Updates in therapeutic drug monitoring in inflammatory bowel disease.

Biologics and immunomodulators (IMM) are generally considered the most effective therapies for the treatment of ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. However, despite the efficacy of these therapies, many patients either have a primary lack of response or a secondary loss of response to these medications. Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) is a systematic approach to managing such patients.

Genetic Analysis of Archived Tumor Specimens for Hereditary Colorectal Cancer Syndromes in the Cajuns of Louisiana, a US Founder Population.

Introduction: The Louisiana Acadian region (population 1.2 million), home of the Cajuns, has among the highest US colorectal cancer (CRC) rates. Although Cajuns are a known genetic founder population, studies assessing for hereditary CRC have not been performed.

Brain Tumor Microenvironment and Angiogenesis in Melanoma Brain Metastases.

Background: High tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and hemorrhage are important prognostic factors in patients who have undergone craniotomy for melanoma brain metastases (MBM) before 2011 at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC). We have investigated the prognostic or predictive role of these histopathologic factors in a more contemporary craniotomy cohort from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH). We have also sought to understand better how various immune cell subsets, angiogenic factors, and blood vessels may be associated with clinical and radiographic features in MBM.

Indomethacin enhances anti-tumor efficacy of a MUC1 peptide vaccine against breast cancer in MUC1 transgenic mice.

In recent years, vaccines against tumor antigens have shown potential for combating invasive cancers, including primary tumors and metastatic lesions. This is particularly pertinent for breast cancer, which is the second-leading cause of cancer-related death in women. MUC1 is a glycoprotein that is normally expressed on glandular epithelium, but is overexpressed and under-glycosylated in most human cancers, including the majority of breast cancers.

Hyperinfection Syndrome as a Cause of Fatal Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage.

is a small intestinal nematode that is widespread in regions with poor sanitation. We present a 57-year-old man from Colombia who was undergoing corticosteroid therapy for a meningioma who presented after neurosurgery with abdominal pain and a profound gastrointestinal (GI) bleed. The patient underwent an esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD), an attempted embolization, and an exploratory laparotomy to remove the necrosed duodenum.

Drifts and Environmental Disturbances in Atomic Clock Subsystems: Quantifying Local Oscillator, Control Loop, and Ion Resonance Interactions.

Linear ion trap frequency standards are among the most stable continuously operating frequency references and clocks. Depending on the application, they have been operated with a variety of local oscillators (LOs), including quartz ultrastable oscillators, hydrogen-masers, and cryogenic sapphire oscillators. The short-, intermediate-, and long-term stability of the frequency output is a complicated function of the fundamental performances, the time dependence of environmental disturbances, the atomic interrogation algorithm, the implemented control loop, and the environmental sensitivity of the LO and the atomic system components.

Mucin 1 Regulates Cox-2 Gene in Pancreatic Cancer.

Objective: Eighty percent of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas (PDAs) overexpress mucin 1 (MUC1), a transmembrane mucin glycoprotein. MUC1(high) PDA patients also express high levels of cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) and show poor prognosis. The cytoplasmic tail of MUC1 (MUC1-CT) partakes in oncogenic signaling, resulting in accelerated cancer progression.

The use of a novel MUC1 antibody to identify cancer stem cells and circulating MUC1 in mice and patients with pancreatic cancer.

Background And Objectives: MUC1 is over-expressed and aberrantly glycosylated in >60% of human pancreatic cancer (PC). Development of novel approaches for detection and/or targeting of MUC1 are critically needed and should be able to detect MUC1 on PC cells (including cancer stem cells) and in serum.

Methods: The sensitivity and specificity of the anti-MUC1 antibody, TAB 004, was determined.