This hypothesis-generating study aims to examine the extent to which computed tomography-assessed body composition phenotypes are associated with immune and phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT) signaling pathways in breast tumors. A total of 52 patients with newly diagnosed breast cancer were classified into four body composition types: adequate (lowest two tertiles of total adipose tissue [TAT]) and highest two tertiles of total skeletal muscle [TSM] areas); high adiposity (highest tertile of TAT and highest two tertiles of TSM); low muscle (lowest tertile of TSM and lowest two tertiles of TAT); and high adiposity with low muscle (highest tertile of TAT and lowest tertile of TSM). Immune and PI3K/AKT pathway proteins were profiled in tumor epithelium and the leukocyte-enriched stromal microenvironment using GeoMx (NanoString).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDuring type 1 diabetes (T1D) progression, beta cells become dysfunctional and exhibit reduced first-phase insulin release. While this period of beta cell dysfunction is well established, its cause and underlying mechanism remain unknown. To address this knowledge gap, live human pancreas tissue slices were prepared from autoantibody-negative organ donors without diabetes (ND), donors positive for one or more islet autoantibodies (AAb+), and donors with T1D within 0-4 years of diagnosis (T1D+).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHuman islets display a high degree of heterogeneity in terms of size, number, architecture, and endocrine cell-type compositions. An ever-increasing number of immunohistochemistry-stained whole slide images (WSIs) are available through the online pathology database of the Network for Pancreatic Organ donors with Diabetes (nPOD) program at the University of Florida (UF). We aimed to develop an enhanced machine learning-assisted WSI analysis workflow to utilize the nPOD resource for analysis of endocrine cell heterogeneity in the natural history of type 1 diabetes (T1D) in comparison to donors without diabetes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: The immune-mediated destruction of insulin-producing β-cells characterizes type 1 diabetes. Nevertheless, exocrine pancreatic enzymes, including amylase, lipase, and trypsin, are also significantly reduced in type 1 diabetes. With an immunotherapy now approved to treat early-stage type 1 diabetes, biomarkers to delineate response to treatment are needed.
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