Publications by authors named "Alexandra P Wolanskyj"

Institutional database search (1999-2020) for acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) identified 109 cases of myeloid sarcoma (MS), of which 19 were isolated and presented de novo. The latter displayed longer survival (median 78 months), compared to MS with synchronous intramedullary AML (n = 32; median 16 months) and de novo AML without MS (n = 729; median 22 months; P = 0·13). However, the difference in survival was no longer apparent after accounting for bone marrow cytogenetic risk status (P = 0·67).

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Objective: To document the Mayo Clinic decades-long experience with myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) and provide mature risk-stratified survival data and disease complication estimates.

Patients And Methods: All Mayo Clinic patients with World Health Organization-defined MPNs constituted the core study group and included those with polycythemia vera (PV), essential thrombocythemia (ET), and primary myelofibrosis (PMF).

Results: A total of 3023 consecutive patients (median age, 62 years; range, 18-96 years) were considered: 665 PV, 1076 ET, and 1282 PMF.

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First-line cytoreductive drug of choice in high risk essential thrombocythemia (ET) is currently hydroxyurea, a practice based on the results of a randomized study; second-line drugs of choice include pegylated interferon-α, busulfan and anagrelide. Anagrelide clinical trials were pioneered by the late Murray N. Silverstein (1928-1998) of the Mayo Clinic whose studies led to FDA approval in March 1997.

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Objective: To develop a new risk model for primary myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) that integrates information on mutations, karyotype, and clinical variables.

Patients And Methods: Patients with World Health Organization-defined primary MDS seen at Mayo Clinic (MC) from December 28, 1994, through December 19, 2017, constituted the core study group. The National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH) provided the validation cohort.

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Background: Although psychological distress is common among medical students, little remains known about effective interventions. One promising individual-focused approach is mindfulness-based stress management interventions; however, studies to date have relied on volunteers.

Objective: To determine whether a required longitudinal stress management and resilience course improves well-being among first-year medical students.

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Background: The changing healthcare landscape requires physicians to develop new knowledge and skills such as high-value care, systems improvement, population health, and team-based care, which together may be referred to as the Science of Health Care Delivery (SHCD). To engender public trust and confidence, educators must be able to meaningfully assess physicians' abilities in SHCD. We aimed to develop a novel set of SHCD milestones based on published Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) milestones that can be used by medical schools to assess medical students' competence in SHCD.

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Millennials are quickly becoming the most prevalent generation of medical learners. These individuals have a unique outlook on education and have different preferences and expectations than their predecessors. As evidenced by its implementation by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education in the United States and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons in Canada, competency based medical education is rapidly gaining international acceptance.

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Thrombotic microangiopathies (TMAs) comprise a heterogeneous set of conditions linked by a common histopathologic finding of endothelial damage resulting in microvascular thromboses and potentially serious complications. The typical clinical presentation is microangiopathic hemolytic anemia accompanied by thrombocytopenia with varying degrees of organ ischemia. The differential diagnoses are generally broad, while the workup is frequently complex and can be confusing.

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Primary myelofibrosis (PMF)-associated pruritus is often severe and requires treatment. Fifty-one patients with bone marrow-proven PMF with associated pruritus were identified from a primary cohort of patients with PMF (n = 566) seen at our institution. We conducted a retrospective review of the clinical characteristics, severity of pruritus, type of treatment, and response of these patients.

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Background: Vascular events in essential thrombocythemia (ET) are associated with advanced age and thrombosis history. Recent information suggests additional effect from the presence of specific mutations.

Objectives: To examine the influence of age and thrombosis history on the reported association between mutational status and thrombosis-free survival in ET.

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CALR (calreticulin) trails JAK2 as the second most mutated gene in essential thrombocythemia (ET). Mutant CALR in ET is a result of frameshift mutations, caused by exon 9 deletions or insertions; type-1, 52-bp deletion (p.L367fs*46), and type-2, 5-bp TTGTC insertion (p.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to analyze prognostic factors and outcomes in adults diagnosed with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), a rare and serious immune system disorder.
  • Among 250 suspected cases, 62 adults were confirmed with HLH, revealing a median age of 49 and a high male prevalence, with the majority of cases linked to malignant tumors or infections.
  • Findings indicated a stark difference in survival, with overall survival at a median of 2.1 months; patients with tumor-associated HLH had significantly lower survival rates compared to those with non-tumor causes, highlighting the importance of early detection and management.
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Shapiro syndrome and periodic hypothermia have been reported approximately fifty times in the literature. Shapiro syndrome is defined as the constellation of periodic hypothermia and hyperhidrosis along with agenesis of the corpus callosum by Shapiro et al. in 1969.

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Anemia of chronic disease (ACD) or inflammation may be secondary to infections, autoimmune disorders, chronic renal failure, or malignancies. It is characterized by an immune activation with an increase in inflammatory cytokines and resultant increase in hepcidin levels. In addition, inappropriate erythropoietin levels or hyporesponsiveness to erythropoietin and reduced red blood cell survival contribute to the anemia.

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Instruction in hematopathology at Mayo Medical School has evolved from instructor-guided direct inspection under the light microscope (laboratory method), to photomicrographs of glass slides with classroom projection (projection method). These methods have not been compared directly to date. Forty-one second-year medical students participated in this pilot study, a prospective, randomized, crossover study measuring educational performance during a hematology pathophysiology course.

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Central venous access devices (CVADs) are used for intravenous therapy in patients with hematological malignancies. There are limited data comparing catheter outcomes in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) undergoing induction chemotherapy. A retrospective review comparing the incidence of early and late CVAD-associated complications and their effect on CVAD removal was performed in patients with AML undergoing induction chemotherapy between 2007 and 2011.

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Earlier publications by our group have reported the major contributions of Beauchêne fils, Edme François Chauvot de Beauchêne (1778-1830), a prosector, and surgeon in Paris. These included a variety of firsts: the finding of an intraneural ganglion cyst, the description of the exploded skull (Beauchêne) technique, and the case of air pulmonary embolism. This article describes the exhaustive efforts necessary to locate a portrait of him.

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Recent clinical trials with JAK or mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitors in primary myelofibrosis (PMF) have identified pruritus as one of the most treatment-responsive disease traits. However, little is known about the prevalence of pruritus in PMF or its clinical and laboratory correlates. Among 566 consecutive patients with PMF seen at our institution, the presence or absence of pruritus was documented in 90 (16%) and 146 (26%) patients, respectively.

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