Publications by authors named "Ashktorab H"

Importance: A substantial number of individuals worldwide experience long COVID, or post-COVID condition. Other postviral and autoimmune conditions have a female predominance, but whether the same is true for long COVID, especially within different subgroups, is uncertain.

Objective: To evaluate sex differences in the risk of developing long COVID among adults with SARS-CoV-2 infection.

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Background: Gastric cancer remains a significant global health challenge, characterized by poor prognosis and high mortality rates. Mitotic integrity and genomic stability are crucial in maintaining cellular homeostasis and preventing tumorigenesis. The transcription factor NKX6.

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Background: Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) may occur after infection. How often people develop ME/CFS after SARS-CoV-2 infection is unknown.

Objective: To determine the incidence and prevalence of post-COVID-19 ME/CFS among adults enrolled in the Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER-Adult) study.

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Importance: Classification of persons with long COVID (LC) or post-COVID-19 condition must encompass the complexity and heterogeneity of the condition. Iterative refinement of the classification index for research is needed to incorporate newly available data as the field rapidly evolves.

Objective: To update the 2023 research index for adults with LC using additional participant data from the Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER-Adult) study and an expanded symptom list based on input from patient communities.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study examines the rising rates of early onset colorectal cancer (EOCRC) among African American patients, highlighting significant differences between EOCRC (<45 years) and late-onset colorectal cancer (LOCRC) (>45 years) in terms of demographics and clinical presentation.
  • It found that EOCRC cases increased from just over 6% to over 13% of total CRC cases since 2010, with a higher family history of CRC and different symptom profiles, such as more abdominal pain and changes in bowel habits.
  • The study also noted that EOCRC patients had a higher rate of metastasis at diagnosis and took longer to undergo surgery compared to LOCRC patients.
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Article Synopsis
  • The study aims to identify clinical laboratory markers associated with postacute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC) due to a lack of validated biomarkers.
  • Conducted with 10,094 participants across 83 sites, the research compared laboratory measures between those with and without prior SARS-CoV-2 infection and analyzed the impact of PASC indices on these measures.
  • Results showed participants with prior infection had lower platelet counts and higher levels of hemoglobin A and urinary albumin-creatinine ratio, but these differences were minor and not significant among those with PASC.
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Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic inflammatory illness of the gastrointestinal tract (GI), characterized by recurrent episodes of inflammation and tissue destruction. It affects an increasing number of individuals worldwide who suffer from Crohn's disease (CD) or ulcerative colitis (UC). Despite substantial advances in understanding the underlying causes of IBD, the available treatments remain restricted and are sometimes accompanied by severe consequences.

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Gastric cancer (GC) is characterized by significant intratumoral heterogeneity, and stem cells are promising therapeutic targets. Despite advancements in spatial transcriptome analyses, unexplored targets for addressing cancer stemness remain unknown. This study aimed to identify Nuclear Factor IX (NFIX) as a critical regulator of cancer stemness in GC and evaluate its clinicopathological significance and function.

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Therapy-associated polyposis (TAP), an acquired gastrointestinal polyposis in childhood cancer survivors, poses diagnostic challenges resembling hereditary syndromes. Four TAP patients were studied, revealing upper gastrointestinal lesions after radiotherapy in 2 patients, managed by endoscopic resection. Two underwent total colectomy; 1 had adenocarcinoma from a polyp.

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Background: The relationship between diet and the management of chronic illnesses is well established. However, it is unknown the extent to which people with chronic illnesses pay attention to nutritional information and act upon the information obtained. We evaluated the menu ordering practices of adults with chronic illnesses.

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Background And Aim: Identifying clinical characteristics and outcomes of different ethnicities in the US may inform treatment for hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Aim of this study is to identify predictors of mortality among US races/ethnicities.

Design Setting And Participants: We retrospectively analyzed de-identified data from 9,873 COVID-19 patients who were hospitalized at 15 US hospital centers in 11 states (March 2020-November 2020).

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Article Synopsis
  • This study investigates the health outcomes of COVID-19 patients with a history of cancer compared to those without cancer in the US.
  • Among 1,943 COVID-19 patients analyzed, 18.7% had a history of cancer, with a significant portion being African American.
  • Findings show that cancer patients experienced longer hospital stays and higher mortality rates, with risk factors for death including male sex, older age, and specific health markers.
  • Early identification of these risk factors can aid in improving treatment strategies for better patient outcomes.
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Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) manifest differently depending on patients' background and pre-existing conditions. It remains unclear how African Americans with cancer have been affected in comparison to those without. In this study, we aim to identify demographic, clinical, and laboratory markers associated with mortality in COVID-19 patients with cancer.

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Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most prevalent cancer in the world and the fourth leading cause of cancer-related mortality. DNA (cfDNA/ctDNA) and RNA (cfRNA/ctRNA) in the blood are promising noninvasive biomarkers for molecular profiling, screening, diagnosis, treatment management, and prognosis of CRC. Technological advancements that enable precise detection of both genetic and epigenetic abnormalities, even in minute quantities in circulation, can overcome some of these challenges.

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The maintenance of DNA sequence integrity is critical to avoid accumulation of cancer-causing mutations. Inactivation of DNA Mismatch Repair (MMR) genes (e.g.

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The role of N-methyladenosine (mA) modification of host mRNA during bacterial infection is unclear. Here, we show that Helicobacter pylori infection upregulates host mA methylases and increases mA levels in gastric epithelial cells. Reducing mA methylase activity via hemizygotic deletion of methylase-encoding gene Mettl3 in mice, or via small interfering RNAs targeting mA methylases, enhances H.

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Prostate cancer is the most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer deaths among men in the USA. Several studies have demonstrated the antitumor properties of saffron in different types of cancers, including prostate cancer. The oral administration of saffron extract has been reported to have antitumor effects on aggressive prostate-cancer-cell-line-derived xenografts in nude male mice.

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Article Synopsis
  • EBV has a lifelong latency but can switch to a lytic cycle under specific stimuli, leading to the production of new viruses.
  • Treatments with ceramide compounds influence this lytic switch, with C-ceramide increasing the expression of the viral BZLF1 gene and enhancing viral production.
  • The findings suggest the possibility of using drugs that target sphingolipid metabolism as a therapeutic approach for EBV-positive gastric cancer.
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Background: Long-COVID is a condition post SARS-CoV-2 infection with persistent or recurring symptoms affecting multiple organs, and may involve viral persistence, changes to the microbiome, coagulopathies, and alterations to neuro-immune interactions. These factors can disrupt the Gut-Brain Axis, which is a complex system involving bidirectional communication between the central nervous system and the gastrointestinal (GI) system. As a result of these disruptions, individuals with long-COVID may develop post-infectious functional GI disorders, which can cause a range of symptoms affecting the digestive system.

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Background: The prevalence of Barrett's esophagus (BE) in African Americans (AA) is uncertain. However, several potential risk factors, includes family history, male sex, ethnicity, chronic heartburn and acid reflux, age over 60, current or past smoking, and obesity are associated with BE. The aim of this study is to determine the incidence of BE in AA patients who underwent Esophageal Gastro Endoscopy (EGD).

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: Since its first report in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, COVID-19 has become a pandemic, affecting millions of people worldwide. Although the virus primarily affects the respiratory tract, gastrointestinal symptoms are also common. The aim of this narrative review is to provide an overview of the pathophysiology and clinical manifestations of gastrointestinal COVID-19.

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Intestinal metaplasia (IM) is a pre-malignant condition of the gastric mucosa associated with increased gastric cancer (GC) risk. Analyzing 1,256 gastric samples (1,152 IMs) across 692 subjects from a prospective 10-year study, we identify 26 IM driver genes in diverse pathways including chromatin regulation (ARID1A) and intestinal homeostasis (SOX9). Single-cell and spatial profiles highlight changes in tissue ecology and IM lineage heterogeneity, including an intestinal stem-cell dominant cellular compartment linked to early malignancy.

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