Publications by authors named "Minas T"

Importance: Cancer prevention and care efforts have been challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic and armed conflicts, resulting in a decline in the global Human Development Index (HDI), particularly in low- and middle-income countries. These challenges and subsequent shifts in health care priorities underscore the need to continuously monitor cancer outcome disparities and statistics globally to ensure delivery of equitable and optimal cancer prevention and care in uncertain times.

Objective: To measure the global burden of 36 cancers in 2022 by sex, age, and geographic location and to project future trends by 2050.

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Importance: Racial disparities in prostate cancer are likely the result of complex relationships between both socioeconomic and environmental factors captured by the neighborhood environment and genetic factors, including West African genetic ancestry. However, few studies have examined the combined role of neighborhood environment and genetic ancestry in developing lethal prostate cancer.

Objective: To examine the interactions between West African genetic ancestry and neighborhood deprivation in modifying prostate cancer risk and mortality.

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Article Synopsis
  • Statins have been thought to lower the risk of gallstones due to their anti-inflammatory properties, but this study specifically looked at their effects on inflammation in Chilean women with gallstones.
  • Researchers analyzed 400 women (200 with statin use and 200 without) to see if statins influenced 92 different inflammatory biomarkers.
  • The results showed no significant links between statin use and inflammation markers, indicating that statins do not effectively reduce inflammation after gallstones have developed.
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Background: Prior studies showed that neighborhood deprivation increases the risk of lethal prostate cancer. However, the role of neighborhood gentrification in prostate cancer development and outcome remains poorly understood. We examined the relationships of gentrification with prostate cancer and serum proteome-defined inflammation and immune function in a diverse cohort.

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Diabetes commonly affects patients with cancer. We investigated the influence of diabetes on breast cancer biology using a 3-pronged approach that included analysis of orthotopic human tumor xenografts, patient tumors, and breast cancer cells exposed to diabetes/hyperglycemia-like conditions. We aimed to identify shared phenotypes and molecular signatures by investigating the metabolome, transcriptome, and tumor mutational burden.

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The association between fatty acids and prostate cancer remains poorly explored in African-descent populations. Here, we analyze 24 circulating fatty acids in 2934 men, including 1431 prostate cancer cases and 1503 population controls from Ghana and the United States, using CLIA-certified mass spectrometry-based assays. We investigate their associations with population groups (Ghanaian, African American, European American men), lifestyle factors, the fatty acid desaturase (FADS) genetic locus, and prostate cancer.

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There is a lack of investigations assessing the performance of systemic inflammation indices as outcome predictive tools in African Americans with prostate cancer. This study aims to assess the relationships between neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), systemic immune-inflammation (SII), and systemic inflammation response index (SIRI) with survival outcomes among 680 diverse men with prostate cancer. Routine blood results were collected from self-identified African American and European American patients.

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Importance: Neighborhood variables may be factors in the excessive burden of prostate cancer among African American men.

Objective: To examine associations between neighborhood deprivation, circulating immune-oncology markers, and prostate cancer among African American and European American men.

Design, Setting, And Participants: A case-control study was conducted between January 1, 2005, and January 1, 2016.

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Background: The dinucleotide germline variant, rs368234815-ΔG, in the IFNL4 gene (IFNL4-ΔG) has been associated with prostate cancer among men at increased risk of sexually transmitted infections and reported to impair viral clearance. Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) seropositivity has been associated with prostate cancer in Tobago.

Methods: We examined whether the association of HHV-8 with prostate cancer is IFNL4-ΔG-dependent among 728 IFNL4-ΔG-genotyped cases and 813 genotyped population-based controls from the NCI-Maryland Prostate Cancer Case-Control study.

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Article Synopsis
  • * A study of nearly 3000 men reveals that those of West African ancestry have higher levels of proteins that suppress tumor immunity and influence chemotaxis, which are linked to worse outcomes in prostate cancer.
  • * Specific markers, such as pleiotrophin and TNFRSF9, predict poorer survival rates in African American men, highlighting the need for tailored cancer therapies to address these disparities.
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Background: Matrix-induced chondrogenesis (MIC) is a promising treatment option for critical-size cartilage lesions of the knee; however, there exists substantial heterogeneity in the choice of acellular scaffold matrix for MIC cartilage repairs.

Hypothesis: The choice of acellular matrix will not affect patient outcomes after MIC cartilage repair procedures, and the addition of concentrated bone marrow aspirate (cBMA) will improve short-term patient outcomes regardless of matrix choice.

Study Design: Meta-analysis; Level of evidence, 4.

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It is being debated whether prostate-specific antigen (PSA)-based screening effectively reduces prostate cancer mortality. Some of the uncertainty could be related to deficiencies in the age-based PSA cut-off thresholds used in screening. Current study considered 2779 men with prostate cancer and 1606 men without a cancer diagnosis, recruited for various studies in New Zealand, US, and Taiwan.

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Urinary PGE-M is a stable metabolite of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). PGE2 is a product of the inflammatory COX signaling pathway and has been associated with cancer incidence and metastasis. Its synthesis can be inhibited by aspirin.

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Background: Thromboxane A2 (TXA2) is a platelet- and cyclooxygenase-derived eicosanoid that has been linked to metastasis. We investigated the role of TXA2 in the development of lethal prostate cancer in African American (AA) and European American (EA) men.

Methods: We measured urinary 11-dehydrothromboxane B2 (TXB2), a stable metabolite of TXA2, with mass spectrometry.

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Article Synopsis
  • Cancer health disparities are still a big problem in the U.S., even with laws like the Affordable Care Act designed to help.
  • While there have been improvements like better access to healthcare and cancer screenings, many underserved communities still face higher cancer rates.
  • Researchers are looking into various reasons for these disparities, including other health issues, stress, and differences in people's immune responses and bacteria in their bodies that may affect cancer risk and survival.
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  • Cartilage lesions in the patellofemoral joint are common and their treatment is complicated due to the joint's intricate structure and functioning.
  • The purpose of the study was to create a consensus statement on managing large cartilage defects in this joint, including aspects like anatomy, donor graft considerations, surgical methods, and rehabilitation, using a structured group approach.
  • The study involved 28 experts who participated in three rounds of surveys, resulting in 36 statements achieving consensus, with strong agreement on anatomical, surgical, and rehabilitation aspects, leading to a comprehensive guidance document.
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Background: Autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) provides a successful outcome for treating articular cartilage lesions. However, there have been very few reports on the clinical outcomes of revision ACI for failed ACI.

Purpose: To evaluate clinical outcomes in patients who underwent revision ACI of the knee for failure of an initial ACI and to determine the factors affecting the survival rate.

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Background: Autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) is a well-established cartilage repair procedure; however, numerous studies have shown higher ACI graft failure rates after prior marrow stimulation techniques (MSTs).

Purpose: To identify which factors may predict decreased graft survival after ACI among patients who underwent a prior MST. A secondary aim was to investigate the specificity of these predictors.

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Background: Symptomatic osteochondral defects are difficult to manage, especially in patients with deep (>8-10 mm) empty defects. The restoration of articular congruence is crucial to avoid the progression to osteoarthritis (OA).

Purpose: To describe the autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) "segmental-sandwich" technique for restoration of the osteochondral unit and to evaluate midterm outcomes in patients treated with this procedure.

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Purpose: To assess and compare meniscal extrusion rates after lateral "bridge-in-slot" meniscal allograft transplantation (MAT) with arthroscopic versus open insertion.

Methods: In this review of prospectively collected data, we analyzed data from patients who underwent arthroscopic or open lateral MAT. Patients who underwent concomitant distal femoral osteotomy, for whom 1-year postoperative magnetic resonance imaging was unavailable, or who underwent open lateral MAT without the use of transosseous sutures were excluded.

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Autologous chondrocyte implantation is a promising therapy for the treatment of the articular cartilage defects. Recently, we have developed a three-dimensional chondrocyte construct manufactured with a collagen gel/sponge scaffold and cyclic hydrostatic pressure. However, the roles of various mechanical stresses, specifically hydrostatic pressure and deviatoric stress, as well as poststress loading, were unclear on metabolic function in chondrocytes.

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Background: Treating bipolar chondral lesions in the patellofemoral (PF) compartment is a challenging problem. There are few reports available on the treatment of bipolar chondral lesions in the PF compartment.

Purpose: To evaluate the clinical outcomes and graft survivorship after autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) for the treatment of bipolar chondral lesions in the PF compartment.

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Background: Trachomatous trichiasis (TT) will continue to develop among those people who have had repeated infections after active trachoma is controlled. Detecting and treating affected individuals will remain necessary for years; a long "tail" of incident cases is anticipated. As the prevalence of TT declines, there will be fewer cases available for training trachoma graders (TG), necessitating alternative methods.

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Sexually transmitted infections can reach the prostate gland where their harmful effects are mediated by innate immunity, including interferons. Humans are polymorphic for the germline dinucleotide variant, rs368234815-TT/ΔG, in the gene encoding interferon λ4. Since the ΔG allele has been linked to impaired viral clearance, we hypothesized that potential exposure to sexually transmitted pathogens, as assessed by the number of lifetime sexual partners, may increase prostate cancer risk in an ΔG-dependent manner.

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