Publications by authors named "McCurdy S"

Venetoclax with hypomethylating agents (HMA) is the standard of care for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in patients ineligible for intensive chemotherapy and is associated with tumor lysis syndrome (TLS). TLS prophylaxis and the use of Cairo Bishop versus Howard diagnostic criteria are not standardized. Here we report TLS prophylaxis and incidence in a retrospective cohort of 100 consecutive AML patients treated with venetoclax and HMA.

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Of 1.2 million Americans who would benefit from pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), only 36% were prescribed PrEP in 2023. Project HOMES is an ongoing study that evaluates recovery residences for individuals in medication-assisted recovery from opioid use disorder across five Texas cities.

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Article Synopsis
  • Opioid use disorder (OUD) significantly impacts mental and physical health, yet there’s limited research on health comorbidities among those in recovery residences receiving medication for OUD (MOUD).
  • A study involving 358 recovery residence residents in Texas from 2021 to 2023 found a high prevalence of mental health issues and physical comorbidities, with anxiety/depression and pain/discomfort being the most common health-related quality of life (HRQoL) problems reported.
  • Results showed that most comorbidities negatively impacted HRQoL, particularly affecting the ability to perform usual activities, mobility, and pain/discomfort, while older age correlated with increased HRQoL problems.
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Introduction: As the US continues to battle the opioid epidemic, recovery residences remain valuable services for people in recovery. While there is a growing body of literature describing positive outcomes experienced by people who live in recovery residences, little is known about the experience of people who live in these residences while taking medications for an opioid use disorder (MOUD) as part of their recovery. Thus, this study has three aims: (1) expand the availability of recovery residences that meet the National Alliance for Recovery Residences standards in Texas and serve individuals taking medications for an opioid use disorder as part of their recovery; (2) evaluate recovery residences for people taking MOUD as part of their recovery; and (3) compare the cost-effectiveness of recovery residences to treatment-as-usual.

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  • Venetoclax is a potential treatment for patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who can't use anthracycline-based therapies, but it has been linked to heart problems in animal studies.
  • A study assessed cardiovascular events in AML patients treated with either venetoclax or anthracyclines, finding that MACE occurred in 17% of the venetoclax group and 12% in the anthracycline group, indicating no significant difference in heart issues between the two treatments.
  • The research suggests that patients on venetoclax should have close cardiovascular monitoring, especially early in treatment, due to its potential risks.
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  • Medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) are effective in reducing overdoses, but their use is still not widespread and requires better implementation.
  • Recovery residences are emerging as supportive environments for individuals receiving MOUD, yet there is limited understanding of how these settings promote medication-assisted recovery (MAR).
  • A study involving interviews with 93 residents in Texas found that recovery residence staff effectively connected residents to MOUD providers, fostered supportive communities, and helped overcome logistical barriers to accessing treatment.
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Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a rapidly progressive malignancy without effective therapies for refractory disease. So far, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy in AML has not recapitulated the efficacy seen in B cell malignancies. Here we report a pilot study of autologous anti-CD123 CAR T cells in 12 adults with relapsed or refractory AML.

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Background: Peer recovery support services (PRSS) for substance use disorder (SUD) have expanded in the past 2 decades to be formally certified and reimbursed under Medicaid in almost every US state. This rapid expansion has been followed by a growth in research, but 2 persistent gaps remain: a lack of research on the peer workforce, and a lack of economic evaluation research. This systematic review examines the current literature on PRSS to summarize what is currently known about the SUD peer workforce and collect potential PRSS economic evaluation parameters, and clearly identify the current gaps in each category.

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Donor-specific anti-HLA antibodies (DSA) are an important cause of engraftment failure and may negatively impact survival outcomes of patients receiving allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) using an HLA-mismatched allograft. The incidence of DSA varies across studies, depending on individual factors, detection or identification methods and thresholds considered clinically relevant. Although DSA testing by multiplex bead arrays remains semiquantitative, it has been widely adopted as a standard test in most transplant centers.

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  • COVID-19 and influenza are respiratory illnesses caused by different viruses but share some symptoms and clinical risk factors, yet their genetic connections remain poorly understood.
  • A study involving over 18,000 influenza cases and nearly 276,000 control subjects found no common genetic risk factors between COVID-19 and influenza, revealing specific gene variants linked only to influenza.
  • The research highlights the potential for targeting cell surface receptors involved in viral entry, showing that manipulating specific genes could lead to treatments that prevent both COVID-19 and influenza infections.
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A history of colonisation and corresponding traumas has resulted in disparate rates of violence and sexual health inequities among many Native American populations. As a result, Native American adolescents and young adults specifically, experience higher rates of STIs, HIV and unintended pregnancy relative to their non-Hispanic White counterparts. To address these inequities, sexual health education programmes should reflect Native American cultural values and traditional teachings to align with community assets and protective factors.

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Clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP) is a common risk factor for hematologic malignancies and cardiovascular diseases. This study aimed to investigate the association between CHIP-related mutations and symptomatic heart failure (HF) in patients diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). A total of 563 patients with newly diagnosed AML who underwent DNA sequencing of bone marrow before treatment were retrospectively investigated.

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Co-occurring mental health concerns are prevalent among substance use recovery housing residents. We sought to explore how residents with co-occurring mental health and substance use needs experience recovery housing. We conducted semi-structured interviews with residents (N = 92) in recovery homes across Texas and developed themes through thematic analysis.

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Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) has transformed over the past several decades through enhanced supportive care, reduced intensity conditioning (RIC), improved human leukocyte antigen (HLA) typing, and novel graft-versus-host disease (GVHD)-prevention and treatment strategies. Most notably, the implementation of post-transplantation cyclophosphamide (PTCy) has dramatically increased the safety and availability of this life-saving therapy. Given reductions in nonrelapse mortality (NRM) with these advances, the HCT community has placed even greater emphasis on developing ways to reduce relapse - the leading cause of death after HCT.

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Hematologic malignancies most often present in the sixth or seventh decade of life. Even so, many older adults may be unable to tolerate standard chemotherapy or require supplementary care or dose adjustments to do so. Both in community and academic centers, geriatric assessment (GA) can be used to improve the care of older adults with blood cancers.

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Propranolol reduces experimental murine cerebral cavernous malformations (CCMs) and prevents embryonic caudal venous plexus (CVP) lesions in zebrafish that follow mosaic inactivation of . Because morpholino silencing of the β1 adrenergic receptor () prevents the embryonic CVP lesion, we proposed that plays a role in CCM pathogenesis. Here we report that zebrafish exhibited 86% fewer CVP lesions and 87% reduction of CCM lesion volume relative to wild type brood mates at 2dpf and 8-10 weeks stage, respectively.

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Background: To improve the assessment of COVID-19 vaccine use, safety, and effectiveness in older adults and persons with complex multimorbidity, the COVid VAXines Effects on the Aged (COVVAXAGE) database was established by linking CVS Health and Walgreens pharmacy customers to Medicare claims.

Methods: We deterministically linked CVS Health and Walgreens customers who had a pharmacy dispensation/encounter paid for by Medicare to Medicare enrollment and claims records. Linked data include U.

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Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is no longer exclusively for the young. With an aging population, development of non-intensive remission-inducing strategies for hematologic malignancies, and novel graft-versus-host disease-prevention platforms, an older population of patients is pursuing HCT. The evolving population of HCT recipients requires an overhaul in the way we risk-stratify and optimize patients prior to HCT.

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Objectives: We evaluate the potential clinical and cost impacts of discontinuing disease-modifying therapy (DMT) in people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) when age-related immunosenescence can reduce DMT efficacy while increasing associated risks.

Methods: A Markov model simulated clinical and cost impacts to the patient and payers when a proportion of eligible patients with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) discontinue DMT. Eligibility was defined as age >55 years, an RRMS diagnosis of >5 years, and no history of relapses for 5 years.

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Hematologic malignancies disproportionately affect older adults. Hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is potentially curative, but poor overall survival (OS) has limited its use in older adults. Fried's frailty phenotype (FFP) is a geriatric assessment tool that combines objective and subjective performance measures: gait speed, grip strength, activity level, exhaustion, and weight loss.

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Background: A quantitative measurement of serum proteome biomarkers that would associate with disease progression endpoints can provide risk stratification for persons with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) and supplement the clinical decision-making process.

Materials And Methods: In total, 202 PwMS were enrolled in a longitudinal study with measurements at two time points with an average follow-up time of 5.4 years.

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Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic mandates that were imposed to curb the spread of disease may have triggered unhealthy dietary behaviors among university students. The current study aims at exploring university students' perception of their dietary behaviors through the course of the pandemic.

Methods: The qualitative study is designed using a phenomenological framework.

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Introduction: Peer recovery support services (PRSS) for substance use disorder (SUD) are a flexible and evidence-based intervention employed across multiple settings and for a variety of populations. These services have expanded over the past two decades, but there is little research on recruitment and training of prospective peer workers - the peer to career pipeline. This study observed training outcomes for applicants to a peer worker scholarship program in Texas.

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Introduction: Medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) are an effective treatment for addressing opioid use disorder. Despite MOUD's demonstrated effectiveness, MOUD-related stigma is prevalent throughout many recovery communities and subsequently limits persons taking MOUD access to recovery supports, including recovery housing. While recovery residences that serve people taking MOUD could be a critical recovery support, they are limited in number and understudied.

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