Medical Specialties Commons^™

Biomarkers Of Acute Stroke Etiology (Base) Study Methodology., Edward C Jauch, Andrew D Barreto, Joseph P Broderick, Doug M Char, Brett L Cucchiara, Thomas G Devlin, Alison J Haddock, William J Hicks, Brian C Hiestand, Glen C Jickling, Jeff June, David S Liebeskind, Ted J Lowenkopf, Joseph B Miller, John O'Neill, Tim L Schoonover, Frank R Sharp, W Frank Peacock

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Acute ischemic stroke affects over 800,000 US adults annually, with hundreds of thousands more experiencing a transient ischemic attack. Emergent evaluation, prompt acute treatment, and identification of stroke or TIA (transient ischemic attack) etiology for specific secondary prevention are critical for decreasing further morbidity and mortality of cerebrovascular disease. The Biomarkers of Acute Stroke Etiology (BASE) study is a multicenter observational study to identify serum markers defining the etiology of acute ischemic stroke. Observational trial of patients presenting to the hospital within 24 h of stroke onset. Blood samples are collected at arrival, 24, and 48 h later, and RNA …

Undetected Small Accessory Mental Foramina Using Cone-Beam Computed Tomography., Joe Iwanaga, Koichi Watanabe, Tsuyoshi Saga, Shogo Kikuta, Yoko Tabira, Sadaharu Kitashima, Christian Fisahn, Fernando Alonso, R Shane Tubbs, Jingo Kusukawa, Koh-Ichi Yamaki

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

INTRODUCTION: The accessory foramina could not be identified on some imaging modalities such as surface-rendered images. The purpose of this study was to investigate the ability of surface-rendered images in detecting these foramina.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed 20 accessory mental foramina (AMF) in nine mandibles removed from cadavers with cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) and assessed in surface-rendered images. All AMF were divided into three groups depending on their visibility.

RESULTS: Group 1 included AMF that were clearly visible as foramina, Group 2 were not clearly visible but could be recognized with concave parts, and Group 3 were not visible …

A Novel Agonist Of The Trif Pathway Induces A Cellular State Refractory To Replication Of Zika, Chikungunya, And Dengue Viruses., Kara M Pryke, Jinu Abraham, Tina M Sali, Bryan J Gall, Iris Archer, Andrew Liu, Shelly Bambina, Jason R Baird, Michael J. Gough, Marita Chakhtoura, Elias K Haddad, Ilsa T Kirby, Aaron Nilsen, Daniel N Streblow, Alec J Hirsch, Jessica L Smith, Victor R Defilippis

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

The ongoing concurrent outbreaks of Zika, Chikungunya, and dengue viruses in Latin America and the Caribbean highlight the need for development of broad-spectrum antiviral treatments. The type I interferon (IFN) system has evolved in vertebrates to generate tissue responses that actively block replication of multiple known and potentially zoonotic viruses. As such, its control and activation through pharmacological agents may represent a novel therapeutic strategy for simultaneously impairing growth of multiple virus types and rendering host populations resistant to virus spread. In light of this strategy's potential, we undertook a screen to identify novel interferon-activating small molecules. Here, we describe …

Sex-Specific Associations Of Maternal Birthweight With Offspring Birthweight In The Omega Study., Collette N Ncube, Amelia R Gavin, Michelle A Williams, Chunfang Qiu, Tanya K Sorensen, Daniel A Enquobahrie

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

PURPOSE: We investigated nonlinear and offspring sex-specific associations of maternal birthweight (BW) with offspring BW among participants of the Omega study, a pregnancy cohort.

METHODS: Maternal BW was modeled as a continuous variable, linear spline and binary variable indicating low birthweight (LBW;≥2500 grams). Offspring BW was modeled as a continuous and binary variable in regression models. Nonlinearity was assessed using likelihood ratio tests (LRTs) in marginal linear spline models.

RESULTS: For every 100-gram increase of maternal BW, offspring BW increased by 22.29 (95% CI: 17.57, 27.02) or 23.41 (95% CI: 6.87, 39.96) grams among mothers with normal BW or born …

The Acttion-Aps-Aapm Pain Taxonomy (Aaapt) Multidimensional Approach To Classifying Acute Pain Conditions., Michael L Kent, Patrick J Tighe, Inna Belfer, Timothy J Brennan, Stephen Bruehl, Chad M Brummett, Chester C Buckenmaier, Asokumar Buvanendran, Robert I Cohen, Paul Desjardins, David Edwards, Roger Fillingim, Jennifer Gewandter, Debra B Gordon, Robert W Hurley, Henrik Kehlet, John D Loeser, Sean Mackey, Samuel A Mclean, Rosemary Polomano, Siamak Rahman, Srinivasa Raja, Michael Rowbotham, Santhanam Suresh, Bernard Schachtel, Kristin Schreiber, Mark Schumacher, Brett Stacey, Steven P Stanos, Knox Todd, Dennis C Turk, Steven J Weisman, Christopher Wu, Daniel B Carr, Robert H Dworkin, Gregory Terman

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Objective: With the increasing societal awareness of the prevalence and impact of acute pain, there is a need to develop an acute pain classification system that both reflects contemporary mechanistic insights and helps guide future research and treatment. Existing classifications of acute pain conditions are limiting, with a predominant focus on the sensory experience (e.g., pain intensity) and pharmacologic consumption. Consequently, there is a need to more broadly characterize and classify the multidimensional experience of acute pain.

Setting: Consensus report following expert panel involving the Analgesic, Anesthetic, and Addiction Clinical Trial Translations, Innovations, Opportunities, and Networks (ACTTION), American Pain Society …

Defining Outcome Measures For Psoriatic Arthritis: A Report From The Grappa-Omeract Working Group., Alexis Ogdie, Maarten De Wit, Kristina Callis Duffin, Willemina Campbell, Jeffrey Chau, Laura C Coates, Lihi Eder, Musaab Elmamoun, Oliver Fitzgerald, Dafna D Gladman, Niti Goel, Jana James, Umut Kalyoncu, John Latella, Chris Lindsay, Philip Mease, Denis O'Sullivan, Ingrid Steinkoenig, Vibeke Strand, William Tillett, Ana-Maria Orbai

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

The Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (GRAPPA)-Outcome Measures in Rheumatology (OMERACT) Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA) Core Set working group recently published the updated 2016 psoriatic arthritis (PsA) core domain set, a set of disease features that should be measured in all clinical trials. At the GRAPPA annual meeting in July 2016, the PsA working group presented the updated PsA core domain set endorsed by 90% of participants at OMERACT in May 2016 and drafted a roadmap for the development of the PsA core outcome measurement set. In this manuscript, we review the development process of the …

Restriction Spectrum Imaging Improves Risk Stratification In Patients With Glioblastoma., A P Krishnan, R Karunamuni, K M Leyden, T M Seibert, R L Delfanti, J M Kuperman, H Bartsch, P Elbe, A Srikant, A M Dale, Santosh Kesari, D E Piccioni, J A Hattangadi-Gluth, N Farid, C R Mcdonald, N S White

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: ADC as a marker of tumor cellularity has been promising for evaluating the response to therapy in patients with glioblastoma but does not successfully stratify patients according to outcomes, especially in the upfront setting. Here we investigate whether restriction spectrum imaging, an advanced diffusion imaging model, performed after an operation but before radiation therapy, could improve risk stratification in patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma relative to ADC.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Pre-radiation therapy diffusion-weighted and structural imaging of 40 patients with glioblastoma were examined retrospectively. Restriction spectrum imaging and ADC-based hypercellularity volume fraction (restriction spectrum imaging-FLAIR volume fraction, …

A Phase Ib/Ii Study Of Cabozantinib (Xl184) With Or Without Erlotinib In Patients With Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer., Heather A Wakelee, Scott Gettinger, Jeffrey Engelman, Pasi A Jänne, Howard J. West, Deepa S Subramaniam, Joseph Leach, Michael Wax, Yifah Yaron, Dale R Miles, Primo N Lara

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

PURPOSE: Cabozantinib is a multi-kinase inhibitor that targets MET, AXL, and VEGFR2, and may synergize with EGFR inhibition in NSCLC. Cabozantinib was assessed alone or in combination with erlotinib in patients with progressive NSCLC and EGFR mutations who had previously received erlotinib.

METHODS: This was a phase Ib/II study (NCT00596648). The primary objectives of phase I were to assess the safety, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics and to determine maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of cabozantinib plus erlotinib in patients who failed prior erlotinib treatment. In phase II, patients with prior response or stable disease with erlotinib who progressed were randomized to single-agent …

Induction And Characterization Of Anti-Tumor Endothelium Immunity Elicited By Vallovax Therapeutic Cancer Vaccine., Samuel C Wagner, Thomas E Ichim, Vladimir Bogin, Wei-Ping Min, Francisco Silva, Amit N Patel, Santosh Kesari

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

ValloVax is a placental endothelium derived vaccine which induces tissue-nonspecific antitumor immunity by blocking tumor angiogesis. To elucidate mechanisms of action, we showed that production of ValloVax, which involves treating placental endothelial cells with IFN-gamma, results in upregulation of HLA and costimulatory molecules. It was shown that in mixed lymphocyte reaction, ValloVax induces Type I cytokines and allo-proliferative responses. Plasma from ValloVax immunized mice was capable of killing in vitro tumor-like endothelium but not control endothelium. Using defined antigens associated with tumor endothelial cells, specific molecular entities were identified as being targeted by ValloVax induced antibodies. Binding of predominantly IgG …

Longitudinal Peripheral Blood Transcriptional Analysis Of A Patient With Severe Ebola Virus Disease., John C Kash, Kathie-Anne Walters, Jason Kindrachuk, David Baxter, Kelsey Scherler, Krisztina B Janosko, Rick D Adams, Andrew S Herbert, Rebekah M James, Spencer W Stonier, Matthew J Memoli, John M Dye, Richard T Davey, Daniel S Chertow, Jeffery K Taubenberger

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

The 2013-2015 outbreak of Ebola virus disease in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone was unprecedented in the number of documented cases, but there have been few published reports on immune responses in clinical cases and their relationships with the course of illness and severity of Ebola virus disease. Symptoms of Ebola virus disease can include severe headache, myalgia, asthenia, fever, fatigue, diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and hemorrhage. Although experimental treatments are in development, there are no current U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved vaccines or therapies. We report a detailed study of host gene expression as measured by microarray in daily …

Multiple Large Perineural (Tarlov) Cysts In The Sacrum Of A Cadaver: A Case Report And Review., Jocelyn Gonzales, Joe Iwanaga, Nitsa Topale, Rod J Oskouian, R Shane Tubbs

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Tarlov or perineural cysts are cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)-filled sacs found between the perineurium and epineurium of the nerve roots. It is still unsure whether the origin of these cysts is intradural or extradural. They can either be asymptomatic or create a variety of negative impacts on comfort and quality of life. In this case report, we describe the presentation of multiple Tarlov cysts including one large cyst discovered during a routine cadaveric spinal dissection and the relevant and related literature. To our knowledge, this is the only cadaveric case report of Tarlov cysts and offers an interesting window into their …

Update On The Notochord Including Its Embryology, Molecular Development, And Pathology: A Primer For The Clinician., Tushar Ramesh, Sai V Nagula, Gabrielle G Tardieu, Erfanul Saker, Mohammadali Shoja, Marios Loukas, Rod J Oskouian, R Shane Tubbs

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

The notochord is a rod-like embryological structure, which plays a vital role in the development of the vertebrate. Though embryological, remnants of this structure have been observed in the nucleus pulposus of the intervertebral discs of normal adults. Pathologically, these remnants can give rise to slow-growing and recurrent notochord-derived tumors called chordomas. Using standard search engines, the literature was reviewed regarding the anatomy, embryology, molecular development, and pathology of the human notochord. Clinicians who interpret imaging or treat patients with pathologies linked to the notochord should have a good working knowledge of its development and pathology.

The Northwest Participant And Clinical Interactions Network: Increasing Opportunities For Patients To Participate In Research Across The Northwestern United States., Laura-Mae Baldwin, Laurie Hassell, Cindi Laukes, Michelle Doyle, Anne Reedy, Brenda Mollis, Sandra Albritton, Elizabeth Ciemins, Robert Coker, Jeannine Brant, Katherine Tuttle, Laura Baker, Bonnie Ramsey

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

INTRODUCTION: The Institute of Translational Health Sciences (ITHS) promotes and supports translational research collaboration between clinicians, communities, and investigators across the five-state Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho (WWAMI) region. The ITHS has developed a collaborative regional clinical research network, the Northwest Participant & Clinical Interactions Network (NW PCI), involving 12 diverse clinical health systems and academic institutions.

METHODS: This descriptive article details NW PCI's development, infrastructure and governance, tools, characteristics, and initial outcomes.

RESULTS: Regional NW PCI sites are conducting largely industry-sponsored studies; they are interested in including more grant-funded research. Regional NW PCI sites had over 1,240 open …

Long-Term Outcomes After Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation For Multiple Sclerosis., Paolo A Muraro, Marcelo Pasquini, Harold L Atkins, James D Bowen, Dominique Farge, Athanasios Fassas, Mark S Freedman, George E Georges, Francesca Gualandi, Nelson Hamerschlak, Eva Havrdova, Vassilios K Kimiskidis, Tomas Kozak, Giovanni L Mancardi, Luca Massacesi, Daniela A Moraes, Richard A Nash, Steven Pavletic, Jian Ouyang, Montserrat Rovira, Albert Saiz, Belinda Simoes, Marek Trnený, Lin Zhu, Manuela Badoglio, Xiaobo Zhong, Maria Pia Sormani, Riccardo Saccardi

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Importance: Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT) may be effective in aggressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) that fail to respond to standard therapies.

Objective: To evaluate the long-term outcomes in patients who underwent AHSCT for the treatment of MS in a large multicenter cohort.

Design, Setting, and Participants: Data were obtained in a multicenter, observational, retrospective cohort study. Eligibility criteria were receipt of AHSCT for the treatment of MS between January 1995 and December 2006 and the availability of a prespecified minimum data set comprising the disease subtype at baseline; the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score at baseline; …

Curcumin And Turmeric Modulate The Tumor-Promoting Effects Of Iron In Vitro., Donald J Messner, Todd Robinson, Kris V Kowdley

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Free or loosely chelated iron has tumor-promoting properties in vitro. Curcumin, a polyphenol derived from the food spice turmeric (Curcuma longa), is a potent antioxidant that binds iron. The primary aim of this study was to investigate whether curcuminoids prevent tumor-promoting effects of iron in T51B cells, a non-neoplastic rat liver epithelial cell line. Purified curcuminoids (curcumin) or a standardized turmeric extract similarly reduced oxidative stress and cytotoxicity associated with iron overload (IC

Evaluation Of Evidence Of Adrenal Insufficiency In Trials Of Normocortisolemic Patients Treated With Mifepristone., Kevin C J Yuen, Andreas Moraitis, Dat Nguyen

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Context: Adrenal insufficiency (AI) is an important medical concern for clinicians when normocortisolemia is achieved during treatment of endogenous Cushing syndrome (CS).

Objective: To examine symptoms of potential AI in a large population of normocortisolemic patients without CS treated with mifepristone, a glucocorticoid receptor antagonist indicated for the treatment of patients with CS.

Methods: We conducted a pooled safety analysis of five phase 3, placebo-controlled clinical trials of normocortisolemic adults without CS but diagnosed with psychotic depression (n = 1460). Patients were treated with once-daily mifepristone 300 mg (n = 110), 600 mg (n = 471), or 1200 mg (n …

Research Conference Summary From The 2014 International Task Force On, Hendrik Rosewich, Matthew T Sweney, Suzanne Debrosse, Kevin Ess, Laurie Ozelius, Eva Andermann, Frederick Andermann, Gene Andrasco, Alice Belgrade, Allison Brashear, Sharon Ciccodicola, Lynn Egan, Alfred L George, Aga Lewelt, Joshua Magelby, Mario Merida, Tara Newcomb, Vicky Platt, Dominic Poncelin, Sandra Reyna, Masayuki Sasaki, Márcio A Sotero De Menezes, Kathleen Sweadner, Louis Viollet, Mary Zupanc, Kenneth Silver, Kathryn Swoboda

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

OBJECTIVE:

METHODS: In 2014, the Alternating Hemiplegia of Childhood Foundation hosted a multidisciplinary workshop intended to address fundamental challenges surrounding the diagnosis and management of individuals with

RESULTS: Workshop attendees were charged with the following: (1) to achieve consensus on expanded diagnostic criteria to facilitate the identification of additional patients, intended to supplement existing syndrome-specific diagnostic paradigms; (2) to standardize definitions for the broad range of paroxysmal manifestations associated with AHC to disseminate to families; (3) to create clinical recommendations for common recurrent issues facing families and medical care providers; (4) to review data related to the death of individuals …

Perioperative Vision Loss In Cervical Spinal Surgery., Brandon C Gabel, Arthur Lam, Jens R Chapman, Rod J Oskouian, Ahmad Nassr, Bradford L Currier, Arjun S Sebastian, Paul M Arnold, Steven Hamilton, Michael G Fehlings, Thomas E Mroz, K Daniel Riew

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective multicenter case series.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the rate of perioperative vision loss following cervical spinal surgery.

METHODS: Medical records for 17 625 patients from 21 high-volume surgical centers from the AOSpine North America Clinical Research Network who received cervical spine surgery (levels from C2 to C7) between January 1, 2005, and December 31, 2011, inclusive, were reviewed to identify occurrences of vision loss following surgery.

RESULTS: Of the 17 625 patients in the registry, there were 13 946 patients assessed for the complication of blindness. There were 9591 cases that involved only anterior surgical approaches; the remaining …

Colonoscopy: Advanced And Emerging Techniques-A Review Of Colonoscopic Approaches To Colorectal Conditions., Anjali S Kumar, Jennifer Kim Lee

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

A complete colonoscopy is key in the diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to a variety of colorectal diseases. Major challenges are incomplete polyp removal and missed polyps, particularly in the setting of a difficult colonoscopy. There are a variety of both well-established and newer techniques that have been developed to optimize polyp detection, perform complete polypectomy, and endoscopically treat various complications and conditions such as strictures and perforations. The objective of this article is to familiarize the colorectal surgeon with techniques utilized by advanced endoscopists.

Immunotherapy Of Head And Neck Cancer: Emerging Clinical Trials From A National Cancer Institute Head And Neck Cancer Steering Committee Planning Meeting., Julie E Bauman, Ezra Cohen, Robert L Ferris, David J Adelstein, David M Brizel, John A Ridge, Brian O'Sullivan, Barbara A Burtness, Lisa H Butterfield, William E Carson, Mary L Disis, Bernard A Fox, Thomas F Gajewski, Maura L Gillison, James W Hodge, Quynh-Thu Le, David Raben, Scott E Strome, Jean Lynn, Shakun Malik

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Recent advances have permitted successful therapeutic targeting of the immune system in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). These new immunotherapeutic targets and agents are being rapidly adopted by the oncologic community and hold considerable promise. The National Cancer Institute sponsored a Clinical Trials Planning Meeting to address the issue of how to further investigate the use of immunotherapy in patients with HNSCC. The goals of the meeting were to consider phase 2 or 3 trial designs primarily in 3 different patient populations: those with previously untreated, human papillomavirus-initiated oropharyngeal cancers; those with previously untreated, human papillomavirus-negative HNSCC; and …

Medical Journals And Social Media: More Alike Than Wanted?, Karsten Wiechert, Jeffrey C Wang, Jens R Chapman

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

No abstract provided.

Natural History Of Gutter-Related Type Ia Endoleaks After Snorkel/Chimney Endovascular Aneurysm Repair., Brant W Ullery, Kenneth Tran, Nathan K Itoga, Ronald L Dalman, Jason T Lee

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

OBJECTIVE: Alternative endovascular strategies using parallel or snorkel/chimney (chimney endovascular aneurysm repair [ch-EVAR]) techniques have been developed to address the lack of widespread availability and manufacturing limitations with branched/fenestrated aortic devices for the treatment of complex abdominal aortic aneurysms. Despite high technical success and midterm patency of snorkel stent configurations, concerns remain regarding the perceived increased incidence of early gutter-related type Ia endoleaks. We aimed to evaluate the incidence and natural history of gutter-related type Ia endoleaks following ch-EVAR.

METHODS: Review of medical records and available imaging studies, including completion angiography and serial computed tomographic angiography, was performed for all …

A Randomized Controlled Trial Of Ethyl Glucuronide-Based Contingency Management For Outpatients With Co-Occurring Alcohol Use Disorders And Serious Mental Illness., Michael G Mcdonell, Emily Leickly, Sterling Mcpherson, Jordan Skalisky, Debra Srebnik, Frank Angelo, Roger Vilardaga, Jenny R Nepom, John M Roll, Richard K Ries

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

OBJECTIVE: The authors examined whether a contingency management intervention using the ethyl glucuronide (EtG) alcohol biomarker resulted in increased alcohol abstinence in outpatients with co-occurring serious mental illnesses. Secondary objectives were to determine whether contingency management was associated with changes in heavy drinking, treatment attendance, drug use, cigarette smoking, psychiatric symptoms, and HIV-risk behavior.

METHOD: Seventy-nine (37% female, 44% nonwhite) outpatients with serious mental illness and alcohol dependence receiving treatment as usual completed a 4-week observation period and were randomly assigned to 12 weeks of contingency management for EtG-negative urine samples and addiction treatment attendance, or reinforcement only for study …

Susceptibility Loci Of Cnot6 In The General Mrna Degradation Pathway And Lung Cancer Risk-A Re-Analysis Of Eight Gwass., Fei Zhou, Yanru Wang, Hongliang Liu, Neal Ready, Younghun Han, Rayjean J Hung, Yonathan Brhane, John Mclaughlin, Paul Brennan, Heike Bickeböller, Albert Rosenberger, Richard S Houlston, Neil Caporaso, Maria Teresa Landi, Irene Brüske, Angela Risch, Yuanqing Ye, Xifeng Wu, David C Christiani, Gary Goodman, Chu Chen, Christopher I Amos, Qingyi Wei

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

PURPOSE: mRNA degradation is an important regulatory step for controlling gene expression and cell functions. Genetic abnormalities involved in mRNA degradation genes were found to be associated with cancer risks. Therefore, we systematically investigated the roles of genetic variants in the general mRNA degradation pathway in lung cancer risk.

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Meta-analyses were conducted using summary data from six lung cancer genome-wide association studies (GWASs) from the Transdisciplinary Research in Cancer of the Lung and additional two GWASs from Harvard University and deCODE in the International Lung Cancer Consortium. Expression quantitative trait loci analysis (eQTL) was used for in silico …

Thin Melanoma With Nodal Involvement: Analysis Of Demographic, Pathologic, And Treatment Factors With Regard To Prognosis., Giorgos Karakousis, Phyllis A Gimotty, Edmund K Bartlett, Myung-Shin Sim, Madalyn G Neuwirth, Douglas Fraker, Brian J Czerniecki, Mark B Faries

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

BACKGROUND: Although only a small proportion of thin melanomas result in lymph node metastasis, the abundance of these lesions results in a relatively large absolute number of patients with a diagnosis of nodal metastases, determined by either sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy or clinical nodal recurrence (CNR).

METHODS: Independent cohorts with thin melanoma and either SLN metastasis or CNR were identified at two melanoma referral centers. At both centers, SLN metastasis patients were included. At center 1, the CNR cohort included patients with initial negative clinical nodal evaluation followed by CNR. At center 2, the CNR cohort was restricted to …

Hydatid Cyst Of The Interventricular Septum., Endale Tefera, Joseph Knapp, Michael Teodori

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

While cardiac involvement is not a common presentation in human echinococcosis, it may lead to life-threatening complications including cyst rupture; anaphylactic shock; tamponade; pulmonary, cerebral or peripheral arterial embolism; acute coronary syndrome; dysrhythmias; infection; ventricular or valvular dysfunction, as well as sudden death. Here we report a 9-year old girl who was diagnosed to have hydatid cyst of the interventricular septum four years after diagnosis and medical treatment of pulmonary hydatidosis. Presentation, management and follow-up of the patient is discussed.

Immunotherapy Biomarkers 2016: Overcoming The Barriers., James L Gulley, Jay A Berzofsky, Marcus O Butler, Alessandra Cesano, Bernard A Fox, Sacha Gnjatic, Sylvia Janetzki, Shyam Kalavar, Vaios Karanikas, Samir N Khleif, Ilan Kirsch, Peter P Lee, Cristina Maccalli, Holden Maecker, Jeffrey Schlom, Barbara Seliger, Janet Siebert, David F Stroncek, Magdalena Thurin, Jianda Yuan, Lisa H Butterfield

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

This report summarizes the symposium, 'Immunotherapy Biomarkers 2016: Overcoming the Barriers', which was held on April 1, 2016 at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. The symposium, cosponsored by the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI), focused on emerging immunotherapy biomarkers, new technologies, current hurdles to further progress, and recommendations for advancing the field of biomarker development.

Relationship Of The Median And Radial Nerves At The Elbow: Application To Avoiding Injury During Venipuncture Or Other Invasive Procedures Of The Cubital Fossa., Vlad Voin, Joe Iwanaga, Juan P Sardi, Christian Fisahn, Marios Loukas, Rod J Oskouian, R Shane Tubbs

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

INTRODUCTION: The median and radial nerves are two important neural structures found in the cubital fossa. The trajectory and landmarks used to identify their location are important when procedures are done in this area.

METHODS AND MATERIALS: Ten fresh-frozen cadavers were dissected (20 upper limbs) and measurements were taken from the medial epicondyle to the median and radial nerves as well as to the lateral epicondyle of each limb.

RESULTS: The distance between the medial epicondyle and the median nerve was found to be three centimeters with a range of 2.1 to four centimeters and the distance from the medial …

Phase I First-In-Human Study Of Venetoclax In Patients With Relapsed Or Refractory Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma., Matthew S Davids, Andrew W Roberts, John F Seymour, John M Pagel, Brad S Kahl, William G Wierda, Soham Puvvada, Thomas J Kipps, Mary Ann Anderson, Ahmed Hamed Salem, Martin Dunbar, Ming Zhu, Franklin Peale, Jeremy A Ross, Lori Gressick, Monali Desai, Su Young Kim, Maria Verdugo, Rod A Humerickhouse, Gary B Gordon, John F Gerecitano

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Purpose B-cell leukemia/lymphoma-2 (BCL-2) overexpression is common in many non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) subtypes. A phase I trial in patients with NHL was conducted to determine safety, pharmacokinetics, and efficacy of venetoclax, a selective, potent, orally bioavailable BCL-2 inhibitor. Patients and Methods A total of 106 patients with relapsed or refractory NHL received venetoclax once daily until progressive disease or unacceptable toxicity at target doses from 200 to 1,200 mg in dose-escalation and safety expansion cohorts. Treatment commenced with a 3-week dose ramp-up period for most patients in dose-escalation cohorts and for all patients in safety expansion. Results NHL subtypes included …

Atr Mutations Promote The Growth Of Melanoma Tumors By Modulating The Immune Microenvironment., Chi-Fen Chen, Rolando Ruiz-Vega, Priya Vasudeva, Francisco Espitia, Tatiana B Krasieva, Sebastien De Feraudy, Bruce J Tromberg, Sharon Huang, Chad P Garner, Jie Wu, Dave S B Hoon, Anand K Ganesan

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Melanomas accumulate a high burden of mutations that could potentially generate neoantigens, yet somehow suppress the immune response to facilitate continued growth. In this study, we identify a subset of human melanomas that have loss-of-function mutations in ATR, a kinase that recognizes and repairs UV-induced DNA damage and is required for cellular proliferation. ATR mutant tumors exhibit both the accumulation of multiple mutations and the altered expression of inflammatory genes, resulting in decreased T cell recruitment and increased recruitment of macrophages known to spur tumor invasion. Taken together, these studies identify a mechanism by which melanoma cells modulate the immune …