Publications by authors named "Azadeh Stark"

Purpose: To study the association between clinicopathologic characteristics of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and risk of subsequent invasive breast cancer (IBC).

Methods: We conducted a case-control study nested in a multicenter, population-based cohort of 8175 women aged ≥ 18 years with DCIS diagnosed between 1987 and 2016 and followed for a median duration of 83 months. Cases (n = 497) were women with a first diagnosis of DCIS who developed a subsequent IBC ≥ 6 months later; controls (2/case; n = 959) were matched to cases on age at and calendar year of DCIS diagnosis.

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Background: Mongolian government has set improvement of clinical proficiency of nursing students as one of its priorities. Nursing professionals have the sentinel role in providing healthcare services in rural areas. Outcome-based education (OBE) offers a promising pedagogical approach to actively mentally engage students to strengthen their clinical proficiencies.

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Autoantibodies against mitochondrial-derived antigens play a key role in chronic tissue inflammation in autoimmune disorders and cancers. Here, we identify autoreactive nuclear genomic DNA (nDNA)-encoded mitochondrial gene products () recognized by breast cancer (BC) patients' sera as nonself, supporting a direct relationship of mitochondrial autoimmunity to breast carcinogenesis. Autoreactivity of multiple nDNA-encoded mitochondrial gene products was mapped to protein-coding regions, 3' untranslated regions (UTRs), as well as introns.

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Workplace social capital is the relational network, created by respectful interactions among members of a workforce, can contribute to the formation of a wholesome psychological work environment in an organization. Nurses' workplace social capital is a derivative of the workplace social capital, formed because of the complex interactions among the nursing and between the other healthcare professionals. Transformational leadership is a style of leadership that addresses the emotional wellbeing of its workforce and inspires shared group ethics, norms, and goals.

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Background: The relatively young and inexperienced healthcare professionals in Mongolia faced with an unprecedent service demand in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the small size of the healthcare workforce the Mongolian Health Ministry had no choice but to mandate continuous and long workhours from the healthcare workforce. Many of the healthcare professionals exhibited signs and symptoms of mental health disorders.

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Introduction: Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) of the breast is a non-obligate precursor of invasive breast cancer (IBC). Many DCIS patients are either undertreated or overtreated. The overarching goal of the study described here is to facilitate detection of patients with DCIS at risk of IBC development.

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Background: Research has confirmed the importance of workplace social capital in the nursing workforce. Integration of the empirical evidence about nurses' workplace social capital into a scientific collection can provide a comprehensive presentation of this concept. This scientific collection can be a conduit for further research and advancement of nursing management and leadership.

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Background: Quality Nursing Care (QNC) is fundamental to the profession of nursing practice. Perception of QNC differ across the globe because of differences in social norms, cultural values and political ambiance and economy. This study aimed to develop a QNC instrument congruent with the Mongolian (QNCS-M) healthcare system and cultural values and societal norms.

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Aim: The overarching objective of this report is to provide an updated definition of the concept of organizational climate and to strengthen its operational application.

Background: Organizational climate is one of the major contributing factors to the exodus of the nursing workforce from the profession. Extensive research has addressed the impact of "organizational climate" on the nursing workforce; yet variations in the interpretation of the concept calls for an updated definition.

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Aim: To provide an updated definition of the concept of nurses' workplace social capital that addresses changes in the contemporary nursing workforce.

Background: Social capital explains the components of a constructive work environment. Advancements in psychology of workplace and changes in the demographic structure of nursing workforce call for a revised version of nurses' workplace social capital.

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Background: Autoantibodies function as markers of tumorigenesis and have been proposed to enhance early detection of malignancies. We recently reported, using immunoscreening of a T7 complementary DNA (cDNA) library of breast cancer (BC) proteins with sera from patients with BC, the presence of autoantibodies targeting several mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)-encoded subunits of the electron transport chain (ETC) in complexes I, IV, and V.

Methods: In this study, we have characterized the role of Mitochondrial-Nuclear Retrograde Regulator 1 (MNRR1, also known as CHCHD2), identified on immunoscreening, in breast carcinogenesis.

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Women with African ancestry in western, sub-Saharan Africa and in the United States represent a population subset facing an increased risk of being diagnosed with biologically aggressive phenotypes of breast cancer that are negative for the estrogen receptor, the progesterone receptor, and the / marker. These tumors are commonly referred to as triple-negative breast cancer. Disparities in breast cancer incidence and outcome related to racial or ethnic identity motivated the establishment of the International Breast Registry, on the basis of partnerships between the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi, Ghana, the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, Michigan.

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Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) specimens, when used in conjunction with patient clinical data history, represent an invaluable resource for molecular studies of cancer. Even though nucleic acids extracted from archived FFPE tissues are degraded, their molecular analysis has become possible. In this study, we optimized a laboratory-based next-generation sequencing barcoded cDNA library preparation protocol for analysis of small RNAs recovered from archived FFPE tissues.

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Importance: Compared with white American (WA) women, African American (AA) women have a 2-fold higher incidence of breast cancers that are negative for estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and ERBB2 (triple-negative breast cancer [TNBC]). Triple-negative breast cancer, compared with non-TNBC, likely arises from different pathogenetic pathways, and benign breast disease (BBD) predicts future non-TNBC.

Objective: To determine whether AA identity remains associated with TNBC for women with a prior diagnosis of BBD.

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Introduction: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is more common among African American (AA) and western sub-Saharan African breast cancer (BC) patients compared with White/Caucasian Americans (WA) and Europeans. Little is known about TNBC in east Africa.

Methods: Invasive BC diagnosed 1998-2014 were evaluated: WA and AA patients from the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, Michigan; Ghanaian/west Africans from the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi, Ghana; and Ethiopian/east Africans from the St.

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Background: Cervical cancer screening and follow-up guidelines have changed considerably in recent years, but to the authors' knowledge few published reports exist to estimate the impact of these changes in community-based settings. The authors examined the patterns and results of cervical cancer testing and follow-up over a decade in 4 geographically diverse US health care systems to inform the future evaluation of changes resulting from increased uptake of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination.

Methods: The authors studied women aged 21 to 65 years who were members of one of these health systems at any time between 1998 and 2007.

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Background: The objective of this work was to demonstrate that autoantibodies in breast cancer sera are not epiphenomena, and exhibit unique immunologic features resembling the rheumatic autoimmune diseases.

Methods: We performed a comprehensive study of autoantibodies on a collection of sera from women with breast cancer or benign breast disease, undergoing annual screening mammography. All women in this study had suspicious mammography assessment and underwent a breast biopsy.

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Objective: Describe the prevalence of colonoscopy before age 50, when guidelines recommend initiation of colorectal cancer screening for average risk individuals.

Method: We assembled administrative health records that captured receipt of colonoscopy between 40 and 49-years of age for a cohort of 204,758 50-year-old members of four US health plans and used backward recurrence time models to estimate trends in receipt of colonoscopy before age 50 and variation in early colonoscopy by age and sex. We also used self-reported receipt of colonoscopy from 27,157 40- to 49-year-old respondents to the 2010 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) to estimate the association between early colonoscopy and sex, race/ethnicity, and geographic location based on logistic regression models that accounted for the complex NHIS sampling design.

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Centrosome abnormalities have been observed in nearly all human solid tumors, but their role in tumorigenesis is unclear. We have demonstrated that autoantibodies reacting with antigens in centrosomes are frequently found in BC sera. In this work, we attempted to characterize the centrosome antigens associated with BC.

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Background: To the authors' knowledge, few studies to date have examined adherence to recommended guidelines for follow-up and outcomes after an unsatisfactory Papanicolaou (Pap) test (UPT) with liquid-based technologies.

Methods: Within 4 US health plans, the median time to follow-up and the percentage of patients with follow-up testing by 120 days was calculated after a UPT. Multivariable analyses evaluated the association between clinical factors and follow-up testing.

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Chronic internal inflammation secondary to adiposity is a risk factor for sporadic breast cancer and Post-Menopausal Breast Cancer (PMBC) is largely defined as such. Adiposity is one of the clinical criteria for the diagnosis of Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) and is a risk factor for PMBC. We examined SNPs of eight genes implicated in adiposity, inflammation and cell proliferation in a Prospective-specimen-collection, Retrospective-Blinded-Evaluation (PRoBE) design approach.

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Purpose: Patient-centered communication is critical to quality cancer care. Effective communication can help patients and family members cope with cancer, make informed decisions, and effectively manage their care; suboptimal communication can contribute to care breakdowns and undermine clinician-patient relationships. The study purpose was to explore stakeholders' views on the feasibility and acceptability of collecting self-reported patient and family perceptions of communication experiences while receiving cancer care.

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Background: Papanicolaou (Pap) testing has transitioned from conventional preparations (CPs) to liquid-based preparations (LBPs) because of the perceived superiority of LBPs. Many studies conclude that LBPs reduce unsatisfactory Pap tests; however, some believe that the evidence substantiating this claim is weak. The authors studied the effect of the transition from CPs to LBPs on the proportion of unsatisfactory Pap tests in 4 health care systems in the United States participating in the National Institutes of Health-funded Screening Effectiveness and Research in Community-Based Healthcare (SEARCH) project.

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Few studies have examined how specific emotions may affect decision-making processes. Anxiety may be especially relevant in health decisions such as those related to cancer in which thoughts of illness or death may be abundant. We examined associations between women's anxiety about developing breast cancer and variables related to their decision to take a medication that could reduce their chances of the disease.

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Background: Breast cancers that are negative for the estrogen receptor (ER), the progesterone receptor (PR), and the HER2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2) marker are more prevalent among African women, and the biologically aggressive nature of these triple-negative breast cancers (TNBCs) may be attributed to their mammary stem cell features. Little is known about expression of the mammary stem cell marker aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 (ALDH1) in African women. Novel data are reported regarding ALDH1 expression in benign and cancerous breast tissue of Ghanaian women.

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