Barriers to Offering Organ Preservation for Rectal Cancer in a Predominantly Hispanic Safety Net Hospital.

Background: Total neoadjuvant therapy (TNT) for locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) has shown promise in achieving pathologic complete response (pCR) and enabling organ preservation through watch-and-wait (WW) strategies. However, implementation of WW protocols in diverse patient populations and safety-net hospitals faces unique challenges. The objective of this study is to evaluate TNT outcomes and identify barriers to WW implementation in a predominantly Hispanic safety-net hospital in South Texas.

Current Quality of Videos on Colorectal Cancer Screening for General Public.

Background: One-third of American adults encompassed by current colorectal cancer screening guidelines fail to obtain recommended screening evaluations. Educational videos are a valuable medium through which to educate and encourage recommended health behaviors in patients.

Methods: A cross-sectional study reviewing the quality of patient education videos addressing colorectal cancer screening.

Validation of a suspicion index to identify patients at risk for hereditary angioedema.

Background: Hereditary angioedema (HAE) is a genetic condition characterized by dysregulation of the contact (kallikrein-bradykinin) pathway, leading to recurrent episodes of angioedema.

Objective: This project sought to determine whether a suspicion index screening tool using electronic health record (EHR) data can identify patients with an increased likelihood of a diagnosis of HAE.

Methods: A suspicion index screening tool for HAE was created and validated by using known patients with HAE from the medical literature as well as positive and negative controls from HAE-focused centers.

Myofibroblast-specific inhibition of the Rho kinase-MRTF-SRF pathway using nanotechnology for the prevention of pulmonary fibrosis.

Pulmonary fibrosis is characterized by the accumulation of myofibroblasts in the lung and progressive tissue scarring. Fibroblasts exist across a spectrum of states, from quiescence in health to activated myofibroblasts in the setting of injury. Highly activated myofibroblasts have a critical role in the establishment of fibrosis as the predominant source of type 1 collagen and profibrotic mediators.