Publications by authors named "Franklin Liu"

Article Synopsis
  • This study compares outcomes of radical nephrectomy (RN) versus partial nephrectomy (PN) for treating sarcomatoid renal cell carcinoma (sRCC) using a large national database from 2004 to 2019.
  • The analysis found that patients receiving PN had better overall survival rates, particularly in early-stage tumors (cT1 and cT3), although factors like age and tumor characteristics influenced the likelihood of receiving PN.
  • The results suggest that PN can be a viable option for certain patients without compromising outcomes, but disparities in care exist based on income and insurance status, affecting survival rates.
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Objective: Stage migration in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) has led to an increasing proportion of diagnosed small renal masses. Emerging knowledge regarding heterogeneity of RCC histologies and consequent impact on prognosis led us to further explore outcomes and predictive factors in surgically-treated T1a RCC.

Methods: The INMARC database was queried for T1aN0M0 RCC.

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Background: To evaluate relationship between histological subtypes of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and preoperative c-reactive protein (CRP).

Patients And Methods: We queried the International Marker Consortium for Renal Cancer database for patients affected by RCC. Patients were classified according to their histology: benign tumors, clear cell (cc) RCC, chromophobe (ch) RCC, papillary (p) RCC, and variant histology (vh) RCC; and according to CRP (mg/L): low CRP ≤5 and high CRP >5.

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Background: US-Mexico (US-MX) border regions are impacted by socioeconomic disadvantages. Alcohol use disorder remains widely prevalent in US-MX border regions, which may increase the risk of alcoholic liver disease (ALD).

Goals: We aimed to characterize ALD mortality trends in border regions compared to non-border regions from 1999 to 2020 in the United States (US).

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Objective: To investigate impact of body mass index (BMI) on survival across different histologies and stages of renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

Methods: We conducted a retrospective multicenter analysis of clear cell (ccRCC) and non-ccRCC. Obesity was defined according to the WHO criteria (non-Asian BMI >30 Kg/m, Asian BMI >27.

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Background: Utility of partial nephrectomy (PN) for complex renal mass (CRM) is controversial. We determined the impact of surgical modality on postoperative renal functional outcomes for CRM.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed a multicenter registry (ROSULA).

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Purpose: We hypothesized that two-tier re-classification of the "M" (metastasis) domain of the Tumor-Node-Metastasis (TNM) staging of Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC) may improve staging accuracy than the current monolithic classification, as advancements in the understanding of tumor biology have led to increased recognition of the heterogeneous potential of metastatic RCC (mRCC).

Methods: Multicenter retrospective analysis of patients from the REMARCC (REgistry of MetAstatic RCC) database. Patients were stratified by number of metastases into two groups, M1 (≤3, "Oligometastatic") and M2 (>3, "Polymetastatic").

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Purpose: To review the current status of surgical and procedural treatments for renal cell carcinoma (RCC), focusing on oncological and functional outcomes, and the use of techniques for advanced disease over the last 10 years.

Findings: Partial nephrectomy (PN) has become the reference standard for most T1 and T2 masses. In cT2 RCC, PN exhibits oncological equivalence and improved functional outcomes compared to radical nephrectomy (RN).

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Purpose: To compare outcomes of robotic-assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPN) and minimally invasive radical nephrectomy (MIS-RN) for complex renal masses (CRM).

Methods: We conducted a retrospective multicenter analysis of CRM patients who underwent MIS-RN and RAPN. CRM was defined as RENAL score 10-12.

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Introduction: We sought to determine whether loss of renal function increases risk of recurrence and metastases in renal cell carcinoma (RCC), and whether this impact was age-related.

Materials And Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of the International Marker Consortium for Renal Cancer (INMARC) registry. Patients were separated into younger (<65 years old) and elder (≥65 years old) age groups, and rates of de novo estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR<45 mL/min/1.

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Background: Several markers of inflammation have been associated with oncologic outcomes. Prognostic markers are not well-defined for renal cell carcinoma (RCC). We sought to investigate the association of preoperative neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and De Ritis ratio with mortality in RCC.

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Introduction: We aimed to examine stage-specific oncologic outcomes for young versus conventional-age patients with localized disease in a modern cohort.

Materials And Methods: The Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results database was queried for patients with T1-T2N0M0 kidney cancer from 1975-2016, including clear cell, papillary, and chromophobe renal cell carcinoma. Patients were stratified into ≤ 40 years-old or > 40 years-old cohorts and underwent definitive treatment via percutaneous ablation, partial nephrectomy, or radical nephrectomy.

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RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) form complexes with RNA, changing how the RNA is processed and thereby regulating gene expression. RBPs are important sources of gene regulation during organogenesis, including the development of lungs. The RBP called Quaking (QK) is critical for embryogenesis, yet it has not been studied in the developing lung.

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Metabolic dysregulation and mitochondrial dysfunction are important features of acute and chronic tissue injury across species, and human genetics and preclinical data suggest that the master metabolic regulator 5'-adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) may be an effective therapeutic target for chronic kidney disease (CKD). We have recently disclosed a pan-AMPK activator, MK-8722, that was shown to have beneficial effects in preclinical models. In this study we investigated the effects of MK-8722 in a progressive rat model of diabetic nephropathy to determine whether activation of AMPK would be of therapeutic benefit.

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Insulin has a narrow therapeutic index, reflected in a small margin between a dose that achieves good glycemic control and one that causes hypoglycemia. Once injected, the clearance of exogenous insulin is invariant regardless of blood glucose, aggravating the potential to cause hypoglycemia. We sought to create a "smart" insulin, one that can alter insulin clearance and hence insulin action in response to blood glucose, mitigating risk for hypoglycemia.

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Certain Major Histocompatibility-I (MHC-I) types are associated with superior immune containment of HIV-1 infection by CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs), but the mechanisms mediating this containment are difficult to elucidate in vivo. Here we provide controlled assessments of fitness landscapes and CTL-imposed constraints for immunodominant epitopes presented by two protective (B*57 and B*27) and one non-protective (A*02) MHC-I types. Libraries of HIV-1 with saturation mutagenesis of CTL epitopes are propagated with and without CTL selective pressure to define the fitness landscapes for epitope mutation and escape from CTLs via deep sequencing.

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Article Synopsis
  • AMPK is an important protein that helps regulate energy in living things, but scientists still don’t fully understand it or how to use it for medicine.
  • Researchers created a new drug called MK-8722 that activates AMPK in animals, which helps them take in sugar without needing insulin.
  • This drug showed good results by improving blood sugar levels in test animals like monkeys, but it also caused some heart changes that didn’t seem to affect heart function.
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Insulin resistance and diabetes can develop spontaneously with obesity and aging in rhesus monkeys, highly similar to the natural history of obesity, insulin resistance, and progression to type 2 diabetes in humans. The current studies in obese rhesus were undertaken to assess hepatic and adipose contributions to systemic insulin resistance-currently, a gap in our knowledge-and to benchmark the responses to pioglitazone (PIO). A two-step hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp, with tracer-based glucose flux estimates, was used to measure insulin resistance, and in an intervention study was repeated following 6 wk of PIO treatment (3 mg/kg).

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Objective: Identify a gene expression signature in white adipose tissue (WAT) that reports on WAT browning and is associated with a healthy phenotype.

Methods: RNA from several different adipose depots across three species were analyzed by whole transcriptome profiling, including 1) mouse subcutaneous white fat, brown fat, and white fat after in vivo treatment with FGF21; 2) human subcutaneous and omental fat from insulin-sensitive and insulin-resistant patients; and 3) rhesus monkey subcutaneous fat from healthy and dysmetabolic individuals.

Results: A "browning" signature in mice was identified by cross-referencing the FGF21-induced signature in WAT with the brown adipose tissue (BAT) vs.

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FGF21 is a novel secreted protein with robust anti-diabetic, anti-obesity, and anti-atherogenic activities in preclinical species. In the current study, we investigated the signal transduction pathways downstream of FGF21 following acute administration of the growth factor to mice. Focusing on adipose tissues, we identified FGF21-mediated downstream signaling events and target engagement biomarkers.

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Purpose: To characterize the relationship between lesion detection sensitivity and injected activity as a function of lesion size and contrast on the PEM (positron emission mammography) Flex Solo II scanner using phantom experiments.

Methods: Phantom lesions (spheres 4, 8, 12, 16, and 20 mm diameter) were randomly located in uniform background. Sphere activity concentrations were 3 to 21 times the background activity concentration (BGc).

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Background: Hyperthermia plays an important role in cancer therapy. However, as with radiation, it can cause DNA damage and therefore genetic instability. We studied whether hyperthermia can induce gene amplification in cancer cells and explored potential underlying molecular mechanisms.

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Objective: Breast density is documented to reduce sensitivity and specificity of mammography. However, little is known regarding the effect of normal background parenchymal enhancement on accuracy of breast MRI. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of background parenchymal enhancement on MRI diagnostic performance.

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Rationale And Objectives: We undertook this study to determine whether differences in detector-lesion distance resulted in appreciable effects on digital magnification mammography performance as measured using the American College of Radiology (ACR) mammography phantom and a line pair test pattern.

Materials And Methods: Images of the standard 42-mm thick standard ACR mammography phantom with a wax insert on one side containing simulated fibers, calcifications, and masses were obtained on a Senographe Essential digital mammography system with the phantom in upright and inverted positions. The process was repeated with a line pair test pattern for measuring resolution.

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