Pathology Commons^™

A Tale Of Two Primaries: Ectopic Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma In A Lung Resection With A Typical Carcinoma, Laura Luu, Laura Glasscock, Christina Maldonado, Vitaly Borodin

West Florida Division GME Research Day 2026

No abstract provided.

Trustworthy Multimodal Ai For Medical Imaging: Enhancing Diagnosis, Reasoning, And Human-Agent Interaction In Extended Reality, Jai Prakash Veerla

Computer Science and Engineering Dissertations

The transition from traditional microscopy to digital pathology has digitized diagnostic data, yet clinical workflows remain constrained by two-dimensional screens and passive, opaque analysis tools that fail to capture the spatial complexity of biological systems. While Foundation Models now promise to reason across histology and genomics, a critical disconnect persists between the richness of this data and the limited cognitive bandwidth of clinicians, who currently lack the immersive interfaces and trustworthy agents necessary to utilize it effectively. This dissertation presents a unified framework for "Embodied Agentic AI," establishing a pipeline that augments physician capabilities through immersive visualization, robust security, and …

Atypical Del(5q) Mutation In Myelodysplastic Syndrome Presenting With Thrombocytopenia: A Case Report Of Tp53-Mutated High-Risk Biology, Shahzaib Maqbool, Munaf Siyamwala, Amelia Goslin, Shivani R. Scharf, Katsiaryna Laziuk

MidAmerica Division GME Healthcare Symposium 2026

No abstract provided.

Intestinal Tuberculosis Masquerading As Crohn’S Disease: A High-Risk Diagnostic Mimic, Maikel Tawadrous, Tejaswi Vadde, Subuhee Ahmed, Lawrence San Jose, Chelsea Curry, Aradhana Pandey

MidAmerica Division GME Healthcare Symposium 2026

No abstract provided.

Turning Yellow On Rhythm Control: Dofetilide And The Unexpected Cholestatic Storm, Tejaswi Vadde, Mohammad Mahfouz, Prithvi Basu Roy, Subuhee Ahmed, Archana Machavarapu, Chelsea Curry

MidAmerica Division GME Healthcare Symposium 2026

No abstract provided.

An Anti-Adhesive Compound Modulating The Production Of Staphylococcus Aureus Cell Wall-Anchored Proteins, Allison C. Leonard, Ruina Bao, Cindy Menjivar, Megan J. Myers, Telmo O. Paiva, Zhiyong Zheng, Kirsten A. Berry, Kenneth W. Bayles, Ronald S. Flannagan, Yves F. Dufrêne, Jeffrey L. Bose, David E. Heinrichs, Georgina Cox

Journal Articles: Pathology and Microbiology

As one of the leading global causes of death associated with antimicrobial resistance, Staphylococcus aureus frequently colonizes the human nasal cavity and adheres to keratinized skin, establishing reservoirs that drive subsequent infections and emphasize the need for new decolonization strategies. Using a high-throughput, whole-cell screening platform, here we identify geranylgeranoic acid (GGA), a naturally occurring polyunsaturated, branched-chain fatty acid, as having dual activity against methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). At elevated concentrations, GGA exhibits microbicidal effects, whereas at sub‑microbicidal doses, it effectively inhibits MRSA adhesion to keratin, fibronectin, fibrinogen, and immunoglobulins. GGA possesses anti-adhesive activity against a panel of multidrug-resistant S. …

Expanded Scorpionate And Siderophore-Inspired Ligands: From Foundational Designs To Modern Applications, Austin Winfield Medley, Trandon Allen Bender

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Scorpionate ligands have been advanced significantly through systematic modifications of their apical atoms and heterocyclic arms, expanding their structural diversity and chemical reactivity. Recent biologically inspired variants now enable accurate modeling of complex bioinorganic motifs, such as the Fe₄S₄ clusters of nitrogenase, and support enzyme‐like reactivity under mild aqueous conditions. These developments have broadened the impact of scorpionate chemistry across bioinorganic modeling, homogeneous catalysis, and biorthogonal transformations. In particular, expanded tripodal scaffolds provide modular, tunable platforms for mimicking enzyme active sites and probing biological nitrogen fixation pathways. Beyond fundamental insight, these ligands present practical opportunities for sustainable catalysis by enabling …

A Strategy To Identify Biliary Atresia Efficiently: A Perspective From A Texas Center, Sanjiv Harpavat, Tebyan A Rabbani, Ashley M Upton, Sridevi Devaraj, Jose A Hernandez, Benjamin L Shneider

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Infants with biliary atresia are often diagnosed after 60 days of life because the disease is difficult to detect in its early stages. However, infants treated before 30-45 days of life have the best long-term outcomes. To help accelerate the biliary atresia diagnosis, we have developed a streamlined strategy that involves two sequential tests: (1) direct or conjugated bilirubin measurements and (2) a feeding abdominal ultrasound exam. In this review, the strategy is shared to encourage others to provide feedback as well as to consider incorporating portions into their own clinical workflows.

Challenges In The Diagnosis Of Concurrent T-Lymphoblastic Leukemia/Lymphoma And Thymic Neuroendocrine Carcinoma: A Case Report, Kristen Oliveira, Mary Doan, Ying Pei, Marwan Yared, Songlin Zhang

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The co-occurrence of T-lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma and thymic neoplasia is a rare event that can present a diagnostic challenge. In this case report, we describe a 31-year-old man who was found to have thymic neuroendocrine carcinoma and T-lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma 2 years after initial treatment for T-lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma. The thymic neuroendocrine carcinoma was initially detected in a malignant pleural effusion, and a retrospective review of a preceding lung biopsy suggested the involvement of both tumors within one tissue sample. Immunohistochemical analysis was imperative in highlighting these two elements because despite their unique cytomorphological characteristics, a limited amount of each component was seen …

Functional Analysis Of Genes Enriched In Male Reproductive Organs: Validation Via Fertility Assessment Of 14 Knockout Mouse Lines, Kazumasa Takemoto, Katarzyna Kent, Kaori Nozawa, Shingo Tonai, Ahn H Pham, Terumi Fujimoto, Thomas X Garcia, Martin M Matzuk, Masahito Ikawa, Keizo Tokuhiro

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Tissue-restricted gene expression serves as a key indicator of functional importance within specific organs. Despite advances in high-throughput sequencing and genome editing over the past decade, this principle remains the gold standard for identifying candidate genes for functional studies. In reproductive biology, testis-restricted expression is anticipated to indicate genes crucial for gametogenesis, given the conserved features shared between spermatogenesis and oogenesis. Concurrently, rapid evolution of spermatogenesis-related genes is well documented and thought to arise through duplication and subsequent mutation of ubiquitously expressed genes. In this study, we established 14 knockout (KO) mouse lines for male reproductive organ-enriched genes, all of …

Medical Image Feature Extraction And Selection Based On Inception V3 And Gini Index For Cervical Cancer Cells Identification, Rachida Assawab, Mounir Ouzir, Badreddine Benyacoub, Abderrahim Electrochemical Sensor For Tenofovir Allati, Ismail El Moudden

Research and Infrastructure Service Enterprise (RISE) Faculty Publications

Background: Cervical cancer remains the fourth most common cancer in women globally, with 604,000 new cases annually. Early detection through cytological screening is critical, but manual interpretation suffers from high false negative rates and requires expert pathologists often unavailable in resource-limited settings.

Methods: We developed a novel hybrid framework combining InceptionV3-based deep feature extraction with Gini Index feature selection for automated cervical cancer cell classification. Using the Herlev dataset (917 Pap smear images: 242 normal, 675 abnormal), we extracted 2048 deep features and applied systematic feature selection to identify optimal discriminative subsets. Comprehensive clustering analysis (K-means, K-medoid, Fuzzy clustering) validated …

Gut Microbiome Metagenomics In Clinical Practice: Bridging The Gap Between Research And Precision Medicine, Henok Ayalew Tegegne, Tor C Savidge

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Gut microbiome metagenomics is emerging as a cornerstone of precision medicine, offering exceptional opportunities for improved diagnostics, risk stratification, and therapeutic development. Advances in high-throughput sequencing have uncovered robust microbial signatures linked to infectious, inflammatory, metabolic, and neoplastic diseases. Clinical applications now include pathogen detection, antimicrobial resistance profiling, microbiota-based therapies, and enterotype-guided patient stratification. However, translation into routine care is hindered by significant barriers including methodological variability, limited functional annotation, lack of bioinformatics standardization, and underrepresentation of global populations. This review synthesizes current translational strategies, emphasizing the need for hypothesis-driven designs, multi-omic integration, longitudinal and multi-center cohorts, and mechanistic validation. …

Tumor Biology And Access To Care And Metastatic Breast Cancer Outcomes, Matthew R. Dunn, Sarah C. Van Alsten, Marc A. Emerson, Katherine Reeder-Hayes, Terry Hyslop, Melissa A. Troester

Kimmel Cancer Center Faculty Papers

PURPOSE: To understand how access to care influences metastatic breast cancer burden (MBC) while accounting for molecular tumor characteristics, and identify interventions to reduce metastatic disease burden.

METHODS: The Carolina Breast Cancer Study is a population-based cohort with invasive breast cancer (diagnosed 2008-2013). Both de novo metastasis (stage IV at diagnosis) and distant recurrence were evaluated (12 years of follow-up. Tumor data were from medical records, pathology reports, and RNA expression data. Social variables and access to care were from participant surveys. Generalized linear models were used to estimate associations of biological and access characteristics with MBC; Cox models were …

Incidental Cardiac Metastasis In Breast Carcinoma, Yaomin Chen, Haibo Wang, Zhiyan Fu, Ellen Elizabeth Connor

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Background and Clinical Significance: Metastatic breast cancer is a major global health burden, with common metastatic sites including the bones, lungs, liver, and brain. Cardiac metastasis is rare and often clinically silent, leading to underdiagnosis. Recognizing cardiac involvement, even when asymptomatic, is important for understanding the full extent of disease and ensuring optimal patient care. Case Presentation: We report the case of a woman with advanced breast carcinoma who showed no clinical or imaging evidence of cardiac involvement throughout the course of her illness. Following her death from progressive metastatic disease, an autopsy revealed metastatic carcinoma infiltrating the myocardium and …

A Tissue Renewal-Based Mechanism Drives Colon Tumorigenesis, Ryan M. Boman, Gilberto Schleiniger, Christopher Raymond, Juan P. Palazzo, Anne Shehab, Bruce M. Boman

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

Our Goal is to identify how colorectal cancer (CRC) arises in the single-layered cell epithelium (simple columnar epithelium) that lines the luminal surface of the large intestine. Background: We recently reported that the dynamic organization of cells in colonic epithelium is encoded by five biological rules and conjectured that colon tumorigenesis involves an autocatalytic tissue renewal reaction. Introduction Our objective was to define how altered crypt turnover explains tissue disorganization that leads to adenoma morphogenesis and CRC. Hypothesis: Changes in rate of tissue renewal-based cell polymerization leads to epithelial expansion and tissue disorganization during adenoma histogenesis. Methods: Accordingly, we created …

Mbnl Loss Of Function In Smooth Muscle As A Model For Myotonic Dystrophy Associated Gastrointestinal Dysmotility, Janel A M Peterson, Jesus A Frias, Andrew N Miller, Krishnakant G Soni, Yi Zhang, Zheng Xia, John W Day, Geoffrey A Preidis, Thomas A Cooper

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) is the most common adult-onset muscular dystrophy and severely affects multiple organ systems, including the brain, heart, skeletal muscle, and gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Despite 80% of individuals with DM1 experiencing GI dysfunction that affects their daily life, the mechanisms of GI dysmotility in DM1 remain an understudied aspect of the disease. DM1 is caused by a CTG repeat expansion in the DMPK gene that, when expressed as an expanded CUG repeat RNA, sequesters and reduces the activity of the muscleblind-like (MBNL) RNA-binding protein family. We developed a mouse line with conditional, smooth muscle-specific knockout of …

Patient-Derived Ovarian Cancer Models Provide Insight Into Cancer Cell-Intrinsic And Immune Cell-Dependent Effects On Therapeutic Response, Parisa Nikeghbal

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

Ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynecologic malignancy, largely due to late diagnosis and resistance to chemotherapy. This dissertation applies patient-derived organoids (PDOs), xenograft-derived organoids (PDXOs), and humanized xenografts (huPDX) to investigate therapeutic responses and immune interactions. Organoids were shown to retain critical features of the original malignancy. Across platinum-sensitive, -resistant, and -refractory cases, both PDOs and PDXOs exhibited drug sensitivities that aligned with patients’ clinical classifications. Building on this foundation, a drug screen revealed novel strategies. Auranofin restored platinum sensitivity in Notch3-active models, afatinib broadly reduced viability, and adavosertib–gemcitabine and sorafenib–topotecan combinations produced synergy. Extending this work, immune interactions …

Sex-Specific Angiogenic Responses In Endothelial Cells-Role Of The Pluripotency Factor Oct4, Junchul Shin, Junyoung Hong, Iuliia Molokotina, Irene Krukovets, Ellin Kim, Svyatoslav Tkachenko, Eugene Podrez, Tatiana V Byzova, Olga A Cherepanova

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

The study investigates the sex-specific effects of the pluripotency factor OCT4 deficiency in endothelial cells (ECs) on angiogenesis. OCT4 is known for its role in embryonic stem cells, but we recently found that it plays a protective role in ECs during atherosclerosis. Herein, we utilized cultured mouse aortic ECs (MAECs) and several in vivo models, including skin wounding, melanoma tumor implantation, and hindlimb ischemia, to explore the role of OCT4 in angiogenesis in both male and female mice. Our findings revealed significant sexual dimorphism in wild type mice, along with sex differences in responses to OCT4 deficiency across all three …

Correction: Amino Acid Transporter Lat1 (Slc7a5) Promotes Metabolic Rewiring In Tnbc Progression Through The L-Trp/Qprt/Nad+ Pathway, Margot Y. Fedoroff, Lei Zhao, Shaomin Wang, Leili Saeednejad Zanjani, Alok Bhushan, Haifeng Yang, Karen M. Bussard, Stephen C Peiper, Jun He

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

Correction: J Exp Clin Cancer Res 44, 190 (2025) Following publication of the original article [1], the authors found that Dr. Leila Saeednejad Zanjani was not included in the final author list despite her contributions. The details are provided below: Current authors: Margot Y. Fedoroff1†, Lei Zhao1†, Shaomin Wang1, Alok Bhushan2, Haifeng Yang1, Karen M. Bussard3, Stephen C. Peiper1 and Jun He1*. Updated author list: Margot Y. Fedoroff1†, Lei Zhao1†, Shaomin Wang1, Leili Saeednejad Zanjani1, Alok Bhushan2, Haifeng Yang1, Karen M Bussard3, Stephen C Peiper1, Jun He1*. The correction does not compromise the validity of the conclusions and the overall …

Tgfbr2 Coordinates The Endometrial Response To Estrogen, Regulating Endometrial Hyperplasia And Fertility, Sydney E Parks, Suni Tang, Anna Catherine Unser, Ananya L Bhonsley, Eunbi M Chung, Peixin Jiang, Audrey Savolainen, Vanessa J Joseph, Dominique I Cope, Ramya P Masand, Renata Prunskaite-Hyyryläinen, Diana Monsivais

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Proper endometrial function is critical for establishing and maintaining healthy pregnancies, as well as preventing the pathogenesis of conditions such as endometrial hyperplasia and endometrial cancer. The TGFβ signaling pathway regulates key aspects of endometrial biology, although the direct effects of many individual receptors remain unstudied. In this study, we characterize the role of TGFβR2 within the endometrium using a progesterone receptor-cre conditional knock-out mouse model (Tgfbr2flox/flox;Pgrcre/+; “Tgfbr2 cKO”). We found that conditional deletion of TGFβR2 resulted in female infertility, endometrial hyperplasia, altered estrogen and progesterone response, and, only in bred females, reproductive tract …