Publications by authors named "McNamara K"

Enteropathogenic (EPEC) is a bacterium that causes attaching/effacing (A/E) lesions and serious diarrheal disease, a major health issue in developing countries. EPEC pathogenicity results from the effect of virulence factors and dysregulation of host responses. Polyamines, including spermidine, play a major role in intestinal homeostasis.

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Introduction: Solitary fibrous tumor (SFT) represents an uncommon mesenchymal neoplasm affecting primarily the extremities and deep soft tissues with, overall, benign but locally aggressive biologic behavior and an underlying pathognomonic NAB2::STAT6 fusion. Intraosseous SFTs are infrequent, and involvement of the jawbones is exceedingly rare.

Case Presentation: A 54-year-old woman presented with an asymptomatic, well-demarcated, multilocular radiolucency of the left posterior mandible featuring focally irregular borders, root resorption and lingual cortex perforation.

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Helicobacter pylori is the primary cause of gastric cancer, and there is a need to discover new molecular targets for therapeutic intervention in H. pylori disease progression. We have previously shown that spermine oxidase (SMOX), the enzyme that catabolizes the back-conversion of the polyamine spermine to spermidine, is upregulated during infection and is associated with increased cancer risk in humans.

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Background: Women with substance use disorders (SUD) use less contraception, and experience higher rates of unintended pregnancy, compared to women without SUD. Contraception is discussed at the six-week postnatal appointment, which many women with SUD do not attend. Therefore, it is important women have the opportunity to formulate contraception plans before discharge from the birth admission.

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Cystathionine γ-lyase (CTH) is a critical enzyme in the reverse transsulfuration pathway, the major route for the metabolism of sulfur-containing amino acids, notably converting cystathionine to cysteine. We reported that CTH supports gastritis induced by the pathogen Helicobacter pylori. Herein our aim was to investigate the role of CTH in colonic inflammation.

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Background: Recent multigenomic analysis of adrenocortical carcinomas (ACCs) identified SLC7A11/xCT as a novel biomarker. The Food and Drug Administration-approved anti-inflammatory drug, sulfasalazine (SAS), induces ferroptosis by blocking SLC7A11 expression. We hypothesize that SAS could be repurposed to target ACC cells.

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Article Synopsis
  • This study was a retrospective cohort analysis aimed at understanding the incidence and odds of neurologic complications after two types of spinal injections: interlaminar (IL) and transforaminal (TF) cervicothoracic epidural spinal injections (CESI).
  • Researchers examined data from a large national database to compare the occurrence of post-injection neurologic complications in over a million patients who received IL-CESI and TF-CESI.
  • Results indicated that while the overall rate of neurologic complications was similar for both procedures, TF-CESI had a higher risk of nerve root injury but a lower risk of epidural hematoma compared to IL-CESI, with other adverse events showing no significant differences.
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  • - Women in alcohol and drug services face higher rates of unintended pregnancies and lower contraception access; this study investigates contraceptive initiation after offering services in metropolitan and regional areas.
  • - With 91% of participants not planning to get pregnant within a year at baseline, only 21% were using effective contraception; following education and support, 28% initiated highly reliable methods, especially in regional areas (51% compared to 2% in metropolitan areas).
  • - While 44% of women were using effective contraception a year later, and 15% reported pregnancies, the study suggests improved pathways for contraception can help, though there are significant site differences in outcomes that need further exploration.
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Ice machines can harbor water-related organisms, and the use of ice or tap water for clinical care activities has been associated with infections in health care settings. During 2021-2022, a total of 23 cases of infection by Burkholderia multivorans (sequence type ST659) were reported at two southern California hospitals and linked to contaminated ice and water from ice machines. In addition to these 23 cases, this report also includes 23 previously unreported cases of B.

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Karst landforms provide insights into landscape evolution and paleoclimate but are inherently challenging to date. An ancient interval of particularly intense weathering of Western Australian Pleistocene aeolianites is recorded in a spectacular pinnacle karst landscape with associated ferricrete nodules. (U-Th)/He dating of the ferricrete nodules revealed an age of 102.

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  • The study investigates 10 cases of sarcomatoid squamous cell carcinoma (sSCC), a rare type of oral cancer, examining their clinicopathologic and immunophenotypic characteristics, particularly looking at SATB2 expression.
  • These cases, collected from 2000 to 2023, primarily affected older adults with a male-to-female ratio of 1.5:1, most commonly occurring in the tongue, and showed a variety of tumor appearances and microscopic features.
  • Results indicated that while all lesions tested positive for certain markers, SATB2 expression can vary significantly and may lead to misdiagnosis, highlighting the importance of using multiple markers for accurate identification of oral s
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Our understanding of microbial variation in male reproductive tissues is poorly understood, both regarding how it varies spatially across different tissues and its ability to affect male sperm and semen quality. To redress this gap, we explored the relationship between male sperm viability and male gut and reproductive tract microbiomes in the Pacific field cricket, . We selected cohorts of males within our populations with the highest and lowest natural sperm viability and characterized the bacterial microbiota present in the gut, testes, seminal vesicle, accessory glands and the spermatophore (ejaculate) using 16S ribosomal RNA gene metabarcoding.

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  • The SIERRA trial aimed to improve outcomes for older patients with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (RR AML) by comparing a new treatment, I-apamistamab, against standard care before bone marrow transplant.
  • The study involved 153 patients, with results showing a significantly higher durable complete remission (dCR) rate of 17.1% for the I-apamistamab group compared to 0% for the conventional care group.
  • Although the overall survival rates were similar between the two groups, the I-apamistamab regimen exhibited more promise for achieving long-lasting remission with similar levels of severe side effects.
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Artificial light at night (ALAN) is an increasingly pervasive pollutant that alters animal behaviour and physiology, with cascading impacts on development and survival. Recent evidence links exposure to ALAN with neural damage, potentially due to its action on melatonin synthesis, a powerful antioxidant. However, these data are scarce and taxonomically limited.

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For-profit companies addressing disparities in social determinants of health (SDOH), also known as companies, often lack member-level claims data to evaluate their organizational interventions. Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) measures, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Healthy Days Measure, offer a unique proxy metric to evaluate impact. This retrospective study sought to explore the association between self-reported physically and mentally unhealthy days with health care costs among a Medicare Advantage (MA) population.

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Crohn's disease (CD) is a complex chronic inflammatory disorder with both gastrointestinal and extra-intestinal manifestations associated immune dysregulation. Analyzing 202,359 cells from 170 specimens across 83 patients, we identify a distinct epithelial cell type in both terminal ileum and ascending colon (hereon as 'LND') with high expression of LCN2, NOS2, and DUOX2 and genes related to antimicrobial response and immunoregulation. LND cells, confirmed by in-situ RNA and protein imaging, are rare in non-IBD controls but expand in active CD, and actively interact with immune cells and specifically express IBD/CD susceptibility genes, suggesting a possible function in CD immunopathogenesis.

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Heat Shock Protein 90 (Hsp90) is responsible for the proper folding and maturation of ~400 client protein substrates, many of which are directly associated with the ten hallmarks of cancer. Hsp90 is a great target for cancer therapy including melanoma, since Hsp90 inhibition can disrupt multiple oncogenic pathways simultaneously. In this study, we report the synthesis and anti-proliferative activity manifested by a series of Hsp90 C-terminal inhibitors against mutant BRAF and wild-type BRAF melanoma cells.

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Study Design: Retrospective radiographic review.

Objective: The objectives of the study were to determine the contributions to lumbar lordosis (LL) through both the vertebrae and the intervertebral disc (IVD), and to investigate the relationships between lumbar sagittal spine measurements and age and gender.

Summary Of Background Data: A small body of literature exists on the relative contributions of vertebral body and IVD morphology to LL, the effects of L4-S1 on overall LL, and the relationships/correlations between lumbar sagittal spine measurements.

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Reduced left ventricular ejection fraction ≤40%, a known risk factor for adverse cardiac outcomes and recurrent acute ischemic stroke, may be detected during an acute ischemic stroke hospitalization. A multidisciplinary care paradigm informed by neurology and cardiology expertise may facilitate the timely implementation of an array of proven heart failure-specific therapies and procedures in a nuanced manner to optimize brain and cardiac health.

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Background: Unintended pregnancy (UIP) and substance use disorder share underlying root causes with similar impacts for women and their offspring in pregnancy, birth and beyond. Furthermore, intoxication with alcohol and other drugs (AOD) increases the risk of UIP.

Objectives: To assess the available evidence on associations between UIP and health, social and economic outcomes, in women who use AOD.

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