Publications by authors named "Marigdalia Ramirez-Fort"

As the number of cancer survivors increases, so does the demand for preserving male fertility after radiation. It is important for healthcare providers to understand the pathophysiology of radiation-induced testicular injury, the techniques of fertility preservation both before and during radiation, and their role in counseling patients on the risks to their fertility and the means of mitigating these risks. Impaired spermatogenesis is a known testicular toxicity of radiation in both the acute and the late settings, as rapidly dividing spermatogonial germ cells are exquisitely sensitive to irradiation.

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This article focuses on the role of PET/computed tomography in evaluating and managing gastric cancer and colorectal cancer. The authors start with describing the common aspects of imaging with 2-deoxy-2-F-d-glucose, followed by tumor-specific discussions of gastric and colorectal malignancies. Finally, the authors provide a brief overview of non-FDG tracers including their potential clinical applications, and describe future directions in imaging these malignancies.

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An 18-year-old woman with an established history of neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF-1) presented for her 1-year dermatologic follow-up. Physical examination revealed two subcutaneous nodules on her right arm, axillary freckling, scattered café-au-lait macules (CALMs) on the trunk, and a 12 cm × 17 cm hyperpigmented rectangular region on her right flank (Figure 1). The pigmented patch contained numerous new CALMs that were morphologically consistent with CALMs identified on prior examinations; neither the patch nor the CALMs within it were present at prior examinations.

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Background And Purpose: Tumor treating fields (TTFields) are a non-invasive, efficacious treatment modality currently approved for supratentorial glioblastomas. Despite their ability to improve overall survival in supratentorial tumors, the current placement of arrays is limited to the supratentorial head, precluding its use in infratentorial tumors. Infratentorial malignancies are in need of new therapy modalities given their poor prognoses in both children and adults.

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Article Synopsis
  • Apremilast (Otezla) is a PDE4 inhibitor used for treating psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, and oral ulcers in Behçet's disease, but its effects on inflammasome activation are still not well understood.
  • In a mouse model for psoriasis, treatment with apremilast led to significant improvement in skin lesions over two weeks, with reductions in inflammation, epidermal thickness, and proinflammatory cytokines.
  • Even though apremilast did not directly inhibit inflammasome activation in human cells, it indirectly reduced inflammation by lowering the levels of inflammasome components, highlighting its effectiveness in treating psoriasis symptoms.
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Hair transplantation in areas of scalp scars is a clinical challenge. However, by creating the visual illusion of central bulking with the use of peripherally transplanted curled chest hairs, cicatricial alopecia can perhaps be cosmetically improved. In a case of a 34-year-old affected man, this strategic procedure was implemented with positive results, as the transplantation was successful, the scar was far less noticeable, and the patient was satisfied with the results.

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Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP) is a rare, infiltrative, soft tissue tumor. It has a propensity for deep invasion but a low risk for distant metastasis. The classic presentation is a slowly progressive, painless, and erythematous to purpuric patch on the trunk or arms.

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Prostate cancer is the most common malignancy in men and the second leading cause of cancer-related death in men. Radiotherapy is a curative option that is administered via external beam radiation, brachytherapy, or in combination. Sexual dysfunction is a common toxicity following radiotherapy, similar to men undergoing radical prostatectomy, but the etiology is different.

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Psychological morbidity, sexuality, and health/system information have been identified as the highest areas of support needs in patients undergoing management of their prostate cancer (PCa). Management of a patient's sexual function prior to, during and after PCa radiotherapy requires multidisciplinary coordination of care between radiation oncologists, urologists, dermatologists, pharmacists, and psychiatrists. The finale of this three-part review provides a framework for clinicians to better understand the role of mental healthcare providers in the management of sexual toxicities associated with prostatic radiotherapy.

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Treatment of refractory palmar-plantar vitiligo is particularly challenging because the skin in these regions has a limited supply of follicle-derived melanocytic stem cells. Autologous hair transplantation monotherapy is effective in some forms of vitiligo through the provision of melanocytic stem cells. CO laser followed by exposure to light (i.

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Background: Acne vulgaris is a common dermatologic disease that causes significant social and psychological morbidity. Isotretinoin, as a vitamin A derivative, is the most effective agent in the treatment of acne. Evidence suggests that isotretinoin's therapeutic function is independent of hormonal mediation; however, the effect of isotretinoin on serum androgens and precursor androgen levels in humans remains unclear.

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Cancer cells can be selectively targeted by identifying and developing antibodies to specific antigens present on the cancer cell surface. Cytotoxic agents can be conjugated to these antibodies that bind to these cell surface antigens in order to significantly increase the therapeutic index of whichever cytotoxic agent is utilized. This approach of conjugating the cytotoxic drugs to antibodies to target specific surface antigens enhances the anti-tumor activity of antibodies and improves the tumor-to-normal tissue selectivity of chemotherapy.

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Prostate cancer is the most common non-cutaneous cancer in men in the United States and is the second most common cause of cancer deaths after lung cancer in men. Despite all advances in the field of prostate cancer imaging and treatment, currently, it is sub-optimally responsive to all available treatment options. Radioimmunotherapy with a monoclonal antibody (mAb), J591, has shown promising results in the treatment of prostate cancer.

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Lessons Learned: Hyperfractionation of lutetium-177 ( Lu)-J591 for patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer did not appear to have any additional advantage over the single dose Lu-J591 or fractionated two-dose Lu-J591 therapy. Definite conclusions were challenging because of the small sample size of this study, and so further studies are needed to evaluate the viability of the hypothesis. On the basis of available data, a registration study of Lu-J591 (also known as TLX591) is planned and will use the two-dose fractionation schedule (Telix Pharma Q3 2019 update https://telixpharma.

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Cutaneous injury can ignite excessive fibroproliferative growth that results in keloid formation. Keloids are associated with significant morbidity related to disfigurement and/or symptoms (e.g.

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Background: Hair transplantation has enhanced the realm of procedural dermatology. Before the advent of follicular transplantation, androgenetic alopecia was a difficult disease to manage, as there is a limited armamentarium of topical and systemic pharmaceuticals. However, as with other novel surgical procedures, there is a steep learning curve, that may result in poor transplantation or cosmesis.

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Purpose: Infection by Human Herpes Viruses (HHV) types 1-3, are prevalent throughout the world. It is known that radiotherapy can reactivate HHVs, but it is unclear how and to what extent reactivations can interact with or affect radiotherapeutic efficacy, patient outcomes and mortality risk. Herein, we aim to summarize what is known about Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV)-1,2 and Varicella Zoster Virus (VZV) pathophysiology as it relates to tumor biology, radiotherapy, chemo-radiotherapy, diagnosis and management so as to optimize cancer treatment in the setting of active HHV infection.

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The etiology of androgenic alopecia (AGA) involves several factors, including genetics, androgens, age and nutrition. Digit-length ratio of the index and ring finger (2D:4D) is an indicator of prenatal exposure to sex hormones. There is a paucity of studies that systemically review the possible positive predictive value of 2D:4D in the development of AGA.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Angiogenesis, the process of new blood vessel formation, is essential for tumor growth, with prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) playing a role in the neovasculature of various cancers; however, studying it has been challenging due to a lack of PSMA expression in standard endothelial cell cultures and models.
  • - Researchers discovered that conditioned media from cancer cell lines can induce PSMA expression in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) both in the lab and in a mouse model, suggesting that interactions between cancer cells and endothelial cells can trigger this expression.
  • - The induced PSMA in HUVECs allows for the internalization of PSMA-targeting molecules, indicating potential for using PS
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