Publications by authors named "Joseph Novak"

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients that fail to achieve a complete metabolic response with frontline immunochemotherapy have a poor prognosis. Genomic profiling has led to a broader understanding of the molecular drivers in DLBCL, but it is unknown how well current classifiers identify patients that will experience primary treatment resistance (PTR). Using whole exome and RNA sequencing data from newly diagnosed DLBCL patients, we evaluated the genomic landscape of PTR and compared it to that of non-PTR DLBCL.

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This study sheds light on the pivotal role of the oncoprotein DEK in B-cell lymphoma. We reveal DEK expression correlates with increased tumor proliferation and inferior overall survival in cases diagnosed with low-grade B-cell lymphoma (LGBCL). We also found significant correlation between DEK expression and copy number alterations in LGBCL tumors, highlighting a novel mechanism of LGBCL pathogenesis that warrants additional exploration.

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Article Synopsis
  • Immunochemotherapy is currently the primary treatment for newly diagnosed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (ndDLBCL), but it's ineffective for some patients, prompting research into better prognostic methods.
  • By analyzing transcriptomic data from a large group of patients, researchers identified seven distinct clusters of ndDLBCL, with one specific cluster (A7) linked to poorer outcomes due to characteristics like low immune cell presence and high MYC expression.
  • The study also explores how certain drugs, like lenalidomide, may improve treatment for the high-risk A7 cluster by enhancing T-cell movement into tumors and the expression of key tumor markers, while identifying TCF4 as a crucial factor in MYC biology for this group.
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Currently, the role of DNA methylation in the immunoglobulin M (IgM) monoclonal gammopathy disease spectrum remains poorly understood. In the present study, a multiomics prospective analysis was conducted integrating DNA methylation, RNA sequencing (RNA-seq), and whole-exome sequencing data in 34 subjects (23 with Waldenström macroglobulinemia [WM], 6 with IgM monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance [MGUS], and 5 normal controls). Analysis was focused on defining differences between IgM gammopathies (WM/IgM-MGUS) compared with controls, and specifically between WM and IgM-MGUS.

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Article Synopsis
  • * Researchers used a multiomic approach on tumor samples from 444 newly diagnosed DLBCL patients, combining gene analysis methods to identify a signature predictive of high early clinical failure risk.
  • * The study found that this signature, which includes ARID1A mutations, accurately predicted 45% of early clinical failures and could significantly influence future treatment strategies.
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Follicular lymphoma (FL) is an indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma of germinal center origin, which presents with significant biologic and clinical heterogeneity. Using RNA-seq on B cells sorted from 87 FL biopsies, combined with machine-learning approaches, we identify 3 transcriptional states that divide the biological ontology of FL B cells into inflamed, proliferative, and chromatin-modifying states, with relationship to prior GC B cell phenotypes. When integrated with whole-exome sequencing and immune profiling, we find that each state was associated with a combination of mutations in chromatin modifiers, copy-number alterations to TNFAIP3, and T follicular helper cells (Tfh) cell interactions, or primarily by a microenvironment rich in activated T cells.

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is a Gram-positive Centers for Disease Control and Prevention category "A" biothreat pathogen. Without early treatment, inhalation of anthrax spores with progression to inhalational anthrax disease is associated with high fatality rates. Gepotidacin is a novel first-in-class triazaacenaphthylene antibiotic that inhibits bacterial DNA replication by a distinct mechanism of action and is being evaluated for use against biothreat and conventional pathogens.

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Article Synopsis
  • A study was conducted on diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients to identify a genetic signature that predicts those at high risk of early clinical failure (EFS24), addressing a need for better treatment selection.
  • Analysis involved tumor biopsies from 444 newly diagnosed patients using whole exome sequencing (WES) and RNA sequencing, leading to the identification of a high-risk RNA signature significantly linked to poor outcomes.
  • Integrating genomic data showed that including mutations in the signature could identify 45% of cases with early clinical failure, marking a significant advancement for potential therapeutic strategies for DLBCL.
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Non-follicular low-grade B-cell lymphomas (LGBCL) are biologically diverse entities that share clinical and histologic features that make definitive pathologic categorization challenging. While most patients with LGBCL have an indolent course, some experience aggressive disease, highlighting additional heterogeneity across these subtypes. To investigate the potential for shared biology across subtypes, we performed RNA sequencing and applied machine learning approaches that identified five clusters of patients that grouped independently of subtype.

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Alkenones are among the most widely used paleotemperature biomarkers. Traditionally, alkenones are analyzed using gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC-FID), or GC-chemical ionization-mass spectrometry (GC-CI-MS). However, these methods encounter considerable challenges for samples that exhibit matrix interference or low concentrations, with GC-FID requiring tedious sample preparations and GC-CI-MS suffering from nonlinear response and a narrow linear dynamic range.

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Francisella tularensis (F. tularensis) is a Centers for Disease Control (CDC) category "A" Gram-negative biothreat pathogen. Inhalation of F.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The study investigates the differences between IgM monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) and Waldenström macroglobulinemia (WM) to better explain their varied treatments and clinical behaviors beyond current classifications.
  • - Researchers analyzed samples from 32 patients using a comprehensive multi-omics approach, revealing three distinct molecular clusters with unique characteristics and outcomes: one solely for WM, one combining both MGUS and WM, and a third with mixed features.
  • - The findings suggest a new biological classification system based on the identified clusters, which could lead to improved therapeutic strategies tailored to the specific characteristics of each patient's condition.
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  • * A study involving twelve cynomolgus macaques infected with MARV Angola showed that all animals succumbed to the disease within 8 days, demonstrating symptoms similar to human cases such as fever and systemic inflammation.
  • * The research provides crucial data on disease progression and symptoms, aiding in the future design and development of effective medical responses to Marburg virus disease.
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Cyclocreatine (LUM-001) was evaluated for chronic toxicity (23 weeks) in beagle dogs to support clinical development in patients with creatine transporter deficiency (CTD) disorder. Deionized water (vehicle control) or cyclocreatine was administered by oral gavage twice daily (12 ± 1 h apart) at 20, 40 and 75 mg/kg/dose followed by a recovery period. Due to severe toxicity, the study was terminated earlier than the planned 39 weeks of dosing.

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Alkenones are biomarkers produced solely by algae in the order Isochrysidales that have been used to reconstruct sea surface temperature (SST) since the 1980s. However, alkenone-based SST reconstructions in the northern high latitude oceans show significant bias towards warmer temperatures in core-tops, diverge from other SST proxies in down core records, and are often accompanied by anomalously high relative abundance of the C tetra-unsaturated methyl alkenone (%C). Elevated %C is widely interpreted as an indicator of low sea surface salinity from polar water masses, but its biological source has thus far remained elusive.

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Cyclocreatine (LUM-001), a creatine analog, was evaluated for its nonclinical toxicity in Sprague Dawley (SD) rats. Deionized water as a vehicle control article or cyclocreatine was administered by oral gavage twice daily (approximately 12 ± 1 h apart) at 30, 100 and 300 mg/kg/dose levels in rats up to 26 weeks followed by a 28-day recovery period. Due to an increased incidence of seizures, the 600 mg/kg/day dose group males were dosed only for 16-weeks followed by a 14-week recovery period.

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AV7909 is a next-generation anthrax vaccine candidate indicated for post-exposure prophylaxis of exposure to . AV7909 consists of the Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed (AVA) bulk drug substance and the immunostimulatory Toll-like receptor 9 agonist oligodeoxynucleotide adjuvant, CPG 7909. Safety testing for pediatric population is warranted to support the potential emergency use of AV7909 in children.

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A 5.25-year-old cynomolgus macaque (Macaca fascicularis) was found to have a marked leukocytosis due to a lymphocytosis on routine quarantine laboratory data prior to inclusion in a preclinical research study. The majority of lymphocytes were characterized as intermediate to large with round to convoluted nuclei, coarse to clumped chromatin, rare prominent nucleoli, and moderate amounts of lightly basophilic cytoplasm that frequently contained small magenta granules and/or clear vacuoles.

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JD5037 is a novel peripherally restricted CB receptor (CBR) inverse agonist being developed for the treatment of visceral obesity and its metabolic complications, including nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and dyslipidemia. JD5037 was administered by oral gavage at 10, 40, and 150 mg/kg/day dose levels for up to 34 days to Sprague Dawley rats, and at 5, 20, and 75 mg/kg/day dose levels for 28 consecutive days to Beagle dogs. In rats, higher incidences of stereotypic behaviors were observed in 10 mg/kg females and 40 mg/kg males, and slower responses for reflex and sensory tests were observed only in males at 10 and 40 mg/kg during neurobehavioral testing.

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The ICH revised the S3A guidance allowing blood to be microsampled for toxicokinetic analysis from the main study cohorts of rats in general toxicology studies. The resulting changes in the hemogram have been examined in healthy animals but the ability to read through the data when there are toxicological changes has not been thoroughly examined in the literature. To address this, a toxicology study in Sprague Dawley rats was conducted where animals received repeated doses of saline or valproic acid by IP injection daily for 7 days.

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The supersymmetrization of curvature squared terms is important in the study of the low-energy limit of compactified superstrings where a distinguished role is played by the Gauss-Bonnet combination, which is ghost-free. In this Letter, we construct its off-shell N=(1,0) supersymmetrization in six dimensions for the first time. By studying this invariant together with the supersymmetric Einstein-Hilbert term, we confirm and extend known results of the α^{'}-corrected string theory compactified to six dimensions.

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Opioid-related side effects are problematic for burn patients. Dual mechanism therapeutics targeting opioid and non-opioid mechanisms may have reduced side effects with similar analgesic efficacy. Tramadol combines mu opioid receptor agonism with norepinephrine reuptake inhibition and has been effective in treating some types of pain.

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The development and implementation of competent and cost-effective computerized medical records that profoundly improve physician productivity and knowledge management will require the development of a new paradigm for the representation and analysis of medical knowledge and logic. Medical knowledge is acquired inductively by observing, measuring, and eliciting information from patients in a process that is investigational rather than transactional. Most, if not all, current approaches to health information technology (HIT) rely on a logic and data structure that imposes significant limitations on the ability of physicians to thoroughly and efficiently document and access empiric patient data because the information is almost invariably organized in a way which presumes, rather than makes explicit, the relationships of concepts and their meaning.

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Mycobacterium infections in nonhuman primates can devastate the colonies and place human handlers at risk. Despite conservative measures to prevent exposure, infections occur even in closed colonies. Here we describe a recent case of M.

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