Diversity Differences Among Cardiovascular Fellowships Across Five Geographic Regions in the United States.

Introduction Diversity and inclusion in cardiovascular fellowships are necessary for addressing the healthcare needs of diverse patient populations. However, regional disparities in the diversity of these programs persist, diminishing efforts to create a representative workforce. We observe the regional differences in the diversity of cardiovascular fellowship programs, focusing on gender, doctorate designation, and graduation within the United States (US) or other.

Genomic features of rapid versus late relapse in triple negative breast cancer.

Background: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a heterogeneous disease and we have previously shown that rapid relapse of TNBC is associated with distinct sociodemographic features. We hypothesized that rapid versus late relapse in TNBC is also defined by distinct clinical and genomic features of primary tumors.

Methods: Using three publicly-available datasets, we identified 453 patients diagnosed with primary TNBC with adequate follow-up to be characterized as 'rapid relapse' (rrTNBC; distant relapse or death ≤2 years of diagnosis), 'late relapse' (lrTNBC; > 2 years) or 'no relapse' (nrTNBC: > 5 years no relapse/death).

Stromal Platelet-Derived Growth Factor Receptor-β Signaling Promotes Breast Cancer Metastasis in the Brain.

Platelet-derived growth factor receptor-beta (PDGFRβ) is a receptor tyrosine kinase found in cells of mesenchymal origin such as fibroblasts and pericytes. Activation of this receptor is dependent on paracrine ligand induction, and its preferred ligand PDGFB is released by neighboring epithelial and endothelial cells. While expression of both PDGFRβ and PDGFB has been noted in patient breast tumors for decades, how PDGFB-to-PDGFRβ tumor-stroma signaling mediates breast cancer initiation, progression, and metastasis remains unclear.