Publications by authors named "Mi Liang"

Article Synopsis
  • Chemotherapy is an effective treatment for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) but often leads to myelosuppression and poor recovery of blood cell production.
  • Dysfunction in bone marrow endothelial cells (ECs) is observed in AML patients, particularly those with inadequate hematopoietic reconstitution post-transplantation, making it essential to understand the mechanisms behind this dysfunction.
  • Elevated TGF-β signaling in ECs from AML patients causes damage that impairs hematopoiesis, but using TGF-β inhibitors has shown promise in restoring EC function and normal blood cell production without worsening AML.
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Objective: There is a research gap on the impact of payment, reimbursement, and academic productivity in career decision-making for early-career (EC) attendings in gynecologic oncology. We sought to assess gynecologic oncology fellows and EC attendings on their knowledge and perceptions regarding the business of medicine.

Methods: An anonymous survey was electronically disseminated to fellow and EC SGO members.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The study investigates the effectiveness and safety of compound porcine cerebroside and ganglioside injection (CPCGI) in improving cognitive and functional outcomes in patients with mild to moderate traumatic brain injury (TBI).
  • - It is a multicenter, randomized, double-blind trial involving 900 adult patients, with 600 receiving CPCGI and 300 receiving piracetam as a control, followed by a 3-month evaluation period.
  • - The primary goal is to assess changes in cognitive function using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score, along with secondary measures like MMSE, GOS-E, and the Barthel Index.
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Objective: Ovarian cancer has poor 5-year survival, particularly among non-Hispanic (NH) Black patients. Efforts to identify patients at high-risk of functional limitations and frailty may improve outcomes. In this study, we examined how healthcare access (HCA) and race/ethnicity relate to frailty among patients with ovarian cancer.

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Article Synopsis
  • * A multicenter, randomized, double-blind clinical trial involving 590 TBI patients will compare the effects of l-oxiracetam, oxiracetam, and a placebo over a 14-day treatment period, followed by 90 days of observation.
  • * Preliminary results indicate a lack of strong evidence supporting the cognitive-enhancing effects of these drugs on TBI patients, highlighting the importance of this research in addressing a significant clinical question.
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Background: Patients may use crowdfunding to solicit donations, typically from multiple small donors using internet-based means, to offset the financial toxicity of cancer care.

Objective: To describe crowdfunding campaigns by gynecologic cancer patients and to compare campaign characteristics and needs expressed between patients with cervical, uterine, and ovarian cancer.

Study Design: We queried the public crowdfunding forum GoFundMe.

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This study describes the conception, development, and growth of the Triage Cancer Conference hosted by Triage Cancer, a national nonprofit organization providing free legal and financial education to the cancer community. We conducted a retrospective analysis of post-conference participant surveys. Descriptive statistics were calculated for participant demographics, and acceptability, feasibility, and appropriateness were evaluated.

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Dysfunctional bone marrow (BM) endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) with high levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) are responsible for defective hematopoiesis in poor graft function (PGF) patients with acute leukemia or myelodysplastic neoplasms post-allotransplant. However, the underlying mechanism by which BM EPCs regulate their intracellular ROS levels and the capacity to support hematopoiesis have not been well clarified. Herein, we demonstrated decreased levels of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor delta (PPARδ), a lipid-activated nuclear receptor, in BM EPCs of PGF patients compared with those with good graft function (GGF).

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Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of distress screening methods in identifying financial hardship (FH) among gynecologic cancer patients compared to a dedicated FH screening approach.
  • The research involved screening 364 patients using both distress measures and specialized financial assessments, revealing that the distress screening had moderate sensitivity (57%) but high specificity (77%) for detecting FH.
  • Results indicated that 24% of patients screened positive for FH, emphasizing the need for dedicated screening since many affected individuals might not be identified through distress screening alone.
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Objective: To use a nationwide pharmaceutical claims database to evaluate cost-sharing trends for commercially insured patients with cancer who were prescribed lenvatinib (Lenvima).

Study Design: IBM MarketScan databases were used to evaluate lenvatinib costs for patients with employer-based commercial insurance, and for patients 65 years and older, Medicare claims for fee-for-service plans.

Methods: Patients were included if they had least 1 outpatient pharmaceutical claim for lenvatinib paid on a noncapitated basis from 2015 to 2019.

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Background: Despite its prevalence, there is ongoing debate regarding the optimal management strategy for chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH), reflecting the variability in clinical presentation and treatment outcomes. This ambidirectional, nationwide, multicenter registry study aims to assess the efficacy and safety of multimodality treatment approaches for CSDH in the Chinese population.

Methods/design: A multicenter cohort of CSDH patients from 59 participating hospitals in mainland China was enrolled in this study.

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Article Synopsis
  • Pest feeding alters the rhizobacteria community, activating plant defense pathways like salicylic acid and jasmonic acid to combat pests.
  • Researchers studied peanuts and larvae of Holotrichia parallela to see if peanuts increase insecticidal bacteria and if these bacteria enhance plant resistance.
  • The study showed that pest infestation quickly changed the bacterial community in the rhizosphere, enriching certain harmful bacteria and isolating four with high toxicity against the larvae, ultimately demonstrating that plants can recruit beneficial bacteria to fight off herbivores.
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Background: Data on financial hardship, an "adverse event" in individuals with cancer, are needed to inform policy and supportive care interventions and reduce adverse economic outcomes.

Methods: Lay navigator-led financial hardship screening was piloted among University of Alabama at Birmingham oncology patients initiating treatment in October 2020. Financial hardship screening, including reported financial distress and difficulty, was added to a standard-of-care treatment planning survey.

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Background: Neuroinflammation is one of the most important pathogeneses in secondary brain injury after traumatic brain injury (TBI). Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) forming neutrophils were found throughout the brain tissue of TBI patients and elevated plasma NET biomarkers correlated with worse outcomes. However, the biological function and underlying mechanisms of NETs in TBI-induced neural damage are not yet fully understood.

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Article Synopsis
  • New non-Bt insecticidal bacteria were isolated from the peanut rhizosphere, which could lead to the development of effective biopesticides for coleopteran pests.
  • Among the tested strains, IPPBiotE33 was the most toxic, particularly effective against certain larval stages of pests.
  • The study revealed synergistic effects between IPPBiotE33 and Bt185, highlighting potential new strategies for blended pest control and improving our understanding of insecticidal mechanisms.
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Article Synopsis
  • The EMOT-ECON Research Network, funded by the NIH, aims to study how economic burdens from diseases affect emotional well-being (EWB).
  • The network brought together various stakeholders to highlight the importance of understanding the relationship between financial strain and EWB, and to identify research gaps in this area.
  • Future research areas include exploring patients' emotional experiences regarding economic hardship, factors that influence the stress of economic burden, coping strategies and their effects on EWB, and developing interventions involving multiple stakeholders to tackle economic and emotional challenges.
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Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and ER stress-mediated apoptosis play an important role during secondary brain damage after traumatic brain injury (TBI). Increased neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) formation has been demonstrated to be associated with neurological damage after TBI. However, the correlation between ER stress and NETs remains unclear, and the specific function of NETs in neurons has not been defined.

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Aplastic anemia (AA) is a life-threatening disease characterized by bone marrow (BM) failure and pancytopenia. As an important component of the BM microenvironment, endothelial cells (ECs) play a crucial role in supporting hematopoiesis and regulating immunity. However, whether impaired BM ECs are involved in the occurrence of AA and whether repairing BM ECs could improve hematopoiesis and immune status in AA remain unknown.

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Background: Racial and ethnic disparities in ovarian cancer (OC) survival are well-documented. However, few studies have investigated how health-care access (HCA) contributes to these disparities.

Methods: To evaluate the influence of HCA on OC mortality, we analyzed 2008-2015 Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare data.

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Objectives: Endothelial cell-derived microparticles (EMPs) are directly indicative of endothelial cell activation or apoptosis, and may also reflect endothelial inflammation, increased coagulation, and vascular tone. The aim of this study is to investigate whether EMPs would be able to evaluate system involvement and be a new indicators of disease activity in Behçet's disease (BD).

Methods: Thirty-nine consecutive BD patients (who fulfilled the modified 1990 International Study Group on Behçet's disease or the 2006 International Criteria for Behçet's Disease) and 30 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were enrolled.

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Financial toxicity describes the adverse impact patients experience from the monetary and time costs of cancer care. The financial burden patients experience comes from substantially increased out-of-pocket spending that often occurs concurrent with reduced income due to sick leave from work. Financial toxicity is common affecting approximately half of patients with a gynecological cancer depending on the validated instrument used for measurement.

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The radial error is the key performance indicator of ultra-precision axis. In order to measure and evaluate the radial error of ultra-precision axis with nanometer accuracy, a measurement system with an accuracy of nanometer based on capacitive displacement probes and standard spheres is developed. The nonlinearity error of capacitive displacement probes, misalignment error of the probes, eccentric error of standard spheres, error caused by environment temperature change, environment vibration and error separation methods are analyzed and the effects of the above factors are obtained; Multiple measurement examples carried out with the measurement system this paaper constructed indicate the repeatability of the measurement system reaches 10.

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Background: Anti-Asian violence increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Asian American/Pacific Islanders (AAPI) represent a diverse population experiencing a long history of stereotyping and exclusionism; however, this group is often left out of diversity/inclusion conversations. In academic medicine, AAPI are under-represented in leadership.

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Purpose: Cancer clinical trials can benefit current and future patients; however, Black patients, rural residents, and patients living in disadvantaged areas are often underrepresented. Using an adapted version of Unger and colleagues' model of the process of clinical trial enrollment, we evaluated the relationship between underrepresented patient populations and trial end points.

Methods: This retrospective study included 512 patients with breast or ovarian cancer who were prescribed a therapeutic drug at the University of Alabama at Birmingham from January 2017 to February 2020.

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