Publications by authors named "S Merkle"
Article Synopsis
- The study identified potential biomarkers in cell-free DNA (cfDNA) marked by 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) that can detect colorectal cancer (CRC) up to 36 months prior to clinical diagnosis using samples from the PLCO Cancer Screening Trial.
- Research utilized 5hmC-seal assays and machine learning on cfDNA from 201 CRC cases and 401 controls, producing a predictive detection model with promising accuracy (AUC values around 77% in training and 73% in validation sets), outperforming traditional risk factor assessments.
- The 5hmC biomarkers hold potential for a minimally invasive test to enhance early CRC detection, thereby improving patient
Unusual foreign body aspiration in a 4-year-old patient.
J Am Coll Emerg Physicians Open
October 2024
Article Synopsis
- A 4-year-old boy experienced sudden respiratory distress after inhaling a thumbtack, which was confirmed by an x-ray showing a foreign object near his epiglottis.
- Video laryngoscopy was used to visualize and successfully remove the thumbtack, leading to a positive recovery.
- The case highlights how different pediatric airways are from adults and emphasizes the need for quick diagnosis and treatment of foreign body aspiration to prevent serious respiratory issues.
Article Synopsis
- Dyskeratosis congenita/telomere biology disorders (DC/TBD) often lead to bone marrow failure, and although allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant (alloHCT) can help, traditional conditioning methods can cause significant toxicity.
- A clinical trial compared the outcomes of reduced intensity conditioning (RIC) alloHCT to a prior trial that included total body irradiation (TBI) in patients with DC/TBD, focusing on less toxic methods to ensure successful engraftment.
- While both groups demonstrated comparable outcomes in acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease and no primary graft failures, the non-TBI cohort showed slower donor chimerism achievement, indicating a balance between conditioning intensity and patient safety.
Many school nurses experienced increased work burden and stress during the COVID-19 pandemic. This analysis examined data from a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cross-sectional, nationwide survey of school nurses in March 2022 to examine associations between school nurses' ability to conduct their core responsibilities and selected nurse and school factors among school nurses during the 2021-2022 school year and COVID-19 pandemic. Perceived adequate staffing and financial compensation reduced the odds of reported difficulties across all core school nursing tasks.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a leading cause of cancer-related mortality, and CRC detection through screening improves survival rates. A promising avenue to improve patient screening compliance is the development of minimally-invasive liquid biopsy assays that target CRC biomarkers on circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) in peripheral plasma. In this report, we identify cfDNA biomarker candidate genes bearing the epigenetic mark 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) that diagnose occult CRC up to 36 months prior to clinical diagnosis using the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian (PLCO) Cancer Screening Trial samples.
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