, he was diagnosed with HER-2 positive adenocarcinoma of the stomach at the pylorus with two liver metastases. Near complete response was observed with Herceptin and Cis-platinum based chemotherapy followed by 80% distal …

Financial Conflicts Of Interest Change After A High-Impact Clinical Trial Publication In Oncology, Craig L. Cambridge, Emily Stern Gatof, Glen J. Weiss, Roger B. Davis

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Purpose: Because financial conflicts of interest (FCOIs) may potentially influence patient care, hospital drug formularies, and treatment guidelines, it is important that these are disclosed. The purpose of this observational study was to quantify the changes in FCOI among U.S.-based academic authors in industry-sponsored oncology trials after a high-impact publication.

Methods: A list of all U.S.-based academic authors (authors) of industry-sponsored solid tumor clinical trials published between August 1, 2014, and December 31, 2015, in 6 high-impact journals (New England Journal of Medicine, Nature, Science, Lancet Oncology, Journal of Clinical Oncology, and Cancer Discovery) was assembled. Studies were limited to …

Mir-365 (Microrna): Potnetial Biomarker In Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Exosomes And Extracellular Vesicles, Jeffery Coon, Karl Kingsley, Katherine M. Howard

Dental Medicine Faculty Research

Introduction: miR-365 is a non-coding microRNA that regulates transcription and has been demonstrated to promote oncogenesis and metastasis in some cancers, while suppressing these effects in others. Many microRNAs are produced and then exported extracellularly in exosomes, which are small extracellular vesicles ranging from 30 to 100 nm that are found in eukaryotic fluids and facilitate many cellular functions. Exosomes and extracellular vesicles are produced by many cell types, including oral cancer cells—although no study to date has evaluated miR-365 and oral cancer exosomes or extracellular vesicles. Based on this information, our research question was to evaluate whether oral cancers …

Invasive Pulmonary Infection By Syncephalastrum Species: Two Case Reports And Review Of Literature, Memoona Irshad, Nosheen Nasir, Urooj Haider Hashmi, Joveria Farooqi, Syed Faisal Mahmood

Section of Internal Medicine

Background: Syncephalastrum species belong to the class Zygomycetes and order Mucorale. These are found in the environment and tropical soil, usually presenting as colonizers and rarely cause human infection. Syncephalastrum racemosum is a species of the genus Syncephalastrum and is the most commonly identified pathogen. Most cases are reported in immunocompromised individuals, such as patients on long term steroids, poorly controlled diabetes, or patients with malignancy.
Case presentation: We are describing two cases of rare fungal infection by Syncephalastrum species causing invasive pulmonary manifestation. Both patients had compromised immune status and presented with worsening dyspnea to the emergency room. Both …