Publications by authors named "B Blaire Ballard"

Resistance to androgen receptor (AR)-targeted therapies for prostate cancer (PCa) is characteristic of an aggressive subtype called castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) and is often associated with tumor relapse. Both relapse and poor prognosis in patients with CRPC are associated with increased abundance of the E3 ubiquitin ligase SKP2. Therefore, we investigated the therapeutic potential of combined inhibition of AR and SKP2 for CRPC.

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Background: We sought to evaluate the use of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and mechanical thrombectomy (MT) for the treatment of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in a community hospital setting.

Methods: Data were analyzed among patients with lower extremity DVT who underwent MT from December 1, 2021 to December 1, 2022.

Results: A total of 1263 patients were evaluated and only 8.

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Article Synopsis
  • Cancer dormancy and recurrence are linked to dormant micrometastasis which may originate from lymphovascular tumor emboli; the study explores if dormancy begins in these emboli.
  • Experimental studies using a patient-derived xenograft of inflammatory breast cancer (Mary-X) reveal that during emboli formation, the cells show reduced proliferation and enter a dormant state due to specific molecular changes, including altered E-cadherin and mTOR signaling.
  • Observational studies on human breast cancers confirm increased E-cadherin and decreased cell growth markers (Ki-67, mTOR) in lymphovascular tumor emboli, aligning with the experimental findings and highlighting a potential mechanism of dorm
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Background: Robust evidence suggests that the aberrant expression of α defensin 5 protein (DEFA5) in colon inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) underlies the distinct pathogenesis of Crohn's colitis, can be exploited as a reliable diagnostic biomarker to differential diagnosis of Crohn's colitis (CC) from Ulcerative colitis (UC) in otherwise indeterminate colitis (IC). We evaluated the specificity of the commercially available anti-DEFA5 antibodies and showed further validation of their appropriateness for a given application is required.

Methods: We established two mouse monoclonal DEFA5 antibody clones 1A8 and 4F5 by immunizing the mice with purified recombinant protein and validated the specificity, selectivity and cross reactivity in recognizing the endogenous and recombinant DEFA5 protein, especially for Immunohistochemistry, Western blot, Immunoprecipitation, or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

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Migratory shorebirds are one of the fastest declining groups of North American avifauna. Yet, relatively little is known about how these species select habitat during migration. We explored the habitat selection of Buff-breasted Sandpipers (Calidris subruficollis) during spring and fall migration through the Texas Coastal Plain, a major stopover region for this species.

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