Publications by authors named "Nancy Joste"

Background: Various studies have reported on the impact of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines. Here we present the largest population-based investigation of genotype-specific distributions over the decade following implementation of the 4-valent HPV vaccine (HPV6/11/16/18) in the United States.

Methods: Liquid-based cervical cytology samples from individuals aged 15-30 years undergoing cervical screening throughout New Mexico were tested by broad-spectrum HPV genotyping.

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Background: The US Food and Drug Administration supports innovations to facilitate new indications for high-risk human papillomavirus testing. This report describes the retrospective testing of stored specimens and analysis of existing data to efficiently and cost-effectively support a new indication for the Onclarity human papillomavirus assay (Becton, Dickinson and Company, BD Life Sciences - Integrated Diagnostic Solutions, Sparks, MD). The performance of this index test was compared with that of a predicate test, the cobas human papillomavirus assay (Roche Diagnostics, Indianapolis, IN).

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Article Synopsis
  • * Between 2016 and 2022, males made up a larger percentage of interim chairs (66%) but females had a higher success rate of becoming permanent chairs (47% vs. 27%).
  • * The study surveyed interim chairs to identify gender differences but found no significant reasons for the advancement disparity, except that male interim chairs tended to be older than their female counterparts.
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The Association of Pathology Chairs, an organization of American and Canadian academic pathology departments, has a record percent of women department chairs in its ranks (31%), although still not representative of the percent of women pathology faculty (43%). These women chairs were surveyed to determine what had impeded and what had facilitated their academic advancement before becoming chairs. The 2 most frequently identified impediments to their career advancement were heavy clinical loads and the lack of time, training, and/or funding to pursue research.

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  • The study examined factors that influence treatment responses and survival outcomes in patients with inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) and locally advanced breast cancer (LABC).
  • It involved analyzing tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), CD20 B-cell frequencies, and PD-L1 expression levels in a cohort of 383 patients to assess their correlation with pathologic complete response (pCR) and survival rates.
  • Results indicated that while several immune factors were associated with better outcomes, CD20PD-L1TILs specifically improved disease-free survival in IBC patients, suggesting potential for biomarker-guided therapy approaches.
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Objectives: Human papillomavirus (HPV) testing for cervical screening has been shown to increase the yield of precancerous disease and reduce the incidence of cervical cancer more than cytology alone. Here we document the state-wide uptake of co-testing with HPV and cytology in women aged 30-64 years as recommended by national and international bodies.

Methods: Registry-based study of all screening cytology and HPV tests in New Mexico from 2008 to 2019 among women aged 21-64 years, with a focus on cytology negative tests to distinguish co-testing from reflex HPV testing to triage equivocal or mildly abnormal cytology.

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Background: Lung is the most common site of distant metastasis for patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). However, differentiating second primary lung cancers from metastasis may be difficult for p16 negative HNSCC.

Case: We describe a case of oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) who was found to have lung nodule and hilar lymphadenopathy (LAD) after surgery and radiation therapy.

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Context.—: Lower Anogenital Squamous Terminology (LAST) standardization recommended p16 immunohistochemistry (p16 IHC) for biopsies diagnosed morphologically as cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) grade 2 (CIN2) to classify them as low-grade or high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSILs).

Objective.

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Background: An anal histological high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (hHSIL) is an anal cancer precursor. Experts recommend Dacron swab anal cytology as a primary screen for anal hHSILs, especially among human immunodeficiency virus-infected and -uninfected men who have sex with men (MSM). Studies have shown that Dacron cytology inaccurately predicts anal hHSILs and results in unnecessary diagnostic procedures.

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Background: Men who have sex with men (MSM) are at increased risk for anal cancer. In cervical cancer screening, patterns of repeated cytology results are used to identify low- and high-risk women, but little is known about these patterns for anal cytology among MSM.

Methods: We analyzed Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS) data for MSM who were offered anal cytology testing annually (HIV-positive) or every 2 years (HIV-negative) for 4 years.

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The amount of normal tissue that should be excised during breast conserving surgery is widely debated. Tissue adjacent to breast tumors, although histologically normal, possesses many of the molecular abnormalities found in tumor tissues. Here, we propose that the ideal physical distance for a surgical margin may not be universal.

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MPV17-related hepatocerebral mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome (previously known as Navajo neurohepatopathy) was discovered in children in the Four Corner's region of New Mexico approximately 40 years ago. This disease is associated with a single missense mutation in exon 2 in the gene. The syndrome has now been recognized world-wide.

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Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of anal cytology (ACyt) abnormalities among HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected men who have sex with men (MSM).

Design: Multicenter cohort study of 723 HIV-infected and 788 HIV-uninfected MSM with ACyt, with a second ACyt collected 2 years later. A referral for high-resolution anoscopy was suggested for abnormal ACyt.

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Introduction: Preterm birth is a major cause of infant morbidity and long-term disability, and is associated with numerous central nervous system (CNS) deficits. Infants exposed to intrauterine inflammation, specifically chorioamnionitis, are at risk for very early preterm birth and neurological complications including cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and behavioral and cognitive deficits. However, placenta-brain axis abnormalities and their relationship to subsequent permanent CNS injury remain poorly defined.

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Diagnostic interpretation of a cervical biopsy is a key element in the decision to treat or not to treat a woman with an abnormal screening test. This study assesses the variability of these diagnostic interpretations on a population basis using the New Mexico HPV Pap Registry database. An experienced panel of gynecologic pathologists reviewed a stratified random sample of 6272 biopsies, which was then extrapolated to the entire population of 21,297 biopsies read by the community pathologists.

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Background: The New Mexico HPV Pap Registry was established to measure the impact of cervical cancer prevention strategies in the United States. Before widespread human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine implementation, we established the baseline prevalence for a broad spectrum of HPV genotypes across the continuum of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and cancer.

Methods: A population-based sample of 6,272 tissue specimens was tested for 37 HPV genotypes.

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Background: Cervical screening consumes substantial resources, but little is known about utilization in the United States or compliance with guideline recommendations.

Methods: To describe population screening coverage, utilization, and outcomes and examine time trends from 2008 to 2011, cervical cytology reports from women residing in New Mexico (981,063 tests from 511,381 women) were evaluated.

Results: From 2008 to 2011 cervical screening utilization decreased at all ages, but especially in younger women, with a two-third reduction at ages 15 to 20 years.

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Whole slide imaging is increasingly used for primary and consultative diagnoses, teaching, telepathology, slide sharing, and archiving. We compared pathologist evaluations of glass slides and corresponding digitized images within the context of a statewide surveillance effort. Cervical specimens collected by the New Mexico HPV Pap Registry research program targeted cases diagnosed between 2006 and 2010.

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New recommendations for screening intervals across different age groups is leading to a diminished role for the cytology laboratory and an increased role for the human papillomavirus (HPV) testing laboratory. With the introduction of the liquid-based Papanicolaou test, high-risk HPV testing, and computer-assisted screening, the cytology laboratory is at the forefront of efforts to improve screening for the provision of better patient care. Cytology laboratories are ideally positioned to facilitate important basic and applied research involving cervical cancer.

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The age-specific occurrence of cervical cancer related to human papillomavirus (HPV) genotypes HPV16 and HPV18, the two targeted by current HPV vaccines, is not well described. We therefore used data from two large, tissue-based HPV genotyping studies of cervical cancer, one conducted in New Mexico (n = 744) and an International study restricted to cancers (n = 1,729) from Europe, North America, and Australia to represent those regions with widely available cervical cancer screening facilities. HPV results were categorized as HPV16- or HPV18-positive (HPV16/18) versus other HPV genotype.

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To inform the proposed systematic adjudicative staining of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 (CIN2) and equivocal diagnoses, we characterized diagnostic heterogeneity across 15 laboratories. Laboratory-specific distributions of 37,486 biopsy specimen diagnoses were compared after adjusting for preceding cytology. In a subset of preceding cytology specimens, HPV16 genotyping was considered an indicator of lesion severity.

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Aberrant cytosine methylation affects regulation of hundreds of genes during cancer development. In this study, a novel aberrantly hypermethylated CpG island in cancer was discovered within the TOX2 promoter. TOX2 was unmethylated in normal cells but 28% lung (n = 190) and 23% breast (n = 80) tumors were methylated.

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Telomerase stabilizes chromosomes by maintaining telomere length, immortalizes mammalian cells, and is expressed in more than 90% of human tumors. However, the expression of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) is not restricted to tumor cells. We have previously shown that a subpopulation of human mammary epithelial cells (HMEC) in tumor-adjacent, histologically normal (TAHN) breast tissues expresses hTERT mRNA at levels comparable with levels in breast tumors.

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